russia-insider--2020-06-12--The Internet Censorship Bubble Is About To Burst

Over the past year , I ’ ve written extensively about the initially creeping — and then sweeping — censorship occurring online .
Initially , the censorship vortex was on vaccines .
Social media platforms and Google all started suppressing and then outright banning content raising questions about vaccine safety .
I warned everyone that this would eventually spread to other topics that might threaten a corporate bottom line .
The only surprise was how quickly that happened .
Within months , Google started shadow banning and hiding holistic health sites , including this one , in its search results @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the decision to leave Facebook due to its clear censoring of valid and truthful information .
One year from the time social media platforms began censoring vaccine information , they all started banning views on COVID-19 treatments that differ from that of the World Health Organization .
The Dangerous Suppression of Freedom of Speech YouTube ’ s CEO even went on the record stating they will block any video that goes against WHO guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic .
Shockingly , this includes videos and articles by medical doctors , emergency care specialists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , recommendations and scientific findings .
Just one of countless examples was a May 17 , 2020 , Full Measure News report1 in which Sharyl Attkisson interviewed doctors reporting good results with hydroxychloroquine .
The segment also looked at the potential financial motives driving the mass media ’ s disdain for the drug , while promoting remdesivir and as-of-yet-unavailable vaccines .
Just the News , which reported the takedown of Full Measure ’ s video , writes:2 May 20 , 2020 , Infowars host Alex Jones revealed Joe Rogan has signed an exclusivity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Experience Podcast .
You can find the video here .
Rogan had reportedly asked Jones to make the announcement .
According to Rogan , the move is his way to strike back against YouTube censorship .
Granted , the $ 100 million paycheck from Spotify probably didn ’ t make it a particularly difficult decision .
It also turned out to be a stroke of genius for Spotify , the stock of which jumped 8.4 % , or more than $ 5 billion dollars , after Rogan announced the move on Twitter.3 Jones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be banned from YouTube , which appears to be the reason he gave Jones the scoop .
The straw that broke the camel ’ s back , Rogan says , was YouTube ’ s decision to block differing opinions on COVID-19 , as he wanted to interview a variety of doctors and experts about it .
But even before the pandemic , Rogan had bristled against YouTube ’ s decision to demonetize or remove certain interviews .
Rogan told Jones he sees YouTube ’ s behavior as “ un-American ” and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s move is symbolic of “ peak internet.
” Possibly , it ’ s a sign that the censorship bubble is about to burst .
With 8.52 million subscribers as of May 27 , 2020,4 Rogan is currently one of YouTube ’ s biggest channels .
His departure is predicted by many to be a serious blow to YouTube ’ s bottom line .
As noted by Bari Weiss in a New York Times op-ed,5 Rogan ’ s move matters because the media landscape is changing , and Rogan — and others like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now .
Spotify Censors Two of My Coronavirus Interviews Whether Spotify will in fact live up to the expectation of non-bias remains to be seen .
I for one have my doubts , as two of my coronavirus interviews have summarily been deleted off Spotify without recourse .
Spotify claims it only prohibits illegal content , hate content and infringing content .
My interviews about coronavirus with Brian Hoyer and Judy Mikovits , Ph.D. , clearly do not fall under any of these categories , yet Spotify removed them .
So , so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expression .
What ’ s worse , there is no way to dispute Spotify ’ s removal of these shows .
Like Rogan , I have taken my stand .
I put up a firewall to prevent Google from indexing my pages , and I will never conform to “ consensus reality ” just to get my Google ranking back .
It ’ s unfortunate , but the way it stands right now , we have to go old-school and share information we find valuable through word-of-mouth , by text , email and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this site , we have built in simple sharing tools at the top of each article so you can easily email or text interesting articles to your friends and family .
My information is here because all of you support and share it , and we can do this without Big Tech ’ s support .
In times like these , sharing information that is not readily available to all is nothing short of a revolutionary act .
Wherever and whenever possible , we must all fight against the oppression of censorship .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ must realize that without freedom of speech and opposing viewpoints , there can be no democracy .
Instead , what you have is a totalitarian regime .
As it stands , that regime is not even made up of elected officials but unelected individuals representing for-profit multinational corporations .
It ’ s time to break free .
To do that , consider these suggestions : Become a subscriber to my newsletter and encourage your friends and family to do the same .
This is the easiest and safest way to make sure you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ important health and environmental issues .
If you have any friends or relatives who are seriously interested in their health , please share important articles with them and encourage them to subscribe to our newsletter .
Consider dumping any Android phone the next time you get a phone .
Android is a Google operating system and will seek to gather as much data as they can about you for their benefit .
Use the internal Mercola.com search engine when searching for articles on my site .
Boycott Google by avoiding any and all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use Brave or Opera browser instead , available for all computers and mobile devices.7 From a security perspective , Opera is far superior to Chrome and offers a free VPN service ( virtual private network ) to further preserve your privacy •If you have a Gmail account , try a non-Google email service such as ProtonMail,8 an encrypted email service based in Switzerland •Stop using Google docs .
Digital Trends has published an article suggesting a number of alternatives9 •If you ’ re a high school student , do not convert the Google @ @ @ @ @ @ @ personal accounts Sign the “ Don ’ t be evil ” petition created by Citizens Against Monopoly • 2 Just the News May 20 , 2020 The Best of Joseph Mercola

Over the past year, I’ve written extensively about the initially creeping — and then sweeping — censorship occurring online. Initially, the censorship vortex was on vaccines. Social media platforms and Google all started suppressing and then outright banning content raising questions about vaccine safety.
I warned everyone that this would eventually spread to other topics that might threaten a corporate bottom line. The only surprise was how quickly that happened. Within months, Google started shadow banning and hiding holistic health sites, including this one, in its search results.
In August 2019, I made the decision to leave Facebook due to its clear censoring of valid and truthful information. One year from the time social media platforms began censoring vaccine information, they all started banning views on COVID-19 treatments that differ from that of the World Health Organization.
The Dangerous Suppression of Freedom of Speech
YouTube’s CEO even went on the record stating they will block any video that goes against WHO guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic. Shockingly, this includes videos and articles by medical doctors, emergency care specialists and researchers who share their clinical experiences, recommendations and scientific findings.
Just one of countless examples was a May 17, 2020, Full Measure News report1 in which Sharyl Attkisson interviewed doctors reporting good results with hydroxychloroquine. The segment also looked at the potential financial motives driving the mass media’s disdain for the drug, while promoting remdesivir and as-of-yet-unavailable vaccines.
Just the News, which reported the takedown of Full Measure’s video, writes:2
“Dr. Jane Orient, the executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons as well as a clinical lecturer at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, urged viewers to ‘look at the money’ when it comes to the two drugs.
‘There’s no big profits made in hydroxychloroquine,’ said Orient. ‘It’s very cheap, easy to manufacture, been around for 70 years. It’s generic.
Remdesivir is a new drug that could be very expensive and very lucrative if it’s ever approved. So I think we really do have to consider there’s some financial interest involved here’ …
‘These are organized efforts,’ [Attkisson] said, arguing that politically biased parties are behind efforts to remove or censor contrarian information on social media …
She noted recent efforts by Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, to pressure social media companies to censor and downgrade ‘harmful’ coronavirus-related material and push users instead toward information from the World Health Organization. ‘I don’t know why we’re allowing this,’ Attkisson said. ‘Nobody appointed Adam Schiff to police our content on social media.'”
Joe Rogan Ditches YouTube
May 20, 2020, Infowars host Alex Jones revealed Joe Rogan has signed an exclusivity contract with Spotify for his Joe Rogan Experience Podcast. You can find the video here. Rogan had reportedly asked Jones to make the announcement.
According to Rogan, the move is his way to strike back against YouTube censorship. Granted, the $100 million paycheck from Spotify probably didn’t make it a particularly difficult decision. It also turned out to be a stroke of genius for Spotify, the stock of which jumped 8.4%, or more than $5 billion dollars, after Rogan announced the move on Twitter.3
Jones was one of the first controversial figures to be banned from YouTube, which appears to be the reason he gave Jones the scoop. The straw that broke the camel’s back, Rogan says, was YouTube’s decision to block differing opinions on COVID-19, as he wanted to interview a variety of doctors and experts about it.
But even before the pandemic, Rogan had bristled against YouTube’s decision to demonetize or remove certain interviews. Rogan told Jones he sees YouTube’s behavior as “un-American” and “anti-human.” Jones wonders if Rogan’s move is symbolic of “peak internet.” Possibly, it’s a sign that the censorship bubble is about to burst.
Rogan Rules New Media Landscape
With 8.52 million subscribers as of May 27, 2020,4 Rogan is currently one of YouTube’s biggest channels. His departure is predicted by many to be a serious blow to YouTube’s bottom line. As noted by Bari Weiss in a New York Times op-ed,5 Rogan’s move matters because the media landscape is changing, and Rogan — and others like him — are “the news” now.
“The timing of Rogan’s rise and the Old Guard’s disintegration is not coincidental,” Weiss writes. “His success was made possible, at least in part, by legacy media’s blind spots.
While GQ puts Pharrell gowned in a yellow sleeping bag on the cover of its ‘new masculinity’ issue (introduced by the editor explaining that the men’s magazine ‘isn’t really trying to be exclusively for or about men at all’), Joe Rogan swings kettlebells and bow-hunts elk.
Men are hungry. He’s serving steak, rare. Condé Nast, GQ’s publisher, has laid off some 100 employees since the pandemic began. Meantime, ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ has 190 million downloads a month.
His success signals a profound shift, or several of them — a shift in what people want to talk about, how they want to hear it, and who they want to hear it from.”
Geopolitical blogger Tom Luongo comments on Rogan’s appeal, saying:6
“Rogan is an anomaly in podcasting, hell for that matter, all of media and gods bless him for it. Who else can get tens of millions of people to tune into him talking with someone for three hours? CNN can’t get people to watch them for five minutes in airports …
Rogan’s willingness to talk with and listen to anyone is his greatest asset. It is the key to his rise and his future success on Spotify, who desperately needs a big name to keep their business afloat.
Because in an age of endless spectacle and TV screens and websites crammed to the gills with graphics to distract you from the content, the simplicity of a conversation between two people who aren’t shouting at each other has become a welcome node of sanity …
Joe Rogan has now told the entire country that he’s had enough. And we needed someone like Joe to do this. That said, Rogan is only one half of the story, however. Because at the same time, one of these platforms needed to break away from the herd and welcome the dissenters.
For Spotify, Joe Rogan is the ‘killer app’ they needed to differentiate themselves as non-partisan and begin the exodus away from the big platforms who have become nothing but partisan.”
Spotify Censors Two of My Coronavirus Interviews
Whether Spotify will in fact live up to the expectation of non-bias remains to be seen. I for one have my doubts, as two of my coronavirus interviews have summarily been deleted off Spotify without recourse.
Spotify claims it only prohibits illegal content, hate content and infringing content. My interviews about coronavirus with Brian Hoyer and Judy Mikovits, Ph.D., clearly do not fall under any of these categories, yet Spotify removed them. So, so much for being a platform for uncensored expression. What’s worse, there is no way to dispute Spotify’s removal of these shows.
Censorship Threatens Health, Democracy and Freedom
Like Rogan, I have taken my stand. I put up a firewall to prevent Google from indexing my pages, and I will never conform to “consensus reality” just to get my Google ranking back. It’s unfortunate, but the way it stands right now, we have to go old-school and share information we find valuable through word-of-mouth, by text, email and private message.
As for content on this site, we have built in simple sharing tools at the top of each article so you can easily email or text interesting articles to your friends and family.
My information is here because all of you support and share it, and we can do this without Big Tech’s support. In times like these, sharing information that is not readily available to all is nothing short of a revolutionary act.
Wherever and whenever possible, we must all fight against the oppression of censorship. Democracy hangs in the balance. Everyone must realize that without freedom of speech and opposing viewpoints, there can be no democracy. Instead, what you have is a totalitarian regime.
As it stands, that regime is not even made up of elected officials but unelected individuals representing for-profit multinational corporations. It’s time to break free. To do that, consider these suggestions:
Become a subscriber to my newsletter and encourage your friends and family to do the same. This is the easiest and safest way to make sure you’ll stay up to date on important health and environmental issues.
If you have any friends or relatives who are seriously interested in their health, please share important articles with them and encourage them to subscribe to our newsletter.
Consider dumping any Android phone the next time you get a phone. Android is a Google operating system and will seek to gather as much data as they can about you for their benefit.
Use the internal Mercola.com search engine when searching for articles on my site.
Boycott Google by avoiding any and all Google products:
•Stop using Google search engines. Alternatives include Qwant and Swisscows
•Uninstall Google Chrome and use Brave or Opera browser instead, available for all computers and mobile devices.7 From a security perspective, Opera is far superior to Chrome and offers a free VPN service (virtual private network) to further preserve your privacy
•If you have a Gmail account, try a non-Google email service such as ProtonMail,8 an encrypted email service based in Switzerland
•Stop using Google docs. Digital Trends has published an article suggesting a number of alternatives9
•If you’re a high school student, do not convert the Google accounts you created as a student into personal accounts
Sign the “Don’t be evil” petition created by Citizens Against Monopoly
Sources and References
The Best of Joseph Mercola


russia-insider--2020-06-12--European Investors Are Backing Russian Tech Start-Ups - This Agro-Trade Platform Is an Example

Elevator Ventures , Raiffeisen Bank International ’ s corporate fund , and Speedinvest , a major Berlin-based VC fund , are backing Russian agritech startup Agro.Club in a $ 1.5 million seed funding round .
Founded in 2018 , Agro.Club defines itself as “ a mobile platform connecting growers , their suppliers and crop purchasers into a single network.
” It says it is building “ an efficient marketplace – involving large multinationals and their retailers , – a source of valuable analytics , marketing and networking tools throughout the whole agriculture value chain , from seed to sale.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buyer can often be a tricky issue , ” says Agro.Club founder and CEO Egor Kirin .
“ Will the farmer deliver on time ?
Will the grain buyer pay in full ?
So Agro.Club bridges the trust gap by facilitating all payments , guaranteeing the quality , and handling delivery.
” Speedinvest believes agriculture is “ one of the most attractive markets to embed financial services.
” Seeing in Kirin “ an outstanding founder , ” fund associate Enrique Martinez-Hausmann said : “ We were enthusiastic about the opportunity from day one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with the team for the last nine months and are excited about joining forces to make agriculture fair , transparent and sustainable.
” Agro.Club has its main operations in Russia , a fast-developing $ 20 billion agriculture industry .
It claims to serve almost 20 % of Russian farmers and support deals amounting to millions of euros each month .
The startup also has big international ambitions .
Recently it moved its headquarters to New York City in order to conquer the US market .
US industry veteran Neil Arbuckle has joined Agro.Club @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Also joining the North America team as Campaign Strategist is Erin Romeo .
“ Having been at the table with farmers , retailers and manufacturers , I know the Agro.Club platform is a digital solution that can solve for those challenges and strengthen those relationships , ” said Romeo .

Elevator Ventures, Raiffeisen Bank International’s corporate fund, and Speedinvest, a major Berlin-based VC fund, are backing Russian agritech startup Agro.Club in a $1.5 million seed funding round.
Founded in 2018, Agro.Club defines itself as “a mobile platform connecting growers, their suppliers and crop purchasers into a single network.” It says it is building “an efficient marketplace – involving large multinationals and their retailers, – a source of valuable analytics, marketing and networking tools throughout the whole agriculture value chain, from seed to sale.”
“Trust between farmers and a new buyer can often be a tricky issue,” says Agro.Club founder and CEO Egor Kirin. “Will the farmer deliver on time? Will the grain buyer pay in full? So Agro.Club bridges the trust gap by facilitating all payments, guaranteeing the quality, and handling delivery.”
Speedinvest believes agriculture is “one of the most attractive markets to embed financial services.” Seeing in Kirin “an outstanding founder,” fund associate Enrique Martinez-Hausmann said: “We were enthusiastic about the opportunity from day one. We have built a solid relationship with the team for the last nine months and are excited about joining forces to make agriculture fair, transparent and sustainable.”
From Russian farms to Western markets
Agro.Club has its main operations in Russia, a fast-developing $20 billion agriculture industry. It claims to serve almost 20% of Russian farmers and support deals amounting to millions of euros each month.
The startup also has big international ambitions. Recently it moved its headquarters to New York City in order to conquer the US market. US industry veteran Neil Arbuckle has joined Agro.Club as the Managing Director for the region. Also joining the North America team as Campaign Strategist is Erin Romeo.
“Having been at the table with farmers, retailers and manufacturers, I know the Agro.Club platform is a digital solution that can solve for those challenges and strengthen those relationships,” said Romeo.
Agro.Club now plans to enter European markets.


russia-insider--2020-06-12--Germany and US May Get Into a Tariff War Over the Russian Pipeline Uproar

The United States continues to threaten Germany with sanctions if the European country proceeds with the Nord Stream 2 project - a strategic partnership with Russia to build a large gas pipeline that would facilitate the energy flow between Russia and Europe via a smaller and faster route .
Recently , US senators introduced a bill to sanction all companies that provide certification , insurance and port facilities for the planned pipeline , in a clear objective to undermine any businesses interested in the benefits of the project .
This is a common and well-known tactic by the American government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of enforcement and coercive mechanisms to achieve its goals on the international stage .
The sanction is a mechanism that , due to the good customs of the law , should be applied as a last resort , to safeguard a legal asset that was being violated .
Unfortunately , in recent decades , Washington has made absolute use of this mechanism , applying it indiscriminately to simply pursue its own interests .
However , Germany is not willing to passively surrender to American impositions .
The European country intends to fight back @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sanctions to American gas , aiming not only to react to the American provocation , but also to protect the German energy sector from the forced consumption of the American product .
From the Bundestag Committee for Economy and Energy , Klaus Ernst stated in a recent interview that “ if US pressure on the pipeline project does not stop , we must consider serious measures to protect ourselves - for example , there may be punitive gas tariffs for the US '' .
A possible tariff war between Germany and the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to rise on the horizon .
Increasingly , European and American interests clash and the alliance that shaped the Western geopolitical bloc in recent decades is advancing in its process of decay .
At the end of last year , tariff tension around gas had already begun , with Washington approving sanctions against people and companies involved in Nord Stream 2 .
At the time , German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas firmly rejected foreign intervention in the European Union , stating that such measures violate all elementary principles of European law and are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only the German left supported retaliation with tariffs on American gas , being a cause led by the German left party `` Die Linke '' .
Now , however , the cause has acquired deep political and popular dimensions , with strong support from the working classes .
The high degree of American intervention in European sovereignty mobilized a parliamentary coalition against the impositions by Washington , making , with the growth of a critical point of view in relation to the USA in the European Union , to face the USA and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ become one of the country 's top causes .
The reason why the United States wants to ruin Nord Stream is very clear : the agreement benefits bring Russia and Europe closer together , ending dependence on the Ukrainian route of the Russian natural gas and creating a more continuous , safer and cheaper flow of transport .
American fear goes far beyond the mere economic or energy issue .
What Washington really wants to avoid is the establishment of close ties between Moscow and Berlin ( or any other European power ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the modern world forever .
However , the construction of Nord Stream 2 , powered by an alliance of companies from Russia , Germany , Austria , France and the Netherlands , was suspended in December 2019 , after Washington threatened sanctions against the Swiss company Allseas that carried out the works .
In the midst of a Europe that is gradually resuming its routine , slowly leaving the collective quarantine , the discussion on the energy issue will certainly be the most powerful , since it is a central theme for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ project has already been absurdly delayed , since , in the first moments , discussions and tensions of a political nature left the German participation in Nord Stream 2 uncertain and ; after the participation was decided , the American sanctions and the pandemic again hampered the progress of the project , which can only now be definitively resumed and finalized .
In fact , if Germany proceeds with sanctions against the USA , this will be a real act of sovereignty and a break in global geopolitics , where Berlin , aiming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , will reject the American ambition to be a “ global police power ” , thus contributing to a multipolar future .
Definitely , we are at the moment in the history of the West when the USA and the EU will constantly have increasingly different interests and objectives , with situations of confrontation abounding .
Lucas Leiroz is a research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

The United States continues to threaten Germany with sanctions if the European country proceeds with the Nord Stream 2 project - a strategic partnership with Russia to build a large gas pipeline that would facilitate the energy flow between Russia and Europe via a smaller and faster route. Recently, US senators introduced a bill to sanction all companies that provide certification, insurance and port facilities for the planned pipeline, in a clear objective to undermine any businesses interested in the benefits of the project.
This is a common and well-known tactic by the American government, which has traditionally made extensive use of enforcement and coercive mechanisms to achieve its goals on the international stage. The sanction is a mechanism that, due to the good customs of the law, should be applied as a last resort, to safeguard a legal asset that was being violated. Unfortunately, in recent decades, Washington has made absolute use of this mechanism, applying it indiscriminately to simply pursue its own interests.
However, Germany is not willing to passively surrender to American impositions. The European country intends to fight back Washington's attack by applying strict tariff sanctions to American gas, aiming not only to react to the American provocation, but also to protect the German energy sector from the forced consumption of the American product. From the Bundestag Committee for Economy and Energy, Klaus Ernst stated in a recent interview that “if US pressure on the pipeline project does not stop, we must consider serious measures to protect ourselves - for example, there may be punitive gas tariffs for the US".
A possible tariff war between Germany and the US on the gas issue is already beginning to rise on the horizon. Increasingly, European and American interests clash and the alliance that shaped the Western geopolitical bloc in recent decades is advancing in its process of decay. At the end of last year, tariff tension around gas had already begun, with Washington approving sanctions against people and companies involved in Nord Stream 2. At the time, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas firmly rejected foreign intervention in the European Union, stating that such measures violate all elementary principles of European law and are therefore inadmissible.
In the beginning, only the German left supported retaliation with tariffs on American gas, being a cause led by the German left party "Die Linke". Now, however, the cause has acquired deep political and popular dimensions, with strong support from the working classes. The high degree of American intervention in European sovereignty mobilized a parliamentary coalition against the impositions by Washington, making, with the growth of a critical point of view in relation to the USA in the European Union, to face the USA and the imposition of the American gas to become one of the country's top causes.
The reason why the United States wants to ruin Nord Stream is very clear: the agreement benefits bring Russia and Europe closer together, ending dependence on the Ukrainian route of the Russian natural gas and creating a more continuous, safer and cheaper flow of transport. American fear goes far beyond the mere economic or energy issue. What Washington really wants to avoid is the establishment of close ties between Moscow and Berlin (or any other European power), which could change the geopolitical configuration of the modern world forever. However, the construction of Nord Stream 2, powered by an alliance of companies from Russia, Germany, Austria, France and the Netherlands, was suspended in December 2019, after Washington threatened sanctions against the Swiss company Allseas that carried out the works.
In the midst of a Europe that is gradually resuming its routine, slowly leaving the collective quarantine, the discussion on the energy issue will certainly be the most powerful, since it is a central theme for German national strategy. Furthermore, the project has already been absurdly delayed, since, in the first moments, discussions and tensions of a political nature left the German participation in Nord Stream 2 uncertain and; after the participation was decided, the American sanctions and the pandemic again hampered the progress of the project, which can only now be definitively resumed and finalized.
In fact, if Germany proceeds with sanctions against the USA, this will be a real act of sovereignty and a break in global geopolitics, where Berlin, aiming to satisfy its national interests and needs, will reject the American ambition to be a “global police power”, thus contributing to a multipolar future. Definitely, we are at the moment in the history of the West when the USA and the EU will constantly have increasingly different interests and objectives, with situations of confrontation abounding.
Lucas Leiroz is a research fellow in international law at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro


russia-insider--2020-06-11--South Africa: Built by Whites, Wrecked by Blacks - Will We Let It Happen in America?

South Africa was a country created by White people .
These pioneers came from far away and struggled for hundreds of years so that they could create a place where they and their descendants could live as free people , making an honest living on the land .
The story of South Africa is actually rather similar to that of America in many ways .
The White people of South Africa made the country a great success , spilling their blood and tears along the way , and their prosperity caused black Africans from surrounding areas to migrate to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its wealth .
Apparently they did not care about White people ’ s “ racism ” enough to stay away , just like the invaders of White homelands today come from faraway lands to take from the civilizations Whites have built over the ages .
In the latter half of the 20th century , as the great White empires of the world “ returned ” their colonies ( after world jewry won World War II ) , South Africa stood strong against the growing tide of anti-White sentiment being pushed from governments and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ realized the realities of racial differences and were not willing to change their minds simply because the rest of the world had gone insane with judeo-bolshevik talking points about “ equality.
” They were isolated from the rest of the world for their “ racism , ” for wanting to live separately from the low-IQ blacks who they employed and governed .
The rest of the world ganged up on South Africa .
Ronald Reagan even demanded that communist terrorist Nelson Mandela be released from prison , even though he was guilty of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and deceit , and incredible financial pressure , the White people of South Africa were removed from power in their country .
Nelson Mandela was released , became the new ruler , and has since become a saint .
Rather quickly South Africa descended from the heights of the first world into a third world hellhole .
The country that had pioneered so much , including the first heart transplant in 1967 , suddenly couldn ’ t even keep the power running for its citizens , with rolling blackouts now commonplace .
Crime @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are rampant .
White people are disproportionately targeted , as blacks are whipped up into a frenzy of hate from their leaders , who want to point to the White man for all of their failures .
Neighboring Rhodesia had previously become Zimbabwe , then Whites were murdered and expelled , then the blacks starved and became very poor , then they begged the White people to return .
No one who is “ politically correct ” is willing to admit why Black-run countries always result in terrible failure .
Dr. James Watson @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , has been publicly vilified and stripped of his honors for pointing out the obvious .
He once told a reporter he had a “ gloomy ” outlook for the future of Africa because : Anyone who states these facts in today ’ s world is condemned as a “ racist , ” which is far worse in the ( ( ( public mind ) ) ) than a rapist .
Dr. Watson also commented on the state of black Americans .
Blacks in today ’ s America have been given many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and in many cases they are given even more advantages , thanks to the anti-White policy of affirmative action .
And yet their IQs are still much lower than the White people with whom they live .
Any IQ advantage black Americans have over Africans appears to be due to the White admixture most of them have , but they are still dysfunctional .
Black criminality and shortcomings are blamed on systemic racism that forces them into a low socio-economic status .
Anti-Whites also claim that White people ’ s prejudices about blacks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ essentially amounts to , “ we act like niggers because you all think of us as niggers.
” All one has to do is look at impoverished White areas , like West Virginia , where crime is much , much lower than even middle class black areas .
None of this is allowed to be discussed , though , because it would make it harder for our jewish overlords to implement their plans for a bolshevik-style revolution that results in White people becoming the ultimate underclass , confined to “ squatter camps ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the situation now , with many White people already living in trailer parks , being told that they are given unearned “ privileges ” in this society just for being White .
Anything a White person does or says is now a form of “ White supremacy , ” which is equated with domestic terrorism by the highest levels of government .
The only kind of interracial violence that is even discussed on the mainstream media is when a White person hurts someone of another race , even if it is just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Central Park calling the police on a “ bird-watching ” black man .
The reality is that White people are victimized dis-proportionally by black people and it is only going to get worse in the wake of the anti-White assault coming at us from all angles .
The only kind of interracial violence that is even discussed on the mainstream media is when a White person hurts someone of another race , even if it is just emotionally , like “ Karen ” in Central Park calling the police on a “ bird-watching @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that White people are victimized dis-proportionally by black people and it is only going to get worse in the wake of the anti-White assault coming at us from all angles .
Whites are the biggest victims of inter-racial crime !
We are the real ones facing literal and systemic racism !
Unless we act quickly , our fate could be even worse than that of Whites in South Africa .
We must learn from the mistakes our people have made in the past so that we do not repeat them .
We can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nightmare that will unfold if we are too cowardly to stand up for ourselves .

South Africa was a country created by White people. These pioneers came from far away and struggled for hundreds of years so that they could create a place where they and their descendants could live as free people, making an honest living on the land. The story of South Africa is actually rather similar to that of America in many ways.
The White people of South Africa made the country a great success, spilling their blood and tears along the way, and their prosperity caused black Africans from surrounding areas to migrate to the country, so as to share in its wealth. Apparently they did not care about White people’s “racism” enough to stay away, just like the invaders of White homelands today come from faraway lands to take from the civilizations Whites have built over the ages.
In the latter half of the 20th century, as the great White empires of the world “returned” their colonies (after world jewry won World War II), South Africa stood strong against the growing tide of anti-White sentiment being pushed from governments and the mass media. White South Africans realized the realities of racial differences and were not willing to change their minds simply because the rest of the world had gone insane with judeo-bolshevik talking points about “equality.” They were isolated from the rest of the world for their “racism,” for wanting to live separately from the low-IQ blacks who they employed and governed.
The rest of the world ganged up on South Africa. Ronald Reagan even demanded that communist terrorist Nelson Mandela be released from prison, even though he was guilty of killing many innocent people.
Through trickery and deceit, and incredible financial pressure, the White people of South Africa were removed from power in their country. Nelson Mandela was released, became the new ruler, and has since become a saint.
Rather quickly South Africa descended from the heights of the first world into a third world hellhole. The country that had pioneered so much, including the first heart transplant in 1967, suddenly couldn’t even keep the power running for its citizens, with rolling blackouts now commonplace. Crime, especially cold-blooded murder and rape, are rampant. White people are disproportionately targeted, as blacks are whipped up into a frenzy of hate from their leaders, who want to point to the White man for all of their failures.
Neighboring Rhodesia had previously become Zimbabwe, then Whites were murdered and expelled, then the blacks starved and became very poor, then they begged the White people to return.
No one who is “politically correct” is willing to admit why Black-run countries always result in terrible failure.
IQ map
Dr. James Watson, discoverer of the DNA double helix, has been publicly vilified and stripped of his honors for pointing out the obvious. He once told a reporter he had a “gloomy” outlook for the future of Africa because:
all our social policies are based on the fact that their intelligence is the same as ours — whereas all the testing says not really”.
Anyone who states these facts in today’s world is condemned as a “racist,” which is far worse in the (((public mind))) than a rapist.
Dr. Watson also commented on the state of black Americans.
Environmental differences … including the sort that affect Black Americans, are known to have large effects on IQ. Moreover, we currently have no way to quantify these effects. So we should draw no conclusion about the probability of any Black genetic IQ advantage or disadvantage.”
Blacks in today’s America have been given many of the same advantages as White Americans, and in many cases they are given even more advantages, thanks to the anti-White policy of affirmative action. And yet their IQs are still much lower than the White people with whom they live. Any IQ advantage black Americans have over Africans appears to be due to the White admixture most of them have, but they are still dysfunctional.
Black criminality and shortcomings are blamed on systemic racism that forces them into a low socio-economic status. Anti-Whites also claim that White people’s prejudices about blacks cause them to behave poorly, which essentially amounts to, “we act like niggers because you all think of us as niggers.” All one has to do is look at impoverished White areas, like West Virginia, where crime is much, much lower than even middle class black areas.
None of this is allowed to be discussed, though, because it would make it harder for our jewish overlords to implement their plans for a bolshevik-style revolution that results in White people becoming the ultimate underclass, confined to “squatter camps” just like in South Africa. Think about the situation now, with many White people already living in trailer parks, being told that they are given unearned “privileges” in this society just for being White. Anything a White person does or says is now a form of “White supremacy,” which is equated with domestic terrorism by the highest levels of government.
This kind of garbage is hammered into young minds at colleges, which are communist indoctrination centers.
The only kind of interracial violence that is even discussed on the mainstream media is when a White person hurts someone of another race, even if it is just emotionally, like “Karen” in Central Park calling the police on a “bird-watching” black man. The reality is that White people are victimized dis-proportionally by black people and it is only going to get worse in the wake of the anti-White assault coming at us from all angles.
The only kind of interracial violence that is even discussed on the mainstream media is when a White person hurts someone of another race, even if it is just emotionally, like “Karen” in Central Park calling the police on a “bird-watching” black man. The reality is that White people are victimized dis-proportionally by black people and it is only going to get worse in the wake of the anti-White assault coming at us from all angles.
Whites are the biggest victims of inter-racial crime! We are the real ones facing literal and systemic racism!
Unless we act quickly, our fate could be even worse than that of Whites in South Africa. We must learn from the mistakes our people have made in the past so that we do not repeat them. We cannot let future generations live in the nightmare that will unfold if we are too cowardly to stand up for ourselves.


russia-insider--2020-06-16--Trump’s ‘Caesar’ Style Siege on Syria, A Sign of Impending Regional Failure

Would be emperor Donald Trump has announced the ‘ Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act ’ , to tighten the genocidal siege on the Syrian people .
Without a hint of irony , this new edict imposes even more serious obstacles to the Syrian people getting access to energy , food and medicines , while claiming its purpose is to ‘ protect ’ those same people .
However the move comes as ( 1 ) a shrinking US military presence faces resistance attacks in both Syria and Iraq , ( 2 ) Washington ’ s allies are abandoning the US-led ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Trump has undermined his local allies in Lebanon and Iraq , by threats and economic turmoil , ( 4 ) US open support for further ethnic cleansing in Palestine has helped drive the international image of Apartheid Israel to an all-time low , ( 5 ) European states have serious tensions with Washington over US-driven economic wars on Iran , Russia and China , and ( 6 ) US allies including the UAE and Kuwait are re-establishing their ties with Damascus .
In these circumstances , the enhanced siege of Syria seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an assertion of strength , more a signal of looming failure .
The ‘ New Middle East ’ project , started by Bush , developed by Obama and inherited by Trump , is in very poor shape .
Trump initially spoke of a pragmatic withdrawal from Syria but , since he took office , has only managed to sink deeper into a series of multiple failing interventions across the region : in Palestine , Lebanon , Syria , Iraq , Iran , and Yemen .
The reference to ‘ Caesar ’ in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Roman Emperors – emulated in their arrogance by the Orange Man in Washington – but to an anonymous Syrian defector at the center of a war propaganda scam a few years back .
Using photos of dead bodies from a central Damascus morgue , those waging war on Syria claimed that all were victims of ‘ regime ’ torture ( Black 2014 ; SJAC 2020 ) .
This is the way the worst of criminals try to vilify their victims , and so distract attention from their own ongoing crimes .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ siege from both the US and the EU for more than eight years , we must ask : what is the purpose of the new measures ?
The answer lies in expanded economic war on the entire region , and in Washington ’ s fear that some of its allies are breaking ranks to normalize relations with Damascus ( Christou and Abdulssattar Ibrahim 2020 ) .
Is this a ‘ last gasp ’ ( Souri 2020 ) of Washington ’ s failing ‘ New Middle East ’ gambits ?
Escalation while losing does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Caesar ’ law pretends to give global power to the US President to impose fines and confiscate the assets of those , anywhere in the world , who “ support or engage in a significant transaction ” with the Syrian government .
This is part of an omnibus law called the National Defence Authorisation Act ( NDAA ) ( SJAC 2020 ) which , in typical US fashion , has nothing to do with its name , either regarding ‘ defense ’ or ‘ protection ’ .
None of this really adds much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia , Iran , China , Venezuela , and Cuba , who already face similar economic aggression .
However , it does have a focus on US allies in Europe and the Persian Gulf .
Several European states , after expressing dissatisfaction with the constant US wars , aggravations and interventions , have sent representatives to discuss renewed relations with Damascus .
At the same time , Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates ( both former sponsors of jihadist terrorists in Syria ) have reopened their embassies in Damascus and are investing in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Meantime the US has blocked UN agencies from financing reconstruction projects in Syria ( Lund 2018 ) , including blocking UNESCO help for reconstruction of the World Heritage cities of Aleppo and Palmyra .
This contrasts sharply with the UNESCO funding of reconstruction projects in the ( non-World Heritage ) city of Mosul in Iraq ( UNESCO 2019 ) .
The WHO has noted , since 2017 , that US-EU sanctions have damaged Syrians ’ access to essential medicines , including those for children with cancer ( Nehme 2017 ; Xinhua 2019 ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issued a report in 2018 which said : “ Prior to the current crisis , Syria enjoyed some of the highest levels of care in the region .
The demands created by the crisis have overwhelmed the system , and created extraordinarily high levels of need .
Despite this , restrictive measures , particularly those related to the banking system , have harmed the ability of Syria to purchase and pay for medicines , equipment , spare parts and software .
While theoretical exemptions exist , in practice international private companies are unwilling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they can transact with Syria without being accused of inadvertently violating the restrictive measures ” ( OHCHR 2018 ) .
The Trump regime – mired in a terrible COVID19 epidemic said to have killed over 110,000 people in the US alone , and racked with demonstrations after the latest in a series of racist police murders – has chosen this time to add to the suffering of the Syrian people .
Unable to topple the government in Damascus , Washington seeks to prevent other countries from helping with critical needs or in post-war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for a 2016 Bill finalized in 2020 ) is revival of the ‘ Caesar ’ scandal of January 2014 .
Here a defector paid by Qatar ( at that time a major investor in anti-Damascus terrorism ) launched a propaganda stunt with several photos of dead bodies , some with marks of torture .
The New York Times said those photos represented “ more than 11,000 bodies in 55,000 photographs … from the secret jails of Syria ’ s president , Bashar al-Assad , [ which ] suggest that torture , starvation and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( Hubbard and Kirkpatrick 2014 ) .
However , the paper also admitted : “ only a few photographs have actually been released by lawyers commissioned by the Qatari government , an avowed opponent of Mr. Assad , and the claims about their origins could not be independently verified ” ( Hubbard and Kirkpatrick 2014 ) .
There was only one witness , ‘ Caesar ’ , and his identity was hidden .
Nonetheless , the clear impression given was that as many as 11,000 people had been tortured to death by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ clear evidence of … industrial scale killing ” ( Black 2014 ) .
Some months later , the Holocaust Museum in Washington hosted an exhibition of “ 10 or so photographs ” , said to be part of the cache of more than 55,000 images .
Cameron Hudson , director of the Center for the Prevention of Genocide , said the exhibition intended to show “ the kind of systematic , organized and industrial nature of the killings ” ( Jalabi 2014 ) .
But it was all a sham .
Later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as yet another war propaganda stunt .
Although the full cache of photos was never made public : ( 1 ) some or all of the photos were shown to have come from the central Damascus morgue , at the Military 601 Hospital ; ( 2 ) they constituted about 10 % of those killed in the US-led war , by that time ; and ( 3 ) the US-based group Human Rights Watch , having gained access to the file and while attempting to maintain the original story , admitted that almost @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dead army soldiers or members of the security forces ” , or “ crime scene photographs … of those who were victims of “ explosions , assassinations of security officers , fires , and car bombs ” ( HRW 2015 ) .
So much for the 11,000 victims of “ torture , starvation and execution ” story .
There were plenty of dead bodies in Syria , but they were victims of the US-led war and of mendacious war propaganda .
Since Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) made this admission a virtual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of “ industrial scale ” killings , and since only a few photos have ever been released , we only have the HRW admission that 24,568 of the alleged 53,275 photos ( 46 % ) were certainly not ‘ opposition ’ figures .
As HRW worked with the US-funded opposition to prepare its report , it seems likely that even this is a distorted picture .
Total war dead in Syria by that time were probably in excess of 100,000 .
Relying on the opposition-linked and England-based ‘ Syrian Observatory for Human Rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that “ at least 96,431 people have lost their lives in the more than two years of violence that ’ s wracked Syria ” ( Enders 2013 ) .
The photos were said to cover from May 2011 to August 2013 .
So the fact that the central morgue in Damascus had photographs of around 10 % of the dead is hardly surprising .
The Caesar scam paralleled repeated claims that Syrian President Bashar al Assad was somehow responsible for all the deaths in Syria , even when his fanatical opponents showed multiple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soldiers and civilians , and when senior US officials openly admitted that their allies were arming and financing all the internationally banned terrorist groups in Syria ( Anderson 2019 : 71-76 ) .
Observing the HRW admissions , a US commentator noted the pattern of fabricated war stories , used to back US interventions .
Historically , “ they all had the goal of manipulating public opinion and they all succeeded in one way or another … [ yet ] none of the perpetrators were punished or paid any price.
” In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the word of one anonymous defector , the scam was announced : “ on 20 January 2014 , two days before [ U.N. ] negotiations about the Syrian conflict were scheduled to begin in Switzerland ” ( Sterling 2015 ) .
Washington never wanted a peace settlement in Syria until they had toppled the independent Syrian Government .
Six years later , in the circumstances of 2020 , the Trump regime had enhanced the economic war on all independent forces of the region , a war set in train by Bush and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pressure ” siege on Iran and full blockades of Syria , Palestine , and Yemen alongside coercive measures targeting resistance groups in Iraq and Lebanon .
Washington then tried to condemn attempts at ‘ money laundering ’ , as the peoples of the region simply sought to breathe .
Yet the Middle East footholds of the US occupation and its proxies have diminished greatly in recent years and there is discontent amongst Washington ’ s allies .
In 2006 , when Israel made its ill-fated decision to again invade Lebanon , hoping to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 180,000 US troops in the region , most of them in Iraq ( Soleimani 2019 ) .
By mid-2020 Trump had 5,200 troops in Iraq ; and the Pentagon wanted to halve that number .
Further , after Iran ’ s strikes on the US airbase in Iraq at Ayn al Assad , US allies have been abandoning the US-led coalition in Iraq ( Rubin , Jakes and Schmitt 2020 ) .
The Iraqi parliament has demanded a complete US withdrawal .
Trump ’ s response has been to increase the arrogance with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allies ’ , having split with the Europeans over the nuclear deal reached with Iran in 2015 and still demanding that Germany reject Russia ’ s NordStream gas project ( Schulz 2020 ) .
That sort of arrogant pressure will likely spark a reaction .
The Caesar law extends Washington ’ s existing comprehensive sanctions against Syria by threatening to freeze the assets of third parties who engage with Damascus ( Christou and Abdulssattar Ibrahim 2020 ) .
Prior to this Washington had relied on “ verbal threats and private warnings to discourage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re-engaging politically with Damascus ” or investing in Syria ( SJAC 2020 ) .
But how long can such threats keep US allies in line ?
Syria ’ s Foreign Ministry said the US was “ practicing economic terrorism ” against Syria and held Washington “ responsible for the suffering of the Syrians and the impact of sanctions on their livelihoods ” ( Xinhuanet 2020 ) .
Despite almost a decade of war and sanctions , Damascus maintains subsidies on food , free public schools and a free public health system .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ e.g .
against Cuba , Iran and Venezuela ) , the US response to criticism of the siege measures is typically that there are ‘ humanitarian exemptions ’ in their laws ( SJAC 2020 ) .
However , this means an appeal to the US President who – like Caesar in the Colosseum – might see fit to ‘ waive ’ his own punishments .
Even sources unsympathetic to Syria acknowledge that , while the US unilateral coercive measures ( ‘ sanctions ’ ) “ do not technically prevent the import … of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of doing business within such a complicated legal regime , alongside fears of inadvertently violating sanctions , has raised the prices of basic goods and contributed to a shortage in medical goods and treatment ” .
Aron Lund of the US-based Century Foundation added “ people sometimes don ’ t even apply for those exemptions ” ( Christou and Abdulssattar Ibrahim 2020 ) .
Washington is not worried about the impact of the coercive measures on the Syrian population , because deprivation and hardship is exactly what is intended .
The US has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures on independent states , aimed at harming entire populations in the hope of provoking political unrest ( Anderson 2019 : 35-39 ) .
In the case of the Caesar law , US envoy James Jeffrey admitted that the recent fall in the Syrian pound was “ because of our procedures ” ( Syria Times 2020 ) , threatening the Syrian Government with ongoing siege if they did not cut their ties with Iran and the Lebanese resistance ( MEMO 2020 ) .
But those ties are precisely what has prevented Syria becoming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , rampant sectarian gangs and open air slave markets .
The US can inflict substantial economic damage on small countries like Syria , in the short term , flouting international law and using the famous doublespeak of ‘ helping ’ the very same people they are attacking .
That has already imposed a huge burden on the people of Syria and Lebanon .
But Washington ’ s medium term prospects do not look so good .
It faces increased cooperation between the region ’ s independent states and peoples ( Iran , Iraq @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestine ) and also cross continental cooperation , as shown by Iran ’ s recent tanker aid to Venezuela ( Al Jazeera 2020 ) .
Further , Russia and China have deepened their roles in the Middle East , in the wake of the multiple , unpopular US interventions .
That includes Chinese and Russian military cooperation with Iran ( Westcott and Alkhshali 2019 ) and the construction of a new China-led financial architecture , which seems increasingly necessary to break the cycle of endless war ( Rae 2020 ; Doshi 2020 ; @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) .
This will eventually include greater distance from the US dollar and some alternatives to the US-dominated SWIFT ( financial transfer ) system .
The Europeans do not yet have sufficient independence to break with their Atlantic ‘ partner ’ , but they may well take advantage of Russia or China-led initiatives which manage to subvert US financial monopolies .
Adler , David and Daniel Bessner ( 2020 ) ‘ To End Forever War , End the Dollar ’ s Global Dominance ’ , New Republic , 28 January , online : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) ‘ Iran ready to ship more fuel to Venezuela despite US 'threats ' ’ , 1 June , online : https : //www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/iran-ready-ship-fuel-venezuela-threats-200601082627973.html Anderson , Tim ( 2019 ) Axis of Resistance : towards an independent Middle East ’ , Clarity Press , Atlanta ( GA ) Black , Ian ( 2014 ) ‘ Syrian regime document trove shows evidence of “ industrial scale ” killing of detainees ’ , The Guardian , 22 January , online : https : //www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/20/evidence-industrial-scale-killing-syria-war-crimes Christou , Will and Mohammad Abdulssattar Ibrahim ( 2020 ) ‘ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of US Syria policy ?
’ , Syria Direct , 5 January , online : https : //syriadirect.org/news/the-caesar-act-beginning-or-end-of-us-syria-policy/ Doshi , Rush ( 2020 ) ‘ China 's Ten-Year Struggle against U.S. Financial Power ’ , National Bureau of Asian Research , 6 January , online : https : //www.nbr.org/publication/chinas-ten-year-struggle-against-u-s-financial-power/ Enders , David ( 2013 ) ‘ Assad backers reportedly make up 43 percent of dead in Syria ’ , McClatchy , 3 June , online : https : //web.archive.org/web/20151109132933/http : //www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/middle-east/article24749608.html HRW ( 2015 ) ‘ If the Dead Could Speak : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Detention Facilities ’ , Human Rights Watch , 16 December , online : https : //www.hrw.org/report/2015/12/16/if-dead-could-speak/mass-deaths-and-torture-syrias-detention-facilities Hubbard , Ben and David D. Kirkpatrick ( 2014 ) ‘ Photo Archive Is Said to Show Widespread Torture in Syria ’ , New York Times , 21 January , online : https : //www.nytimes.com/2014/01/22/world/middleeast/photo-archive-is-said-to-show-widespread-torture-in-syria.html Jalabi , Raya ( 2014 ) ‘ Victims of Syrian regime honoured at DC 's Holocaust museum ’ , The Guardian , 23 October , online : https : //www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/oct/22/victims-syrian-regime-honoured-dc-holocaust-museum Lund , Aron ( 2018 ) ‘ As Syria looks to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can win where guns lost ’ , The New Humanitarian , 22 May , online : https : //www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2018/05/22/syria-looks-rebuild-us-and-allies-hope-money-can-win-where-guns-lost MEMO ( 2020 ) ‘ Official : US offered Syria president ‘ proposal ’ to ease his crisis ’ , Middle East Monitor , 9 June , online : https : //www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200609-official-us-offered-syria-president-proposal-to-ease-his-crisis/ OHCHR ( 2018 ) ‘ End of mission statement of the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights to the Syrian Arab Republic , 13 to 17 May 2018 ’ , Office of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 17 May , online : https : //www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx ?
NewsID=23094 & LangID=E Rae , James ( 2020 ) ‘ The impact of China 's financial innovation on the world order ’ , CGTN , 26 May , online : https : //news.cgtn.com/news/2020-05-24/China-U-S-relations-to-improve-but-not-until-after-2020-is-over-QJn3RWsZVu/index.html Rubin , Alissa J ; Lara Jakes and Eric Schmitt ( 2020 ) ‘ ISIS Attacks Surge in Iraq Amid Debate on U.S. Troop Levels ’ , New York Times , 10 June , online : https : //www.nytimes.com/2020/06/10/world/middleeast/iraq-isis-strategic-dialogue-troops.html Soleimani , Qasem ( 2019 ) ‘ Untold facts on Israel-Hezbollah war @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Soleimani ’ , 1 October , online : http : //english.khamenei.ir/news/7074/Untold-facts-on-Israel-Hezbollah-war-in-an-interview-with-Major Souri , Arabi ( 2020 ) ‘ The US Caesar sanctions , Washington ’ s last stray bullet against Syria ’ , Syria News , 9 June , online : https : //www.syrianews.cc/the-us-caesar-sanctions-washingtons-last-stray-bullet-against-syria/ UNESCO ( 2019 ) ‘ Revive the spirit of Mosul : UNESCO in action ’ , 13 November , online : https : //en.unesco.org/news/revive-spirit-mosul-unesco-action Westcott , Ben and Hamdi Alkhshali ( 2019 ) ‘ China , Russia and Iran hold joint naval drills in Gulf of Oman ’ , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ https : //edition.cnn.com/2019/12/27/asia/china-russia-iran-military-drills-intl-hnk/index.html Xinhua ( 2019 ) ‘ Economic sanctions have negative impacts on Syrian health sector : minister ’ , 23 May , online : Dr. Tim Anderson is Director of the Sydney-based Centre for Counter Hegemonic Studies .
He has worked at Australian universities for more than 30 years , teaching , researching and publishing on development , human rights and self-determination in the Asia-Pacific , Latin America and the Middle East .
In 2014 he was awarded Cuba ’ s medal of friendship .
He is Australia and Pacific representative @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Defence of Humanity .
His most recent books are : Land and Livelihoods in Papua New Guinea ( 2015 ) , The Dirty War on Syria ( 2016 ) , now published in ten languages ; Countering War Propaganda of the Dirty War on Syria ( 2017 ) and Axis of Resistance : towards an independent Middle East ( 2019 ) .

Would be emperor Donald Trump has announced the ‘Caesar Syrian Civilian Protection Act’, to tighten the genocidal siege on the Syrian people. Without a hint of irony, this new edict imposes even more serious obstacles to the Syrian people getting access to energy, food and medicines, while claiming its purpose is to ‘protect’ those same people.
However the move comes as (1) a shrinking US military presence faces resistance attacks in both Syria and Iraq, (2) Washington’s allies are abandoning the US-led ‘coalition’ in Iraq, (3) Trump has undermined his local allies in Lebanon and Iraq, by threats and economic turmoil, (4) US open support for further ethnic cleansing in Palestine has helped drive the international image of Apartheid Israel to an all-time low, (5) European states have serious tensions with Washington over US-driven economic wars on Iran, Russia and China, and (6) US allies including the UAE and Kuwait are re-establishing their ties with Damascus.
In these circumstances, the enhanced siege of Syria seems a desperate measure and, far from an assertion of strength, more a signal of looming failure. The ‘New Middle East’ project, started by Bush, developed by Obama and inherited by Trump, is in very poor shape. Trump initially spoke of a pragmatic withdrawal from Syria but, since he took office, has only managed to sink deeper into a series of multiple failing interventions across the region: in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen.
The reference to ‘Caesar’ in the latest measures against Syria is not to the Roman Emperors – emulated in their arrogance by the Orange Man in Washington – but to an anonymous Syrian defector at the center of a war propaganda scam a few years back. Using photos of dead bodies from a central Damascus morgue, those waging war on Syria claimed that all were victims of ‘regime’ torture (Black 2014; SJAC 2020). This is the way the worst of criminals try to vilify their victims, and so distract attention from their own ongoing crimes.
However, as Syria has been under severe siege from both the US and the EU for more than eight years, we must ask: what is the purpose of the new measures? The answer lies in expanded economic war on the entire region, and in Washington’s fear that some of its allies are breaking ranks to normalize relations with Damascus (Christou and Abdulssattar Ibrahim 2020). Is this a ‘last gasp’ (Souri 2020) of Washington’s failing ‘New Middle East’ gambits? Escalation while losing does signal desperation.
The new US ‘Caesar’ law pretends to give global power to the US President to impose fines and confiscate the assets of those, anywhere in the world, who “support or engage in a significant transaction” with the Syrian government. This is part of an omnibus law called the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) (SJAC 2020) which, in typical US fashion, has nothing to do with its name, either regarding ‘defense’ or ‘protection’.
None of this really adds much pressure to Syria’s allies like Russia, Iran, China, Venezuela, and Cuba, who already face similar economic aggression. However, it does have a focus on US allies in Europe and the Persian Gulf. Several European states, after expressing dissatisfaction with the constant US wars, aggravations and interventions, have sent representatives to discuss renewed relations with Damascus. At the same time, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (both former sponsors of jihadist terrorists in Syria) have reopened their embassies in Damascus and are investing in reconstruction projects (Reuters 2019).
Meantime the US has blocked UN agencies from financing reconstruction projects in Syria (Lund 2018), including blocking UNESCO help for reconstruction of the World Heritage cities of Aleppo and Palmyra. This contrasts sharply with the UNESCO funding of reconstruction projects in the (non-World Heritage) city of Mosul in Iraq (UNESCO 2019).
The WHO has noted, since 2017, that US-EU sanctions have damaged Syrians’ access to essential medicines, including those for children with cancer (Nehme 2017; Xinhua 2019). The UN Rapporteur on Human Rights issued a report in 2018 which said:
“Prior to the current crisis, Syria enjoyed some of the highest levels of care in the region. The demands created by the crisis have overwhelmed the system, and created extraordinarily high levels of need. Despite this, restrictive measures, particularly those related to the banking system, have harmed the ability of Syria to purchase and pay for medicines, equipment, spare parts and software. While theoretical exemptions exist, in practice international private companies are unwilling to jump the hurdles necessary to ensure they can transact with Syria without being accused of inadvertently violating the restrictive measures” (OHCHR 2018).
The Trump regime – mired in a terrible COVID19 epidemic said to have killed over 110,000 people in the US alone, and racked with demonstrations after the latest in a series of racist police murders – has chosen this time to add to the suffering of the Syrian people. Unable to topple the government in Damascus, Washington seeks to prevent other countries from helping with critical needs or in post-war reconstruction.
The rationale this time (for a 2016 Bill finalized in 2020) is revival of the ‘Caesar’ scandal of January 2014. Here a defector paid by Qatar (at that time a major investor in anti-Damascus terrorism) launched a propaganda stunt with several photos of dead bodies, some with marks of torture. The New York Times said those photos represented “more than 11,000 bodies in 55,000 photographs … from the secret jails of Syria’s president, Bashar al-Assad, [which] suggest that torture, starvation and execution are widespread and even systematic” (Hubbard and Kirkpatrick 2014). However, the paper also admitted: “only a few photographs have actually been released by lawyers commissioned by the Qatari government, an avowed opponent of Mr. Assad, and the claims about their origins could not be independently verified” (Hubbard and Kirkpatrick 2014). There was only one witness, ‘Caesar’, and his identity was hidden.
Nonetheless, the clear impression given was that as many as 11,000 people had been tortured to death by the Syrian government. The British Guardian shrieked “clear evidence of … industrial scale killing” (Black 2014). Some months later, the Holocaust Museum in Washington hosted an exhibition of “10 or so photographs”, said to be part of the cache of more than 55,000 images. Cameron Hudson, director of the Center for the Prevention of Genocide, said the exhibition intended to show “the kind of systematic, organized and industrial nature of the killings” (Jalabi 2014).
But it was all a sham. Later the following year this display was exposed as yet another war propaganda stunt. Although the full cache of photos was never made public: (1) some or all of the photos were shown to have come from the central Damascus morgue, at the Military 601 Hospital; (2) they constituted about 10% of those killed in the US-led war, by that time; and (3) the US-based group Human Rights Watch, having gained access to the file and while attempting to maintain the original story, admitted that almost half the photos were “images of dead army soldiers or members of the security forces”, or “crime scene photographs … of those who were victims of “explosions, assassinations of security officers, fires, and car bombs” (HRW 2015). So much for the 11,000 victims of “torture, starvation and execution” story. There were plenty of dead bodies in Syria, but they were victims of the US-led war and of mendacious war propaganda.
Since Human Rights Watch (HRW) made this admission a virtual footnote, trying to maintain the myth of “industrial scale” killings, and since only a few photos have ever been released, we only have the HRW admission that 24,568 of the alleged 53,275 photos (46%) were certainly not ‘opposition’ figures. As HRW worked with the US-funded opposition to prepare its report, it seems likely that even this is a distorted picture.
Total war dead in Syria by that time were probably in excess of 100,000. Relying on the opposition-linked and England-based ‘Syrian Observatory for Human Rights’, McClatchy reported in June 2013 that “at least 96,431 people have lost their lives in the more than two years of violence that’s wracked Syria” (Enders 2013). The photos were said to cover from May 2011 to August 2013. So the fact that the central morgue in Damascus had photographs of around 10% of the dead is hardly surprising.
The Caesar scam paralleled repeated claims that Syrian President Bashar al Assad was somehow responsible for all the deaths in Syria, even when his fanatical opponents showed multiple videos of their own executions of Syrian soldiers and civilians, and when senior US officials openly admitted that their allies were arming and financing all the internationally banned terrorist groups in Syria (Anderson 2019: 71-76).
Observing the HRW admissions, a US commentator noted the pattern of fabricated war stories, used to back US interventions. Historically, “they all had the goal of manipulating public opinion and they all succeeded in one way or another … [yet] none of the perpetrators were punished or paid any price.” In the case of the Caesar fraud, based on the word of one anonymous defector, the scam was announced: “on 20 January 2014, two days before [U.N.] negotiations about the Syrian conflict were scheduled to begin in Switzerland” (Sterling 2015). Washington never wanted a peace settlement in Syria until they had toppled the independent Syrian Government.
Six years later, in the circumstances of 2020, the Trump regime had enhanced the economic war on all independent forces of the region, a war set in train by Bush and Obama. There was a “maximum pressure” siege on Iran and full blockades of Syria, Palestine, and Yemen alongside coercive measures targeting resistance groups in Iraq and Lebanon. Washington then tried to condemn attempts at ‘money laundering’, as the peoples of the region simply sought to breathe.
Yet the Middle East footholds of the US occupation and its proxies have diminished greatly in recent years and there is discontent amongst Washington’s allies. In 2006, when Israel made its ill-fated decision to again invade Lebanon, hoping to destroy the Lebanese resistance, there were 180,000 US troops in the region, most of them in Iraq (Soleimani 2019). By mid-2020 Trump had 5,200 troops in Iraq; and the Pentagon wanted to halve that number. Further, after Iran’s strikes on the US airbase in Iraq at Ayn al Assad, US allies have been abandoning the US-led coalition in Iraq (Rubin, Jakes and Schmitt 2020). The Iraqi parliament has demanded a complete US withdrawal.
Trump’s response has been to increase the arrogance with which he commands Washington’s ‘allies’, having split with the Europeans over the nuclear deal reached with Iran in 2015 and still demanding that Germany reject Russia’s NordStream gas project (Schulz 2020). That sort of arrogant pressure will likely spark a reaction.
The Caesar law extends Washington’s existing comprehensive sanctions against Syria by threatening to freeze the assets of third parties who engage with Damascus (Christou and Abdulssattar Ibrahim 2020). Prior to this Washington had relied on “verbal threats and private warnings to discourage governments in Europe and the Gulf from re-engaging politically with Damascus” or investing in Syria (SJAC 2020). But how long can such threats keep US allies in line?
Syria’s Foreign Ministry said the US was “practicing economic terrorism” against Syria and held Washington “responsible for the suffering of the Syrians and the impact of sanctions on their livelihoods” (Xinhuanet 2020). Despite almost a decade of war and sanctions, Damascus maintains subsidies on food, free public schools and a free public health system.
As with other US unilateral coercive measures (e.g. against Cuba, Iran and Venezuela), the US response to criticism of the siege measures is typically that there are ‘humanitarian exemptions’ in their laws (SJAC 2020). However, this means an appeal to the US President who – like Caesar in the Colosseum – might see fit to ‘waive’ his own punishments.
Even sources unsympathetic to Syria acknowledge that, while the US unilateral coercive measures (‘sanctions’) “do not technically prevent the import … of food and medicine, … the cost of doing business within such a complicated legal regime, alongside fears of inadvertently violating sanctions, has raised the prices of basic goods and contributed to a shortage in medical goods and treatment”. Aron Lund of the US-based Century Foundation added “people sometimes don’t even apply for those exemptions” (Christou and Abdulssattar Ibrahim 2020).
Washington is not worried about the impact of the coercive measures on the Syrian population, because deprivation and hardship is exactly what is intended. The US has a long history of imposing unilateral coercive measures on independent states, aimed at harming entire populations in the hope of provoking political unrest (Anderson 2019: 35-39). In the case of the Caesar law, US envoy James Jeffrey admitted that the recent fall in the Syrian pound was “because of our procedures” (Syria Times 2020), threatening the Syrian Government with ongoing siege if they did not cut their ties with Iran and the Lebanese resistance (MEMO 2020). But those ties are precisely what has prevented Syria becoming another Libya, with no protective state, rampant sectarian gangs and open air slave markets.
The US can inflict substantial economic damage on small countries like Syria, in the short term, flouting international law and using the famous doublespeak of ‘helping’ the very same people they are attacking. That has already imposed a huge burden on the people of Syria and Lebanon.
But Washington’s medium term prospects do not look so good. It faces increased cooperation between the region’s independent states and peoples (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Palestine) and also cross continental cooperation, as shown by Iran’s recent tanker aid to Venezuela (Al Jazeera 2020).
Further, Russia and China have deepened their roles in the Middle East, in the wake of the multiple, unpopular US interventions. That includes Chinese and Russian military cooperation with Iran (Westcott and Alkhshali 2019) and the construction of a new China-led financial architecture, which seems increasingly necessary to break the cycle of endless war (Rae 2020; Doshi 2020; Ito 2018; Adler and Bessner 2020). This will eventually include greater distance from the US dollar and some alternatives to the US-dominated SWIFT (financial transfer) system. The Europeans do not yet have sufficient independence to break with their Atlantic ‘partner’, but they may well take advantage of Russia or China-led initiatives which manage to subvert US financial monopolies.
---------------
References
Adler, David and Daniel Bessner (2020) ‘To End Forever War, End the Dollar’s Global Dominance’, New Republic, 28 January, online: https://newrepublic.com/article/156325/end-forever-war-end-dollars-global-dominance
Al Jazeera (2020) ‘Iran ready to ship more fuel to Venezuela despite US 'threats'’, 1 June, online: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/06/iran-ready-ship-fuel-venezuela-threats-200601082627973.html
Anderson, Tim (2019) Axis of Resistance: towards an independent Middle East’, Clarity Press, Atlanta (GA)
Black, Ian (2014) ‘Syrian regime document trove shows evidence of “industrial scale” killing of detainees’, The Guardian, 22 January, online: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/20/evidence-industrial-scale-killing-syria-war-crimes
Christou, Will and Mohammad Abdulssattar Ibrahim (2020) ‘The Caesar Act: the beginning or end of US Syria policy?’, Syria Direct, 5 January, online: https://syriadirect.org/news/the-caesar-act-beginning-or-end-of-us-syria-policy/
Doshi, Rush (2020) ‘China's Ten-Year Struggle against U.S. Financial Power’, National Bureau of Asian Research, 6 January, online: https://www.nbr.org/publication/chinas-ten-year-struggle-against-u-s-financial-power/
Enders, David (2013) ‘Assad backers reportedly make up 43 percent of dead in Syria’, McClatchy, 3 June, online: https://web.archive.org/web/20151109132933/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/middle-east/article24749608.html
HRW (2015) ‘If the Dead Could Speak: Mass Deaths and Torture in Syria’s Detention Facilities’, Human Rights Watch, 16 December, online: https://www.hrw.org/report/2015/12/16/if-dead-could-speak/mass-deaths-and-torture-syrias-detention-facilities
Hubbard, Ben and David D. Kirkpatrick (2014) ‘Photo Archive Is Said to Show Widespread Torture in Syria’, New York Times, 21 January, online: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/22/world/middleeast/photo-archive-is-said-to-show-widespread-torture-in-syria.html
Ito, Takatoshi (2018) ‘Changing International Financial Architecture: Growing Chinese Influence?’,
Asian Economic Policy Review, Vol. 13, Issue 2, 6 July, pp.192-214
Jalabi, Raya (2014) ‘Victims of Syrian regime honoured at DC's Holocaust museum’, The Guardian, 23 October, online: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/oct/22/victims-syrian-regime-honoured-dc-holocaust-museum
Lund, Aron (2018) ‘As Syria looks to rebuild, US and allies hope money can win where guns lost’, The New Humanitarian, 22 May, online: https://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/analysis/2018/05/22/syria-looks-rebuild-us-and-allies-hope-money-can-win-where-guns-lost
MEMO (2020) ‘Official: US offered Syria president ‘proposal’ to ease his crisis’, Middle East Monitor, 9 June, online: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200609-official-us-offered-syria-president-proposal-to-ease-his-crisis/
Nehme, Dahlia (2017) ‘Syria sanctions indirectly hit children's cancer treatment’, Reuters, online: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-sanctions/syria-sanctions-indirectly-hit-childrens-cancer-treatment-idUSKBN16M1UW
OHCHR (2018) ‘End of mission statement of the Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights to the Syrian Arab Republic, 13 to 17 May 2018’, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, 17 May, online: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23094&LangID=E
Rae, James (2020) ‘The impact of China's financial innovation on the world order’, CGTN, 26 May, online: https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-05-24/China-U-S-relations-to-improve-but-not-until-after-2020-is-over-QJn3RWsZVu/index.html
Reuters (2019) ‘UAE reopens Syria embassy in boost for Assad’, 27 December, online: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-emirates/uae-reopens-syria-embassy-a-boost-for-assad-idUSKCN1OQ0QV
Rubin, Alissa J; Lara Jakes and Eric Schmitt (2020) ‘ISIS Attacks Surge in Iraq Amid Debate on U.S. Troop Levels’, New York Times, 10 June, online: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/10/world/middleeast/iraq-isis-strategic-dialogue-troops.html
Schulz, Florence (2020) ‘German court rejects last claim against Nord Stream 2’, Euractiv, 13 March, online: https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy/news/german-court-rejects-last-claim-against-nord-stream-2/
SJAC (2020) ‘The Caesar Act: Impacts and Implementation’, Syria Justice and Accountability Centre’, 20 February, online: https://syriaaccountability.org/updates/2020/02/20/the-caesar-act-impacts-and-implementation/
Soleimani, Qasem (2019) ‘Untold facts on Israel-Hezbollah war in an interview with Major General Qasem Soleimani’, 1 October, online: http://english.khamenei.ir/news/7074/Untold-facts-on-Israel-Hezbollah-war-in-an-interview-with-Major
Souri, Arabi (2020) ‘The US Caesar sanctions, Washington’s last stray bullet against Syria’, Syria News, 9 June, online: https://www.syrianews.cc/the-us-caesar-sanctions-washingtons-last-stray-bullet-against-syria/
Sterling, Rick (2016) ‘The Caesar Photo Fraud that Undermined Syrian Negotiations’, Dissident Voice, 3 March, online: https://dissidentvoice.org/2016/03/the-caesar-photo-fraud-that-undermined-syrian-negotiations/
Syria Times (2020) ‘James Jeffrey admits Washington's role in targeting the Syrian pound’, 8 June, online: http://syriatimes.sy/index.php/news/regional/49004-james-jeffrey-admits-washington-s-role-in-targeting-the-syrian-pound
UNESCO (2019) ‘Revive the spirit of Mosul: UNESCO in action’, 13 November, online: https://en.unesco.org/news/revive-spirit-mosul-unesco-action
Westcott, Ben and Hamdi Alkhshali (2019) ‘China, Russia and Iran hold joint naval drills in Gulf of Oman’, CNN, 27 December, online: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/27/asia/china-russia-iran-military-drills-intl-hnk/index.html
Xinhua (2019) ‘Economic sanctions have negative impacts on Syrian health sector: minister’, 23 May, online:
Xinhuanet (2020) ‘Syria condemns U.S. sanctions act, 3 June, online: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-06/03/c_139111514.htm
Dr. Tim Anderson is Director of the Sydney-based Centre for Counter Hegemonic Studies. He has worked at Australian universities for more than 30 years, teaching, researching and publishing on development, human rights and self-determination in the Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East. In 2014 he was awarded Cuba’s medal of friendship. He is Australia and Pacific representative for the Latin America based Network in Defence of Humanity. His most recent books are: Land and Livelihoods in Papua New Guinea (2015), The Dirty War on Syria (2016), now published in ten languages; Countering War Propaganda of the Dirty War on Syria (2017) and Axis of Resistance: towards an independent Middle East (2019).


russia-insider--2020-06-16--Russia Will Pursue a 'Balance of Power' Strategy Keeping Any One Country from Becoming Hegemonic

For now , they are with China , because the US is more powerful .
Professor Sergey Karaganov is informally known in influential foreign policy circles as the “ Russian Kissinger ” – with the extra bonus of not having to carry a “ war criminal ” tag from Vietnam and Cambodia to Chile and beyond .
Karaganov is the dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the National Research University Higher School of Economics .
He ’ s also the honorary chairman of Russia ’ s Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pleasure of being received at Karaganov ’ s office in Moscow for a one-on-one conversation essentially about Greater Eurasia – the Russian path for Eurasia integration .
Now Karaganov has expanded his main insights for an Atlanticist made in Italy vehicle usually more distinguished for its maps than its predictable “ analyses ” straight from a NATO press release .
Even noting , correctly , that the EU is a “ profoundly inefficient institution ” on a slow path towards dissolution – and that ’ s a massive understatement – Karaganov observes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to a relative normalization .
This is something that has been actively discussed in Brussels corridors for months now .
Not exactly the agenda envisaged by the US Deep State – or the Trump administration , for that matter .
The degree of exasperation with Team Trump ’ s antics is unprecedented .
Still , as Karaganov recognizes : “ Western democracies don ’ t know how to exist without an enemy.
” Enter NATO ’ s routine secretary-general Stoltenberg ’ s platitudes on the Russian “ threat.
” Even as Russia ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to trade with the EU , a new “ threat ” emerged in Europe : China .
An Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China was just invented last week as a new demonization platform , congregating representatives from Japan , Canada , Australia , Germany , the UK , Norway and Sweden as well as members of the European Parliament .
China “ as led by the Chinese Communist Party , ” is to be faced as a “ threat ” to “ Western values ” – the same old triad of democracy , human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the dual Russia-China “ threat ” is nothing but a graphic illustration of the prime Grand Chessboard clash : NATO vs Eurasia integration .
Karaganov breaks down the crucial Russia-China strategic partnership to an easily absorbed formula : As much as Beijing finds strong support on Russia ’ s strategic power as a counterpunch to the US , Moscow can count on China ’ s economic might .
He recalls the crucial fact that when Western pressure on Russia was at its peak after Maidan and the Crimea referendum , “ Beijing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia decided to brave the situation on its own.
” One of the subsequent benefits is that Russia-China abandoned their competition in Central Asia – something I saw for myself in my travels late last year .
That does not mean competition has been erased .
Conversations with other Russian analysts reveal that fear of excessive Chinese power is still on , especially when it comes to China ’ s relations with weaker and non-sovereign states .
But the bottom line , for such a sterling realpolitik practitioner as Karaganov , is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the strategic entente with China favored Russia in the Grand Chessboard .
Karaganov totally understands the Russian DNA as a great Asian power – taking into consideration everything from authoritarian politics to the natural resource wealth of Siberia .
Russia , he says , is “ close to China in terms of common history despite the enormous cultural distance separating them .
Up to the 15th century , both were under Genghis Khan ’ s empire , the largest in history .
If China assimilated the Mongols , Russia ended up expelling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half centuries of submission it incorporated many Asian traits.
” Karaganov considers Kissinger and Brzezinski “ lucid strategists , ” and laments that even if they suggested otherwise “ the American political class ” inaugurated a “ new Cold War ” against China .
He breaks down Washington ’ s objective as playing a “ Last Battle ” profiting from the forward bases the US still dominates in what Wallerstein would define as our collapsing world-system .
Karaganov is very sharp on Russia ’ s independent streak – always fiercely countering “ whoever @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : from the descendants of Genghis Khan to Charles XII of Sweden , from Napoleon to Hitler .
In the military and political spheres , Russia is self-sufficient .
Not in the economic , technological and cyber spheres , where it needs markets and external partners , which it will search and find.
” The result is that the Russia-EU rapprochement dream remains very much alive , but under “ Eurasian optics.
” That ’ s where the concept of Greater Eurasia comes in , as I discussed with Karaganov in our meeting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , officially supported by Beijing , based on an egalitarian system of economic , political and cultural links between diverse states , ” with China playing the role of primus inter pares .
And that includes a “ significative part of the Western extremity of the Eurasian continent , that is , Europe.
” That ’ s what the evolution in the Grand Chessboard seems to point at .
Karaganov – correctly – identifies western and northern Europe as attracted to the “ American pole , ” while southern and eastern Europe are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Russian role , under this framework , will be to “ balance the two possible hegemonic powers , ” as a “ guarantor of a new union of non-aligned nations.
” That hints at a very interesting new configuration of the Non-Aligned Movement .
So meet Russia as one of the supporters of a new multilateral , multi-vector partnership , finally moving from a status of “ periphery of Europe or Asia ” to “ one of the fundamental centers of northern Eurasia.
” A work in – steady – progress .

For now, they are with China, because the US is more powerful.
Professor Sergey Karaganov is informally known in influential foreign policy circles as the “Russian Kissinger” – with the extra bonus of not having to carry a “war criminal” tag from Vietnam and Cambodia to Chile and beyond.
Karaganov is the dean of the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs at the National Research University Higher School of Economics. He’s also the honorary chairman of Russia’s Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy.
In December 2018, I had the pleasure of being received at Karaganov’s office in Moscow for a one-on-one conversation essentially about Greater Eurasia – the Russian path for Eurasia integration.
Now Karaganov has expanded his main insights for an Atlanticist made in Italy vehicle usually more distinguished for its maps than its predictable “analyses” straight from a NATO press release.
Even noting, correctly, that the EU is a “profoundly inefficient institution” on a slow path towards dissolution – and that’s a massive understatement – Karaganov observes that Russia-EU relations are on their way to a relative normalization.
This is something that has been actively discussed in Brussels corridors for months now. Not exactly the agenda envisaged by the US Deep State – or the Trump administration, for that matter. The degree of exasperation with Team Trump’s antics is unprecedented.
Still, as Karaganov recognizes: “Western democracies don’t know how to exist without an enemy.” Enter NATO’s routine secretary-general Stoltenberg’s platitudes on the Russian “threat.”
Even as Russia’s trade with Asia is now equivalent to trade with the EU, a new “threat” emerged in Europe: China.
An Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China was just invented last week as a new demonization platform, congregating representatives from Japan, Canada, Australia, Germany, the UK, Norway and Sweden as well as members of the European Parliament.
China “as led by the Chinese Communist Party,” is to be faced as a “threat” to “Western values” – the same old triad of democracy, human rights and neoliberalism. The paranoia embodied in the dual Russia-China “threat” is nothing but a graphic illustration of the prime Grand Chessboard clash: NATO vs Eurasia integration.
‘Russia’s Kissinger’: Head of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy Sergey Karaganov. Photo: AFP/Evgeny Biyatov/Sputnik
Karaganov breaks down the crucial Russia-China strategic partnership to an easily absorbed formula: As much as Beijing finds strong support on Russia’s strategic power as a counterpunch to the US, Moscow can count on China’s economic might.
He recalls the crucial fact that when Western pressure on Russia was at its peak after Maidan and the Crimea referendum, “Beijing offered Moscow virtually unlimited credit, but Russia decided to brave the situation on its own.”
One of the subsequent benefits is that Russia-China abandoned their competition in Central Asia – something I saw for myself in my travels late last year.
That does not mean competition has been erased. Conversations with other Russian analysts reveal that fear of excessive Chinese power is still on, especially when it comes to China’s relations with weaker and non-sovereign states. But the bottom line, for such a sterling realpolitik practitioner as Karaganov, is that the “pivot to the East” and the strategic entente with China favored Russia in the Grand Chessboard.
Karaganov totally understands the Russian DNA as a great Asian power – taking into consideration everything from authoritarian politics to the natural resource wealth of Siberia.
Russia, he says, is “close to China in terms of common history despite the enormous cultural distance separating them. Up to the 15th century, both were under Genghis Khan’s empire, the largest in history. If China assimilated the Mongols, Russia ended up expelling them, but in two and a half centuries of submission it incorporated many Asian traits.”
Karaganov considers Kissinger and Brzezinski “lucid strategists,” and laments that even if they suggested otherwise “the American political class” inaugurated a “new Cold War” against China. He breaks down Washington’s objective as playing a “Last Battle” profiting from the forward bases the US still dominates in what Wallerstein would define as our collapsing world-system.
Karaganov is very sharp on Russia’s independent streak – always fiercely countering “whoever pointed at a global or regional hegemony: from the descendants of Genghis Khan to Charles XII of Sweden, from Napoleon to Hitler. In the military and political spheres, Russia is self-sufficient. Not in the economic, technological and cyber spheres, where it needs markets and external partners, which it will search and find.”
The result is that the Russia-EU rapprochement dream remains very much alive, but under “Eurasian optics.”
That’s where the concept of Greater Eurasia comes in, as I discussed with Karaganov in our meeting: “a multilateral, integrated partnership, officially supported by Beijing, based on an egalitarian system of economic, political and cultural links between diverse states,” with China playing the role of primus inter pares. And that includes a “significative part of the Western extremity of the Eurasian continent, that is, Europe.”
That’s what the evolution in the Grand Chessboard seems to point at. Karaganov – correctly – identifies western and northern Europe as attracted to the “American pole,” while southern and eastern Europe are “inclined towards the Eurasian project.”
The Russian role, under this framework, will be to “balance the two possible hegemonic powers,” as a “guarantor of a new union of non-aligned nations.” That hints at a very interesting new configuration of the Non-Aligned Movement.
So meet Russia as one of the supporters of a new multilateral, multi-vector partnership, finally moving from a status of “periphery of Europe or Asia” to “one of the fundamental centers of northern Eurasia.” A work in – steady – progress.


russia-insider--2020-06-16--Appreciation of Russia’s Massive Gold Hoard Means Its Reserves Actually Grew Despite COVID Lockdown

And now the oil price has rebounded to where the budget is breaking even again

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