21stcenturywire--2020-01-17--Iran Missile Strikes: Beginning of a ‘New Middle East’?

On Jan 8 , 2020 , Iran responded to the US double assassination of leading Iranian and Iraqi military figures @ @ @ @ @ hitting two US military facilities in Iraq .
Despite incessant threats by Trump beforehand , @ @ @ @ @ to the Iranian strike .
Why not ?
Does this mark the next phase in @ @ @ @ @ Middle East ?
The days of US domination and blindly backing Israel , orchestrating regime @ @ @ @ @ resources – will eventually be over , but not before a highly dangerous protracted geopolitical @ @ @ @ @ host Marwa Osman discusses what just happened and where it ’ s heading with Patrick @ @ @ @ @ Wire news website .
Meanwhile , Sidqi Al-Maqt ’ s freedom is a live example @ @ @ @ @ in Israeli detention centers have only proven that wounds rule over knives , and that @ @ @ @ @ confinement through their steadfastness .
We discuss this segment with Laith Marouf , expert in @ @ @ @ @ :

By
On Jan 8, 2020, Iran responded to the US double assassination of leading Iranian and Iraqi military figures by mounting a missile strike hitting two US military facilities in Iraq. Despite incessant threats by Trump beforehand, the US did not respond to the Iranian strike. Why not?
Does this mark the next phase in the transition to a New Middle East? The days of US domination and blindly backing Israel, orchestrating regime change and looting of regional resources – will eventually be over, but not before a highly dangerous protracted geopolitical chess match. Host MidEaStream host Marwa Osman discusses what just happened and where it’s heading with Patrick Henningsen, founder the 21stCentury Wire news website. Meanwhile, Sidqi Al-Maqt’s freedom is a live example that 32 years of imprisonment in Israeli detention centers have only proven that wounds rule over knives, and that prisoners can free themselves from confinement through their steadfastness. We discuss this segment with Laith Marouf, expert in Middle East politics. Watch:
.
READ MORE IRAN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Iran Files
SUPPORT OUR INDEPENDENT MEDIA PLATFORM – BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV


21stcenturywire--2020-01-18--What’s Really Behind America’s ‘Russia Problem’

RINSE AND REPEAT : Back in 1996 , Time Magazine crowed about how a team of American “ specialists ” helped Boris Yeltsin get re-elected .
In 2016 , the US media flipped the script , now howling about how Vladimir Putin supposedly aided the Trump campaign .
“ Russia helped Trump get elected !
” , and “ The Russians interfered in the 2016 US elections !
” , and “ The Russians have attacked our democracy !
” etc .
Incredibly , these precepts still govern the parameters of political discourse for so many political and media operatives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ through to a large portion of the American electorate .
But are they actually true , and why is it still forbidden to question any these sweeping statements ?
Is America ’ s reoccurring obsession fueling a permanent case of western xenophobia against Russia ?
The following video presents an insightful conversation between high-profile pundits with opposing views , with veteran US news anchorman , Dan Rather , joined by renowned expert in US-Russian relations , Dr Stephen F. Cohen , and his wife Katrina Vanden Heuvel , editor of The Nation magazine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the discussion ( around the 55 min mark ) , Dan Rather shows how he still holds firm to Official Washington ’ s conspiracy theory that the Trump campaign somehow colluded with the Russians , but that nonetheless – we should all withhold our final judgment until the much-anticipated Mueller Report was released .
Well , not long after this discussion , the Mueller Report did come out – but unfortunately for Rather , and for so many other true believers in Russiagate ’ s political mythology , there was no evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempted to prove ‘ meddling ’ by indicting mysterious GRU Russian hackers , but even this turned out to be a groundless accusation .
Real Clear Investigations explains : While the 448-page Mueller report found no conspiracy between Donald Trump ’ s campaign and Russia , it offered voluminous details to support the sweeping conclusion that the Kremlin worked to secure Trump ’ s victory .
The report claims that the interference operation occurred “ principally ” on two fronts : Russian military intelligence officers hacked and leaked embarrassing Democratic Party documents , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sophisticated and far-reaching social media campaign that denigrated Hillary Clinton and promoted Trump .
But a close examination of the report shows that none of those headline assertions are supported by the report ’ s evidence or other publicly available sources .
They are further undercut by investigative shortcomings and the conflicts of interest of key players involved… Sadly , even a decorated journalist and American institution like Rather could not free himself from the mainstream ’ s inbred media echo chamber , where most mainstream Establishment figures are still permanently wed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the run-up to the 2020 Democratic Primaries , Rather continues to disseminate irrational fears that Putin is behind the latest political skirmishes between party front-runners – yet another example in a long line of evidence-free assertions which have appeared daily in western media since 2016 .
To any sober observer , all of this might sound like pure lunacy .
But liberal America ’ s unhealthy fetish with Russia isn ’ t going away just yet and in fact , it continues to get worse , as the usual culprits now doubling-down on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ THIS SPACE ( AND WATCH OUT FOR PUTIN TOO ) .

By
RINSE AND REPEAT: Back in 1996, Time Magazine crowed about how a team of American “specialists” helped Boris Yeltsin get re-elected. In 2016, the US media flipped the script, now howling about how Vladimir Putin supposedly aided the Trump campaign.
“Russia helped Trump get elected!”, and “The Russians interfered in the 2016 US elections!”, and “The Russians have attacked our democracy!” etc.
Incredibly, these precepts still govern the parameters of political discourse for so many political and media operatives. These same beliefs have filtered down through to a large portion of the American electorate. But are they actually true, and why is it still forbidden to question any of these sweeping statements? Is America’s reoccurring obsession fueling a permanent case of western xenophobia against Russia?
The following video presents an insightful conversation between high-profile pundits with opposing views, with veteran US news anchorman, Dan Rather, joined by renowned expert in US-Russian relations, Dr Stephen F. Cohen, and his wife Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation magazine. Watch:
.
Towards the end of the discussion (around the 55 min mark), Dan Rather shows how he still holds firm to Official Washington’s conspiracy theory that the Trump campaign somehow colluded with the Russians, but nevertheless – we should all withhold our final judgment until the much-anticipated Mueller Report was released. Well, not long after this discussion, the Mueller Report did come out – but unfortunately for Rather, and for so many other true believers in Russiagate’s political mythology, there was no evidence of any collusion or interference. Mueller attempted to prove ‘meddling’ by indicting mysterious GRU Russian hackers, but even this turned out to be a groundless accusation. Real Clear Investigations explains:
While the 448-page Mueller report found no conspiracy between Donald Trump’s campaign and Russia, it offered voluminous details to support the sweeping conclusion that the Kremlin worked to secure Trump’s victory. The report claims that the interference operation occurred “principally” on two fronts: Russian military intelligence officers hacked and leaked embarrassing Democratic Party documents, and a government-linked troll farm orchestrated a sophisticated and far-reaching social media campaign that denigrated Hillary Clinton and promoted Trump. But a close examination of the report shows that none of those headline assertions are supported by the report’s evidence or other publicly available sources. They are further undercut by investigative shortcomings and the conflicts of interest of key players involved…
Sadly, even a decorated journalist and American institution like Rather could not free himself from the mainstream’s inbred media echo chamber, where most mainstream Establishment figures are still permanently wed to this national security state narrative. In the run-up to the 2020 Democratic Primaries, Rather continues to disseminate irrational fears that Putin is behind the latest political skirmishes between party front-runners – yet another example in a long line of evidence-free assertions which have appeared daily in western media since 2016.
A classic Russian ploy is to sow division and distrust between natural allies. So when you see overblown outrage trending on Twitter, ask yourself WWPW (what would Putin want) and maybe breathe and let the hashtag pass. — Dan Rather (@DanRather) January 17, 2020
To any sober observer, all of this might sound like pure lunacy. But liberal America’s unhealthy fetish with Russia isn’t going away just yet and in fact, it continues to get worse, as the usual culprits now are doubling-down on this losing formula in 2020.
WATCH THIS SPACE (AND WATCH OUT FOR PUTIN TOO).
READ MORE RUSSIAGATE NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Russiagate Files
SUPPORT OUR INDEPENDENT MEDIA PLATFORM – BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV


21stcenturywire--2020-01-18--INTERVIEW: Mohammad Marandi on America’s Miscalculation with Iran

On January 8 , 2020 , Iran responded to the United States by launching a missile strike which hit two @ @ @ @ @ and Erbil in Iraq .
The Iraqi Parliament also decided that US troops must leave @ @ @ @ @ the Trump administration insists on saying , and that Iran should return to the JCPOA @ @ @ @ @ ’ s gambit work , or has it finally cashed-in its last imperialist chips ?
@ @ @ @ @ SUNDAY WIRE show , we spoke with special guest , Iranian political and global affairs @ @ @ @ @ Tehran , Dr. Mohammad Marandi , to discuss what really happened between the US and @ @ @ @ @ these events will affect East-West international relations and diplomacy going forward .
Time and time @ @ @ @ @ and miscalculated Iran and other countries in the region , leading to a string of @ @ @ @ @ :

By
On January 8, 2020, Iran responded to the United States by launching a missile strike which hit two US military bases in Anbar and Erbil in Iraq. The Iraqi Parliament also decided that US troops must leave their country. Still, the Trump administration insists on staying, and that Iran should return to the JCPOA negotiation table. Will Washington’s gambit work, or has it finally cashed-in its last imperialist chips?
In EP 310 of the SUNDAY WIRE show, we spoke with special guest, Iranian political and global affairs analyst from the University of Tehran, Dr. Mohammad Marandi, to discuss what really happened between the US and Iran recently, and how these events will affect East-West international relations and diplomacy going forward. Time and time again, Washington has misread and miscalculated Iran and other countries in the region, leading to a string of foreign policy failures. Listen:
READ MORE IRAN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Iran Files
SUPPORT OUR INDEPENDENT MEDIA PLATFORM – BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV


21stcenturywire--2020-01-19--INTERVIEW: Robert Inlakesh how US vs Iran fallout affects Israel-Palestine impasse

The US strike on Iran ’ s General Qassem Soleimani , the commander the elite Quds Force , opened-up a @ @ @ @ @ for Washington and its allies in the region , but even more importantly – it @ @ @ @ @ together as Arab and Persian countries , along with their allies further afield , congeal @ @ @ @ @ arrangement .
In EP 310 of SUNDAY WIRE show , we talk with Press TV @ @ @ @ @ fallout from recent events between the US and Iran , and also how all of @ @ @ @ @ between the US and its allies on one side , and the ‘ Axis of @ @ @ @ @ , as well as how Israel and Palestine are reacting to recent events .
Listen @

By
The US strike on Iran’s General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the elite Quds Force, opened-up a veritable Pandora’s box for Washington and its allies in the region, but even more importantly – it has brought other countries closer together as Arab and Persian countries, along with their allies further afield, congeal into an unofficial collective security arrangement.
In EP 310 of SUNDAY WIRE show, we talk with Press TV correspondent Robert Inlakesh about the fallout from recent events between the US and Iran, and also how all of this is shaping regional strategy between the US and its allies on one side, and the ‘Axis of Resistance’ on the other, as well as how Israel and Palestine are reacting to recent events. Listen:
READ MORE IRAN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Iran Files
SUPPORT OUR INDEPENDENT MEDIA PLATFORM – BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV


21stcenturywire--2020-01-18--What’s Really Behind America’s ‘Russia Problem’?


21stcenturywire--2020-01-19--SUNDAY SCREENING: ‘Paying the Price: The Killing of the Children of Iraq’ (2000)

Our weekly documentary film , curated by our team at 21WIRE .
This ground-breaking documentary by award-winning journalist and filmmaker @ @ @ @ @ effects of US-led international sanctions on the people of Iraq , depleted uranium contamination , @ @ @ @ @ years of extraordinary isolation imposed by the United Nations – and enforced by the US @ @ @ @ @ more people than the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan .
Watch : SEE MORE @ @ @

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Our weekly documentary film, curated by our team at 21WIRE.
This ground-breaking documentary by award-winning journalist and filmmaker John Pilger, investigates the effects of US-led international sanctions on the people of Iraq, depleted uranium contamination, and discovers that after ten years of extraordinary isolation imposed by the United Nations – and enforced by the US and Britain, have killed more people than the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan. Watch:
.
Run time: 1 hour 15 min
Director: Alan Lowery
Producer: John Pilger
Production: Carlton Television
SEE MORE SUNDAY SCREENING HERE
READ MORE IRAQ NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Iraq Files
SUPPORT OUR INDEPENDENT MEDIA PLATFORM – BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV


21stcenturywire--2020-01-19--Episode #311 – ‘Out of Babylon’ guest Sami Ramadani and more

Episode # 311 of SUNDAY WIRE SHOW resumes on Jan 19 , 2019 with host Patrick Henningsen , broadcasting LIVE on the Alternate Current Radio Network ( ACR ) … 5pm-8pm UK Time | 12pm-3pm ET ( US ) | 9am-12pm PT ( US ) This week the SUNDAY WIRE broadcasts LIVE on ACR with host Patrick Henningsen covering the top stories in the US , Europe and internationally .
This week we ’ ll break down the latest from the # Impeachment debacle , how the Democrat 2020 Primary race just got dirty , as well as the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crumbling JCPOA Nuclear Deal .
Later in the first hour , we welcome a very special guest , Iraqi author , lecturer and prominent antiwar activist , Sami Ramadani , to discuss the current deadlock in the Middle East – as a reaction to Trump ’ s double-assassination , and Iran ’ s surprise missile retaliation , with the US now refusing to withdraw its military forces from Iraq .
Does this signal a major power shift in the region , and the world ?
In the final segment of overdrive , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Correspondent for Culture & Sport , Basil Valentine , for discussion on a taboo subject in the British mainstream – the latest “ 10-point pledge ” issued by the Board of Deputies of British Jews ( BoD ) to the Labour Party , allegedly “ to tackle the anti-semitism crisis , ” but in reality it is being used to purge the Labour Party of left-wing , anti-apartheid , antiwar members .
All this and much more .
Enjoy the show… AND ALSO BECOME A TEAM MEMBER @ 21WIRE.TV *NOTE : THIS EPISODE @ @ @ @ @ @ @

By
Episode #311 of SUNDAY WIRE SHOW resumes on Jan 19, 2020 with host Patrick Henningsen, broadcasting LIVE on the Alternate Current Radio Network (ACR)…
LISTEN LIVE ON THIS PAGE – START TIMES:
5pm-8pm UK Time | 12pm-3pm ET (US) | 9am-12pm PT (US)
This week the SUNDAY WIRE broadcasts LIVE on ACR with host Patrick Henningsen covering the top stories in the US, Europe and internationally. This week we’ll break down the latest from the #Impeachment debacle, how the Democrat 2020 Primary race just got dirty, as well as the new escalation from Europe against Iran over the crumbling JCPOA Nuclear Deal. Later in the first hour, we welcome a very special guest, Iraqi author, lecturer and prominent antiwar activist, Sami Ramadani, to discuss the current deadlock in the Middle East – as a reaction to Trump’s double-assassination, and Iran’s surprise missile retaliation, with the US now refusing to withdraw its military forces from Iraq. Does this signal a major power shift in the region, and the world? In the final segment of overdrive, we’ll talk with SUNDAY WIRE Roving Correspondent for Culture & Sport, Basil Valentine, for discussion on a taboo subject in the British mainstream – the latest “10-point pledge” issued by the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD) to the Labour Party, allegedly “to tackle the anti-semitism crisis,” but in reality it is being used to purge the Labour Party of left-wing, anti-apartheid, antiwar members. All this and much more. Enjoy the show…
SUPPORT 21WIRE: DONATE TO OUR WINTER FUNDRAISING DRIVE!
AND ALSO BECOME A TEAM MEMBER@21WIRE.TV
*NOTE: THIS EPISODE MAY CONTAIN STRONG LANGUAGE AND MATURE THEMES*
Download Episode #311
Sunday Wire Radio Show Archives


21stcenturywire--2020-01-19--The Pledge: Labour’s Contrived ‘anti-Semitism Crisis’ Outlives Corbyn

Once Jeremy Corbyn assumed his party ’ s leadership in 2015 , the Israeli Lobby , Conservative Party operatives and the mainstream press began a highly coordinated defamation campaign designed to damage the Labour leader and party ’ s reputation , and to keep him from ever reaching No.10 Downing Street .
All this despite the fact that Corbyn has been a life-long anti-racism campaigner .
The Establishment ’ s propaganda and smear operation was successful enough to convince a large enough portion of the population that the socialist and anti-imperialist movement which swept Corbyn into power – was somehow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This will go down in history as one of greatest propaganda efforts ever – successfully creating a total inversion of reality in order to turn a general election .
Still , even after the 2019 General Election and Tory landslide victory , the same cartel has continued their full-court press in a bid to dismantle the Labour Party , as Tony Blair ’ s pro-war neoliberal New Labour faction and the pro-Israel lobby team-up to intimidate and purge any remaining dissenters from the party ’ s ranks .
Blairites are now openly using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their political competition .
If the current Stalinist purge is allowed to continue , it runs the risk of ruining British politics for at least the next decade… Candidates for the leadership of the UK ’ s Labour Party have capitulated to new demands from the Israel lobby .
The Board of Deputies of British Jews is insisting that whoever replaces Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in April should effectively institute purges of the party membership .
So the fabricated “ anti-Semitism crisis ” in Britain ’ s main opposition party rages on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month – which other Israel lobbyists have now claimed responsibility for .
The Board of Deputies on Sunday issued 10 “ pledges ” – or “ demands ” as The Jewish Chronicle reported – “ to end the anti-Semitism crisis.
” In what was clearly a coordinated action , all five candidates who have received sufficient nominations to be on the ballot paper in the leadership contest instantly agreed to the Board ’ s demands .
These included the supposedly left-wing shadow minister Rebecca Long-Bailey .
She commands the most support among Labour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with Keir Starmer , the party ’ s main spokesperson on Brexit , in second position .
The group Labour Against the Witch Hunt has condemned the demands , calling on candidates to reject them .
Long-Bailey posted a fawning blog post on The Times of Israel website acceding to all the Board of Deputies ’ demands .
In a sign of how the witch hunt has becoming increasingly McCarthyite , she committed to expelling Labour members supposedly guilty of “ diminishing the problem of anti-Semitism.
” Her blog post was promoted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – who has been part of the witch hunt for some time now .
Emily Thornberry , another shadow minister now running to be leader , published an even more disgusting blog post on The Times of Israel .
Thornberry gives the game away by openly stating that the so-called crisis is really all about defending Israel .
She reveals that she launched a “ battle ” against Corbyn ’ s advisers over the 2019 manifesto ’ s Palestine policy – which included a commitment to an arms embargo against Israel for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is an organization that spends most of its time lobbying for Israel , but is also a Jewish communal body .
In its list of 10 demands , it said that Labour members who “ support , campaign or provide a platform ” to anyone disciplined by the party for alleged anti-Semitism “ should themselves be suspended.
” Another of the stipulations would give “ Jewish representative bodies ” – presumably including the Board itself – an effective veto over Labour ’ s disciplinary processes , including the handling of confidential data .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jewish Labour Movement be put in charge of “ anti-racism education ” and run the party ’ s anti-Semitism training .
The Jewish Labour Movement is an openly Zionist organisation with intimate ties to the Israeli embassy in London .
It has been at the forefront of the manufactured “ Labour anti-Semitism ” campaign against Corbyn over the last four and a half years .
The Board also calls for Labour to endorse the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance “ working definition ” of anti-Semitism “ without qualification.
” That controversial document has not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight genuine anti-Semitism ; most of the “ examples ” cited by it concern Israel .
SEE ALSO : Documentary : ‘ The Israeli Lobby in Britain ’ ( 2017 ) Among other stipulations , the document prohibits denying “ the Jewish people their right to self-determination ” by criticizing Israel as “ a racist endeavor.
” This potentially forbids Labour members from advocating for a unitary democratic state for everyone in historic Palestine .
In 2018 , despite opposition by Palestinian , Black and other ethnic minority groups , and despite wide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ controversial document .
But Corbyn unsuccessfully attempted to append a qualifying statement to the document before it formally became party policy .
Corbyn had sought to give Labour activists the freedom to describe Israeli policies as racist .
Labour is also running an election for deputy leader .
That post became vacant following the resignation of Tom Watson last year .
Of the five candidates to fill the vacancy , only Dawn Butler and Richard Burgon have not agreed to the Board ’ s demands .
The left-wing group Jewish Voice for Labour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ That this hostile body should be given a prominent – if not dominant – voice in the internal affairs of the Labour Party beggars belief , ” the group stated .
The Jewish anti-Zionist and socialist campaigner Tony Greenstein wrote a blog post at the weekend condemning the Board ’ s hypocricy over the fabricated crisis .
“ The Board of Deputies have never fought anti-Semitism , ” he wrote .
“ My father , like Jeremy [ Corbyn ’ s ] mother , took part in the 1936 Battle of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s British Union of Fascists .
The Board of Deputies told him and other Jews to stay at home.
” Other anti-Palestinian activists have made their own demands on Labour .
David Hirsh , an academic who campaigns against the Palestinian call for a boycott of Israel , tweeted that Labour must “ beg ” Luciana Berger , Joan Ryan and Louise Ellman – three former MPs who are part of the Israel lobby – to come back .

By
Once Jeremy Corbyn assumed his party’s leadership in 2015, the Israeli Lobby, Conservative Party operatives and the mainstream press began a highly coordinated defamation campaign designed to damage the Labour leader and party’s reputation, and to keep him from ever reaching No.10 Downing Street. All this despite the fact that Corbyn has been a life-long anti-racism campaigner. The Establishment’s propaganda and smear operation was successful enough to convince a large enough portion of the population that the socialist and anti-imperialist movement which swept Corbyn into power was somehow ‘anti-semitic’ at its core. A total inversion of reality. This will go down in history as one of greatest propaganda efforts ever – successfully creating a total inversion of reality in order to turn a general election.
Still, even after the 2019 General Election and Tory landslide victory, the same cartel has continued their full-court press in a bid to dismantle the Labour Party, as Tony Blair’s pro-war neoliberal New Labour faction and the pro-Israel lobby team-up to intimidate and purge any remaining dissenters from the party’s ranks. Labour’s Blairites are now openly using the anti-semitism tactic in order to eliminate their political competition.
If the current Stalinist purge is allowed to continue, it runs the risk of ruining British politics for at least the next decade…
Asa Whitstanley
Electronic Intifada
Candidates for the leadership of the UK’s Labour Party have capitulated to new demands from the Israel lobby.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews is insisting that whoever replaces Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader in April should effectively institute purges of the party membership.
So the fabricated “anti-Semitism crisis” in Britain’s main opposition party rages on, despite Corbyn’s defeat last month – which other Israel lobbyists have now claimed responsibility for.
The Board of Deputies on Sunday issued 10 “pledges” – or “demands” as The Jewish Chronicle reported – “to end the anti-Semitism crisis.”
In what was clearly a coordinated action, all five candidates who have received sufficient nominations to be on the ballot paper in the leadership contest instantly agreed to the Board’s demands.
These included the supposedly left-wing shadow minister Rebecca Long-Bailey. She commands the most support among Labour members, according to one opinion poll, with Keir Starmer, the party’s main spokesperson on Brexit, in second position.
The group Labour Against the Witch Hunt has condemned the demands, calling on candidates to reject them.
Fawning
Long-Bailey posted a fawning blog post on The Times of Israel website acceding to all the Board of Deputies’ demands.
In a sign of how the witch hunt has becoming increasingly McCarthyite, she committed to expelling Labour members supposedly guilty of “diminishing the problem of anti-Semitism.”
Her blog post was promoted online by her campaign manager Jon Lansman – who has been part of the witch hunt for some time now.
“It is never OK to respond to allegations of racism by being defensive…. The only acceptable response to any accusation of racist prejudice is self-scrutiny, self-criticism and self-improvement” Well said Rebecca, writing on antisemitism in Jewish News https://t.co/ct2YKPw6Sn — Jon Lansman (@jonlansman) January 12, 2020
Emily Thornberry, another shadow minister now running to be leader, published an even more disgusting blog post on The Times of Israel.
Thornberry gives the game away by openly stating that the so-called crisis is really all about defending Israel. She reveals that she launched a “battle” against Corbyn’s advisers over the 2019 manifesto’s Palestine policy – which included a commitment to an arms embargo against Israel for the first time.
Blackmail
The Board of Deputies is an organization that spends most of its time lobbying for Israel, but is also a Jewish communal body.
In its list of 10 demands, it said that Labour members who “support, campaign or provide a platform” to anyone disciplined by the party for alleged anti-Semitism “should themselves be suspended.”
Another of the stipulations would give “Jewish representative bodies” – presumably including the Board itself – an effective veto over Labour’s disciplinary processes, including the handling of confidential data.
The Board is also demanding that the Jewish Labour Movement be put in charge of “anti-racism education” and run the party’s anti-Semitism training.
The Jewish Labour Movement is an openly Zionist organisation with intimate ties to the Israeli embassy in London. It has been at the forefront of the manufactured “Labour anti-Semitism” campaign against Corbyn over the last four and a half years.
The Board also calls for Labour to endorse the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance “working definition” of anti-Semitism “without qualification.” That controversial document has not been drawn up as a tool to fight genuine anti-Semitism; most of the “examples” cited by it concern Israel.
SEE ALSO: Documentary: ‘The Israeli Lobby in Britain’ (2017)
Among other stipulations, the document prohibits denying “the Jewish people their right to self-determination” by criticizing Israel as “a racist endeavor.” This potentially forbids Labour members from advocating for a unitary democratic state for everyone in historic Palestine.
In 2018, despite opposition by Palestinian, Black and other ethnic minority groups, and despite wide grassroots opposition, Labour fully endorsed the controversial document.
But Corbyn unsuccessfully attempted to append a qualifying statement to the document before it formally became party policy. Corbyn had sought to give Labour activists the freedom to describe Israeli policies as racist.
Dissent
Labour is also running an election for deputy leader. That post became vacant following the resignation of Tom Watson last year. Of the five candidates to fill the vacancy, only Dawn Butler and Richard Burgon have not agreed to the Board’s demands.
The left-wing group Jewish Voice for Labour has condemned the Board’s interference. “That this hostile body should be given a prominent – if not dominant – voice in the internal affairs of the Labour Party beggars belief,” the group stated.
The Jewish anti-Zionist and socialist campaigner Tony Greenstein wrote a blog post at the weekend condemning the Board’s hypocricy over the fabricated crisis.
“The Board of Deputies have never fought anti-Semitism,” he wrote. “My father, like Jeremy [Corbyn’s] mother, took part in the 1936 Battle of Cable Street against [Oswald] Mosley’s British Union of Fascists. The Board of Deputies told him and other Jews to stay at home.”
Beg Luciana Berger, Joan Ryan and Louise Ellman to come back; expel three antisemitic MPs with safe Labour seats, get them elected back to Parliament. Then we'll talk https://t.co/v8X3RyVIkN — David Hirsh (@DavidHirsh) January 12, 2020
Other anti-Palestinian activists have made their own demands on Labour.
David Hirsh, an academic who campaigns against the Palestinian call for a boycott of Israel, tweeted that Labour must “beg” Luciana Berger, Joan Ryan and Louise Ellman – three former MPs who are part of the Israel lobby – to come back.
Read more Palestine news at Electronic Infifada
READ MORE PALESTINE NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Palestine Files
SUPPORT OUR INDEPENDENT MEDIA PLATFORM – BECOME A MEMBER @21WIRE.TV


21stcenturywire--2020-01-19--INTERVIEW: Robert Inlakesh on how US vs Iran fallout affects Israel-Palestine impasse

The US strike on Iran ’ s General Qassem Soleimani , the commander of the elite Quds Force , opened-up @ @ @ @ @ box for Washington and its allies in the region , but even more importantly – @ @ @ @ @ closer together as Arab and Persian countries , along with their allies further afield , @ @ @ @ @ security arrangement .
In EP 310 of SUNDAY WIRE show , we talk with Press @ @ @ @ @ the fallout from recent events between the US and Iran , and also how all @ @ @ @ @ strategy between the US and its allies on one side , and the ‘ Axis @ @ @ @ @ other , as well as how Israel and Palestine are reacting to recent events .
@ @


21stcenturywire--2020-01-20--The Sadness of Submissive, Quietly Recolonized Malaysia

I am not sure when and how it happened , or even what precisely took place , but suddenly , nothing feels the same , and nothing feels right in Malaysia .
Several years ago , things used to be totally different here .
One would land at KLIA ( Kuala Lumpur International Airport ) – in the past one of the most modern and well-run mid-sized airports in the world , located some 70 kilometers from the city – and feel the omnipresent optimism and pride .
Malaysia was on the rise : a fast train was connecting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was passing near the famous Formula-1 circuit , the new capital city of Putrajaya , a modern city designed for science and technological research – Cyberjaya – and finally terminating at the modern KL Sentral train station and public transportation hub .
Futuristic Kuala Lumpur also counted with a super modern and elegant concert hall fully dedicated to classical music .
It was right under the Petronas Towers , once the tallest building in the world .
Modern monorail and driverless trains were transporting people in style to different corners of the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was present , but everyone knew that Malaysian censors were too lazy to read ) .
Extreme , Indonesian-style , misery hardly existed .
Indeed , Malaysia had ‘ made it ’ – it had landed itself on the list of the highest development index countries ( Human Development Index , HDI , measured by UNDP ) – together with countries such as Chile and Argentina , Russia and Qatar , as well as the nations of Europe and North America .
Malaysia was manufacturing its own car brand – Proton – and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to co-produce aircraft .
Nightclubs were packed , political humor thriving , and even religions were not immune to criticism , as long as the punches were being delivered in an ‘ appropriate ’ and secular environment , behind the curtains of bookstores and private events .
In those days , I loved visiting Malaysia .
I loved living there , for weeks and months .
Next door , a collapsed Indonesia felt like the de-composing carcass of a huge fish : covered by smog , intolerant , intellectually destroyed , racist and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I used to escape to Kuala Lumpur for weeks ; in order to gain perspective , in order to eat well , to visit theaters , concerts , parks , to interact with my Malaysian friends – writers , filmmakers , and academics .
Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur felt as if they were existing on two different planets .
A 1 hour and 40 minutes ’ flight , and everything would diametrically change .
Suddenly it was possible to walk under the trees and on wide sidewalks , to attend great concerts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ my books , and above all , to be understood .
And yet , yet even then , there was something rotten in the intellectual fabric of Kuala Lumpur .
It was hard to detect , to explain , but it was constantly there , right under the surface .
Now I am looking back , and I am trying to comprehend .
It is not easy , but not impossible .
I recall a Malaysian filmmaker who made a 2-minute long film , and attended dozens of international film festivals showing it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just a tiny bark , nothing serious .
But he was a Malaysian , and therefore worth being pampered and supported .
Because Malaysia had very few filmmakers – and the West wanted to make sure that it owns them .
It felt obnoxious , even perverse , as I knew several great , brilliant left-wing filmmakers in Chile , Brazil , France , U.K. who made ground-breaking films , but were not supported by anyone , living near-starvation existence .
I remember how , decisively , all Malaysian ‘ intellectuals ’ were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acknowledge , the horrors that were taking place in neighboring Indonesia .
Why ?
Because Indonesia , after 1965 , became a true Western neo-colony ; plundered , brainwashed and looted by both local treasonous and corrupt ‘ elites ’ and by multi-national corporations and Western governments .
Someone was , of course , paying for this silence .
I recall how Malaysian writers were falling over each other to attend a “ Writers ’ and Readers ’ Festival ” in Ubud , Bali , Indonesia – an anti “ LEKRA ” ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to which belonged such great novelists as Pramoedya Ananta Toer ) event organized by pro-Western institutions and pseudo-intellectual Goenawan Mohamad .
All expenses paid , of course ( by whom , we could only guess ) .
Unlike in many Latin American countries , or in China or Russia , for Malaysian and Indonesian intellectuals , there is no such thing as “ dirty money.
” Money is money – always halal .
Western corporate media propaganda is everywhere in Malaysia ( Photo : Andre Vltchek 2020© ) Malaysian filmmakers , writers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but diligently support Western propaganda , when it is targeting Russia , and even when attacking such far-away countries such as South Africa .
The United Kingdom has been omnipresent , through family ties and ‘ education ’ through the British Council which has been spreading funding and ideological dogmas , but also through its main propaganda outlets such as the BBC .
I met a writer who had her entire work sponsored by the Western outlets , and who was flown to places as diverse as the Caribbean Islands and Alaska , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which has been glorifying both transgender rights and big business construction of motorways .
When I confronted her on this issue , she replied , simply and honestly : “ I have two children to raise.
” Malaysian art festivals have been clearly propagating the Western line of thinking too .
By mistake , I was invited to one ( in old city of Georgetown ) .
But never again .
There are certain unwritten rules , including : no open criticism of Western imperialism , and no direct support for countries like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Local artists and writers are paid to talk and write about sexual habits , such as homosexuality or trans-gender issues , instead of the horrors taking place next-door , like the genocide in West Papua , where Indonesia has managed to murder around 500,000 people on behalf of Western multi-national companies and governments .
Taboo is also touching what made Malaysia relatively wealthy – thorough plunder of its environment through palm oil plantations and mining , as well as mistreatment of indigenous people on the territory of two of its states located @ @ @ @ @ @ @ became unrecognizable .
And it happened unbelievably fast .
Malaysia ’ s capital city of Kuala Lumpur is struggling with a seemingly inescapable smog problem ( Photo : Andre Vltchek 2020© ) Kuala Lumpur ( as well as Singapore ) have been choking on smog from the burning Indonesian islands of Kalimantan ( Indonesian part of Borneo , the third largest island in the world ) and Sumatra , but no explosion of outrage has been detectable from the Malaysian “ thinkers ” .
No outrage over US and EU attacks against Afghanistan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leaders , at times , were more outspoken than the funding-hungry local intellectuals .
Prime Minister of Malaysia , according to Reuters , reacted to assassination of Iranian General Soleimani : “ Muslim countries should unite to protect themselves against external threats , Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday after describing the U.S. killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani as immoral.
” Malaysian ‘ educated circles ’ have been proving , again and again , that their country is a well-behaved colony .
A cowardly , client state .
Suddenly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who were well known but at odds with Western imperialism , it has become near impossible to work ( give speeches or to get interviewed ) in Malaysia .
All the doors have been shut .
We can not get any quotes from Malaysian academics , artists or politicians .
Cowardice and self-interest , has become the main driving force .
I have never forgotten , how during the conflict between the Philippines and Malaysia , I went to Borneo , and wrote an extremely sarcastic essay about the event .
I got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who even crossed the sea in order to talk to me , on the record .
I got a couple of quotes from Malaysians , too .
But after my long essay was published , the Malaysians protested : “ We did not know you will be so sarcastic in your work ” .
They were too careful , too disciplined , unwilling to risk anything .
CASH CROP : The country ’ s landscapes are dominated by endless palm oil plantations ( Photo : Andre Vltchek 2020© ) There is no way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the terror which the West is spreading all over the world , or about the West ’ s best ally – Wahhabism .
Or about the shameless collaboration of the Southeast Asian nations with the West .
Not even about that ‘ greatest Malaysian secret ’ : “ Almost all that scientific research , and native production , totally failed : the country basically lives , like Indonesia , although on a much higher level , from the plundering of its natural resources ; from irreversibly and brutally ruining of its land @ @ @ @ @ @ @ turning both peninsular Malaysia and Borneo into one huge and horrific oil palm plantation , dotted with mining pits .
Malaysia also functions as an assembly like , a maquiladora for multi-national companies.
” Those who protest or speak out about what has been done to the native people of Borneo , die .
And so , nobody does , anymore .
This is what broke the spine of Malaysia : its unwillingness to risk .
Its lack of courage .
Its dependence on former and present colonial masters .
Its submissiveness .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this part of the world in my political novel Aurora .
The great fiery socialist , anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist Indonesian leader , Ahmed Sukarno , knew all this very well .
He saw Malaysia as basically a puppet state of the West .
He had launched campaign of Konfrontasi against his neighbor and its British handler .
And the neighbor – Malaysia – fired back : it later quietly embraced the fascist regime of General Suharto , which overthrew Sukarno and the Communist Party of Indonesia ( PKI ) , in the bloodiest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a coup which was triggered by the West in 1965 .
Since the coup , Malaysia has flatly refused to openly criticize anything about Indonesia : from murdering 2 million people in 1965 , to the genocide in East Timor , as well as the on-going genocide in occupied West Papua .
And of course , no word about the monstrous destruction of Indonesian nature , as something similar , although not as extreme , has been taking place in Malaysia itself .
Now , Malaysia feels depressed , and looks depressing .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and strip mining are unsustainable , and yet the policy continues at a break-neck speed ( Photo : Andre Vltchek 2020© ) Here , in this essay , on purpose , I do not talk much about the previous political era , and about the return of “ Doctor M ” to power .
Nor do I write about who used to sponsor Anwar Ibrahim , and who then decided that it is unwise , for now , to sponsor Anwar , shouting that it is time to give “ another chance to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say that almost all these decisions came from abroad .
Let me recall , however , how most of the foreign-sponsored members of the so-called Malaysian opposition were determinedly supporting the totally discredited neo-liberal Anwar Ibrahim , when he was a ‘ Washington ’ s favorite ’ .
And they dropped him precisely when the marching orders arrived from far away Europe and the US .
Doctor M whom they “ fought ” so determinedly against , but of course for a fee , suddenly deserved of a “ second chance , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , by their “ handlers ” .
It all happened so openly , so shamelessly , and so predictably .
Yes , Malaysia is a sad country .
Two of its wide-body passenger jets went down , killing hundreds of people and ruining one of the proudest airlines in Asia , but no one here truly investigates , how and why it occurred .
It is not a fully taboo topic , but it is definitely semi-taboo .
Almost no one is investigating the past , either .
Things are hushed up , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Indonesia .
Of course , the horrors that have been taking place in Indonesia are incomparably greater in comparison to the ‘ mild devilishness ’ which happened in Malaysia .
But still… It took a Sri Lankan born author , Lloyd Fernando , to describe the religious ‘ riots ’ in Malaysia ; the 1969 killings and wave of torture unleashed against non-Muslims in his powerful novel “ Green is The Color ” .
Locals would never dare .
And who really questions in the open that bizarre , racist arrangement which has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Here , the slight Muslim majority ( bumiputera ) has many more rights than the highly productive Chinese community , as well as deeply discriminated against Indians .
Bumiputera ( children of the land ) somehow does not extend to original people living in Borneo .
In Malaysia , there are different laws for Muslims and non-Muslims .
Here , a Malay person is “ born Muslim ” , by definition .
He or she can not change his or her fate .
It is a simply grotesque reality .
And try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
You would be finished in no time , if you live in Malaysia .
But back to the “ sadness of Malaysia ” .
That ’ s where I wanted to begin and end this essay .
Things did not go well .
Doctor M ’ s plans never really materialize .
Petronas Towers remained the tallest building only for a few years , and even the fountains in front of them went on an austerity regime and began working only in the evenings .
The concert hall below now feels increasingly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Now it is also compromising .
There are more and more cheap pop shows performed behind its lavish doors ; and there are less and less great performances .
Shopping walking up escalators in Malaysia ’ s once great ‘ mega mall ’ ( Photo : Andre Vltchek 2020© ) The ‘ flagship ’ KLCC Mall suffers from constantly broken escalators , and its once prestigious art gallery is closed , almost half of the time .
The Formula-1 circuit in Sepang closed down in 2017 .
Kuala Lumpur International Airport ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s nightmare , with inefficient staff , terrible lines , unnecessary double or even triple security checks , fingerprinting , photographing and other excessive inconveniences to the passengers .
Public transportation has survived only in Kuala Lumpur and its greater area .
Elsewhere , there were countless projects , and monstrously costly failed plans to build monorails , trams , and an urban rail : from Malacca , Georgetown , Johor Bahru , to Putrajaya .
Cyberjaya never managed to ‘ fly ’ , or to compete with Singapore .
Nothing great came @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scientists settled there .
As in the much bigger Indonesia , Malaysia could not give birth to even one single great writer , scientist or thinker .
In smaller towns , the situation is even more pathetic .
Kuching was celebrating the fact that the long postponed light rail project will soon start being constructed .
But the 2nd era of Dr. M has begun .
Countless public works have been stopped .
What was already there , like the only existing public railroad in Borneo , which originates in Kota Kinabalu , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to two runs per day .
Why ?
So , just as in Indonesia and Thailand , private vehicles could be force-sold to the citizens , so gas could be burned , and corporations could make billions from building new roads , further ruining the natural environment as well as the urban areas .
And those well-funded Malaysian intellectuals ?
As mentioned earlier in this essay , they began glorifying the highway-builders in their books , even in novels .
Coincidence ?
I will leave it up to you to decide !
Dr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with China .
That was most likely the deal that was made behind the closed doors : the “ new ” government would enjoy peace with the West .
London and Washington will stop trashing the old man and his coalition .
Local NGOs and Malaysian artists and ‘ intellectuals ’ paid by the Western organizations , institutions and governments will scale down or even entirely stop their criticism .
In exchange , the Belt and Road Initiative ( BRI ) will be almost entirely kicked out of Malaysia , or at least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course an absolutely horrible deal for Malaysia , but it appears that for as long as this government is in place , the trend is here to stay .
After all , ‘ it is all about China ’ , isn ’ t it ?
At least for the West and its dependencies .
Everything has somehow failed in Malaysia , but especially those dreams about the building of a great , proud and productive nation .
I filmed in Kota Kinabalu , recently .
Two years ago , there was an attempt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ area facing the sea .
You know , a small replica of those grand waterfronts that one can see in Latin America , South Africa , Europe , and of course in China , and even in the Gulf .
Now , with the new government , even that tiny public space was privatized ; rented to some businesswoman from Kuala Lumpur .
She fenced it off , put some kitsch figures and a tiny shack with a “ horror show ” performance , and began charging an entry fee of RM5 ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ asked the cashier how she felt about this corporate takeover of a stunning public space ?
She did not understand .
I asked about savage capitalism in Malaysia ; she had no idea what I was talking about .
Later , I asked several of my Malaysian friends about the ruined land , which has been unbearably scarred by the oil palm plantations ( almost half of the world ’ s production ) , or by mines and other terrible ventures .
They refused to comment , at least on the record .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ They all have families ” .
I talked to the indigenous people of Borneo , in Sabah and Sarawak .
They did talk .
About brutality , about being forced to convert , religiously .
About people who were killed , who disappeared .
I talked to people in Papua New Guinea and from the Solomon Islands , where the Malaysian logging companies had been committing crimes against humanity , including rapes , torture and sexual abuse of children .
I described my finding in my book – Oceania .
Homeless children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Photo : Andre Vltchek 2020© ) But this is just an essay , not an investigative report full of names and numbers , about a country which I used to love , but which has collapsed , sold itself , and reduced itself to a gloomy mediocrity .
Malaysia was set to take off , to fly , to show the way for so many other countries of the world .
But its people , its ‘ elites ’ and ‘ intellectuals ’ , decided to put their personal interests first .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ colonized nation .
“ Go to hell with your aid !
” The Indonesian President Sukarno screamed into the face of the US Ambassador in Jakarta .
As a result , Sukarno was overthrown , and 2 million Indonesians were killed – the rest was frightened into insanity , and then brainwashed .
Malaysia never truly rebelled .
It never went from one extreme to other , from pride to slavery .
Its people never refused the aid ( or payment for services provided ) from the West .
They survived , as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ truly lived ?
Malaysia has never really experienced real freedom and exaltation from moving forward , on its own , without looking over its shoulder , and without fear .
*** Andre Vltchek is a philosopher , novelist , filmmaker and investigative journalist .
He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries .
See his 21WIRE archive here .
Five of his latest books are “ China Belt and Road Initiative : Connecting Countries , Saving Millions of Lives ” , “ China and Ecological Cavillation ” with John B. Cobb @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nihilism a revolutionary novel “ Aurora ” and a bestselling work of political non-fiction : “ Exposing Lies Of The Empire ” .
View his other books here .
Watch Rwanda Gambit , his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky “ On Western Terrorism ” .
Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East , and continues to work around the world .
He can be reached through his website and his .
His Patreon .

By
GOVERNMENT GRIDLOCK: A picture is worth a thousand words (Photo: Andre Vltchek 2020©)
Andre Vltchek
21st Century Wire
I am not sure when and how it happened, or even what precisely took place, but suddenly, nothing feels the same, and nothing feels right in Malaysia.
Several years ago, things used to be totally different here. One would land at KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) – in the past one of the most modern and well-run mid-sized airports in the world, located some 70 kilometers from the city – and feel the omnipresent optimism and pride.
Malaysia was on the rise: a fast train was connecting the airport to the sprawling metropolis. It was passing near the famous Formula-1 circuit, the new capital city of Putrajaya, a modern city designed for science and technological research – Cyberjaya – and finally terminating at the modern KL Sentral train station and public transportation hub.
Futuristic Kuala Lumpur also counted with a super modern and elegant concert hall fully dedicated to classical music. It was right under the Petronas Towers, once the tallest building in the world. Modern monorail and driverless trains were transporting people in style to different corners of the city. Bookstores were well stocked (censorship was present, but everyone knew that Malaysian censors were too lazy to read). Extreme, Indonesian-style, misery hardly existed.
Indeed, Malaysia had ‘made it’ – it had landed itself on the list of the highest development index countries (Human Development Index, HDI, measured by UNDP) – together with countries such as Chile and Argentina, Russia and Qatar, as well as the nations of Europe and North America.
Malaysia was manufacturing its own car brand – Proton – and was teaming up with Japan, hoping to co-produce aircraft.
Nightclubs were packed, political humor thriving, and even religions were not immune to criticism, as long as the punches were being delivered in an ‘appropriate’ and secular environment, behind the curtains of bookstores and private events.
In those days, I loved visiting Malaysia. I loved living there, for weeks and months.
Next door, a collapsed Indonesia felt like the de-composing carcass of a huge fish: covered by smog, intolerant, intellectually destroyed, racist and at war with itself and its colonies. I used to escape to Kuala Lumpur for weeks; in order to gain perspective, in order to eat well, to visit theaters, concerts, parks, to interact with my Malaysian friends – writers, filmmakers, and academics.
Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur felt as if they were existing on two different planets. A 1 hour and 40 minutes’ flight, and everything would diametrically change. Suddenly it was possible to walk under the trees and on wide sidewalks, to attend great concerts, to read to excited audience from my books, and above all, to be understood.
And yet, yet even then, there was something rotten in the intellectual fabric of Kuala Lumpur. It was hard to detect, to explain, but it was constantly there, right under the surface.
Now I am looking back, and I am trying to comprehend. It is not easy, but not impossible.
I recall a Malaysian filmmaker who made a 2-minute long film, and attended dozens of international film festivals showing it – all expenses paid. It was just a tiny bark, nothing serious. But he was a Malaysian, and therefore worth being pampered and supported. Because Malaysia had very few filmmakers – and the West wanted to make sure that it owns them. It felt obnoxious, even perverse, as I knew several great, brilliant left-wing filmmakers in Chile, Brazil, France, U.K. who made ground-breaking films, but were not supported by anyone, living near-starvation existence.
I remember how, decisively, all Malaysian ‘intellectuals’ were refusing to criticize, or even to acknowledge, the horrors that were taking place in neighboring Indonesia. Why? Because Indonesia, after 1965, became a true Western neo-colony; plundered, brainwashed and looted by both local treasonous and corrupt ‘elites’ and by multi-national corporations and Western governments. Someone was, of course, paying for this silence.
I recall how Malaysian writers were falling over each other to attend a “Writers’ and Readers’ Festival” in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia – an anti “LEKRA” (pre-1965 coup left-wing writer’s organization to which belonged such great novelists as Pramoedya Ananta Toer) event organized by pro-Western institutions and pseudo-intellectual Goenawan Mohamad. All expenses paid, of course (by whom, we could only guess).
Unlike in many Latin American countries, or in China or Russia, for Malaysian and Indonesian intellectuals, there is no such thing as “dirty money.” Money is money – always halal.
Western corporate media propaganda is everywhere in Malaysia (Photo: Andre Vltchek 2020©)
Malaysian filmmakers, writers and other intellectuals never criticize the West, but diligently support Western propaganda, when it is targeting Russia, and even when attacking such far-away countries such as South Africa.
The United Kingdom has been omnipresent, through family ties and ‘education’ through the British Council which has been spreading funding and ideological dogmas, but also through its main propaganda outlets such as the BBC.
I met a writer who had her entire work sponsored by the Western outlets, and who was flown to places as diverse as the Caribbean Islands and Alaska, as a reward for her writing, which has been glorifying both transgender rights and big business construction of motorways. When I confronted her on this issue, she replied, simply and honestly: “I have two children to raise.”
Malaysian art festivals have been clearly propagating the Western line of thinking too. By mistake, I was invited to one (in old city of Georgetown). But never again. There are certain unwritten rules, including: no open criticism of Western imperialism, and no direct support for countries like China, Russia, Cuba or Venezuela. Local artists and writers are paid to talk and write about sexual habits, such as homosexuality or trans-gender issues, instead of the horrors taking place next-door, like the genocide in West Papua, where Indonesia has managed to murder around 500,000 people on behalf of Western multi-national companies and governments.
Taboo is also touching what made Malaysia relatively wealthy – thorough plunder of its environment through palm oil plantations and mining, as well as mistreatment of indigenous people on the territory of two of its states located on Borneo Island.
Malaysia changed; became unrecognizable. And it happened unbelievably fast.
Malaysia’s capital city of Kuala Lumpur is struggling with a seemingly inescapable smog problem (Photo: Andre Vltchek 2020©)
Kuala Lumpur (as well as Singapore) have been choking on smog from the burning Indonesian islands of Kalimantan (Indonesian part of Borneo, the third largest island in the world) and Sumatra, but no explosion of outrage has been detectable from the Malaysian “thinkers”.
No outrage over US and EU attacks against Afghanistan, Libya or Syria.
Even Malaysian leaders, at times, were more outspoken than the funding-hungry local intellectuals. Prime Minister of Malaysia, according to Reuters, reacted to assassination of Iranian General Soleimani:
“Muslim countries should unite to protect themselves against external threats, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said on Tuesday after describing the U.S. killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani as immoral.”
Malaysian ‘educated circles’ have been proving, again and again, that their country is a well-behaved colony. A cowardly, client state.
Suddenly, for people like me, those who were well known but at odds with Western imperialism, it has become near impossible to work (give speeches or to get interviewed) in Malaysia. All the doors have been shut. We cannot get any quotes from Malaysian academics, artists or politicians.
Cowardice and self-interest, has become the main driving force. I have never forgotten, how during the conflict between the Philippines and Malaysia, I went to Borneo, and wrote an extremely sarcastic essay about the event. I got powerful quotes from the Filipino people, who even crossed the sea in order to talk to me, on the record. I got a couple of quotes from Malaysians, too. But after my long essay was published, the Malaysians protested: “We did not know you will be so sarcastic in your work”. They were too careful, too disciplined, unwilling to risk anything.
CASH CROP: The country’s landscapes are dominated by endless palm oil plantations (Photo: Andre Vltchek 2020©)
There is no way to get quotes from the Malaysians, about the terror which the West is spreading all over the world, or about the West’s best ally – Wahhabism. Or about the shameless collaboration of the Southeast Asian nations with the West. Not even about that ‘greatest Malaysian secret’: “Almost all that scientific research, and native production, totally failed: the country basically lives, like Indonesia, although on a much higher level, from the plundering of its natural resources; from irreversibly and brutally ruining of its land by cutting down the native forest and turning both peninsular Malaysia and Borneo into one huge and horrific oil palm plantation, dotted with mining pits. Malaysia also functions as an assembly like, a maquiladora for multi-national companies.”
Those who protest or speak out about what has been done to the native people of Borneo, die. And so, nobody does, anymore.
This is what broke the spine of Malaysia: its unwillingness to risk. Its lack of courage. Its dependence on former and present colonial masters. Its submissiveness. I described this kind of behavior in this part of the world in my political novel Aurora.
The great fiery socialist, anti-capitalist and anti-imperialist Indonesian leader, Ahmed Sukarno, knew all this very well. He saw Malaysia as basically a puppet state of the West. He had launched campaign of Konfrontasi against his neighbor and its British handler. And the neighbor – Malaysia – fired back: it later quietly embraced the fascist regime of General Suharto, which overthrew Sukarno and the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), in the bloodiest coup in the history of mankind; a coup which was triggered by the West in 1965.
Since the coup, Malaysia has flatly refused to openly criticize anything about Indonesia: from murdering 2 million people in 1965, to the genocide in East Timor, as well as the on-going genocide in occupied West Papua. And of course, no word about the monstrous destruction of Indonesian nature, as something similar, although not as extreme, has been taking place in Malaysia itself.
Now, Malaysia feels depressed, and looks depressing.
Profit Over Planet: export cash crops and strip mining are unsustainable, and yet the policy continues at a break-neck speed (Photo: Andre Vltchek 2020©)
Here, in this essay, on purpose, I do not talk much about the previous political era, and about the return of “Doctor M” to power. Nor do I write about who used to sponsor Anwar Ibrahim, and who then decided that it is unwise, for now, to sponsor Anwar, shouting that it is time to give “another chance to Doctor M”. Let me just say that almost all these decisions came from abroad.
Let me recall, however, how most of the foreign-sponsored members of the so-called Malaysian opposition were determinedly supporting the totally discredited neo-liberal Anwar Ibrahim, when he was a ‘Washington’s favorite’. And they dropped him precisely when the marching orders arrived from far away Europe and the US. Doctor M whom they “fought” so determinedly against, but of course for a fee, suddenly deserved of a “second chance,” when they were told that he does, by their “handlers”. It all happened so openly, so shamelessly, and so predictably.
Yes, Malaysia is a sad country. Two of its wide-body passenger jets went down, killing hundreds of people and ruining one of the proudest airlines in Asia, but no one here truly investigates, how and why it occurred. It is not a fully taboo topic, but it is definitely semi-taboo.
Almost no one is investigating the past, either. Things are hushed up, hidden, not unlike in the neighboring Indonesia. Of course, the horrors that have been taking place in Indonesia are incomparably greater in comparison to the ‘mild devilishness’ which happened in Malaysia. But still… It took a Sri Lankan born author, Lloyd Fernando, to describe the religious ‘riots’ in Malaysia; the 1969 killings and wave of torture unleashed against non-Muslims in his powerful novel “Green is The Color”. Locals would never dare.
And who really questions in the open that bizarre, racist arrangement which has been governing Malaysia for so many decades? Here, the slight Muslim majority (bumiputera) has many more rights than the highly productive Chinese community, as well as deeply discriminated against Indians. Bumiputera (children of the land) somehow does not extend to original people living in Borneo.
In Malaysia, there are different laws for Muslims and non-Muslims. Here, a Malay person is “born Muslim”, by definition. He or she cannot change his or her fate. It is a simply grotesque reality.
And try to address it, try to criticize! You would be finished in no time, if you live in Malaysia.
But back to the “sadness of Malaysia”. That’s where I wanted to begin and end this essay.
Things did not go well. Doctor M’s plans never really materialize.
Petronas Towers remained the tallest building only for a few years, and even the fountains in front of them went on an austerity regime and began working only in the evenings.
The concert hall below now feels increasingly small, for such a sprawling city. Now it is also compromising. There are more and more cheap pop shows performed behind its lavish doors; and there are less and less great performances.
Shopping walking up escalators in Malaysia’s once great ‘mega mall’ (Photo: Andre Vltchek 2020©)
The ‘flagship’ KLCC Mall suffers from constantly broken escalators, and its once prestigious art gallery is closed, almost half of the time.
The Formula-1 circuit in Sepang closed down in 2017.
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) has become a traveler’s nightmare, with inefficient staff, terrible lines, unnecessary double or even triple security checks, fingerprinting, photographing and other excessive inconveniences to the passengers.
Public transportation has survived only in Kuala Lumpur and its greater area. Elsewhere, there were countless projects, and monstrously costly failed plans to build monorails, trams, and an urban rail: from Malacca, Georgetown, Johor Bahru, to Putrajaya.
Cyberjaya never managed to ‘fly’, or to compete with Singapore. Nothing great came from its research facilities. Only second-rate scientists settled there.
As in the much bigger Indonesia, Malaysia could not give birth to even one single great writer, scientist or thinker.
Public transport woes where delays are commonplace (Photo: Andre Vltchek 2020©)
In smaller towns, the situation is even more pathetic. Kuching was celebrating the fact that the long postponed light rail project will soon start being constructed. But the 2nd era of Dr. M has begun. Countless public works have been stopped. What was already there, like the only existing public railroad in Borneo, which originates in Kota Kinabalu, has been castrated, its service reduced to two runs per day.
Why? So, just as in Indonesia and Thailand, private vehicles could be force-sold to the citizens, so gas could be burned, and corporations could make billions from building new roads, further ruining the natural environment as well as the urban areas.
And those well-funded Malaysian intellectuals? As mentioned earlier in this essay, they began glorifying the highway-builders in their books, even in novels. Coincidence? I will leave it up to you to decide!
Dr. M. torpedoed many grand projects previously signed with China. That was most likely the deal that was made behind the closed doors: the “new” government would enjoy peace with the West. London and Washington will stop trashing the old man and his coalition. Local NGOs and Malaysian artists and ‘intellectuals’ paid by the Western organizations, institutions and governments will scale down or even entirely stop their criticism. In exchange, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) will be almost entirely kicked out of Malaysia, or at least, thoroughly castrated.
This is of course an absolutely horrible deal for Malaysia, but it appears that for as long as this government is in place, the trend is here to stay. After all, ‘it is all about China’, isn’t it? At least for the West and its dependencies.
Everything has somehow failed in Malaysia, but especially those dreams about the building of a great, proud and productive nation.
I filmed in Kota Kinabalu, recently. Two years ago, there was an attempt to build a boardwalk, a public area facing the sea. You know, a small replica of those grand waterfronts that one can see in Latin America, South Africa, Europe, and of course in China, and even in the Gulf. Now, with the new government, even that tiny public space was privatized; rented to some businesswoman from Kuala Lumpur. She fenced it off, put some kitsch figures and a tiny shack with a “horror show” performance, and began charging an entry fee of RM5 ($1.25) per person.
I asked the cashier how she felt about this corporate takeover of a stunning public space?
She did not understand. I asked about savage capitalism in Malaysia; she had no idea what I was talking about.
Later, I asked several of my Malaysian friends about the ruined land, which has been unbearably scarred by the oil palm plantations (almost half of the world’s production), or by mines and other terrible ventures. They refused to comment, at least on the record. Reason: “Too dangerous”. “They all have families”.
I talked to the indigenous people of Borneo, in Sabah and Sarawak. They did talk. About brutality, about being forced to convert, religiously. About people who were killed, who disappeared.
I talked to people in Papua New Guinea and from the Solomon Islands, where the Malaysian logging companies had been committing crimes against humanity, including rapes, torture and sexual abuse of children. I described my finding in my book – Oceania.
Homeless children from the Philippines in Kota Kinabalu (Photo: Andre Vltchek 2020©)
But this is just an essay, not an investigative report full of names and numbers, about a country which I used to love, but which has collapsed, sold itself, and reduced itself to a gloomy mediocrity.
Malaysia was set to take off, to fly, to show the way for so many other countries of the world.
But its people, its ‘elites’ and ‘intellectuals’, decided to put their personal interests first. They helped to re-introduce the mentality of a colonized nation.
“Go to hell with your aid!” The Indonesian President Sukarno screamed into the face of the US Ambassador in Jakarta. As a result, Sukarno was overthrown, and 2 million Indonesians were killed – the rest was frightened into insanity, and then brainwashed.
Malaysia never truly rebelled. It never went from one extreme to other, from pride to slavery. Its people never refused the aid (or payment for services provided) from the West. They survived, as a result. But have they ever truly lived?
Malaysia has never really experienced real freedom and exaltation from moving forward, on its own, without looking over its shoulder, and without fear.
***
Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. See his 21WIRE archive here. Five of his latest books are “China Belt and Road Initiative: Connecting Countries, Saving Millions of Lives”, “China and Ecological Cavillation” with John B. Cobb, Jr., Revolutionary Optimism, Western Nihilism , a revolutionary novel “Aurora” and a bestselling work of political non-fiction: “Exposing Lies Of The Empire”. View his other books here. Watch Rwanda Gambit, his groundbreaking documentary about Rwanda and DRCongo and his film/dialogue with Noam Chomsky “On Western Terrorism”. Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter . His Patreon.
READ MORE ASIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Asia Files
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21stcenturywire--2020-01-20--‘War of Terror’ Inverted: Why Did US Assassinate Iran’s Anti-ISIS General?

The US has eagerly taken credit for the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani amid a series of military strikes carried out by US forces across Syria and Iraq .
The assassination was shortly followed by Iranian missile strikes aimed at US bases in Iraq .
The BBC in its article , “ Qasem Soleimani : Strike was to ‘ stop war ’ , says Trump , ” would claim : The strikes also targeted infrastructure supporting a network of Iranian-backed militias known as Popular Mobilization Units or PMUs .
The US claiming these strikes were meant to end “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ PMUs along with General Soleimani and his special operations Quds Forces have played a key role in fighting and defeating US and Saudi-sponsored terrorism across the Middle East .
This includes fighting terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda , its many affiliates , and the so-called “ Islamic State in Iraq and Syris ” ( ISIS ) – all of which have been extensively exposed as recipients of US cash , weapons , and other forms of material and political support .
Even the clumsy and often-manipulated Wikipedia lists Iran ’ s Quds Forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affiliates , and ISIS alongside nations like the US and its allies .
While Wikipedia doesn ’ t overtly connect these terrorist organizations with their Western sponsors it is clear to even the casual observer that both appearing on the Quds Forces ’ opponents list carries with it many implications .
Beyond mere implications – however – it was the US Defense Intelligence Agency ( DIA ) itself in a 2012 leaked memo that admitted , “ the West , Gulf monarchies , and Turkey ” were behind the rise of a what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Salafist principality.
” To clarify precisely who these “ supporting powers ” were that sought the creation of a “ Salafist ” ( Islamic ) principality ” ( State ) , the DIA report explains : In other words , the US , its European allies , and its closest allies in the Middle East , sought the rise of a “ Salafist ” ( Islamic ) “ principality ” ( State ) in eastern Syria , precisely where ISIS eventually manifested itself .
The West and its regional allies did so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ training so-called “ rebels ” who in reality lined the ranks of extremist groups up to and including Al Qaeda and its Al Nusra franchise .
A similar pattern of supporting extremism Lebanon , Iraq , and Yemen has emerged .
So extensive is US state-sponsorship of terrorism that even the Western corporate media has been forced repeatedly to admit and attempt to cover up the flow of US weapons into the hands of extremists .
Thus – from 2011 onward – the world has become increasingly aware of US state-sponsorship of terrorism @ @ @ @ @ @ @ including Al Qaeda , its affiliates , and ISIS .
The US has throughout the Syrian conflict directly and indirectly attacked and undermined the forces fighting these terrorist organizations – and with the latest assassination of General Soleimani – has begun to wage open war against Al Qaeda ’ s and ISIS ’ most effective opponents .
Too Little , Too Late If General Soleimani was such an important target to eliminate – we can only assume the US believes that he was an effective strategist and leader .
And if General Soleimani @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – it is certain that amid his skilled and effective operations against US state-sponsored terrorism he also included provisions for continuity for his Quds Forces .
The assassination of General Soleimani will do little to degrade the Quds Forces themselves .
Other senior leaders will fill the void and the organization will continue effectively carrying out operations on behalf of Iran and its Syrian and Iraqi allies .
Instead – the attack was more likely meant to serve as a provocation – a desperate attempt by Washington to provoke Tehran and escalate the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the US believes it may still hold an advantage in over Iran .
For Iran – its strategy of patient , incremental victory in Syria , Iraq , and beyond has paid historical dividends .
The geopolitical landscape of the Middle East is being redrawn before our very eyes .
The best way to procure revenge for yet another provocative and toxic display of US foreign policy is for Iran to continue the work General Soleimani had successfully endeavored toward – the continued frustration of US belligerence in the region , the dismantling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Qaeda and ISIS , and the eventual and total uprooting of US hegemony across the region .
Iran ’ s missile strikes targeting US military bases rendered no casualties yet demonstrated Iran ’ s capacity to carry out long-range precision strikes at US forces illegally or coercively occupying the region .
The US was subsequently faced with the choice to fight big and lose , or once again demonstrate its growing impotence by doing little or nothing .
The US has its forces spread across the planet , fighting numerous adversaries yet unable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Its demonstrated failures in Iraq , Syria , Libya , and Afghanistan mean that mounting full-scale military operations against the much larger and more formidable Iran is particularly unrealistic .
Iran ’ s pinpoint missile strikes aimed at US bases in Iraq – avoiding casualties – represents a show of force reminding Washington of what could happen if hostilities widen – but also a show of restraint illustrating to the rest of the world that Iran is reasonable even in the face of Washington ’ s unreasonable provocations .
Just as Russia endured @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Moscow from successfully defending Syria – leaving Moscow and its Syrian allies victorious and the US desperate , frustrated , and in some cases , literally running from its positions in Syria – Iran too must endure .
US provocations come too little and too late .
They only serve to further illustrate the menace current US foreign policy and the interests driving them pose to the world .
They have failed to reverse Washington ’ s flagging fortunes in either Syria or Iraq .
And unless Iran gives the US exactly what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ further – these provocations will likely end up on the long list of failed attempts to reverse Washington ’ s fortunes regarding its weakening grip on Iraq , its failed regime change war in Syria , and its overall unraveling hegemony across the Middle East and North Africa .
*** Author Tony Cartalucci , Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher , writer and special contributor to 21st Century Wire .
See more of his work at Tony ’ s archive .
Over the last decade , his work has been published on a number of popular @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the online magazine “ New Eastern Outlook ” .
Also , you can follow him on VK here .

By
Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani (left) and Iraqi PMU commander, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis (Image: Al Manar/Wikicommons)
Tony Cartalucci
21st Century Wire
The US has eagerly taken credit for the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani amid a series of military strikes carried out by US forces across Syria and Iraq. The assassination was shortly followed by Iranian missile strikes aimed at US bases in Iraq.
The BBC in its article, “Qasem Soleimani: Strike was to ‘stop war’, says Trump,” would claim:
President Donald Trump said the US killed Iran’s top military commander Qasem Soleimani “to stop a war, not to start one”.
He said Soleimani’s “reign of terror is over” following the strike at Iraq’s Baghdad airport on Friday.
The strikes also targeted infrastructure supporting a network of Iranian-backed militias known as Popular Mobilization Units or PMUs.
The US claiming these strikes were meant to end “terror” are particularly surreal.
The PMUs along with General Soleimani and his special operations Quds Forces have played a key role in fighting and defeating US and Saudi-sponsored terrorism across the Middle East. This includes fighting terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda, its many affiliates, and the so-called “Islamic State in Iraq and Syris” (ISIS) – all of which have been extensively exposed as recipients of US cash, weapons, and other forms of material and political support.
The War of Terror Continues
Even the clumsy and often-manipulated Wikipedia lists Iran’s Quds Forces as opposed against Al Qaeda, its affiliates, and ISIS alongside nations like the US and its allies. While Wikipedia doesn’t overtly connect these terrorist organizations with their Western sponsors it is clear to even the casual observer that both appearing on the Quds Forces’ opponents list carries with it many implications.
Beyond mere implications – however – it was the US Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) itself in a 2012 leaked memo that admitted, “the West, Gulf monarchies, and Turkey” were behind the rise of a what at the time was being called a “Salafist principality.”
The leaked 2012 report (.pdf) states (emphasis added):
If the situation unravels there is the possibility of establishing a declared or undeclared Salafist principality in eastern Syria (Hasaka and Der Zor), and this is exactly what the supporting powers to the opposition want, in order to isolate the Syrian regime, which is considered the strategic depth of the Shia expansion (Iraq and Iran).
To clarify precisely who these “supporting powers” were that sought the creation of a “Salafist” (Islamic) principality” (State), the DIA report explains:
The West, Gulf countries, and Turkey support the opposition; while Russia, China, and Iran support the regime.
In other words, the US, its European allies, and its closest allies in the Middle East, sought the rise of a “Salafist” (Islamic) “principality” (State) in eastern Syria, precisely where ISIS eventually manifested itself.
The West and its regional allies did so while simultaneously funding, arming, and training so-called “rebels” who in reality lined the ranks of extremist groups up to and including Al Qaeda and its Al Nusra franchise.
A similar pattern of supporting extremism Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen has emerged. So extensive is US state-sponsorship of terrorism that even the Western corporate media has been forced repeatedly to admit and attempt to cover up the flow of US weapons into the hands of extremists.
Thus – from 2011 onward – the world has become increasingly aware of US state-sponsorship of terrorism – specifically in support of terrorist organizations including Al Qaeda, its affiliates, and ISIS. The US has throughout the Syrian conflict directly and indirectly attacked and undermined the forces fighting these terrorist organizations – and with the latest assassination of General Soleimani – has begun to wage open war against Al Qaeda’s and ISIS’ most effective opponents.
Too Little, Too Late
If General Soleimani was such an important target to eliminate – we can only assume the US believes that he was an effective strategist and leader. And if General Soleimani was either or both of these things – it is certain that amid his skilled and effective operations against US state-sponsored terrorism he also included provisions for continuity for his Quds Forces.
The assassination of General Soleimani will do little to degrade the Quds Forces themselves. Other senior leaders will fill the void and the organization will continue effectively carrying out operations on behalf of Iran and its Syrian and Iraqi allies.
Instead – the attack was more likely meant to serve as a provocation – a desperate attempt by Washington to provoke Tehran and escalate the regional conflict more toward large-scale total war the US believes it may still hold an advantage in over Iran.
For Iran – its strategy of patient, incremental victory in Syria, Iraq, and beyond has paid historical dividends. The geopolitical landscape of the Middle East is being redrawn before our very eyes.
The best way to procure revenge for yet another provocative and toxic display of US foreign policy is for Iran to continue the work General Soleimani had successfully endeavored toward – the continued frustration of US belligerence in the region, the dismantling of US-proxies including terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and ISIS, and the eventual and total uprooting of US hegemony across the region.
Iran’s missile strikes targeting US military bases rendered no casualties yet demonstrated Iran’s capacity to carry out long-range precision strikes at US forces illegally or coercively occupying the region.
The US was subsequently faced with the choice to fight big and lose, or once again demonstrate its growing impotence by doing little or nothing. The US has its forces spread across the planet, fighting numerous adversaries yet unable to achieve a single decisive victory. Its demonstrated failures in Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan mean that mounting full-scale military operations against the much larger and more formidable Iran is particularly unrealistic.
Iran’s pinpoint missile strikes aimed at US bases in Iraq – avoiding casualties – represents a show of force reminding Washington of what could happen if hostilities widen – but also a show of restraint illustrating to the rest of the world that Iran is reasonable even in the face of Washington’s unreasonable provocations.
Just as Russia endured humiliating provocations designed to provoke and distract Moscow from successfully defending Syria – leaving Moscow and its Syrian allies victorious and the US desperate, frustrated, and in some cases, literally running from its positions in Syria – Iran too must endure.
US provocations come too little and too late.
They only serve to further illustrate the menace current US foreign policy and the interests driving them pose to the world. They have failed to reverse Washington’s flagging fortunes in either Syria or Iraq. And unless Iran gives the US exactly what it wants – a pretext to escalate further – these provocations will likely end up on the long list of failed attempts to reverse Washington’s fortunes regarding its weakening grip on Iraq, its failed regime change war in Syria, and its overall unraveling hegemony across the Middle East and North Africa.
***
Author Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher, writer and special contributor to 21st Century Wire. See more of his work at Tony’s archive. Over the last decade, his work has been published on a number of popular news and analysis websites, and also on the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”. Also, you can follow him on VK here.
READ MORE IRAN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Iran Files
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21stcenturywire--2020-01-20--The Battle for Aleppo: HTS Opens New Front to Draw Syria and Russia Away from Idlib

The military situation in southern and western Aleppo is getting hotter , after Hay ’ at Tahreer Al-Sham ( aka HTS , formerly Jabhat al-Nusra ) had violated the armistice announced by the Russians and Turks about 10 days ago , and prevented civilians from leaving through the three crossings opened by the Syrian Army in the rural areas of Aleppo and Idlib , in addition to bombing the populated neighborhoods deliberately resulting in casualties and injuries among Aleppo civilians .
In return for the violations of HTS/al-Nusra , the Syrian Army ’ s response came at an accelerating and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terrorist positions expanded to the far western countryside of Aleppo .
During the last 48 hours , there were more than 40 raids of Russian and Syrian warplanes on HTS sites in Tall Shuwaynah , Maarat Al-Arteeq , Al-Mansoura , Kafrnaha , Kafr da ’ el , Darat Ezza , Anjarah , reaching the town of Al-Atareb in the west , and these air raids extended to Khan Al-Asal town , the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas ( ICARDA ) , Khantouman , Khulsa and Al-Zerba to the south @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and training centers have become part of the permanent targets of Syrian and Russian air forces .
During this period , militants are believed to be suffering dozens of dead and wounded , many of who were transferred to Atma Hospital in Idlib countryside near the Syrian-Turkish border , including fighters from the “ Turkistan Islamic Party ” ( Uyghur terrorists ) , according to sources .
It appears that the military encroachment of the Syrian Army to secure the western and southern Aleppo countryside has come close , militarily speaking , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agreement , even though diplomatic efforts had largely failed in light of Turkey ’ s inability to implement its promises to pressure terrorist-classified groups to withdraw from Aleppo-Damascus International M4 Highway , and also from the Aleppo-Lattakia M5 Highway .
The Syrian-Russian air strikes coincide with large surge of HTS militants near the western and southern regions of Aleppo , by bringing in massive militant reinforcements from Idlib , while information was received about the arrival of a number of booby-traps in the vicinity of the western frontiers of Aleppo city .
Not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the eastern countryside of Idlib is witnessing further developments – with battles still going on and HTS is trying to restore the villages to which the army advanced east of Khan al-Sabil village , but the army by its cohesive defense and opening several axes to fight managed to disperse and confuse the armed forces .
Although Turkey recently has provided HTS terrorists with Grad rockets , which were fired into Aleppo a few days ago , targeting the Al-Sukkari neighborhood killing 7 civilians .
Despite these latest terrorist incursions , the military @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air support , is still making progress on multiple fronts now , including the continuation of reconnaissance flights monitoring the international M4 and M5 roads , in addition to old Idlib road which passes through Atarib town , and which is the main route for HTS/Al-Nusra supplies coming from Idlib northern countryside .
*** Author Khaled Iskef is an independent researcher and journalist based in Syria .
His work has appeared on a number of international media outlets including Al Mayadeen TV .
See his archive here .

By
Russian Sukhoi Su-57 fighter bomber (Image: Courtesy of Russian Ministry of Defense)
Khaled Iskef
21st Century Wire
The military situation in southern and western Aleppo is getting hotter, after Hay’at Tahreer Al-Sham (aka HTS, formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) had violated the armistice announced by the Russians and Turks about 10 days ago, and prevented civilians from leaving through the three crossings opened by the Syrian Army in the rural areas of Aleppo and Idlib, in addition to bombing the populated neighborhoods deliberately resulting in casualties and injuries among Aleppo civilians.
In return for the violations of HTS/al-Nusra, the Syrian Army’s response came at an accelerating and unlimited pace, as its targeting of terrorist positions expanded to the far western countryside of Aleppo.
During the last 48 hours, there were more than 40 raids of Russian and Syrian warplanes on HTS sites in Tall Shuwaynah, Maarat Al-Arteeq, Al-Mansoura, Kafrnaha, Kafr da’el, Darat Ezza, Anjarah, reaching the town of Al-Atareb in the west, and these air raids extended to Khan Al-Asal town, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Khantouman, Khulsa and Al-Zerba to the south.
The supply lines, warehouses, and training centers have become part of the permanent targets of Syrian and Russian air forces. During this period, militants are believed to be suffering dozens of dead and wounded, many of who were transferred to Atma Hospital in Idlib countryside near the Syrian-Turkish border, including fighters from the “Turkistan Islamic Party” (Uyghur terrorists), according to sources.
It appears that the military encroachment of the Syrian Army to secure the western and southern Aleppo countryside has come close, militarily speaking, in implementation to positions outlined in the Sochi Agreement, even though diplomatic efforts had largely failed in light of Turkey’s inability to implement its promises to pressure terrorist-classified groups to withdraw from Aleppo-Damascus International M4 Highway, and also from the Aleppo-Lattakia M5 Highway.
The Syrian-Russian air strikes coincide with large surge of HTS militants near the western and southern regions of Aleppo, by bringing in massive militant reinforcements from Idlib, while information was received about the arrival of a number of booby-traps in the vicinity of the western frontiers of Aleppo city.
Not far from Aleppo and its battle, the eastern countryside of Idlib is witnessing further developments – with battles still going on and HTS is trying to restore the villages to which the army advanced east of Khan al-Sabil village, but the army by its cohesive defense and opening several axes to fight managed to disperse and confuse the armed forces.
Although Turkey recently has provided HTS terrorists with Grad rockets, which were fired into Aleppo a few days ago, targeting the Al-Sukkari neighborhood killing 7 civilians.
Despite these latest terrorist incursions, the military superiority of Syrian Army, with Russian air support, is still making progress on multiple fronts now, including the continuation of reconnaissance flights monitoring the international M4 and M5 roads, in addition to old Idlib road which passes through Atarib town, and which is the main route for HTS/Al-Nusra supplies coming from Idlib northern countryside.
SAY TUNED FOR UPDATES
***
Author Khaled Iskef is an independent researcher and journalist based in Syria. His work has appeared on a number of international media outlets including Al Mayadeen TV. See his archive here.
READ MORE SYRIA NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Syria Files
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