russiainsider--2020-01-15--Trump and Congress Double Down on Demonizing Iran

If one seriously seeks to understand how delusional policymakers in Washington are it is only necessary to examine the responses by the president and Congress to the assassination of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani .
The first response came in the form of a Donald Trump largely incoherent nine-minute self-applauding speech explaining what he had done and why .
It was followed by a House of Representatives War Powers non-binding resolution that was all theater and did nothing to limit the president ’ s unilateral ability to go to war with the Islamic Republic .
It was reported that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aides the night before it was given and that it existed in several competing drafts .
It was full of out-and-out lies and half truths and intended to reassure the American people that the president was keeping them safe .
The opening line might well be regarded as some kind of joke : “ As long as I am President of the United States , Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
” Trump has in fact done more to ensure that Iran will have a nuclear weapon than any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action ( JCPOA ) and his assassination of Soleimani , which together have convinced the Iranian leadership that there is no possibility of a reasonable negotiated solution when dealing with the American president , even when he claims he wants to “ talk.
” Trump then went on characteristically to eulogize our brave soldiers on far flung battlefields before lying again , saying “ For far too long — all the way back to 1979 , to be exact — nations have tolerated Iran ’ s destructive and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ beyond .
Those days are over .
Iran has been the leading sponsor of terrorism , and their pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens the civilized world .
We will never let that happen.
” Lie one is that the “ destructive and destabilizing behavior ” actually has Made in U.S.A. stamped all over it .
Lie two is “ leading sponsor of terrorism , ” an honor that belongs to Israel , Saudi Arabia and the United States , in that order .
And lie three is that Iran “ pursued ” nuclear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump them boasted that “ Last week , we took decisive action to stop a ruthless terrorist from threatening American lives .
At my direction , the United States military eliminated the world ’ s top terrorist , Qasem Soleimani .
As the head of the Quds Force , Soleimani was personally responsible for some of the absolutely worst atrocities.
” Trump ’ s preening was again wrong on every count : Soleimani is no terrorist by any reasonable definition , nor is there any evidence that he threatened American lives .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ can not name a single “ atrocity ” committed by the man The president claimed that Soleimani “ …viciously wounded and murdered thousands of U.S. troops , including the planting of roadside bombs that maim and dismember their victims , ” a particularly absurd charge suggesting that Trump believes that any American soldier who died in Iraq or Afghanistan did so at the hands of the Iranian Major General .
By the same logic , the musical chairs series of American generals that have served in Afghanistan , Iraq and Syria have murdered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump wants to start counting fatalities he should perhaps start with David Petraeus .
Piling Ossa on Pelion , Trump declared that Soleimani “ …orchestrated the violent assault on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad .
In recent days , he was planning new attacks on American targets , but we stopped him.
” There is no evidence whatsoever to support either assertion and Trump then goes on to ascribe all the problems of the Middle East to Iran , ignoring the roles played by others , most notably Washington , Israel and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ JCPOA before asserting falsely that “ Three months ago , after destroying 100 percent of ISIS and its territorial caliphate , we killed the savage leader of ISIS , al-Baghdadi… ” In reality , ISIS was defeated by the Syrian Army and its allies Russia and Iran , the very countries that Trump has continued to vilify even as he struts his anti-terrorist credentials .
Qassem Soleimani played a major role in the destruction of ISIS .
The only good things in the Trump speech were that it was short and the president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a whole lot of good things about Israel .
Interestingly , no one in the mainstream media or in the political chattering class made much effort to challenged Trump on the “ facts ” he cited , though there was some pushback from mostly Democratic congressmen who stated that they could not see any “ imminent threat ” in the evidence that the Administration produced during a classified briefing .
The actual war powers concurrent resolution that passed in the House last Thursday was symptomatic of the unwillingness of the political opposition to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Middle East themselves – it had no teeth and will not change anything .
The resolution ’ s subject line “ Directing the President pursuant to section 5 ( c ) of the War Powers Resolution to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran ” actually is misleading .
And the first thing the text does do is slam Iran with the same dubious “ facts ” employed by Trump , including that “ The Government of Iran is a leading state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ range of destabilizing activities across the Middle East .
Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was the lead architect of much of Iran ’ s destabilizing activities throughout the world.
” The resolution includes “ In matters of imminent armed attacks , the executive branch should indicate to Congress why military action was necessary within a certain window of opportunity , the possible harm that missing the window would cause , and why the action was likely to prevent future disastrous attacks against the United States.
” It then goes on to explain that “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the American people and members of the United States Armed Forces deserve a credible explanation regarding such use of military force… ” because “ The War Powers Resolution ( 50 U.S.C .
1541 et seq . )
requires the President to consult with Congress ‘ in every possible instance ’ before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities.
” It concludes with “ Congress has not authorized the President to use military force against Iran.
” It would seem to be a devastating critique of the Trump Art of War but then @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directs the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran or any part of its government or military , unless Congress has declared war or enacted specific statutory authorization for such use of the Armed Forces ; or such use of the Armed Forces is necessary and appropriate to defend against an imminent armed attack upon the United States , its territories or possessions , or its Armed Forces , consistent with the requirements of the War Powers Resolution .
Nothing in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President from using military force against al Qaeda or associated forces… ” In other words , all Trump has to do is claim “ imminent threat ” or that he is attacking “ terrorist associated forces ” and he is home free no matter what he does , particularly as the resolution itself is non-binding .
The sheer ignorance and arrogance of elites in Washington combined with a colonialist mentality that dismisses Asians and Africans as unthinking “ wogs ” who will do one ’ s bidding if they are confronted with punishment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inevitable that Iraq would demand the departure of U.S. troops after thirty-four Iraqi militiamen were killed by American drone and air strikes , but many in Washington just didn ’ t get it .
Trump threatened , in characteristic fashion , to respond with sanctions , but now Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has made it official in a phone call to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , demanding a plan and timetable for the removal of the American soldiers .
The State Department has indicated that it is not prepared to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ should know better have predicted that the withdrawal of U.S. soldiers will not take place because Iraq somehow “ needs ” the United States .
And besides , there will be economic consequences if Iraq does go ahead to insist on an American withdrawal .
But sometimes abstractions prove to be more powerful than material incentives .
The United States violated Iraqi sovereignty not once but twice and murdered 34 Iraqis in the process .
Pompeo can huff and puff all he wants and Trump can mouth his illiteracies , but nothing changes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ things it did not have to do based on a delusional view of the Middle East and will have to pay a price .
Minus a presence in Iraq , Syria will be untenable and one might hope that once the U.S. loses its ability to directly confront Iran on the ground the whole house of cards just might collapse , leading to Washington ’ s gradual departure from the region .
That would be good for the region and also for the United States even if Israel and the Saudis , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their wars , might object .

If one seriously seeks to understand how delusional policymakers in Washington are it is only necessary to examine the responses by the president and Congress to the assassination of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani. The first response came in the form of a Donald Trump largely incoherent nine-minute self-applauding speech explaining what he had done and why. It was followed by a House of Representatives War Powers non-binding resolution that was all theater and did nothing to limit the president’s unilateral ability to go to war with the Islamic Republic.
It was reported that the Trump speech had been hurriedly written by aides the night before it was given and that it existed in several competing drafts. It was full of out-and-out lies and half truths and intended to reassure the American people that the president was keeping them safe. The opening line might well be regarded as some kind of joke: “As long as I am President of the United States, Iran will never be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.” Trump has in fact done more to ensure that Iran will have a nuclear weapon than any other president through his abrupt withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan Of Action (JCPOA) and his assassination of Soleimani, which together have convinced the Iranian leadership that there is no possibility of a reasonable negotiated solution when dealing with the American president, even when he claims he wants to “talk.”
Trump then went on characteristically to eulogize our brave soldiers on far flung battlefields before lying again, saying “For far too long — all the way back to 1979, to be exact — nations have tolerated Iran’s destructive and destabilizing behavior in the Middle East and beyond. Those days are over. Iran has been the leading sponsor of terrorism, and their pursuit of nuclear weapons threatens the civilized world. We will never let that happen.” Lie one is that the “destructive and destabilizing behavior” actually has Made in U.S.A. stamped all over it. Lie two is “leading sponsor of terrorism,” an honor that belongs to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States, in that order. And lie three is that Iran “pursued” nuclear weapons. It has never done so.
Trump them boasted that “Last week, we took decisive action to stop a ruthless terrorist from threatening American lives. At my direction, the United States military eliminated the world’s top terrorist, Qasem Soleimani. As the head of the Quds Force, Soleimani was personally responsible for some of the absolutely worst atrocities.” Trump’s preening was again wrong on every count: Soleimani is no terrorist by any reasonable definition, nor is there any evidence that he threatened American lives. And Trump and his chorus of neocons cannot name a single “atrocity” committed by the man
The president claimed that Soleimani “…viciously wounded and murdered thousands of U.S. troops, including the planting of roadside bombs that maim and dismember their victims,” a particularly absurd charge suggesting that Trump believes that any American soldier who died in Iraq or Afghanistan did so at the hands of the Iranian Major General. By the same logic, the musical chairs series of American generals that have served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria have murdered hundreds of thousands of people. If Trump wants to start counting fatalities he should perhaps start with David Petraeus.
Piling Ossa on Pelion, Trump declared that Soleimani “…orchestrated the violent assault on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. In recent days, he was planning new attacks on American targets, but we stopped him.” There is no evidence whatsoever to support either assertion and Trump then goes on to ascribe all the problems of the Middle East to Iran, ignoring the roles played by others, most notably Washington, Israel and the Saudis. He also roundly condemned the JCPOA before asserting falsely that “Three months ago, after destroying 100 percent of ISIS and its territorial caliphate, we killed the savage leader of ISIS, al-Baghdadi…” In reality, ISIS was defeated by the Syrian Army and its allies Russia and Iran, the very countries that Trump has continued to vilify even as he struts his anti-terrorist credentials. Qassem Soleimani played a major role in the destruction of ISIS.
The only good things in the Trump speech were that it was short and the president did not find it necessary to say a whole lot of good things about Israel. Interestingly, no one in the mainstream media or in the political chattering class made much effort to challenged Trump on the “facts” he cited, though there was some pushback from mostly Democratic congressmen who stated that they could not see any “imminent threat” in the evidence that the Administration produced during a classified briefing. The actual war powers concurrent resolution that passed in the House last Thursday was symptomatic of the unwillingness of the political opposition to take on the illegal and immoral wars in the Middle East themselves – it had no teeth and will not change anything.
The resolution’s subject line “Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran” actually is misleading. And the first thing the text does do is slam Iran with the same dubious “facts” employed by Trump, including that “The Government of Iran is a leading state sponsor of terrorism and engages in a range of destabilizing activities across the Middle East. Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was the lead architect of much of Iran’s destabilizing activities throughout the world.”
The resolution includes “In matters of imminent armed attacks, the executive branch should indicate to Congress why military action was necessary within a certain window of opportunity, the possible harm that missing the window would cause, and why the action was likely to prevent future disastrous attacks against the United States.” It then goes on to explain that “When the United States uses military force, the American people and members of the United States Armed Forces deserve a credible explanation regarding such use of military force…” because “The War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1541 et seq.) requires the President to consult with Congress ‘in every possible instance’ before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities.” It concludes with “Congress has not authorized the President to use military force against Iran.”
It would seem to be a devastating critique of the Trump Art of War but then comes the wiggle room “…Congress hereby directs the President to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran or any part of its government or military, unless Congress has declared war or enacted specific statutory authorization for such use of the Armed Forces; or such use of the Armed Forces is necessary and appropriate to defend against an imminent armed attack upon the United States, its territories or possessions, or its Armed Forces, consistent with the requirements of the War Powers Resolution. Nothing in this section may be construed to prevent the President from using military force against al Qaeda or associated forces…” In other words, all Trump has to do is claim “imminent threat” or that he is attacking “terrorist associated forces” and he is home free no matter what he does, particularly as the resolution itself is non-binding.
The sheer ignorance and arrogance of elites in Washington combined with a colonialist mentality that dismisses Asians and Africans as unthinking “wogs” who will do one’s bidding if they are confronted with punishment is currently on display. It was inevitable that Iraq would demand the departure of U.S. troops after thirty-four Iraqi militiamen were killed by American drone and air strikes, but many in Washington just didn’t get it. Trump threatened, in characteristic fashion, to respond with sanctions, but now Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has made it official in a phone call to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, demanding a plan and timetable for the removal of the American soldiers. The State Department has indicated that it is not prepared to discuss the matter.
Some pundits who should know better have predicted that the withdrawal of U.S. soldiers will not take place because Iraq somehow “needs” the United States. And besides, there will be economic consequences if Iraq does go ahead to insist on an American withdrawal. But sometimes abstractions prove to be more powerful than material incentives. The United States violated Iraqi sovereignty not once but twice and murdered 34 Iraqis in the process. Pompeo can huff and puff all he wants and Trump can mouth his illiteracies, but nothing changes the fact that the United States did things it did not have to do based on a delusional view of the Middle East and will have to pay a price. Minus a presence in Iraq, Syria will be untenable and one might hope that once the U.S. loses its ability to directly confront Iran on the ground the whole house of cards just might collapse, leading to Washington’s gradual departure from the region. That would be good for the region and also for the United States even if Israel and the Saudis, who prefer to have Americans fight and die in their wars, might object.


russiainsider--2020-01-16--Thousands of Young Syrians Opt to Study Russian at School

More than 24,000 students are learning Russian in Syria , a Syrian education official said .
Omar al-Tawil , a 15-year-old school boy in Damascus , is one of 24,000 Syrian youngsters now learning Russian at school after the country added the language of the government 's most powerful ally to the curriculum .
Many young people in Syria , where Moscow intervened in 2015 to help President Bashir al-Assad win back territory , are eager to study Russian in order to travel to Russia or work in Russian companies they expect to appear in Syria in the future .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ anything and when we first heard the words we started to laugh ... it was hard , '' said Tawil .
`` The teachers are helping us to love this language . ''
Radwan Rahhal , coordinator of Russian language in the Syrian Education Ministry , said demand for the classes outstrips supply .
`` We have more than 24,000 students who are learning Russian and the number is increasing .
But we can not expand more than this in the meantime unless we have more teachers . ''
The Syrian Education Ministry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ language in schools after English or French in 2014 .
Graduates in Russian literature willing to teach it attend special courses supervised by experts from Moscow .
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Syria on Tuesday for the second time since Moscow 's decisive intervention , and met Assad in Damascus .
Russian and Iranian support has helped Assad win back nearly all the territory lost to rebels who tried to overthrow him in a civil war that grew out of a crackdown on opposition protests nearly nine years ago .

More than 24,000 students are learning Russian in Syria, a Syrian education official said.
Omar al-Tawil, a 15-year-old school boy in Damascus, is one of 24,000 Syrian youngsters now learning Russian at school after the country added the language of the government's most powerful ally to the curriculum.
Many young people in Syria, where Moscow intervened in 2015 to help President Bashir al-Assad win back territory, are eager to study Russian in order to travel to Russia or work in Russian companies they expect to appear in Syria in the future.
"At first we didn't understand anything and when we first heard the words we started to laugh...it was hard," said Tawil. "The teachers are helping us to love this language."
Radwan Rahhal, coordinator of Russian language in the Syrian Education Ministry, said demand for the classes outstrips supply.
"We have more than 24,000 students who are learning Russian and the number is increasing. But we cannot expand more than this in the meantime unless we have more teachers."
The Syrian Education Ministry added Russian as an optional second foreign language in schools after English or French in 2014. Graduates in Russian literature willing to teach it attend special courses supervised by experts from Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Syria on Tuesday for the second time since Moscow's decisive intervention, and met Assad in Damascus.
Russian and Iranian support has helped Assad win back nearly all the territory lost to rebels who tried to overthrow him in a civil war that grew out of a crackdown on opposition protests nearly nine years ago.


russiainsider--2020-01-16--Russia Bets Big On The World's Least Explored Oil Frontier: Africa

When the inaugural Russia-Africa summit was held in October 2019 , most industry observers believed that the majority of projects under discussion would not get past the FID stage – in no small part because of their varied economic prospects .
As well as wheat exports , nuclear technologies , conventional weaponry and ore mining , oil loomed large on the agenda .
With the OPEC+ agreement entering its third consecutive year and oil prices stabilizing around $ 60 per barrel , Russian oil firms have enough cash to invest but face an uncertain future with domestic projects as no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ project ending up in the category of “ spare production capacity ” .
International sanctions and the ramifications they entail have compelled Russia to look beyond their usual investment regions – with little to no investments in Europe since 2014 .
Gazprom is now an unwelcome investor in Europe and even the privately-owned LUKOIL has mulled divesting its downstream assets and has reduced its retail presence in Europe .
Investing in the United States or Canada is completely out of question for reasons predominantly political , whilst Middle Eastern NOCs have grown to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to diversify their portfolio .
Due to all of the above factors , Africa has emerged somewhat naturally as a suitable region for Russian investment .
The Russian Energy Ministry has repeatedly declined to link Russia ’ s newly-found interest in Africa and the OPEC+ curtailments , saying that greenfield projects usually require 5-7 years before commissioning and thus the time gap between today ’ s issues and future production is too wide to impact any forecasts .
Yet no one really knows when exactly the OPEC+ cuts would come to a stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it might be any year in the upcoming decade .
Oil companies need to prepare for the future and can not just act upon the ( usually quite sudden ) decision to ramp up production to normal levels .
With much of the US majors now focused on domestic shale and deepwater developments , Russia sees a new role for itself in Western Africa .
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has emerged as one of the key areas for Russian investments in Africa .
The DRC wouldn ’ t be the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ se – the Russian NOC Rosneft already bought stakes in gas-producing projects in Egypt ( Zohr ) and Mozambique , whilst LUKOIL has had a tumultuous history in Ghana .
The DRC , however , may be the first country where Russian companies take on complex commitments , including infrastructure-related solutions .
Oddly enough , these will not be headlined by an oil & gas company but by VEB , the state development corporation – in the upcoming months VEB and the Congolese oil company SNPC are supposed to finalize the deal on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This 2.1mtpa capacity pipeline will connect the Congolese port of Pointe Noire to the Maloukou Terminal next to Kinshasa – providing for the supply of both gasoline and diesel , as well as aviation kerosene .
Reportedly the leading Russian steel pipe manufacturer TMK will clinch the contract on the Congolese product pipeline in the upcoming weeks , however it still remains to be seen which oil company would take the job .
The fact that it is the state ’ s development corporation taking the role of interfacing between the Congolese NOC @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be majors who get involved – the case of Syria demonstrates that tasks of such difficulty might be allotted to new companies ( though staffed with experienced oilmen ) which avail themselves of government support .
The pipeline deal comes just several months after Russia ’ s leading private oil firm LUKOIL entered Congo ’ s offshore by buying 25 percent in the Marine XII license block .
Marine XII , operated by ENI , comprises five discovered fields with a total reserve base of 1.3 BBbls which should reach a production @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the current output level of some 30kbpd .
The $ 770 million investment on Marine XII will supplement LUKOIL ’ s earlier involvement in offshore Ghana , where it aims to start development drilling on the ultra-deepwater Pecan field ( reserves estimated at 0.34 Bbbls , exploration well drilled to a depth of 4880 meters ) which lies in the Deepwater Tano Cape Three Points block .
In addition to the above , LUKOIL and Russia ’ s state-owned geological exploration company Rosgeologia have signed separate agreements with Equatorial Guinea on future exploration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Nigeria seemingly booked by international majors who have opted to move into Western Africa much earlier , Russia seems to be seeking a place of its own in the southern part of the Gulf of Guinea .
The pipeline deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo enhances its market presence in both Congos as it will be used to feed both Kinshasa and Brazzaville .
Potential upstream activities in Cameroon might also come into the picture – LUKOIL took a 37.5 percent stake in the offshore Etinde field in 2014 – if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drilling program in the region .
Add to this the prospect of Russian appraisal/drilling success in Equatorial Guinea and you get a fairly dense web of coverage in West Africa .
So why are Russian firms doing this ?
Firstly , because they have internal goals to attain which , given the zero tolerance for any substantial market liberalization , will be quite difficult to reach if they are to focus solely on projects at home .
Rosneft is an illustrative case in this context – as Gazprom has maintained its monopoly on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to achieve its aim of producing 100 BCm per year of gas by 2020 .
However , with a couple of Zohr-like investments it can recover whatever has been potentially lost domestically in ventures abroad .
Second , OPEC+ is putting pressure on companies not to lose out when all the others are seeking new opportunities – focusing solely on Russia would be a remarkably short-sighted strategy .

When the inaugural Russia-Africa summit was held in October 2019, most industry observers believed that the majority of projects under discussion would not get past the FID stage – in no small part because of their varied economic prospects. As well as wheat exports, nuclear technologies, conventional weaponry and ore mining, oil loomed large on the agenda. With the OPEC+ agreement entering its third consecutive year and oil prices stabilizing around $60 per barrel, Russian oil firms have enough cash to invest but face an uncertain future with domestic projects as no one really wants to see their own project ending up in the category of “spare production capacity”.
International sanctions and the ramifications they entail have compelled Russia to look beyond their usual investment regions – with little to no investments in Europe since 2014. Gazprom is now an unwelcome investor in Europe and even the privately-owned LUKOIL has mulled divesting its downstream assets and has reduced its retail presence in Europe. Investing in the United States or Canada is completely out of question for reasons predominantly political, whilst Middle Eastern NOCs have grown to become competitors, themselves looking for opportunities to diversify their portfolio. Due to all of the above factors, Africa has emerged somewhat naturally as a suitable region for Russian investment.
The Russian Energy Ministry has repeatedly declined to link Russia’s newly-found interest in Africa and the OPEC+ curtailments, saying that greenfield projects usually require 5-7 years before commissioning and thus the time gap between today’s issues and future production is too wide to impact any forecasts. Yet no one really knows when exactly the OPEC+ cuts would come to a stop – it might be this year or it might be any year in the upcoming decade. Oil companies need to prepare for the future and cannot just act upon the (usually quite sudden) decision to ramp up production to normal levels. With much of the US majors now focused on domestic shale and deepwater developments, Russia sees a new role for itself in Western Africa.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo has emerged as one of the key areas for Russian investments in Africa. The DRC wouldn’t be the first African nation to see Russian investments per se – the Russian NOC Rosneft already bought stakes in gas-producing projects in Egypt (Zohr) and Mozambique, whilst LUKOIL has had a tumultuous history in Ghana. The DRC, however, may be the first country where Russian companies take on complex commitments, including infrastructure-related solutions. Oddly enough, these will not be headlined by an oil & gas company but by VEB, the state development corporation – in the upcoming months VEB and the Congolese oil company SNPC are supposed to finalize the deal on construction of an oil products pipeline.
This 2.1mtpa capacity pipeline will connect the Congolese port of Pointe Noire to the Maloukou Terminal next to Kinshasa – providing for the supply of both gasoline and diesel, as well as aviation kerosene. Reportedly the leading Russian steel pipe manufacturer TMK will clinch the contract on the Congolese product pipeline in the upcoming weeks, however it still remains to be seen which oil company would take the job. The fact that it is the state’s development corporation taking the role of interfacing between the Congolese NOC and Russian firms implies that it need not be majors who get involved – the case of Syria demonstrates that tasks of such difficulty might be allotted to new companies (though staffed with experienced oilmen) which avail themselves of government support.
The pipeline deal comes just several months after Russia’s leading private oil firm LUKOIL entered Congo’s offshore by buying 25 percent in the Marine XII license block. Marine XII, operated by ENI, comprises five discovered fields with a total reserve base of 1.3 BBbls which should reach a production plateau of 100kbpd, essentially tripling from the current output level of some 30kbpd. The $770 million investment on Marine XII will supplement LUKOIL’s earlier involvement in offshore Ghana, where it aims to start development drilling on the ultra-deepwater Pecan field (reserves estimated at 0.34 Bbbls, exploration well drilled to a depth of 4880 meters) which lies in the Deepwater Tano Cape Three Points block. In addition to the above, LUKOIL and Russia’s state-owned geological exploration company Rosgeologia have signed separate agreements with Equatorial Guinea on future exploration activities in the country.
With most of Nigeria seemingly booked by international majors who have opted to move into Western Africa much earlier, Russia seems to be seeking a place of its own in the southern part of the Gulf of Guinea. The pipeline deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo enhances its market presence in both Congos as it will be used to feed both Kinshasa and Brazzaville. Potential upstream activities in Cameroon might also come into the picture – LUKOIL took a 37.5 percent stake in the offshore Etinde field in 2014 – if the Russian firm decides to kickstart its drilling program in the region. Add to this the prospect of Russian appraisal/drilling success in Equatorial Guinea and you get a fairly dense web of coverage in West Africa.
So why are Russian firms doing this? Firstly, because they have internal goals to attain which, given the zero tolerance for any substantial market liberalization, will be quite difficult to reach if they are to focus solely on projects at home. Rosneft is an illustrative case in this context – as Gazprom has maintained its monopoly on pipeline exports, Rosneft has essentially failed to achieve its aim of producing 100 BCm per year of gas by 2020. However, with a couple of Zohr-like investments it can recover whatever has been potentially lost domestically in ventures abroad. Second, OPEC+ is putting pressure on companies not to lose out when all the others are seeking new opportunities – focusing solely on Russia would be a remarkably short-sighted strategy.


russiainsider--2020-01-16--WATCH: 5 Year Old Russian Boy Plays Mozart Piano Concerto with Orchestra Brilliantly

The youngest pianist in Russia does not get his feet to the piano pedals , but masterfully performs the most @ @ @ @ @ Mysin sits down at the piano and music begins to flow from under his fingers @ @ @ @ @ believe that he is five years old .
He still does not reach his feet @ @ @ @ @ and the height of the chair for him has to be increased with a pillow @ @ @ @ @ hard work have already helped Stavropol Prodigy to win the appreciation of professionals and the @ @ @ @ @ different parts of the country .

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russiainsider--2020-01-17--The German Heavy Metal Group 'RAMMSTEIN' Is Wildly Popular in Russia - WATCH a Russian Folk Orchestr

The German Heavy Metal Group 'RAMMSTEIN' Is Wildly Popular in Russia - WATCH a Russian Folk Orchestra Crush 'Du Riechst So Gut!'

This post first appeared on Russia Insider Anyone is free to republish , copy , and redistribute the text in @ @ @ @ @ the images or videos ) in any medium or format , with the right to @ @ @ @ @ build upon it , even commercially , as long as they provide a backlink and @ @ @ @ @ It is not necessary to notify Russia Insider .
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russiainsider--2020-01-17--Hitler Is Loved as a Hero Across Much of 3rd World - India, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, Phil

Hitler Is Loved as a Hero Across Much of 3rd World - India, Pakistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, Philippines, Middle East

In the West , German President-Chancellor Adolf Hitler is vilified by state media as a genocidal maniac .
However , elsewhere in the world , the former fuhrer is considered a political inspiration .
Adolf Hitler is as much admired today as he ever was .
Yet , Soviet dictator and unelected Winston Churchill are detested .
Few people have heard of U.S. President Truman who at the end of World War II was also unelected .
U.S. President Roosevelt , who died a horrible death before the war ’ s end , is celebrated only by Bolsheviks for his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preemptively struck the Soviet Union in June 1941 .
If shoot from the lip Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was a Western politician , his claim that Adolf Hitler is a personal inspiration would have meant the swift end to his career .
Implying that the West was drug-addicted and under the spell of Jewish influence the President of 100 million people says , ‘ Hitler massacred 3 million Jews .
Now there are 3 million drug addicts in the Philippines .
I ’ d be happy to slaughter them.
’ He added cheerfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ drug problem of my country and save the next generation from damnation.
’ There is no indication his statement hurt him at all .
Conversely , there ’ s good reason to believe that it will bolster the president ’ s huge popularity among Filipinos as a man who speaks his mind and gets things done .
Duterte ’ s positive perspective on Hitler has long been commonplace in the non-Western world and remains so today .
If there ’ s an anomaly it ’ s the West ’ s false image of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much of the developing world , there is a propaganda-free awareness regarding the Reich .
Adolf Hitler is observed less as an ideologue than as a nationalist disciplinarian who addressed social ills in a briskly efficient manner ; Hitler ’ s legacy is of law and order .
In the non-Western world , Adolf Hitler is regarded favourably as the ultimate anti-imperialist rebel due to the German leader ’ s nationalistic struggle against Anglo-French-American-Zionist domination .
Indonesia ’ s second president , Gen. Suharto , saw National Socialist Germany as a role model @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The country ’ s first president , Sukarno , who led his nation ’ s independence movement against the Dutch colonists , openly revered Hitler ’ s Third Reich for its spirit of proud nationalism .
In 1955 , President Sukarno hosted a pioneering conference of nonaligned Asian and African nations , many of them newly independent , in the city of Bandung , where delegates ’ deployed National Socialist style oratory in their criticisms of lingering colonialism and Zionist imperialism .
These days the same city boasts a popular restaurant called Soldaten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swastikas , National Socialist posters , and is adorned with photos of the Führer .
If you ask the café owner about his decorative taste , he will point out that such symbolism is perfectly legal in Indonesia .
He ’ s right for National Socialist imagery is widespread and most Indonesians dismiss the holocaust as a fanciful propaganda slur used to milk sympathy and reparations .
A genuine embrace of authoritarian ideals seems to be at the core of much of modern Indonesia ’ s fascination with Hitler .
As a respected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Adolf Hitler in order to fully restore law and order.
’ This man thought he ’ d found the answer to his prayers in Prabowo Subianto , a popular general whose narrowly unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2014 included a music video sung by pop star Ahmad Dhani dressed in Reich type garb .
Pro-Adolf Hitler views are conventional in today ’ s the Middle East .
Turkey , the country with the longest tradition of democracy in the region , has its share of pro-Adolf Hitler sentiment .
The Turkish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kemal Ataturk , inspired Hitler in the latter ’ s own social revolution .
Hitler was particularly impressed by the secularist Ataturk ’ s suppression of political Islam .
Although Ataturk himself wasn ’ t in awe of the Führer , some of his close associates certainly did .
Upon visiting Berlin before Churchill ’ s war , Recep Peker , the secretary-general of the Republican People ’ s Party , and later prime minister , expressed open admiration for Hitler ’ s National Socialism .
His admiration for the German leader ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s recent displacement by Islamic-infused authoritarianism under President Recep Erdogan .
In his current push to expand the powers of his office , Erdogan cited Hitler ’ s Germany as a positive case study in how such an über-presidency might work .
Many Turks expressed astonishment at Erdogan ’ s choice of role models , but in light of the president ’ s ever-increasing autocracy , the Führer reference seems more apt than odd .
Egypt ’ s latest president , Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi , has thus far resisted trying to legitimise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hitler .
Some of his followers , however , have not been so reticent .
On the eve of Sisi coming to power , Soheir al-Babli , a popular TV actress , expressed confidence that her countrymen ‘ know that Egyptians need a man as strong as ( Adolf ) Hitler to punish citizens for any violations they commit.
’ His self-glorification , his classification of political opponents as enemies of the state , his suppression of foreign-controlled corporate media , and ultra-nationalism inspire comparisons to Hitler among his fellow Egyptians .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Although admiration for Hitler might be a minority phenomenon , this minority is sizable enough to pro-Hitler expressions unremarkable for anyone who speaks his or her mind .
Encounters with Hitler admiration understandably shock visitors from the West , especially ones from Germany .
According to German journalist Hasnain Kazim in Der Spiegel , after getting a haircut in Islamabad , Kazim whined to the hairdresser that the cut made him look like Adolf Hitler .
The hairdresser took the remark as a compliment : ‘ Yes , yes , very nice , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it uplifting for him to drive behind a white Mercedes bearing a bumper sticker that read , ‘ I like the Reich.
’ Venturing into neighbouring India , one encounters more signs of fascination with the last legitimate leader of Germany .
The Jerusalem Post notes that bookstores display Hitler ’ s Mein Kampf prominently in windows .
‘ It ’ s a classic for us .
We have to sell it , ’ a floor manager of New Delhi ’ s most iconic bookstore , Bahrisons , told the Post .
Many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relating to India ’ s rising Hindu nationalist movement , with one person saying : ‘ Mein Kampf can be used to support a purist Hindu India where Muslims are persecuted.
’ Many Indians see anti-Semitism behind Hitler ’ s popularity or cite Indians ’ desire to believe that a strong leader can transform society for the better .
As in Pakistan , ‘ Hitler ’ connotes ‘ strong disciplinarian.
’ Across much of the globe , openly expressed admiration for the Hitler legacy can be seen as just one more indication of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ values in our modern world .

In the West, German President-Chancellor Adolf Hitler is vilified by state media as a genocidal maniac. However, elsewhere in the world, the former fuhrer is considered a political inspiration.
Adolf Hitler is as much admired today as he ever was. Yet, Soviet dictator and unelected Winston Churchill are detested. Few people have heard of U.S. President Truman who at the end of World War II was also unelected.
This is an example of the very high quality fan videos circulating on the internet making the case that Hitler was in fact a great and good man. He seems to attract the admiration of highly talented people. Take the 8 minutes to watch this, it is worth it.
U.S. President Roosevelt, who died a horrible death before the war’s end, is celebrated only by Bolsheviks for his saving Red Russia from collapse after Germany preemptively struck the Soviet Union in June 1941.
If shoot from the lip Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was a Western politician, his claim that Adolf Hitler is a personal inspiration would have meant the swift end to his career.
Implying that the West was drug-addicted and under the spell of Jewish influence the President of 100 million people says, ‘Hitler massacred 3 million Jews. Now there are 3 million drug addicts in the Philippines. I’d be happy to slaughter them.’ He added cheerfully that his police would ‘finish the drug problem of my country and save the next generation from damnation.’
There is no indication his statement hurt him at all. Conversely, there’s good reason to believe that it will bolster the president’s huge popularity among Filipinos as a man who speaks his mind and gets things done.
Duterte’s positive perspective on Hitler has long been commonplace in the non-Western world and remains so today. If there’s an anomaly it’s the West’s false image of Hitler as a political villain.
In much of the developing world, there is a propaganda-free awareness regarding the Reich. Adolf Hitler is observed less as an ideologue than as a nationalist disciplinarian who addressed social ills in a briskly efficient manner; Hitler’s legacy is of law and order.
In the non-Western world, Adolf Hitler is regarded favourably as the ultimate anti-imperialist rebel due to the German leader’s nationalistic struggle against Anglo-French-American-Zionist domination.
Indonesia’s second president, Gen. Suharto, saw National Socialist Germany as a role model for his highly centralised New Order. The country’s first president, Sukarno, who led his nation’s independence movement against the Dutch colonists, openly revered Hitler’s Third Reich for its spirit of proud nationalism.
In 1955, President Sukarno hosted a pioneering conference of nonaligned Asian and African nations, many of them newly independent, in the city of Bandung, where delegates’ deployed National Socialist style oratory in their criticisms of lingering colonialism and Zionist imperialism.
These days the same city boasts a popular restaurant called Soldaten Kaffee. The inn-place is decorated with swastikas, National Socialist posters, and is adorned with photos of the Führer. If you ask the café owner about his decorative taste, he will point out that such symbolism is perfectly legal in Indonesia.
He’s right for National Socialist imagery is widespread and most Indonesians dismiss the holocaust as a fanciful propaganda slur used to milk sympathy and reparations.
A genuine embrace of authoritarian ideals seems to be at the core of much of modern Indonesia’s fascination with Hitler. As a respected businessman put it, ‘We need an Adolf Hitler in order to fully restore law and order.’
This man thought he’d found the answer to his prayers in Prabowo Subianto, a popular general whose narrowly unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 2014 included a music video sung by pop star Ahmad Dhani dressed in Reich type garb.
Pro-Adolf Hitler views are conventional in today’s the Middle East. Turkey, the country with the longest tradition of democracy in the region, has its share of pro-Adolf Hitler sentiment. The Turkish Republic’s founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, inspired Hitler in the latter’s own social revolution.
Hitler was particularly impressed by the secularist Ataturk’s suppression of political Islam. Although Ataturk himself wasn’t in awe of the Führer, some of his close associates certainly did.
Upon visiting Berlin before Churchill’s war, Recep Peker, the secretary-general of the Republican People’s Party, and later prime minister, expressed open admiration for Hitler’s National Socialism. His admiration for the German leader’s governing style survived his party’s recent displacement by Islamic-infused authoritarianism under President Recep Erdogan.
In his current push to expand the powers of his office, Erdogan cited Hitler’s Germany as a positive case study in how such an über-presidency might work. Many Turks expressed astonishment at Erdogan’s choice of role models, but in light of the president’s ever-increasing autocracy, the Führer reference seems more apt than odd.
Egypt’s latest president, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has thus far resisted trying to legitimise his governing style by using comparisons to Hitler. Some of his followers, however, have not been so reticent. On the eve of Sisi coming to power, Soheir al-Babli, a popular TV actress, expressed confidence that her countrymen ‘know that Egyptians need a man as strong as (Adolf) Hitler to punish citizens for any violations they commit.’
His self-glorification, his classification of political opponents as enemies of the state, his suppression of foreign-controlled corporate media, and ultra-nationalism inspire comparisons to Hitler among his fellow Egyptians.
In Pakistan, a Führer cult flourishes. Although admiration for Hitler might be a minority phenomenon, this minority is sizable enough to pro-Hitler expressions unremarkable for anyone who speaks his or her mind.
Encounters with Hitler admiration understandably shock visitors from the West, especially ones from Germany. According to German journalist Hasnain Kazim in Der Spiegel, after getting a haircut in Islamabad, Kazim whined to the hairdresser that the cut made him look like Adolf Hitler.
The hairdresser took the remark as a compliment: ‘Yes, yes, very nice,’ the barber beamed. Nor was it uplifting for him to drive behind a white Mercedes bearing a bumper sticker that read, ‘I like the Reich.’
Venturing into neighbouring India, one encounters more signs of fascination with the last legitimate leader of Germany. The Jerusalem Post notes that bookstores display Hitler’s Mein Kampf prominently in windows. ‘It’s a classic for us. We have to sell it,’ a floor manager of New Delhi’s most iconic bookstore, Bahrisons, told the Post.
Many Hindus see Hitler and Mein Kampf as relating to India’s rising Hindu nationalist movement, with one person saying: ‘Mein Kampf can be used to support a purist Hindu India where Muslims are persecuted.’
Many Indians see anti-Semitism behind Hitler’s popularity or cite Indians’ desire to believe that a strong leader can transform society for the better. As in Pakistan, ‘Hitler’ connotes ‘strong disciplinarian.’
Across much of the globe, openly expressed admiration for the Hitler legacy can be seen as just one more indication of the tenuousness of these social and political values in our modern world.


russiainsider--2020-01-17--Achtung!: Nearly 50% of Germany's NewBorns are Not German (Excellent Educational Video)

This video has gotten half a million views since being published a year ago , and with good reason , @ @ @ @ @ pointing out some unpleasant truths .
Ever wonder why Merkel and EU Presidents Rompuy and @ @ @ @ @ the Coudenhove-Kalergi Society annual prize ?
No ?
Well , you 're about to find @ @ @ @ @ undergoing a direct attack on its native German population since the fall of the Reich @ @ @ @ @ no small part to the plans of Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi , Theodore Kaufman , and @ @ @ @ @ video gives a brief , but thorough glimpse into the ideology of racial replacement , @ @ @ @ @ bureaucrats .
Great clip of Nigel Farage delivering one of the great insults of political @ @ @ @ @ at the 1.44 minute mark .
That alone makes this video well worth watching !
@ @ @ @ @ facts people need to know .
Say Gutentag !
to your future , Deutschland .

This video has gotten half a million views since being published a year ago, and with good reason, it does a great job pointing out some unpleasant truths. Ever wonder why Merkel and EU Presidents Rompuy and Junker are proud recipients of the Coudenhove-Kalergi Society annual prize? No? Well, you're about to find out!
Germany has been undergoing a direct attack on its native German population since the fall of the Reich in 1945, due in no small part to the plans of Richard von Coudenhove-Kalergi, Theodore Kaufman, and Henry Morgenthau Jr.
This video gives a brief, but thorough glimpse into the ideology of racial replacement, implemented by your favorite EU bureaucrats.
Great clip of Nigel Farage delivering one of the great insults of political history to Mr. Rompuy, at the 1.44 minute mark. That alone makes this video well worth watching!
Share widely, these are facts people need to know.
* . *
Say Gutentag! to your future, Deutschland.


russiainsider--2020-01-17--The US Is in a 'Battle for the Ages' Against Russia/China to Stop Eurasian Integration - It's Going

The US Is in a 'Battle for the Ages' Against Russia/China to Stop Eurasian Integration - It's Going to Get Much Worse

Coming decade could see the US take on Russia , China and Iran over the New Silk Road connection The Raging Twenties started with a bang with the targeted assassination of Iran ’ s General Qasem Soleimani .
Yet a bigger bang awaits us throughout the decade : the myriad declinations of the New Great Game in Eurasia , which pits the US against Russia , China and Iran , the three major nodes of Eurasia integration .
Every game-changing act in geopolitics and geoeconomics in the coming decade will have to be analyzed in connection to this epic clash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the US ruling class are absolutely terrified that China is already outpacing the “ indispensable nation ” economically and that Russia has outpaced it militarily .
The Pentagon officially designates the three Eurasian nodes as “ threats.
” Hybrid War techniques – carrying inbuilt 24/7 demonization – will proliferate with the aim of containing China ’ s “ threat , ” Russian “ aggression ” and Iran ’ s “ sponsorship of terrorism.
” The myth of the “ free market ” will continue to drown under the imposition of a barrage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new trade “ rules.
” Yet that will be hardly enough to derail the Russia-China strategic partnership .
To unlock the deeper meaning of this partnership , we need to understand that Beijing defines it as rolling towards a “ new era.
” That implies strategic long-term planning – with the key date being 2049 , the centennial of New China .
The horizon for the multiple projects of the Belt and Road Initiative – as in the China-driven New Silk Roads – is indeed the 2040s , when Beijing expects to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of sovereign nations/partners across Eurasia and beyond , all connected by an interlocking maze of belts and roads .
The Russian project – Greater Eurasia – somewhat mirrors Belt & Road and will be integrated with it .
Belt & Road , the Eurasia Economic Union , the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank are all converging towards the same vision .
So this “ new era ” , as defined by the Chinese , relies heavily on close Russia-China coordination , in every sector .
Made in China 2025 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
At the same time , Russia has established itself as an unparalleled technological resource for weapons and systems that the Chinese still can not match .
At the latest BRICS summit in Brasilia , President Xi Jinping told Vladimir Putin that “ the current international situation with rising instability and uncertainty urge China and Russia to establish closer strategic coordination.
” Putin ’ s response : “ Under the current situation , the two sides should continue to maintain close strategic communication.
” Russia is showing China how the West respects realpolitik @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is finally starting to use theirs .
The result is that after five centuries of Western domination – which , incidentally , led to the decline of the Ancient Silk Roads – the Heartland is back , with a bang , asserting its preeminence .
On a personal note , my travels these past two years , from West Asia to Central Asia , and my conversations these past two months with analysts in Nur-Sultan , Moscow and Italy , have allowed me to get deeper into the intricacies of what sharp minds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are all aware of the immense challenges ahead – while barely managing to track the stunning re-emergence of the Heartland in real-time .
In soft power terms , the sterling role of Russian diplomacy will become even more paramount – backed up by a Ministry of Defense led by Sergei Shoigu , a Tuvan from Siberia , and an intel arm that is capable of constructive dialogue with everybody : India/Pakistan , North/South Korea , Iran/Saudi Arabia , Afghanistan .
This apparatus does smooth ( complex ) geopolitical issues over in a manner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , virtually the whole Asia-Pacific – from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean – now takes into full consideration Russia-China as a counter-force to US naval and financial overreach .
The targeted assassination of Soleimani , for all its long-term fallout , is just one move in the Southwest Asia chessboard .
What ’ s ultimately at stake is a macro geoeconomic prize : a land bridge from the Persian Gulf to the Eastern Mediterranean .
Last summer , an Iran-Iraq-Syria trilateral established that “ the goal of negotiations is to activate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of a wider plan for reviving the Silk Road.
” There could not be a more strategic connectivity corridor , capable of simultaneously interlinking with the International North-South Transportation Corridor ; the Iran-Central Asia-China connection all the way to the Pacific ; and projecting Latakia towards the Mediterranean and the Atlantic .
What ’ s on the horizon is , in fact , a sub-sect of Belt & Road in Southwest Asia .
Iran is a key node of Belt & Road ; China will be heavily involved in the rebuilding of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and set up an Iraqi-Chinese Reconstruction Fund ( income from 300,000 barrels of oil a day in exchange for Chinese credit for Chinese companies rebuilding Iraqi infrastructure ) .
A quick look at the map reveals the “ secret ” of the US refusing to pack up and leave Iraq , as demanded by the Iraqi Parliament and Prime Minister : to prevent the emergence of this corridor by any means necessary .
Especially when we see that all the roads that China is building across Central Asia – I navigated many of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ link China with Iran .
The final objective : to unite Shanghai to the Eastern Mediterranean – overland , across the Heartland .
As much as Gwadar port in the Arabian Sea is an essential node of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor , and part of China ’ s multi-pronged “ escape from Malacca ” strategy , India also courted Iran to match Gwadar via the port of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman .
So as much as Beijing wants to connect the Arabian Sea with Xinjiang , via the economic corridor , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Central Asia via Iran .
Yet India ’ s investments in Chabahar may come to nothing , with New Delhi still mulling whether to become an active part of the US “ Indo-Pacific ” strategy , which would imply dropping Tehran .
The Russia-China-Iran joint naval exercise in late December , starting exactly from Chabahar , was a timely wake-up for New Delhi .
India simply can not afford to ignore Iran and end up losing its key connectivity node , Chabahar .
The immutable fact : everyone needs and wants Iran connectivity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Persian empire , this is the privileged hub for all Central Asian trade routes .
On top of it , Iran for China is a matter of national security .
China is heavily invested in Iran ’ s energy industry .
All bilateral trade will be settled in yuan or in a basket of currencies bypassing the US dollar .
US neocons , meanwhile , still dream of what the Cheney regime was aiming at in the past decade : regime change in Iran leading to the US dominating the Caspian Sea as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one step away from Xinjiang and weaponization of anti-China sentiment .
It could be seen as a New Silk Road in reverse to disrupt the Chinese vision .
A new book , The Impact of China ’ s Belt and Road Initiative , by Jeremy Garlick of the University of Economics in Prague , carries the merit of admitting that , “ making sense ” of Belt & Road “ is extremely difficult.
” This is an extremely serious attempt to theorize Belt & Road ’ s immense complexity – especially considering China @ @ @ @ @ @ @ policymaking , quite bewildering for Westerners .
To reach his goal , Garlick gets into Tang Shiping ’ s social evolution paradigm , delves into neo-Gramscian hegemony , and dissects the concept of “ offensive mercantilism ” – all that as part of an effort in “ complex eclecticism.
” The contrast with the pedestrian Belt & Road demonization narrative emanating from US “ analysts ” is glaring .
The book tackles in detail the multifaceted nature of Belt & Road ’ s trans-regionalism as an evolving , organic process .
Imperial policymakers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and why Belt & Road is setting a new global paradigm .
The NATO summit in London last month offered a few pointers .
NATO uncritically adopted three US priorities : even more aggressive policy towards Russia ; containment of China ( including military surveillance ) ; and militarization of space – a spin-off from the 2002 Full Spectrum Dominance doctrine .
So NATO will be drawn into the “ Indo-Pacific ” strategy – which means containment of China .
And as NATO is the EU ’ s weaponized arm , that implies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business with China – at every level .
Retired US Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson , Colin Powell ’ s chief of staff from 2001 to 2005 , cuts to the chase : “ America exists today to make war .
How else do we interpret 19 straight years of war and no end in sight ?
It ’ s part of who we are .
It ’ s part of what the American Empire is .
We are going to lie , cheat and steal , as Pompeo is doing right now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Esper is doing right now … and a host of other members of my political party , the Republicans , are doing right now .
We are going to lie , cheat and steal to do whatever it is we have to do to continue this war complex .
That ’ s the truth of it .
And that ’ s the agony of it.
” Moscow , Beijing and Tehran are fully aware of the stakes .
Diplomats and analysts are working on the trend , for the trio , to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ another from all forms of hybrid war – sanctions included – launched against each of them .
For the US , this is indeed an existential battle – against the whole Eurasia integration process , the New Silk Roads , the Russia-China strategic partnership , those Russian hypersonic weapons mixed with supple diplomacy , the profound disgust and revolt against US policies all across the Global South , the nearly inevitable collapse of the US dollar .
What ’ s certain is that the Empire won ’ t go quietly into the night @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the battle of the ages .

Coming decade could see the US take on Russia, China and Iran over the New Silk Road connection
The Raging Twenties started with a bang with the targeted assassination of Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani.
Yet a bigger bang awaits us throughout the decade: the myriad declinations of the New Great Game in Eurasia, which pits the US against Russia, China and Iran, the three major nodes of Eurasia integration.
Every game-changing act in geopolitics and geoeconomics in the coming decade will have to be analyzed in connection to this epic clash.
The Deep State and crucial sectors of the US ruling class are absolutely terrified that China is already outpacing the “indispensable nation” economically and that Russia has outpaced it militarily. The Pentagon officially designates the three Eurasian nodes as “threats.”
Hybrid War techniques – carrying inbuilt 24/7 demonization – will proliferate with the aim of containing China’s “threat,” Russian “aggression” and Iran’s “sponsorship of terrorism.” The myth of the “free market” will continue to drown under the imposition of a barrage of illegal sanctions, euphemistically defined as new trade “rules.”
Yet that will be hardly enough to derail the Russia-China strategic partnership. To unlock the deeper meaning of this partnership, we need to understand that Beijing defines it as rolling towards a “new era.” That implies strategic long-term planning – with the key date being 2049, the centennial of New China.
The horizon for the multiple projects of the Belt and Road Initiative – as in the China-driven New Silk Roads – is indeed the 2040s, when Beijing expects to have fully woven a new, multipolar paradigm of sovereign nations/partners across Eurasia and beyond, all connected by an interlocking maze of belts and roads.
The Russian project – Greater Eurasia – somewhat mirrors Belt & Road and will be integrated with it. Belt & Road, the Eurasia Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank are all converging towards the same vision.
Realpolitik
So this “new era”, as defined by the Chinese, relies heavily on close Russia-China coordination, in every sector. Made in China 2025 is encompassing a series of techno/scientific breakthroughs. At the same time, Russia has established itself as an unparalleled technological resource for weapons and systems that the Chinese still cannot match.
At the latest BRICS summit in Brasilia, President Xi Jinping told Vladimir Putin that “the current international situation with rising instability and uncertainty urge China and Russia to establish closer strategic coordination.” Putin’s response: “Under the current situation, the two sides should continue to maintain close strategic communication.”
Russia is showing China how the West respects realpolitik power in any form, and Beijing is finally starting to use theirs. The result is that after five centuries of Western domination – which, incidentally, led to the decline of the Ancient Silk Roads – the Heartland is back, with a bang, asserting its preeminence.
On a personal note, my travels these past two years, from West Asia to Central Asia, and my conversations these past two months with analysts in Nur-Sultan, Moscow and Italy, have allowed me to get deeper into the intricacies of what sharp minds define as the Double Helix. We are all aware of the immense challenges ahead – while barely managing to track the stunning re-emergence of the Heartland in real-time.
In soft power terms, the sterling role of Russian diplomacy will become even more paramount – backed up by a Ministry of Defense led by Sergei Shoigu, a Tuvan from Siberia, and an intel arm that is capable of constructive dialogue with everybody: India/Pakistan, North/South Korea, Iran/Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan.
This apparatus does smooth (complex) geopolitical issues over in a manner that still eludes Beijing.
In parallel, virtually the whole Asia-Pacific – from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean – now takes into full consideration Russia-China as a counter-force to US naval and financial overreach.
Stakes in Southwest Asia
The targeted assassination of Soleimani, for all its long-term fallout, is just one move in the Southwest Asia chessboard. What’s ultimately at stake is a macro geoeconomic prize: a land bridge from the Persian Gulf to the Eastern Mediterranean.
Last summer, an Iran-Iraq-Syria trilateral established that “the goal of negotiations is to activate the Iranian-Iraqi-Syria load and transport corridor as part of a wider plan for reviving the Silk Road.”
There could not be a more strategic connectivity corridor, capable of simultaneously interlinking with the International North-South Transportation Corridor; the Iran-Central Asia-China connection all the way to the Pacific; and projecting Latakia towards the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.
What’s on the horizon is, in fact, a sub-sect of Belt & Road in Southwest Asia. Iran is a key node of Belt & Road; China will be heavily involved in the rebuilding of Syria; and Beijing-Baghdad signed multiple deals and set up an Iraqi-Chinese Reconstruction Fund (income from 300,000 barrels of oil a day in exchange for Chinese credit for Chinese companies rebuilding Iraqi infrastructure).
A quick look at the map reveals the “secret” of the US refusing to pack up and leave Iraq, as demanded by the Iraqi Parliament and Prime Minister: to prevent the emergence of this corridor by any means necessary. Especially when we see that all the roads that China is building across Central Asia – I navigated many of them in November and December – ultimately link China with Iran.
The final objective: to unite Shanghai to the Eastern Mediterranean – overland, across the Heartland.
As much as Gwadar port in the Arabian Sea is an essential node of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and part of China’s multi-pronged “escape from Malacca” strategy, India also courted Iran to match Gwadar via the port of Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman.
So as much as Beijing wants to connect the Arabian Sea with Xinjiang, via the economic corridor, India wants to connect with Afghanistan and Central Asia via Iran.
Yet India’s investments in Chabahar may come to nothing, with New Delhi still mulling whether to become an active part of the US “Indo-Pacific” strategy, which would imply dropping Tehran.
The Russia-China-Iran joint naval exercise in late December, starting exactly from Chabahar, was a timely wake-up for New Delhi. India simply cannot afford to ignore Iran and end up losing its key connectivity node, Chabahar.
The immutable fact: everyone needs and wants Iran connectivity. For obvious reasons, since the Persian empire, this is the privileged hub for all Central Asian trade routes.
On top of it, Iran for China is a matter of national security. China is heavily invested in Iran’s energy industry. All bilateral trade will be settled in yuan or in a basket of currencies bypassing the US dollar.
US neocons, meanwhile, still dream of what the Cheney regime was aiming at in the past decade: regime change in Iran leading to the US dominating the Caspian Sea as a springboard to Central Asia, only one step away from Xinjiang and weaponization of anti-China sentiment. It could be seen as a New Silk Road in reverse to disrupt the Chinese vision.
Battle of the Ages
A new book, The Impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, by Jeremy Garlick of the University of Economics in Prague, carries the merit of admitting that, “making sense” of Belt & Road “is extremely difficult.”
This is an extremely serious attempt to theorize Belt & Road’s immense complexity – especially considering China’s flexible, syncretic approach to policymaking, quite bewildering for Westerners. To reach his goal, Garlick gets into Tang Shiping’s social evolution paradigm, delves into neo-Gramscian hegemony, and dissects the concept of “offensive mercantilism” – all that as part of an effort in “complex eclecticism.”
The contrast with the pedestrian Belt & Road demonization narrative emanating from US “analysts” is glaring. The book tackles in detail the multifaceted nature of Belt & Road’s trans-regionalism as an evolving, organic process.
Imperial policymakers won’t bother to understand how and why Belt & Road is setting a new global paradigm. The NATO summit in London last month offered a few pointers. NATO uncritically adopted three US priorities: even more aggressive policy towards Russia; containment of China (including military surveillance); and militarization of space – a spin-off from the 2002 Full Spectrum Dominance doctrine.
So NATO will be drawn into the “Indo-Pacific” strategy – which means containment of China. And as NATO is the EU’s weaponized arm, that implies the US interfering on how Europe does business with China – at every level.
Retired US Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, Colin Powell’s chief of staff from 2001 to 2005, cuts to the chase: “America exists today to make war. How else do we interpret 19 straight years of war and no end in sight? It’s part of who we are. It’s part of what the American Empire is. We are going to lie, cheat and steal, as Pompeo is doing right now, as Trump is doing right now, as Esper is doing right now … and a host of other members of my political party, the Republicans, are doing right now. We are going to lie, cheat and steal to do whatever it is we have to do to continue this war complex. That’s the truth of it. And that’s the agony of it.”
Moscow, Beijing and Tehran are fully aware of the stakes. Diplomats and analysts are working on the trend, for the trio, to evolve a concerted effort to protect one another from all forms of hybrid war – sanctions included – launched against each of them.
For the US, this is indeed an existential battle – against the whole Eurasia integration process, the New Silk Roads, the Russia-China strategic partnership, those Russian hypersonic weapons mixed with supple diplomacy, the profound disgust and revolt against US policies all across the Global South, the nearly inevitable collapse of the US dollar. What’s certain is that the Empire won’t go quietly into the night. We should all be ready for the battle of the ages.


russiainsider--2020-01-17--St. Petersburg Plans Large Amusement Park About One of the Greatest Poets the World Ever Saw: Pushki

St. Petersburg Plans Large Amusement Park About One of the Greatest Poets the World Ever Saw: Pushkin

The potential of unlocking Russia 's cultural riches is enormous .
Mickey Mouse ca n't compete .
The iconic Russian writer 's fairy-tale universe will be brought to life in a sprawling new park .
St. Petersburg is set to open a sprawling , immersive theme park that will bring iconic Russian writer Alexander Pushkin ’ s fairy tales and poems to life in 2023 .
Considered the founder of modern Russian literature , Pushkin wrote some of Russia ’ s most famous fairy tales and epic poems and remained popular through Soviet times and into the present .
Dutch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s works as inspiration for the 17,000-square-meter Lukomorye park , named after the mythical Slavic land in which Pushkin ’ s fairy tales take place .
`` We love unique and meaningful stories , and are excited to harness our skills to bring these local stories to life to an audience which is not yet very familiar with the concept of theme parks and immersive attractions , '' Jora Vision CEO Jan Maarten de Raad said in a press release Tuesday .
The amusement park will consist of three zones — a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — each based on imaginary places in Pushkin ’ s stories .
The park will also feature a swan lake , a fairytale forest and a “ yarmarka , ” or Russian fair market .
In June 2019 , local media reported the park ’ s construction costs to be at 1 billion rubles ( $ 16.2 million ) .
The interactive park , which will be populated by actors playing famous heroes from Pushkin ’ s stories , will stage carnivals , performances and master classes .
While the park is still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expect to be able to learn about Pushkin ’ s life in an “ immersive walkthrough experience , ” Jora Vision says .

The potential of unlocking Russia's cultural riches is enormous. Mickey Mouse can't compete.
The iconic Russian writer's fairy-tale universe will be brought to life in a sprawling new park.
St. Petersburg is set to open a sprawling, immersive theme park that will bring iconic Russian writer Alexander Pushkin’s fairy tales and poems to life in 2023.
Considered the founder of modern Russian literature, Pushkin wrote some of Russia’s most famous fairy tales and epic poems and remained popular through Soviet times and into the present.
Dutch design company Jora Vision will use Pushkin’s works as inspiration for the 17,000-square-meter Lukomorye park, named after the mythical Slavic land in which Pushkin’s fairy tales take place.
"We love unique and meaningful stories, and are excited to harness our skills to bring these local stories to life to an audience which is not yet very familiar with the concept of theme parks and immersive attractions," Jora Vision CEO Jan Maarten de Raad said in a press release Tuesday.
The amusement park will consist of three zones — a palace, a city and a harbor — each based on imaginary places in Pushkin’s stories. The park will also feature a swan lake, a fairytale forest and a “yarmarka,” or Russian fair market.
In June 2019, local media reported the park’s construction costs to be at 1 billion rubles ($16.2 million).
The interactive park, which will be populated by actors playing famous heroes from Pushkin’s stories, will stage carnivals, performances and master classes. While the park is still in its conceptual stage, visitors can expect to be able to learn about Pushkin’s life in an “immersive walkthrough experience,” Jora Vision says.