First and most important. OPEC+ is standing tall. Nobody is sure if it is politically based or simply that nobody can pump more oil.
OPEC+ Sticks To Production Plan Despite $111 Oil https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/OPEC-Sticks-To-Production-Plan-Despite-111-Oil.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/OPEC-Sticks-To-Production-Plan-Despite-111-Oil.html
Next up is as everyone knew, the price of energy is going way up. As stated in the article, in the EU, the price is now in the demand destruction phase.
Europe’s Gas Prices Soar 60% To Record High As Buyers Shun Russia https://oilprice.com/Energy/Gas-Prices/Europes-Gas-Prices-Soar-60-To-Record-High-As-Buyers-Shun-Russia.html" rel="nofollow" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - https://oilprice.com/Energy/Gas-Prices/Europes-Gas-Prices-Soar-60-To-Record-High-As-Buyers-Shun-Russia.html
And Russia is still pumping gas and oil to Europe. We haven't seen anything yet. Are you prepared for a Recession/Depression?
GAS SUPPLIES FROM POLAND TO GERMANY VIA THE YAMAL-EUROPE PIPELINE HAVE CEASED. Germany shut-down the approval process for the NordStream-2 gas pipeline from Russia, now Germany gets no gas at all, from Russia.
RUMOR: Next ultimatum, if Berlin has money to cancel Ukraine's debts and host who-knows-how-many Ukrops (Ukraine Nazis), then Germany must pay up costs for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline they just cancled, or say BYE BYE to Nord stream 1 gas supply as well. Again, just a RUMOR.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warns the West against "further escalation" with Moscow
UPDATE 3:25 PM EST --
Severstal decided to completely stop the supply of steel to the EU countries. No more Russian steel for Europe!
DJ, Most of the world sees NATO moving east as the cause of the present Ukraine crisis...even with very clear warnings/red lines by Russia NOT to include Ukraine in NATO the US keeps pushing that agenda...with EU countries sending weapons into Ukraine (by doing so becoming a "party" in the conflict).
China, Turkey would like to work towards a compromise. The US is blocking that.
On top of that the US has plans for nuclear weapons in Japan, keeps sending all kinds of delegetions to Taiwan...de facto breaking the "One China policy"...US supports Japan claims on the Kuril islands-under Russian control since the end of world war two...(US agreed then...but recently send a US submarine in the area...claiming it was in Japanese waters-Russia used deep water explosives to chase the sub out of the Russian waters...).
11:41 AM EST --RUSSIAN FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE CHIEF SAYS FOR US THIS IS NO LONGER COLD WAR WITH THE WEST BUT HOT WAR
During a meeting with Russian President Putin, Sergei Naryshkyn told President Putin things with the West are going to get very much worse - hot war is now "likely."
"Vladimir Putin has today branded Ukrainians 'extreme gangsters', claimed their army is using civilians as 'human shields', hailed his soldiers as heroes who are fighting to save innocent lives and said his invasion is going exactly to plan and schedule in a stunning act of hypocrisy and outright denial.
The Russian leader, who eight days ago declared all-out war against Ukraine in a bid to topple its elected government and reunify it with Russia by force, denied that his troops are deliberately targeting civilians - despite reams of evidence to the contrary - and instead blamed 'neo-Nazis' holding citizens hostage."
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 03 2022 at 4:11pm
Eric Feigl-Ding 💙💛@DrEricDing·5mDamn— Fire 🔥 reported at the nuclear ☢️ power plant in Zaporozhye Ukraine 🇺🇦— one of the largest nuclear power plants in the world (a top 10!). I was just talking to a colleague about this today🤦🏻♂️. Hope 🇷🇺 leaders realize shelling a nuclear plant is NOT in their own interest!Quote TweetNEXTA@nexta_tv · 25m⚡️⚡️⚡️As a result of the shelling at the #Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, a fire started. The exact location of the fire is being specified. CCTV cameras at the plant show flames and smoke.Show this thread1185153
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 03 2022 at 4:59pm
Posted By: KiwiMum
Date Posted: March 03 2022 at 5:19pm
I saw a newspaper article today that said that Germany supported financial sanctions against Russia but didn't want there to be any sanctions on oil or gas!!!! It would make life to inconvenient for the German people and would be a very unpopular political decision.
How very selective they are!
------------- Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 03 2022 at 8:44pm
KiwiMum; the "west' excluded Gazprom-bank from SWIFT sanctions....
DJ-It is my impression "the west" (most of Europe following the US...blindly...the EU, UK have their own position and responsibility...It is totally insane Europe seems to take "US orders"! Again-if a friend does something very stupid-you do not encourage it but have to trop to stop it....)
The US...victoria nuland...after telling the EU "f.ck the EU" several years back...in fact did have the same "F" words for both Russia and Ukraine....Russia did put a very clear "Red"line not to be crossed...If the US can put Red-lines-not to be crossed, so can any other country...When that red line gets crossed the country putting that red-line has to (re)act...
For that matter linking an "action" US/UK supporting Ukraine to become a NATO member" to a "reaction"...Russia has to accept it or stop ir...may have been unwise...If Russia had choosen to put the "energy-weapon" in action instead of invading Ukraine it maybe would have less PR-damage (in the west) for Russia...
YES ! Russia did invade, start a war, in Ukraine...no one should deny that...I wonder what kind of promisses the Ukraine believed it did get from the west when it went on "joining NATO", after the Munich security conference Zelinsky even starting "Ukraine needs nuclear weapons"....By now most Ukrainians may regret to have had a government going the NATO road....feel "F.ck the Ukraine" by lack of actions...
The US hoped to push Ukraine under the Russian bus...resulting in the EU breaking up EurAsian trade ideas...so "limit" Russia, China...The US did get that reaction...western media going full propaganda...Some western idiots going for "unseen violence by Russia"...making me wonder how limited their memories are...Raqqa was bad...way worse...Iraq was worse...
If that was all of the story...yeah US won !....
But...
Of course...
It is not !!!!
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 03 2022 at 9:33pm
DJ, Hal Turner does publish a lot of non-sense...however this is not;
Russia Returns to Gold Standard - Government to Remove VAT (Tax) on Bullion. This bill will be submitted to the State Duma on March 4. . . .
Hal Turner Editorial Remarks
In one fell swoop, Russia just made the Russian Ruble the single most stable currency in the entire world.
Moreover, they just fucked the US Dollar and the EURO so badly, neither currency is likely to survive.
Nobody around the world will favor a US dollar, backed by nothing, from a nation $30 TRILLION in debt, versus a gold-backed Ruble.
Russia just completely SMASHED the United States and the EUROZONE.
Think I'm kidding? Think again.
When Muammar Qaddafi in Libya planned on a Gold-backed currency for all of Africa, the West went into Libya and overthrew him.
When Saddam Hussein in Iraq announced he would start selling oil in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar, two months later was Iraq War 2 - and they hung him!
The U.S. Dollar being the sole reserve currency for this planet is why wars get waged, and now Russia has completely, totally smashed it.
You watch. The U.S. that has been saying "no nuclear war" and even Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin saying yesterday "All this talk of nuclear war is dangerous, stop it" is going to change almost overnight. The US is now in an existential crisis. Our currency has just been utterly smashed by Russia's decision to back the Ruble with Gold.
Watch the rhetoric about Russia from this moment on. You will notice it is ratcheted-up to vilification like you've never seen before. Why, they'll probably start accusing Russian troops of throwing babies out of incubators in Ukraine hospitals (like they accused Iraq) in order to justify going to war with Russia.
In my personal opinion, war with Russia is now a foregone conclusion. The US and Europe have no choice. If the Dollar and the EURO are to survive, Russia must be killed.
I hope you prepped. Food, water, medicine, etc.
Now get right with God. I mean it. The shit is about to hit the fan so badly, we'll be lucky to live through it.
DJ-Hal Turner did make extremists writings...going much to far...I see myself as "rather left wing" a lot of his followers "do not like most of my ideas" (to put it very mild...)
Somehow "the west" had the bizarre idea Russia still would need the $ and €...so would keep selling oil, gas, copper, grain to countries that claim the Russian leadership has gone crazy...simply stick to a story of "Russian agression" without linking NATO expansion with it...
The "West" however did not only cross a Russian "red line"....Putin and Xi (China) did have a personal meeting at the start of the winter olympics in Bejing. China and Russia did go for further "strategic cooperation" both facing in many ways "the same problems"....
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that if a third World War were to take place, it would involve nuclear weapons.
Commenting on Russia's operation inside Ukraine, the foreign minister told Tass news agency on Wednesday that Russia would face a "real danger" if Kiev acquired nuclear weapons.
Russia will not allow Ukraine to obtain the weaponry, the top Russian diplomat said, adding that the ongoing special operation aims to keep Ukraine away from such a scenario.
Moscow has already demanded assurances that NATO will refrain from stationing troops near its borders and deploying missiles and nuclear weapons.
DJ, The US did block "press.tv".so now it did become "presstv.ir"...the US is now blocking-even from most internet browsers RT.com, Sputnik etc...(high time for me to dump google...)
China on Tuesday warned the US that it will pay a "heavy price" for its attempts to show support to Taiwan's independence as a delegation of ex-American defense officials landed in Taipei amid apprehensions that Beijing may attempt action against the self-ruled island akin to Russia's military assault in Ukraine. Yesterday, China issued a statement saying US Nukes in South Korea are "unacceptable" and it is time for those weapons to be sent home.
Taiwanese media reports said a five-member delegation headed by former US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Admiral (retd) Mullen was received by Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, raising concerns in Beijing over the US efforts to step up its engagement with Taiwan, which China firmly affirms as part of the Chinese mainland.
-
Hal Turner Editorial Opinion
What's going to happen when China completely cuts off the US?
When 260 million Americans can no longer get their prescription medications because the raw materials for those medications come from China...
When 85+% of electronics are no longer available...
When 75+% of automotive parts are no longer available...
When 80+% of medical supplies are no longer available...
We in the US are COMPLETELY screwed, we hardly make anything any longer.
It is important to note that the reason we don't make anything here anymore is all those folks who, for years, talked-up "Free Trade." They told us that removing Tariffs on foreign-made goods would cause foreign countries to remove Tariff's on American-made goods, thereby increasing sales and creating jobs here in America. We bought their talk and went the "Free trade" route.
What we didn't realize was that the "Free Trade" crowd had no intention at all of being able to sell to other countries; what they REALLY wanted was to move manufacturing jobs OUT of America, use cheap labor in third world countries, then ship the same products back here to America tariff-free. The money they saved by using cheap, third-world labor, went in their pockets as additional profit.
The only thing "free trade" got America was complete destruction of our manufacturing, and grotesque outflow of American consumer dollars to foreign nations.
Now that we __may__ be facing a World War 3 situation with Russia and China, we find ourselves with no manufacturing base to support a war, and little to no raw materials, either.
The "Free Trade" crowd got us here. The nation will be lucky to even survive if actual war breaks out.
DJ...Russia does not want NATO, nuclear weapons closer to its borders...China does NOT accept any nuclear (US or other-non friendly) weapons near its borders...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="South Korea - South Korea has the raw materials and equipment to produce a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_weapon" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Nuclear weapon - nuclear weapon but has not opted to make one. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [1] In August 2004, South Korea revealed the extent of its highly secretive and sensitive nuclear research programs to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Atomic_Energy_Agency" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="International Atomic Energy Agency - International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), including some experiments which were conducted without the obligatory reporting to the IAEA called for by South Korea's safeguards agreement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-Sokolski-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [2] The failure to report was reported by the IAEA Secretariat to the IAEA Board of Governors; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [3] however, the IAEA Board of Governors decided to not make a formal finding of noncompliance. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-IAEABoG-4" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [4] If the South created nuclear weapons it could change the balance of power on the Korean Peninsula. However, South Korea has continued on a stated policy of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and has adopted a policy to maintain a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
The US first deployed nuclear weapons to South Korea in 1958, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-seldon-2004-14" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [14] and numbers peaked in the late 1960s at close to 950, including a mix of tactical and strategic weapons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-15" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [15] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-16" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [16]
Following its accession to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_Non-Proliferation_Treaty" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1985, the government of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="North Korea - North Korea had cited the presence of US https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_nuclear_weapon" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Tactical nuclear weapon - tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea as a reason to avoid completing a safeguards agreement with the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Atomic_Energy_Agency" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="International Atomic Energy Agency - International Atomic Energy Agency . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-auto-17" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [17] In 1991, President https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_H_W_Bush" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="George H W Bush - George H W Bush announced the withdrawal of all naval and land-based tactical nuclear weapons deployed abroad, including approximately 100 such weapons based in South Korea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-18" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [18] In January 1992, the governments of North and South Korea signed a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Declaration_of_the_Denuclearization_of_the_Korean_Peninsula" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula - Joint Declaration of the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula , and in January 1992, the North concluded a comprehensive safeguards agreement with the IAEA. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-auto-17" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [17] Implementation meetings for the Joint Declaration took place in 1992 and 1993, but no agreement could be found, so consequently the declaration never entered into force. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-isis-online-2002-19" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [19] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-diplomat-20160713-20" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [20]
In 2013, South Korean Prime Minister https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chung_Hong-won" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Chung Hong-won - Chung Hong-won rejected calls to again station American https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_nuclear_weapons" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Tactical nuclear weapons - tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-21" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [21]
In 2017, during a period of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_North_Korea_crisis" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="2017 North Korea crisis - unusually high tension , the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ministry_of_National_Defense_(South_Korea)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Ministry of National Defense (South Korea) - South Korean defence minister suggested it was worth reviewing the redeployment of U.S. nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-22" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [22]
In 2021, the top https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People_Power_Party_(South_Korea)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="People Power Party (South Korea) - People Power Party https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_South_Korean_presidential_election" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="2022 South Korean presidential election - 2022 presidential candidate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoon_Seok-youl" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Yoon Seok-youl - Yoon Seok-youl stated that he would demand that the United States redeploy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tactical_nuclear_weapons" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Tactical nuclear weapons - tactical nuclear weapons in South Korea. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea_and_weapons_of_mass_destruction#cite_note-23" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [23]
DJ, Most likely there are NO US nuclear weapons in South Korea...however US Navy ships or Airforce may change that picture...
China put a Red line...no US nuclear weapons near its borders...not in South Korea..not in Japan...not in the South China Sea...
The Joint Communiqué of the United States of America and the People's Republic of China, also known as the Shanghai Communiqué (1972), was a diplomatic document issued by the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="United States - United States of America and the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="China - People's Republic of China on February 27, 1972, on the last evening of President https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Richard Nixon - Richard Nixon 's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Nixon%27s_1972_visit_to_China" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China - visit to China . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Communiqu%C3%A9#cite_note-doc203-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Communiqu%C3%A9#cite_note-nixon376-379-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_Communiqu%C3%A9#cite_note-tdp-3" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [3]
The document pledged that it was in the interest of all nations for the United States and China to work towards the normalization of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93United_States_relations" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="China–United States relations - their relations , and affirmed a mutual interest in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%A9tente" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Détente - détente .
DJ
One of my questions is on the link between North Korea and China...does North Korea try to please China..."the unfriendly face" , leaving China room for diplomacy ?
Without China there simply would not be a North Korea...China did see 400,000 Chinese soldiers getting killed in the Korean War...however this does NOT bring Bejing is in control in Pyongyang...but there must be some sort of contacts...
In Vladivostok, several years back, Russia, China and North and South Korea did agree on some sort of "route" towards "lasting peace"...Russia, China, South Korea all have economic interests...North Korea has coal, cheap (slave) labor...Besides that they all HATE Japan...In World War Two Japan killed millions of Koreans and Chinese...hundreds of thousends of Russians living in the North of China...(there are several borderdisputes with Japan...for all three/four (Russia, China Korea's) "there is no sense of friendship" towards Japan (the US-again-may be blind for that...)
Both Russia and China will NOT tolerate US weapons near their borders...neither will they both accept any further US expansionism near their borders or sabotage of EurAsian trade....
DJ....They both MEAN IT !!!!!
They do NOT joke !!!
The US idea of "US exceptionalism" is a dangerous mistake....NO=NO !
Both Russia and China did prepare for major war...(so did North Korea, Iran...).
If the US wants war it can get war...
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 03 2022 at 10:23pm
(part 3 ?)
So where are we now ?
The US tried to stop Ukraine having talks with Russia...The US wanted the Ukraine government to move to Lviv-Western Ukraine...but the Ukraine government stayed in Kiev...Did go for talks with Russia...
I think Ukraine must feel betrayed by "the West"...they did what "the West" asked them to do...but when the problems start it is not the West who is there to offer help...
The Holodomor ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_language" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Ukrainian language - Ukrainian : Голодомо́р, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanization_of_Ukrainian" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Romanization of Ukrainian - romanized : Holodomor, IPA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/Ukrainian" style="text-decoration: none !important; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Help:IPA/Ukrainian - [ɦolodoˈmɔr] ; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [2] derived from морити голодом, moryty holodom, 'to kill by starvation'), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-3" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [a] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-4" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-6" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [5] also known as the Terror-Famine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDavies2006[httpsbooksgooglecombooksid4yWin1-ckYgCpgPA145_145]-7" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-FOOTNOTEBaumeister1999179-8" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-FOOTNOTESternbergSternberg2008[httpsbooksgooglecombooksidTFT2l-RH9FICpgPA67_67]-9" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [8] or the Great Famine, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-10" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [9] was a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famine" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Famine - famine in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_Soviet_Socialist_Republic" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic - Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that killed millions of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainians" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Ukrainians - Ukrainians . It was a large part of the wider https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_famine_of_1932%E2%80%931933" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Soviet famine of 1932–1933 - Soviet famine of 1932–1933 . The term Holodomor emphasises the famine's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropogenic_hazard" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Anthropogenic hazard - man-made and allegedly intentional aspects such as rejection of outside aid, confiscation of all household foodstuffs and restriction of population movement. As part of the wider https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_famine_of_1932%E2%80%931933" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Soviet famine of 1932–1933 - Soviet famine of 1932–1933 which affected the major grain-producing areas of the country, millions of inhabitants of Ukraine, the majority of whom were ethnic Ukrainians, died of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starvation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Starvation - starvation in a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peacetime" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Peacetime - peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Ukraine" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="History of Ukraine - history of Ukraine . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-britannica-11" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [10] Since 2006, the Holodomor has been recognized by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Ukraine - Ukraine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-zakon-12" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [11] and 15 other countries as a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Genocide - genocide of the Ukrainian people carried out by the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_government" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Soviet government - Soviet government . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-13" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [12]
Early estimates of the death toll by scholars and government officials varied greatly. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-FOOTNOTEWheatcroft2001-14" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [13] A https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="United Nations - United Nations joint statement signed by 25 countries in 2003 declared that 7–10 million perished. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-15" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [14] Current scholarship estimates a range of 4 to 7 million victims, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-16" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [15] with more precise estimates ranging from 3.3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-FOOTNOTESnyder201053._%22It_seems_reasonable_to_propose_a_figure_of_approximately_3.3 million_deaths_by_starvation_and_hunger-related_disease_in_Soviet_Ukraine_in_1932%E2%80%931933%22-17" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [16] to 5 million. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-18" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [17] According to the findings of the Court of Appeal of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyiv" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Kyiv - Kyiv in 2010, the demographic losses due to the famine amounted to 10 million, with 3.9 million direct famine deaths, and a further 6.1 million birth deficits. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-nalivajchenko_2010-19" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [18]
Whether the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor_genocide_question" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Holodomor genocide question - Holodomor was genocide is still the subject of academic debate, as are the causes of the famine and intentionality of the deaths. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-20" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [19] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-21" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [20] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-:2-22" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [21] Some scholars believe that the famine was planned by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Stalin" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Joseph Stalin - Joseph Stalin to eliminate a Ukrainian independence movement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-britannica-11" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-FOOTNOTEEngerman2003[httpsbooksgooglecombooksidUkFlO7hoxOMCpgPA194_194]-23" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [22] Others suggest that the man-made famine was a consequence of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Soviet_Union_(1927%E2%80%9353)#Industrialization_in_practice" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="History of the Soviet Union (1927–53) - Soviet industrialisation . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-KulchFeb2007-24" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [23] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-Fawkes-25" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [24] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor#cite_note-marples2005a-26" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [25]
DJ, both Ukraine and Russia have an "orthodox christian church" ...Turkey, the Ottoman Empire in history has been a "joined enemy"...
Still-while also fighting-Ukraine and Russia are also talking...
Each day longer Kiev needs to accept the Russian terms the price may go up...Crimea...most likely to Donbas (Don river delta) will become part of Russia...Ukraine is not in a position to stop that. The West allready went "full sanctions" has not that many other options left...may regret the sanctions even...it did NOT break Russia (for that matter the sanctions idea show a total lack of realism...Russia is a very major country, rich of things lots of others want to buy...Russia has very many borders and strong military to secure its trade...).
If Kiev/Ukraine takes to long to make up its mind maybe ALL of ethnic Russian Ukraine may "choose" to join Russia...(one of the reasons why Russia was able to get some parts of Ukraine under its control may be lots of ethnic Russians do welcome Russian protection...a fact the West simply ignores...Some Ukraine extremists were trying to kill as many Russians as they could get away with...).
Most likely ALL of Ukraine Black Sea coast will be taken over by Russia. Ukraine may not be allowed to become a risk for Russia...So if there will remain an "Ukraine" it will be a much smaller one...
Based on "information available", the command of a unit of Belarusian paratroopers has received an order to cross the border into Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian update on Russia's invasion. A combat order would be made after the crossing, it said, without giving dates
DJ, Belarus will stop any transports coming in from the west. Most likely even "humanitarian" because "the West" so far did also claim it would be increasing the number of weapons in the area...(DJ-The best number of weapons inside in Ukraine would be "zero"...stop the war !).
"Thus, with the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul train, a new railway corridor will be provided to our exporters in the south of Asia – which has the highest population density globally – reaching Pakistan, neighboring India, China, Afghanistan and Iran. In this way, our country will be one step closer to its goals of becoming a bridge and logistics base between Asia and Europe," Karaismailoğlu added.
Speaking at the ceremony, Qureshi highlighted that the ITI train would play an important role in enhancing regional connectivity and promoting economic and commercial activities in the ECO (Economic Cooperation Organization) region. Iran, Pakistan and Turkey established the Regional Cooperation for Development organization in 1964, renaming it the ECO in 1985.
Qureshi added that the train would offer Pakistan an opportunity to further increase its exports and strengthen its connectivity with international markets, including in Europe.
DJ...somehow "the West" seems to be totally blind for developments outside "that West"...TIP (Turkey, Iran, Pakistan) may become "a partner" as well for Afghanistan...
So...
The choice Ukraine now has to make is;
-will it go on trying to become a member of NATO, EU...knowing Russia will not accept that...
-or is Ukraine willing to accept a (most likely joined) China-Turkey alternative ? Wich could result in Ukraine at least keeping some access to the Black Sea...
DJ
-in the military conflict Ukraine never had a realistic chance..."the West" was good in empty words and acting stupid...
-in the economic conflict Ukraine has not that much to expect from the EU/NATO...more conflicts...US military bases...EurAsian alternatives may look better...
-in the diplomatic front it is the "west" that is isolated...maybe unable to realize how isolated and dependent it is...
I expect "the West" may be in for a shock....Global energy trade may dump the US$ (and NOT go for the Euro/€)...The West still may be able "to buy" some energy...at much higher prices... Russia-Iran-China (RIC) may have decided it is time to show who did get in a dominant position...
The "West" to its total horror may find out they are no longer "exceptional" or "dominant"....but may have put themselves by now in a position they have to beg to be included in global trade...with others making the rules....
DJ-It is time that "we" in the West, realized what our position is, how the global economy works...WE are no longer in control !
We may not like it...if we try to fight it...no chance...we "only" have to deal with it...and we by now should know "our leaders failed us"....
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 03 2022 at 11:30pm
With relatively simple measures, the Netherlands can cut between half and all of its annual demand for Russian gas within a year, the Dutch Association for Sustainable Energy (NVDE) said. According to the association, this can be achieved with thermal insulation in industry, by better regulating heating installations at companies, institutions, and households, and by replacing companies' fluorescent lights with LEDs.
Around 6,000 companies are affiliated with the association for entrepreneurs in sustainable energy, including energy companies and network operators.
The NVDE's package of short-term measures could cut the use of 4.7 billion cubic meters of gas this year. According to the NVDE, the Netherlands consumes between 5 billion and 8 billion cubic meters of Russian gas annually, depending on the calculation methods.
The association listed many advantages to investing more into sustainability now. It will make the Netherlands energy independent more quickly, and we will stop financing Russia's war machine. In addition, energy costs for consumers and private individuals will decrease due to lower consumption on the one hand and lower demand on the other. And we'll make good progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the association said.
According to the NVDE, the measures can reduce gas consumption by more than 10 billion cubic meters within four years. That amounts to 20 megatonnes of CO2 emissions that won't happen, slightly less than a fifth of the total CO2 reduction in the climate goals
DJ...NL however is in a rather good position...We still have (limited) oil and gas (not only in the north of NL also a.o. in the North Sea...)
Lots of European countries have their own oil, gas, coal...exploitation was not bringing any profit with low prices...But when prices go up both the US/Canada and UK/EU will restart their own energy exploration further...
the present price may be over 100 US$ per barrel...
-Hyperinflation...RIC and many others may no longer accept payment in dollars or euro's...(the EU did ruin that option in just one week of utter stupidity !!!)...Many western currencies will "face a shock"....Some estimates for the US$-very speculative-may suggest the "buying power" of a US$ to sink to 20-30% soon of its buying power untill recent....
However the value of currencies is-to a high degree linked with trust in (political, economic) leadership....future perspectives...
The faster "the West" realizes they are NOT !!! in a position to make demands, the better "damage can be limited"...For that matter the Euro is in a different position-less a "financial weapon" then the US$...However if Russia, China, India etc. would "hijack" the Euro for their international trade-de facto-the European Central Bank may become marginalized...Russia, China, India decide on the value of the Euro in that scenario....
The Euro allready is the second largest global used currency after the US$...it may be useable in trade between Asia, Africa, the America's...
(A psychological aspect could be giving the EU the impression they still matter...They may matter if they had wise leaders...).
Still NOT getting it, not understanding of the West they started this crisis...simply in denial...could result in the West paying an even higher price...
At a cost of US$3.6 billion, the SGR is Kenya's most expensive infrastructure project since independence. The prime contractor was the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Road_%26_Bridge_Corporation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="China Road & Bridge Corporation - China Road & Bridge Corporation CRBC, which hired 25,000 Kenyans to work on the railway. CRBC's holding company, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_Communications_Construction_Company" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="China Communications Construction Company - China Communications Construction Company is contracted to operate the line for its first five years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mombasa%E2%80%93Nairobi_Standard_Gauge_Railway#cite_note-5" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [5]
An extension from Nairobi to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suswa" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Suswa - Suswa was completed in October 2019 extending the line's length to approximately 578.8 kilometres (359.6 mi).
The Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Russian Railways Oleg Belozorov, the CEO and Chairman of the Board of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Kirill Dmitriev and the CEO of Saudi Railway (SAR) Company Bashar al-Malik signed a cooperation agreement on 14 October 2019 in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
The agreement is aimed at the joint expansion of SAR’s rail network and projects related to Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 Programme, including the supply of rail products. The parties will also consider the possibility of supplying Russian systems for train regulation and safety, as well as training and instructing railway specialists from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Russia.
"Today there are favorable preconditions for establishing close cooperation between our countries in the field of rail transport. Taking into account the extensive experience of the Russian Railways Holding in the construction of railway infrastructure, I would like to given an assurance that we are ready to offer the Saudi side all our experience, progress and technologies in a long-term partnership and to implement everything in Saudi Arabia," said Oleg Belozorov, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Russian Railways.
is involved in major projects...Was the "West" blind or so ???
-Freedoms...
The US did block/hijack press.tv from Iran...google stopped a.o. //RT.com - RT.com ...denying the western population to make up their own minds...Of course Iran Russia use it-also-for propaganda...but also for making clear its points of view...On the other side "western embedded media" have become an insult to the "freedom of press" !
The role of media is to be part of controlling governments...not to become a government tool !
If we want a "Free Press" in the West we may have to restart it...some "alternative media" did good jobs...MSM did become an insult for freedom of information !!!
"News for sale", going for advertising value only ...doing favors to politicians in exchange for "juicy news" is NOT FREE PRESS !!!! It is a form of "presstitution"...an insult to democracy becoming democrazy !!!
Tulsi Gabbard 🌺@TulsiGabbard·20h
The notion we must blindly accept & follow as truth, that which the government or those in power tell us is true, goes against the very essence of our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Watch the full speech here: https://youtu.be/EOJB_IUB5ko
DJ...this gets personal...I was raised under religious totalitarianism....got damaged for life...If the western public only wants disinformation, "bread and games"...it does not go for democracy...
During the nazi-terror lots of people did know what was happening...but failed to act...Today's total hysteria in the media...people following blindly "insane leaders" reminds me of those terrible days...
Ukraine using untrained citizens against tanks is a form of "heroïsm" ? Western countries sending volunteers to "fight Russia"...while also claiming the want peace...Have we gone totally mad !!!
-leadership...If leaders only lead to war and destruction they are NOT the leaders you want or need ! How did we end up with such idiots !!!
If the US voters have to make a choice between "democrats" wanting war with Russia or "republicans" going for war with China there is something very very wrong !!!
"We hold these truths to be https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-evident" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(248, 249, 250); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Self-evident - self-evident , that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_men_are_created_equal" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(248, 249, 250); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="All men are created equal - all men are created equal , that they are endowed by their https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creator_deity" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(248, 249, 250); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Creator deity - Creator with certain https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inalienable_rights" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(248, 249, 250); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Inalienable rights - unalienable Rights , that among these are https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life,_liberty_and_the_pursuit_of_happiness" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(248, 249, 250); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness - Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness .
—That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consent_of_the_governed" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(248, 249, 250); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Consent of the governed - consent of the governed ,
—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_to_revolution" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(248, 249, 250); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Right to revolution - Right of the People to alter or to abolish it , and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Despotism" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(248, 249, 250); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Despotism - Despotism , it is their right, it is their duty, to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolution#Political_and_socioeconomic_revolutions" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(248, 249, 250); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Revolution - throw off such Government , and to provide new Guards for their future security."
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Time for change !
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 04 2022 at 12:41am
-Macron (President of France, hoping to get re-elected this april) may be the only western leader Putin may be willing to talk to. Macron=Putin phone call lasted 90 minutes
-Modi (India) asked Putin to do what he could do for India students "held hostage" by Ukraine "nationalists" in Charkov...
Washington is looking at the possibility of sanctioning India over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian weapons, a senior State Department official has told Congress. The US is also pushing India to disavow Moscow over the current conflict in Ukraine.
President Joe Biden is “looking very closely” at whether to implement or waive the sanctions on countries that buy Russian military hardware, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Donald Lu told the Senate.
India recently bought S-400 air defense systems from Moscow, running afoul of a 2017 US law called Countering American Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), passed in response to allegations of Russian meddling in US elections.
DJ...Russia is a main weapon producer...Its weapons by some views do "better" at much lower costs...a.o. Arab states did show interest...(will the US sanction Saudi Arabia if it buys Russian weapons ? Arab oil producers/OPEC now often "balance" with "NOPEC"...Russia being #1 Non Organized Petrol Exporting Country...
AM also describing the Russian (Putin/Lavrov) view of the present "situation"...in the Russian view NApoleon, NAzi's invaded Russia...now NAto is almost doing the same thing...(most Russians may share that view...for that matter most of the non-western world...)
Zelensky in interviews looking exhausted...had also talks with Lukashenko (Belarus dictator...) and Macron (France)...DJ-AM his story makes me wonder if Zelensky still is de facto in power...
Russia want talks with Ukraine...for the moment not take over Kiev...Russia going for a mix of war and diplomacy...Lavrov expecting "the west may come to its senses"...
Most likely there is also some communication between Ukraine and China (but-as a reminder; China does not want Ukraine in NATO either...).
DJ...Maybe Macron does dream of him shaking hands in Paris with both Zelenski and Putin...getting some form of "peace" before the French presidential elections...Macron could use a succes...One possibility could be Ukraine can join "a EU" (after reforms...the present EU totally derailed the last days...) but not NATO...maybe Ukraine may be willing to accept such a deal...it may be the best-by far-they may dream of...
AM also mentions "military hardware for Ukraine" being stockpiled in South East Poland...not going anywhere...DJ-The EU going to use tax money for military crap countries want to get rid...Poland may have an enviromental problem extra...leaking tanks, cars/vans etc...Countries will not give away the best they have...Another chance for corruption...insane !
South Korea wants to keep exporting to Russia without having to face Western sanctions. Samsung wants to INCREASE ITS MARKET SHARE in Russia. The "United" Sanctions Front is already collapsing.
-
Stupidistan-ordered sanction/"isolation" of Russia may lead to 60% of German manufacturing - and 70% of Italian - to SHUT DOWN. For good. Europeans can't see this is an imperial war against them because ALL their "elites" are bought.
"We" are now supporting this scum....there has been a lot of reports of terror by these criminals...Russia will kill them...(but what is wrong with "the west" supporting-again-terrorists...like we did support IS, al quaida a.o. in Syria...is this our "democracy"????)
work in progres
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 04 2022 at 2:34am
Sen. Lindsey Graham has called on Russians to assassinate Vladimir Putin, Julius Caesar-style.
"Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military?" Graham tweeted.
Graham echoed Fox News host Sean Hannity, who this week called for Putin to be assassinated.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 04 2022 at 2:37am
Sen. Lindsay Graham, calls for someone in Russia to "take out" Vladimir Putin. pic.twitter.com/zdwG1xYplv
— In Context (@incontextmedia) March 4, 2022
Commenting on the remarks, Russian Ambassador Anatoly Antonov called them “unacceptable and outrageous.” He said it showed that “Russophobia and hatred in the United States towards Russia” had gone off-scale and asserted that Graham was de facto advocating an act of terrorism to further Washington’s political goals.
Moscow was fearful for the future of the American nation, considering that people like the senator are at its helm, the Russian diplomat added.
Attempts to kill foreign leaders are not unheard of in US foreign policy. Cuba’s revolutionary leader Fidel Castro was arguably the most famous example. He was targeted by multiple plots hatched by the CIA, as revealed by the Church Committee in the 1970s.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 04 2022 at 2:40am
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky survives three assassination attempts in the last week: report
Assassins have tried to kill Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at least three times since Russia invaded his country last week, a new report said.
The assassination plots were foiled when anti-war Russians fed intel to Ukraine about two separate mercenary groups that planned to launch the attacks, the https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/zelensky-survives-three-assassination-attempts-in-days-xnstdfdfc" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(198, 8, 0); text-decoration: none; - Times of London reported .
“I can say that we have received information from [Russia’s Federal Security Service], who do not want to take part in this bloody war,” Ukraine Secretary of National Security and Defence told local TV stations, according to the Times.
The shadowy Kremlin-backed Wagner Group was behind two of the attempts, the Times reported. If they had been or are successful, Moscow could deny direct involvement in the assassination plot.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 04 2022 at 2:51am
Russian citizens reportedly flee country over fears of Putin's martial law announcement
https://www.foxnews.com/category/world/world-regions/russia" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 51, 102); transition: background 0s ease 0s, all 0.25s ease 0s, all 0s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration: underline; - Russian citizens have reportedly started to flee the country ahead of https://www.foxnews.com/category/world/personalities/vladimir-putin" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 51, 102); transition: background 0s ease 0s, all 0.25s ease 0s, all 0s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration: underline; - President Vladimir Putin ’s rumored announcement of https://www.foxnews.com/category/us/military" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 51, 102); transition: background 0s ease 0s, all 0.25s ease 0s, all 0s ease-in-out 0s; text-decoration: underline; - martial law .
Earlier this week, Russia’s official censorship body issued guidance telling news networks to use only "trusted" sources under penalty of closure, which led to the shutdown of two independent news networks, including Dozhd TV – known in English as Rain TV.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 04 2022 at 2:52am
Russian businessman puts up $1 million bounty for arrest of Vladimir Putin
Putin is rumored to be considering declaring martial law in Russia
Ukraine has been trying to join the EU. That's their decision. Ukraine is a democracy that can do what they want. And here's a quick refresher on what Russia "fears".
Quote Tweet
The Dude
@iDudeness
·
Replying to @TulsiGabbard
Yeah right, the little blue area is threatening the security of the area in red. Are you high?
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett flew secretly to Moscow on Saturday, March 5, and held three hours of conversation with President Vladimir Putin. The trip was coordinated with Washington. No readouts on the conversation were released. With the prime minister were close advisers and Russian-speaking Housing Minister Zeev Elkin as interpreter.
Bennett then phoned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and on the way home, stopped over in Berlin for a follow-up meeting with German Chancellor Scholtz, who visited Jerusalem last Wednesday.
DEBKAfile’s sources: The prime minister finds himself cast in the role of middleman – not just on the single Putin-Zelensky track but between Moscow, Washington and Europe on the fate of the Ukraine War – and another issue too, the upcoming nuclear deal with Iran in Vienna.
On Saturday, Russia presented a new condition for a revival of the Iran nuclear deal: A US guarantee that the sanctions imposed on Moscow for invading Ukraine won’t be applied to Russian trade and investment with Iran. Iranian officials strongly denounced the Russian demand as threatening to derail talks to restore the 2015 deal that was on the verge of being signed early next week – in service to Israel’s interests.
DJ; Netanyahu was a special guest-often-had (very) close relations with Putin...and did manage to keep also good, effective links with both the US and EU.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin on Saturday to discuss Russia’s military conflict with Ukraine.
Bennett – a religious Jew who previously https://www.rt.com/russia/538211-russia-israel-putin-connection/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background: 0px 0px; color: rgb(10, 106, 166); text-decoration: none; - called Putin a “true friend” of the Jewish people – broke Sabbath to travel to Moscow for the meeting, though a spokesperson https://www.reuters.com/world/israeli-pm-bennett-meets-putin-moscow-discuss-ukraine-crisis-2022-03-05/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background: 0px 0px; color: rgb(10, 106, 166); text-decoration: none; - told Reuters that the violation was permissible as the meeting was with the aim to preserve human life.
Bennett reportedly spoke with Putin for three hours, during which the Israeli prime minister raised “the issue of the large Jewish community caught up in the war in Ukraine.”
The two leaders also reportedly discussed the Iran nuclear deal.
Following the meeting, Bennett traveled to Germany for a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss the conflict in Ukraine, before returning to Israel.
-
Israel https://www.timesofisrael.com/un-general-assembly-including-israel-votes-overwhelmingly-to-condemn-russia/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background: 0px 0px; color: rgb(10, 106, 166); text-decoration: none; - voted this week in favor of a United Nations resolution condemning Russia’s “aggression against Ukraine,” despite the country initially taking a more neutral stance.
Russia https://www.timesofisrael.com/russia-summons-israeli-envoy-said-to-ask-why-are-you-backing-nazis/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background: 0px 0px; color: rgb(10, 106, 166); text-decoration: none; - summoned Israel’s ambassador to Moscow last week to explain Israel’s position on the conflict after Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid accused Moscow of engaging in “a grave violation of the international order.”
The Kremlin claims the February 24 attack was launched with the purpose of “demilitarization” and “denazification” of the country, and to protect the people of Eastern Ukraine following years of grueling blockade that claimed thousands of lives. Kiev insists the invasion was unprovoked, maintaining it had no plans to retake the break-away Donetsk and Lugansk regions by force.
Andriy Biletsky, the proudly fascist Azov Battalion leader who once https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/neo-nazis-far-right-ukraine/" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - pledged to “lead the white races of the world in a final crusade…against Semite-led Untermenschen”, vowed to bring thousands of fighters to Zolote if Zelensky pressed any further. Meanwhile, a parliamentarian from the party of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko openly fantasized about Zelensky being blown to bits by a militant’s grenade.
Though Zelensky achieved a minor disengagement, the neo-Nazi paramilitaries escalated their “No Capitulation” campaign. And within months, fighting began to https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51543463" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - heat up again in Zolote, sparking a new cycle of violations of the https://www.unian.info/politics/1043394-minsk-agreement-full-text-in-english.html" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - Minsk Agreement .
By this point, Azov had been formally incorporated into the Ukrainian military and its street vigilante wing, known as the National Corps, was deployed across the country under the watch of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, and https://khpg.org/en/1517275970" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - alongside the National Police . In December 2021, Zelensky would be seen delivering a “Hero of Ukraine” award to a leader of the fascistic Right Sector in a ceremony in Ukraine’s parliament.
In "western media" Ukraine defense is presented as "one" and "organized" (even up to nato-standards....DJ-from a history perspective nato and nazi 'sm had/have the same sponsors...We may hate the idea but should not close our eyes for it...Nicholas II of Russia was murdered in 1918, there was allready a military industrial complex in the 19th century...royals and bank joined forces for revenge/take over of Soviet oil and gas...hitler was just a tool...NATO another tool...NATO is NOT defensive but agressive, has not much to do with democracy...if you dive into the history you may be shocked...).
-So-in reaction to China getting involved "the West" did see Macron (France) making a 90 minutes phone call with Putin, now Bennet Israel PM even visiting Putin...For Israel a "new" Iran-deal may be a major priority...
“China supports all efforts that contribute to de-escalation and political settlement,” the statement read. Wang also told Blinken that the US, NATO, EU and Russia need to “conduct equal dialogues,” particularly with regard to the post-Cold War expansion of NATO into the former Warsaw Pact states, which Moscow considers an unacceptable security threat.
“China opposes any actions that are not conducive to promoting a diplomatic solution but instead fuel the fire and escalate the situation,” the ministry stated.
It is unclear which actions Beijing was referring to, but a number of politicians in the US have recently https://twitter.com/AdamKinzinger/status/1499572944753807379" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; background: 0px 0px; color: rgb(10, 106, 166); text-decoration: none; - called for NATO to enforce a “no-fly zone” over Ukraine, a move that would see NATO shoot down Russian planes operating in the area, and would be considered by Moscow to be an act of war. The Ukrainian government has repeatedly called for a no-fly zone.
DJ....Zelensky/Ukraine "may have had reasons to expect more support from the West"....
DJ, IF !!!!!! and a very big IF that is !!!! NATO would try to "go for a no fly-zone" over Ukraine they first would need to get into Ukraine airspace...Russia can not accept that...IF NATO does not do "more" Zelensky will have to give in to Russian demands...
In a military sense Ukraine allready lost the war...but western propaganda MoA;
Yves Smith of Naked Capitalism https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/03/reader-apologies-re-highlighting-out-of-date-scott-ritter-video-wall-street-buys-russian-bonds-mbs-snubs-us-investments-biden-tries-to-arm-twist-india-and-putin-can-still-blow-the-peace.html" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - states :
Lambert and I both find this is the worst informational environment either of us have faced, orders of magnitude worse than the war in Iraq, ...
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/03/links-3-5-2022.html" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - and :
Dear patient readers,
Lambert and I, and many readers, agree that Ukraine has prompted the worst informational environment ever. We hope readers will collaborate in mitigating the fog of war – both real fog and stage fog – in comments. None of us need more cheerleading and link-free repetition of memes; there are platforms for that.
DJ keeps claiming Ukraine "defenses" are still "united and strong"...
The US would like to start an other "never ending war" in Eastern Europe to stop EurAsian integration and also try to break up Russia-Iran-China cooperation...The US-CIA in many conflict "hired' jihadi-types...(Turkey also did transport those "moderate rebels" to Libya, use them in the Azerbaijan side in the short war with Armenia). A sort of "F.ck the EU-part two"....
Both the EU and Ukraine/Zelenski "may start realizing" such a scenario "is not in their interests"....(to put it very polite....)...but will they stop it...so far their foolishness has been shocking...
So-The US (insane) foreign policy of "you are with us or against us" and US "above any law exceptionalism" may result in more countries turning against the US...In my opinion "a US political (neo-con) elite" is a total disaster for the US...
DJ, The US did start sanctions against Venezuela so had to switch to "Ural-oil" replacing (a special quality of) oil from Venezuela...The US has a.o. sanctions against Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Cuba...(not to mention supporting bolsenaro in Brazil...Lula may replace him soon...Brazil will not forget the "sort of democracy" the US did bring in Brazil history...allways the US did bring fascists...)..
DJ...[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Boss_(fashion_designer)[/url] or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Boss_(fashion_designer) ;Hugo Ferdinand Boss (8 July 1885 – 9 August 1948) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Boss_(fashion_designer)#cite_note-Geneall-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [1] was a German fashion designer and businessman. He was the founder of the fashion house https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Boss" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Hugo Boss - Hugo Boss AG. He was an active member of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_Party" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Nazi Party - Nazi Party as early as 1931 and remained loyal to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_German" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" title="Nazi German - Nazi German ideology throughout the party's existence.
Know your history !!! Russia will remain a main exporter of oil and gas...If "the West" does not "want Russian oil and gas" it will be renamed...I would not be surprised if BP, Shell "pulling out of Russia" did "sell their interests" to a Russian BP/Shell company"...
Following the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Battle of France - fall of France in 1940, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Winston Churchill - Winston Churchill created the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Operations_Executive" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Special Operations Executive - Special Operations Executive (SOE) to both assist resistance movements and itself carry out sabotage and subversive operations in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupied_Europe" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Occupied Europe - occupied Europe . It was revealed half a century later that SOE was complemented by a stay-behind organisation in Britain, created in extreme secrecy, to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_anti-invasion_preparations_of_World_War_II" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="British anti-invasion preparations of World War II - prepare for a possible invasion by Nazi Germany .
A network of resistance fighters was formed across Britain and arms caches were established. The network was recruited, in part, from the 5th (Ski) Battalion of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_Guards" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Scots Guards - Scots Guards (which had originally been formed, but was not deployed, to fight alongside https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finland" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Finland - Finnish forces fighting the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_War" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Winter War - Soviet invasion of Finland ). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gladio#cite_note-Scots_Guards-22" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [22] The network, which became known as the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxiliary_Units" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Auxiliary Units - Auxiliary Units , was headed by Major https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Gubbins" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Colin Gubbins - Colin Gubbins – an expert in guerrilla warfare (who would later lead SOE). The units were trained, in part, by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Calvert" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Mike Calvert - "Mad Mike" Calvert , a Royal Engineers officer who specialised in demolition by explosives and covert raiding operations. To the extent that they were publicly visible, the Auxiliary Units were disguised as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Home_Guard" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="British Home Guard - Home Guard units, under https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander-in-Chief,_Home_Forces" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Commander-in-Chief, Home Forces - GHQ Home Forces . The network was allegedly disbanded in 1944; some of its members subsequently joined the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Air_Service" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Special Air Service - Special Air Service and saw action in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Front_(World_War_II)#1944%E2%80%931945:_The_Second_Front" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Western Front (World War II) - North-West Europe .
While David Lampe published a book on the Auxiliary Units in 1968, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gladio#cite_note-23" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [23] their existence did not become widely known by the public until reporters such as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Pallister" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="David Pallister - David Pallister of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="The Guardian - The Guardian revived interest in them during the 1990s.
After World War II, the UK and the US decided to create "stay-behind" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramilitary" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Paramilitary - paramilitary organizations, with the official aim of countering a possible https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Soviet Union - Soviet invasion through https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabotage" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Sabotage - sabotage and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_warfare" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Guerrilla warfare - guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. Arms caches were hidden, escape routes prepared, and loyal members recruited, whether in Italy or in other European countries. Its clandestine "cells" were to stay behind in enemy-controlled territory and to act as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resistance_movement" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Resistance movement - resistance movements , conducting sabotage, guerrilla warfare and assassinations.
Clandestine stay-behind (SB) units were created with the experience and involvement of former SOE officers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gladio#cite_note-ETH_chronology-24" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [24] Following Giulio Andreotti's October 1990 revelations, General https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Hackett_(British_Army_officer)" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="John Hackett (British Army officer) - John Hackett , former commander-in-chief of the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Army_on_the_Rhine" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="British Army on the Rhine - British Army on the Rhine , declared on November 16, 1990, that a contingency plan involving "stay behind and resistance in depth" was drawn up after the war. The same week, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Farrar-Hockley" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Anthony Farrar-Hockley - Anthony Farrar-Hockley , former commander-in-chief of NATO's Forces in Northern Europe from 1979 to 1982, declared to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="The Guardian - The Guardian that a secret arms network was established in Britain after the war. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Gladio#cite_note-Secretunit-25" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [25] Hackett had written in 1978 a novel, The Third World War: August 1985, which was a fictionalized scenario of a Soviet Army invasion of West Germany in 1985. The novel was followed in 1982 by https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_World_War:_The_Untold_Story" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="The Third World War: The Untold Story - The Third World War: The Untold Story , which elaborated on the original. Farrar-Hockley had aroused controversy in 1983 when he became involved in trying to organise a campaign for a new Home Guard against a potential Soviet invasion.
It will be kept secret in wich way OSS/SOE and nazi-werewolves joined forces in the Soviet zone in Eastern Europe...(Dutch nazi's ended up fighting in the Dutch East Indies and Korean war..."still fighting communism" the way they did under hitler...For a lot of other countries after may ́45 "there was more then enough employment for experienced military willing to follow orders" a.o. in Algeria, Indo-China...)
Red Lines host Anya Parampil speaks with Moscow-based international affairs analyst, Mark Sleboda. Sleboda assesses Russia's military maneuvers in the early days of the conflict in Ukraine and evaluates the possibility of a Syria-style dirty war erupting in the country. Sleboda also explains how the war has ushered in a "great decoupling" between Russia and the West and why he believes it represents the "end of the unipolar world." ||| The Grayzone ||| Find more reporting athttps://thegrayzone.com
DJ-I think both...more "for ever wars" and "end of unipolar world"...it is allready there...
The Uyghurs ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English" style="text-decoration: none !important; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Help:IPA/English - / - ˈ - iː - ʊər https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-oed-25" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [24] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Help:Pronunciation respelling key - - WEE-goorz or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English" style="text-decoration: none !important; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Help:IPA/English - / - uː - ˈ - ʊər https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-28" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [note 2] ), alternatively spelled Uighurs, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-29" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [27] Uygurs or Uigurs, are a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkic_peoples" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Turkic peoples - Turkic ethnic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the general region of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Asia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Central Asia - Central and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Asia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="East Asia - East Asia . The Uyghurs are recognized as native https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-30" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [note 3] to the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Xinjiang - Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_China" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Northwest China - Northwest China . They are one of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_minorities_in_China" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Ethnic minorities in China - China's 55 officially recognized ethnic minorities . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-Celtic-31" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [28] The Uyghurs are recognized by the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_China" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Government of China - Chinese government as a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_language" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Regional language - regional minority and the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titular_nation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Titular nation - titular people of Xinjiang.
The Uyghurs have traditionally inhabited a series of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oasis" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Oasis - oases scattered across the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taklamakan_Desert" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Taklamakan Desert - Taklamakan Desert within the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarim_Basin" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Tarim Basin - Tarim Basin . These oases have historically existed as independent states or were controlled by many https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilization" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Civilization - civilizations including https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_China" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="History of China - China , the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongol_Empire" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Mongol Empire - Mongols , the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_Empire" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Tibetan Empire - Tibetans and various https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Turkic_dynasties_and_countries" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="List of Turkic dynasties and countries - Turkic polities . The Uyghurs gradually started to become Islamized in the 10th century and most Uyghurs identified as Muslims by the 16th century. Islam has since played an important role in Uyghur culture and identity.
An estimated 80% of Xinjiang's Uyghurs still live in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarim_Basin" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Tarim Basin - Tarim Basin . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-FOOTNOTEDillon200424-32" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [29] The rest of Xinjiang's Uyghurs mostly live in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%9Cr%C3%BCmqi" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Ürümqi - Ürümqi , the capital city of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Xinjiang - Xinjiang UAR, which is located in the historical region of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dzungaria" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Dzungaria - Dzungaria . The largest community of Uyghurs living in another region of China are the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoyuan_County#Taoyuan_Uyghurs" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Taoyuan County - Uyghurs living in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taoyuan_County" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Taoyuan County - Taoyuan County , in north-central https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunan" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Hunan - Hunan . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-english.people.com.cn-33" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [30] Significant https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Diaspora - diasporic communities of Uyghurs exist in other Turkic countries such as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazakhstan" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Kazakhstan - Kazakhstan , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrgyzstan" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Kyrgyzstan - Kyrgyzstan , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Uzbekistan - Uzbekistan and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Turkey - Turkey . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-34" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [31] Smaller communities live in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Arabia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Jordan - Jordan , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Australia - Australia , https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Russia - Russia and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Sweden - Sweden .
Since 2014, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-35" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [32] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-36" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [33] the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_China" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Government of China - Chinese government has subjected Uyghurs living in Xinjiang to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghur_genocide" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Uyghur genocide - widespread abuses that include forced sterilization https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-37" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [34] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-Falconer-38" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [35] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-apne_Chin-39" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [36] and forced labor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-40" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [37] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-41" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [38] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-42" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [39] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-:1-43" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [40] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-44" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [41] Scholars estimate that at least one million Uyghurs have been https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbitrary_arrest_and_detention" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Arbitrary arrest and detention - arbitrarily detained in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_internment_camps" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Xinjiang internment camps - Xinjiang internment camps since 2017; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-:2-45" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [42] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-46" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [43] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-47" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [44] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-48" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [45] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-49" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [46] Chinese government officials say that these camps, created under https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Secretary_of_the_Chinese_Communist_Party" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party - CCP general secretary https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Xi Jinping - Xi Jinping 's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xi_Jinping_Administration" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Xi Jinping Administration - administration , serve the goals of ensuring adherence to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Communist_Party" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Chinese Communist Party - Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ideology, preventing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Turkestan_independence_movement" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="East Turkestan independence movement - separatism , fighting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_conflict" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Xinjiang conflict - terrorism , and providing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocational_education" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Vocational education - vocational training to Uyghurs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-:1-43" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [40] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-:2-45" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [42] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-50" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [47] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-51" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [48] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-52" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [49]
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The https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xinjiang_conflict" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Xinjiang conflict - Xinjiang conflict is an ongoing separatist conflict in China's far-west province of Xinjiang, whose northern region is known as Dzungaria and whose southern region (the Tarim Basin) is known as East Turkestan. Uyghur separatists and independence movements claim that the Second East Turkestan Republic was illegally incorporated by China in 1949 and has since been under Chinese occupation. Uyghur identity remains fragmented, as some support a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Islamism" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Pan-Islamism - Pan-Islamic vision, exemplified by the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Turkestan_Islamic_Movement" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="East Turkestan Islamic Movement - East Turkestan Islamic Movement , while others support a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan-Turkism" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Pan-Turkism - Pan-Turkic vision, such as the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Turkestan_Liberation_Organization" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="East Turkestan Liberation Organization - East Turkestan Liberation Organization . A third group would like an East Turkestan state, such as the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Turkestan_independence_movement" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="East Turkestan independence movement - East Turkestan independence movement . While the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Turkistan_Government_in_Exile" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="East Turkistan Government in Exile - East Turkistan Government in Exile strives for the restoration of East Turkistan's independence as a secular pluralistic Republic that guarantees freedom and civil liberties for all people. As a result, "[n]o Uyghur or East Turkestan group speaks for all Uyghurs, although it might claim to", and Uyghurs in each of these camps have committed violence against other Uyghurs who they think are too assimilated to Chinese or Russian society or are not religious enough. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-219" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [213] Mindful not to take sides, Uyghur "leaders" such as https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebiya_Kadeer" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Rebiya Kadeer - Rebiya Kadeer mainly tried to garner international support for the "rights and interests of the Uyghurs", including the right to demonstrate, although the Chinese government has accused her of orchestrating the deadly https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_2009_%C3%9Cr%C3%BCmqi_riots" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="July 2009 Ürümqi riots - July 2009 Ürümqi riots . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-220" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [214]
Eric Enno Tamm's 2011 book states that, "Authorities have censored Uyghur writers and 'lavished funds' on official histories that depict Chinese territorial expansion into ethnic borderlands as 'unifications (tongyi), never as conquests (zhengfu) or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annexation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Annexation - annexations (tunbing)' " https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uyghurs#cite_note-221" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [215]
In July 2014, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the now-deceased leader of the Islamic State, named China first in a https://news.siteintelgroup.com/Jihadist-News/islamic-state-leader-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi-encourages-emigration-worldwide-action.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - list of 20 countries and regions where “Muslims’ rights are forcibly seized.” Al-Baghdadi specifically cited the “extreme torture and degradation of Muslims in East Turkistan,” the name for the Chinese province of Xinjiang used by https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-repression-uighurs-xinjiang?gclid=Cj0KCQiAqo3-BRDoARIsAE5vnaL58Pi8sgA22NP-tz5CGSVd2zZcFCoGYa4MphcICGRceT1MnMFsexsaAlt4EALw_wcB" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - Uighur separatists. Over the following three years, the Islamic State continued its outward support for and recruitment of the Uighurs in a https://thediplomat.com/2017/03/how-serious-is-the-islamic-state-threat-to-china/" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - string of video , https://apnews.com/79d6a427b26f4eeab226571956dd256e/AP-Exclusive:-Uighurs-fighting-in-Syria-take-aim-at-China" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - audio, and print propaganda.
The culmination of Islamic State advocacy for the Uighurs came in a February 2017 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/03/02/how-donald-trump-could-find-common-ground-with-china-thanks-to-the-islamic-state/" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - video featuring https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-china/uighur-is-fighters-vow-blood-will-flow-in-rivers-in-china-idUSKBN16848H" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - Uighur foreign fighters training in Iraq and https://jihadology.net/2017/02/27/new-video-message-from-the-islamic-state-it-is-those-who-are-the-truthful-coverage-of-the-life-of-emigrants-from-eastern-turkistan-in-the-land-of-the-caliphate-wilayat-al-furat/" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - pledging to shed Chinese “blood like rivers to avenge the oppressed.” This was the group’s https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/01/the-islamic-state-pledged-to-attack-china-next-heres-why/" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - first direct threat toward China, and experts https://sg.news.yahoo.com/bloody-islamic-state-video-puts-china-cross-hairs-063130432.html" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - cited it as evidence China had become “very firmly a target of jihadist rhetoric.” Soon after, in June 2017, the Islamic State https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-china-islamic-state/islamic-state-says-it-killed-two-chinese-teachers-kidnapped-in-pakistan-idUSKBN18Z20O" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - announced it had executed two Chinese teachers abducted in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province.
Since these provocative actions in 2017, however, the Islamic State has almost entirely ignored the plight of the https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-repression-uighurs-xinjiang?gclid=Cj0KCQiAqo3-BRDoARIsAE5vnaL58Pi8sgA22NP-tz5CGSVd2zZcFCoGYa4MphcICGRceT1MnMFsexsaAlt4EALw_wcB" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - Uighurs , according to my analysis of a broad swath of subsequent Islamic State publications. Additionally, I found no further claims in the group’s media to have followed through on threats to attack Chinese interests, and no reports of such attacks in international media.
This apparent decision by the Islamic State to de-emphasize China’s repression of Uighurs, a mostly Muslim ethnic group of 11 million that China fears harbors extremist views and is attempting to “ https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-repression-uighurs-xinjiang" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - re-educate ” in detention camps, is at first hard to square with the Islamic State’s self-appointed role as violent defender of Muslims everywhere. The Islamic State’s inattention carries significant risk to the organization. Much of the Islamic State’s success in attracting and maintaining support across the globe has been born from its willingness to take extreme action to match its extreme worldview. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2020-09-10/long-shadow-xinjiang" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - Growing anger in many Muslim-majority countries over the lack of support for the Uighurs from their religious and political leaders — many of whom have been https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/.premium-gulf-states-have-sacrificed-uighur-muslims-for-access-to-china-s-cash-1.9115903" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - cowed by Chinese investment — is a golden opportunity for the Islamic State to recruit.
However, the Islamic State seems to have determined that a less provocative approach to China is more advantageous. Specifically, the group believes an unprovoked China can play a constructive role in achieving an overriding objective: ending the U.S. military presence in the Middle East and South Asia.
The Enemy’s Enemy
The Islamic State rightfully recognizes China as the greatest enemy of its greatest enemy. The Islamic State also recognizes that Beijing’s “ https://warontherocks.com/2020/09/negative-peace-chinas-approach-to-the-middle-east/" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: normal; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: 400; background-color: transparent; line-height: inherit; color: rgb(172, 39, 52); text-decoration: underline; cursor: pointer; - peace through development ” approach to expanding its influence in the Middle East and South Asia, whatever its longer-term negative implications, is useful in the short term vis-à-vis the jihadists’ conflict with the United States.
So "IS" realized it was used by the US against Russia and China...still some "jihadi's" flying from war to war for pay...Like the taliban, IS is strongly against drugs...but non-believers can use as many drugs as they want...Like nazi's IS see themselves as "better, superior"..."exceptional"....
DJ-You have to see the Ukraine War as a part of a much wider conflict...with all sides doing "dirty jobs" or finding "others"to do "the dirty work"...
Spies, betrayal, switching sides during battle are a constant in history...part of war and conflict...
The US is not strong enough to start open wars with Russia or China...or even Iran...so it is in "covert operations" with limited trusted and usefull allies...
Arguably the apex of Western hysteria is the onset of a 2022 Neo-Nazi Jihad: a 20,000-strong mercenary army being assembled in Poland under CIA supervision. The bulk comes from private military companies such as Blackwater/Academi and DynCorp. Their cover: “return of Ukrainians from the French Foreign Legion.” This Afghan remix comes straight from the only playbook the CIA knows.
Back in reality, facts on the ground will eventually lead entire economies in the West to become roadkill – with chaos in the commodities sphere leading to skyrocketing energy and food costs. As an example, up to 60% of German and 70% of Italian manufacturing industries may be forced to shut down for good – with catastrophic social consequences.
The unelected, uber-Kafkaesque EU machine in Brussels has chosen to commit a triple hara-kiri by grandstanding as abject vassals of the Empire, destroying any remaining French and German sovereignty impulses and imposing alienation from Russia-China.
Meanwhile, Russia will be showing the way: only self-sufficiency affords total independence. And the Big Picture has also been keenly understood by the Global South: one day someone had to stand up and say, “That’s Enough”. With maximum raw power to back it up.
-
A wave of nationalization of assets may be ahead. ExxonMobil announced it will https://www.interfax.ru/business/825617" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - withdraw from the $4 billion Sakhalin-1 project (they had bailed out on Sakhalin-2, deemed too expensive), producing 200,000 barrels of oil a day, after BP and Norway’s Equinor announced they were withdrawing from projects with Rosneft. BP was actually dreaming of taking all of Rosneft’s participation.
According to Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, the Kremlin is now blocking asset sales by foreign investors looking to divest. In parallel, Rosneft, for instance, is bound to raise capital from China and India, who are already minority investors in several projects, and buy them out 100%: an excellent opportunity for Russian business.
What could be construed as the Mother of All Counter-Sanctions has not yet been announced. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev himself hinted all options are on the table.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, channeling the patience of 10,000 Taoist monks, still expecting the current hysteria to fade away, describes the sanctions as https://tass.com/politics/1416067" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - “some kind of a tax on independence” , with countries barring their companies from working in Russia under “huge pressure.”
Lethal counterpunches though are not excluded. Apart from completely de-dollarizing – as Glaviev recommends – Russia may ban the export of titanium, rare earth, nuclear fuel and, already in effect, rocket engines.
Very toxic moves would include seizing all foreign assets of hostile nations; freeze all loan repayments to Western banks and place the funds in a frozen account in a Russian bank; completely ban all hostile foreign media, foreign media ownership, assorted NGOs and CIA fronts; and supply friendly nations with state of the art weapons, intel sharing and joint training and exercises.
What’s certain is that a new architecture of payment systems – as discussed by Michael Hudson and others – uniting the Russian SPFS and the Chinese CHIPS, may soon be offered to scores of nations across Eurasia and the Global South – several among them already under sanctions, such as Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, the DPRK.
Slowly but surely, we are already on the way to the emergence of a sizeable Global South bloc immune to American financial warfare.
The RIC in BRICS – Russia, India and China – are already increasing trade in their own currencies. If we look at the list of nations at the UN that voted against Russia or abstained from condemning Operation Z in Ukraine, plus those that did not sanction Russia, we have at least 70% of the whole Global South.
So once again is the West – plus satrapies/colonies such as Japan and Singapore in Asia – against the Rest: Eurasia, Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America.
DJ ...it is beyond insane the US believes Russia is "isolated" ...the only reason why there are no pipelines between Russia and India yet is because India has "not such good relations with Pakistan and China"...so India is working with Iran...
Does the US elite realy not get that 5 billion people live in EurAsia ? Or is that the reason why they push for that many conflicts ?
DJ-In my opinion the US should go for cooperation NOT confrontation; respect not war...The US is self destructive....
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 2:00am
Shocking Lessons U.S. Military Leaders Learned by Watching Putin's Invasion
Russia's military is weak and backwards.
Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine produced this paradigm-shifting surprise—one that should transform the West's view of Russia's prowess, the threat that the country represents, and the Kremlin's future in the global arena.
After just one day of fighting, Russia's ground force lost most of its initial momentum, undermined by shortages of fuel, ammunition and even food, but also because of a poorly trained and led force. Russia began to compensate for the weaknesses of its land army with more long-range air, missile and artillery strikes. And President Putin resorted to a nuclear threat—a reaction, U.S. military experts say, to the failure of Moscow's conventional forces to make quick progress on the ground.
Other military observers are flabbergasted that a Russian invasion force, fully prepared and operating from Russian soil, has been able to move just tens of miles into an adjoining country. One retired U.S. Army general told Newsweek in an email: "We know that Russia has a plodding army and that Russian military force has always been a blunt instrument, but why risk the antipathy of the entire planet if you have no prospect of achieving even minimal gains." The Army general believes that the only explanation is that the Kremlin overestimated its own forces.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 2:06am
Russian Shops To Limit Food Sales As Sanctions Over Ukraine Start To Bite
Moscow:
Retailers in Russia will limit sales of essential foodstuffs to limit black market speculation and ensure affordability, the government said Sunday, as sanctions imposed over Moscow’s military incursion into Ukraine began to bite.
The trade and industry ministry over the weekend said there had been cases where essential foodstuffs had been purchased “in a volume clearly larger than necessary for private consumption (up to several tons) for subsequent resale”.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 2:14am
Sanctions will devastate the Russian economy—will they destabilise the west’s?
The crippling restrictions imposed on Moscow will have blowback. The
question is how much
The implications of these measures for the Russian economy are drastic, triggering bank runs and a rush to purchase luxury goods that might hold their value better than cash. The ruble torpedoed on the first trading day after the sanctions were announced, the Russian equity market did not open, the CBR more than doubled interest rates to 20 per cent and capital controls were imposed to stop money fleeing the country. The sanctions on the CBR rendered most of Russia’s roughly $630bn in foreign reserves unusable, and so the central bank now has limited power to prop up the currency.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 2:17am
Second ceasefire attempt in Mariupol for evacuations
The city council of Mariupol has said a ceasefire will be observed between 10am and 9pm local time today.
However, the evacuation of civilians was postponed yesterday because Russian forces encircling the city were not respecting an agreed ceasefire.
In a statement, the city council had asked residents to return to shelters in the city and await further information on evacuation.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 2:31am
The End of the Oligarch Era Nears With Putin’s Miscalculation in Ukraine
Sanctions are punishing Russia’s wealthiest businesspeople—and the country’s leader—by bringing a cold, hard stop to 30 years of integration with the global economy.
On the day https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2022-ukraine-russia-us-nato-conflict/" style="background-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 0.5px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 20px; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: none;" title="A Visual Guide to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine - Russia’s invasion began, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked in a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrZoSbLtVZs" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px 0px 0.5px; border-top-style: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-bottom-style: dotted; border-left-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: 20px; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-decoration: none;" title="YOUTUBE: Ukraine president says 'new iron curtain' cutting off Russia | AFP - address : “What do we hear today? It’s not just rocket explosions, fighting, and the roar of aircraft. This is the sound of a new Iron Curtain lowering and closing Russia off from the civilized world.”
It’s the defining quote of our abrupt new world order. Many Kremlin watchers never thought Vladimir Putin would go this far—never thought a man known for winning calculated bets would invade and attempt to hold a country of more than 44 million people. But after 22 years in power, the Russian president may have finally overreached. His gamble has isolated his nation and could, some seasoned diplomats believe, eventually bring about the end of his regime.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 2:32am
Countries across Asia are condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Some key Asian countries are even joining international sanctions against Moscow. As VOA reports, it is not just U.S. allies that are concerned.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 2:53am
We are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that Poland may provide to Ukraine and looking at how we might be able to backfill should Poland decide to supply those planes.
I can’t speak to a timeline but I can just say we’re looking at it very, very actively.
The visit came after Blinken visited NATO-member Poland on Saturday as the alliance bolsters its eastern flank in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Posted By: WitchMisspelled
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 5:20am
We are looking actively now at the question of airplanes that Poland may provide to Ukraine and looking at how we might be able to backfill should Poland decide to supply those planes.
I can’t speak to a timeline but I can just say we’re looking at it very, very actively.
The visit came after Blinken visited NATO-member Poland on Saturday as the alliance bolsters its eastern flank in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Whenever I read reports like this, I get the feeling the planes are already there.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 6:03am
The planes are there ready to go, the US and other countries just need to replace them. I wonder if they are already in the sky? The US has special forces in Poland currently so intel is good.
“It seems to us that Lukashenko is not controlling our military any more, the only thing he is controlling is repression against the Belarusian people,” she said. “We see signs of the military occupation of Belarus.”
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 9:52pm
"What do you think of us? Are we your slaves ... that whatever you say, we will do?" Khan said while addressing a political rally.
In the event, Pakistan, a traditional ally of the West, abstained from voting as the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly reprimanded Russia for invading Ukraine.
"I want to ask the European Union ambassadors: Did you write such a letter to India?" Khan said, noting that Pakistan's arch-rival had also abstained.
Khan also said European countries had not censured India for its actions in Kashmir, a mountainous region over which Pakistan and India have fought two wars.
He said Pakistan had suffered because it had supported the Western NATO alliance in Afghanistan, and instead of gratitude faced criticism.
Khan and his government found themselves in the spotlight after he went ahead with a visit to Moscow in late February as fears of an invasion were growing, and met Vladimir Putin a few hours after the Russian president had ordered his troops into Ukraine.
"We are friends with Russia, and we are also friends with America; we are friends with China and with Europe; we are not in any camp," Khan added, saying Pakistan would remain "neutral" and work with those trying to end the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine's Vinnytsia Airport 'completely destroyed' in Russian airstrike, President Zelensky says
Poland came up with the idea of sending in Mig-29's...the US would replace them with F-16's....A few remarks;
-Most Ukraine air bases-if not all-may have been destroyed. So where are Polish Mig's supposed to land ?
-Mig 29 is "quite old" (going back to when Poland was part of the Warsaw Pact...that ended over 30 years ago...NATO did not end...why ?) ...simply in a military sense not of any use...
Media: "In less than a week, the United States and NATO have pushed more than 17,000 antitank weapons, including Javelin missiles, over the borders of Poland and Romania,"
DJ...Ukraine/Zelensky and his group may start realizing they have been used...They must-by now-be pretty angry with "the West" (US/UK most) for being another US tool in blocking EurAsian integration...
The view I am starting to get is that; YES The US knew of Russian forces build up...YES There was agreement on very strong sanctions against Russia...These two factors-I am getting the idea-were supposed to stop Russia from starting the invasion...When the US bluf-poker strategy did not work out the way the US expected they were in shock...
The 'poker game" by the US expected Russia to decide-at the last moment-NOT to attack...For that matter, Russia now activating nuclear weapons should be seen as a very clear warning...Russia WILL !!! use them if need be...
During the year 2017, India is planning to disassociate from this pipeline project and working on cheaper independent under sea pipe line directly from Iran. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Pakistan_gas_pipeline#cite_note-29" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [28]
I started with Pakistan PM making his point of view clear...One of the major jobs now going on is how to improver relations between India with Pakistan and China...There is allready "TIP" (Turkey 86 million, Iran also 86 million Pakistan 228 million 172+228=400 million people !) cooperation.
India needs to do bussiness with Asia...The new undersea pipeline between India and Iran most likely will be used for export of Russian gas (via the Caspian Sea). If relations with China improve India may be linked with west China pipelines for Russian oil and gas. Also most Arab states will join the Asian energy market...not any longer using the US$ but payment in local currencies...
Since the EU also needs grain it may use Turkey to "buy Turkish grain" coming from Russia, Ukraine...
-China may use Pakistan as an exportlink to the EU...the Russian market is welcome but limited...Still the EU market is also not any longer the major market...south Asia may be the market of the future...It is in the interests for both India, China and TIP to improve relations...
Afghanistan may be usefull as a link between TIP/India and Russia...
Indonesia is one of Russia's investment destinations, such as investing in the construction of an oil refinery worth US$16 billion in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuban" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Tuban - Tuban . Based on BKPM RI data, the value of Russian investment in Indonesia in the January-September 2019 period increased 10 times by US$17.29 million from US$1.7 million in the same period in 2018.[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed - Indonesia has also become one of the top destinations for Russian tourists.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a strategic blunder by invading Ukraine. He has misjudged the political tenor of the country, which was not waiting to be liberated by Russian soldiers. He has misjudged the United States, the European Union, and a number of countries—including Australia, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea—all of which were capable of collective action before the war and all of which are now bent on Russia’s defeat in Ukraine. The United States and its allies and partners are imposing harsh costs on Moscow. Every war is a battle for public opinion, and Putin’s war in Ukraine has—in an age of mass-media imagery—associated Russia with an unprovoked attack on a peaceful neighbor, with mass humanitarian suffering, and with manifold war crimes. At every turn, the ensuing outrage will be an obstacle to Russian foreign policy in the future.
No less significant than Putin’s strategic error have been the Russian army’s tactical blunders. Bearing in mind the challenges of assessment in the early stages of a war, one can surely say that Russian planning and logistics were inadequate and that the lack of information given to soldiers and even to officers in the higher echelons was devastating to morale. The war was supposed to end quickly, with a lightning strike that would decapitate the Ukrainian government or cow it into surrender, after which Moscow would impose neutrality on Ukraine or establish a Russian suzerainty over the country. Minimal violence might have equaled minimal sanctions. Had the government fallen quickly, Putin could have claimed that he was right all along: because Ukraine had not been willing or able to defend itself, it was not a real country—just like he had said.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 11:10pm
Putin’s Panicked Crackdown at Home Shows He’s on the Way Out
I was based in Moscow as a Newsweek correspondent in both the Soviet and post-Soviet eras, so many friends expect me to know the answer to those questions.
He could not allow Ukraine to continue developing into a successful country, linked increasingly to its Western neighbors and already offering its citizens more freedom and opportunities than most Russians enjoy. That’s an example Putin is determined to eliminate.
After more than two decades in power, Putin also fears his domestic critics, like jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who have systematically exposed the wholesale corruption of his regime. As in the late Soviet era, even relatively small protests signal a challenge to the rulers that suggests much wider discontent—and trigger repression, including more arrests and crackdowns on the few remaining independent media outlets.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 11:21pm
How the West Marshaled a Stunning Show of Unity Against Russia
Mark Landler
Ukrainian security forces in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, March 4, 2022. (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)
LONDON — The day after Russian tanks and troops poured across the Ukrainian border on Feb. 24, NATO leaders received a deeply frightening message. The alliance’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, opened an emergency video summit by warning that President Vladimir Putin had “shattered peace in Europe” and that from now on, he would openly contest the continent’s security order.
However unlikely, Stoltenberg told the leaders, it was no longer unthinkable that Putin would attack a NATO member. Such a move would trigger the collective defense clause in the North Atlantic Treaty, opening the door to the ultimate nightmare scenario: a direct military conflict with Russia.
President Joe Biden, who had dialed in from the White House Situation Room, spoke up swiftly. Article 5 was “sacrosanct,” he said, referring to the “one for all, all for one” principle that has anchored NATO since its founding after World War II. Biden urged allied leaders to step up and send reinforcements to Europe’s eastern flank, according to multiple officials briefed on the call.
Within hours, NATO had mobilized its rapid response force, a kind of military SWAT team, for the first time in history to deter an enemy. It was one in an avalanche of precedent-shattering moves, unfolding in ministries and boardrooms from Washington to London and Brussels to Berlin. In a few frantic days, the West threw out the standard playbook that it had used for decades and instead marshaled a stunning show of unity against Russia’s brutal aggression in the heart of Europe.
A “new normal,” Stoltenberg called it.
In truth, these 10 days in February shook the world, upending long-held assumptions, sundering decades of productive engagement and wiping out billions of dollars of investment in Russia. It was anything but normal.
Much as the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 set off a tumultuous cascade of changes across Europe, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought the West to a comparable, if far more ominous, historical reckoning.
“That was an epochal, peaceful liberation,” Timothy Garton Ash, professor of European studies at Oxford University, said of communism's collapse. “This is an epochal, violent attempt at recolonization. As we were moved then with hope and excitement, so we’re moved now by horror, anger and fear.”
The shock of Russia’s invasion led Germany to discard six decades of military-averse policy rooted in its own wartime experience. Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the Germans would ship Ukraine 1,000 shoulder-launched antitank rockets, 500 surface-to-air Stinger missiles and 2,700 Soviet-era shoulder-fired missiles — as well as embark on a mammoth, $110 billion rearming program at home.
It led the once-divided European Union to unite behind choking sanctions that will ban Russia’s central bank, which holds Putin’s war chest, from selling any assets to European banks. Brussels, long derided as an economic giant but a foreign-policy dwarf, pledged to spend $500 million on defensive weapons for Ukraine.
It led Biden to recast a presidency that had been focused on rebuilding America after the coronavirus pandemic and confronting China to one that is waging a twilight struggle against a Cold War rival on the plains of Eastern Europe.
It has reverberated not just in the councils of state, but also in corporate suites, cultural institutions and sports leagues — to say nothing of city streets from Mexico City to Madrid, where tens of thousands of demonstrators have waved the yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag and chanted against Russia’s aggression.
Overnight, oil giants like BP, Shell and Exxon walked away from gargantuan investments in Russia. Technology companies like Apple halted sales in Russia, while Google pulled Russian media off their networks. Sports bodies like FIFA and the International Olympic Committee barred Russians from competing.
For each of these institutions, such actions would have been inconceivable only a week earlier. Although the United States and its allies had labored quietly for months, as Russian troops were massing on Ukraine’s border, to lay the groundwork for sanctions, the readiness of much of the West remained in doubt.
On Feb. 19, five days before Putin set his army in motion, Ukraine’s embattled president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, flew to a security conference in Munich to issue a frustrated challenge to Western leaders: “What are you waiting for?”
To trace the 10-day period before and after Russia’s invasion, in the worlds of geopolitics, business, culture and sports, is to see how Putin’s brazen attack made the inconceivable suddenly inevitable.
None of these momentous moves, it must be said, have succeeded in halting the Russian war machine. Ten days on, Europeans are girding themselves for a prolonged siege in Ukraine, facing a future that is menacing and unmoored.
“The world and Europe fundamentally changed,” said Michael Roth, the chair of the foreign affairs committee in the German Parliament. “An offensive war is once again the bitter reality on the European continent and we as liberal democracies have to deal with that reality.”
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 11:24pm
Russia's central bank is scrambling to prop up the country's economy. Here's everything it's done to stave off sanctions and what it could do next.
Russia's central bank has doubled interest rates, limited foreigners from moving money, and made other moves in response to Western sanctions.
Russia's economy is in turmoil and the ruble is worth less than a penny.
Two experts explained what Russia's central bank could do next.
Western sanctions are battering the Russian economy, and its central bank has been maneuvering in any way it can in order to forestall economic collapse.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 06 2022 at 11:39pm
he world.
Who Has The Best Military In The World?
Overview
A nation's military strength is measured by the Military Strength Indicator which was introduced by Credit Suisse. There are certain factors that are taken into consideration when measuring the military strength of a country. The factors include aircraft carriers accounting for 25%, submarines also accounting for 25%, aircraft accounting for 20%, attack helicopters accounting for 15%, tanks accounting for 10% and active personnel in Army accounting for 5%. Despite reduced cuts and a decrement in army size, the United States has managed to dominate as the best military nation in the world. While the United States might be far ahead on the list as the military superpower, China and Russia are the closest adversaries, and together they make the top three powerful militaries in the world.
The Top Three
The United States Of America
The United States is the ultimate military superpower with a defence budget of $601 billion. Despite having budget costs and size reduction, the US still spends more money on their military budget than the ten next best militaries that follow. The nation's military advantage is the 19 aircraft carriers which are way more than the 12 operated by the rest of the world put together. The US also has by far the most aircraft compared to any other country with powerful technology, well-trained soldiers, and the largest supply of nuclear weapons in the world.
China
The People's Republic of China is the second best military in the world with a defense budget of $216 billion. Over the years, the military strength of China has rapidly grown in both size and capability. Regarding soldiers, China is the largest military in the world and the second largest in both submarine and tank fleet behind the US and Russia respectively. China has been developing cutting edge military technology together with modernizing military programs.
Russia
The Russian armed forces have the third best military in the world with a defense budget of $85 billion. Russia has not only the largest tank fleet in the world but also the second largest aircraft fleet behind the United States and the third largest submarine fleet behind the United States and China. The military force of Russia has increased since the year 2008 by almost one third and is projected to grow by a 44% in the coming years.
Assessing Military Strength
Determining a county’s military power can be difficult but some of the factors considered include the geographical location, reliance on natural resources, arsenal strength, military budget, and current economic strength. Presently, political or military leadership and nuclear capability are not taken into consideration.
Who Has The Best Military In The World?
Rank
Country
Budget (USD Billions)
1
United States
601
2
China
216
3
Russia
85
4
France
62
5
South Korea
62
6
United Kingdom
61
7
India
50
8
Japan
42
9
Germany
40
10
Italy
34
11
Australia
26
12
Turkey
18
13
Israel
17
14
Canada
16
15
Taiwan
11
16
Poland
9
17
Pakistan
7
18
Indonesia
7
19
Thailand
5
20
Egypt
4
SHARE
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 07 2022 at 6:23am
Ukraine says it neutralized third of Russian army and promised ‘surprise’
2022.03.07 08:05
In less than 11 days of resistance, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have neutralized up to 46,000 Russian soldiers, reports Andriy Zahorodniuk, chairman of the Office of the Center for Defensive Strategies, https://nv.ua/ukraine/politics/poteri-rossii-v-ukraine-sostavili-tret-boesposobnogo-voyska-poslednie-novosti-50222742.html" rel="noopener nofollow noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; color: rgb(244, 102, 31); - writes NV.ua.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 07 2022 at 9:57am
BUDAPEST, March 7 (Reuters) - Hungary allows NATO troops to be deployed in western Hungary and weapons shipments to cross its territory to other NATO member states, according to a decree signed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban and published in the official gazette on Monday.
Reporting by Krisztina Than and Anita Komuves Editing by Gareth Jones
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 07 2022 at 11:55pm
In fact, let me rephrase my question this way: is it at all possible that this war can end without a direct military confrontation between NATO and Russia, keeping in mind that NATO cannot win and NATO cannot accept defeat?
Sadly, I don’t think so anymore, that kind of folly is a direct consequence of the Western PSYOPs which have convinced the folks in the West of two crucial things: 1) Russia cannot win and 2) Putin is bluffing.
I think that the folks in the Pentagon are smart enough to know that this is all bull, but the Eurorodents inside NATO and the EU?
Wouldn’t a military/political defeat of NATO in Banderastan not risk bringing down NATO as an organization?
Again, please tell me that I am wrong, but I don’t see how this war can stop before Russia shows NATO that nobody in Russia is bluffing and that any NATO country dumb enough to test that will be the target of missile strikes.
DJ; By now the US goal is regime change in Russia, China, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua etc. The present US government is insane.
Scott Ritter
@RealScottRitter
·
Nearly every negative thing written about the Russian military intervention in Syria has been demonstrably proven wrong. Keep this in mind when reading about atrocities committed in Ukraine, written by the same people who got the Syria story so wrong. Western journalism is dead.
Now America is taking it to the next level when it comes to the pandemic of Russophobia that is sweeping across the country, purging everything Russian from the national discourse and experience. Russian books are being banned and Russian restaurants boycotted and worse, attacked. The massive economic sanctions enacted against Russia and the Russian people has extended to what amounts to an erasure of all things Russian from the American experience.
Where will this stop? History shows that America is capable of healing itself — the national shame that was the treatment of Japanese- Americans during World War II is a clear demonstration of this phenomenon. However, the politics of cancellation which has emerged in the American body politic has never carried with it the kind of potential blow-back that exists in the case of Russia.
In the pell-mell rush toward cancelling Russia in the name of defeating Putin, emotion has replaced common sense, to the point that people are ignoring the fact that Russia is a nuclear power willing and able to use its Armageddon-inducing arsenal in defense of what it views as its legitimate national security interests.
There has never been a time when a national discussion has been more essential to the continued survival of the American people and all humanity. If this discussion could occur armed with the full range of facts and opinions relating to Russia, there might be hope that reason would prevail, and all nations would walk away from the abyss of our collective suicide. Unfortunately, the American experiment in democracy is not conducive for such near-term embrace of sanity and reason.
“Pity the nation,” Ferlinghetti wrote, “whose leaders are liars, whose sages are silenced, and whose bigots haunt the airwaves.”
Pity America.
Scott Ritter is a former U.S. Marine Corps intelligence officer who served in the former Soviet Union implementing arms control treaties, in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm, and in Iraq overseeing the disarmament of WMD.
DJ, Again this war is about NATO expansion....Why we still have NATO ????
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 1:16am
The Department of State, working with the U.S. interagency, is aware of several Russian military and intelligence entities that are engaged in information confrontation targeting Ukraine. These activities include the spread of disinformation and propaganda attempting to paint Ukraine and Ukrainian government officials as the aggressor in the Russia-Ukraine relationship. Such measures are intended to influence Western countries into believing Ukraine’s behavior could provoke a global conflict and convince Russian citizens of the need for Russian military action in Ukraine. Below are examples of Russian lies about the current crisis and its causes – and the truth.
FACT: False statements from the Putin regime blame the victim, Ukraine, for Russia’s aggression. Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, occupies Crimea, controls armed forces in the Donbas, and has now amassed more than 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine while President Putin threatens “retaliatory military-technical” measures if his demands are not met.
FACT: Moscow instigated the current crisis by placing more than 100,000 troops on the border of Ukraine, with no similar military activity on the Ukrainian side of the border. Russian military and intelligence entities are targeting Ukraine with disinformation attempting to paint Ukraine and Ukrainian government officials as the aggressor in the Russia-Ukraine relationship. The Russian government is trying to trick the world into believing Ukraine’s behavior could provoke a global conflict and to convince Russian citizens of the need for Russian military action in Ukraine. Russia blames others for its own aggression, but it is Moscow’s responsibility to end this crisis peacefully through de-escalation and diplomacy. Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2014, occupies Crimea, and continues to fuel conflict in eastern Ukraine. This follows a pattern of Russian behavior of undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the region – invading and occupying parts of Georgia in 2008, and failing to honor its 1999 commitment to withdraw its troops and munitions from Moldova, where they remain without the government’s consent.
FICTION: Russia’s deployment of combat forces is a mere repositioning of troops on its own territory. https://www.state.gov/fact-vs-fiction-russian-disinformation-on-ukraine/#_edn3" name="_ednref3" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s, border-color 0.2s ease-out 0s; color: rgb(69, 116, 161); cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; - [iii]
FACT: Deploying more than 100,000 Russian troops, including battle-hardened combat forces and offensive weaponry with no plausible innocuous explanation, to the borders of a country that Russia has previously invaded and still occupies in places is no mere troop rotation. It is a clear, renewed Russian threat to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The buildup is paired with active disinformation measures designed to undermine confidence in the Ukrainian government and create a pretext for further Russian incursion.
FICTION: The United States has planned chemical weapons attacks in the Donbas. https://www.state.gov/fact-vs-fiction-russian-disinformation-on-ukraine/#_edn4" name="_ednref4" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s, border-color 0.2s ease-out 0s; color: rgb(69, 116, 161); cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; - [iv]
FACT: The United States and Russia are parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. In accordance with its obligations under that international agreement, the United States does not use chemical weapons. However, the Russian government has twice used chemical weapons in recent years to attack and attempt to assassinate opponents, including on foreign soil. Rather than fuel conflict in eastern Ukraine as Russia has done, the United States has provided more than $351 million in humanitarian assistance to those affected by Moscow’s aggression there since 2014. Russia is using statements from high-level officials as well as disinformation and propaganda outlets to intentionally spread outright falsehoods to attempt to create a pretext for military action.
FACT: There are https://web.archive.org/web/20210905170143/https:/carnegieendowment.org/2014/07/28/crying-genocide-use-and-abuse-of-political-rhetoric-in-russia-and-ukraine-pub-56265" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s, border-color 0.2s ease-out 0s; color: rgb(69, 116, 161); cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; - of any ethnic Russians or Russian speakers being under threat from the Ukrainian government. There are, however, https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/03/crimea-not-our-home-anymore" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s, border-color 0.2s ease-out 0s; color: rgb(69, 116, 161); cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; - credible reports that in Russia-occupied Crimea and in the Donbas, Ukrainians face suppression of their culture and national identity and live in an environment of severe repression and fear. In Crimea, Russia forces Ukrainians to assume Russian citizenship or lose their property, their access to healthcare, and their jobs. Those who peacefully express opposition to Russia’s occupation or control face imprisonment on baseless grounds, police raids on their homes, officially sanctioned discrimination, and in some cases torture and other abuses. Religious and ethnic minorities are investigated and prosecuted as “extremists” and “terrorists.”
FICTION: NATO has plotted against Russia since the end of the Cold War, encircled Russia with forces, broken supposed promises not to enlarge, and threatened Russia’s security with the prospect of Ukrainian membership in the Alliance . https://www.state.gov/fact-vs-fiction-russian-disinformation-on-ukraine/#_edn6" name="_ednref6" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s, border-color 0.2s ease-out 0s; color: rgb(69, 116, 161); cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; - [vi]
FACT: NATO is a defensive alliance, whose purpose is to protect its member states. All Allies reaffirmed at the June 2021 Brussels Summit that “the Alliance does not seek confrontation and poses no threat to Russia.” In fact, in 2002 President Putin himself stated “Every country has the right to choose the way it ensures its security. This holds for the Baltic states as well. Secondly, and more specifically, NATO is primarily a defensive bloc.”
NATO does not encircle Russia – Russia’s land border is just over 20,000 kilometers long. Of that, less than one-sixteenth (1,215 kilometers), is shared with NATO members. Russia has land borders with 14 countries. Only five of them are NATO members.
In response to Russia’s use of military force against its neighbors, NATO deployed four multinational battlegroups to the Baltic States and Poland in 2016. These forces are rotational, defensive, proportionate, and requested by the host nations. Before Russia’s illegal seizure of Crimea, there were no plans to deploy Allied troops to the eastern part of the Alliance.
NATO never promised not to admit new members. NATO enlargement is not directed against Russia. Every sovereign nation has the right to choose its own security arrangements and to enter into defensive regional alliances for purposes of self-defense. This is a fundamental principle of European security, reflected in the UN Charter, and is one that Russia has affirmed in myriad international and regional instruments such as the Helsinki Final Act.
Map depicting NATO borders with Russia. Boundary representation is not necessarily authoritative.
FACT: The United States and our partners are engaging in intensive diplomacy to resolve this crisis, including directly with the Russian government. President Biden has spoken with President Putin twice and U.S. officials have held dozens of high-level meetings and phone calls with Russian and European counterparts as part of a comprehensive diplomatic effort to resolve this situation peacefully. What remains to be seen is whether Russia is willing to meet its responsibilities as a member of the global community and take steps to de-escalate the crisis it has generated. But we have also made clear, publicly and privately, that we and our partners will impose swift and severe economic costs on the Russian economy should President Putin choose to further invade Ukraine.
https://www.state.gov/fact-vs-fiction-russian-disinformation-on-ukraine/#_ednref1" name="_edn1" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s, border-color 0.2s ease-out 0s; color: rgb(69, 116, 161); cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; - [i] “Now they tell us, war, war, war. It seems [the Ukrainians] are preparing another operation [in Donbas] and are warning us not to get in the way, or there’ll be sanctions.” – President Putin https://web.archive.org/web/20220110200851/https:/www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russian-mercenaries-deploy-into-eastern-ukraine-sources-claim/ar-AAS5OBj?hss_channel=fbp-44821210086" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s, border-color 0.2s ease-out 0s; color: rgb(69, 116, 161); cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; - https://web.archive.org/web/20220110200851/https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/russian-mercenaries-deploy-into-eastern-ukraine-sources-claim/ar-AAS5OBj?hss_channel=fbp-44821210086
https://www.state.gov/fact-vs-fiction-russian-disinformation-on-ukraine/#_ednref2" name="_edn2" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s, border-color 0.2s ease-out 0s; color: rgb(69, 116, 161); cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; - [ii] “We have to be mindful of our own security, not just for today and not just for next week, but in the short term. How is Russia to live with all this? Do we always have to stay on guard, watching what happens there and when a strike might come? But what does it all mean if we end up in the conflict you are asking about? This is not our choice, and we do not want this” – President Putin https://web.archive.org/web/20211230075113/http:/en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/67438" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-left-color: initial; border-image: initial; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; font-stretch: inherit; font-size: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s, border-color 0.2s ease-out 0s; color: rgb(69, 116, 161); cursor: pointer; word-break: break-word; - https://web.archive.org/web/20211230075113/http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/67438
The CIA's Beebe follows with this almost unbelievable line:
"And we elected to make sure that the veto was exercised on the battlefield, hoping that either Putin would stay his hand or that the military operation would fail."
Again this illustrates perfectly Mearsheimer's prior prediction: "...the West is leading Ukraine down the primrose path, and the end result is that Ukraine is going to get wrecked."
The MSNBC peice further cites https://peterbeinart.substack.com/p/americas-generation-gap-on-ukraine?s=r" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - Peter Beinart :
George Kennan, the living legend who had fathered America’s policy of containment against the Soviet Union, called NATO expansion “a strategic blunder of potentially epic proportions.” Thomas Friedman, America’s most prominent foreign policy columnist, declared it the “most ill-conceived project of the post-Cold War era.” Daniel Patrick Moynihan, widely considered the most erudite member of the US Senate, warned, “We have no idea what we’re getting into.” John Lewis Gaddis, the dean of America’s Cold War historians, noted that, “historians—normally so contentious—are in uncharacteristic agreement: with remarkably few exceptions, they see NATO enlargement as ill-conceived, ill-timed, and above all ill-suited to the realities of the post-Cold War world.”
Whilst the rest of the world shows little or no enthusiasm to join with sanctions on Russia (China has ruled out sanctions on Russia), Europe is in hysteria. This will not fade quickly. The new ‘Iron Curtain’ erected in Brussels may last years.
But what of the unintended consequences to last Saturday’s ‘sanctions Blitzkrieg’: the ‘unknowable unknowns’ in Rumsfeld’s famous mantra? The unprecedented switch-off affecting a key part of the Globalist system did not download into a neutral, inert context – It developed into an emotionally hyper-charged atmosphere of Russophobia.
Now https://www.powernext.com/spot-market-data" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - reality comes back to bite the inept minions who attempt to rule over us.
Europe https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2022/03/06/burning-globalist-structures-to-save-the-globalist-liberal-order/" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - can not sustain this , Russia can:
In sum, the changes set out by von der Leyen and the EU, with surging crude oil costs, could potentially tip global markets into crisis, and set off spiraling inflation. Cost inflation created by energy costs spiraling higher and food disruptions are not so easily susceptible to monetary remedies. If the daily drama of the war in Ukraine starts to fade from public view, and inflation persists, the political cost of von der Leyen’s Saturday drama is likely to be European-wide recession.
“Since well before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europeans have been struggling under the weight of runaway energy bills”, OilPrice.com https://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/Big-Oil-Is-Turning-Its-Back-On-Russia.html" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - notes . In Germany, for some, one month’s energy costs the same as they used to pay for a whole year; in the UK the government has raised the price cap for energy bills by a whopping 54%, and in Italy a recent 40% domestic energy cost hike could now nearly double.
The New York Times describes this impact on local businesses and industries as nothing short of “frightening”, as all kinds of small businesses across Europe (prior to last week’s events) have been forced to cease their operations as energy costs outweigh profits. Large industries have not been immune to sticker shock either. “Almost two-thirds of the 28,000 companies surveyed by the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry this month rated energy prices as one of their biggest business risks … For those in the industrial sector, the figure was as high as 85 percent.”
And it is not only Europe. Energy prices are based on global markets. As are the prices for many other minerals and metals which have suddenly https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/comment/2022/03/07/ukraine-crisis-has-rewired-thinking-on-future-of-energy-for-europe/" style="color: rgb(153, 51, 0); text-decoration: underline; - become rare
DJ NATO expansion is "killing the West", creating more global major insecurity and a very serious economic recession...
WHY ? Why Ukraine has to be in NATO while neutrality would most likely be even better for Ukraine ????
WHY ? Why do we even have NATO ? The Warsaw-pact (created in reaction to NATO-not the other way round !) ended decades ago...
NATO expansionalism only further is increasing Russia-Iran-China integration...
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 1:35am
Do you think Scott Ritter shared a jail cell with Hal Turner in the past? This is the scum that you get your disinformation from?
Ritter was targeted in two law enforcement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sting_operation" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Sting operation - sting operations in 2001. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-Warner_2011-46" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [46] He was charged in June 2001 with trying to set up a meeting with an undercover police officer posing as a 16-year-old girl. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-CNN01232003-47" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [47] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-foxnews.com-48" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [48] He was charged with a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misdemeanor" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Misdemeanor - misdemeanor crime of "attempted endangerment of the welfare of a child". The charge was dismissed and the record was sealed after he completed six months of probation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-foxnews.com-48" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [48] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-49" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [49] After this information was made public in early 2003, Ritter said that the timing of the leak was politically motivated in order to silence his opposition to the Bush administration's push toward war with Iraq. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-CNN01232003-47" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [47] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-foxnews.com-48" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [48] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-50" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [50]
Ritter was arrested again in November 2009 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-51" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [51] over communications with a police decoy he met on an Internet chat site. Police said that he exposed himself, via a web camera, after the officer said she was a 15-year-old girl. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-Bai-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [1] Ritter said in his own testimony during the trial that he believed the other party was an adult acting out her fantasy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-52" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [52] The next month, Ritter waived his right to a preliminary hearing and was released on a $25,000 unsecured bail. Charges included "unlawful contact with a minor, criminal use of a communications facility, corruption of minors, indecent exposure, possessing instruments of crime, criminal attempt and criminal solicitation". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-53" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [53] Ritter rejected a plea bargain and was found guilty of all but the criminal attempt count in a https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroe_County,_Pennsylvania" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Monroe County, Pennsylvania - Monroe County , Pennsylvania courtroom on April 14, 2011. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-Bai-1" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-ponono-54" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [54] In October 2011, he received a sentence of 1½ to 5½ years in prison. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-55" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [55] He was sent to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Correctional_Institution_%E2%80%93_Laurel_Highlands" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="State Correctional Institution – Laurel Highlands - Laurel Highlands state prison in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somerset_County,_Pennsylvania" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Somerset County, Pennsylvania - Somerset County, Pennsylvania in March 2012 and paroled in September 2014. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter#cite_note-TU2014-56" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [56]
Probably the only work a sexual predator could get after serving time in a state prison.
“I would support the Poles and whatever choice they make,” he told Sky News, reports Reuters, adding that the UK could not offer aircraft that the Ukrainians would be able to use.
“We would protect Poland, we’ll help them with anything that they need,” he said. “Poland will understand that the choices they make will not only directly help Ukraine, which is a good thing, but also may bring them into direct line of fire from countries such as Russia or Belarus.”
He said that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address to British MPs later today will be “incredibly powerful”, describing him as an “amazing guy” and the “spirit of Ukraine”.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 2:02am
The Moon of Alabama adds: “The whole U.S. campaign of a “Russian invasion” is disinformation designed to give cover for the upcoming attack of Ukraine on its rebellious Donbas region.” https://lettersfromvienna.substack.com/p/why-are-there-nazis-in-the-ukraine?s=r#_ftn21" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" style="color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, #1a1a1a); text-decoration: underline; font-family: Lora, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);" title=" - [21]
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 2:43am
Attacks on Ukrainian hospitals, ambulances and heath care has increased 'rapidly', warns WHO
The World Health Organization today warned that attacks on Ukrainian hospitals, ambulances and other health care facilities have increased “rapidly” in recent days and vital medical supplies are running low.
The UN agency on Monday confirmed at least nine people had died in 16 attacks on health care facilities since the start of a Russian invasion, reports Reuters, but it did not say who was responsible.
He said oxygen, children’s vaccines and mental health expertise were among their top priorities, as well as women’s needs.
Kluge said:
Past conflicts have shown us that adolescent girls, women with disabilities and elderly women are in the most vulnerable situation.
They face an increased risk of suffering attacks by people outside the home and by armed groups as well as intimate partner violence and sexual abuse and exploitation.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 3:18am
The attempt by the United States to confront, contain and undermine the economies of both Russia and China continues unabated. Having instituted an economic war against Russia through its sanctions the US is also seeking to step up its offensive against China’s economy.
Over a year into his presidency Biden has not rolled back any of the punitive tariffs that Trump imposed on China’s economy which have contributed to rising prices for American consumers. Instead, the Biden regime is seeking to step its efforts to undermine China’s economic challenge to American hegemony over the global economy.
This comes a time when the United States trade deficit with China continues to reach all-time highs. In 2021 the https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/reports/2021/2021%20Trade%20Agenda/Online%20PDF%202021%20Trade%20Policy%20Agenda%20and%202020%20Annual%20Report.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: red; text-decoration: underline; background-color: transparent; transition: all 0.2s ease 0s; outline: 0px; - US trade deficit with China surged from $124 billion in 2020 to $151 billion in 2021. This illustrates the continuing decline of the American economy.
In his State of the Union address on Tuesday 1 March Biden stated that he will seek to reduce inflation facing ordinary Americans:
“We will ‘buy American’ to make sure everything from the deck of an aircraft carrier to the steel on highway guardrails are made in America. But to compete for the best jobs of the future, we need to level the playing field with China and other competitors.”
Of course, he could help American consumers by eliminating the trade tariffs imposed on billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods by President Trump. Instead, Biden is seeking to implement a raft of punitive measures that will seek to undermine Chinese trade and manufacturing. The outcome of these measures is probably going to intensify geo-political rivalries with China. This is at a time when the US is pushing relations with Russia to dangerous levels of hostility reminiscent of the Cuban missile crisis.
China is not in a position to mediate; It agrees with Russia that NATO expansion is the main reason for the Ukraine crisis...
DJ-Plans to include Sweden, Finland, Georgia into "defensive" NATO "like NApoleon and NAzi's moving east" further worsens the crisis....The US still further sanctioning China...Australia in favor for sanctions on Chine because China does not want sanctions on Russia also not helping...
Chinese President Xi Jinping may not be enjoying his support for Russia as much these days
There is Western unity also in the unexpected severity of its https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/russia-invasion-economy-column-don-pittis-1.6367198" style="transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s; color: rgb(5, 80, 200); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); text-decoration: none; - And Moscow's been mostly isolated at the United Nations in New York, where China finds itself one of the very few voices defending Russia, in the company of international pariahs like North Korea, Belarus and Syria.
"China is starting to look a lot more uncomfortable" in this role, said UN observer Richard Gowan, with the NGO Crisis Group.
Like Russia, Beijing has refused to call the war in Ukraine an invasion, instead sticking to Putin's narrative that he's executing a "special military operation" that "will not conduct missile, air or artillery strikes on cities." That's been repeated at https://www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/xwfw_665399/s2510_665401/2511_665403/202202/t20220224_10645282.html" style="transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s; color: rgb(5, 80, 200); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); text-decoration: none; - China tones down support
Still, Gowan said Beijing has realized this is a "bad look" at the UN, and has toned down its support for Russia. It was initially expected to join Russia in vetoing the Security Council's condemnation of Moscow, but the position turned into an abstention after negotiations with the United States over wording.
It abstained once again in a similar https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/en/news/1866082/most-of-the-world-demands-russia-withdraw-from-ukraine-in-un-vote" style="transition: background-color 0.25s linear 0s; color: rgb(5, 80, 200); border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(216, 216, 216); text-decoration: none; - General Assembly vote a few days later.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 4:17am
ISTANBUL —
Turkey says it has locked Russian warships out of the Black Sea ahead of an expected assault on Ukrainian cities. At the same time Ukraine says it is getting more Turkish drones, despite warnings from Moscow. Turkish-Russian ties are facing a critical test.
Ankara claims four Russian warships have withdrawn their request to enter the Black Sea through Turkish waterways. The announcement follows Turkey's curtailing of Russian naval vessels' use of Istanbul's Bosporus waterway, the only access to the Black Sea.
Under the 1936 Montreux Convention, Ankara can stop Russian naval ships from using the waterway after it declared on Sunday that Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a "war."
Mesut Casin, an advisor to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, says Turkey intends to strictly enforce naval access to the Black Sea under the convention.
“We will very clearly, very sensitively, and objectively apply the Montreux regime. Russians should be thinking about this. Why? We showed this position in World War II; we stopped the German ships, the Italian ships even the Soviet-armed ships,” he said.
Ankara's strict enforcement of the convention appears to have denied any wiggle room for Moscow to access its waiting destroyers and a frigate. Among them is one of Russia's most advanced and modern warships that carries cruise missiles.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 4:34am
ksc, thanks for keeping this/our disagreement polite.
Maybe we both demonstrate one can totally disagree with another without going into insults...
For that matter our-far from perfect-democracies DO work !
DJ-I have a certain freedom to totally disagree with my government and most NL political parties. Only extreme right wing parties here in NL support Russia for now...I did expect left wing parties to be more critical on NATO expansion, increasing money-for-the-military (industrial complex). (I see myself as left wing...would never vote for the right-wing parties here in NL now more or less agreeing with Russian war in Ukraine).
Refugees are humans-with basic human rights...most of them seeking safety...I would love it when they could find safety and a future in their home country...
The price of gas is going through the roof, food prices are going to skyrocket even higher than they are already, and we’re facing the very real possibility of war with Russia—a nuclear holocaust. And for what? We still haven’t yet received an answer to this question. @FoxNation
in this matter-how I will be able to pay for power, food ?)
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 4:37am
Russian invasion of Ukraine will be ‘total failure’ and could spark global conflict, says FSB whistleblower
The Russian invasion of Ukraine will be a “total failure” and could result in “real international conflict” in the coming months, according to a whistleblower from Russia’s security service.
An anonymous report thought to be written by an analyst in the FSB said the security agency was not forewarned of the invasion of Ukraine and was unprepared to deal with the effects of crippling https://inews.co.uk/news/ukraine-war-latest-russia-vows-tough-but-proportionate-sanctions-against-british-interests-1500495?ico=in-line_link" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(227, 58, 17); text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in 0s; - sanctions .
“I don’t know who came up with the ‘Ukrainian Blitzkrieg,’” they said. “‘Denazification’ and ‘demilitarisation’ are not analytical categories, because they do not have clearly defined parameters by which one can determine the level of accomplishment or non-completion of the task.”
The whistleblower said “it is simply impossible” for Russia “to complete the task now”, adding: “Russia has no way out. There are no options for a possible victory, only defeat.”
The suspected FSB agent said that https://inews.co.uk/news/president-zelensky-survives-three-assassination-plots-tip-offs-from-russian-spies-1497651?ico=in-line_link" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(227, 58, 17); text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in 0s; - even if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky were killed , Russia would have little chance of occupying Ukraine.
“Even with minimum resistance from the Ukrainians we’d need over 500,000 people, not including supply and logistics workers,” they said. “And now even those who were loyal to us are against [the invasion]. Because it was planned from above, because we were told that there would be no such option, unless we were attacked.”
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 12:00pm
DJ, No problem I always like to hear both sides. The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 12:01pm
Poland ready to place all its MiG-29 jets at the disposal of the US
Patrick Wintour
Poland is ready to immediately transfer all its MiG-29 planes free of charge to the US government as part of a move to give the planes for use by the Ukrainian air force to repel the Russia invasion, the Polish government has announced.
Poland also said it was asking the US to provide it with used aircraft with similar operational capabilities. Poland is ready to immediately agree on the terms of purchase of these machines.
The Polish government also asks other Nato country owners of MiG-29 planes to act in a similar way.
The move follows weeks of backstage negotiations and discussions in London between the Polish prime minister and Boris Johnson.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 08 2022 at 8:38pm
Now, Saudi and UAE leaders are refusing to take Biden's calls as the US president tries to contain surging oil prices, according to the https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-emirati-leaders-decline-calls-with-biden-during-ukraine-crisis-11646779430" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - DJ; Lots of non-western countries see the conflict(s) escalating to a level that is destroying the global economy. They do not consider themselves as party in the conflict still will have to pay a high price.
Their main goal is to keep their economies going, feed their population...
One you end up in a conflict you have to know what your position is. Acting without thinking makes you lose the conflict from the start.
-The US may be able to stop energy coming from Russia (Canada may be the most realistic nearby provider for the US). However Europe is in a much more dependent position. The outcome of Russia stopping energy export to Europe may wreck the European economy.
-There are more then enough buyers for Russian export. Most of those buyers are land-linked other Asian countries (India, China, Pakistan, Arab world). "The West" will be unable to stop Russian exports...Limits may be in pipeline capacity, transport capacity...Stopping trade with Russia may hurt the West much more then it most likely will hurt Russia. (Visa/Masterd-card boycot ending up Russia now going for their own and a Chinese payment system - as an example).
-Lots of countries rather trade in their own currencies then use US$ or Euro. That trend was allready there before the Ukraine-crisis...this crisis is speeding up the proces. For the US it could mean devaluation of the US$...
-Higher energy prices may result in energy exporters maybe exporting less oil, gas, coal but with higher prices...Also domestic use of their own energysources puts them in a much better position then countries having to import (much more expensive) energy.
DJ-So even if you would go for the "bad Russia story" (I go for the bad NATO story...) reacting based on emotions without thinking may hurt you more then it would hurt Russia...
Geo-strategic the end result for now is Russia working even more close with China, Iran...to a certain level lots of Asian countries. The West could end up with much more damage...
And again for what ? Including Ukraine into NATO ??? Was that worth blowing up mostly western economies ? Does that help Ukraine ? Would a neutral Ukraine without a war not be much better for Ukraine ??? Since most western countries even did not want the Ukraine-with its conflicts-in NATO on the short term could we not have talked with Russia ? Told Russia NATO-at least for now-will not move further east ?
DJ-Sending in MORE weapons into a war zone only increases suffering, worsens the crisis...(Polish-OLD !!!-Mig 29's is an empty gesture...not helping anyone...not realistic (Polish Mig-29 have a lot of NATO modernizations...Ukraine can not use it, Russia should not get it...)
Again !!!
-This crisis was avoidable
-It is getting totally out of control
-Allready there are no winners
-The "World" wants de-escalation
STOP THIS WAR - STOP IT NOW !
If NATO would say we-at least for the coming ten years-will not include Ukraine, Georgia then there is a basis for Russia to stop the war...
Both-as I-do have the view this war could and should have been prevented....
DJ-Maybe a parallel with this pandemic; positive tests/cases going up-again-but so far severity may be limited ? Whill it stay that way ?
My view;
The West did simply not think or plan...believed it could include Ukraine in western "defense/agressian plans". Bio-labs-US, UK investments in a new Ukraine Navy port...Ukraine was not-yet-included as a NATO member, however in many ways it was allready integrated...
So Russia (after stopping NApoleon, NAzi's now) is stopping NAto....getting to close to the Russian borders..."Defensive NATO" did ignore 1990 agreements NOT to move east...Russia-in their view-had to put a red line not to be crossed...NATO ignored it...
After LenIN, StalIN, now PutIN has to stop a "western invasion" is the Russian view (wich I do understand...I do NOT get why NATO had to move east, or why even there is a NATO...the Warsaw-Pact ended 30 years ago...)
Russia did see the crisis growing...a total lack of respect or understanding by NAto had to result in this crisis...lots of western experts warned against NAto moving east...still-most the US, UK-the warnings were ignored...
Nuclear risks;
-Russia may "go nuclear" in case of "full scale war" with the West...DJ-Not that likely...as the MoA article underlines...it is the West that is isolated (and unable to see that...). China, India, Pakistan, Iran, North Korea -in further western escalarion (Georgia in NATO, western puppet regime for Ukraine fighting from Poland)-they have "the power" to make clear enough is enough...
-however, "the West" could go nuclear if they find out sanctions against Russia are damaging the West more the Russia...even further cause Asian integration...
(Hal Turner comes with the idea "western sanctions would hit Russia very hard". The picture I (DJ) get is that Asian countries and prices going up undo a lot of the damage western sanctions could do to Russia...For that matter "the West"..without a clear strategy...it could fall back to nuclear weapons...maybe also against China, Iran...)
There are lots of "wild cards"; Israel did (cyber)attack Iran nuclear facilities several times...North Korea may decide it is time Japan has to pay for its war crimes in world war two...Ukraine itself has nuclear and (US) bio-weapon facilities...(Ukraine may go for a dirty bomb...).
The propaganda and financial, economic war is allready at an extreme level (I can only get //RT.com - RT.com etc in an indirect way...like Press.TV ...Iran-Russia will find its ways (via India ?) around western censorship....
DJ-Since in essence this war is about the US staying #1...(only possible if the US could break up Russia-Iran-China cooperation-de facto RIC is allready in power...) there are very major global risks...
Like the pandemic I/we can only hope "damage remains limited"....but this is a very major crisis...worse then 1962 Cuba crisis...
Stay safe and sane, DJ
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 09 2022 at 3:36pm
Russia’s ‘warning’ of Ukraine’s biological weapons sounds just like Syria
Analysis: Putin used the same false justification for brutal bombings in Syria, in the glare of western media
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 09 2022 at 3:38pm
Russian strike on maternity hospital is 'ultimate evidence of genocide' – Zelenskiy
Speaking in Russian, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy decried the bombing of a children’s hospital and maternity ward in Mariupol.
In an apparent appeal to Russians, Zelenskiy said:
A children’s hospital, a maternity ward. How did they threaten the Russian Federation? What is this country, the Russian Federation, that is afraid of hospitals, maternity wards and is destroying them? Were there little Banderovites? Were pregnant women going to shoot on Rostov? Did anyone in the maternity ward humiliate Russian speakers? Or was it de-Nazification of a hospital?
Switching back to Ukrainian, Zelenskiy called the bombing “beyond atrocity”, in an address posted on Telegram.
West has 'serious concern' Putin could use chemical weapons in Kyiv
Western officials have warned of their “serious concern” that Vladimir Putin could use chemical weapons on Kyiv.
In an assessment, they say an “utterly horrific” attack on the Ukrainian capital could be unleashed as Russian forces attempt to overcome the logistical issues that have apparently plagued troops headed towards Kyiv.
One western official said:
I think we’ve got good reason to be concerned about possible use of non-conventional weapons, partly because of what we’ve seen has happened in other theatres.
As I’ve mentioned before, for example, what we’ve seen in Syria, partly because we’ve seen a bit of setting the scene for that in the false flag claims that are coming out, and other indications as well.
So it’s a serious concern for us.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 09 2022 at 3:43pm
White House warns Russia may use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine
Psaki says Russia may be laying groundwork for ‘false flag operation’
The Biden administration publicly warned Wednesday that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine as the White House rejected Russian claims of illegal chemical weapons development in the country it has invaded.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova this week, without evidence, accused Ukraine of running chemical and biological weapons labs in its territory, supported by the U.S. White House press secretary Jen Psaki called Russia’s claim “preposterous” and said it could be part of an attempt by Russia to lay the groundwork for itself using such weapons of mass destruction against Ukraine.
“This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine,” Psaki tweeted Wednesday. “Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them.”
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 09 2022 at 10:50pm
[url] https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/09/678269/China-NATO-Russia-Ukraine-breaking-point[/url] - https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/09/678269/China-NATO-Russia-Ukraine-breaking-point[/url] or https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/09/678269/China-NATO-Russia-Ukraine-breaking-point - https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/03/09/678269/China-NATO-Russia-Ukraine-breaking-point (DJ-this source of news is from Iran...the US is now blocking //rt.com - rt.com etc. They also blocked press.tv but Iran found a way around it...If you allow your government or provider to censor you what are you allowing them to do ?) ;
China says NATO’s conduct has pushed the current tension between Russia and Ukraine to a “breaking point.”
During a daily news briefing in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian called on the United States to take China’s concerns seriously and avoid undermining its interests in handling the Ukraine issue and ties with Russia.
At a virtual meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping opposed economic sanctions against Russia, saying they would affect the stability of global finance, energy supplies, transportation, and supply chains and “dampen the global economy,” which has already been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.
Xi said the three countries should jointly support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, as he urged Moscow and Kiev to “keep the momentum of negotiations” and “bring about peaceful outcomes.”
DJ The US and EU are in different positions. The US can-most likely-replace Russian oil with oil from other sources. The undersea oil field north of Venezuela stretches more to the east...Guyana, Suriname now also could provide oil...need investments...The EU will now (have to) increase renewable energy sources. (Nuclear powerplants take up to 10 years to build, a lot of uranium also comes from Russia...In Ukraine again nuclear plants show to be a risk.)
Why is it accepted the US can block internet access to other countries news websites ? Of course they may spread "propaganda" but I more or less stopped watching "western news" because that is almost 100% propaganda....
Maybe to show some realism; "The World united against Russia" in fact means "NATO at war with Russia-Iran-China"....With NATO serving the US goal of staying "the only exceptional state", "the #1"...while in fact it is neither....and the chosen path is only speeding up the fall of the US.
-Zelensky has given up hope on the west (maybe Turkey, Iran, China can play a role), Ukraine will go for "neutrality"...
-US will come up with an Ukraine "government in exile" (like they did in Venezuela, Belarus, Syria etc.)
-Due to economic pressure (big companies) the EU may have to accept Ukraine neutrality....
This conflict is NOT about Ukraine but about stopping EurAsian integration...saving the US-petro-$...at the costs of many wars....
Biden’s foreign policies are putting Democratic Party lipstick onto the Republican Party’s pig. That’s his ‘change’, on U.S. foreign policies.
Though U.S. President Joe Biden is publicly critical of Donald Trump’s foreign policies, he’s continuing almost all of them and is changing only minor ones. The changes are almost entirely in rhetoric, not in policies, as will be documented here.
I was listening to Tchaikovsky Swan Lake by Rozhdestvensky. Am I violating the law or no such law has been yet introduced?
If not, I share it with you, and all amateurs can collectively share a prison cell.
https://youtu.be/JG5tXNhyczc
Insanity as a new normal ! We NEED new leaders, new politics...in the west !
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: cobber
Date Posted: March 10 2022 at 4:47am
Anyone else enjoying the fake war?
Went to webcams in areas with supposed chaos and got crickets.
Sure Russia is blowing some things up, but its very controlled. Apparently when the Russians roll in the Ukrainians are dropping their weapons. Very little fighting is actually going on.
Good old lame stream media likes to beat up a story. Sounds a bit like Covid which strangely seems to have disappeared..
Essentially this war gives Biden's cronies the ability to make out like bandits.
Posted By: cobber
Date Posted: March 10 2022 at 6:05am
Kamala Harris just spoke in Poland and she committed the US to giving Ukraine another $50 BILLION IN AID!
There it is.!
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 10 2022 at 10:53am
Speaking to the US Senate intelligence committee today, Burns said Xi was concerned about the “reputational damage” that China could suffer by association with the “ugliness” of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
President Xi is probably a little bit unsettled as he watches the way in which President Putin has driven Americans and Europeans more closely together and strengthened the transatlantic alliance in ways that would have been a little bit hard to imagine before the invasion began.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 10 2022 at 10:54am
Image Caption
Julian Borger
The CIA director, William Burns, was asked by the Senate intelligence committee about the possibility of Russian use of chemical weapons, possibly in a false-flag attack, Julian Borger writes.
This is something, as all of you know very well, that is very much a part of Russia’s playbook.
They’ve used those weapons against their own citizens. They’ve at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere.
So it’s something we take very seriously.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 10 2022 at 11:25pm
"None of this should be happening, it's absolute madness," a shocked Jim Rogers told me in his first video appearance since Russia's invasion into Ukraine.
Rogers argues that the current geopolitical crisis stems from 2014, when the U.S. https://www.state.gov/u-s-security-cooperation-with-ukraine/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - State Department instigated a coup in Kiev. U.S. elected leaders are seeing their actions be paid for gravely, "now we're all paying a gigantic price for it," he says.
Rogers details his argument to me on why the increasing prospects of Georgia and Ukraine joining NATO aggravated Russia... and how the threshold of tolerance was breached from Russia's point of view years later.
Rogers emphasizes a critical stance against economic sanctions, and how financial warfare directed from the U.S. will crush the dollar sooner than expected.
Frantically, other sovereign nations are trying to, "come up with something to compete with the U.S. dollar," the legendary investor told me. "We're [the U.S.] shooting ourselves in the foot every day," he says.
This comes off the heels of the Biden administration's pause on all Russian oil imports as sanctions and financial warfare continue to ramp up as a deterrent of war.
Rogers parallels a turning point in monetary history to the current state of the United States and the dollar saying, "it certainly was not good for Britain which used to be the world's international currency... when they lost that status, they lost a lot of things."
"No currency has lasted forever, and no #1 currency has lasted forever," Rogers told me.
Rogers says that governments are already working on their own digital currencies, but holds firm when detailing that he, "cannot see the world having 100% computer money Rogers predicts that sovereign nations will explain to citizens how government-issued digital coins will be secure and safe for the good of the people, and most will believe it.
DJ-A good summery of where we are....In my view a transition from a US/US$ dominated world to a "multi-polar" one...The Euro/€ could have replaced the US$ -may even still do so-without the European Central Bank having much of a say...Asia taking over...for their goals.
The report comes after a tense back-and-forth between US and Russian officials over "dangerous" biolabs in the country - with Russia, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-03-08/china-pushes-russia-conspiracy-theory-about-u-s-labs-in-ukraine?sref=ZMFHsM5Z" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - and then China , accusing the US military of involvement in Ukraine's biolabs.
On Wednesday, Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova repeated a longstanding claim that the United States operates a biowarfare lab in Ukraine, an accusation that has been repeatedly denied by Washington and Kyiv.
Zakharova said that documents unearthed by Russian forces in Ukraine showed "an emergency attempt to erase evidence of military biological programmes" by destroying lab samples. -Reuters
The US has denied the allegations - issuing (among other things) a Thursday statement that "The United States does not have chemical or biological weapons labs in Ukraine," adding that America "does not develop or possess chemical and biological weapons anywhere."
DJ; The US "outsourced" risky "gain of function" studies a.o. to Wuhan-China....If only for defensive use any major country will have (to have) bio-labs....To evade strict rules in their own country a lot of higher risk studies go to countries wilth less restrictions....
So-YES the US most likely had bio-labs in Ukraine (looks like even close to the Russian border...)...YES the US would like to keep it a secret what bio-hazards they fear most....
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/nuland-warns-russia-may-seize-ukraine-biolabs-stage-false-flag-using-bioweapons" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - On Tuesday , US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland acknowledged that Ukraine "has biological research facilities, which, in fact, we are now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of. So we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach."
Nuland's answer made clear that whatever is inside Ukraine's biolabs is a serious concern, however it should be noted that there's no public evidence of bioweapons, nor did the WHO statement make reference to biowarfare - which is a separate issue from whether the laboratories contained, or contain, dangerous pathogens which could be used in a bioweapon.
DJ; There is a thin line between "bio-defense" and "bio-weapons".....
DJ a comment;I can see Europe becoming poorer and Russia becoming richer. With the transfer of wealth comes a transfer of technology. The EU is diligently working to destroy itself and succeeding admirably.
DJ-Lots of post worth reading...but in essence; Russia will do bussiness with Asia, Africa, South America....The US may be able to buy some specific sorts of oil from Venezuela, Iran (etc) at a much higher price...and dropping all kind of sanctions, freezing bank accounts of Iran, Venezuela...with that money-like many other countries-now going high speed to countries that do not take "money hostage" for political goals....
A few remarks; Europe NEEDS Russian energy, materials...so most likely the gap between the US/UK and the EU on sanctions will widen...Also elections in Europe, US may "force" changes...
China, TIP (Turkey, Iran, Pakistan) and even Russia itself would like to have "good relations" a Berlin-Moscow-Bejing link...with France maybe as an extra for the role it may play in Africa...China is able to replace Europe...but it may believe it is wiser to "use/work with" Europe...Break up US-EU "block"...
DJ-My conclusion; The West did do itself major damage with sanctioning Russia. International crossing Russia's red lines (NATO expansion) is seen as the reason for this crisis...it is the West that is getting more and more isolated (but still may be to blind/stupid to realize it...). The World has changed for good...
PS. There was a discussion on China; some western sources claim "Xi did know" Russian plans to invade Ukraine...often the same western media come up also with; "Xi was shocked by Russian invasion"....clueless bla-bla...
Is the war in Ukraine over ? NATO seems to want it to go on...even when it is pointless....In my view Russia-China did win this battle...the "West" may soon split up...EU does need trade with Asia...US may go in self isolation...( not uncommon for most of US history...) UK-one way or the other-will join the EU...(maybe reunification of Ireland, Scotland first joining the EU...then England may find out no other options left...Wales...joining Ireland, Scotland in a "United Republic"???)
Nuclear war ? Who will use nukes for what ? Russia looks like it will be able to enforce its red lines...Sweden, Finland will NOT join NATO (Finland gets almost all of its energy from Russia...). The US may have to accept to take a few steps back...."endless war strategy" did show to be very expensive and not bringing results....
Maybe NATO will redefine its role...with worsening climate collapse, pandemics, lots of other crises, a "military style" organization can be of good use...who knows-maybe even Russia could join such an organization...(There has been some discussion on Russia joining NATO after the end of the Soviet Union....if NATO had been "another kind of club" it maybe even could have worked...Gorbachov (as far as I understand) did not close that door...the West did....
Just my opinion...may be wrong...not an expert...( "Happy in Holland" -even when I rather use the Netherlands...)
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 11 2022 at 9:07am
We call upon you to think about a very real biological danger to the people in European countries, which can result from an uncontrolled spread of bio agents from Ukraine. And if there is a such a scenario then all Europe will be covered.
The risk of this is very real given the interests of the radical nationalist groups in Ukraine are showing towards the work with dangerous pathogens conducted together with the ministry of defence of the United States.
After Nebenzya spoke, Albania, the US and France have voiced alarm that the allegations may be an advance cover story for Russian plans to unleash chemical or biological weapons.
There are no Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories supported by the United States. Not near Russia’s border or anywhere.
It was Russia, instead, that could use chemical or biological agents in Ukraine, she said. Although she did not immediately provide evidence of an imminent threat during the meeting, she said:
Russia has a track record of falsely accusing other countries of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 11 2022 at 12:06pm
A: The demand for physical metal over the last two years has been extraordinary, but nothing like the craziness that we have experienced since the Ukraine invasion. For two years, I have publicly talked about the supply constraints, rising premiums and dwindling inventories becoming a serious concern. It is all happening in real-time now.
Getting product used to be the least of my concern and now is the industry's greatest challenge. The market is almost 100% void of any secondary product, nobody sells into this environment. The higher the price goes and the crazier the world gets, only strengthens peoples’ resolve and concern for holding metals to begin with.
Q: I wrote a couple days ago that I thought Russia and China could be looking to form a new economic system backed by gold. I know you read that article - what are your thoughts on that thesis? Real possibility or conspiracy theory?
This is not a conspiracy theory. It is more of a speculation. It makes perfect sense.
The United States has militarized the dollar by restricting its use by countries the administration wishes to punish, such as Iran and Russia. A reserve currency is supposed to be available to everyone, not just the nations we choose.
This is the death knell to the dollar. Countries around the globe are coming to realize that the U.S. cannot be trusted and that anyone can be locked out of the swift system at a whim. China and Russia hold the most gold in the world, after the U.S., but that is if you believe that we still actually have the 8,000+ tonnes at Fort Knox and that our gold is not incumbered – pledged to other countries - and that is a big “if.”
We are now facing World War III, but this time the odds are it will be an economic war, not a shooting war. The phrase, “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is taking place before our eyes. We have driven Russia into China’s arms and we are their common enemy. If they released a gold-backed Ruble/Yuan, it would spell the end of the dollar as the world’s singular reserve currency.
Q: Do you think there’s a chance Russia just stops taking payment anything other than rubles or gold?
Yes, it is possible, but for now, unlikely. The exception is the Chinese Yuan. Russia and China recently signed a trade agreement that is decades long, where Russia will provide China with gas and oil and the trade will be settled in yuan (and/or product from China). The two countries could use gold as a settlement for their trade, but it is not likely. One thing seems certain; Russia will stop accepting the euro and the dollar.
Who do you think has all the leverage in this Russia Ukraine situation? What do you see the eventual outcome being – and when?
Russia has all the leverage. The war should come to a conclusion in a matter of weeks, or months at the outside. Russia’s goals were to prevent the Ukraine from joining NATO, and they will get their wish. They also want to set up a new government, one favorable to Russia, and they will accomplish that as well. There may well be prolonged guerilla warfare in the Ukraine and a small Russian occupation force, but the end game has always been a win for the Russians.
DJ...another point is (also) simple and basic...Asia has a population of over 4 billion....I expect Europe, Africa, Latin America, Australia soon will restart trade-even with Russia in some ways...due to lack of alternatives....
The US$ was (mis)used as a weapon-in the hands of the US. The Euro may be not under ECB control...Russia, Iran, India, China could use it for their goals...
By now what we may call a Triple Threat has been established as the catalyst anticipating the launch of Operation Z.
Ukraine developing nuclear weapons. Zelensky himself hinted at it in the Munich Security Conference.
U.S. bioweapons labs in Ukraine. Confirmed, tersely, by none other than the Sinister Cookie Distributor neocon wife in the uber-neocon Kaganate of Nulands, who described them as “biological research facilities”. ”
An imminent attack on Donbass with massive civilian deaths. It could have been in March, according to documents seized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Or even in late February, according to SVR intelligence, which was monitoring the line of contact on a minute-by-minute basis. This is what eventually prompted Operation Z as a Russian version of R2P (“Responsibility to Protect”).
DJ A 4th reason for Russia starting a war is to make clear crossing a Russian red line means war.....
All aboard the Eurasian train
On the economic front, the dogs of hybrid war bark while the Eurasia integration caravan marches on – with the Empire irretrievably being pushed outside of the Eurasian landmass.
In a phone call prior to the Lavrov-Kuleba meeting in Antalya, President Erdogan suggested to Putin setting up a trading mechanism in gold and also rubles, yuan and Turkish lira to beat the Western sanction hysteria. The source is Abdulkadir Selvi, very close to Erdogan. No Russia-China official comment yet.
The key fact is that Russia, China, and for that matter the entire Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – responsible for at least 30% of global GDP and the bulk of the Eurasian market – don’t need the West at all.
DJ-Both in Syria and Yemen solution of the conflict may see Russian-Turkish initiatives...They are in a position to talk to all sides (the US/EU is not...).
The capture of the town of Volnovakha by the Russians is indeed a significant development. I hope it was achieved with minimum casualties on both sides. We don't know the circumstances of the victory at this time, but one must hope that significant numbers of Ukrainians surrendered rather than be destroyed. That hope is for their sake, and for the lives of their comrades elsewhere in the Donbas who are likewise surrounded with Russian forces closing in. Hopefully other Ukrainian units in the region will surrender rather than fight to the end, sparing the lives of soldiers and civilians alike. Not far away the Russians are tightening their grip with steady, measured advances in the city of Mariupol. The area controlled by the ultra-nationalist militias has been reduced to an area of about ten square kilometres.
of Chernivtsi amid reports of a planned Russian assault on the Ukrainian capital, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tanju Bilgic was quoted as saying by state media on Friday
"The military airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankovsk were put out of action," the Russian Defense Ministry statement continued.
According to CNN, based on local Ukrainian https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-11-22/index.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - government authorities :
There was substantial damage to the airport at Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine, which is only about 70 miles from the Polish border. The governor of the Volyn region said four missiles had been fired from a Russian bomber and two people were killed. Plumes of smoke also rose from the military airfield at Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine, which was struck by missiles.
Russia will stop further NATO intervention...(there is risk for further escalation...From both Poland and Romania still some military goods enter Ukraine...but may not reach the frontlines...)
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: ME163
Date Posted: March 11 2022 at 6:26pm
Hi guys,
It's ME163 here, I am pretty scared of what I see here. We need to remember that WW3 would mean the end of everything. I am not worried for myself but for the kids. Becky's little ones are 8, 5 and 3 years old respectively. I can't bear the thought of them dying in a nuclear war. All of the parties need to come to their senses. We have moved everything to our underground location. We are all living in our basement bomb shelter now. steel and concrete shelter with a propane powered generator. We try to have a normal as possible life and we still go out to take the kids to the park and to walk the dogs. We have at least 6 months of food for 9 people to live. WE have an underground spring we can tap into and have enough water to last us quite a number of months. I hope you are preparing for the end of our world and are doing well.
Love to all,
ME163, Vicki, Jill and Becky.
Posted By: KiwiMum
Date Posted: March 11 2022 at 8:40pm
I was listening to a commentator on the BBC today saying that over 70% of UK people are in favour of a no fly zone over the Ukraine, and he was saying that he felt those people really didn't understand that to enforce a no fly zone would make the UK and Nato officially at war with Russia and that may well lead to a nuclear solution. Nuclear war really will be the end of the world as we know it.
As Einstein said "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." And that will be the outcome if this becomes nuclear. A very scary scenario.
------------- Those who got it wrong, for whatever reason, may feel defensive and retrench into a position that doesn’t accord with the facts.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 11 2022 at 10:43pm
DJ, My thoughts;
-Ukraine is "just" one battlefield in a much larger conflict
-I think/hope ALL "leaders" want/hope to avoid this conflict to go nuclear
-At least FOUR nuclear powers involved; On the "west"; US & UK. on the "east" Russia and China
-Problem could be in even other nuclear weapon states; India, Pakistan, North Korea, Israel
-France also a nuclear power but "more neutral"...
-The present conflict is between NATO, Japan, Australia and Russia
-Most of the world want to see this war over a.s.a.p.
DJ-NATO may even be rethinking sending weapons to Ukraine (most of it so far by truck from Poland, Romania) - again most of the world wants de-escalation. A "no-fly zone" by NATO may be "just a bad idea" just like sending Polish Mig-29's to the Ukraine...One major problem with sending (more) weapons is that you do not know in wich hands it may end up...both IS and neo-nazi's, other extreme right wing groups fighting on the Ukraine-Kiev side...NATO may not like it when weapons "for Ukraine" were used against Muslims, Jews, "left wingers" or other groups in a western country...(I think Israel also may be warning for that...Ukraine has a serious corruption problem. Enough groups want to buy weapons...So NATO sending in weapons has to serve a goal...).
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is engaged in a whole-of-society effort to undermine the rules-based international order and to promote its own brand of authoritarianism, according to U.S. military and political leaders.
“The People’s Republic of China is the most consequential strategic competitor that the United States has faced,” said Admiral John Aquilino, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
BRICS is the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Acronym - acronym coined to associate five major https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerging_market" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="Emerging market - emerging economies : Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The BRICS members are known for their significant influence on regional affairs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRICS#cite_note-2" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none; - [1] Since 2009, the governments of the BRICS states have met annually at formal summits. India hosted the most recent https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_BRICS_summit" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(6, 69, 173); background: none;" title="13th BRICS summit - 13th BRICS summit on 9 September 2021 virtually.
The change in global balance is not new, has been going on for decades...
"Re-positioning" to avoid (losing) a major conflict. (One of the interesting things in US history-I think-is the Dutch role in it...The UK overtook "New Netherlands" in the 17th century-called the Dutch "Yankees"...The Dutch colony in America did not get support from NL...got isolated-easy target/gain...In the 18th century "Yankees" kicked out the UK...(with French help, NL-then a republic- first to recognize the US republic independence)...
Only in western propaganda Ukraine had a chance against Russia...most of the fighting in the east of Ukraine-and maybe most of it allready over...Ukraine had no chance to win this war.
Some points;
-Zelinsky-government did stay in Kiev, even when the US asked them to move to West Ukraine-Lviv
-Russia has "limited goals" ; Ukraine neutral, safety for Russians, recognition for Crimea & Donbas
-In the talks there is "room"...Russia may even accept Zelinsky, let Ukraine stay intact-most of it (Crimea, Donbas are gone...) if the (present) Kiev government is willing to cooperate..
-If the Kiev government "needs to much time" Russia will overtake most of Ukraine (including the Black Sea coast) and replace Zelinsky with Yanukovich...
-Most likely China, Turkey, even Iran may be willing to invest in Ukraine "under certain conditions"....
-The "West" only seem to offer a never ending conflict....Both EU and NATO membership not realistic 9only promisses)
-This war-allthough not yet "full blown" allready did see thousends of deaths...can get much more ugly (Russia does NOT need bio/chemical warfare...it could start bombing/shelling...so far that only was "used" against airfields, military targets).
-"The West", even NATO -in fact-is not united at all;
Turkey wants to see the Turkish Lira-currency somehow get linked with Russian, Chinese currencies...Turk-stream = Russian energy, most of tourism in Turkey is from Russia (China, Iran may also be of interest).
EU needs Russian energy...will keep buying it-Russia needs Euro's, Dollars, Yens, Pounds...so they will keep selling it...
US can do without Russia...(the Atlantic Ocean in many ways a gap)
UK, Brexit needs to bring alternatives for the EU...
The European UNION, UNITED Kingdom/States are very divided....with most likely the EU feeling frustration on "F.ck the EU"-part 2...by v.nuland....Somehow the EU-leaders were hoping for a plan, a strategy from "the west" on Ukraine...but there is non....(Reminding me of "Iraq 2003" you may win a war but not win peace...You need a plan, scenario...).
So-to end this "making up my mind"...most of the world want this war to be over as soon as possible...are willing to do bussiness with whoever they can do bussiness with...The West may-still be in a (dangerous) tunnelvision...time to wake up !
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 12 2022 at 2:32am
China curtails alliance with Russia fearing sanctions
Beijing: China claimed to share a robust alliance with Russia even after the Ukraine conflict began. However, this alliance appears to have shaken. China has grown afraid of the sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States and other countries. Consequently, China has refused to provide aircraft parts to Russian companies. Besides, the press has claimed that Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi has indicated changing China’s policies given the ‘Ukraine War’.
The rift between the two nations may increase in future, claimed Director Burns.
Even though https://www.newscast-pratyaksha.com/english/tag/China/" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; color: rgb(205, 23, 19); text-decoration: none; outline: 0px; -
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 12 2022 at 2:38am
A former Nato official said she is “sceptical” Russian forces will gain “much success” in an assault on Kyiv.
A massive convoy of Russian forces massed outside the Ukrainian capital is believed to have dispersed, in preparation for an advance. This morning, the UK’s ministry of defence said “the bulk of Russian ground forces” were around 25km from the centre of Kyiv.
But Rose Gottemoeller, a former deputy secretary general of Nato, told the BBC today that this could be taken as a sign of weakness.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme, Gottemoeller said:
I’m wondering if they have the ability to regroup at this point, because their logistics are in such bad shape, they don’t really have the fuel supplies they need for a push on to Kyiv.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 12 2022 at 6:03am
Russia warns that Moscow now considers arms shipments to Ukraine as 'legitimate targets' for military
He said that Russia “warned the US that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn’t just a dangerous move, it’s an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets”.
Denouncing US sanctions against Moscow, he said they were an “unprecedented attempt to deal a serious blow to various sectors of the Russian economy”.
But he insisted that Russia did not intend to expel western media and businesses, adding: “We aren’t going to escalate the situation.”
Posted By: A-I
Date Posted: March 12 2022 at 7:57am
World War 3 huh LOL.
I guess everyone forgot the war in Donbas and the annexation of Crimea (you know part of the Ukraine) by Russia in 2014. That was going to ignite WW3 and nuclear war then too the media cried, but it didn't happen, just like this event won't make it happen. LOL.
Shouldn't everyone be more worried about Covid than this? LOL
BTW just got back from two weeks in Cancun and Playa del Carmen Mexico. Didn't even know read anything about this till I got back to the states, too busy having fun and living life. Mexico was listed as a level 4 do not travel due to high covid transmission levels by the CDC( does anyone listen to those CDC clowns anymore anyway?) when I left to go down there. Crowded restaurants, bars, clubs and streets with people from all over the world with no masks, no social distancing during the pandemic with the most contagious variant and neither myself nor anyone I was with tested positive prior to flying back home. Either it's not that contagious or maybe I should buy a lottery ticket, because if I was going to be exposed that was the place without a doubt. All I can say is it was a hell of a great vacation to celebrate the end of the pandemic and the return to normalcy. Life goes on, don't live it in fear.
------------- "Facts don't care about your feelings" I'M A UNVAXXED DEVIL so kiss my rebel ass.
Posted By: A-I
Date Posted: March 12 2022 at 9:56am
------------- "Facts don't care about your feelings" I'M A UNVAXXED DEVIL so kiss my rebel ass.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 12 2022 at 9:27pm
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he recommends Ukraine take the offer made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war - which includes many Ukrainian sacrifices - in a https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-700668" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-decoration: none; - phone call on Tuesday , according to an official in Ukraine's government.
According to the official, Zelensky did not take Bennett's advice.
The source claimed that the phone call was initiated by Bennett. "If I were you, I would think about the lives of my people and take the offer," Bennett reportedly said.
Zelensky's response was short: "I hear you," he said.
According to the report, the Ukrainian president and his people did not like the advice.
"Bennett told us to surrender," said the official. "We have no intention of doing so. We know Putin's offer is only the beginning."
With https://www.jpost.com/international/article-700677" rel="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-decoration: none; - ongoing negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, Zelensky's Servant of the People Party has proposed a new security agreement as an alternative to the country joining NATO. The party believes that in such an agreement, the guarantors may be the United States, Turkey, and neighboring countries – even including Russia.
By signing such an agreement, Russia will allegedly have legal obligations to recognize Ukrainian statehood and refrain from threatening the Ukrainian people and government.
The party acknowledges that such an agreement may seem absurd given the current situation, but insists that the new treaty will set out specific steps taken by other guarantor states against the violating party.
Can that work ? Ukraine realizing it can not be a member of NATO or EU in the nearby future at least showing some realism. From a military point of view Ukraine can not win this war-but it is pushing up the price. Sad reality most of the price will be paid by those that did not want this war...
Russia Invading Ukraine Has Caused A ‘Monetary Earthquake’
What just happened in the last two weeks is enormously important and misunderstood by many investors.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the corresponding Western sanctions and seizure of Russian FX reserves are nothing short of a monetary earthquake. The last comparable event was Nixon's abandonment of the gold standard in 1971.
Russia, with the backing and support of China, just told the world that it is no longer going to sell its oil, gas and wheat for Western currencies which are programmed to debase.
The West in its response just said to all countries around the world: “If you have foreign exchange reserves, held in our system, they are no longer safe if we disagree with your politics.”
-
If governments can weaponize their money when they do not like what you are doing, what is the natural defense?
Gold Will Rip Higher Because Of What Russia Is Doing
The US Dollar has been the reserve currency of the world since WW II and the Bretton Woods agreement. This has given the US an enormous advantage and subsidy from the rest of the world because everyone else needs to produce goods and services to obtain dollars and the US can simply produce dollars at no cost by printing them.
Putin is now cast in the role of Charles de Gaulle who complained about the "exorbitant privilege" of the US with its dollar hegemony. As we all know, de Gaulle demanded gold in exchange for France's US dollar FX surpluses and this outflow forced Nixon to close the gold window.
Recall that post this event, gold went from $35 per ounce to $800 per ounce (23x). Russia's move will lead to a similar move in favor of gold. Putin could see that the US fiscal and monetary situation was becoming untenable and he decided to use this to create an existential threat to the US and the world financial system.
He undoubtedly knows that the West has artificially suppressed the price of gold and that is why he has been building his gold reserves steadily for the past 20 years.
Putin just shot "King Dollar" in the head.
Russia is long commodities, long gold and doesn't need fiat currency. His debt to GDP ratio is low and taxes are low. If the world financial markets collapse on a relative basis, the position of Russia will be improved significantly. This is what I believe he is playing for. If investors do not recognize this they will be caught wrong footed as I believe many are today.
The implications for investors are quite clear. None of us own enough gold, real assets or commodities. Fiat currencies are going to fail spectacularly, and soon, in my opinion.
Two developments this summer caused India to question the reliability and integrity of the U.S. as an ally.
The first was the manner of the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, which had External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar wondering about the value of U.S. security guarantees. Washington’s Ukraine policy is only increasing those misgivings. The United States was willing to push Ukraine to take actions that many – including Henry Kissinger, George Kennan, and Noam Chomsky – warned Russia couldn’t abide. But then when the shooting started, the United States wasn’t willing to get in line of fire.
And in the second, in September, the U.S. stunned many when it announced a new Australia/United Kingdom/United States security grouping (AUKUS), as part of which Australia would receive American nuclear submarines. Prior to the new arrangement, the Quad –comprised of the U.S., Australia, India, and Japan – was the principal counterweight to China in the Indo-Pacific (see this Council on Foreign Relations summary, https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/quad-indo-pacific-what-know" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - The Quad in the Indo-Pacific: What to Know) .
This AUKUS announcement caused consternation both in France and India.
-
Since the early 1970s, India has purchased much of its armaments from Russia. Although as part of its tilt towards Washington, India has in recent yearsdecreased its reliance on Russian arms, “Today, 60% of India’s military hardware inventory is from Russia or the former Soviet Union and the bulk of India’s license-based defense manufacturing comes from Russia,” according to Defense News, https://www.defensenews.com/global/asia-pacific/2022/03/02/india-braces-for-sanctions-on-russia-to-delay-weapons-programs-deliveries/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - India braces for sanctions on Russia to delay weapons programs, deliveries. This makes India dependent on Russia for the supply of spare parts. Shunning Russia would mean India must find new sources of armaments.
The realization of the shakiness of U.S security guarantees means that India is rethinking the state of its relations with China. Although the two countries have gone to war since Independence, their bilateral relationship has not always been hostile. Now that the value of U.S. security guarantees is being more openly questioned, one option for India is to try and ensure that its bilateral relations with China don’t deteriorate to the point of outright hostility again. That the two countries are becoming more closely bound is true, at least on the economic level, with the latest bilateral trade figures showing imports from China increasing by 30% over 2019 (to $97.5 billion) and exports climbing by 30% over 2019 (to 28.1billion). according to The Hindu, https://www.thehindu.com/business/india-china-trade-crossed-125-bn-in-2021/article38275450.ece" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - India-China trade crossed $125 bn in 2021 .
China (1.4 billion) and India (1.38 billion) together account for more than a quarter of the world’s 7.9 billion people, so anything that dials down bilateral tensions is to be encouraged.
-
The war has caused oil prices to skyrocket and the rupee has hit a record low. Note that India still has a number of state-owned banks that could be used to implement any arrangements that might be devised. A private bank might be vulnerable to sanctions
Update (2130ET): Initial reports that missiles 'struck' the US Embassy in Erbil, Iraq have been downgraded.
A dozen ballistic missiles launched from outside the country did hit the northern Kurdish regional capital on Sunday - however there were no casualties, and no parties have claimed responsibility.
According to https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/multiple-rockets-fall-erbil-northern-iraq-state-media-2022-03-12/" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - - nor was there any damage to US government facilities in Erbil.
The involvement of the foreign servicemen, including from Syria, in military activities in Ukraine may fasten the mopping-up operations in the currently blockaded cities, as they have the necessary experience after years of fighting against terrorists of all kinds in Syria.
DJ; Many countries want this war to be over as soon as possible...what they do mean is sanctions are hindering trade; they have to find ways around sanctions to get the goods they need from Russia on a price they can pay.
The economic war may "crash" both the € and $....both "backed" by trade not gold...Russia and China did prepare for conflict.
Some people do not get that you can not stop trading with a major country just like that. Energy, food, weapons are long term trade deals...the globe is not "just a sort of shoppingmall", countries are not "different kind of supermarkets"...
For raw materials and food, weapons most countries "shop" in Russia...builiding pipelines for oil/gas...building Russian nuclear plants (France and India may be long term partners) with Russia doing also maintenance...just like with more complicated weapons...
The US may be in a very "priviliged" position-easy for the US to stop import Wodka, caviar, and limited oil...they did not do that much trade with Russia...The UAE is the main investor in Russia, China, EU, India main trading partners...you can not stop trade with the press of a button without getting into serious problems...
In West Asia (Syria, Iraq, Yemen) "military activity" is increasing-no doubt linked to a new Iran-deal in its final stages...The US now wants to buy oil from Iran, Venezuela...go for sanctions against Russia...realy believe countries may be willing to make any serious deal with the US...
Both Iran and Venezuela want their frozen/stolen money back from western countries, end of sanctions, may welcome some US$ untill hyperinflation has destroyed it...
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 13 2022 at 12:38am
Upwards of TEN precision guided missiles were fired from inside Iran into Iraq Saturday evening, landing at or near the US Consulate in the Iraq city of Erbil. Iran reports that this is revenge for the elimination of two Iranian officers in Syria by Israeli Air Force forces, and that the Erbil strike hit the headquarters of the Israeli Mossad."
Some 12 missiles were fired from Iranian territory and fell near the US consulate in Erbil in northwestern Iraq on Saturday night.
The Kurdistan Counter-Terrorism Service announced that 12 ballistic missiles were fired from "outside the borders of Iraq and the Kurdistan region, specifically from the east," according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
Independent open-source intelligence (OSINT) accounts shared videos reportedly shared by Iranian civilians showing missiles being fired from Iran at the time of the attack, with at least one of the videos being geolocated to a site in Khasabad in the East Azerbaijan province of Iran.
IRGC-linked FarsNews is linking tonight's missile strikes on Erbil to General Qassem Soleimani's killing. Fars: Missiles hit the "Israeli-American" bases at 01:20 local time; "that's not a coincidence". IRGC-QF chief Soleimani was killed in #Iraq on 7Jan20—01:20 Iraq time. Iran
MORE:
Hearing a theory circulating that maybe this was an attack on the site of the new US consulate under construction in Erbil.
The Fateh-110 has an apparent CEP of ~3-4 meters. This means that the missile WILL strike within 3 to 4 meters of whatever target it was aimed at. The missile carries a 1,000 pound conventional warhead.
IMHO, if you wanted to make a statement without a lot of collateral, this would be one way of doing it.
This week's incident was not the first time that a US installation in the region was attacked. In September, an explosive drone attack took place near Erbil International Airport – where US troops were stationed. A few months earlier, in July, another drone attack took place at the airport and appeared to target US troops.
DJ, For me the Hal Turner story makes some sense...
Qatar's foreign minister will travel to Moscow on Sunday for discussions on the Iran nuclear talks and Russia's https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-699374" rel="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-decoration: none; - invasion of Ukraine , a source familiar with the visit said.
The source said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose gas producing country is a US ally, would meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
Eleven month-old https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-700577" rel="" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-decoration: none; - talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal face the prospect of collapse after a last-minute Russian demand forced world powers to pause negotiations despite having a largely completed text.
Russia wants guarantees that its trade with Iran will not be affected by sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine - a demand Western powers say is unacceptable and Washington has insisted it will not agree to.
The US wants oil from Iran, Venezuela....Iran would send uranium to Russia as part of the original idea...If the US wants to sanction that there will be NO new Iran deal...
DJ-The US now would like to "make a deal with Iran"...Iran, Iraq, Syria,Turkey, Russia, China want the US out of Syria and Iraq.....Israel may not be in a position to "do much"...
- 18 million people in Afghanistan need aid. - 13 million in Yemen are severely hungry. - 15 million in Central Sahel are in need. - 4 million in Somalia are drought-affected. Human suffering is at unprecedented levels across the world, Ukraine is the latest in a long list.
DJ...We all know who started the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya,Yemen, Syria..."the West"killing more then a million civilians in endless wars...now blaming Russia for stopping NATO moving east...
Day 18 of the #US#Russia war on #Ukraine soil:
In its first direct message to the west and #NATO, Russia hit the NATO-US-Ukraine joint training centre at Yavoriv, around 25 km from borders with #Poland.
Delivering those amounts of MANPADs into one of the largest conflicts in #Europe since World War II carries with it risks that some could fall into the wrong hands – a possibility the #US has NOT considered.
will some/most of those weapons by sold to a highest bidder ? To be used against NATO ?
DJ, Do we have to expect new frontlines in the Middle East (Syria, Iraq, Yemen) and Latin America ? For "some countries" the "west" (mainly they could mean the US) sees as being weak...
Pulling out of Afghanistan, now in fact giving up Ukraine...in the defensive in the Middle East...begging for oil from Venezuela...Maybe the missiles at US positions in North Iraq are the Iran answer to US now "trying to make a deal with Iran"....
I will try to keep following these stories...
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 13 2022 at 4:13am
At least 12 missiles were aimed from Iran early Sunday at Irbil, capital of the Kurdish region of N. Iraq. Iranian sources claimed their targets were secret Israel military bases in the region. Those and Lebanese sources maintained that the attack was Tehran’s reprisal for the killing of two Revolutionary Guards officers in an Israeli attack on the Damascus region last week. This was later denied by Iranian sources.
Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has issued a stern warning to Israel following a retaliatory missile strike on the "strategic center of Zionist conspiracy and evil" in the northern Iraqi Kurdistan city of Erbil.
In a statement issued Sunday, the IRGC indicated that the operation was in response to an Israeli airstrike on the Syrian capital of Damascus last Monday, in which two IRGC officers were killed.
"Following the recent crimes of the fake Zionist regime and the previous announcement that the crimes and evils of this infamous regime will not go unanswered, the strategic center for conspiracy and evil of the Zionists was targeted by powerful and pinpoint missiles of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps," it said.
Scores of ballistic missiles hit secret Mossad bases in Erbil, reportedly leaving several Israeli operatives dead.
DJ So Iran tried to damage Israel in Iraq...unclear if the attack did do much...
For those suggesting the US is too busy/preoccupied to respond, that's absurd. Believe me, the WH, NSC and DOD all can walk and chew gum at the same time. Further, there should be zero expectation that the US will instantaneously respond. Thinking takes place before acting.
However if US did suffer damage there could be some US/Israel reaction ?
DJ-Again...both Syria and Iraq want US military out ! The US has NO legal status in those countries...Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria may all have an interest in "increasing pressure" on the US in that region...
Will Iranian targets/bases (inside Iran) be attacked ? A sort of "ping-pong war" ?
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 13 2022 at 5:09am
Dan Sabbagh
Western intelligence believes that Russian president Vladimir Putin’s personality has changed dramatically over the past five years, with the 69 year old Russian leader displaying increasing and obvious paranoia about his health.
But while the shift in character is marked, intelligence sources say, there is an underlying mystery about what could be the cause – with explanations ranging from cancer, Parkinson’s disease, the onset of dementia or the use of steroids for treatment of another condition.
“The big tell that Putin is concerned about his health is that he is so obviously worried about coronavirus,” an intelligence source said, citing his insistence on sitting at a distance from foreign leaders like French president Emmanual Macron, or some of his own key figures, such as defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
He only met China’s President Xi Jinping last month after elaborate coronavirus precautions were taken on both sides.
Speculation about Putin’s long-term health is widespread amongst Russia experts in the West’s intelligence agencies.
Similar claims were reported in the Mail on Sunday over the weekend, but ultimately there is no firm evidence to back up any of the theories circulating. Putin is believed to have had three Covid vaccine treatments. One Western source said he had taken the Pfizer vaccine, although the president himself said in June last year that he had received Russian Sputnik jabs.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 13 2022 at 5:10am
The Pope has said Ukrainians are being massacred and called for the invasion to stop, in his Sunday address at the Vatican.
Pope Francis told crowds gathered at St Peter’s Square: “In the name of God, let the cry of the suffering people be heard, and let the bombings and attacks stop.
“In the name of God, I ask you, stop this massacre.”
The 85-year-old added that bombings of children’s hospitals and civilian targets are “barbaric” and have “no valid strategic reason”.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 13 2022 at 12:41pm
Possible Outcomes of the Russo-Ukrainian War and China’s Choice
by https://uscnpm.org/author/tcccpemail/" rel="author" style="box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; color: inherit; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.15s ease-out 0s;" title="Posts by US-China Perception Monitor - US-China Perception Monitor
Last exit from Moscow: the ordinary Russians desperate to escape Putin’s grasp
“There’s no future for people like me here” Millions of educated, international Russians face a stark choice – adapt to a dark, repressive world of economic collapse at home, or try to leave the country for an uncertain future abroad
The plight of millions of Ukrainians fleeing for their lives from bombardment is infinitely more acute. The stakes, for them, are life and death. But, in some ways, Anna 47, a museum curator envies her Kyiv friends,“They have hope. The world is on their side. Europe is welcoming them.” “When the war is over, they’ll go back to a free, European country. But Russians? Everyone hates Russians. Even most Russians hate people like us, who are against the regime”
Every day brings more news of Russia’s isolation. One by one, the trappings of a modern, European lifestyle that many Muscovites had taken for granted fell away
Already by the first week of the war, the ruble had nearly halved in value, and bank transfers out of the country had been banned. Ikea was the first major Western store to shut down, triggering a rush of shoppers desperate to spend their dwindling cash
Posted By: ME163
Date Posted: March 13 2022 at 7:02pm
Hello again,
I have a few russia contacts who I deal with as modelers. I mainly deal with them because the old FROG company model moulds are in russia. I talked to one of them before the web got shut down. Yuri and I go back about 10 years so we talked in honest terms about what was going on and how it was getting bad. First, he told me about his young cousin who was a conscript in the army. Yuri told me that the russians are not even sending enough doctors to treat the wounded. This is going to be a real disaster for all sides. Russians are leaving like rats jumping from a sinking ship. The brain drain is real. Yuri is leaving russia for turkey and after a month in turkey he's going to Brazil or Argentina. Almost every professional is trying to leave Russia. It is going to be terrible. Those left behind are going to suffer horrible lives. Yuri tells me that everything is going down.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 13 2022 at 10:51pm
DJ,
I am trying to get a "balanced view" of "events"...I am also NOT neutral, objective, expert etc....My opinion is NATO needs to stop expanding. The INF, Iran-deal, etc..stopped under trump should have been restarted...I think Biden did fail there...my opinion...
Also most of western EU countries warned against Ukraine, Georgia joining NATO since 2008...it would bring war...Why did they not do much more to prevent this crisis ? They have their own responsibilities...can not hide or blame Biden...Europe should have prevented this crisis but did not....
Maybe a 3rd point; US foreign policy seems to be based on sanctions...Pushing the US$ as "global currency for trade" and blocking it when countries do not follow "exceptional US orders"....That kind of foreign policy-with maybe half the globe now dealing with US sanctions-has to end...
NL companies working on North Stream-2, Crimea-bridge; sanctions ! Turkey buying (some) weapons in Russia; sanctions ! Germany depending (to much) on Russian energy; sanctions ! These are all NATO members being sanctioned by the US...A US with a law that would allow them to invade NL if a US military would end up for the UN-International Criminal Court in NL...
I DO think we have to review international safety and cooperation...
Both the US and EU are STILL buying Russian oil and gas...Gazprom-bank is one of the Russian banks excluded from sanctions on SWIFT...These sanctions only did make a Chinese alternative for SWIFT-international banking-grow high speed...The "Asian" alternative for SWIFT soon will be more widespread...only the "West" seems to be in a sort of tunnelvision, denial....
-Iran, Venezuela, both testing how far the US is willing to go to get their oil...End of sanctions will NOT be enough...they want trade with Russia, China...partners they could trust...But also both countries want to see less US, NATO influence in their regions...US "limiting its role" in Colombia...(no NATO expansion in Latin America...there were some ideas of Brazil, Colombia a.o. getting a sort of membership in NATO...).
-Most "non-western" countries now going for "a new balance"....Erdogan now even visiting Greece...no doubt Turk-stream gas-pipeline usage for the SE of Europe (providing Russian gas) will be part of the talks...Israel realizing Russia is providing (some) security against Iran...
-NATO leaving Afghanistan, now being stopped in Ukraine is giving "the world" an idea of "the West" we may not like...But the Philippines, Pakistan a.o. former western allies should have been a warning...The "West" should look in the mirror...evaluate its actions since the end of the Soviet Union just over 30 years back...
-From breaking up Yugoslavia (Serbia wanted Yugoslavia to align with Russia, Belarus...the "west" stopped it a.o. by introducing radical islamists...also used in Afghanistan after the 1979 Soviet invasion...) to Afghanista, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen...lots of wars in Africa...We-the "West"-did make a mess of things...The US WAS the only "super power" left but had no idea of what to do with it....going for confrontations...a total lack of respect...
DJ-The Zelenski-Ukraine/Kiev government is "talking with two mouths"; One for the "West" , we are winning, give us a NATO no-fly-zone...the other for Russia; We will accept neutrality...
DJ-Russia does the "military job" China does the "investments"...but most likely China will have "military observers" maybe even on the Russian AND Ukraine side...Russia-Iran-China (RIC) do see EurAsian integration as an alternative for US domination... All three "RIC" countries are in the same boat...facing US/western military "activities and conflict"....
Wich brings me back to where I began...the "West" has to use energy much wiser...Also scarce raw materials can be found in technology we now dump as garbage in poor countries...smart phones, lab tops, etc. may be worth "mining ", recycling....so we do not need to import them from Russia...
Peace...
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 14 2022 at 9:09am
A flotilla of 12 tankers is carrying Russian oil and scheduled to arrive at US ports
After oil companies were given a 45-day window by the Biden administration on Tuesday to phase out existing contracts for Russian oil, at least two tankers were loaded with Russian oil and departed for U.S. destinations, according to information obtained by American Shipper.
MarineTraffic data shows the two tankers as the Vinjerac, which departed Thursday and is headed for the Port of New York & New Jersey for a March 25 arrival, and the Gazpromneft NORD, which loaded on Friday. Its anticipated arrival in the U.S. (port unidentified) is May 16, which is after the window closes and thus could not legally discharge its oil.
MarineTraffic identified 12 tankers in total as part of the “flotilla” traveling with Russian oil to the U.S.
TURKISH DEFENCE MINISTRY SAYS NATO TO HOLD EXTRAORDINARY DEFENCE MINISTERS MEETING ON UKRAINE ON MARCH 16
DJ, NATO meeting meant to increase pressure on Russia ? I think also "growing pressure" on Ukraine to accept "some sort of deal"...because risks of further escalation may be growing...
According to https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudi-arabia-invites-chinas-xi-to-visit-kingdom-amid-strained-u-s-relations-11647284211" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - WSJ, the Kingdom has invited Xi Xinping for a meeting amid shifting geopolitics in the Middle East, as the US looks to focus more attention and resources on Asia while China and Russia expand their influence in the region. Amid doubts about Washington’s staying power, especially after the rushed U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, many of its regional partners are seeking out new security and economic ties.
Thanks to the invasion of Ukraine, China is the world's No. 1 importer of oil and the biggest trading partner for Saudi Arabia, which is the largest oil exporter globally.
The general pattern is Asia reuniting for trade-Russia, China, India, Iran, Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia main motors...There are still major differences. KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) mass murder on Shiïtes does not improve relations with Iran...(they did start talking to each other recently...).
Zelensky/Kiev government is "getting the point" that neither NATO or EU is ready for them...I would understand Ukraine nationalists getting "very angry" at-most-US/UK for being pushed into a war they could not win...for a US agenda of stopping EurAsian integration...
With the US unable to get some products from other countries (Venezuela, Iran first want the US to make "major steps"...much more then lifting sanctions...) and Russia NOT isolated, the West has a problem...
DJ-How the US will deal with that problem ?
-Since the EU-in words-follow the hard line, while in deeds have no alternative for much of the trade with Russia it may be the US has only "limited/no" allies in further escalation...
-Further escalation would have to be in the coming days...US may be using reserves after that...simply not in a position to "fight a major war for long"...
-Most of the world want both the war and sanctions over as soon as possible...
-The New Silk Road from China to (at the end) Europe has enough alternative routes...
So if the US goal still is-I think it is-to stop EurAsian integration not only "further escalation" in Ukraine is needed, but also a crisis between the "West" and China would be needed...
Maybe the US also would like to create chaos in south Asia...Iran-Pakistan-India-China...further supporting a "New Turkish Empire"...only Erdogan may no longer be willing to work with the US...
DJ-My opinion; The West is isolated much more then Russia is...NATO expansion is seen as the main reason for the Ukraine-crisis worldwide.
The West has to go for realistic diplomacy, end confrontation...but the MIC+B (Military Industrial Complex and Banks, motor behind both nazi's and nato) would like more war and destruction for profit...
We live in interesting times...
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 15 2022 at 10:14pm
DJ, Trying to get a realistic view on global events;
NL-news did start calling Putin "Satan, monster" in just the first two minutes...still see themselves as "neutral and objective"...I do not make such claims...However self delusion in "the West" is a very major problem...
DJ A lot of the fighting in Ukraine is in east/south of Ukraine and there there are lots of ethnic Russians...The picture I do get is that Russia expected them to "welcome" the "Russian police action" but not all ethnic Russians see themselves as Russian any longer..a lot of them accepted Ukraine...
Western media going for "Ukraine can win this war" non sense keep this war, the killing going...DJ; Israel PM Bennet was right when he advised Zelensky to start realistic talks with Russia...further war only brings more suffering...Another concern for "Kiev" should be that the area's now under Russian control could stay under Russian control...Time is NOT on the side of Kiev...or for that matter on the side of "the West"....
The US goal of "pushing Ukraine in NATO" make Zelensky talk of Ukraine getting nuclear weapons was to stop EurAsian integration....
For now the US/UK may think they succeded...only even the US itself still NEEDS Russian oil...Both Iran, Venezuela will not do any deals with the US without a high price for the US...OPEC+ does not mind high prices...they see an end to fossil fuels...so make the best of it now...The EU is in an even worse position for energy...Europe keeps spending 660 million $ per day on buying Russian energy...but maybe the price went up...
However the real pain will be for the US$....(from Zerohedge link on Petrodollar);
One of the core staples of the past 40 years, and an anchor propping up the dollar's reserve status, was a global financial system based on the petrodollar - this was a world in which oil producers would sell their product to the US (and the rest of the world) for dollars, which they would then recycle the proceeds in dollar-denominated assets and while investing in dollar-denominated markets, explicitly prop up the USD as the world reserve currency, and in the process backstop the standing of the US as the world's undisputed financial superpower.
DJ, Some "media" do pick up the financial/economic aspect of this conflict...the END !!!! of the US$ as a "global currency for international trade"....
We-here in Europe-will end up with higher prices for energy...It will "hurt" but also speed up looking for "green alternatives" now profitable much sooner...But also Europe itself has still lots of oil, gas (and a.o. coal-can be turned into gas, wood/bio-fuel). The Euro was the "second largest" global currency...I think still may have an-even global-role to play...(The EU is NOT one country, the Euro is much harder to use as an economic weapon...and if so Russia, China, India could use it AGAINST the EU !)...
The US$ however will suffer much more...and the US no longer in a position to stop it. (The US invaded Iraq, Libya when they wanted to dump the US-energy-$...OPEC+ now is under Russian, Chinese protection...). The US did increase-a.o. by fracking-its oil/gas/energy production...may be the #1 global producer...but is also a major consumer of energy...and not all types of oil/gas can be found inside the US...so;
YES The US is "stopping import of Russian oil" with a 45 days from the start of this sanction...So the US may not get Russian oil...However Venezuela can and will not replace it...Do to sanctions part of their oil-industry is in a "very bad shape"...The better part now in hands of China...Was it in 2020 a Russian bomber flew over the Atlantic visiting Venezuela...? Venezuela and Iran now working together...
Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia a.o. de facto allies of Russia in Latin America...(Cuba and Iran worked jointly on CoViD-vaccines...). It will be a matter of time before "RIC" may increase military presence...Russia allready could have port-facilities...Iran and China show interest...
The US would now like to "speed up" an Iran-deal...But part of that deal has Iran sending uranium to Russia...and the US also has to think of that....Besides that Iran not only is a "partner" of both Russia and China but also of India...Also the center of TIP...Turkey-Iran-Pakistan cooperation....
DJ "The World" did change, the "West" did not pay attention...and by now it is that arrogant West that is isolated...
It may be difficult to see how the "changes" work out for the US$...It may retain 20-30% of its value...but US arrogance could also see the US$ ending up in hyperinflation...
-So what next ?
Poland thinking of a "NATO peacekeeping force in Ukraine"...DJ, Russia may even consider that for the NW part (maybe only remaining part) of Ukraine...that part is more Catholic, historical ties with Poland/the Polish...Maybe Russia would even think of Poland taking over that part....
The West now denying neo-nazi's as a major factor in Ukraine...While it could-partly-explain why Israel is not choosing sides...There are neo-nazi's in Ukraine loving to kill-again-Jews...DJ-I would not be surprised if Israel and Russia 'intel" worked together killing those neo-nazi's....Also Zelensky (Jewish himself...allthough I would not mention it if others would not claim Zelensky being Jewish as proof that there are no neo-nazi's in Ukraine...) may be welcoming "the end" of extremists...
(DJ-There are neo-nazi's, often from western Europe/US...but you also have Ukraine extreme nationalists...they are different groups...may end up fighting eachother...neo-nazi's see Ukrainians as "Slaves/Slavic" (and therefor as "sub-human). In the past also IS/jihadi fighters ended up in the south of Ukraine via Turkey...They were there for the "high risk jobs' and "may not exist any longer"...A fourth group may be "western volunteers", some with military background-often getting paid-to fight for Ukraine...DJ. What I read about them is; a lot of them (20,000?) may still be in Poland...The more military experienced "do think twice" because of the very high risks, "better" alternatives in other regions... (protecting oil/gas in North Africa/Middle East "NAME" may give better pay and lower risk...easier "getting in/out"...Ukraine may be a "dead end street"...).
DJ-Lots of countries want the Ukraine war + sanctions to be over as soon as possible...May reward Kiev for ending it soon...(Zelensky and others may try to get "the best deals" if not for Ukraine then for themselves...).
Even "the West" may go for a lot of "words"...but simply NEED to limit sanctions...And again; EU, UK, US in different positions...(with the "strenght" of the EU in NOT being a country...Greece, Italy willing to buy oil/gas from Turkey...with Turkish companies selling oil/gas from Russia, Iran, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Kazahkstan etc...).
So if the US/UK (post-Brexit) goal was to "stop EurAsian integration" they may only have slowed it down to see Asian integration now even going faster...
Another US goal was "saving the US$"....It may be in the interests of "others" not to "dump the US$" high speed...But I think the US lost control over the $....Asia can decide on US (hyper)inflation...
NATO again did get weaker...After Afghanistan "evacuation" it was unable to mean much for Ukraine..only "pushing Ukraine for the bus"...It may take some time before the EU "gets what happened" (the total level of stupidity in "the West" is shocking !!!) ...IF (and a big "IF"!!!) the US would sink into economic chaos Europa may decide for "reforms"...Turkey allready going its own way-under NATO protection...(using the NATO membership to get away with its own actions in Iraq, Syria...sometimes going against US choices (Kurds)...)
In general 'Western leaders" may be seen by "the world" as good in talking, not in thinking....
I do think India was shocked when they did see the US realy believed India would give up its good ties since 1947 with Russia to join a US-Australia-Japan group against China...The AUKUS-deal -Australia canceling French submarines-to buy US ones-in a "new" Australia-UK-US alliance did push France to start talking with Russia on nuclear power...You do not "break up" that kind of contracts, outcomes of years of talks...just for a "short term goal"...
DJ-A lot of "western leaders" show they mix a lack of knowledge of history with a lack of knowledge of the world...Asia has 4 billion in population...even in "western terms" China, India now global economy #2 and #3 (with Japan, South Korea also major...Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangla Desh "upcoming").
De-colonization now is showing its effects, but 'the West" simply is unable to see it...
------------- We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. ~Albert Einstein
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 16 2022 at 3:02am
Exclusive-Chevron set to trade Venezuelan oil if U.S. relaxes sanctions -sources
Marianna Parraga and Matt Spetalnick
·5 min read
FILE PHOTO: The logo of Chevron is seen at the company's office in Caracas
In this article:
CVX
-5.06%
By Marianna Parraga and Matt Spetalnick
HOUSTON/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Chevron Corp. is preparing to take operating control of its joint ventures in Venezuela if Washington relaxes sanctions on Caracas to boost crude supplies after banning Russia's oil imports, according to three people familiar with the situation.
The U.S. oil major has begun assembling a trading team to market oil from Venezuela, two of the people said. If U.S. approvals are received, Chevron aims to expand its role in the four joint ventures it shares with state-run company PDVSA, they added.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 16 2022 at 3:06am
US Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday said Russian President Vladimir Putin has only made the NATO Western defense alliance “stronger” through his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“The NATO alliance is stronger and Russia is weaker because of what Putin has done. That is very clear to us,” Harris told reporters alongside Polish President Andrzej Duda in Warsaw.
https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMOnQlwswi_quAw?hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline dotted; overflow-wrap: break-word; color: var(--theme-live) !important; - The Polish head of state for his part said that “we must save Ukraine.”
“The Netherlands and other countries will continue to deliver weapons to Ukraine”, Ollongren said at her arrival for a meeting with Nato defence ministers in Brussels.
“Ukraine has the right to defend itself, we will continue to support it.”
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 16 2022 at 3:28am
Russia is losing both wars – the propaganda war and the one on the ground
Three weeks into a war that was supposed to last three days and, to adapt the famous euphemism employed by Emperor Hirohito in 1945 after the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, "the war situation has developed not necessarily to Russia’s advantage". It certainly seems to be so on the propaganda front.
The latest dissident to make the headlines is actually a bit of a professional in the field. Marina Ovsyannikova, a producer on the primetime Russian state TV news show, leapt onto the set with a banner declaring that viewers shouldn’t believe the propaganda. Her message, “No war, stop the war, don’t believe the propaganda, they are lying to you here”, was backed up with a passionate online video. She hasn’t been seen since, naturally.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 16 2022 at 3:29am
Gen. Kellogg: Russia is losing this war and 'everybody sees it'
KEITH KELLOGG: Every day that goes by, and we're now getting a day 15, they're losing this war. They're... losing in the information space where the entire world to see what's going on. They're losing in the military space. They're being beaten by Ukrainians and the whole world is going ‘what? We thought these guys were really 10 feet tall.' They're not. They're about five point five. It's almost like they're… I hate to say this because I'm probably insulting the state… but it's almost like the Vermont National Guard with nuclear weapons. They're not performing very well at all. Everybody is saying that. Everybody sees it.
Posted By: ksc
Date Posted: March 16 2022 at 3:39am
The desperation of the crumbling country is becoming apparent... Putin's days are numbered.
Russian state TV calls for REPARATIONS from the US over sanctions: Putin's lapdogs demand return of 'Alaska and California's Fort Ross', threaten nuclear strikes on US, and call for public hangings in Ukraine
Moscow-backed pundits have also begun normalizing the idea of publicly hanging Ukrainians who are fighting against Russia's war
State Duma member and Kremlin 'spin doctor' Oleg Matveychev appeared on a Sunday news program to share a list of demands 'after Ukraine’s demilitarization'
It includes the dissolution of NATO, lifting of sanctions, and extradition of 'war criminals' President Volodymyr Zelensky, Petro Poroshenko and others
A Russian TV host railed against the US's sanctions after his two Italian villas were seized, offering a threat of nuclear strikes if not lifted in 24 hours
'You’re the thieves, our talk is short with you: a bullet to the head,' he said
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 16 2022 at 4:16am
DJ, short summery of what A.M. makes of the situation;
-Ukraine forces 60-70,000 military trapped in 3 pockets in Eastern Ukraine
-Zelinsky staying in Kiev (meeting with three East European politicians Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia) maybe for-staying in power, if he leaves for Lviv someone else may try to "get in control" or Kiev may fall in Russian hands...
-In a military sense Ukraine may be on breaking point...(DJ-I do not find any further info on Odessa, Russian landings on West-Ukraine Black Sea coast...reports false ?)
-Russia wants Ukraine to sign a treaty with Russia on neutrality...much more then just "words"...
-China did discuss with US in Rome (Italy) on lots of things; Iran, Afghanistan, Korea, Taiwan...Ukraine just one of the subjects
-China accused US of misinformation on China-Russia relations
The Russian war in Ukraine has hit a grim milestone as the United Nations on Tuesday says that now more than three million refugees have fled the country since the invasion began late last month.
The UNHCR in its latest https://twitter.com/Refugees/status/1500822336672608262" style="box-sizing: border-box; text-decoration: underline; color: rgb(20, 112, 178); - statement sounded the alarm that "In the coming days millions more lives will be uprooted, unless there is an immediate end to this senseless conflict." The agency said "This is now the fastest growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II."
DJ Ukrainians have a legal status in the EU...for that matter are not seen as (other) refugees...may now stay/travel in the EU for two years...However I understand the UK may indicate they want to "limit the influx."..
As Chinese diplomats enter Pakistani politics after mingling with Nepal, Shekhar Gupta traces the ever-evolving Pakistan politics. Why is Imran government in panic mode ahead of voting on no- trust in episode 959 of#CutTheClutter
Pakistans politics are "complicated"; with lots of divisions on religion (Shia/Sunni) but also regions...The US was a "major factor" but during trump US-Pakistan relations "collapsed". One can see Pakistan as part of TIP-Turkey-Iran-Pakistan all three trying to "balance" between Russia, China, EU, Africa, Arab World, US...Ukraine, Afghanistan could become also members of such a SW-Asia/Eastern Europe cooperation...(Turkey did try to get into the EU...like Ukraine ending up on a waitinglist).
:
2019 interview with Oleksiy #Arestovych, adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of #Ukraine:
'Our price for joining #NATO is a big #war with #Russia'.
So who wanted this in the first place,
Pakistan is the fifth largest country in the world by population and ranked as the 42nd largest economy in 2020 to according to IMF estimates. The United States is Pakistan’s largest export destination country, while China is Pakistan’s largest source of imports. The United States has been one of the top investors in Pakistan over the last two decades, with major U.S. investments concentrated in consumer goods, chemicals, energy, agriculture, business process out-sourcing, transportation, and communications. The United States has sought to deepen commercial ties with Pakistan, with senior officials from the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) engaging with Pakistani leaders. However, Pakistan’s significant business climate issues, including regulatory barriers, weak intellectual property protections, and discriminatory taxation, have impeded U.S. firms’ operations in the country. Pakistan has made some progress, ranking 108 in the World Bank‘s most recent Ease of Doing Business index in 2019, a 28-slot improvement from its prior review. The United States continue to work with Pakistan to achieve further business climate enhancements.
Posted By: Dutch Josh
Date Posted: March 16 2022 at 11:55pm
DJ-Just my opinion;
The US contribution to the Ukraine peaceproces was;
-sending more weapons into Ukraine
-calling Putin a war criminal...
In the western view NATO is a "peace group run by old hippies"...NATO moving east is NOT agressive (but defensive...) Russia stopping it is agression.
ksc wrote:
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