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A reader of my latest Substack article, G20, BRICS, WEF and the “building of a just world and a sustainable planet”, notified me of an open letter, from September 2019, where over 400 civil society organisations and 40 international networks condemned the 2019 groundbreaking partnership between World Economic Forum and United Nations (which I became aware of in 2020 and have been trying to alert the world to in my books, articles, interviews, and lectures).

The letter described this as a global corporate takeover. In the words of one of the key organisers Gonzalo Berrón from the Transnational Institute:

This agreement between the UN and WEF formalises a disturbing corporate capture of the UN. It moves the world dangerously towards a privatised and undemocratic global governance.

Only six months later this partnership would rear its ugly head. Transnational Institute wrote in their strategic plan for 2021-25 that:

The Covid-19 global pandemic has been used as a pretext for the implementation and normalisation of digital identification systems and tracker applications and to further entrench the notion that we pose a threat to each other.

It was very sound criticism that can only be applauded. But TI hasn’t understood the whole picture. The Institute’s mission is to “strengthen international social movements with rigorous research, reliable information, sound analysis and constructive proposals that advance progressive, democratic policy change and common solutions to global problems.”[1]

This means, among other things, that they are totally committed to the catastrophic climate change narrative.

Decades of greenhouse gas emissions and destructive environmental practices have driven ecosystems to a breaking point, and threaten to trigger catastrophic global heating. The pace of this is alarming, making climate the top threat for young people everywhere.[2]

I would also add that “common solutions to global problems” is often problematic since we live in a very diverse world. It is not easy to apply the same one-size-fits-all solutions on all nations.

As I uncovered in book Rockefeller: Controlling the game; Climate Change is a problem that has been defined and promoted since the fifties by the same forces that gave us the digital identification systems, as well as WEF. These players are also firm believers in global solutions to global problems, and they know how to rig the game.

As exemplified by Rockefeller Brothers Funds Sustainable Development Review 2005-2010:

The RBF has supported “allied voices for climate action” that include businesses, investors, evangelicals, farmers, sportsmen, labor, military leaders, national security hawks, veterans, youth, and governors and mayors. Each of these constituencies has an important role to play.[3]

And how independent is the Transnational Institute? In their Annual Report for 2020 it is stated that they receive 50% of their income from the Dutch Government, 19% from other governments, and 14% from the European Union. They also receive funding from philanthropic foundations like Asia Foundation, European Cultural Foundation, the George Soros founded Foundation for the Promotion of Open Societies and drumroll, The Rockefeller Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

Grants from RBF to Transnational Institute

This gives the impression of a controlled opposition that speaks up against the rise of a global corporatocracy but doesn’t really challenge their power. You can’t win if you believe the fairy tales your enemy has created, while receiving money out of their pockets.

WEF will, in the meantime, do everything to further a transition of the UN-system that suits their purpose. As WEFs President Börge Brende said to UN Secretary General António Guterres in Davos this week:

We are also very much looking forward to your Summit of the Future in September and you can count on us, also for our full support.

They don’t care about open letters that questions their authority.

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Notes

[1] www.tni.org/en/mission

[2] www.tni.org/files/2024-01/TNI%20strategic%20plan-2021-2025.pdf

[3]  www.rbf.org/sites/default/files/sustainabledevelopmentprogramreview.pdf

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With the Israel Defense Forces continuing to block supplies from reaching shelters, refugee camps, and hospitals in Gaza, humanitarian workers are warning that there is “no end in sight” for the horrors facing an estimated 55,000 pregnant women as well as postpartum parents and newborns.

Tess Ingram, a communications specialist for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), told reporters Friday that nearly 20,000 babies have been born in the three months since Israel began its bombardment of Gaza—an assault that has ostensibly been in response to Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel but has disproportionately targeted civilians in the enclave, with women and children making up 70% of the 24,762 people killed so far.

“Becoming a mother should be a time for celebration,” Ingram said. “In Gaza, it’s another child delivered into hell… Seeing newborn babies suffer, while some mothers bleed to death, should keep us all awake at night.”

Only nine of Gaza’s 35 hospitals are operational, and Agence France Presse reported that Emirati Hospital in Rafah is now providing care for “the vast majority of pregnant women in Gaza” as more than one million people have been displaced to the southern city since the war began.

Doctors and nurses at the hospital, who normally treat 30-40 pregnant patients daily, are caring for as many as 400 pregnant people, postpartum mothers, and newborns every day, the humanitarian group CARE told HuffPost. Emirati’s only operating room, where two to three C-sections are normally performed each day, is now being used for nearly 20 C-sections per day.

Overcrowding has forced hospital staff to discharge new mothers within three hours of having a Caesarean section—many of which are being performed without anesthesia or properly sanitized medical equipment, leading to a heightened risk of infection.

“‘Will I survive childbirth? Will my child survive? What will happen to my other children?’ These are very real dangers pregnant women and young mothers in Gaza have faced for the past 100 days, with no end in sight,” Hiba Tibi, acting deputy regional director for the Middle East and North Africa for CARE, said last week.

After childbirth, mothers and their vulnerable newborns are returning to “inhumane” conditions in makeshift shelters or overcrowded camps, where a lack of food and safe drinking water is placing “approximately 135,000 children under two at risk of severe malnutrition,” Ingram told reporters.

A woman named Fedaa Issa told the Middle East Eye this week about her experience returning to a makeshift tent in Khan Younis immediately after giving birth to her daughter on December 2.

“In the camp, she lacked the sanitation facilities to help her through the first few days and weeks of Aya’s life, and there was no proper sense of privacy,” MEE reported. “Issa said that she and other women had no access to sanitary towels and instead risked infection by rewashing pieces of cloth in dirty water.”

Without proper nutrients in her diet, Issa was unable to breastfeed and had to rely on formula to feed her newborn—which her family is struggling to afford.

“Humanity cannot allow this warped version of normal to persist any longer,” said Ingram. “Mothers and newborns need a humanitarian cease-fire.”

Ingram relayed to reporters the story of a woman she met in Gaza, Mashael, who was pregnant when her home was hit by an airstrike last month.

With her husband trapped under rubble for several days, Mashael realized after the bombing that her baby had stopped moving.

“She says she is sure now, about a month later, that the baby is dead,” Ingram said, but Mashael has not been able to see a doctor to confirm the miscarriage or get treatment. “The situation of pregnant women and newborns in the Gaza Strip is beyond belief, and it demands intensified and immediate actions.”

According to CARE, healthcare workers have seen a 300% increase in miscarriages since Israel’s assault began.

Humanitarian groups say conditions have worsened in the last month, despite the passage of a U.N. Security Council resolution demanding increased aid for Gaza.

“Whatever marginal improvement there has been,” Refugees International president Jeremy Konyndyk told HuffPost, “it’s nowhere near the scale that’s required at this point. Where there are improvements, they’re modest and fragile—they could be undone by Israeli military actions or Israeli political decisions.”

The Biden administration, which is helping to fund and arm the IDF and has vehemently defended its assault on Gaza as “self-defense,” has said it is “pressing” Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, where an average of just 100 aid trucks have been allowed in per day since October. About 500 trucks carried goods and supplies into the enclave daily before the current Israeli assault.

Despite the United States’ insistence that it is pushing Israeli officials, a State Department document this week said the IDF is still denying requests to move food and medicine into northern Gaza, where 300,000 people are still living.

Konyndyk, who previously worked in the Obama and Biden administrations, told HuffPost that as long as Israel’s bombardment continues, Gaza residents and those struggling to care for them “need the humanitarian equivalent of shock and awe.”

“When the U.S. government is defending their record on this, their basic argument is they’re making some incremental improvements,” said Konyndyk. “That’s like saying, ‘We got three more buckets to fight the forest fire.’ Whatever improvement that reflects, the pace of it is far, far outmatched by the rate of deterioration in the humanitarian situation.”

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Julia Conley is a staff writer for Common Dreams.

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The Houthis in Yemen have been attacking ships in the Red Sea which are associated with Israel or the US in response to the ongoing genocide in Gaza being carried out by Israel, who is supported by the US with all weapons and funding. US President Joe Biden continues to refuse all international calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Biden has formed a military coalition to attack Yemen, the poorest country on earth, with famine and disease rampant. In an effort to understand the situation, Steven Sahiounie of MidEastDiscourse interviewed Suat Delgen.

Suat Delgen, a Defense Industry and Foreign Policy analyst, served for 16 years in the Naval Forces as a Staff Officer, undertaking project officer duties in various NATO and National Headquarters, as well as serving as a principal warfare officer and commanding officer on fast attack craft. 

Steven Sahiounie (SS):  The Houthis say they will continue attacking Israeli-associated ships until there is a ceasefire declared in Gaza. Can the US-led coalition against the Houthis succeed in stopping the attacks?

Suat Delgen (SD):  The United States, as a global maritime power, plays a crucial role in ensuring the security of global trade routes. In light of the Houthis’ attacks on Israeli-flagged ships and ships bound for Israel in the Red Sea and the Bab Al Mandeb Strait, these actions pose a significant challenge not only to regional stability but also to international maritime security, which the U.S. is keen to uphold.

The initiation of the multinational Operation Prosperity Guardian on December 19, 2023, marks an important step in addressing this challenge. However, the operation’s efficacy is constrained by its defensive nature and the limited rules of engagement, which do not extend to pre-emptive strikes against strategic Houthi targets. This limitation, in my opinion, contributed to the operation’s inability to fully deter Houthi attacks.

The situation took a significant turn with the UN Security Council’s adoption of Resolution 2722, which, while not authorizing direct military action against the Houthis, underscored the international community’s demand for a cessation of Houthi aggressions. Nevertheless, the subsequent direct military responses by the US and UK, bypassing the resolution’s framework, seem to have only escalated the situation. This response, in my analysis, has not only failed to deter the Houthis but also appeared to garner them increased public sympathy, as evident from the large-scale demonstrations in Sanaa.

From a military standpoint, the resource-intensive nature of countering Houthi attacks, particularly their use of cost-effective drones and missiles against expensive defense systems, presents a logistical and economic challenge. In my view, this imbalance could potentially lead to a strategic stalemate, where the reduction in the number of attacks might be achievable, but completely stopping them seems unlikely under the current strategy.

In conclusion, while the joint US-UK military operations might curtail the frequency of Houthi attacks to some extent, the prospect of completely halting these attacks appears slim. It is my belief that the resolution of this conflict will require not just military might but also diplomatic efforts that address the underlying political complexities. The US’s stance, especially considering its previous decision to delist the Houthis as a terrorist organization, suggests a potential preference for a non-escalatory approach. However, as with any conflict of this nature, the situation remains fluid and the outcomes uncertain.” 

SS:  Some experts fear the situation in the Red Sea might escalate into a large-scale conflict.  In your opinion,  do you think Iran might face off against USA?

SD:  In my opinion, the likelihood of the situation in the Red Sea escalating into a major conflict directly involving Iran and the USA is low. The strategic interests of the US in the Middle East, particularly with regard to its alliances with Gulf countries, play a crucial role in its decision-making process. A direct conflict, especially one that could be perceived as initiated by the US, risks jeopardizing these relationships and the broader stability of the region.

Moreover, the US has significant investments in regional integration projects, such as the IMEC corridor, which aims to enhance trade and transport links between India, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. The success of such initiatives often hinges on regional stability and the support of key players like Saudi Arabia. As Saudi Arabia’s participation in the Abraham Accords for normalization with Israel is a critical aspect of this regional integration, the US is likely to avoid actions that could hinder this process. Therefore, in my opinion, while the US is committed to countering Iran’s influence in the region, it is more likely to pursue indirect measures rather than direct military confrontation. The aim would be to limit Iran’s regional sway without triggering a large-scale conflict, aligning with the US’s broader strategic objectives of maintaining stability and fostering diplomatic relations in the Middle East.

SS: Saudi Arabia declined the US invitation to join the collection against the Houthis. The Chinese-brokered deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran seems to be a success. In your view, will this act protect the Saudi oil industry?

SD:  The recent developments in Saudi-Iranian relations, particularly the normalization effort under Chinese mediation, represent a significant shift in the regional geopolitical landscape. In 2021, following the US decision to remove the Houthis from its terrorist list and to scale back support for the Saudi-led coalition, Saudi Arabia was compelled to explore alternative strategies to safeguard its national security and interests. This shift, in my opinion, has been instrumental in prompting Saudi Arabia to engage in normalization talks with Iran.

The cessation of Houthi attacks on Saudi oil facilities, a consequence of the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement, has evidently contributed to a more secure environment for the Saudi oil industry. This stability is crucial for uninterrupted oil production and exports, which are central to the Saudi economy. Additionally, the improved relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran potentially enhance the security of key maritime routes like the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which are vital for the global oil supply, including Saudi oil shipments.

However, it is important to note that the situation remains fluid. The long-term success of this normalization and its impact on the security of the Saudi oil industry will depend on the sustained commitment of both parties to this détente and the influence of other regional and global actors. While the current scenario presents a positive outlook for the security of Saudi oil production, the dynamics of regional politics necessitate a cautious approach in predicting future outcomes. 

SS: Reports say Israel’s economy has been affected by the Houthi attack. In your opinion, how much does this damage the Israeli economy?

SD:  The reported Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and their implications for container traffic in the Red Sea have undoubtedly affected Israel’s economy, particularly the operations at the port of Eilat. As one of Israel’s key ports, Eilat plays a vital role in trade, especially with the Far East, India, and Australia. The port’s significance in exporting minerals and importing goods like cattle and automobiles underscores its economic importance.

The reported figures, such as a 40% reduction in container traffic in Bab el Mandeb and an 85% drop in revenues at Eilat, highlight a substantial impact. However, it’s important to contextualize these numbers within the broader framework of Israel’s maritime trade. The shift of container traffic to other major ports like Ashdod and Haifa may mitigate some of the immediate economic impacts. These ports’ continued operation is critical in ensuring that Israel does not face significant supply problems.

Nonetheless, the situation at the port of Eilat represents a specific economic loss for Israel. The reduction in activity there, especially in automobile imports (EVC) and mineral exports, has immediate and tangible economic consequences. While the overall resilience of the Israeli economy may help in weathering these challenges, the situation underscores the broader economic vulnerabilities that arise from regional conflicts.

In conclusion, while the ports of Ashdod and Haifa continue to operate, mitigating some of the broader supply concerns, the impact on Eilat and the specific sectors it serves represents a notable economic setback for Israel. As in any conflict situation, the dynamics are fluid, and the long-term economic implications will depend on the duration and intensity of these disruptions.

SS: The Houthis are threatening the UAE and other countries that had a role in the coalition attack  on Yemen. In your opinion,  will  the situation in the  Red Sea escalate?

SD:  The adoption of UNSC Resolution 2722 has indeed heightened international pressure on the Houthis, which could influence their strategic calculations. Considering their ambition to consolidate power in Yemen and establish themselves as a regional actor, the Houthis might be cautious about escalating conflicts to a point where they confront the entire international community. However, their targeting of Israeli and US ships has been a tactic to increase their popularity and political support within Arab societies and Yemen. This aspect can’t be overlooked, as it plays into their regional political strategy. In the near term, adhering to UNSC Resolution 2722, such as releasing the Galaxy Leader ship, could be a strategic move to reduce immediate international pressure while maintaining their stance. Despite these maneuvers, I believe it is unlikely that the current tensions will escalate into a broader regional conflict involving major players like Iran and the UAE. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have demonstrated a cautious approach towards the Houthis, likely aiming to avoid further destabilization of the region.

In conclusion, while the Houthis may continue to pose a threat through sporadic targeting of US and Israeli ships, the overall situation in the Red Sea is more likely to be characterized by a cautious balance rather than outright escalation. This balance is precarious, however, and the actions of the Houthis, as well as the responses of regional and international actors, will be crucial in determining the future dynamics in the region.

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This article was originally published on Mideast Discourse.

Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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First published on November 19, 2023

***

We are embroiled in two wars, in Europe and the Middle East, which have increasingly serious consequences for our living conditions and security.  

On the European front, what the Wall Street Journal calls “one of the largest acts of sabotage in Europe since World War II” was carried out in September 2022: the United States, assisted by Norway and Poland, blew up the Nord Stream, the main gas pipeline carrying cheap Russian gas to Germany and from there to other European countries.  The dynamics of this wartime action were reconstructed, based on precise evidence, by U.S. journalist Seymour Hersh and a German investigation. 

U.S. Secretary of State Blinken called the Nord Stream blockade “a huge strategic opportunity for years to come” and pointed out that “the U.S. has become the main supplier of liquefied natural gas to Europe,” gas that we European citizens pay much more for than what we used to import from Russia. 

At the same time, the U.S. is passing on to Europe the enormous cost of the NATO war in Ukraine against Russia. The European Commission is paving the way for Ukraine’s next entry into the EU, with the consequence that we European citizens will be the ones paying for the huge Ukrainian deficit.

On the Middle East front, the European Union supports the war by which Israel, with the United States and NATO behind it, attacks Palestine and fuels a regional conflict targeting Iran in particular.  Italy, which has been linked to Israel by a military pact since 2004, has provided the fighter jets on which Israeli pilots are trained, which bomb Gaza massacring civilians, and supports the Israeli military in various ways. In return, PM Netanyahu has promised PM Meloni that Italy will become an energy hub for shunting to Europe the gas Israel will send through the EastMed pipeline. 

The section of the offshore gas field, which Israel claims sole ownership of, is located largely in the territorial waters of the Palestinian Territory of Gaza and that of the West Bank.

Through the EastMed pipeline Israel will thus export to Italy and the EU the Palestinian natural gas it has seized by military force.

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This article was originally published in Italian on Il Manifesto.

Manlio Dinucci, award winning author, geopolitical analyst and geographer, Pisa, Italy. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization.

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Martin Griffiths, Undersecretary General of the United Nations for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, presented a documented report to the Security Council. Here are some excerpts:

“In Gaza, 134 United Nations Relief and Works Agency facilities for Palestinian Refugees were hit, and 148 UN staff were killed. Humanitarian relief centres were hit, even though they were identified and notified to the Israeli Forces. As ground operations move south, aerial bombardment has intensified in areas where civilians had been advised to relocate for their safety. More and more people are crammed into an increasingly smaller portion of the territory, only to find even more violence and deprivation, inadequate shelter, and the near absence of the most basic services. Rafah, where before the crisis the population was 280 thousand inhabitants, today hosts one million displaced people. And more people arrive every day.

Our efforts to send humanitarian convoys to the North have met with denials and the imposition of impossible conditions. Colleagues who managed to reach the North describe scenes of absolute horror: corpses abandoned on the roads, starving people blocking trucks in search of anything they can find to survive. And even if they manage to return home, they no longer have a home to live in.

Pressure is growing for the mass displacement of Palestinians to neighbouring countries. I want to emphasize that all people displaced from Gaza must be allowed to return as required by International Law. We are deeply alarmed by recent statements by Israeli ministers on plans to encourage the mass transfer of Palestinian civilians from Gaza to third countries, termed “voluntary transfer.”

These statements raise serious concerns regarding the possible mass forced transfer or deportation of the Palestinian population from the Gaza Strip, which would be strictly prohibited under International Law.

What we have seen since October 7th is a stain on our conscience. It will become an indelible mark on our humanity if we don’t act. I remain extremely concerned about the risk of further regional spread of this conflict. We cannot allow this situation to spread further: the consequences of a larger conflagration would be unimaginable”.

To Read the Complete statement by Martin Griffiths click Here 

Our thanks to Manlio Dinucci for having brought the above selection to our attention. 

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It’s All About Me: Netanyahu Rejects Palestinian Statehood

January 21st, 2024 by Dr. Binoy Kampmark

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Israel has been given enormous license to control the security narrative in the Middle East for decades. This is not to say it is always in control of it – the attacks of October 7 by Hamas show that such control is rickety and bound, at stages, to come undone. What matters for Israeli security is that certain neighbours always understand that they are never to do certain things, lest they risk existential oblivion.

For instance, no Middle Eastern state will be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons on the Jewish State’s watch. Nuclear reactors and facilities will be struck, infected, or pulverised altogether (Osirak at Tuwaitha, Iraq; the Natanz site in Iran), with, or without knowledge, approval or participation of the United States.

This is a signature mark of Israeli foreign and defence policy: the nuclear option remains the greatest, single affirmation of sovereignty in international relations. To possess it, precisely because of its destructive and shielding potential, is to proclaim to the community of nation states that you have lethal insurance against invasion and regime change.  Best, then, to make sure others do not possess it.

Israel, on the other hand, will be permitted to develop its own cataclysmic inventory of weapons, platforms, and doomsday options, all the while claiming strategic ambiguity about the whole matter. In that strangulating way, Israeli policy resembles the thornily disingenuous former US President Bill Clinton’s approach to taking drugs and oral sex: he did not inhale, and oral pleasuring by one by another is simply not sex.

The latest remarks from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 18 suggest that the license also extends to ensuring that Palestinians will never be permitted a sovereign homeland, that they will be, in a perverse biblical echo, kept in a form of bondage, downtrodden, oppressed and, given what happened on October 7 last year, suppressed.  This is to ensure that, whatever the grievance, that they never err, never threaten, and never cause grief to the Israeli State. To that end, it is axiomatic that their political authorities are kept incipient, inchoate, corrupt and permanently on life support, the tolerated beggars and charity seekers of the Middle East.

At the press conference in question, held at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu claimed that,

“Whoever is talking about the ‘day after Netanyahu’ is essentially talking about the establishment of the Palestinian state with the Palestinian Authority.”

(How very like the Israeli PM to make it all about him.) The Israel-Palestinian conflict, he wanted to clarify, was “not about the absence of a state, a Palestinian state, but rather about the existence of a state, a Jewish state.”

With monumental gall, he complained that “All territory we evacuate, we get terror, terrible terror against us”. His examples, enumerated much like sins at a confessional, were instances where Israel, as an occupying force, had left or reduced their presence: Gaza, southern Lebanon, parts of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). It followed that “any future arrangement, or in the absence of any future arrangement,” Israel would continue to maintain “security control” of all lands west of the Jordan River.  “That is a vital condition.”

As such lands comprise Israeli territory, Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinian sovereignty can be assuredly ignored as a tenable outcome in Netanyahu’s policed paradise. He even went so far as to acknowledge that this “contradicts the idea of sovereignty” as far as the Palestinians are concerned. “What can you do? I tell this truth to our American friends.”

As to sceptical mutterings in the Israeli press about the country’s prospects of defeating Hamas decisively, Netanyahu was all foamy with indignation. “We will continue to fight at full strength until we achieve our goals: the return of all our hostages – and I say again, only military pressure will lead to their release; the elimination of Hamas; the certainty that Gaza will never again represent a threat to Israel. There won’t be any party that educates for terror, funds terror, sends terrorists against us.”

This hairbrained policy of ethno-religious lunacy masquerading as sane military strategy ensures that permanent war nourished by the poison of blood-rich hatred and revenge will continue unabated. In keeping such a powder keg stocked, there is always the risk that other powers and antagonists willing to have a say through bombs, rockets and drones will light it. Should this or that state be permitted to exist or come into being? The answer is bound to be convulsively violent.

It is of minor interest that officials in the United States found Netanyahu’s comments a touch off-putting. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had, it is reported, dangled a proposal before the Israeli PM that would see Saudi Arabia normalise relations with Israel in exchange for an agreement to facilitate the pathway to Palestinian statehood. Netanyahu did not bite, insisting that he would not be a party to any agreement that would see the creation of a Palestinian state.

Blinken, if one is to rely on the veracity of the account, suggested that the removal of Hamas could never be achieved in purely military terms; a failure on the part of Israel’s leadership to recognise that fact would lead to a continuation of violence and history repeating itself.

In Washington, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated in the daily press briefing that “Israel faces some very difficult choices in the months ahead.” The conflict in Gaza would eventually end; reconstruction would follow; agreement from various countries in the region to aid in that effort had been secured – all on the proviso that a “tangible path to the establishment of a Palestinian state” could be agreed upon.

For decades, administrations in Washington have fantasised about castles in the skies, the outlandish notion that Palestinians and Israelis might exist in cosy accord upon lands stolen and manured by brutal death. Washington, playing the Hegemonic Father, could then perch above the fray, gaze paternally upon the scrapping disputants, and suggest what was best for both. But the two-state solution was always encumbered and heavily conditioned to take place on Israeli terms, leaving all mediation and interventions by outsiders flitting gestures lacking substance.

Now, no one can claim otherwise that Palestinian statehood is anything other than spectral, fantastic, and doomed – at least under the current warring regime. Netanyahu’s own political survival, profanely linked to Israel’s own existence, depends on not just stifling pregnancies in Gaza but preventing the birth of a nationally recognised Palestinian state.

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Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently lectures at RMIT University. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). Email: [email protected]

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Horrendous implications. It would generate a final, total, unimaginable regional detonation, even dwarfing, exacerbating current nightmares all round.

Felicity Arbuthnot, Global Research, January 21, 2024

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When Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani arrived in New York City in September for the UN General Assembly, a delicate truce was in balance between the two foreign powers that loom over Baghdad.

Iraqi paramilitaries, backed by Iran, had frozen their attacks on US troops in the country. Iraq’s new leader arrived in New York City amid the lull. He was feted on a circuit of swanky receptions with western businessmen and diplomats on the sidelines of the General Assembly, as he pitched Iraq’s oil-rich but corruption-riddled economy as an investment destination.

Four months later, the Iraqi leader is condemning Iran and the US for launching deadly strikes in his country and his investment pitch to the global elite at Davos Switzerland is overshadowed by his call for the US military and its coalition partners to leave Iraq.

Since the Hamas-led attacks on 7 October and the war in Gaza, Iranian-backed militias have launched at least 70 attacks on US forces in Iraq.

In early January, the US hit back with its most powerful response yet, launching a drone strike in Baghdad that killed Mushtaq Taleb al-Saidi, also known as Abu Taqwa, a senior commander in the Popular Mobilisation Units, an umbrella organisation of Iraqi state-funded and Iran-aligned, Shia militias.

Baghdad hit out at the strike as “a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty”. But no sooner was Iraq chastising the US for the strike, when Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles into the Iraqi city of Erbil, killing four people, including a prominent Kurdish real estate developer and his one-year-old daughter.

Baghdad slammed Tehran’s allegation that the house struck in Erbil was an Israeli Mossad “spy centre”. At Davos, Sudani called the strike “a clear act of aggression”. Iraq has recalled its ambassador to Tehran and says it will file a complaint at the UN Security Council.

The dual rebukes of Iran and the US underscore the tightrope Baghdad is walking as the war in Gaza seeps out beyond the besieged Mediterranean enclave’s borders.

Across the region, Tehran and Washington are flexing their muscles, vying to outflank each other in a deadly proxy war. The shadowy conflict has taken on different flavours that reflect local and geopolitical realities.

In Lebanon, the US is trying to de-escalate fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, with both sides wary of being dragged into a wider conflict. Meanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen have made themselves targets of US air strikes as a response to their attacks on commercial shipping.

But the conflict is perhaps at its most intense, and complex, in Iraq.

“The Iraqi government is weak, divided and fundamentally can’t control conflict on its borders from foreign powers,” Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Chatham House think-tank, told Middle East Eye.

“It emerged as the playground of choice, where the US and Iran can fight it out. The risk of escalation here is lower for both. And they can show force and compete for influence.”

Syria, Through Iraq 

For Iran and its Iraqi allies who dominate Baghdad’s government, the war in Gaza has presented an opportunity to drive home their goal of expelling the US from Iraq.

A former senior US official and an Iraqi official told MEE that there has been increased coordination between Iranian-backed paramilitaries in Iraq and Lebanese Hezbollah with that aim. According to media reports, a top Hezbollah official, Mohammad Hussein al-Kawtharani, arrived in Baghdad earlier this month to oversee the operations.

“Instead of attacking Israel, what we are seeing in Iraq are more attacks on US forces,” Andrew Tabler, a former Middle East director at the White House’s National Security Council, told MEE.

The pressure building in Baghdad to expel US troops has been underlined by Sudani’s public calls for an exit since the assassination of Abu Taqwa. If he follows through, experts say it would present a strategic victory for Iran.

Roughly 2,500 US troops are in Iraq to advise and train local forces as part of a coalition to defeat the Islamic State militant group.

They are mainly based in Baghdad and northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. The latter is especially important for providing logistical support to 900 US troops in northeastern Syria.

The US’s legal justification for being in Syria is also based on its agreement with Baghdad.

“Erbil is crucial for supporting Syria,” Tabler said, referring to the capital of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region. “The US needs to have the ability to move troops and supplies on the overland route between the Iraqi frontier and Syria.”

Speaking in Davos on Thursday, Sudani said that

“ISIS is no longer a threat to the Iraqi people,” and that “the end of the international coalition mission is a necessity for the security and stability of Iraq”.

The Biden administration and Baghdad were already negotiating the future of the US-led coalition in Iraq before the war in Gaza erupted, a former senior US official told MEE, but the war changed Washington’s approach to the talks.

“It doesn’t look good to be discussing a drawdown when the Iranians are attacking US soldiers with missiles and drones. So there is a sense from the administration that we need to pause these talks.”

While the US continues to conduct small-scale raids against IS cells in the region, Washington views its military footprint in northeast Syria as a key counterweight to Iran and Russia, which back the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria.

“The US mission in northeast Syria depends on Iraq,” Joel Rayburn, a former US special envoy for Syria, told MEE.

‘Same Foxhole’

The US military presence in Iraq has ebbed and flowed since the invasion 20 years ago. In 2011, the US pulled all of its forces from Iraq, only for them to return in 2014 at the invitation of Baghdad to fight IS.

But in that period, Shia paramilitaries backed by Iran emerged as the most powerful armed groups in Iraq. Trained and funded by Iran, the Popular Mobilisation Units also fought IS.

Some groups, like Kata’ib Hezbollah, have been at the forefront of attacks on the US in Iraq. The group’s founder, Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, was killed in the same US strike that assassinated the Iranian commander, Qassem Soleimani.

Today, the PMUs boast more than 150,000 fighters. They maintain vast patronage networks and many are incorporated into Iraq’s official state security apparatus, with the Iraqi government paying their salaries. They have been accused of kidnappings, assassinations and suppressing peaceful protests.

The inability of successive Iraqi governments to rein in the sweeping powers of the PMUs has sown discord between Baghdad and Washington. Not only have US forces come under attack from the paramilitary groups, but Washington funds Iraq’s security system. In 2022, Iraq received $250m in military aid from the US.

Despite sporadic outbursts of fighting between the paramilitaries and Iraq’s security services, “the cost of going against the militias for the Iraqi government is far higher than the cost of keeping them,” Abbas Kadhim, head of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council, told MEE.

“For Washington, it’s an urgency because they are under attack, but it’s not a crisis for the Iraqi state. The militias are fighting in the same foxhole as the Iraqi government.”

Pay Raise for Iranian Militias

Sudani is supported by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Tehran-backed Shia political parties that are tied to many of Iraq’s paramilitaries. While Sudani negotiated a six-month truce that saw attacks on US forces in Iraq stop, the PMUs have gained more influence under his rule, experts say.

“Iran-backed militias have a more visible presence on Baghdad’s streets during Sudani’s tenure,” setting up new checkpoints, Michael Knights, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, wrote, adding that they have also deepened their business activities.

This year, Sudani’s government passed a three-year budget that allocated $700m more dollars to the PMUs, which will allow them to add almost 100,000 new fighters to their ranks, according to analysts.

But current and former US and Iraqi officials say Baghdad wants to maintain good relations with Washington.

Sudani has framed his call for quick exit of US-led coalition troops as necessary to preserve “constructive bilateral relations” with the US, which he told Reuters could include training and advising Iraqi security forces.

His comments are a reflection of the unique ties Baghdad maintains to both Washington and Tehran.

The Dollar Trap

Iran and Iraq share a thousand-mile border.  The two Shia-majority countries have an estimated ten million border crossings annually, with many Iranian pilgrims visiting shrines in Karbala and Najaf. Iraq is the second most important destination for Iranian exports and is dependent on Iran for about 35 to 40 percent of its power needs.

Iran has never shied away from flexing its economic weight over its neighbour. But Iraq’s finances are also intricately tied to the US.

The second largest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Iraq depends on its oil revenue to fund its government – including to pay the salaries of Iranian-backed paramilitaries. The proceeds from Iraq’s oil sales are deposited in the US Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

A recent US crackdown on money laundering in Iraq has helped fuel a currency crisis in Iraq, showcasing the immense sway Washington has over Iraq’s finances because of its dependence on the dollar. The US has also backed Sudani’s appeal for international investments in Iraq.

When Baghdad threatened to expel US-led coalition forces from Iraq after the 2020 assassination of Soleimani, the Trump administration threatened to cut Iraq’s access to its dollar reserves and stop issuing sanctions waivers for Iraq to buy Iranian energy, former US officials familiar with the talks told MEE.

The same officials say that cudgel is an option the Biden administration retains if demands for a US exit grow, but some question whether the administration would use it, after trying to reset relations with Baghdad after the tumultuous Trump years.

“The US can’t be expelled from Iraq if it doesn’t want to be,” Rayburn, the former US special envoy for Syria, told MEE.

“If the US doesn’t have a military presence in Iraq, then the US need not do other things on behalf of the Iraqi government. Like facilitating dollar supply from the Federal Reserve, protecting against lawsuits, and issuing sanctions waivers,” he said.

While Iranian-backed militias want to expel the US from Iraq, experts say even the most hardline groups like Kata’ib Hezbollah benefit from Iraq’s economic links to the West.

“Even the most anti-American leaders in Iraq realise they need some kind of relationship with the US,” Mansour told MEE. “Iraq is a lifeline for Iran. Its access to US dollars and financial markets is key.”

Kadhim, at the Atlantic Council, believes the focus among policymakers in Washington to merely protect US troop presence in Iraq is shortsighted.

“Of course, Iran’s ideal goal is to get the US out of Iraq completely, but their practical goal is to make the US presence a liability,” which he says, the Iranians have already achieved.

“Basically, you have a small number of US troops in Iraq sequestered to their barracks. They can’t even go to town,”   he said.

“In the long run, someone is going to ask why are we here.”

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Britain’s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, spoke at a public event at a synagogue last Sunday to extol the “outstanding” performance of the Israeli military in Gaza. He did so days before South Africa argues its case before the International Court of Justice in The Hague – starting today – that Israel is committing genocide in the enclave.

Whether Israel is eventually found to be perpetrating genocide may prove more a political decision than a legal verdict, given the pressures on the 15 judges from their respective national leaderships.

But it is indisputable that Israel has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. It is known to have killed more than 23,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, and seriously wounded tens of thousands more. It has driven from their homes the overwhelming majority of the enclave’s population of 2.3 million – that is, Israel has ethnically cleansed them.

Israel has repeatedly bombed the “safe zones” to which it has ordered civilians to flee, as well as critical infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, mosques, churches and bakeries. It has imposed a “complete siege” that is denying food, aid and medicine, leading to mass starvation and the spread of lethal disease.

Video footage has shown Israeli soldiers in Gaza gleefully smashing up shops; stripping Palestinian men and boys to their underwear; and shooting civilians, including women, in the street as they carrying white flags. Soldiers even executed three of Israel’s hostages trying to escape captivity and surrender with an SOS sign.

Yet Britain’s chief rabbi, the face of Judaism in the UK, has raised his voice to call all of this “the most outstanding possible thing”. He has gone further: he has described the troops committing these crimes “our heroic soldiers” and revealed that his own son, Danny, is assisting with the attack on Gaza in the Israeli military. He has said he is “immensely proud” of him.

Click here to watch the video

Mirvis could have chosen a form of weaselly words of the kind Israel’s apologists more typically deploy. He could have argued that the Israeli military was carrying out its task in Gaza as best as it could in near-impossible circumstances. That the Palestinians killed in Gaza were unfortunate collateral damage as the Israeli military sought to eradicate Hamas.

But he didn’t. He called the undoubted war crimes being carried out over the past three months “the most outstanding thing”.

There are several points to note about his remarks:

1. For any public figure, Jewish or otherwise, to call atrocities committed by the foreign power of Israel “outstanding” reflects a worldview that utterly dehumanises Palestinians and is ready to incite war crimes against them. Even were the Hague court not to rule that genocide is taking place, Mirvis has clearly incited to crimes against humanity.

2. As the effective head of British Judaism, Mirvis is giving religious sanction to the carrying out of war crimes. Many of the soldiers in Gaza – a significant proportion of them religious – will now have reason to believe that the crimes they and their army have been committing over the past three months are blessed, that their mission is divinely ordained. In short, Mirvis has implied that killing Palestinians is God’s work.

3. In referring to “our heroic soldiers”, Mirvis has conflated the Jewish people with Israel. Those soldiers are not British soldiers. They are not Jewish soldiers. They are Israeli soldiers. Were you or I to do this – to suggest Jews are behind the atrocities being committed in Gaza, not a foreign national army – we would rightly be called antisemites. And for good reason. Because when you confuse the identifiers “Jewish” and “Israeli”, you tar all Jews everywhere, including in the UK, with the crimes being committed by Israel against Palestinians. You make all Jews responsible for atrocities. And you thereby make them the target of antisemitic hate crimes by those who fall for this malicious conflation. So in other words, Mirvis now has not only Palestinian blood on his hands but potentially Jewish blood too. His words may inspire attacks on Jews.

4. There is something deeply ugly – maybe sinister would be a better word – that Mirvis’ religious incitement to crimes against humanity (and very likely genocide) is viewed as entirely unremarkable by our establishment media and politicians. And yet a slogan calling for equality between Palestinians and Israelis is systematically misrepresented by these same actors to suggest it is somehow genocidal. “From the river to the sea, Palestinians will be free” is a demand to end Israel’s unified system of apartheid across both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, a system that assigns Israeli Jews and Palestinians entirely different rights. Reversing that can be viewed as genocidal only if you imagine that Israelis will fight to the death to stop Palestinians gaining equal rights. It reveals far more about the mindset of those who believe the slogan is genocidal than any evil intent of those chanting what is a call for liberation. That mindset is on full display in the atrocities Israel is committing in Gaza, cheered on by Jewish leaders like Mirvis.

5. Britain has a Prevent strategy whose official aim is “to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by stopping people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism”. In practice, the strategy is the British state’s attempt to stigmatise the Muslim community as a pool of potential terrorism recruits, surveill their community organisations, and weaken legal protections against arrest and conviction. The stated concern is that Muslims are being “radicalised” by extremist imams in their mosques – rather than by the extreme events they see, such as genocide unfolding in Gaza.

Mirvis has shown beyond doubt that extremist preachers are to be found not just in mosques but in synagogues too. If the government is really using Prevent to end support for terrorism, it needs to apply the strategy even-handedly. Killing and seriously wounding some 100,000 Palestinians – roughly one in every 20th person in Gaza – and making almost of all the population homeless, destitute and starving surely ranks as state-organised terrorism, whether or not the court eventually rules it amounts to genocide.

The context is that for many years Mirvis chose to study and live in Israel’s illegal West Bank settlements, where Jewish extremists regularly terrorise Palestinian communities to drive them off their land. He raised at least one of his children to choose to serve in an army terrorising and ethnically cleansing Palestinians in Gaza. Mirvis considers the soldiers committing war crimes to be “our heroes”.

In 2017 Mirvis endorsed the fanatical Jewish settlers – Israel’s equivalent of white supremacists – on their annual march through the occupied Old City of Jerusalem. Every year on that march, most of the participants are recorded waving masses of Israeli flags at Palestinians who live there and chanting “Death to the Arabs”. One Israeli newspaper columnist describes the Jerusalem Day march as a “religious carnival of hatred”. But Mirvis celebrates it.

A further point. Despite the fact that, judged by any reasonable standard, Mirvis is an extremist and holds views that should be repellent to any decent person, he is held in high esteem by the British establishment, including its media.

One can understand why. In late 2019, days before the UK general election, Mirvis publicly accused the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, of being unfit for high office because he supposedly indulged and promoted antisemism in the Labour party. The British establishment had spent years cultivating this evidence-free smear.

Mirvis argued that “the very soul of our nation is at stake” in Britain’s election. He thereby effectively called on British Jews and the British public to vote for the government.

It was an unprecedented act of electoral interference that was reported reverentially by the British media. Both the fact that Mirvis sought to influence the vote with a deception and that the establishment media colluded with him in doing so should have been shocking, even at the time. But Mirvis’ latest remarks provide additional context. Because it is Rabbi Mirvis – not the antisemites – who is quite happy to flaunt his dual loyality. Those soldiers are apparently “ours”.

So the question is this: which nation was Mirvis actually referring to when he warned shortly before the 2019 election that “the very soul of our nation is at stake”? The British nation whose religious Jews he supposedly represents, or the Israeli nation that is currently ethnically cleansing and murdering Palestinian men, women and children?

Mirvis, it seems, just gave us his answer.

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The UK military refuses to tell Declassified what intelligence it is sharing with Israel as we reveal the extraordinary number of surveillance flights Britain is undertaking over Gaza from its base on Cyprus.

The UK military has flown 50 surveillance missions over Gaza since December, it can be revealed.

The flights have taken off from Britain’s controversial air base on Cyprus, RAF Akrotiri, and averaged around one a day since the beginning of December.

When asked the UK government refused to provide the number of spy flights, but Declassified has analysed flight tracking records.

The British plane used is the Shadow R1, which is known as an intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) aircraft.

The Shadow R1 is operated by the UK military’s No.14 Squadron, which is based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, east England.

The UK military recently awarded a £110m contract to the plane’s manfacturer, US weapons company Raytheon, to update the aircraft and increase the British fleet from six to eight.

The British flights began on 3 December when two R1s flew over Gaza. The flights have continued nearly daily up until now, with around half the days featuring two flights. On 3 January, the British sent an R1 over Gaza three times.

The flights appear to last around six hours.

Intelligence

The UK Ministry of Defence announced on 2 December that it would begin surveillance flights over Gaza “in support of the ongoing hostage rescue activity”. 

“The safety of British nationals is our utmost priority,” the department said. “Surveillance aircraft will be unarmed, do not have a combat role, and will be tasked solely to locate hostages”. 

It added:

“Only information relating to hostage rescue will be passed to the relevant authorities responsible for hostage rescue.”

But the extraordinary number of flights, and the fact that they started nearly two months after the hostages were taken, raises suspicions that the UK is not collecting intelligence solely for this purpose. 

Foreign secretary David Cameron confirmed last week that Hamas holds just two British hostages. 

Israeli forces are also on the ground in Gaza, and notoriously have wide-ranging surveillance capabilities in the territory. It is unclear what Britain’s R1s can add to the hostage rescue mission. 

A British R1 Shadow surveillance aircraft, which is collecting intelligence over Gaza, at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. (Photo: Creative Commons)

Change in Role

The British government previously said its surveillance assets had a more wide-ranging role for Israel. 

On 7 November, defence minister James Heappey told parliament that British “flights have provided surveillance support to Israel, including preventing the transfer of weapons to terrorist groups, and to wider regional security.”

Heappey also said the surveillance flights were to “improve our situational awareness in the region and provide assurance to our partners”, assumed to mean Israel. 

Heappey refused, however, to disclose the number of flights Britain had made over Gaza.

“For operational security reasons, I cannot comment on the specifics of this activity,” he said. 

A week after the 7 October attack, the UK government announced military units would be deployed to the eastern Mediterranean “to support Israel, reinforce regional stability and prevent escalation”. The military package included P8 surveillance aircraft alongside other reconnaissance assets.

Declassified has previously revealed the US spy force, 1st Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, is permanently deployed at the British base on Cyprus alongside 129 American airmen. 

Declassified also reported on a leaked US cable in which a UK official said American spy flights from Britain’s Cyprus base “have become routine” and the “intelligence product” is often “passed to third party governments”, which is likely to include Israel.

The UK Ministry of Defence and US Department of Defense both refused to comment to Declassified on what intelligence they are sharing with the Israelis.

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Matt Kennard is chief investigator at Declassified UK. He was a fellow and then director at the Centre for Investigative Journalism in London. Follow him on Twitter @kennardmatt

Featured image: Flight path of a British spy flight on its way to Gaza on Monday. (Screengrab: RadarBox)

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name.

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“Most analysts and historians fail to understand that starting in the early 1980s, China had become a full fledged capitalist country. There are powerful US business interests including Big Pharma, major hi-tech companies, banking institutions which are firmly entrenched inside China.” [1]

China has now become a dynamic global financial superpower. Since 2010, it is second economically only to the United States. [2]

Nowadays, according to the United States Statistics Division, “China makes up 28.4% of total world manufacturing output accounting for over $4 trillion to the world economy! The United States makes up 16.6% of Global output worth $1.8 trillion. The third largest exporter does not even make it into the double digits.”[3]

The graph that follows demonstrates quite starkly the rise in the countries’ GDP from 1960 to 2022. [4]

Indeed, the nation has taken a leadership role in building a new generation of Silk Roads across Eurasia. And BRICS, the group comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has now added five new members: Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Ethiopia. The partnership is now larger than the G7![5]

But the Red Dragon is more than a competitor. It is a threat! At least that’s the thinking of the Pentagon. [6]

According to the U.S. Department of Defense 2022 National Defense Strategy, the People’s Republic of China “remains our most consequential strategic competitor for the coming decades” and quoting President Biden’s National Security Strategy, the PRC is “the most consequential strategic competitor for the coming decades.” [7]

Strangely though, the course taken by China for the last fifty years, got significant help from Henry Kissinger and the Trilateral Commission which was born in 1973 from two American minds: Zbigniew Brzezinski and David Rockefeller. The Organization is supposedly devoted to bringing together leaders in policy, business and media in an attempt to solve “some of the world’s toughest problems.” [8][9]

Now that an election in the island of Taiwan recently chose a leader, Vice President Lai Ching-te, who is propping up commitments to opposing unification with China, commentators in the U.S. media are speculating on the likelihood of China doing something, like upping its military presence in the country. Something these “Authoritarian Regimes” are expected to do. [10]

This episode of the Global Research News Hour takes a special look at China, its background, and the threats, real and imaginary that are in evidence at this crucial time after the Taiwan election and historically generally.

In our first half hour, we invite back writer and author Patrick Wood to guide us through Technocracy, the true politics of China post 1980. He will share the role of Kissinger and the Trilats in moulding this system to their liking and ultimately taking over countries around the world.

In our second half hour, we are treated once again to the reflections and assessments of Pepe Escobar. He will put forward his views about the Taiwan election, China’s advancement, and the advance of the Russia-China Axis of resistance into the future.

Patrick Wood is a leading and critical expert on Sustainable Development, Green Economy, Agenda 21, 2030 Agenda and historic Technocracy. He is the author of Technocracy Rising: The Trojan Horse of Global Transformation (2015) and co-author of Trilaterals Over Washington, Volumes I and II (1978-1980) with the late Antony C. Sutton. He is also a leading expert on the elitist Trilateral Commission. He is a frequent speaker and guest on radio shows across the U.S.

Pepe Escobar, born in Brazil, is a correspondent and editor-at-large at Asia Times and columnist for Consortium News, The Cradle and Strategic Culture. Since the mid-1980s he’s lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in London, Paris, Milan, Los Angeles, Singapore, Bangkok. He has extensively covered Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia to China, Iran, Iraq and the wider Middle East. Pepe is the author of Globalistan – How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War; Red Zone Blues: A Snapshot of Baghdad during the Surge. He was contributing editor to The Empire and The Crescent and Tutto in Vendita in Italy. His last two books are Empire of Chaos and 2030. Pepe is also associated with the Paris-based European Academy of Geopolitics. When not on the road he lives between Paris and Bangkok.

(Global Research News Hour Episode 417)

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Transcript of Patrick Wood, January 15, 2024

Global Research: China is a technocracy, that is, with a new governing system that is neither communist nor capitalist nor democratic. This is the point of view argued by my first guest, Patrick Wood. He is a leading and critical expert on sustainable development, green economy of Agenda 21, 2030 Agenda and historic technocracy. Also, a frequent speaker and guest on radio shows across the United States. Global Research News Hour got hold of him and started our conversation by getting him to help define technocracy.

Patrick Wood: Technocracy as it was invented in 1932, was defined as a “Replacement economic system for free market economics and capitalism.” There is no other way to explain it. It was a resource-based economic system, not predicated on supply and demand. Money was going to be exchanged for energy and in particular, energy script, that would serve as a currency sort of – so to speak, to regulate the economic activity.

It’s also interesting that they were very interested in social engineering, as well. There was a problem that they had that they couldn’t make things, factories and so on, you couldn’t get people to do what you wanted them to do. So, they created this elaborate system of social engineering – and they call it a science, science of social engineering – we see this today almost everywhere we look.

GR: So, I guess —

PW: People are messing with our minds. There’s just no end of it, right?

GR: When it first occurred to people, I guess the technology wasn’t quite ready, 50 or 60 or 70 years later the technology caught up and now —

PW: Mm-hmm.

GR: — they’re moving ahead, right?

PW: That’s exactly right. This whole concept was adopted by the Trilateral Commission as I argue in my books. That was created by David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski in 1979 – excuse me, 1973. And the Trilateral Commission stated that it wanted to create a new international economic order. It was all over their literature at the time. And I see, now, that they were talking about technocracy as a new economic system. They didn’t really specify back then, but I see it now very clearly that that’s what they were talking about back then.

GR: You wrote that the Trilateral Commission and Henry Kissinger in particular played roles in taking China as a communist state and turning it into a technocracy. Explain, you know, what went on and how it has gone from being a communist country to no longer a – to being more of a technocracy.

PW: Well, Brzezinski in 1976 brought Deng Xiaoping to the United States. Wined him – that was the Chairman of the Communist Party at that point. They wined him, they dined him, and you know, brought him onto the world stage. At that point, China looked a lot like North Korea does today. They basically had no economic system at all, they were mired in poverty as a nation and as a people. And when Brzezinski got ahold of him, Chairman Deng, he taught him about technocracy. Not about capitalism, not about free market economics. He taught him about technocracy.

Now let me back up here and say, “Why?” The thing that endeared Brzezinski to Rockefeller was Brzezinski’s book circa 1970 called, “Between Two Ages: America’s Role in the Technetronic Era.” That was the exact title of his book. In that book, he described a vision of how technology was going to be used to basically conquer the world. He foresaw a future age where this technetronic era – it really should have been “technocratic,” but that’s the term he uses. So, this is what China started out with, with this vision of the technetronic era.

We’ve seen this – I’ve seen this, others haven’t, obviously – but I see this as a continuing trap against the free world where they are marching to a different drummer and it’s not capitalism, it’s not communism.

But scholars have pointed out that technocracy has become the de-facto system that China is operating under right now. And that’s not just me saying that. You know, people study China – political science people and so on – they see it. But nobody else wants to really hear what we have to say about it.

GR: Wow. So, China was really the first test case, as it were, —

PW: Yeah.

GR: — where there were these principles being applied. I mean, what exactly is the whole roster of reasons why they made China the test case?

PW: It was a blank slate. There was nothing blocking them. The huge – China had a huge population, number one. But it was an absolute empty chalkboard. You could put anything on it you want to. That’s what they did. There was no other nation on Earth of the size of China that could be plied by these people, that is, the elitists of the Trilateral Commission. And when their contractors, their companies that belong to the Trilateral Commission, when they moved in on China, it staged all the infrastructure that they needed, that they would need, to conquer the West with all the industries that subsequently moved to China. Took away jobs from us, took away economic activity from us. And this was their mission. They wanted to build this nation quickly into a technocratic model that would export itself all over the world, including back to us again.

GR: So, there are other nations that are also becoming, you know, taking on technocracy. Is this all like – you planted the seed in China and it spread from there? There’s like Singapore, South Korea, and you know, other places. Or did – was there the United States’ involvement in helping to spread it around the – beyond China?

PW: Well, there’s two parts to that story. One is: China is proud that they have taken their influence to nations around the world who would receive it to export their technocracy to those nations. On the other hand, you look at the United States now which is then a willing participant with China to this same end.

This follows a very long history of finance by Wall Street interests, for instance. Again, and also, a global multi-national corporations. These people – let’s look too at the World Economic Forum, too, with all the companies that are invested in them. All of these forces have seemingly joined up with China to export technocracy all over the world. The United Nations has had a place in this as well with sustainable development. It’s the same, you know, warmed-over technocracy from the last century. But the United Nations has pushed this sustainable development agenda all over the world. And China is big with the United Nations, as you know as well. But they’ve been doing this by stealth, mostly, for the last 50 years, and here we are now.

GR: What are some of the specific concerns you have about technocracy that have begun to manifest in countries like the United States or France or Canada, and you know, countries of that high grade?

PW: It’s going to result in a scientific dictatorship at some point. It’s on its way right now. A lot of people can see it, especially like China with their social credit scoring system where they can control people almost to minutiae. But the concept of a scientific dictatorship is that the science, the algorithm, the AI, et cetera, will manage the human population as a dictator. Not as a person, it will – like a human might be, maybe a Hitler or a Nero or whatever from history. But a scientific dictatorship will have absolutely no compassion, no capacity for mercy or human values that we would like to be part of. And the result of it is: all personal freedom will be gone. Absolutely smashed.

GR:  I know that you started to write about artificial intelligence, you just mentioned it, the AI. And I mean, I’ve heard recently that someone said that now that employers are – they’re not evaluating people who apply for jobs. You let AI do it and then they’ll screen out people on all kinds of weird principles, you know? Like even the adjustment of their name or other things that maybe something we didn’t intend, but the AIs are doing it. Not exactly the direction I saw it going, but you know – do you think that the existence of this AI – and it’s still kind of we’re not quite sure where it’s going, but will it act as an accelerator of sorts to technocracy and these distinctions that you’ve expressed?

PW: Absolutely. And I want to say that AI and most of the progressive technologies that we see today, these are all – they’ve all been sponsored by technocrats along the way who do not care about ethical values or moral values in what they do. They invent because they can, not because anybody asked them to. As a group, they are morally bankrupt, in my opinion.

But when somebody like a Sam Altman, for instance, talks about OpenAI, you’ll see him talking about, ‘Well, it’s going to be a big threat to humanity. It can destroy us all in the end.’ Other AI people are saying that too, by the way. But then, they go back to their own turf, to their own drawing board, get out the whip and slam their programmers into high gear, ‘Get with it guys, we got to be’ – you know, ‘we’re going to beat the competition out there.’ There’s no checks and balances in this.

We see this with other things as well: big pharma is a big one right now. These people are totally unplugged from reality, in my opinion. And they also exhibit a technocratic mindset that’s so dangerous. They’re coming up with stuff that they should not even be doing experiments with.

GR: Mm-hmm.

PW: But, you know —

GR:  Yeah, it seems like we’re not – that it’s starting off as AI being servants to human kind, but now pretty soon it’s going to be the other way around, right?

PW: Well, it is. This is what is intended in the first place.

GR: Mm-hmm.

PW: It may have started off, you know, more innocuous. But now that these technocrat minds have got ahold of it, they see this as the end game of social engineering. This was in the their plan, this was in their credo way back in the 1930s. They wanted to use the science of social engineering to control everything in society. They can do that now. At least they’re on the verge of it right now.

We see this AI is just sweeping the world and it’s showing up in all the places that is displacing workers. I saw this article yesterday it was, I think, that Wal-Mart now is firing all of the people who checks the receipts when you leave the store. You know, the checkers? I don’t know —

GR: Yeah.

PW: — what they call them, but you know, they sit there and they look at your basket and then give you a check mark and there you go. You leave the store with whatever you bought. They’re using AI now to check these baskets completely. No humans now are going to do this. And they said they’re going to fire every checker in the country and they’re going to replace it with an AI scanner who can see exactly what you’ve got in your cart. They don’t say that they’re going to record your conversation or they take a picture of you for, you know, facial recognition scans. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it does. But you know, we see this everywhere now. You keep – once your eyes are open to it, you’ll see it being applied in all unexpected places.

GR: Mm-hmm. Yeah, well we’re just about out of time now. But would you like to add any remaining thoughts you have about the technocratic course China has been on and how other countries are either —

PW: Yeah.

GR: — embracing and how they can resist China’s —

PW: Yes.

GR: — technocratic example.

PW: Yes. Let me just – let me say that the Rockefeller crowd has always been fond of China going back to the 1920s at least. They’ve had a love affair with China and that probably added to their desire to, you know, bring China back on the world stage. We see people like Brzezinski achieving this. We see this with people like the late Henry Kissinger who was the forerunner of Brzezinski to bring China out of the Dark Ages.

Kissinger was a Rockefeller man since his college days. He served as an agent of Rockefeller personally and as a stooge of – with the Trilateral Commission, as well. But you might remember that Kissinger recently bragged that he had been to China on over 100 trips in his lifetime. You have to think what that means. There were some years that he went once. Other years, he went four times perhaps, but he was in love with China all those years. And when he died, Chairman Xi said about Henry Kissinger, that he was, “Our most valuable and trusted friend over the decades.” This just tells you something about what’s going on here.

GR: And just in the minute we’ve got left, I mean, just maybe remind us about how we could go about resisting this technocratic example that’s —

PW: You bet. People can go to technocracy.news, that’s the first place that I would go to get in the swim of the news here. I would also encourage people to go to citizensforfreespeech.org to see where – or at least the role that free speech is going to play this year especially in 2024.

Transcript of Pepe Escobar, January 16, 2024

(Escobar here is commenting on the result of the January 13 election in Taiwan.)

Global Research: This election result was actually a weaker result in the sense that it only commands a minority of the seats in the legislative body. Does that mean the US concern about increasing chances of China possibly marching militarily into Taiwan to fend off any threats to the One China principle, does that have any merit?

Pepe Escobar: Oh, God. Look, I’ve been listening to this movement for —

GR: Yeah.

PE: — so long, I really lost track, you know? When I used to live in Asia, in Southeast Asia in Hong Kong, I used to go to China a lot during the War on Terror years, et cetera. There’s not going to be a Chinese invasion of China. This is a figment of Straussian neocon psycho’s imagination. These people obviously never read Deng Xiaoping. And it’s very easy. Why don’t you get Deng Xiaoping’s complete works? It’s all there.

There is no rush. The reunification of Taiwan will happen when the conditions are right and the, let’s say, informal deadline which Deng was always reiterating, is 2049.

GR: Hmm.

PE: What is happening, what has been happening has happened and will continue to happen is endless American provocations because they want to force Beijing’s hand. And obviously, they use their fifth-columnists all over Taipei they use to manipulate the American embassy in Hong Kong for that manner. They have their colour revolution specialists working in reverse in Taipei, you name it.

GR: Mm-hmm, yes.

PE: The result of these elections is very straightforward, I will cut to the chase totally: Lai got basically 40 percent of the vote. So, he is, for all practical purposes, a lame duck president. The opposition unfortunately, because they are split, they got roughly 60 percent of the vote. So, Lai got 40.5 percent compared to Tsai, the last time when she got 57 percent. So, it’s a minority government. They lost their parliamentary majority. They have most of the country in effect against them. Let’s say almost – easily almost two thirds of the country against them.

And what the Taiwanese – and this is something that from Hong Kong and from Shanghai, from other parts of the Chinese diaspora, we get inside information from Taipei. And what the Taiwanese basically say directly or between the lines is, ‘We prefer the status quo.’ So, this means nothing is going to change for a long, long time.

GR: Mm-hmm.

PE: They know that Beijing is not going to do anything rash. They know that it would be absolutely foolish and suicidal for a minority president, for instance, to declare – or push independence or declare independence. So, the status quo is the default position of the overwhelming majority of Taiwanese. Obviously, none of that will preclude more American operations, destabilizing American operations, all sorts of hybrid war you can imagine or even later on, depending on how things evolve in the next two or three years. A false flag or a series of false flags.

GR: Mm-hmm.

PE: But if we take into consideration what Beijing wants, what Xi Jinping wants, and what the Taiwanese population want, there will be nothing violent on the horizon for the next years and we can even say decades. When we start approaching 2049 it’s another matter, because then – it’s already happening now. The interconnection of geo-economic especially between Taiwan and the mainland is huge. Not to mention, of course, this is all facilitated by the fact that most of them study in the same schools and they speak the same language.

So, it’s basically already integrated. What the Chinese may come up with in I would say the mid-term is a sort of one country, three systems. One country, three systems applies to Hong Kong. One country, three systems would apply to Taiwan, like Taiwan with an enormous margin of autonomy, but part of the mainland as well. This is something that could evolve, I’m sure. The people around Xi could come up with a very seductive framework that would be accepted by the majority of the Taiwanese population, as well. Everything apart from that is American wishful thinking, wet dreams, speculation, and frankly impotence. Because they know that to provoke a war, a proxy-war against China via Taiwan could probably be their Ukraine. Or Ukraine 2.0. And we all know what is happening to Ukraine right now, so I end my case here.

GR: Yeah. Well, in your recent article, “Year of the Dragon: Silk Roads, BRICS Roads, Sino-Roads,” you know, I mean we see about how China and its allies have been building bridges, building the high-speed rail all across Eurasia basically. And you know, this is a counterpart to the United States going and you know, starting wars here and there on, you know, engaged in two wars right now. They had a whole bunch of wars. They must be getting a little bit leery about entering into any new conflicts. Certainly, you know, a military conflict in China is simply off the table, although, you know, I don’t know about the colour revolution and so on. Anyway, I’m wondering about these plans there. It seems to be, you know, kind of critical for its – for China’s rise and success and… When exactly did it have its origin? I mean, it’s part of a long-term strategy. Did it start way back in the 1970s when it started its economic rise? Or did it follow its rise in might?

PE: Well, this is the story of my professional life this past 30 years. I’ve been writing about this practically on a weekly basis since the mid-90s. I moved to Asia 30 years ago, in fact. I moved to Asia from the West in 1994, because I wanted to know Asia from the inside and especially what I had seen in China when I travelled in China in the early ‘90s which was – it happened to coincide with Deng Xiaoping’s visit, the famous visit to the South. When Deng Xiaoping went to Shenzhen, Dongguan, Guangzhou and he gave the major impetus for the modernization drive of China based on these special economic zones in the South and then also in Shanghai. So, when you see that in front of you happening, I was so floored and I said, ‘Well, I have to come here and try to understand this from the inside.’

Then, when you start living in Asia and when you start going to China on a frequent basis. And in my case, when you live in Hong Kong where you have access to everything, all sorts of information coming from China, the transit through Hong Kong, then you understand the big picture and you understand the long-term big picture. Which came not only from Deng when Deng came to power in ‘78. It came during the Mao industrialization era.

And that’s why in this column that you mentioned, I reference one of the very, very good books about it explaining how everything that Deng, in fact, could use later on in this industrialization drive in the ‘80s and in the ‘90s. The basis were put by – the very complicated process of industrialization of China initiated during Mao.

So, when you understand – so, this did not come out of the blue. And China is a big power, it’s not something that started when they entered the WTO in 2001, you know, 20 years ago. It started 50 years ago, at least, not more. And that’s what extraordinary they are – there is a consistency to it. There are degrees, very complex degrees of planning in terms of succeeding a five-year plans that they multiply into three, five-year plans in one, for instance.

You know, two or three years ago, they were already planning all the way to 2035. This is something that is absolutely impossible in the West, where the US cannot plan for next week. Can you image doing three, five-year plans and discussing it? And discussing out of a grassroots basis, which is something that many people in the West don’t understand.

Lots of decisions that arrive at the Politburo and then at Xi’s desk for instance, they start at the grassroots level, they are presented in grassroots meetings, they go to regional governments, and then they start climbing the pyramid. And then, one day they reach the pyramid and there is a decision based on something that started in a little prefecture in the middle of a province in Sichuan, for instance.

It’s fascinating. It’s a form of a direct democracy that is not – it’s not fully appreciating the West – it’s not even understood how it works. So, and that’s what makes it so special in terms of – the Chinese system for everything that we can criticize about it, there’s no question about that. It’s essentially a meritocratic system. And this is what Xi has been very, very careful to emphasize since he came to power and since he started the overarching international Chinese framework of development, connectivity, which is the Belt and Road Initiative started a little over 10 years ago.

They’ve learned from their mistakes. They are always applying Deng Xiaoping, you know, crossing the river while filling the stones. So you know, you may slip in one of the stones and fall into the river and then you’ll go back and you’ll learn from your mistake. And this is what they’re doing all the time.

In terms of the Belt and Road, for instance, they made a lot of mistakes in the beginning in terms of loans that went to projects that would go nowhere. Or you know, instead of relying on a local workforce, bringing loads of Chinese workers. And they’re learning, they are reorganizing all that. They are learning from the Russians, as well, in terms of Russia – Russia is a multinational society, minorities living in Russia. The Chinese are learning to be more supple vis-a-vis their minorities the way the Russians are.

And this all has to do with high levels of education and a meritocracy. Which seems to be the exact opposite of what’s happening with the West right now. Low levels of education, lower and lower, and no meritocracy at all.

GR: Yeah, interesting. Could you talk about the artificial intelligence just for a minute, the AI. Because, you know, the US chips for AI, they are manufactured largely in Taiwan, you know, the Nvidia.

PE: Yeah.

GR: The Chinese chips that are faster now are being developed in China and —

PE: Of course.

GR: Yeah. But they could lead to China – like, the US is in the lead right now, but China could overtake them by 2030 or so. Could you talk about the development of that technology? Also, its role in the Taiwan situation and where this could lead in the Cold War, the Cold War 2.0 as it were, possibly thawing even between the United States and China.

PE: Yeah, but that’s – it proves once again that sanctions are some of the most stupid methods of coercion in modern history. It didn’t work with Iran, it didn’t work with Cuba. It didn’t work with Venezuela, it didn’t work with Russia. And it’s not working with China. It’s very simple.

The Chinese – so, we cannot buy what we need from CSMC, Taiwan, or Nvidia, no problem. We’re going to make it ourselves. And the capital was already there, and the main power, and the extremely well-educated tech workforce was already there. It was a matter of time.

During the Trump era, some of us were thinking, ‘Oh, shit, it’s going to take them at least until 2037, 2038 to have breakthroughs.’ No, they had a breakthrough in 2023. And even when they launched the new Huawei Mate 60 Pro with their own operating systems with AI, top of the line AI and all that, everybody in the West goes, ‘How did they do that?’ It’s very simple: if you visit Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen and their research centre, something that I did a few years ago, they are already thinking what’s going to happen – what they were going to be using in 2030, 2035. So, it’s very, very simple.

It’s education, tech education, and planning. And of course, unlimited capital. Because this is directly linked to the official tech strategy which was elaborated even before Trump came to power. And when Trump came to power and looked at it and he freaked out, that’s why he started all those sanctions. Which is something that the Chinese were calling at the time, ‘Made in China 2025.’

Basically by 2025 next year, they wanted to be top or near the top in 10 tech departments, including artificial intelligence, quantum physics, you name it. They’re getting there. After the sanctions, they abandoned the model ‘Made in China 2025’ which was freaking out the Americans big, big time. They stopped talking about it, but they continued to do the same thing. And they even allocated more capital to high end research. And also, research that they do, I wouldn’t say under the table, but in close collaboration, covert and overt with Samsung, for instance, and with CSMC in Taiwan, as well.

So, this is all interconnected. And in the high tech world, everything is interconnected and information flows. Information could flow, for instance, from a WeChat message from one engineer in Rotterdam to one engineer in Shanghai, for instance. And then you have a breakthrough. This is how it works. There is no censorship among – this politicization of science, this is something completely stupid, it doesn’t exist. Scientists talk to each other. So obviously, this was bound to happen. Of course, it happened much faster than anyone could ever imagine.

And now, China, they can have all the chips that they need: 7 nm, 5 nm, 3 nm, whatever, by 2035, which happens to be what they wanted to do in the first place when they came up with this concept of Made in China 2025.

GR: Mm-hmm. I only have like maybe a couple of minutes left, but I just wanted to know what your thoughts are about when China has essentially really pushed ahead of the United States. I mean, there was – I’m thinking maybe the China-Russia alliance has been – there’s been so much interaction there financially. I think it was probably around the time of the Russian’s – well, the Russia-Ukraine engagement and then there was all sorts of – that may have been a key moment, because that’s when we saw a shift, you know, financially and so on. But I don’t know, maybe it’s even more recent or it’s just accelerating, you know, since then. But what would you say is the moment or moments —

PE: Well, Michael – Michael, this is what I rant about every week. Literally, this is what I write about every week, this is what I think and discuss every week wherever I am, here in Europe, or in Russia, or when I go to Southeast Asia or to Central Asia. And it has to do with the Russia-China strategic partnership which is something that very, very few people in the West even understand what it is and understand what it means and understand how it works. Very few people know that. And this is reflected in the personal encounters between Xi and Putin year after year. In the discussion at the highest level with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defence, and their tech environment as well. The Union of BRICS which was basically a Russia-China driven process. The two major powers on BRICS are Russia-China and they coordinate how BRICS are organizing, going to spend, especially this year where the Russian presidency of the BRICS will coordinate the next level of expansion. It’s going to be BRICS 12, 15, 17, 18 probably in Kazan at the summit later this year, in October this year. Their interactions, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the fact that the Belt and Road Initiative, 10 years old, is – and the Eurasian Economic Union from 2015, they are getting closer and closer together. And you’re going to have projects that include countries that are members of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road, and expanding two countries with which the Eurasian Economic Union has free trade agreements. For instance, they have it with Vietnam, they just clinched one with Iran. So, everything is interlocked. And the Russia-China strategic partnership is a sort of master coordinator of this whole process. And it includes military cooperation, which obviously none of us know the intimate details. But it is virtually sure that, for instance, the Chinese now have access to Russian hypersonic technology.

GR: Wow.

PE: Because this has been discussed at the highest level by their Ministries of Defence. And the fact that their strategy in terms of trying to – I would say muzzle the hegemon, it’s not fight the hegemon. It’s to try to muzzle a hegemon that is absolutely out of control now. It implies that they have to discuss – all major decisions have to be taken at the highest level and they have to be coordinated. And this includes the way they are supporting, by not supporting, or even feigning their supporting Gaza which is an extremely complex dossier where they act Alas Su Su or they act in a very Chinese way: in total silence. And we know that when they are not resolutely against something it’s because they are supporting it —

GR: Hmm.

PE: — in the background. Same thing about the whole Axis of Resistance. And this applies to Hezbollah, the militias in Iraq, Iran obviously as a whole. The fact that Iran, Russia military relationship now is 100% on both sides. This is something that I had in Moscow a few months ago where the Iranians said, ‘Basically, we told the Russians, “Anything you need, you can get it.”’ So, it’s at this this level nowadays. And the same thing between Russia, China, and Iran, between the three of them. These are the three poles of Eurasian integration.

GR: Okay.

PE: So obviously, the Americans don’t even understand how it works. So, how they can counter at a concerted drive in very well-regarded – nice strategy by these three major poles of Eurasia integration that applies to everything: high tech, artificial intelligence, geopolitically, geoeconomically. And of course, doing everything they can to prevent a frontal clash with the Americans. There is no interest by Beijing or by the Kremlin to have a direct, frontal clash with the Americans because they know how irresponsible and how unprepared the people running American foreign policy at the moment are.

So, they are basically trying to contain and muzzle this out of control, very dangerous animal. So, if you don’t understand these processes which these people in the Beltway, for instance, don’t. Or the people at NATO don’t, or the people at the European Commission don’t, you don’t understand what is happening all across Eurasia. And how, what is happening in Eurasia, is basically looked at by the whole Global South as, ‘Okay, this is the next game in town.’ And it’s now the only game in town, because we simply cannot trust anything that the Americans say or do. They are, as the Russians define them, ‘Non-agreement capable empire.’ And what the Eurasian integration process is offering to the whole Global South, to the Latin Americans, Southeast Asians, to Africans, et cetera, is mutual respect, connectivity corridors, trade – make trade, not war. Rejecting of forever wars. Multi-polarity and basically a fair, equitable system of international relations which is something that they would like to implement at the UN, but not at the UN as we know it today, the way the UN works today which is completely dysfunctional.

So, this is the macro-picture of why, for instance, what happens if Russia had some difficulty in one field, or Iran in another or China in another. They can talk among themselves and try to find solutions among themselves and talk to their partners as well in this big, let’s say greater Eurasia partnership which is a wonderful way that the Russians found to describe this process of integration.


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Notes: 

  1. Michel Chossudovsky, Global Reseaerch, 2022 
  2. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD
  3. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/manufacturing-by-country
  4.  World Bank, OECD; https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.KD
  5.  Javaid Mirza (January 2, 2024), ‘BRICS+ welcomes five new members in 2023’, Custom News; https://customnews.pk/2024/01/02/brics-welcomes-five-new-members-in-2023/
  6.   Tara Copp and Lolita C. Baldor (October 22, 2022)‘Pentagon: Despite Russia’s war, China still top threat to US’, Associated Press; https://apnews.com/article/europe-middle-east-china-united-states-beijing-4521a349b4171b4e9792a5ed96f6f44f
  7.  https://media.defense.gov/2022/Oct/27/2003103845/-1/-1/1/2022-NATIONAL-DEFENSE-STRATEGY-NPR-MDR.PDF
  8.  https://www.technocracy.news/day-7-china-is-a-technocracy/
  9.  https://www.trilateral.org/about/
  10.  Michael Martina and David Brunnstrom (January 5, 2024) ‘Analysis-Taiwan Election Poses Early 2024 Test of U.S. Aim to Steady China Ties’, Reuters; https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2024-01-05/analysis-taiwan-election-poses-early-2024-test-of-u-s-aim-to-steady-china-ties

Former NATO Commander Calls to Bomb Crimea

January 21st, 2024 by Lucas Leiroz de Almeida

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Recently, Western support for Ukraine has been declining, leaving the regime’s officials concerned about the future of Kiev’s fighting capabilities. However, despite this tendency, there are still public figures in the West calling for a new escalation and the sending of more heavy weapons to Ukraine.

In a recent statement, American retired General Philip Breedlove, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, stated that the West should send heavy weapons to Kiev to enable intense attacks on the Crimea region. According to Breedlove, only by attacking Russian positions in the Black Sea will Ukraine be able to make Moscow “rethink its posture”.

Breedlove classified Crimea as the “center of gravity” and “the decisive terrain of the war.” For him, the key to “defeat” Russia is to hit Crimea as much as possible. He believes that the more attacks in the region, the more Russia will be affected and forced to retreat throughout the entire conflict zone. So, faced with the imminent depletion of Ukraine’s military capabilities, the general advises that NATO return to sending weapons at a massive level, mainly long-range missiles that allow deep attacks on Crimea.

“If we enable Ukraine to be able to strike Crimea — pervasively, persistently and precisely —Russia will be forced to rethink its posture there. Strike them all, strike them repeatedly, and destroy them in detail,” he said.

Breedlove’s opinion has long been shared by other officers. Neutralizing Russian positions in Crimea has been a Ukrainian ambition since 2022, with several unsuccessful attacks having taken place in the region. One of the main objectives is to destroy the Kerch Bridge, which is considered the logistical key of Crimea. Not by chance, Kiev launched terrorist attacks on the Bridge, killing civilians but failing to cause major damage to the infrastructure.

Not only that, but General Breedlove himself has already become well known for his radical stance regarding Crimea. In October last year, he published an article in Western media outlet stating that bombing Crimea was necessary in order to achieve the “Ukrainian victory”. He openly called for the destruction of the Kerch Bridge, labeling it a “legitimate target”. At the time, he also criticized all analysts’ arguments about the need to take precautions with these attacks to avoid an escalation in the conflict. Breedlove appears not to care about the possibility of an increase in the violence of hostilities, stating that it is necessary to inflict damage on Crimea regardless of the side effects.

“Several people I have spoken to say ‘dropping’ [destroying] Kerch bridge would be a huge blow to Russia. Kerch bridge is a legitimate target (…) I am a trained civil engineer and I know about bridge construction. All bridges have their weak points and if targeted in the right spot it could render Kerch bridge unserviceable for a period of time. But if they wanted to drop the bridge, that would require a more dedicated bombing operation (…) I hear a lot of people asking whether it is right for Ukraine to take such aggressive action and whether the West would support it, but I cannot understand that argument”, he said at the time.

It is also necessary to clarify that the strategic calculation behind this type of opinion is absolutely wrong. It is believed that by increasing pressure on Crimea, the Ukrainians will force the Russians to concentrate efforts in the region, neglecting the defense lines on the battlefield and facilitating Kiev’s territorial advance. With this, it would allegedly be possible for Ukrainian troops to reach the Black Sea by advancing on the ground, reversing the current military scenario.

However, this mentality seems naive. The Russian reaction to possible recurrent attacks on Crimea would not be through any abrupt change in the situation on the front lines, but rather through an exponential increase in bombings against strategic targets throughout Ukraine. Moscow’s military doctrine establishes artillery as the main factor in a combat scenario. To each Ukrainian attempt to escalate the fighting, the Russians react with heavy artillery, neutralizing military facilities, critical infrastructure and enemy decision-making centers.

In practice, Ukraine is at an impasse as it suffers more and more losses every time it tries to reverse the situation. The country is unable to change the scenario, having as an alternative only the peace negotiations under Russian terms – which NATO obviously does not allow Kiev to do. Furthermore, it is unlikely that the Atlantic alliance will resume sending long-range weapons in large quantities in the near future, as the US is deeply involved in the Middle Eastern conflict, diminishing its interest in the Ukrainian front.

*

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Lucas Leiroz is a journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant. You can follow Lucas on X (former Twitter) and Telegram.

Featured image: General Philip Breedlove, then Supreme Allied Commander Europe, in 2014. (NATO)

Netanyahu’s Comments Show That Israel Is Not a Partner for Peace

January 21st, 2024 by Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME) is raising the alarm about yesterday’s comments by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who reiterated his firm opposition to a Palestinian state in any post-war scenario and asserted that Israel will maintain permanent control over all territory “West of the Jordan [river].” CJPME emphasizes that this position is not new, but has been expressed throughout Netanyahu’s career and is explicitly laid out in the Likud charter. Nonetheless, these comments serve as an important reminder that the Israeli political establishment is committed to the permanent oppression of the Palestinian people, and Canadian policy must be adjusted to reflect this reality.

First, Canada must recognize that the Israeli government is not acting in good faith and is not a partner for peace. This is a problem that extends beyond the Prime Minister. While senior ministers in Netanyahu’s far-right coalition openly push for the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, Netanyahu’s more ‘moderate’ rivals are promoting plans for Israel to maintain military control over Gaza while giving Palestinians greater autonomy, resembling the Bantustan system under apartheid South Africa. No Israeli leader has ever supported a truly independent Palestinian state, and decades of impunity have emboldened Israel to consolidate its illegitimate control over the occupied Palestinian territories (OPT). If Canada wants this situation to change, it must acknowledge the problem and change its approach. Only meaningful political and diplomatic pressure, including sanctions, can compel Israel to relinquish its control over the OPT.

Second, Canada must commit itself to the cause of Palestinian self-determination. This will require more than empty lip service about a “two-state solution.” Most people believe that after decades of deliberate policy, Israel has effectively killed the possibility of an independent Palestinian state. This means that Canada must be open to the possibility of a future in which Palestinians and Israelis share equal rights within a single democratic state. Regardless, this is a question that is up to the Palestinians themselves to decide. Canada does not get to dictate the form that the future political reality will take, how Palestinians will govern themselves, or who is allowed to sit at the table.

To affirm Palestinian self-determination, CJPME argues that Canada’s approach to a ‘post-war’ scenario must be based on the minimum following principles:

  • Canada must focus on achieving an immediate ceasefire before it turns its attention to the ‘day after,’ as such discussions can distract from the damage that Israel is inflicting on the civilian population every day. Given the scale and nature of Israel’s attacks, there may be no Gaza left at the end of this war. Halting Israel’s destruction of Gaza must be Canada’s highest priority.
  • Canada can accept nothing less than a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the rest of the OPT. This requires more than a withdrawal of ground forces, but the termination of all forms of effective control, including over the movement of people and goods in and out of the territory. Israel must relinquish all power over the Palestinian people and dismantle its structures of oppression and apartheid.
  • Canada must insist that Palestinian refugees and internally displaced people have every opportunity to exercise their right to return to their homes. This is an issue that goes beyond the 1.9 million people who are currently displaced within Gaza. Two-thirds of the Gaza population were already refugees, originally displaced during the 1948 Nakba and the creation of Israel, and they have an inalienable right under international law to return. Their dispossession remains at the heart of the current conflict.
  • Canada must insist that Israel pay reparations to fund the rebuilding of Gaza. Israel is deliberately destroying all forms of physical and social infrastructure in the territory, and the international community must not be left financially responsible for addressing this catastrophe. Israel must know that it will pay for every building it turns to rubble.
  • Canada must acknowledge that it does not have the right to dictate who represents the Palestinian people, or how they govern themselves. Canada’s position that there is “no role for Hamas in the future governance of Gaza” directly contradicts this basic principle of self-determination and erodes the possibility of a negotiated end to the war.

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Articolo e trasmissione a cura di Manlio Dinucci.

Martin Griffiths – Sottosegretario Generale delle Nazioni Unite per gli Affari Umanitari e Coordinatore degli Aiuti d’Emergenza – ha presentato al Consiglio di Sicurezza una documentata relazione, di cui riportiamo alcuni stralci:

“A Gaza sono state colpite 134 strutture della Agenzia delle Nazioni Unite per il soccorso dei rifugiati palestinesi, e sono stati uccisi 148 membri del personale delle Nazioni Unite.

Sono stati colpiti i centri di soccorso umanitario, nonostante che fossero identificati e notificati alle Forze israeliane. Mentre le operazioni di terra si spostano verso Sud, si sono intensificati i bombardamenti aerei nelle aree in cui i civili erano stati invitati a trasferirsi per la loro sicurezza.

Sempre più persone vengono stipate in una porzione di territorio sempre più piccola, solo per trovarvi ancora più violenza e privazioni, ripari inadeguati e la quasi assenza dei servizi più basilari. Rafah, dove prima della crisi la popolazione era di 280 mila abitanti, ospita oggi un milione di sfollati. E ogni giorno ne arrivano altri.

I nostri sforzi per inviare convogli umanitari nel Nord si sono scontrati con dinieghi e l’imposizione di condizioni impossibili. Colleghi che sono riusciti a raggiungere il Nord descrivono scene di assoluto orrore: cadaveri abbandonati sulle strade, persone affamate che bloccano i camion in cerca di tutto ciò che possono trovare per sopravvivere. E anche se riescono a tornare a casa, non hanno più una casa in cui vivere.

Cresce la pressione per lo spostamento in massa dei palestinesi nei Paesi vicini. Voglio sottolineare che a tutte le persone sfollate da Gaza deve essere permesso di tornarvi come richiede il Diritto Internazionale. Siamo profondamente allarmati dalle recenti dichiarazioni dei ministri israeliani sui piani per incoraggiare il trasferimento in massa di civili palestinesi da Gaza verso Paesi terzi, definito “trasferimento volontario”.

Queste dichiarazioni sollevano gravi preoccupazioni riguardo al possibile trasferimento forzato in massa o alla deportazione della popolazione palestinese dalla Striscia di Gaza, cosa che sarebbe rigorosamente vietata dal Diritto Internazionale.

Quello che abbiamo visto dal 7 Ottobre è una macchia sulla nostra coscienza collettiva. Se non agiamo, diventerà un marchio indelebile sulla nostra umanità. Resto estremamente preoccupato del rischio di un’ulteriore diffusione regionale di questo conflitto.

Non possiamo permettere che questa situazione si diffonda ulteriormente: le conseguenze di una conflagrazione più ampia sarebbero inimmaginabili.

 

VIDEO :

https://www.byoblu.com/2024/01/19/da-gaza-al-medioriente-la-strategia-della-catastrofe-onu-conseguenze-inimmaginabili/

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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This year will be decisive for the future agenda, with the upcoming United Nations Summit of the Future in September. This will lay the foundation for a strengthened economic global governance with the G20 in an elevated position within the UN and the international financial system.

The UN policy brief Reforms to the International Financial Architecture, that builds on proposals from United Nations Our Common Agenda, has suggested an “apex body” for economic coordination that will serve as a key component in order to achieve Agenda 2030 and the SDGs. This body is planned to include G20, UN and the global financial institutions and will gather at a biennial summit.

The slogan of G20 (Group of twenty), under the chairmanship of Brazil and President Lula da Silva, is “building a just world and a sustainable planet”. The focus areas are: “The three dimensions of sustainable development”, “Fighting hunger, poverty and inequality”, and “Global Governance Reform”.[1]

G20 was established after the Asian financial crisis in 1999 and evolved into the premier global forum to discuss and manage global challenges during the global financial crisis barely ten years later.

This kind of arrangement had previously been discussed at an Informal Gathering of World Economic Leaders (IGWEL) during the World Economic Forums annual summit in 1998.[2]

This resulted in a proposal from G7 finance ministers “to broaden the dialogue on key economic and financial policy issues among systemically significant economies.” They then invited these “significant economies” to a meeting in Berlin in December 1999.[3]

The ideas for this global governance arrangement had, however, been suggested as early as the 1970s by members of the Trilateral Commission. To be successful, it was deemed important to include the largest emerging economies. This was reflected in their 1976 report The Reform of International Institutions by C. Fred Bergsten, Georges Berthoin, and Kinhide Mushakoji.

At first, only finance ministers and central bank governors attended the meetings but since the 2008 G20 Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy, heads of state or heads of government have been invited (among the first participants were Lula da Silva).

This upgrade was realised after advocacy from WEF. As stated in their 50 anniversary book WEF: A Partner in Shaping History 1971–2020:

Klaus Schwab, among others, proposed in several speeches to elevate the G20 meeting to become a true global summit.

G20 has since gradually been given more focus areas and is in effect an embryo for a world government. The G20 member states reach about 80 % of the world’s population, and the organisation functions like an executive council for implementing the UN Sustainable Development Goals as well as the WHO Health Agenda.

Former leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhael Gorbachev, once labeled it the “Global Politburo”. The group consists of 19 member states plus the European Union (EU) and the recently accepted the African Union (AU) as a member.

The Secretary General of the United Nations is a permanent guest attendee, together with representatives from The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), ASEAN, WTO, ILO, IMF, World Bank and the Financial Stability Board.

A major part of their work is done through the “finance track” and the “sherpa track”.

The finance track, with seven technical groups and one task force, deals with macro economics, and the building of a new international financial architecture. Attendees are representatives from the international financial institutions (The World Bank, IMF, BIS), regional development banks, finance ministers and central bank governors (FMCBGs).

Their Joint Task Force on Finance and Health is a forum that enhances Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response (PPR) in “alignment with the One Health Approach and World Health Organization (WHO) priorities and objectives”. The secretariat is located at the WHO headquarters in Geneva and has support from The World Bank.[4]

The sherpa track has fifteen working groups (in areas like health, agriculture, education and the energy transition), two task forces and one “Bioeconomy Initiative”. The work is led by the personal emissaries of the G20 leaders. Other attendees are ministers from the G20 member countries and international organisations like OECD and United Nations.

G20 also constitutes 13 engagement groups from different parts of society. These include Women20, Youth20, Cities20 (mayors), Science20, Business20, and Think20 (think tanks). The latter two are the most powerful among these groupings. B20 has also close ties to WEF with Klaus Schwab as a member of the advisory council.

The latest addition is Oceans20, that promotes marine sustainability with support from the World Economic Forum.

These groupings claim to represent the voices of “civil society”. A Social Summit is held in November to reflect their proposals before the leaders summit.

G20 is this year governed by the three BRICS-countries Brazil (chair), South-Africa (incoming chair) and India (previous chair). This arrangement serves as a guarantee for a continuation of the agenda.

The connection between climate and health is as always a part of the program. This can be viewed in the light of this years World Health Assembly which is set to give WHO extended authority and give rise to the “One Health Regime”. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom recently recently praised Brazil’s priorities.[5]

One of the proposals is “Resilient Health Systems”, that “aims to defend universal health systems to face the major challenges of global health governance, such as those caused by the climate crisis”. A mechanism will be discussed that “allows creditor governments to exchange debts for health results”.[6]

This is framed as a part of achieving the United Nations SDG 3 – Health and Well-being.

Will this result in forced vaccination of the populations in the poor countries in order to be saved from bankruptcy?

One wonders what kind of surprises that are hidden up their sleeves?

Should we be worried that one of the panels (including Tedros Adhanom and Brazil’s Health Minister Nisia Trindade Lima) at next weeks annual WEF-meeting is called “Preparing for Disease X”?

With fresh warnings from the World Health Organization that an unknown “Disease X” could result in 20 times more fatalities than the coronavirus pandemic, what novel efforts are needed to prepare healthcare systems for the multiple challenges ahead?[7]

Brazil will also launch the Task Force for the Global Mobilization Against Climate Change “to enhance global macroeconomic and financial alignment to implement the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement”.[8]

Brazil is the world’s seventh largest oil producer, and it is not very likely that they would kill the goose that lays their golden eggs. This has more to do with the creation of a new technocratic economic system built around the use of energy and a carbon currency.

The academic think tank Sustainable Finance Lab recently proposed a global carbon coin. A currency based on “natural stock of some sort, or the remaining carbon budget.”

This way a new global reserve currency can emerge. This not only has environmental benefits but also answers a growing call to bring more balance into the now unipolar global monetary system — a call coming clearly from the large emerging BRICS economies.[9]

BRICS – The Voice of the Global South

So let’s talk about BRICS. Are they an alternative? Many people seem to think so.

The group was founded by Brazil, Russia, India and China in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009 as BRIC, and are seen as a counterweight to the West-dominated G7. The voice of the Global South. One year later, with the addition of South Africa, they became BRICS.

The 2024 BRICS summit was initially to be held in Brazil but was transferred to Russia and Vladimir Putin due to Brazil’s commitments as host of G20 this year.

The Leader’s Summit will take place in Kazan, Tatarstan, in October with the mission to establish a “fair” world order.[10] This stands, according to Putin, in opposition to the “rules based” order that is promoted by the West and G7. The motto is “Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security”.[11] This time with the participation of five new member states.

One of the new countries is the United Arab Emirate, also the host of the WEF-affiliated World Governments Summit and the latest international climate summit – COP28. UAE is a role model country for the futuristic agenda that WEF is promoting through the Fourth Industrial Revolution. They are a key partner of WEF as well as the main hub for the United Nations in the Middle East.

A more surprising new edition is the theocratic Islamic republic Iran. An arch-enemy of the US and Israel that has forged alliances with China and Russia, and sells oil to India.

With the addition of Saudi-Arabia, this also means that six of the world’s ten top oil producers are members of BRICS.

World's biggest oil producers

This gives the BRICS some muscles. But it is a group with clear dividing lines between the member states. They are dispersed on three continents, have cultural and religious differences and are somewhat crippled by a leadership struggle between India and China.

The new members Iran and Saudi-Arabia also compete for influence in the Middle East and have been involved in proxy-wars against each other. Iran is the leading Shia Muslim power whereas Saudi Arabia is the leading Sunni Muslim power. Diplomatic relations are, however, restored with the help of China since March 2023.

G7 are a lot more homogenous with a clear defined leader (but with waning power).

BRICS are not, as often portrayed in alternative media, a real contender on the world scene. They do not challenge United Nations Agenda 2030 or WEFs Fourth Industrial Revolution. BRICS acts within the limits of the international system. All BRICS countries imposed lockdowns and mask mandates during COVID-19. They all take part in the endless string of climate summits (Brazil will arrange COP 30 in 2025).

Six of the BRICS-members are members of G20 (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and Saudi-Arabia). These are countries that all want to secure their seats and have a say in the emerging global management system. The old hegemony is slowly dying and the sociopaths of the world are in need of a new host. This is what their new “apex body” for the world economy is planned to be.

One of the criteria for applying for BRICS-membership is furthermore to “be committed to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals”.[12]

At the latest BRICS summit in South Africa, BRICS underlined their commitment to “mobilising the means required to implement the 2030 Agenda” and highlighted the “significant opportunities” that Summit of the Future constitutes in the Johannesburg II Leaders Declaration. The summit was also attended by UN Secretary General António Guterres.

WEF – The Bridge Builder

The real masters, the owners of business and banking, are lurking behind BRICS as well as behind the G7. This is especially true for the most visible manifestation of the their influence: The World Economic Forum.

WEF operates all over the globe. As Klaus Schwab said in 2020:

The Forum has built an excellent relationship with the Russian Federation. Both with the business community as well as with the government.

The Russian Sberbank CEO and a close ally to Vladimir Putin, Hermann Gref, was a member of the WEF Board of Directors for eleven years (2011–22), whereas Putin has known Schwab since a meeting in St Petersburg in 1992.[13] This “excellent relationship” did, however, turn a bit frosty after the war in Ukraine broke out.[14] At least officially.

The Russian attack could hardly have been a surprise for WEF as there has been an ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine since 2014. Despite sanctions from the US and the European Union, WEF continued to collaborate with Russia during the Cyber Polygon exercise that was arranged annually by Sberbank 2019–2021, as well as forging deeper bonds through a close partnership between WEF and S:t Petersburg Economic Forum.

It is not a wild guess that the relationship will be restored once the conflict has been settled.

China has also developed close ties to WEF. The “Summer Davos” Annual Meeting of the New Champions has been arranged in the Chinese cities Tiunjan and Dalian since 2007.[15]

WEF has opened Centers for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (C4IR) in Brazil, China, South-Africa, India, UAE, Saudi-Arabia, whereas the centre in Russia (that opened as late as 2021) has been suspended due to the conflict in Ukraine.[16]

WEFs Global Shapers Community (for young people between 20 and 29) has hubs in 152 countries with the mission to “inspire, empower and connect young leaders to strengthen their communities and change the world” under the leadership of Klaus Schwab and the Council on Foreign Relations-chairman David Rubenstein. All BRICS-countries except Iran has or has had hubs.[17]

WEF has also “penetrated” BRICS with their Young Global Leader (and predecessor Global Leaders of Tomorrow) programs. There are now over 800 WEF-trained leaders in the BRICS countries. Several of them in government positions, but most of them in the business community.

The following list of Young Global Leaders in BRICS-countries is produced by data from the Pharos WEF YGL list.

  • Brazil: 73
  • Russia: 69
  • India: 204
  • China: 206
  • South Africa: 120
  • Egypt: 23
  • Ethiopia: 10
  • Iran: 9
  • Saudi Arabia: 44
  • UAE: 47

WEF has also, for obvious reasons, an influence on the West. The G7 Summit will this year be hosted by Italy, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, with a focus on Climate Change, Artificial Intelligence and food security. Another key focus is the “defence of the rules-based international system” that Russia, according to G7, has “undermined” because of their “war of aggression on Ukraine”.[18]

These are practically the same topics as those that will be discussed at next week’s annual WEF Summit. Guests invited to Davos this year includes Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who will discuss the “principles and implementation” of his peace plan.[19] However, no Russian leader has been invited this time.

We can expect that what transpires out of Davos will affect the agenda for all venues of global cooperation. Be it G7, BRICS or G20.

Next month, World Government Summit will be held in Dubai, UAE, with the mission to “shape future governments” with “smart technology”.

The real struggle is about who will control the future world order once the architecture is in place. Perhaps a “trustworthy” AI?

We can be sure that WEF will be a winner, regardless the outcome. In their ranks we find the crisis and war profiteers who get rich from the ongoing conflicts and “challenges” in the world. They make big bucks on the Russian “special operations”, Israeli counter-terrorism warfare, COVID-vaccinations, climate change mitigation, as well as on “smart” AI-systems.[20] Their profiteering respect no borders.

It is telling that the WEF’s newly published Global Risks Report 2024 does not see “armed conflict” as the most threatening global catastrophic risk for the coming two years, but rather “misinformation and disinformation”.

Can we guess that they are afraid of exposure?

WEF has been subjected to a lot of criticism in the aftermath of the pandemic that has tarnished their reputation.

There will also be elections that affect three billion people this year. This may, according to the report, intensify the use of mis- and disinformation to disrupt electoral processes and risk “undermine the legitimacy of newly elected governments”, resulting in violence and unrest.

The worst global threats for the coming two years, according to WEFs latest report

This could incite authoritarian response. As is stated in the report:

…the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation may be leveraged to strengthen digital authoritarianism and the use of technology to control citizens. Governments themselves will be increasingly in a position to determine what is true, potentially allowing political parties to monopolize the public discourse and suppress dissenting voices, including journalists and opponents.

The findings in the report is already a part of the G20 agenda:

Working Groups such as the Digital Economy WG—to combat disinformation—and the Global Mobilization Task Force against Climate Change, proposed by Brazil, are examples of G20 forums whose mission is to propose consensus and concrete measures to face the serious issues highlighted by the WEF report.[21]

I close with som fitting lyrics and music by Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine.

Peace sells… but who’s buying?

*

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Notes

1 www.g20.org/en/about-the-g20/e-book-brasil-na-presidencia-do-g20

2 www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Partner_in_Shaping_History.pdf

3 www.g20.utoronto.ca/docs/g20history.pdf

4 www.mef.gov.it/inevidenza/2021/article_00067/G20-Joint-Finance-and-Health-Ministers-Communique-29-October-2021.pdf

5 www.g20.org/en/news/world-health-organization-defends-global-equity-in-health-and-finance

6 www.g20.org/en/news/sus-is-a-reference-for-brasils-health-proposal-at-the-g20

7 www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2024/sessions/preparing-for-a-disease-x

8 www.g20.org/en/tracks/sherpa-track/climate-change

9 globalchallenges.org//app/uploads/2023/12/The-climate-trillions-we-need-4.pdf

10 www.ft.com/content/dec93c8a-35f0-48cf-9630-17b6c58a9631

11 en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/73202

12 brics2023.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/BRICS-Membership-expansion-guiding-principles-criteria-and-standards-2023.pdf

13 www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_A_Partner_in_Shaping_History.pdf

14 www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/ukraine-our-full-solidarity/

15 www.china.org.cn/business/summerdavos2009/node_7076769.htm

16 c4ir.ru/en/

17 weforum.ent.box.com/s/s1pu3rhxv4757degjrtom1mzow6x7i8b

18 www.g7italy.it/en/

19 www.weforum.org/events/world-economic-forum-annual-meeting-2024/sessions/press-conference-national-security-advisers-on-ukraine

20 www.aftonbladet.se/nyheter/kolumnister/a/8J2zXW/saab-tjanar-miljarder-pa-hot-om-krig

21 www.g20.org/en/news/world-economic-forum-report-states-that-disinformation-and-extreme-weather-are-the-main-threats-to-the-world-today 

All images in this article are from the author unless otherwise stated

 

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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On the second day of 2024, in Busan city, Korea, a terrorist called Kim (the murderer) tried to assassinate  with double-edged dagger Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the opposition party, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). 

The assassin disguised as an admirer of the opposition leader approached Lee, asked Lee’s autograph and jumped forward with his dagger and hit Lee’s left side neck and pierced Lee’s vein but fortunately not the artery. 

By miracle, the victim survived after a difficult operation in Seoul National University hospital.

The question which begs for an answer is this: had he himself planned to kill the opposition party leader, or was he ordered to do so by some hidden political forces? 

This criminal and dangerous incident could have a profound impact on the legislative election in April and the future of Korea. 

This paper discusses all relevant aspects of the incident including the possibility of a trilateral conspiracy (ROK-Japan-U.S.) which may be directly or indirectly responsible for the tragic attempted murder of the opposition leader.

As pointed out by the Western media, the incident is caused by an internal conflict within South Korea. This is the correct assessment. But, we need to know the nature of this internal conflict. 

The conflict has a long history of 113 years (1910-2023). It is the conflict between two opposing forces. 

One is the Anti-Korea Force (AKF) composed of those Koreans who collaborated with Japan during the Japanese colonial era (1910-1945) and their descendents. 

The AKF regards the Koreans as rival even as enemy. Therefore, they pursue their own interests at the expense of the interests of the Korean people. 

On the other hand, the opposing force is Pro-Korea Force (PKF). This force includes patriots who fought against the Japanese oppression and flagrant violation of human rights and patriots’ descendents who have been fighting the corruption and the abuse of power of the AKF ever since 1945.

The PKF pursues the promotion of all Koreans’ interests, while the AKF is interested in assuring its own wealth and privileges.  

The AKF-PKF conflict has been difficult to settle partly because of the intervention of Japan and the U.S. to support the AKF.

In other words, this conflict has lasted so long partly due to the conspiracy among AKF of South Korea, Japan and the U.S, which is best designated as a “trilateral conspiracy.”

This paper discusses the following issues.

  • Nature of the trilateral conspiracy 
  • Evolution of the AKF-PKF fight
  • Anti-AKF policy of Moon Jae-in
  • AKF’s reaction to Moon Jae-in Policy
  • Election of Yoon Suk-yeol as President
  • Mission of Yoon Suk-yeol 
  • Facts pertaining to the attempted Murder

Nature of the Trilateral Conspiracy

In this section, I will be focussing on the role of AKF, Washington and Tokyo in creating a problematic social and political climate conducive to the failed attempt to assassinate Lee Jae-myung.

The conspiracy is possible because all the three entities have something in common. 

The AKF of South Korea lacks legitimacy, because it is composed of the traitors’ descendents. Therefore, it regards the PKF and the Korean people as enemies. Hence, its priority is given to the maintenance of its power, the creation of its wealth and the continuation of its privileges.

To attain these objectives, the AKF has to silence the opposition voice of the PKF on the one hand, and on the other, it needs protection of Japan and the U.S.

Now, Washington also needs to protect the AKF and demonize the PKF.

The AKF is very pro-Washington and it is ready to compromise Korea’s interest for the promotion of Washington’s interests.

For these reasons, Washington has been cooperating with AKF on the one hand, and on the other, it has been participating in the demonization of the PKF.

Japan also has reasons to support the AKF and antagonize the PKF. The AKF supports Japan’s argument that the Japanese colonialism was good for Korea and that crime of Comfort Women, Labour Slavery and other war crimes were not real. Such unpatriotic behaviour of the AKF is more than welcome for Japan, for it may justify the Japanese colonialism 2.0.

Japan wants to demonize the PKF because it is not pro-Japan and because it wants Korea’s sovereignty. 

There are other reasons for the three entities to side with the AKF and go against the PKF.

First, all three do not want peaceful reunification of Korea for different reasons.

For Washington, the peaceful reunification of Korea means the withdrawal of the US military from Korea.

For Japan, the peaceful reunification means threats to Japan and increasing difficulty in re-colonizing Korea. For the AKF and Yoon, the peaceful unification of Korea means alienation of the AKF and the end of its privilege.

Second, all three entities do not like the strength of the middle class represented by the PKF.

For Washington, strong PKF means increasing difficulty in using South Korea for the promotion of its own interests.

For Tokyo, a strong middle class (PKF) makes it difficult to justify its colonialism. For Yoon and the AKF, it becomes more difficult to destroy it so that Yoon and the AKF keep their wealth and privilege.

It is to be remembered that in 2008 President Lee Myung-bak (2008-2013) could not import rotten American beef due to the PKF’s mass protests. Lee Myung-bak wanted to please Washington. 

In 2019, Japan imposed trade sanctions on South Korea in connection with the labour slavery of Korean workers. But, the PKF fought back through the “Do not buy Japanese goods” campaign ended up by total failure of the Japanese trade sanction. So, Japan does not like the PKF.

Yoon Suk-yeol and the AKF know too well the power of the masses (PKF) which forced all the six AKF to terminate their presidency in a tragic way.

The following shows how Washington, Tokyo and Yoon’s AKF have played their respective role to destroy the PKF.

Washington’s Role

In 1905, Washington took side with AKF through the Taft-Katsura Agreement by virtue of which Japan could have Korea, while the U.S. could conquer the Philippines. This resulted in the annexation of Korea to Japan which was made possible by the treason of Lee Wan-yong who sold Korea to Japan free of charge. 

This created a situation where the traitors and Korean patriots started to fight. This fight is going on now between the descendents of the two forces. 

During 15 years since 1945, the American military government (1945-1948) and the government of Rhee Syngman (1948-1960) (image right), the traitors were hired to run the two governments and the traitors massacred several hundreds of thousands of South Korea civilians to silence the voice of objection to these governments. 

In this way, Washington was responsible for the survival and the expansion of the AKF on the one hand and, on the other, the massive destruction of the PKF.

During the pro-US military dictatorship of Generals Park Chung-hee (1962-1979) and Chun Doo-hwan (1980-1987) Washington supported these two dictators despite their cruel and violent violations of all human rights of the PKF. There is no doubt that Washington has abundantly contributed to the AKF-PKF fight for AKFs advantage.

Now, under the government of Lee Myung-bak (2008-2013) and that of Park Geun-hye (2013-2017) (image Left), Washington would have intervened for the presidential election through various means including the creation of fearful social climate by intensifying anti-North Korea military propaganda and military threat.

Such social climate has often led to electoral victory of the AKF.

There was another way of Washington’s interference in the South Korean presidential elections. For example, two leaders of South Korean minor political parties were suspected to have contributed, in 2022, to the slim victory of Yoon Suk-yeol. These individuals are suspected to be collaborators of American intelligence agencies.

Washington has been showing to Koreans that the AKF’s diplomacy with Washington is better than that of PKF’s. This tactic of Washington is motivated to alienate the PKF and to support the AKF. 

Tokyo’s Role

Tokyo has surely contributed to the interests of the AKF at the expense of those of the PKF.

It is true that Japan lost the Pacific War. But, its ambition of ruling Asia again never died. To rule Asia again, Japan had to conquer again Korea. To do so, it was necessary to colonize Korea again. To colonize Korea, Japan needed the collaboration of the pro-Japan conservative force, that is, the AKF.

It was Japan who funded the first political party of the AKF led by General Park Chung-hee who received USD 66 million in 1963 from Kishi Nonuske, the virtual leader of Japan. 

General Park created with this money the Republican Party. The current party of the AKF, the People Power Party (PPP), is the linear offspring of Park’s Republican Party.

Another strategy of re-colonizing Korea was the negation of Japanese war crimes against the Korean race. The “New Right” movement in South Korea was created to convince the Korean people that the Japanese colonialism was good for Korea and that the PKF’s unfriendly attitude toward Japan is wrong.

One of the ways of supporting the AKF and punishing the PKF was its diplomacy with South Korea. When the AKF is in power the Japan-ROK relations were smooth and constructive. But, when the PKF is in power, Tokyo chose hostile relations with South Korea to argue that the PKF is unable to conduct good diplomacy.

Thus, both Washington and Tokyo have conspired to help the AKF and penalizing the PKF for the promotion of their respective interests.

Role of Yoon and AKF

Image: Yoon takes the presidential oath of office outside the National Assembly, 10 May 2022 (Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

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The role of Yoon Suk-yeol and the AKF is to subordinate Korea’s interests to those of Japan and the U.S. in return of their protection provided by Washington and Tokyo.

Yoon justified and glorified Japanese colonialism. This concession increases Japan’s ambition to colonize Korea again.

As for the U.S., Yoon accepted the trilateral military alliance. This concession forces the ROK army to fight the China-U.S. proxy war and it will mean the end of Korea.

In short, Japan and the U.S. have conspired with the AKF in its fight against the PKF. In return, Yoon has promoted the interests of Tokyo and Washington even at the expense of Korea’s interests. 

This is the essence of the trilateral conspiracy.

Evolution of the AKF-PKF Fight

Creation of the AKF’s wealth 

In the evolution of the AKF-PKF fight, money has played the vital role. Money has allowed AKF to take and keep power and control the PKF.

In total, the AKF has ruled Korea for 35 years (1910-1945) during the Japanese colonial period and governed South Korea for 55 years since 1945.

The AKF has accumulated enormous wealth during 90 years. During the Japanese colonial period, it became rich by stealing land, houses, factories, money and other assets belonging to Korean patriot families.

During the post-war period, the AKF became extremely rich by the following methods: appropriation of assets of Japanese who left Korea, business-politics collusion allowing the AKF to take a good part of GDP growth, infinite kinds of bribes, kickbacks, illegal land speculation, forced change of land zoning code, fees for the deployment of 300,000 South Korean soldiers to Vietnam, the 4-River construction project, the Natural Resource diplomacy and outright embezzlement of public funds.

Nobody knows about the wealth of the AKF. But it surely amounts to several trillions of dollars. Much of this wealth is invested in real estate at home and abroad.

The AKF had to protect its wealth at all costs. To protect the wealth, it must keep power. To keep power, it must eliminate those who criticise or those who are suspected to criticise the AKF government; it has been imposing police dictatorship, military dictatorship, prosecutor dictatorship even media dictatorship.

Through such criminal regimes, the AKF has massacred more than 600,000 South Koreans; perhaps more than 30% of South Korean families have been the target of police harassment; a great number of young people were barred from public service; many were expelled from Korea; countless young people were tortured by the police for their street demonstration.

Counter-offensive of Citizens

The PKF has not remained idle. It fought back in two ways. One way was the popular uprising by all citizens, especially by the students. The other was counter-offensive by PKF governments.

  • The Student Revolution (April 19, 1960) leading to the dismissal of President Rhee Syngman who escaped to Hawaii on American CIA plane. 
  • The BUMA Protests (October 16, 1979) leading to the assassination of General Park Chung-hee by his CIAK director.
  • The Kwangjoo Democratic Movement (May 18, 1980) allowing the imprisonment of General Chun Doo-hwan and General Rho Tae-woo for corruption
  • The Democratic Movement of June 1987: Amendment of constitution allowing direct election of president by the people.
  • The Candle Light Revolution (2016-2017) by 17,000,000 citizens of all ages leading to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye and the formation of the PKF’s government of Moon-Jae-in

Counter-offensive by the PKF’s Governments

The government of Kim Daejung (1998-2003), the government of Rho Moo-hyun (2003-2008) and the government of Moon Jae-in (2017-2022) have fought back against the AKF.

The 15-year PKF governments have fought against the AKF through political, economic, media and judicial reforms.

The three presidents of the PKF have certainly harmed the privileges of the AKF. 

However, it was the government of Moon Jae-in which has harmed the most the AKF.

Anti-AKF Policy of Moon Jae-in 

Image: Moon at his first press conference as president in 2017 (Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)

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Armed with the spirit of the Candle Light Revolution, Moon Jae-in took power in 2017. This change of power meant a great threat for the AKF which had lost its force despite the desperate efforts by Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye to restore it.

The measures adopted by Moon Jae-in included the following: the destruction of the bribe culture, increase in government spending for the improvement of the well being of the ordinary people, increase in minimum wage, increase in the coverage of medical care insurance, increase in corporate tax, increase in capital gains tax, restriction of the coverage of the security law, increase in the negotiation power of labour unions and many other measures which drastically reduced the source of income of the AKF.

Election of Yoon Suk-yeol as President

The AKF was alarmed by Moon’s policies. The AKF decided to find someone who could destroy the PKF. Well, the someone was Yoon Suk-yeol. 

The AKF knew that Yoon had no experience in politics or administration except arresting and imprisoning people.

But this was, precisely, the quality sought by the AKF which wanted a butcher who would kill the PKF.

During the campaign, Yoon showed his ignorance, his stupidity and his Shamanism. He showed, during a the debate, the sign of king “王” on his hand. His wife, notorious criminal, was known to be the disciple of Shaman called “Cheon -Gong”

Mission of Yoon Suk-yeol

Yoon seems to have these missions. 

  • Maximum creation of wealth for Yoon and the AKF
  • Prevention of citizens’ mass protests against Yoon’s government and the AKF
  • Imposition of Prosecutor dictatorship
  • Demonization of the PKF and its party, Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)
  • Elimination of future leaders of the PKF
  • Elimination of Lee Jae-myung

Maximum Creation of Wealth for Yoon and the AKF

In addition to the usual way of accumulating the wealth of the AKF, Yoon has been trying to stack up money for himself and his friends of the AKF.

  • First, increase of the allocation of resources to large corporations through subsidies and grants and decrease of corporate taxes so that the bribe money can flow in the pockets of Yoon and the AKF.
  • Second, non-bidding contracts for the reparation of new presidential office, moving expenses and a host of other government projects allowing the illegal sharing of the contract funds with the contractors.
  • Third, the appointment of AKF people at key government positions for bribes.
  • Fourth, possible appropriation of travel expenses of frequent presidential overseas visits.
  • Fifth, outright embezzlement of public funds.
  • Sixth, cut of spending on people’s wellbeing. To create more wealth for the AKF, Yoon did cut expenses needed for the promotion of people’s well being, decreased old age pension, cut subsidies to schools, decreased subsidies to SMEs, decreased medical care coverage, increased income tax, cut subsidies for R&D and many other measures to impoverish the ordinary people and compromise Korea’s potential economic growth.

Prevention of Citizens Mass Protests Against Yoon’s Government and the AKF

The best way of preventing the citizens’ mass protests against Yoon’s government and the AKF is to make the people so poor that they feel powerless to fight against the Yoon’s prosecutor dictatorship.

To do that, Yoon has decided to destroy the source of income of ordinary Koreans. This requires the demolition of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which create 90% of jobs on the one hand, and on the other, promote the interests of large corporations which provide most of the bribes.

Moreover, Yoon has decided to cut considerably the funding of R&D. This policy will bring long-run stagnation of the economy. Thus, the poverty of South Koreans will continue.

Imposition of Prosecutor Dictatorship

In order to better control the voice of objection and protest against his regime, Yoon started, right after he took power in 2022, the dictatorship regime of prosecutors.

First he has appointed prosecutors to run key government and government-funded institutions. These prosecutors have no knowledge about the functions they are supposed to perform. 

Their real function is to find any wrong doings committed by those who had worked for the previous government of Moon Jae-in. The purpose was to wipe out the trace of Moon’s reforms which have threatened the existence of the AKF.

Another objective was to eliminate those civil servants who may feel closer to the PKF people. In fact, many former ministers and deputy ministers of Moon Jae-in government are in prison with no evidence justifying their imprisonment.

Second, opinion makers including artists, politicians, academics, journalists and others who criticize or may do so are object of prosecutors’ numerous house search, indictment, harassing and even imprisonment with no supporting evidence. 

This has created a social climate of fear and uncertainty harming any productive activities needed for the development of the society.

The whole purpose of prosecutor dictatorship is the maintenance of the power which is, for Yoon and the AKF, more important than social and economic development of Korea and the Koreans’ well being. 

Demonization of the PKF and Its Party, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK)

Right from the debut of Yoon’s government two years ago, the DPK has been demonized by Yoon, PPP and the AKF.

The AKF mobilized countless pro-AKF social media, on line media and speeches and conferences to qualify DPK as communists, corrupted gangster and responsible for the artificial peace promoted y the three DPK presidents, Kim Dae-jung (1990-2003)- Rho Moo-hyun (2003-2008) and Moon Jae-in (2017-2022).

Yoon has refused to meet Lee Jae-myung president of the DPK, because the DPK is a criminal organization. The hidden purpose was to blame the DPK for Yoon’s failure of national policies.

Elimination of Future PKF Leaders 

Yoon has adopted the tactic of “judiciary trap” to eliminate future leaders of the PKF. It involves the following steps:

  • First, the prosecutor, pro-AKF media and pro-AKF NGOs fabricate evidence of wrong doings of PKF leaders.
  • Second, the prosecutor’s office gives the fabricated evidence to pro-AKF media. By the way, more than 90% of Korea median is pro-AKF.
  • Third, influenced by the media, the people believe that the target person of the AKF is guilty.
  • Fourth, some individuals or some organizations indict the target person. In fact, there is an AKF NGO specialized in indicting PKF members. It inducts each week several individual or organizations of the PKF.
  • Fifth, the court trial can last for years in some cases. And the target person has to pay mounting lawyer fee and becomes the public enemy.
  • Sixth, usually, the court declares “not guilty”. But the target person is socially, professionally and politically assassinated.

The AKF picks, as target, those leaders who could become presidential candidate for the PKF. 

The manufactured evidence of target person’s wrong doings is sex abuse and bribes scandals.

There were four prominent PKF persons who could be presidential candidate. Two of them killed themselves, although there was no proof of the crimes. They could not allow the suffering of their families. The other two are no longer eligible for presidential candidates 

The disappearance of four PKF leaders has hurt badly the leadership of the PKF.

The troubling fact is that it is quasi impossible to stop the judiciary trap, because the Korean prosecutor office is the most powerful organization in the world. There is no power which cam punish prosecutor up to now. 

Fortunately, in 2023 the National Assembly adopted a law allowing the impeachment of prosecutors. But it has very limited authority. So, the judiciary trap continues.

Elimination of Lee Jae-myung

Lee Jae-myung goes much further than Moon Jae-in in uprooting the social, political and financial infrastructure of the corrupted AKF. 

Lee cannot be bought with bribes. Hence, he must be eliminated by other means. There are two ways of eliminating Lee. One is the judicial trap killing, while the other is political assassination.

Lee Jae-myung is trapped in the judiciary trap. 

First, he is accused of corruption. One is the use of the value added tax income from large private housing development for the project of low rent rental dwelling construction project while Lee was the mayor of Sungnam city. The prosecutor’s office argues that, some of the value added tax is embezzled by Lee. There is no proof.

Second, the other case is this. Lee used empty public land for local soccer team. Lee obtained some funds from local business community. The prosecutor’s office accuses Lee of putting a part of this donation funds in his pocket. There is no proof.

The prosecutor’s office has conducted 367 house searches in two years at Lee’s house, his offices and even homes of his remote relatives.

But it has failed to find any evidence of Lee’s corruption. What is more inhuman is that Lee has to go the police three times a week for investigation. 

What make the people disgusted is the fact that he was summoned one day after Lee’s 25-day fasting. Lee could hardly walk then. Yoon might have hoped that Lee would die on the way to the police station.

Third, there was another land scandal used to connect Lee to corruption scandal. It is the land scandal of Dae-jang-dong. 

Lee was originally accused by one of senior members of the DPK out of jealousy. This person lost his presidential candidacy to Lee Jae-myung at the 2022 presidential election.

The irony is that the people deeply involved who pocketed millions of dollars are members of Yoon’s party, PPP. The case is now the object of a  Parliament’s Special Investigation.

As for the abuse of power, while Lee Jae-myung was the governor of Kyunggi province, Lee’s wife asked one of the secretarial staff of Lee to run an errand of buying beef for $7.0. This accusation is just ridiculous,

What is alarming is that the Western media copy what the corrupted Korean media say about fabricated story of corruption and abuse of power of Lee without investigation the reliability of these stories.

Moreover, the Western media do not mention the criminal activities of the wife of Yoon and ministers and vice-ministers of the Yoon’s government. 

The criminal activities of Mrs. Yoon, Kim Keun-hee is so extensive that the National Assembly adopted a law of Special Parliament Investigation of her crimes. 

But Yoon exercised his presidential veto power to refuse the law. Just imagine how mad man Yoon is. He has imprisoned so many innocent people, but he tries to hide his wife’s crimes.

Facts pertaining to Assassination Attempt

As we saw above, the judicial trap of “assassinating” Lee Jae-myung failed. Therefore, the actual assassination of Lee was the solution. The killer is called Kim of 60s. The following is what has been known so far.

First, he was member of PPP (AKF) for some time.

Second, he joined DPK and trained professionally. Especially, he practiced often how to jump forward and pierce the neck of the target person with a double-edged dagger.

Third, he followed Lee Jae-myung for some time with a view to kill him. Once he was seen trying to attack Lee in front of a car before Lee entered the car.

Day before the murder attempt, he was seen descending from an expensive car in front of a hotel. This suggests the possibility of conspiracy involving people who hate Lee, possibly someone from the AKF.

Fourth, at the police station in Busan, the attacker declared with almost pride that his intention was to kill Lee Jae-myung. This shows that he knew  that he would go to prison, that somebody would look after him and his family and that he would have presidential pardon, if the AKF keeps the power.

Fifth, the online and off line pro-AKF media are trying desperately to convince people that the murder attempt was motivated entirely by the attacker’s personal grudge against Lee Jae-myung. 

Sixth, the government of Yoon is eager to show that the attempted assassination is minor incident. For instance, the Prime Minister’s office declared,  even before the police investigation, that the injury of Lee Jae-myung was very minor.

Seventh, the pro-AKF media are silent; they do not mention the incident. 

Eighth, the police declared that it will not make public briefing about the incidence without explaining why.

Ninth, the possibility of conspiracy on the part of Yoon Suk-yeol and the AKF to eliminate Lee Jae-myung is high. 

The attempt to murder Lee has failed this time by the will of God. It was a miracle that Lee has survived. But, there will be more attempts to kill him.

Did Yoon conspire with Kishida and Biden to produce a social climate of fear until the April general election. The tactic would include the following:

image right: Joe Biden,  Fumio Kishida and Yoon Suk Yeol prior to trilateral meeting, August, 2023, at  Camp David, Maryland. (Official White House Photo by Erin Scott)

  • —First, Kishida and Biden will intensify the demonization of North Korea. This will help the re-election of Biden in the U.S. in November and the improvement of Kishida’s approval rate in Japan. This will also help Yoon at the coming legislative election in Korea in April. At least, they hope so.
  • —Second, this is important. Yoon will provoke localized armed conflict with North Korea. If North Korea reacts militarily, Yoon may declare the “Marshal Law”, kill Lee Jae-myung and PKF leaders and he may try to rule Korea forever like Park chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan. 

This is what I call the “Marshall Law Trap” which was planned to be used in 2016 during the Candle Light Revolution. The person who plotted the Marshall Law escaped to the U.S. Now he is back.

However, if North Korea does not react militarily, the Marshall Law trap will fail. I sincerely hope that Chairman Kim Jung-un would not react at all at least until the April election in South Korea.  

If Lee Jae-myung is assassinated, no one has the will or means to fight the insane prosecutor dictatorship. Nobody knows what will happen to South Korea. May God protect Korea!

*

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Dr. Joseph H. Chung is professor of economics at Quebec University in Montreal (UQAM). He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).

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Il Sudafrica ha portato Israele davanti alla Corte Internazionale di Giustizia delle Nazioni Unite, accusandolo di genocidio. Il crimine di genocidio consiste non solo nello sterminio di una popolazione ma nel privarla della sua terra, negarle il diritto di avere un proprio Stato, distruggere il suo tessuto sociale e le sue stesse radici storiche. È esattamente ciò che sta facendo Israele con i palestinesi.

La guerra condotta da Israele a Gaza, motivata come difesa dall’attacco di Hamas (il cui piano era noto da oltre un anno ai capi politici e militari israeliani) mira a cancellare il Territorio di Gaza. Esso fa parte, con quello della Cisgiordania, dello Stato di Palestina riconosciuto dalla Assemblea Generale delle Nazioni Unite della quale esso è membro pur non avendo ancora il diritto di voto. La guerra israeliana non solo stermina la popolazione civile, ma rende il territorio di Gaza inabitabile.

Lo scopo, dichiarato apertamente dalla destra israeliana, è che i palestinesi siano “reinsediati fuori da Gaza”, ossia deportati definitivamente fuori dalla loro terra. Gli Stati Uniti, mentre continuano a sostenere la guerra di Israele per incendiare il Medioriente in cui stanno perdendo la posizione predominante, sono favorevoli a mantenere un territorio formalmente palestinese ma di fatto privo di ogni reale sovranità.

A questa visione corrisponde il piano presentato dal ministro israeliano della Difesa. Esso prevede che Israele mantenga il controllo militare dei confini di Gaza, isolandola ancora di più, mentre una task force multinazionale (formata sicuramente da USA, NATO e UE) supervisiona “la ricostruzione e lo sviluppo economico del territorio”.

Abitanti palestinesi, scelti da Israele e dalla task force internazionale, gestirebbero gli affari civili nell’ “enclave” di Gaza. Non ci sarebbe alcun ruolo a Gaza per l’Autorità Palestinese, che gestisce parti della Cisgiordania occupata da Israele, Israele otterrebbe in tal modo ciò che vuole: la definitiva cancellazione dello Stato di Palestina, deciso dalle Nazioni Unite 77 anni fa nel quadro della formula dei due Stati.

Su questo sfondo è di primaria importanza la decisione del Sudafrica di portare Israele davanti alla Corte Internazionale di Giustizia delle Nazioni Unite con l’accusa di genocidio.

Manlio Dinucci

 

Video (Youtube) :

 

Video (Bioblu.com) :

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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Introduction 

The Article below documents how:

“Half the soldiers of an Israeli reserve battalion refused to fight in the Gaza Strip and were released from duty by their commander” Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed reported on 17 January.

Inasmuch as the Netanyahu government is involved in an act of genocide against the People of Palestine, Israeli soldiers have an obligation under Principle IV of the Nuremberg Charter to Disobey Unlawful Orders” and “Abandon the Battlefield”.  

What is significant is that the Reserve soldiers who refused to fight were not penalized by their commanding officer.  

This courageous action by Israeli Reserve soldiers sets the stage: Abandon the Battlefield should be extended to ALL Israeli combatants

Principle IV of the Nuremberg Charter  defines the responsibility of combatants

to refuse the orders of Government or a superior … “provided a moral choice [is] possible“. 

What we are proposing is the conduct without delay of a Worldwide grass-roots campaign,  encouraging: Israeli, American and NATO Combatants to “Disobey Unlawful Orders” and “Abandon the Battlefield”.  

The detailed modalities pertaining to Principle IV of the Nuremberg Charter and the obligation to “Disobey Unlawful Orders” is outlined in Part II of this posting.

Global Research, January 19, 2023

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Part I

Israeli Reserve Soldiers Refuse to Fight in Gaza

by

The Cradle

January 19, 2023

 

The Qatari outlet cited Israel’s Kan Reshet Bet radio as reporting that reserve soldiers were called up to form a new brigade in the Israeli army to carry out protection tasks in the areas surrounding Gaza and the occupied West Bank. However, the soldiers received permission to leave the battalion after the army tried to send them to fight and carry out combat missions within Gaza for which they were not qualified or adequately equipped.

The soldiers were called up in late December, but the new brigade was poorly organized, did not have a deputy brigade commander, and was short on weapons and officers.

During the training period, soldiers complained of serious gaps in equipment, professionalism, and a lack of human resources.

The soldiers were then further angered to learn their mission had changed, and they would be sent to Gaza for combat missions.

The radio quoted one soldier as saying:

“We received the conscription order, and we responded to that. They told us that our specialty would be to protect the towns, and after about a week of training that took place in a horrific manner, without ammunition, and without officers, we were suddenly told that there was an order that the Israeli army needed us to enter the Gaza Strip to clear homes.”

The soldier added,

“We were shocked. We are all combat soldiers. I personally was in the Nahal Brigade, and the rest of the soldiers are from former infantry brigades, but we had not carried out reserve missions for years. We were given an M16 weapon, which fell apart in our hands, and there was no ammunition for training. We collected bullets off the ground so that we have something we can fire.”

The radio station quoted another soldier as saying,

“There are people who trained without military uniforms. There are soldiers who were not given shirts or slippers at first. The means that were available were not suitable for training. The brigade, which was supposed to include four battalions, barely reached one and a half battalions. It is not understandable how they wanted to introduce such a completely unqualified force into the Gaza Strip.”

The report comes amid the announcement that the 36th division, which comprises armored, engineering, and infantry companies, withdrew from the Gaza Strip after 80 days of fighting.

The Israeli government says this is part of a planned transition away from the “intensive manoeuvring stage” of its Gaza military campaign to a more targeted phase to last until the end of this year.

At the same time, some speculate that Israel has been forced to withdraw some of its forces due to heavy losses inflicted by fighters from Hamas’ military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

Israel is also facing economic difficulties, with the government having to pay salaries for hundreds of thousands of reserve soldiers called away from their civilian jobs.

Israel also has large numbers of soldiers on the northern border to support operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israel’s army chief said Wednesday the likelihood of a full-scale war with the Lebanese resistance group has become “much higher.”

“I don’t know when the war in the north is, I can tell you that the likelihood of it happening in the coming months is much higher than it was in the past,” Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi said in a statement during a visit to northern Israel.

***

 

Part II

Principle IV of the Nuremberg Charter.

Disobey Illegal Orders, Abandon the Battlefield

by

Michel Chossudovsky 

January 19, 2023

 

This text presents a possible solution to put an end to the ongoing genocide. It is a proposal which has not been the object of debate by anti-war activists in solidarity with Palestine.  

It is based on Principle IV of the Nuremberg Charter  which defines the responsibility of combatants “to refuse the orders of Government or a superior … “provided a moral choice [is] possible“. 

Based on the Nuremberg Charter, what is required is a campaign encouraging:

Israeli, American and NATO Combatants to “Disobey Unlawful Orders” and “Abandon the Battlefield”. 

The Campaign would focus on making that “moral choice” possible, namely to enable enlisted Israeli, American, and NATO service men and women to “Abandon the Battlefield”.

The Abandon the Battlefield campaign will in large part be waged in Israel. In regards to Israel, already there are unfolding divisions in the IDF command structures, political divisions, coupled with a protest movement against Netanyahu.

IDF soldiers and commanders must be informed and briefed on the significance of Nuremberg Principle IV. 

Inasmuch as the U.S. and its allies are waging a hegemonic war in major regions of the World, Abandon the Battlefield should be a call for action by the anti-war movement Worldwide. 

 

Click  title page to access full document (pdf)

 

Now let me turn my attention to Nuremberg Principle VI, which defines the crimes punishable under international law: 

Nuremberg Charter. Principle VI 

Both Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu as well as President Joe Biden are responsible for “war crimes”, “crimes against peace” and “crimes against humanity” as defined under Principle VI of the Nuremberg Charter:

The crimes hereinafter set out are punishable as crimes under international law:

(a) Crimes against peace:

(i) Planning, preparation, initiation or waging of a war of aggression or a war in violation of international treaties, agreements or assurances;
(ii) Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of any of the acts mentioned under (i).

(b)  War crimes:

Violations of the laws or customs of war which include, but are not limited to, murder, ill- treatment or deportation to slave-labour or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war, of persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns, or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity.

(c)  Crimes against humanity:

Murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation and other inhuman acts done against any civilian population, or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds.

Disobey Unlawful Orders, Abandon the Battlefield 

According to Principle IV of the Nuremberg Charter:

“The fact that a person [e.g. Israeli, U.S.soldiers, pilots]  acted pursuant to order of his [her] Government or of a superior does not relieve him [her] from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him [her].”

Let us make that  “moral choice” possible, to enlisted Israeli, American, and NATO service men and women.

Let us call upon Israeli and American soldiers and pilots “to abandon the battlefield”, as an act of refusal to participate in a criminal undertaking against the People of Gaza.  

South Africa’s legal procedure at the ICJ should be endorsed Worldwide. While it cannot be relied upon to put a rapid end to the genocide, it provides support and legitimacy to 

Disobey Unlawful Orders, Abandon the Battlefield”  campaign under Nuremberg Charter Principle IV.

It is a proposal which has not been the object of media coverage and/or debate by anti-war activists.

While it is predicated on international law, its conduct  does not require the political rubber stamp of either the ICC or the ICJ. It is part of a grass-routs campaign in Israel and the Middle East as well as Worldwide. 

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For more details see 

The Criminalization of International Justice, Putting an End to the Genocide against the People of Palestine. Nuremberg Principle IV

By Prof Michel Chossudovsky, January 17, 2024

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Western Journalists Are Accessories to Murder

January 19th, 2024 by Bill Nicholov

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How are Western TV news anchors able to sit at their desks, with a straight face and with no remorse, and broadcast news that enables rampant human rights violations and glorifies mass murder?

Are they evil, selfish or just plain stupid?

When they report news of a country carpet-bombing civilians, with almost half of the slaughtered being children, the next words that come out of the journalist’s mouth cannot be that the country committing genocide “has the right to defend itself”.

Nobody is that stupid.

Western journalists follow their bosses’ marching orders and have agreed to be wilfully blind in order to push through a biased, racist agenda for the sake of their own careers.

They are selfish, resulting in evil acts, so you draw your own conclusions.

To make matters worse, they drown in self-congratulatory adulation from the public for “standing up for morality, democracy, and human rights” while feigning humbleness with a thinly veiled, yet omnipresent, aura of self-righteousness.

Yes, I’m pissed off.

And correction, it’s the public that is that stupid.

To add to the audacity, many Western journalists and owners of media companies, who share a religion or ethnicity with the oppressed, hang their own people out to dry in order to pursue their imperialistic Western agendas for the sake of a profit.

There are specific people I have in mind, but you draw your own conclusions.

My ethnic group has its own Western media sellouts, and will also draw its own conclusions as to who I’m referring to. We’re a target of the wide array of Western anti-human rights tactics, and we’ve experienced them all, including mass murder, expulsion, forced assimilation and systematic human rights abuses.

When your country’s name is forcibly changed (by the West, aiding and abetting your oppressors, of course) in order to eradicate your identity, culture, and history — as announced and celebrated by your oppressors — the next words out of a Western journalist’s mouth cannot be that it is a “resolution of a diplomatic dispute”.

Riot police attacking peaceful protesters cannot result in Western media sympathizing with the police and denouncing the protesters. Dissenters incarcerated and subjected to daily beatings in prison — simply for speaking out — cannot be referred to as “nationalists”. Terrorists who started a civil war in your country and committed murder with the public aim of destroying your ethnic group (with Western backing, of course), cannot be labelled as “human rights defenders”.

When your ethnic group, and your family, are carpet-bombed by the West following World War II (despite being Allies in both world wars) because the West chose to aid Nazi-supporting fascists slaughter your ethnic group, Western journalists cannot call it a “defence of democracy”.

The West chooses which ethnic groups are expendable. They decide who has human rights and superhuman rights, vs. no rights at all. But Western media companies and journalists do not have to obey marching orders. They choose to follow them in lockstep no matter the repercussions for the oppressed. They could take a stand in defence of human rights — and actual life — by reporting the truth, quitting in protest and exposing corruption in their industry, and becoming real defenders of human rights. And their selfishness would be satisfied, as there is profit to be had there too.

But they choose to be accessories to murder. They are evil.

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Bill Nicholov is President of Macedonian Human Rights Movement International. 

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You have to hand it to the U.S. and its henchmen for brazenness. In order to protect their client state Israel and its genocide in Gaza, the U.S., together with the UK, have in one week launched air and sea attacks on the Houthis in Yemen five times, referring to it as “self-defense” in their Orwellian lingo. The ostensible reason being Yemen’s refusal to allow ships bound for Israel, which is committing genocide in Gaza, to enter the Red Sea, while permitting other ships to pass freely.

To any impartial observer, the Houthis should be lauded. Yet, while the International Court of Justice considers the South African charge of genocide against Israel that is supported by overwhelming evidence, the U.S. and its allies have instigated a wider war throughout the Middle East while claiming they do not want such a war. These settler colonial states want genocide and a much wider war because they have been set back on their heels by those they have mocked, provoked, and attacked – notably the Palestinians, Syrians, and Russians, among others.

While the criminalization of international law does not bode well for the ICJ’s upcoming ruling or its ability to stop Israeli’s genocide in Gaza, Michel Chossudovsky, of Global Research, as is his wont, has offered a superb analysis and suggestion for those who oppose such crimes:

that Principle IV of the Nuremberg Charter – “The fact that a person [e.g. Israeli, U.S. soldiers, pilots]  acted pursuant to order of his [her] Government or of a superior does not relieve him [her] from responsibility under international law, provided a moral choice was in fact possible to him.” – should be used to supplement the South African charges and appeal directly to the moral consciences of those asked to carry out acts of genocide. He writes:

Let us call upon Israeli and American soldiers and pilots “to abandon the battlefield”, as an act of refusal to participate in a criminal undertaking against the People of Gaza.  

South Africa’s legal procedure at the ICJ should be endorsed Worldwide. While it cannot be relied upon to put a rapid end to the genocide, it provides support and legitimacy to the “Disobey Unlawful Orders, Abandon the Battlefield”  campaign under Nuremberg Charter Principle IV.

While such an approach will not stop the continuing slaughter, it would remind the world that each person who participates in and supports it bears a heavy burden of guilt for their actions; that they are morally and legally culpable.

This appeal to the human heart and conscience, no matter what its practical effect, will at least add to the condemnation of a genocide happening in real time and full view of the world, even though no one will ever be prosecuted for such crimes since any real just use of international law has long disappeared.  Yet there is a edifying history of such conscientious objection to immoral war making, and though each person makes the decision in solitary witness, individual choices can inspire others and the solitary become solidary, as Albert Camus reminded us at the end of his short story, “The Artist at Work.”

With each passing day, it becomes more and more evident that Israel/U.S.A. and their allies do want a wider war. Iran is their special focus, with Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen targets on the way. Anyone who supports the genocide in Gaza, explicitly or through silence, bears responsibility for the conflagration to come. There are no excuses.

And the facts show that it is axiomatic that waging war has been the modus operandi of the U.S./Israeli alliance for a long time.  Just as in early 2003 when the Bush administration said they were looking for a peaceful solution to their fake charges against Sadam Hussein with his alleged “weapons of mass destruction,” the Biden administration is lying, as the Bush administration lied about September 11, 2001 to launch its ongoing war on terror, starting in Afghanistan. Without an expanded war, President Biden – aka the Democrats, since he will most probably not be the candidate – and his psychopathic partner Benjamin Netanyahu, will not survive. It is bi-partisan war-mongering, of course, internationally and intramurally, since both U.S. political parties are controlled by the Israel Lobby and billionaire class that owns Congress and the “defense” industry that thrives on never-ending war to such an extent that even the notable independent candidate for the presidency, Robert Kennedy, Jr., who is running as an anti-war candidate, fully supports Israel which is tantamount to supporting Biden’s expanding war policy.

Biden and Netanyahu, who are always claiming after the fact that they were surprised by events or were fed bad advice by their underlings, are dumb scorpions. They are stupid but deadly. And many people in the West, while perhaps decent people in their personal lives, are living in a fantasy world of “sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity,” in MLK, Jr.’s words, as the growing threat of a world war increases and insouciance reigns.

Neither the Israeli nor American government can allow themselves to be humiliated, U.S./NATO by the Russians in Ukraine and the Israelis by the Palestinians.  Like cornered criminals with lethal weapons, they will kill as many as they can on their way down, taking their revenge on the weakest first.

Their “mistakes” are always well intentioned. They stumble into wars through faulty intelligence. They drop the ball because of bureaucratic mix-ups. They miscalculate the perfidy of the moneyed elites whom allegedly they oppose while pocketing their cash and ushering them into the national coffers out of necessity since they are too big to fail. They never see the storm coming, even as they create it. Their incompetence or the perfidy of their enemies is the retort to all those “nut cases” who conjure up conspiracy theories or plain facts to explain their actions or lack thereof. They are innocent. Always innocent.  And they can’t understand why those they have long abused reach a point when they will no longer impetrate for mercy but will fight fiercely for their freedom.

All signs point to a major war on the horizon. Both the U.S.A. and Israel have been shown to be rogue states with no desire to negotiate a peaceful world. Believing in high-tech weapons and massive firepower, neither has learned the hard lesson that anti-colonial wars have historically been won by those with far less weapons but with a passionate desire to throw off the chains of their oppressors. Vietnam is the text-book case, and there are many others. Failure to learn is the name of their game.

The Zionist project for a Greater Israel is doomed to fail, but as it does, desperate men like Biden and Netanyahu are intent on launching desperate acts of war. Exactly when and how this expanded war will blaze across the headlines is the question. It has started, but I think it prudent to expect a black swan event sometime this year when all hell will break loose. The genocide in Gaza is the first step, and the U.S./Israel, “not wanting” a wider war, have already started one.

(For an excellent history lesson on the Zionist oppression of Palestinians and the current genocide, listen to Max Blumenthal’s and Miko Peled’s impassioned talk – “Where is the War in Gaza Going? – delivered from the heart of darkness, Washington D.C.  Two Jewish men who know the difference between Zionism and Judaism and whose consciences are aflame with justice for the oppressed Palestinians.)

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This article was originally published on the author’s website, Behind the Curtain.

Edward Curtin is a prominent author, researcher and sociologist based in Western Massachusetts. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).  

Featured image: President Joe Biden participates in a restricted bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Hotel Kempinski in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, October 18, 2023. (Official White House Photo by Cameron Smith)

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On Tuesday, the Senate voted down a resolution that would have set the stage for Congress to place conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel — quashing what has so far been the most serious effort on Capitol Hill to hold the U.S. ally to account for its brutal assault on Gaza. 

Introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., in December, the resolution would have required the State Department to submit a report to Congress about allegations of Israel committing human rights violations, and whether and how the U.S. played a role and responded to such acts. If the bill had passed and the State Department failed to submit the report within 30 days, U.S. aid to Israel would have been frozen. If the State Department had submitted a report to Congress, however, U.S. aid to Israel could have come to a vote, giving Congress the option to condition, restrict, or terminate security assistance to Israel (or to do nothing at all). Such votes would have required only a simple majority for passage.

When it came to a vote Tuesday evening, the Senate voted 72-11 to table the resolution, effectively killing it. 

“It’s frankly historic that this vote took place at all,” said Andrew O’Neill, the legislative director for the political advocacy group Indivisible. “The number of senators willing to take a vote like this even weeks ago, on the face of it, would have been zero.”

Israel receives billions of dollars per year in U.S. aid, making it the largest recipient of American security assistance in the world. In the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, President Joe Biden asked Congress to approve an additional $14 billion in aid to the country, whose retaliatory war on Gaza has killed more than 24,000 Palestinians.

Sanders’s resolution was based on the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits the American government from providing security assistance to any government “which engages in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights.” Section 502B(c) of the law empowers Congress to request information on a country’s human rights practices, which Sanders took advantage of to force this vote.

“The Senators who lent their support to this resolution did so in spite of enormous political pressure,” O’Neill said, noting that, for decades, there has been a bipartisan status quo of not scrutinizing assistance to Israel. “The 502B process had never been used before, and now that tool is on the table. These are lonely votes, but votes that can be the start of something bigger.”

The votes in support for Sanders’s resolution came almost entirely from Democratic senators: Laphonza Butler of California, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, and Peter Welch of Vermont. Rand Paul was the only Republican to vote against tabling the resolution. 

Van Hollen told The Intercept that it’s important for the Senate to get the information required by the proposed report.

“That’s important for transparency and I think taxpayers have a right to know how their funds are being used.”

Speaking with reporters ahead of the vote, Warren said,

“Prime Minister Netanyahu needs to understand that he does not get a blank check from the United States Congress.” 

She continued:

“The Senate has had a role in overseeing our military involvement overseas running back to the drafting of the Constitution. We have a responsibility to stand up now and say that given how Netanyahu and his right-wing war cabinet have prosecuted this war, we have serious questions that we are obligated to ask before we go further.”

Some Democratic senators who voted to kill the resolution told The Intercept they were concerned about Israeli human rights abuses, but they did not think Sanders’s proposal was the way to address them. Others, mostly Republicans, deflected from questions about Israel’s conduct during the war. 

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., said he was opposed to the resolution because the timeline for potential congressional action would have conflicted with the aims of Israel’s war.

“It doesn’t make a lot of sense to be conditioning a military campaign engaged in by an ally,” he said. He added that “there’s no question if there are allegations, they will be the subject of scrutiny and review,” but said he doesn’t think the resolution is the right approach.

Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., explained his opposition to the resolution by pointing out that 502B(c) has never been used in its 50-year history, and that he prefers a measureOpens in a new tab introduced by Van Hollen. That amendment would require weapons received by any country under Biden’s proposal for supplemental aid to Israel and Ukraine to be used in accordance with U.S. law, international humanitarian law, and the law of armed conflict.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who has a record of scrutinizing human rights abuses by U.S. allies, voted against the resolution. He told The Intercept that he supports Israel’s right to defend itself and that he has deep reservations about the way it has conducted its campaign, but he doesn’t support measures “potentially designed to cut off funding for Israel.” The resolution, he said, is a vehicle toward completely cutting off aid to Israel. “I don’t think that’s the right move for Congress at this time,” he said. 

Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., told The Intercept that he is “sensitive” to the allegations of human rights abuses by Israel, and that he understands Sanders’s sensitivity to “trying to keep the collateral damage down, and I think everybody would be for that.” Still, he said, he opposed the resolution “because I think it then draws attention away from how it started, and how it has to be litigated, and that’s not easy,” referring to Hamas’s attack on October 7 and Israel’s stated aim of rooting out the organization.

Asked if he thought Israel was doing enough to mitigate civilian casualties, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., told The Intercept that “they need to kill every Hamas member and anybody that dies in Gaza is a result of Hamas.” He voted against the resolution. 

Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., referred to Hamas’s attack on Israel as he explained his opposition to the resolution. “To give them respite would be to allow them to do it again,” he told The Intercept. When asked whether Israel is doing enough to protect civilians, Cassidy repeated a frequent Israeli government talking point about Hamas, saying that “when you build your tunnels with your commanders beneath mosques, hospitals, and schools, then you have created an environment where it’s difficult to prevent civilian injury.”

On his way to vote against the resolution, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, told The Intercept that he has been consistent with his position on the issue. “Of course it does,” he said when asked if he’s concerned about the number of casualties in Gaza. Asked if Israel is doing enough to mitigate the casualties, he responded simply: “Good talking to you,” as the Senate elevator doors closed.

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Almost two years ago, at the February 2022, Munich Security Conference, Bill Gates stated with authority that: “the risks of severe disease from Covid-19 have “dramatically reduced” but another pandemic is all but certain”. A nonsensical statement. 

According to Gates, “a potential new pandemic would likely stem from a different pathogen to that of the coronavirus family” (CNBC).

“We’ll have another pandemic. It will be a different pathogen next time,” Gates said.

How could he know this in advance?

It’s an Outright Lie

It should be noted that the pathogen pertaining to SARS-CoV-2  — initially heralded as a novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) which was never identified, turned out to be a 20 year old coronavirus entitled 2003 SARS-CoV

Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research,  January 19, 2024

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According to Karen Gilchirst  CNBC (February 2022)

“Speaking to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble at Germany’s annual Munich Security Conference, Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said that a potential new pandemic would likely stem from a different pathogen to that of the coronavirus family. 

But he added that advances in medical technology should help the world do a better job of fighting it — if investments are made now.

“We’ll have another pandemic. It will be a different pathogen next time,” Gates said.

Two years into the coronavirus pandemic, Gates said the worst effects have faded as huge swathes of the global population have gained some level of immunity. Its severity has also waned with the latest omicron variant.

However, Gates said that in many places that was due to virus itself, which creates a level of immunity, and has “done a better job of getting out to the world population than we have with vaccines.”

“The chance of severe disease, which is mainly associated with being elderly and having obesity or diabetes, those risks are now dramatically reduced because of that infection exposure,” he said. 

Gates said it was already “too late” to reach the World Health Organization’s goal to vaccinate 70% of the global population by mid-2022. Currently 61.9% of the world population has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

He added that the world should move faster in the future to develop and distribute vaccines, calling on governments to invest now.

“Next time we should try and make it, instead of two years, we should make it more like six months,” Gates said, adding that standardized platforms, including messenger RNA (mRNA) technology, would make that possible.

“The cost of being ready for the next pandemic is not that large. It’s not like climate change. If we’re rational, yes, the next time we’ll catch it early.”

Gates, through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has partnered with the U.K.’s Wellcome Trust to donate $300 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which helped form the Covax program to deliver vaccines to low- and middle-income countries.

The CEPI is aiming to raise $3.5 billion in an effort to cut the time required to develop a new vaccine to just 100 days.

Click here to read the full article on CNBC.

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Buried within the $106 billion supplemental national security funding request the White House sent to Congress on October 20 was a highly unusual exemption. As part of $3.5 billion earmarked for Foreign Military Financing (FMF) funding for Israel, the executive branch sought permission to unilaterally blanket-approve the future sale of military equipment and weapons—like ballistic missiles and artillery ammunition — to Israel without notifying Congress. 

This means the Israeli government would be able to purchase up to $3.5 billion in military articles and services in complete secrecy. The House included the waiver language in a bill that splits off Israeli military aid from the rest of the package.

I’ve never seen anything like it,” says Josh Paul, former director of congressional and public affairs for the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. Paul recently resigned in protest against the administration’s plans to rush weapons to Israel. ​A proposal in a legislative request to Congress to waive Congressional notification entirely for FMF-funded Foreign Military Sales or Direct Commercial Contracts is unprecedented in my experience. … Frankly, [it’s] an insult to Congressional oversight prerogatives.”

FMF requests like this one are essentially grants to purchase weapons and defense services from the United States and its defense contractors. Even after Congress approves an FMF request, it still has power over how the money is spent and can deny major arms sales. 

The Congressional approval process also serves another purpose — it creates a public record to ensure transparency. Notifications to Congress appear in the Federal Register, which is accessible to the public. In addition, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) publishes press releases for major arms sales on its website. These public postings are often the only way that journalists, watchdog groups, and arms control experts can learn of and track weapons sales. 

It’s also redundant with existing laws,” Paul says. The White House can unilaterally approve foreign military sales in ​emergency” situations but must notify Congress and provide a ​detailed justification.” The Israel waiver does not require any communication with Congress.

So this doesn’t actually reduce the time, it just reduces the oversight,” Paul says. ​It removes that mechanism for Congress to actually understand what is being transferred at the time it is being transferred.” Paul adds that the language came from the White House and received ​pushback” within the executive branch.

Administrative shortcuts can erode the State Department vetting process and increase the likelihood of sales to military units that commit gross human rights violations. Such sales violate the Leahy Law under the Foreign Assistance Act. 

The Trump administration drew fire from Congress in May 2019 when it invoked the existing emergency certification process to bypass congressional review of $8.1 billion in arms destined for Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. An Office of Inspector General investigation later determined that the State Department did ​not fully assess risks and implement mitigation measures to reduce civilian casualties and legal concerns associated with the transfer of [precision-guided munitions].” 

Notably, although the Biden administration proposal is framed as an ​emergency response,” it allows the funding to be used at any time before September 2025. The Israeli government can also set aside these funds for future use, beyond 2025, effectively giving Israel a blank pass for arms purchases without recurring Congressional notification.

The Biden administration is pushing Congress to pass the funding package quickly. The House split off $14.3 billion in Israel military aid — including the $3.5 billion FMF request and the waiver language — into a separate bill tied to cuts in IRS funding, which Biden says he will veto. The chairs of the Senate Committee on Appropriations chairs say they are drafting a bill to reflect Biden’s full request.

Overall, Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since World War II, totaling $158 billion (in non-inflation-adjusted dollars) in economic and military aid. The supplemental funding request more than doubles Israel’s annual $3.3billion in FMF. 

Since the most recent escalated violence began on October 7, the Defense Department has expedited delivery of weapons to Israel from previously approved sales, including Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), 155mm artillery shells and nearly a million rounds of ammunition. JDAMs are used as ​smart” guidance attachments to MK-80 series bombs. During Israel’s 2014bombing campaign in Gaza, its military mostly used U.S.-made MK-84one-ton bombs. An independent UN commission investigating the war concluded that the use of those bombs ​constitute a violation of the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks.” With $3.5 billion, the Israeli military could acquire over 116,000 JDAMs without Congressional notification or public disclosure.

The waiver would further undermine meaningful scrutiny of weapons sales on Capitol Hill at a time when U.S. support is enabling bombings that have killed thousands of civilians,” says John Ramming Chappell, U.S. advocacy and legal fellow at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit.

Legislators should reject the White House’s request for an open-ended notification waiver for arms sales to Israel in the emergency supplemental. Instead, members of Congress should push the State Department and the Pentagon for greater transparency on weapons transfers to Israel to understand how the U.S. is contributing to civilian harm and possible war crimes. With the Biden administration apparently reluctant to restrict weapons use or monitor international law compliance, it’s up to Congress to put effective restrictions in place.”

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Janet Abou-Elias is a Founding Board Member of Women for Weapons Trade Transparency and a Research Fellow at the Center for International Policy. Her research focuses on international arms trade policy, U.S. foreign policy, and sustainability initiatives.

Lillian Mauldin is a Founding Board Member of Women for Weapons Trade Transparency and a Research Fellow at the Center for International Policy. Her work focuses on political strategy and legislative and grassroots advocacy.

Mekedas Belayneh is a Member of Women for Weapons Trade Transparency interested in the connections between international economic policy and American militarism. 

Rosie Khan is a Founding Board Member of Women for Weapons Trade Transparency specializing in the intersection of militarism, the environment, and economic policy.

Liv Owens is a Member of Women for Weapons Trade Transparency focusing primarily on the role of gender and emerging technology within the realm of militarization.  

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Is Zelensky Really Out of Control?

With the Full Endorsement of Washington

by 

Drago Bosnic

 

On January 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the political West is trying to exert greater control over the increasingly unhinged Kiev regime frontman Volodymyr Zelensky. According to Lavrov’s assessment, the US-led power pole’s puppet is trying to expand his grip on power by eliminating any form of dissent, including canceling this year’s presidential election. The increasingly out-of-control Zelensky has become a nuisance for the United States, prompting it to insist on “more flexibility” from him, Lavrov said, adding that “all the latest rhetoric coming from [Zelensky’s] office only reflects the wish of that individual and his associates… to keep power as much as they can”. Russia’s top-ranking diplomat also stated that “having Zelensky run a re-election campaign would put him more in line with Western interests”.

Lavrov’s comments come at a time when the puppet of the belligerent US-led power pole is indeed coming off as a “proxy” dictator. Terrified of the prospect of becoming (geo)politically obsolete, Zelensky is trying to stay relevant for as long as possible. From a purely logical point of view, this is rather understandable, as Washington DC has a long history of abandoning its puppets whenever they outlive their purpose. Needless to say, Zelensky wants to avoid this unflattering fate. In the initial stages of the special military operation (SMO), he and his entourage, amply aided by the mainstream propaganda machine, fought bitterly to ensure that the image of “united Ukraine standing in the face of Russian aggression” is spread across the world. The illusion held initially, but it was only a matter of time before this false sense of unity faded away for good.

Zelensky’s effort to seize his “Churchill moment” by using the ongoing conflict as a way to “legally” stay in power and continue hoarding whatever’s left of Western funds is slowly coming to an unceremonious end. Battlefield failures led to the plummeting of the already low morale, leading to even more factionalism and fault lines within the Neo-Nazi junta, amplifying its troubles both at home and abroad. Zelensky’s publicly declared “optimism” is being pushed only by his most loyal propagandists, while any attempt to criticize him is decried as supposedly “unpatriotic”, stifling any chance to get accurate information about the situation on the frontlines and in the country itself. Alternative sources are the only way to get bits and pieces of the truth, but using them can be quite dangerous and even deadly nowadays.

And yet, even in such a political climate, Zelensky is still afraid to allow elections to be held. By keeping only those unequivocally loyal to him, he became accustomed to having no competitors or critics. This sort of grip on power has made him increasingly delusional and unable to process the Kiev regime’s grim reality. In recent times, Zelensky even turned on some of his closest backers, as evidenced by Igor Kolomoisky’s arrest back in early September. Before that, the pompously announced counteroffensive resulted in complete failure. Disappointed, the political West increased pressure on Zelensky who was already in an unflattering position as he previously pledged to “liberate the whole country (including Crimea)”. Giving such grossly unrealistic promises is yet another confirmation of Lavrov’s claims.

All this also drew a wider wedge between the Kiev regime and the military, particularly between Zelensky and General Valery Zaluzhny. Thus, the Neo-Nazi junta frontman managed not only to antagonize the top military leader, but also got another strong political opponent, as Zaluzhny has repeatedly hinted at his presidential ambitions. In addition, Zelensky’s old rivals are still very much active, prompting him to start using the state apparatus against them, usually by prosecuting them for corruption, a fact recently revealed by former Ukrainian parliamentarian Andrii Derkach who is also actively being hunted by the Kiev regime’s special services. However, it’s important to note that Zelensky still hasn’t outlived his usefulness for the political West, at least until the belligerent power pole finds an “adequate” successor.

This is evidenced by the mainstream propaganda machine’s effort to justify the repeated postponing of elections, insisting that it would be impractical and even logistically impossible due to ongoing hostilities. Simultaneously, the political West is trying to keep the Neo-Nazi junta geopolitically relevant by organizing historically unprecedented unilateral “peace talks” that are completely inconsequential to the actual strategic situation. Zelensky himself is still at the center of this PR show, particularly when taking into account that he refuses to give up on his absurd “peace plan” that effectively amounts to Russia’s unconditional capitulation. On the other hand, while Zelensky and his backers keep shooting their mouths off about supposed “peace”, there are talks of delivering ever more advanced NATO weapons to the Kiev regime.

Namely, NATO countries are actively breaking international arms control agreements by supplying long-range missiles and even nuclear-capable fighter jets, a fact that Lavrov has been warning about for months at this point.

When taking into account the Neo-Nazi junta’s disastrous policies, worthy of an international war crimes tribunal (which immediately disqualifies the so-called ICC in Hague), as well as the fact that the political West wants to continue supporting this monstrosity (despite the political crisis in the US), it can easily be argued that Zelensky is indeed out of control. However, the same applies to his entire entourage and the rest of the Kiev regime. On the other hand, its US/NATO overlords are in no way better. Terrified of the multipolar world, they’re actively pushing for destabilization on a global scale.

What is the End Game.

The Neo-Colonial Privatization of Ukraine

by

Michel Chossudovsky 

As outlined in Drago Bosnic‘s careful documented article, Zelensky is “Out of Control” with the full Support of U.S.-NATO.

What is the Hidden Agenda? 

This “Engineered Chaos” –which consists in deliberately prolonging an unwinable war, to the detriment of the people of Ukraine–, creates conditions which favour the Neo-Colonial Privatization of An Entire country.

The Privatization of Ukraine was launched in November 2022 in liaison  with BlackRock’s  consulting company  McKinsey, a public relations firm which has largely been responsible for co-opting corrupt politicians and officials Worldwide not to mention scientists and intellectuals on behalf of powerful financial interests. 


For  details see:

The NeoCons’ Proxy War “Against Ukraine”: Nuclear War is On the Table. The Privatization of Ukraine

By Prof Michel Chossudovsky, September 30, 2023


BlackRock, which is the World’s largest portfolio investment company together with JPMorgan “has come to the rescue of Ukraine”. The Ukraine Reconstruction Bank. was set up. The stated objective was “to attract billions of dollars in private investment to assist rebuilding projects in a war-torn country”. (FT, June 19, 2023)

“… BlackRock, JP Morgan and private investors, aim to profit from the country’s reconstruction along with 400 global companies, including Citi, Sanofi and Philips. … JP Morgan’s Stefan Weiler sees a “tremendous opportunity” for private investors. (Colin Todhunter, Global Research June 28, 2023)

The Kiev Neo-Nazi regime is a partner in this endeavour. War is Good for Business. The greater the destruction, the greater the stranglehold on Ukraine by “private investors”:

“BlackRock and JPMorgan Chase are helping the Ukrainian government set up a reconstruction bank to steer public seed capital into rebuilding projects that can attract hundreds of billions of dollars in private investment.” (FT, op cit)

“The Kyiv government engaged BlackRock’s consulting arm in November to determine how best to attract that kind of capital, and then added JPMorgan in February 2023. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced last month that the country was working with the two financial groups and consultants at McKinsey.

BlackRock and Ukraine’s Ministry of Economy signed a Memorandum of Understanding in November 2022.

In late December 2022, president Zelensky and BlackRock’s CEO Larry Fink agreed on an investment strategy.

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Drago Bosnic is an independent geopolitical and military analyst. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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The vaccine alliance known as Gavi, which is Bill Gates’s vaccine uptake pet project, has Canada listed as its board member and today we’re going to look at who the unelected bureaucrat is that represents our country and just how much taxpayer dollars she has directed to global vaccine uptake efforts.

Canada being a board member of Bill Gates’ vaccine uptake pet project known as the Global Vaccine Alliance (Gavi) may surprise many Canadians.

Gavi is the global authority on compelling vaccines on the world scale, especially third-world countries, under the guise of equitable access, and it has Canada in its financial back pocket.

This first came about in an order paper question in the House of Commons last year, by member of Parliament McPherson in Edmonton Strathcona who asked for negotiation participation notes on the Government of Canada’s position on the World Health Organization’s pandemic treaty.

Global Affairs Canada responded that it “continues to support access to COVID-19 vaccines and medical countermeasures globally through its $2.1 billion contribution to the ACT – Accelerator” and that it “continues to work with countries and global partners to strengthen immunization delivery systems, integrate COVID-19 management into routine health services and reinforce broader health systems.”

That’s 2.1 billion dollars of Canadian taxpayers hard earned money being given to a World Health Organization (WHO) initiative intent on “supporting the development and equitable distribution of the tests, treatments and vaccines the world needs to reduce mortality and severe disease, restoring full societal and economic activity globally in the near term, and facilitating high-level control of COVID-19 disease in the medium term.”

ACT stands for “Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT)” and its “Accelerator” is intended as a “groundbreaking global collaboration to accelerate development, production, and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines.”

Launched in April 2020, the ACT-Accelerator aimed to unite governments, scientists, businesses, and global health organizations, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, CEPI, FIND, Gavi, The Global Fund, Unitaid, the Wellcome trust, WHO, and the World Bank. After the launch, UNICEF and PAHO joined as delivery partners for COVAX, with a focus on vaccine distribution.

The ACT-Accelerator launched its Transition Plan in October 2022, “setting out adjustments to its way of working, as countries move from managing COVID-19 as an acute emergency to integration into longer-term disease control programmes.”

According to the document, COVAX (which is the COVID-19 vaccines global access initiative) said it will “incentivize further innovation on COVID-19 vaccines, especially with the potential need to include them in routine programmes going forward.”

Under Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) it’s said that the group will leverage “communities and other in-country stakeholders to combat misinformation and create [emphasis ours] demand for COVID-19 tools.”

Not only is the Canadian government supporting this through that 2.1 billion dollar contribution, but also by being a board member of Bill Gates’ global vaccine alliance, GAVI.

The order paper response says “As a Gavi Alliance Board member, Canada remains engaged in Gavi’s efforts to support increased vaccine manufacturing in Africa.”

An unelected and unaccountable bureaucrat by the name of Mellissa Hisko is the Canadian GAVI board member.

She’s the director of global immunization and health systems at Global Affairs Canada.

Hisko was the previous director of Canada’s COVID-19 global health task force, managing international aid commitment and investments to combat COVID-19 on a global scale, even though she has no medical training.

Instead, Hisko holds a Bachelor of Arts from Carleton University and a law degree from the University of Ottawa.

Contained in the order paper response is funding above and beyond that 2.1 billion, and it sounds like Hisko directs it all.

There’s the “Canada’s Global Initiative for Vaccine Equity (CanGIVE)” which received “$317 million” which includes “funding to strengthen vaccine delivery systems, integrate COVID-19 vaccination and reinforce immunization and primary healthcare as avenues for enhanced vaccine equity.”

Canada “increased funding to the mRNA Technology Transfer and Manufacturing Hub in South Africa, for a total contribution of $45 million.”

They “also provided $15 million to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)’s COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Manufacturing Platform to strengthen vaccine production and regulatory capacities in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

Canada is also “providing $100 million over 5 years to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to accelerate the development of vaccines against emerging infectious diseases.”

CEPI was criticized in an article by the Lancet for a lack of transparency in its grant agreements after the vaccine development assistance agency received $1.4 billion in public money to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine research.

According to a February 2023 letter from then health minister Yve Duclos, “Canada committed close to $3.5 billion in international assistance in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Did Canadians ever have a say in this process? In these allocations of funds?

These are questionable priorities by the Liberal government which supports global vaccine efforts despite everyday Canadians’ growing domestic financial struggles amid a housing and cost of living crisis.

With unelected bureaucrat Mellissa Hisko, who lacks medical expertise, directing these funds, the lack of transparency in the various World Health Organization initiatives raises concerns about how much public input was received before these decisions were made and how much democratic process was involved in ensuring fiscal responsibility of our government.

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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On February 20, Julian Assange, the daredevil publisher of WikiLeaks, will be going into battle, yet again, with the British justice system – or what counts for it. The UK High Court will hear arguments from his team that his extradition to the United States from Britain to face 18 charges under the Espionage Act of 1917 would violate various precepts of justice. The proceedings hope to reverse the curt, impoverished decision by the remarkably misnamed Justice Jonathan Swift of the same court on June 6, 2023.

At this point, the number of claims the defence team can make are potentially many. Economy, however, has been called for: the two judges hearing the case have asked for a substantially shortened argument, showing, yet again, that the quality of British mercy tends to be sourly short. The grounds Assange can resort to are troublingly vast: CIA-sponsored surveillance, his contemplated assassination, his contemplated abduction, violation of attorney-client privilege, his poor health, the violation of free-speech, a naked, politicised attempt by an imperium to capture one of its greatest and most trenchant critics, and bad faith by the US government.

Campaigners for the cause have been frenzied. But as the solution to Assange’s plight is likely to be political, the burden falls on politicians to stomp and drum from within their various chambers to convince their executive counterparts. In the US Congress, House Resolution 934, introduced on December 13 by Rep. Paul A. Gosar, an Arizona Republican, expresses “the sense of the House of Representatives that regular journalistic activities are protected under the First Amendment, and that the United States ought to drop all charges against and attempts to extradite Julian Assange.”

The resolution sees a dramatic shift from the punishing, haute view taken by such figures as the late Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who was one of the first political figures to suggest that Assange be crucified on the unsteady timber of the Espionage Act for disclosing US cables and classified information in 2010. The resolution acknowledges, for instance, that the disclosures by WikiLeaks “promoted public transparency through the exposure of the hiring of child prostitutes by Defense Department contractors, friendly fire incidents, human rights abuses, civilian killings, and United States use of psychological warfare.” The list could be sordidly longer but let’s not quibble.

Impressively, drafters of the resolution finally acknowledge that charging Assange under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) for alleged conspiracy to help US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea (then Bradley) Manning access Defense Department computers was a fabled nonsense. For one, it was “impossible” – Manning “already had access to the mentioned computer”. Furthermore, “there was no proof Mr Assange had any contact with said intelligence analyst”.

Ire is also directed at the espionage counts, with the resolution noting that “no other publisher has ever been prosecuted under the Espionage Act prior to these 17 charges.”  A successful prosecution of the publisher “would set a precedent allowing the United States to prosecute and imprison journalists for First Amendment protected activities, including the obtainment and publication of information, something that occurs on a regular basis”.

Acknowledgment is duly made of the importance of press freedoms to promote transparency and protect the Republic, the support for Assange, “sincere and steadfast”, no less, shown by “numerous human rights, press freedom, and privacy rights advocates and organizations”, and the desire by “at least 70 Senators and Members of Parliament from Australia, a critical United States ally and Mr Assange’s native country” for his return.

Members of Australia’s parliament, adding to the efforts last September to convince members of Congress that the prosecution be dropped, have also written to the UK Home Secretary, James Cleverly, requesting that he “undertake an urgent, thorough and independent assessment of the risks to Mr Assange’s health and welfare in the event that he is extradited to the United States.”

The members of the Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group draw Cleverly’s attention to the recent UK Supreme Court case of AAA v Secretary of State for the Home Department which found “that courts in the United Kingdom cannot just rely on third party assurances by foreign governments but rather are required to make independent assessments of the risk of persecution to individuals before any order is made removing them from the UK.”

It follows that the approach taken by Lord Justices Burnett and Holroyde in USA v Assange [2021] EWHC 3133 was, to put it politely, a touch too confident in accepting assurances given by the US government regarding Assange’s treatment, were he to be extradited. “These assurances were not tested, nor was there any evidence of independent assessment as to the basis on which they could be given and relied upon.”

The conveners of the group point to Assange’s detention in Belmarsh prison since April 2019, his “significant health issues, exacerbated to a dangerous degree by his prolonged incarceration, that are of very real concern to us as his elected representatives.” They also point out the rather unusual consensus between the current Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, and his opposition number, Peter Dutton, that the “case has gone on for too long.” Continued legal proceedings, both in the UK, and then in the US were extradition to take place “would add yet more years to Mr Assange’s detention and further imperil his health.”

In terms of posterity’s calling, there are surely fewer better things at this point for a US president nearing mental oblivion to do, or a Tory government peering at electoral termination to facilitate, than the release of Assange. At the very least, it would show a grudging acknowledgment that the fourth estate, watchful of government’s egregious abuses, is no corpse, but a vital, thriving necessity.

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Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently lectures at RMIT University. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). Email: [email protected] 

Featured image is from Lawyers for Assange

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

***

Jan. 17, 2024 – New cancer diagnoses expected to hit record high this year.

  • New cancer diagnoses in the U.S. are expected to top 2 million for the first time in 2024, driven in large part by an alarming increase in cancers among younger Americans, according to new American Cancer Society data.

  • Doctors are trying to figure out why they’re seeing more young patients with cancer.”
  • “Colorectal cancers are presenting with more aggressive disease and larger tumors at diagnosis,” ACS chief scientific officer William Dahut told Axios.
  • “Preliminary MSK research found significant differences in the microbiomes of early-onset colorectal cancer patients compared with older ones.”
  • “Notably, people aged younger than 50 years were the only one of these three age groups to experience an increase in overall cancer incidence during this time period,” the ACS report said.

American Cancer Society Report, My Take

  • This ACS report only goes to 2021. Even though they have 2022 and 2023 data.

  • This data is heavily manipulated if not outright fraudulent.
  • So why would they admit that cancer is on the rise in people younger than 50, which is true?
  • Because they then cover it up by saying that cancer rates dropped in 2021, which is false.

Limited Hangout

  • “A LIMITED HANGOUT is a phrase used in the intelligence community to describe situations where leaking or revealing parts of the truth operates to control the public narrative. Manipulative partial disclosure.”

  • Cancer is on the rise in people younger than 50 – is a small piece of the truth
  • “Cancer mortality continued to decline through 2021” – is the lie
  • The combination of the two allows control of the narrative.
  • What is the narrative? Have a look:

 

Ethical Skeptic – Latest USA Malignant Neoplasms Mortality (Jan. 18, 2024) 

  • This graph shows how manipulative the ACS Report is by only including 2021 data and none from 2022 or 2023.

  • There is a significant jump in Turbo Cancers in 2023.

 

Image

 

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ED DOWD – UK Death & Disability Trends for Malignant Neoplasms

 

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John Beaudoin – Massachusetts Death Certificates

 

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AUSSIE17 – Chemotherapy Sales in Singapore

  • This data from Aussie17 is absolutely stunning

  • If we can’t get proper Cancer mortality data from the American Cancer Society or Canadian Cancer Society, we can take a close look at cancer drug sales:

 

My Take…

COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine Induced Turbo Cancer tsunami is well underway and as I documented in a recent substack, all the big pharmaceutical players are buying up smaller cancer therapy companies and positioning themselves for 2025.

I have been repeatedly told by a California Medical Oncologist, Dr.Jan Kirsch, that there is no increase in cancer.

 

 

This is where the mainstream of Medical Oncology is today, with their heads completely buried in the sand.

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Dr. William Makis is a Canadian physician with expertise in Radiology, Oncology and Immunology. Governor General’s Medal, University of Toronto Scholar. Author of 100+ peer-reviewed medical publications.

Featured image: NOT a Vaccine: the mRNA COVID vax is a chemical pathogen production device and a technocratic, transhumanistic tool to repgrogram you. Image credit: Jordan Henderson

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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The Israel Defense Forces’ detonation of more than 300 mines planted at Israa University in Gaza on Wednesday provided the latest evidence that Israel’s objective in its bombardment of the enclave is not self-defense, rights advocates said.

“This is not self-defense,” said Chris Hazzard, an Irish member of the United Kingdom’s Parliament. “This is not counter-insurgency. This is ethnic-cleansing.”

The International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) called the destruction of Israa University Israel’s latest attempt to carry out a “cultural genocide” along with the slaughter of at least 24,620 people in just over three months—people who Israeli officials have claimed are legitimate military targets despite the fact that roughly half of those killed have been children.

The wiping out of cultural landmarks was included in South Africa’s International Court of Justice case accusing Israel of genocidal acts in Gaza last week, with the complaint noting that “Israel has damaged and destroyed numerous centers of Palestinian learning and culture,” including libraries, one of the world’s oldest Christian monasteries, and the Great Omari Mosque, where an ancient collection of manuscripts was kept before the building was destroyed in an airstrike last month.

“The crime of targeting and destroying archaeological sites should spur the world and UNESCO into action to preserve this great civilizational and cultural heritage,” Gaza’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said after the mosque was bombed.

Now, international relations professor Nicola Perugini of the University of Edinburgh said, “all the universities in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed.”

On its Facebook page, the university said the IDF had occupied the campus for about 70 days before planting 315 mines and detonating the institution’s main building, its museum, a university hospital, and other buildings.

The IDF occupied Israa University, said administrators, “and used it as a military base for its mechanisms and a center for [the] snatching of isolated civilians in the areas of Rashid, Maghraqa, and Zahraa streets, and temporarily detained [them] to investigate with citizens before moving them.”

Mitchell Plitnick, president of Rethinking Foreign Policy, said the fact that 315 mines were detonated meant that “by definition… it was not a legitimate military target.”

“Israel would have to have full control to plant so many mines,” said Plitnick. “This is a clear example of a war crime and destruction for the fun of it.”

Eight universities in Gaza have now been targeted since the IDF began its bombardment on October 7, according to the IMEMC.

Birzeit University, in the occupied West Bank, condemned the destruction of the school and accused Israel of stealing 3,000 rare artifacts from Israa’s museum.

“Birzeit University reaffirms the fact that this crime is part of the Israeli occupation’s onslaught against the Palestinians,” said the school on social media. “It’s all a part of the Israeli occupation’s goal to make Gaza uninhabitable; a continuation of the genocide being carried out in Gaza Strip.”

[From Common Dreams: Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.]

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Julia Conley is a staff writer for Common Dreams.

Featured image: The Israeli military used hundreds of mines to blow up Israa University in Gaza on January 17, 2024. (Photo: Screengrab)

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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Imagine if Iran, Syria, Lebanon, or Turkey – fully backed, armed and diplomatically protected by Russia and China – had the will and the wherewithal to bomb Tel Aviv for three months, day and night, murder tens of thousands of Israelis, maim countless more and make millions homeless, and turn the city into a heap of uninhabitable rubble, like Gaza today.

Just imagine it for a few seconds: Iran and its allies deliberately targeting populated parts of Tel Aviv, hospitals, synagogues, schools, universities, libraries – or indeed any populated place – to ensure maximum civilian casualties. They would tell the world they were just looking for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet.  

Ask yourself what the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and Germany in particular would do within 24 hours of the onslaught of this fictional scenario. 

Now come back to reality, and consider the fact that since 7 October (and for decades before that date), Tel Aviv’s western allies have not only witnessed what Israel has done to the Palestinian people, but have also provided it with military equipment, bombs, munitions and diplomatic coverage, while American media outlets have offered ideological justifications for the slaughter and genocide of Palestinians.  

The aforementioned fictional scenario would not be tolerated for a day by the existing world order. With the military thuggery of the US, Europe, Australia and Canada fully behind Israel, we helpless people of the world, just like Palestinians, do not count. This is not just a political reality; it is also pertinent to the moral imaginary and philosophical universe of the thing that calls itself “the West”.  

Those of us outside the European sphere of moral imagination do not exist in their philosophical universe. Arabs, Iranians and Muslims; or people in Asia, Africa and Latin America – we do not have any ontological reality for European philosophers, except as a metaphysical menace that must be conquered and quieted. 

Beginning with Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and continuing with Emmanuel Levinas and Slavoj Zizek, we are oddities, things, knowable objects that Orientalists were tasked with deciphering. As such, the murder of tens of thousands of us by Israel, or the US and its European allies, does not cause the slightest pause in the minds of European philosophers.  

Tribal European Audiences

If you doubt that, just take a look at leading European philosopher Jurgen Habermas and a few of his colleagues, who in an astoundingly barefaced act of cruel vulgarity, have come out in support of Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians. The question is no longer what we might think of Habermas, now 94, as a human being. The question is what we might think of him as a social scientist, philosopher and critical thinker. Does what he thinks matter to the world anymore, if it ever did?  

The world has been asking similar questions about another major German philosopher, Martin Heidegger, in light of his pernicious affiliations with Nazism. In my opinion, we must now ask such questions about Habermas’s violent Zionism and the significant consequences for what we might think of his entire philosophical project?

If Habermas has not an iota of space in his moral imagination for people such as Palestinians, do we have any reason to consider his entire philosophical project as being in any way related to the rest of humanity – beyond his immediate tribal European audiences?  

In an open letter to Habermas, distinguished Iranian sociologist Asef Bayat said he “contradicts his own ideas” when it comes to the situation in Gaza. With all due respect, I beg to differ. I believe Habermas’s disregard for Palestinian lives is entirely consistent with his Zionism. It is perfectly consistent with the worldview in which non-Europeans are not completely human, or are “human animals”, as Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has openly declared.

This utter disregard for Palestinians is deeply rooted in the German and European philosophical imagination. The common wisdom is that out of the guilt of the Holocaust, Germans have developed a solid commitment to Israel. 

But to the rest of the world, as now evidenced by the magnificent document that South Africa has presented to the International Court of Justice, there is a perfect consistency between what Germany did during its Nazi era and what it is now doing during its Zionist era.

I believe that Habermas’s position is in line with the German state policy of partaking in the Zionist slaughter of Palestinians. It is also in line with what passes for the “German left”, with their equally racist, Islamophobic and xenophobic hatred of Arabs and Muslims, and their wholesale support for the genocidal actions of the Israeli settler colony.

We must be forgiven if we thought what Germany had today was not Holocaust guilt, but genocide nostalgia, as it has vicariously indulged in Israel’s slaughter of Palestinians over the past century (not just the past 100 days).  

Moral Depravity

The charge of Eurocentrism that is consistently levelled against European philosophers’ conception of the world is not based merely on an epistemic flaw in their thinking. It is a consistent sign of moral depravity. On multiple past occasions, I have pointed out the incurable racism at the heart of European philosophical thinking and its most celebrated representatives today.

This moral depravity is not just a political faux pas or an ideological blind spot. It is written deeply into their philosophical imaginations, which have remained incurably tribal.  

Here, we must recap the glorious Martinican poet Aime Cesaire’s famous statement

“Yes, it would be worthwhile to study clinically, in detail, the steps taken by Hitler and Hitlerism and to reveal to the very distinguished, very humanistic, very Christian bourgeois of the 20th century that without his being aware of it, he has a Hitler inside him, that Hitler inhabits him, that Hitler is his demon, that if he rails against him, he is being inconsistent and that, at bottom, what he cannot forgive Hitler for is not crime in itself, the crime against man, it is not the humiliation of man as such, it is the crime against the white man, the humiliation of the white man, and the fact that he applied to Europe colonialist procedures which until then had been reserved exclusively for [Arab, Indian and African peoples].” 

Palestine is today an extension of the colonial atrocities Cesaire cites in this passage. Habermas appears ignorant that his endorsement of the slaughter of Palestinians is completely consistent with what his ancestors did in Namibia during the Herero and Namaqua genocide. Like the proverbial ostrich, German philosophers have stuck their heads inside their European delusions, thinking the world does not see them for what they are.  

Ultimately, in my view, Habermas has not said or done anything surprising or contradictory; quite the contrary. He has been entirely consistent with the incurable tribalism of his philosophical pedigree, which had falsely assumed a universal posture. 

The world is now disabused of that false sense of universality. Philosophers such as VY Mudimbe in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Walter Mignolo or Enrique Dussel in Argentina, or Kojin Karatani in Japan have far more legitimate claims to universality than Habermas and his ilk ever did.  

In my opinion, the moral bankruptcy of Habermas’s statement on Palestine marks a turning point in the colonial relationship between European philosophy and the rest of the world. The world has been awoken from the false slumber of European ethno-philosophy. Today, we owe this liberation to the global suffering of peoples such as the Palestinians, whose prolonged, historic heroism and sacrifices have finally dismantled the barefaced barbarity at the foundation of “western civilisation”.  

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Hamid Dabashi is Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature at Columbia University in the City of New York, where he teaches Comparative Literature, World Cinema, and Postcolonial Theory. His latest books include The Future of Two Illusions: Islam after the West (2022); The Last Muslim Intellectual: The Life and Legacy of Jalal Al-e Ahmad (2021); Reversing the Colonial Gaze: Persian Travelers Abroad (2020), and The Emperor is Naked: On the Inevitable Demise of the Nation-State (2020). His books and essays have been translated into many languages.

Featured image: Jurgen Habermas (Licensed under CC BY 2.0)

The “Rules-Based International Order”

January 19th, 2024 by Caitlin Johnstone

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The “rules-based international order” has allowed the incineration of Gaza, and the bombing of Yemeni forces who are trying to stop it.

The “rules-based international order” allowed hundreds of thousands of people to be killed by western-backed Saudi atrocities in Yemen.

The “rules-based international order” allowed NATO powers to knowingly provoke a world-threatening proxy war in Ukraine.

The “rules-based international order” allowed western powers and their regional partners to plunge Syria into a horrific civil war by flooding the nation with heavily armed fascistic extremist factions.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed the US to invade and occupy a vast stretch of Syrian territory in order to control the nation’s natural resources and prevent reconstruction.

The “rules-based international order” allowed Libya to be turned into a chaotic hellscape after western-backed forces killed Gaddafi following a long-desired western regime change operation disguised as “humanitarian intervention”.

The “rules-based international order” allowed the invasion of Iraq to destabilize an entire region resulting in millions of deaths following a campaign of deliberate lies and propaganda.

The “rules-based international order” allowed the invasion of Afghanistan and a decades-long occupation sustained by lies and corruption.

The “rules-based international order” allowed the imprisonment of Julian Assange for journalistic activities exposing US war crimes.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed the planet to be circled by hundreds of US military bases, including in places where the people who live there vehemently oppose their presence like Okinawa, Iraq and Syria.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed the US and its allies to kill huge numbers of civilians with siege warfare tactics in nations like Yemen, Iraq and Venezuela.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed the US to interfere in scores of elections around the world at will and forcibly topple inconvenient governments whenever it wants to.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed China to be surrounded by a rapidly increasing amount of US military bases and war machinery in preparation for a future conflict of unimaginable horror.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed the US to plunge the world into a new cold war with rapidly-escalating brinkmanship against nuclear-armed Russia and China.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed our civilization to be controlled by the most powerful propaganda system ever devised, creating a mind-controlled dystopia of brainwashed gear-turners who are deceived into believing they are free.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed unfathomable amounts of government malfeasance to be hidden behind an increasingly opaque wall of government secrecy.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed the interests of ordinary human beings to be subordinated and subjected to the interests of billionaire corporations and sociopathic government agencies.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed the destruction of our ecosystem for the enrichment of powerful plutocrats.

The “rules-based international order” has allowed our planet to be dominated by an empire of extreme murderousness and depravity at the cost of nonstop bloodshed and ever-increasing tyranny.

If the “rules-based international order” has allowed all these things to happen, what kind of “rules” are we talking about exactly? And what kind of “order” do they sustain? 

If this is what the “rules-based international order” looks like, would we not, perhaps, be better off without it?

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Is It Time for Palestine to be Voted UN Member State?

January 19th, 2024 by Thalif Deen

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The atrocities against Palestinians in a ruthlessly devastated Gaza — with over 21,000 mostly civilian deaths in retaliation to the killings of 1,200 inside Israel —have resurrected a longstanding question: is it time for Palestine to be recognized as a full-fledged UN member state?

The question has also been triggered by a statement by China, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

Addressing the UNSC on December 29, Geng Shuang, Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative of China, said:

“We support Palestine’s full membership in the UN, and the early resumption of direct negotiations between Palestine and Israel.”

According to the UN, States are admitted to UN membership by a decision of the 193-member General Assembly upon the recommendation of the 15-member Security Council.

The resolution needs a two-thirds majority (currently 128 votes) in the General Assembly– and no vetoes in the Security Council.

And with the crisis in Gaza– and worldwide sympathy towards the Palestinians– would this be the right time to stake that claim?

But any such move for Palestinian UN membership is most likely to be vetoed by the US which continues its undying loyalty to Israel.

The State of Palestine was accepted as “a non-member observer state” of the UN General Assembly in November 2012.

Mahmoud Abbas (centre right), President of the State of Palestine, addresses an event to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the Nakba, held by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People on 15 May 2023.

Asked for his comments on a meeting with Palestinian leader [Mahmoud] Abbas in Beijing when the Chinese President Xi [Jinping] called for the Palestinians to become a full Member State of the United Nations, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters last year:

“As you know, the decision on Palestine or any other entity moving from observer to Member State or just becoming a Member State is a decision that the Member States themselves can take. It does not involve the Secretary-General.”

Samir Sanbar, a former UN Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Department of Public Information, told IPS a two thirds majority by the General Assembly was voted recently to overcome a U.S. veto at the Security Council on Gaza.

“Perhaps that is why the US abstained on a following resolution– perhaps to avoid further isolation, particularly with increasing public support for the Palestinians within the United States, especially among the younger generation.”

He also pointed out the “diligent work by certain members of the Security Council, including the Arab Council representative of UAE, Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh.”

“It is indeed about time for full membership of Palestine at the United Nations since the General Assembly decades ago recognized the full “Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People” and repeated assertions to apply General assembly and Security Council resolutions,” said Sanbar.

Ramzy Baroud, an author, a syndicated columnist, editor of Palestine Chronicle & a Senior Research Fellow at Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA), told IPS admitting Palestine as a full member at the UN is significant in terms of strengthening Palestine’s political and legal positions in the ongoing attempt to hold Israel accountable for its genocide in Gaza, and military occupation and apartheid in general.

“It would also send a message to Israel that while it is actively discussing the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians to Congo and elsewhere, the international community sees Palestine as an entity that belongs to the Palestinian people.”

“History has taught us that Palestine commands the kind of support that would allow it to win the two-thirds majority at the General Assembly”, he pointed out.

“We also know that countries like China and Russia will fully back this effort at the Security Council. The challenge is the Americans and their vetoes,” he said.

The Biden Administration has, thus far, proven to be dedicated to the rightwing agenda of the Israeli government, even when Netanyahu’s agenda directly damages US economic and political interests, let alone reputation throughout the Middle East, in fact the world, said Baroud.

“The US is likely to do everything in its power to block the vote, and, as is often the case, attempt to bribe, and, when needed, threaten those who are likely to support a full Palestinian membership.”

“We have no reason to believe that Washington will not use the veto considering Israel’s complete rejection of the recognition of Palestine as a full UN member.” declared Baroud.

The last six members to join the UN include Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Tuvalu (in 2000); Switzerland and Timor-Leste (2002); Montenegro (2006) and South Sudan (2011).

According to the UN, the procedure for membership is as follows:

  • The State submits an application to the Secretary-General and a letter formally stating that it accepts the obligations under the Charter.
  • The Security Council considers the application. Any recommendation for admission must receive the affirmative votes of 9 of the 15 members of the Council, provided that none of its five permanent members — China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United States of America — have voted against the application.
  • If the Council recommends admission, the recommendation is presented to the General Assembly for consideration. A two-thirds majority vote is necessary in the Assembly for admission of a new State.
  • Membership becomes effective the date the resolution for admission is adopted.

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Featured image: A view of the General Assembly Hall as a draft resolution to grant Palestine non-Member Observer State status in the United Nations was introduced. The resolution on the status of Palestine was adopted by a vote of 138 in favour to nine against with 41 abstentions by the 193-member Assembly. 29 November 2012. Credit: UN Photo/Mark Garten

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“Following a weekend referendum on December 3, 2023, Venezuela has given directives from state-owned enterprises to begin exploiting the mineral and oil-rich region of Essequibo.” — Excerpt from the Jamaica Gleaner, December 8, 2023

Venezuela’s directives signify an unlawful action with respect to the regulations and principles under public international law. According to the Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, states are prohibited to use force against another state in their relations and under Article 8 of the UN Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, no state shall intervene in the internal and external affairs of another state which also could be expanded to attempts to annex territory.

Furthermore, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled in its provisional statement that neither Venezuela nor Guyana should make decisions or enact actions that would aggravate the dispute settlement process over the Essequibo region. Through a critical, public international law perspective, one could argue that the Venezuela-Guyana border dispute reinforces the limitations of public international law whereby there are weak enforcement mechanisms to ensure that rules, regulations and principles are adhered to among states.

International relations and law expert, Professor Stephen McGlinchey (2022; December 2023) postulates that there is no sovereign international body or institution to impose punishment on states in the way individuals would be prosecuted for a crime within domestic courts using domestic jurisdictions.

Other public international law and relations scholars such as Kevin Bloor (2022) have noted that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is weak its procedural, independent and authority capacity and consequently, member states can avoid their legal obligations regardless of the judgement.

Both McGlinchey’s and Bloor’s legal assertions are quite applicable to the Venezuela-Guyana dispute because it shows how the actions and pronouncements of states aggravate the dispute settlement process in defence of their national self-interests. Additionally, effective enforcement of the court’s ruling is highly dependent on the consent of the states to accept the court’s jurisdiction that in fact, a violation of public international law has occurred.

Another angle, one could utilize to examine the recent Venezuela-Guyana border dispute is through the lens of third world approaches to international law (TWAIL). Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) argues that public international law has its roots in colonial origins and this, hierarchal structures with respect to sovereignty and there is continual renewal of imperialist domination (Serpi, 2023).

One of the reasons for the escalation is the fact that it dates back to as far as 1899 Paris Arbitration Award when both countries (Guyana and Venezuela) were still under colonial rule.

The case also highlights the pivotal role of overseas, transnational corporations and industrialized countries such as the United States of America.

Venezuela’s mineral dependency or resource curse dilemma is worsened by the fact that the US has imposed economic sanctions on its petroleum oil industry which has had significant impact on the country’s social and economic development. This is seen in growing social unrests, political instability, food insecurity, poverty, mass suffering and decadent state-run institutions which explains why Venezuela is so adamant in exploring mineral and oil-rich industries in Essequibo. For Guyana, the petroleum exploration and refinery company, Exon Mobbil has amassed profits of US$17.9 billion while poverty and inequality among low income and disenfranchised Guyanese have increased.

USA also plays a major role in covering the legal fees of Guyana in defence of its case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing. These underlying social and economic issues perpetuates existing asymmetries between the Global North and Global South where powerful states and corporations deploy international institutions to shape rules according to their interests and agendas.

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Tina Renier is an independent researcher based in Jamaica. She is a regular contributor to Global Research. Her areas of research interests are international development, with special emphasis on labour and development, education and development and women, gender and development.

Sources

Bloor, K. (2022). Understanding Global Politics. Bristol, England: E-International Relations Publishing.

McGlinchey, S. (2022; 8 December 2023). Human Rights and Sovereignty . Bristol, England: E-International Relations Publishing

Serpi, L.A. (15 December 2023). Nuclear Non-Proliferation and the Imperialist Dynamics in International Law. Bristol, England: E-International Relations Publishing.

Featured image source

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First published by Global Research on May 23, 2023

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“The United States government is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today.” — Reverend Martin Luther King, Speech, April 5, 1967, Riverside Church, New York City 

“We are not on the wrong side, we ARE the wrong side.” — Daniel Ellsberg

In a phenomenally well documented study of the fraudulent accusations of atrocities leveled against countries targeted for military intervention by US NATO, fraudulent accusations then used as  “justifications” or rationalizations for “humanitarian military intervention” which devastates the targeted country, ravaging the “infrastructure necessary for sustaining human life” and plundering that country’s opulent  resources, A.B. Abrams describes savage US-Nato military interventions that trivialize the scourges of Attilla the Hun. 

The methods and patterns of these savage interventions are almost identical, indeed virtually predictable:  the country targeted for slaughter is always a state independent of Western (US-Nato) control:  first the targeted country is fraudulently accused of atrocities which occur only in the pornographic imaginations of the US-Nato accuser, and are subsequently (post-slaughter) revealed to be blatant fabrications, at which time these fabricated atrocities have served their purpose of inciting gullible public support for military intervention to end these non-existent atrocities.  Abram’s book is breathtaking in its scope, its accurate command of detail,  and horrifying in his description of the consequences of these fabricated atrocities.   

It is not possible to do justice to the great range of his work, which describes the shameful and horrific duplicity of the US-NATO scourge.  One lesser known attempt at atrocity fabrication against Cuba was “Operation Northwoods,” described by journalist James Bamford: 

“plans to engineer attacks on the US which could be falsely blamed on Cuba as a pretext for an invasion ‘had the support of every single member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and even senior Pentagon official Paul Nitze argued in favour of provoking a phony war with Cuba.  The fact that the most senior members of all the services and the Pentagon could be so out of touch with reality and the meaning of democracy would be hidden for four decades.” 

Operation Northwoods

“CALLED FOR NOTHING LESS THAN THE LAUNCH OF A SECRET CAMPAIGN OF TERRORISM WITHIN THE United States in order to blame Castro and provoke a war with Cuba…in the name of anticommunism, they proposed launching a secret and bloody war of terrorism against their own country in order to trick the American public into supporting an ill-conceived war they intended to launch against Cuba.”

Further, in addition to multiple attempts to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro,

“sea and air commando raids launched from the U.S. mainland, most often by exiles of Cuban origin and frequently with CIA supervisors, targeted oil refineries, chemical plants, bridges, crops, mills, warehouses, fishing boats, and merchant ships…the next stage of escalation involved biological warfare…In 1971 the CIA gave Cuban exiles a virus which caused African swine fever for deployment against the country.  Six weeks later the disease broke out in Cuba and forced the country to slaughter 500,000 pigs to prevent a nationwide epidemic.”

As Abrams describes it, with his impeccable documentation, it is almost impossible to find another example of savagery comparable to the barbarism of the US military ravaging Vietnam, atrocities preceded and “explained” as revenge for the fabricated “Gulf of Tonkin incident” which gained the support of the gullible and skillfully manipulated US Congress.  Quoting James Bamford in Foreign Policy, Abrams continues: 

“In light of the Operation Northwoods documents, it is clear that deceiving the public and trumping up wars for Americans to fight and die in was standard, approved policy at the highest levels of the Pentagon. 

In fact, the Gulf of Tonkin seems right out of the Operation Northwoods playbook: 

“We could blow up a US ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba…casualty lists in US newspapers would cause a helpful wave of indignation.  One need only replace Guantanamo Bay with Tonkin Gulf, and Cuba with North Vietnam.” 

Abrams quotes Rodney Carlisle’s “Encyclopaedia of Intelligence and Counterintelligence”: 

‘In addition to formal propaganda, disinformation was informally promulgated to journalists and the public as well.  The 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident is perhaps the prime example.  At the time, most journalists and the public accepted at face value the claims of President Lyndon Johnson…Yet the highly secret Plan 34A, involving covert attacks jointly managed by the CIA and US navy against North Vietnam was not revealed.  Nor was the fact that a US naval patrol had been sent to gather electronic intelligence in the Gulf of Tonkin.” 

Abrams quotes Robert Lehrman, former White House chief speechwriter: 

‘Was any of LBJ’s speech that night true?  That is exactly what he sought with a resolution written six months earlier, waiting for an event to justify it. ‘On the open seas,’ with its implication that the attack was unprovoked?  The Maddox, cruising off the Vietnamese coast, was part of a covert and illegal intelligence-gathering mission, designed to provoke exactly the response it got.  Two days of attacks? Even Johnson didn’t believe the second one occurred.  Aggression?  The Maddox fired first.  More important, the North Vietnamese were off their own coast.  They were home.  US sailors were about 8,000 miles from home. If anything, the aggressors were us.  Moreover, LBJ didn’t limit himself to deceiving the public.  He deceived the Senate.” 

Using the fabricated atrocity of the Gulf of Tonkin incident as an excuse for escalation, Robert Lehrman noted: the consequences: 

“Three million deaths in a total Vietnamese population of 30 million!  That’s a Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 shot down each day, seven days a week, for 30 years;  that’s not counting the 500,000 to a million victims of Agent Orange.  Aside from mines, of the 15 million tons of explosive ordinance dropped on Vietnam from the air, the Pentagon estimated that around 10 percent did not explode….Beyond explosives, the war effort premised on a response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident saw toxic chemicals widely sprayed across Vietnamese farmland and forests.  Former US Army medic Mike Hastic commented:  ‘The spraying of 70 million litres of the chemical defoliant Agent Orange on the Vietnamese people by the US Government is one of the worst war crimes ever committed in modern warfare.  It is the war crime that is born again with every new generation.  Children die from cancer, they are born without arms and legs, they are born with twisted bodies, mental illness, or no eyes, to name a few birth defects.  Their parents and society have an enormous burden to try to make their lives as meaningful as possible. “ 

Cancer, diabetes, brain cell degeneration, muscular dystrophy and mental problems among the Vietnamese population were all consequences of the lasting legacy of American chemical attacks….Rape was considered a standard practice for US personnel, many of whom recalled  being told by instructors:  ‘we could rape the women, spread them open and drive pointed sticks or bayonets into their vaginas…One veteran described such an incident as follows:  ‘After we raped her, took her cherry from her, after we shot her in the head…we literally start stomping her body.  And everybody was laughing about it.  It’s like seeing the lions around a just-killed zebra. 

The whole pride comes around and they start feasting on the body.  Another example was recalled by former GI John Ketwig who stated that when three young Vietnamese women were captured, ‘everybody circled around and they tortured these women with lit cigarettes…the one girl, they held her down and put the hose from the fire truck between her legs and turned on the water and exploded her.  And the explosion of body fluids splashed across our faces.’  He described it as:  hate against the Vietnamese, the ‘gooks.’”  

“Regarding life in the Amerrican client state, created by Washington using humanitarian pretexts, …A WHO study described South Vietnam as a land of widespread malaria, bubonic plague, leprosy, tuberculosis, venereal disease and 300,000 prostitutes..one of the few places on earth where Leprosy was spreading and bubonic plague was still taking lives.  This was the “Capitalist Paradise” that Washington brought to South Vietnam.”

Subsequent chapters of the book describe the scourge of horrors perpetrated by US-NATO following the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the “West,”  swaggering and drunken with what it considered its victory over the Soviet Union, which collapsed in December, 1991, swept, like Attilla the Hun, through Iraq and Libya, after bullying the United Nations into passing War Resolutions 678, 687 and 688 authorizing their virtual extermination of Iraq, buying and extorting votes in support of these resolutions during the first “Persian Gulf War,” virtually exterminating the Iraqi people, culture and ancient civilization, with the fabricated and subsequently proved fraudulent allegation that Iraqi soldiers were tearing babies out of incubators, and hurling  them on the floor to die.  The carnage wrought by the US, UK and France almost defies belief,  with the UK, according to the NY Times, in 1991, dropping one bomb per second on Iraq for a period of several weeks.  (As former U.S. Attorney General Ramsay Clark stated:  “The U.N. which was created to prevent the scourge of war has become an instrument of war.”)

Abrams’ chapter on the Yugoslav Wars is also almost unspeakably horrifying in its catalogue of US-NATO duplicity in fabricating atrocities they knowingly and fraudulently attributed to Yugoslavia, and then proceeding to perpetrate their own atrocities on their victims in Yugoslavia. 

“A confidential report by NATO’s North Atlantic Council stated that the KLA was ‘the main initiator of violence” in Kosovo and ‘launched what appears to be a deliberate campaign of provocation’ which led to the outbreak of hostilities with Yugoslav government forces. These hostilities in turn paved the way for NATO military intervention.” 

The KLA was deeply involved in organ trafficking, as Carla Del Ponti and Dick Marti reported to the Council of Europe, with Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaci chief perpetrator, but that was ignored by NATO.  Abrams quotes the renowned journalist John Pilger referring to civilians being

“blown up in crowded passenger trains and buses, in factories, television stations,  libraries, old people’s homes, schools and 18 hospitals, many cut to pieces by the UK’s thousands of ‘unaccounted for’ cluster bombs which fragment into shrapnel.’ The extent of the slaughter perpetrated by the Western powers on the basis of fabricated atrocities widely and uncritically reported in Western press, he said, ‘requires an apology from the propagandists; because, as NATO’s planners never tired of saying at their post-bombing seminars, without journalists ‘on board,’ they could never have pulled it off.” 

This violence was perpetrated without UN Security Council Authorization.

Abrams documents the enormity of the damage to Yugoslavia’s economy, the destruction of a people, and the virtual extermination of a nation, which, as admitted by the savage perpetrators, could never have been accomplished without the media propagandists who flooded their public incessantly with details of atrocities fabricated and attributed to the country, in this case, Yugoslavia, targeted for slaughter because it was independent of Western – US-NATO control. 

Although Abrams does not state this explicitly, it is obvious that if the Soviet Union had not itself been dismembered, the destruction of Yugoslavia could not have taken place.  But the Western Press bears enormous responsibility and guilt for the carnage which resulted from their duplicitous fabrications of atrocities, without which the resultant devastation of an entire people could not have taken place.  The complicitous press was very highly paid for their spearheading of this barbarity, earning them the title as “presstitutes, as Paul Craig Roberts, accurately describes them.

The use of depleted uranium weapons was an unparalleled war crime in the “78 day bombing campaign against Yugoslavia which began on March 24, 1999

“….Lacking authorization from the United Nations or from the Yugoslav government for these attacks, or any argument that it was acting in self-defense, the Western assault was a crime of aggression against a sovereign state -considered the supreme international crime.  The Western alliance had launched limited strikes on Yugoslavia previously, but the new air assault was far larger in scale and was far more focused on non-military targets.  20,000 tons of bombs were dropped in 40,000 sorties, with the munitions used being approximately equivalent to the payload of one of the nuclear warheads dropped on Hiroshima or Nagasaki.  Yugoslavia was one of four countries the US had attacked from the air in the span of just a few months, with Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq also being targeted at the time.”

Next in Abrams’ catalogue of fabricated atrocities and their consequences, is one of the most crucial events in this Western scourge of rape of peoples independent of Western capitalist control:  Libya, and the connivance of passage of Resolution 1973 by the UN Security Council.  

The Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was one of the most progressive countries in Africa, spearheading a sovereign pan-African development movement independent of Western capitalist control.  Libya was extremely powerful and influential, one of the leading military powers in Africa and the Arab world.  But like the biblical Samson, destroyed by his vulnerability, according to Abrams, “Fearing an Iraq-style Western assault in the 2000s, after the USSR’s disintegration had allowed the West to impose harsh sanctions and arms embargoes through the United Nations, Libya agreed to unilaterally disarm and accept intrusive Western inspections of its military facilities in exchange for Western security guarantees and sanctions relief.  This fatal mistake is now the example for and reason why the DPRK will not and cannot divest itself of its nuclear weapons.  The destruction of Libya was so shattering of the nation and its people, that its renunciation of its weapons programs in compliance with Western demands and threats proved a  disastrous mistake, from which a terrifying lesson has been learned.

“In mid-February 2011 the sudden outbreak of concerted attacks on Libyan armouries and security forces by unknown militants saw Libyan forces respond with water cannon and rubber bullets, but refrain from using lethal force…. Throughout the conflict questions were repeatedly raised regarding who Libya’s insurgents were, how they had coordinated and trained for simultaneous attacks across the country, and why they had initiated a military campaign which it was clear from the outset could only succeed if Western militaries were to intervene in support. Some indications could be found in neighbouring Syria, which alongside Libya had long been one of the two staunchest opponents of Western hegemony in the Arab world, and which was targeted simultaneously by a very similar form of attack, and by  many of the same foreign actors.  Both insurgencies saw very swift calls in the West for military intervention against the targeted governments, and gained considerable support not only from Western media outlets, but also from major tech giants such as Google.  French Foreign Minister Ronald Dumas noted that Britain had been training insurgents since at least 2009 to ‘invade’ Syria, with multiple other reliable sources confirming that the insurgency had arms, training and support from Western powers and their partners including the deployment of Western and allied special forces alongside them.  In Libya the confirmed presence of Western special forces on the ground within days of the insurgency’s outbreak indicated that it had been long in the planning much as was the case in Syria.  Mummar Gaddafi, for his part, referred to the insurgents as ‘the traitors who are working for the United States and Britain, the colonialists.’”   As reported in the National Interest in 2014, “A decisive factor in the campaign against Gaddafi was a large influx of mujahideen, many affiliated with Al Qaeda…from Eastern Libya, just as the easterners had made a decisive contribution in the 1980s against the Russians in Afghanistan.’” 

Any description of the annihilation of Libya, which had been a highly developed nation and leader of Pan-African independence during the governance of Khaddafi, would be a repetition of the genocidal horrors which resulted from US-NATO military interventions In Iraq, Korea, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, etc., etc.  One unique feature of this annihilation of the Libyan nation and people, whose “infrastructure necessary to support human life” had been demolished by the US-NATO intervention, with United Nations Security Council Authorization, Resolution 1973, “was perhaps the most serious case of genocide and ethnic cleansing of the 21 century. 

It was perpetrated against black Africans who the Jamahiriya era government had protected but who jihadist insurgents targeted for mass slaughter and extermination, with the genocidal conduct of the militants the West had brought to power bearing a very sharp contrast to the Jamahiriya’s Pan-Africanism. …the massacre of Libya’s black population was fueled by outright atrocity fabrication—the primary culprit being Qatar’s Al Jazeera news network….Irish journalist Mary Fitzgerald reported public hangings of black men in insurgent-held areas. 

The Guardian described ‘pogroms’ against blacks reminiscent of Nazi Germany…..Video footage of blacks being tortured by insurgents, including being kept in animal cages…..provided a small indication of the kind of atrocities being perpetrated across the country by the militants the West had empowered…the new Libya quickly saw the emergence of regular slave markets as blacks were kept in chains or cages, sold for free labour, and often given hot iron cattle brands on their faces to identify them…black men and women were reportedly raped by the insurgence.

Perhaps the ultimate symbol of the horror to which Libya was subjected by the US-NATO intervention, was the unspeakably sadistic torture- murder of Kadaffi, a sadism committed by those “gentle protesters” that US-NATO invaded Libya to “protect.”  The horror revealed on Kadaffi’s face, captured in a photo on the front page of the New York Post makes no mention of the fact that in addition to the barbaric cruelty of his “gentle” murderers, they raped him with a bayonet and broken glass forced up his rectum, an unspeakable degradation of a human being, and a symbol of the Western values of “democratic humanism.”  This particular grotesque cruelty was not reported in the American Press, but Europeans were aghast when reports of this particular atrocity surfaced.  As one European stated:  “We were aghast because it was so unnecessary!” 

Abrams next writes of the Syrian war, and of the prevarication of the OPCW, fabricating  a chemical weapons attack in the Douma affair, and the 2013 allegations of a sarin attack in Ghouta, allegations disputed by esteemed journalist Sy Hersh whose impeccable sources absolved Damascus of responsibility for the attack, and indicated that Obama was burying evidence that Al Nusra was the perpetrator.  Western plans to force through a United Nations Security Council Resolution authorizing US-NATO military intervention in Syria were vetoed, three times by Russia and China.

On December 22, 2016 the Syrian Government recovered control over Aleppo, and though Abrams makes no mention of this, which may or may not be coincidental, on December 25, 2016 the airplane carrying the great Russian Alexandrov Choir, en route to  entertain the Russian troops in Syria, suddenly crashed into the ocean, killing all 90 passengers.  Just prior to this, on December 19, 2016,, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey was murdered, in broad daylight in an art gallery in Turkey, with a front page photograph of the assassination in The New York Times, quoting the assassin shouting:  “Don’t forget Aleppo, Don’t forget Syria” and soon thereafter the Russian Consul to Greece  suddenly suffered a fatal heart attack on January 9, 2017. 

The Russian Ambassador to India then died of a sudden heart attack on January 27, and on February 20, 2017 the famous Russian Ambassador to the UN, Vitali Churkin died suddenly of suspected heart failure. On August 24, 2017 Russia’s ambassador to Sudan, Mirgayas Shirinsky was found dead – of a heart attack in his swimming pool at his home.  Although Abrams does not connect these 7 sudden deaths of Russian diplomats to the Syrian victory at Aleppo, following Damascus’ invitation for Russian assistance, these seven sudden deaths may be related to this. 

Abrams’ earlier work on North Korea, the “Immovable Object” is a virtually inexhaustible source of reliable information about the DPRK,;  in this new anthology he includes analysis of the chemical assassination of Kim Jong Nam in Malaysia, which was immediately attributed to Pyongyang, which immediately denied responsibility.  He states:  “While the lack of evidence implicating North Korea as the perpetrator did not rule out the possibility of its responsibility, it highlighted the extent to which its adversaries could shape narratives and manipulate global opinion based on totally unproven accusations. –   He also examines the multiple anti-DPRK theories surrounding the death of Otto Warmbier, citing medical experts in the US stating that there was absolutely no evidence on Warmbier’s body of mistreatment.  

Finally, Abrams concludes with Xinjiang and the Sino-U.S. Conflict to which I will briefly refer, as Syrian Ambassador Bashir Ja’afari informed me personally that Saudi Arabia yearly paid for all expenses of Chinese Uighurs, whom they brought to the pilgrimage at Mecca, where the Uighurs were hosted a month after all other pilgrims had departed, and these Uighurs were then trained in jihad and Islamic extremism, after which they were returned to China for the purpose of fomenting terrorism and separatist movements to disintegrate China.   As the West attempts to provoke Taiwan into further disintegration of China, with visits by such US luminaries as Nancy Pelosi, etc., the attempted dismemberment of China continues, as does the attempted dismemberment of Russia.  One can only hope that Abrams will address that deadly agenda. 

Abrams book, “Atrocity Fabrication and its Consequences” is a masterpiece, deciphering modern history, and identifying the facts underlying the theatrical obfuscation by Western media.  It should be absolutely required reading in all schools and universities in the West, and elsewhere, but it is perhaps too truthful to be tolerated by the Deep State and Establishment, as Galileo’s heresy was intolerable to the Vatican during the Inquisition. 

It must be read by everyone who seeks the truth in order to restore sanity and genuine humanity to this tormented world, on the verge of incineration, as Daniel Ellsberg and Scott Ritter (and innumerable other experts)  fear that the nuclear clock approaches midnight and the extermination of life on earth. 

Those in the West reading Abrams work must be overcome by shame and disgust that our Western pretensions to civilizations are criminally false, and our respect for human life is nonexistent.  This is capitalism, with its contempt for human life. 

The description of US soldiers forcing a hose into the vagina of a  defenseless Vietnamese girl, then turning on its water full force, exploding her body while the soldiers witnessing the atrocity laugh, and the example of Khadaffi’s expression aghast with horror as a bayonet is forced into his rectum:  the reader must ask:  “What are we?  Animals are not savage for amusement.  The reader must himself burst with shame and rage.  But this book must be read nevertheless.  It is agonizing to read:  and it reveals the agony of the victims of “Atrocity Fabrication.”  But this book must nevertheless be read by everyone, if we are ever to become civilized – indeed, human.

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Carla Stea is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG) and Global Research’s Correspondent at UN headquarters, New York. 

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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Iraqi security sources are warning of an ISIS revival in the country, which coincides all too neatly with the spike in Iraqi resistance operations against US bases in Iraq and Syria, and with widening regional instability caused by Israel’s military assault on Gaza. 

More than six years after declaring victory over the terrorist organization, Iraqi intelligence reports now indicate that thousands of ISIS fighters are emerging unscathed, under the protection of US forces in two regions of western Iraq.

The Missing Piece of the Puzzle

According to intelligence reports reviewed by The Cradle, at its height, ISIS consisted of more than 35,000 fighters in Iraq – 25,000 of these were killed, while more than 10,000 simply “disappeared.

As an officer of one Iraqi intelligence agency recounts to The Cradle: 

“Hundreds of ISIS fighters fled to Turkey and Syria at the end of 2017. After the appointment of Abdullah Qardash as the leader of ISIS in 2019, following the death of Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the new Caliph began to restructure the organization, and ordered his followers to return to Iraq. The organization exploited the long border with Syria, the security disturbances, and the diversity of forces on both sides of the border to infiltrate the Iraqi territory again.”

Imprisoned ISIS officials admit that infiltrating that border is not an easy task, because of the strict control imposed by the Iraqi Border Guards and the use of modern technologies, such as thermal cameras. 

It therefore became necessary for the terror group to identify intermediaries capable of breaking through or bypassing these fortifications to transport its fighters across borders

An Iraqi security source, insisting on anonymity, tells The Cradle that the US plays a vital role in enabling these border violations:

“[There are] several incidents that confirm the American assistance in securing the crossing route for ISIS members – mainly, by shelling Iraqi units on the border, especially the Popular Mobilization Units (PMUs), to create gaps that allow ISIS fighters to cross the border.” 

The Iraqi security source adds that there are confirmed reports of US Chinook helicopters transporting fighters from eastern Syria to the Anbar desert in western Iraq and Jebel Hamreen, in the country’s east.

Munir Adib, a researcher specializing in Islamist movements, extremist organizations, and international terrorism, confirms the possibility of the return of ISIS after the organization’s “dozens of attacks in Syria and Iraq in the past few weeks,” which led to the death of tens of civilians and soldiers. 

According to Adib, “the international community’s preoccupation with the Gaza and Russia-Ukraine wars gave ISIS an opportunity to reorganize its ranks, while continuing to receive internal and external logistical support.”

Manufacturing and Harboring Terrorism

Houran Valley is the largest of its kind in Iraq, extending 369 kilometers from the Iraqi-Saudi border to the Euphrates River near the city of Haditha in Anbar Governorate. Its topography is marked by soaring cliffs ranging in height between 150 to 200 meters, and includes the hills surrounding the valley and the sub-valleys that extend into its surroundings.

The valley was and still is one of the most dangerous security environments in the state. Terrorist groups use it as a safe haven because of its desert terrain, and distance from congested urban areas. The valley and its environs have witnessed numerous security incidents, most notably in December 2013, when ISIS killed the commander of the Iraqi army’s Seventh Division, his assistant, the director of intelligence in Anbar Governorate, eight officers, and thirteen soldiers.

Iraqi MP Hassan Salem has called for launching a military operation to clear Houran Valley of terrorist fighters. He confirmed to The Cradle that “there are thousands of ISIS members in the valley receiving training in private camps, under American protection,” noting that US forces have “transferred to this area hundreds of ISIS members of different nationalities.”

US foreign policy, of course, is rife with historical evidence of the creation of proxy armed militias in West Asia and Latin America, often utilizing these organizations to overthrow governments in target countries. We know Washington has no aversion to allying with Islamist extremists largely because of its direct involvement with arming and financing the Afghan Mujahideen, from which the Taliban and Al Qaeda emerged.

An early US-ISIS connection exists quite clearly: the terrorist group’s founding and second rank leaders were among the inmates of Camp Bucca prison in southern Iraq, an internment facility run by the US military. The roster of high-value terrorists captured, then set free by the Americans is quite extraordinary: ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, his successor Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, Haji Bakr, Abu Abdulrahman al-Bilawi, Abu Ayman al-Iraqi, among others.

Camp Bucca, known for abuses against its detainees, brought together extremist elements, slow-boiled this combustive formula for six years (2003-2009), then let the now well-networked extremists go free.

The religious officials of ISIS even say they used their time at the prison to obtain vows from prisoners to join the terrorist group after their release.

US intelligence also protected the terrorist organization indirectly, by allowing ISIS convoys to move between the cities that were under its control. Other forms of protection, according to Iraqi security experts, include refusing to implement death sentences issued by Iraqi courts against detained ISIS members, and establishing safe havens for the organization’s members in western and eastern Iraq.

ISIS: US Foot Soldiers in the Regional War

In a speech on 5 January, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah warned that the US was supporting an ISIS revival in the region.

The Cradle obtained security information monitoring the new activity of extremists in Lebanon, communications between these elements and their counterparts in Iraq and Syria, and suspicious money transfer activities among them.

Lebanese Army Intelligence also recently arrested a group of Lebanese and Syrians who were preparing to carry out security operations.

Importantly, this surge in terror activities comes at a time when the Lebanese resistance is engaged in a security and military battle with Israel, which may expand at any moment into open war. It is also notable that renewed ISIS activity is concentrated in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Iran; that is, in the countries that support the Palestinian resistance politically, militarily, and logistically.

On 4 January, ISIS officially claimed responsibility for two bombings in the Iranian city of Kerman that targeted memorial processions on the anniversary of the assassination of Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani by US forces. The dual explosions killed around 90 people and injured dozens, in an unprecedented attack targeting the biggest US-Israeli adversary in West Asia – just one day after Tel Aviv killed top Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in Beirut.

Before that, on 5 October 2023, ISIS drone-attacked an officers graduation ceremony at the Military College in the Syrian city of Homs, killing about 100 people. These attacks, and others in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Africa, indicate that fresh blood, money, and weapons are being pumped into the ISIS organization’s arteries again.

A high-ranking PMU officer, who asked to remain unnamed, tells The Cradle that US forces are preventing Iraqi forces from approaching Houran Valley by attacking any security forces approaching the area. “This happened when American aircraft targeted units of the PMU that were attacking ISIS in the region,” he reveals, citing intelligence reports confirming the presence of dozens of ISIS members and other extremist organizations in the valley, where they receive training and equipment from US forces.

Security sources in the Anbar Operations Command confirm this information:

“Noticeable activity by the organization had been recorded a few weeks ago in the west of the country. Near the Rutba desert, ISIS fighters were spotted digging underground hideouts. Information indicates that the organization is in the process of carrying out terrorist operations in many locations,” they tell The Cradle.

Concurrently, ISIS is expanding its operations in the east of Iraq, within the geographical triangle that includes eastern Salah al-Din Governorate, north-eastern Diyala, and southern Kirkuk, particularly in the geographically challenging Makhoul, Hamrin, Ghurra, Wadi al-Shay, and Zaghitoun areas.

It should be noted that US forces are deployed in Iraq under the umbrella of the International Coalition to Combat ISIS. Last week, four years after the Iraqi parliament first voted to expel foreign forces, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani weighed in on the “destabilizing” impact of US troops and demanded a “quick and orderly” exit of those combat units. 

Washington not only countered by saying it has “no plans” to withdraw from Iraq, but announced on 14 January that it would be sending an additional 1,500 troops to Iraq and Syria illegally, and without the consent of either nation.

One irony here is that ISIS appears to regain momentum each and every time Baghdad raises the issue of US military withdrawal from Iraq. 

It can also no longer be seen as a coincidence that the terror group is now re-assembling its forces to target Washington and Tel Aviv’s most capable regional foes – the Axis of Resistance – just when the US and Israel are struggling to handle a region-wide, multi-front assault from the Axis. 

The extraordinary synergies between the Americans and the world’s foremost terror group can no longer be ignored: their targets are one and the same, and ISIS is only now entering the fray, just as Washington begins to lose its hold on West Asia.

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Featured image is from The Cradle


America’s War on Terrorism

by Michel Chossudovsky

ISBN Number: 9780973714715

In this new and expanded edition of Michel Chossudovsky’s 2002 best seller, the author blows away the smokescreen put up by the mainstream media, that 9/11 was an attack on America by “Islamic terrorists”.  Through meticulous research, the author uncovers a military-intelligence ploy behind the September 11 attacks, and the cover-up and complicity of key members of the Bush Administration.

The expanded edition, which includes twelve new chapters focuses on the use of 9/11 as a pretext for the invasion and illegal occupation of Iraq, the militarisation of justice and law enforcement and the repeal of democracy.

According to Chossudovsky, the  “war on terrorism” is a complete fabrication based on the illusion that one man, Osama bin Laden, outwitted the $40 billion-a-year American intelligence apparatus. The “war on terrorism” is a war of conquest. Globalisation is the final march to the “New World Order”, dominated by Wall Street and the U.S. military-industrial complex.

September 11, 2001 provides a justification for waging a war without borders. Washington’s agenda consists in extending the frontiers of the American Empire to facilitate complete U.S. corporate control, while installing within America the institutions of the Homeland Security State.

Click here to purchase.

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Nos últimos dias, o Irã lançou uma série de ataques contra alvos ligados a Israel e a grupos terroristas anti-xiitas. Os ataques de alta precisão tiveram sucesso na eliminação do pessoal inimigo e na destruição de bases e equipamentos, além de mostrar aos atores regionais o nível do poder militar iraniano, funcionando como um mecanismo de dissuasão em meio às tensões locais.

Os ataques foram operados pelo Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Mísseis balísticos foram lançados contra as bases do ISIS na Síria e contra as instalações de inteligência do Mossad no Iraque. Além disso, posições do grupo terrorista Jaish al-Adl, baseado no Paquistão, também foram bombardeadas, com Islamabad a condenar a “violação territorial” vinda do Irã e a prometer “graves consequências”.

O objetivo dos ataques era retaliar pelas recentes operações terroristas ocorridas em solo iraniano. No dia 3 de janeiro, duas explosões na região de Kerman mataram quase uma centena de pessoas durante uma cerimónia religiosa em homenagem ao general Qassem Soleimani, assassinado pelos EUA num ataque de drones em 2020. Anteriormente, outro ataque tinha ocorrido na cidade de Rask. , onde onze policiais iranianos foram assassinados. O ISIS foi responsável pelo ataque em Kerman, enquanto Jaish al-Adl foi responsabilizado pelo assassinato de policiais em Rask. Por esta razão, Teerã decidiu bombardear as posições de ambos os grupos na Síria e no Paquistão, neutralizando a ameaça de novas incursões em território iraniano.

No entanto, de acordo com as investigações iranianas, existe uma forte relação de cooperação entre grupos terroristas e a inteligência israelita. Acredita-se que milícias ilegais funcionam como representantes do Estado sionista para lançar ataques ao Irã, razão pela qual o país persa também bombardeou alvos estratégicos ligados à Mossad no Curdistão iraquiano. Segundo Teerã, havia um “centro de espionagem” israelense na região, onde os ataques ao Irã foram planejados por profissionais da inteligência sionista.

Os porta-vozes do IRGC também deixaram claro que as operações contra terroristas e espiões israelitas continuarão até que a “vingança pelos mártires iranianos” seja alcançada. Portanto, espera-se que novos ataques ocorram contra vários alvos na região nos próximos dias.

“Em resposta aos recentes crimes dos grupos terroristas que martirizaram injustamente um grupo dos nossos queridos compatriotas em Kerman e Rask, identificamos locais de reunião de comandantes e elementos do ISIS relacionados com recentes operações terroristas nos territórios ocupados da Síria e destruímo-los. disparando uma série de mísseis balísticos (…) [Também usamos mísseis contra] um dos principais quartéis-generais de espionagem do regime sionista [Mossad] na região do Curdistão no Iraque (…) [O ataque foi] em resposta aos recentes atos vis do regime sionista ao martirizar os comandantes do IRGC (…) Asseguramos à nossa amada nação que as operações ofensivas do IRGC continuarão até que as últimas gotas de sangue dos mártires sejam vingadas “, diz uma declaração do IRGC.

Um detalhe curioso sobre o caso é que a base visada do Mossad no Curdistão estava localizada perto de um consulado americano. Relatos não confirmados dizem que os alvos americanos foram neutralizados no ataque. Mesmo que isto não seja verdade, os ataques foram de fato uma operação dissuasora contra os EUA, destinada a mostrar à equipe diplomática americana o elevado nível das capacidades militares iranianas.

Além de retaliar pelas mortes de cidadãos iranianos, estes bombardeamentos são importantes para Teerã, a fim de demonstrar força e dissuadir os inimigos regionais no atual contexto de tensões. O Irã está a enviar uma mensagem clara aos seus inimigos, afirmando que está disposto a retaliar por cada ataque que sofrer, mesmo que tenha de lançar ataques em territórios estrangeiros, aumentando os riscos de um conflito regional total.

Esses movimentos já eram esperados. Israel e os seus aliados não respeitaram o Irã e avançaram seriamente nas suas provocações, sem levar em conta o grande potencial militar do país. Além de ser uma potência militar relevante e possuir uma indústria de defesa muito forte, Teerã também controla uma grande aliança internacional de milícias, sendo capaz de lidar com cenários de conflitos complexos tanto direta quanto indiretamente. Os inimigos do Irã enfrentarão inevitavelmente muitas dificuldades se quiserem realmente escalar as tensões para uma situação de hostilidades abertas.

A melhor coisa que os EUA e Israel podem fazer nesta situação é simplesmente acalmar o conflito. Não é racional nem estratégico prosseguir um cenário de hostilidades com o Irã, e não há razão para criar um ciclo vicioso de violência que conduza a uma guerra regional total. Contudo, infelizmente, a racionalidade e o sentido estratégico já não parecem ser fatores relevantes no processo de tomada de decisão israelita e americano.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida

 

 

 

Artigo em inglês : Iran launches high precision strikes in retaliation for terrorist attacks, InfoBrics, 17 de Janeiro de 2023.

Imagem : InfoBrics

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Lucas Leiroz, jornalista, pesquisador do Center for Geostrategic Studies, consultor geopolítico.

Você pode seguir Lucas Leiroz em: https://t.me/lucasleiroz e https://twitter.com/leiroz_lucas

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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Jan. 5, 2024 USA TODAY: The US is starting 2024 in its second-largest COVID surge ever, experts say.

PROPAGANDA surrounding JN.1 COVID-19 Variant is ramping up over the past few weeks.

I will go through the various talking points of the latest PROPAGANDA SURGE and give my thoughts at the end:

Talking Point #1: JN.1 is currently the 2nd largest surge of the entire pandemic (according to COVID wastewater data).

Talking Point #2: JN.1 is highly mutated and up to 4x better at evading immune system than previous variant BA.2.86.

Talking Point #3: JN.1 has achieved “global dominance”, and most if not all variants in the foreseeable future will come from it. It’s a “game changer”.

 

Talking Point #4: JN.1 is so different, it should have its own Greek letter, according to Eric Topol MD.

 

Talking Point #5: JN.1 Incubation period is 3 days or less.

 

 

Talking Point #6: BA.2.86 and JN.1 can fuse to human cells more efficiently and can infect cells that line the lower lung (just like pre-Omicron strains). It may cause more severe disease.

Talking Point #7: According to WHO, holiday gatherings have spread JN.1 and caused 10,000 COVID-19 deaths in December 2023.

 

 

Talking Point #8: New COVID boosters work against JN.1 “severe disease” even though it has 30+ mutations away from the variant XBB.1.5 the COVID boosters were designed for.

Johns Hopkins: “Tests detect JN.1, the news vaccines protect against severe disease, and antivirals are still capable of treating infection from JN.1″

 

 

Talking Point #9: New COVID Boosters generate antibodies against JN.1 “albeit fewer of them…as ever, vaccines will not totally block JN.1 infections but should reduce death” (Time Magazine).

WHO recommended sticking with the current XBB.1.5 vaccines, since they seem to provide “at least some cross protection.”

Talking Point #10: New COVID Boosters will protect you against JN.1 hospitalizations, Long COVID, heart attacks and strokes (Peter Hotez really said this).

 

 

Talking Point #11: JN.1 spreading is the reason mandatory masking policies are returning (Johns Hopkins brings back mask mandates):

 

 

 

Talking Point #12: Hospitals are “preparing to once again be overrun with COVID patients.”

 

 

Talking Point #13: Over 100 nursing homes in Victoria, Australia are battling COVID outbreaks due to JN.1.

 

Talking Point #14: Canada, British Columbia Hospitals have set a record for “hospitalizations” on Jan. 10, 2024.

 

 

Talking Point #15: JN.1 is not killing that many people but will add millions to “LONG COVID” (Dr.Eric Topol). You must get your COVID shot to reduce Long COVID risk by 40-50%.

Vaccinations are protective – 40 to 50% reduction of Long COVID.

 

Talking point #16: Long COVID is like HIV – it destroys the immune system.

Talking point #17: Australia has two COVID-19 Variants spreading and the second is “HV.1”

This sounds very much like “HIV-1” which I don’t think is an accident.

Talking Point #18: JN.1 Variant could mutate in an animal reservoir like deer or recombine with another “more deadly coronavirus like SARS or MERS.”

 

My Take…

I have read through many articles and posts and have digested the Propaganda so you don’t have to.

There is a desperation about the “JN.1” variant, by the COVID Cartel – it seems to be one last effort to scare substantial numbers of people into taking their COVID booster shots, before a probable “escalation”.

The earlier part of this effort, let’s call it “Phase 1” was the marketing campaign for people to get their COVID-19 jab with their flu jab – this was pushed heavily by politicians and celebrities. How bad was it? This bad:

The COVID & flu jab campaign only got about 10-15% of people to take the new COVID-19 jabs, far short of the 50% that Big pharma was targeting (flu jab uptake is 50% and the “double jab” was meant to be a new normal for “annual shots”).

Phase 1 failed. One more round of poison for 50% of the population didn’t work.

Phase 2 is the JN.1 Variant. Heavily mutated (30+ mutations in spike region), rapidly spreading (predictions of up to 2 million infections per day in the US at the peak), but not particularly dangerous (yet).

The “hospitals are overflowing” and nursing home outbreaks propaganda is coming mainly from Australia and Canada, not as much the US. In fact, past 2 days, I am seeing a lot of “overflowing ERs” with “unacceptable waiting times” in various Canadian provinces. Canadians are petrified. There is a reason for this controlled chaos.

 

Who is struggling with JN.1? The recently COVID Vaccinated and the 4x, 5x, 6x, 7x jabbed. The 2x and 3x jabbed may have recovered from immune dysfunction.

Since governments refuse to give data on vaccine status of those in the hospital, assume that close to 100% of the hospitalized are vaccinated whose immune systems are severely damaged.

Still, deaths from JN.1 are uncommon. So instead, the fear mongering focuses on “Long COVID” and suddenly “Long COVID” is the new HIV.

According to big pharma MD Eric Topol, COVID Vaccines reduce Long COVID by 40-50%. So if you don’t get the new jab, you’ll end up with Long COVID which is like HIV.

In reality, if you take the jab, you will end up with a destroyed immune system like HIV.

Add in the subliminal messaging of the “HV-1” variant in Australia that looks very much like “HIV-1”.

I do believe we’re nearing the end of Phase 2, and they will continue to try to force mask mandates throughout US and Canada.

A more uniform rollout of mask mandates would set the stage for Phase 3 and possible lockdowns due to a “black swan event”.

The warning signs (which I will cover in the next substack):

  • Jan. 17, 2024 – WEF Davos Conference Session on “Disease X”
  • Feb. 2024 – Google warns of “sensitive event” (civil emergencies, natural disasters, public health emergencies, terrorism, mass acts of violence, etc)
  • May 2024 – WHO Pandemic Treaty

Phase 3 is Disease X and black swan events and will be covered in depth in next article.

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Dr. William Makis is a Canadian physician with expertise in Radiology, Oncology and Immunology. Governor General’s Medal, University of Toronto Scholar. Author of 100+ peer-reviewed medical publications.


The Worldwide Corona Crisis, Global Coup d’Etat Against Humanity

by Michel Chossudovsky

Michel Chossudovsky reviews in detail how this insidious project “destroys people’s lives”. He provides a comprehensive analysis of everything you need to know about the “pandemic” — from the medical dimensions to the economic and social repercussions, political underpinnings, and mental and psychological impacts.

“My objective as an author is to inform people worldwide and refute the official narrative which has been used as a justification to destabilize the economic and social fabric of entire countries, followed by the imposition of the “deadly” COVID-19 “vaccine”. This crisis affects humanity in its entirety: almost 8 billion people. We stand in solidarity with our fellow human beings and our children worldwide. Truth is a powerful instrument.”

Reviews

This is an in-depth resource of great interest if it is the wider perspective you are motivated to understand a little better, the author is very knowledgeable about geopolitics and this comes out in the way Covid is contextualized. —Dr. Mike Yeadon

In this war against humanity in which we find ourselves, in this singular, irregular and massive assault against liberty and the goodness of people, Chossudovsky’s book is a rock upon which to sustain our fight. –Dr. Emanuel Garcia

In fifteen concise science-based chapters, Michel traces the false covid pandemic, explaining how a PCR test, producing up to 97% proven false positives, combined with a relentless 24/7 fear campaign, was able to create a worldwide panic-laden “plandemic”; that this plandemic would never have been possible without the infamous DNA-modifying Polymerase Chain Reaction test – which to this day is being pushed on a majority of innocent people who have no clue. His conclusions are evidenced by renown scientists. —Peter Koenig 

Professor Chossudovsky exposes the truth that “there is no causal relationship between the virus and economic variables.” In other words, it was not COVID-19 but, rather, the deliberate implementation of the illogical, scientifically baseless lockdowns that caused the shutdown of the global economy. –David Skripac

A reading of  Chossudovsky’s book provides a comprehensive lesson in how there is a global coup d’état under way called “The Great Reset” that if not resisted and defeated by freedom loving people everywhere will result in a dystopian future not yet imagined. Pass on this free gift from Professor Chossudovsky before it’s too late.  You will not find so much valuable information and analysis in one place. –Edward Curtin

ISBN: 978-0-9879389-3-0,  Year: 2022,  PDF Ebook,  Pages: 164, 15 Chapters

Price: $11.50 FREE COPY! Click here (docsend) and download.

We encourage you to support the eBook project by making a donation through Global Research’s DonorBox “Worldwide Corona Crisis” Campaign Page.

Há muitos soldados ‘muito velhos’ no exército ucraniano.

January 18th, 2024 by Lucas Leiroz de Almeida

Os problemas de mobilização da Ucrânia são cada vez mais claros. O país já não tem cidadãos jovens suficientes para continuar a lutar, razão pela qual apela à população mais idosa. Atualmente, segundo as autoridades locais, a idade média dos combatentes de Kiev é superior a 40 anos, o que mostra como o país está enfraquecido e incapaz de continuar a lutar a longo prazo.

Numa entrevista recente à Espresso TV, Aleksey Tarasenko, comandante da 5ª Brigada de Assalto de Kiev, admitiu os dados críticos sobre a idade média dos soldados ucranianos. Afirmou que é urgente a realização de novas campanhas de mobilização para angariar os mais jovens, pois há uma série de “problemas” no recrutamento de idosos.

“Os militares aguardam ansiosamente novos reforços porque a situação em muitas unidades é crítica em termos de pessoal (…) Mesmo aqueles que vêm muitas vezes deixam muito a desejar por causa de problemas que normalmente surgem”, disse aos jornalistas.

De acordo com Tarasenko, a maioria dos jovens ucranianos anteriormente recrutados já “se foram”. Os seus argumentos e dados endossam a ala do parlamento ucraniano que quer não só apelar a uma nova mobilização total, mas também endurecer as punições para aqueles que evitam o recrutamento. O objetivo é ampliar o número de jovens soldados para reabastecer as tropas enfraquecidas após dois anos de intensos atritos.

Em Dezembro, o presidente Vladimir Zelensky revelou um plano para convocar 500 mil novos soldados. Porém, segundo o governador de Nikolaev, Valery Kim, esse número também seria insuficiente, e seria necessário recrutar pelo menos 2 milhões de novos soldados para que houvesse alguma mudança real em favor da Ucrânia no campo de batalha.

Na verdade, os números parecem irrealistas. A Ucrânia não consegue realizar novas grandes campanhas de mobilização porque já perdeu mais de 500 mil soldados nas linhas da frente. Os ucranianos que ainda não foram mobilizados são basicamente o que resta no país para ocupar todas as funções não militares – se forem convocados, haverá uma crise em vários setores da sociedade civil ucraniana.

Há um esforço do país para resolver este problema através do repatriamento de ucranianos que fugiram para o estrangeiro, mas esta é uma tarefa complicada. As pessoas que fogem das guerras são consideradas refugiados, e não meros migrantes, de acordo com o direito internacional, o que torna ilegal que os países de acolhimento devolvam estes cidadãos à sua terra natal. É pouco provável que a Ucrânia chegue a um acordo com os países ocidentais sobre o tema, esperando apenas que os estados aliados aconselhem os ucranianos a regressar voluntariamente à sua nação.

Todos estes fatos criam uma espécie de impasse para Kiev. O país não consegue continuar lutando. O que resta enviar para a linha de frente são praticamente apenas idosos, mulheres, adolescentes e pessoas com graves problemas de saúde. A maioria da população jovem masculina já foi dizimada ou fugiu do país, com um grave problema demográfico causado pela decisão de Kiev de levar a guerra às últimas consequências.

O governo ucraniano, no entanto, não é verdadeiramente responsável por decidir se continua ou não a lutar. Os patrocinadores do regime deixaram claro desde o início que a guerra deve continuar até ao último ucraniano. Mesmo agora, quando a ajuda começa a diminuir devido à crescente atenção dos EUA a Israel, não parece haver uma “autorização” para Kiev parar os combates. que não está preocupado com o bem-estar e o futuro do povo ucraniano – e que não tem objeções em aniquilar a população ucraniana apenas para tentar “desgastar” a Rússia.

Além disso, é necessário lembrar que mesmo que a Ucrânia consiga melhorar a sua taxa de recrutamento e enviar mais tropas para o campo de batalha, isso certamente não terá qualquer impacto real no resultado final do conflito. Os russos continuam a lutar com apenas uma pequena percentagem da sua capacidade militar real, tendo Moscou uma capacidade de mobilização abundante. Se Kiev aumentar o número de tropas no terreno, Moscou poderá convocar mais reservistas e terá tropas suficientes para realizar tantas mobilizações quantas forem necessárias – enquanto a Ucrânia é cada vez mais demograficamente incapaz de realizar novos alistamentos.

Assim, no final, a Ucrânia só tem duas opções: continuar no seu caminho suicida e causar danos ainda mais irreversíveis à sua própria população, ou agir soberanamente, romper com o Ocidente e aceitar os termos de paz russos.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida

 

 

Artigo em inglês : ‘Very old’ soldiers majority in Ukrainian army, Info Brits, 16 de Janeiro de 2023

Imagem : InfoBrics

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Lucas Leiroz, jornalista, pesquisador do Center for Geostrategic Studies, consultor geopolítico.

Você pode seguir Lucas Leiroz em: https://t.me/lucasleiroz e https://twitter.com/leiroz_lucas

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name (only available in desktop version).

To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here.

Click the share button above to email/forward this article to your friends and colleagues. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to our Telegram Channel. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles.

New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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For all of human history, when two sides are in a conflict and one wants to initiate peace talks (common sense implies it’s usually the one that’s not exactly winning), the actual negotiations require both of the warring sides to be present.

However, the era of the so-called post-truth also seems to be a time of “post-logic”, as the Kiev regime keeps insisting on a “peace summit” to which Russia wouldn’t be invited.

During this year’s WEF in Davos, the Neo-Nazi junta frontman Volodymyr Zelensky announced his intention to do exactly that.

On the eve of the forum, one of his top-ranking officials, Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, stated that the Kiev regime believes it is “crucial for China to be at the table for future talks on our peace formula” and that this is “necessary to end the war with Russia”.

As per usual, the Neo-Nazi junta keeps barking up the wrong tree. The idea that Beijing would try to nudge Moscow toward peace talks at a time when the Kiev regime’s overlords are openly talking about the so-called “strategic containment” of both (Eur)Asian superpowers is simply ludicrous.

China is perfectly aware of the fact that it would be next in line if it ever turned its back on Russia. However, for some reason, the Neo-Nazi junta keeps trying to get on Beijing’s good side. These efforts have been completely futile so far, but Zelensky simply refuses to give up. Still, it’s somewhat understandable why he’s doing this. Namely, China is indeed one of the most powerful countries of the new, rapidly expanding multipolar world, effectively being the cornerstone of its economic might.

Along with its growing military power, this gives Beijing the capacity to pursue a completely independent foreign policy, a luxury that very few nations can afford. However, once again, the idea that the Asian giant would use this power to try and coerce Moscow, its geopolitical ally, into accepting anything that would go against its interests is simply unrealistic (mildly speaking). First of all, this cannot even be done, as both superpowers see each other as equal partners, which excludes the possibility of imposing anything among themselves or any other multipolar power. However, this is not to say their foreign policy frameworks are in total lockstep. Still, precisely this multi-vectored approach is behind the success of BRICS+, SCO and similar multipolar global organizations.

And yet, as Chinese Premier Li Qiang is leading his country’s delegation at this year’s WEF, the Kiev regime sees this as a unique opportunity to push its vaunted “peace platform” on at least one top-ranking Chinese official. It’s important to note that the pressure on Beijing won’t come only from the Neo-Nazi junta, but also from its NATO overlords, who have decided to use this year’s WEF for another pointless “peace summit”. In order to give it the optics of an “international event”, they need to use the opportunity that Chinese representatives are there, despite the fact that their participation at the forum has little to do with Ukraine. The “neutral” Switzerland also agreed to play the role of the official host, which is supposed to serve as an important segment of this laughable “geopolitical talk show”.

“We would like the Global South to be present… It is important for us to show that the whole world is against Russia’s aggression, and the whole world is for a just peace,” Zelensky said about the “peace summit”.

The statement is yet another confirmation that PR and optics are everything for the Kiev regime. No substance, no actual point in doing any of it, but to constantly recycle the illusion that Russia is supposedly “isolated” because it’s not at the WEF, while the Neo-Nazi junta is. It can even be said that these futile attempts have long been uncomfortable for China, as its high-ranking officials have agreed to speak to their Kiev regime counterparts only for the sake of being polite and diplomatic. However, this is becoming increasingly tiresome, as Beijing is perfectly aware of the pointlessness of any “peace talks” that don’t involve Moscow, so much so that even the unequivocally pro-Neo-Nazi junta mainstream propaganda machine was forced to admit that this was a complete failure.

Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said the gathering “helped clarify certain points” for future discussions, but admitted that it was “clear none of the warring parties were willing to make territorial concessions”.

This is a rather peculiar statement, given the fact that “one of the warring parties” was not actually present. Someone should probably explain to Western leaders that it’s exceedingly difficult to talk to someone when they’re not present. And yet, even if Russia was invited (provided it would accept it), the Kiev regime’s completely irrational demands would make it impossible to come to any sort of negotiable settlement. For instance, the Neo-Nazi junta refuses to give up on its vaunted “10-point peace plan” that demands “Russia’s complete withdrawal from the entire territory of Ukraine”.

Mind you, this request refers to what Zelensky claims is “Ukraine’s internationally recognized state border”, which in his view includes Crimea. Who in their right mind thinks Moscow would even consider talking to someone with such demands, let alone accept such a “peace deal”? What this effectively amounts to is a call for Russia’s unconditional capitulation, despite the fact that the situation on the battlefield suggests a complete opposite. To make matters worse, Zelensky stipulated several other absurd requests, including “the return of Ukrainian children stolen by Russia, sanctions, ways to use frozen Russian assets, humanitarian mine clearing, financial assistance and recovery”. In other words, Moscow would also have to accept outright lies and theft of its forex assets.

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Drago Bosnic is an independent geopolitical and military analyst. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image is from InfoBrics

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name (only available in desktop version).

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Click the share button above to email/forward this article to your friends and colleagues. Follow us on Instagram and Twitter and subscribe to our Telegram Channel. Feel free to repost and share widely Global Research articles.

New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) motto for Davos24 (ongoing) is “Rebuilding Trust”. This is worse than a joke because what the WEF propagates openly – a Polygon Cyberattack, a not yet identified virus “X”, already somewhere out there (say Bill Gates and WHO’s Tedros), and more — as well as the untold secret behind closed-door topics, is anything but “Building Trust”. See this.

See this brief fictitious address to Klaus Schwab by an apparent official WEF invitee, captured by a 19-second video-clip that flashed around the world today, 17 January 2024, in warp speed. It is fake, a satire, produced by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Yet, it is telling in more ways than one. It reflects the sentiment of just about the entire non-elite world, some 8 billion people. And second, the fact that it was produced by high-quality AI – the very AI pushed to the crushing end by the WEF and its handlers — also shows that AI can be neck-breaking, even, or especially, for those who propagate AI and absolute digitization, including by transforming humans to “humanoids”.

Inventions no matter how brilliant, used for diabolical purposes, tend to backfire on those who misuse them. WEF beware!

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First Movers Coalition

One of the latest inhuman projects, yet propagated as an environmental savior is industrial “decarbonization” of the world. It is called the First Movers Coalition (FMC), consisting currently of 96 members, with “more than 120 commitments” to purchase near-zero emission goods and services by 2030. According to the WEF, these commitments will represent an estimated annual demand of $16 billion by 2030 – the largest demand for emerging climate technologies ever created by the private sector.

These commitments apparently cover seven sectors: aluminum, aviation, carbon dioxide removal, cement and concrete, shipping, steel, and trucking. Be aware, these “commitments” are nothing more than “promises”, or in Cult lingo “Predictive Programming” which is but a warning to the population of what might happen.

This ritual is a MUST for Cults to be successful. They also create fear, which in turn, makes people submissive and drastically reduces the human immune system. That is their main goal. It is one of the more effective tactics of mind manipulation “science” à la Tavistock Social Engineering Institute in the UK.

Remember the Covid farce? It is now admitted even by mainstream having been largely “exaggerated”. People may take note, but the farce goes on, with the next lie, with the next false pandemic, or fake climate disaster, or energy shortages, producing brown-outs and black-outs. As it stands now, people will swallow the lies again, and again – and following the script with obedience, as they did with the covid tyranny.

Or not? Will We, the People, stand up?

The FMC was launched at COP26 (UN Climate Change Conference Scotland, November 2021). From then 35 members it grew to 96 today. The FMC “promises” by 2030, their commitments – now some 120, though non-descriptive — will represent an estimated annual demand of $16 billion for emerging climate technologies (whatever that means) and 31 million tons (Mt) CO2e in annual emission reductions.

Indoctrinated to the bones with fake “science”, the “global environmentalists” first reaction will be: “Fantastic!“ Another step closer to saving the planet. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

What these Masters of the Universe do perhaps not know is that eliminating CO2 is a step closer to destroying Mother Earth. Because CO2 is as important for life and for the equilibrium of climate as is oxygen, the one chemical that is said is necessary for life to survive (other than water), with its symbol “O” or “O2”. For more explanation on the symbols, see this.

Without CO2, “food” for the trees, there is no oxygen. Trees transform CO2 into oxygen in a process of photosynthesis. See this.

If there is an excess of CO2, it is absorbed by the oceans (NASA); similarly, in case of a shortage, the seas around the world release CO2. It is a perfectly balanced system.

There is no need for industrial interference, for WEF-UN-promoted industrial disturbance of the equilibrium of the universe. All such interferences as the WEF promotes on many fronts – see below – are “gentle” steps towards euthanizing humanity, and what ever other “useless eaters” (quote from Klaus Schwab’s adviser, Yuval Noah Harari) can be replaced by robots, transhumans and AI.

Oxygen is what humans and most life forms need to breath. What the new WEF promotion, FMC, propagates to do, is helping to reduce natural oxygen production.

FMC-participating industries include such heavyweights as the Coca Cola Company, Qatar Airways, Velux, Volvo Cars, Inc., Drax Corporate Limited, Norsk Hydro ASA, and many more.

Guess who are the major shareholders of the FMC companies? You guessed right: BlackRock/Vanguard. The same financial power brokers are also major shareholders of hundreds of corporations, controlling every life-essential sector in the world’s socioeconomics, food, energy, transportation, western banking, and much more – thereby having an absolute stranglehold on humanity.

Guess, who is the major sponsor and financier of the WEF? You are right: BlackRock.

It is, therefore, not difficult to figure out who pulls the strings behind the WEF, WHO, the political UN, the entire UN Network. As long as the majority of (Western) people are feeling comfortable in the system, so long the fist of tyranny around our necks will tighten, lightly but ever more, as in euthanasia.

See this for the full article on the First Movers Coalition (FMC).

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Wanton Chaos, Killing, Confusion

Concurrently with wars and killing in the Middle East, in Ukraine, in Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, spontaneous murderous attacks on schools, subways, shopping malls, even in the streets, keeping people scared and on their guards, too nervous to think about their own good, their children’s future.

There is a fight going on between good and evil.

This tug of war is predicted to become even more intense in 2024 and in the coming years. We must not be afraid, and, thus, will be able to resist being pulled into the euthanasia mill – a myriad of tricks and traps, cleverly planned and planted by the WEF around the world.

WEF, as the (Western) world’s Euthanasia Agent, is working simultaneously on many fronts. Events and processes playing out at the same time are to confuse the people, to disguise the agent and to gain speed. With people ever more opening their eyes, 2030 is too far away to meet the targets. Speed is of the essence to subdue populations – and to advance the targets.

Many scientists who were silenced from 2020 through 2022 and much of 2023, have come forward and speak the truth about covid, the bioweapon, they called Covid vaccine – the excess mortality related to the poisonous injections called vaccines; the climate change fraud, the energy shortage, the environmental harm done by producing solar panels, building solar farms, and windmills – and more.

The latest fashion of the environmentally-conscious elite – driving an electric car – is the worst for the environment and for fuel efficiency. See this.

Biggest Dam Removal Project in US History

Have you heard about another lunacy being planned and in terms of predictive programming, the people being made aware of – scared? Predictive Programming is the Cult’s way of assuring success for their evil endeavors. So, they must tell people, stun them, block them as the shock incapacitates them from countering these diabolical actions.

The first step of this insanity is that four of the six dams corralling the Klamath River—which runs through Oregon and Northern California—are in the process of being removed by the end of the year. Supposedly for “good environment”, to safe the salmons
(Photo by USGS).

The US plans to eliminate 30,000 (electricity producing) dams by 2050. This is wantonly causing brown-outs and black-outs with disastrous, life-threatening, and life-taking social and economic consequences. See this Biggest dam removal project in US history is underway (morningbrew.com) and this Another Firm Warns to Prepare for Blackouts Across Major Population Centers (youtube.com).

Is this real or a WEF scare-moment? Whatever it is, fear is known to attack the immune system, so that even the non-Covid vaxxed may become more vulnerable to common diseases, but also to all kinds of cancers.

Take turbo cancers: Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a recent interview that turbo cancer (aggressive cancers) are on the rise in young people.

Expect large proportions of young people, as many as a third, being hit by turbo cancer (Bourla).

Pfizer is working hard to develop medication to fight this deadly disease. Bourla did not mention that the scary ascent of cancers are largely the results of the Covid vaxx-injections, a fair share of which were produced by Pfizer. Disease is their golden cash-cow playing into the WEF / UN2030 population reduction objective. See this.

Schwab and Bourla at 2022 WEF

By the way, the Covid “vaxxes” do not just cause harm and kill, they cause infertility in men and women, abortions and dead-born babies en masse. In France, the birthrate has declined by 7.2% in the first eight months of 2023, compared to the same period in 2022, the most ever one-year decline. See this. The picture is similar in most of Europe.

Add to this the excess deaths since the beginning of the Covid vaxx coercion; and add to this the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning, or queer) agenda, arduously promoted throughout governments and schools in Europe and the US. Obviously, gays and transgender couples do not make children.

Are the teachers who promote this crime aware of the agenda, or too naïve, to understand the purpose of what they are promoting? Or simply too scared to object and follow their conscious inner-selves?

Just out: In Scotland, parents interfering with their children’s transgender wishes, may face up to 7-year prison sentences. See this.

You cannot see the WEF, but you can smell the WEF.

And there is much more – events, programs, happenings, all in disaster-mode, all simultaneously, all WEF-promoted. Some of the themes are being discussed now, at WEF Davos24. Take the Polygon cyber-attack which was already simulated by WEF and cohorts in 2021 – to happen most-likely in the coming years. No precision. It never says who is the perpetrating enemy.

Take Barack and Michelle Obama’s recent Netflix movie “Leave the World Behind”. Scary, makes you breathless without answer. Haplessly condemned to wait for what might happen. Or not.

Also on WEF’s euthanasia agenda is the mysterious virus “X” – not yet identified, but it is somewhere out there, according to Bill Gates and WHO master Tedros. It will hit sooner or later. Big pharma is already working overtime to develop a vaxx against the yet unknown virus “X”, so when it hits, the bio-weapon injections are ready to be forced upon every citizen, with the help of police and military, if needed.

This only, if the World Health Assembly – WHA (WHO’s General Assembly) approves the two tyrannical documents, the Pandemic Treaty, and the heavily revised International Health Regulation (IHR). They had no chance at the UN General Assembly in September 2023.

It needs two-thirds majority at the WHA for these documents to become law – actually, there is no international law that would give the WHO the power to become the One Health Tyrant of the world. It would be the by now usual elite made “rules-based order”.

WEF Davos24 in closed-door sessions is devising ways of manipulating the approval of these two nefarious documents – they are an integral part of the WEF’s euthanasia agenda.

The Black Swan Event. Towards a Financial Catastrophe

And by far not last is the Black Swan event, also predicted for quite a while. Speculations are running amok of what it could mean – disaster in any case. Most speculations go in the directions of a financial catastrophe as never seen before.

Could it be the implosion of a quadrillion-plus derivative market? As an order of magnitude, a quadrillion is 1,000 trillion. Compare this to the global GDP of about US$ 105 trillion. See Ellen Brown’s elaboration on a possible derivative Black Swan event.

All the above may or may not happen. But “Predictive Programming”, applied to its limits by the WEF and its associates in crime, is part of the euthanasia agenda. When these events play out, people may die in masses from the events. If they do not happen, they may die from fear-related immune failure or from the outright stress from never-ending fear.

We, the People, must be able to say: F*ck the WEF and its globalist fear cum euthanasia agenda.

Let us go our own ways. New ways, create new societies with independent public banking managed money, leading into a new civilization. It can be done. It MUST be done, for the sake of humanity’s survival.

*

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Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed; and co-author of Cynthia McKinney’s book “When China Sneezes: From the Coronavirus Lockdown to the Global Politico-Economic Crisis” (Clarity Press – November 1, 2020).

Peter is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). He is also a non-resident Senior Fellow of the Chongyang Institute of Renmin University, Beijing.

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

***

It is tempting to think of evil in apocalyptic imagery: vast and sudden demolition, a searing propulsive darkness or a blinding conflagration, the work of engineered catastrophic mayhem, in whose wake is utter smouldering demise. Yet the work of evil is often piecemeal, steady, methodical, and the accomplishment of a great wrong may well be the result of the gradual accumulative weight of small decisions, whose progress is all the surer for its studied implacability. I think of a large battalion of infantry moving painstakingly across a terrain and claiming it inch by inch until they have vanquished all. Yet, in truth, evil is varied, its manifestations as many as there are living human entities who, faced with seemingly slight or casual choices, often land on the side of self-interest, self-aggrandizement and deception. And evil, however disguised, appears in language.

You will forgive me this preface as I alight on a matter that demonstrates with simple clarity a facet of the evil that has been visited upon us during the Corona War by an institution purporting to have as its charge the protection of the public weal in its regulation of medical practitioners: the infamous Medical Council of New Zealand.

On 5 December 2019, while in the employ as a psychiatrist of one of New Zealand’s District Health Boards (since amalgamated into an overarching bureaucratic entity now known as Te Whatu Ora), I received an email communication about informed consent. The document can be perused in its entirety here:

The “Updated statement on informed consent,” signed by Chief Executive Officer Joan Simeon –now, coincidentally enough, the Chair of the Federation of State Medical Board’s international arm, the International Association of Medical Regulatory Agencies – states the following:

“The key points about informed consent are: 

Every time treatment is provided, a doctor must have permission to provide that treatment. The process of obtaining that permission is called ‘informed consent’. Without informed consent, the treatment may be unlawful. To help the patient decide whether they want a treatment, they first need to be given information, such as the risks and benefits of their treatment options. 

Obtaining consent is a process of shared decision-making where a doctor helps the patient understand their medical condition and the options for treating (or not treating) that condition. It is more than signing forms and completing paperwork. As a doctor, you need to take the time to ask questions so that you understand what matters to your patient, and what their concerns, wishes, goals and values are.”

Bear in mind that this statement, meant to be a standard of good medical practice and to be used as a measure of professional conduct, appeared just as covid had been unleashed upon the world.

Then, on 28 April 2021, this very same Medical Council, in conjunction with the Dental Council, issued a guidance statement on professional responsibility and the Covid-19 vaccine (so-called), which can be found here. It was withdrawn without fanfare on 13 September 2023. It is a masterpiece of obfuscation and an inversion of true informed consent. As such, it represents one of those unheralded but highly effective acts of evil.  

Not only are health practitioners themselves expected to get the jab, but the regulators write that

it is our view that there is no place for anti-vaccination messages in professional health practice, nor any promotion of antivaccination claims including on social media and advertising by health practitioners,” while simultaneously advising that “As a health practitioner, you have a role in providing evidence-based advice and information about the COVID-19 vaccination to others. You should be prepared to discuss evidence-based information about vaccination and its benefits to assist informed decision making.”

Yet when one of my colleagues undertook to provide advice to a pregnant woman about medical issues connected with the use of the Pfizer inoculation, his licence was suspended. Furthermore, given the provisional approval of the inoculation at the time and the absence of long-term safety data, the much-vaunted informed consent process and the collaborative partnership with patients implied necessitated a frank discussion of serious risk – risk that has, sadly enough, been borne out not only in New Zealand but world-wide, with an extraordinary panoply of adverse events, including death, amounting to a genocide.

With every day each of us is confronted by choice, on matters small or large. However mauled we may or may not be by spike proteins, jabs, hippocampal lesions, or the weight of the massive psychological operation played against us with covid, we retain the freedom to choose. During the Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany – in an era far before viral or vaccine-mediated bioweapons were in play – ordinary people made choices, bureaucrats made choices, neighbors made choices, and a tremendous evil was allowed to grow to a horrific immensity.

Undermining a real, a true, a genuine foundational principle of Medicine – informed consent – in the service of … of following an agenda that has oppressed and is still oppressing us and destroying viable and decent Medicine in the process, is but another one of those examples of how evil wins its way in our world. The Medical Council of New Zealand, ostensible protector of public health, has in its serpentine and devious manner, shown us that it is as destructive as it is hypocritical, and as corrupt as it is authoritarian. 

And those many doctors out there who knew then and now know even better about their profession need to come out of hiding, no matter how uneasy or fearful of the “authorities” they may feel.

Unless they do so there won’t be a medical profession left. 

*

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Dr. Garcia is a Philadelphia-born psychoanalyst and psychiatrist who emigrated to New Zealand in 2006. He has authored articles ranging from explorations of psychoanalytic technique, the psychology of creativity in music (Mahler, Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Delius), and politics. He is also a poet, novelist and theatrical director. He retired from psychiatric practice in 2021 after working in the public sector in New Zealand. Visit his substack at https://newzealanddoc.substack.com/.

He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image is from Children’s Health Defense


The Worldwide Corona Crisis, Global Coup d’Etat Against Humanity

by Michel Chossudovsky

Michel Chossudovsky reviews in detail how this insidious project “destroys people’s lives”. He provides a comprehensive analysis of everything you need to know about the “pandemic” — from the medical dimensions to the economic and social repercussions, political underpinnings, and mental and psychological impacts.

“My objective as an author is to inform people worldwide and refute the official narrative which has been used as a justification to destabilize the economic and social fabric of entire countries, followed by the imposition of the “deadly” COVID-19 “vaccine”. This crisis affects humanity in its entirety: almost 8 billion people. We stand in solidarity with our fellow human beings and our children worldwide. Truth is a powerful instrument.”

Reviews

This is an in-depth resource of great interest if it is the wider perspective you are motivated to understand a little better, the author is very knowledgeable about geopolitics and this comes out in the way Covid is contextualized. —Dr. Mike Yeadon

In this war against humanity in which we find ourselves, in this singular, irregular and massive assault against liberty and the goodness of people, Chossudovsky’s book is a rock upon which to sustain our fight. –Dr. Emanuel Garcia

In fifteen concise science-based chapters, Michel traces the false covid pandemic, explaining how a PCR test, producing up to 97% proven false positives, combined with a relentless 24/7 fear campaign, was able to create a worldwide panic-laden “plandemic”; that this plandemic would never have been possible without the infamous DNA-modifying Polymerase Chain Reaction test – which to this day is being pushed on a majority of innocent people who have no clue. His conclusions are evidenced by renown scientists. —Peter Koenig 

Professor Chossudovsky exposes the truth that “there is no causal relationship between the virus and economic variables.” In other words, it was not COVID-19 but, rather, the deliberate implementation of the illogical, scientifically baseless lockdowns that caused the shutdown of the global economy. –David Skripac

A reading of  Chossudovsky’s book provides a comprehensive lesson in how there is a global coup d’état under way called “The Great Reset” that if not resisted and defeated by freedom loving people everywhere will result in a dystopian future not yet imagined. Pass on this free gift from Professor Chossudovsky before it’s too late.  You will not find so much valuable information and analysis in one place. –Edward Curtin

ISBN: 978-0-9879389-3-0,  Year: 2022,  PDF Ebook,  Pages: 164, 15 Chapters

Price: $11.50 FREE COPY! Click here (docsend) and download.

We encourage you to support the eBook project by making a donation through Global Research’s DonorBox “Worldwide Corona Crisis” Campaign Page

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name (only available in desktop version).

To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here.

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

***

The White House strategic communications coordinator, John Kirby, at a time when Kiev insists that it needs more weapons to combat Russian forces, said once again that Washington has no more funds for Ukrainian troops and stressed that there is not another package “in the works right now.” His statement comes as the Ukrainian foreign minister attempts to manipulate Congress using a Russian disinformation narrative.

“There isn’t another one in the works right now or being scheduled for announcement or delivery. We meant it when we said it at the time, that that was the last one for which we had replenishment authority. And there’s — there’s not another one in the in the works right now,” the American official said during a press conference on January 16.

Two days before, the Pentagon acknowledged that it could no longer extract weapons from its arsenals to send them to Kiev since all the funds it used to replenish military material had been exhausted.

“We don’t have the funds available to us to replenish those stocks should we expend that. And with no timeline in sight, we have to make those hard decisions. And so the most important thing right now is securing additional funding from Congress, and we’ll continue to work closely with them on this important security — international security issue,” said Department of Defense Pat Ryder.

Currently, the Biden Administration is negotiating with Republicans in the House of Representatives to unfreeze a new military aid package valued at about $106 billion, of which $61.4 billion would go to Ukraine and $14.3 billion to Israel. However, the Republicans refuse to approve the package if the Biden administration does not establish tougher measures to prevent illegal immigrants from entering the US.

They also allege that there is a lack of mechanisms to ensure the transparency of the true use of American money when it arrives in Ukraine.

“What the Biden Administration seems to be asking for is billions of additional dollars with no appropriate oversight, no clear strategy to win, and none of the answers that I think the American people are owed,” said the speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, a Republican legislator who, unlike some of his more radical colleagues, is in favour of increasing aid.

The US cannot find information on almost 40,000 pieces of military equipment destined for Ukraine, The New York Times reported, citing a document obtained from the Pentagon. The US has lost $1 billion of the total $1.7 billion, according to the document from the Department of Defense that was sent to Congress and the press, with only a redacted version released to the public.

The newspaper did not give details of the 39,139 missing high-risk pieces, whose impact on the battlefield, confidential technology and relatively small size make them sought after by arms smugglers. It is recalled that under the US Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the fate and use of the weapons supplied should have been closely monitored.

Great concern about the financial and military aid given to Ukraine, at a time when the US Congress is debating whether to send more aid to Kiev, has been raised. Numerous reports suggest that some of the donated weapons have already ended up on the black market around the world.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba flat out denied the allegations and described it as Russian “disinformation.”

“Every attempt by Russia to disinform the world about (the) alleged leak or illicit traffic of U.S. weapons into other parts of the world… turned out to be fake,” said Kuleba. “So don’t believe in fakes, believe in Ukraine.”

However, it is a ridiculous notion to claim weapons destined for Ukraine that end up on the black market as Russian disinformation.

It is recalled that the New York Times reported in May 2023 that “Ukrainian soldiers risk their lives to keep weapons from the black market”; Axios reported in July 2023 that “the US struggled to track military aid to Ukraine,” according to a Pentagon watchdog; and the Cato Institute reported in May 2023 “the tragic but unsurprising costs of loose US weapons,” among many other examples of non-Russian sources reporting the weapons scandal.

Kuleba’s attempts to justify more US aid by claiming some of the criticisms are Russian disinformation will obviously not manipulate Congress into approving a new package. It is likely a package will eventually be agreed upon when the Republicans get the concessions they want from Biden, but Kuleba’s entitled behaviour will only deepen the opposition’s animosity toward Ukraine, and only months away from the next US presidential election.

*

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Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image: An airman loads weapons cargo bound for Ukraine onto a C-17 Globemaster III during a security assistance mission at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, Sept. 14, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Marco A. Gomez).

COVID mRNA Vaccine Injury Stories: Sepsis and Amputation

January 18th, 2024 by Dr. William Makis

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

***

Dec. 31, 2023 – KY – 41 year old Lucinda Cindy Mullins was hospitalized with a small kidney stone and infection, and woke up with her legs amputated. Story above.

Why does this happen to the COVID-19 mRNA Vaccinated? 

  1. COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines cause severe immune system damage
  2. Minor infections are not dealt with properly – with a damaged immune system, they become a bigger problem, spread and can end up in the blood = SEPSIS.
  3. Most people can deal with SEPSIS but those with immune damage can go into SEPTIC SHOCK = Multi-organ failure, blood clots, cardiac arrest, etc.
  4. Septic shock results in not enough blood driven to extremities which leads to ischemia, necrosis and the need to AMPUTATE LIMBS

Examples of this happening to other people:

Dec. 26, 2023 – Chattanooga, TN – 13 year old Anita Navas developed an earache but also redness and swelling in her foot and arms. She was hospitalized with Strep Group A and flu type B. She went into septic shock and had to have her legs amputated (her COVID-19 vaccine status is unknown but she plays softball and many athletic kids were forced into COVID-19 Vaccination).

Feb. 1, 2023 – Willington, UK – 20 year old footballer Levi Dewey went to hospital with flu symptoms, then suffered severe sepsis and had to have both legs amputated after suffering multiple organ failure (click here).

Jan. 1, 2023 – UK Piano Teacher Julianna Bransden had pneumonia, which progressed to sepsis, septic shock requiring amputation of her limbs (click here).

Julianna was fully COVID-19 vaccinated. On Dec. 23, 2022 she developed flu like symptoms and on Jan. 1, 2023 she had two cardiac arrests, went into septic shock, multiple systemic organ failure, needing full life support.

She was diagnosed with sepsis resulting from an aggressive form of pneumonia. After weeks of fighting, she had to undergo surgery to amputate both of her legs below the knee and will lose most of her fingers.

Oct. 24, 2022 – 29 year old Krystina Pacheco suffered toxic shock syndrome after giving birth to her daughter on Oct. 24, 2022, resulting in the amputation of her hands and feet days later.

 

My Take… 

Doctors are not telling their patients that COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines damaged their immune systems and that they are now at risk for minor infections becoming life threatening problems such as sepsis, septic shock, cardiac arrest, organ failure and amputations.

COVID-19 mRNA Vaccines damage the immune system and each booster dose causes additional immune damage.

This was proven by Shrestha et al. study published April 19, 2023 (source), which showed that among 51,017 Cleveland Clinic healthcare employees, those who took more COVID-19 vaccines had higher risk of COVID-19 infection:

 

Cumulative incidence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for study participants stratified by the number of COVID-19 vaccine doses previously received. Day 0 was 12 September 2022, the date the bivalent vaccine was first offered to employees. Point estimates and 95% confidence intervals are jittered along the x-axis to improve visibility.

 

Cleveland Clinic description of Septic Shock:

 

 

*

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Dr. William Makis is a Canadian physician with expertise in Radiology, Oncology and Immunology. Governor General’s Medal, University of Toronto Scholar. Author of 100+ peer-reviewed medical publications.

Featured image:  A hand holding an mRNA vaccine vial. (Spencer Davis / Unsplash)


The Worldwide Corona Crisis, Global Coup d’Etat Against Humanity

by Michel Chossudovsky

Michel Chossudovsky reviews in detail how this insidious project “destroys people’s lives”. He provides a comprehensive analysis of everything you need to know about the “pandemic” — from the medical dimensions to the economic and social repercussions, political underpinnings, and mental and psychological impacts.

“My objective as an author is to inform people worldwide and refute the official narrative which has been used as a justification to destabilize the economic and social fabric of entire countries, followed by the imposition of the “deadly” COVID-19 “vaccine”. This crisis affects humanity in its entirety: almost 8 billion people. We stand in solidarity with our fellow human beings and our children worldwide. Truth is a powerful instrument.”

Reviews

This is an in-depth resource of great interest if it is the wider perspective you are motivated to understand a little better, the author is very knowledgeable about geopolitics and this comes out in the way Covid is contextualized. —Dr. Mike Yeadon

In this war against humanity in which we find ourselves, in this singular, irregular and massive assault against liberty and the goodness of people, Chossudovsky’s book is a rock upon which to sustain our fight. –Dr. Emanuel Garcia

In fifteen concise science-based chapters, Michel traces the false covid pandemic, explaining how a PCR test, producing up to 97% proven false positives, combined with a relentless 24/7 fear campaign, was able to create a worldwide panic-laden “plandemic”; that this plandemic would never have been possible without the infamous DNA-modifying Polymerase Chain Reaction test – which to this day is being pushed on a majority of innocent people who have no clue. His conclusions are evidenced by renown scientists. —Peter Koenig 

Professor Chossudovsky exposes the truth that “there is no causal relationship between the virus and economic variables.” In other words, it was not COVID-19 but, rather, the deliberate implementation of the illogical, scientifically baseless lockdowns that caused the shutdown of the global economy. –David Skripac

A reading of  Chossudovsky’s book provides a comprehensive lesson in how there is a global coup d’état under way called “The Great Reset” that if not resisted and defeated by freedom loving people everywhere will result in a dystopian future not yet imagined. Pass on this free gift from Professor Chossudovsky before it’s too late.  You will not find so much valuable information and analysis in one place. –Edward Curtin

ISBN: 978-0-9879389-3-0,  Year: 2022,  PDF Ebook,  Pages: 164, 15 Chapters

Price: $11.50 FREE COPY! Click here (docsend) and download.

We encourage you to support the eBook project by making a donation through Global Research’s DonorBox “Worldwide Corona Crisis” Campaign Page.

Philippines Pushing China’s Limits in South China Sea

January 18th, 2024 by Richard Javad Heydarian

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

***

 

 

The Gaza genocide has galvanized immense opposition among healthcare workers and students around the world. Despite freezing temperatures, thousands of people, including many healthcare workers, students and youth, joined a rally in Union Square, Manhattan on Monday to protest against the genocide in Gaza.

The rally was jointly organized by Doctors against Genocide and Healthcare Workers for Palestine. Protesters chanted, “We are all Palestinians, in the thousands, in the millions,” and “Hands off Yemen.” Many held up posters with the names of healthcare workers who had been killed in Gaza over the past 100 days.

The WSWS spoke with a physician and a medical student about the genocide and the crackdown on freedom of speech at workplaces and on campuses in the US.

The medical student explained why he came to the rally:

I feel that it is my responsibility as a person of conscience and as a person who will soon serve patients as my career to advocate for the rights of oppressed people, especially when healthcare institutions and healthcare workers are being intentionally targeted by imperialist powers. This is an opportunity to grow the liberation movement for oppressed people everywhere, not just in Palestine, but particularly in Palestine.

Asked about the crackdown on freedom of speech on campuses, he said:

In my personal experience, I’ve found it difficult to talk openly and in public about these issues because in many cases universities have a very strong bias to Zionism and invest in the war and genocide. Having students call universities out on these issues is very dangerous for their donor base and must be avoided at all costs by the administration. That means the administration will punish students for speaking out. We’ve seen this all across New York City, with places like Columbia shutting down groups that are advocating for the liberation of Palestine. We’ve experienced it personally at my school as well. That gives us all the more reason to remain steadfast and to be out here and be advocates for each other.

A physician who teaches part-time and asked to remain anonymous told the WSWS:

As healthcare workers, we have a duty to prevent harm and also attempt to heal. We are organizing because today in the world there is a tremendous amount of suffering and killing that’s happening in a very tiny, small piece of land called Gaza, which is being unrelentingly bombed. The entire infrastructure is destroyed. Those who have not been murdered by the IDF are now facing starvation, lack of access to clean water, and lack of healthcare. We know that this is literally genocide and we as doctors have a duty to speak out against that. That’s why we’re here.

I’ve always been pro-Palestinian. Thirty years ago I did a rotation in a hospital in east Jerusalem and in the West Bank, and I learned a lot. I saw the devastating effects of the occupation, especially with children and young adults. Unarmed people shot in the back and paralyzed by the Israeli police. Ambulances stopped at IDF checkpoints for hours, despite having critically ill patients, like a comatose child with a head injury. Since that time I’ve been a supporter [of the Palestinian cause].

Describing the situation facing his colleagues in Gaza, he said:

If their hands haven’t been blown off by the bombing, their hands are still tied, because there is not even the basic infrastructure to provide even the most fundamental healthcare. There’s not even clean water. That’s one of the basic foundations of having a healthcare institution — it’s got to have clean water. They don’t even have that. It’s really dire, very, very dire. People use the expression “bombing something to the Stone Age.” They literally are doing that. And it’s unconscionable, it’s absolutely unconscionable. Surgeries and amputations without anesthesia? It’s just absolutely abominable.

The discussion then turned to the climate of fear that has been created on campuses and at workplaces. The physician noted:

It’s been hard because there’s a lot of doxxing. I actually got doxxed at my work. I signed a letter supporting students who were being doxxed — the letter simply denounced the doxxing of students. But then I got doxxed by patients and families. I’m OK though, I didn’t get fired, although I got a lot of flak for it. Other healthcare workers who have been doxxed have not been as lucky as I am; some had job offers rescinded, some were fired.

It’s been very difficult. There’s a lot of retribution at workplaces, whether it’s a small workplace like a private practice or whether it’s a large academic institution. People have been fired for simply saying what’s on their mind, for simply calling out genocide. One of the reasons why we formed is not only to organize against this, but also as a social support for physicians and other healthcare workers who are facing this kind of discrimination and this kind of intimidation just for speaking out against the killing of an innocent people.

Asked about the role of the Democratic Party in the genocide, he laughed and said:

They’re contributing to it. Joe Biden has a $13 billion check and he’s like: “You know what, you guys should stop settling in the West Bank. Oh, but here’s your $13 billion.” What kind of pressure is that? That’s not pressure.

A WSWS reporter noted,

“We’re heading into an election now where voters are going to have the so-called choice between ‘Genocide Joe’ and fascist Trump. And no doubt some will try to make the case to vote for ‘Genocide Joe’ as the lesser evil, but how can you seriously make this argument now?”

The physician replied,

“Yep, couldn’t agree with you more!”

*

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Featured image: Doctors, healthcare workers and medical students protested Monday in New York City against the genocide in Gaza. (Source: WSWS)

Ukraine’s Air Defense Has Almost Collapsed

January 18th, 2024 by Lucas Leiroz de Almeida

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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Ukrainian air defense has almost collapsed. Kiev’s officials already admit the country’s failure to effectively continue confronting Russia in the air. Given the intense use of missiles and drones by the Russians and the constant decrease in Western aid, Ukraine has exhausted its resources and no longer has the ability to protect itself from enemy strikes.

The country’s situation was admitted by the official spokesman of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yury Ignat. According to him, Kiev’s air defense arsenal has been depleted and there are no longer appropriate conditions to continue fighting for long, which is why he urges Western countries to keep on sending equipment to Ukraine. Ignat believes that the Russian armed forces have further increased the frequency and intensity of their air strikes, with Ukraine needing to replenish its arsenal so as not to be vulnerable to Moscow’s incursions.

“Intense Russian air attacks force us to use a corresponding amount of air defense means (…) That’s why we need more of them, as Russia keeps increasing its attack capabilities”, he said.

Ignat added that Kiev is currently relying exclusively on Western air defense systems and old Soviet equipment, as the country is unable to produce weapons at adequate levels. This is due to the fact that the Russians are launching massive high-precision strikes against Ukrainian industrial targets, seeking to neutralize Kiev’s ability to restore arms production. In this scenario, neo-Nazi forces begin to depend on foreign equipment or old and inefficient Soviet-era weapons, becoming even weaker in the conflict.

To avoid a quick defeat, Kiev would need to receive many Western weapons in order to immediately rebuild its air defense arsenal. Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba believes that for this it is necessary to receive missiles for the Patriot, IRIS-T and NASAMS systems as quickly as possible.

“First and foremost, we expect the meeting to expedite critical decisions on further strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, both in terms of modern systems and their ammunition (…) [Supplying missiles for Patriot, IRIS-T, and NASAMS systems is a] top priority that must be completed today, not tomorrow”, the minister said.

This lack of ammunition for Ukraine’s air defense is nothing new. Since the first months of 2023, the media has already shown that Kiev is struggling to continue using its air defense systems, with the lack of missiles having already become one of the main obstacles for Ukraine in the conflict. In May, Western newspapers even stated that the total depletion of Ukrainian air defense ammunition would happen in a matter of a few days – which shows how the situation may be even more worrying now.

“[…] Officials said the continuing need to defend against Russian missile and drone attacks had systematically depleted Ukraine’s stockpiles — a warning backed up by US intelligence documents leaked online this spring that suggested Kyiv might run out of ammunition for five critical air defence systems. According to documents reviewed by the Financial Times, the US assessed in late February that Ukraine’s ability to protect its troops on the front lines would be ‘completely reduced’ by May 23”, a May 2023 Financial Times’ article reads.

At the time, Kiev managed to gain additional aid from the West to continue fighting, but the situation has gotten much worse since then. The Russians intensified their attacks, also reaching facilities where many of the Western weapons were stored. In practice, Moscow’s strategy of maintaining a high-intensity conflict caused irreversible damage to the structure of the enemy troops, forcing Kiev to rapidly exhaust its defense arsenal.

There is an even bigger problem now for Ukraine, however. The West does not seem able to continue spending large amounts of money on useless support for Kiev. The war in Israel has changed the focus of attention of Western elites. In the same sense, Biden was unsuccessful in approving his billion-dollar aid plan for Ukraine and the EU had a similar project vetoed by Hungary.

The difficulty in approving new aid packages has no chance of being resolved soon. The matter is expected to be discussed over the next few months, during which Kiev will continue to need adequate air defense, being vulnerable to Russian attacks. All of this makes Kiev even closer to defeat, with no possibility of reversing the military scenario.

Indeed, it is impossible to win a conflict without maintaining control of the air. The winning side in a contemporary war is the one most efficient in protecting its territory from air attacks and most successful in launching missile and drone attacks. In this case, the Russians have an absolute advantage, as admitted by Ukrainian authorities themselves.

It only remains to be seen whether awareness of its own failure will be enough to make Kiev agree to negotiate peace.

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Lucas Leiroz is a journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant. You can follow Lucas on X (former Twitter) and Telegram. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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Sweden Prepares for ‘War’ With Russia: Russophobic Paranoia

January 18th, 2024 by Lucas Leiroz de Almeida

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The levels of anti-Russian paranoia are reaching dangerous levels in Sweden. Recently, the country’s authorities asked its citizens to prepare for a possible conflict situation with Russia in the near future. The case clearly shows how Western governments are acting irrationally in their decisions, ignoring reality and failing to properly understand the European geopolitical scenario.

The Swedish authorities’ statements were made during the Folk och Forsvar National Conference in Salen. Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billstrom stated on the occasion that Russia is becoming the biggest threat to Sweden and the entire Europe, adding that his country must be prepared to face a possible situation of prolonged conflict with Moscow.

“Russia will constitute a serious threat to the security of Sweden and Europe for the foreseeable future (…) [So] Stockholm must be realistic and assume – and be prepared for – a drawn-out confrontation”, he said.

Billstrom’s words were reinforced by the position of Defense Minister Pal Jonson, who said that the war could “come” to the Swedes. Jonson stated that Ukraine currently works as a kind of “shield for Europe”, preventing hostilities from affecting other countries. He fears that, with a failure on Kiev’s part, the security crisis will worsen and more countries will begin to engage in direct conflict with Russia.

As well known, since the beginning of the Russian special operation, Sweden has violated its own tradition of neutrality and adhered to an aggressive military policy, having requested membership in NATO. Although the process to accept Sweden into the alliance seems far from complete, the country has already taken important steps in its integration with member states, participating in a series of joint exercises and operations.

The Swedish government recently authorized the deployment of 800 soldiers to Latvia, where the troops will join the “Enhanced Forward Presence in the Baltic states” – an international NATO team led by Canada that aims to “improve” Baltic security amid current tensions. In the same vein, there was a statement by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson last year saying that Sweden could have NATO nuclear weapons on its territory, which would represent a serious escalation in the regional crisis.

All of this shows how the Swedes, even though they are not yet formally members of NATO, are already engaged in the alliance’s war plans against Russia. Just like Finland, which has already achieved its membership, Sweden is resolute in working in favor of the interests of the Western military bloc, contributing as much as possible to the alliance’s projects. Scandinavian countries have irrationally adhered to the unsubstantiated narratives of the Western mainstream media, so that Swedish and Finnish decision-makers actually believe that there is a kind of “Russian danger”.

There is no evidence that Russia plans to launch military actions against any European country. Moscow does not have any territorial claims in Europe and does not see any need to use force against other countries on the continent. The reason that led Russia to intervene militarily in Ukraine is very clear: there was a genocide of ethnic Russians in Donbass. This was the only reason why Russia, after failing diplomatically, began its special operation and decided to reintegrate some territories into its Federation. There is currently no situation similar to the Ukrainian one in any European country, so Moscow obviously does not plan to “expand” its military actions.

However, it is necessary to emphasize how anti-Russian paranoia creates a kind of “self-fulfilling prophecy” as Russophobic governments implement measures that put regional security at risk, prompting reactions from Moscow. For its part, the Russians have no military interest in Sweden, Finland or the Baltics, but if these countries begin to engage in operations that threaten the Russian strategic environment, then Moscow will certainly retaliate in the appropriate way to keep its borders secure.

In other words, Russia poses no threat to Europe, but Europe is close to posing a threat to Russia. By calling on its soldiers to prepare for conflict, Sweden is engaging in a dangerous way that could have devastating consequences. From the moment it becomes known that a foreign country is preparing for a war with Russia, Moscow has the right to also put its troops on combat readiness. The result can be the beginning of a vicious cycle of tensions and frictions.

Sweden should stop believing Western lies about Russia and focus on its internal problems instead of taking anti-strategic military measures. Stockholm needs to resume its neutrality and stay out of NATO’s war plans, respecting its own diplomatic tradition.

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Lucas Leiroz is a journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant. You can follow Lucas on X (former Twitter) and Telegram. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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“No president from either party should have the sole power to shut down or take control of the internet or any other of our communication channels during an emergency.”—Senator Rand Paul

What’s to stop the U.S. government from throwing the kill switch and shutting down phone and internet communications in a time of so-called crisis?

After all, it’s happening all over the world.

Communications kill switches have become tyrannical tools of domination and oppression to stifle political dissent, shut down resistance, forestall election losses, reinforce military coups, and keep the populace isolated, disconnected and in the dark, literally and figuratively.

As the Guardian reports,

“From Ukraine to Myanmar, government-run internet outages are picking up pace around the world. In 2021, there were 182 shutdowns in 34 countries… Countries across Africa and Asia have turned to shutdowns in a bid to control behaviour, while India, largely in the conflict-ridden region of Jammu and Kashmir, plunged into digital darkness more times than any other last year… Civil unrest in Ethiopia and Kazakhstan has triggered internet shutdowns as governments try to prevent political mobilisation and stop news about military suppression from emerging.”

In an internet-connected age, killing the internet is tantamount to bringing everything—communications, commerce, travel, the power grid—to a standstill.

Tyrants and would-be tyrants rely on this “cloak of darkness” to advance their agendas.

In Myanmar, for example, the internet shutdown came on the day a newly elected government was to have been sworn in. That’s when the military staged a digital coup and seized power. Under cover of a communications blackout that cut off the populace from the outside world and each other, the junta “carried out nightly raids, smashing down doors to drag out high-profile politicians, activists and celebrities.”

These government-imposed communications shutdowns serve to not only isolate, terrorize and control the populace, but also underscore the citizenry’s lack of freedom in the face of the government’s limitless power.

Yet as University of California Irvine law professor David Kaye explains, these kill switches are no longer exclusive to despotic regimes. They have “migrated into a toolbox for governments that actually do have the rule of law.”

This is what digital authoritarianism looks like in a technological age.

Digital authoritarianism, as the Center for Strategic and International Studies cautions, involves the use of information technology to surveil, repress, and manipulate the populace, endangering human rights and civil liberties, and co-opting and corrupting the foundational principles of democratic and open societies, “including freedom of movement, the right to speak freely and express political dissent, and the right to personal privacy, online and off.”

For those who insist that it can’t happen here, it can and it has.

In 2005, cell service was disabled in four major New York tunnels, reportedly to avert potential bomb detonations via cell phone.

In 2009, those attending President Obama’s inauguration had their cell signals blocked—again, same rationale.

And in 2011, San Francisco commuters had their cell phone signals shut down, this time, to thwart any possible protests over a police shooting of a homeless man.

With shutdowns becoming harder to detect, who’s to say it’s not still happening?

Although an internet kill switch is broadly understood to be a complete internet shutdown, it can also include a broad range of restrictions such as content blocking, throttling, filtering, complete shutdowns, and cable cutting.

As Global Risk Intel explains:

“Content blocking is a relatively moderate method that blocks access to a list of selected websites or applications. When users access these sites and apps, they receive notifications that the server could not be found or that access was denied by the network administrator. A more subtle method is throttling. Authorities decrease the bandwidth to slow down the speed at which specific websites can be accessed. A slow internet connection discourages users to connect to certain websites and does not arouse immediate suspicion. Users may assume that connection service is slow but may not conclude that this circumstance was authorized by the government. Filtering is another tool to censor targeted content and erases specific messages and terms that the government does not approve of.”

How often do most people, experiencing server errors and slow internet speeds, chalk it up to poor service? Who would suspect the government of being behind server errors and slow internet speeds?

Then again, this is the same government that has subjected us to all manner of encroachments on our freedoms (lockdowns, mandates, restrictions, contact tracing programs, heightened surveillance, censorship, overcriminalization, shadow banning, etc.) in order to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, preserve the integrity of elections, and combat disinformation.

These tactics have become the tools of domination and oppression in an internet-dependent age.

It really doesn’t matter what the justifications are for such lockdowns. No matter the rationale, the end result is the same: an expansion of government power in direct proportion to the government’s oppression of the citizenry.

According to Global Risk Intel, there are many motives behind such restrictions:

“For instance, the kill switch serves to censor content and constrain the spread of news. This particularly concerns news reports that cover police brutality, human rights abuses, or educational information. Governments may also utilize the kill switch to prevent government-critical protestors from communicating through message applications like WhatsApp, Facebook, or Twitter and organizing mass demonstrations. Therefore, internet restrictions can provide a way of regulating the flow of information and hindering dissent. Governments reason that internet limitations help stop the spread of fake news and strengthen national security and public safety in times of unrest.”

In this age of manufactured crises, emergency powers and technofascism, the government already has the know-how, the technology and the authority.

Now all it needs is the “right” crisis to flip the kill switch.

This particular kill switch can be traced back to the Communications Act of 1934. Signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Act empowers the president to suspend wireless radio and phone services “if he deems it necessary in the interest of national security or defense” during a time of “war or a threat of war, or a state of public peril or disaster or other national emergency, or in order to preserve the neutrality of the United States.”

In the event of a national crisis, the president has a veritable arsenal of emergency powers that override the Constitution and can be activated at a moment’s notice. These range from imposing martial law and suspending habeas corpus to shutting down all forms of communications, restricting travel and implementing a communications kill switch.

That national emergency can take any form, can be manipulated for any purpose and can be used to justify any end goal—all on the say so of the president.

The seeds of this ongoing madness were sown several decades ago when George W. Bush stealthily issued two presidential directives that granted the president the power to unilaterally declare a national emergency, which is loosely defined as “any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions.

Comprising the country’s Continuity of Government (COG) plan, these directives (National Security Presidential Directive 51 and Homeland Security Presidential Directive 20), which do not need congressional approval, provide a skeletal outline of the actions the president will take in the event of a “national emergency.”

Just what sort of actions the president will take once he declares a national emergency can barely be discerned from the barebones directives. However, one thing is clear: in the event of a perceived national emergency, the COG directives give unchecked executive, legislative and judicial power to the president.

The country would then be subjected to martial law by default, and the Constitution and the Bill of Rights would be suspended.

The internet kill switch is just one piece of the government’s blueprint for locking down the nation and instituting martial law.

There may be many more secret powers that presidents may institute in times of so-called crisis without oversight from Congress, the courts, or the public. These powers do not expire at the end of a president’s term. They remain on the books, just waiting to be used or abused by the next political demagogue.

Given the government’s penchant for weaponizing one national crisis after another in order to expand its powers and justify all manner of government tyranny in the so-called name of national security, it’s only a matter of time before this particular emergency power to shut down the internet is activated.

Then again, an all-out communications blackout is just a more extreme version of the technocensorship that we’ve already been experiencing at the hands of the government and its corporate allies.

Packaged as an effort to control the spread of speculative or false information in the name of national security, restricting access to social media has become a popular means of internet censorship.

In fact, these tactics are at the heart of several critical cases before the U.S. Supreme Court over who gets to control, regulate or remove what content is shared on the internet: the individual, corporate censors or the police state.

Nothing good can come from techno-censorship.

As Glenn Greenwald writes for The Intercept:

“The glaring fallacy that always lies at the heart of pro-censorship sentiments is the gullible, delusional belief that censorship powers will be deployed only to suppress views one dislikes, but never one’s own views… Facebook is not some benevolent, kind, compassionate parent or a subversive, radical actor who is going to police our discourse in order to protect the weak and marginalized or serve as a noble check on mischief by the powerful. They are almost always going to do exactly the opposite: protect the powerful from those who seek to undermine elite institutions and reject their orthodoxies. Tech giants, like all corporations, are required by law to have one overriding objective: maximizing shareholder value. They are always going to use their power to appease those they perceive wield the greatest political and economic power.

As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, these censors are laying the groundwork to preempt any “dangerous” ideas that might challenge the power elite’s stranglehold over our lives.

Whatever powers you allow the government and its corporate operatives to claim now, whatever the reason might be, will at some point in the future be abused and used against you by tyrants of your own making.

By the time you add AI technologies, social credit systems, and wall-to-wall surveillance into the mix, you don’t even have to be a critic of the government to get snared in the web of digital censorship.

Eventually, as George Orwell predicted, telling the truth will become a revolutionary act.

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This article was originally published on The Rutherford Institute.

Constitutional attorney and author John W. Whitehead is founder and president of The Rutherford Institute. His most recent books are the best-selling Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the award-winning A Government of Wolves: The Emerging American Police State, and a debut dystopian fiction novel, The Erik Blair Diaries. Whitehead can be contacted at [email protected].

Nisha Whitehead is the Executive Director of The Rutherford Institute. Information about The Rutherford Institute is available at www.rutherford.org.

They are regular contributors to Global Research.

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Reading the tea leaves for the 2024 economy is challenging. On January 5th, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said we have achieved a “soft landing,” with wages rising faster than prices in 2023. But critics are questioning the official figures, and prices are still high. Surveys show that consumers remain apprehensive.

There are other concerns. On Dec. 24, 2023, Catherine Herridge, a senior investigative correspondent for CBS News covering national security and intelligence, said on “Face the Nation,”

“I just feel a lot of concern that 2024 may be the year of a black swan event. This is a national security event with high impact that’s very hard to predict.”  

What sort of event she didn’t say, but speculations have included a major cyberattack; a banking crisis due to a wave of defaults from high interest rates, particularly in commercial real estate; an oil embargo due to war; or a civil war. Any major black swan could prick the massive derivatives bubble, which the Bank for International Settlements put at over one quadrillion (1,000 trillion) dollars as far back as 2008. With global GDP at only $100 trillion, there is not enough money in the world to satisfy all these derivative claims. A derivative crisis helped trigger the 2008 banking collapse, and that could happen again. 

The dangers of derivatives have been known for decades. Warren Buffett wrote in 2002 that they were “financial weapons of mass destruction.” James Rickards wrote in U.S. News & World Report in 2012 that they should be banned. Yet Congress has not acted. This article looks at the current derivative threat, and at what might motivate our politicians to defuse it. 

What Regulation Hath Wrought

Derivatives are basically just bets, which are sold as “insurance” — protection against changes in interest rates or exchange rates, defaults on loans and the like. When one of the parties to the wager has a real economic interest to be protected – e.g. a farmer ensuring the value of his autumn crops against loss — the wager is considered socially valuable “hedging.” But most derivative bets today are designed simply to make money from other traders, degenerating into what has been called “casino capitalism.” 

In 2008, derivative trading brought down investment bank Bear Stearns and international insurer A.I.G. These institutions could not be allowed to fail because the trillions of dollars in credit default swaps on their books would have been wiped out, forcing the counterparty banks and financial institutions to write down the value of their own risky and now “unhedged” loans. Bear and A.I.G. were bailed out by the taxpayers; but the Treasury drew the line at Lehman Brothers, and the market crashed.  

Under the rubric of “no more bailouts,” the Dodd Frank Act of 2010 purported to fix the problem by giving derivatives special privileges. Most creditors are “stayed” from enforcing their rights while a firm is in bankruptcy, but many derivative contracts are exempt from these stays. Counterparties owed collateral can grab it immediately without judicial review, before bankruptcy proceedings even begin. Depositors become “unsecured creditors” who can recover their funds only after derivative, repo and other secured claims, assuming there is anything left to recover, which in the event of a major derivative crisis would be unlikely. We saw this “bail-in” policy play out in Cyprus in 2013.  

That’s true for deposits, but what of stocks, bonds and money market funds? Under the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) and the Bankruptcy Act of 2005, derivative securities also enjoy special protections. “Safe harbor” is provided to privileged entities described in court documents as “the protected class.” Derivatives enjoy “netting” and “close-out” privileges on the theory that they are a major source of systemic risk, and that allowing claimants to jump ahead of other investors in order to net and close out their bets reduces that risk. However, critical analysis has shown that derivative “super-priority” in bankruptcy can actually increase risk and propel otherwise viable financial entities into insolvency. 

It is also highly inequitable. The collateral grabbed to close out derivative claims may be your stocks and bonds. In a 2016 American Banker article called “You Don’t Really Own Your Securities; Can Blockchains Fix That?”, journalist Brian Eha explained:

In the United States, publicly traded stock does not exist in private hands.

It is not owned by the ostensible owners, who, by virtue of having purchased shares in this or that company, are led to believe they actually own the shares. Technically, all they own are IOUs. The true ownership lies elsewhere.

While private-company stock is still directly owned by shareholders, nearly all publicly traded equities and a majority of bonds are owned by a little-known partnership, Cede & Co., which is the nominee of the Depository Trust Co., a depository that holds securities for some 600 broker-dealers and banks. For each security, Cede & Co. owns a master certificate known as the “global security,” which never leaves its vault. Transactions are recorded as debits and credits to DTC members’ securities accounts, but the registered owner of the securities — Cede & Co. — remains the same.

What shareholders have rather than direct ownership, then, “is a [contractual] right against their broker…. The broker then has a right against the depository institution where they have membership. Then the depository institution is beholden to the issuer. It’s [at least] a three-​step process before you get any rights to your stock.”

This attenuation of property rights has made it impossible to keep perfect track of who owns what.

Fifty Years of “Dematerialization”

In a 2023 book called The Great Taking (available for free online), Wall Street veteran David Rogers Webb traces the legislative history of these developments. The rules go back 50 years, to when trading stocks and bonds was done by physical delivery – shuffling paper certificates bearing titles in the names of the purchasers from office to office. In the 1970s, this trading became so popular that the exchanges could not keep up, prompting them to turn to “dematerialization” or digitalization of the assets.

The Depository Trust Company (DTC) was formed in 1973 to alleviate the rising volumes of paperwork. The DTCC was established in 1999 as a holding company to combine the DTC and the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC). 

The DTCC is a central clearing counterparty (CCP) sitting at the top of a pyramid of banks, brokers and exchanges. All have agreed to hold their customers’ assets in “street name,” collect those assets in a fungible pool, and forward that pool to the DTCC, which then trades pooled blocks of stock and bonds between brokers and banks in the name of its nominee Cede & Co. The DTCC, a private corporation, owns them all. This is not a mere technicality. Courts have upheld its legal ownership, even in a dispute with client purchasersAccording to the DTCC website, it provides settlement services for virtually all equity, corporate and municipal debt trades and money market instruments in the U.S., and central safekeeping and asset servicing for securities issues from 131 countries and territories, valued at $37.2 trillion. In 2022 alone, the DTCC processed 2.5 quadrillion dollars in securities.

The governing regulations are set out in Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) sections 8 and 9, covering investment securities and secured transactions. The UCC is a set of rules produced by private organizations without an act of Congress. It is not itself the law but is only a recommendation of the laws that states should adopt; but the UCC has now been adopted by all 50 U.S. states and has been “harmonized” with the rules for trading securities in Europe and most other countries. 

The Wikipedia summary of the relevant UCC provisions concludes:

The rights created through these links [up the collateral chain] are purely contractual claims ….  This decomposition of the rights organized by Article 8 of the UCC results in preventing the investor to revindicate [demand or take back] the security in case of bankruptcy of the account provider [the broker or bank], that is to say the possibility to claim the security as its own asset, without being obliged to share it at its prorate value with the other creditors of the account provider. 

You, the investor, have only a contractual claim against your broker, who no longer holds title to your stock either, since title has been transferred up the chain to the DTCC. Your contractual claim is only to a pro rata share of a pool of the stock designated in street name, title to which is held by Cede & Co. 

Rehypothecation: The Problem of Multiple Owners

The Wikipedia entry adds:

This re-characterization of the proprietary right into a simple contractual right may enable the account provider [the “intermediary” broker or bank] to “re-use” the security without having to ask for the authorization of the investor. This is especially possible within the framework of temporary operations such as security lendingoption to repurchasebuy to sell back or repurchase agreement

“Security lending” by your broker or other intermediary may include lending your stock to short sellers bent on bringing down the value of the stock against your own financial interests. Illegal naked short selling is also facilitated by the impenetrable shield of the DTCC, and so is lending to “shadow banks” for the re-use of collateral. As Caitlin Long, another Wall Street veteran, explains:

[T]he shadow banking system’s lifeblood is collateral, and the issue is that market players re-use that same collateral over, and over, and over again, multiple times a day, to create credit. The process is called “rehypothecation.” Multiple parties’ financial statements therefore report that they own the very same asset at the same time. They have IOUs from each other to pay back that asset—hence, a chain of counterparty exposure that’s hard to track. Although improving, there’s still little visibility into how long these “collateral chains” are.

It is this reuse of the collateral to back multiple speculative bets that has facilitated the explosion of the derivatives bubble to ten times the GDP of the world. It should be the collateral of the actual purchaser, but you, the purchaser, are at the bottom of the collateral chain. Derivative claims have super priority in bankruptcy, ostensibly because the derivative edifice is so risky that their bets need to be cleared. 

What About the “Customer Protection Rule”?

Broker-dealers argue that their customers’ assets are protected under the “Customer Protection Rule” of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC). The SIPC provides insurance for stocks similar to FDIC insurance for bank deposits, maintaining a pool that can be tapped in the event of a member bankruptcy. But a 2008 memorandum on The Customer Protection Rule from the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher asserts:

With respect to cash and securities not registered in the name of the customer, but held by the broker- dealer for the customer’s benefit, the customer would receive a pro rata portion of the aggregate amount of the cash and securities actually held by the broker- dealer. If there is a remaining shortfall, SIPC would cover a maximum of $ 500,000, only $ 100,000 of which may be a recovery for cash held at the broker- dealer.

… [M]ost securities are held by broker-dealers in street name and would be available to satisfy other customers’ claims in the event of a broker- dealer’s insolvency.

If the member has a large derivatives book (JPMorgan holds $54.4 trillion in derivatives and a mere $3.4 trillion in assets), derivative customers with priority could wipe out the pool and the SIPC fund as well. 

What Webb worries about, however, is the bankruptcy of the DTCC itself, which could wipe out the entire collateral chain. He says the DTCC is clearly under-capitalized, and that the startup of a new Central Clearing Counterparty is already planned and pre-funded. If the DTCC fails, certain protected creditors can take all the collateral, upon which they will have perfected legal control.

Defensive Measures

In the event of a cyberattack that destroys the records of banks and brokers, there could be no way for purchasers to prove title to their assets; and in the event of a second Great Depression, with a wave of 1930s-style bank bankruptcies, derivative claimants with super-priority can take the banks’ assets without going through bankruptcy proceedings. In today’s fragile economy, these are not remote hypotheticals but are real possibilities, which can wipe out not just the savings of middle class families but the fortunes of billionaires. 

And there, argues Webb, is our opportunity. The system by which Cede & Co. holds title to all “dematerialized” securities is clearly vulnerable to being exploited by “the protected class,” and Congress could mitigate those concerns by legislation. If our representatives realized that they are not the owners of record of their assets but are merely creditors of their brokers and banks, they might be inspired to hold some hearings and take action. 

The first step is to shine a light on the obscure hidden workings of the system and the threat they pose to our personal holdings. Popular pressure moves politicians, and the people are waking up to many issues globally, with protests on the rise everywhere — economic, political and social. Possible action that could be taken by Congress includes reversing the “special privileges” granted to the derivatives casino in the form of “super priority” in bankruptcy. A 0.1% Tobin tax or financial transaction tax is another possibility. For protecting title to assets, blockchain is a promising tool, as discussed by Brian Eha in the American Banker article quoted above. These and other federal possibilities, along with potential solutions at the local level, will be the subject of a followup article. 

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This article was first posted on ScheerPost.

Ellen Brown is an attorney, co-chair of the Public Banking Institute, and author of thirteen books including Web of DebtThe Public Bank Solution, and Banking on the People: Democratizing Money in the Digital Age. She also co-hosts a radio program on PRN.FM called “It’s Our Money.” Her 400+ blog articles are posted at EllenBrown.com.  

She is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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“The strikes in Yemen were necessary, proportionate, and consistent with international law.”

With this statement, the United States delegate to the United Nations defended the joint US-UK military strikes against targets affiliated with the Houthi militia undertaken on the night of January 12, 2024.

The irony of this statement is that it was made before a body, the United Nations Security Council, which had not authorized any such action, thereby eliminating any claim to legitimacy that could possibly be made by the US.

The Charter of the UN specifies two conditions under international law in which military force can be used. One is in the conduct of legitimate self-defense as articulated in Article 51 of the Charter. The other is in accordance with the authority granted by the UN Security Council through a resolution passed under Chapter VII of the Charter.

British Foreign Minister David Cameron cited the UN Security Council in his justification of the UK’s involvement in the attacks on Yemen, claiming that the Council had “made clear” that the “Houthi must halt attacks in the Red Sea.”

While the Security Council had issued a resolution demanding that the Houthi cease their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, this resolution was not passed under Chapter VII, and therefore neither the US nor the UK had any authority under international law to carry out their attacks on Yemen.

Both the US and UK invoked the notion of self-defense in their attacks on Yemen, thereby indirectly alluding to a possible cognizable action under Article 51 of the UN Charter. US President Joe Biden justified the US military attack on Houthi militia forces in Yemen in a statement released shortly after the strikes ended.

“I ordered this military action,” he declared, “in accordance with my responsibility to protect Americans at home and abroad.” 

The main problem with this argument is that the Houthis had not attacked Americans, either at home or abroad. To the extent that US forces had previously engaged weapons fired by the Houthis, they had done so to shield non-American assets – either the State of Israel or international shipping – from Houthi attack. Under no circumstances could the US argue that it had been attacked by the Houthis.

The US attacks, Biden asserted, “were carried out to deter and weaken the Houthi ability to launch future attacks.”

This language suggests that the US was seeking to eliminate an imminent threat to commercial maritime operations in international shipping lanes. To comply with the requirements of international law regarding collective self-defense – the only possible argument for legitimacy since the US itself had not been attacked – the US would need to demonstrate that it was part of a collective of nation states that were either under attack by the Houthis or were threatened with imminent attack of a nature that precluded seeking Security Council intervention. 

In late December 2023, the US had, together with several other nations, gathered military forces in what was known as Operation Prosperity Guardian to deter Houthi attacks on maritime shipping that had been taking place since November 19, 2023.

However, the US subsequently undermined any case it could possibly have made that its actions were consistent with international law, namely that they were an act of collective pre-emptive self-defense done in accordance with Article 51 of the UN Charter.

US Central Command (CENTCOM), which is responsible for operations in the Middle East, issued a press release shortly after Washington launched a second attack against a Houthi radar installation that it claims was involved in targeting shipping in the Red Sea.

The statement claimed the attack on the Houthi radar installation was a “follow-on action” of the strikes carried out on January 12, and had “no association with and are separate from Operation Prosperity Guardian, a defensive coalition of over 20 countries operating in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.”

By distancing itself from Operation Prosperity Guardian, the US has fatally undermined any notion of pre-emptive collective self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, highlighting the unilateral, and inherently illegal, nature of its military attacks on Yemen.

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Scott Ritter is a former US Marine Corps intelligence officer and author of ‘Disarmament in the Time of Perestroika: Arms Control and the End of the Soviet Union.’ He served in the Soviet Union as an inspector implementing the INF Treaty, in General Schwarzkopf’s staff during the Gulf War, and from 1991-1998 as a UN weapons inspector. 

Featured image: A RAF Typhoon aircraft taking off RAF Akrotiri to join the US-led coalition to conduct air strikes against military targets in Yemen. ©  AFP / British Ministry of Defence

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Shawn Fain, President of the UAW International, noted during his major policy address at the 21st Annual Detroit MLK Day Rally that the labor movement and the struggle for civil rights remains at the center of change and transformation in the United States.

Speaking at the beginning of a year following monumental developments in the labor and civil rights movements, Fain has gained widespread recognition for his work in placing the working class back at the center of social change in the leading economy in the world.

Image: Shawn Fain

The UAW President who only took office over the last year said at MLK Day that:

“Today, we find our government backing the destruction of lives in villages – not in Vietnam – but in Gaza. We hear the boosters of war claiming that ‘real patriots’ support the bombing. But we know in this room that there is nothing more patriotic than the pursuit of justice no matter where that takes us.

Economic justice cannot end at the doors of the factory or worksite. Social justice cannot end at the border of our country.
We must not be silent when it comes to the pursuit of peace and justice for working class people, the poor, for all of humanity.

The fight against hate and greed is never ending. The fight for economic and social Justice – the fight for humanity – is eternal, and there is no more of a just cause in all of the world.”

Only when we stand up – together – will we rise up and realize the dream of Dr. King; not just for ourselves, but for all of humanity.”

Image: Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib

On January 15, the actual date of the 95th anniversary of the birth of civil rights and peace activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was celebrated as a federal holiday in the United States. Shawn Fain and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib were the featured guest speakers at the most significant and progressive event in Detroit which is committed to the upholding of the actual legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while embroiled in supporting a strike by the largely African American sanitation workers seeking union recognition in Memphis, Tennessee during the early months of that year.

Dr. King had linked the movements for an end to institutional racism, poverty and the opposition to the war in Vietnam which had cost the people of the U.S. billions of dollars along with shifting the focus from reform to imperialist intervention between 1965 to 1968. The ongoing war resulted in the refusal of then President Lyndon B. Johnson to seek reelection in 1968 as well as the assassination of Dr. King right on the verge of the launching of the original Poor People’s Campaign to occupy Washington to demand the passage of legislation to end the impoverishment of African Americans and all other nationalities in the U.S.

2024 Represents Six Decades of Mass Struggles in Labor, Civil Rights and Peace

In the city of Detroit, the MLK Committee chaired by veteran activist Dorothy Dewberry Aldridge, held its 21st consecutive rally and march at the St. Matthew’s-St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church located in the North End district.

This MLK Day manifestation came just months in the aftermath of the largest upsurge in industrial action and international solidarity in years. Hundreds of thousands of members of labor unions in the automotive, entertainment and service sectors of the United States economy went out on strike demanding higher wages and improved working conditions.

Also, the Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip in Palestine for more than three months has resulted in a burgeoning solidarity movement which is unprecedented in history. Millions of people in the U.S. and billions more around the world have rallied and marched calling for an immediate ceasefire and the liberation of the oppressed people of this settler-colonial occupied state.

Both featured speakers at the rally have come out solidly for a ceasefire. Shawn Fain, President of the UAW International and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Detroit.

Over the last several months, Detroit has been designated as “Strike City.” There was the UAW “Stand-Up Strike” which resulted in advances for not only the automotive employees. These industrial actions brought about an increase in wages for workers in non-union shops. The UAW under President Fain has pledged to enhance its recruitment efforts in the auto industry throughout the South which remains a bastion of anti-union labor production.

Therefore, having Fain and Tlaib as key speakers at the event symbolized the reemergence of a broad coalition between civil rights, labor and the antiwar movements. Congresswoman Tlaib, who has been censured by the U.S. House of Representative based upon false information, racial bias and political discrimination, has been elected three times by a diverse spectrum of people within the Detroit metropolitan area. The UAW brings together people from various ethnic and cultural groupings who are committed to improving the situation among its members as well as promoting the notion of social unionism. This approach recognizes that working people are also members of communities which are engaged in struggles related to environment, quality food and water access, universal healthcare, police misconduct, housing and education.

These events in recent months are reflective of the developments which occurred during 1964 when hundreds of youths were deployed to the South in Mississippi and Southwest Tennessee to register people to vote and assist in building independent political movements. In Mississippi, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Congress on Racial Equality (CORE), the state National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), along with other groupings, formed the Coalition of Federated Organizations (COFO) which led to the formation of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). The MFDP challenged the seating of the all-white segregationist delegates from the state at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Although the MFDP was not seated as the official representatives of the state of Mississippi despite their democratic practices of selection during 1964, the protest by their delegation and its allies changed the character of party politics in the South. Today, the Democratic Party is facing a challenge to maintain unity amidst rising labor militancy and the movement to end the war against the Palestinians in Gaza and to seek a permanent solution to the situation in West Asia.

Other events in 1964, such as the St. Augustine movement in Florida, prefigured the militant struggle for equality and the need to extend the tactics of the civil rights organizations based upon the objective conditions of the people. Even though the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed by President Johnson in early July 1964, the repression and deaths of the people continued. Three civil rights workers from the Summer Project of 1964 were killed by the Ku Klux Klan and the police in Neshoba County, Mississippi.

Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney died that faithful summer at the hands of racist violence. In the third decade of the 21st century, the existence of racist violence remains a major challenge for African Americans and other oppressed peoples in the current period.

A Broad Alliance of Progressive Forces

This year’s MLK Day event in Detroit brought together many organizations who provided speakers, artists and other forms of support. In addition to Fain and Tlaib, the program featured cultural worker Sarah Torres providing land acknowledgement for Indigenous people at the beginning of the program.

Image: Atty. Nancy Parker

Other speakers included: Atty. Nancy Parker, Executive Director of the Detroit Justice Center; Libations were delivered by Moratorium NOW! Coalition and MLK Committee member Yvonne Jones; The Rev. Anthony Estes of the St. Matthew’s-St. Joseph’s Episcopal Church welcomed the participants to the event; Jazz musicians Allen Dennard and Bill Meyer performed a rendition of the Black National Anthem; the LaShelle’s School of Dance performed a tribute to the history of African Americans; Piper Carter, Artist, Community Organizer and Activist spoke on the environmental crisis in Detroit; Wardell Montgomery, Detroit poet and songwriter read a piece in tribute to the struggles of the people in the city and the country; DJ Righteous delivered a spoken word contribution; Russ Bellant of the Detroiters for Tax Justice talked about the large-scale transfer of wealth from working people to the billionaires in the city and the need to defeat this trend; Aurora Harris, co-chair of the event alongside this author, read a poem by veteran SNCC organizer Maryam Lowen as well as a piece of her own; Harris also spoke as a steward for the Lecturers Employee Organization (LEO) on the conditions at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, which was the focus of a strike of the Graduate Employees Organization (GEO) last year; Shushanna Shakur, Poet and Community Activist and Educator, addressed the plight of political prisoners and the need for fundamental change; Ben Will, Motown MIC and Spoken Word Winner for 2022, made a presentation; representatives of the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) spoke on the role of young people along with a poetic contribution; and Joshua Feinstein of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) addressed the audience on the objectives of the work being done by this local and national organization.

The event was attended and supported by veteran SNCC activists John Hardy and Dr. Gloria Aneb House. A community meal was served at the conclusion of the event by the Detroit Wobbly Kitchen.

A host of co-sponsors and endorsers made this event possible. These organizations and individuals included: Detroit Coalition for Police Transparency and Accountability (CPTA); Jennifer Fassbender; Autoworker Caravan; Rev. Denise Griebler & Rev. Bill Wylie-Kellerman; Nelson and Yvonne Jones; Metro Detroit A. Philip Randolph Institute; General Baker Institute; Detroit Active and Retired Employees Association (DAREA); Buck Dinner Fund; Chuck Altman; Michigan Emergency Committee Against War & Injustice (MECAWI), founders of MLK Day in Detroit; Central United Methodist Church; Huntington Woods Peace Project; Detroit Communist Party, USA; Detroit Action; Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP); Michigan Coalition for Human Rights (MCHR); Michigan Welfare Rights Organization (MWRO); Moratorium NOW! Coalition; People’s Water Board Coalition; Senior Water Systems Chemists Association; Linda Szyszko; The Ron Allen Project; Unite All Workers for Democracy; Viola Liuzzo Park Association, We the People of Detroit; Wisdom Institute; Detroit Wobbly Kitchen; Pan-African News Wire; Communist Workers League (CWL); Michigan Peace Council; U.S. Palestinian Community Network, among others.

This rally was covered widely by the local media along with the UAW International. The MLK Committee is already thinking about future activities which will advance the organization and unity of progressive forces going forward in 2024.

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Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of the Pan-African News Wire. He is a regular contributor to Global Research. 

Featured image: Detroit MLK Day 2024 audience in sanctuary and balcony (All images in this article are from Abayomi Azikiwe)

Gaza Will be the Grave of the Western-led World Order

January 18th, 2024 by Prof. Saul J Takahashi

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No matter how it concludes, South Africa’s lawsuit in the International Court of Justice arguing Israel has violated the Genocide Convention will go down in history. It will either be remembered as the first step towards finally holding a rogue state accountable for repeated, longstanding violations of international law; or as the last, dying breath of a dysfunctional, Western-led international system.

For the hypocrisy of Western governments (and the Western political elite as a whole) has finally brought the so-called “rules-based world order” they purport to lead to the point of no return. Full-throttled Western support for Israel’s genocidal rampage in Gaza has truly exposed the double standards of the West with regard to human rights and international law. There is no turning back, and the West has only its own arrogance to blame.

The litany of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Israel in Gaza are clear as the light of day for anybody who has access to a smartphone. Social media feeds are overflowing with video clips of hospitals and schools being bombed, fathers pulling out the lifeless bodies of their children from under destroyed buildings, mothers crying over the corpses of their babies. And yet, the reaction of Western governments – besides seemingly limitless military and political support – has been to label any criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism and attempt to ban outright any expression of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Regardless of this oppression, tens of thousands of people are coming out on the streets day after day expressing their disgust at Israeli atrocities and Western complicity. Desperate to regain some semblance of credibility, Western governments (including the US) have recently started to be marginally critical of Israeli attacks. However, it is too little, too late. Western credibility has been shredded irrevocably.

Of course, Western hypocrisy is nothing new. According to Western governments, the world should be up in arms about Russian aggression but should be perfectly happy with Israeli brutality and flouting of international norms. Ukrainians who throw Molotov cocktails at Russian occupation forces are heroes and freedom fighters, while Palestinians (and others) who dare to speak out against Israeli apartheid are terrorists. White-skinned refugees from Ukraine are more than welcome, while black and brown-skinned refugees from conflicts in the Middle East, Asia and Africa (most of which the West are behind) can sink to the bottom of the Mediterranean. The Western attitude has truly been: rules for thee, not for me.

Refugees from the Ukraine war - Cartooning for Peace

Source: Cartooning for Peace

The Western position towards China exhibits the same insincerity. China is virtually encircled by American and allied military bases, armed to the hilt. Yet it is China that is guilty of… what? Unable to point to any concrete infraction, Western governments and media can only accuse China of “increased assertiveness”, ie, not knowing its assigned subjugate place in the Western hegemonic order.

International justice has become a sick joke. Were the International Criminal Court (ICC) functioning effectively, Israeli leaders would be on trial even as we speak, and there would have been no need for South Africa to approach the ICJ. As it stands, though, the ICC only indicted Africans until 2022, when it announced an investigation into the Russian invasion of Ukraine less than a week after its start. The ICC issued indictments, including for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, in less than a year. Conversely, it took over six years for the ICC to open an investigation into the situation in Palestine, and even now, years later, meaningful action has yet to be taken. While Israel continued its orgy of violence against the people of Gaza, Karim Khan, the British Chief Prosecutor of the ICC, visited Israel and stressed the need for Hamas’s crimes to be prosecuted, while going soft on Israeli crimes. Little wonder many civil society organisations are calling for him to be fired.

Of course, Western hypocrisy is nothing new. From the get-go, international legal norms were intended to apply only to so-called “civilised” – read white – peoples. Savages did not count, and the powerful Western states could – and did – do to them what they pleased. Natives certainly did not “own” land or natural resources, and colonial powers were free to steal and exploit those as they wished. Zionism was also founded on such racist attitudes – attitudes that remain at the core of Israeli policies to this day.

These double standards are apparent with regard to the right to national self-determination – the fundamental right of all peoples to choose their own political system and control their own natural resources. After World War I, US President Woodrow Wilson insisted that self-determination be the guiding principle of the new world order – but, of course, only for Europeans. Palestinians and other Arab peoples found out the hard way that colonialism was alive and well: They were subject to League of Nations Mandates, which justified colonial rule for “peoples not yet able to stand by themselves”. The Charter of the United Nations also included provisions for Trusteeship, essentially along similar lines as the Mandates of the League.s

The wars of independence in Asia and Africa put a stop to this. The newly independent countries demanded successfully that self-determination be elevated to a right for all. The two international covenants on human rights, adopted in 1966, both stipulate the right of all peoples to self-determination in their common Article 1, making it clear that only with political and economic self-determination can any other human right be meaningful.

The discussion on the right of self-determination went further, to the chagrin of Western governments. The UN General Assembly has stated repeatedly that armed struggle (including that of the Palestinian people) against colonial rule is legitimate. And the 1977 Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, on the laws of war, also stated that struggles against colonial and racist regimes are valid. International law has definitely developed in the right direction.

Still, the systems to implement international law remain weak. This is by design, and it allows powerful countries to act with impunity, and to shield its proteges – as we see with the US and Israel. Even if the ICJ issues a provisional order for Israel to halt its violence, and even if, years later, it finds Israel guilty of genocide, without any enforcement, Israel can (and probably will) simply ignore those decisions. That would surely be the end of the current world order, as any facade of fairness would collapse.

Enforcement of international law is in the hands of the UN Security Council, but with its veto rights for the five countries that happened to be on the winning side in 1945, that body has time and time again proven itself incapable of fulfilling its mandate. The General Assembly lacks any enforcement power. And the UN, the ICC, and most other international organisations are perennially underfunded, meaning they rely heavily on voluntary contributions from states. This makes them vulnerable to undue influence by the rich and powerful: in other words, the wealthy Western countries.

On a more fundamental level, these international institutions are not representative. Though civil society organisations can contribute to most of the debates, only governments have a say in the decision-making process – despite the fact that, as we see in the case of Gaza, even the governments of ostensible democracies do not necessarily represent the will of their people.

Israeli aggression and colonisation must stop, and abusers of human rights in Palestine must be held accountable – including Western leaders who are complicit in genocide. However, we must not stop there. We must demand a revolutionary reform of international institutions. They must be made truly democratic and egalitarian. They must reflect the voice of the people, through civil society organisations and other democratic modes of representation – not governments that are too often in the pocket of rich and powerful interests.

Creating a world order that will ensure justice and equal rights for all will not be easy. It will require sustained efforts on the part of global citizenry, through putting pressure for change on governments and international organisations. However, it is the only way to ensure that “never again” becomes a reality.

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Saul J Takahashi is Professor of Human Rights and Peace Studies at Osaka Jogakuin University in Osaka, Japan. An international human rights lawyer, he was Deputy Head of Office of the UN human rights agency in Occupied Palestine from 2009 to 2014.

Johnson & Johnson to Acquire $2 Billion Drug Developer “Ambrx Biopharma” to Treat Turbo Cancers with Same Tech as Pfizer’s $43 Billion Seagen Acquisition

By Dr. William Makis, January 17, 2024

Many pharmaceutical companies are rushing to position themselves to profit from treating a tsunami of cancers that they are all expecting to hit starting in 2025.

Israel — “Nation of Murderers and Murder Victims”. Prof. Rima Najjar

By Rima Najjar, January 17, 2024

The hope was that the pressure the families of the hostages was exerting on the Israeli government would succeed in making their release a priority for the Israeli cabinet over the impulse of vengeance. That obviously did not happen and most of them continue to be solidly behind the strategic aims of their blood-thirsty government, if not its tactics.

Shot Dead the Movie: Heartbreaking Stories of Children Who Died After Receiving COVID-19 Shots

By Dr. Joseph Mercola, January 17, 2024

“Shot Dead The Movie,” tells the heartbreaking stories of children who died after receiving COVID-19 shots. Their parents are left behind to pick up the pieces, wondering how and why a shot they were assured was safe took the lives of their children, ranging in age from newborn to 18.

The Case for Genocide. The International Court of Justice May be All That Stands Between the Palestinians in Gaza and Genocide. Chris Hedges

By Chris Hedges, January 17, 2024

Israel’s smearing of South Africa as “the legal arm” of Hamas exemplifies the bankruptcy of its defense, a smear replicated by those who claim that demonstrations held to call for a ceasefire and protect Palestinian human rights are “anti-Semitic.” Israel, its genocide live streamed to the world, has no substantial counter argument.

Milk and the Police State: Another State/Bureaucratic Steroid Overdose in Action

By Judge Andrew P. Napolitano, January 17, 2024

Last week, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, state troopers and investigators executed a search warrant on the farm of Amos Miller. Miller has been producing fresh unadulterated dairy products and grass-fed beef for 40 years. He does not sell to the public. Rather, he sells only to folks who join his club because they want pure raw dairy products, not pasteurized and not chemically treated, as the state commands.

Cancelling the Journalist: The ABC’s Coverage of the Israel-Gaza War

By Dr. Binoy Kampmark, January 17, 2024

What a cowardly act it was. A national broadcaster, dedicated to what should be fearless reporting, cowed by the intemperate bellyaching of a lobby concerned about coverage of the Israel-Gaza war. The investigation by The Age newspaper was revealing in showing that the dismissal of broadcaster Antoinette Lattouf last December 20 was the nasty fruit of a campaign waged against the corporation’s management.

War on Gaza: Namibia Slams Germany for Offering to Defend Israel in ICJ Genocide Case

By Middle East Eye, January 17, 2024

The Namibian presidency issued a statement condemning the German move to act on Israel’s behalf as a third party in defence, recalling Germany’s role in the first 20th-century genocide of the Herero and Nama peoples in the 1900s.

Men of Military Age “Refuse to Fight”. The Are Fleeing the Country. Zelensky Refuses to Take Responsibility for the “Deeply Unpopular Mobilisation Plan”

By Ahmed Adel, January 17, 2024

Since the beginning of the conflict, the Ukrainian Border Guard has detained more than 17,000 citizens who tried to leave the country illegally. More than 20,000 unsuccessful attempts to flee the country by men of military age seeking to avoid the draft were also recorded.

Western Brands Boycott Calls Intensify After US Jets Bomb Yemen

By Zero Hedge, January 17, 2024

Social media users are pressing ahead for continued boycotts of Western brands as the US and its allies pound Yemen with air strikes and missiles to neutralize Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

United Against “Nuclear Iran”: The Shadowy, Intelligence-linked Group Driving the US Towards War with Iran

By Alan MacLeod, January 17, 2024

In the wake of Hamas’ October 7 assault, arch-neoconservative official John Bolton was invited on CNN, where he claimed that what we witnessed was really an “Iranian attack on Israel using Hamas as a surrogate” and that the U.S. must immediately respond.

The Criminalization of War: Gaza

January 18th, 2024 by Prof Michel Chossudovsky

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First published on July 12, 2018

This review article was prepared by the author in relation to his presentation to The Criminalization of War: Gaza, Conference event (July 16, 2018) organized by the Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

We repost this 2018 report, with a view to providing a broader understanding and historical perspective regarding Israel’s all out war against the People of Palestine: 

Following the Al Aqsa Storm Operation on October 7, 2023 Israel‘s defence minister described Palestinians as “human animals” and vowed to “act accordingly,” as fighter jets unleashed a massive bombing of the Gaza Strip home of 2.3 million Palestinians…” (Middle East Eye). A complete blockade on the Gaza Strip was initiated on October 9, 2023 consisting in   blocking and obstructing the importation of food, water, fuel, and essential commodities to 2.3 Million Palestinians. It’s an outright crime against humanity. It’s genocide

In Solidarity with the People of Palestine

“What is at stake is the universal recognition of the value of human life, solidarity and understanding between nationalities, ethnic groups and religions, as well as respect for national sovereignty. 

These are the preconditions for World peace.”  

Michel Chossudovsky, July 2018, January 18, 2023

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The Criminalization of War: Gaza

by

Michel Chossudovsky 

 

The following issues will be examined: 

The ongoing crimes committed against the people of Palestine,

The broader process of Israeli territorial expansion,

Israel and the criminalization of war as defined by the Kuala Lumpur Declaration launched by former Prime Minister Dr. Tun Mahathir Mohamad in 2005,

The mounting tide of Islamophobia,

The role of the “Global War on Terrorism” as a pretext to wage war on the broader Middle East,

The propaganda campaign directed against Palestine, 

The recent history of Israeli aggression against the People of Palestine including the strategic and geopolitical dimensions, 

The Israeli plan to confiscate Gaza’s offshore natural gas reserves.

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I

INTRODUCTION

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Israel’s blockade of Gaza is a criminal undertaking: Gaza is a concentration camp, the World’s largest open air prison  from which no one can escape. 

Two million Palestinians live  under an Israeli siege. Israel controls the entry of essential goods including food, water, energy and medicine. Israel also controls Gaza’s territorial waters in derogation  of international law.

The Zionist project supports the Jewish settlement movement. More broadly it involves a policy of killing, impoverishing and excluding Palestinians from Palestine with a view to eventually implementing the annexation of both the West Bank and Gaza to the State of Israel:

Today, six million Palestinians dispersed in various refugee camps are denied the right of return to their ancestral Palestine; the other six million lived under occupation in Gaza and the West Bank.  For twelve years, two million Palestinians have been imprisoned under a brutal land and sea military blockade in Gaza.

During this time there were three major military assaults where Gaza was relentlessly bombed for weeks. Recently, since 30 March 2018, unarmed Gaza demonstrators calling for the Right of Return are shot at with high grade military assault rifles leaving more than 124 dead and 13,000 severely wounded with hundreds of amputees and potential amputees. (Dr Swee Ang, Global Research, July 2018

The crimes committed by Israel against the people of Palestine, with the tacit support of Western governments must be addressed in the broader context of the criminalization of war.


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II

THE GREATER ISRAEL PROJECT 

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The expansionist policies of the State of Israel including the annexation of the illegally occupied territories, not to mention the “Greater Israel” project of territorial extension are an integral part of the US-led military agenda in Middle East.

When viewed in the current context, the siege on Gaza and the Zionist Plan for the Middle East are related to the US-NATO military agenda including the US-led 2003 invasion of  Iraq, the 2006 war on Lebanon, the 2011 war on Libya, the ongoing wars on Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

There is a broader US-NATO-Israel war crimes agenda under the thrust of the so-called “Global War on Terrorism” which serves as a pretext for the bombing of civilians under the pretext of  going after ISIS-Daesh.

The “Greater Israel” project consists in weakening and eventually fracturing neighboring Arab states as part of a US-Israeli expansionist project, with the support of NATO and Saudi Arabia. In this regard, the Saudi-Israeli rapprochement is from Netanyahu’s viewpoint a means to expanding Israel’s spheres of influence in the Middle East as well as confronting Iran. Needless to say, the “Greater Israel” project is consistent with America’s imperial design.

Greater Israel would create a number of proxy States. It would include parts of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the Sinai, as well as parts of  Iraq and Saudi Arabia. (See map). According to Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya in a 2011 Global Research article,   The Greater Israel Yinon Plan should be viewed as a continuation of Britain’s colonial design in the Middle East:

“[The Yinon plan] is an Israeli strategic plan to ensure Israeli regional superiority. It insists and stipulates that Israel must reconfigure its geo-political environment through the balkanization of the surrounding Arab states into smaller and weaker states.

Greater Israel” requires the breaking up of the existing Arab states into small states.

“The [Yinon Plan] plan operates on two essential premises. To survive, Israel must 1) become an imperial regional power, and 2) must effect the division of the whole area into small states by the dissolution of all existing Arab states. Small here will depend on the ethnic or sectarian composition of each state. Consequently, the Zionist hope is that sectarian-based states become Israel’s satellites and, ironically, its source of moral legitimation…  This is not a new idea, nor does it surface for the first time in Zionist strategic thinking. Indeed, fragmenting all Arab states into smaller units has been a recurrent theme.” (Yinon Plan)

Viewed in this context, the US-NATO led wars on Syria and Iraq are part of  the process of Israeli territorial expansion.

In this regard, the defeat of US-Saudi-Israeli sponsored terrorists (ISIS, Al Nusra) by Syrian Forces with the support of Russia, Iran and Hizbollah constitute a significant setback for Israel.


.

III

THE CRIMINALIZATION OF WAR

.

US-NATO-Israeli War Crimes: The Kuala Lumpur Initiative to Criminalize War

The State of Israel is responsible for extensive war crimes.

In turn the US-NATO led war applied Worldwide is a criminal undertaking under the disguise of counter-terrorism. It violates the Nuremberg Charter, the US constitution and the UN charter. According to former chief Nuremberg prosector Benjamin Ferencz, in relation to the 2003 invasion of Iraq:

“a prima facie case can be made that the United States is guilty of the supreme crime against humanity — that being an illegal war of aggression against a sovereign nation.”

Moreover, the evidence amply confirms that the United States of America is a “State Sponsor of Terrorism” and that the campaign against the Islamic State is a smokescreen used by the US and its allies including Israel to justify in the eyes of public opinion its global war of conquest.

Following in the footsteps of Nuremberg, the objective of the December 2005 Kuala Lumpur initiative led by Tun Mahathir Mohamad was to criminalize war and eventually abolish war.

Let us recall the fundamental principles contained in the Kuala Lumpur Initiative to Criminalize War under the helm of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, prime minister of Malaysia.

“Killings in war are as criminal as the killings within societies in times of peace. 

Since killings in peace time are subject to the domestic law of crime, killings in war must likewise be subject to the international law of crimes.

This should be so irrespective of whether these killings in war are authorized or permitted by domestic law.”

Since the adoption of the KL Initiative to Criminalize war in December 2005, the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal (KLWCT) has passed two important  judgements:

–against George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, et al for war crimes in Iraq,

–against the State of Israel on charges of genocide against the people of Palestine.

More than ever the Kuala Lumpur Initiative launched almost thirteen years ago in December 2005 by Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad should be widely understood and applied.

What is at stake is the universal recognition of the value of human life, solidarity and understanding between nationalities, ethnic groups and religions, as well as respect for national sovereignty.

These are the preconditions for World peace. As outlined in the Kuala Lumpur declaration: “peace is the essential condition for the survival and well-being of the human race”.

In contrast to these broad principles which define human values, the US military and financial establishment and its allies (including the State of Israel) are intent upon destroying and destabilizing sovereign countries as part of an imperial agenda, through acts of war and economic plunder, the end result of which is the transformation of sovereign nations into open economic territories, under the jurisdiction of US approved proxy regimes.

To no avail, since 2008, both presidents Obama and Trump have followed in the footsteps of George W. Bush. Together with America’s NATO allies, they have not only supported terrorist organizations, they have covertly supported terrorist insurgencies, waged extensive bombing campaigns against Libya (2011), Syria, Yemen and Iraq (2014-), drone attacks and targeted assassinations against Pakistan (2004-) among other military-intelligence operations.

Under the Kuala Lumpur Initiative to Criminalize War which was adopted under the helm of Tun Mahathir,

“All national leaders who initiate aggression must be subjected to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.”

Let us be crystal clear: Consistent with Nuremberg, the above statement applies to president Donald Trump and the heads of State and heads of government of NATO countries as well as Israel, which have endorsed the killings in Palestine, the extensive carpet bombing operations directed against Libya, Syria, Yemen and Iraq, resulting in the death of countless civilians.


IV

“THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERRORISM”

.

War Propaganda and the Demonization of Muslims: A Criminal Undertaking under International Law

An extensive propaganda campaign has been launched with a view to upholding US-NATO-Israeli military actions in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Palestine as humanitarian endeavours, as part of an alleged crusade against Al Qaeda and the Islamic State. In this regard, acts of resistance by Palestine against illegal occupation are presented as acts of terrorism.

The Pentagon, NATO and Israel are the protagonists of war and war crimes. Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are presented as the “outside enemy” which threatens the Western World, when in fact Al Qaeda and the ISIS are supported and financed by the Western military alliance as well as the State of Israel out of the Golan heights.

In 2014, Prime minister Netanyahu confirmed in a semi-official statement that Israel is supporting Al Nusrah fighters out of the Golan Heights.  The IDF top military brass  acknowledged that  “global jihad elements inside Syria” including foreign mercenaries are supported by Israel.

 

Netanyahu visits Israel’s Hospital Facility for Al Qaeda affiliated rebels in the occupied Golan   

The Jerusalem Post acknowledged that the hospital is being used to support the jihadist insurgency.

 (JP, February 19, 2014)

In turn,  a hate campaign has been launched against Muslim countries as well as Muslim communities within Western countries, which has reached a new threshold under the Trump adminstration.

While the West has initiated a Worldwide demonization campaign against Muslims, the millions of victims of US-NATO led wars in Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen  are predominately Muslims. Moreover, in both Syria, Iraq and Palestine the Christian communities have also been targeted, the cultural heritage of Muslims and Christians in Mesopotamia has been decimated by US,  Saudi and Israeli sponsored terrorists.

The crimes and atrocities committed by the Western military alliance in Fallujah, Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo are beyond description.  These crimes have been amply documented in the 2012 Judgment of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission against George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld,  et al

The Global War on Terrorism: The Political Consensus

Sustained by media disinformation, the Global War on Terrorism is now part of a far-reaching political consensus in Western countries. It has also been used by Western governments to justify and implement “anti-terrorist” legislation within their respective countries.

The fact that the “Global War on Terrorism” is endorsed by the so-called “international community” and rubber-stamped by the United Nations Security Council does not, however,  provide it legitimacy under international law. Despite these endorsements, it nonetheless constitutes a diabolical criminal undertaking, which is fundamentally based on a Lie.

When the Lie becomes the Truth and War becomes Peace, there is no turning backwards.

The legitimacy of the Global War on Terrorism is sustained by media disinformation and war propaganda. In this regard, the various actions intended to deliberately mislead public opinion, obfuscate the atrocities of America’s led wars and justify war on humanitarian grounds, are categorized as criminal acts of war propaganda, under Nuremberg.


V

ISRAELI AGGRESSION AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF PALESTINE:

RECENT HISTORY (2001-2018)

.

It is important to focus on the historical evolution of Israeli aggression involving the transformation of Gaza into the World’s largest open air prison.

Operation Justified Vengeance (2001)

“Operation Justified Vengeance” was presented in July 2001 to the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon by IDF chief of staff Shaul Mofaz, under the title “The Destruction of the Palestinian Authority and Disarmament of All Armed Forces”.

“A contingency plan, codenamed Operation Justified Vengeance, was drawn up last June [2001] to reoccupy all of the West Bank and possibly the Gaza Strip at a likely cost of “hundreds” of Israeli casualties.” (Washington Times, 19 March 2002).

According to Jane’s ‘Foreign Report’ (July 12, 2001) the Israeli army under Sharon had updated its plans for an “all-out assault to smash the Palestinian authority, force out leader Yasser Arafat and kill or detain its army”.

“Bloodshed Justification”

The “Bloodshed Justification” was an essential component of the military-intelligence agenda. The killing of Palestinian civilians was justified on “humanitarian grounds.” Israeli military operations were carefully timed to coincide with the suicide attacks:

The assault would be launched, at the government’s discretion, after a big suicide bomb attack in Israel, causing widespread deaths and injuries, citing the bloodshed as justification. (Tanya Reinhart, Evil Unleashed, Israel’s move to destroy the Palestinian Authority is a calculated plan, long in the making, Global Research, December 2001, emphasis added)

The Dagan Plan 

“Operation Justified Vengeance” was also referred to as the “Dagan Plan”, named after General (ret.) Meir Dagan, who  headed Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency.

Reserve General Meir Dagan was Sharon’s national security adviser during the 2000 election campaign. The plan was apparently drawn up prior to Sharon’s election as Prime Minister in February 2001. “According to Alex Fishman writing in Yediot Aharonot, the Dagan Plan consisted in destroying the Palestinian authority and putting Yasser Arafat ‘out of the game’.” (Ellis Shulman, “Operation Justified Vengeance”: a Secret Plan to Destroy the Palestinian Authority, March 2001):

“As reported in the Foreign Report [Jane] and disclosed locally by Maariv, Israel’s invasion plan — reportedly dubbed Justified Vengeance — would be launched immediately following the next high-casualty suicide bombing, would last about a month and is expected to result in the death of hundreds of Israelis and thousands of Palestinians. (Ibid, emphasis added)

The “Dagan Plan” envisaged the so-called “cantonization” of the Palestinian territories whereby the West Bank and Gaza would be totally cut off from one other, with separate “governments” in each of the territories. Under this scenario, already envisaged in 2001, Israel would:

 “negotiate separately with Palestinian forces that are dominant in each territory-Palestinian forces responsible for security, intelligence, and even for the Tanzim (Fatah).” The plan thus closely resembles the idea of “cantonization” of Palestinian territories, put forth by a number of ministers.” Sylvain Cypel, The infamous ‘Dagan Plan’ Sharon’s plan for getting rid of Arafat, Le Monde, December 17, 2001)


From Left to Right: Dagan, Sharon, Halevy

The Dagan Plan has established continuity in the military-intelligence agenda. In the wake of the 2000 elections, Meir Dagan was assigned a key role. “He became Sharon’s “go-between” in security issues with President’s Bush’s special envoys Zinni and Mitchell.”  He was subsequently appointed Director of the Mossad by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in August 2002. In the post-Sharon period, he remained head of Mossad. He was reconfirmed in his position as Director of Israeli Intelligence by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in June 2008.

Meir Dagan, in coordination with his US counterparts, has been in charge of various military-intelligence operations. It is worth noting that Meir Dagan as a young Colonel had worked closely with defense minister Ariel Sharon in the raids on Palestinian settlements in Beirut in 1982. (Sabra and Shatila) The 2009 ground invasion of Gaza, in many regards, bear a canny resemblance to the 1982 military operation led by Sharon and Dagan.

Continuity: From Sharon  to Olmert 

Olmert and Sharon

It is important to focus on a number of key events from the 2001 Dagan Plan to the killings in Gaza under “Operation Cast Lead” in 2008-2009 and “Operation Protective Edge” in 2014 leading up the the Gaza massacres of March-May 2018.

 

 

1. The Assassination in November 2004 of Yasser Arafat.

This assassination had been on the drawing board since 1996 under “Operation Fields of Thorns”.

According to an October 2000 document:

“prepared by the security services, at the request of then Prime Minister Ehud Barak, stated that ‘Arafat, the person, is a severe threat to the security of the state [of Israel] and the damage which will result from his disappearance is less than the damage caused by his existence’”. (Tanya Reinhart, Evil Unleashed, Israel’s move to destroy the Palestinian Authority is a calculated plan, long in the making, Global Research, December 2001. Details of the document were published in Ma’ariv, July 6, 2001.).

Arafat’s assassination was ordered in 2003 by the Israeli cabinet. It was approved by the US which vetoed a United Nations Security Resolution condemning the 2003 Israeli Cabinet decision. Reacting to increased Palestinian attacks, in August 2003, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz declared “all out war” on the militants whom he vowed “marked for death.”

“In mid September, Israel’s government passed a law to get rid of Arafat. Israel’s cabinet for political security affairs declared it “a decision to remove Arafat as an obstacle to peace.” Mofaz threatened; “we will choose the right way and the right time to kill Arafat.”

Palestinian Minister Saeb Erekat told CNN he thought Arafat was the next target. CNN asked Sharon spokesman Ra’anan Gissan if the vote meant expulsion of Arafat. Gissan clarified; “It doesn’t mean that.

The Cabinet has today resolved to remove this obstacle.

The time, the method, the ways by which this will take place will be decided separately, and the security services will monitor the situation and make the recommendation about proper action.” (See Trish Shuh, Road Map for a Decease Plan,  www.mehrnews.com November 9 2005

The assassination of Arafat was part of the 2001 Dagan Plan. In all likelihood, it was carried out by Israeli Intelligence. It was intended to destroy the Palestinian Authority, foment divisions within Fatah as well as between Fatah and Hamas. Mahmoud Abbas is a Palestinian quisling. He was installed as leader of Fatah, with the approval of Israel and the US, which finance the Palestinian Authority’s paramilitary and security forces.

2. The removal, under the orders of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2005, of all Jewish settlements in Gaza.

A Jewish population of over 7,000 was relocated.

“It is my intention [Sharon] to carry out an evacuation – sorry, a relocation – of settlements that cause us problems and of places that we will not hold onto anyway in a final settlement, like the Gaza settlements….

I am working on the assumption that in the future there will be no Jews in Gaza,” Sharon said.” (CBC, March 2004)

The issue of the settlements in Gaza was presented as part of Washington’s “road map to peace”. Celebrated by the Palestinians as a “victory”, this measure was not directed against the Jewish settlers. Quite the opposite: It was part of  the overall covert operation, which consisted  in transforming Gaza into a concentration camp.

As long as Jewish settlers were living inside Gaza, the objective of sustaining a large barricaded prison territory could not be achieved. The Implementation of “Operation Cast Lead” required “no Jews in Gaza”.

3. The Building of the infamous Apartheid Wall

It was decided upon at the beginning of the Sharon government. (See Map below).

 

4. The Hamas Election Victory in January 2006.

Without Arafat, the Israeli military-intelligence architects knew that Fatah under Mahmoud Abbas would loose the elections. This was part of the scenario, which had been envisaged and analyzed well in advance.

With Hamas in charge of the Palestinian authority, using the pretext that Hamas is a terrorist organization, Israel would carry out the process of “cantonization” as formulated under the Dagan plan. Fatah under Mahmoud Abbas would remain formally in charge of the West Bank. The duly elected Hamas government would be confined to the Gaza strip.

5. “Operation Cast Lead” (December 2008, January 2009)

The aerial bombings and the ongoing ground invasion of Gaza by Israeli ground forces must be analysed in a historical context. Operation “Cast Lead” (2008) was a carefully planned undertaking, which was part of a broader military-intelligence agenda first formulated by the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2001:

“Sources in the defense establishment said Defense Minister Ehud Barak instructed the Israel Defense Forces to prepare for the operation over six months ago, even as Israel was beginning to negotiate a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.”(Barak Ravid, Operation “Cast Lead”: Israeli Air Force strike followed months of planning, Haaretz, December 27, 2008)

Planned Humanitarian Disaster in Liaison with Washington

On December 8, 2008  US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte was in Tel Aviv for discussions with his Israeli counterparts including the director of Mossad, Meir Dagan.

“Operation Cast Lead” was initiated two days day after Christmas. It was coupled with a carefully designed international Public Relations campaign under the auspices of Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Hamas’ military targets were not the main objective. Operation “Cast Lead” was intended, quite deliberately, to trigger civilian casualities.

What we are dealing with is a “planned humanitarian disaster” in Gaza in a densly populated urban area. (See map below)

 

The longer term objective of this plan, as formulated by Israeli policy makers, was the expulsion of Palestinians from Palestinian lands:

“Terrorize the civilian population, assuring maximal destruction of property and cultural resources… The daily life of the Palestinians must be rendered unbearable: They should be locked up in cities and towns, prevented from exercising normal economic life, cut off from workplaces, schools and hospitals, This will encourage emigration and weaken the resistance to future expulsions” Ur Shlonsky, quoted by Ghali Hassan, Gaza: The World’s Largest Prison, Global Research, 2005)

Ground Attack

On January 3, 2009 Israeli tanks and infantry entered Gaza in an all out ground offensive:

“The ground operation was preceded by several hours of heavy artillery fire after dark, igniting targets in flames that burst into the night sky. Machine gun fire rattled as bright tracer rounds flashed through the darkness and the crash of hundreds of shells sent up streaks of fire. (AP, January 3, 2009)

Israeli sources have pointed to a lengthy drawn out military operation. It “won’t be easy and it won’t be short,” said Defense Minister Ehud Barak in a TV address.

Israel is not seeking to oblige Hamas “to cooperate”. What we are dealing with is the implementation of the “Dagan Plan” as initially formulated in 2001, which called for:

“an invasion of Palestinian-controlled territory by some 30,000 Israeli soldiers, with the clearly defined mission of destroying the infrastructure of the Palestinian leadership and collecting weaponry currently possessed by the various Palestinian forces, and expelling or killing its military leadership. (Ellis Shulman, op cit, emphasis added)

The broader question is whether Israel in consultation with Washington is intent upon triggering a wider war.

Mass expulsion of the population of Gaza was envisaged by Sharon, at some later stage of the ground invasion, coupled with a strategy of opening up Gaza’s borders to allow for an exodus of population.

On July 8 2014, Israel launched a carefully planned military Operation entitled Protective Edge which consisted in an all out invasion of Gaza strip, resulting in countless death and atrocities.

‘Operation Protective Edge (OPE)  directed against Gaza was reminiscent of the infamous 2001 Dagan Plan entitled “Operation Justified Vengeance” in which the deaths of innocent Israeli civilians had been envisaged and foreseen by IDF military planners.

The deaths are then used to muster the support of the Israeli public as well as provide a justification for a “legitimate” counter-terrorism operation in the eyes of the international community directed against the Palestinian occupied territories.

‘Operation Protective Edge (OPE) directed against Gaza was planned well in advance of the kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli teenagers. Prime Minister Netanyahu has called up 40,000 reservists. In the wake of the shelling and bombing raids, a major ground operation scenario was envisaged.

Moreover, similar to the logic of the Dagan Plan, the head of Israeli intelligence (Mossad) had “predicted” the kidnapping of the three teenagers. Under the title Mossad chief’s chillingly prescient kidnap prophecy, Haaretz confirms that

“Mossad chief Tamir Pardo had “outlined a scenario that was spookily [sic] similar to the kidnapping of three teens missing in the West Bank” (Haaretz, July 13, 2014, emphasis added)

Israeli civilian deaths are blamed on Hamas without evidence to justify military action against Gaza.

The ultimate objective of “Operation Protective Edge” is to break the institutional base of the Hamas leadership and destroy Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, with a view to eventually carrying out the annexation of the Gaza Strip to Israel.  As of July 13, Israel is reported to have struck 1,320 sites within Gaza, resulting in 167 deaths and more than 1,000 injured (Mannam News, July 13, 2014)

Were the three boys killed by Hamas?

Israeli press reports intimate that the three teenagers could have been executed by the Al Qaeda affiliated jihadist entity the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) which just so happens to be supported “covertly” as well “overtly” by the State of Israel.

From the Dagan Plan to the present, Israel’s objective is genocide and expulsion of Palestinians from their ancestral lands:

  • March-May 2018 Gaza Massacre, Nakba Protests
  • July 2014 under Operation Protective Edge
  • and in December-January 2008-2009 under Operation Cast Lead

Expulsion was referred to by Ariel Sharon as “a 1948 style solution”.

For Sharon:

“it is only necessary to find another state for the Palestinians. -‘Jordan is Palestine’ – was the phrase that Sharon coined.” (Tanya Reinhart, op cit).


VI

ISRAEL’S PLAN TO CONFISCATE

GAZA’S OFFSHORE RESERVES OF NATURAL GAS 

 

Discovered in 2000, there are extensive gas reserves off the Gaza coastline which belong to the people of Palestine.

The December 2008-January 2009 “Operation Cast Led” was instrumental in the confiscation of Palestine’s gas fields off the coast of Gaza by Israel in derogation of international law.

Tel Aviv announced the discovery of  the Leviathan natural gas field in the Eastern Mediterranean “off the coast of Israel.”

At the time the gas field was: “ … the most prominent field ever found in the sub-explored area of the Levantine Basin, which covers about 83,000 square kilometres of the eastern Mediterranean region.” (i)

Coupled with Tamar field, in the same location, discovered in 2009, the prospects are for an energy bonanza for Israel, for Houston, Texas based Noble Energy and partners Delek Drilling, Avner Oil Exploration and Ratio Oil Exploration. (See Felicity Arbuthnot, Israel: Gas, Oil and Trouble in the Levant, Global Research, December 30, 2013

The Gazan gas fields are part of the broader Levant assessment area. What happened was the integration of these adjoining gas fields including those belonging to Palestine into the orbit of Israel. (see map below). Namely a process of outright confiscation. The step by step transformation of Gaza into a de facto concentration camp was also accompanied by the de facto ownership by Israel of Gaza’s territorial waters, which contain large reserves of natural gas.

It should be noted that the entire Eastern Mediterranean coastline extending from Egypt’s Sinai to Syria constitutes an area encompassing large gas as well as oil reserves.

Flash Forward: It is important to relate the issue of Gaza’s offshore gas reserves to the recent 2018 massacres undertaken by IDF forces directed against the People of Palestine who own the offshore gas fields.

History

British Gas (BG Group) and its partner, the Athens based Consolidated Contractors International Company (CCC) owned by Lebanon’s Sabbagh and Koury families, were granted oil and gas exploration rights in a 25 year agreement signed in November 1999 with the Palestinian Authority.

The rights to the offshore gas field were respectively British Gas (60 percent); Consolidated Contractors (CCC) (30 percent); and the Investment Fund of the Palestinian Authority (10 percent). (Haaretz, October 21,  2007).

The PA-BG-CCC agreement included field development and the construction of a gas pipeline.(Middle East Economic Digest, Jan 5, 2001).

The BG licence covered the entire Gazan offshore marine area, which is contiguous to several Israeli offshore gas facilities. (See Map below). It should be noted that 60 percent of the gas reserves along the Gaza-Israel coastline belong to Palestine.

The BG Group drilled two wells in 2000: Gaza Marine-1 and Gaza Marine-2. Reserves were estimated by British Gas to be of the order of 1.4 trillion cubic feet, valued at approximately 4 billion dollars. These are the figures made public by British Gas. The size of Palestine’s gas reserves could be much larger.


Map 1

Map 2

Who Owns the Gaza Gas Fields

The issue of sovereignty over Gaza’s gas fields is crucial. From a legal standpoint, the gas reserves belong to Palestine.

The death of Yasser Arafat, the election of the Hamas government and the ruin of the Palestinian Authority have enabled Israel to establish de facto control over Gaza’s offshore gas reserves.

British Gas (BG Group) has been dealing with the Tel Aviv government. In turn, the Hamas government has been bypassed in regards to exploration and development rights over the gas fields.

The election of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in 2001 was a major turning point. Palestine’s sovereignty over the offshore gas fields was challenged in the Israeli Supreme Court. Sharon stated unequivocally that “Israel would never buy gas from Palestine” intimating that Gaza’s offshore gas reserves belong to Israel.

In 2003, Ariel Sharon, vetoed an initial deal, which would allow British Gas to supply Israel with natural gas from Gaza’s offshore wells. (The Independent, August 19, 2003)

The election victory of Hamas in 2006 was conducive to the demise of the Palestinian Authority, which became confined to the West Bank, under the proxy regime of Mahmoud Abbas.

In 2006, British Gas “was close to signing a deal to pump the gas to Egypt.” (Times, May, 23, 2007). According to reports, British Prime Minister Tony Blair intervened on behalf of Israel with a view to shunting the agreement with Egypt.

The following year, in May 2007, the Israeli Cabinet approved a proposal by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert  “to buy gas from the Palestinian Authority.” The proposed contract was for $4 billion, with profits of the order of $2 billion of which one billion was to go the Palestinians.

Tel Aviv, however, had no intention of sharing the revenues with Palestine. An Israeli team of negotiators was set up by the Israeli Cabinet to thrash out a deal with the BG Group, bypassing both the Hamas government and the Palestinian Authority:

Israeli defence authorities want the Palestinians to be paid in goods and services and insist that no money go to the Hamas-controlled Government.” (Ibid, emphasis added)

The objective was essentially to nullify the contract signed in 1999 between the BG Group and the Palestinian Authority under Yasser Arafat.

Under the proposed 2007 agreement with BG, Palestinian gas from Gaza’s offshore wells was to be channeled by an undersea pipeline to the Israeli seaport of Ashkelon, thereby transferring control over the sale of the natural gas to Israel.

The deal fell through. The negotiations were suspended:

 “Mossad Chief Meir Dagan opposed the transaction on security grounds, that the proceeds would fund terror”. (Member of Knesset Gilad Erdan, Address to the Knesset on “The Intention of Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Purchase Gas from the Palestinians When Payment Will Serve Hamas,” March 1, 2006, quoted in Lt. Gen. (ret.) Moshe Yaalon, Does the Prospective Purchase of British Gas from Gaza’s Coastal Waters Threaten Israel’s National Security?  Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, October 2007)

Israel’s intent was to foreclose the possibility that royalties be paid to the Palestinians. In December 2007, The BG Group withdrew from the negotiations with Israel and in January 2008 they closed their office in Israel.(BG website).

It is worth noting that the invasion plan of the Gaza Strip under “Operation Cast Lead” had been set in motion in June 2008, according to Israeli military sources. (Barak Ravid, Operation “Cast Lead”: Israeli Air Force strike followed months of planning, Haaretz, December 27, 2008)

That very same month of June, the Israeli authorities contacted British Gas, with a view to resuming crucial negotiations pertaining to the purchase of Gaza’s natural gas. The decision to speed up negotiations with British Gas (BG Group) coincided, chronologically, with the planning of Operation Cast Lead initiated in June 2008. It would appear that Israel was anxious to reach an agreement with the BG Group prior to the invasion, which was already in an advanced planning stage.

In November 2008, the Israeli Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of National Infrastructures instructed Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) to enter into negotiations with British Gas, on the purchase of natural gas from the BG’s offshore concession in Gaza. (Globes, November 13, 2008)

“Ministry of Finance director general Yarom Ariav and Ministry of National Infrastructures director general Hezi Kugler wrote to IEC CEO Amos Lasker recently, informing him of the government’s decision to allow negotiations to go forward, in line with the framework proposal it approved earlier this year.

The IEC board, headed by chairman Moti Friedman, approved the principles of the framework proposal a few weeks ago. The talks with BG Group will begin once the board approves the exemption from a tender.” (Globes Nov. 13, 2008)

Gaza and Energy Geopolitics 

The objective was to transfer the sovereignty of the gas fields to Israel in violation of international law. In practice, the Gaza gas fields have been integrated into Israel’s offshore installations, which are contiguous to those of the Gaza Strip. (See Map 1 above).

These various offshore installations are also linked up to Israel’s energy transport corridor, extending from the port of Eilat, which is an oil pipeline terminal, on the Red Sea to the seaport – pipeline terminal at Ashkelon, and northwards to Haifa, and eventually linking up through a proposed Israeli-Turkish pipeline with the Turkish port of Ceyhan.

Ceyhan is the terminal of the Baku, Tblisi Ceyhan Trans Caspian pipeline. “What is envisaged is to link the BTC pipeline to the Trans-Israel Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline, also known as Israel’s Tipline.” (See Michel Chossudovsky, The War on Lebanon and the Battle for Oil, Global Research, July 23, 2006)


Map 3

 

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***

I don’t see them much anymore — I mean the “Israeli public.” In the first few weeks after al-Aqsa Flood, their images and voices were all over the live coverage on Al Jazeera Arabic and al-Mayadeen.

The hope was that the pressure the families of the hostages was exerting on the Israeli government would succeed in making their release a priority for the Israeli cabinet over the impulse of vengeance. That obviously did not happen and most of them continue to be solidly behind the strategic aims of their blood-thirsty government, if not its tactics.

“Holding on to the occupied territories will turn us into a nation of murderers and murder victims.” Declaration published in Haaretz in 1967 signed by a minority of Israelis who were against Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories after the 1967 war.

Since the news stream kept flipping back and forth between images and voices from Israel and those from Gaza, the contrast in what the cameras were capturing was arresting and telling. On the one hand, there were images of orderly, rallying Israeli crowds in spacious squares with music emanating from the speakers’ platform; on the other were images of apocalyptic chaos, raw grief and screams of despair, arms flung up to heaven. On the one hand was the image of a little Palestinian girl, bandaged and traumatized and barely able to move, who, upon noticing the camera pointed at her, made a slow and laborious victory sign with her injured hand, her face still blank. On the other was the image of an Israeli teenager marching and giggling with her friends in a youth rally for the hostages stopping to pose sexily for the camera and raise a victory sign.

I used to think that much of the Israeli public isn’t actually aware of the horrendous human consequences of what their military was doing in Gaza, hence their apathy toward its crimes against humanity. Now, however, I am convinced that the degree of denial of the occupation, dehumanization of Palestinians and sense of entitlement is not merely a disconnectedness from reality. Rather, it is a determination not to know and not to hear, a reflection of the Israeli psyche. Because Israel’s national security strategy is apparently driven by a deep-seated fear of annihilation, the Israeli national psyche can be characterized by a sense of insecurity that no degree of military might can fully alleviate.

Israel has always exploited the Holocaust both at home and internationally to bolster its claim to Palestine, molding its identity as a victim entitled to defend itself from the people it oppresses. Israel’s psyche has led it straight to the dock, where it is now defending itself against accusations of genocide against Palestinians at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague

A few early Israelis were strong and smart enough to escape the pull of their national psyche even as it was being forged. They were prescient enough to predict exactly where such a psyche would lead. Such were the Machovers. In an interview by Owen Jones (This Lawyer Reveals Why Israel’s Gaza Onslaught Could Be Stopped By Genocide Case), Daniel Machover, a UK civil litigation lawyer, explains how his parents who “were born in Palestine as it then was” became very concerned about what was happening in Israel in the 1950s.

Following the 1967 war, Machover’s parents were among a very small number of Israelis (including a Palestinian citizen of Israel) who immediately opposed the fact of the occupation and signed a declaration that was published by Haaretz on the 22nd of September 1967. It said:

Our right to defend ourselves from extermination does not give us the right to oppress others. Occupation entails foreign rule; foreign rule entails resistance; resistance entails repression; repression entails terror and counter-terror. The victims of terror are mostly innocent people; holding on to the occupied territories will turn us into a nation of murderers and murder victims. Let us get out of the occupied territories immediately.

The biggest irony of all is that Israel is not “defending itself from extermination,” no matter what its fancy lawyers are saying in The Hague. Israel’s bogus argument that Hamas is out to exterminate all Jews is a legitimization for its mass killing of Palestinian civilians and their ethnic cleansing in Gaza and the West Bank. In both places, Israel is making the conditions of life unbearable to drive Palestinians out and “settle” Jews in their place.

We must radicalize the Israeli public.

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Rima Najjar is a Palestinian whose father’s side of the family comes from the forcibly depopulated village of Lifta on the western outskirts of Jerusalem and whose mother’s side of the family is from Ijzim, south of Haifa. She is an activist, researcher and retired professor of English literature, Al-Quds University, occupied West Bank.

She is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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Israel has killed more people per day in its attack on Gaza than were killed daily in any other major conflict during the 21st century.

Oxfam reported Thursday that Israel has killed an average of 250 Palestinians in Gaza each day since October 7, compared to 96.5 killed daily in Syria, 51.6 in Sudan, 50.8 in Iraq, 43.9 in Ukraine, 23.8 in Afghanistan, and 15.8 in Yemen.

“The scale and atrocities that Israel is visiting upon Gaza are truly shocking,” Oxfam Middle East director Sally Abi Khalil said in a statement. “For 100 days the people of Gaza have endured a living hell. Nowhere is safe, and the entire population is at risk of famine.”

Also on Thursday, Save the Children reported that Israel’s bombardment and invasion of Gaza had killed more than 10,000 children in nearly 100 days, or 1% of the 1.1 million children living in Gaza before the war began. More than 40% of the total number killed in Gaza were children.

“There can never be any justification for killing children,” Jason Lee, Save the Children’s country director for the occupied Palestinian territory, said in a statement. “The situation in Gaza is monstrous and a blight on our common humanity.”

On October 7, Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel that killed around 1,100 people and took around 240 hostages. Israel then launched its assault on Gaza in retaliation. Before Hamas’ attack, however, Israel had blockaded Gaza for 16 years and occupied the Palestinian West Bank for 56 years. Since October 7, Israel has killed 330 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to Oxfam.

Both Oxfam and Save the Children’s statements came the same day that a South African legal team appeared before the International Court of Justice to argue that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It is asking the court to take “provisional measures” to stop the violence. Several other countries, including Brazil, Bolivia, and Pakistan, have supported South Africa’s efforts, but the United States dismissed its case as “meritless.”

Oxfam and Save the Children criticized the wider international community for failing to stop the bloodshed.

“It is unimaginable that the international community is watching the deadliest rate of conflict of the 21st century unfold, while continuously blocking calls for a cease-fire,” Khalil said.

Lee stated:

“Despite the record number of children killed and maimed, the international community has failed to act again and again. One grave violation committed against children is one too many. For the last three months, children in Gaza have faced grave violations every day, while conditions to provide them with the humanitarian assistance they need are simply not there. All parties must agree to a definitive cease-fire now.”

The two non-governmental organizations also emphasized the danger civilians in Gaza now face not only from military action, but also from hunger and disease. Israel only allows 10% of the necessary food aid to enter Gaza’s borders, according to Oxfam. The colder weather increases the risk of illness, especially as people displaced by the conflict are forced to shelter in smaller and smaller spaces. More than 1 million people are now crowded together in Rafah, and Oxfam partner Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees said conditions for people living in tents was “worse than anything you could imagine.”

“The rain was going down from all sides of the tent,” displaced engineer named Mutaz told Oxfam. “We had to sleep lying over the bag of flour to protect it from the rain. My wife and three of my daughters use one blanket at night. There are only enough blankets for four people to share. We have nothing.”

Save the Children pointed out that these hardships took a toll on children especially.

“For children who have survived, the mental harm inflicted and the utter devastation of infrastructure including homes, schools, and hospitals has decimated their futures,” Lee said.

The organization counted a record number of violations against children by both Israel and Hamas, including the destruction or damaging of 370 schools in Gaza, the attacking of 94 hospitals and healthcare facilities, the denial of humanitarian aid to all of Gaza’s 1.1 million children, and Hamas’ taking of children as hostages and killing of 33 children in Israel.

“The war has affected us so badly,” Lana, an 11-year-old girl living in Rafah, told Save the Children. “We had to leave our homes and couldn’t do anything. We learned many things during the war, like how important it is to save water. I hope the war ends, and we live in peace and safety.”

In a statement on Sunday, Save the Children said that, each day of the conflict, more than 10 children in Gaza had lost one or both of their legs. Amputations are also often performed without anesthetic, as Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare system are overwhelmed by the violence, with a shortage of doctors and nurses and only 13 out of 36 hospitals partially functioning.

“Unless action is taken by the international community to uphold their responsibilities under international humanitarian law and prevent the most serious crimes of international concern, history will and should judge us all,” Lee said Sunday. “We must heed the lessons from the past and must prevent ‘atrocity crimes’ from unfolding.”

[From Common Dreams: Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.]

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Olivia Rosane is a staff writer for Common Dreams. 

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“Shot Dead The Movie,” tells the heartbreaking stories of children who died after receiving COVID-19 shots. Their parents are left behind to pick up the pieces, wondering how and why a shot they were assured was safe took the lives of their children, ranging in age from newborn to 18.

While the U.K. and Denmark stopped their vaccination programs for children, U.S. health authorities continue to state adverse reactions are “rare” and the benefits of COVID-19 shots outweigh the risks of COVID-19 for children.1 Even as children are dying, no warnings have been issued to let parents know of this very real risk.

Meanwhile, parents of children who have died say they’re being given the run around from different agencies and purposely being kept in the dark.2 Board-certified internist and cardiologist Dr. Peter McCullough explains in the film:3

“The tsunami of misery, of acute respiratory infection, hospitalization, post-acute sequelae syndrome, sadly, death with the illness, and now the wave of vaccine injuries, disabilities and deaths has been crushing in terms of human despair. It has been overwhelming in terms of misery, and it has changed the course of people’s lives. Remember even the rarest side effect is meaningful when a therapy or a vaccine is applied to a giant population.”

Children’s Lives Lost Due to ‘Safe’ COVID-19 Shots

Trista was a healthy 18-year-old getting ready for college when she got a COVID-19 shot. Her health began to decline shortly after, and she died three months later.

“She woke up that morning and was complaining of not being able to breathe and that her whole body hurt, all over everywhere,” her mother says. “But she was she was a tough girl, and so she said she was gonna go lay back down and see if she could feel better. And then her sister went to check on her about 10 minutes later, and she couldn’t get her to wake up.”4

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner’s Office submitted a report to the family listing pulmonary emboli, acidosis, respiratory failure, renal failure, cardiac right ventricular failure, early myocardial infarction, gastrointestinal hemorrhage and multiple additional maladies that were present at the time of Trista’s death, concluding her official cause of death was “undetermined.”5

In another case, 16-year-old Ernesto Ramirez Jr. died five days after receiving Pfizer’s COVID-19 shot. He had gone to play basketball with a friend and collapsed while running across a parking lot. According to McCullough:6

“In the case of young Ramirez, what we learned is that the heart was swollen in the setting of myocarditis, before COVID. Our guidelines say they can never exercise. If there’s myocarditis or heart inflammation, there can be no exercise, because the surge of adrenaline can stimulate the electricity to begin to have this abnormal conduction through the area of injury and circle back around.

That’s called a reentrant arrhythmia, ventricular tachycardia. Ventricular tachycardia is very fast, and in a young man like this, it couldn’t be tolerated for maybe a minute or so or less.

It basically degenerates into ventricular fibrillation, which is a near flatline rhythm. And unless properly shocked at the VT or VF stage, it’s over with, and the death ultimately is a flatline death … it’s considered a sudden, arrhythmic death, a cardiac arrest, directly related to COVID-19 vaccine-induced myocarditis …

Since his case, there have been a multitude of similar cases of death that’s occurred after COVID-19 vaccination that likely is fatal myocarditis.”

COVID-19 Shots Triggering a ‘Tsunami of Cardiovascular Issues’

McCullough says he’s seeing a “tsunami of cardiovascular issues” in his practice, including myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart. “All the regulatory agencies agree the vaccines cause myocarditis,” he says.

“There are over 200 peer-reviewed literature papers on both fatal and nonfatal myocarditis, acceleration of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and ischemic strokes, blood clots, blood clots occurring in the arteries, the veins, blood clots in a whole variety of scenarios.”7

While SARS-CoV-2 infection may promote cardiovascular disease, the risks are time-limited. “There is a risk period for heart attacks, strokes, other cardiovascular events. It’s about six weeks after an infection, that’s the risk period, of which the infection itself could provoke a cardiovascular event,” McCullough says.8 But in the case of vaccine-induced myocarditis in children, there doesn’t appear to be a time limit — permanent scarring of the heart may develop:9

“What we’ve learned, sadly, is it doesn’t go away in a matter of a few days or a few weeks. And some unlucky children, the heart develops a permanent scar. So, with a permanent scar, it’s possible in the wrong conditions, at the wrong time, everything lining up with a permanent scar, to get an abnormal heart rhythm … and have a cardiac arrest.

… So now we have children taking the COVID-19 vaccine. Some of them are developing a scar … some of the scars in children are substantial. And they don’t always feel it. They don’t feel the symptoms when they take the vaccine. They’re suffering heart damage.

They develop a myocardial scar … an unlucky child will lose their life months after taking the vaccine due to a cardiac arrest. And the underlying pathology is vaccine-induced myocarditis and myocardial scar.”

First Case of Fatal Myocarditis After COVID-19 Shot Reported in 2021

The first case of fatal myocarditis after a COVID-19 shot was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2021.10

“If this happens, how come it doesn’t happen to everyone? And that’s what we’re trying to study. We’re doing careful research following the literature very carefully. As we sit here today, we are looking at billions of people worldwide who have been exposed to the virus or the vaccine or both.

Now, even if a small fraction of those individuals have a complication, a side effect or residual syndrome, that percentage, no matter how small, is a huge number of individuals,” McCullough says.11

Former Blackrock portfolio manager Edward Dowd has also pointed out “a spike in mortality among younger, working-age individuals [that] coincided with vaccine mandates. The spike in younger deaths peaked in Q3 2021 when COVID deaths were extremely low (but rising into the end of September).”12 According to Dowd:13

“There was a shift from 2020 to 21 of excess mortality from old to young. So, in 2020 it was mostly old people … The excess mortality has shifted so much that it’s pretty phenomenal … But what I find interesting and curious is as excess mortality continues and disability continues, our health authorities have no interest in trying to figure out what’s going on. There should be a national story in my mind.”

Rise in Stillbirths, Miscarriages and Fertility Problems Post-Shots

Dr. James Thorp, a maternal fetal medicine expert, and colleagues published a preprint study that found striking risks to pregnant women who received the shots, along with their unborn babies.14 The outcomes were so dire that the researchers concluded pregnant women should not receive COVID-19 shots until further research is completed.

The film shares the story of baby Naomi, who died 11 hours after birth. Her mother, Tory, received a COVID-19 shot during her first trimester of pregnancy in order to keep her job at a nursing home. Naomi was diagnosed with two serious conditions — congenital diaphragmatic hernia and a short umbilical cord, which contributed to her death. Thorp says:15

“Is there any relationship with the vaccine? … absolutely, yes. Any vaccine that causes inflammation certainly has the potential of causing any malformation because it’s crucial to the development.

Probably the foremost expert in the world, maternal fetal medicine doc, is Roberto Romero. He’s a very brilliant researcher. And he’s done research on inflammation and pregnancy for five decades … even supported by the government and the NIH … any substance that causes inflammation in pregnancy, it’s a death knell to every organ system.

It’s the most inflammatory substance that has in my experience ever occurred in the history of human beings. And when that spike protein attaches to the ACE receptor, it’s a furin cleavage site, it causes severe inflammation, severe inflammation throughout the body. It’s devastating.”

Increase in Babies Dying Prompts Nurse to Speak Out

Problems began to appear shortly after COVID-19 shots were rolled out, such that a leaked email from a large California hospital was sent out in warning to 200 nurses. The email, from September 2022, contained the subject line, “Demise Handling,” referring to an increase in stillbirths and fetal deaths. A TCW report by journalist Sally Beck shared the email’s content, which read:16

“It seems as though the increase of demise patients [babies] that we are seeing is going to continue. There were 22 demises [stillbirths and fetal deaths] in August [2022], which ties [equals] the record number of demises in July 2021, and so far in September [2022] there have been 7 and it’s only the 8th day of the month.”

One nurse who works in the neonatal ward, Michelle Gershman, had her bonus withheld because she spoke out about the rise in fetal deaths. She says:17

“Before March of 2021, we would have maybe one or two fetal demises every couple of months. And then after March of 2021, pretty much we started having one or two per week … they were basically full term and it looked like a pattern was happening.

These mothers would go to their doctor office, while full term, they’d receive a COVID vaccine. And then within like one week they’re delivering a dead baby. I kept seeing these fetal demises. I kept seeing these mothers with health problems.

I kept seeing mothers with high blood pressure issues, bleeding from their eyes, blood clots coming out of them, like all these horrific things that you would only see in a horror movie.

And this is like every time I come to work, and then I see these babies that are having severe cases of like jaundice, and they’re having respiratory issues, all these things that didn’t used to happen … And two months ago, one of the nurses told me that there were eight in one day. And then three or four weeks before that there were five in one day. So, the number has increased.”

Pfizer’s own data was also alarming, showing the shots led to a miscarriage rate of 81%, a fivefold increase in stillbirth rate, a 7.9-fold increase in neonatal death rate and a 13.7% risk of adverse complications in newborns breastfeeding from mothers who’d received a COVID-19 shot.18

Are COVID Shots the Deadliest Drug Ever?

Thorp describes the COVID-19 shot as the deadliest drug ever, citing data which the drug company, Pfizer, the CDC and the FDA tried to bury for 75 years:19

“Viewers, you can go look at it yourself. You won’t find it on the Google search engine, because it’s hidden. They don’t want you to see this, but you will find it on any other search engine. Just go to Pfizer 5.3.6, and then go to page seven. You will see in the first 10 weeks of rollout it was the deadliest drug ever known to man.

I challenge anybody watching this, as I’ve done for the last two years, to show me another drug rollout that’s had more than 1,223 dead people after the vaccine. It doesn’t exist.”

The parents in the film are among the brave few who are speaking out to raise awareness of COVID-19 shot risks. Many other are suffering silently, pressured to keep quiet about the true cause of their child’s demise. McCullough explained that from the lack of efficacy alone, the shots should be removed from the market. And the case gets even stronger when you factor in the significant number of related disabilities and deaths:20

“Multiple sources of bias created illusion that vaccines worked as they failed in the real world … claims that the COVID-19 vaccines worked to reduce spread of infection, hospitalization, and death must be rejected.

The burden of proof has not been met and threats to validity have not been overcome. All of the COVID-19 vaccines should be removed from the market and we should begin the investigative phase into how this massive program failed to stop COVID-19.”

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The Worldwide Corona Crisis, Global Coup d’Etat Against Humanity

by Michel Chossudovsky

Michel Chossudovsky reviews in detail how this insidious project “destroys people’s lives”. He provides a comprehensive analysis of everything you need to know about the “pandemic” — from the medical dimensions to the economic and social repercussions, political underpinnings, and mental and psychological impacts.

“My objective as an author is to inform people worldwide and refute the official narrative which has been used as a justification to destabilize the economic and social fabric of entire countries, followed by the imposition of the “deadly” COVID-19 “vaccine”. This crisis affects humanity in its entirety: almost 8 billion people. We stand in solidarity with our fellow human beings and our children worldwide. Truth is a powerful instrument.”

Reviews

This is an in-depth resource of great interest if it is the wider perspective you are motivated to understand a little better, the author is very knowledgeable about geopolitics and this comes out in the way Covid is contextualized. —Dr. Mike Yeadon

In this war against humanity in which we find ourselves, in this singular, irregular and massive assault against liberty and the goodness of people, Chossudovsky’s book is a rock upon which to sustain our fight. –Dr. Emanuel Garcia

In fifteen concise science-based chapters, Michel traces the false covid pandemic, explaining how a PCR test, producing up to 97% proven false positives, combined with a relentless 24/7 fear campaign, was able to create a worldwide panic-laden “plandemic”; that this plandemic would never have been possible without the infamous DNA-modifying Polymerase Chain Reaction test – which to this day is being pushed on a majority of innocent people who have no clue. His conclusions are evidenced by renown scientists. —Peter Koenig 

Professor Chossudovsky exposes the truth that “there is no causal relationship between the virus and economic variables.” In other words, it was not COVID-19 but, rather, the deliberate implementation of the illogical, scientifically baseless lockdowns that caused the shutdown of the global economy. –David Skripac

A reading of  Chossudovsky’s book provides a comprehensive lesson in how there is a global coup d’état under way called “The Great Reset” that if not resisted and defeated by freedom loving people everywhere will result in a dystopian future not yet imagined. Pass on this free gift from Professor Chossudovsky before it’s too late.  You will not find so much valuable information and analysis in one place. –Edward Curtin

ISBN: 978-0-9879389-3-0,  Year: 2022,  PDF Ebook,  Pages: 164, 15 Chapters

Price: $11.50 FREE COPY! Click here (docsend) and download.

We encourage you to support the eBook project by making a donation through Global Research’s DonorBox “Worldwide Corona Crisis” Campaign Page

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The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Famine Review Committee (FRC) was activated on 11 December 2023, by the IPC Global Support Unit (GSU) “after acknowledging the presence of evidence above IPC Acute Food Insecurity (AFI) Phase 5 thresholds”. The FRC may be activated under four different scenarios[1] as detailed in the IPC Famine Guidance Note[2]. Its role is to assess the technical rigor and neutrality of the IPC.[3] The FRC was tasked to review the classifications that had been performed by the IPC Analysis Team.

The IPC Analysis Team chose to analyse the situation in the whole of the Gaza Strip using three units of analysis: Northern Governorates (North Gaza and Gaza), Southern Governorate (Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah (Middle Area)) Residents, and Southern Governorate Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) (see map on page 4). The current analysis period was from 24 November 2023 to 7 December 2023, which was during and immediately after the seven-day ‘humanitarian pause’ in the escalation of conflict on and after 7 October 2023. The projection period used in the analysis was from 8 December 2023 to 7 February 2024. The key conclusions of the FRC review are summarised in table 1.

For the current period, the FRC concluded that the estimations of the population in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5)[4] by the IPC Analysis Team, 25% in the Northern Governorates, 15% for the Southern Governorate IDPs, and 10% for the Southern Governorate Residents, are plausible.

For the projection period, the FRC concluded that the estimations of the population in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) by the IPC analysis team, 30% in the Northern Governorates and 25% for the Southern Governorate IDPs, are plausible. However, the FRC considers these estimates to be conservative and that the prevalence of Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) is likely to be higher in both units of analysis.

In addition, due to the expansion of high-intensity conflict and the extremely high and growing level of displacement in the southern governorates, the FRC concluded that the entire population of the southern governorates of Rafah, Khan Younis, and Deir al Balah (Middle Area) will likely be experiencing similar catastrophic conditions regardless of their residence status, and that their situation may only be different because of their different access to aid resources and basic services. It is most likely that at least 25% of the population in the southern governorates will be experiencing Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) levels of food insecurity. The FRC recommends a merged classification for the projection period in the southern governorates, covering the remaining residents and IDPs.

However, this merged classification is an average prevalence and there are likely differences in the prevalence of extremely severe and catastrophic acute food insecurity in different areas of the southern governorates depending on levels of access to food, safe drinking water, healthcare, and other basic services. Worse acute food insecurity is expected in the governorates of Khan Younis and especially Deir al Balah (Middle Area), where populations are isolated by active fighting and road closures and have a significantly lower access to services and humanitarian assistance.

At least one in four households (more than half a million people) in the Gaza Strip are facing catastrophic acute food insecurity conditions (IPC Phase 5 – Catastrophe), characterized by extreme food gaps and collapse of their livelihood. About 80% of the population in Gaza Strip are in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) or Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). The entire population can be considered classified in IPC Phase 3 and above (Crisis or worse) during the projection period starting in the second week of December. Furthermore, the situation is deteriorating rapidly.

There are reports indicating deterioration of social connectedness and mutual support networks. While all areas in the Gaza Strip are badly affected, populations in the northern governorates of North Gaza and Gaza have been affected by intense conflict for the longest period and are likely to be experiencing the most severe food insecurity and to be facing a prolonged safe water, sanitation, and healthcare crisis.

Conditions are likely to continue to sharply deteriorate for as long as hostilities continue, and humanitarian access is significantly restricted. Of the 150-180 food trucks typically entering daily pre-escalation, only about 30 food trucks have entered the Gaza Strip on a daily basis since the end of the humanitarian pause on 30 November 2023. Even optimistic estimates of the potential kilocalories delivered in these shipments indicate that this level of food supply is far below the nutritional requirements of the whole population. We also note that there is an unequal distribution of trucks across the Gaza Strip, and almost no shipments have reached the northern governorates since 28 November 2023.

Considering the extreme severity of the situation, the FRC conducted a Risk of Famine[5] analysis for a six-month projection period beginning on 8 December 2023.

The FRC considers that the Risk of Famine will increase for each day that the current situation of intense conflict and restricted humanitarian access persists or worsens. The FRC reached technical consensus that there is a Risk of Famine in the projection period through May 2024, if the current situation persists or worsens.

We note that the Famine threshold for Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) acute food insecurity has already been exceeded. Furthermore, the situation is deteriorating rapidly. The Risk of Famine analysis indicates that the Famine thresholds for both acute malnutrition and non-trauma mortality may also be breached at some point within this timeframe. There was a lack of technical consensus on whether Famine thresholds would be breached before 7 February 2024.

Given the findings of the analysis, continuous monitoring of the conflict, humanitarian access, food security, health, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), nutrition, and non-trauma mortality outcomes is necessary to monitor the ongoing risk of Famine.

The FRC warns that the consequences of the ongoing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity at the same time as the collapse of the food system, health system, WASH system, and broader social system should be viewed by decision makers as unacceptable, regardless of the determination of how fast the situation could deteriorate.

We note that populations are being isolated in areas where essential services are not being provided and humanitarian organisations cannot obtain access. Combined with the overcrowding of IDP shelters and other locations, and an extremely limited supply of water, this situation is resulting in high risk of infectious disease outbreaks in a context in which the capacity of the health system to respond has been severely degraded. This further heightens the risk of an additional increase in excess mortality.

The only way to eliminate any risk of Famine is to stop the deterioration of health, nutrition, food security, and mortality through the restoration of health and WASH services, and the provision of safe, nutritious, sufficient food to the whole population. The situation in Gaza is clearly catastrophic for all sectors and requires an extremely urgent political response, together with a full multisectoral and strategically balanced humanitarian response.

The cessation of hostilities and the restoration of humanitarian space to deliver this multi-sectoral assistance and restore services are essential first steps in eliminating any risk of Famine.

Table 1: Key Conclusions from the FRC on the Acute Food Insecurity (AFI) Classifications under Review

IPC Map of analysis units. The IPC grouped the northern governorates (North Gaza and Gaza) and the southern governotares (Deir Al-Balah, Khan Younis and Rafah). For the southern governorates, two units of analysis were considered: residents and IDPs – here represented by a tent symbol.

Click here to read the full report.

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Featured image: Displaced Palestinians wait to receive free food from a volunteer-run hospice near Nasser Medical Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, on Tuesday, January 9, 2024. Bloomberg

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New Year Donation Drive: Global Research Is Committed to the “Unspoken Truth”

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The exhaustive 84-page brief submitted by South Africa to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) charging Israel with genocide is hard to refute. Israel’s campaign of indiscriminate killing, wholesale destruction of infrastructure, including housing, hospitals and water treatment plants, along with its use of starvation as a weapon, accompanied by genocidal rhetoric from its political and military leaders who speak of destroying Gaza and ethnically cleansing the 2.3 million Palestinians, makes a strong case against Israel for genocide

Israel’s smearing of South Africa as “the legal arm” of Hamas exemplifies the bankruptcy of its defense, a smear replicated by those who claim that demonstrations held to call for a ceasefire and protect Palestinian human rights are “anti-Semitic.” Israel, its genocide live streamed to the world, has no substantial counter argument.

But that does not mean the judges on the court will rule in South Africa’s favor. The pressure the U.S. will bring – Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called the South African charges “meritless” – on the judges, drawn from the member states of the U.N., will be intense. 

A ruling of genocide is a stain that Israel – which weaponizes the Holocaust to justify its brutalization of the Palestinians – would find hard to remove. It would undercut Israel’s insistence that Jews are eternal victims. It would shatter the justification for Israel’s indiscriminate killing of unarmed Palestinians and construction of the world’s largest open air prison in Gaza, along with the occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. It would sweep away the immunity to criticism enjoyed by the Israel lobby and its Zionist supporters in the U.S., who have successfully equated criticisms of the “Jewish State” and support for Palestinian rights with anti-Semitism.  

Over 23,700 Palestinians, including over 10,000 children, have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, when Hamas and other resistance fighters breached the security barriers around Gaza. Some 1,200 people were killed – there is strong evidence that some of the victims were killed by Israeli tank crews and helicopter pilots that intentionally targeted the some 200 hostages along with their captors. Thousands more Palestinians are missing, presumed buried under the rubble. Israeli attacks have left over 60,000 Palestinians wounded and maimed, the majority of them women and children. Thousands more Palestinian civilians, including children, have been arrested, blindfolded, numbered, beaten, forced to strip to their underwear, loaded onto trucks and transported to unknown locations. 

A ruling by the court could be years away. But South Africa is asking for provisional measures that would demand Israel cease its military assault – in essence a permanent ceasefire. This decision could come within two or three weeks. It is a decision that is not based on the final ruling by the court, but on the merits of the case brought by South Africa. The court would not, by demanding Israel end its hostilities in Gaza, define the Israeli campaign in Gaza as genocide. It would confirm that there is the possibility of genocide, what the South African lawyers call acts that are “genocidal in character.”  

The case will not be determined by the documentation of specific crimes, even those defined as war crimes. It will be determined by genocidal intent – the intent to eradicate in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group – as defined in the Genocide Convention.

These acts collectively include the targeting of refugee camps and other densely packed civilian areas with 2,000-pound bombs, the blocking of humanitarian aid, the destruction of the health care system and its effects on children and pregnant women – the U.N. estimates there are around 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, and that more than 160 babies are delivered every day – as well as repeated genocidal statements by leading Israeli politicians and generals. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu equated Gaza with Amalek, a nation hostile to the Israelites in the Bible, and cited the Biblical injunction to kill every Amalek man, woman, child or animal. Defence Minister Yoav Gallant called Palestinians “human animals.” Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated, as the South African lawyers told the court, that everybody in Gaza is responsible for what happened on Oct. 7 because they voted for Hamas, although half the population in Gaza are children who are too young to vote. But even if the entire population of Gaza did vote for Hamas this does not make them a legitimate military target. They are still, under the rules of war, civilians, and entitled to protection. They are also entitled under international law to resist their occupation via armed struggle.  

The South African lawyers, who compared Israel’s crimes with those carried out by the apartheid regime in South Africa, showed the court a video of Israeli soldiers celebrating and calling for the death of Palestinians – they sang as they danced “There are no uninvolved civilians” – as evidence that genocidal intent descends from the top to the bottom of the Israeli war machine and political system. They provided the court with photos of mass graves where bodies were buried “often unidentified.” No one – including newborns – was spared, the South African lawyer Adila Hassim, Senior Counsel, explained to the court.

https://twitter.com/DrLoupis/status/1745507554229121448

The South African lawyers told the court the “first genocidal act is mass killing of Palestinians in Gaza.”

The second genocidal act, they stated, is the serious bodily or mental harm inflicted on Palestinians in Gaza in violation of Article 2B of the Genocide Convention.

Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, another lawyer and legal scholar representing South Africa, argued that “Israel’s political leaders, military commanders and persons holding official positions have systematically and in explicit terms declared their genocidal intent.”

Lior Haiat, spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called Thursday’s three hour hearing one of the “greatest shows of hypocrisy in history, compounded by a series of false and baseless claims.” He accused South Africa of seeking to allow Hamas to return to Israel to “commit war crimes.” 

Israeli jurists, in their response on Friday, called the South African charges “unfounded, “absurd” and amounting to “libel.” Israel’s legal team said it had – despite U.N. reports of widespread starvation and infectious diseases from a breakdown in sanitation and shortage of clean water – not impeded humanitarian assistance. Israel defended attacks on hospitals, calling them “Hamas command centers.” It told the court it was acting in self-defense. “The inevitable fatalities and human suffering of any conflict is not of itself a pattern of conduct that plausibly shows genocidal intent,” said Christopher Staker, a barrister for Israel.

Israeli leaders accuse Hamas with carrying out genocide, although legally if you are the victims of genocide you are not permitted to commit genocide. Hamas is also not a state. It is not, therefore, a party to the Genocide Convention. The Hague, for this reason, has no jurisdiction over the organization. Israel also claims the Palestinians are warned to evacuate areas that will come under attack and provided with “safe areas,” although as the South African lawyers documented, “safe areas” are routinely bombed by Israel with numerous civilian casualties.

Israel and the Biden administration intend to prevent any temporary injunction by the court, not because the court can force Israel to halt its military assaults, but because of the optics, which are already disastrous. The ICJ’s ruling depends on the Security Council for enforcement – which given the veto power by the U.S., renders any ruling against Israel moot. The second objective of the Biden administration is to make sure Israel is not found guilty of committing genocide. It will be unrelenting in this campaign, heavily pressuring the governments that have jurists on the court not to find Israel guilty. Russia and China, who have jurists in The Hague, are battling their own charges of genocide and may decide it is not in their interests to find Israel guilty.

The Biden administration is playing a very cynical game. It insists it is trying to halt what, by its own admission, is Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Palestinians, while bypassing Congress to speed up the supply of weapons to Israel, including “dumb” bombs. It insists it wants the fighting in Gaza to end while it vetoes ceasefire resolutions at the U.N. It insists it upholds the rule of law while it subverts the legal mechanism that can halt the genocide.  

Cynicism pervades every word Biden and Blinken utter. This cynicism extends to us. Our revulsion for Donald Trump, the Biden White House believes, will impel us to keep Biden in office. On any other issue this might be the case. But it cannot be the case with genocide.

Genocide is not a political problem. It is a moral one. We cannot, no matter what the cost, support those who commit or are accomplices to genocide. Genocide is the crime of all crimes. It is the purest expression of evil. We must stand unequivocally with Palestinians and the jurists from South Africa. We must demand justice. We must hold Biden accountable for the genocide in Gaza.

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Featured image: I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream- by Mr. Fish via Chris Hedges

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Russia’s top UN envoy called on Friday the joint US-UK strikes on Yemen’s Houthis a “blatant armed aggression against another country” that was in breach of the UN Charter.

“These states all carried out a mass strike on Yemeni territory,” Vasily Nebenzya told the UN Security Council.

“I’m not talking about an attack on some group within the country, but an attack on the people of the country on the whole. Aircraft were used, warships and submarines.”

Mr Nebenzya said the strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen “blatantly” violated Article 2 of the UN Charter.

“All of these pseudo-legal justifications of the White House don’t stand up to any criticism,” he added, saying that the right to self-defence does not apply to ensuring the freedom of shipping.

“Our American colleagues know this fact very well.”

Both the US and Britain defended the military strike as consistent with international law.

The strikes launched overnight were “to disrupt and degrade the Houthis’ ability to continue the reckless attacks against vessels and commercial shipping”, US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told council members.

“And they were taken only after none military options proved inadequate to address the threat. Still, any strike of this nature is a decision the United States does not take lightly,” she stressed.

With more than 2,000 vessels forced by Houthi attacks to divert from the Red Sea, the US envoy pointed out that no country on the UN Security Council is immune from the effects of these attacks.

“Not even Russia. No one. Whether your ship flies an American flag or the flag of another nation, whether you voted for this week’s resolution or you abstained from it … All of our ships are vulnerable.”

Ms Thomas-Greenfield also underscored Iran’s involvement in aiding Houthi rebels in Yemen. Without Iranian support, she said, the Houthis would face significant challenges in effectively tracking and attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

UK ambassador Barbara Woodward said Thursday’s operation took particular care to minimise risks to civilians and “limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence”.

Khaled Khiari, assistant secretary general for the Middle East, told the 15-member Security Council:

“We are witnessing the cycle of violence that risks grave political security, economic and humanitarian repercussions in Yemen and the region.”

“These developments in the Red Sea and the risk of exacerbating regional tensions are alarming.”

Earlier, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on all parties involved not to further escalate the situation in the interest of peace and stability in the Red Sea and the wider region.

The situation in the Red Sea has become untenable, said Ms Thomas-Greenfield.

“Every single country has been affected by these attacks. So de-escalation needs to happen,” she said.

“It needs to happen from the Houthis who are putting all of our shipping lines in jeopardy.”

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Featured image: On Jan. 11 at 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom, and support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain conducted joint strikes on Houthi targets to degrade their capability to continue their illegal and reckless attacks on U.S. and international vessels and commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Image from CENTCOM/X