thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-12--The Pandemic Makes It Clear: We Need Fully Automated Luxury Communism

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
A failing economic model , a health crisis , and mass joblessness — the Covid crisis shows we need to radically harness technology to remake our economy , now— As the 2020s got underway , citizens around the world faced a panoply of crises : a broken economic model , political stagnation , climate change , and demographic aging .
In isolation , each presents a historic challenge , necessitating a shift in social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In combination , however , they pose an existential assault on our civilization .
And this was before the coronavirus catalyzed the worst global downturn since the 1930s — making it clear we need a systems change : what I call Fully Automated Luxury Communism .
Before the virus , the neoliberal economic model was failing , with societies around the world experiencing low productivity and stagnant wages — something particularly conspicuous in wealthier societies .
In both the United States and Britain , rates of homeownership have fallen over the last decade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The number of Americans on food stamps nearly doubled in the years after the financial crash of 2007 — and even now are historically high .
The U.K. , meanwhile , has seen millions use food banks just to get basic groceries — something unheard of even a decade ago .
Importantly , the experience of poverty in the U.K. is increasingly defined by having a job rather than being unemployed , retired , or sick .
For many , work no longer pays .
Then there is the climate crisis .
Warming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anticipated by the scientific community , could mean hundreds of millions of climate refugees by the century ’ s midpoint .
A single degree warmer , however , and large swaths of the Amazon rainforest would disappear and the glaciers that supply clean water for a third of the planet , not to mention the Greenland ice sheet , would melt .
Worse still , anything beyond two degrees will likely trigger a sequence of feedback where three leads to four , four to five , and so on .
In a world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planet ’ s troposphere — which we all rely on to breathe — would contain so much methane that anything with lungs would die .
Then there is demographic aging — less heralded than ecological collapse , perhaps , but no less real a disaster .
Though its causes , falling birth rates and improving life expectancy , are both positive , its primary consequence will be our species gaining an almost unique status in the natural world , with the old outnumbering the young .
The economic and political consequences of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to low rates of economic growth and unprecedented pressure on welfare systems and public pensions .
Grasping this broader , antecedent context matters .
While the pandemic is already an event of historic importance , its principal legacy will be in exposing how unprepared humanity is for the challenges ahead .
Demographic aging means a never-ending barrage of budgetary crises — but these will now arrive even sooner as states run pandemic-related deficits unprecedented in peacetime .
Britain has already suffered 65,000 excess deaths , and the coronavirus has claimed more American lives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how will both countries cope when temperatures dramatically rise , with Britain regularly experiencing heat waves and California ’ s ever-worsening drought ?
The evidence of the last several months indicates they simply won ’ t and , if there is a significant response , it will arrive too late .
Yet the coronavirus also constitutes the best opportunity we ’ ll have to bring such hitherto ignored challenges into focus .
In Fully Automated Luxury Communism , I identify that while ours is an era of crisis , a series of simultaneous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ technology .
At the core of FALC is the claim this technological revolution — oriented around automation , renewable energy , A.I.
, and ever more objects resembling “ information goods ” — runs parallel to the great challenges set to define this century .
This revolution will be as transformative as the industrial age , with A.I .
and solar power analogous to the steam engine and fossil fuels in the era of Watt and Boulton .
Under the current trajectory , automation will only lead to job losses and increased inequality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could underpin a shorter working week , a higher quality of life , and allow vast amounts of labor to go into care work and engineering a green economy .
Then there are areas like health care , and even food , becoming information goods , as their primary value no longer depends on traditional factors of production , like land and labor , but information .
In health care we see this with synthetic biology and the falling cost of genomics , with both fields intensifying trends already observable in pharmaceuticals — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the principal source of value .
In food it applies with the emergence of cellular agriculture and cultured meat , with these sectors also resembling information goods and thus experiencing similar price falls — what I call “ extreme supply.
” The world ’ s first “ beef hamburger without cows , ” produced in 2013 , cost $ 325,000 .
By 2021 that figure will have fallen to around $ 10 , and cheaper prices will only accelerate with widespread adoption .
This is a problem for capitalism , whose core presumption @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Indeed the Oxford Dictionary of Economics defined the field itself as “ the study of how scarce resources are or should be allocated.
” But extreme supply means permanently falling prices , which means falling rates of return .
Under our economic system , whose core ideological presumption is the permanence of scarcity , this erodes any incentive to produce goods and services in the first place .
In response , we will likely see an intensification of that which already prevails : monopolization , greater intellectual property rights , and excludability @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — which for two centuries has so relentlessly created value — will resemble a system of rationing whose basis is a secular theology that few continue to believe .
The coronavirus is intensifying all of this , not only leading to mass layoffs and closures but also emboldening nonmarket demands and hinting at how technology might be deployed differently .
One example is with vaccines , an area which — quite rightly — is increasingly understood as a form of shared global infrastructure .
Here it ’ s in the common interest for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ability to pay .
Taking that logic further , others have argued the coronavirus means we need a global standard for health care which is both universal and free .
In other words , humanity can ’ t afford for health care to be a commodity .
Meanwhile China ’ s Alipay and WeChat payments system , both used by approximately 900 million citizens , allowed the rapid diffusion of an ad hoc infrastructure to manage epidemiological risk .
This demonstrates the potential for publicly owned payment systems , allowing not only easier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ socially valuable data .
As A.I .
is operationalized en masse in the coming years , such data will be vital in creating deep learning applications — from predicting real-time demand for public transport systems to monitoring local outbreaks of flu .
A key demand for the 2020s should be that given we collectively create this data , it should also be collectively owned .
Then there is the issue of internet connectivity .
When Britain ’ s Labour Party proposed a national broadband service last year — universal and free at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as hopelessly utopian .
Yet as millions falter online , while struggling with everything from remote working to homeschooling , it ’ s inarguable just how important the internet is as public infrastructure .
So important that it should be free .
Finally , the coronavirus is accelerating a crisis of commercial models .
Already before the pandemic , 2019 was the worst year on record for retail in Britain .
Yet the last several months have seen that slow withdrawal become a hasty retreat , with consumers flooding online and monoliths like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their market share , and value , rise .
Alongside the online giants , the businesses set to benefit from the coronavirus will be those able to reduce head count through the adoption of new technology .
Britain ’ s PureGym , an industry leader that had already embraced a model based on minimal staffing , plans to reopen while allowing members to see real-time updates of how busy their local gym is .
From a public health perspective these frictionless , data-led interactions are great , but for many businesses , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in the long term , enhance their market share .
If businesses modeled like PureGym can survive the next 12 months , they could rapidly move to a position of monopoly .
Most importantly , lower staffing levels than remaining competitors will leave them , at least relatively speaking , pandemic-proof .
This situation , of market consolidation and a lack of competition , will be accompanied by technological unemployment .
This means that even after a vaccine is found , the days of significant job creation in the old economy are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the best policy response is to generate work in socially necessary sectors like green technologies , public infrastructure , and care .
This should be directed by publicly controlled bodies while we simultaneously reduce the working week .
The coronavirus is accelerating the various crises that will define this century — but it also offers an opportunity to engage with the necessity of systems change .
The economy we might build in its wake can address such challenges , from aging to climate change , while finally putting the technological dividend of modernity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ profit .
That isn ’ t inevitable , however , and will require substantive demands , popular pressure , and bold political choices .
If nothing else , the pandemic must be humanity ’ s wake-up call .
Puke if you must

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
A failing economic model, a health crisis, and mass joblessness — the Covid crisis shows we need to radically harness technology to remake our economy, now—
As the 2020s got underway, citizens around the world faced a panoply of crises: a broken economic model, political stagnation, climate change, and demographic aging. In isolation, each presents a historic challenge, necessitating a shift in social consciousness and a new political settlement. In combination, however, they pose an existential assault on our civilization. And this was before the coronavirus catalyzed the worst global downturn since the 1930s — making it clear we need a systems change: what I call Fully Automated Luxury Communism.
Before the virus, the neoliberal economic model was failing, with societies around the world experiencing low productivity and stagnant wages — something particularly conspicuous in wealthier societies. In both the United States and Britain, rates of homeownership have fallen over the last decade while poverty is ever more stark. The number of Americans on food stamps nearly doubled in the years after the financial crash of 2007 — and even now are historically high. The U.K., meanwhile, has seen millions use food banks just to get basic groceries — something unheard of even a decade ago. Importantly, the experience of poverty in the U.K. is increasingly defined by having a job rather than being unemployed, retired, or sick. For many, work no longer pays.
Then there is the climate crisis. Warming of two degrees this century, widely anticipated by the scientific community, could mean hundreds of millions of climate refugees by the century’s midpoint. A single degree warmer, however, and large swaths of the Amazon rainforest would disappear and the glaciers that supply clean water for a third of the planet, not to mention the Greenland ice sheet, would melt. Worse still, anything beyond two degrees will likely trigger a sequence of feedback where three leads to four, four to five, and so on. In a world six degrees warmer than today, the planet’s troposphere — which we all rely on to breathe — would contain so much methane that anything with lungs would die.
Then there is demographic aging — less heralded than ecological collapse, perhaps, but no less real a disaster. Though its causes, falling birth rates and improving life expectancy, are both positive, its primary consequence will be our species gaining an almost unique status in the natural world, with the old outnumbering the young. The economic and political consequences of this are significant, from high public debt to low rates of economic growth and unprecedented pressure on welfare systems and public pensions.
Grasping this broader, antecedent context matters. While the pandemic is already an event of historic importance, its principal legacy will be in exposing how unprepared humanity is for the challenges ahead. Demographic aging means a never-ending barrage of budgetary crises — but these will now arrive even sooner as states run pandemic-related deficits unprecedented in peacetime. Britain has already suffered 65,000 excess deaths, and the coronavirus has claimed more American lives than the First World War. So how will both countries cope when temperatures dramatically rise, with Britain regularly experiencing heat waves and California’s ever-worsening drought? The evidence of the last several months indicates they simply won’t and, if there is a significant response, it will arrive too late.
Yet the coronavirus also constitutes the best opportunity we’ll have to bring such hitherto ignored challenges into focus. In Fully Automated Luxury Communism, I identify that while ours is an era of crisis, a series of simultaneous shifts are apparent in the realm of technology.
At the core of FALC is the claim this technological revolution — oriented around automation, renewable energy, A.I., and ever more objects resembling “information goods” — runs parallel to the great challenges set to define this century. This revolution will be as transformative as the industrial age, with A.I. and solar power analogous to the steam engine and fossil fuels in the era of Watt and Boulton. Under the current trajectory, automation will only lead to job losses and increased inequality, but with a systems change it could underpin a shorter working week, a higher quality of life, and allow vast amounts of labor to go into care work and engineering a green economy.
Then there are areas like health care, and even food, becoming information goods, as their primary value no longer depends on traditional factors of production, like land and labor, but information. In health care we see this with synthetic biology and the falling cost of genomics, with both fields intensifying trends already observable in pharmaceuticals — where information is, without doubt, the principal source of value. In food it applies with the emergence of cellular agriculture and cultured meat, with these sectors also resembling information goods and thus experiencing similar price falls — what I call “extreme supply.” The world’s first “beef hamburger without cows,” produced in 2013, cost $325,000. By 2021 that figure will have fallen to around $10, and cheaper prices will only accelerate with widespread adoption.
This is a problem for capitalism, whose core presumption is that there will always be scarcity. Indeed the Oxford Dictionary of Economics defined the field itself as “the study of how scarce resources are or should be allocated.” But extreme supply means permanently falling prices, which means falling rates of return. Under our economic system, whose core ideological presumption is the permanence of scarcity, this erodes any incentive to produce goods and services in the first place. In response, we will likely see an intensification of that which already prevails: monopolization, greater intellectual property rights, and excludability. Confronted with unprecedented abundance, capitalism — which for two centuries has so relentlessly created value — will resemble a system of rationing whose basis is a secular theology that few continue to believe.
The coronavirus is intensifying all of this, not only leading to mass layoffs and closures but also emboldening nonmarket demands and hinting at how technology might be deployed differently. One example is with vaccines, an area which — quite rightly — is increasingly understood as a form of shared global infrastructure. Here it’s in the common interest for everyone to be vaccinated regardless of their ability to pay. Taking that logic further, others have argued the coronavirus means we need a global standard for health care which is both universal and free. In other words, humanity can’t afford for health care to be a commodity.
Meanwhile China’s Alipay and WeChat payments system, both used by approximately 900 million citizens, allowed the rapid diffusion of an ad hoc infrastructure to manage epidemiological risk. This demonstrates the potential for publicly owned payment systems, allowing not only easier tax collection but also the capture of socially valuable data. As A.I. is operationalized en masse in the coming years, such data will be vital in creating deep learning applications — from predicting real-time demand for public transport systems to monitoring local outbreaks of flu. A key demand for the 2020s should be that given we collectively create this data, it should also be collectively owned.
Then there is the issue of internet connectivity. When Britain’s Labour Party proposed a national broadband service last year — universal and free at the point of use — it was derided as hopelessly utopian. Yet as millions falter online, while struggling with everything from remote working to homeschooling, it’s inarguable just how important the internet is as public infrastructure. So important that it should be free.
Finally, the coronavirus is accelerating a crisis of commercial models. Already before the pandemic, 2019 was the worst year on record for retail in Britain. Yet the last several months have seen that slow withdrawal become a hasty retreat, with consumers flooding online and monoliths like Amazon and Microsoft almost unique in seeing their market share, and value, rise.
Alongside the online giants, the businesses set to benefit from the coronavirus will be those able to reduce head count through the adoption of new technology. Britain’s PureGym, an industry leader that had already embraced a model based on minimal staffing, plans to reopen while allowing members to see real-time updates of how busy their local gym is. From a public health perspective these frictionless, data-led interactions are great, but for many businesses, they spell the opportunity to reduce staff and, in the long term, enhance their market share. If businesses modeled like PureGym can survive the next 12 months, they could rapidly move to a position of monopoly. Most importantly, lower staffing levels than remaining competitors will leave them, at least relatively speaking, pandemic-proof.
This situation, of market consolidation and a lack of competition, will be accompanied by technological unemployment. This means that even after a vaccine is found, the days of significant job creation in the old economy are over. Rather than deny that, the best policy response is to generate work in socially necessary sectors like green technologies, public infrastructure, and care. This should be directed by publicly controlled bodies while we simultaneously reduce the working week.
The coronavirus is accelerating the various crises that will define this century — but it also offers an opportunity to engage with the necessity of systems change. The economy we might build in its wake can address such challenges, from aging to climate change, while finally putting the technological dividend of modernity at the service of people rather than profit. That isn’t inevitable, however, and will require substantive demands, popular pressure, and bold political choices. If nothing else, the pandemic must be humanity’s wake-up call.
Aaron Bastani is the author of Bastani is Co-founder @NovaraMedia and @Silkedigital / Write, think & talk about technology, politics and society / Host #Novarafm & #IMOBastani / Ph.D from @NewPolCom is the author of Fully Automated Luxury Communism , published by Verso Books.is Co-founder @NovaraMedia and @Silkedigital / Write, think & talk about technology, politics and society / Host #Novarafm & #IMOBastani / Ph.D from @NewPolCom
[post-views]
Puke if you must
This bloodsoaked monster is probably the most evil person on planet earth https://t.co/nGq2H1EPHt — Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) April 9, 2020


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-12--Freedom Rider: The Police Defunding Con Game

nfortunately , a key demand of the new movement has led to confusion and to political defeats at a crucial moment .
At first glance , the idea of defunding the police seems to have merit .
Everyone who wants to end police brutality welcomes the idea that they might lose some of the resources they use in their terrorism spree .
The police are the modern day slave patrol and any effort to diminish their capabilities seems like a good idea .
But the state doesn ’ t work that way .
It has no intention of just giving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the police .
One can see how the ruse works as false friends display window dressing and treachery .
In New York City , Mayor Bill de Blasio is the head phony in charge .
He claimed he would cut the NYPD budget by $ 1 billion , but after the budget was finalized the trickery became clear .
He moved budget lines for school safety officers from the NYPD to the Department of Education .
He also postponed two police academy classes .
But the NYPD is exempt from the hiring freezes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ City agency .
Philadelphia approved a similar trick .
Philly ’ s mayor eliminated a proposed increase to the police budget while also moving school safety lines to other agencies .
“ The NYPD is exempt from the hiring freezes.
” Proposals to defund the police will inevitably play out across the country as they have in New York .
Politicians know the public mood has changed , and even a majority of white people see the movement in a positive light .
While the police are exempted from the austerity created by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creates public relations spectacle .
He has decreed that all five of the boroughs that make up the city have street murals painted with the words Black Lives Matter .
Instead of seeing changes in policing , New Yorkers will have an opportunity to drive or walk over the words that have become a rallying cry .
Politicians know what people want to hear and they also know how to look like they ’ re doing something when they aren ’ t .
`` Cutting police budgets without establishing public control over their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and invites politicians to shuffle budget numbers around like a three-card monte swindle ... '' It was a serious strategic error to promote defunding .
It is also a mistake to believe that cities will abolish the police , as the Minneapolis city council has given the impression of doing .
The city where George Floyd was killed takes the lead in the lip service olympics with a proposal to recreate the police department via an amendment to the city charter .
Minneapolis would create a Department of Community Safety and Crime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name change .
However , that is all that is known at this time .
Even charter amendment proponents haven ’ t said how many police there will be or what they will do .
They haven ’ t said how policing will change .
The murky ballot proposal would have to be approved by the mayor , who said he opposes it , before being voted on in a referendum .
Any talk of Minneapolis reducing or eliminating its police department is very premature .
“ Politicians know what people want to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ look like they ’ re doing something when they aren ’ t. ” Defunding can not be discussed as a stand alone issue .
The police must be under direct public control .
There are activists in Minneapolis who have been working towards that goal for some time .
They are demanding an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council ( CPAC ) just as communities in Chicago and elsewhere have done for many years .
This is where public pressure must be maintained .
Mayors and city councils can shuffle budget numbers around like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people want to see the police reined in , without the power to arrest for minor offenses which inevitably lead to assault and sometimes death .
They want the right to hire , fire and subpoena police , end their legal protections and the cozy relationship between police and prosecutors which allows killers to go free .
“ The police must be under direct public control.
” When defunding is the only demand the public will inevitably be treated like chumps .
The new movement has grown precisely because millions of people want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought to be too radical for the majority to accept .
No one is marching in order to be placated with bean counter sleight of hand .
The crises afflicting this country are quite real and that is why the movement has such wide support .
Demands for community control of the police and rest of the public sector are just what the people want .
If the people fight for the changes they want , it will be harder for corrupt and cynical politicians to betray them with insincere gestures .
All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ street murals certainly don ’ t fit that description .
Margaret Kimberley ’ s Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR , and is widely reprinted elsewhere .
She maintains a frequently updated blog as well at patreon.com/margaretkimberley and she regularly posts on Twitter @ freedomrideblog .
Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City , and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley ( at ) BlackAgendaReport.com .
Please join the conversation on Black Agenda Report 's Facebook page at http : //facebook.com/blackagendareport Or , you can comment by emailing us at comments @ @

U
nfortunately, a key demand of the new movement has led to confusion and to political defeats at a crucial moment. At first glance, the idea of defunding the police seems to have merit. Everyone who wants to end police brutality welcomes the idea that they might lose some of the resources they use in their terrorism spree. The police are the modern day slave patrol and any effort to diminish their capabilities seems like a good idea. But the state doesn’t work that way.
It has no intention of just giving up the power it has bestowed on the police. One can see how the ruse works as false friends display window dressing and treachery. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio is the head phony in charge. He claimed he would cut the NYPD budget by $1 billion, but after the budget was finalized the trickery became clear. He moved budget lines for school safety officers from the NYPD to the Department of Education. He also postponed two police academy classes. But the NYPD is exempt from the hiring freezes that apply to every other New York City agency. Philadelphia approved a similar trick. Philly’s mayor eliminated a proposed increase to the police budget while also moving school safety lines to other agencies.
“The NYPD is exempt from the hiring freezes.”
Proposals to defund the police will inevitably play out across the country as they have in New York. Politicians know the public mood has changed, and even a majority of white people see the movement in a positive light. While the police are exempted from the austerity created by the COVID-19 economic crisis, de Blasio creates public relations spectacle. He has decreed that all five of the boroughs that make up the city have street murals painted with the words Black Lives Matter. Instead of seeing changes in policing, New Yorkers will have an opportunity to drive or walk over the words that have become a rallying cry. Politicians know what people want to hear and they also know how to look like they’re doing something when they aren’t.
"Cutting police budgets without establishing public control over their behavior doesn’t solve the problem, and invites politicians to shuffle budget numbers around like a three-card monte swindle..."
It was a serious strategic error to promote defunding. It is also a mistake to believe that cities will abolish the police, as the Minneapolis city council has given the impression of doing. The city where George Floyd was killed takes the lead in the lip service olympics with a proposal to recreate the police department via an amendment to the city charter. Minneapolis would create a Department of Community Safety and Crime Prevention, so there would be a name change. However, that is all that is known at this time. Even charter amendment proponents haven’t said how many police there will be or what they will do. They haven’t said how policing will change. The murky ballot proposal would have to be approved by the mayor, who said he opposes it, before being voted on in a referendum. Any talk of Minneapolis reducing or eliminating its police department is very premature.
“Politicians know what people want to hear and they also know how to look like they’re doing something when they aren’t.”
Defunding cannot be discussed as a stand alone issue. The police must be under direct public control. There are activists in Minneapolis who have been working towards that goal for some time. They are demanding an elected Civilian Police Accountability Council (CPAC) just as communities in Chicago and elsewhere have done for many years.
This is where public pressure must be maintained. Mayors and city councils can shuffle budget numbers around like the old three-card monte swindle. The people want to see the police reined in, without the power to arrest for minor offenses which inevitably lead to assault and sometimes death. They want the right to hire, fire and subpoena police, end their legal protections and the cozy relationship between police and prosecutors which allows killers to go free.
“The police must be under direct public control.”
When defunding is the only demand the public will inevitably be treated like chumps. The new movement has grown precisely because millions of people want to see changes that until recently were thought to be too radical for the majority to accept. No one is marching in order to be placated with bean counter sleight of hand.
The crises afflicting this country are quite real and that is why the movement has such wide support. Demands for community control of the police and rest of the public sector are just what the people want. If the people fight for the changes they want, it will be harder for corrupt and cynical politicians to betray them with insincere gestures. All demands must be worth the fight and street murals certainly don’t fit that description.
Margaret Kimberley’s Freedom Rider column appears weekly in BAR, and is widely reprinted elsewhere. She maintains a frequently updated blog as well at patreon.com/margaretkimberley and she regularly posts on Twitter @freedomrideblog. Ms. Kimberley lives in New York City, and can be reached via e-Mail at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com.
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thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-12--Anatomy of a Fraud

Anatomy of a Fraud

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
Corporate media is both triggerman and pallbearer of democracy For most it was exciting enough to watch videos of mobs of seething youth tear down statues of Confederate generals , American presidents like Abraham Lincoln , and even notable anti-slavery legends like Frederick Douglas , in town squares across the country in June and July .
These had been steamy months , hot with rage as angry mouths raved behind surgical masks and lassoes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effigies while baying hyenas circled the square .
A rebellion against symbols of racism was barnstorming its way across the land .
Add to that the frisson of contact with the plague as each day produced fresh pie charts and line graphs and the always titillating scatter graph of new caseloads .
It seemed spikes were everywhere , from responsible Gotham that slowly unbolted its door to the world to drunken Florida where bikinied teens shotgunned PBRs and cavorted under cloudless summer skies .
Positive tests skyrocketed even in defiant Texas , where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lying like roadkill along the oil-funk interstates , and where Uzi-toting renegades in tactical gear marched toward the latest civic fracas , past the gaping mask-jaws of ordinary citizens .
The nation had become a circus , a big top under which fumed a kaleidoscope of stupefying spectacle and uproar .
Each day , aging bourgeoisie roused themselves to read the latest accounts , shaking their shaggy heads incredulously as they sipped their espressos and flicked through their iPad ’ s Apple News .
That should have been enough to satisfy the bloodlust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be sufficient to conquer the Demented Narcissist come November .
But alas , more was required .
The president had not been sufficiently savaged by the righteous blade of liberal rectitude .
Hence , the inevitable return of Russiagate .
A recent story headlined The New York Times stridently accusing the Russians of bribing Taliban soldiers to kill Americans in Afghanistan , a country we ’ d occupied for nearly two decades .
The paper called it a “ provocative escalation ” by Russia .
Sourced to anonymous intelligence officials , as always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most basic evidentiary standards .
Some officials expressed confidence .
Some theorized .
None actually produced evidence .
Yet since the story served the liberal bias of the corporate press , it ran unopposed .
No satire , no sarcasm , no investigative curiosity .
Just the transcribed information supplied by faceless deep throats in the military-intelligence swamp .
The story is tied to the discredited Russian DNC hacking story , providing readers with a narrative thread by which to finger the Russian intelligence unit , the GRU , as the organ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Putin .
Thus , months after the Russiagate scandal collapsed , one pillar of supposed certainty imploding in on itself like a casino demolition , the machinery of mainstream misinformation churns out yet more hate-fueled fictions designed to “ sow discord ” in the American public .
One of the inputs to the Propaganda Model developed by Edward Hermann and Noam Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent was “ Sourcing.
” If propaganda was being produced , the model predicted that sources would largely emerge from establishment corridors , often anonymous , with factual evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yet thanks to the imprimatur of the state , and its estimable institutions , the story would ‘ play ’ .
It would be repeated a million times by lesser outlets and believed by a million lessers .
Aaron Maté , the journalistic scourge of Russiagate , talked with Max Blumenthal , Editor of The GrayZone , about the story .
The pair poured scorn on the narrative , noting its unverifiable claim , observing its convenient timing a few days ahead of a summit between the U.S. and Russia .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hallmarks of a CIA plant .
All that was missing were the smudged fingerprints of John Brennan and a hysterical tweet from the same denouncing the Narcissist for treason .
Blumenthal provided a video clip of former CIA employee John Stockwell describing how the intelligence agency ( actually the president ’ s paramilitary ) planted stories with journalists , both those on the take and those who delusionally believed themselves above reproach .
Much of the information was unearthed by the Church Committee in 1975 , a Congressional fact-finding mission that appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American mind as relates to media literacy .
Prolific anti-imperialist Michael Parenti has also claimed that the CIA at one point owned some 200 media organizations .
But such facts are swept aside as the rollicking herd barrels toward its November reckoning .
A couple days after GrayZone conversation , the Times itself did what it often does when the stories it hypes on behalf of the state turn out , quite predictably , not to merit the spotlight they were given , it buried the lede .
In a clever Orwellian twist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Administration Memo Seeks to Foster Doubts About Suspected Russian Bounties.
” As you will soon discover , a story very likely planted by anti-Trump intelligence agents and dutifully hyped by state propagandists , is now said to have been politicized by the Trump administration .
Yet Congress requested the administration issue a report on the subject of the supposed bounties , which it did .
It found that the CIA ( that deeply anti-Trump organization ) and the National Counterterrorism Center assessed with “ medium confidence ” that the Russian GRU had offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ -- surprise -- the NSA “ did not have information to support the conclusion at the same level , expressing lower confidence in the conclusion.
” At what point does confidence get so low it ceases to be confidence ?
Is there even such a threshold in the bowels of our illustrious intel agencies ?
Then a former head of the National Intelligence Council was chased down to offer his troubling insight that the assessment could be “ politicized ” by the White House , as if the entire story and the reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was not itself an exercise in politicization .
( One can always count on at least one former official , found hand-wringing in a church somewhere in Arlington , to supply a pious pullquote for a pro-war story . )
The Council declared it knew the GRU met with a Taliban-linked criminal network and that money was sent from the GRU to the network .
Foot soldiers of the network were said to have been captured and confided to interrogators ( surely not under any duress -- that ’ s not who we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bounties .
Imagine the wide-eyed alarm in the eyes of the U.S. interrogators as the world-historical news fell from the ( bloodied ? )
lips of said soldiers .
Remember , they weren ’ t even Taliban , but “ Taliban-linked.
” Perhaps they had crossed paths with the Taliban on some dusty plain and exchanged information on the location of the occupation army ( that would be us ) .
Sounds great thus far .
Nagging doubts will soon be buried under the avalanche of regurgitated bilge in the coming days , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scour the MSM for new developments .
But you unwisely read on , finally reaching the 30th paragraph or so , where you learn that “ officials ” stressed that the government “ lacks direct evidence ” of what was said at the meeting or that the Russians actually offered bounties .
Later we learn the NSA surveillance can not even confirm what the captured “ detainees told interrogators about bounties.
” It has evidence of financial transfers between the two groups , though .
But not what they were for .
Nor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) have any knowledge that the unconfirmed bribes were connected in any way to the Kremlin .
The CIA Director Gina Haspel hemmed and hawed her way to an inconclusive no-confidence verdict .
Finally , the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper even conceded that there was “ no corroborating evidence ” to confirm Russia ’ s “ malign activity.
” Lord , help thou my unbelief .
Thus we can plausibly suggest this entire farce of a story seems to have been predicated on knowledge of a financial transfer between , one assumes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ linked in some undefined fashion to the Taliban .
Now , speaking speculatively , if one were , say , a rogue ideologue deep inside an intelligence agency ( not that such persons exist ) , and were hellbent on destroying the presidency of that degenerate casino hustler , Donald Trump , ‘ intelligence ’ of this kind might be quite useful to you .
Even more so if you were surrounded by equally deranged political jackals just like you .
How easily this ‘ intelligence ’ could be spun into a story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heads of Mericans .
As a U.S. official , all one would need to do was project what the U.S. had itself done in Afghanistan , providing cash and weapons to Mujahideen to kill Russians with .
And if one were , in the interest of national dignity , obsessed with wrecking the president ’ s upcoming G7 summit and scuttling the villain ’ s likely attempt to reintroduce the wrongly ejected Russian Federation to the group , it would be fairly easy to launch such a sinister fiction just days before the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are .
Embroiled by the fake scandal , Trump has now promptly delayed the summit until September .
So much for another ‘ peace ’ initiative .
May the endless war proceed as planned .
Consider how the story was first reported .
ABC declared , “ Russians offered Taliban bounties to kill U.S. troops : Military official.
” How nicely put .
Open with a declarative that suggests the story has been confirmed .
Source it to a nameless official .
Roll a reel of footage above the story that quickly features @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for themselves .
Use the subhead to remind readers that 2300 Americans have died in the Afghanistan War .
Offering a nearly identical headline in breaking the story , the Times used its subhead to suggest the Trump administration had been anxiously “ deliberating ” what to do about the “ stunning ” report .
( Who but the most inert lump of human clay would find this report stunning ? )
And more to the point , why did it require three veteran reporters to transcribe what the anonymous official told them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t write itself .
One can see the three amigos huddled in some dimly lit parking garage where the hideous concrete blocks all cell reception .
A shadowy figure emerges from behind a concrete pillar .
Clad in a London Fog trench coat , fedora tipped low , cigarette burning crisply between his lips .
This is confidential information , fellas .
Straight from the Joint Chiefs .
But that ’ s off the record , get me ?
Point being , the crafting of the headline to imply certainty , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ insinuation , and a video clip to add a third , the reader is submerged in cues to persuade him or her that the president is a traitor suborning the death of American soldiers on the sly as part of his contract with the Muscovite Mephistopheles .
This vile imposture blurs any sight of the fact that Trump promised to end the war , remove troops , and negotiate a peace treaty with the Taliban .
None of this is acceptable to the military-intelligence community or its Democratic supplicants .
Thus the plan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
More often than not , those means include outright lies , half-truths , crucial omissions , and prejudicial narrative construction .
Downplay this .
Dramatize that .
Lead with supposition .
Bury facts at the end .
Christopher Hitchens once argued that “ that which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
” One wishes this were a staple truth anchored in the American consciousness .
Thus we could dispatch such stories just as hastily as they were foisted upon us .
But that is asking too much by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a curse , as politics proves daily .
A Reuters poll found that 60 percent of Americans believed the story .
More damningly but unsurprisingly , 81 percent see Putin as a threat to the United States , while 54 percent wanted to impose sanctions on Russia in response to the unproven assertions .
Evidently belief itself is a sufficient criterion to justify unilateral economic attacks .
As Noam Chomsky once said , most people don ’ t know what ’ s going on , and they don ’ t even know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In some sense , the entirety of 2020 has been one extended retrospective on the dangers of ideology and the credulity it inspires .
Yet the events of the times feel almost carnivalesque in their breathless sequences of absurdity and melodrama .
The liberal agenda that convinces millions that things will be different under Creepy Joe Biden .
The blind faith of millions more in the utter sanctity of the medical establishment and its army of acronyms led by the WHO , CDC , and NIH .
And , last but not least @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fiasco of the Donald Trump resistance reveals its tawdry heart : a grisly compact between the military-intelligence community and the Democratic Party .
Born to deceive , designed to disenfranchise , and ever ready to prey on the hearts and minds of a population it is sworn to serve .
In Washington , the carnival of mendacities grows more outrageous by the day .
The intelligence jugglers and media clowns perform their tawdry tricks , the Congressional calliope lends its whistling ditty , and the credulous throng gasps with delight , hearts aflutter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more .
and Imperial Fictions .
He lives in New York City and can be reached at jasonhirthler @ gmail.com .
Jason Hirthler is a writer , media critic , veteran of the communications industry , and author of two essay collections , Jason Hirthler is a writer , media critic , veteran of the communications industry , and author of two essay collections , The Sins of Empire

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By Jason Hirthler
Corporate media is both triggerman and pallbearer of democracy
For most it was exciting enough to watch videos of mobs of seething youth tear down statues of Confederate generals, American presidents like Abraham Lincoln, and even notable anti-slavery legends like Frederick Douglas, in town squares across the country in June and July. These had been steamy months, hot with rage as angry mouths raved behind surgical masks and lassoes wrapped tight around the necks of bronze effigies while baying hyenas circled the square. A rebellion against symbols of racism was barnstorming its way across the land. Add to that the frisson of contact with the plague as each day produced fresh pie charts and line graphs and the always titillating scatter graph of new caseloads. It seemed spikes were everywhere, from responsible Gotham that slowly unbolted its door to the world to drunken Florida where bikinied teens shotgunned PBRs and cavorted under cloudless summer skies. Positive tests skyrocketed even in defiant Texas, where flag-draped F-150s rolled past discarded Lancet reports lying like roadkill along the oil-funk interstates, and where Uzi-toting renegades in tactical gear marched toward the latest civic fracas, past the gaping mask-jaws of ordinary citizens. The nation had become a circus, a big top under which fumed a kaleidoscope of stupefying spectacle and uproar. Each day, aging bourgeoisie roused themselves to read the latest accounts, shaking their shaggy heads incredulously as they sipped their espressos and flicked through their iPad’s Apple News. That should have been enough to satisfy the bloodlust of American liberals. Surely this would be sufficient to conquer the Demented Narcissist come November. But alas, more was required. The president had not been sufficiently savaged by the righteous blade of liberal rectitude. Hence, the inevitable return of Russiagate.
A recent story headlined The New York Times stridently accusing the Russians of bribing Taliban soldiers to kill Americans in Afghanistan, a country we’d occupied for nearly two decades. The paper called it a “provocative escalation” by Russia. Sourced to anonymous intelligence officials, as always, the claim failed to meet even the most basic evidentiary standards. Some officials expressed confidence. Some theorized. None actually produced evidence. Yet since the story served the liberal bias of the corporate press, it ran unopposed. No satire, no sarcasm, no investigative curiosity. Just the transcribed information supplied by faceless deep throats in the military-intelligence swamp. The story is tied to the discredited Russian DNC hacking story, providing readers with a narrative thread by which to finger the Russian intelligence unit, the GRU, as the organ of intrigue wielded by master manipulator Vladimir Putin. Thus, months after the Russiagate scandal collapsed, one pillar of supposed certainty imploding in on itself like a casino demolition, the machinery of mainstream misinformation churns out yet more hate-fueled fictions designed to “sow discord” in the American public.
One of the inputs to the Propaganda Model developed by Edward Hermann and Noam Chomsky in Manufacturing Consent was “Sourcing.” If propaganda was being produced, the model predicted that sources would largely emerge from establishment corridors, often anonymous, with factual evidence often redacted for purposes of national security. Yet thanks to the imprimatur of the state, and its estimable institutions, the story would ‘play’. It would be repeated a million times by lesser outlets and believed by a million lessers.
Aaron Maté, the journalistic scourge of Russiagate, talked with Max Blumenthal, Editor of The GrayZone, about the story. The pair poured scorn on the narrative, noting its unverifiable claim, observing its convenient timing a few days ahead of a summit between the U.S. and Russia. The story, they concluded, bore all the hallmarks of a CIA plant. All that was missing were the smudged fingerprints of John Brennan and a hysterical tweet from the same denouncing the Narcissist for treason. Blumenthal provided a video clip of former CIA employee John Stockwell describing how the intelligence agency (actually the president’s paramilitary) planted stories with journalists, both those on the take and those who delusionally believed themselves above reproach. Much of the information was unearthed by the Church Committee in 1975, a Congressional fact-finding mission that appears to have zero bearing on the modern American mind as relates to media literacy. Prolific anti-imperialist Michael Parenti has also claimed that the CIA at one point owned some 200 media organizations. But such facts are swept aside as the rollicking herd barrels toward its November reckoning.
A couple days after GrayZone conversation, the Times itself did what it often does when the stories it hypes on behalf of the state turn out, quite predictably, not to merit the spotlight they were given, it buried the lede. In a clever Orwellian twist, the headline claimed the “New Administration Memo Seeks to Foster Doubts About Suspected Russian Bounties.” As you will soon discover, a story very likely planted by anti-Trump intelligence agents and dutifully hyped by state propagandists, is now said to have been politicized by the Trump administration. Yet Congress requested the administration issue a report on the subject of the supposed bounties, which it did. It found that the CIA (that deeply anti-Trump organization) and the National Counterterrorism Center assessed with “medium confidence” that the Russian GRU had offered bounties to Taliban soldiers. And yet--surprise--the NSA “did not have information to support the conclusion at the same level, expressing lower confidence in the conclusion.” At what point does confidence get so low it ceases to be confidence? Is there even such a threshold in the bowels of our illustrious intel agencies?
Then a former head of the National Intelligence Council was chased down to offer his troubling insight that the assessment could be “politicized” by the White House, as if the entire story and the reporting of it to which he was contributing was not itself an exercise in politicization. (One can always count on at least one former official, found hand-wringing in a church somewhere in Arlington, to supply a pious pullquote for a pro-war story.) The Council declared it knew the GRU met with a Taliban-linked criminal network and that money was sent from the GRU to the network. Foot soldiers of the network were said to have been captured and confided to interrogators (surely not under any duress--that’s not who we are) that the Ruskies were paying bounties. Imagine the wide-eyed alarm in the eyes of the U.S. interrogators as the world-historical news fell from the (bloodied?) lips of said soldiers. Remember, they weren’t even Taliban, but “Taliban-linked.” Perhaps they had crossed paths with the Taliban on some dusty plain and exchanged information on the location of the occupation army (that would be us).
Sounds great thus far. Nagging doubts will soon be buried under the avalanche of regurgitated bilge in the coming days, as you fastidiously flick through Twitter and scour the MSM for new developments. But you unwisely read on, finally reaching the 30th paragraph or so, where you learn that “officials” stressed that the government “lacks direct evidence” of what was said at the meeting or that the Russians actually offered bounties. Later we learn the NSA surveillance cannot even confirm what the captured “detainees told interrogators about bounties.” It has evidence of financial transfers between the two groups, though. But not what they were for. Nor did the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) have any knowledge that the unconfirmed bribes were connected in any way to the Kremlin. The CIA Director Gina Haspel hemmed and hawed her way to an inconclusive no-confidence verdict. Finally, the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper even conceded that there was “no corroborating evidence” to confirm Russia’s “malign activity.” Lord, help thou my unbelief.
Thus we can plausibly suggest this entire farce of a story seems to have been predicated on knowledge of a financial transfer between, one assumes, the GRU and a murky organization linked in some undefined fashion to the Taliban. Now, speaking speculatively, if one were, say, a rogue ideologue deep inside an intelligence agency (not that such persons exist), and were hellbent on destroying the presidency of that degenerate casino hustler, Donald Trump, ‘intelligence’ of this kind might be quite useful to you. Even more so if you were surrounded by equally deranged political jackals just like you. How easily this ‘intelligence’ could be spun into a story about the unspeakable: bounties for the heads of Mericans. As a U.S. official, all one would need to do was project what the U.S. had itself done in Afghanistan, providing cash and weapons to Mujahideen to kill Russians with. And if one were, in the interest of national dignity, obsessed with wrecking the president’s upcoming G7 summit and scuttling the villain’s likely attempt to reintroduce the wrongly ejected Russian Federation to the group, it would be fairly easy to launch such a sinister fiction just days before the summit! And voila! here we are. Embroiled by the fake scandal, Trump has now promptly delayed the summit until September. So much for another ‘peace’ initiative. May the endless war proceed as planned.
Consider how the story was first reported. ABC declared, “Russians offered Taliban bounties to kill U.S. troops: Military official.” How nicely put. Open with a declarative that suggests the story has been confirmed. Source it to a nameless official. Roll a reel of footage above the story that quickly features images of Vladimir Putin, which speak for themselves. Use the subhead to remind readers that 2300 Americans have died in the Afghanistan War. Offering a nearly identical headline in breaking the story, the Times used its subhead to suggest the Trump administration had been anxiously “deliberating” what to do about the “stunning” report. (Who but the most inert lump of human clay would find this report stunning?) And more to the point, why did it require three veteran reporters to transcribe what the anonymous official told them? Well, friend, propaganda doesn’t write itself. One can see the three amigos huddled in some dimly lit parking garage where the hideous concrete blocks all cell reception. A shadowy figure emerges from behind a concrete pillar. Clad in a London Fog trench coat, fedora tipped low, cigarette burning crisply between his lips. This is confidential information, fellas. Straight from the Joint Chiefs. But that’s off the record, get me?
Point being, the crafting of the headline to imply certainty, the use of subheads to deliver a secondary insinuation, and a video clip to add a third, the reader is submerged in cues to persuade him or her that the president is a traitor suborning the death of American soldiers on the sly as part of his contract with the Muscovite Mephistopheles. This vile imposture blurs any sight of the fact that Trump promised to end the war, remove troops, and negotiate a peace treaty with the Taliban. None of this is acceptable to the military-intelligence community or its Democratic supplicants. Thus the plan must be scuttled by any means necessary. More often than not, those means include outright lies, half-truths, crucial omissions, and prejudicial narrative construction. Downplay this. Dramatize that. Lead with supposition. Bury facts at the end.
Christopher Hitchens once argued that “that which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.” One wishes this were a staple truth anchored in the American consciousness. Thus we could dispatch such stories just as hastily as they were foisted upon us. But that is asking too much by half. Credulity is both a boon and a curse, as politics proves daily. A Reuters poll found that 60 percent of Americans believed the story. More damningly but unsurprisingly, 81 percent see Putin as a threat to the United States, while 54 percent wanted to impose sanctions on Russia in response to the unproven assertions. Evidently belief itself is a sufficient criterion to justify unilateral economic attacks. As Noam Chomsky once said, most people don’t know what’s going on, and they don’t even know that they don’t know.
In some sense, the entirety of 2020 has been one extended retrospective on the dangers of ideology and the credulity it inspires. Yet the events of the times feel almost carnivalesque in their breathless sequences of absurdity and melodrama. The liberal agenda that convinces millions that things will be different under Creepy Joe Biden. The blind faith of millions more in the utter sanctity of the medical establishment and its army of acronyms led by the WHO, CDC, and NIH. And, last but not least, how with each passing week the fiasco of the Donald Trump resistance reveals its tawdry heart: a grisly compact between the military-intelligence community and the Democratic Party. Born to deceive, designed to disenfranchise, and ever ready to prey on the hearts and minds of a population it is sworn to serve. In Washington, the carnival of mendacities grows more outrageous by the day. The intelligence jugglers and media clowns perform their tawdry tricks, the Congressional calliope lends its whistling ditty, and the credulous throng gasps with delight, hearts aflutter, nerves on end, clamoring for more.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-13--The Fall Of Plahotniuc And A New Hope For Moldova

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible .
Share with kin , friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise .
In June 2019 , the small landlocked nation of Moldova found itself in a life or death struggle between two opposing futures : Oligarchs like the notorious Vladimir Plahotniuc had worked diligently for years to bring this nation into the hull of the collapsing NATO-EU Titanic while nationalists sought to re-align Moldova ’ s future with the new emerging Multipolar Alliance led by China and Russia .
The greatest moment of decision ( until @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elections resulted in a three-way split between a pro-Russian Socialist Party , the pro-EU ACUM and another pro-western Democratic Party run by the arch Moldavian kleptocrat Vladimir Plahotniuc .
A renowned kleptocrat whom by all accounts is known as the richest man in Moldova , Plahotniuc was not only a media and advertising mogul controlling the vast majority of the news , and entertainment of the small nation , but was also a power in Moldova ’ s banking , hotel and services industry who , with the support of Victoria Nuland , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from December 2016 .
Although his highest political office was Deputy Speaker of Parliament , it was known by all , that Plahotniuc was the hidden hand controlling the state and aspired to make that power official by becoming Prime Minister .
During the dark days of the Obama era , Plahotniuc interfaced closely with Asif Chaudhry ( U.S .
Ambassador to Moldova from 2008-2011 ) who acted as power broker and mediator during the tumultuous period of change that saw the elimination of the pro-Russian Communist Party and the rise of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the wake of the 2009 “ Twitter Revolution ” ( sometimes called the “ revolution of Twits ” ) .
This crisis saw a near color revolution as 30 000 Jacobin youth in Chisinau aspired to overthrow the government by declaring the recent elections to be fraudulent .
The slogans shouted by the mob included “ we want Europe ” , “ we are Romanians ” and “ down with Communism ” .
Romania had joined NATO in 2004 and the movement to absorb Moldova into Romania was supported by many in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s unabated growth .
The Snake Eats Itself by The Tail : Disinformation Gymnastics Vladimir Plahotniuc is not only regarded as a crook by many Moldovans , who would like to see him face justice .
He 's also apparently ( for show ) also on America 's shit list of criminal oligarchs .
How else do we explain—unless the VoA/RFE suddenly developed some authentic journalistic genes—this scathing portrait on the RFE ( Radio Free Europe ) site on March 4 ?
Headlined in no ambiguous terms , Exclusive : Moldova 's Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite Sanctions , Officials Say , the piece goes on to describe that rarest of oddities , a supposed meeting of the minds ( and values ) between Washington and Moscow .
Of course we are not buying it .
An utterly corrupt empire crawling with sociopathic oligarchs all over its stenchy carcass is not liable to suddenly grow principles inimical to international thievery .
So what 's going on here ?
Ca n't tell for sure , except Washington and NATO may be hedging their bets and playing a long game @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assets Washington is not keen on losing , beginning with its location in the middle of a very interesting neighborhood : That may explain the conciliatory tone toward Moscow .
Or maybe the hybrid machine is preparing another `` revolution '' , riding a new , different horse .
President Dodon and the people who put Plathoniuc to flight have a similar view of events .
Their take ( endorsed by the TASS press service ) is that the US gave shelter to oligarch Plahotniuc to influence Moldovan policy .
According to Moldova @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use the fugitive oligarch in its fight against Russia .
`` Those who helped Plahotniuc to flee counted at minimum on his control over the Democratic Party ( a Moldovan party , not the American entity ) .
He pledged to ensure support for the pro-European government of Sandu [ Prime Minister Maia Sandu — TASS ] and prevent the strengthening of the Socialists , who are carrying out a balanced foreign policy in the interests of the country , '' Dodon said .
According to him , plans were also to use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ] fight against Russia , that he had repeatedly staged provocations against over the recent years on orders from outside . ''
The president reiterated that Russian diplomats , journalists and politicians had seen expulsions from Moldova during the rule of the Plahotniuc-led Democratic Party , and restrictions had been imposed on Russian media outlets , while officials had been banned from visiting Russia .
`` However , those who have sheltered him , seem to understand that they will hardly need him any longer .
The new leadership of the Democratic Party @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a trail of negativity behind him — recently some of his closest associates were required to hand over their parliamentary mandates , '' Dodon stated .
( Read the rest of the TASS dispatch here . )
So , it seems like we 'll have to wait and see .
Meantime , check out an excerpt from the VoA piece .
Click on the orange button to read it .
REGULAR TEXT RESUMES HERE Beginning in April 7 , 2009 , these mobs took over ( and set fire to ) government buildings @ @ @ @ @ @ @ European Union flags .
While this effort was quashed by crackdowns by police , a taste of the potential for regime change was felt by all and then-President Vladimir Voronin called it a “ coup d ’ etat ” .
In hindsight , we can observe the growth of the media empire under the control of Plahotniuc and the vast investments into “ democracy building ” by the National Endowment of Democracy to get a sense of the causal hand behind these events , though at the time the culprits never came to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The American State Department ’ s hand pervaded this story as Ambassador Chaudhry ( connected closely to Victoria Nuland according to Wikileaks emails ) , was a major power broker and brags that his work in carrying out Moldovan democracy reforms during this time was the most rewarding experience of his career .
In the wake of this attempted coup , three pro-western opposition parties created the Alliance for European Integration winning 53 seats and pushing out the Communist Party from power .
By 2014 , the long-sought for EU association agreements were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with NATO ’ s bureaucrats salivating at the prospect of assimilating all three .
At this time , Ukraine ’ s pro-Russian government had just fallen to its own color revolution and the new regime of Yatseniuk was calling for speedy NATO entry .
Even though its 1994 Constitution prevented it , Moldova was already a part of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and had participated in NATO ’ s Kosovo Force since 2014 .
A change in Constitution to permit for NATO entry by way of Euro integration ( or total @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stretch of the imagination at this point .
During this time high level Obama-era regime change agents like Joe Biden and John McCain made stops in Moldova and encouraged speedy western integration , meeting with kleptocrats like Plahotniuc and celebrating the new age of western “ liberalism ” that would transform the eastern bloc .
With such a powerful machine supporting them , Plahotniuc and other local Moldovan kleptocrats had every reason to feel as though they had the power of gods .
The lords of high finance of London and Wall Street @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and with Moldova ’ s full integration into the NATO/EU cage nothing would hold them back… but with this hubris came a fair dose of sloppiness .
“ The Theft of the Century ” and Its Aftermath Working closely with Israeli-Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor and fellow oligarchs Vyacheslav Platon and Vlad Filat , Plahotniuc carried out a blatant “ theft of the century ” to the tune of $ 1 billion stolen from Moldova ( representing 1/8th of the nation ’ s GDP ) between 2011-2014 .
The model was simple and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies which laundered money and received fraudulent loans issued by the Moldovan Central Bank .
That bank had itself taken over three major financial institutions ( the Banca de Economii , Unibank and Banca Sociala ) which extended fraudulent loans and businesses controlled by Ilan Shor and others within Plahotniuc ’ s network to the tune of $ 1 billion .
$ 100 million were used directly by Plahotniuc to purchase , banks , businesses , hotels and other luxury real estate around Europe and Moldova .
Even though the facts of this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Plahotniuc ’ s control on the levers of justice ( especially the Constitutional Court which is packed with his partisans ) ensured that little could be done to bring the oligarch to justice .
Vlad Filat was sacrificed by his former partner in 2016 and given 3 years in prison for bribes and participation in the heist while Ilan Shor was charged with laundering and embezzlement in abstentia though never saw a jail cell .
In April 2017 , Vyacheslav Platon was found guilty and given 18 years in prison but Plahotniuc @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Things were a bit different elsewhere however and in 2017 , Moscow ’ s Basmanny Court found the oligarch guilty of attempted murder .
In 2019 , a Moscow court found Plahotniuc guilty of drug trafficking and money laundering and he was also charged with 28 counts of smuggling and sales of drugs ( mostly hashish from North Africa ) - and to these charges Plahotniuc obviously cried “ Russian fantasies and fake news ” .
During the hot phase of blowback during 2016 , Plahotniuc was a guest of the pro-NATO @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Victoria Nuland and other members of the Obama regime change party .
The ‘ Atlantic Council Moldova Program ’ was also advancing a steady stream of pro-NATO propaganda funded by Jashi ’ s Trans Oil Group ( on whose board sat former U.S .
Ambassador Chaudhry ) .
Upon his return from America , Plahotniuc speedily moved to take full control of the Democratic Party .
In spite of his control of mass media , news of this “ theft of the century ” spread widely , and in an impoverished nation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ index where nearly 50 % of the male population lives and works abroad as cheap labor , public tolerance for Plahotniuc ’ s sank to new lows with a 96 % disapproval rating .
The Democratic Party machine fell from favor and the pro-Russian Socialist Party again took power under Igor Dodon .
President Dodon wasted no time accelerating Moldova ’ s observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union which was made official on March 14 , 2018 when Dodon called for a pro-Europe and pro-Russia policy ( a blasphemy for some technocrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laid out the philosophy of EU-EAEU cooperation saying : “ The Eurasian Union will be built on universal integration principles as an integral part of a harmonious community of economies from Lisbon to Vladivostok.
” In a February 2020 interview , Dodon echoed this orientation stating : “ I believe in a big Europe , from Lisbon to Vladivostok .
It was Charles de Gaulle who came up with this idea and its repeated often by various world leaders .
I think this is the only solution to make Europe stronger.
” This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the Plahotniuk apparatus licked its wounds , regrouped , and waited for the right moment to strike… and on June 7 , 2019 that moment came .
Three months had passed since the February 2019 elections and a government had not yet formed .
The three opposing parties that each won over 20 % of the votes included Plahotniuc Democratic Party , the pro-EU ACUM party of PM Maia Sandu and the Socialist Party of Igor Dodon .
Sandu ’ s role as a former World Bank executive didn ’ t bode @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an alliance with Plahotniuc was political suicide kept her from making a devil 's pact and at the last minute chose to form a coalition government with Dodon in defense of the nation ’ s true interests where both parties united in the common cause to flush the swamp of oligarchs .
This alliance was arranged at the same moment that Plahotniuc ’ s Constitutional Court deemed the February elections invalid ( party leaders have 3 months to shape a new government after elections ) .
The court demanded that Dodon be deposed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new elections ) , and the new coalition government declared null and void .
Former PM Pavel Filip refused to recognize the new government calling it illegal and demanding a new election while Plahotniuc waited with bated breath for his moment to take over .

Please make sure these dispatches reach as many readers as possible. Share with kin, friends and workmates and ask them to do likewise.
By Matthew Ehret
In June 2019, the small landlocked nation of Moldova found itself in a life or death struggle between two opposing futures: Oligarchs like the notorious Vladimir Plahotniuc had worked diligently for years to bring this nation into the hull of the collapsing NATO-EU Titanic while nationalists sought to re-align Moldova’s future with the new emerging Multipolar Alliance led by China and Russia.
The greatest moment of decision (until now) occurred in June 2019 when elections resulted in a three-way split between a pro-Russian Socialist Party, the pro-EU ACUM and another pro-western Democratic Party run by the arch Moldavian kleptocrat Vladimir Plahotniuc.
Vlad Plahotniuc: Deep State Tool and Force of Regime Change
A renowned kleptocrat whom by all accounts is known as the richest man in Moldova, Plahotniuc was not only a media and advertising mogul controlling the vast majority of the news, and entertainment of the small nation, but was also a power in Moldova’s banking, hotel and services industry who, with the support of Victoria Nuland, took charge of the pro-EU Democratic Party from December 2016. Although his highest political office was Deputy Speaker of Parliament, it was known by all, that Plahotniuc was the hidden hand controlling the state and aspired to make that power official by becoming Prime Minister.
During the dark days of the Obama era, Plahotniuc interfaced closely with Asif Chaudhry (U.S. Ambassador to Moldova from 2008-2011) who acted as power broker and mediator during the tumultuous period of change that saw the elimination of the pro-Russian Communist Party and the rise of the pro-Euro Integration movement under the Democratic Party in the wake of the 2009 “Twitter Revolution” (sometimes called the “revolution of Twits”). This crisis saw a near color revolution as 30 000 Jacobin youth in Chisinau aspired to overthrow the government by declaring the recent elections to be fraudulent. The slogans shouted by the mob included “we want Europe”, “we are Romanians” and “down with Communism”. Romania had joined NATO in 2004 and the movement to absorb Moldova into Romania was supported by many in the west wishing to see NATO’s unabated growth.
S I D E B A R
Patrice Greanville
The Snake Eats Itself by The Tail: Disinformation Gymnastics
Vladimir Plahotniuc is not only regarded as a crook by many Moldovans, who would like to see him face justice. He's also apparently (for show) also on America's shit list of criminal oligarchs. How else do we explain—unless the VoA/RFE suddenly developed some authentic journalistic genes—this scathing portrait on the RFE (Radio Free Europe) site on March 4? Headlined in no ambiguous terms, Exclusive: Moldova's Most Notorious Oligarch Has Been In The U.S. Despite Sanctions, Officials Say, the piece goes on to describe that rarest of oddities, a supposed meeting of the minds (and values) between Washington and Moscow. Of course we are not buying it. An utterly corrupt empire crawling with sociopathic oligarchs all over its stenchy carcass is not liable to suddenly grow principles inimical to international thievery. So what's going on here? Can't tell for sure, except Washington and NATO may be hedging their bets and playing a long game. Moldova may already have some strategic assets Washington is not keen on losing, beginning with its location in the middle of a very interesting neighborhood:
That may explain the conciliatory tone toward Moscow. Or maybe the hybrid machine is preparing another "revolution", riding a new, different horse. President Dodon and the people who put Plathoniuc to flight have a similar view of events. Their take (endorsed by the TASS press service) is that the US gave shelter to oligarch Plahotniuc to influence Moldovan policy. According to Moldova's president, the US planned to use the fugitive oligarch in its fight against Russia. "Those who helped Plahotniuc to flee counted at minimum on his control over the Democratic Party (a Moldovan party, not the American entity). He pledged to ensure support for the pro-European government of Sandu [Prime Minister Maia Sandu — TASS] and prevent the strengthening of the Socialists, who are carrying out a balanced foreign policy in the interests of the country," Dodon said. According to him, plans were also to use the fugitive oligarch "in [the] fight against Russia, that he had repeatedly staged provocations against over the recent years on orders from outside." The president reiterated that Russian diplomats, journalists and politicians had seen expulsions from Moldova during the rule of the Plahotniuc-led Democratic Party, and restrictions had been imposed on Russian media outlets, while officials had been banned from visiting Russia. "However, those who have sheltered him, seem to understand that they will hardly need him any longer. The new leadership of the Democratic Party is distancing itself from the oligarch with a trail of negativity behind him — recently some of his closest associates were required to hand over their parliamentary mandates," Dodon stated. (Read the rest of the TASS dispatch here.) So, it seems like we'll have to wait and see. Meantime, check out an excerpt from the VoA piece. Click on the orange button to read it.
Exclusive: Moldova's Most Notorious Oligarch Has Been In The U.S. Despite Sanctions, Officials Say,
(Radio Free Europe)
He's one of the most powerful, and most notorious, tycoons in Moldova's three decades of independence, a man linked to the "theft of the century" -- the disappearance of $1 billion from Moldovan banks in 2014. (Radio Free Europe)He's one of the most powerful, and most notorious, tycoons in Moldova's three decades of independence, a man linked to the "theft of the century" -- the disappearance of $1 billion from Moldovan banks in 2014. A longtime behind-the-scenes power broker, Vladimir Plahotniuc fled Moldova in June 2019 after being pushed out of parliament as part of a government shakeup brokered by Russia, the United States, and other European partners. He has dropped out of the public view since then, reportedly traveling under one or more assumed names and alternate passports. In January, the United States hit the ousted oligarch and his family with visa restrictions "due to his involvement in significant corruption...that undermined the rule of law and severely compromised the independence of democratic institutions in Moldova." Moldovan officials and U.S. officials with knowledge of the situation, however, told RFE/RL that Plahotniuc had been in the United States on several occasions in recent months, including at least once since the State Department imposed the visa restrictions. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation. The development has worried anti-corruption experts, activists in Moldova, and observers abroad who fear the U.S. administration is sending a bad signal to countries trying to root out corruption and improve governance. "If Vladimir Plahotniuc is really somewhere in the United States, this would be unsurprising but disappointing," said William Hill, a U.S. diplomat who headed the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe mission in Moldova in the late 1990s and 2000s. "The U.S. lost a great deal of credibility and support in Moldovan civil society over the past few years due to Washington's continued, seemingly uncritical willingness to work with Plahotniuc almost up to the end of his days in power," he said. "Backing for Plahotniuc, tacit or explicit, caused many in Moldova increasingly to perceive American rhetoric in support of democracy and reform as largely self-interested anti-Russian geopolitics."
[bg_collapse view="button-orange" color="#4a4949" expand_text="Oligarch on the lam denounced by Washington" collapse_text="Show Less" ][/bg_collapse]
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REGULAR TEXT RESUMES HERE
Beginning in April 7, 2009, these mobs took over (and set fire to) government buildings and replaced Moldovan flags with Romanian and European Union flags. While this effort was quashed by crackdowns by police, a taste of the potential for regime change was felt by all and then-President Vladimir Voronin called it a “coup d’etat”.
In hindsight, we can observe the growth of the media empire under the control of Plahotniuc and the vast investments into “democracy building” by the National Endowment of Democracy to get a sense of the causal hand behind these events, though at the time the culprits never came to light.
One thing is clear: The American State Department’s hand pervaded this story as Ambassador Chaudhry (connected closely to Victoria Nuland according to Wikileaks emails), was a major power broker and brags that his work in carrying out Moldovan democracy reforms during this time was the most rewarding experience of his career.
In the wake of this attempted coup, three pro-western opposition parties created the Alliance for European Integration winning 53 seats and pushing out the Communist Party from power.
By 2014, the long-sought for EU association agreements were signed by Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine with NATO’s bureaucrats salivating at the prospect of assimilating all three. At this time, Ukraine’s pro-Russian government had just fallen to its own color revolution and the new regime of Yatseniuk was calling for speedy NATO entry. Even though its 1994 Constitution prevented it, Moldova was already a part of the NATO Partnership for Peace Program and had participated in NATO’s Kosovo Force since 2014. A change in Constitution to permit for NATO entry by way of Euro integration (or total regime change) was not a huge stretch of the imagination at this point.
During this time high level Obama-era regime change agents like Joe Biden and John McCain made stops in Moldova and encouraged speedy western integration, meeting with kleptocrats like Plahotniuc and celebrating the new age of western “liberalism” that would transform the eastern bloc.
With such a powerful machine supporting them, Plahotniuc and other local Moldovan kleptocrats had every reason to feel as though they had the power of gods. The lords of high finance of London and Wall Street had ensured their unchallenged success for years, and with Moldova’s full integration into the NATO/EU cage nothing would hold them back… but with this hubris came a fair dose of sloppiness.
“The Theft of the Century” and Its Aftermath
Working closely with Israeli-Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor and fellow oligarchs Vyacheslav Platon and Vlad Filat, Plahotniuc carried out a blatant “theft of the century” to the tune of $1 billion stolen from Moldova (representing 1/8th of the nation’s GDP) between 2011-2014. The model was simple and based on the use of offshore shell companies which laundered money and received fraudulent loans issued by the Moldovan Central Bank. That bank had itself taken over three major financial institutions (the Banca de Economii, Unibank and Banca Sociala) which extended fraudulent loans and businesses controlled by Ilan Shor and others within Plahotniuc’s network to the tune of $1 billion. $100 million were used directly by Plahotniuc to purchase, banks, businesses, hotels and other luxury real estate around Europe and Moldova.
Even though the facts of this fraud could not long be kept secret, Plahotniuc’s control on the levers of justice (especially the Constitutional Court which is packed with his partisans) ensured that little could be done to bring the oligarch to justice.
Vlad Filat was sacrificed by his former partner in 2016 and given 3 years in prison for bribes and participation in the heist while Ilan Shor was charged with laundering and embezzlement in abstentia though never saw a jail cell. In April 2017, Vyacheslav Platon was found guilty and given 18 years in prison but Plahotniuc never faced a single charge in Moldova. Things were a bit different elsewhere however and in 2017, Moscow’s Basmanny Court found the oligarch guilty of attempted murder.
In 2019, a Moscow court found Plahotniuc guilty of drug trafficking and money laundering and he was also charged with 28 counts of smuggling and sales of drugs (mostly hashish from North Africa)- and to these charges Plahotniuc obviously cried “Russian fantasies and fake news”.
During the hot phase of blowback during 2016, Plahotniuc was a guest of the pro-NATO Atlantic Council in Washington where he met with Victoria Nuland and other members of the Obama regime change party. The ‘Atlantic Council Moldova Program’ was also advancing a steady stream of pro-NATO propaganda funded by Jashi’s Trans Oil Group (on whose board sat former U.S. Ambassador Chaudhry).
Upon his return from America, Plahotniuc speedily moved to take full control of the Democratic Party.
In spite of his control of mass media, news of this “theft of the century” spread widely, and in an impoverished nation ranked lowest on the European Union poverty index where nearly 50% of the male population lives and works abroad as cheap labor, public tolerance for Plahotniuc’s sank to new lows with a 96% disapproval rating. The Democratic Party machine fell from favor and the pro-Russian Socialist Party again took power under Igor Dodon.
President Dodon wasted no time accelerating Moldova’s observer status in the Eurasian Economic Union which was made official on March 14, 2018 when Dodon called for a pro-Europe and pro-Russia policy (a blasphemy for some technocrats). At this time, Putin laid out the philosophy of EU-EAEU cooperation saying: “The Eurasian Union will be built on universal integration principles as an integral part of a harmonious community of economies from Lisbon to Vladivostok.”
In a February 2020 interview, Dodon echoed this orientation stating: “I believe in a big Europe, from Lisbon to Vladivostok. It was Charles de Gaulle who came up with this idea and its repeated often by various world leaders. I think this is the only solution to make Europe stronger.”
This had to be stopped.
From 2017-2019, the Plahotniuk apparatus licked its wounds, regrouped, and waited for the right moment to strike… and on June 7, 2019 that moment came.
Plahotniuc Attacks and Trips
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hree months had passed since the February 2019 elections and a government had not yet formed. The three opposing parties that each won over 20% of the votes included Plahotniuc Democratic Party, the pro-EU ACUM party of PM Maia Sandu and the Socialist Party of Igor Dodon. Sandu’s role as a former World Bank executive didn’t bode well, but luckily her recognition that an alliance with Plahotniuc was political suicide kept her from making a devil's pact and at the last minute chose to form a coalition government with Dodon in defense of the nation’s true interests where both parties united in the common cause to flush the swamp of oligarchs.
This alliance was arranged at the same moment that Plahotniuc’s Constitutional Court deemed the February elections invalid (party leaders have 3 months to shape a new government after elections). The court demanded that Dodon be deposed as President (for failing to call new elections), and the new coalition government declared null and void. Former PM Pavel Filip refused to recognize the new government calling it illegal and demanding a new election while Plahotniuc waited with bated breath for his moment to take over.


thegreanvillepostbiasrating--2020-07-13--RUSSIA’S BEHIND THE SCENES DIPLOMACY HELPED DE-ESCALATE TENSIONS BETWEEN INDIA & CHINA; IRAN & CHINA

RUSSIA’S BEHIND THE SCENES DIPLOMACY HELPED DE-ESCALATE TENSIONS BETWEEN INDIA & CHINA; IRAN & CHINA SIGN GROUND-BREAKING DEAL

At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed earlier this week in hand-to-hand fighting with Chinese forces .
It was the deadliest incident in more than half a century since the two Asian powers fought a brief war in 1962 over similar border dispute .
There are dozens of casualties also reported on the Chinese side , but Beijing has not officially confirmed numbers… n mid-June , Indian and Chinese soldiers engaged in a deadly skirmish in a disputed area along the Himalayan border between the two countries .
As journalist Finian Cunningham described it : Russia , which has had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now , was already scheduled to hold a summit with India and China on June 22nd .
The foreign ministers of all three countries met by video conference .
According to an article in the Economic Times of India , Russia “ quietly ” took steps to help reduce tensions between the world ’ s two most populous nations , facilitating the release of 10 Indian soldiers that had been taken prisoner by China : Moscow used its good offices in various capitals to convey a message to China to show gestures to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ All three sides had stakes in reducing tensions .
Based on Russia ’ s relations with India and China , it tried to create a situation that does not derail the RIC meet .
But the idea was not to intervene in a bilateral dispute , rather it was to use quiet diplomacy , ” a source quipped .
And now for a sharp counterpoint in how not to do foreign policy .
The Trump administration has managed to push Iran even deeper into China ’ s embrace .
Apparently Trump doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – partly on behalf of Israel ’ s interests – followed by ham-fisted attempts to bully the other nation into total submission is likely to blow up in his face , Wiley Coyote style .
The blowback came recently in the form of a 25-year economic and security agreement that Iran signed with China .
The agreement provides for China investing hundreds of billions of dollars to develop Iran ’ s oil and gas sector , transportation and manufacturing .
Additionally , the deal allows for both Russia and China to sell upgrades @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anti-air defenses .
As Luongo sums it up : The bottom line is that this deal cements the Russian/Chinese/Iranian axis as an unbreakable thing .
For nearly four years Trump ’ s team has pushed him to try and break this alliance up , but did so with tactics which only pushed them closer together .

I
At least 20 Indian soldiers were killed earlier this week in hand-to-hand fighting with Chinese forces. It was the deadliest incident in more than half a century since the two Asian powers fought a brief war in 1962 over similar border dispute. There are dozens of casualties also reported on the Chinese side, but Beijing has not officially confirmed numbers…
….Reports say hundreds of soldiers were engaged in a pitched battle using rocks, clubs and knives after opposing units became involved in a brawl in the high-altitude Galwan Valley. Many soldiers were thrown to their deaths from treacherous slopes.
Indian and Chinese forces patrol the disputed 3,500-km Line of Actual Control between the two countries with competing territorial claims. A bilateral agreement stipulates that the rival units are unarmed in order to reduce risk of conflict.
Confrontations have increased in recent years with both sides accusing the other of encroachment. Following a border skirmish in May, Indian and Chinese army commanders negotiated a de-escalation deal earlier this month. Now both sides are accusing each other of bad faith.
n mid-June, Indian and Chinese soldiers engaged in a deadly skirmish in a disputed area along the Himalayan border between the two countries. As journalist Finian Cunningham described it:
Russia, which has had good relations with both countries for years now, was already scheduled to hold a summit with India and China on June 22nd. The foreign ministers of all three countries met by video conference. According to an article in the Economic Times of India, Russia “quietly” took steps to help reduce tensions between the world’s two most populous nations, facilitating the release of 10 Indian soldiers that had been taken prisoner by China:
The capture of the army men had cast a shadow on the RIC [Russia-India-China] meet, with India finding it difficult to attend the meet under those circumstances.
Moscow used its good offices in various capitals to convey a message to China to show gestures to reduce tensions, sources indicated. “All three sides had stakes in reducing tensions. Based on Russia’s relations with India and China, it tried to create a situation that does not derail the RIC meet. But the idea was not to intervene in a bilateral dispute, rather it was to use quiet diplomacy,” a source quipped.
Publicly, the Kremlin, Russian foreign minister and the Russian envoy to India gave statements after June 15, mentioning that Moscow is watching with great attention what is happening along LAC and urged for restoring predictability and stability in the region.
It may be recalled that ahead of the RIC meet on June 23, intense negotiations through diplomatic and military channels led to the release of 10 Indian soldiers.
And now for a sharp counterpoint in how not to do foreign policy. The Trump administration has managed to push Iran even deeper into China’s embrace. Apparently Trump doesn’t understand that tearing up diplomatic agreements – partly on behalf of Israel’s interests – followed by ham-fisted attempts to bully the other nation into total submission is likely to blow up in his face, Wiley Coyote style.
As analyst Tom Luongo reminds us:
Trump was warned by both Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin that Iran would ‘rather eat dirt’ than submit to him on nuclear weapons, support for Hezbollah, Iraq and President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
The blowback came recently in the form of a 25-year economic and security agreement that Iran signed with China. The agreement provides for China investing hundreds of billions of dollars to develop Iran’s oil and gas sector, transportation and manufacturing. Additionally, the deal allows for both Russia and China to sell upgrades to Iran’s air force and anti-air defenses. As Luongo sums it up:
The bottom line is that this deal cements the Russian/Chinese/Iranian axis as an unbreakable thing. For nearly four years Trump’s team has pushed him to try and break this alliance up, but did so with tactics which only pushed them closer together.
All stick and no carrot after decades of the same treatment while showing no capability of abiding by any deal struck was never a recipe for driving a wedge between these people.
Good job, guys!