theduran--2020-02-28--Turkey Now Claims Syria’s Idlib Province as Turkish Territory

On February 26th , Tayyip Erdogan , Turkey ’ s President , told his Islamist political party that Idlib , which is the most heavily jihadist of all of Syria ’ s provinces and the province where Syria had been sending jihadists who had been defeated but not killed by the Syrian army elsewhere in the Syrian war , is now permanently under Turkey ’ s protection , and belongs to Turkey — Turkish territory .
Russia ’ s RT news headlined on the 26th , “ ‘ We ’ re the hosts there ’ : Erdogan says Turkey won @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s sovereign territory , gives Assad ultimatum to retreat ” , and reported that , The Turkish leader has ruled out withdrawal from Idlib , where his forces are backing militants fighting the Syrian Army .
He also gave Damascus an ultimatum to retreat beyond Turkey ’ s observation posts placed on Syrian soil .
“ We will not step back in Idlib .
We are not the guests in this realm , we are the hosts , ” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a meeting of his AK party on Wednesday .
Vowing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attacks ” to an end , Erdogan said Ankara is giving Damascus time to pull forces back from Turkish observation posts .
The very next day , on the 27th , the Turkish English-language newspaper Yeni Safak bannered “ Situation in Syria ’ s Idlib ‘ in favor of Turkey ’ : Turkish president says Turkey has also reversed situation in Libya , which was previously in favor of Libyan warlord Haftar ” and they reported that Erdogan saw signs that Turkey was introducing new international realities in both Syria and Libya .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ 33 Turkish soldiers confirmed killed in Idlib airstrike as Erdogan chairs emergency meeting on Syria ” and reported that “ Turkish officials attributed the strike to the Syrian military.
” However , any Turkish retaliation against Syrian forces would not only be met by Russian defense of Syrian forces but would be clearly a Syrian response to Turkish aggression and therefore any U.S. involvement supporting Turkey in this matter would be America ’ s participating in Turkey ’ s blatantly illegal grab for Idlib .
Even America ’ s allies in Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. , and away from Turkey .
This extraordinarily assertive position by Erdogan results from the sequence of events that will be described here : U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. allies made unequivocally clear in late August and early September of 2018 that if Syria and Russia would try to restore Syrian Government control over Syria ’ s Idlib Province , then the U.S. and its allies would greatly escalate their war against Syria ’ s Government .
For example , on 3 September 2018 , Trump tweeted , “ President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attack Idlib Province .
The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy .
Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed.
” South Front reported , the following day , that , Trump ’ s tweet comes as Iran ’ s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the start of his visit to Damascus said that “ terrorists must be purged ” from the province and Idlib in its entirety must be returned under government control .
“ Syria ’ s territorial @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and groups , as one society , should start the reconstruction process , and the refugees should return to their homes , ” Mr Zarif said .
Zarif met with President Assad and the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem .
They mostly discussed the expected September 7th summit , which will happen in Tehran .
Russian , Turkish , Syrian and Iranian leaders are supposed to meet and discuss the situation in Idlib .
A statement from Assad ’ s office said that Iran and Syria “ had similar views on the different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On 10 September 2018 , I wrote that “ Unless Syria will simply hand its most heavily pro-jihadist province , Idlib , to adjoining Turkey , which claims to have 30,000 troops there and is planning to add 20,000 more , ” there would be a war between NATO member Turkey , which has invaded there , versus Russia , which — at Syria ’ s request — has been assisting Syria ’ s Government to conquer all of Syria ’ s jihadists .
Syria ’ s Army has gradually liberated and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from jihadists , but had been using Idlib Province as a collection-area for the ones who were holding Syrian civilians as human shields .
Syria was bussing into Idlib the tens of thousands of jihadists that surrendered .
This was being done so as to minimize the numbers of civilians who would be killed when Syria ’ s army would retake an area , under Russian air-cover .
This would allow the civilians there to escape to Syrian-Government-held territory , and the armed forces of Syria and Russia then to move in and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ so that Syria would retake that area from the U.S.-backed jihadists .
Then , seven days later , I headlined “ Putin and Erdogan Plan Syria-Idlib DMZ as I Recommended ” , and reported that , Russia ’ s President Vladimir Putin and Turkey ’ s President Tayyip Erdogan jointly announced on September 17th in Tehran , “ We ’ ve agreed to create a demilitarized zone between the government troops and militants before October 15 .
The zone will be 15-20km wide , ” which compares to the Korean DMZ ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Erdogan had reached with Iran ’ s President Rouhani and with Russia ’ s President Putin was that this would be only a temporary measure in order to get the U.S. and its allies to cease threatening World War III if Syria and Russia promptly let loose and slaughtered the ‘ rebels ’ in Idlib ( Americas ’ s previous main fighters to defeat and replace Syria ’ s Government ) , Erdogan soon presented clear indications that he actually wanted to seize Syrian territory and to get as much of it as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Syria included expanding Turkey into Syria .
His temporary policing function , as agreed-to by Russia , to isolate and not allow to escape the defeated jihadists who had become trapped there , turned out to be far more than that : it turned out to be Erdogan ’ s protection of those jihadists .
On September 25th of 2018 , I bannered “ Turkey Now Controls Syria ’ s Jihadists ” , and presented the historical background behind this .
Then , on 14 July 2019 , I headlined “ Turkey Will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Advantage of Being in NATO ” , and explained that because of NATO ’ s backing of Turkey ’ s seizure of Syrian territory , Turkey was already committed to the construction of Syrian branches of Turkey ’ s Gaziantep University and of Turkey ’ s Harran University , as well as of building supportive infrastructure for those facilities — absorbing portions of northern Syria into Turkey .
So , this has been a gradual process , and now Erdogan , backed by U.S.President Trump and by NATO , will be saving the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ jihadists ( plus their families ) who had been defeated elsewhere in Syria , and who thus will avoid what the U.S. and its allies had warned would be a ‘ humanitarian crisis ’ of mass-slaughtering those defeated jihadists ( which the U.S. and its allies still call ‘ Syrian rebels ’ — even though most of them aren ’ t even Syrian ) .
As I noted in the 14 July 2019 article : At that time , just prior to the Tehran conference — and this was actually the reason why @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and its allies , and the U.N. , were demanding that an all-out invasion of Idlib , which had been planned by the Governments of Syria and of Russia , must not take place , for ‘ humanitarian ’ reasons .
There was all that ‘ humanitarian ’ concern ( led by the United States ) for the world ’ s biggest concentration of Nusra and Nusra-led jihadists — and for Syria ’ s most jihadist-supporting civilian population .
So much ‘ kindness ’ , such ‘ admirable ’ ‘ humanitarianism ’ .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ greatly increase its forces against Syria if that invasion by Syria and by Russia into Idlib ( which is , after all , part of Syria — so , what business is it , even of the U.N. , at all ? )
were to be carried out .
The Tehran conference was meeting in order to resolve that emergency situation ( mainly America ’ s threats of a possible war against Russia ) , so as to forestall this attack .
Trump ’ s backing of Turkey ’ s aggression was taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predecessor , Barack Obama ’ s , support of jihadists in order to overthrow Syria ’ s non-sectarian Government and install one that would be acceptable to the fundamentalist-Sunni Saud family who own Saudi Arabia .
And now Erdogan again is threatening Russia with WW III if Russia continues to defend Syria ’ s sovereignty over Idlib — Syria ’ s most-jihadist province .
On February 26th , Yeni Safak bannered “ Turkey will never compromise on Sochi deal for Syria , says Erdoğan ” ; so , Erdogan is openly threatening WW @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s seizure of Idlib and protection of its many thousands of jihadists .
Although the U.S. has led this apparent victory for jihadists and for international aggression , Turkey ’ s Erdogan has been its spearhead .
Russia and Iran had not agreed to this .
Certainly , Syria ’ s leader , Bashar al-Assad , hadn ’ t agreed to anything like this outcome .
Turkey , in its 10 September 2018 agreement with Russia and with Iran , had committed itself to separating-out and killing the jihadists ; but , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and now will be absorbing them , and taking Idlib Province from adjoining Syria .
As recently as 22 October 2019 , Erdogan had promised Putin in Sochi that “ The two sides reiterate their commitment to the preservation of the political unity and territorial integrity of Syria , ” and that , “ They emphasize their determination to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations and to disrupt separatist agendas in the Syrian territory.
” Yeni Safak ’ s February 26th article opened “ Turkey will never compromise on the Sochi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it expects the deal to be implemented , said the country ’ s president on Wednesday.
” Turkey “ expects the deal to be implemented ” while blatantly violating it .
Brett McGurk , a leading neoconservative in the Administrations of George W. Bush , Barack Obama , and Donald Trump , admitted , on 27 July 2017 , that “ Idlib Province is the largest Al Qaeda safe-haven since 9/11 , tied directly to Ayman al-Zawahiri , ” and that “ to send in tens of thousands of tons of weapons and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fighters come into Syria , may not have been the best approach , ” but yet the U.S. regime continues that approach , and backs Turkey ’ s grab of Idlib and protection of those jihadists .
Previously , McGurk had been U.S. President Barack Obama ’ s special envoy for the anti-Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant ( ISIL ) coalition .
He had supported jihadists led by al-Nusra ( Syrian branch of Al Qaeda ) and supported separatist Kurds in Syria , to overthrow Syria ’ s Government .
Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pro-Obama ) neoconservative Washington Post had not hidden the fact that “ The U.S. team , headed by senior White House adviser Robert Malley and State Department envoy Brett McGurk ” had informed the newspaper that “ Russia was said to have rejected a U.S. proposal to leave Jabhat al-Nusra off-limits to bombing as part of a cease-fire ” — the fact that Obama was actually protecting those jihadists ( though not protecting ISIS or ‘ ISIL ’ ) .
Obama backed al-Qaeda there , and so does Trump .
However , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he promised to reverse Obama ’ s obsession to overthrow Syria ’ s President Bashar al-Assad .
That , and similar promises he made , were antithetical to the most-basic commitments of the U.S .
Establishment .
They became his implacable enemies .
Finally , on 10 November 2016 , right after Trump ’ s election , that same newspaper , the WP , bannered “ Obama directs Pentagon to target al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria , one of the most formidable forces fighting Assad ” and , without noting that Obama had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ then , but instead falsely reporting that “ the administration had largely ignored until now ” it , said : “ While Obama , White House national security adviser Susan E. Rice , Secretary of State John F. Kerry and special presidential envoy Brett McGurk agreed with [ the super-neoconservative Obama Secretary of Defense Ashton ] Carter on the need to keep the focus on the Islamic State , they favored shifting resources to try to prevent al-Nusra from becoming a bigger threat down the road.
” That was extreme euphemism , coming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Actually , Obama had built his overthrow-Assad operation mainly upon al-Nusra , to train and lead the tens of thousands of foreign jihadists who had been pouring into Syria .
The Washington Post was one of the most lying , deceptive , newspapers reporting anywhere in the world about international relations , very heavily slanted neoconservative — in favor of expanding the U.S. mega-corporate empire .
Whereas the separatist Kurds were America ’ s main proxy-army fighting in Syria ’ s northeast , al-Nusra led America ’ s proxy-armies everywhere else in Syria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also asserted “ But aides say Obama grew frustrated that more wasn ’ t being done by the Pentagon and the intelligence community to kill al-Nusra leaders given the warnings he had received from top counterterrorism officials about the gathering threat they posed.
” That ’ s another lie , because Secretary of State John Kerry had actually fought inside the Administration against Obama ’ s policy on that , and the policy came from Obama himself — and NOT from his subordinates ( such as Ashton Carter ) , as that lying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ the expanded push against al-Nusra ” — but here is the reality : by no later than December 2012 Obama had settled upon al-Nusra to lead America ’ s overthrow-Assad campaign inside Syria .
And the reason for that has very deep historical roots — all hidden from the American public .
Instead of such realism , that propaganda-organ , in its article on 10 November 2016 , wrote : A bitterly divided Obama administration had tried over the summer to cut a deal with Moscow on a joint U.S.-Russian air campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian commitment to ground Syrian government warplanes and to allow more humanitarian supplies into besieged areas .
But the negotiations broke down in acrimony , with Moscow accusing the United States of failing to separate al-Nusra from more moderate rebel groups and Washington accusing the Russians of war crimes in Aleppo .
‘ Humanitarian ’ .
How stupid does the owner of the Washington Post think that the American public is in order for it still to believe that its Government really cares about being “ humanitarian ” around the world — especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conquer , such as Iraq , Iran , Syria , Venezuela , Bolivia … ?
Really ?
He thinks it ’ s that stupid ?
Or , does he think his newspaper can help to make them so misinformed ?
Russia had accused the United States of sheltering al-Nusra , a charge repeated Thursday in Moscow by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov .
“ The president doesn ’ t want this group to be what inherits the country if Assad ever does fall , ” a senior U.S. official said .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It ’ s al-Qaeda.
” Officials said the administration ’ s hope is that more-moderate rebel factions will be able to gain ground as both the Islamic State and al-Nusra come under increased military pressure .
The article also featured a headline and link to their 9 November 2016 news-story , “ Intelligence community is already feeling a sense of dread about Trump ” .
Even back then , the Democratic Party ’ s billionaires were pumping their agents ’ allegations which would lead to Russiagate , the Mueller Report , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ impeachment for being insufficiently supportive of President Obama ’ s 2014 coup and conquest of Ukraine , which Obama had started planning by no later than 2011 .
All of that was a warning to any current or future U.S. President , that to buck the collective will of America ’ s billionaires is to commit political suicide .
It doesn ’ t make any difference what the President ’ s Party is — the dictate , from the billionaires , applies to any U.S. President .
This ‘ restored Cold War ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S. side , the war secretly continued uninterrupted , even after the Soviet Union ended its communism , and its Warsaw-Pact mirror of America ’ s NATO military alliance .
Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author , most recently , of They ’ re Not Even Close : The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records , 1910-2010 , and of CHRIST ’ S VENTRILOQUISTS : The Event that Created Christianity .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Eric Zuesse
On February 26th, Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s President, told his Islamist political party that Idlib, which is the most heavily jihadist of all of Syria’s provinces and the province where Syria had been sending jihadists who had been defeated but not killed by the Syrian army elsewhere in the Syrian war, is now permanently under Turkey’s protection, and belongs to Turkey — Turkish territory. Russia’s RT news headlined on the 26th, “‘We’re the hosts there’: Erdogan says Turkey won’t pull back from Syria’s sovereign territory, gives Assad ultimatum to retreat”, and reported that,
The Turkish leader has ruled out withdrawal from Idlib, where his forces are backing militants fighting the Syrian Army. He also gave Damascus an ultimatum to retreat beyond Turkey’s observation posts placed on Syrian soil.
“We will not step back in Idlib. We are not the guests in this realm, we are the hosts,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a meeting of his AK party on Wednesday. Vowing to bring “the regime’s attacks” to an end, Erdogan said Ankara is giving Damascus time to pull forces back from Turkish observation posts.
The very next day, on the 27th, the Turkish English-language newspaper Yeni Safak bannered “Situation in Syria’s Idlib ‘in favor of Turkey’: Turkish president says Turkey has also reversed situation in Libya, which was previously in favor of Libyan warlord Haftar” and they reported that Erdogan saw signs that Turkey was introducing new international realities in both Syria and Libya.
Later on the 27th, RT headlined “33 Turkish soldiers confirmed killed in Idlib airstrike as Erdogan chairs emergency meeting on Syria” and reported that “Turkish officials attributed the strike to the Syrian military.” However, any Turkish retaliation against Syrian forces would not only be met by Russian defense of Syrian forces but would be clearly a Syrian response to Turkish aggression and therefore any U.S. involvement supporting Turkey in this matter would be America’s participating in Turkey’s blatantly illegal grab for Idlib. Even America’s allies in Europe and elsewhere might then turn away from the U.S., and away from Turkey.
This extraordinarily assertive position by Erdogan results from the sequence of events that will be described here:
U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. allies made unequivocally clear in late August and early September of 2018 that if Syria and Russia would try to restore Syrian Government control over Syria’s Idlib Province, then the U.S. and its allies would greatly escalate their war against Syria’s Government. For example, on 3 September 2018, Trump tweeted, “President Bashar al-Assad of Syria must not recklessly attack Idlib Province. The Russians and Iranians would be making a grave humanitarian mistake to take part in this potential human tragedy. Hundreds of thousands of people could be killed.” South Front reported, the following day, that,
Trump’s tweet comes as Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the start of his visit to Damascus said that “terrorists must be purged” from the province and Idlib in its entirety must be returned under government control.
“Syria’s territorial integrity should be safeguarded and all tribes and groups, as one society, should start the reconstruction process, and the refugees should return to their homes,” Mr Zarif said.
Zarif met with President Assad and the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem. They mostly discussed the expected September 7th summit, which will happen in Tehran. Russian, Turkish, Syrian and Iranian leaders are supposed to meet and discuss the situation in Idlib.
A statement from Assad’s office said that Iran and Syria “had similar views on the different issues” that are to be discussed.
On 10 September 2018, I wrote that “Unless Syria will simply hand its most heavily pro-jihadist province, Idlib, to adjoining Turkey, which claims to have 30,000 troops there and is planning to add 20,000 more,” there would be a war between NATO member Turkey, which has invaded there, versus Russia, which — at Syria’s request — has been assisting Syria’s Government to conquer all of Syria’s jihadists. Syria’s Army has gradually liberated and retaken most of Syria’s territory from jihadists, but had been using Idlib Province as a collection-area for the ones who were holding Syrian civilians as human shields. Syria was bussing into Idlib the tens of thousands of jihadists that surrendered. This was being done so as to minimize the numbers of civilians who would be killed when Syria’s army would retake an area, under Russian air-cover. This would allow the civilians there to escape to Syrian-Government-held territory, and the armed forces of Syria and Russia then to move in and slaughter the jihadists who remained there, so that Syria would retake that area from the U.S.-backed jihadists.
Then, seven days later, I headlined “Putin and Erdogan Plan Syria-Idlib DMZ as I Recommended”, and reported that,
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan jointly announced on September 17th in Tehran, “We’ve agreed to create a demilitarized zone between the government troops and militants before October 15. The zone will be 15-20km wide,” which compares to the Korean DMZ’s 4-km width.
Though the understanding that Erdogan had reached with Iran’s President Rouhani and with Russia’s President Putin was that this would be only a temporary measure in order to get the U.S. and its allies to cease threatening World War III if Syria and Russia promptly let loose and slaughtered the ‘rebels’ in Idlib (Americas’s previous main fighters to defeat and replace Syria’s Government), Erdogan soon presented clear indications that he actually wanted to seize Syrian territory and to get as much of it as he could — that his goal in Syria included expanding Turkey into Syria. His temporary policing function, as agreed-to by Russia, to isolate and not allow to escape the defeated jihadists who had become trapped there, turned out to be far more than that: it turned out to be Erdogan’s protection of those jihadists.
On September 25th of 2018, I bannered “Turkey Now Controls Syria’s Jihadists”, and presented the historical background behind this. Then, on 14 July 2019, I headlined “Turkey Will Get a Chunk of Syria: An Advantage of Being in NATO”, and explained that because of NATO’s backing of Turkey’s seizure of Syrian territory, Turkey was already committed to the construction of Syrian branches of Turkey’s Gaziantep University and of Turkey’s Harran University, as well as of building supportive infrastructure for those facilities — absorbing portions of northern Syria into Turkey.
So, this has been a gradual process, and now Erdogan, backed by U.S.President Trump and by NATO, will be saving the lives of the tens of thousands of jihadists (plus their families) who had been defeated elsewhere in Syria, and who thus will avoid what the U.S. and its allies had warned would be a ‘humanitarian crisis’ of mass-slaughtering those defeated jihadists (which the U.S. and its allies still call ‘Syrian rebels’ — even though most of them aren’t even Syrian).
As I noted in the 14 July 2019 article:
At that time, just prior to the Tehran conference — and this was actually the reason why the conference was held — the U.S. and its allies, and the U.N., were demanding that an all-out invasion of Idlib, which had been planned by the Governments of Syria and of Russia, must not take place, for ‘humanitarian’ reasons. There was all that ‘humanitarian’ concern (led by the United States) for the world’s biggest concentration of Nusra and Nusra-led jihadists — and for Syria’s most jihadist-supporting civilian population. So much ‘kindness’, such ‘admirable’ ‘humanitarianism’. Furthermore the U.S. Government was threatening to greatly increase its forces against Syria if that invasion by Syria and by Russia into Idlib (which is, after all, part of Syria — so, what business is it, even of the U.N., at all?) were to be carried out. The Tehran conference was meeting in order to resolve that emergency situation (mainly America’s threats of a possible war against Russia), so as to forestall this attack.
Trump’s backing of Turkey’s aggression was taking the United States even deeper into his predecessor, Barack Obama’s, support of jihadists in order to overthrow Syria’s non-sectarian Government and install one that would be acceptable to the fundamentalist-Sunni Saud family who own Saudi Arabia.
And now Erdogan again is threatening Russia with WW III if Russia continues to defend Syria’s sovereignty over Idlib — Syria’s most-jihadist province.
On February 26th, Yeni Safak bannered “Turkey will never compromise on Sochi deal for Syria, says Erdoğan”; so, Erdogan is openly threatening WW III if Russia and Syria resist Turkey’s seizure of Idlib and protection of its many thousands of jihadists.
Although the U.S. has led this apparent victory for jihadists and for international aggression, Turkey’s Erdogan has been its spearhead. Russia and Iran had not agreed to this. Certainly, Syria’s leader, Bashar al-Assad, hadn’t agreed to anything like this outcome. Turkey, in its 10 September 2018 agreement with Russia and with Iran, had committed itself to separating-out and killing the jihadists; but, instead, Turkey has been protecting them, and now will be absorbing them, and taking Idlib Province from adjoining Syria. As recently as 22 October 2019, Erdogan had promised Putin in Sochi that “The two sides reiterate their commitment to the preservation of the political unity and territorial integrity of Syria,” and that, “They emphasize their determination to combat terrorism in all forms and manifestations and to disrupt separatist agendas in the Syrian territory.” Yeni Safak’s February 26th article opened “Turkey will never compromise on the Sochi deal on embattled Idlib, Syria and it expects the deal to be implemented, said the country’s president on Wednesday.” Turkey “expects the deal to be implemented” while blatantly violating it.
Brett McGurk, a leading neoconservative in the Administrations of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, admitted, on 27 July 2017, that “Idlib Province is the largest Al Qaeda safe-haven since 9/11, tied directly to Ayman al-Zawahiri,” and that “to send in tens of thousands of tons of weapons and looking the other way as these foreign fighters come into Syria, may not have been the best approach,” but yet the U.S. regime continues that approach, and backs Turkey’s grab of Idlib and protection of those jihadists. Previously, McGurk had been U.S. President Barack Obama’s special envoy for the anti-Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) coalition. He had supported jihadists led by al-Nusra (Syrian branch of Al Qaeda) and supported separatist Kurds in Syria, to overthrow Syria’s Government. Even the liberal (or Democratic Party, pro-Obama) neoconservative Washington Post had not hidden the fact that “The U.S. team, headed by senior White House adviser Robert Malley and State Department envoy Brett McGurk” had informed the newspaper that “Russia was said to have rejected a U.S. proposal to leave Jabhat al-Nusra off-limits to bombing as part of a cease-fire” — the fact that Obama was actually protecting those jihadists (though not protecting ISIS or ‘ISIL’). Obama backed al-Qaeda there, and so does Trump. However, when Trump ran for the Presidency in 2016, he promised to reverse Obama’s obsession to overthrow Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad. That, and similar promises he made, were antithetical to the most-basic commitments of the U.S. Establishment. They became his implacable enemies.
Finally, on 10 November 2016, right after Trump’s election, that same newspaper, the WP, bannered “Obama directs Pentagon to target al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, one of the most formidable forces fighting Assad” and, without noting that Obama had supported that “al-Qaeda affiliate” until then, but instead falsely reporting that “the administration had largely ignored until now” it, said: “While Obama, White House national security adviser Susan E. Rice, Secretary of State John F. Kerry and special presidential envoy Brett McGurk agreed with [the super-neoconservative Obama Secretary of Defense Ashton] Carter on the need to keep the focus on the Islamic State, they favored shifting resources to try to prevent al-Nusra from becoming a bigger threat down the road.” That was extreme euphemism, coming from this extremely neoconservative liberal newspaper. Actually, Obama had built his overthrow-Assad operation mainly upon al-Nusra, to train and lead the tens of thousands of foreign jihadists who had been pouring into Syria. The Washington Post was one of the most lying, deceptive, newspapers reporting anywhere in the world about international relations, very heavily slanted neoconservative — in favor of expanding the U.S. mega-corporate empire. Whereas the separatist Kurds were America’s main proxy-army fighting in Syria’s northeast, al-Nusra led America’s proxy-armies everywhere else in Syria. That 10 November 2016 WP article also asserted “But aides say Obama grew frustrated that more wasn’t being done by the Pentagon and the intelligence community to kill al-Nusra leaders given the warnings he had received from top counterterrorism officials about the gathering threat they posed.” That’s another lie, because Secretary of State John Kerry had actually fought inside the Administration against Obama’s policy on that, and the policy came from Obama himself — and NOT from his subordinates (such as Ashton Carter), as that lying newspaper alleged. The article referred to “the expanded push against al-Nusra” — but here is the reality: by no later than December 2012 Obama had settled upon al-Nusra to lead America’s overthrow-Assad campaign inside Syria. And the reason for that has very deep historical roots — all hidden from the American public. Instead of such realism, that propaganda-organ, in its article on 10 November 2016, wrote:
A bitterly divided Obama administration had tried over the summer to cut a deal with Moscow on a joint U.S.-Russian air campaign against al-Nusra, in exchange for a Russian commitment to ground Syrian government warplanes and to allow more humanitarian supplies into besieged areas. But the negotiations broke down in acrimony, with Moscow accusing the United States of failing to separate al-Nusra from more moderate rebel groups and Washington accusing the Russians of war crimes in Aleppo.
‘Humanitarian’. How stupid does the owner of the Washington Post think that the American public is in order for it still to believe that its Government really cares about being “humanitarian” around the world — especially in countries it’s trying to conquer, such as Iraq, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Bolivia …? Really? He thinks it’s that stupid? Or, does he think his newspaper can help to make them so misinformed?
That rabidly anti-Russian newspaper continued there:
Russia had accused the United States of sheltering al-Nusra, a charge repeated Thursday in Moscow by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
“The president doesn’t want this group to be what inherits the country if Assad ever does fall,” a senior U.S. official said. “This cannot be the viable Syrian opposition. It’s al-Qaeda.”
Officials said the administration’s hope is that more-moderate rebel factions will be able to gain ground as both the Islamic State and al-Nusra come under increased military pressure.
The article also featured a headline and link to their 9 November 2016 news-story, “Intelligence community is already feeling a sense of dread about Trump”. Even back then, the Democratic Party’s billionaires were pumping their agents’ allegations which would lead to Russiagate, the Mueller Report, and ultimately to Ukrainegate and Trump’s impeachment for being insufficiently supportive of President Obama’s 2014 coup and conquest of Ukraine, which Obama had started planning by no later than 2011. All of that was a warning to any current or future U.S. President, that to buck the collective will of America’s billionaires is to commit political suicide. It doesn’t make any difference what the President’s Party is — the dictate, from the billionaires, applies to any U.S. President. This ‘restored Cold War’ is nothing of the sort — on the U.S. side, the war secretly continued uninterrupted, even after the Soviet Union ended its communism, and its Warsaw-Pact mirror of America’s NATO military alliance.
—————
Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
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theduran--2020-02-27--Washington Ponders Imposing Sanctions on Serbia For Russian Weapon Purchases

Submitted by InfoBrics , authored by Paul Antonopoulos , Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies… With Russia delivering another round of the Pantsir S1 anti-missile defense system to Serbia on Tuesday , EU and U.S. officials have reacted .
Both Brussels and Washington have sent their warnings to Serbia , with Washington even threatening sanctions against the Balkans country .
For the U.S. , they are hoping to prevent Serbia from acquiring the Russian made S-400 missile defense system as it will severely restrict American hegemony over the Balkans .
While Brussels expects Serbia to comply with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EU ’ s strategic priority , the U.S. State Department urged countries to abandon purchases from Russia as it could lead to sanctions .
“ In discussions with senior government officials , we have repeatedly expressed concern that Serbia is buying Russian military equipment , including the purchase of the Pantsir system , ” a State Department spokesman said .
The European Union previously said that in order to progress on the road to European integration , “ Serbia needs to align its foreign policy with the EU ’ s foreign policy , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Although Brussels is not making threats of sanctions against Serbia , it is leveraging a potential Serbian admission into the EU .
This leverage would not be effective however as only 42 % of people in Serbia are in favour of EU membership .
However , this is not the first time that U.S. administration officials are threatening to activate Section 231 of the Countering America ’ s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017 , which deals with the possibility of imposing sanctions on individuals and legal entities having business cooperation with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran and North Korea .
In November last year , Thomas Zarzecki , director of the U.S. State Department ’ s Task Force 231 , arrived in Belgrade immediately after it was announced that Serbia had purchased the Pantsir system .
Even before the arrival Zarzecki , it was announced by Matthew Palmer , U.S. Secretary of State ’ s representative for the Balkans , that sanctions may be imposed against Serbia .
Zarzecki left Belgrade last November and no sanctions were imposed on Serbia .
Now , after Serbia acquired the Pantsir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country , the possibility of imposing U.S. sanctions is being activated again .
This becomes difficult as there is no doubt that the State Department will be pushing to punish Serbia for acquiring Russian weaponry .
However , it is still within easy living memory that the U.S. led a NATO campaign of destruction against Serbia in 1999 , killing over 500 civilians and destroying vital civilian infrastructure like bridges , industrial plants and private businesses .
This campaign of destruction has left widespread anti-American sentiment that still persists to this day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the exception of the U.S. , has a more positive attitude towards Serbia and would accept that the purchase of military equipment from Russia is a national decision of Serbia and that Belgrade is entitled to that decision .
The President of the Foreign Policy Committee of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress , Eliot Engel , publicly rebuked one of the U.S. generals serving in NATO over the Alliance ’ s stance on Serbia .
Engel criticized the position on Serbia ’ s military neutrality and intensive cooperation with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ arriving in Serbia , interests for the S-400 system will intensify .
Other states have received threats of sanctions if they purchase the S-400 , such as India , and it can only be expected that Serbia will receive such warnings , too .
Therefore , these discussions of sanctions because of the Pantsir system is a preventative warning for Serbia not to purchase the S-400 .
However , the Serbia of the 1990 ’ s is drastically different to the Serbia of today .
Today , Serbia is making a recovery from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and China have achieved Great Power status and are willing to oppose Western interventionism and support independent states such as Serbia .
The U.S. State Department ’ s position certainly has elements of dissatisfaction over Serbia ’ s co-operation with Russia and China .
NATO , on the other hand , praises the level of co-operation with Serbia and is ready , at least in words , to respect military neutrality .
With the 1990 ’ s remembered for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the advent of the U.S. dominated unipolar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the world that a once weak Russia and China who were , now are capable of maintaining their own positions .
With Russian and Chinese support , Serbia has enough strength to resist U.S.-led pressures that imposed sanctions could have minimal impact on the country , and rather create opportunities to push towards financial independence away from the U.S. dollar .
It is for this reason that even Washington will be contemplating whether imposing such sanctions would be worth the risk of pushing another country towards financial independence as has happened in @ @ @ @

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
Submitted by InfoBrics, authored by Paul Antonopoulos, Research Fellow at the Center for Syncretic Studies…
With Russia delivering another round of the Pantsir S1 anti-missile defense system to Serbia on Tuesday, EU and U.S. officials have reacted. Both Brussels and Washington have sent their warnings to Serbia, with Washington even threatening sanctions against the Balkans country. For the U.S., they are hoping to prevent Serbia from acquiring the Russian made S-400 missile defense system as it will severely restrict American hegemony over the Balkans. While Brussels expects Serbia to comply with the commitments it made when it entered the EU’s strategic priority, the U.S. State Department urged countries to abandon purchases from Russia as it could lead to sanctions.
“In discussions with senior government officials, we have repeatedly expressed concern that Serbia is buying Russian military equipment, including the purchase of the Pantsir system,” a State Department spokesman said.
The European Union previously said that in order to progress on the road to European integration, “Serbia needs to align its foreign policy with the EU’s foreign policy, in accordance with the negotiating framework.” Although Brussels is not making threats of sanctions against Serbia, it is leveraging a potential Serbian admission into the EU. This leverage would not be effective however as only 42% of people in Serbia are in favour of EU membership.
However, this is not the first time that U.S. administration officials are threatening to activate Section 231 of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act of 2017, which deals with the possibility of imposing sanctions on individuals and legal entities having business cooperation with the security and intelligence sectors of Russia, Iran and North Korea. In November last year, Thomas Zarzecki, director of the U.S. State Department’s Task Force 231, arrived in Belgrade immediately after it was announced that Serbia had purchased the Pantsir system. Even before the arrival Zarzecki, it was announced by Matthew Palmer, U.S. Secretary of State’s representative for the Balkans, that sanctions may be imposed against Serbia.
Zarzecki left Belgrade last November and no sanctions were imposed on Serbia. Now, after Serbia acquired the Pantsir and they have begun arriving in the country, the possibility of imposing U.S. sanctions is being activated again. This becomes difficult as there is no doubt that the State Department will be pushing to punish Serbia for acquiring Russian weaponry. However, it is still within easy living memory that the U.S. led a NATO campaign of destruction against Serbia in 1999, killing over 500 civilians and destroying vital civilian infrastructure like bridges, industrial plants and private businesses. This campaign of destruction has left widespread anti-American sentiment that still persists to this day. Paradoxically, most NATO members today, with the exception of the U.S., has a more positive attitude towards Serbia and would accept that the purchase of military equipment from Russia is a national decision of Serbia and that Belgrade is entitled to that decision.
The President of the Foreign Policy Committee of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress, Eliot Engel, publicly rebuked one of the U.S. generals serving in NATO over the Alliance’s stance on Serbia. Engel criticized the position on Serbia’s military neutrality and intensive cooperation with Russia. As the Pantsir system is arriving in Serbia, interests for the S-400 system will intensify. Other states have received threats of sanctions if they purchase the S-400, such as India, and it can only be expected that Serbia will receive such warnings, too. Therefore, these discussions of sanctions because of the Pantsir system is a preventative warning for Serbia not to purchase the S-400.
However, the Serbia of the 1990’s is drastically different to the Serbia of today. Today, Serbia is making a recovery from the 1990’s and both Russia and China have achieved Great Power status and are willing to oppose Western interventionism and support independent states such as Serbia.
The U.S. State Department’s position certainly has elements of dissatisfaction over Serbia’s co-operation with Russia and China. NATO, on the other hand, praises the level of co-operation with Serbia and is ready, at least in words, to respect military neutrality. With the 1990’s remembered for the collapse of the Soviet Union and the advent of the U.S. dominated unipolar world, things have changed so much in the world that a once weak Russia and China who were, now are capable of maintaining their own positions.
With Russian and Chinese support, Serbia has enough strength to resist U.S.-led pressures that imposed sanctions could have minimal impact on the country, and rather create opportunities to push towards financial independence away from the U.S. dollar. It is for this reason that even Washington will be contemplating whether imposing such sanctions would be worth the risk of pushing another country towards financial independence as has happened in Iran and Venezuela.
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theduran--2020-02-27--Merkel’s CDU collapse continues in Hamburg elections (Video)

The Duran ’ s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the Hamburg , Germany state elections where the Greens won the day , the AfD stayed steady , and Angela Merkel ’ s CDU party was completely trounced .
Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute .
The Duran Audio Podcast : Follow on Soundcloud – Subscribe on iTunes .
The recent elections in the German port city of Hamburg resulted in a victory for the Green party , following similar surge across the country , and a defeat for the Christian Democratic Union ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a scandal in another regional vote .
Earlier in February , the CDU voted with the right-wing Alternative for Germany ( AfD ) party to elect Thuringia ’ s state premier .
Thomas Kemmerich of the Free Democratic Party won by one vote and was criticized heavily by relying on AfD , while the CDU also faced outrage over breaking the so-called cordon sanitaire around the right-wing party .
In Hamburg elections , the Social Democratic Party of Germany ( SPD ) secured 54 seats — fewer than needed for the majority in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the previous election , although still a better result than any other party .
According to Imanuel Marcus , an analyst and journalist for The Berlin Spectator , originally from Hamburg , “ [ t ] he SPD ’ s victory is all about Hamburg and the Mayor.
” “ During his years as Finance Senator , Peter Tschentscher was seen as a reliable politician who would persistently stick to his rather conservative approach .
That is why even former CDU voters support him .
Besides , Hamburg has been a red @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Marcus said .
The Green party , which was the SPD ’ s coalition partner in the previous Hamburg government , surged from 15 seats to 33 .
“ Regarding the Greens , the Hamburg victory is comparable to the situation on the federal level , in a way , since they are as strong in nationwide polls as they are in Hamburg .
On the other hand the situation is not comparable at all : In Hamburg , the Greens doubled up , but did not manage to overtake Tschentscher , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On the national level , there is nothing to overtake , meaning the Greens are much stronger than the SPD already , which is why they are being seen as the CDU ’ s future coalition partner , ” Marcus commented .
Ulla Jelpke , a member of the Bundestag and a domestic affairs spokesperson for Die Linke ( The Left ) party sees the Greens ’ success in Hamburg as a continuation of the nationwide trend of the last several years .
“ It is normal since the question of climate change @ @ @ @ @ @ @ public interest .
The Greens also benefit from the political climate created by ‘ Fridays for Future ’ [ a climate strike movement founded by young activist Greta Thunberg ] .
Their voters coming from the traditional parties spectrum , simply ignore the Greens ’ great sin — the approval of the NATO war against Yugoslavia and the introduction of Hartz IV [ social welfare reduction ] in the SPD Greens government by Chancellor [ Gerhard ] Schroeder , ” Jelpke said .
Die Linke won 13 seats in the latest Hamburg election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the previous vote .
Meanwhile , Chancellor Angela Merkel ’ s CDU lost five seats , down from 20 in the previous election .
CDU Secretary General Paul Ziemiak decried the results as “ a bitter day ” for the party , adding that the events in Thuringia “ did not help.
” For Jelpke , the defeat of the CDU was “ to be expected.
” “ The local SPD is economically liberal and the dominant bourgeois party , while on the other hand , right-wing conservative and extreme right-wing forces support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to position itself , ” Jelpke said .
The AfD , known for its harsh stance on immigration , ended up with seven seats , one fewer than in the previous election .
According to Markus , the party is “ declining.
” “ At this stage , Hanau does hurt them and they know it .
AfD representatives even started using the expression ‘ right-wing radical ’ in connection with the terror attack , in a cheap attempt to hide the fact that they are extremist right-wingers themselves , ” the analyst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the state of Hesse , which , according to the authorities , likely had racist motives .
The AfD has condemned the shootings in Hanau .
Patrick Moreau , a political scientist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research , argues that the Hanau shooter “ has nothing to do with the AFD.
” “ It is clear from all the documents seized that he was a conspiratorialist , American-style , ” Moreau said .
AfD leader at the German parliament , Alexander Gauland , told reporters on Monday that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ baited.
” The AfD won 94 seats in the federal parliament in a surprise upset in 2017 , while the CDU and the SPD both suffered heavy losses .
However , next year , another federal election will offer a new test to the Germany ’ s political landscape .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Duran’s Alex Christoforou and Editor-in-Chief Alexander Mercouris discuss the Hamburg, Germany state elections where the Greens won the day, the AfD stayed steady, and Angela Merkel’s CDU party was completely trounced.
Support Free Speech:
Subscribe to The Duran on YouTube – Find us on BitChute.
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Via Sputnik News…
The recent elections in the German port city of Hamburg resulted in a victory for the Green party, following similar surge across the country, and a defeat for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) coming on the heels of a scandal in another regional vote.
Earlier in February, the CDU voted with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party to elect Thuringia’s state premier. Thomas Kemmerich of the Free Democratic Party won by one vote and was criticized heavily by relying on AfD, while the CDU also faced outrage over breaking the so-called cordon sanitaire around the right-wing party.
HAMBURG RESULTS
In Hamburg elections, the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) secured 54 seats — fewer than needed for the majority in a 123-seat parliament and four seats down from the previous election, although still a better result than any other party.
According to Imanuel Marcus, an analyst and journalist for The Berlin Spectator, originally from Hamburg, “[t]he SPD’s victory is all about Hamburg and the Mayor.”
“During his years as Finance Senator, Peter Tschentscher was seen as a reliable politician who would persistently stick to his rather conservative approach. That is why even former CDU voters support him. Besides, Hamburg has been a red city state most of the time,” Marcus said.
The Green party, which was the SPD’s coalition partner in the previous Hamburg government, surged from 15 seats to 33.
“Regarding the Greens, the Hamburg victory is comparable to the situation on the federal level, in a way, since they are as strong in nationwide polls as they are in Hamburg. On the other hand the situation is not comparable at all: In Hamburg, the Greens doubled up, but did not manage to overtake Tschentscher, which is what they had wanted. On the national level, there is nothing to overtake, meaning the Greens are much stronger than the SPD already, which is why they are being seen as the CDU’s future coalition partner,” Marcus commented.
Ulla Jelpke, a member of the Bundestag and a domestic affairs spokesperson for Die Linke (The Left) party sees the Greens’ success in Hamburg as a continuation of the nationwide trend of the last several years.
“It is normal since the question of climate change has come to the fore in the public interest. The Greens also benefit from the political climate created by ‘Fridays for Future’ [a climate strike movement founded by young activist Greta Thunberg]. Their voters coming from the traditional parties spectrum, simply ignore the Greens’ great sin — the approval of the NATO war against Yugoslavia and the introduction of Hartz IV [social welfare reduction] in the SPD Greens government by Chancellor [Gerhard] Schroeder,” Jelpke said.
Die Linke won 13 seats in the latest Hamburg election, an increase of two compared to the previous vote.
Meanwhile, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU lost five seats, down from 20 in the previous election. CDU Secretary General Paul Ziemiak decried the results as “a bitter day” for the party, adding that the events in Thuringia “did not help.”
For Jelpke, the defeat of the CDU was “to be expected.”
“The local SPD is economically liberal and the dominant bourgeois party, while on the other hand, right-wing conservative and extreme right-wing forces support the AfD. Difficult for the CDU to position itself,” Jelpke said.
AFD UNDER SHADOW OF HANAU
The AfD, known for its harsh stance on immigration, ended up with seven seats, one fewer than in the previous election. According to Markus, the party is “declining.”
“At this stage, Hanau does hurt them and they know it. AfD representatives even started using the expression ‘right-wing radical’ in connection with the terror attack, in a cheap attempt to hide the fact that they are extremist right-wingers themselves,” the analyst said, referring to a recent attack in the state of Hesse, which, according to the authorities, likely had racist motives.
The AfD has condemned the shootings in Hanau. Patrick Moreau, a political scientist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, argues that the Hanau shooter “has nothing to do with the AFD.”
“It is clear from all the documents seized that he was a conspiratorialist, American-style,” Moreau said.
AfD leader at the German parliament, Alexander Gauland, told reporters on Monday that the party had been “marginalized” and “baited.”
The AfD won 94 seats in the federal parliament in a surprise upset in 2017, while the CDU and the SPD both suffered heavy losses. However, next year, another federal election will offer a new test to the Germany’s political landscape.
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theduran--2020-02-27--The best assessment possible about the coronavirus outbreak [Video]

A new piece on the LiveScience website covers recent developments in the biggest single current newsmaker around the world , the COVID-19 “ coronavirus ” outbreak .
In listening and reading news from many sources , it appears that there is definitely great concern over this virus , but it is not always clear exactly why this is so .
Today we are going to try to offer a definitive block of information about the virus , its spread , efforts to contain it and treat those afflicted , and what it really means for all of us around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this piece is derived from the LiveScience piece , though rearranged for our purposes .
As always , any references to other sources will also be hyperlinked and / or referred to .
A coronavirus is , simply put , a specific family of viruses that can cause respiratory illness .
These range from the common cold to pneumonia and bronchitis .
While the common cold itself is usually not deadly , the bronchitis and pneumonia it can progress to are sometimes extremely dangerous , especially for the very old , the very @ @ @ @ @ @ @ already substantially weakened by illness .
This particular virus is closely related , genetically an 88 % match , to some coronaviruses that live in bats .
It is not clear how the virus managed to mutate or become communicable to humans .
The present “ official ” thought is that the pangolin , an ant-eating mammal that looks much like an armadillo combined with an anteater ( and are sometimes called “ scaly anteaters ” ) provided the bridge from bat to human .
The origin of the virus is known to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there happens to be a bioresearch lab .
While the official story talks about bats and pangolin , no bats were sold in the alleged origination spot , a market called the Huanan .
A piece in The New York Post makes note that on or near 14-15 February , the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology released a new directive .
This was its title : That Wuhan lab is the only known bioresearch lab in the country that handles such material .
Coincidence or coverup ?
We don ’ t know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story indicate that this may not be the real origin point .
The Post piece offers quite a bit of information to back up their allegation .
However , at this point , the source of the virus may not matter as much as the fact that it is out in the world and it is causing some very well-known problems .
What are the symptoms of coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) infection ?
According to the Centers for Disease Control , the symptoms of COVID-19 specifically are fever , cough and difficulty breathing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much different than that of a bad case of the flu or bronchitis , but it is presently believed that a person can carry the virus as long as fourteen days without showing any symptoms of the illness it causes .
Normally , the symptoms appear around five days after infection , according to the New England Journal of Medicine .
Like many viral infections , there is no real cure that can be offered for one who is sickened by the virus .
In most cases people who get sick recover on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of medication .
In this , COVID-19 is very much like the common cold .
However COVID-19 is more severe , presently showing a fatality rate of about 3.4 % among its victims , compared to 0.1 % for the usual seasonal fatality rate for the regularly occurring range of influenza viruses .
At the time of this writing , the reported cases worldwide number 81,109 .
Of that number , 2,761 people are known to have succumbed to the illness , for a daily fatality reading of about 3.4 % This number @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the World Health Organization , which has been offering daily situation reports notes that the statistical growth of infected is still quite variable from day to day .
How fast is the virus spreading ?
It is spreading quite rapidly , despite efforts to contain it .
While China moved very quickly to make data about COVID-19 known to the world ( another sign that the “ official ” origin story of this virus is not true ) , the fact that the virus can be carried asymptomatically means that short of closing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ absolutely spread throughout all the world .
While international border closures are helping to not spread the virus as fast as it could theoretically go , the key factor that is not solidly understood is its ability to be transmitted from person to person .
There are strong indications that it does do this , so much so as to lead the United States ’ own Center for Disease Control to issue a rather chilling warning : Tucker Carlson gave a further thought that is quite logical : that the virus ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , spreading to perhaps 70 % of the world ’ s population .
After all , it is a virus .
Spreading is what viruses do .
Can the virus be stopped ?
At this time , the answer is : no .
There are reports of a vaccine being developed , and there are also reports of an anti-viral drug that has been developed and put into its first tests .
This treatment , reported on by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases , a subsidiary of the National Institute @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Remdesivir is the hoped-for magic bullet to stop the virus when it has already infected someone .
This compound has shown signs of success with MERS and it was tested on victims of Ebola virus as well .
The Wall Street Journal and CNN both report that the biotech company Moderna says it has a coronavirus vaccine ready for first tests .
However , inexplicably , the trials for this vaccine are not expected to begin until April , with the testing and approval process expected to take at least one year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is the “ emergency ” speed for such testing !
The upshot of this is that at present , the strategy to restrict travel and to establish quarantines where people test positive for the virus , is probably the only real recourse available .
The goal , as noted in the video clip above , is to slow the transmission of the virus enough to buy some time for researchers to find a solution .
Tucker ’ s speculation appears to be quite logical , though of course , not very reassuring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cold and flu season ” will become “ cold , flu and coronavirus ” season in the near future .
Does this mean we should worry ?
This is the sixty-four thousand dollar question , of course .
How does one answer it ?
Reports from Northern New Jersey at the time of this writing indicate there is a lot of worry , at least in some parts of the United States .
Some reports in real time ( as of 4:15pm EST , 26 February 2020 ) • One source told me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is sold out of face masks , and that hand sanitizer is also almost completely sold out .
• The City of San Francisco also declared a state of emergency .
Given the atrocious state of that city ’ s streets , they have cause to worry , as do Los Angeles and other cities with rampant drug-use and homeless problems .
That dovetails into politics and policy , but it is also a very real consequence of very poor handling of both of these .
• In Northern New Mexico , another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ little to no concern .
• The same is true according to a source in Northeast Indiana .
• While North Jersey reports shortages , a source in the New York / Connecticut area reports nothing out of the ordinary .
• In Fort Collins , Colorado , there is an unconfirmed report of one case of Coronavirus infection , and everyone is being told to wash their hands… a lot .
In Moscow , Russia , where I live , I have seen a few people wearing face masks , markedly more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the time in Moscow under the belief that the air quality in the city is bad , but that number is higher now , if only a little .
Russia presently reports only two cases of coronavirus , with both infected people having recovered .
However , the media here tends to be a bit reluctant to rush to report on things like this , and while not anywhere close to the nightmare of “ Soviet propaganda ” , the way the media operate here is very different than the American rush @ @ @ @ @ @ @ probably be a bit slow to respond to any changes in the severity of the outbreak unless it can also report verifiably that things are being done to help .
That being said , the Russians are aware of the problem and know it is happening all around us , and it is certainly a present thought on their minds .
Should we worry ?
In the strictest sense , worrying does not accomplish anything .
If anything it creates stress and stress can make a person more likely to get sick .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ here in Russia , and a lot of people get sick here this time of year anyway .
Worrying about the coronavirus , if and when an outbreak establishes itself in Russia , is not very productive when considered against the range of real issues we face every day here .
This is true everywhere , even in China , which has borne the brunt of this outbreak thus far .
However , taking a little extra precaution seems to be a natural response .
We will probably continue to see more face @ @ @ @ @ @ @ While we wait for the true development of antiviral meds and vaccines , and while we await the coming of warmer weather ( which usually ends flu season – it is not known if it will end coronavirus season yet ) , there are a few more strained nerves .
It is likely that those who like to focus on “ the latest reason to panic ” will be strongly tempted to do so , and for these people , a little extra work is in store to not panic .
We at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cover this story accurately and dispassionately .
This is a real crisis , but like most real crises , the sensational aspect is too easy to blow out of proportion .
We will try not to add to any hype , but to simply offer clear information about this situation as it develops .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
A new piece on the LiveScience website covers recent developments in the biggest single current newsmaker around the world, the COVID-19 “coronavirus” outbreak. In listening and reading news from many sources, it appears that there is definitely great concern over this virus, but it is not always clear exactly why this is so. Today we are going to try to offer a definitive block of information about the virus, its spread, efforts to contain it and treat those afflicted, and what it really means for all of us around the world. Much of the information in this piece is derived from the LiveScience piece, though rearranged for our purposes. As always, any references to other sources will also be hyperlinked and / or referred to.
What is a Coronavirus?
A coronavirus is, simply put, a specific family of viruses that can cause respiratory illness. These range from the common cold to pneumonia and bronchitis. While the common cold itself is usually not deadly, the bronchitis and pneumonia it can progress to are sometimes extremely dangerous, especially for the very old, the very young, and those whose bodies are already substantially weakened by illness.
This particular virus is closely related, genetically an 88% match, to some coronaviruses that live in bats. It is not clear how the virus managed to mutate or become communicable to humans. The present “official” thought is that the pangolin, an ant-eating mammal that looks much like an armadillo combined with an anteater (and are sometimes called “scaly anteaters”) provided the bridge from bat to human. The origin of the virus is known to be in Wuhan, China, where there happens to be a bioresearch lab. While the official story talks about bats and pangolin, no bats were sold in the alleged origination spot, a market called the Huanan.
A piece in The New York Post makes note that on or near 14-15 February, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology released a new directive. This was its title:
“Instructions on strengthening biosecurity management in microbiology labs that handle advanced viruses like the novel coronavirus.”
That Wuhan lab is the only known bioresearch lab in the country that handles such material.
Coincidence or coverup? We don’t know, but the holes in the fish-market story indicate that this may not be the real origin point. The Post piece offers quite a bit of information to back up their allegation. However, at this point, the source of the virus may not matter as much as the fact that it is out in the world and it is causing some very well-known problems.
What are the symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection?
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the symptoms of COVID-19 specifically are fever, cough and difficulty breathing.
This range of symptoms is not much different than that of a bad case of the flu or bronchitis, but it is presently believed that a person can carry the virus as long as fourteen days without showing any symptoms of the illness it causes. Normally, the symptoms appear around five days after infection, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.
Like many viral infections, there is no real cure that can be offered for one who is sickened by the virus. In most cases people who get sick recover on their own with rest and symptom-reliever types of medication. In this, COVID-19 is very much like the common cold. However COVID-19 is more severe, presently showing a fatality rate of about 3.4% among its victims, compared to 0.1% for the usual seasonal fatality rate for the regularly occurring range of influenza viruses.
At the time of this writing, the reported cases worldwide number 81,109. Of that number, 2,761 people are known to have succumbed to the illness, for a daily fatality reading of about 3.4% This number fluctuates from day to day, and the World Health Organization, which has been offering daily situation reports notes that the statistical growth of infected is still quite variable from day to day.
How fast is the virus spreading?
It is spreading quite rapidly, despite efforts to contain it. While China moved very quickly to make data about COVID-19 known to the world (another sign that the “official” origin story of this virus is not true), the fact that the virus can be carried asymptomatically means that short of closing all international borders, the virus will absolutely spread throughout all the world. While international border closures are helping to not spread the virus as fast as it could theoretically go, the key factor that is not solidly understood is its ability to be transmitted from person to person. There are strong indications that it does do this, so much so as to lead the United States’ own Center for Disease Control to issue a rather chilling warning:
Tucker Carlson gave a further thought that is quite logical: that the virus’s spread will indeed be of pandemic proportions, spreading to perhaps 70% of the world’s population. After all, it is a virus. Spreading is what viruses do.
Can the virus be stopped?
At this time, the answer is: no. There are reports of a vaccine being developed, and there are also reports of an anti-viral drug that has been developed and put into its first tests. This treatment, reported on by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a subsidiary of the National Institute of Health (NIH), specified that Remdesivir is the hoped-for magic bullet to stop the virus when it has already infected someone. This compound has shown signs of success with MERS and it was tested on victims of Ebola virus as well.
The Wall Street Journal and CNN both report that the biotech company Moderna says it has a coronavirus vaccine ready for first tests. However, inexplicably, the trials for this vaccine are not expected to begin until April, with the testing and approval process expected to take at least one year. This, believe it or not, is the “emergency” speed for such testing!
The upshot of this is that at present, the strategy to restrict travel and to establish quarantines where people test positive for the virus, is probably the only real recourse available. The goal, as noted in the video clip above, is to slow the transmission of the virus enough to buy some time for researchers to find a solution.
Tucker’s speculation appears to be quite logical, though of course, not very reassuring. It is quite likely that “cold and flu season” will become “cold, flu and coronavirus” season in the near future.
Does this mean we should worry?
This is the sixty-four thousand dollar question, of course. How does one answer it? Reports from Northern New Jersey at the time of this writing indicate there is a lot of worry, at least in some parts of the United States.
Some reports in real time (as of 4:15pm EST, 26 February 2020)
One source told me this evening that that North Jersey region is sold out of face masks, and that hand sanitizer is also almost completely sold out.
The City of San Francisco also declared a state of emergency. Given the atrocious state of that city’s streets, they have cause to worry, as do Los Angeles and other cities with rampant drug-use and homeless problems. That dovetails into politics and policy, but it is also a very real consequence of very poor handling of both of these.
In Northern New Mexico, another source tells me there appears to be little to no concern.
The same is true according to a source in Northeast Indiana.
While North Jersey reports shortages, a source in the New York / Connecticut area reports nothing out of the ordinary.
In Fort Collins, Colorado, there is an unconfirmed report of one case of Coronavirus infection, and everyone is being told to wash their hands… a lot.
In Moscow, Russia, where I live, I have seen a few people wearing face masks, markedly more than usual. Some people wear masks all the time in Moscow under the belief that the air quality in the city is bad, but that number is higher now, if only a little.
Russia presently reports only two cases of coronavirus, with both infected people having recovered. However, the media here tends to be a bit reluctant to rush to report on things like this, and while not anywhere close to the nightmare of “Soviet propaganda”, the way the media operate here is very different than the American rush to sensationalism. The media here will probably be a bit slow to respond to any changes in the severity of the outbreak unless it can also report verifiably that things are being done to help. That being said, the Russians are aware of the problem and know it is happening all around us, and it is certainly a present thought on their minds.
Should we worry? In the strictest sense, worrying does not accomplish anything. If anything it creates stress and stress can make a person more likely to get sick. It is still cold and flu season here in Russia, and a lot of people get sick here this time of year anyway. Worrying about the coronavirus, if and when an outbreak establishes itself in Russia, is not very productive when considered against the range of real issues we face every day here. This is true everywhere, even in China, which has borne the brunt of this outbreak thus far.
However, taking a little extra precaution seems to be a natural response. We will probably continue to see more face masks around here for a while. While we wait for the true development of antiviral meds and vaccines, and while we await the coming of warmer weather (which usually ends flu season – it is not known if it will end coronavirus season yet), there are a few more strained nerves. It is likely that those who like to focus on “the latest reason to panic” will be strongly tempted to do so, and for these people, a little extra work is in store to not panic.
We at The Duran will make every effort to cover this story accurately and dispassionately. This is a real crisis, but like most real crises, the sensational aspect is too easy to blow out of proportion. We will try not to add to any hype, but to simply offer clear information about this situation as it develops.
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Delhi Violence

The Delhi riots have been going on for days .
There are very suspicious activities that have been highlighted in video from local sources .
The police have been clearly shown to be doing nothing to taking part in the anti Muslim violence .
There are leaders with bullhorns leading the crowds on a very tactical level .
The alleged spark for this was a peaceful demonstration against Modi ’ s CAA ( Citizenship Amendment Act ) , laws which allow for easy immigration to India by non Muslim refugees fleeing Pakistan .
They are seen as being discriminatory against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in India than there are in Pakistan , it was not surprising that there was a Muslim demonstration organized in Delhi .
A violent counter demonstration broke out in Jafrabad , a district in Delhi where the first Muslim or “ minority ” demonstration took place .
Soon , they became city wide .
17 people have been killed as of this morning 02/26/20 EST , and that number went up to 20 by this afternoon .
It has been clear for at least 2 days that the police can not or will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their complicity is overwhelming .
A slain police officer is being referred to as “ martyred ” by India Today and NDTV and most editorials appear angry about the violence without much examination of what is happening .
There are numerous calls for the Army to be called in to quell the violence but so far , it has not happened .
Ambulances refused to rescue the injured until the High Court ( HC ) ordered them to .
There are obvious echoes of the tragic Indian violence in 1984 which Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the riots is suspicious as well .
It comes on the heels of the Trump visit which celebrated a dramatic increase in US sales and trade with India , much of it arms .
It is also almost exactly one year since the Indian retaliatory strike on Balakot , a compound of Pakistani supported terrorists within the borders of Pakistan and which caused a substantial bump in favorable support for the Modi government .
This new violence actually broke out while Trump was still in India .
The violence was well underway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally of some 100,000 enthusiastic Indian supporters .
One of the videos released on Indian TV shows a riot organizer , identified as Kapil Mishra , a BJP party member , declaring that the actions being taken while Trump was still in India would be relatively restrained .
He went on to warn the police that once Trump left the country , they needed to get out of the way .
This , the police apparently did and in many instances were caught on video .
There are numerous reports of outside provocateurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the war for the US is winding down in Afghanistan , is there an effort to start a new one by triggering an irredentist response from Pakistan ?
Who benefits from this ?
Was this a set up to embarrass Trump ?
It would seem premature to ask such questions if jezail.org did not have exclusive information and experience .
We are asking ourselves if this violence isn ’ t the opening move for an attempt by an American-Indian Defense consortium to take over Indian leadership through a war .
So we wind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 .
It was an event we didn ’ t bother to report but we were there .
A small peaceful demonstration was held in front of the Pakistani embassy in Washington DC .
We were invited to take part .
We did .
Jezail.org has long been vocal about Pakistani influence and double dealing in American politics and the Afghan war .
Jezail.org has a long history of speaking up about the dubious Pakistani-American relationship .
So it came as no surprise to us that we were invited to show up to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Embassy .
It was a small strange affair .
There were some 50 people .
Some , like myself and a colleague , Andrew Eiva , were there out of conviction ( although we did end up being paid ) .
However , money was not our motivation .
We are not fans of the government of Pakistan .
We have seen how the relationship between Pakistan and the US has been one of corruption , deception and murder .
We were the first to publicly identify a senior American diplomat as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first to call into question the sponsorship of Pakistan for the Taliban .
We have seen first hand , how the Army of Pakistan rules over a sham democracy .
We are deeply concerned that the war in Afghanistan is the tip of an iceberg of corruption that is the real explanation of why the US has been in Afghanistan and losing a war for 20 years .
This writer has carried a rifle in Afghanistan and has relatives in uniform .
So this old hand was going to be at the demonstration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had gathered was organized by Chakrabati Ustav , an Indian American living in the DC area .
While many of the demonstrators appeared to be genuine and primarily from the Indian community in America , a number of them seemed to be an odd fit .
In particular , we noticed a group of young black American Muslims who were not only in the crowd but also stepped up to speak .
This was an apparent contradiction .
When asked , it turned out that they were all employees of a security company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clothes .
Another person , who was apparently an organizer identified himself as an Indian-American working for an unspecified defense contractor .
He had no business card .
In fact , no one seemed to .
This all seemed out of the ordinary .
For one thing , defense contractors do not usually take part in demonstrations .
They cause them .
For another , people usually are keen to use demonstrations as a way of networking .
We left the organizers with our contact information and have not heard from them since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ended up being a featured speaker in the story as it appeared in both the Pakistani and Indian news coverage , one might expect a call back .
Nada .
Any time American Muslims take part in a demonstration against a Muslim country , especially Pakistan , it is worthy of some news coverage in itself .
Nada .
We found ourselves scratching our heads at the end of the day .
This demonstration did not feel right .
Jezail.org has been to many .
Ostensibly it was about Pakistani transgressions in Kashmir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , that ’ s also why we were there .
We fully support Indian victims of Pakistani terrorism .
We have always advocated that the Pakistani ISI has been behind the terrorist it claims operate independently .
We are mindful of those Muslims caught in the crossfire .
So for jezail.org , we see a connection to some seemingly random events .
Timing is everything .
We saw the increased trade with India as a forward motion for America even though it is primarily in the defense sector .
We filed a story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that it was not really about a single trade agreement .
It was about a broader significant increase in trade between India and the US .
Now , some 24 hours after we filed our last story , we find ourselves wondering if the timing of Trump ’ s visit wasn ’ t rigged to coincide with an attempt to set off an irredentist Pakistani response to anti Muslim riots that do not seem to be spontaneous but do seem to be a well organized mass crime .
We wonder if Trump wasn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face of the violence .
War has always been good business but it always needs fall guys to take the blame and its ’ financiers are rarely held accountable .
Regards to All , We mean to hold people accountable We name names , not just policies

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
The Delhi riots have been going on for days. There are very suspicious activities that have been highlighted in video from local sources. The police have been clearly shown to be doing nothing to taking part in the anti Muslim violence. There are leaders with bullhorns leading the crowds on a very tactical level. The alleged spark for this was a peaceful demonstration against Modi’s CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act), laws which allow for easy immigration to India by non Muslim refugees fleeing Pakistan. They are seen as being discriminatory against Muslims. As there are more Muslims in India than there are in Pakistan, it was not surprising that there was a Muslim demonstration organized in Delhi. A violent counter demonstration broke out in Jafrabad, a district in Delhi where the first Muslim or “minority” demonstration took place. Soon, they became city wide. 17 people have been killed as of this morning 02/26/20 EST, and that number went up to 20 by this afternoon. It has been clear for at least 2 days that the police cannot or will not handle this emergency adequately. Evidence of their complicity is overwhelming. A slain police officer is being referred to as “martyred” by India Today and NDTV and most editorials appear angry about the violence without much examination of what is happening. There are numerous calls for the Army to be called in to quell the violence but so far, it has not happened. Ambulances refused to rescue the injured until the High Court (HC) ordered them to. There are obvious echoes of the tragic Indian violence in 1984 which Mr. Modi was implicated in.
The timing of the riots is suspicious as well. It comes on the heels of the Trump visit which celebrated a dramatic increase in US sales and trade with India, much of it arms. It is also almost exactly one year since the Indian retaliatory strike on Balakot, a compound of Pakistani supported terrorists within the borders of Pakistan and which caused a substantial bump in favorable support for the Modi government. This new violence actually broke out while Trump was still in India. The violence was well underway as he and Mr. Modi addressed a rally of some 100,000 enthusiastic Indian supporters. One of the videos released on Indian TV shows a riot organizer, identified as Kapil Mishra, a BJP party member, declaring that the actions being taken while Trump was still in India would be relatively restrained. He went on to warn the police that once Trump left the country, they needed to get out of the way. This, the police apparently did and in many instances were caught on video. There are numerous reports of outside provocateurs. The situation begs questions: As the war for the US is winding down in Afghanistan, is there an effort to start a new one by triggering an irredentist response from Pakistan? Who benefits from this? Was this a set up to embarrass Trump?
It would seem premature to ask such questions if jezail.org did not have exclusive information and experience. We are asking ourselves if this violence isn’t the opening move for an attempt by an American-Indian Defense consortium to take over Indian leadership through a war. So we wind the clock back to December 9th of 2019. It was an event we didn’t bother to report but we were there. A small peaceful demonstration was held in front of the Pakistani embassy in Washington DC. We were invited to take part. We did. Jezail.org has long been vocal about Pakistani influence and double dealing in American politics and the Afghan war. Jezail.org has a long history of speaking up about the dubious Pakistani-American relationship. So it came as no surprise to us that we were invited to show up to a demonstration in front of the Pakistani Embassy.
It was a small strange affair. There were some 50 people. Some, like myself and a colleague, Andrew Eiva, were there out of conviction (although we did end up being paid). However, money was not our motivation. We are not fans of the government of Pakistan. We have seen how the relationship between Pakistan and the US has been one of corruption, deception and murder. We were the first to publicly identify a senior American diplomat as an agent of Pakistan. We were the first to call into question the sponsorship of Pakistan for the Taliban. We have seen first hand, how the Army of Pakistan rules over a sham democracy. We are deeply concerned that the war in Afghanistan is the tip of an iceberg of corruption that is the real explanation of why the US has been in Afghanistan and losing a war for 20 years. This writer has carried a rifle in Afghanistan and has relatives in uniform. So this old hand was going to be at the demonstration with bells on.
The crowd that had gathered was organized by Chakrabati Ustav, an Indian American living in the DC area. While many of the demonstrators appeared to be genuine and primarily from the Indian community in America, a number of them seemed to be an odd fit. In particular, we noticed a group of young black American Muslims who were not only in the crowd but also stepped up to speak. This was an apparent contradiction. When asked, it turned out that they were all employees of a security company based in Baltimore, rent-a-cops in plain clothes. Another person, who was apparently an organizer identified himself as an Indian-American working for an unspecified defense contractor. He had no business card. In fact, no one seemed to. This all seemed out of the ordinary. For one thing, defense contractors do not usually take part in demonstrations. They cause them. For another, people usually are keen to use demonstrations as a way of networking. We left the organizers with our contact information and have not heard from them since. In as much as this observer ended up being a featured speaker in the story as it appeared in both the Pakistani and Indian news coverage, one might expect a call back. Nada. Any time American Muslims take part in a demonstration against a Muslim country, especially Pakistan, it is worthy of some news coverage in itself. Nada.
We found ourselves scratching our heads at the end of the day. This demonstration did not feel right. Jezail.org has been to many. Ostensibly it was about Pakistani transgressions in Kashmir. There have been many. Indeed, that’s also why we were there. We fully support Indian victims of Pakistani terrorism. We have always advocated that the Pakistani ISI has been behind the terrorist it claims operate independently. We are mindful of those Muslims caught in the crossfire.
So for jezail.org, we see a connection to some seemingly random events. Timing is everything. We saw the increased trade with India as a forward motion for America even though it is primarily in the defense sector. We filed a story yesterday to that effect. We noted that it was not really about a single trade agreement. It was about a broader significant increase in trade between India and the US. Now, some 24 hours after we filed our last story, we find ourselves wondering if the timing of Trump’s visit wasn’t rigged to coincide with an attempt to set off an irredentist Pakistani response to anti Muslim riots that do not seem to be spontaneous but do seem to be a well organized mass crime. We wonder if Trump wasn’t set up to be the face of the violence. War has always been good business but it always needs fall guys to take the blame and its’ financiers are rarely held accountable.
Regards to All,
jezail.org on the web
and
jezail.org on FaceBook
We mean to hold people accountable
We name names, not just policies
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theduran--2020-02-27--Veteran Australian Rocker From Rose Tattoo Still Angry

I actually saw Rose Tattoo live in Leeds on either July 13 or July 14 , 1981 .
They were supporting Ritchie Blackmore , who was already a legend then .
Ritchie is still performing and recording , for the past quarter of a century with Candice Night , if you can believe that .
He is still a legend , and Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson is still , er , well , angry .
Rose Tattoo was formed in 1976 .
Gary Stephen Anderson was not quite a founder member , but he has been with the band @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been its only lead vocalist since .
Now 72 , Anderson has long been a controversial figure as well as an angry one .
In 1993 , he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his youth advocacy work , but in 2007 , he came under fire for his comments on Islamic immigration into Australia .
He has been involved in politics in a small way and has somewhat eclectic views saying at one point that so-called asylum seekers should be kicked out , but endorsing same-sex marriage .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Lindy Michael , or rather he had three sons .
The couple divorced after nearly twenty years of marriage , and their youngest son Liam was killed in November 2018 .
Anderson was understandably devastated .
Liam was said to have been punched and stamped to death by Michael Flame in a drug-induced frenzy .
The two were apparently close friends ; Flame was back in court last November , but has not yet stood trial .
Like many long-lived rock bands , Rose Tattoo has had a heavy turnover : bass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2006 , and another bass player , Lobby Loyde , died the following year .
Although well past pension age , Anderson is still playing live .
The oldest member of the band , but not massively so .
Drummer Jackie Barnes – son of rocker Jimmy Barnes – may be less than half his age , but bass player Mark Evans , who had a short tenure with AC/DC , is 63 .
Rose Tattoo will be undertaking a US tour in May ; details can be found on their official website @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t make it , on March 6 , they are releasing Outlaws .
The title comes from their best known – but far from best – track Rock ’ N ’ Roll Outlaw , an early group composition which was produced originally by the legendary team of Vanda & Young .
Available as a CD and limited edition vinyl as well as a download , the album kicks off with One Of The Boys , an autobiographical 1970s track not to be confused with the earlier Ian Hunter/Mick Ralphs composition from All The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s distinctive vocal , the most noticeable feature of Rose Tattoo is their slide guitar , which comes over well here .
Rock ’ N ’ Roll Outlaw is included of course , a proper album version , running to more than twice the length of the radio edit .
Of the 13 tracks on the album , Astra Wally has to be the one with the weirdest name , the only one with a weird name in fact .
Apparently Astra Wally is a real dude , or larrikin as they say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ album is fairly typical of Rose Tattoo ’ s output , who although never as big as AC/DC are sure to go down in history as one of Australia ’ s top bands .
It remains to be seen where that leaves Angry Anderson , but barring exceptional circumstances later this year he will attend the trial of his son ’ s killer and alleged murderer .
Rock ’ N ’ Roll can be a tough game , but next to that , it is a walk in the park .

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of this site. This site does not give financial, investment or medical advice.
I actually saw Rose Tattoo live in Leeds on either July 13 or July 14, 1981. They were supporting Ritchie Blackmore, who was already a legend then. Ritchie is still performing and recording, for the past quarter of a century with Candice Night, if you can believe that. He is still a legend, and Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson is still, er, well, angry.
Rose Tattoo was formed in 1976. Gary Stephen Anderson was not quite a founder member, but he has been with the band virtually from the off, and has been its only lead vocalist since.
Now 72, Anderson has long been a controversial figure as well as an angry one. In 1993, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia for his youth advocacy work, but in 2007, he came under fire for his comments on Islamic immigration into Australia. He has been involved in politics in a small way and has somewhat eclectic views saying at one point that so-called asylum seekers should be kicked out, but endorsing same-sex marriage.
Anderson has a daughter and three sons by Lindy Michael, or rather he had three sons. The couple divorced after nearly twenty years of marriage, and their youngest son Liam was killed in November 2018. Anderson was understandably devastated. Liam was said to have been punched and stamped to death by Michael Flame in a drug-induced frenzy. The two were apparently close friends; Flame was back in court last November, but has not yet stood trial.
Like many long-lived rock bands, Rose Tattoo has had a heavy turnover: bass player Ian Rilen died of cancer in 2006, and another bass player, Lobby Loyde, died the following year.
Although well past pension age, Anderson is still playing live. The oldest member of the band, but not massively so. Drummer Jackie Barnes – son of rocker Jimmy Barnes – may be less than half his age, but bass player Mark Evans, who had a short tenure with AC/DC, is 63.
Rose Tattoo will be undertaking a US tour in May; details can be found on their official website, but for those who can’t make it, on March 6, they are releasing Outlaws. The title comes from their best known – but far from best – track Rock ’N’ Roll Outlaw, an early group composition which was produced originally by the legendary team of Vanda & Young. Available as a CD and limited edition vinyl as well as a download, the album kicks off with One Of The Boys, an autobiographical 1970s track not to be confused with the earlier Ian Hunter/Mick Ralphs composition from All The Young Dudes.
Along with Anderson’s distinctive vocal, the most noticeable feature of Rose Tattoo is their slide guitar, which comes over well here. Rock ’N’ Roll Outlaw is included of course, a proper album version, running to more than twice the length of the radio edit.
Of the 13 tracks on the album, Astra Wally has to be the one with the weirdest name, the only one with a weird name in fact. Apparently Astra Wally is a real dude, or larrikin as they say in Australia. The rest of the album is fairly typical of Rose Tattoo’s output, who although never as big as AC/DC are sure to go down in history as one of Australia’s top bands.
It remains to be seen where that leaves Angry Anderson, but barring exceptional circumstances later this year he will attend the trial of his son’s killer and alleged murderer. Rock ’N’ Roll can be a tough game, but next to that, it is a walk in the park.
Read Later Add to Favourites Add to Collection Report