southfront--2020-07-01--Saudi-led Blockade Of Yemen: How Did It All Start, Will It Ever End?

Yemen has been almost entirely cut off from the rest of the world since 2015 , following the announcement by way of a letter forwarded to the UN Security Council on the 26th of March of that year by the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council ( GCC ) .
Then , the GCC stated that they received a request of support from the president of Yemen and that they were therefore embarking on a military campaign against Yemen to reinstall pro-Saudi President Mansur Hadi .
More than five years later , the people of Yemen remain trapped in a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still no end in sight .
Over five years after the commencement of the Saudi-led military campaign and economic blockade , tens of thousands of Yemenis have been killed , many more thousands gravely wounded , and millions face starvation as the ‘ Saudi-led coalition ’ continues its destructive effort to reinstall a ‘ president ’ who clearly has very little support among his own people and has been safely ensconced in Riyadh for most of the intervening period .
Leaving aside for the moment the absurd if not grotesque concept of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in support of democracy , fundamental human rights and freedoms , and legitimate government , three things which their own subjects have never had the slightest experience with .
An analysis posted at one of the Carnegie institutes notes that Yemen has experienced “ Gulf Arab solidarity only in the form of an economic blockade and aerial bombardment [ against it ] from states that have kept the country at arms ’ length in times of both war and peace.
” LINK It must be noted at the outset however that GCC-member State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ launched against the Yemeni people from the outset , and Qatar was barred from all Gulf Cooperation Council activities after the falling out with the Saudis in 2017 .
The publicly declared motivations and justifications of this astoundingly brutal and destructive act of unity and solidarity shift between vanquishing the ‘ Houthi rebels ’ ( officially known as the Ansar Allah movement ) and restoring the ‘ internationally recognized government ’ , confronting the threat of terrorism posed by the expansion of Al Qaeda on the Arab Peninsula ( AQAP ) in Yemen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Yemen .
Although the hostility of most of the GCC members to Iran is beyond doubt , the real reason behind the massive aerial bombardments , foreign invasion and total physical and economic blockade is being revealed with more clarity as time has passed , namely the Saudis ’ and the UAE ’ s ambitions to annex parts of Yemen through compliant puppet presidents and proxy groups willing to grant them control over ports , future oil and gas pipelines , military bases and any other natural resources and markets that Yemen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ‘ international community ’ continues to support this act of wanton savagery and genocide through the travel bans , financial sanctions and weapons and economic embargo imposed by the Security Council almost exclusively on ‘ the Houthis ’ , who are universally blamed by the foreign aggressors and a handful of Yemenis living in self-imposed exile in Riyadh as bearing full responsibility for the armed conflict .
The Russian Federation was the only member of the Security Council not to vote in favour of the resolution in 2015 shortly after the external intervention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and did not therefore facilitate a political solution .
The Venezuelan representative observed that the non-permanent members of the Council were sidelined from all substantive discussions , but nonetheless voted in favour of the resolution .
In effect , the sanctions and embargo have imposed a total blockade against at least a third of the people of Yemen , a brutal and hypocritical collective punishment for rejecting the dictates of the GCC and ‘ the international community ’ .
The rest of Yemen , occupied and under the control of either Saudi or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ partners ’ .
The key local ally of the UAE is the Southern Transitional Council , while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reliese on the crumbling Hadi government .
Al Qaeda on the Arab Peninsula ( AQAP ) and other terrorist groups , like ISIS , also took an advantage of the conflict expanding their presence in the country .
The reports of the UN experts and special envoys have noted that the Saudi-led coalition is committing at least as many war crimes as the Houthis , probably many more in fact , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kill less civilians nothing is done by the Security Council to stop the foreign invasion and onslaught and investigate all accusations of war crimes in order to hold those responsible to account .
Not surprising , given that three of the permanent members of the Council ( the US , UK and France ) were identified in the 2019 UN investigation as being probable accomplices to such war crimes .
A comprehensive analysis of the causes and motivations behind the devastation of Yemen would probably have to hark back to the Ottoman Empire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ successful resistance to the empire ’ s rule .
More recently and more pertinently , one could sift through the ashes of the imperial proxy wars following the establishment of Yemen as an independent country in the 1960s and the civil war that ensued between the north , supported by the Saudis – and the British in an effort to retain the port of Aden for its rapidly diminishing global empire ( a former ‘ special forces ’ commander relates in some detail some of the Empire ’ s clandestine operations in Yemen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has its counterparts today as British and US special forces assassins continue to plague the country ) , and the south ( supported by the Arab Nationalists in Gamal Nasser ’ s Egypt ) .
The resulting stalemate led to the creation of North Yemen , originally under a monarchy and subsequently under a military dictatorship , and the ‘ Marxist communist ’ South Yemen , which evicted the British from Aden to establish a fully independent and sovereign country in the south of Yemen for the first time for many centuries .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ probably best to take as a starting point the ‘ Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative ’ of 2011 .
The Houthis advance on positions of Saudi-backed forces in Yemen : The GCC Initiative was based entirely on a deal done between the country ’ s long-time dictators , the President ( Saleh ) and the Vice President ( Hadi ) , and involved transferring power from the former to the latter as part of a transitional arrangement until inclusive consultations with the rest of the people of Yemen could be held .
The agreement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign patrons among the Gulf State monarchy/ dictatorships and beyond , and the final result was presented to the people in the form of a presidential election procedure in which Hadi was the only candidate .
The process was described shortly thereafter by Maged al-Madhaji ( How Yemen ’ s post-2011 transitional phase ended in war ) : Hadi ’ s request to the Gulf Cooperation Council for intervention in 2015 continues to be the sole formal basis for the ongoing military campaign and economic blockade of Yemen .
The Houthis continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a peaceful resolution , notwithstanding that no effort has been made to implement the agenda of the National Dialogue Conference , and that the accusations against the Hadi administration of massive mismanagement and corruption have steadily built over time .
The military campaign has inflicted unimaginable suffering on the people of Yemen : the infrastructure for all essential functions and services – transport , hospitals , schools , water , electricity – has been destroyed , cluster bombs are strewn throughout most arable areas bringing food production to a halt , almost all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blockade , and according to the most detailed estimates available ( compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project – ACLED ) at least one hundred thousand people , mostly civilians , have been killed directly by armed hostilities .
There are not even approximate estimates for the number of people killed by ‘ indirect ’ causes resulting from the military campaign , blockade , starvation , disease and despair .
LINK Which raises the question , who the hell is Hadi anyway , given that his request for military intervention @ @ @ @ @ @ @ devastating military campaign , ‘ Operation Decisive Storm ’ ?
As more years pass and the mass slaughter grows unabated , according to all appearances he is a true modern day ‘ Quisling ’ , a former vice president who is willing to use his dubious status as the consensus president of the main power brokers in Yemen ( and their foreign sponsors ) at the time ( 2011 ) to seek support from two of the most ruthless , totalitarian dictatorships on the planet for an open ended blitzkrieg war against his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his own people in order to reinstall himself in the presidential palace .
One thing is obvious – the people of Yemen don ’ t want him , neither in the North ( conveniently bundled together as ‘ rebel Houthis ’ ) nor in the South , and they are prepared to resist the petro-dollar inflated US- and UK-backed ( and operated ) war machine of the Saudis and the UAE and their legions of mercenaries against impossible odds in order to reject the imposition of the plots and schemes of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
An impact of Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Saada : The 2015 GCC Letter to the Security Council The military campaign was opened with a cynical diplomatic manoeuvre purporting to justify and legitimize the attack before the international community .
The Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN transmitted a letter to the Secretary General and the President of the Security Council on behalf of the Permanent Representatives of the Kingdom of Bahrain , the State of Qatar , the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates , and the Chargé @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations .
This presumably was intended to cloak the letter with some sort of status as a Security Council document , but neither the basis nor the conduct of the military operation itself has ever been formally considered by a Security Council resolution .
Such resolutions have been limited to imposing punitive sanctions , almost exclusively targeting the Houthis , taking steps to authorize implementation of the arms embargo , and establishing a Sanctions Committee and Panel of Experts to monitor and report on developments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Security Council on the 26th of March , Hadi denounces : “ the ongoing acts of aggression and the incessant attacks against the country ’ s sovereignty that are being committed by the Houthi coup orchestrators , with the aim of dismembering Yemen and undermining its security and stability… We have made every effort possible to stop the heinous , criminal attacks being committed by the Houthis against our people , attacks that have left deep wounds in every Yemeni home .
We have also strived with all our power to arrive at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country out of the dark abyss into which the Houthi coup orchestrators have plunged it , protect our people… Yet all our peaceful and constant efforts have been categorically rejected by the Houthi coup orchestrators , who are continuing their campaign of aggression aimed subjugating the rest of the country ’ s regions , particularly the south… [ The Houthi militias ] are supported by internal forces that have sold their souls and are concerned only with their own interests .
They also being supported by regional Powers that are seeking to impose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it into a tool by which they can extend their influence in the region .
The threat is therefore not only to the security of Yemen , but also to that of the entire region and to international peace and security… I therefore appeal to you , and to the allied States that you represent , to stand by the Yemeni people as you have always done and come to the country ’ s aid .
I urge you , in accordance with the right of self-defence set forth in Article 51 of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and with the Charter of the League of Arab States and the Treaty on Joint Defence , to provide immediate support in every form and take the necessary measures , including military intervention , to protect Yemen and its people from the ongoing Houthi aggression , repel the attack that is expected at any moment on Aden and the other cities of the South , and help Yemen to confront Al-Qaida and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.
” In their corresponding letter , the Saudis claim that they were attacked by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to bolster the claim that the peace and security of the entire region was at stake .
It all sounds too good to be true .
Finally , a cause of pure Good against pure Evil for the world ( and the people of Yemen , of course ) to rally around .
Surely , once the foreign military intervention started the people of Yemen would flock to join their foreign liberators and rise up against the Houthis .
As the years have passed and the casualties and destruction have mounted to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has become more and more difficult to maintain .
On the 14th of April 2015 , some two and a half weeks after the letter was transmitted from the GCC members to the Security Council , the Council adopted Resolution 2216 imposing sanctions and an arms embargo against the Houthis and Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh ( son of the former president and commander of the Yemen Republican Guard ) and authorizing neighbouring states to inspect cargos heading to Yemen , with Russia abstaining as “ the sponsors refused to include the requirements insisted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to all parties to the conflict , to swiftly halt fire and begin peace talks.
” The Hodeidah Agreement between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis , brokered by the international community last year , continued the pattern of denying the Houthis everything and denying the Saudi-led coalition nothing .
In effect , it required the Houthis to withdraw from the last port under their control , the last remaining point of contact with the outside world through which supplies could pass ( if they weren ’ t confiscated by the Saudi-led coalition @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and hand over control to the international community .
Meanwhile , the Saudi ’ s and UAE remain free to continue flooding the country with weapons and mercenaries through every other port and border crossing with no limits or restrictions whatsoever .
In 2016 Martin Berger ( ‘ The bitter lessons of the military intervention in Yemen ’ ) commented : The Sudanese contribution rose to around 15,000 troops on the ground , used as expendable cannon fodder to reduce the Saudi ’ s and UAE ’ s losses of their own troops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was reducing its involvement and it has since reduced the number of troops officially involved to around 5,000 .
The US and the UK supply and equip the aerial forces conducting the mass bombardments and manage the most technologically demanding aspects of the aerial campaign , providing training , intelligence , logistical support and weapons .
Private military companies have also been heavily involved : Academi ( formerly Blackwater ) has been most widely reported in this respect , Dyncorp is also occasionally mentioned .
South Front reported ( ‘ First group of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ones from ex-Blackwater ’ ) in March 2016 : In December 2015 Colombia Reports reported that six mercenaries from Colombia had been killed in Yemen : Wikipedia has a quite comprehensive review of the main countries and forces involved in the Saudi-led coalition ( ‘ belligerents ’ ) .
According to the website , major contributors have included the Saudis ( 100 warplanes and 150,000 troops ) , the United Arab Emirates ( 30 warplanes ) , Sudan ( 4 warplanes and 15,000 troops ) , Bahrain ( 15 warplanes and 300 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) , Qatar ( 10 warplanes , 1000 troops ) , Egypt ( 4 warships and warplanes ) , Jordan ( 6 warplanes ) , Morocco ( 6 warplanes and 1,500 troops ) , Senegal ( 2,100 troops ) , and Academi ( 1,800 ‘ security contractors ’ ) .
LINK This video analysis was originally released by SouthFront in 2018 : Several recent reports by South Front have documented the mounting evidence that the Saudis and the UAE have taken advantage of the military intervention to occupy and control strategic areas and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in particular the Riyadh-based Hadi administration and the Southern Transitional Council .
LINK Turkey has also increased its involvement , deepening its support for the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Islah Party and militias in the hope of obtaining concessions to strategic facilities and resources ( including , according to media reports last week , approximately 200 fighters from Yemen to bolster its forces in Libya ) .
LINK Since late 2015 the reports of the UN experts and envoys have reported probable war crimes being committed by all parties to the conflict , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudi-led military campaign has been a major perpetrator of war crimes instead of putting all the blame on the Houthis .
The extermination being conducted by the Saudi-led coalition has included the widespread use of , for example , the use of cluster bombs , the deliberate destruction of essential infrastructure and targeting of civilian areas .
According to Veterans Today , it has also included the use of at least one neutron bomb .
LINK1 , LINK2 In 2016 Martin Berger ( ‘ The bitter lessons of the military intervention in Yemen @ @ @ @ @ @ @ war crimes being committed in Yemen : The annual reports of the Secretary General on children and armed conflicts around the world have generally bowed to Saudi pressure and declined to condemn the coalition ’ s killing of thousands of children in Yemen .
Voice of America reported last month that the Saudis were removed from the blacklist included in the report after being included for the first time in 2019 : Since 2017 the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen , established by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights , has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of war crimes being conducted in Yemen .
In 2019 , their exhaustive report concluded that the US , UK and France are also probably guilty of complicity in the war crimes due to their active support of and participation in the Saudi-led military campaign .
Global Research noted after the report ’ s publication : The ongoing conflict in Yemen became just another demonstration of the double-faced policy of the so-called united West and its allies that use words like “ democracy ” , “ human rights ” , “ humanitarian aid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order to hide their own destructive expansionist actins in the region and around the World .
In the current conditions , there are little chances that the conflict in Yemen will end in the near future .
The Saudi-led coalition demonstrated that it is not able to deliver a devastating blow to the Houthis and achieve a military victory .
Instead , it ’ s waging the war of attrition against the Yemeni people by instigating the already deep humanitarian crisis and regularly bombing civilian infrastructure .
The Houthis respond to these actions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ itself and offensive operations against Saudi-backed forces in Yemen .
Taking into the account that Saudi Arabia is not able to become a winner in this war , there are only two options how to put an end to the civilians ’ suffering .
These could be the Houthis ’ full military victory over the Saudi-led coalition or the comprehensive peace deal between all the sides involved in the conflict that would lead to the lifting of the blockade .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • Battles flare between Saudi-backed and UAE-backed forces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is increasing its involvement in conflict Yemen-reports

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Yemen has been almost entirely cut off from the rest of the world since 2015, following the announcement by way of a letter forwarded to the UN Security Council on the 26th of March of that year by the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Then, the GCC stated that they received a request of support from the president of Yemen and that they were therefore embarking on a military campaign against Yemen to reinstall pro-Saudi President Mansur Hadi. More than five years later, the people of Yemen remain trapped in a veritable hell on earth and there is still no end in sight.
Over five years after the commencement of the Saudi-led military campaign and economic blockade, tens of thousands of Yemenis have been killed, many more thousands gravely wounded, and millions face starvation as the ‘Saudi-led coalition’ continues its destructive effort to reinstall a ‘president’ who clearly has very little support among his own people and has been safely ensconced in Riyadh for most of the intervening period. Leaving aside for the moment the absurd if not grotesque concept of the Saudis and the UAE leading any campaign in support of democracy, fundamental human rights and freedoms, and legitimate government, three things which their own subjects have never had the slightest experience with.
An analysis posted at one of the Carnegie institutes notes that Yemen has experienced “Gulf Arab solidarity only in the form of an economic blockade and aerial bombardment [against it] from states that have kept the country at arms’ length in times of both war and peace.” LINK It must be noted at the outset however that GCC-member State Oman declined to participate in the onslaught launched against the Yemeni people from the outset, and Qatar was barred from all Gulf Cooperation Council activities after the falling out with the Saudis in 2017.
The publicly declared motivations and justifications of this astoundingly brutal and destructive act of unity and solidarity shift between vanquishing the ‘Houthi rebels’ (officially known as the Ansar Allah movement) and restoring the ‘internationally recognized government’, confronting the threat of terrorism posed by the expansion of Al Qaeda on the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen, and preventing Iran from gaining influence in Yemen.
Although the hostility of most of the GCC members to Iran is beyond doubt, the real reason behind the massive aerial bombardments, foreign invasion and total physical and economic blockade is being revealed with more clarity as time has passed, namely the Saudis’ and the UAE’s ambitions to annex parts of Yemen through compliant puppet presidents and proxy groups willing to grant them control over ports, future oil and gas pipelines, military bases and any other natural resources and markets that Yemen might be found to possess.
The ‘international community’ continues to support this act of wanton savagery and genocide through the travel bans, financial sanctions and weapons and economic embargo imposed by the Security Council almost exclusively on ‘the Houthis’, who are universally blamed by the foreign aggressors and a handful of Yemenis living in self-imposed exile in Riyadh as bearing full responsibility for the armed conflict.
The Russian Federation was the only member of the Security Council not to vote in favour of the resolution in 2015 shortly after the external intervention commenced, noting that it was one-sided and did not therefore facilitate a political solution. The Venezuelan representative observed that the non-permanent members of the Council were sidelined from all substantive discussions, but nonetheless voted in favour of the resolution.
In effect, the sanctions and embargo have imposed a total blockade against at least a third of the people of Yemen, a brutal and hypocritical collective punishment for rejecting the dictates of the GCC and ‘the international community’. The rest of Yemen, occupied and under the control of either Saudi or UAE military forces and their ‘local partners’. The key local ally of the UAE is the Southern Transitional Council, while the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia reliese on the crumbling Hadi government. Al Qaeda on the Arab Peninsula (AQAP) and other terrorist groups, like ISIS, also took an advantage of the conflict expanding their presence in the country.
The reports of the UN experts and special envoys have noted that the Saudi-led coalition is committing at least as many war crimes as the Houthis, probably many more in fact, but apart from bland pleas to please kill less civilians nothing is done by the Security Council to stop the foreign invasion and onslaught and investigate all accusations of war crimes in order to hold those responsible to account. Not surprising, given that three of the permanent members of the Council (the US, UK and France) were identified in the 2019 UN investigation as being probable accomplices to such war crimes.
Background Developments
A comprehensive analysis of the causes and motivations behind the devastation of Yemen would probably have to hark back to the Ottoman Empire and Yemen’s fierce and ultimately successful resistance to the empire’s rule. More recently and more pertinently, one could sift through the ashes of the imperial proxy wars following the establishment of Yemen as an independent country in the 1960s and the civil war that ensued between the north, supported by the Saudis – and the British in an effort to retain the port of Aden for its rapidly diminishing global empire (a former ‘special forces’ commander relates in some detail some of the Empire’s clandestine operations in Yemen during this period, a development that has its counterparts today as British and US special forces assassins continue to plague the country), and the south (supported by the Arab Nationalists in Gamal Nasser’s Egypt). The resulting stalemate led to the creation of North Yemen, originally under a monarchy and subsequently under a military dictatorship, and the ‘Marxist communist’ South Yemen, which evicted the British from Aden to establish a fully independent and sovereign country in the south of Yemen for the first time for many centuries.
However, for present purposes it is probably best to take as a starting point the ‘Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative’ of 2011.
The Houthis advance on positions of Saudi-backed forces in Yemen:
The GCC Initiative
The GCC Initiative was based entirely on a deal done between the country’s long-time dictators, the President (Saleh) and the Vice President (Hadi), and involved transferring power from the former to the latter as part of a transitional arrangement until inclusive consultations with the rest of the people of Yemen could be held. The agreement was supported by their political factions and foreign patrons among the Gulf State monarchy/ dictatorships and beyond, and the final result was presented to the people in the form of a presidential election procedure in which Hadi was the only candidate.
The process was described shortly thereafter by Maged al-Madhaji (How Yemen’s post-2011 transitional phase ended in war):
“The Gulf Cooperation Council and the international community brought together Yemen’s various political power brokers in 2011 to help end the crisis the country had entered following the so-called “Arab Spring” uprisings. These negotiations resulted in an agreement that became known as the GCC Initiative, which ushered Yemen into a “transitional phase”. This period was intended to pave the way for a peaceful transfer of power away from President Ali Abdullah Saleh [to his long time Vice-President Hadi], address citizen demands for democratic reform and transitional justice, empower the Yemeni state, curb the use of violence by political actors and prevent a return to authoritarianism. While the GCC Initiative was effective in achieving short-term stability, flaws in the agreement and the actions of local power brokers and the international community led to the transitional phase’s spectacular failure, such that today Yemen has been in a brutal war for more than a year [now more than 5 years]. In light of the recent talks to bring about a political resolution to the conflict, it is imperative to examine why the GCC Initiative failed, in order to help address the real drivers of the conflict and prevent any new agreement from merely postponing the outbreak of renewed hostilities. Some of the main findings of this paper include:
International pressure on local actors in Yemen to reach some form of accord – during negotiations on both the GCC Initiative and the subsequent National Dialogue Conference (NDC) – resulted in agreements that were mostly symbolic in nature and avoided resolving the country’s most critical issues. They also allowed Saleh to maintain much of his authority, disempowered the state through a “power sharing” arrangement between traditional Yemeni parties, placed excessive responsibility on transitional president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi to manage the transitional phase while also hobbling his ability to do so, and eroded public support for the process of political transition.
While the international community played a constructive, indeed vital, role in the beginning of the transitional phase, the unyielding support of the United Nations and foreign governments for Hadi’s presidency became a catalyst for the country’s fragmentation after Hadi was accused of massive mismanagement, corruption, and of failing to implement trust-building measures in the run-up to the national dialogue. LINK
Hadi’s request to the Gulf Cooperation Council for intervention in 2015 continues to be the sole formal basis for the ongoing military campaign and economic blockade of Yemen. The Houthis continue to be portrayed as the only obstacle to a peaceful resolution, notwithstanding that no effort has been made to implement the agenda of the National Dialogue Conference, and that the accusations against the Hadi administration of massive mismanagement and corruption have steadily built over time.
The military campaign has inflicted unimaginable suffering on the people of Yemen: the infrastructure for all essential functions and services – transport, hospitals, schools, water, electricity – has been destroyed, cluster bombs are strewn throughout most arable areas bringing food production to a halt, almost all food imports are prevented by the Saudi-led blockade, and according to the most detailed estimates available (compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project – ACLED) at least one hundred thousand people, mostly civilians, have been killed directly by armed hostilities. There are not even approximate estimates for the number of people killed by ‘indirect’ causes resulting from the military campaign, blockade, starvation, disease and despair. LINK
Which raises the question, who the hell is Hadi anyway, given that his request for military intervention enabled the Saudi-led coalition to launch their devastating military campaign, ‘Operation Decisive Storm’? As more years pass and the mass slaughter grows unabated, according to all appearances he is a true modern day ‘Quisling’, a former vice president who is willing to use his dubious status as the consensus president of the main power brokers in Yemen (and their foreign sponsors) at the time (2011) to seek support from two of the most ruthless, totalitarian dictatorships on the planet for an open ended blitzkrieg war against his own country and murder tens of thousands of his own people in order to reinstall himself in the presidential palace.
One thing is obvious – the people of Yemen don’t want him, neither in the North (conveniently bundled together as ‘rebel Houthis’) nor in the South, and they are prepared to resist the petro-dollar inflated US- and UK-backed (and operated) war machine of the Saudis and the UAE and their legions of mercenaries against impossible odds in order to reject the imposition of the plots and schemes of the GCC and the ‘international community’.
An impact of Saudi-led coalition airstrikes on Saada:
The 2015 GCC Letter to the Security Council
The military campaign was opened with a cynical diplomatic manoeuvre purporting to justify and legitimize the attack before the international community. The Permanent Representative of Qatar to the UN transmitted a letter to the Secretary General and the President of the Security Council on behalf of the Permanent Representatives of the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and the Chargé d’affaires of the Permanent Mission of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations.
The letter informed that it contained a joint statement from the aforementioned States “in response to the request by the President of the Republic of Yemen, Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi, for the protection of Yemen and its people and to help Yemen to counter terrorist organizations.”
It added:
“We should be grateful if you would have the present letter and its enclosure circulated as a document of the Security Council.”
This presumably was intended to cloak the letter with some sort of status as a Security Council document, but neither the basis nor the conduct of the military operation itself has ever been formally considered by a Security Council resolution. Such resolutions have been limited to imposing punitive sanctions, almost exclusively targeting the Houthis, taking steps to authorize implementation of the arms embargo, and establishing a Sanctions Committee and Panel of Experts to monitor and report on developments. In the letter transmitted to the Security Council on the 26th of March, Hadi denounces:
“the ongoing acts of aggression and the incessant attacks against the country’s sovereignty that are being committed by the Houthi coup orchestrators, with the aim of dismembering Yemen and undermining its security and stability… We have made every effort possible to stop the heinous, criminal attacks being committed by the Houthis against our people, attacks that have left deep wounds in every Yemeni home. We have also strived with all our power to arrive at a peaceful solution that will take the country out of the dark abyss into which the Houthi coup orchestrators have plunged it, protect our people… Yet all our peaceful and constant efforts have been categorically rejected by the Houthi coup orchestrators, who are continuing their campaign of aggression aimed subjugating the rest of the country’s regions, particularly the south… [The Houthi militias] are supported by internal forces that have sold their souls and are concerned only with their own interests. They also being supported by regional Powers that are seeking to impose their control over the country and turn it into a tool by which they can extend their influence in the region. The threat is therefore not only to the security of Yemen, but also to that of the entire region and to international peace and security… I therefore appeal to you, and to the allied States that you represent, to stand by the Yemeni people as you have always done and come to the country’s aid. I urge you, in accordance with the right of self-defence set forth in Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, and with the Charter of the League of Arab States and the Treaty on Joint Defence, to provide immediate support in every form and take the necessary measures, including military intervention, to protect Yemen and its people from the ongoing Houthi aggression, repel the attack that is expected at any moment on Aden and the other cities of the South, and help Yemen to confront Al-Qaida and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.”
In their corresponding letter, the Saudis claim that they were attacked by the Houthis on one occasion in 2009 to bolster the claim that the peace and security of the entire region was at stake.
It all sounds too good to be true. Finally, a cause of pure Good against pure Evil for the world (and the people of Yemen, of course) to rally around. Surely, once the foreign military intervention started the people of Yemen would flock to join their foreign liberators and rise up against the Houthis. As the years have passed and the casualties and destruction have mounted to a horrific toll however, the implausible narrative has become more and more difficult to maintain.
On the 14th of April 2015, some two and a half weeks after the letter was transmitted from the GCC members to the Security Council, the Council adopted Resolution 2216 imposing sanctions and an arms embargo against the Houthis and Ahmed Ali Abdullah Saleh (son of the former president and commander of the Yemen Republican Guard) and authorizing neighbouring states to inspect cargos heading to Yemen, with Russia abstaining as “the sponsors refused to include the requirements insisted upon by Russia, which were addressed to all parties to the conflict, to swiftly halt fire and begin peace talks.”
The resolution ‘noted’ the letter transmitted on the 26th of March but did not endorse it explicitly, much less authorize open-ended foreign military operations against Yemen. Rather, it ‘urged’ all relevant parties to “resume Yemen’s political transition process with the participation of all Yemeni parties in accordance with the Gulf Cooperation Council Initiative and its Implementation Mechanism and the outcomes of the comprehensive National Dialogue conference.”
The Hodeidah Agreement between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis, brokered by the international community last year, continued the pattern of denying the Houthis everything and denying the Saudi-led coalition nothing. In effect, it required the Houthis to withdraw from the last port under their control, the last remaining point of contact with the outside world through which supplies could pass (if they weren’t confiscated by the Saudi-led coalition warships patrolling the adjacent waters), and hand over control to the international community. Meanwhile, the Saudi’s and UAE remain free to continue flooding the country with weapons and mercenaries through every other port and border crossing with no limits or restrictions whatsoever.
The ‘Saudi-led coalition’
In 2016 Martin Berger (‘The bitter lessons of the military intervention in Yemen’) commented:
“Against the background of the widely recognized poor quality of Saudi regular troops, from the very beginning of its military aggression, Riyadh started hiring foreign mercenaries from among the countries of the so-called coalition it created. For example, Sudan and Qatar both received one billion dollars each for providing its troops. Mauritania received up to 850 million dollars for similar services. Therefore, Saudi authorities have been spending a total of 175 million dollars a month on bombing raids and 500 million dollars on ground operations…”
The Sudanese contribution rose to around 15,000 troops on the ground, used as expendable cannon fodder to reduce the Saudi’s and UAE’s losses of their own troops. Last year Sudan announced that it was reducing its involvement and it has since reduced the number of troops officially involved to around 5,000. The US and the UK supply and equip the aerial forces conducting the mass bombardments and manage the most technologically demanding aspects of the aerial campaign, providing training, intelligence, logistical support and weapons.
Private military companies have also been heavily involved: Academi (formerly Blackwater) has been most widely reported in this respect, Dyncorp is also occasionally mentioned. South Front reported (‘First group of Dyncorp mercenaries arrived in Yemen and replaced the ones from ex-Blackwater’) in March 2016:
“Based on the contract worth $3 billion between the United Arab Emirates and the US military firm DynCorp, the mercenaries of this corporation will be deployed in Yemen where UAE forces are fighting against the Yemeni resistance forces,” Khabar News Agency quoted an official from Yemeni Defense Ministry. According to the official who wanted to remain anonymous said that the first group of mercenaries recently arrived in the port city of Aden and replace the ones from the US group Blackwater, now renamed Academi. He added that within DynCorp there are also the new special naval forces which entered the port of Ras Omran southwest of Aden. DynCorp is Blackwater´s rival which hires the mercenaries and sends them to fight in foreign countries on paid missions. After Yemeni forces inflicted the Academi militants heavy losses they decided to withdraw from Bab-el-Mandeb region. Therefore The UAE was forced to bring in the new mercenaries. This time from the DynCorp corporation.”
In December 2015 Colombia Reports reported that six mercenaries from Colombia had been killed in Yemen:
“Six Colombian mercenaries and their Australian commander were killed in Yemen, media from the Arab nation reported Wednesday. According to YemenTV, the Colombians were killed in combat between state forces and their allies, and Houthi rebels in the country’s south. The killed fighters are believed to work for the United Arab Emirates that reportedly sent hundreds of Colombian mercenaries to the southern Arab country to fight an ongoing rebellion that has killed at least 5,700 since March when fighting escalated, according to the United Nations.”
Wikipedia has a quite comprehensive review of the main countries and forces involved in the Saudi-led coalition (‘belligerents’). According to the website, major contributors have included the Saudis (100 warplanes and 150,000 troops), the United Arab Emirates (30 warplanes), Sudan (4 warplanes and 15,000 troops), Bahrain (15 warplanes and 300 troops), Kuwait (15 warplanes), Qatar (10 warplanes, 1000 troops), Egypt (4 warships and warplanes), Jordan (6 warplanes), Morocco (6 warplanes and 1,500 troops), Senegal (2,100 troops), and Academi (1,800 ‘security contractors’). LINK
This video analysis was originally released by SouthFront in 2018:
Several recent reports by South Front have documented the mounting evidence that the Saudis and the UAE have taken advantage of the military intervention to occupy and control strategic areas and resources through proxy groups in Yemen, in particular the Riyadh-based Hadi administration and the Southern Transitional Council. LINK
Turkey has also increased its involvement, deepening its support for the Muslim Brotherhood affiliated Islah Party and militias in the hope of obtaining concessions to strategic facilities and resources (including, according to media reports last week, approximately 200 fighters from Yemen to bolster its forces in Libya). LINK
War crimes and crimes against humanity
Since late 2015 the reports of the UN experts and envoys have reported probable war crimes being committed by all parties to the conflict, but noting for the first time that the Saudi-led military campaign has been a major perpetrator of war crimes instead of putting all the blame on the Houthis.
The extermination being conducted by the Saudi-led coalition has included the widespread use of, for example, the use of cluster bombs, the deliberate destruction of essential infrastructure and targeting of civilian areas.
According to Veterans Today, it has also included the use of at least one neutron bomb. LINK1, LINK2
In 2016 Martin Berger (‘The bitter lessons of the military intervention in Yemen’) reviewed the emerging evidence of war crimes being committed in Yemen:
“As it has been announced by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein: “Looking at the figures, it would seem that the Coalition is responsible for twice as many civilian casualties as all other forces put together, virtually all as a result of airstrikes,” adding the air strikes have hit “markets, hospitals, clinics, schools, factories, wedding parties – and hundreds of private residences in villages, towns and cities including the capital Sana’a.” For this reason, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein at the meeting of the UN Security Council that was held at the end of the last year (2015), accused Saudi Arabia and its allies of the deliberate extermination of the civilian population of Yemen, since they are hitting civilian targets most of the time. Accusations of ongoing war crimes being committed in Yemen intensified even further when on January 25 in an interview with the Japanese newspaper, The Asahi Shimbun, the press secretary of the Saudi coalition, Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Ussery, announced that the coalition has been using cluster bombs to suppress the Houthis. At the same time Human Rights Watch accused Washington of turning a blind to the ever increasing number of facts regarding the extensive use of cluster bombs in Yemen by Saudi Arabia.”
The annual reports of the Secretary General on children and armed conflicts around the world have generally bowed to Saudi pressure and declined to condemn the coalition’s killing of thousands of children in Yemen. Voice of America reported last month that the Saudis were removed from the blacklist included in the report after being included for the first time in 2019:
“The report found the Saudi-led coalition was responsible for killing or maiming 222 children in Yemen in 2019,” the letter [from a coalition of 24 human rights groups to the UN Secretary General] said. “Yet the coalition was de-listed from the report’s annexes, citing a `sustained significant decrease’ in casualties during the year and progress in implementing a memorandum of understanding that was signed in March of last year.” In 2016, then secretary-general Ban Ki-moon removed the Saudi-led coalition from the blacklist of government forces that committed grave violations against children the previous year following a vehement protest from Saudi Arabia. The NGOs said: “It appears that the goalpost with regards to listing and de-listing continually changes to accommodate a predetermined outcome: not upsetting powerful U.N. member states.” The 24 organizations said the “omissions and discrepancies” damage the credibility of the report, which is an important tool to improve the protection of children in conflict, and called for “an accurate and evidence-based list” that reflects the evidence that has been collected and verified. They also urged the secretary general to reconsider de-listing the Saudi-led coalition and the Tatmadaw from the 2020 report. Among the letter’s signatories were Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect, Medecins du Monde, Norwegian Refugee Council, Save the Children, Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict, Women’s Refugee Commission and World Vision International…”
Since 2017 the Group of Eminent Experts on Yemen, established by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has conducted more detailed investigations into the allegations of war crimes being conducted in Yemen. In 2019, their exhaustive report concluded that the US, UK and France are also probably guilty of complicity in the war crimes due to their active support of and participation in the Saudi-led military campaign. Global Research noted after the report’s publication:
The report states, “The Group of Experts reiterates that steps required to address the human rights and international law violations in Yemen have been continually discussed, and there can no longer be any excuses made for failure to take meaningful steps to address them. The best way to protect the Yemeni population is to stop the fighting by reaching a political settlement which includes measures for accountability.” Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are two of the largest purchasers of U.S. British and French weapons. These weapons are being used to fight against the homegrown Houthi movement which controls Yemen’s capital. The report states, “The legality of arms transfers by France, the United Kingdom, the United States and other States remains questionable, and is the subject of various domestic court proceedings.” According to the U.N. report, Saudi and UAE coalitions are killing civilians in air strikes, and deliberately denying them food. The report put blame on all sides of the conflict… Kamel Jendoubi, chairperson of the Group of Experts on Yemen a creation of the U.N. Human Rights Council stated, “Five years into the conflict, violations against Yemeni civilians continue unabated, with total disregard for the plight of the people and a lack of international action to hold parties to the conflict accountable. This endemic impunity—for violations and abuses by all parties to the conflict—cannot be tolerated anymore. Impartial and independent inquiries must be empowered to hold accountable those who disrespect the rights of the Yemeni people.” LINK
The ongoing conflict in Yemen became just another demonstration of the double-faced policy of the so-called united West and its allies that use words like “democracy”, “human rights”, “humanitarian aid”, “peacemaking process” in order to hide their own destructive expansionist actins in the region and around the World. In the current conditions, there are little chances that the conflict in Yemen will end in the near future. The Saudi-led coalition demonstrated that it is not able to deliver a devastating blow to the Houthis and achieve a military victory. Instead, it’s waging the war of attrition against the Yemeni people by instigating the already deep humanitarian crisis and regularly bombing civilian infrastructure. The Houthis respond to these actions by extensive retaliatory strikes on Saudi Arabia itself and offensive operations against Saudi-backed forces in Yemen.
Taking into the account that Saudi Arabia is not able to become a winner in this war, there are only two options how to put an end to the civilians’ suffering. These could be the Houthis’ full military victory over the Saudi-led coalition or the comprehensive peace deal between all the sides involved in the conflict that would lead to the lifting of the blockade.
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southfront--2020-07-01--F-2 Multirole Fighter (Infographics)

F-2 Multirole Fighter (Infographics)

20 years ago… The F-22 design is close to 40 years old .
YF-22 flew around 1990… Aside from that @ @ @ @ @ left , rest has been destroyed , written off or cannibalized .
But its not @ @ @ @ @ Flop-35 .
Albeit it has issues .
The YF-23 was the better jet , too @ @ @ @ @ company , they lobbied their way through .

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The Mitsubishi F-2 is a multirole fighter manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Lockheed Martin for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. The jet is the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon.
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southfront--2020-07-01--Turkish Army Establishes 66th Post In Syria’s Greater Idlib

On July 1 , the Turkish military established yet another post in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib , which is controlled by several terrorist groups .
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , the new post was set in the town of Maaret Elnaasan in western Aleppo .
This is the second post established in the town .
The Turkish military has , so far , established 66 posts in Greater Idlib , a large part of them located along the M4 highway .
The highway links the port city of Lattakia with Aleppo city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Earlier today , the Turkish military and the Russian Military Police conducted their 19th joint patrol on the M4 .
The patrol reached the vicinity of the city of Jisr al-Shughur in southwest Idlib for the first time ever .
The new patrol didn ’ t face any problems .
Turkey is making serious efforts to implement the March 5 agreement with Russia .
Nevertheless , it is also boosting its military presence in Greater Idlib .
This indicates that Ankara is still preparing for a possible military confrontation with the Syrian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ THIS TOPIC :

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On July 1, the Turkish military established yet another post in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib, which is controlled by several terrorist groups.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the new post was set in the town of Maaret Elnaasan in western Aleppo. This is the second post established in the town.
The Turkish military has, so far, established 66 posts in Greater Idlib, a large part of them located along the M4 highway. The highway links the port city of Lattakia with Aleppo city, the country’s industrial hub.
Earlier today, the Turkish military and the Russian Military Police conducted their 19th joint patrol on the M4. The patrol reached the vicinity of the city of Jisr al-Shughur in southwest Idlib for the first time ever. The new patrol didn’t face any problems.
Turkey is making serious efforts to implement the March 5 agreement with Russia. Nevertheless, it is also boosting its military presence in Greater Idlib. This indicates that Ankara is still preparing for a possible military confrontation with the Syrian military and its allies.
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southfront--2020-07-01--Large Syrian Army Reinforcements Arrive In Northern Raqqa (Videos)

On July 1 , large reinforcements of the Syrian Arab Army ( SAA ) arrived in the town of Ain Issa in northern Raqqa , which is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces ( SDF ) .
The local Raqqa News Network released videos of the reinforcements , which included several T-62M battle tanks and a number of trucks armed with heavy machine guns .
In the last few weeks , the SAA deployed dozens of personnel in Ain Issa .
The town hosts several positions of the army as well as a coordination and operations center between the SDF @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reinforcements appear to be directly related to the recent provocations by Turkish forces in northeast Syria .
Earlier today , Turkish forces shelled positions in the northern countryside of Raqqa and al-Hasakah .
The SAA entered the northeastern region last year under a breakthrough agreement between Damascus and the SDF .
The army deployment helped put an end to the Turkish-led attack on the region .
In the case of a new military confrontation in northeast Syria , the army will likely provide a direct support to the SDF to fend off Turkish @ @ @ @ @ @ @ • U.S .
Forces Established New Airfield In Northeast Syria – Report

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On July 1, large reinforcements of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) arrived in the town of Ain Issa in northern Raqqa, which is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The local Raqqa News Network released videos of the reinforcements, which included several T-62M battle tanks and a number of trucks armed with heavy machine guns.
In the last few weeks, the SAA deployed dozens of personnel in Ain Issa. The town hosts several positions of the army as well as a coordination and operations center between the SDF and the Russian Military Police.
These reinforcements appear to be directly related to the recent provocations by Turkish forces in northeast Syria. Earlier today, Turkish forces shelled positions in the northern countryside of Raqqa and al-Hasakah.
The SAA entered the northeastern region last year under a breakthrough agreement between Damascus and the SDF. The army deployment helped put an end to the Turkish-led attack on the region.
In the case of a new military confrontation in northeast Syria, the army will likely provide a direct support to the SDF to fend off Turkish forces.
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southfront--2020-07-01--Yemeni Sources Report Airstrikes On Civilian Areas As Saudi-led Coalition Launches Operation Against

Yemeni Sources Report Airstrikes On Civilian Areas As Saudi-led Coalition Launches Operation Against Houthis (Photos, Video)

The Saudi-led coalition launched on July 1 afternoon a large-scale aerial operation against Houthi positions throughout Yemen .
In a short press release , the coalition said that the operation is designed to neutralize and destroy offensive capabilities of the Houthis .
The coalition called the operation a “ response ” to the threat posed by the Yemeni group .
A few hours into the operation , Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted at least 44 airstrikes on the Yemeni provinces of Saada , Ma ’ rib , al-Jawf , Hajjah , al-Bayda ’ as well as on the capital , Sanaa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ urban areas .
According to the pro-Houthis al-Masirah TV , at least five Saudi airstrikes targeted the Sanaa International Airport , that ’ s controlled by the Yemeni group .
Despite the intense airstrikes , no casualties have been reported so far .
This will likely change , if Saudi-led coalition warplanes continue this intense bombing .
The Saudi-led coalition ’ s operation appears to be a response to the recent attacks by the Houthis .
Earlier this week , the Yemeni group announced that its units had captured a number of areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Saudi forces sustained heavy losses .
MORE ON THIS TOPIC : • Map Update : Ansar Allah gains In Yemeni Provinces Of Marib And Bayda

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The Saudi-led coalition launched on July 1 afternoon a large-scale aerial operation against Houthi positions throughout Yemen.
In a short press release, the coalition said that the operation is designed to neutralize and destroy offensive capabilities of the Houthis. The coalition called the operation a “response” to the threat posed by the Yemeni group.
A few hours into the operation, Saudi-led coalition warplanes conducted at least 44 airstrikes on the Yemeni provinces of Saada, Ma’rib, al-Jawf, Hajjah, al-Bayda’ as well as on the capital, Sanaa. Many of the Saudi airstrikes targeted urban areas.
#صعدة : صور للغارات التي استهدفت ممتلكات المواطنين في منطقة المقاش ، وادت لاحتراق شيول ودينه وعدد من الإطارات وأضرار أخرى واسعة pic.twitter.com/hwTfozhNjE — Fardoos Hameed AlDeen (@FardoosAldeen) July 1, 2020
According to the pro-Houthis al-Masirah TV, at least five Saudi airstrikes targeted the Sanaa International Airport, that’s controlled by the Yemeni group.
Despite the intense airstrikes, no casualties have been reported so far. This will likely change, if Saudi-led coalition warplanes continue this intense bombing.
The Saudi-led coalition’s operation appears to be a response to the recent attacks by the Houthis. Earlier this week, the Yemeni group announced that its units had captured a number of areas in Ma’rib and al-Bayda. Saudi forces sustained heavy losses.
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southfront--2020-07-01--First Results Of Russian Vote On Historic Amendments: Turnout Is About 63%. ‘YES’ – Over 70%

Over 70 % of Russian voters have backed historic constitutional changes that strengthen the country ’ s governance system , pave the way for extending President Vladimir Putin ’ s presidency until 2036 and secure rights of the conservative majority of the Russian society , according to the Russian election commission ’ s preliminary results released July 1 afternoon .
As of 18:27 CEST , the available data shows the turnout of 63.32 % with 70.81 % of voters supporting the amendments .
The hardcore pro-Western part of the Russian opposition and affiliated organizations tried to stage provocations in order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do so en mass .
So , they focused their efforts in the media sphere .
They already claimed that they had received hundreds of complaints of violations , including people voting more than once and claims employers are putting pressure on staff to cast ballots .
These rumors are widely covered in Western mainstream media outlets that are also very unhappy with the Russian move to secure its sovereign constitution and way of life through the democratic referendum .
Russia is holding a national voting on amendments to its Constitution .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ which Russians are asked to cast their votes on changes to the document .
The formal date is July 1 , but the polling stations were opened as early as June 25 in order to avoid too high turnout due to the so-called pandemic .
Vladimir Putin announced a set of amendments to the Constitution in his annual address to the Federal Assembly on January 15 .
The same day he ordered to form a working group to draft these amendments .
The group was composed of 75 politicians , legislators , scholars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposals that formed the basis of the new Constitution .
On March 11 , the State Duma adopted the draft amendments to the Constitution in the third reading .
On the same day , they were approved by the Federation Council .
The referendum was originally scheduled for April 22 .
The date coincided with Vladimir Lenin ’ s 150th birthday .
It was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic .
The draft amendments to the Constitution were submitted to a referendum in accordance with article 2 of the Law on Amendments to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 .
Voters are given a yes-or-no vote on the full text of the new Constitution .
After Putin proposed constitutional changes , the amendments sparked significant debate both inside the country and beyond its borders .
The proposed amendments to the Constitution affect various spheres .
The amendments , which can be described as ideological , received the great public response .
According to a sociological study , the most important among them for Russians was the amendment to “ on the protection of historical truth ” : This amendment is extremely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to various external factors .
First of all , Russia ’ s neighboring states such as Lithuania , Latvia , Estonia , and Poland issue resolutions condemning Russia ’ s position in the Second World War .
This is accompanied by the demolition of the monuments to Soviet heroes in large cities , what causes great indignation among Russians and arouses great controversy at the international level .
Moreover , this amendment is gaining popularity due to the ongoing unrest in the West .
In the USA protesters demolish monuments to prominent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ – Roosevelt , Woodrow Wilson , Jefferson , and so on .
The Russian government tries to prevent this in its own country , believing that the Empire collapses when it loses its ideology .
Today , the strengthening of Russia as independent conservative ideological center may contribute to the further strengthening of the Russian position on the international arena .
If this amendment is primarily of concern to the countries of Eastern Europe and has received little coverage in the Western media , the following amendment to the Russian Constitution has aroused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States .
The proposals to amend the Article 72 of the Constitution gained wide resonance in the West .
The article says ( the changes are in bold ) : Despite the fact that today same-sex marriages are not recognized in Russia , if the amendment is approved by a vote , the marriage between members of the LGBT community will be excluded at the level of the Constitution .
Currently , there are no special laws prohibiting same-sex relationships or gender reassignment surgeries in Russia .
At the same time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality among minors , which criminalizes public manifestations of non-traditional sexual orientations .
Conservative views on homosexuality are widespread in Russia , and recent polls show that most Russians are opposed to accepting homosexuality in their society .
In particular , intolerance of homosexuality is present in regions with persisting traditional way of life , such as Chechnya or Dagestan .
Covering the proposal to introduce this amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation , The New York Times wrote in March : The Guardian in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ban on same-sex marriage » claimed that “ [ t ] he move , announced by Putin in January , was initially seen as a way for him to hold on to power after 2024 , when as things stand he will no longer be able to serve as president because of term limits .
” Moreover , a flag of the LGBT community was displayed on the buildings of the US Embassy in Moscow to protest the proposed amendments on the first day of the national voting .
The US move was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ UK .
This is a concerted political action in direct contravention of Russian law on responsibility for propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors .
The amendment to the Constitution excluding the possibility of same-sex marriage does not correspond to the newly imposed neo-liberal values labeled as the Wester-rooted .
At the same time , believing its own values to be the only correct and universal , the collective West imposes them in various regions of the world , including in Russia .
The promotion of liberal values is certainly necessary for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but this often leads to negative consequences .
The reaction of the West to the amendment to article 72 primarily emphasizes that the introduction of changes to the legislation regarding LGBT communities serves as a distraction for the population , which will allow Vladimir Putin to remain in power after the end of his presidential mandate in 2024 .
Also , the Western community itself is much more concerned about the amendments to reset Putin ’ s terms than about the well-being of homosexuals in Russia .
By its ideological changes , Russia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its society , while also making important changes to the country ’ s administrative apparatus itself , which will allow it to be strengthened .
Given that the West in general has a negative attitude to the figure of Vladimir Putin , primarily because of his success in governing the country and in strengthening Russia , the amendment to reset the terms of his rule is particularly frowned upon .
Paragraph 3 of Article 82 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation states : In this wording , it is proposed to remove @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to extend the effect of this amendment only to the current President of Russia , Vladimir Putin .
This allows resetting the terms of Vladimir Putin ’ s presidency , and gives him the opportunity to run for the presidency in 2024 .
Political analyst Nathaniel Reynolds wrote in a paper for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace : Moreover , Western media reproach that the attention of the population is not particularly focused on this key amendment .
The Russian authorities are conducting a large advertising campaign of other amendments , primarily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ historical truth or a ban on dual citizenship for government employees .
These principles , designed to unite Russians , are at the heart of the system of conservative Patriotic values of the head of the Russian state .
During his presidency , Vladimir Putin brought Russia to the international arena and significantly strengthened its position as a regional power center .
Further strengthening of the country is unacceptable for the West that provokes strong criticism of this amendment .
However , the abolition of the presidential term limit only increases the level @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have a chance to vote for an actual president as many times as they want .
The President can only be chosen through democratic elections , and allowing Putin to run in 2024 does not guarantee his victory .
Moreover , most likely , the amendment to reset the time frame allows to stabilize the situation in the country for the next few years .
If it is not accepted now , then a tough power struggle in Russia will begin today which will significantly destabilize the country .
On June 18 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Russian Constitution initiated by Vladimir Putin .
The European Commission for Democracy through Law – better known as the Venice Commission as it meets in Venice – is the Council of Europe ’ s advisory body on constitutional matters .
It involves all countries that are members of the Council of Europe , including Russia , and some countries outside this organization .
Its role is to analyze the laws and draft to its member states .
European experts expressed concern that the new Constitution proposes to include the possibility of dismissal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the constitutional court on the proposal of the President .
European experts also recommended the proposed amendment to Article 79 to be changed or completely deleted .
It proposes to affirm the right not to execute “ decisions of interstate bodies adopted on the basis of provisions of international treaties of the Russian Federation in their interpretation contradicting the Constitution of the Russian Federation ” .
This amendment provides for the possibility of not complying with the decisions of international courts , including the European court of human rights .
Experts of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that by joining the Council of Europe and ratifying the Convention on human rights , Russia is obliged to comply with the decisions of the European court of human rights , and with article 46 of the Convention , which indicates that the execution of court decisions is mandatory .
On June 25 , the representative of the European Commission Peter Stano made a statement that the amendment on the priority of the Russian Constitution over international law violated the international obligations of the Russian Federation .
In response to criticism from Europe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ International Affairs of Russian State Duma , Leonid Slutskiy , emphasized that this practice is widely used by countries , including members of Europe , and the amendment does not cancel Russia ’ s international obligations .
Russia in its foreign policy has always defended the rule of international law in the world system .
This international law should be based on consensus , and first of all should be represented by international institutions such as the UN .
Today , Russia recognizes that international law is not more presented by an international @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anywhere in the world .
The adoption of the amendment on the supremacy of the Russian Constitution over international law strengthens the country ’ s position and underlines its frustration with the current destruction of the entire world system .
According to social research , the most important for Russians is the amendment on the protection of the country ’ s sovereignty at the constitutional level .
This amendment suggested to Article 67 is one of the most criticized abroad : This amendment to the Constitution regarding the territorial integrity of the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States .
Krista Wiegand , American expert on territorial disputes of the Center for Global Security Studies in Tennessee , claimed that “ Russia does not want to play by international rules ” and this is dangerous for Japan and Ukraine .
According to the Soviet-Japanese Declaration of 1956 , ending the state of war between the countries , the USSR agreed to transfer the Habomai and Shikotan Islands to Japan on the condition that the actual transfer would be made after the conclusion of a Peace Treaty .
Moscow ’ s position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of the USSR , which Russia became the legal successor to , are an integral part of the territory of the Russian Federation legally based on the results of World War II and enshrined in the UN Charter , and Russian sovereignty over them , which has the appropriate international legal confirmation , is not subject to doubt .
Today , it is not Russia that threatens Japan , but the opposite , as Japan claims “ its northern territories ” to be under Russian occupation .
A similar situation has developed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Since the accession of the Crimea to Russia is a fait accompli , Ukraine has no choice but to declare annexation and try to claim de facto Russian territories .
The amendment suggested to article 67 does not threaten any other state .
First of all this amendment prevents separatism inside Russia .
The creation of the threatening image of Russia is beneficial for the Democratic American establishment .
At the same time , countries with territorial disputes with the Russian Federation reacted with more restraint .
Japanese government Secretary General Yoshihide Suga @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an internal matter for Russia .
Political expert Ikuro Nakamura noted that the Japanese government believes that the changes to the Constitution are aimed at increasing Patriotic consciousness in Russian society .
Former advisor to the Greek prime minister for co-operation with the Russian Federation and Eastern Europe , Dimitrios Velanis , said Furthermore , the French Foreign Ministry proclaimed through its representative that “ the constitutional change is a sovereign decision of the Russian Federation , which must fully comply with international obligations ” .
It would be difficult to imagine the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposed amendments to the Russian Constitution .
They strengthen the country both insight and in the international arena , which causes fear in Western countries .
In response to criticism of the package of amendments to the Constitution , Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev said : At the same time , Russian experts say that they expected a larger company from the West , and today ’ s criticism was much weaker than it could have been .
Indeed , the US has demonstrated that it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ example , by accusing it of interfering in the election of President Trump .
The UK also conducted a strong informational campaign , which was called the “ Skripal Case ” .
Today , Russia is faced with a choice , and its society is really experiencing great differences regarding the future development of the country .
This moment is most favorable for external intervention and , if the West had the opportunity , it would be able to significantly influence the development of Russia in a way that would be beneficial to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from outside is insignificant , which is primarily due to the weakness in the Western countries themselves .
The crisis after the coronavirus epidemic , followed by large-scale protests in all countries do not leave the power for weakened world leaders .
In addition , on a more global scale , while still maintaining the role of world hegemon , the US has never been so weak in relation to developing new centers , and it seems that it can no longer control the situation in various world regions , including Russia .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the current Russian leadership has tried to pass the period of reconstruction after the crisis of the 1990s and the period of the rise of the 2000s .
The Constitution adopted in Russia in 1993 was essentially an ideal document that would allow Russia to reconcile with the market system world .
It was mostly designed to satisfy interests of Western puppeteers of the new post-Soviet Russian ‘ democratic ’ elites .
Russia was as an independent state and an international actor was weak in 1991 .
30 years later , a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ path of development , different from the Western one .
And the gap between the Western way and the Russian one seems to be widening .
Therefore , a chance exists that in the bright multicolored future there will be place not only for the neo-liberal minorities-ruled West and the radically-conservative Islamic East , but also for a balanced center in Eurasia .
MORE ON THE TOPIC : • FBI Entrapment Operations , The Garland Shooting , And Creation Of ‘ New Great Neo-Liberal World ’ • US Embassy Helps Russians To Vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ TOPIC :

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Over 70% of Russian voters have backed historic constitutional changes that strengthen the country’s governance system, pave the way for extending President Vladimir Putin’s presidency until 2036 and secure rights of the conservative majority of the Russian society, according to the Russian election commission’s preliminary results released July 1 afternoon.
As of 18:27 CEST, the available data shows the turnout of 63.32% with 70.81% of voters supporting the amendments.
The hardcore pro-Western part of the Russian opposition and affiliated organizations tried to stage provocations in order to delegitimize the vote, but failed to do so en mass. So, they focused their efforts in the media sphere. They already claimed that they had received hundreds of complaints of violations, including people voting more than once and claims employers are putting pressure on staff to cast ballots. These rumors are widely covered in Western mainstream media outlets that are also very unhappy with the Russian move to secure its sovereign constitution and way of life through the democratic referendum.
Russia’s New Deal And Western Reaction (30.06.2020):
Russia is holding a national voting on amendments to its Constitution. Last Thursday kicked off one week in which Russians are asked to cast their votes on changes to the document. The formal date is July 1, but the polling stations were opened as early as June 25 in order to avoid too high turnout due to the so-called pandemic.
Vladimir Putin announced a set of amendments to the Constitution in his annual address to the Federal Assembly on January 15. The same day he ordered to form a working group to draft these amendments. The group was composed of 75 politicians, legislators, scholars and public figures and it submitted the proposals that formed the basis of the new Constitution. On March 11, the State Duma adopted the draft amendments to the Constitution in the third reading. On the same day, they were approved by the Federation Council.
The referendum was originally scheduled for April 22. The date coincided with Vladimir Lenin’s 150th birthday. It was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The draft amendments to the Constitution were submitted to a referendum in accordance with article 2 of the Law on Amendments to the Constitution adopted on March 16, 2020. Voters are given a yes-or-no vote on the full text of the new Constitution.
After Putin proposed constitutional changes, the amendments sparked significant debate both inside the country and beyond its borders. The proposed amendments to the Constitution affect various spheres.
The amendments, which can be described as ideological, received the great public response. According to a sociological study, the most important among them for Russians was the amendment to “on the protection of historical truth”:
“The Russian Federation honors the memory of the Fatherland defenders and protects the historical truth. Belittling the significance of the feat of the people in the defense of the Fatherland is not allowed.”
This amendment is extremely relevant in Russian society. This is due to various external factors. First of all, Russia’s neighboring states such as Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland issue resolutions condemning Russia’s position in the Second World War. This is accompanied by the demolition of the monuments to Soviet heroes in large cities, what causes great indignation among Russians and arouses great controversy at the international level.
Moreover, this amendment is gaining popularity due to the ongoing unrest in the West. In the USA protesters demolish monuments to prominent historical figures who formed the American identity – Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jefferson, and so on. The Russian government tries to prevent this in its own country, believing that the Empire collapses when it loses its ideology. Today, the strengthening of Russia as independent conservative ideological center may contribute to the further strengthening of the Russian position on the international arena.
If this amendment is primarily of concern to the countries of Eastern Europe and has received little coverage in the Western media, the following amendment to the Russian Constitution has aroused great interest in Western Europe and the United States.
The proposals to amend the Article 72 of the Constitution gained wide resonance in the West. The article says (the changes are in bold):
“In the joint jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and subjects of the Russian Federation are: … the protection of family, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood; the protection of the institution of marriage as the union of a man and a woman; the creation of conditions for worthy education of children in the family, as well as for adult children responsibilities to care for their parents…”
Despite the fact that today same-sex marriages are not recognized in Russia, if the amendment is approved by a vote, the marriage between members of the LGBT community will be excluded at the level of the Constitution. Currently, there are no special laws prohibiting same-sex relationships or gender reassignment surgeries in Russia. At the same time, since 2013, there is a Federal law prohibiting the promotion of homosexuality among minors, which criminalizes public manifestations of non-traditional sexual orientations.
Conservative views on homosexuality are widespread in Russia, and recent polls show that most Russians are opposed to accepting homosexuality in their society. In particular, intolerance of homosexuality is present in regions with persisting traditional way of life, such as Chechnya or Dagestan.
Covering the proposal to introduce this amendment to the Constitution of the Russian Federation, The New York Times wrote in March:
“President Vladimir V. Putin has proposed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage in what political analysts suggest is an effort to raise turnout for a constitutional referendum that could keep him in power but has so far stirred little enthusiasm among Russians.”
The Guardian in the article «Putin submits plans for constitutional ban on same-sex marriage» claimed that “[t]he move, announced by Putin in January, was initially seen as a way for him to hold on to power after 2024, when as things stand he will no longer be able to serve as president because of term limits.”
Moreover, a flag of the LGBT community was displayed on the buildings of the US Embassy in Moscow to protest the proposed amendments on the first day of the national voting. The US move was followed by embassies of Canada and the UK. This is a concerted political action in direct contravention of Russian law on responsibility for propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors.
The amendment to the Constitution excluding the possibility of same-sex marriage does not correspond to the newly imposed neo-liberal values labeled as the Wester-rooted. At the same time, believing its own values to be the only correct and universal, the collective West imposes them in various regions of the world, including in Russia. The promotion of liberal values is certainly necessary for the West to strengthen its world domination, but this often leads to negative consequences.
The reaction of the West to the amendment to article 72 primarily emphasizes that the introduction of changes to the legislation regarding LGBT communities serves as a distraction for the population, which will allow Vladimir Putin to remain in power after the end of his presidential mandate in 2024. Also, the Western community itself is much more concerned about the amendments to reset Putin’s terms than about the well-being of homosexuals in Russia.
By its ideological changes, Russia confirms the unacceptability of Western ideology for its society, while also making important changes to the country’s administrative apparatus itself, which will allow it to be strengthened.
Given that the West in general has a negative attitude to the figure of Vladimir Putin, primarily because of his success in governing the country and in strengthening Russia, the amendment to reset the terms of his rule is particularly frowned upon. Paragraph 3 of Article 82 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation states:
“The same person may not hold the office of President of the Russian Federation for more than two consecutive terms.”
In this wording, it is proposed to remove the word “consecutive”, and to extend the effect of this amendment only to the current President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. This allows resetting the terms of Vladimir Putin’s presidency, and gives him the opportunity to run for the presidency in 2024.
Political analyst Nathaniel Reynolds wrote in a paper for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace:
“Putin’s use of more than 200 amendments was a “stunning trick” to mask the real purpose of the constitutional vote — allowing him to remain in office. It was a shocking exercise in political deception, even to the many regime insiders left in the dark.” Reynolds also noted: “A younger Putin recognized the dangers of such a precedent. He told a journalist in 2005 that if leaders change the constitution for their own purposes, there will be nothing left of the state.”
Moreover, Western media reproach that the attention of the population is not particularly focused on this key amendment. The Russian authorities are conducting a large advertising campaign of other amendments, primarily socially conservative ones such as protection of historical truth or a ban on dual citizenship for government employees. These principles, designed to unite Russians, are at the heart of the system of conservative Patriotic values of the head of the Russian state.
During his presidency, Vladimir Putin brought Russia to the international arena and significantly strengthened its position as a regional power center. Further strengthening of the country is unacceptable for the West that provokes strong criticism of this amendment. However, the abolition of the presidential term limit only increases the level of democracy in the country because people have a chance to vote for an actual president as many times as they want. The President can only be chosen through democratic elections, and allowing Putin to run in 2024 does not guarantee his victory. Moreover, most likely, the amendment to reset the time frame allows to stabilize the situation in the country for the next few years. If it is not accepted now, then a tough power struggle in Russia will begin today which will significantly destabilize the country.
On June 18, the Venice Commission criticized some amendments to the Russian Constitution initiated by Vladimir Putin.
The European Commission for Democracy through Law – better known as the Venice Commission as it meets in Venice – is the Council of Europe’s advisory body on constitutional matters. It involves all countries that are members of the Council of Europe, including Russia, and some countries outside this organization. Its role is to analyze the laws and draft legal advices to its member states.
European experts expressed concern that the new Constitution proposes to include the possibility of dismissal by the Federation Council of judges of the constitutional court on the proposal of the President.
‘’The proposed innovations make the constitutional court more vulnerable to political pressure, since the powers of judges can be terminated on the proposal of the President,’’ experts say.
European experts also recommended the proposed amendment to Article 79 to be changed or completely deleted. It proposes to affirm the right not to execute “decisions of interstate bodies adopted on the basis of provisions of international treaties of the Russian Federation in their interpretation contradicting the Constitution of the Russian Federation”.
This amendment provides for the possibility of not complying with the decisions of international courts, including the European court of human rights. Experts of the Venice Commission in their conclusion point out that by joining the Council of Europe and ratifying the Convention on human rights, Russia is obliged to comply with the decisions of the European court of human rights, and with article 46 of the Convention, which indicates that the execution of court decisions is mandatory.
On June 25, the representative of the European Commission Peter Stano made a statement that the amendment on the priority of the Russian Constitution over international law violated the international obligations of the Russian Federation.
In response to criticism from Europe, the Chairman of the Committee on International Affairs of Russian State Duma, Leonid Slutskiy, emphasized that this practice is widely used by countries, including members of Europe, and the amendment does not cancel Russia’s international obligations.
“We have consistently explained and continue to explain to our European partners: the amendments to Article 79 do not nullify the international obligations of the Russian Federation, Russia has fulfilled them and will continue to do so. It is an issue of establishing the primacy of the Constitution, which fully complies with foreign experience. For example, there is much stricter primacy of national legislation over international legislation in European states like the UK and Germany, not speaking about the United States,”
Russia in its foreign policy has always defended the rule of international law in the world system. This international law should be based on consensus, and first of all should be represented by international institutions such as the UN. Today, Russia recognizes that international law is not more presented by an international agreement but by American legislation that applies anywhere in the world. The adoption of the amendment on the supremacy of the Russian Constitution over international law strengthens the country’s position and underlines its frustration with the current destruction of the entire world system.
According to social research, the most important for Russians is the amendment on the protection of the country’s sovereignty at the constitutional level. This amendment suggested to Article 67 is one of the most criticized abroad:
“The Russian Federation ensures the protection of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Actions (with the exception of delimitation, demarcation, redemarkation of the state border of the Russian Federation with neighboring States) aimed at alienating part of the territory of the Russian Federation, as well as calls for such actions, are not allowed.”
This amendment to the Constitution regarding the territorial integrity of the country caused a large condemnation by the United States.
Krista Wiegand, American expert on territorial disputes of the Center for Global Security Studies in Tennessee, claimed that “Russia does not want to play by international rules” and this is dangerous for Japan and Ukraine.
This statement is completely unjustified.
According to the Soviet-Japanese Declaration of 1956, ending the state of war between the countries, the USSR agreed to transfer the Habomai and Shikotan Islands to Japan on the condition that the actual transfer would be made after the conclusion of a Peace Treaty. Moscow’s position is that the southern Kuril Islands became part of the USSR, which Russia became the legal successor to, are an integral part of the territory of the Russian Federation legally based on the results of World War II and enshrined in the UN Charter, and Russian sovereignty over them, which has the appropriate international legal confirmation, is not subject to doubt. Today, it is not Russia that threatens Japan, but the opposite, as Japan claims “its northern territories” to be under Russian occupation.
A similar situation has developed on the Eastern borders of Russia. Since the accession of the Crimea to Russia is a fait accompli, Ukraine has no choice but to declare annexation and try to claim de facto Russian territories.
The amendment suggested to article 67 does not threaten any other state. First of all this amendment prevents separatism inside Russia.
The creation of the threatening image of Russia is beneficial for the Democratic American establishment. At the same time, countries with territorial disputes with the Russian Federation reacted with more restraint.
Japanese government Secretary General Yoshihide Suga noted that changes to the Constitution are an internal matter for Russia. Political expert Ikuro Nakamura noted that the Japanese government believes that the changes to the Constitution are aimed at increasing Patriotic consciousness in Russian society.
Former advisor to the Greek prime minister for co-operation with the Russian Federation and Eastern Europe, Dimitrios Velanis, said:
“Russia has many times throughout its history experienced an attack or an attempt by other powers to occupy its territory. It was in almost all wars. From all these wars Russia emerged victorious and lost none of its territories. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory.”
Furthermore, the French Foreign Ministry proclaimed through its representative that “the constitutional change is a sovereign decision of the Russian Federation, which must fully comply with international obligations”.
It would be difficult to imagine the opposite reaction of the West to the proposed amendments to the Russian Constitution. They strengthen the country both insight and in the international arena, which causes fear in Western countries.
In response to criticism of the package of amendments to the Constitution, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee at the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev said:
“The West’s reaction to public discussions of amendments to the Russian Constitution is taking the form of an aggressive campaign bordering on interference in the country’s domestic affairs. The reaction of what can be described as ‘Collective West’ is taking the form of a hostile and aggressive campaign against Russia, which is bordering on interference in our domestic affairs.”
At the same time, Russian experts say that they expected a larger company from the West, and today’s criticism was much weaker than it could have been. Indeed, the US has demonstrated that it could lead strong anti-Russian companies, for example, by accusing it of interfering in the election of President Trump. The UK also conducted a strong informational campaign, which was called the “Skripal Case”. Today, Russia is faced with a choice, and its society is really experiencing great differences regarding the future development of the country. This moment is most favorable for external intervention and, if the West had the opportunity, it would be able to significantly influence the development of Russia in a way that would be beneficial to it. However, today the influence from outside is insignificant, which is primarily due to the weakness in the Western countries themselves. The crisis after the coronavirus epidemic, followed by large-scale protests in all countries do not leave the power for weakened world leaders. In addition, on a more global scale, while still maintaining the role of world hegemon, the US has never been so weak in relation to developing new centers, and it seems that it can no longer control the situation in various world regions, including Russia.
The amendments to the Russian Constitution demonstrate that the current Russian leadership has tried to pass the period of reconstruction after the crisis of the 1990s and the period of the rise of the 2000s. The Constitution adopted in Russia in 1993 was essentially an ideal document that would allow Russia to reconcile with the market system world. It was mostly designed to satisfy interests of Western puppeteers of the new post-Soviet Russian ‘democratic’ elites. Russia was as an independent state and an international actor was weak in 1991. 30 years later, a stronger Russia is embarking on its own path of development, different from the Western one. And the gap between the Western way and the Russian one seems to be widening. Therefore, a chance exists that in the bright multicolored future there will be place not only for the neo-liberal minorities-ruled West and the radically-conservative Islamic East, but also for a balanced center in Eurasia.
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