US Secretary of State Antony Blinken repeated the US government’s new position that Ukraine needs to start sending 18 to 25 year-olds to fight in its war with Russia, telling Reuters on Monday that “getting younger people into the fight, we think, many of us think, is necessary.” This comes even as polls have begun showing that Ukrainians favor making a deal with Russia to end this war as quickly as possible.

This is one of those things that looks more evil the longer you stare at it. They’re pushing for teenagers to be thrown into the fires of an unwinnable war like it’s nothing — like a corporation saying they need to hire more staff to accommodate their growing business. And why? To tie up Russia so that Syria can be turned into a smoking crater and allow the US war machine to focus its crosshairs on Iran and China, with the end goal of total planetary domination. All because some swamp monsters decided after the fall of the Soviet Union that the US must maintain unipolar global hegemony no matter the cost.

Ukraine barely even has anyone in the country from ages 18 to 25 for various reasons (many of which predate this war), but the managers of the US-centralized empire are pushing to scrape out the few they do have and toss them into the landmines and artillery fire just to keep this unwinnable war going for a few more months. Whether they succeed or not, the fact that they even tried is so profoundly psychopathic it’s actually hard to wrap your mind around.

You won’t see anyone in Tony Blinken’s family headed to the frontlines in Ukraine. These freaks see the population of this planet as nothing more than pawns on their grand chessboard, and they will sacrifice them just as casually.

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Watching the internet light up with joy over the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson has been interesting. We don’t know what the motives of the actual shooter were as of this writing, but the disgust and rage the public holds toward wealthy exploitative parasites these days is becoming more and more incendiary.

Watching all this I keep finding myself thinking of that JFK quote

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable.”

What are the people meant to do when predatory megacorporations ruin lives by the thousands? Write them sternly worded letters? Vote the corporations out of office? Their options have been closed to them.

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You can’t be anti-racist and pro-Israel; they are mutually contradictory positions. Israel is an apartheid state, arguably the most racist society on this planet. If you support Israel you support racism, whether you admit this about yourself or not.

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Al-Qaeda in Syria keeps changing its name for the same reason the military contractor formerly known as Blackwater keeps changing its name: it’s a rebranding to rescue its damaged reputation, stifle public outcry, and ensure further funding from the US government.

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The “left” is divided on Syria only in the same way it’s divided on Ukraine and other conflicts: Marxists, dedicated peace activists and opponents of the western empire on one side; shitlibs, NATO simps and anarkiddies on the other. The high level of leftish unity we’ve been seeing between those two groups on Gaza this past year is the exception, not the norm.

You see this split pop up on issue after issue, and it basically boils down to a divide between those who recognize the US-centralized empire as the world’s most murderous and tyrannical power structure vs those who swallow western propaganda spin to some extent.

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Featured image: Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 6, 2021. [State Department photo by Ron Przysucha]

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) affects 7% to 10% of Americans, causing an urge to move legs during rest. While medications are available, they may worsen symptoms long-term, prompting interest in alternative treatments

A comprehensive review of 24 studies found that holistic therapies like exercise, yoga and reflexology significantly reduce RLS symptoms and improve sleep quality without medication side effects

Traditional herbal medicines, particularly Dangguijakyak-san and Shihogyeji-tang, showed promising results in treating RLS, leading to a lasting reduction in symptoms

Regular walking exercise performed three times weekly reduced RLS symptom severity by 21%, while stretching exercises decreased symptoms by 18% and improved overall quality of life

Non-pharmacological treatments like electrical stimulation, pneumatic compression devices and lifestyle modifications (avoiding caffeine, alcohol) offer effective alternatives for managing RLS symptoms and improving sleep quality

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Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), or Willis-Ekbom Disease, is a neurological disorder characterized by an irresistible urge to move your legs, often accompanied by unpleasant sensations such as tingling or burning.¹ These symptoms typically appear during periods of rest or inactivity, often worsening at night and significantly disrupting sleep and diminishing quality of life.

With an estimated 7% to 10% of the U.S. population affected² — and 3 million new cases each year³— finding effective treatments for this lifelong condition is urgent. While medications such as dopamine agonists are often used for symptom management, their long-term use may worsen symptoms or cause side effects.

Emerging research, including a recent review of 24 studies, offers promising evidence that holistic, non-pharmacological options may effectively alleviate RLS symptoms.⁴

Evidence Supports Holistic Therapies for RLS

The study, published in Cureus,⁵ focused on non-pharmacological treatments for RLS, revealing the efficacy of various physiotherapeutic modalities. The comprehensive review, which included studies dating from 2006 to 2024, evaluated how different therapeutic interventions, such as exercise, yoga, stretching and reflexology, impact the severity of RLS symptoms.

The review’s key findings suggest that certain holistic therapies significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of RLS symptoms. The studies revealed that strength training, stretching exercises and yoga helped improve sleep quality and reduce discomfort.

Additionally, therapies like reflexology — applying pressure to specific points on the feet to improve circulation and reduce muscle tension — and electrical stimulation were shown to enhance circulation and reduce muscle tension, both of which play a role in mitigating RLS symptoms.

The review concluded that these noninvasive treatments could serve as valuable alternatives or complements to conventional pharmaceutical approaches, offering fewer side effects and long-term benefits.⁶

The researchers also emphasized the role of magnesium and vitamin D in managing RLS symptoms. Magnesium supports nerve and muscle function, while vitamin D plays a role in dopamine regulation. Individuals with low levels of these nutrients often experience more severe RLS symptoms. Incorporating these nutrients was found to improve overall symptoms and sleep quality.

Exercise and Physical Therapy: Key Strategies for RLS Symptom Relief

Regular physical activity, specifically strength training and stretching, were also effective in reducing the severity of RLS symptoms. Several studies within the review demonstrated that low-impact exercises like walking, swimming and yoga significantly reduced symptoms for individuals with idiopathic RLS (RLS with no clear cause).⁷

Yoga and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) were particularly effective in alleviating muscle tension and improving sleep. The controlled stretching and mindful breathing involved in yoga help reduce both the physical discomfort and the anxiety that often accompany RLS. PMR, which involves systematically tensing and relaxing different muscle groups, was also found to be beneficial in managing restlessness and promoting relaxation.

The review also examined the role of physiotherapeutic techniques, such as electrical stimulation and heat therapy, in managing RLS. Electrical stimulation improved blood flow and reduced muscle tension, offering significant symptom relief without the side effects of medication.⁸

Alternative Therapies: Acupuncture, Reflexology and Lifestyle Modification

The Cureus review also explored additional alternative therapies, such as acupuncture and reflexology, as potential treatments for RLS. Acupuncture, which involves inserting thin needles into specific points on your body, was shown to reduce symptoms by promoting blood flow and balancing energy. Reflexology was also found to provide relief by improving circulation and promoting relaxation.⁹

One of the most promising findings from the review was the effectiveness of pneumatic compression devices (PCDs), which apply controlled pressure to your legs, enhancing blood flow and reducing RLS symptoms. PCDs were particularly effective for individuals who experienced nighttime restlessness and difficulty falling asleep.

The review suggested that this noninvasive therapy could be a valuable addition to an overall treatment plan, particularly for those who prefer to avoid medication. Beyond the physical therapies and nutritional approaches discussed in the review, lifestyle changes were identified as a critical component of long-term RLS management.

Several studies emphasized the importance of avoiding triggers such as caffeine, alcohol and nicotine, which exacerbate RLS symptoms. Establishing a consistent sleep schedule and creating a relaxing bedtime routine were also shown to significantly improve sleep quality and reduce nighttime symptoms.

For individuals experiencing severe nighttime symptoms, the review suggested additional strategies, such as using weighted blankets or elevating your legs during sleep, which were found to reduce restlessness and improve sleep duration.¹⁰ While these lifestyle adjustments may not completely eliminate symptoms, they complement other treatments and significantly enhance your quality of life.

The Case for Traditional Herbal Medicine in Treating RLS

Traditional herbal medicines, like Dangguijakyak-san and Shihogyeji-tang, are also emerging as effective RLS treatments. A recent case report detailed the successful treatment of a 72-year-old woman who had suffered from chronic RLS for nearly 60 years.¹¹

The patient, who had also been recovering from a stroke, experienced severe RLS symptoms that disrupted her ability to sleep. During the night, she woke up multiple times due to discomfort in her calves and thighs, which only subsided with movement.

After being diagnosed with chronic persistent RLS, traditional herbal treatments — Dangguijakyak-san (DS) and Shihogyeji-tang (ST) — were administered to address both her RLS and the underlying deficiencies identified through the principles of East Asian medicine, specifically Xue deficiency (blood deficiency) and Qi stagnation.

The results were impressive. Within one week of starting the herbal regimen, the patient noticed a reduction in her RLS symptoms. Over the course of 47 days, her symptoms steadily improved, with no need for further medication after discontinuing treatment. Even six months after stopping the herbal remedies, she reported no recurrence of symptoms, demonstrating the lasting benefits of these herbal remedies.¹²

How Dangguijakyak-san and Shihogyeji-tang Work

Dangguijakyak-san (DS) and Shihogyeji-tang (ST) are traditional herbal remedies that have long been used in East Asian medicine to address conditions involving blood and energy deficiencies. In the case of RLS, these herbal combinations target the underlying causes of discomfort and restless sensations by balancing your body’s blood and energy flow.¹³

The primary ingredient in both formulas, Paeoniae Radix, has demonstrated several pharmacological benefits that align with the needs of RLS patients. Paeoniae Radix, a component rich in the active ingredient paeoniflorin, works by activating the adenosine A1 receptor (A1R), a key player in brain metabolism.¹⁴

The activation of this receptor helps stabilize neurotransmitter activity, which is especially beneficial in addressing dopamine imbalances, a known factor in RLS. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate movement, and its dysfunction is often implicated in RLS. By enhancing dopamine activity, Paeoniae Radix aids in reducing the uncontrollable urges to move your legs at night, thus relieving symptoms of RLS.¹⁵

Unlike pharmaceutical treatments, which lead to withdrawal symptoms or worsening of symptoms with long-term use, DS and ST did not produce such side effects in the patient. Instead, she continued to experience relief even after the herbs were discontinued, suggesting a more sustainable and possibly permanent solution to managing RLS symptoms.¹⁶

Walking: A Pathway to RLS Relief

Another study, published in the journal Movement Disorders, focused on the effects of different exercise programs on RLS.¹⁷ It found that aerobic exercise such as walking, performed three times a week, significantly reduced symptom severity. Participants in the study followed a supervised aerobic exercise routine for eight weeks, which involved walking on a treadmill at increasing intensities based on their heart rate.

The severity of RLS symptoms decreased by 21%, and participants also reported improvements in their quality of life. Aerobic exercise enhances blood flow, releases endorphins and improves dopamine regulation, which are all key factors in managing RLS. Further, aerobic exercise improved sleep quality by reducing the time it takes to fall asleep and increasing overall sleep duration.

In the same study, participants who engaged in a stretching exercise routine also experienced notable improvements in RLS symptoms. Stretching exercises, performed three times a week, reduced symptom severity by 18% and significantly improved quality of life. Stretching helps relax muscles, improve flexibility and reduce the restlessness that often accompanies RLS, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.

The stretching routine in the study included exercises that targeted the major muscles and tendons in the legs. Each exercise session lasted about 45 minutes, with multiple repetitions of stretches aimed at relieving muscle tension.¹⁸

The study found that stretching exercises, while not as effective as aerobic exercises in reducing wakefulness after sleep onset, were more beneficial in reducing overall sleep disturbances, making them an excellent option for improving sleep quality without intensive physical activity.

In addition to better sleep, exercise had a positive impact on participants’ overall well-being. Quality of life, which had been diminished due to the constant discomfort and sleep disturbances of RLS, improved by 46% in the aerobic exercise group and by 63% in the stretching group. This improvement demonstrates that regular exercise, such as walking, has profound effects on both physical and mental health, offering a holistic approach to managing RLS.

Embrace a Holistic Approach for Lasting Relief from RLS

If you’ve been living with RLS, you know firsthand how disruptive it is to your sleep and overall well-being. The constant urge to move your legs, especially at night, robs you of the restorative rest your body needs, leaving you exhausted and frustrated. But emerging research offers hope.

Rather than relying solely on pharmaceuticals that may worsen your symptoms over time, a holistic, noninvasive approach combining exercise, nutrition and traditional therapies offers lasting relief. By addressing the underlying imbalances that contribute to RLS, you take control of your symptoms, improve your sleep and ultimately enhance your quality of life.

The power of these natural treatments lies in their ability to work with your body, not against it. Whether through gentle movement, nourishing your body with essential nutrients or embracing traditional herbal remedies, these holistic strategies offer sustainable solutions.

You have options beyond conventional medications — options that treat the whole you, not just the symptoms. It’s time to rethink how you manage RLS and embrace a more comprehensive, natural approach to healing. With the right balance of care, relief is within reach.

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Notes

^1, 2 National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Restless Legs Syndrome

^{3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10} Cureus. 2023 Oct 10;15(10):e46779. doi: 10.7759/cureus.46779

^{11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16} Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Aug 6;100(31):e26800. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000026800

^17, 18 Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2023 Jul 27;10(9):1349–1359. doi: 10.1002/mdc3.13833

In the past, there were many locally defined conflicts on the various continents, which were often unrelated. But in today’s global world, in which the big players operate with all the powerful structures of the special services, we always have to ask ourselves in every single conflict which interests it serves.

Now that it is becoming increasingly clear that Ukraine will not be able to achieve success in the conflict with Russia despite massive Western support, very interesting incidents are currently occurring in other corners of the world.

In Syria, jihadist militias have been fighting against government forces for a few days. According to the UN, more than 48,500 people have been displaced as a result of the escalation. The jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied groups launched a surprising major offensive against government troops in northern Syria.

They managed to bring parts of the city of Aleppo under their control. Russia, which is allied with Syria, then carried out air strikes for the first time since 2016. The foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey and Russia are scheduled to meet on December 7 to discuss the situation in Syria. This was announced by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, according to state media. The meeting in the so-called “Astana constellation” is to take place on the sidelines of a forum in Doha.

This offensive was completely unexpected. Hardly anyone expected that the Syrian rebels would be able to launch a major offensive again. The reason for this success is clearly that the Syrian regime did not expect offensive operations either. In addition, there is the overall situation that the supporters of the Syrian army, especially the Russians, Iranians and Hezbollah, are busy with other things at the moment.

All of these actors are busy at the moment: Russia with Ukraine’s special operation, Iran with its weakness in the conflict with Israel and Hezbollah with the consequences of the Israeli attack on Lebanon since October. This situation now ties up many Russian forces in this region. This fact is clearly in the interests of Western forces.

At the same time, there are now massive protests by the pro-Western opposition in Georgia. The protests in the Caucasus state began days ago. They are particularly directed against the postponement of the country’s EU accession negotiations until 2028, announced by Prime Minister Kobakhidze.

There will be “no revolution” in Georgia, Kobakhidze emphasized to the journalists. He also accused the protests of being “funded from abroad.” Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili, who is opposed to the government, said there were “no signs” that the protest movement in the country would subside.

The Baltic EU and NATO member states Estonia and Lithuania imposed sanctions on eleven Georgian government employees whom they accused of human rights violations. In Berlin, deputy government spokesman Wolfgang Büchner said the German federal government “stands on the side of the people in Georgia who are committed to European values, democracy, freedom of expression and human rights and expect their government to make appropriate corrections.”

Very similar rhetoric to what we heard in 2014 regarding the coup in Ukraine. So there is massive Western support for the protests in Georgia. The security structures of the Russian Federation must now closely monitor and analyze this development in the neighboring state.

There is also further potential for conflict due to the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which split off from Georgia. As we know from the past, frozen conflicts are often used to be reactivated at the right time. There have already been discussions in Georgia about reconnecting these independent territories to the Georgian state.

The current situation in Georgia can be described as dangerous. Because there is a great similarity here to the events that took place in Ukraine in 2014. It is clear that the Western forces supporting Ukraine want to open further fronts against Russia. Given its geographical location and the current political situation, Georgia is very suitable for such an experiment.

The conflict in Ukraine, as well as the current fighting in Syria and the protests in Georgia, are related to the interests of the West. The aim is to weaken Russia and its allies and to attract other states to the West’s side. It is also entirely conceivable that the Biden government is planning further escalation out of fear that there will be a new policy after the expected inauguration of Donald Trump as US President in January.

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Patrick Poppel is an expert at the Center for Geostrategic Studies (Belgrade).

From November 15, 1884, until February 26, 1885, the Berlin West Africa Conference was held in Germany where numerous European states convened to carve up the continent based upon their own economic interests.

Commonly known as the Berlin Conference, the gathering marked the consolidation of European imperialist rule on the African continent which lasted formally for more than a century.

One artistic expression which emanated from the gathering was a portrayal of King Leopold II carving up a giant cake which represented the African continent. Africa had already garnered enormous wealth for several European and North American states through the Atlantic Slave Trade and the establishment of colonies in Western Hemisphere.

Portugal was one of the earliest colonizers and enslavers in Africa and maintained a presence from the 15th through the 20th centuries. Spain and Portugal, the pioneers of European slave and colonial structures, were later overshadowed by the Dutch, British, French and the United States.

The abolition of the Atlantic Slave Trade and eventually involuntary servitude in the Western feudal and burgeoning capitalist states did not usher in a renewed and more inclusive form of bourgeois democracy. Colonialism was a logical outcome of the slave system. As industrial production provided an enhanced rational methodology for the exploitation of labor, the colonial system with its reliance on land seizures, population displacement, forced taxation, cash crop production and mining reaped far greater profits for the ruling class.

African enslavement was resisted internally from its early phase between the 15th and 18th centuries until its eventual demise in the 19th century. The successful slave rebellion which transformed into a revolutionary movement in Haiti between 1791-1804 signaled the rise of widespread resistance to human bondage. In the U.S. notable rebellions such as on the Louisiana German Coast of 1811; Denmark Vessey in Charleston, South Carolina during 1822; Nat Turner and his comrades in South Hampton County, Virginia in 1831; John Brown at Harper’s Ferry in Virginia in 1859; and the 200,000 Africans who joined the Union army in the Civil War were motivated by the desire to eliminate their enslavement.

Interestingly enough it would be the territories initially colonized by Spain and Portugal which would be the last countries to abolish slavery in the late 1880s in Cuba and Brazil. However, despite the legal abolition of involuntary servitude, colonialism, racism and economic exploitation would continue.

Codifying Colonial Exploitation

The Berlin Conference was designed to utilize the knowledge acquired by the European explorers who traveled throughout areas of the African continent to assess their capacity for the domination of land and labor along with the extraction of its riches. Henry Morton Stanley, who was born in Wales and later immigrated to the U.S. where he served in both the Confederate and Union armies during the Civil War, was recruited by King Leopold II to map out areas of Central Africa for the exploitation of the land and its people.

These imperialist designs on Central Africa by the Belgian monarchy conflicted with that of France which had deployed its own explorer, Pierre Savorgnan de Brazza, who proceeded to challenge Leopold II for his claim to the area. The connection between the exploration and mapping of Central and other regions of Africa, and the pursuit of profits was made clear in Leopold II’s instructions to Stanley when he said:

“It is not about Belgian colonies. It is about establishing a new state that is as large as possible and about its governance. It should be clear that in this project there can be no question of granting the Negroes the slightest form of political power. That would be ridiculous. The whites, who lead the posts, have all the power.” 

Consequently, the purpose of the Berlin Conference was to resolve these differences so that the total colonization of Africa could move forward rapidly. The entire process of colonization was an extremely violent affair.

Between 1876 and 1908 in Congo, estimates are that 8-10 million Africans died due to the horrendous treatment from the Belgian ruling class. During this initial period the territory was run exclusively by the monarchy. After 1908 the Congo came under Belgian colonial rule where it remained until 1960.

One source said of the 1884-85 Berlin meeting that:

“The conference, proposed by Portugal in pursuance of its special claim to control of the Congo estuary, was necessitated by the jealousy and suspicion with which the great European powers viewed one another’s attempts at colonial expansion in Africa. The general act of the Conference of Berlin declared the Congo River basin to be neutral (a fact that in no way deterred the Allies from extending the war into that area in World War I); guaranteed freedom for trade and shipping for all states in the basin; forbade slave trading; and rejected Portugal’s claims to the Congo River estuary—thereby making possible the founding of the independent Congo Free State, to which Great Britain, France, and Germany had already agreed in principle.” 

Nonetheless, this conference was not able to prevent violent disputes over the future of Africa and the world. The European imperialists in Congo and many other regions of Africa utilized repressive measures which were reminiscent of the period of enslavement where forced labor, coercion, detentions, exile, beatings and killings were routine.

During the first decade of the 20th century, the German colonialists carried out genocidal onslaughts in South-West Africa (now Namibia) during 1904-1907 when 60-80 percent of the African population was wiped out. During the same time period in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) in East Africa, the German conquerors killed thousands of people between 1905-1907. These acts of genocide by Germany were in response to resistance wars launched by the Africans in Namibia and Tanzania when they rose up against the national oppression and economic exploitation inflicted by imperialism.

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Tanzania Maji Maji Rebellion 1905-1907

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World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1945) grew out of contradictions within the imperialist system. After 1945, the U.S. emerged as the undisputed dominant political and economic power in the capitalist world. The only real challenges to imperialism emerged from the socialist camp and the national liberation movements.

Legacy of the Berlin Conference

Colonialism remains in its various forms throughout the world. France has been exposed for its ongoing colonial project when recent rebellions have erupted in New Caledonia and Martinique.

On the African continent, France relinquished most of its classical colonies and has exerted its influence through neocolonial structures which involve disadvantageous economic arrangements and the presence of military forces which guard the interests of Paris. In the early 1960s, the French government conducted nuclear weapons testing in the Sahara irrespective of the protests from the Ghana government under President Kwame Nkrumah.

In recent years, the Sahel region of West Africa has been a flashpoint for anti-imperialist movements which have rejected French, U.S. and NATO military involvement. In Niger, where some of the largest deposits of uranium in the world exist, the long-term contract between the Committee to Safeguard the Homeland (CNSP) government for uranium extraction has been cancelled by the new administration.

Reuters in a December 4 report pointed out:

“French nuclear firm Orano says the military authorities in Niger have taken control of its uranium mining operations in the West African country. After seizing power in a coup in July last year, Niger’s military rulers said they would revamp rules regulating the mining of raw materials by foreign companies. In June, they withdrew Orano’s permit to exploit one of the world’s largest uranium deposits. Orano then suspended production. This marks another escalation in the unravelling relationship between France and Niger, following the expulsion of French troops from its former colony.” 

These political shifts in the Alliance of Sahal States (AES) portend much for the future of imperialism in Africa and other geopolitical regions. African states were founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) which recently condemned the Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The African Union (AU) 55 member-states are participants in the Group of 77 Plus China which represents approximately 80 percent of the world’s population. The Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa Plus (BRICS) countries are seriously discussing de-dollarization and the building of a New Development Bank (NDB). With the statements made by the incoming U.S. administration of former President Donald Trump threatening large-scale tariffs not only against the leading trading partners of Washington which are Mexico and Canada, such measures are being weaponized as well against the BRICS countries seeking to break free from the dollar.

These conflicting interests will intensify aggravating tensions over the direction of the world economic system. These divergent objectives will foster broader alliances among the peoples of the Global South and their counterparts among the working class and nationally oppressed within the imperialist states.

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Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of the Pan-African News Wire. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.  

The modern world is witnessing unprecedented levels of destruction, loss of life, and devastation of cities. This is evident in conflict zones such as Ukraine, Syria, and Palestine, where human suffering has reached harrowing proportions. These crises, however, are not simply isolated tragedies. When examined closely, they reveal a troubling pattern of global powers influencing, exacerbating, and sometimes perpetuating the very conflicts that demand resolution. Among these powers, the role of the United States is particularly contentious, as it appears entwined with the destructive dynamics in many of these regions.

The Destruction of Ukraine

The war in Ukraine, which has consumed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions, has evolved into a proxy conflict. The lack of urgent efforts to pursue peace is seriously alarming. Instead of seeking a resolution, the United States has encouraged European allies to escalate the conflict by providing increasingly advanced weaponry to Ukraine. This approach, though deceptively claimed to be in defense of sovereignty and democracy, has turned the region into a battlefield, prolonging the devastation and compounding human suffering.

Diplomatic pathways, which could potentially de-escalate the war, are sidelined in favor of militarization. This raises important questions about the intentions and consequences of such policies. Is the goal truly peace, or is it to weaken geopolitical adversaries at the expense of innocent lives?

Syria: A Nation Torn Apart

Syria, a country shattered by more than a decade of war, offers another stark illustration of destruction fueled by global interference. What began as a US-instigated civil uprising against a legitimate government devolved into a complex conflict, with various factions—many of them armed and supported by foreign powers—fighting for dominance. The United States’ role in the conflict has been deeply controversial, as it has aligned with armed opposition groups, including elements with extremist ideologies, under the pretext of fighting terrorism and promoting democracy.

The consequences have been catastrophic: millions of Syrians displaced, cities like Aleppo reduced to rubble, and a nation left in ruins. The pursuit of regime change, regardless of the human cost, has overshadowed the imperative to restore stability and peace to the region.

The Plight of Palestine

In Palestine, the destruction takes on the dimensions of systemic oppression and what many international observers describe as a slow-motion genocide. The Israeli government’s policies of land expropriation, relentless military operations, and the blockade of Gaza have created a humanitarian crisis of staggering proportions. Thousands of lives have been lost, homes demolished, and generations of Palestinians forced to endure conditions of perpetual insecurity.

Here too, the U.S. plays a pivotal role, providing unwavering support to the Israeli government despite its actions being condemned globally. The failure to hold Israel accountable perpetuates a cycle of violence, fostering resentment and despair among the Palestinian population.

The Need for Accountability and Peace

The patterns in Ukraine, Syria, and Palestine reveal a disturbing alignment between destruction and geopolitical interests. The U.S., often championing itself as a beacon of freedom and democracy, has repeatedly been criticized for policies that seem to prioritize strategic dominance over genuine peacemaking. Whether through military aid, economic sanctions, or political maneuvering, its actions often exacerbate conflicts instead of resolving them.

It is imperative to challenge these destructive dynamics and advocate for international accountability. The focus must shift from militaristic solutions to diplomatic engagements that prioritize the sanctity of human lives. Global powers, including the U.S., must take responsibility for their roles in perpetuating these conflicts and commit to fostering dialogue, rebuilding trust, and supporting comprehensive peace agreements.

Conclusion

The ongoing destruction in Ukraine, Syria, and Palestine is a sobering reminder of humanity’s collective failure to resolve disputes through peaceful means. While local and regional factors play significant roles in these crises, the involvement of external powers like the U.S. cannot be ignored. True progress will require not just the cessation of violence but also a commitment to justice, rebuilding, and the restoration of human dignity in these war-torn regions. Only by addressing the root causes of conflict and holding all parties accountable can the world move toward a future defined by peace rather than perpetual destruction.

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Prof. Ruel F. Pepa is a Filipino philosopher based in Madrid, Spain. A retired academic (Associate Professor IV), he taught Philosophy and Social Sciences for more than fifteen years at Trinity University of Asia, an Anglican university in the Philippines. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image is from the author

“He sees you when you’re sleeping
He knows when you’re awake
He knows when you’ve been bad or good
So be good for goodness’ sake!”
—“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”

You’d better watch out—you’d better not pout—you’d better not cry—‘cos I’m telling you why: this Christmas, it’s the Surveillance State that’s making a list and checking it twice, and it won’t matter whether you’ve been bad or good.

You’ll be on this list whether you like it or not.

Mass surveillance is the Deep State’s version of a “gift” that keeps on giving…back to the Deep State.

Geofencing dragnets. Fusion centers. Smart devices. Behavioral threat assessments. Terror watch lists. Facial recognition. Snitch tip lines. Biometric scanners. Pre-crime. DNA databases. Data mining. Precognitive technology. Drones. Contact tracing apps. License plate readers. Social media vetting. Surveillance towers.

What these add up to is a world in which, on any given day, the average person is now monitored, surveilled, spied on and tracked in more than 20 different ways by both government and corporate eyes and ears.

Big Tech wedded to Big Government has become Big Brother.

Every second of every day, the American people are being spied on by a vast network of digital Peeping Toms, electronic eavesdroppers and robotic snoops.

This creepy new era of government/corporate spying—in which we’re being listened to, watched, tracked, followed, mapped, bought, sold and targeted—has been made possible by a global army of techno-tyrants, fusion centers and Peeping Toms.

Consider just a small sampling of the tools being used to track our movements, monitor our spending, and sniff out all the ways in which our thoughts, actions and social circles might land us on the government’s naughty list, whether or not you’ve done anything wrong.

Tracking you based on your phone and movements: Cell phones have become de facto snitches, offering up a steady stream of digital location data on users’ movements and travels. For instance, the FBI was able to use geofence data to identify more than 5,000 mobile devices (and their owners) in a 4-acre area around the Capitol on January 6. This latest surveillance tactic could land you in jail for being in the “wrong place and time.” Police are also using cell-site simulators to carry out mass surveillance of protestswithout the need for a warrant. Moreover, federal agents can now employ a number of hacking methods in order to gain access to your computer activities and “see” whatever you’re seeing on your monitor. Malicious hacking software can also be used to remotely activate cameras and microphones, offering another means of glimpsing into the personal business of a target.

Tracking you based on your DNA. DNA technology in the hands of government officials completes our transition to a Surveillance State. If you have the misfortune to leave your DNA traces anywhere a crime has been committed, you’ve already got a file somewhere in some state or federal database—albeit it may be a file without a name. By accessing your DNA, the government will soon know everything else about you that they don’t already know: your family chart, your ancestry, what you look like, your health history, your inclination to follow orders or chart your own course, etc. After all, a DNA print reveals everything about “who we are, where we come from, and who we will be.” It can also be used to predict the physical appearance of potential suspects. It’s only a matter of time before the police state’s pursuit of criminals expands into genetic profiling and a preemptive hunt for criminals of the future.

Tracking you based on your face: Facial recognition software aims to create a society in which every individual who steps out into public is tracked and recorded as they go about their daily business. Coupled with surveillance cameras that blanket the country, facial recognition technology allows the government and its corporate partners to identify and track someone’s movements in real-time. One particularly controversial software program created by Clearview AI has been used by police, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to collect photos on social media sites for inclusion in a massive facial recognition database. Similarly, biometric software, which relies on one’s unique identifiers (fingerprints, irises, voice prints), is becoming the standard for navigating security lines, as well as bypassing digital locks and gaining access to phones, computers, office buildings, etc. In fact, greater numbers of travelers are opting into programs that rely on their biometrics in order to avoid long waits at airport security. Scientists are also developing lasers that can identify and surveil individuals based on their heartbeats, scent and microbiome.

Tracking you based on your behavior: Rapid advances in behavioral surveillance are not only making it possible for individuals to be monitored and tracked based on their patterns of movement or behavior, including gait recognition (the way one walks), but have given rise to whole industries that revolve around predicting one’s behavior based on data and surveillance patterns and are also shaping the behaviors of whole populations. One smart “anti-riot” surveillance system purports to predict mass riots and unauthorized public events by using artificial intelligence to analyze social media, news sources, surveillance video feeds and public transportation data.

Tracking you based on your spending and consumer activities: With every smartphone we buy, every GPS device we install, every X/Twitter, Facebook, and Google account we open, every frequent buyer card we use for purchases—whether at the grocer’s, the yogurt shop, the airlines or the department store—and every credit and debit card we use to pay for our transactions, we’re helping Corporate America build a dossier for its government counterparts on who we know, what we think, how we spend our money, and how we spend our time. Consumer surveillance, by which your activities and data in the physical and online realms are tracked and shared with advertisers, has become big business, a $300 billion industry that routinely harvests your data for profit. Corporations such as Target have not only been tracking and assessing the behavior of their customers, particularly their purchasing patterns, for years, but the retailer has also funded major surveillance in cities across the country and developed behavioral surveillance algorithms that can determine whether someone’s mannerisms might fit the profile of a thief.

Tracking you based on your public activities: Private corporations in conjunction with police agencies throughout the country have created a web of surveillance that encompasses all major cities in order to monitor large groups of people seamlessly, as in the case of protests and rallies. They are also engaging in extensive online surveillance, looking for any hints of “large public events, social unrest, gang communications, and criminally predicated individuals.” Defense contractors have been at the forefront of this lucrative market. Fusion centers, $330 million-a-year, information-sharing hubs for federal, state and law enforcement agencies, monitor and report such “suspicious” behavior as people buying pallets of bottled water, photographing government buildings, and applying for a pilot’s license as “suspicious activity.”

Tracking you based on your social media activities: Every move you make, especially on social media, is monitored, mined for data, crunched, and tabulated in order to form a picture of who you are, what makes you tick, and how best to control you when and if it becomes necessary to bring you in line. As The Interceptreported, the FBI, CIA, NSA and other government agencies are increasingly investing in and relying on corporate surveillance technologies that can mine constitutionally protected speech on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in order to identify potential extremists and predict who might engage in future acts of anti-government behavior. This obsession with social media as a form of surveillance will have some frightening consequences in coming years. As Helen A.S. Popkin, writing for NBC News, observed, “We may very well face a future where algorithms bust people en masse for referencing illegal ‘Game of Thrones’ downloads… the new software has the potential to roll, Terminator-style, targeting every social media user with a shameful confession or questionable sense of humor.”

Tracking you based on your social network: Not content to merely spy on individuals through their online activity, government agencies are now using surveillance technology to track one’s social network, the people you might connect with by phone, text message, email or through social message, in order to ferret out possible criminals. An FBI document obtained by Rolling Stone speaks to the ease with which agents are able to access address book data from Facebook’s WhatsApp and Apple’s iMessage services from the accounts of targeted individuals and individuals not under investigation who might have a targeted individual within their network. What this creates is a “guilt by association” society in which we are all as guilty as the most culpable person in our address book.

Tracking you based on your car: License plate readers are mass surveillance tools that can photograph over 1,800 license tag numbers per minute, take a picture of every passing license tag number and store the tag number and the date, time, and location of the picture in a searchable database, then share the data with law enforcement, fusion centers and private companies to track the movements of persons in their cars. With tens of thousands of these license plate readers now in operation throughout the country, affixed to overpasses, cop cars and throughout business sectors and residential neighborhoods, it allows police to track vehicles and run the plates through law enforcement databases for abducted children, stolen cars, missing people and wanted fugitives. Of course, the technology is not infallible: there have been numerous incidents in which police have mistakenly relied on license plate data to capture out suspects only to end up detaining innocent people at gunpoint.

Tracking you based on your mail: Just about every branch of the government—from the Postal Service to the Treasury Department and every agency in between—now has its own surveillance sector, authorized to spy on the American people. For instance, the U.S. Postal Service, which has been photographing the exterior of every piece of paper mail for the past 20 years, is also spying on Americans’ texts, emails and social media posts. Headed up by the Postal Service’s law enforcement division, the Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) is reportedly using facial recognition technology, combined with fake online identities, to ferret out potential troublemakers with “inflammatory” posts. The agency claims the online surveillance, which falls outside its conventional job scope of processing and delivering paper mail, is necessary to help postal workers avoid “potentially volatile situations.”

Now the government wants us to believe that we have nothing to fear from these mass spying programs as long as we’ve done nothing wrong.

Don’t believe it.

The government’s definition of a “bad” guy is extraordinarily broad, and it results in the warrantless surveillance of innocent, law-abiding Americans on a staggering scale.

As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, surveillance, digital stalking and the data mining of the American people—weapons of compliance and control in the government’s hands—haven’t made America any safer. And they certainly aren’t helping to preserve our freedoms.

Indeed, America will never be safe as long as the U.S. government is allowed to shred the Constitution.

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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.

Featured image is from Global Look Press / Jaap Arriens

Secret Plan Outlines the Unthinkable. America’s Post 9/11 Nuclear Doctrine. “Incorporation of Nuclear Capability into Conventional Systems”

By William M Arkin and Prof Michel Chossudovsky, December 05, 2024

The Bush administration, in a secret policy review completed early this year, has ordered the Pentagon to draft contingency plans for the use of nuclear weapons against at least seven countries, naming not only Russia and the “axis of evil”–Iraq, Iran, and North Korea–but also China, Libya and Syria.

US Military Aid to Ukraine Exceeds a Massive $62 Billion Under the Joe Biden Administration. “Throwing Money Away” to the Detriment of the American People

By Ahmed Adel, December 04, 2024

US military aid to Ukraine under President Joe Biden has exceeded $62 billion, the Department of Defense said on December 2. This amount was reached after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on the same day a new arms package for Kiev totaling $725 million from its stockpiles.

Video: Say No to Nuclear War! Peace on the Planet

By Drago Bosnic and Prof Michel Chossudovsky, December 01, 2024

This interview of Drago Bosnic by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky focuses on the dangers of nuclear war. Bosnic, an independent geopolitical and military analyst, examines nuclear policies as well as the military dimensions and nature of these bombs.

“Palestine – My Palestine”

By Susan Abulhawa and Peter Koenig, December 04, 2024

Susan describes what she witnessed during her two visits in Gaza earlier this year: carpet bombing of schools, hospitals, children and women – of blown off children’s heads, legs, arms, feet; of famine-driven children and their mothers, women, lured to explosive-laden food cans, poisoned water. She describes how Palestinian death is the driving force behind this diabolical torture and death machine, called Zionist-Israel.

The Stated Objective: Total Military Dominance of the Entire Planet. Full Spectrum Dominance

By Richard C. Cook, December 04, 2024

Before the US entered WWII, a series of studies by the Council on Foreign Relations, subsequently adopted by the Roosevelt administration, declared it to be the policy of the US government to attain total military dominance of the entire world.

Truce in Lebanon: Can Diplomacy Rise from the Ruins?

By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies, December 04, 2024

The agreement is based on the terms of UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the previous Israeli assault on Lebanon in 2006. The truce will be enforced by 5,000 to 10,000 Lebanese troops and the UN’s 10,000-strong UNIFIL peacekeeping force, which has operated in that area since 1978 and includes troops from 46 countries.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Seems Set on Being the First Premier to Imprison a Doctor During COVID-19

By Dr. William Makis, December 03, 2024

These incredible letters are just a sample of what’s flooded Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s Office in the past week. Premier Danielle Smith’s staffers are trying to deny any involvement in this bizarre attempt to put me in prison.

High Court Strips Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation of Its Legal Immunities and Tax Exemptions in Kenya

Paul Anthony Taylor, November 29, 2024

Why the United States Will Lose a War with Russia

Mike Whitney, November 28, 2024

Video: “Wiping Gaza Off the Map”: Big Money Agenda. Confiscating Palestine’s Maritime Natural Gas Reserves

Felicity Arbuthnot, December 3, 2024

Fahrenheit 7232. Scott Ritter

Scott Ritter, December 2, 2024

COVID-19 Injections: What We Knew and What We’ve Discovered

Dr. Mark Trozzi, November 30, 2024

Big Pharma’s “License to Kill”

Richard Gale, November 27, 2024

Trump’s alleged Ukraine plan unacceptable to Russia, but NATO doesn’t even want that

Drago Bosnic, December 4, 2024

Free Reiner!

Peter Koenig, December 2, 2024

Top Molecular Scientist Confirms DNA Contamination in COVID ‘Vaccines’ Integrates into Human Cells

Frank Bergman, November 28, 2024

Breaking: Russia May Hit Somewhere? NATO Bases?

Peter Koenig, November 28, 2024

Spanish State Meteorological Agency AEMET Expands List: More Than 70 States Modify Weather

NoGeoengineering, November 27, 2024

Video: Silver Bullet. “They Want One World Government”. Dr. Mike Yeadon

Dr. Mike Yeadon, December 4, 2024

The New Faces of Cancer: Tragedy of Young, Fit Women in Their 20s and 30s Being Struck Down by Killer Disease

Sadie Whitelocks, November 29, 2024

This Dystopia Depends on Hiding Inconvenient Truths

Caitlin Johnstone, November 30, 2024

Outrage Grows as Pentagon Confirms Depleted Uranium Rounds Headed to Ukraine

Jake Johnson, December 1, 2024

America’s ‘Justice’ System Deserves Nothing But Total Ridicule

Drago Bosnic, December 3, 2024

West Again Tries to Stage Coup d’état in Georgia

Ahmed Adel, November 30, 2024

The “Deep State” Agenda: Analyzing the U.S. Empire’s Strategy in Ukraine and Europe

Prof. Ruel F. Pepa, November 29, 2024

Weather Modification, Climate Engineering, Russia’s “New” Super Speed (Mach 10) Multiple Warhead Missile “Oreshnik”

Peter Koenig, December 4, 2024

US-NATO Led Wars: “When the Cold War Turns Into Hot”

T. D. Duff, November 29, 2024

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***

Introductory Note 

This incisive article by William Arkin summarizes the key elements of America’s nuclear doctrine, formulated both before and in the immediate wake of September 11, 2001. 

The article was originally published by the Los Angeles Times on March 10, 2002, a few months prior to the official release of the infamous 2001 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR).

The doctrine of mutually assured destruction (MAD) of the Cold War era has been indefinitely scrapped.

The NPR 2001 confirms America’s foreign policy stance:

the pre-emptive use of nukes as a means of “self-defense” against both nuclear and non-nuclear states.  

Nuclear weapons are also slated to be used in the conventional war theater. 

Post Cold War Nuclear Doctrine. NPR 2001 (Drafted 23 Years Ago) Sets The Stage

Let us be under no illusions. 

Today, nuclear war is on the drawing board of the Pentagon.

The 2001 NPR (full document) released (officially) in July 2002 is of utmost significance. It determines America’s nuclear doctrine. It has a direct bearing on our understanding of the war in Ukraine, and the danger of a World War III scenario. For details, see  also NPR 2001 (excerpts by FAS).    

The geopolitics of America’s nuclear doctrine (NPR 2001) are outlined: Russia and the “Axis of Evil”, China and the status of Taiwan, Israel, Iran and the Middle East, North Korea.

The modalities consist in integrating a new category of nuclear weapons (allegedly safe for the surrounding civilian population) into the conventional war arsenal.

Minimizing Collateral Damage while “Blowing up the Planet” 

Here are some of the highlights outlined in William Arkin’s article, most of which are being implemented: 

• “...the use of nuclear weapons against at least seven countries … naming not only Russia and the “axis of evil”–Iraq, Iran, and North Korea–but also China, Libya and Syria.”
• “nuclear weapons may be required in some future Arab-Israeli crisis.”
• “…using nuclear weapons to retaliate against chemical or biological attacks”
• “the NPR lists a military confrontation over the status of Taiwan as one of the scenarios that could lead Washington to use nuclear weapons.”
• “nuclear strategy …viewed through the prism of Sept. 11.  faith in old-fashioned deterrence is gone”
• “developing such things as nuclear bunker-busters and surgical “warheads that reduce collateral damage,”
•  “cyber-warfare and other nonnuclear military capabilities would be integrated into nuclear-strike forces”
• “the integration of “new nonnuclear strategic capabilities” into nuclear-war plans.
• “expand the breadth and flexibility of U.S. nuclear capabilities.
•  “what has evolved since last year’s [September 11, 2001] terror attacks is an integrated, significantly expanded planning doctrine for nuclear wars.”

Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, September 10, 2022, August 4, 2024 

***

Secret Plan Outlines the Unthinkable

The Bush administration, in a secret policy review completed early this year, has ordered the Pentagon to draft contingency plans for the use of nuclear weapons against at least seven countries, naming not only Russia and the “axis of evil”–Iraq, Iran, and North Korea–but also China, Libya and Syria.

In addition, the U.S. Defense Department has been told to prepare for the possibility that nuclear weapons may be required in some future Arab-Israeli crisis. And, it is to develop plans for using nuclear weapons to retaliate against chemical or biological attacks, as well as “surprising military developments” of an unspecified nature.

These and a host of other directives, including calls for developing bunker-busting mini-nukes and nuclear weapons that reduce collateral damage, are contained in a still-classified document called the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which was delivered to Congress on Jan. 8.

Like all such documents since the dawning of the Atomic Age more than a half-century ago, this NPR offers a chilling glimpse into the world of nuclear-war planners: With a Strangelovian genius, they cover every conceivable circumstance in which a president might wish to use nuclear weapons–planning in great detail for a war they hope never to wage.

In this top-secret domain, there has always been an inconsistency between America’s diplomatic objectives of reducing nuclear arsenals and preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, on the one hand, and the military imperative to prepare for the unthinkable, on the other.

Nevertheless, the Bush administration plan reverses an almost two-decade-long trend of relegating nuclear weapons to the category of weapons of last resort. It also redefines nuclear requirements in hurried post-Sept. 11 terms.

In these and other ways, the still-secret document offers insights into the evolving views of nuclear strategists in Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld’s Defense Department.

While downgrading the threat from Russia and publicly emphasizing their commitment to reducing the number of long-range nuclear weapons, Defense Department strategists promote tactical and so-called “adaptive” nuclear capabilities to deal with contingencies where large nuclear arsenals are not demanded.

They seek a host of new weapons and support systems, including conventional military and cyber warfare capabilities integrated with nuclear warfare. The end product is a now-familiar post-Afghanistan model–with nuclear capability added. It combines precision weapons, long-range strikes, and special and covert operations.

But the NPR’s call for development of new nuclear weapons that reduce “collateral damage” myopically ignores the political, moral and military implications–short-term and long–of crossing the nuclear threshold.

Under what circumstances might nuclear weapons be used under the new posture? The NPR says they “could be employed against targets able to withstand nonnuclear attack,” or in retaliation for the use of nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons, or “in the event of surprising military developments.”

Planning nuclear-strike capabilities, it says, involves the recognition of “immediate, potential or unexpected” contingencies. Show me why. “All have long-standing hostility towards the United States and its security partners. All sponsor or harbor terrorists, and have active WMD [weapons of mass destruction] and missile programs.”

China, because of its nuclear forces and “developing strategic objectives,” is listed as “a country that could be involved in an immediate or potential contingency.” Specifically, the NPR lists a military confrontation over the status of Taiwan as one of the scenarios that could lead Washington to use nuclear weapons.

Other listed scenarios for nuclear conflict are a North Korean attack on South Korea and an Iraqi assault on Israel or its neighbors.

The second important insight the NPR offers into Pentagon thinking about nuclear policy is the extent to which the Bush administration’s strategic planners were shaken by last September’s terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Though Congress directed the new administration “to conduct a comprehensive review of U.S. nuclear forces” before the events of Sept. 11, the final study is striking for its single-minded reaction to those tragedies.

Heretofore, nuclear strategy tended to exist as something apart from the ordinary challenges of foreign policy and military affairs. Nuclear weapons were not just the option of last resort, they were the option reserved for times when national survival hung in the balance–a doomsday confrontation with the Soviet Union, for instance.

Now, nuclear strategy seems to be viewed through the prism of Sept. 11. For one thing, the Bush administration’s faith in old-fashioned deterrence is gone. It no longer takes a superpower to pose a dire threat to Americans.

“The terrorists who struck us on Sept. 11th were clearly not deterred by doing so from the massive U.S. nuclear arsenal,” Rumsfeld told an audience at the National Defense University in late January.

Similarly, U.S. Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton said in a recent interview, “We would do whatever is necessary to defend America’s innocent civilian population …. The idea that fine theories of deterrence work against everybody … has just been disproven by Sept. 11.”

Moreover, while insisting they would go nuclear only if other options seemed inadequate, officials are looking for nuclear weapons that could play a role in the kinds of challenges the United States faces with Al Qaeda.

Accordingly, the NPR calls for new emphasis on developing such things as nuclear bunker-busters and surgical “warheads that reduce collateral damage,” as well as weapons that could be used against smaller, more circumscribed targets–“possible modifications to existing weapons to provide additional yield flexibility,” in the jargon-rich language of the review.

It also proposes to train U.S. Special Forces operators to play the same intelligence gathering and targeting roles for nuclear weapons that they now play for conventional weapons strikes in Afghanistan. And cyber-warfare and other nonnuclear military capabilities would be integrated into nuclear-strike forces to make them more all-encompassing.

As for Russia, once the primary reason for having a U.S. nuclear strategy, the review says that while Moscow’s nuclear programs remain cause for concern, “ideological sources of conflict” have been eliminated, rendering a nuclear contingency involving Russia “plausible” but “not expected.”

“In the event that U.S. relations with Russia significantly worsen in the future,” the review says, “the U.S. may need to revise its nuclear force levels and posture.”

When completion of the NPR was publicly announced in January [2002], Pentagon briefers deflected questions about most of the specifics, saying the information was classified. Officials did stress that, consistent with a Bush campaign pledge, the plan called for reducing the current 6,000 long-range nuclear weapons to one-third that number over the next decade. Rumsfeld, who approved the review late last year, said the administration was seeking “a new approach to strategic deterrence,” to include missile defenses and improvements in nonnuclear capabilities.

Also, Russia would no longer be officially defined as “an enemy.”

Beyond that, almost no details were revealed.

The classified text, however, is shot through with a worldview transformed by Sept. 11. The NPR coins the phrase “New Triad,” which it describes as comprising the “offensive strike leg,” (our nuclear and conventional forces) plus “active and passive defenses,”(our anti-missile systems and other defenses) and “a responsive defense infrastructure” (our ability to develop and produce nuclear weapons and resume nuclear testing). Previously, the nuclear “triad” was the bombers, long-range land-based missiles and submarine-launched missiles that formed the three legs of America’s strategic arsenal.

The review emphasizes the integration of “new nonnuclear strategic capabilities” into nuclear-war plans. “New capabilities must be developed to defeat emerging threats such as hard and deeply-buried targets (HDBT), to find and attack mobile and re-locatable targets, to defeat chemical and biological agents, and to improve accuracy and limit collateral damage,” the review says.

It calls for “a new strike system” using four converted Trident submarines, an unmanned combat air vehicle and a new air-launched cruise missile as potential new weapons.

Beyond new nuclear weapons, the review proposes establishing what it calls an “agent defeat” program, which defense officials say includes a “boutique” approach to finding new ways of destroying deadly chemical or biological warfare agents, as well as penetrating enemy facilities that are otherwise difficult to attack. This includes, according to the document, “thermal, chemical or radiological neutralization of chemical/biological materials in production or storage facilities.”

Bush administration officials stress that the development and integration of nonnuclear capabilities into the nuclear force is what permits reductions in traditional long-range weaponry. But the blueprint laid down in the review would expand the breadth and flexibility of U.S. nuclear capabilities.

In addition to the new weapons systems, the review calls for incorporation of “nuclear capability” into many of the conventional systems now under development. An extended-range conventional cruise missile in the works for the U.S. Air Force “would have to be modified to carry nuclear warheads if necessary.” Similarly, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter should be modified to carry nuclear weapons “at an affordable price.”

The review calls for research to begin next month on fitting an existing nuclear warhead into a new 5,000-pound “earth penetrating” munition.

Given the advances in electronics and information technologies in the past decade, it is not surprising that the NPR also stresses improved satellites and intelligence, communications, and more robust high-bandwidth decision-making systems.

Particularly noticeable is the directive to improve U.S. capabilities in the field of “information operations,” or cyber-warfare.

The intelligence community “lacks adequate data on most adversary computer local area networks and other command and control systems,” the review observes. It calls for improvements in the ability to “exploit” enemy computer networks, and the integration of cyber-warfare into the overall nuclear war database “to enable more effective targeting, weaponeering, and combat assessment essential to the New Triad.”

In recent months, when Bush administration officials talked about the implications of Sept. 11 for long-term military policy, they have often focused on “homeland defense” and the need for an anti-missile shield. In truth, what has evolved since last year’s terror attacks is an integrated, significantly expanded planning doctrine for nuclear wars.

***

Our thanks to William Arkin and the Los Angeles Times. Copyright Los Angeles Times

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“Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War” 

by Michel Chossudovsky

Available to order from Global Research! 

ISBN Number: 978-0-9737147-5-3
Year: 2012
Pages: 102

PDF Edition:  $6.50 (sent directly to your email account!)

Michel Chossudovsky is Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), which hosts the critically acclaimed website www.globalresearch.ca . He is a contributor to the Encyclopedia Britannica. His writings have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Reviews

“This book is a ‘must’ resource – a richly documented and systematic diagnosis of the supremely pathological geo-strategic planning of US wars since ‘9-11’ against non-nuclear countries to seize their oil fields and resources under cover of ‘freedom and democracy’.”
–John McMurtry, Professor of Philosophy, Guelph University

“In a world where engineered, pre-emptive, or more fashionably “humanitarian” wars of aggression have become the norm, this challenging book may be our final wake-up call.”
-Denis Halliday, Former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations

Michel Chossudovsky exposes the insanity of our privatized war machine. Iran is being targeted with nuclear weapons as part of a war agenda built on distortions and lies for the purpose of private profit. The real aims are oil, financial hegemony and global control. The price could be nuclear holocaust. When weapons become the hottest export of the world’s only superpower, and diplomats work as salesmen for the defense industry, the whole world is recklessly endangered. If we must have a military, it belongs entirely in the public sector. No one should profit from mass death and destruction.
–Ellen Brown, author of ‘Web of Debt’ and president of the Public Banking Institute   

À medida que a crise ucraniana piora, os conflitos de interesses entre as elites do país aumentam. Os oligarcas que outrora estiveram unidos numa coligação para defender a junta de Maidan estão agora a lutar entre si devido à falta de confiança mútua e a interesses diferentes no meio do caos no país. Neste cenário, o presidente ilegítimo Vladimir Zelensky está a lançar uma série de represálias contra um proeminente oligarca ucraniano que já foi o seu aliado mais importante.

Igor Kolomoisky, um dos maiores oligarcas ucranianos, acusa Vladimir Zelensky de tentar confiscar ilegalmente os seus ativos petrolíferos. Segundo o empresário, o presidente está a mobilizar o aparelho judicial e policial de Kiev numa operação ilegal para confiscar propriedades privadas e ativos de algumas das suas empresas – principalmente os grupos Ukrnafta e Ukrtatnafta.

Numa entrevista recente, o oligarca disse que a perseguição de Zelensky contra ele começou em novembro de 2022. Na altura, o presidente ucraniano usou a retórica de “preocupações com a segurança nacional” para promover operações contra as empresas de Kolomoisky, mas não havia provas suficientes para acusar que as suas atividades econômicas constituem uma ameaça para a Ucrânia.

As medidas foram progressivamente endurecidas até que Kolomoisky foi preso em Setembro de 2023. As suas principais empresas e ativos foram nacionalizados e agora grande parte do seu antigo império econômico está sob o controle direto do presidente. Kolomoisky parece sentir-se traído pelo seu antigo aliado político, que roubou uma parte substancial dos seus recursos financeiros e o colocou na prisão.

As autoridades de Kiev afirmam que foi necessário tomar tais medidas contra Kolomoisky porque as suas empresas alegadamente possuem a infra-estrutura e os recursos necessários para o esforço de guerra dos militares. O oligarca teria se recusado a emprestar o complexo do conglomerado Privat Group, do qual é coproprietário, para satisfazer as necessidades dos militares ucranianos, o que teria levado à perseguição judicial contra ele.

No entanto, Kolomoisky nega que as atividades contra ele tenham sido realizadas pelos militares. Ele afirma que tudo aconteceu por iniciativa pessoal de Zelensky e sua equipe, sendo o Ministério da Defesa usado apenas como desculpa para concluir a operação.

“A decisão de transferir as ações não foi tomada pelo comando militar (…) O gabinete do presidente usou os militares para atingir seu objetivo de apreensão de invasores”, disse ele durante entrevista.

Além disso, Kolomoisky contou aos repórteres detalhes interessantes sobre suas relações com algumas figuras públicas ucranianas. Segundo ele, em 2022 as autoridades começaram a assediá-lo, tentando chantageá-lo para que entregasse recursos financeiros ao Estado em troca do fim de qualquer ação judicial contra as suas empresas. O oligarca teria sido contatado pelo então vice-chefe do Gabinete do Presidente, Rostislav Shurma, que fez a oferta em nome do próprio Zelensky. Kolomoisky afirma que a sua recusa foi a principal razão para Zelensky tomar medidas mais radicais, como prendê-lo, revogar a sua cidadania ucraniana e confiscar os seus bens.

Kolomoisky já tinha tido alguns problemas jurídicos, principalmente devido a acusações de corrupção, lavagem de dinheiro e desvio de fundos do PrivatBank – que foi nacionalizado em 2016. Nesse sentido, houve uma verdadeira batalha jurídica, com o Estado a mover vários processos judiciais contra ele. Aparentemente, esta situação foi usada por Zelensky para pressioná-lo a “cooperar com o esforço de guerra”. No entanto, Kolomoisky nega quaisquer acusações e afirma que todas as suas empresas estavam ajudando as forças armadas, fornecendo até petróleo gratuitamente para abastecer o exército.

É possível que Kolomoisky tenha de fato recusado cooperar com os militares numa tentativa de proteger os seus bens privados. Da mesma forma, é possível que o real motivo da prisão e das represálias não tenha nada a ver com isso, mas com outros conflitos de interesses entre o presidente e o oligarca.

Kolomoisky e Zelensky já foram grandes amigos e aliados políticos. O dinheiro de Kolomoisky foi um dos principais facilitadores da campanha eleitoral de Zelensky. A imagem política do presidente foi criada com o amplo apoio de Kolomoisky, o que garantiu a popularidade necessária para a ascensão de Zelensky ao cargo. É claro que tudo isto aconteceu num cenário de “consenso oligárquico” na Ucrânia. Os principais multimilionários do país apoiaram o golpe de Estado financiado pelo Ocidente em 2014 e aderiram conjuntamente ao projeto de “desrussificação” do país. Contudo, o início da operação militar especial causou danos substanciais a esta coligação oligárquica.

Desde 2022, a Ucrânia vive um profundo caos interno. As coisas pioraram especialmente entre o segundo semestre de 2022 e o início de 2023, quando Zelensky começou a ser criticado por sua má gestão política e começaram a circular rumores sobre conspirações para substituí-lo. O presidente reagiu agressivamente a tais circunstâncias, realizando vários expurgos, demitindo funcionários, recusando-se a convocar eleições e prendendo pessoas que de alguma forma o “ameaçaram”. É possível que a prisão de Kolomoisky tenha ocorrido neste sentido: após tentativas fracassadas de “controlá-lo” através de chantagem, Zelensky o prendeu e confiscou seus bens, eliminando assim um “inimigo em potencial”.

Tal como Kolomoisky apoiou Zelensky, ele poderia traí-lo e apoiar outro político, servindo os novos interesses ocidentais – que agora substituirão Zelensky. Dada a influência que o oligarca tinha na sociedade ucraniana, a sua liberdade poderia ter sido uma ameaça para Zelensky, razão pela qual as represálias foram tão intensas. No final, a situação entre Zelensky e Kolomoisky é apenas mais um resultado do fracasso da Ucrânia moderna, que é uma sociedade controlada por oligarcas e agentes estrangeiros, onde o povo não tem voz real.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida

Artigo em inglês : Ukrainian oligarch faces persecution from dictator he helped elect, InfoBrics, 3 de Dezembro de 2024

Imagem :  InfoBrics

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Lucas Leiroz, membro da Associação de Jornalistas do BRICS, pesquisador do Centro de Estudos Geoestratégicos, especialista militar.

Você pode seguir Lucas Leiroz em: https://t.me/lucasleiroz e https://x.com/leiroz_lucas

US military aid to Ukraine under President Joe Biden has exceeded $62 billion, the Department of Defense said on December 2. This amount was reached after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on the same day a new arms package for Kiev totaling $725 million from its stockpiles.

“The United States has committed more than $62 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration,” the department said in a statement.

Blinken also announced the allocation of another $725 million military aid package to Ukraine, which included a new batch of anti-personnel landmines, even though Ukraine ratified the Ottawa Convention in 2005, which bans the use, stockpiling, and production of anti-personnel mines.

“Today, I am announcing the delivery of $725 million in additional weapons and equipment for Ukraine’s defense. The United States and more than 50 nations stand united with Ukraine,” Blinken posted on social media on December 2.

The arms package is the largest since April, when Washington sent a shipment worth $1 billion. In addition to mines, Ukraine will also be supplied with anti-tank, anti-drone and other types of ammunition, according to two US officials cited by Bloomberg. The outlet described Biden’s authorization for Ukraine to use American anti-personnel mines, just weeks before the end of the Biden administration, as representing a sudden change from a long-standing policy.

Moscow has repeatedly stressed that any shipment containing weapons for Ukraine would be a legitimate target. According to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, the US and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, not only supplying weapons but also training personnel in Britain, Germany, Italy and other countries. The Kremlin said that the West’s bombardment of Ukraine with weapons does not contribute to the negotiations and will have a negative effect.

Nonetheless, Washington expects Kiev to use anti-personnel mines and the other supplied weapons to reinforce its defensive lines and not in an offensive capacity.

Bloomberg noted that officials said last month that the US Defense Department had the authority to remove about $6.8 billion from Pentagon inventories but acknowledged growing doubts and risks to the US military’s capabilities as the Biden administration enters its final stretch.

The White House called on Congress to provide an additional $24 billion in security assistance for Ukraine at the end of November as US arms stocks are dwindling,” the outlet reported.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Donald Trump’s return to the presidency due to a possible withdrawal of military aid to Kiev, the Biden administration is reportedly seeking to allocate these requested funds as “emergency spending.” Bloomberg reported that the White House had requested $8 billion for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, which funds long-term arms contracts with US defense contractors.

Biden is not the only world leader scrambling to throw away more wasted resources at Ukraine before Trump enters the White House next month.

German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz made a surprise visit to Kiev on December 2 for the first time in two and a half years to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky and announce the delivery of additional weapons worth €650 million.

On his social media, Scholz said he had taken a night train to Kiev to express “our support for Ukraine will not waiver” and announced new arms deliveries to the country.

“I would like to make clear, here on the ground, that Germany will remain Ukraine’s strongest supporter in Europe. In my meeting with Zelensky, I will announce further arms worth €650 million, which are to be delivered before the end of December,” he wrote on the social network X.

However, unlike Biden, Scholz maintains communications with the Kremlin. A few weeks before the visit, on 15 November, he even had a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The conversation focused on the Ukraine conflict, and judging by official statements, both sides reaffirmed their divergent positions on the matter.

Although Scholz has opened communications directly with Putin, this evidently has not stopped the German leader from taking detrimental actions that prolonged the war, such as providing an additional €650 Million to battle Russian forces. It is more likely that Scholz spoke with Putin begrudgingly because the Ukraine war will begin to wind down once Trump becomes president, meaning that a new reality will emerge, one that is too early to predict how that will shape.

It has been known for months that Biden would not be president after January, but there was hope that his policies would continue under Kamala Harris. Since this will not happen, he is using his last opportunities as president to throw more money away to Ukraine’s futile war effort against Russia instead of prioritizing the longtime economically suffering of average American citizen.

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image: President Joe Biden travels to Kyiv, Ukraine Monday, February 20, 2023. (Official White House Photo by Adam Schultz)

What this superb Lady, Susan Abulhawa, says to the Oxford Union elitists is way beyond extraordinary. She stuns the black-suited crowd of Oxford Zionists or Zionist supporters with her historic knowledge, with her frankness, demolishing the Zionist objective of killing all Palestinians to appropriate this fertile and productive Holy Land of olive trees, land of Palestine, with unforgettable and indomitable Palestinian culture, of Palestinian homes built by Palestinian hands, and bricks – sweat – built forever PALESTINIAN. 

Susan describes what she witnessed during her two visits in Gaza earlier this year: carpet bombing of schools, hospitals, children and women – of blown off children’s heads, legs, arms, feet; of famine-driven children and their mothers, women, lured to explosive-laden food cans, poisoned water.  

She describes how Palestinian death is the driving force behind this diabolical torture and death machine, called Zionist-Israel.

Yet, Susan Abulhawa ends her remarks to the Oxford Union Debate on an unexpected positive note, looking forward into a restored and rehabilitated Palestine:

“Someday, your impunity and arrogance will end. Palestine will be free; she will be restored to her multi-religious, multi-ethnic pluralistic glory; we will restore and expand the trains that run from Cairo to Gaza to Jerusalem, Haifa, Tripoli, Beirut, Damascus, Amman, Kuwait, Sanaa, and so on; we will put an end to the Zionist American war machine of domination, expansion, extraction, pollution, and looting.

..and you will either leave, or you will finally learn to live with others as equals.”

See this – Susan Abulhawa’s remarks at the historic The Oxford Union debate, 28 November 2024.

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Read on X or below

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“I will not take questions until I’m finished speaking; so please refrain from interrupting me.

Addressing the challenge of what to do about the indigenous inhabitants of the land Chaim Weizman, a Russian Jew, said to the World Zionist Congress in 1921 that Palestinians were akin to “the rocks of Judea, obstacles that had to be cleared on a difficult path.”

David Gruen, a Polish Jew, who changed his name to David Ben Gurion to sound relevant to the region, said. “We must expel Arabs and take their places”

There are thousands of such conversations among the early zionists who plotted and implemented the violent colonization of Palestine and the annihilation of her native people.

But they were only partially successful, murdering or ethnically cleansing 80% of Palestinians, which meant that 20% of us remained, an enduring obstacle to their colonial fantasies, which became the subject of their obsessions in the decades that followed, especially after conquering what remained of Palestine in 1967.

Zionists lamented our presence and they debated publicly in all circles—political, academic, social, cultural circles—regarding what do with us; what to do about the Palestinian birthrate, about our babies, which they dub a demographic threat.

Benny Morris, who was originally meant to be here, once expressed regret that Ben Gurion “did not finish the job” of getting rid of us all, which would have obviated what they refer to as the “Arab problem.”

Benjamin Netanyahu, a Polish Jew whose real name is Benjamin Mileikowsky, once bemoaned a missed opportunity during the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising to expel large swaths of the Palestinian population “while world attention was focused on China.”

Some of their articulated solutions to the nuisance of our existence include a “break their bones” policy in the 80s and 90s, ordered by Yitzhak Rubitzov, Ukrainian Jew who changed his name to Yitzhak Rabin (for the same reasons).

That horrific policy that crippled generations of Palestinians did not succeed in making us leave. And frustrated by Palestinian resilience, a new discourse arose, especially after a massive natural gas field was discovered off the coast of Northern Gaza worth trillions of dollars.

This new discourse is echoed in the words of Colonel Efraim Eitan, who said in 2004, “we have to kill them all.”

Aaron Sofer, an Israeli so-called intellectual and political advisor, insisted in 2018 that “we have to kill and kill and kill. All day, every day.”

When I was in Gaza, I saw a little boy no more than 9 years whose hands and part of his face, had been blown off from a booby trapped can of food that soldiers had left behind for Gaza’s starving children. I later learned that they had also left poisoned food for people in Shujaiyya, and in the 1980s and 90s, Israeli soldiers had left booby trapped toys in southern Lebanon that exploded when excited children picked them up.

The harm they do is diabolical, and yet, they expect you to believe they are the victims. Invoking Europe’s holocaust and screaming antisemitism, they expect you to suspend fundamental human reason to believe that the daily sniping of children with so called “kill shots” and the bombing of entire neighborhoods that bury families alive and wipe out whole bloodlines is self-defense.

They want you to believe that a man who had not eaten a thing in over 72 hours, who kept fighting even when all he had was one functioning arm, that this man was motivated by some innate savagery and irrational hatred or jealousy of Jews, rather than the indominable yearning to see his people free in their own homeland.

It’s clear to me that we’re not here to debate whether Israel is an apartheid or genocidal state. This debate is ultimately about the worth of Palestinian lives; about the worth of our schools, research centers, books, art, and dreams; about the worth of the homes we worked all our lives to build and which contain the memories of generations; about the worth of our humanity and our agency; the worth of bodies and ambitions.

Because if the roles were reversed—if Palestinians had spent the last eight decade stealing Jewish homes, expelling, oppressing, imprisoning, poisoning, torturing, raping and killing them;

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Photo shows Drs. Muhanna and Abed caring for an infant and staff mourning three colleagues executed by occupation forces.

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if Palestinians had killed an estimated 300,000 Jews in one year, targeted their journalists, their thinkers, their healthcare workers, their athletes, their artists, bombed every Israeli hospital, university, library, museum, cultural center, synagogue, and simultaneously set up an observation platform where people came watch their slaughter as if a tourist attraction;

if Palestinians had corralled them by the hundreds of thousands into flimsy tents, bombed them in so called safe zones, burned them alive, cut off their food, water, and medicine;

if Palestinians made Jewish children wander barefoot with empty pots; made them gather the flesh of their parents into plastic bags; made them bury their siblings, cousins and friends; made them sneak out from their tents in the middle of the night to sleep on their parents’ graves; made them pray for death just to join their families and not be alone in this terrible world anymore, and terrorized them so utterly that their children lose their hair, lose their memory, lose their minds, and made those as young as 4 and 5 year old were die of heart attacks;

if we mercilessly forced their NICU babies to die, alone in hospital beds, crying until they could cry no more, died and decomposed in the same spot;

if Palestinians used wheat flour aid trucks to lure starving jews, then opened fire on them when they gathered to collect a day’s bread; if Palestinians finally allowed a food delivery into a shelter with hungry Jews, then set fire to the entire shelter and aid truck before anyone could taste the food;

if a Palestinian sniper bragged about blowing out 42 Jewish kneecaps in one day as one Israeli soldier did in 2019; if a Palestinian admitted to CNN that he ran over hundreds of Jews with his tank, their squished flesh lingering in the tank treads;

if Palestinians were systematically raping Jewish doctors, patients, and other captives with hot metal rods, jagged and electrified sticks, and fire extinguishers, sometimes raping to death, as happened with Dr Adnan alBursh and others;

if Jewish women were forced to give birth in filth, get C-sections or leg amputations without anesthesia; if we destroyed their children then decorated our tanks with their toys; if we killed or displaced their women then posed with their lingerie…

if the world were watching the livestreamed systematic annihilation of Jews in real time, there would be no debating whether that constituted terrorism or genocide.

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The bombing of Al Tabeen school in Gaza (Source)

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And yet two Palestinians—myself and Mohammad el-Kurd— showed up here to do just that, enduring the indignity of debating those who think our only life choices should be to leave our homeland, submit to their supremacy, or die politely and quietly.

But you would be wrong to think that I came to convince you of anything. The house resolution, though well-meaning and appreciated, is of little consequence in the midst of this holocaust of our time.

I came in the spirit of Malcolm X and Jimmy Baldwin, both of whom stood here and in Cambridge before I was born, facing finely dressed well-spoken monsters who harbored the same supremacist ideologies as Zionism—these notions of entitlement and privilege, of being divinely favored, blessed, or chosen.

I’m here for the sake of history. To speak to generations not yet born and for the chronicles of this extraordinary time where the carpet bombing of defenseless indigenous societies is legitimized.

I’m here for my grandmothers, both of whom died as penniless refugees while foreign Jews lived in their stolen homes.

And I also came to speak directly to zionists here and everywhere.

We let you into our homes when your own countries tried to murder you and everyone else turned you away. We fed, clothed, gave you shelter, and we shared the bounty of our land with you, and when the time was ripe, you kicked us out of our own homes and homeland, then you killed and robbed and burned and looted our lives.

You carved out our hearts because it is clear you do not know how to live in the world without dominating others.

You have crossed all lines and nurtured the most vile of human impulses, but the world is finally glimpsing the terror we have endured at your hands for so long, and they are seeing the reality of who you are, who you’ve always been. They watch in utter astonishment the sadism, the glee, the joy, and pleasure with which you conduct, watch, and cheer the daily details of breaking our bodies, our minds, our future, our past.

But no matter what happens from here, no matter what fairytales you tell yourself and tell the world, you will never truly belong to that land. You will never understand the sacredness of the olive trees, which you’ve been cutting down and burning for decades just to spite us and to break our hearts a little more. No one native to that land would dare do such a thing to the olives. 

No one who belongs to that region would ever bomb or destroy such ancient heritage as Baalbak or Bittir, or destroy ancient cemeteries as you destroy ours, like the Anglican cemetery in Jerusalem or the resting place of ancient Muslim scholars and warriors in Maamanillah. 

Those who come from that land do not desecrate the dead; that’s why my family for centuries were the caretakers of the Jewish cemetery in the mount of olives, as labors of faith and care for what we know is part of our ancestry and story.

Your ancestors will always be buried in your actual homelands of Poland, Ukraine, and elsewhere around the world from whence you came. The mythos and folklore of the land will always be alien to you.

You will never be literate in the sartorial language of the thobes we wear, that sprang from the land through our foremothers over centuries—every motif, design, and pattern speaking to the secrets of local lore, flora, birds, rivers, and wildlife.

What your realestate agents call in their high-priced listings “old Arab home” will always hold in their stones the stories and memories of our ancestors who built them. The ancient photos and paintings of the land will never contain you.

You will never know how it feels to be loved and supported by those who have nothing to gain from you, and in fact, everything to lose. You will never know the feeling of masses all over the world pouring into the streets and stadiums to chant and sing for your freedom; and it is not because you are Jewish, as you try to make the world believe, but because you are depraved violent colonizers who think your Jewishness entitles you to the home my grandfather and his brothers built with their own hands on lands that had been in our family for centuries. It is because Zionism is a blight onto Judaism and indeed onto humanity.

You can change your names to sound more relevant to the region and you can pretend falafel and hummus and zaatar are your ancient cuisines, but in the recesses of your being, you will always feel the sting of this epic forgery and theft, that’s why even the drawings of our children pasted hung on walls at the UN or in a hospital ward send your leaders and lawyers into hysteric meltdowns.

You will not erase us, no matter how many of us you kill and kill and kill, all day every day. We are not the rocks Chaim Weizmann thought you could clear from the land. We are its very soil. We are her rivers and her trees and her stories, because all of that was nurtured by our bodies and our lives over millennia of continuous, uninterrupted habitation of that patch of earth between the Jordan and Mediterranean waters, from our Canaanite, our Hebrew, our Philistine, and our Phoenician ancestors, to every conqueror or pilgrim who came and went, who married or raped, loved, enslaved, converted between religions, settled or prayed in our land, leaving pieces of themselves in our bodies and our heritage. The fabled, tumultuous stories of that land are quite literally in our DNA. You cannot kill or propagandize that away, no matter what death technology you use or what Hollywood and corporate media arsenals you deploy.

Someday, your impunity and arrogance will end. Palestine will be free; she will be restored to her multi-religious, multi-ethnic pluralistic glory; we will restore and expand the trains that run from Cairo to Gaza to Jerusalem, Haifa, Tripoli, Beirut, Damascus, Amman, Kuwait, Sanaa, and so on; we will put an end to the Zionist American war machine of domination, expansion, extraction, pollution, and looting.

..and you will either leave, or you will finally learn to live with others as equals.

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Susan Abulhawa is a Palestinian writer and human rights activist and animal rights advocate. She is the author of several books, and the founder of a non-governmental organization, Playgrounds for Palestine. Her first novel, Mornings in Jenin, was translated into 32 languages and sold more than a million copies. 

Susan Abulhawa visited Gaza twice this year between February and May, witnessing firsthand the unimaginable scale of Israel’s actions.

Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he worked for over 30 years around the world. He 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.

Protein needs become crucial for older adults, but many Americans over 50 don’t meet recommended intakes. Both insufficient and excessive protein consumption leads to health issues

Proteins, composed of amino acids, are essential for bodily functions. Your body requires 20 amino acids, including nine essential ones that must be obtained through diet

Studies show 31% to 50% of older adults don’t meet protein recommendations. This deficiency correlates with lower intake of essential nutrients and decreased physical functioning

Your ability to perform daily activities is closely tied to your protein intake. If you’re not meeting your protein needs, you’re more likely to experience limitations in activities of daily living such as standing for longer periods, walking upstairs, preparing meals and walking for a quarter mile

Protein should make up about 15% of your daily calories. More specifically, most adults need about 0.8 grams of protein per pound of ideal body weight. Quality, timing and distribution of protein consumption throughout the day are important factors in maintaining muscle health and overall vitality

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As you enter your golden years, your protein needs become increasingly important for maintaining health and functionality. A recent analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) reveals, however, that many Americans over 50 are not meeting their recommended daily protein intake.¹ This deficiency puts you at risk of a host of health issues, particularly as you age.

The study examined protein intakes, associated dietary patterns and physical functioning in adults aged 51 and older, shedding light on the importance of adequate protein consumption for healthy aging.

However, it’s important to optimize protein intake, as consuming either too much or too little is problematic. If you eat too much protein, it may harm your kidney health and homocysteine levels. But if you eat too little, there’s a risk of sarcopenia, an age-related condition characterized by the loss of muscle mass and function, and frailty.²

The Vital Role of Proteins in Your Body

You might not think about it often, but proteins are working tirelessly in your body every moment of the day. These remarkable molecules are essential for building and repairing your tissues, including your muscles and organs. They’re also important for the proper functioning of your enzymes, hormones and immune system components. But what exactly are proteins made of?

They’re composed of smaller units called amino acids, some of which your body can’t produce on its own. These “essential” amino acids must come from your diet, which is why it’s important to consume protein-rich foods like meat, eggs and dairy products. By ensuring a varied diet with these protein sources, you’re providing your body with the building blocks it needs to function optimally.

When you eat protein, your body doesn’t simply absorb it whole. Instead, it breaks down the protein into its individual amino acids. As explained by the educational platform Osmosis from Elsevier,³these amino acids are then reformed into new proteins in your body.

These newly formed proteins perform a vast array of functions, from fighting infections to helping your cells divide. At its most basic, a protein is like a string of beads, with each bead representing an amino acid. These strings then twist and fold into complex shapes, giving each protein its unique structure and function.

Most amino acids have a central carbon atom bonded to an amino group, a carboxylic acid group, a hydrogen atom and a unique sidechain. This structure is why they’re called amino acids.

The 20 Amino Acids Your Body Needs

While nature has produced hundreds of amino acids, your body only uses about 20 of them to create virtually every type of protein it needs. Those 20 proteins include:

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Each of these amino acids plays a role in your body’s functions. For example, leucine is important for muscle growth and repair. Not all amino acids are created equal when it comes to your dietary needs, however. Of the 20 amino acids your body uses, some are considered nonessential because your body produces them on its own. These include alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid and serine.

However, don’t let the term “nonessential” fool you — these amino acids are still crucial for your health. They’re simply called nonessential because you don’t need to get them directly from your diet. On the other hand, there are nine essential amino acids that your body can’t produce — histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine.

You must obtain these from the foods you eat, which is why a varied, protein-rich diet is so important.

There’s a third category of amino acids that falls between essential and nonessential: conditionally essential amino acids. These include arginine, cysteine, glutamine, glycine, proline and tyrosine. Under normal circumstances, your body produces these amino acids. However, during times of illness, stress or intense physical activity, your body’s ability to produce these amino acids may not be sufficient to meet your increased needs.

In these situations, it becomes necessary to consume these amino acids through your diet. This is why your protein needs change depending on your age, health status and activity level.

The Surprising Truth About Protein Intake in Older Adults

You might assume that most Americans easily meet or exceed their protein requirements, but the data tell a different story. A substantial proportion of older adults — between 31% and 50% — did not even meet the highly conservative recommended protein intake of 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day.⁴

The problem becomes more pronounced with age, as the likelihood of meeting protein recommendations decreases in older age groups. This trend is particularly worrying because it coincides with the age range when sarcopenia becomes more prevalent. When you don’t meet your protein needs, it’s not just your muscles that suffer.

The study found that adults not meeting the protein recommendation were more likely to have lower intakes of several essential nutrients.⁵ These include fiber, various B vitamins, choline, vitamins C, A, D, E and K, as well as important minerals like zinc, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and selenium. Many of these are considered nutrients of public health concern due to their widespread under-consumption. This nutrient shortfall has far-reaching effects on your health.

For instance, zinc insufficiency impairs your immune function and slows wound healing — issues that become increasingly problematic as you age. The combination of low protein and micronutrient deficiencies may increase your risk of common age-related issues such as falls, pressure sores, osteoporosis, muscle weakness and even premature mortality.

The Link Between Protein and Physical Functioning

Your ability to perform daily activities is also closely tied to your protein intake. The study found a positive association between achieving the recommended protein intake and self-reported physical functioning.

If you’re not meeting your protein needs, you’re more likely to experience limitations in activities of daily living such as stooping, crouching, kneeling, standing or sitting for longer periods, walking upstairs, preparing meals and walking for a quarter mile.⁶

These findings align with other research showing that higher protein diets improve physical functioning, particularly in activities like walking, climbing stairs and lifting heavy items.⁷ While the current study doesn’t prove causation, it suggests that ensuring adequate protein intake could play a role in maintaining your independence and quality of life as you age.

The Benefits of Increased Protein Intake for Older Adults

Epidemiological and experimental evidence supports the notion that in some cases older adults may benefit from protein intake higher than the current recommended dietary allowance (RDA).

A seminal study from the Health, Aging, and Body Composition Study revealed that older community-dwellers consuming around 1.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight daily lost 40% less lean muscle tissue in their arms and legs over a three-year follow-up compared to those ingesting 0.8 grams per kilogram.⁸

Similar findings were observed in two independent cohorts from the Women’s Health Initiative and the Framingham Offspring study, where protein intake of approximately 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight was associated with better grip strength preservation.⁹ Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have shown that protein intakes higher than the RDA are linked to improved physical function and reduced risk of sarcopenia in older adults.¹⁰

These findings have led several expert groups to issue updated nutritional recommendations for maintaining and improving lean body mass and function in old age, suggesting daily protein intakes of at least 1 to 1.2 grams per kilogram of body weight for healthy older individuals.¹¹

Finding Your Protein Sweet Spot

So, how do you determine the right amount of protein for your body? The study suggests that both too little and too much protein can be detrimental to muscle health. While low protein intake (less than 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day) was associated with a lower risk of low muscle mass, it didn’t provide significant protection against sarcopenia overall. The optimal range in this study was between 0.8 and 1.3 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day.

As a rule, protein should make up about 15% of your daily calories. Approximately one-third of this protein, or about 5%, should be collagen. More specifically, most adults need about 0.8 grams of protein per pound of ideal body weight (the weight you would ideally be, not necessarily the weight you are now), or for Europeans, approximately 1.76 grams of protein per kilogram.

So, while the conventional recommendation is 0.8 grams per KILO of TOTAL bodyweight, my recommendation is 0.8 grams per POUND of IDEAL bodyweight — including for seniors. This ends up being significantly higher than the conventional recommendation.

To determine your ideal bodyweight, you need to figure out your lean body mass. Take your current weight and subtract your body fat percentage. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds and have 20% body fat, your lean body mass is 128 pounds (160 x 0.8). Multiply that by 0.8, and you’ve got your daily protein target: 102.4 grams.

This might seem like a lot, but spread it out over your meals, and it’s totally doable. Aim for about 33 grams per meal if you’re eating three times a day. In another example, if your ideal weight is 135 pounds, your protein requirement would be 108 grams. Divided into two meals, that would be 54 grams per meal. For reference, there’s approximately 7 grams of protein in each ounce of steak, so a 5-ounce steak would give you 35 grams of high-quality protein.

For children, the average amount per meal is around 5 to 10 grams, while young adults typically can get away with 20 grams per meal. For most normal-weight adults, 30 grams per meal is the minimum you need to stimulate muscle protein synthesis. To find your personal protein sweet spot, consider factors such as your age, activity level and overall health status.

Quality and Timing Matter: Optimizing Protein Intake

When it comes to protein intake, quality and timing are just as important as quantity. Protein quality is sometimes expressed using the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS), which measures the systemic bioavailability of indispensable amino acids from specific foods, mixed meals or supplements.

Most animal food sources provide excellent quality protein (DIAAS ≥100), while whey falls into the high-quality category (DIAAS = 75–99). Leucine content is a key factor in protein quality, as it stimulates muscle protein synthesis through the activation of specific signaling pathways. To maximize muscle health, some experts recommend ingesting 25 to 30 grams of high-quality protein with at least 2.5 grams of leucine at each meal.¹²

Your eating pattern also matters, with current recommendations encouraging older individuals to distribute protein intake evenly across meals rather than concentrating it in a single sitting. Additionally, consuming protein-rich meals in close proximity to exercise routines, particularly resistance training, enhances muscle anabolic responses and supports overall muscle health.¹³

While optimizing your protein intake is important, it’s just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to maintaining muscle health and vitality as you age. Other factors are also associated with muscle strength and sarcopenia, including physical activity, overall diet quality and gut microbiome diversity. A holistic approach to healthy aging is best for preserving muscle mass and function.

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Notes

^{1, 4, 5, 6, 7} J Nutr Health Aging 23, 338–347 (2019)

² Youtube, Dr. Mercola, The Importance of Exercise and Biological Youth for Longevity — Interview with Siim Land

³ YouTube, Osmosis from Elsevier, Proteins February 27, 2019

^{8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13} Metabolism September 2023, Volume 146, 155637

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol yesterday launched what was tantamount to a military coup. On national television at about 10.25 p.m., he announced a martial law decree, banning strikes, protests and all political activity and imposing blanket censorship. After facing immediate protests and opposition in the National Assembly, Yoon announced around 4:30 a.m. today that he would lift martial law and that troops dispatched to enforce the decree had been withdrawn.

Yoon justified his sweeping anti-democratic measures in the name of eradicating “pro-North Korean forces” and protecting “the constitutional order of freedom.” He declared that “we will protect and rebuild a liberal Republic of Korea, which is falling into the abyss of national ruin,” and accused the opposition Democratic Party (DP) of including “anti-state forces who are the main culprits of national ruin and who have committed heinous acts up until now.”

The immediate cause of Yoon’s move to impose military dictatorship is the political standoff between Yoon as president and the National Assembly, which, since the general election in April, is controlled by the DP and allies that hold 170 seats in the 300-seat body. Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP), which holds just 108 seats, nevertheless has ruling party status.

Political warfare has come to a head over the Democrats’ efforts to stall and cut back Yoon’s proposed budget. Yoon also denounced the opposition for carrying out impeachment proceedings against numerous figures in his government, including recently the head of the state audit agency and the chief prosecutor in Seoul.

Kim Yong-hyun, who was appointed defence minister on September 2, reportedly proposed martial law to Yoon. Kim has previously held high positions within the military, rising to the rank of three-star general in the army before retiring in 2017. He is close to Yoon, serving as an advisor in the past on military issues.

Under martial law, all political activities would be illegal, including the operation of the National Assembly, any work by political parties, and demonstrations. Strikes and other forms of workers’ protests would also be illegal. The media would be under the control of the martial law government.

Following Yoon’s declaration last night, thousands of protesters quickly gathered outside the National Assembly, many demanding Yoon’s arrest. Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) leader Yang Gyeong-su announced,

“Starting with the KCTU central executive committee press conference at 8 a.m. on the 4th, we will go on an indefinite general strike until the Yoon Seok-yeol administration resigns.”

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung called on parliamentarians to meet and vote to end martial law. The head of Yoon’s own party, Han Dong-hoon, publicly declared that the martial law decree was “wrong.” Under South Korea’s constitution, a majority vote in the National Assembly requires the president to lift martial law.

Parliamentary aides blockaded doors as military personnel smashed windows to gain entry to the National Assembly in an attempt to arrest Lee, Han, and National Assembly Speaker U Won-sik. If that had been successful, the situation today would be very different.

At 1:00 a.m., 190 lawmakers were present and unanimously voted to lift Yoon’s martial law, including 172 opposition legislators and 18 PPP members. Speaker U Won-sik declared martial law “null and void” and called on soldiers and police to leave the building. He declared shortly after that no military personnel remained in the building.

Yoon and the military were silent for more than three hours before announcing that martial law would be lifted and that troops had been withdrawn. The Democrats have now announced that if Yoon does not voluntarily resign, they will pursue his impeachment.

The political crisis that led to Yoon’s declaration of martial law is far from over. Dictatorship, which has a long history in South Korea, continues to loom large. The lengthy delay in responding to the parliamentary vote was not out of any consideration of constitutional niceties, but fears in ruling circles that Yoon’s precipitous actions would trigger an outpouring of popular opposition, particularly from the working class.

Workers and youth cannot rely on the Democrats and their trade union allies to prevent another coup attempt. The opposition party and the KCTU have demonstrated time and again that their overriding concern is not the social and democratic rights of working people, but the defence of South Korean capitalism. In power, the Democrats, no less than their rightwing rivals, have made deep inroads into the social position of the working class, aided and abetted by the KCTU, which has confined and sabotaged strikes and protests.

The resort to martial law was not simply the product of the individual psyche of the president, but stems from the crisis of South Korean and global capitalism. Around the world, rapidly deteriorating living standards, the staggering growth of social inequality and the plunge towards world war are fuelling strikes, mass protests and a political radicalization among workers and young people. Increasingly, in country after country, the ruling class is dispensing with the trappings of democracy and adopting extreme anti-democratic measures. The very advanced character of the crisis is expressed most clearly in the United States—the centre of world imperialism—where the fascist Donald Trump is about to be installed in power.

South Korea, the world’s 13th largest economy, is no exception. Indeed, there is a distinct echo of Trump’s lashing out at “the enemy within” in Yoon’s anti-communist diatribe used to justify his declaration of martial law. Real wages are falling as prices increase, making it harder and harder for workers to make ends meet and leading to acute social tensions. Yoon has backed and militarily aided the US-NATO war in Ukraine against Russia and is integrating South Korea into the accelerating US-led preparations for war against China.

As a result, Yoon is widely despised. His approval rating has fallen as low as 17 percent. One poll last month found that 58.3 percent of respondents wanted Yoon out of office. On November 30, approximately 100,000 demonstrators marched in Seoul to demand his resignation. The Democrats, the KCTU and various civic groups in the DP’s orbit all participated.

Since coming to office in May 2022, Yoon has regularly denounced his political opponents in vitriolic, anti-communist terms, accusing them of sympathizing or even taking orders from North Korea. During a major strike of truck drivers at the end of 2022, Yoon denounced the protracted stoppage for better wages and working conditions as “similar to the North Korean nuclear threat.”

This week, several unions affiliated with the KCTU planned to strike or hold protests, including of rail and subway workers. The unions involved represent approximately 70,000 workers. Workers belonging to the KCTU-affiliated Korean Railway Workers’ Union were set to strike on December 5, while Seoul subway workers were planning to walk off the job the following day. Non-regular education workers were also planning to stop work on December 6. Truck drivers belonging to Cargo Truckers Solidarity held a two-day strike on December 2-3. Workers at the National Pension Service and the Korea Gas Corporation also planned to strike this week.

In addition, auto parts workers at Hyundai Transys from the Korean Metal Workers’ Union (KMWU) held a one month-long strike beginning in October. The KMWU, one of the most influential unions in the KCTU, came under huge pressure from big business and Yoon’s government after the strike led to the shutdown of lines at Hyundai Motors.

The South Korean ruling class is no stranger to trampling on the democratic rights of the working class. Martial law was last declared in 1979 following the assassination of military dictator Park Chung-hee. It was expanded the following year when Chun Doo-hwan carried out his own coup. The military subsequently conducted mass repression against protesters, most infamously in the city of Gwangju, where upwards of 2,000 people were massacred.

The declaration of martial law demonstrates that despite the so-called democratization that took place following mass protests in the 1980s and early 1990s, the South Korean state still rests on the anti-communist, dictatorial foundations established by US imperialism after World War II through its puppet Syngman Rhee regime, later strengthened under Park.

Yoon’s attempted coup is a serious warning to the South Korean and international working class. In the midst of worsening crises, autocratic methods of rule are the order of the day for the ruling classes around the world. The defence of democratic rights is completely bound up with the independent mobilization of the working class on a socialist perspective to put an end to the outmoded capitalist system that is the root cause of war, austerity and dictatorship.

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Featured image: Police officers stand outside the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, December 4, 2024. [AP Photo/Lee Jin-man]

Trump’s Alleged Ukraine Plan Unacceptable to Russia, But NATO Doesn’t Even Want That

By Drago Bosnic, December 04, 2024

One of Donald Trump’s most contentious promises was that he would end the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict almost immediately after taking office. However, after winning the election, he seems to be changing the tune. Namely, various sources are reporting that his plan includes the freezing of the conflict, with Ukraine becoming some sort of buffer zone between Russia and NATO.

Why the American Psychiatric Association Should Consider ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ (TDS) a Legitimate Mental Disorder in America

By Timothy Alexander Guzman, December 04, 2024

Trump Derangment Syndrome is back in full-force. Since Donald J. Trump defeated the Democratic Party after years of indictments, harassment, an FBI raid on his Mar‑a‑Lago home and threats on his life with two assassination attempts and he still managed to embarrass the Democrats in a convincing landslide victory.  

Weather Modification, Climate Engineering, Russia’s “New” Super Speed (Mach 10) Multiple Warhead Missile “Oreshnik”

By Peter Koenig, December 04, 2024

As people increasingly catch on to the western frauds and lies – and the empire is collapsing, there is no doubt, this empire will do whatever it takes to pull down into the abyss with it as much of the rest of the world as it can.

The Syrian Civil War: New Phases, Old Lies

By Dr. Binoy Kampmark, December 03, 2024

A new bloody phase has opened up in Syria, as if it was ever possible to contemplate another one in that tormented land. Silly terms such as “moderate” are being paired with “rebels”, a coupling that can also draw scorn.

Forced Recruitment Causing Serious Problems in Ukrainian Society

By Lucas Leiroz de Almeida, December 03, 2024

Ukraine’s unpopular mobilization measures are already causing serious problems in the country and significantly worsening internal tensions. Recently, Ukrainian military and civilian citizens have spoken out to Western media about their views on conscription, revealing the brutal reality behind the Kiev’s army.

The Irish and Georgian Protests – A Comparison of Reactions

By Gavin OReilly, December 03, 2024

On Thursday, following the decision of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to suspend talks on EU membership until 2028, thousands would take to the streets of Tbilisi in protest, where they would be addressed by the country’s pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili.

Video: Silver Bullet. “They Want One World Government”. Dr. Mike Yeadon

By Dr. Mike Yeadon, December 04, 2024

This Address was prepared for the Northern Ireland parliament but represents a clear summing-up, without bells and whistles, of a few central points which, if widely understood, would severely hamper the ability of those with control issues from succeeding in their ‘unification’ plans.

One of Donald Trump’s most contentious promises was that he would end the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict almost immediately after taking office.

However, after winning the election, he seems to be changing the tune. Namely, various sources are reporting that his plan includes the freezing of the conflict, with Ukraine becoming some sort of buffer zone between Russia and NATO. It should be noted that the draft of the plan is yet to be released to the public and that most of it is based on speculation coming from earlier proposals by people close to Trump. According to the Wall Street Journal, his team’s proposal includes a condition for the Kiev regime to give up plans for NATO membership in the next 20 years, an armistice that would stop the fighting on the current frontline and the establishment of a DMZ (demilitarized zone).

Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst

The original sources of this article is InfoBrics

Trump Derangment Syndrome is back in full-force. Since Donald J. Trump defeated the Democratic Party after years of indictments, harassment, an FBI raid on his Mar‑a‑Lago home and threats on his life with two assassination attempts and he still managed to embarrass the Democrats in a convincing landslide victory.  The Democratic Party is in panic mode, they obviously destroyed themselves with their “lawfare warriors” with their obsession of “Getting Trump.”  They hate Trump with a passion.  They hate him so much that they became somewhat mentally ill, there is no other way to describe it.

After Trump’s election victory, liberals developed a mental disorder that is called ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ (TDS) which has some serious implications for those who hate the former President so much that it made them mentally ill.  However, according to Psychologytoday.com, TDS is not considered a mental disorder:

Mental illnesses are officially classified in a dense and dry book published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). This book contains 947 pages and lists hundreds of mental disorders; TDS is nowhere to be seen. Similarly, a review of scholarly databases such as MEDLINE and Google Scholar reveal no academic papers on this alleged syndrome. Officially at least, TDS is not a real, diagnosable, or treatable mental disorder

TDS should be considered a legitimate mental disorder.  Since Trump was elected in 2016, the liberals became enraged with anger allowing them to commit violent crimes against Trump supporters.

There are several recent examples concerning TDS.  According to CBS News

“A Texas man who wore a hat supporting former President Donald Trump punched an election worker who told him that wearing items endorsing a candidate are prohibited at voting sites, a sheriff said Friday.” 

The election worker was a 69-year-old man who was arrested on felony charges of assaulting an elderly person.

That was just one example, but it gets worse, even crazy because after Trump’s victory, there were “crying sessions” offered by employers.  Yes, crying sessions.

The Christian Post reported that

“The U.S. State Department reportedly offered therapy sessions and mental health services for employees distressed by President-elect Donald Trump’s recent electoral victory last week, including what one source described as a “cry session.” The post also mentioned that “An internal State Department email offered employees the opportunity to go to a one-hour event during which they were encouraged to discuss their feelings about the presidential election, according to multiple internal sources who spoke to The Washington Free Beacon.”

The irony behind therapy sessions after Trump’s victory is that psychologists will earn massive profits from victims of TDS.  The NY Post reported that

“Liberals in deep-blue New York City shocked and disturbed by President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory are flooding shrinks’ inboxes looking for appointments.” Talk about making money out of misery. “It’s a perfect storm for New York therapists,” said Manhattan psychologist Chloe Carmichael, who estimated she’s received a 15% spike in inquiries from patients. “It’s a repeat of 2016, where a lot of people feel really scared and traumatized and angry.”

TDS gets ugly, in fact, disturbing, The NY Post headlined with ‘Minnesota dad who ranted against Trump election gunned down wife, ex-girlfriend and his 2 kids in murder-suicide’ based on a report on a father who was distraught from the fact that Trump won the election:

A Minnesota dad who ranted against President-elect Donald Trump online shot and killed his wife, ex-partner, and his two sons before turning the gun on himself, according to authorities. The shooter, 46-year-old Anthony Nephew, had a “pattern of mental health issues,” Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa said on Friday — one day after authorities found five people dead inside two homes in the city.

Authorities found Anthony Nephew’s ex-partner Erin Abramson, 47, and their son, Jacob Nephew, 15, dead from apparent gunshot wounds inside their home Thursday afternoon, police said

Another recent headlined from the NY Post, ‘Wife of prominent trans writer hacked father to death with ice ax after Trump’s election night victory: cops’ if this does not have TDS written all over it, I don’t know what is:

A space rocket program manager butchered her father with an ice ax on election night after a breakdown following President-elect Donald Trump’s victory — and was found smiling and clapping, covered in her loved one’s blood, cops said.

Corey Burke considered the bloody rampage — in which she allegedly strangled, bit and hacked her 67-year-old father in the $800,000 Seattle home they shared — an “act of liberation,” charging documents allege

It gets even more insane. Zerohedge reported that “Educated white liberal women appear to have lost their goddamn minds after the presidential election. Many have posted videos of uncontrollable emotional outbursts over a Trump victory.”

The story goes on further to explain that women are showing people online how to use a poison called ‘Aqua Tofana’ for male Trump supporters, “Others have made what appears to be terroristic threats, suggesting at the use of strong poison against men because they voted for the evil ‘Orange Man.” and that “Internet searches for Aqua Tofana—a potent poison created in Sicily around 1630 by a woman named Giulia Tofana, or Tofania, and historically used by women to free themselves from relationships by killing men—spiked shortly after the election results.” This is obviously a serious issue in regards to the TDS phenomenom.

It is important to aknowledge how the mainstream media (MSM) has played a significant role in propagandizing people to which has led to a TDS crisis in America.  Many people who suffers from TDS believe that Trump is the next Adolph Hitler, but as we all know, Trump may be many things, but obviously, he is not Hitler re-born.

Courtesy from the Trump team, a montage of video clips from members of the Democratic government calling for violence against Trump and his supporters:

This is just the beginning as the liberals are driving themselves insane over Trump’s win.  It will get worse as we will see more people effected with Trump Derangement Syndrome as the new regime assumes power in January 2025. 

The American Psychiatric Association should seriously consider TDS a real mental disorder and declare it a national crisis or you will read more horrifying stories in the newspapers of people committing crimes against Trump supporters because of their different opinions and ideologies.  TDS is a problem and it should be taken more seriously.

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This article was originally published on Silent Crow News.

Timothy Alexander Guzman writes on his own blog site, Silent Crow News. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image is from SCN

As we know, mostly everything is connected – things do not coincide just by chance.

Let’s try to connect the dots. 

Weather/climate engineering is now officially admitted at least by one meteorological agency, the Spanish AEMET (see reference below).

They say at least 70 countries around the globe possess this technology to a more or less sophisticated degree. The technology itself had been developed already since the 1940.

This explains the extreme flood Spain went through in the last weeks/months, it explains the extreme flooding in Arizona, and hurricanes and flooding in North Carolina, the devastating hurricanes/typhoons in South East Asia and more. Electromagnetic waves in geoengineering can even cause earthquakes.

The connection to the western climate change hoax becomes clear: it’s done to make us, the “idiots”, still believe the climate is changing because we use too much hydrocarbons, emitting too much CO2. They cannot fathom that we “idiots” know that CO2 is equally important for our lives on earth, as is oxygen, and that, in fact, oxygen would not exist if there wasn’t CO2 – food for plants – being absorbed and transformed in a process called photosynthesis into oxygen.

What does that have to do with the Russian missiles?

As people increasingly catch on to the western frauds and lies – and the empire is collapsing, there is no doubt, this empire will do whatever it takes to pull down into the abyss with it as much of the rest of the world as it can. Following the motto, as the empire must go – so must the masses of innocent people, their self-styled enemies like Russia and China – and they want their proxy war in Ukraine to grow into an all-destructive nuclear war, thinking that they the elite will safe themselves in their bunkers prepared for years in New Zealand and other “secure” places. I kid you not.

Russia has developed state of the art weaponry – most of them tactical – causing a minimum of human damage, but destroying weapon manufacturing facilities and deposits, as well as vital infrastructure the west needs to carry on their wars with their killer-machine, called NATO.

A few days ago, President Putin intimated to the west/NATO: “You want war, you can get war, but it will be over in 15 minutes.” (paraphrase, see analysis by Drago Bosnic)

He was referring to the supersonic Oreshnik missile, remote-guided, can shoot from one NATO base to the next, drop its payload, finishing a number of NATO bases with high-energy non-nuclear, all-pulverizing tactical bombs; and that, before the west starts realizing what is happening.

After NATO, through Kiev, launched three American and UK/French-made long-range missiles deep into Russia, Putin launched a supersonic Oreshnik into Ukraine to destroy a weapon manufacturing plant and weapon depot. He called it a test run and a warning for things to come.

As you would expect, the overwhelming arrogance of the west, just laughed, and said Putin was bluffing, not to be impressed by his supersonic weapon that cannot be intercepted by ANY anti-missile system in the world.

Days ago, Russia issued a “notification” in English of what western military/NATO bases could be hit by 30 November. That was last Saturday. Maybe he will refrain from doing so, as long as NATO refrains from sending more long-range missiles into Russia.

Read the articles below:

Spanish State Meteorological Agency AEMET Expands List: More Than 70 States Modify Weather (English version – 27 November 2024) 

Spanish State Meteorological Agency AEMET Expands List: More Than 70 States Modify Weather

By NoGeoengineering and Peter Koenig, November 27, 2024

The Monster Behind Weather Engineering? (18 October 2024)

The Monster Behind Weather Engineering?

By Peter Koenig, October 18, 2024

Breaking: Russia May Hit Somewhere? NATO Bases? (28 November 2024)

Breaking: Russia May Hit Somewhere? NATO Bases?

By Peter Koenig, November 28, 2024

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Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he worked for over 30 years around the world. He 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.

Featured image source

Before the US entered WWII, a series of studies by the Council on Foreign Relations, subsequently adopted by the Roosevelt administration, declared it to be the policy of the US government to attain total military dominance of the entire world.

In 1991, the Wolfowitz Doctrine introduced a new refinement—that the US would carry out preemptive war against any nation or combination of nations that conceivably could threaten that dominance.

In 2001, around the time of “9/11,” the US declared a further refinement: that of “Full Spectrum Dominance” to assure that no other nation or combination of nations could threaten US supremacy in any sphere of warfare: land, sea, air, space, or cyberspace.

Until the US officially rescinds these serial declarations, they obviously remain in force and determine every other action. Nothing can be allowed by any branch of government to undermine or negate them. All the resources of the nation are subject to diversion or confiscation to cement their power, including every action of every human individual, not only within the US but in every other nation. Even the thoughtof any other possibility is seen as an outlawed act.

We have seen time and again that US force and violence rule the entire globe, not just in theory, but in practice, day in and day out, and all through the night.

Do you doubt this? Look around and look again. Look at all the wars since 1941, all the covert actions, all the assassinations, all the propaganda and subterfuge. Now we even have the military-run COVID pandemic and more pandemics promised to be on the way.

Until a president of the US stands up and challenges all the assumptions on which these tragedies depend, what use is his word on any other topic? Isn’t it all just a crock of sh—?

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This was originally published on Three Sages.

Richard C. Cook is co-founder and lead investigator for the American Geopolitical Institute.  Mr. Cook is a retired U.S. federal analyst with extensive experience across various government agencies, including the U.S. Civil Service Commission, FDA, the Carter White House, NASA, and the U.S. Treasury. He is a graduate of the College of William and Mary. As a whistleblower at the time of the Challenger disaster, he exposed the flawed O-ring joints that destroyed the Space Shuttle, documenting his story in the book “Challenger Revealed.” After serving at Treasury, he became a vocal critic of the private finance-controlled monetary system, detailing his concerns in “We Hold These Truths: The Hope of Monetary Reform.” He served as an adviser to the American Monetary Institute and worked with Congressman Dennis Kucinich to advocate for replacing the Federal Reserve with a genuine national currency. See his new book, Our Country, Then and Now, Clarity Press, 2023. Also see his Three Sages Substack and his American Geopolitical Institute articles at https://www.vtforeignpolicy.com/category/agi/.

“Every human enterprise must serve life, must seek to enrich existence on earth, lest man become enslaved where he seeks to establish his dominion!” Bô Yin Râ (Joseph Anton Schneiderfranken, 1876-1943), translation by Posthumus Projects Amsterdam, 2014. Also download the Kober Press edition of The Book on the Living God here. 

He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

On November 26th, Israel and Lebanon signed an agreement for a 60-day truce, during which Israel and Hezbollah are both supposed to withdraw from the area of Lebanon south of the Litani River.

The agreement is based on the terms of UN Security Council resolution 1701, which ended the previous Israeli assault on Lebanon in 2006. The truce will be enforced by 5,000 to 10,000 Lebanese troops and the UN’s 10,000-strong UNIFIL peacekeeping force, which has operated in that area since 1978 and includes troops from 46 countries.

The truce has broad international support, including from Iran and Hamas. Israel and Hezbollah were apparently glad to take a break from a war that had become counterproductive for them both. Effective resistance prevented Israeli forces from advancing far into Lebanon, and they were inflicting mostly senseless death and destruction on civilians, as in Gaza, but without the genocidal motivation of that campaign.

People all over Lebanon have welcomed the relief from Israeli bombing, the destruction of their towns and neighborhoods, and thousands of casualties. In Beirut, people have started returning to their homes.

In the south, the Israeli military has warned residents on both sides of the border not to return yet. It has declared a new buffer zone (which was not part of the truce agreement) that includes 60 villages north of the border, and has warned that it will attack Lebanese civilians who return to that area. Despite these warnings, thousands of displaced people have been returning to south Lebanon, often to find their homes and villages in ruins.

Many people returning to the south still proudly display the yellow flags of Hezbollah. A flag flying over the ruins of Tyre has the words “Made in the USA” written across it, a reminder that the Lebanese people know very well who made the bombs that have killed and maimed so many thousands of them.

There are already many reports of ceasefire violations. Israel shot and wounded two journalists soon after the truce went into effect, and then, two days after the ceasefire, Israel attacked five towns near the border with tanks, fired artillery across the border and conducted airstrikes on southern Lebanon. On December 2nd, Hezbollah finally retaliated with mortar fire in the disputed Shebaa Farms area, and Israel responded with heavier strikes on two villages, killing 11 people.

An addendum to the truce agreement granted Israel the right to strike at will whenever it believes Hezbollah is violating the truce, giving it what Netanyahu called “complete military freedom of action,” which makes this a precarious and one-sided peace at best.

The prospect for a full withdrawal of both Israeli and Hezbollah forces in 60 days seems slim, since Hezbollah has built large weapons stockpiles in the south that it will not want to abandon, and Netanyahu himself has warned that the truce “can be short.”

Then there is the danger of confrontation between Hezbollah and the Lebanese military, raising the specter of Lebanon’s bloody civil war, which killed an estimated 150,000 people between 1975 and 1990.

So violence could flare up into full-scale war again at any time, making it unlikely that many Israelis will return to homes near the border with Lebanon, Israel’s original publicly stated purpose for the war.

The truce agreement was brokered by the United States and France, and signed by the European Union, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. France was a colonial power in Lebanon and plays a leading role in UNIFIL, but Israel initially rejected France as a negotiating partner. It seems to have accepted France’s role only when the Macron government agreed not to enforce the ICC arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu if he comes to France.

The U.K. also signed the original truce proposal on November 25th, but doesn’t appear to have signed the final truce agreement. The U.K. seems to have withdrawn from the negotiations under U.S. and Israeli pressure because, unlike France, its new Labour government has publicly stated that it will comply with the ICC arrest warrants against Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant – although it has not explicitly said it would arrest them.

Netanyahu justified the truce to his own people by saying that it will allow Israeli forces to focus on Gaza and Iran, and only die-hard “security” minister Ben-Gvir voted against the truce in the Israeli cabinet.

While there were hopes that the truce in Lebanon might set the stage for a ceasefire in Gaza, Israel’s actions on the ground tell a different story. Satellite images show Israel carrying out new mass demolitions of hundreds of buildings in northern Gaza to build a new road or boundary between Gaza City and North Gaza. This may be a new border to separate the northernmost 17% of Gaza from the rest of the Gaza Strip, so that Israel can expel its people and prevent them from returning, hand North Gaza over to Israeli settlers and squeeze the desperate, starving survivors in Gaza into an even smaller area than before.

And for all who had hopes that the ceasefire in Lebanon might lead to a regional de-escalation, those hopes were dashed in Syria, when, on the very day of the truce, the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a surprise offensive. HTS was formerly the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front. It rebranded itself and severed its formal link to al-Qaeda in 2016 to avoid becoming a prime target in the U.S. war in Syria, but the U.S. still brands it as a terrorist group.

By December 1st, HTS managed to seize control of Syria’s second largest city, Aleppo, forcing the Syrian Arab Army and its Russian allies onto the defensive. With Russian and Syrian jets bombing rebel-held territory, the surge in fighting has raised the prospect of another violent, destabilizing front reopening in the Middle East.

This may also be a prelude to an escalation of attacks on Syria by Israel, which has already attacked Syria more than 220 times since October 2023, with Israeli airstrikes and artillery bombardments killing at least 296 people.

The new HTS offensive most likely has covert U.S. support, and may impact Trump’s reported intention to withdraw the 900 U.S. troops still based in Syria. It may also impact his nomination of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence. Gabbard is a long-time critic of U.S. support for al-Qaeda-linked factions in Syria, so the new HTS offensive sets the stage for an explosive confirmation hearing, which may backfire on Syria hawks in Washington if Gabbard is allowed to make her case.

Elsewhere in the region, Israel’s  genocide in Gaza and war on its neighbors have led to widespread anti-Israel and anti-U.S. resistance.

Where the United States was once able to buy off Arab rulers with weapons deals and military alliances, the Arab and Muslim world is coalescing around a position that sees Israel’s behavior as unacceptable and Iran as a threatened neighbor rather than an enemy. Unconditional U.S. support for Israel risks permanently downgrading U.S. relations with former allies, from Iraq, Jordan and Egypt to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Yemen’s Ansar Allah (or Houthi) government has maintained a blockade of the Red Sea, using missiles and drones against Israeli-linked ships heading for the Israeli port of Eilat or the Suez Canal. The Yemenis have defeated a U.S.-led naval task force sent to break the blockade and have reduced shipping through the Suez Canal by at least two-thirds, forcing shipping companies to reroute most ships all the way around Africa. The port of Eilat filed for bankruptcy in July, after only one ship docked there in several months.

Other resistance forces have conducted attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, and U.S. forces have retaliated in a low-grade tit-for-tat war. The Iraqi government has strongly condemned U.S. and Israeli attacks in Iraq as violations of its sovereignty. Attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria have flared up again in recent months, while Iraqi resistance forces have also launched drone attacks on Israel.

An emergency meeting of the Arab League in Cairo on November 26th voted unanimously to support Iraq and condemn Israeli threats. U.S.-Iraqi talks in September drew up a plan for hundreds of U.S. troops to leave Iraq in 2025 and for all 2,500 to be gone within two years. The U.S. has outmaneuvered previous withdrawal plans, but the days of these very unwelcome U.S. bases must surely be numbered.

Recent meetings of Arab and Muslim states have forged a growing sense of unity around a rejection of U.S. proposals for normalization of relations with Israel and a new solidarity with Palestine and Iran. At a meeting of Islamic nations in Riyadh on November 11th, Saudi crown prince Mohammed Bin-Salman publicly called the Israeli massacre in Gaza a genocide for the first time.

Arab and Muslim countries know that Trump may act unpredictably and that they need a stable common position to avoid becoming pawns to Trump or Netanyahu. They recognize that previous divisions left them vulnerable to exploitation by the United States and Israel, which contributed to the current crisis in Palestine and the risk of a major regional war that now looms over them.

On November 29th, Saudi and Western officials told Reuters that Saudi Arabia has given up on a new military alliance with the U.S., which would include normalizing relations with Israel, and is opting for a more limited U.S. weapons deal.

The Saudis had hoped for a treaty that included a U.S. commitment to defend them, like U.S. treaties with Japan and South Korea. That would require confirmation by the U.S. Senate, which would demand Saudi recognition of Israel in return. But the Saudis can no longer consider recognizing Israel without a viable plan for Palestinian statehood, which Israel rejects.

On the other hand, Saudi relations with Iran are steadily improving since they restored relations 18 months ago with diplomatic help from China and Iraq. At a meeting with new Iranian prime minister Pezeshkian in Qatar on October 3rd, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan declared,

“We seek to close the page of differences between the two countries forever and work towards the resolution of our issues and expansion of our relations like two friendly and brotherly states.”

Prince Faisal highlighted the “very sensitive and critical” situation in the region due to Israel’s “aggressions” against Gaza and Lebanon and its attempts to expand the conflict. He said Saudi Arabia trusted Iran’s “wisdom and discernment” in managing the situation to restore calm and peace.

If Saudi Arabia and its neighbors can make peace with Iran, what will the consequences be for Israel’s illegal, genocidal occupation of Palestine, which has been enabled and encouraged by decades of unconditional U.S. military and diplomatic support?

On December 2, Trump wrote on Truth Social that if the hostages were not released by the time of his inauguration, there would be “ ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East.” “Those responsible,” he warned, “will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America.”

Trump and many of his acolytes exemplify the Western arrogance and lust for imperial power that lies at the root of this crisis. More threats and more destruction are not the answer. Trump has had good relations with the dictatorial rulers of the Gulf states, with whom he shares much in common. If he is willing to listen, he will realize, like they do, that there is no solution to this crisis without freedom, self-determination and sovereignty in their own land for the people of Palestine. That is the path to peace, if he will take it.

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Medea Benjamin is the cofounder of CODEPINK for Peace, and the author of several books, including Inside Iran: The Real History and Politics of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Nicolas J. S. Davies is an independent journalist, a researcher for CODEPINK and the author of Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq.

Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies are the authors of War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict, published by OR Books, with an updated edition due in February 2025. They are regular contributors to Global Research.

[We repost this important article first published in November 2012 in relation to the current developments in Gaza.]

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Global Research Editor’s Note

At the height of the bombing of Gaza,  legal proceedings directed against the State of Israel involving the initial hearings of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission were launched in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The decision to launch these proceedings was taken by the Commission in May of 2012.

Pertaining to alleged Israeli war crimes, the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission heard the testimonies of nine complainants.

The following summary of testimonies presented to the Commission provides a historical background on Israeli crimes against humanity extending from the Sabra Shatila Massacres to the 2008-2009 Operation Cast Lead, which resulted in the killings of entire families.

We invite our readers to carefully examine these witness testimonies. They are of crucial importance in an understanding of the current situation in Gaza. Selected excerpts and quotations below. Scroll down for prosecutors’ press release :

“Why were the young children killed? [Gaza, January 2009]They are so young and cannot even hold a stone. Like my brother Ahmad. My cousins who were infants were also killed. I have heard that the soldier who kills more – and younger children – moves up higher in ranks.”

“What did the children do to deserve to die this way? What did the women do to become widows and what did the old people do to see all this? Nobody is defending us. It is like we are nothing. We do not have a normal happy life like other children. Where is the human right of the child?”

Mahmoud who was only 12-years-old at the time of 2009 attacks, saw his father shot in cold blood by the Israeli soldiers. He told the panel that he and his friends were playing football and mud balls around a fruit tree when they saw F16 planes flying in the area and shooting bombs and missiles.

Displaying maturity beyond his young age, Mahmoud related the terrifying ordeal he and his family underwent during the January 2009 attacks. The soldiers while shooting randomly at the family shot his 4-year-old brother twice in the chest and once in the head and four of his other brothers in their legs and behind the ear.

[Gaza, January 2009] “I went to her and realized that my mother (Rahma Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Samony, then aged 43) died with half of her face blown away. My father (Talal Hilmy Mahmoud Al-Samony, then aged 49) and my only daughter (Aza Salah Talal Al-Samony, then aged 2.5) also died, with their face disfigured. A total of 21 of my family members died. More than 50 of them were injured. There was screaming, shouting and crying. Blood was everywhere. I lifted my daughter and she had wounds on her neck and stomach. She was dead. Then, I heard my wife calling my name. I went to her. There were a lot of dead bodies on top of her. Then, I slowly pulled her out. She was injured and she was covered in blood. Three of my sons were badly injured and the other one had difficulties in breathing even now.”

In the early hours of the morning [Sabra and Shatila witness testimony], about 16-17 armed soldiers entered her home and shot her husband, brother and cousin dead in front of her and children. She related that militia entered homes and shot at everyone including children and animals.

“Along the way to the stadium, I saw my cousin’s daughter who was pregnant lying dead. The murderers had opened her body and taken out her baby and put the baby on her. The child was dead as well. She was lying on the street.”

“Along the street there were a lot of dead bodies. Hundreds of bodies were strewn all over. We climbed a hill to the stadium. At the nearest houses I could see bodies of children. Between the houses, which had been half destroyed, there were bodies of men, and also women and children and animals.”

On May 11 2012 the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal rendered a historical guilty verdict  in The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission v. George Walker Bush et al . The decision to launch a legal war crimes procedure against the State of Israel was taken by the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission in the wake of this historic judgment.

Michel Chossudovsky,

Member of the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission, Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG) 

Kuala Lumpur, November 22, 2012

I – KUALA LUMPUR, 20 November 2012 – The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission commenced hearing the testimonies of four of the nine complainants today. The prosecution team had intended to present 11 witnesses at the two-day Commission hearing, but only nine could make it to Kuala Lumpur. Two of the witnesses were unable to make it due to the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The prosecution’s first witness was 33-year-old Palestinian Salah Al Sammouni who testified to the 5-panel Commission that 21 members of his family including his father, mother and only infant daughter were killed during a massive Israeli attack in the al-Zaytoun neighbourhood in the South-East of Gaza on 5 January 2009. The remaining 52 injured members of his family and Salah himself (covered in blood and shrapnel) amid firing bullets managed to make their way out of the neighbourhood and found civilians who were kind enough to drive them to the hospital.

He testified that the Israeli military forces, who had bombed their house three times, had denied entry to the Red Cross and hospital ambulances into neighbourhood to tend to the wounded. The ambulances only managed to make their way into his neighbourhood three days after the attack. During the attacks, a sharp metal piece had pierced his forehead and until today the doctors are unable to remove that metal piece.

Here an excerpt of his testimony –

“A short while after the explosion, I heard a very loud explosion about 2 or 3 times. There was dust all over the house. I could not see anything. Later, I saw one missile come through the roof; another from the window and the third one, I do not from where. I then looked around and I saw my mother. I went to her and realized that my mother (Rahma Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Samony, then aged 43) died with half of her face blown away. My father (Talal Hilmy Mahmoud Al-Samony, then aged 49) and my only daughter (Aza Salah Talal Al-Samony, then aged 2.5) also died, with their face disfigured. A total of 21 of my family members died. More than 50 of them were injured. There was screaming, shouting and crying. Blood was everywhere. I lifted my daughter and she had wounds on her neck and stomach. She was dead. Then, I heard my wife calling my name. I went to her. There were a lot of dead bodies on top of her. Then, I slowly pulled her out. She was injured and she was covered in blood. Three of my sons were badly injured and the other one had difficulties in breathing even now.”

Salah’s 15-year-old cousin, Mahmoud Al Sammouni, one of the few survivors of the same attack on that fateful day, also gave his statement at the hearing. However, the young teen could only give part of his testimony to the panel as he had received word that more of his family members were killed in the current conflict in the last few days. He will continue to give his testimony on Wednesday.

Mahmoud who was only 12-years-old at the time of 2009 attacks, saw his father shot in cold blood by the Israeli soldiers. He told the panel that he and his friends were playing football and mud balls around a fruit tree when they saw F16 planes flying in the area and shooting bombs and missiles. He related that there were also many soldiers on the grounds shooting at the walls of homes. He also saw parachutists coming down and landing on the highest buildings in the area and anyone who went out of their homes were shot dead.

Displaying maturity beyond his young age, Mahmoud related the terrifying ordeal he and his family underwent during the January 2009 attacks. The soldiers while shooting randomly at the family shot his 4-year-old brother twice in the chest and once in the head and four of his other brothers in their legs and behind the ear.

He related that they walked barefooted to seek help at the Al Shifa Hospital. “We went to the main road. Along the way we saw a lot of blood on the street, spent bullet shells, shoes. Iron and metal pieces were all across the street so that no one could pass. The soldiers were shooting randomly and people were scared. As we walked along the road, we saw a tank at the side of the road. It was facing the other way. When the soldiers saw us, the tank was turned in our direction and they shot right above our heads.”

The prosecution’s third witness was 22-year-old Nabil Al-Issawi from Bethlehem, West Bank. The 22-year-old former student of the Ahliya University in Bethlehem was part of a peaceful student demonstration near the Azah Refugee Camp when he was shot in the stomach by an Israeli sniper with a Dum Dum bullet (a bullet which expand on impact). As he lay bleeding on the street, the Israeli soldiers refused to give him immediate aid instead took pictures of him and made fun of him.

The use of Dum Dum bullets during a military occupation is a war crime and Nabil confirmed that the usage of Dum Dum bullets were a norm in the Palestine- Isreali conflict.

He was informed by the doctors that the Dum Dum bullet once penetrated in his body had broken into 3 pieces going into 3 different directions: 2 went out of his body through the back and his rectum while the third stayed inside his bladder near the lower spine. He was hospitalised for almost 6 1/2 months and underwent four operations.

“As a result I missed my last semester in the school (namely, from January to Jun 2008). This affected my academic performance, and I scored poorly in the CGPA (Cumulative Grade Point Average). As a result, I was precluded from pursuing the university course of my choice, namely law,” said Nabil who is currently pursing business studies.

“The course of my life has been altered dramatically. As of now, I have an abdominal scar for life and discomfort in sitting upright. I cannot swim competitively as I used to. Apart from this, my family members and I have been prohibited from going to Israel. Further, whenever I go through the Israeli military checkpoints, I am always harassed. I have been traumatised by the incident. Whenever I am about to go through numerous military checkpoints in West Bank, I am in the constant state of anxiety and fear,” said Nabil who also informed the panel that he and his family is blacklisted from travelling to the nearby Jerusalem since he was shot.

He demands freedom in his country, stressing that it is the basic right of human beings not to be harassed by forces that have been placed there illegally.

The fourth witness who appeared before the Commission was 42-year-old Jawwad Musleh from Beit Sahour, near Bethlehem, West Bank. The tourism program coordinator gave testimony of the repeated incidents of incarceration that he had been subjected to since the age of 15 and gave the Commission a clearer picture of the socio-economic outlook of West Bank.

He testified that he was first arrested in 1985 when he was 15-years-old on the accusation that he was a member of the Palestine Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

He said, “I was first taken a place called Elmaskobeya Prison in West Jerusalem for investigation. Later I was taken to Damoun prison located in Haifa and finally I was taken to Ramallah prison in the West Bank.”

He told the panel that the Israeli forces had used different kinds of torture on him. He revealed that they especially used mental and psychological torture and wanted him to admit that he was a member of the PFLP. He was held prisoner for 20 months.

He  revealed, “The main charge against me was that I was a member of the Palestine Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). They wanted me to admit that I was a member of the PFLP. They tried to make me believe that they knew everything about me. I refused to confess. Then they began to beat me all over using clubs, sticks, even their feet and hands. The worst part was when there was no interrogation. They put me in confinement with my hands tied behind my back and a hood over my head. The hood was extremely smelly. I could barely breathe. I could not move. My hands were cuffed behind either to a chair or a piece of iron welded to a wall. I had no opportunity to go to the bathroom or to eat. When I did ask for water or to go to the bathroom, the soldiers would blackmail me. They asked me to confess, and only then would they give me water or take me to the bathroom. They prevented me from sleeping or eating or drinking.”

“In the end I did confess. I was just a kid. There was a court hearing and there was a lawyer representing me. However, from what I know the decision is usually made by the Israeli intelligence.”

Since then, he has been arrested a total of 8 times and each time he was tortured when he was incarcerated. During each interrogation, they wanted to know about his activities and his relationship with PFLP. There were various charges against him: rioting, participating in demonstrations, illegal activities, boycotting Israeli goods and inciting others to do the same, that he was security threat and a danger to the state of Israel.

He testified, “In the last 2 detentions in 1989 and 1990, I was arrested for “administrative reasons”. This is a tool the Israelis use for people who are suspected of being active in political activities but for which there is no proof. In such detentions, a person is not entitled to a hearing or lawyers to object to or challenge the detention. You are sent straight to prison. You can only object to the period of detention. The period of detention is usually 6 months. Very often the sentence is confirmed for 6 months. Only in rare cases, it may be decreased to 4 or 3 months.”

He added, “These kinds of arrests are common. Before the advent of the Palestinian authority in 1994, it occurred more frequently and more people were arrested. Now there are more than 5000 prisoners in Israeli prisons.”

The focus of the interrogation was always on his relationship with political parties, and they would also try to find out more about other people, as they wanted to get the names of other people active in the Palestinian cause.

He related, “Twice, I was sent to Qeziot Military Camp located in the Negev desert south of Palestine. It looks exactly like a Nazi concentration camp with watchtowers and fences. It is located in the middle of the desert and completely isolated from the world. There is no radio, television, newspapers or even visits. I had no access to my family or lawyers for 6 months each time. It was very difficult to lawyers to visit us. I only met my lawyer once each time. The situation in this military camp is horrible because I was isolated, and I had very little food, and even what I had was of poor quality.

In Qeziot, we were all housed in tents. These tents were installed on sandy ground. Each section had 10 tents. There were fences all around. In one tent, there would be 20 to 22 persons. It was very crowded. It was always dusty. Dust and sand would get into our food. We didn’t have books or anything to read and write. All we got was some food and a small mattress.”

“I was also held 3 times at the Dahariyeh Military Camp located south of Hebron That is also a very horrible place. The rooms were small and very, very crowded. We used to sleep with our legs over each other. There was no space to move. The rooms also very dirty. We were forced to wear prison clothes that were dirty and smelly. There was no access to any bathroom or toilet. The prison guards would bring us a barrel. All of us had to ease ourselves in the barrel openly in the room. When the barrel was full, we were allowed to take it out and empty it and bring it back. Everything used to smell bad, our mattresses and our clothes. There was no natural light. We were not allowed to leave the room. In other prisons, prisoners are allowed 1 or 2 hours in open space. In Dahariyeh, prisoners cannot go out unless going to court or being transferred to other prisons. I was never visited by my family or lawyer.”

“We were sometimes beaten by soldiers, although no interrogation was being carried out. They would count us 3 times a day. We would have to stand with our faces towards the wall. If anyone moves or talks, we were beaten hard with clubs. If anyone moved an inch or coughed or sneezed, all would be beaten.”

In December 1992 while preparing for participation in a peaceful demonstration on the anniversary of PFLP, he was shot twice in the leg by the Israeli army. It damaged a sciatic nerve in his leg and caused complete impairment and paralysis of his foot.

“Being detained and spending time in prison hardened my resolve to struggle. I became more aware of the cause of the struggle, the history and later I continued being active in the cause. The Israeli forces think that they can kill our soul and patriotism by sending us to prison. However, it is there that our loyalty to our homeland is strengthened.”

He added, “More and more Palestinian lands are being taken away. More and more Israeli colonies are being built on lands in the West Bank and Jerusalem. The situation is more complicated now. There are 700,000 Jewish settlers living in the West Bank and in Jerusalem. Jerusalem is being “Judaised” or “Israelised”. The Israelis are taking more and more Palestinian lands and building more and more settlements around Jerusalem to make it more and more Jewish and to force Palestinians to leave Jerusalem.”

On the subject of the Wall, he testifies, “When it came to building the apartheid wall, the Israelis said it is a security barrier. However, it is actually a strategy to confiscate and expropriate more land. It is not built on the border but inside the West Bank, and this has further reduced the landmass of the West Bank. So Jerusalem, which was part of the West Bank, has now been taken away and annexed to Israel by the construction of the wall.”

He said, “Life for Palestinians in Jerusalem is very difficult. The strategy is to make Palestinians leave and to replace them with Jews to make a Jewish city. Now about 200,000 Palestinians live in and around East Jerusalem mainly, and this number is getting less and less by the day. Israel says that Jerusalem is its capital.”

He further related, “Jerusalem is important for Muslims and Christians. For Muslims, the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa mosque are very sacred places. The sacred places for Christians are the Sepulchre Church the Via Dolorosa. But both Christian and Muslim Palestinians cannot visit these places. Historically, Jerusalem has always been the centre and the heart of Palestine, economically, culturally, historically but now we are not allowed.”

He said, “To move from one place to another in the West Bank, we have to pass through check points. At every checkpoint we have to show identification. There are at the moment 730 checkpoints and roadblocks in the West Bank. This excludes ‘flying checkpoints’, which the Israeli set up at any place at any time.”

He related that the Israeli army control the checkpoints, some checkpoints they can pass with no problem, in some they have to submit ID, while others they have to wait for hours as they are very crowded. He revealed that a journey of one hour could take five hours. And when there is a demonstration, the checkpoints are simply shutdown.

On the issue of water supply, he revealed that Palestinians suffer from water shortages as the Israeli authorities control the control of water. “Water is supplied to the Israeli settlers at a cheaper price, and 5 times more in volume, compared to Palestinians. It is our land, but we pay more and get less water. The water supplied to Palestinians is inadequate for our daily use and causes us great hardship and suffering,” he said.

He further revealed, “Many farmers depend on olive harvests. Palestine is full of olive trees. Many farmers’ lands have been divided by the wall or the farms are located next to Israeli settlements or military camps. Farmers are therefore deprived of access to their lands. In some cases, they are only given permits to go to their lands during harvest in October. But because they are deprived of access throughout the year to fertilise, water and tend to their trees, the harvest is poor. In many instances, settlers have stolen olives from the farms. In other instances, settlers have burned the trees. Most of the Israeli settlements are located in higher land. Sewage water is discharged to the lower lands, where most of the Palestinians reside. This destroys the farms and trees, and damages the environment.”

Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal

II – KUALA LUMPUR, 21 November 2012 – The Commission heard testimonies of witnesses continuing with the 15-year-old Mahmoud whose 21 family members were massacred by Israeli armed forces under Operation Cast Lead in 2009 where Israeli armed forces attacked Gaza. They also called five other witnesses to testify.

Today, the teenager told the Commission the ordeal his 10-year-old sister Amal endured during the attacks in 2009. Amal who was buried under dead bodies for four days is now visually impaired, her hearing is affected and she has 15 pieces of shrapnel’s in her head that are medically too risky to remove.

Once again the teenager impressed the Commissioners and those who attended the hearing with his maturity and insights into the conflict.

A video animation called Samouni Street, which he was involved in the making off, was shown depicting Mahmoud’s life in a peaceful farming community that was destroyed in 2009. It was a moving account of a child.

He asked, “Why were the young children killed? They are so young and cannot even hold a stone. Like my brother Ahmad. My cousins who were infants were also killed. I have heard that the soldier who kills more – and younger children – moves up higher in ranks.”

He said, “What did the children do to deserve to die this way? What did the women do to become widows and what did the old people do to see all this? Nobody is defending us. It is like we are nothing. We do not have a normal happy life like other children. Where is the human right of the child?”

Even in the recent attacks, some of his neighbours have been killed. He fears for his family and relatives.

Dr. Walid Elkhatib, another witness, who comes from Bethlehem District, West Bank is a qualified medical doctor, with a Masters in Public Health, and Higher Diploma in Health Management, testified on the effects of Israeli occupation on Palestinians, especially children.

He testified, “From 1988 until 1996, I worked as a general practitioner. I worked at an emergency clinic during the 1st intifada. I saw many patients who were brought in with different kinds of injuries as a result of Israeli violence – people with gun shot wounds, who had been exposed to tear gas and people who were physically abused by Israeli soldiers.”

“Today, I am in charge of child health and protection, social health and Palestinian child law and rights,” said the 52-year-old doctor who developed hearing problems due to constant exposure to explosions and has himself come close to being killed several times by the Israeli soldiers.

“I looked at particularly Palestinian children health, not only from the physical point of view but how much Israeli occupation has affected Palestinian children health beyond physical health. It is not merely absence of disease and disability. What I perceived as equally important was emotional, social, mental and environmental health, nutrition and behaviour.”

He said, “According to a survey conducted in Palestine in 2010 in cooperation with the World Health Organisation, which I personally oversaw, 24% of schoolchildren in Palestine have suicidal tendencies.”

He further added, “There is also increased incidents of disability among Palestinians. Among 20% of injured people have become disabled during the 2nd uprising (Intifada). The most recent report from Palestinian Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Affairs (2011) showed that 7% of Palestinian children are disabled, some because of the intifada. Generally the number is 1-2% higher in Palestine because of the violence.”

He said, “From 2001-2011, there were 2282 cases of disability (93.9% male, 6.1% female). Most of the men were involved in the intifada. 65.6% of them suffered disability as a result of live ammunition. Others were affected by shrapnel, rubber bullet, explosions.”

“As a result of the greater number of disabilities, it means that these persons also have less opportunities for work and end up in poverty. There is greater pressure on the government to support these persons, by way of provision of social services, health services, education etc.”

“Poverty is rife in the West Bank and Gaza. It increased from an average of 20% prior to the intifada to up to 51% during the intifada. Conditions of poverty also mean poor nutrition. We found that during the Intifada, children’s growth was stunted because they did not have enough protein. There are many cases of children with low weight. During the 2nd intifada, the rate of children with low weight (less than 5 years old) increased from 2.5% to 3.2%, the rate of low height increased from 7.5% to 7.9%, and wasting (severe loss of weight) increased from 1.4% to 1.7%.”

“According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), there was a 40% increase of prematurity and miscarriages in pregnant women during the 2nd intifada. Israeli soldiers have also violated international law by attacking hospitals and ambulances with shelling and shooting on the excuse that wanted people or terrorists are in the hospital. Currently 53% of the Palestinian population is below 18 years old.”

He said, “Israeli forces attack hospitals and ambulances on the pretext that there are Palestinian fighters hiding there. Which is not true. I have never seen such a situation. It is my opinion that the Israeli forces allege such incidents but do so to merely justify their inhuman actions of attacking hospitals.”

It is a slow and certain destruction of a society mentally, physically and socially.

He said, “Over the years, the situation in the West Bank and Gaza has become worse. The Israeli authorities have increased in strength. We can only estimate that it will get worse in the future. The Palestinians face a lot of challenges. We are being threatened all the time by the US and Israel – they threaten to cease the transfer of taxes, to strengthen the checkpoints, to stop aid, to completely stop entry to Jerusalem.”

He continued, “Before the 2nd intifada, I believed that Israel was looking for peace with Palestinians. But now I do not believe it. Israel does not believe Palestinian territory belongs to Palestinians. They believe that it is historically Israeli and they are taking it back. They threaten to increase settlements in Palestinian territories if Palestine continues to try and gain recognition as a state from the United Nations (without membership). Israeli actions amount to the extermination of a whole state. Israel believes that eventually Palestinians will leave their lands beyond the walls. Israeli strategy is to deprive the Palestinians of their basic needs to make them leave. The Palestinians are badly in need of support services Otherwise they will have no choice but to leave.”

The prosecution subsequent witness was 54-years-old Chahira Abouardini, a mother of three who is a Palestinian refugee (political refugee) living in Camp Shatila, Beirut. She told the Commission about the events that took place at Camp Shatila, Beirut in the month of September 1982, in the now infamous Sabra & Shatila massacre.

She testified, “On 14 September 1982, the Lebanese President Bachir Gemayel was assassinated. After that incident, there were a lot of aircraft flying around Beirut. My husband told me that the situation may get worse, and to prepare the children so that we could leave. On 16 September we went to my father’s brick house on Sabra Street. There were other family members as well – my father, my sister (17 years old), my brother (24 years old) and his pregnant wife and 2 children, and my cousin and his wife and 2 children.”

Chahira who broke down while giving testimony said, “In the evening beginning from about 5pm, flares were thrown to light up the area. This went on throughout the night. The camp was full of light throughout the night. We did not know what was happening outside. We heard shooting and screaming outside. At about dusk, my sister ran out into the street to see what was happening. She was shot dead by armed militia. When my sister was shot, she shouted for my father. My father came out of the house to see what had happened to my sister. He was also shot and killed. Their bodies were left on the street. Later I found out that those who shot my sister and father were Lebanese Phalangist militia.”

In the early hours of the morning, about 16-17 armed soldiers entered her home and shot her husband, brother and cousin dead in front of her and children. She related that militia entered homes and shot at everyone including children and animals.

She said, “Along the way to the stadium, I saw my cousin’s daughter who was pregnant lying dead. The murderers had opened her body and taken out her baby and put the baby on her. The child was dead as well. She was lying on the street.”

“Along the street there were a lot of dead bodies. Hundreds of bodies were strewn all over. We climbed a hill to the stadium. At the nearest houses I could see bodies of children. Between the houses, which had been half destroyed, there were bodies of men, and also women and children and animals.”

The Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission hearing on Palestine. The world must do more to help Palestinians. Pic by Chan Wai YewShe testified, “In 36 hours, up to 3500 to 5,000 people from Shatila and Sabra had been massacred, There are also people unaccounted for who had disappeared. The Phalangist militia worked together with the Israelis. They were known to be puppets for Israeli forces. Israelis used them to go into our houses, because these soldiers knew the place, and could speak Lebanese. The Israelis were afraid to go in themselves.”

She concluded, “What I want is justice to be done and that those who killed my family members and all the people at Shatila and Sabra to be punished for their crimes.”

The prosecution’s next witness was Taghreed Nimat from Nablus, West Bank. Due to Taghreed’s father’s imprisonment for singing nationalistic Palestinian songs, the Israeli forces often targeted her, accusing her for promoting hatred against the Israeli government. In 2004, the Israeli soldiers attacked the Dr Sayed Kamal Mental Hospital in Bethlehem where she was staying and working as a psychologist. The 47-year-old Palestinian’s experiences during the hospital attack caused her to suffer a breakdown causing her to take ASVL sedatives twice and other medication for five months.

She also related how she was often harassed unnecessarily by the Israeli military soldiers whatever she went through checkpoints. They soldiers would detain her at these checkpoints for one or two hours or several hours before allowing her through or sometimes refusing entry.

The prosecution also called Anne Sunde, a 66-year-old Norwegian who is residing in Belgium. She was working as a volunteer social worker for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Beirut in the Sabra and Shatila Camps.

She related, “On 4 June 1982, I visited my friend at Fakhani. While we are chatting in the building, which housed the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) offices, we heard loud noises of planes flying over. We rushed to the shelter in the basement of the building. Then we heard bombing nearby our building. It was loud. The building shook and I was expecting to die under it. It was my first experience of direct violence. One becomes aware what life is. The bombing seemed eternity.”

She said, “After a few days the PRCS set up a hospital in La Houd School, Hamra. Since nobody among the volunteers wanted to do cleaning (janitor), I volunteered. I did this together with Kurdish refugees.”

She said, “Finally I decided to go back to Belgium on 15 September 1982 via Damascus. However, since it was the morning after Bachir Gemayel’s (the then President-elect) death, there were no taxis to take me to Damascus. Great nervousness was felt in town. I returned to the PRCS headquarter in Hamra where most of the foreigners were located.”

She then proceeded to relate her harrowing experiences of the killings at the Sabra and Shatila Camps. She further related that when she went to the Shatila Camp she saw many dead bodies of adults and children, both male and female, in strange positions. I also saw dead animals. The bodies were already decomposing and bloated in the summer heat. The smell, she said, was unbearable and there were flies all over.

She added, “It was a horrible scene and they were digging mass graves to bury the dead.”

The prosecution next called the 66-year-old Italian expert witness Paola Manduca, a retired Professor at University of Genoa, Italy who is an expert Geneticist. In 2011, she conducted and coordinated two research projects relating to the impact of weapons on reproductive health arising from the attacks in Gaza, especially to children. She also personally spent about more then a year from December 2010 to April 2012 in Gaza, conducting research in Pediatric and maternity hospitals.

She said, “The outcome of our research points to the degradation of the reproductive health and increase in major structural birth defects, following and correlated to the military attacks and possibly to the input of toxic, carcinogen and teratogen (development interfering) agents delivered by weaponry in the environment and in the wounds of victims, and of their assumption by the inhabitants.”

She related, “We showed by analytical chemistry methods that in Gaza teratogen and carcinogen metals are found in wounds, in craters since 2006 attacks and in White Phosphorus ammunitions in 2009 and children hair one year after the 2008/09 attacks.”

She said, “Our study of birth defects in 0 to 2 year old children registered in 5 paediatric hospitals in Gaza Strip showed that there is a 1.8 fold higher frequency of birth defects in the first 6 months of year 2010, compared to the same period in 2006.”

She testified that there was an increase in birth defects in Gaza starting in 2005-06. “It is our view that such sudden increases in birth defects are usually associated to significant and sudden environmental changes.”

She confirmed that the start of the increases is correlated in their timing to the military attacks, after the Israeli armed forces left Gaza, and the first news from medical personnel on “unprecedented” wounds, meaning new kinds of wounds from weapons.

She said, “We found that 66% of Gaza parents with a birth defect child were exposed to bombing or /and White Phosphorus shelling during Operation Cast Lead in 2008/09.”

She continued, “Couples with birth defect children reported exposure to White Phosphorus 15 fold more often than couples with normal child.”

She added, “Our studies have presented proof of a rise in birth defects in Gaza, increasing after the attacks in 2006 and continuing increase up to 2011. It showed correlation of birth defect occurrence with exposure to White Phosphorus shelling. In also showed contamination of the soil by teratogen and carcinogen metals. It showed accumulation of these teratogen and carcinogen metals in children’ hair. She also presented proof that teratogen and carcinogen metals are delivered by weapons into the flesh of victims.”

She concluded that there is long-term effect on reproductive health associated to metal contamination by exposure to weaponry during war and by war remnants.

KUALA LUMPUR, 21 November 2012 – The Commission heard testimonies of witnesses continuing with the 15-year-old Mahmoud whose 21 family members were massacred by Israeli armed forces under Operation Cast Lead in 2009 where Israeli armed forces attacked Gaza. They also called five other witnesses to testify.

Today, the teenager told the Commission the ordeal his 10-year-old sister Amal endured during the attacks in 2009. Amal who was buried under dead bodies for four days is now visually impaired, her hearing is affected and she has 15 pieces of shrapnel’s in her head that are medically too risky to remove.

Once again the teenager impressed the Commissioners and those who attended the hearing with his maturity and insights into the conflict.

A video animation called Samouni Street, which he was involved in the making off, was shown depicting Mahmoud’s life in a peaceful farming community that was destroyed in 2009. It was a moving account of a child.

He asked, “Why were the young children killed? They are so young and cannot even hold a stone. Like my brother Ahmad. My cousins who were infants were also killed. I have heard that the soldier who kills more – and younger children – moves up higher in ranks.”

He said, “What did the children do to deserve to die this way? What did the women do to become widows and what did the old people do to see all this? Nobody is defending us. It is like we are nothing. We do not have a normal happy life like other children. Where is the human right of the child?”

Even in the recent attacks, some of his neighbours have been killed. He fears for his family and relatives.

Dr. Walid Elkhatib, another witness, who comes from Bethlehem District, West Bank is a qualified medical doctor, with a Masters in Public Health, and Higher Diploma in Health Management, testified on the effects of Israeli occupation on Palestinians, especially children.

He testified, “From 1988 until 1996, I worked as a general practitioner. I worked at an emergency clinic during the 1st intifada. I saw many patients who were brought in with different kinds of injuries as a result of Israeli violence – people with gun shot wounds, who had been exposed to tear gas and people who were physically abused by Israeli soldiers.”

“Today, I am in charge of child health and protection, social health and Palestinian child law and rights,” said the 52-year-old doctor who developed hearing problems due to constant exposure to explosions and has himself come close to being killed several times by the Israeli soldiers.

“I looked at particularly Palestinian children health, not only from the physical point of view but how much Israeli occupation has affected Palestinian children health beyond physical health. It is not merely absence of disease and disability. What I perceived as equally important was emotional, social, mental and environmental health, nutrition and behaviour.”

He said, “According to a survey conducted in Palestine in 2010 in cooperation with the World Health Organisation, which I personally oversaw, 24% of schoolchildren in Palestine have suicidal tendencies.”

He further added, “There is also increased incidents of disability among Palestinians. Among 20% of injured people have become disabled during the 2nd uprising (Intifada). The most recent report from Palestinian Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Affairs (2011) showed that 7% of Palestinian children are disabled, some because of the intifada. Generally the number is 1-2% higher in Palestine because of the violence.”

He said, “From 2001-2011, there were 2282 cases of disability (93.9% male, 6.1% female). Most of the men were involved in the intifada. 65.6% of them suffered disability as a result of live ammunition. Others were affected by shrapnel, rubber bullet, explosions.”

“As a result of the greater number of disabilities, it means that these persons also have less opportunities for work and end up in poverty. There is greater pressure on the government to support these persons, by way of provision of social services, health services, education etc.”

“Poverty is rife in the West Bank and Gaza. It increased from an average of 20% prior to the intifada to up to 51% during the intifada. Conditions of poverty also mean poor nutrition. We found that during the Intifada, children’s growth was stunted because they did not have enough protein. There are many cases of children with low weight. During the 2nd intifada, the rate of children with low weight (less than 5 years old) increased from 2.5% to 3.2%, the rate of low height increased from 7.5% to 7.9%, and wasting (severe loss of weight) increased from 1.4% to 1.7%.”

“According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), there was a 40% increase of prematurity and miscarriages in pregnant women during the 2nd intifada. Israeli soldiers have also violated international law by attacking hospitals and ambulances with shelling and shooting on the excuse that wanted people or terrorists are in the hospital. Currently 53% of the Palestinian population is below 18 years old.”

He said, “Israeli forces attack hospitals and ambulances on the pretext that there are Palestinian fighters hiding there. Which is not true. I have never seen such a situation. It is my opinion that the Israeli forces allege such incidents but do so to merely justify their inhuman actions of attacking hospitals.”

It is a slow and certain destruction of a society mentally, physically and socially.

He said, “Over the years, the situation in the West Bank and Gaza has become worse. The Israeli authorities have increased in strength. We can only estimate that it will get worse in the future. The Palestinians face a lot of challenges. We are being threatened all the time by the US and Israel – they threaten to cease the transfer of taxes, to strengthen the checkpoints, to stop aid, to completely stop entry to Jerusalem.”

He continued, “Before the 2nd intifada, I believed that Israel was looking for peace with Palestinians. But now I do not believe it. Israel does not believe Palestinian territory belongs to Palestinians. They believe that it is historically Israeli and they are taking it back. They threaten to increase settlements in Palestinian territories if Palestine continues to try and gain recognition as a state from the United Nations (without membership). Israeli actions amount to the extermination of a whole state. Israel believes that eventually Palestinians will leave their lands beyond the walls. Israeli strategy is to deprive the Palestinians of their basic needs to make them leave. The Palestinians are badly in need of support services Otherwise they will have no choice but to leave.”

The prosecution subsequent witness was 54-years-old Chahira Abouardini, a mother of three who is a Palestinian refugee (political refugee) living in Camp Shatila, Beirut. She told the Commission about the events that took place at Camp Shatila, Beirut in the month of September 1982, in the now infamous Sabra & Shatila massacre.

She testified, “On 14 September1982, the Lebanese President Bachir Gemayel was assassinated. After that incident, there were a lot of aircraft flying around Beirut. My husband told me that the situation may get worse, and to prepare the children so that we could leave. On 16 September we went to my father’s brick house on Sabra Street. There were other family members as well – my father, my sister (17 years old), my brother (24 years old) and his pregnant wife and 2 children, and my cousin and his wife and 2 children.”

Chahira who broke down while giving testimony said, “In the evening beginning from about 5pm, flares were thrown to light up the area. This went on throughout the night. The camp was full of light throughout the night. We did not know what was happening outside. We heard shooting and screaming outside. At about dusk, my sister ran out into the street to see what was happening. She was shot dead by armed militia. When my sister was shot, she shouted for my father. My father came out of the house to see what had happened to my sister. He was also shot and killed. Their bodies were left on the street. Later I found out that those who shot my sister and father were Lebanese Phalangist militia.”
In the early hours of the morning, about 16-17 armed soldiers entered her home and shot her husband, brother and cousin dead in front of her and children. She related that militia entered homes and shot at everyone including children and animals.

She said, “Along the way to the stadium, I saw my cousin’s daughter who was pregnant lying dead. The murderers had opened her body and taken out her baby and put the baby on her. The child was dead as well. She was lying on the street.”

“Along the street there were a lot of dead bodies. Hundreds of bodies were strewn all over. We climbed a hill to the stadium. At the nearest houses I could see bodies of children. Between the houses, which had been half destroyed, there were bodies of men, and also women and children and animals.”

She testified, “In 36 hours, up to 3500 to 5,000 people from Shatila and Sabra had been massacred, There are also people unaccounted for who had disappeared. The Phalangist militia worked together with the Israelis. They were known to be puppets for Israeli forces. Israelis used them to go into our houses, because these soldiers knew the place, and could speak Lebanese. The Israelis were afraid to go in themselves.”
She concluded, “What I want is justice to be done and that those who killed my family members and all the people at Shatila and Sabra to be punished for their crimes.”

The prosecution’s next witness was Taghreed Nimat from Nablus, West Bank. Due to Taghreed’s father’s imprisonment for singing nationalistic Palestinian songs, the Israeli forces often targeted her, accusing her for promoting hatred against the Israeli government. In 2004, the Israeli soldiers attacked the Dr Sayed Kamal Mental Hospital in Bethlehem where she was staying and working as a psychologist. The 47-year-old Palestinian’s experiences during the hospital attack caused her to suffer a breakdown causing her to take ASVL sedatives twice and other medication for five months.

She also related how she was often harassed unnecessarily by the Israeli military soldiers whatever she went through checkpoints. They soldiers would detain her at these checkpoints for one or two hours or several hours before allowing her through or sometimes refusing entry.
The prosecution also called Anne Sunde, a 66-year-old Norwegian who is residing in Belgium. She was working as a volunteer social worker for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Beirut in the Sabra and Shatila Camps.

She related, “On 4 June 1982, I visited my friend at Fakhani. While we are chatting in the building, which housed the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) offices, we heard loud noises of planes flying over. We rushed to the shelter in the basement of the building. Then we heard bombing nearby our building. It was loud. The building shook and I was expecting to die under it. It was my first experience of direct violence. One becomes aware what life is. The bombing seemed eternity.”

She said, “After a few days the PRCS set up a hospital in La Houd School, Hamra. Since nobody among the volunteers wanted to do cleaning (janitor), I volunteered. I did this together with Kurdish refugees.”

She said, “Finally I decided to go back to Belgium on 15 September 1982 via Damascus. However, since it was the morning after Bachir Gemayel’s (the then President-elect) death, there were no taxis to take me to Damascus. Great nervousness was felt in town. I returned to the PRCS headquarter in Hamra where most of the foreigners were located.”

She then proceeded to relate her harrowing experiences of the killings at the Sabra and Shatila Camps. She further related that when she went to the Shatila Camp she saw many dead bodies of adults and children, both male and female, in strange positions. I also saw dead animals. The bodies were already decomposing and bloated in the summer heat. The smell, she said, was unbearable and there were flies all over.
She added, “It was a horrible scene and they were digging mass graves to bury the dead.”

The prosecution next called the 66-year-old Italian expert witness Paola Manduca, a retired Professor at University of Genoa, Italy who is an expert Geneticist. In 2011, she conducted and coordinated two research projects relating to the impact of weapons on reproductive health arising from the attacks in Gaza, especially to children. She also personally spent about more then a year from December 2010 to April 2012 in Gaza, conducting research in Pediatric and maternity hospitals.

She said, “The outcome of our research points to the degradation of the reproductive health and increase in major structural birth defects, following and correlated to the military attacks and possibly to the input of toxic, carcinogen and teratogen (development interfering) agents delivered by weaponry in the environment and in the wounds of victims, and of their assumption by the inhabitants.”

She related, “We showed by analytical chemistry methods that in Gaza teratogen and carcinogen metals are found in wounds, in craters since 2006 attacks and in White Phosphorus ammunitions in 2009 and children hair one year after the 2008/09 attacks.”

She said, “Our study of birth defects in 0 to 2 year old children registered in 5 paediatric hospitals in Gaza Strip showed that there is a 1.8 fold higher frequency of birth defects in the first 6 months of year 2010, compared to the same period in 2006.”

She testified that there was an increase in birth defects in Gaza starting in 2005-06. “It is our view that such sudden increases in birth defects are usually associated to significant and sudden environmental changes.”

She confirmed that the start of the increases is correlated in their timing to the military attacks, after the Israeli armed forces left Gaza, and the first news from medical personnel on “unprecedented” wounds, meaning new kinds of wounds from weapons.

She said, “We found that 66% of Gaza parents with a birth defect child were exposed to bombing or /and White Phosphorus shelling during Operation Cast Lead in 2008/09.”

She continued, “Couples with birth defect children reported exposure to White Phosphorus 15 fold more often than couples with normal child.”
She added, “Our studies have presented proof of a rise in birth defects in Gaza, increasing after the attacks in 2006 and continuing increase up to 2011. It showed correlation of birth defect occurrence with exposure to White Phosphorus shelling. In also showed contamination of the soil by teratogen and carcinogen metals. It showed accumulation of these teratogen and carcinogen metals in children’ hair. She also presented proof that teratogen and carcinogen metals are delivered by weapons into the flesh of victims.”

She concluded that there is long-term effect on reproductive health associated to metal contamination by exposure to weaponry during war and by war remnants.

The Prosecution in its submission urged the Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Commission (KLWCC) to make the necessary recommendations on the indictment and persons to be charged to the KLWC Tribunal. They recommended that the state of Israel be indicted for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide from the evidence tendered.

International commissions over the years have concluded that Israel had committed genocide and war crimes. After Operation Cast Lead the UN Goldstone Report stated that Israel committed war crimes in the destruction of civilian infrastructure and in the killing of civilians.

The UN Security Council resolution 521 (1982) condemned the criminal massacre of Palestinian civilians in Sabra and Shatila. The UN General Assembly resolution (ES-7/9 24 September 1982) resolved that the massacre was an act of genocide. The UN MacBride Commission formed after the Sabra and Shatila massacre concluded that Israel had committed genocide and war crimes.

The UN General Assembly on 16 December 1982 passed a resolution reaffirming the applicability of the Geneva Convention to the protection of civilians in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories including Jerusalem. It noted the failure of Israel to comply with numerous resolutions. It noted also that the actions and record establish conclusively that it is not a peace loving member state and has not carried out its obligations under the Charter of the United Nations.

And yet the international community has failed to take any action against Israel.

Genocide, under the 1948 Genocide Convention is the deliberate infliction of conditions of life calculated to bring about the physical destruction of a people in whole or in part. The evidence adduced show that the state of Israel has been engaged in acts of genocide against the Palestinian people. Genocide includes both physical and mental harm caused by the Israeli occupation as well as the bombing and killing of civilians that is going on even now in Gaza.

Gaza and West Bank are under military occupation of Israel. The Fourth Geneva Convention provides protection for people under a military occupation. Israel has breached practically all the articles of the Geneva Convention.

Israel’s contention that it is not in occupation of Gaza and West Bank once it withdrew its troops. The reality is Israel is in occupation since the test is belligerent control –Israel is in control. It has blockaded Gaza from the sea and surrounded it by a wall on the land. The Egyptian border is sealed with Gaza. Israel exercises control with the blockade of Gaza, the attack and killing of civilians, the denial of essential supplies, constant killing of civilians. Gaza is under siege.

The World Court in its Advisory Opinion in ‘the wall case’ in July 2004, participated by the Israeli and Palestinians, rejected all of Israel’s arguments that they are not an occupying force. The opinion of the World Court was that the construction of the wall in Occupied Palestinian Territory is contrary to international law.

Israel is stealing Palestinian water and diverting it to Israel and its settlers while Palestinians are being deprived of water. Hundreds of checkpoints have been established by Israel across West Bank and Gaza limiting the access of Palestinians travelling from town to town. With the wall built by Israel the Palestinians are almost in a ‘prison’.

Wide spread systematic torture of Palestinians as shown in evidence before the Commission have in numerous cases been documented extensively over the years by human rights organisations including Amnesty International that clearly show that Israel has committed war crimes.

Based on evidence and records, the Sabra and Shatila massacre is a clear case of genocide and war crimes. The Israeli forces had played a key role in working with the Phalangist militia in perpetrating this crime. The Palestinian fighters had withdrawn to Tunisia and the Palestinian civilians at the camps were assured by the US that they would be protected under the Habib Agreement. The International forces consisting of Italian, French and US forces withdrew a day before the massacre started and reappeared after that in Beirut.

Crimes against humanity come from the Nuremberg trials drafted by the US to deal with the Nazis prosecution of Jews which include murder, torture, imprisonment, rape, persecution of a specific identifiable group based on racial, national, ethnic basis. Interestingly, the Israeli war crimes are the same with the only difference being the scale but it is an on going process of destruction of the Palestinian people.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) had refused to accept the Palestine complaint on war crimes against Israel. Palestinians have tried to obtain justice that has been continuously denied to them. The Palestinian complainants now turn to the KLWCC for assistance in obtaining justice.

The Commission upon hearing the evidence and the prosecution submissions announced that as per the charter of the KLWCC they would be deliberate on the facts and the law and prepare a report and its recommendations at a later date.

The 5-panel Commissioners’ is headed by Musa Ismail, a former Magistrate, who is currently a practicing lawyer. The other Commissioners include lecturer and author Prof Hans-Christof von Sponeck, who was also a former UN Assistant Secretary General responsible for humanitarian operations in Iraq, Nobel peace prize nominee Denis J. Halliday, who worked for the UN for 34 years and was head of the UN Humanitarian Programme in Iraq, Dr Zulaiha Ismail, former Dean of the Centre for Graduate Studies Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and currently actively involved with NGOs specifically on the plight of the Palestinians and Michel Chossudovsky, professor of economics emeritus, University of Ottawa and Director, Centre for Research on Globalisation (CRG).

The prosecution team for the commission hearing is lead by Prof Gurdial Singh Nijar, prominent law professor and author of several law publications. He is assisted by Prof Francis Boyle, Avtaran Singh and Gan Pei Fern.

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[This article was first published by GR in January 2023.]

For more than two decades US presidential administrations have been increasing the likelihood of nuclear war with Russia.  It began with Bill Clinton violating the word of the US government not to move NATO to Russia’s border.  Successive US presidents since have undone all the trust-building agreements achieved during the 20th century Cold War. 

The provocations of Russia since the US overthrow of the Ukrainian government in 2014 have completely destroyed Russia’s trust of Washington.  The atomic scientists say it is 90 seconds before Midnight. I think it is one nano-second. We have reached the point where all it takes is one false alarm of incoming missiles.

You can see the triumph of evil in the deployment of weapons that if used will destroy life on Earth.  The prospect of their use has risen dramatically in the 21st century.

Democrat Hillary Clinton declared the President of Russia to be “the new Hitler.”  

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham called for President Putin’s assassination.  

Instead of keeping to President Putin’s Minsk Agreement to maintain peace in Ukraine, Washington used it to deceive President Putin while building a Ukrainian army with which to attack the Donbass republics.  

Instead of working with President Putin to create a mutual security pact, Washington provoked and widened the conflict in Ukraine in order to further enlarge NATO by bringing in Finland and Sweden, thus multiplying NATO’s presence on Russia’s border.  The US and NATO are now so heavily involved in the Ukraine conflict that the question is what does Washington do when the reinforced Russians overrun Ukraine’s defenses?  Do US and NATO soldiers rush to Ukraine’s rescue?

Only incompetent, irresponsible, and totally stupid, indeed, totally evil, US and European governments would think their prestige in Ukraine justifies nuclear war.  If the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, CIA, and US politicians had the least bit of intelligence they would understand that in today’s climate of preemptive nuclear strikes, nuclear weapons jeopardize America’s existence.  They do not protect us.

The notion that Russia or China want to rule us is insane.  It is the US that has the expansionist ideology and agenda of world hegemony.  The Russian and Chinese governments have their own problems and do not want those of a morally bankrupt country like the US where men marry men and women marry women and “doctors” mutilate the genitals of youngsters  in order to transgender them.

During the 20th century Cold War warning times were longer and the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction could be regarded as deterring nuclear attack. Today the hypersonic speeds of the Russian missiles and ability to unpredictably change trajectory in flight has changed the emphasis to preemptive strike.  It only takes one false warning to initiate nuclear Armageddon as there is no time to determine if the warning is false.

Everyone needs to understand that once Washington followed by Russia changed their war doctrines from no first use of nuclear weapons to preemptive attack, nuclear weapons ceased to be a deterrent.  The doctrine of preemptive attack guarantees their use if there is a single false alarm.  The American war planners responsible for this change should be immediately arrested, tried for crimes against humanity, and the doctrine repudiated.

Video: Steven Starr explains that nuclear war means planetary death

What we should be witnessing throughout the West is a campaign to destroy all nuclear weapons.  The weapons do not protect us.  They weapons endanger us.  To have weapons deployed that can only achieve your own total destruction is insane.

During the Cold War there were those who thought “better Red than dead.” Today the expansionist Communist ideology is dead.  It is the American neoconservatives who control US foreign policy who have the expansionist agenda of US hegemony.  It is insanity for the neoconservatives to believe that the US can exercise hegemony over Russia and China.

If we want to survive, we must immediately stop being insane.

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Paul Craig Roberts is a renowned author and academic, chairman of The Institute for Political Economy, where this article was originally published. Dr. Roberts was previously associate editor and columnist for The Wall Street Journal. He was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy during the Reagan Administration. He is a regular contributor to Global Research. 

Featured image: The world’s first nuclear explosion – the U.S. ‘Trinity’ atomic test in New Mexico, July 16, 1945. If a nuclear war breaks out today, the devastation caused by modern nuclear weapons would make Trinity’s power look small by comparison. Most life on Earth would likely be wiped out. | U.S. Department of Energy

“Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War” 

by Michel Chossudovsky

Available to order from Global Research! 

ISBN Number: 978-0-9737147-5-3
Year: 2012
Pages: 102

PDF Edition:  $6.50 (sent directly to your email account!)

Michel Chossudovsky is Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), which hosts the critically acclaimed website www.globalresearch.ca . He is a contributor to the Encyclopedia Britannica. His writings have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Reviews

“This book is a ‘must’ resource – a richly documented and systematic diagnosis of the supremely pathological geo-strategic planning of US wars since ‘9-11’ against non-nuclear countries to seize their oil fields and resources under cover of ‘freedom and democracy’.”
–John McMurtry, Professor of Philosophy, Guelph University

“In a world where engineered, pre-emptive, or more fashionably “humanitarian” wars of aggression have become the norm, this challenging book may be our final wake-up call.”
-Denis Halliday, Former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations

Michel Chossudovsky exposes the insanity of our privatized war machine. Iran is being targeted with nuclear weapons as part of a war agenda built on distortions and lies for the purpose of private profit. The real aims are oil, financial hegemony and global control. The price could be nuclear holocaust. When weapons become the hottest export of the world’s only superpower, and diplomats work as salesmen for the defense industry, the whole world is recklessly endangered. If we must have a military, it belongs entirely in the public sector. No one should profit from mass death and destruction.
–Ellen Brown, author of ‘Web of Debt’ and president of the Public Banking Institute   

[This article was first published by GR in August 2023.]

Imagine! – “Nuclear War is no worse than climate change.”

This statement was made contextually on Sunday, 25 July, by Washington’s top diplomat, Antony Blinken, on a 60-Minutes Australian TV-Interview.

On second thought, safe for the nuclear radiation that may linger on for years – weaponized climate change, as it has been applied for at least the last three years – but long before to a lesser extent, may be equally destructive.

What is sold today to the largely sleeping western populace as climate change, which is the stern application of man-made Environmental Modification – ENMOD, also called geoengineering.

The idea of climate manipulation was promoted with the Club of Rome in the early 1970s and has been explicitly pointed out in the infamous Report “Limits to Growth” (1972).

It exposes the possibility of exponential economic growth and population with finite supply of resources, adding in the alleged “calamity” of CO2-caused climate change -as the world is increasingly industrialized, all based on CO2 emanating from hydrocarbon fuels, and other greenhouse gases.

Just for the record and to remember – today still 85% of all energy used in the world stems from hydrocarbons. A similarly high proportion of hydrocarbon energy to fuel the world will likely remain for the next 30 to 50 years, unless the world economy is deliberately triggered into a collapse mode (as there are NO viable energy alternatives available today and tomorrow).

And the commanders of the climate change freaks are well aware of this.

Who knows, whether a worldwide economic demise is the intention of the ruling elite which currently pretends to mastermind the course of humanity and Mother Earth.

“Limits to Growth” is still today’s blueprint for the UN Agenda 2030 and the WEF’s Great Reset and its implementation instrument, Klaus Schwab’s wet dream, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution” – meaning, all-digitization, transhumanism, robotization and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in charge of the plebs of human kind.

The Club or Rome’s conclusion – which propagates actively “mass population reduction” – are all based on computer models.

With the “right” man-made inputs, you get the wanted conclusions. 

Computer models always give you the desired result. They depend on human-made inputs that can be swung according to desired results. Even highly sophisticated computer models, all the way to Artificial Intelligence (AI) are linear, depending on initial human inputs.

Just as an anecdote, the World Bank – and this applies likely to most other international multi-and bilateral organizations – lets computer models determine whether a “development project” is economically viable. Computer models also largely set the basis for countries’ economic growth and debt projections.

Working on the ground, talking to people who live and work in the real world – demonstrates how wrong computer models can be and most often are.

Precisely, because they tell you what the author of these “modelling projections” wants them to tell you.

Often thus fabricated “realities” are far from the truth, but they are great tools to manipulate the minds of populations at large.  They belong to the Tavistock “social engineering” inventory. See Daniel Estulin

Today, spreading climate-change fear 24/7 – provides the perfect basis for Agenda 2030 and the Great Reset. All planned, of course – to be applied for a “reduced population” and a new World Order – with an economy basically working for the elite behemoths – you may also call them corporate and finance monsters, and their lackey politicians, who make-believe running the world for them.

Having said this, Mr. Blinken’s statement – comparing nuclear war with “climate change” – is not far off – and Blinken, of course, knows very well how “climate change”, sold to the masses as man-made CO2-based destruction of planet earth, is in reality man-made weather / climate engineering. These ENMOD technologies have their origins in the 1940s.

Since then, they have become so sophisticated that some of these technologies operating via satellites, do not just cause disastrous weather phenomena, but they can also trigger earthquakes. It is widely suspected that the earthquakes in Turkey in February 2023 (close to 100,000 deaths, and abysmal destruction like never seen before by an earthquake), as well as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, were geoengineered.

Similar with the horrendous monsoon floods in Pakistan in June-July-August of 2022.

Unfortunately, only few people can and are willing to understand this hard fact. They do not – often psychologically blocked – believe that politicians, so-called leaders around the world, literally of all UN member countries, are bought, coerced, or threatened into acting and lying in unison – as is the entire UN system.

That they are lying and cheating to us constantly for their sick and psychopathic desires of power and control and for the benefits of the commanding elite, is not new.

Already some 600 years ago, the Italian political philosopher and scientist, Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527), said in his famous work, The Prince, depicting his experience and reading of history, that politics have always been played with deception, treachery, and crime.

He added that a ruler who is establishing a kingdom or a republic, and is criticized for his deeds, including violence, should be excused when the intention and the result are beneficial to him [the ruler]. See this

Isn’t this exactly what we are living today? – A six-hundred-year-old Italian philosopher and politician is the teacher of our political system today. Except, today it is a globe-spanning “uniform system” applied ferociously towards a One World Order – whereas in Machiavelli’s times, he referred mostly to the ancient Roman Empire and other empires of that epoch.

Today, it looks like there is no escape.
Or is there?

In conclusion, Antony Blinken’s statement – and his point of view – is quite coherent.

We witness every day more, how weather and climate are being weaponized to destroy infrastructure, food crops, human lives, how they create misery – exactly where the elite, the corporate cabal, wants annihilation to hit for reasons of their interest.

Geoengineered climate change can be targeted like an atomic bomb, and destroy not only lives, but life supporting infrastructure, food, sources of water and energy – as well as human lives.

The populace at large is clueless about the origins of their ever more weather-constricted, oppressed, and enslaved lives.

It is a manmade climate change – the suffering is a collective mea culpa, due to our massively too large CO2 footprint, the “rulers” say, without scientific proof.

It does not occur to the public at large to watch the elite recklessly jetting around the world in private planes, using fleets of fuel-guzzling exquisite cars and equally fuel-gulping exclusive yachts, just for their pleasure.

Mr. Blinken, you were right, comparing nuclear war with engineered climate change.

You just did not tell the entire truth. But that is normal. Machiavelli already came to that conclusion 600 years ago. Politicians lie to accomplish their objectives.

As always, it is up to us, We, the People, to assume responsibility for our lives and step out from the realm of the treachery by our politicians and from those who command them.

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Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he worked for over 30 years around the world. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for online journals 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. 

The market, as a social and economic institution, is fundamentally a process designed to facilitate human life by bringing consumers and producers together. It ensures economic activities serve the social purpose of satisfying the diverse needs of human beings. This relationship was not merely based on exchange relationships but also built on trust—trust in the product, the price, and the producer. Historically, market relationships were free from tyranny and grounded in the free choice of producers to sell and consumers to buy, guided by their necessities and abilities. In such a market, there was no invisible power dictating the terms and conditions of the relationship between producers and consumers. Instead, both producers and consumers depended on each other, creating a symbiotic and mutually beneficial bond. This organic and unbreakable relationship, however, was dismantled with the advent of the so-called “free market.”

The “free market” is neither free for producers nor for consumers. The notion of “free choice” has been reduced to the purchasing power of consumers—their ability to access goods and services provided by a market that is, in reality, free from the influence and control of both producers and consumers and their everyday needs. Today, those who control the market are often neither producers nor consumers of the majority of goods sold in the so-called supermarkets, which have replaced traditional markets. In traditional markets, a direct and meaningful relationship existed between producers and consumers—an essential connection that has now been lost.

The number-crunching pseudo-science of mainstream or neo-classical economics, propagated by its adherent priests known as the economists have constructed an asocial, amoral and ahistorical concept known as the “free market.” This so-called scientific model-driven construct undermines producers, distorts the conditions of production and pricing, and manipulates consumer needs through advertising, all while ignoring the social foundations and material realities of the market as both an institution and a process. The so-called free market is designed to maximise profit at the expense of both producers and consumers. It is a distorted system that subjugates people under the guise of offering “free choice.”

Consumers and producers are reduced to mere variables in the model sheets of neo-classical economists, who champion the free market under the guise of free choice and efficiency. The everyday conditions of their lives, their social necessities, and their material realities are disregarded, falling outside the scope of concern for these economists. Empirical evidence of the harms caused by the free market is routinely ignored, dismissed, or undermined as an ideologically driven critique that allegedly threatens the efficiency, choice, and freedom of consumers and producers. Such a dogma of neo-classical economists, steeped in near-religious fervour, deflects attention from the marginalisation of the material realities faced by consumers and producers, framing such issues as political failures unrelated to the workings of the “free market.” 

The so-called free market perpetuates a deceptive culture devoid of morality, historical context, or genuine human concern. It fosters a culture of pathological lies and “snake oil” solutions, presenting these as the only viable alternatives to sustain the interests of a privileged few—at the expense of the basic needs of the vast majority. This callous system continues to dominate and shape the lives, labour, leisure, and pleasures of the working masses, entrenching exploitation under the guise of economic freedom under free market.

The so-called “free market” and its economic system neither create meaningful employment nor promote the prosperity of consumers and producers. In reality, the largest corporations generate only minimal jobs, prioritising efficiency and profit over widespread economic well-being. These corporations do not promote genuine human prosperity, as such prosperity would undermine the free market’s core function—an efficient system designed to exploit both consumers and producers. So, it subjugates individuals by promoting fictitious desires for commodities and services, presenting these as pathways to self-actualisation without genuine self-realisation. This emphasis on mere commodity consumption, detached from an understanding of the conditions of production, cultivates a mindset of “commodity consciousness.” It reduces all forms of relationships to commodities, where success is equated with the fleeting pleasure derived from consumption. This subtle yet profound transformation of society and culture, centered on commodity-driven pleasure, has eroded the solidarity that once existed between producers and consumers.

The religion of the free market seeks salvation through the relentless consumption of living labour, stifling its creativity while funnelling a significant share of meagre wages into its profit-driven empire. Small savings are siphoned into various market products, such as mortgages, insurance schemes and other everyday living, further entrenching individuals in the system. Working for mere wages diminishes labour’s rightful share in the value it creates, while consumers bear an exorbitant cost simply to survive. This repetitive cycle of work-wage-based survival reduces human life to a purely economic existence, focused solely on the struggle for daily subsistence.

The unequal transactional relationship between work and workers in a free-market economy not only undermines labour but also promotes working conditions that erode the very foundations of efficiency and productivity it professes to enhance. Consumer preference overrides worker and working conditions in such a system. There is no evidence that free market works but reactionary media celebrate this contradictory system as the only viable option, perpetuating the narrative that seeking alternative models is futile.  This is not an accidental oversight but a deliberate strategy to position the “free market” as the superior economic system, asserting that no viable alternatives exist.

 In this way, contradictions, debauchery, double standards, and the inherent failures of the free market come to define its economic system called capitalism. Mere market reforms can never bring peace or prosperity to the working masses. The state, government, other institutions and culture of capitalism forces people to accept free market.  In the name of rationalisation, free market disciplines people and their everyday habits that are concomitant with the requirements of capitalism as a dominant system .  It is time for a moral, social, economic and historical scrutiny of the free-market economy and its advocates. Market-based freedom is no freedom at all—it is a form of tyranny that permeates every aspect of social, political, economic, and cultural life, sustaining a dominant economic system that thrives on the exploitation of human life, labour, and natural resources.

Freedom from the so-called free market of capitalism is the only way to ensure true freedom for consumers and producers, enabling the establishment of a genuinely free market. Such a market would be based on the transparent flow of information about producers, conditions of production, prices, and free consumer choices. Only through collective action and collective consciousness, people can overcome the so-called free market, which is controlled by a select few. It is time to establish a free market that works for the welfare of the masses as producers and consumers. 

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Bhabani Shankar Nayak is a political commentator. 

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Kim Petersen is an independent writer. He can be emailed at: kimohp at gmail.com. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image source

Stumbling fashionably late on stage, with that genuine independent rock ‘n’ roll attitude that Tavistock could never tame, Silver Bullet arrives.

This text is not particularly friendly to the uninitiated so may not be the best way of sharing.

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This Address was prepared for the Northern Ireland parliament but represents a clear summing-up, without bells and whistles, of a few central points which, if widely understood, would severely hamper the ability of those with control issues from succeeding in their ‘unification’ plans.

So much information we are bombarded with. So much unwitting consuming of Tier 2 propaganda by so many who genuinely seek the truth and the best for their children.

So many ‘leading voices’ pushing – for what ever reason – central myths that the Scorpions rely on.

So please, fire this painful to hear but ultimately kind address everywhere.

We all know how firmly many ears are clamped shut. Is it worth risking discord to speak out one more time?

“I know you may not fancy watching this, but a lot of us feel it’s an incredibly positive step towards protecting our children…

I really think if you watched it you would be glad you did, though a little shocked…”

“Have you seen Silver Bullet?”

Let’s do this people. Let’s make sure it spreads far and wide.

Some will say the production could have been slicker. Some will say this is a slick PR job made to look Lo Fi.  🙂

All the matters is the words.

Versions in many languages will follow. Please excuse a collection of emails today if you are subscribed. We also have a gentleman making a sign language version.

Not everything is in this video – but enough key things are.

The AT-AT in Star Wars was a fearsome enemy – until it became clear that its long legs were ripe for lassoing.

This push to own everything relies on utter preposterous demonstrable lies. The Climate Hoax and Disease Hoaxes are stupidly at odds with the evidence.

Here is an article on the financial aspect. Mike has often stressed the CBDC / Digital ID trap and The Great Taking.

But the control will be justified by Health and Safety.

And it’s all based on lies.

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O Ocidente intervém cada vez mais nos assuntos internos da Geórgia. Numa tentativa de impedir o progresso da agenda diplomática e pró-paz do Parlamento, os países ocidentais estão a financiar protestos extremamente violentos, que resultaram numa grave crise social. Há claramente uma intenção por parte do Ocidente de derrubar o governo legítimo do país e estabelecer uma junta pró-OTAN, como aconteceu na Ucrânia em 2014.

A capital georgiana, Tbilisi, está gradualmente a parecer um verdadeiro cenário de guerra civil. Militantes radicais estão a atacar a polícia e a tentar destruir edifícios governamentais em protesto contra as políticas do partido Georgian Dream – que venceu as eleições parlamentares e implementou uma série de reformas conservadoras e nacionalistas.

O Georgian Dream foi injustamente acusado de ser “pró-Rússia” simplesmente porque priorizou os interesses nacionais georgianos em detrimento das agendas intervencionistas ocidentais. Entre as principais medidas do Georgian Dream estão a imposição de restrições ao trabalho de ONG estrangeiras, o congelamento das negociações de adesão à UE até 2028 e a proibição de sanções anti-russas apoiadas pelo Ocidente. Obviamente, a UE e a OTAN estão desiludidas com a administração política georgiana, que faz todo o possível para permitir uma mudança de regime.

O Ocidente tem um interesse especial na Geórgia porque o país tem uma história recente de conflito militar com a Federação Russa. O Ocidente está a fazer lobby para que Tbilisi retome as hostilidades nas regiões da Abecásia e da Ossétia do Sul, numa tentativa de “reconquistar” as repúblicas separatistas – o que permitiria a abertura de uma segunda frente na guerra por procuração da OTAN contra a Rússia, facilitando a estratégia ocidental. Apesar da pressão internacional, o Parlamento resistiu e evitou envolver-se em qualquer conflito, sendo então fortemente condenado pelos lobistas pró-ocidentais por trás da oposição política georgiana.

“Para resumir, o Georgian Dream recusou-se a abrir uma “segunda frente” contra a Rússia no verão de 2023 para ajudar a contra-ofensiva condenada da Ucrânia, o que era imperdoável do ponto de vista do Ocidente. “A importância geoestratégica da Geórgia também aumentou depois de o Ocidente ter “roubado” a Armênia da esfera de influência da Rússia, desde então se tornou indispensável para promover seus planos no Cáucaso. O Georgian Dream é patriótico demais para se tornar seu fantoche, e é por isso que agora o consideram seu inimigo”, comentou o analista político americano Andrew Korybko sobre o caso.

Como resultado deste processo, o projeto ocidental de uma revolução colorida na Geórgia está a intensificar-se. Protestos em massa foram convocados por agitadores ao serviço da inteligência estrangeira, levando a manifestações violentas. As bandeiras e símbolos da Ucrânia e da OTAN são comuns nas ruas e os manifestantes cantam frequentemente hinos e canções nacionalistas ucranianas – o que mostra claramente a verdadeira ideologia dos dissidentes georgianos, bem como quem são os seus apoiadores internacionais.

Como é bem sabido, o principal líder da oposição georgiana é o presidente do país, nascida na França, Salome Zourabishvili. Antiga embaixatriz francesa em Tbilisi, Zourabishvili tornou-se cidadã georgiana após a Revolução Colorida de 2003, tornando-se mais tarde presidente e o principal lobista pró-UE do país. Zourabishvili recusa-se agora a reconhecer os resultados das recentes eleições georgianas e diz que não se saíra do cargo após o fim do seu mandato.

Existe uma grave polarização na Geórgia entre Zourabishvili e o primeiro-ministro Irakli Kobakzhidze. Enquanto o chefe do parlamento defende uma política soberanista e conservadora, a presidente nascida na França é a principal representante dos interesses ocidentais na Geórgia e é atualmente a principal figura pública por detrás dos motins que ameaçam a segurança nacional do país.

“Estou muito orgulhosa de vocês! Estou orgulhosa da Geórgia! Foi alcançado um acordo nacional sobre a questão mais crítica: ninguém pode tirar a independência da Geórgia, ninguém pode devolver a Geórgia à Rússia e ninguém pode privar a Geórgia da sua vontade e do seu futuro europeu (…) Continuo a ser a sua Presidente – não existe um parlamento legítimo e, portanto, nenhuma eleição ou posse legítima. O meu mandato continua consigo e permanecerei consigo!”, publicou ela nas suas redes sociais , elogiando “manifestantes” criminosos que atacam a polícia.

No final, o Ocidente quer um “Maidan para a Geórgia”. O objetivo é “ucranizar” o país do Cáucaso, tornando-o num aliado na guerra por procuração da OTAN com Moscou. É cedo para dizer se o governo legítimo terá força suficiente para resistir à pressão durante muito tempo, mas independentemente do resultado final desta crise, a situação deverá agravar-se significativamente num futuro próximo.

Lucas Leiroz de Almeida

Artigo em inglês : Western powers trying to ‘Ukrainize’ Georgia, InfoBrics, 2 de Dezembro de 2024.

Imagem :  InfoBrics

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Lucas Leiroz, membro da Associação de Jornalistas do BRICS, pesquisador do Centro de Estudos Geoestratégicos, especialista militar.

Você pode seguir Lucas Leiroz em: https://t.me/lucasleiroz e https://x.com/leiroz_lucas

On Thursday, following the decision of Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze to suspend talks on EU membership until 2028, thousands would take to the streets of Tbilisi in protest, where they would be addressed by the country’s pro-Western President Salome Zourabichvili. Lockstep statements of condemnation of the Georgian government would follow from EU members France, Sweden and Romania, European Movement International President Guy Verhofstadt, and the US State Department, coming just weeks after France, Germany and Poland issued a joint statement questioning the results of the recent Georgian election, which saw the incumbent Georgian Dream party returned to power.

Receiving widespread media coverage in the West, these protests come at a time of increased instability in the Black Sea nation. In April of this year, protests would once again sweep the country in response to Georgian Dream’s proposed Transparency of Foreign Influence law, which would make it compulsory for any NGO that receives more than 20% of its funding from abroad to register as a foreign agent. Once again receiving widespread coverage from the West, the proposal would be lambasted as a “Russian law” brought in due to influence from Georgia’s larger northern neighbor. This is in spite of the fact that the proposed legislation actually bears a strong similarity to the United States’ Foreign Agents Registration Act. A law that I myself have experience of, when, in 2020 and again in 2021, American Herald Tribune, a Canadian website that I formerly wrote for, was seized by the FBI under the act, with the US alleging that the site was an influence operation directed by Iran.

The current Georgian protests also bear a stark similarity to the Ukrainian Euromaidan protests of 2013. In November of that year, in a move that bears a striking similarity to his current Georgian counterpart, Ukrainian head of state Viktor Yanukovych would also suspend talks on his country joining the EU, with the then-President favouring closer ties with neighbouring Russia instead. In response, violent protests – backed by Victoria Nuland, then Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, the National Endowment for Democracy, and Open Society Foundations – would soon sweep the former Soviet Republic, culminating in the eventual overthrow of Yanukovych and his replacement with the pro-Western Petro Poroshenko, whose new coalition government was composed of virulently anti-Russian elements.

In response, the predominantly ethnic-Russian Donbass region in the east of the country would break away in April 2014 to form the independent Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk, their residents having little choice lest they face ethnic cleansing and genocide at the hands of the new regime. Indeed, these fears would prove to not be unfounded, when one month later the Trade Unions House in the southern Ukrainian city of Odessa was torched by Maidan supporters. 48 people would die in the blaze, the majority of whom were anti-Maidan demonstrators of Russian descent.

A war between the Ukrainian state and the breakaway republics would follow, leading to 14,000 deaths over the space of eight years. Despite the attempts of Russia to resolve the situation peacefully via the Minsk Accords, which would have seen the Donbass remain under Ukrainian rule yet be granted a degree of autonomy, the continued shelling of ethnic Russian villages by Ukrainian forces, and the possibility that Ukraine would go on to become a NATO member in a reverse version of the Cuban Missile Crisis, would eventually force Moscow’s hand.

In February 2022, a Russian military intervention was launched into its western neighbour, with the intention of protecting Russian minorities and destroying any military infrastructure intended to be used against Russia had Ukraine gone on to become a NATO member. Global condemnation and sanctions of Russia would follow, leading to the precarious situation where the world now lies at the distinct risk of a nuclear confrontation between East and West, with the US, Britain and France recently approving the use of long-range missiles by Ukraine on Russian territory, a move that Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously stated would be regarded as direct involvement by NATO in the conflict.

The Ukraine situation itself also bears a striking similarity to the 2003 colour revolution in Georgia. A regime-change operation once again orchestrated by Western governments and NGOs such as George Soros’ Open Society Foundations, in order to extend Western influence in former Soviet states following the end of the Cold War, the Rose Revolution would see Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze overthrown and replaced with the pro-Western Mikheil Saakashvili. Likewise to Ukraine, the pro-Western trajectory that the Saakashvili government would take would also eventually place it on a collision course with Moscow, culminating in a two-week military conflict in August 2008. Four months prior to the Russo-Georgian clash, NATO had issued a provocative declaration that both Georgia and Ukraine would eventually become members of the alliance.

Another noticeable factor of the current Western media coverage of the Georgian protests is the stark contrast in how it has been covered compared to the ongoing protests in EU member Ireland relating to immigration policy, alongside Dublin’s heavy-handed response.

In November 2022, following the placement of upwards of 400 male migrants into a disused office block in East Wall, a working-class neighbourhood in inner-city Dublin, local residents would begin a protest at the site. Citing a lack of consultation with community representatives beforehand, the unsuitability of the chosen location, and the lack of transparency on whether the men placed in the block had been vetted or not, the East Wall protests would soon become a regular occurrence, with similar pickets emerging throughout Ireland in locations where large numbers of male migrants had also been placed, including a children’s primary school in Drimnagh, another working-class Dublin neighbourhood.

Rather than take heed of the protesters’ concerns however, the Irish establishment’s response was to castigate them as “far right” and subject them to police surveillance, a strategy that would serve only to exacerbate tensions even further.

Image: The Emergency Accommodation Centre at Two Gateway Building, East Wall Road (Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)

Indeed, one year on from the beginning of the East Wall protests, these tensions would explode in their most notable manner so far. On the 23rd of November 2023, following the stabbing of three children and their school teacher in central Dublin by an immigrant previously subjected to a deportation order, calls for a protest in Dublin later that night would rapidly spread throughout social media.

Seemingly attracting an opportunistic element, riots would sweep the Irish capital, garnering worldwide attention, with the attack on the three children and their teacher being consigned to a mere afterthought. Facial Recognition Technology laws would be swiftly introduced by Fine Gael in response, thus revealing the true intent behind the current immigration policies of the southern Irish state.

In addition to the devaluing of labour, the mixing of vast amounts of people from different ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds leads to tensions, which in tight-knit areas such as urban working-class neighbourhoods, eventually spill over, creating a pretext for the government-corporate alliance to introduce a digital surveillance state. Taoiseach at the time of the Dublin riots, Leo Varadkar, was a “Young Global Leader” of the World Economic Forum, whose Great Reset agenda envisages such a scenario. His successor and current Taoiseach, Simon Harris, is also likely another YGL, owing to his deliberate use of “Great Reset” terminology in his acceptance speech upon becoming leader of the ruling Fine Gael party, and in his first meeting with British Prime Minister and fellow Davos aficionado Keir Starmer.

Tensions related to immigration would explode once again in April of this year, in the small rural village of Newtownmountkennedy in County Wicklow. Following weeks of peaceful protests by local residents in opposition to plans to house male migrants in a disused hospital in the locality, matters would come to a head when an on-site protest camp was cleared by Irish riot police in a heavy-handed early morning raid. In the scenes that followed, residents would be brutalised by police in a manner reminiscent of Belfast or Derry in the late 60s or early 70s, a female journalist would be pepper sprayed, and martial law would effectively be imposed on the small sleepy village. In a grim irony, the Irish establishment would release a statement less than a week later, condemning the Georgian government response to protests against the Transparency of Foreign Influence law, the previous week’s scenes in Newtownmountkennedy being wilfully ignored by Leinster House.

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In July, an almost identical scenario would play out in Coolock, a working-class North Dublin suburb. Following a similar heavy-handed early morning raid by Irish riot police on a protest camp, set up at a disused paint factory in the locality that had been earmarked to house 500 male migrants, on-site work vehicles would be set ablaze in response, once again leading to scenes resembling those that played out in the north of Ireland more than half a century ago. In the hours that followed, residents, including women, children and the elderly, would once again be subjected to police brutality, a popular video streamer and citizen journalist would be arrested, and a number of opposition councillors, who had arrived at the scene in a bid to calm tensions, would be pepper sprayed.

In spite of the brutality on display however, no mainstream media descriptions of crackdowns on peaceful protesters were ascribed to the scenes in Newtownmountkennedy and Coolock earlier this year. A far cry from the current coverage of the attempts to replicate the Rose Revolution and Euromaidan in Georgia, and ultimately encircle Russia.

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Gavin O’Reilly is an activist from Dublin, Ireland, with a strong interest in the effects of British and US Imperialism. Secretary of the Dublin Anti-Internment Committee, a campaign group set up to raise awareness of Irish Republican political prisoners in British and 26 County jails. His work has previously appeared on American Herald Tribune, The Duran, Al-Masdar and MintPress News. He is a regular contributor to Global Research. Support him on Patreon. 

Featured image: Protesters with Georgian flags rally against the government’s decision to suspend negotiations on joining the European Union in Tbilisi [Zurab Tsertsvadze/AP Photo]

Ukraine’s unpopular mobilization measures are already causing serious problems in the country and significantly worsening internal tensions. Recently, Ukrainian military and civilian citizens have spoken out to Western media about their views on conscription, revealing the brutal reality behind the Kiev’s army.

According to people interviewed by The Telegraph, there is an utter rivalry between Ukrainian recruiters and the civilians they “hunt for” to be sent to the front. Some military personnel have described the situation as a kind of “cat and mouse” game, with harassment, fighting and even hatred and promises of revenge between officers and new recruits.

“Sometimes it’s like dealing with a cornered rat (…) They continue fighting even while in the vehicle. Those who resist always threaten to take revenge on our guys or their families (…) Previously, we allowed people to go home and pack, but lately, they don’t return voluntarily. They hide and don’t show up. Sometimes, we have to confiscate their phones depending on the situation,” a military officer identified as “Artem” told journalists.

In the same vein, ordinary people are afraid to walk the streets because officers can arrive at any time and forcibly seize men who are passing by. The situation is so shocking that, according to residents interviewed, currently it is almost impossible to see civilian men in legal draft age walking the streets in Kiev and other regions. People are scared and fear being sent to certain death on the front lines.

“Men who have an age that is appropriate for military drafting are scared to walk freely in the street. If you go in the Kiev subway, you will see youths under 25, people in military uniform, or elderly people, but not guys from 25 to 40, because we are scared (…) It’s a serious problem because people understand that this is a one-way road. We don’t have any specific limits of time that people have to serve in the military, and when you’re taken, it’s forever. In many cases, this bitter end happens very fast (…) You’re basically afraid to walk from your home” a local identified as “Basiley” told The Telegraph.

Ultimately, a new polarization is being created in Ukrainian society: on one side are the recruiters and their collaborators, on the other are civilians and ordinary people who do not want to fight. The collaborators find potential recruits and report them to the authorities, who send officers to capture them by force and send them to the front. Often, people are conscripted and even die in battle without their families even knowing, since the military no longer allows communication between recruits and their families – fearing that they will try to escape.

The recruiters and their military supporters claim that they have learned to control their emotions and deal with reality in a balanced way. They see the capture of men as a “job” like any other. Moreover, for them it is a matter of survival, because in today’s Ukraine it is necessary to choose between being with the recruiters or the civilians – and it is safer to be among those who capture recruits than among those who are captured.

“I’ve learned to control my emotions during work, and now it’s just a job for me. I always have the argument: It’s either them or me (…) I believe it’s better to work for TCC (Territorial Centre of Recruitment and Social Support) than to hide from it,” Artem added.

The Ukrainian reality is confronted by a completely different scenario in the Russian Federation. The majority of Russian military personnel involved in the special operation in Ukraine are volunteer soldiers who sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense to fight of their own free will. In addition, the Russian authorities have repeatedly stated that there is no need or intention to call for a new military mobilization, since there are too many volunteers involved in the operation and there is no necessity to send more conscripts to the front.

In other words, in the current Ukrainian conflict, one side wants to fight and the other does not. While volunteers are asking to go to the front for Russia, in Ukraine there is not only forced conscription, but also mass desertion, which shows the psychological collapse of the Kiev’s troops. In a war, the moral and psychological factor is as important as the military one. If there is no will to fight and belief in victory, it is impossible to carry out a war effort for long, which shows that the defeat of the neo-Nazi regime is only a matter of time.

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Lucas Leiroz is a member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant. You can follow Lucas on X (formerly Twitter) and Telegram.

Featured image is from Sputnik / Evgeny Kotenko

These incredible letters are just a sample of what’s flooded Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s Office in the past week.

Premier Danielle Smith’s staffers are trying to deny any involvement in this bizarre attempt to put me in prison.

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“Categorically false”

She’s doubling down and won’t stop until she puts me in prison.

Look at what she said recently about the Canadian Trucker protest at Coutts:

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Watch here

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But don’t worry.

I have a plan.

***

See this rest here.

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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.

A new bloody phase has opened up in Syria, as if it was ever possible to contemplate another one in that tormented land. Silly terms such as “moderate” are being paired with “rebels”, a coupling that can also draw scorn.

What counts as news reporting on the subject in the Western press stable adopts a threadbare approach.  We read or hear almost nothing about the dominant backers in this latest round of bloodletting. 

“With little warning last Wednesday, a coalition of Syrian rebels launched a rapid assault that soon seized Aleppo as well as towns in the nearby Idlib and Hama provinces,” reported NBC News, drawing its material from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

We are told about the advances of one organisation in particular: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an outgrowth of Jabhat al-Nusra, a former al-Qaeda affiliate.  While the urgent reporting stressed the suddenness of it all, HTS has been playing in the jihadi playground since 2017, suggesting that it is far from a neophyte organisation keen to get in on the kill.

From Al Jazeera, we get pulpier detail.  HTS is the biggest group in what is dubbed Operation Deterrence of Aggression.  HTS itself comprises Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, Liwa al-Haqq, Jabhat Ansar al-Din and Jaysh al-Sunna.  That umbrella group is drawn from the Fateh al-Mubin operations centre, which is responsible for overseeing the broader activities of the armed opposition in northwestern Syria under the control of the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG). It is through the offices of SSG that HTS delivers essential goods while running food and welfare programs.  Through that governance wing, civil documentation for some 3 million civilians, two-thirds of whom are internally displaced people, has been issued.

The group, headed by Abu Mohammed al-Jawlani, himself an al-Qaeda recruit from 2003, then of Jabhat al-Nusra, has done much since its leader fell out with Islamic State and al-Qaeda.  For one, HTS has a series of goals.  It purports to be an indigenous movement keen on eliminating the Assad regime, establishing Islamic rule and expelling all Iranian militias from Syrian soil.  But megalomania among zealots will always out, and al-Jawlani has shown himself a convert to an even broader cause, evidenced by this remark:

“with this spirit… we will not only reach Damascus, but, Allah permitting, Jerusalem will be awaiting our arrival”.

All of these measures conform to the same Jihadi fundamentalism that would draw funding from any Western intelligence service, provided they are fighting the appropriate villain of the moment.  We should also expect routine beheadings, frequent atrocities and indulgent pillaging.  But no, the cognoscenti would have you believe otherwise.  We are dealing, supposedly, with a different beast, calmer, wiser, and cashed-up.

For one thing, HTS is said to be largely self-sufficient, exercising a monopoly through its control of the al-Sham Bank and the oil sector through the Watad Company.  It has also, in the words of Robin Yassin-Kassab, become a “greatly moderated and better organised reincarnation of Jabhat al-Nusra.”  This could hardly cause cheer, but Yassin-Kassab at least admits that the group remains “an authoritarian Islamist militia” though not in the eschatological fanatical mould of its forebears.  “It has a much more positive policy towards sectarian and ethnic minorities than ISIS.”  Fewer beheadings, perhaps.

A fascinating omission in much commentary on these advances is Turkey’s outsized role.  Turkey has been the stalking figure of much of the rebel resistance against the Assad regime, certainly over the last few years.  Of late, it has tried, without much purchase, to normalise ties with Assad.  In truth, such efforts stretch as far back as late 2022.  The topics of concern for Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoĝan are few: dealing with the Kurdish resistance fighters he sorely wishes to liquidate as alleged extensions of the PKK, and the Syrian refugee problem.  The Syrian leader has made any rapprochement between the two states contingent on the withdrawal of Turkish forces from Syria.

With Damascus proving icily dismissive, Ankara got irate.  Indeed, there is even a suggestion, if one is to believe the assessment by Ömer Özkizilcik of the Atlantic Council, that Turkey was instrumental in initially preventing the rebels from attacking as far back as seven weeks ago.

Much in the latest spray of analysis, along with unfolding events, will require much revisiting and revision.  There is the issue of lingering Turkish influence, and whether Erdoĝan’s words will mean much to the charges of HTS as they fatten themselves on the spoils of victory.  There is the behaviour of HTS, which is unlikely to remain restrained in a warring environment that seems to treat atrocities as mother’s milk.  (Al-Jawlani has not shown himself to be above the targeting and massacring of civilians.)  The retaliation from the Syrian government and Russian forces not otherwise deployed against Ukraine also promises to be pitilessly brutal.

Then there are the untold consequences of a Syria free of Assad, a fate longed for by the coarsened righteous in Western circles and emboldened al-Jawlani.  This is certainly not off the books, given that both Iran and Russia are preoccupied, respectively, with Israel and Ukraine.

Were the regime, bloodthirsty as it is, to collapse, yet another cataclysmic tide of holy book vengeance is bound to ripple through the region.  Never mind: the babble about God and theocracy will be happily supplemented by covert operations and arms sales, all overseen by a wickedly smiling Mammon.

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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: Location of Syria. Source: CIA World Factbook.

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I bet you have never heard of a “non-crime hate incident.” So far as I know, this is an exclusively British perversion. Someone can denounce you for just thinking you said something rude about our usual pets – something entirely legal, by the way – and the police will come around and give you a stern warning. You can be written up and filed away as the perp of a “non-crime hate incident,” and you have no recourse and no appeal. This is supposed to keep real hate speech under control, but all it does is punish Brits who step out of line. Even children can be written up for “non-crime hate.”

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His Majesty’s government has an 11,000-word webpage explaining “Non-Crime Hate Incidents,” updated last June, that explains how this works.

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This sentence sets the tone:

“Freedom of expression is a qualified right which means that it can be restricted for certain purposes to the extent necessary in a democratic society.”

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You can get yourself written up if you do anything that “is perceived by a person other than the subject [that’s you] to be motivated – wholly or partly – by hostility or prejudice towards persons with a particular characteristic.”

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Hostility can be nothing more than “dislike” or “unfriendliness,” and the “characteristics” are the standard stuff: race, religion, sex orientation, disability. An officer can get creative: he can write up any kind of “dislike” or “unfriendliness” if he “deems it necessary to record an incident involving a different characteristic that is not covered by hate crime legislation.” And officers have.

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The alleged victim – or anyone else – can rat you out. It can be something you said or did, or just a tweet. If, and only if, the investigating officer determines there was no “dislike” or “unfriendliness,” then he needn’t write up the incident. If he thinks you are a nasty character who might do it again, at his discretion, he can put you into a database. If you apply for certain jobs, such as teaching, childcare, medicine, social work, a potential employer could find you out and decide not to hire you. For something that’s not a crime! There is no provision in the law to punish or even reprimand people who call in fake or ridiculous incidents.

And many are ridiculous. “Dirty pants on washing line recorded as non-crime hate incident by police.”

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Someone in North Wales complained that her neighbors hung “a very large soiled pair of underpants on their washing line” and left it there for two months. She said that it was because she has an Italian name.

The same article mentions a complaint against a man who refused to shake hands with someone he thought was transexual. A Russian-speaking man claimed that a barber gave him an “aggressive” haircut after they talked about the war in Ukraine. A nine-year-old girl was written up for calling a classmate a “retard,” and two secondary-school girls got the treatment for saying that another pupil smelled “like fish.” As I said, the police can be creative.

This article says that a vicar got a visit from the police because a homosexual was “alarmed and distressed” when the vicar said homosexuality is a sin.

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People get a knock on the door for “misgendering” someone. The manager of a pub got a writeup because he kicked out customers who were having sex in the restroom. The complaint claimed it was only because one of the frolickers was transgender. I guess nobody cares if normal people copulate in pubs.

The Home Office is supposed to have issued “common sense” rules to cut back on the foolishness so that write ups are reserved for “incidents ‘clearly motivated by intentional hostility’ where there is a real risk of escalation ‘causing significant harm or a criminal offence’.”

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All of this is utterly subjective.

A lot of people think the whole business should be scrapped. The Times of London, not exactly a hot-headed journal, is running a poll that asks, “Should police stop investigating non-crime hate incidents?” When I looked, 92 percent of people said “yes” and only 8 percent said “no.”

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The current Labour government is siding with the 8 percent. The Home Office says logging this stuff “help[s] the police to build an intelligence picture around community tensions in order to map trends and prevent escalation.”

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You never know when misgendering could escalate to murder.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says tracking these incidents “can be a crucial tool to enable police and other authorities to track and warn of rising abuse against Jewish and Muslim communities.”

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Well. I guess that settles it.

Jewish and Muslim groups both say that “hate crimes recorded by the police relating to antisemitism and Islamophobia was a fraction of the true scale of the abuse.”

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You know what? I bet every “protected category” says exactly the same thing.

The whole idea of the police investigating non-crimes is absurd. The only consequence is that people get the word: Button your lip. Don’t upset Britain’s special people.

Last year police logged more than 13,000 cases of “non-crime hate.” Each took an estimated five hours of police time, and that works out to about 60,000 cop-hours.

Britain must be wonderfully crime-free to be able to send police out to dress people down if they won’t shake hands.

Let’s see. Here is a graph of violent crimes in Britain over the last 20 years.

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There has been a slight dip the last two years, but there is still well over twice as much violent crime as there was 10 years ago. What’s more, “Three in four burglaries unsolved in England and Wales last year.” That was 200,000 unsolved break-ins, and a suspect was charged in only 6 percent of cases.

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So far, all I’ve talked about is non-crime hate. Maybe I’ll make another video about sure-enough criminal “hate.” Apparently, there’s plenty of that, too. “Malicious communication” – and that can be just a tweet – can get you two years in the pokey and a fine for whatever the judge thinks he can squeeze out of you. You can spend seven years in the pokey for “inciting racial hatred,” and you don’t have to do anything, just say things.

These are sad times for a country that used to believe in personal liberty. Britain is a perfect example of what the great Sam Francis called “anarcho-tyranny.” Francis died in 2005, and for those who did not know him, Wikipedia helpfully explains that he was “an American white supremacist writer” – just what Wikipedia says about me.

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We get anarcho-tyranny when police can’t – or won’t – control crime. That’s the anarchy.

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Instead, police go after law-abiding people like you and me for “non-crime hate incidents,” “malicious communication,” praying in school, smoking in the wrong place, jaywalking, owning the wrong pistol magazine, not wearing a bicycle helmet, etc. etc. That’s the tyranny.

These are sad times for our country, too. And Francis saw it coming 30 years ago.

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Featured image: © Tim Pierce

America’s ‘Justice’ System Deserves Nothing But Total Ridicule

By Drago Bosnic, December 03, 2024

On June 11, the “First Crackhead”, as some more independent media like to style Hunter Biden, was convicted on all three felony gun charges, concluding that he violated laws meant to prevent drug addicts from owning firearms. The mainstream propaganda machine immediately resorted to damage control with laughable sob stories about Hunter Biden “battling addiction.”

The War on Gaza: A New Global Order in the Making? Part XIII-B

By Amir Nour, December 03, 2024

The existing world order is at an inflection point, and the times ahead will likely be radically different from those experienced in our lifetimes and will determine the course of decades to come. The last similar epochal circumstances in recent history occurred between 1930 and 1945 and between 1999 and 2008.

Georgia: A Second Front for Putin

By Dr. Paul Craig Roberts, December 03, 2024

President Putin faces the possibility of a second Ukraine, a second war front that could result from Washington’s success in staging a coup d’etat in Georgia with a color revolution.

Netanyahu’s Diabolical Undeclared War Objectives in Gaza

By Jamal Kanj, December 03, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel’s war on Gaza will continue until achieving what he terms “total victory.” Instead of critically examining Netanyahu’s vague and open-ended objectives, much of the Western media and many governments frame the onslaught as self-defense, and some even normalize the genocide as a “humane” attempt to “free” Israeli captives.

For Bibi, the Road to Tehran Goes Through Damascus. Mike Whitney

By Mike Whitney, December 03, 2024

Syria is an indispensable part of Israel’s ambitious plan to remake the Middle East. The country sits at the heart of the region and serves as both a critical landbridge for the transport of weaponry and foot-soldiers from Iran to its allies, as well as the geopolitical center of the armed resistance to Israeli expansion.

US Decline, APEC and Geo-Economics the Chinese Way

By Leonid Savin, December 03, 2024

The 35th summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, which consists of 21 countries from the Americas and Southeast Asia, held last week in Peru, showed that the balance of power is changing rapidly. It is noticeable that the U.S. is losing its influence, although it is trying various methods to retain its hegemony.

Video: “Wiping Gaza Off the Map”: Big Money Agenda. Confiscating Palestine’s Maritime Natural Gas Reserves

By Felicity Arbuthnot and Prof Michel Chossudovsky, December 03, 2024

In the current context, Israel’s “All Goes to Plan” option consists in bypassing Palestine and “Wiping Gaza off the Map”, as well confiscating ALL Gaza’s maritime offshore gas reserves, worth billions of dollars. 

Low magnesium levels, especially when combined with high homocysteine, significantly increase DNA damage in healthy adults, accelerating cellular aging and increasing the risk of chronic degenerative diseases

Magnesium plays a crucial role in DNA replication, repair and stability. It acts as a cofactor for enzymes involved in these processes and helps maintain the double helix structure

Magnesium is essential for brain health, regulating NMDA receptors, modulating immune responses and acting as an antioxidant. It also supports synaptic plasticity, learning and memory functions

Adequate magnesium levels are vital for blood sugar control, insulin sensitivity and cellular energy production. Magnesium deficiency leads to insulin resistance and metabolic disorders like Type 2 diabetes

To optimize magnesium levels, consider supplements like magnesium threonate, consume magnesium-rich foods and try alternative methods such as Epsom salt baths or topical application for better absorption

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There’s a critical link between magnesium levels and the integrity of your DNA, according to research published in the European Journal of Nutrition.¹ The study, conducted on healthy middle-aged Australians, revealed that low magnesium levels, especially when combined with high homocysteine, significantly increase DNA damage.

This finding underscores the vital role magnesium plays in maintaining your genetic health and staving off age-related diseases. As the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, magnesium is involved in over 600 enzymatic reactions, including those crucial for DNA replication and repair.

Ensuring adequate magnesium intake could be a key factor in protecting your genetic material and promoting healthy aging. In fact, by examining various biomarkers of DNA damage, researchers have shed light on how magnesium deficiency might accelerate cellular aging and increase your risk of developing chronic degenerative diseases.

The Hidden Dangers of Magnesium Deficiency

While magnesium’s importance for bone health and nerve function is well-known, its role in safeguarding your DNA is less recognized. The study found that participants with lower magnesium levels exhibited higher frequencies of micronuclei (MN) and nucleoplasmic bridges (NPBs) in their cells.² These are telltale signs of DNA damage and chromosomal instability.

Essentially, when your body lacks sufficient magnesium, it struggles to efficiently replicate and repair DNA, leaving your genetic material vulnerable to damage. This vulnerability manifests as increased oxidative stress and a higher likelihood of DNA strand breaks. Over time, these effects accumulate, leading to premature aging of your tissues and organs. 

The research suggests that chronic magnesium deficiency might create a state of persistent oxidative stress in your body, similar to the effects seen with deficiencies in other crucial micronutrients like zinc.³

The Homocysteine Connection: A Double-Edged Sword

The study didn’t just focus on magnesium; it also examined the interplay between magnesium levels and homocysteine, an amino acid linked to various health issues when present in high concentrations. Researchers discovered a significant negative correlation between magnesium and homocysteine levels. In other words, as magnesium levels decreased, homocysteine levels tended to increase.⁴

This relationship is noteworthy because elevated homocysteine is associated with an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular problems and pregnancy complications. Participants with both low magnesium and high homocysteine levels showed the highest frequency of DNA damage markers.

This synergistic effect suggests that the combination of magnesium deficiency and elevated homocysteine could be particularly detrimental to your genetic health, accelerating the aging process and increasing your susceptibility to age-related diseases.⁵

Unraveling the Mechanisms of Magnesium’s Protective Effects

To understand why magnesium is so crucial for your DNA’s integrity, it’s important to look at its role in various cellular processes. Magnesium acts as a cofactor for enzymes involved in DNA replication and repair, such as DNA polymerase and DNA ligases. When magnesium levels are low, these enzymes can’t function optimally, leading to errors in DNA replication and inefficient repair of damaged DNA.⁶

Additionally, magnesium plays a role in maintaining the stability of DNA and RNA structures. It helps neutralize the negative charges on DNA phosphate groups, contributing to the overall stability of the double helix structure.

The study also hints at magnesium’s involvement in epigenetic regulation and protein modification processes that are crucial for maintaining genomic integrity.⁷ By ensuring adequate magnesium levels, you’re providing your cells with the tools they need to protect and maintain your genetic material effectively. 

Magnesium’s Role in Protecting Your Brain’s Delicate Balance

Your brain’s health depends on a delicate balance of various processes, and magnesium plays a key role in maintaining this equilibrium. Recent research reveals how magnesium acts as a gatekeeper for N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which are vital for learning and memory.⁸ By regulating these receptors, magnesium helps prevent excessive glutamate activity, which leads to inflammation and neuronal damage.

Additionally, magnesium has been found to influence the production of substance P, a neuropeptide involved in pain perception and inflammatory responses. Low magnesium levels increase substance P, exacerbating neuroinflammation.⁹ Furthermore, magnesium’s interplay with calcium in your neurons is critical. By limiting calcium influx, magnesium helps prevent a cascade of events that could otherwise result in intensified inflammation and neuronal injury.

This balancing act extends to magnesium’s role in modulating immune responses, particularly through its interaction with nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), a key player in inflammatory processes. By inhibiting NF-κB activation, magnesium helps dampen the expression of proinflammatory genes, reducing overall brain inflammation.¹⁰

The Hidden Power of Magnesium as an Antioxidant

While not typically classified as an antioxidant, emerging research suggests that magnesium plays a role in your body’s defense against oxidative stress.¹¹ This is particularly important for your brain health, as oxidative stress is a significant contributor to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases.

Studies have shown that magnesium deficiency is associated with increased markers of oxidative stress, including modified lipids, proteins and DNA. Importantly, magnesium appears to support your body’s antioxidant defense mechanisms. One key way it does this is by stabilizing superoxide dismutase (SOD), a critical enzyme that converts harmful superoxide radicals into less reactive molecules.¹²

This stabilization of SOD provides a unique link between magnesium and your antioxidant defense system. Magnesium’s involvement in various cellular processes, including mitochondrial function and fatty acid metabolism, further contributes to its role in managing oxidative stress.

By supporting these fundamental processes, magnesium helps maintain cellular health and resilience against oxidative damage. This antioxidant-like activity of magnesium adds another layer to its neuroprotective properties, helping to slow the progression of age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders.¹³

Magnesium’s Impact on Your Brain’s Plasticity and Memory

Recent discoveries have also unveiled magnesium’s role in synaptic plasticity, your brain’s ability to form and reorganize connections between neurons.¹⁴ This process is fundamental to learning, memory and cognitive flexibility.

Research has shown that presynaptic intracellular magnesium is instrumental in mediating the transition between two crucial synaptic configurations: one involved in encoding new information and learning, and another responsible for storing and recalling memories.¹⁵ This insight highlights magnesium’s importance not just in maintaining neural health but in actively shaping your cognitive processes.

Studies on animal models of Alzheimer’s disease have demonstrated that magnesium supplementation enhances cognitive function and synaptic plasticity. Moreover, in a rat model of Alzheimer’s, magnesium sulfate supplementation improved cognitive function, synaptic plasticity and even the morphology of dendritic spines — the tiny protrusions on neurons that receive input from other neurons.¹⁶

These findings suggest that maintaining optimal magnesium levels could be crucial for preserving cognitive function as you age.¹⁷

Magnesium for Blood Sugar Control and Cellular Energy Production

Your body’s intricate blood sugar control system also relies on magnesium. This essential nutrient is involved in the function of your pancreatic beta cells, which produce insulin to regulate blood glucose levels.¹⁸ When you eat, these cells respond by releasing insulin to help your body store glucose as glycogen, primarily in your liver and muscle cells.

Magnesium is vital for this process, acting as a cofactor for enzymes involved in glucose metabolism and insulin signaling. If your magnesium levels are low, your beta cells may struggle to produce and release insulin effectively, leading to blood sugar imbalances. Furthermore, magnesium deficiency impairs the activity of glucokinase, an enzyme that acts as a glucose sensor in beta cells and controls the rate of glucose entry into these cells.¹⁹

Without adequate magnesium, your body’s ability to sense and respond to changes in blood glucose levels may be compromised, setting the stage for metabolic disorders like Type 2 diabetes. Low magnesium levels also contribute to insulin resistance by altering the activity of the insulin receptor and its downstream signaling pathways. Conversely, insulin resistance leads to increased urinary magnesium loss, further depleting your body’s magnesium stores.²⁰

This creates a self-perpetuating cycle that’s difficult to break. Studies have shown that individuals with Type 2 diabetes often have lower intracellular magnesium concentrations compared to those without diabetes.²¹

Beyond its effects on insulin and glucose metabolism, magnesium is essential for your cells’ energy production processes. It acts as a cofactor for numerous enzymes involved in glycolysis and the Krebs cycle, two key pathways in cellular energy generation. In the absence of sufficient magnesium, these enzymes may not function optimally, leading to reduced energy production and metabolic inefficiencies.²²

It’s important to remember that magnesium’s benefits are far-reaching. Adequate magnesium intake helps maintain healthy blood pressure, support proper muscle and nerve function and promote strong bones.

There are also positive correlations between magnesium levels and other important nutrients like folate and vitamin B12, suggesting that magnesium status is an indicator of overall nutritional health.²³ By prioritizing your magnesium intake, you’re not just protecting your DNA, brain or blood sugar; you’re supporting your body’s overall function and resilience.

How to Optimize Your Magnesium Levels

More than half of Americans don’t get enough magnesium daily,²⁴ and this deficiency is even more widespread in certain groups. Various health conditions and lifestyle choices increase magnesium loss from your body. For example, if you have diabetes or drink alcohol regularly, you’re at higher risk of magnesium deficiency.

Your magnesium levels are also affected by lack of sleep and stress. Even short periods of stress might lower your magnesium. When it comes to supplements, I prefer magnesium threonate because it’s particularly good at entering cells, including those in your brain and mitochondria.

However, if you’re new to magnesium supplements, it’s best to start slowly with magnesium citrate to find the right dose for you. This method, called “bowel tolerance,” helps you determine how much magnesium your body needs. Like vitamin C, excessive oral magnesium results in loose stools, indicating that you’ve surpassed your optimal intake. This natural safeguard makes magnesium toxicity highly unlikely.

Start with 200 milligrams (mg) of magnesium citrate per day and gradually increase until you notice your stools becoming slightly loose. This indicates you’ve found your ideal dose. From there, try other types of magnesium if you want.

Take magnesium threonate with or without food. If you’re also taking calcium supplements, it’s good to take them together. Fitness enthusiasts might benefit from a pre-workout regimen that includes calcium and magnesium in a 1:2 ratio. While a 1:1 ratio of magnesium to calcium is often recommended, most diets are already high in calcium. So, you might need two to three times more magnesium than calcium in your supplements to balance things out.

Remember, blood tests aren’t always reliable for checking your magnesium levels, especially in muscles and bones. Instead, tracking what you eat is a more practical way to make sure you’re getting enough magnesium. Foods that are high in magnesium include:

• Raw milk and homemade yogurt
• White rice
• Potato
• Dried seaweed or agar
• Broccoli
• Bok choy
• Turnip greens
• Brussels sprouts

Aside from food and oral supplements, alternative methods to increase your magnesium levels include:

As we continue to uncover the intricate ways in which nutrients interact with our genes and cellular processes, the importance of maintaining optimal magnesium levels becomes increasingly clear. To ensure healthy aging and disease prevention, prioritize getting an adequate intake of magnesium.

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Notes

^{1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 23} European Journal of Nutrition June 12, 2024

^{8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17} Front. Endocrinol., 25 September 2024 Sec. Cellular Endocrinology, Volume 15 – 2024

^{18, 19, 20, 21, 22} Front. Nutr., 25 September 2024 Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology, Volume 11 – 2024

²⁴ Oregon State University, “Micronutrient Inadequacies in the US Population: An Overview” Micronutrient Deficiencies and Inadequacies

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In less than a week of its supposed “ceasefire” agreement Israel has reportedly attacked targets in Lebanon around a hundred times, leading to a single retaliation from Hezbollah on Monday which resulted in zero casualties. As you might expect, Israel is now playing victim and shrieking bloody murder, vowing a major response against Hezbollah for daring to strike back while Israel violated its ceasefire agreement dozens of times.

Apparently this was the kind of ceasefire where only one side has to actually cease firing. This is such a perfect example of everything Israel is.

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Scrolling through Twitter this morning I saw an Al Jazeera clip documenting evidence that IDF drones have been playing the sounds of crying babies to lure civilians out of their hiding places so they can be shot and killed, and then I saw a photo that an IDF soldier reportedly uploaded to his own social media depicting himself masturbating while gazing at the destruction of Gaza.

I am not a religious person, so I don’t really resonate with words like “demonic” and “satanic” to describe Israeli criminality. But at the same time, I kind of get it. What adjectives are there to describe things like this? “Evil” is a pathetic understatement. Language fails.

They’re not just depraved, they’re creative and enthusiastic about constantly finding new and innovative ways in which to be depraved. I love words and language more than probably anyone I know, but words always fail me on this front.

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The “rebel” fighters in Syria are now reportedly telling Israeli media that they are grateful to Israel for bombing Syria and fighting Hezbollah, with The Times of Israel quoting an HTS fighter from Idlib as saying “We love Israel and we were never its enemies.”

So, I guess take that for whatever it’s worth.

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Imagine going back in time to 2002 and trying to explain to Americans that in a few years the US government is going to start giving weapons to Al-Qaeda in Syria, and then the world will find out about this and just kind of shrug and then completely forget that it happened.

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It’s annoying how many people I see interrupting adult conversations with infantile prattle about whether Assad is a “good guy” or a “bad guy”. We’re trying to have mature discussions about important world events; stop babbling about Good Guys and Bad Guys like children watching a cartoon show.

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Read on X

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Antisemitism simply is not a significant threat in our society. It used to be, but it isn’t anymore, because our society has changed. There was a time fairly recently when I would’ve been discriminated against for being divorced from the father of my children. This never happens to me in our present day, because we no longer have the kind of puritanical society where that sort of discrimination occurs. Some fringe religious kooks on the internet might tell me divorce is a sin, but they have no institutional support and normal people think they’re ridiculous.

In exactly the same way, the archaic superstitions and prejudices which drove the persecution of Jewish people in previous generations simply do not exist in the way they once did. What you see labeled as “antisemitism” today is 99 percent just people criticizing Israel or fighting back against the oppressive abuses of a genocidal apartheid state, with the remaining one percent being expressions of medieval prejudices against Jewish people from fringe assholes with no political power.

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The final word on Biden’s entire political career is his decision to spend his lame duck weeks backing a genocide and pardoning his son without doing anything at all to pardon real victims of injustice or make things better for normal human beings in any way whatsoever.

Apparently Hunter Biden has been pardoned not just of the crimes he’s been accused of, but any unspecified crimes he may have committed over the last eleven years. Which is a bit suspicious, to say the least.

Whatever. I don’t even care at this point. This is one of the least evil things this decrepit monster has done over the course of his presidency.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel’s war on Gaza will continue until achieving what he terms “total victory.” Instead of critically examining Netanyahu’s vague and open-ended objectives, much of the Western media and many governments frame the onslaught as self-defense, and some even normalize the genocide as a “humane” attempt to “free” Israeli captives.

At the same time, the same pundits decontextualized the Palestinian right to self-defense by ignoring that the October 7 revolt was a direct response to over two decades of Israel’s imposed “starvation diet” blockade on Gaza. Exactly, as the West turns a blind eye, and continues to enable Israel’s theft of Palestinian-occupied land in the West Bank to benefit Jewish-only colonies.

Meanwhile, these media outlets downplay or dismiss Israel’s treacherous undeclared war objectives, even to the detriment of Israeli captives and the immense civilian suffering in Gaza. 

For over a year, Netanyahu has prioritized an agenda to reoccupy and to ethnically cleanse northern Gaza rather than engage in negotiations for prisoner’s swap. Especially since the release of Israeli captives would undermine one of Netanyahu’s primary pretexts for pursuing his sinister objectives.

This is only possible in the wake of Western leaders embracing Netanyahu’s racist perspective, focusing only on the well-being of Israeli captives, while ignoring the over 10,000 Palestinian hostages held in Israeli jails, and the welfare of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza. For instance, Joe Biden has expressed recently his concern over Netanyahu potentially delaying action to secure the release of Israeli captives until January 20, 2025, while expressing no sympathy for the suffering of Palestinians in 2024 and beyond. 

With the conspicuous silence or impotence of world bodies, the Israeli captives became a convenient fig leaf under which Netanyahu saw as an opportunity to reoccupy Gaza. It is worth recalling that in 2005, Netanyahu resigned from the Israeli government in protest against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s decision to “disengage” and remove the Jewish-only colonies from the Gaza strip. 

Immediately following October 7, Netanyahu launched a genocidal war, disregarding the Palestinian Resistance’s proposal for prisoner’s exchange. His decision to pursue war instead of negotiations was motivated by several factors:

a) Deflect responsibility for the intelligence failure under his watch.
b) Evade scrutiny of his role in facilitating external funding to Hamas.
d) Execute a campaign of genocide and ethnic cleansing to reoccupy Gaza.

The strategy to ethnically cleanse Gaza was openly advocated by Israel’s racist Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, who three months following October 7 called for Palestinians to leave Gaza. The scion of an Ukrainian immigrant repeated the century-old European Zionist myth of blooming the desert⎯a narrative that not only ignores historical and geographical realities but also contradicts his own Old Testament that once described Canaan, the land of the Filastin (Palestine), as the “land of milk and honey,” before the ancient Hebrews migrated from their original homes to Palestine.

Further, and on January 1, 2024, Smotrich’s fellow racist National Security Minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, declared in a Knesset speech that Israel should never withdraw from any territory it occupies and explained that the establishment of new Jewish-only colonies in Gaza as “an important thing.” The following day, on January 2, Ben Gvir doubled down, stating that displacing “hundreds of thousands” of Palestinians from Gaza would help pave the way for the creation of the new Jewish-only colonies. 

More recently, on Monday, November 25, Smotrich declared to the Yesha Council, an umbrella group representing the Jewish-only colonies in the occupied West Bank, “We can and must conquer the Gaza Strip.” He claimed there is “a unique opportunity” with Donald Trump’s election to halve Gaza’s population—a veiled euphemism for ethnic cleansing. On Thursday, November 28, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir echoed similar calls to “reoccupy the Gaza Strip.”

On the ground inside Gaza, the tools of occupation were more explicit in defining the meaning of Netanyahu’s ostensible mantra: “total victory.” Israeli soldiers posed before an orange banner that read, “Only (Jewish-only) settlement (in Gaza) would be considered victory!” Notably, the orange color harkens back to the banners used by the settler movement in 2005 to protest Sharon’s decision to evacuate the Jewish-only colonies from Gaza.

To this end, and starting October 1^st, Israel initiated a new phase of targeted genocide by starvation, blocking food aid trucks from entering northern Gaza, particularly the towns of Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, Jabalia and camp Jabalia. And where trucks were allowed in, food aid was swapped with sand bags. Starvation has become so widespread in these areas, women and children are forced to scavenge through mounds of trash for food. 

On November 29, Ajith Sunghay, head of the U.N. Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, stated after visiting Gaza that the “U.N. had been unable to deliver any aid to northern Gaza” due to “repeated impediments or outright rejections of humanitarian convoys by the Israeli authorities.”

Regarding the genocide by terror, U.N. Human Rights Chief Volker Türk reported that residents of northern Gaza are subjected to “non-stop” bombing. Simultaneously, hundreds of thousands have been ordered to evacuate, likely to make way for new Jewish-only settlements.

As part of the forced depopulation of Gaza’s northern region—the most fertile land in the strip—Israel is constructing a topographic barrier to isolate this area from the rest of Gaza. Beginning in early October, Israel carried out extensive controlled explosions, demolishing multi-story buildings to clear a path for a 5.6-mile road cutting across the strip. This road divides Gaza City from the northern towns of Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahia. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has characterized this widespread forced displacement as part of an official government policy amounting to “crimes against humanity.”

On November 30, former Defense Minister and IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon confirmed HRW findings, stating that Netanyahu and “far-right” (racist) elements are waging a war of “occupation, annexation, and ethnic cleansing.” He added, “There is no Beit Lahia, there is no Beit Hanoun.”

The live documented ethnic cleansing in Gaza, much like in 1948, alongside the expansion of Jewish-only colonies in the West Bank, underscores the true undeclared objectives in Israel’s ostensible “total victory.” In this contest, Netanyahu’s deliberate undermining of U.S.-led negotiations for prisoner’s swap exemplifies his quintessential diabolical persona: exploiting the predicament of his own Israeli captives to further his cynical undeclared agenda of slaughtering the “Amalek,” and ethnically cleansing Gaza to pave the way for new Jewish-only colonies.

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Jamal Kanj is the author of “Children of Catastrophe,” Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp to America, and other books. He writes frequently on Arab world issues for various national and international commentaries. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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[Links to Parts I to XIII-A are provided at the bottom of this article.]

“If the United Nations once admits that international disputes can be settled by using force, then we will have destroyed the foundation of the organization and our best hope of establishing a world order.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

1. International Law or ‘Rules-based International Order’?

On 8 March 1992, The New York Times published excerpts from the Pentagon’s draft of the Defense Planning Guidance for the Fiscal Years 1994-1999. This important piece of archive addressed the “fundamentally new situation which has been created by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the disintegration of the internal as well as the external empire, and the discrediting of Communism as an ideology with global pretensions and influence”. The new international environment, it was explained, has “also been shaped by the victory of the United States and its coalition allies over Iraqi aggression – the first post-cold-war conflict and a defining event in U.S. global leadership.” 

The drafters of this “Guidance” stated that the United States’ first objective should be “to prevent the re-emergence of a new rival, either on the territory of the former Soviet Union or elsewhere, that poses a threat on the order of that posed formerly by the Soviet Union. This is a dominant consideration underlying the new regional defense strategy and “requires that we endeavor to prevent any hostile power from dominating a region whose resources would, under consolidated control, be sufficient to generate global power. These regions include Western Europe, East Asia, the territory of the former Soviet Union, and Southwest Asia.” And the second objective is “to address sources of regional conflict and instability in such a way as to promote increasing respect for international law, limit international violence, and encourage the spread of democratic forms of government and open economic systems.” They also acknowledged that while the U.S. cannot become the world’s “policeman”, by assuming responsibility for righting every wrong, the U.S. will “retain the pre-eminent responsibility for addressing selectively those wrongs which threaten not only our interests, but those of our allies or friends, or which could seriously unsettle international relations”. They furthermore determined the various types of U.S. interests involved in such instances as being: access to vital raw materials, primarily Persian Gulf oil; proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles; threats to U.S. citizens from terrorism or regional or local conflict; and threats to U.S. society from narcotics trafficking.”

As a matter of fact, during the whole decade of the 1990s, as the tumultuous twentieth century shuddered toward its close, the global geopolitical landscape was overwhelmingly dominated by a much-heated American internal debate about a big question: will America strive to dominate the world, or lead it? 

This topic was the object of an influential book[1] written by Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National Security Advisor under President Jimmy Carter. In it, he reminded Americans that their might should not be confused with omnipotence, and their well-being and the world’s are entwined. He explained that panicky preoccupation with “solitary American security, an obsessively narrow focus on terrorism, and indifference to the concerns of a politically restless humanity neither enhance American security nor comport with the world’s real need for American leadership.” The conclusion Brzezinski then quite logically drew was that “unless it can harmonize its overwhelming power with its seductive but also unsettling social appeal, America could find itself alone and under assault in a setting of intensifying global chaos.” 

Such a conclusion was all the more logical, accurate and timely as America – and the world with it – found themselves at the turn of the new millennium in an unprecedented state of disarray in the wake of the 2001 September 11th attacks. These led, among other epochal events, to the American blunders of Afghanistan and Iraq invasions in 2001 and 2003 respectively whose adverse consequences the world at large is still suffering from.

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Amir Nour is an Algerian researcher in international relations, author of the books “L’Orient et l’Occident à l’heure d’un nouveau Sykes-Picot” (The Orient and the Occident in Time of a New Sykes-Picot) Editions Alem El Afkar, Algiers, 2014 and “L’Islam et l’ordre du monde” (Islam and the Order of the World),  Editions Alem El Afkar, Algiers, 2021. 

Notes

[1] Zbigniew Brzezinski, “The Choice: Global Domination or Global Leadership”, Basic Books, 2004.

[2] See this document which has been declassified under authority of the Interagency Security classification Appeal Panel https://www.archives.gov/files/declassification/iscap/pdf/2008-003-docs1-12.pdf

[3] Read the document on https://cryptome.org/rad.htm

[4] Zbigniew Brzezinski, “The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and its Geostrategic Imperatives”, Basic Books, 1997.

[5] Halford J. Mackinder, “Democratic Ideals and Reality”, Holt, New York, 1919.

[6] Twice UK Prime Minister (1855-58 and 1859-65) Lord Palmerston, also known as Henry John Temple, said before Parliament in 1848: “Therefore I say that it is a narrow policy to suppose that this country or that is to be marked out as the eternal ally or the perpetual enemy of England. We have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow.”

[7] Deepak Lal, “In Praise of Empires: Globalization and Order”, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2004.

[8] Robert D. Black will and Ashley J. Tellis, “Revising U.S. Grand Strategy Toward China”, Council Special Report No. 72, March 2015.

[9] Joshua Cooper Ramo, “The Beijing Consensus”, The Foreign Policy Centre, 2004. Later on, in 2016, Ramo explained that the Beijing Consensus shows not that “every nation will follow China’s development model, but that it legitimizes the notion of particularity as opposed to the universality of a Washington model”. See Maurits Elen, “Interview: Joshua Cooper Ramo”, The Diplomat, August 2016.

[10] See Jhana Gottlieb, “The Beijing Consensus: A Threat of Our Own Creation”, Center for International Maritime Security, 22 April 2017.

[11] Stefan Hapler, “The Beijing Consensus: Legitimizing Authoritarianism in Our Time”, Basic Books, 2010.

[12] Alain Peyreffitte, “Quand la Chine s’éveillera… le monde tremblera” (When China Awakens… the World Will Tremble), Fayard, Paris, 1973. The essay’s main thesis is that given the size and growth of the Chinese population, it will inevitably end up imposing itself on the rest of the world as soon as it masters sufficient technology, and that “Today’s China only makes sense if we put it in perspective with yesterday’s China.” As for the title, it comes from a phrase attributed to Napoléon I: “Let China sleep, because when China awakens the whole world will tremble.”  Napoléon would have uttered this sentence in 1816 in Saint Helena after reading “Voyage en Chine et en Tartarie” (Journey to China and Tartary) written by Lord George Macartney, Great Britain’s first envoy to China.

[13] To read the Strategy: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/global-strategy-2021-an-allied-strategy-forchina/#:~:text=cooperating%20within%2C%20rather,Government%0AHarvard%20University

[14] United States, Italy, Japan, Germany, Australia, India, France, Canada, UK, and South Korea.

[15] Joseph S. Nye, “Soft Power”, Foreign Policy No. 80. 1990: “These trends suggest a second, more attractive way of exercising power than traditional means. A state may achieve the outcomes it prefers in world politics because other states want to follow it or have agreed to a situation that produces such effects. In this sense, it is just as important to set the agenda and structure the situations in world politics as to get others to change in particular cases. This second aspect of power – which occurs when one country gets other countries to want what it wants – might be called co-optive or soft power in contrast with the hard or command power of ordering others to do what it wants.”

[16] John Dugard, “The choice before us: International law or a ‘rules-based international order’?”, Cambridge University Press, 21 February 2023.

17] Joe R. Biden Jr., “How the US Is Willing to Help Ukraine”, The New York Times International Edition, 2 June 2022.

[18] The White House Briefing Room, “Remarks by President Biden in Press Conference (Madrid, Spain)”, The White House, 30 June 2022, available at: www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/06/30/remarks-by-president-biden-in-press-conference-madrid-spain.

[19] The White House, “National Security Strategy”, The White House, October 2022. Available at: www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf.

[20] See further, R. Falk, “‘Rules-based International-Order’: A New Metaphor for US Geo-Political Primacy”, Eurasia Review, 1 June 2021, available at” www.eurasiareview.com; G. Cross, “Rules-based Order: Hypocrisy Masquerading as Principle”, China Daily, 3 May 2022, available at: www.chinadailyhk.com/article/269894#Rules-based-order-masquerading-as-principle.

[21] S. Walt, “China Wants a ‘Rules Based International Order’ Too”, Foreign Policy, 31 March 2021, available at: www.belfercenter.org/publication/china-wants-rules-based-international-order-too. See also A. Tuygan, “The Rules-based International Order”, Diplomatic Opinion, 10 May 2021, available at: www.diplomaticopinion.com/2021/05/10/the-rules-based-international-order/.

[22] S. Talmon, “Rules-based Order v International Law?”, German Practice in International Law, 20 January 2019, available at: www.gpil.jura.uni-bonn.de/2019/01/rules-based-order-v-international-law.

[23] Among others: the 1977 Protocols to the Geneva Conventions on the Laws of War, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 1989 Rights of the Child Convention, the 1997 Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, the 1998 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the 2006 Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions. 

[24] The White House Briefing Room, “The Jerusalem US-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration”, The White House, 14 July 2022, available at: www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/14/the-jerusalem-u-s-israel-strategic-partnership-joint-declaration/.

[25] B. Samuels, “The US State Department Rejects Amnesty’s Apartheid Claim against Israel”, Haaretz, 1 February 2022.

[26] V. Gilinsky and H. Sokolski, “Biden Should End US Hypocrisy on Israeli Nukes”, Foreign Policy, 19 February 2022.

[27] Cited in A. N. Vylegzhanin et al., “The Term ‘Rules-Based Order in International Legal Discourse’”, Moscow Journal of International Law 35, 2021.

[28] K. K. Klomegah, “Russia Renews its Support to Mark Africa Day”, Modern Diplomacy, 27 May 2022, available at: www.moderndiplomacy.eu/2022/05/27/russia-renews-its-support-to-mark-africa-day/.

[29] State Councilor and Foreign Minister W. Yi, ‘Remarks by State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the United Nations Security Council High-level Meeting on the Theme ‘Maintenance of International Peace and Security: Upholding Multilateralism and the United Nations-centered International System”’, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China, 8 May 2021, available at: www.fmprc.gov.cn/mfa_eng/wjdt_665385/zyjh_665391/202105/t20210508_9170544.html.

[30] See Ray Dalio, “Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order: Why Nations Succeed and Fail”, Simon & Schuster, 2021.

[31] Jeffrey Sachs, “The West’s False Narrative about Russia and China”, 22 August 2022; available at:  https://www.jeffsachs.org/newspaper-articles/h29g9k7l7fymxp39yhzwxc5f72ancr

[32] Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Richard Fontaine, “The Axis of Upheaval: How America’s Adversaries Are Uniting to Overturn the Global Order”, Center for a New American Security, 23 April 2024.

[33] Sarah Repucci and Amy Slipowitz, “Freedom in the World: Democracy under Siege”, Freedom House.

[34] Thomas Carothers and Benjamin Feldman, “Examining U.S. Relations With Authoritarian Countries”, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 13 December 2023.

[35] To read the related declassified document: https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/russia-programs/2017-12-12/nato-expansion-what-gorbachev-heard-western-leaders-early

[36] George F. Kennan, “A Fateful Error”, The New York Times, 5 February 1997.

[37] This document, which was revealed Wikileaks.org, is available at: https://wikileaks.org/plusd/cables/08MOSCOW265_a.html\

[38] Cited in Isaac Chotiner, “Why John Mearsheimer Blames the U.S. for the Crisis in Ukraine”, The New Yorker, 1 March 2022.

[39] Available at: https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=John+Mearsheimer+and+%e2%80%9cThe+Causes+and+Consequences+of+the+Ukraine+Crisis%e2%80%9d.&&view=riverview&mmscn=mtsc&mid=6A06B889A9A7C4BF722B6A06B889A9A7C4BF722B&&aps=132&FORM=VMSOVR

[40] Jeffrey Sachs, “The West’s False Narrative about Russia and China”, Op Cit.

[41] See United States Department of State’s Presentation of the Summit at: https://www.state.gov/summit-for-democracy-2023

[42] Kashif Anwar, “Xi Jinping’s Global Civilization Initiative”, 22 April 2023.

[43] To read “Full text of Xi Jinping’s keynote address at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-level Meeting”, Xinhua, 16 March 2023: https://english.news.cn/20230316/31e80d5da3cd48bea63694cee5156d47/c.html?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

[44] Brahma Chellany, “The BRICS Effect”, Project Syndicate, 18 October 2024.

[45] Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, China, Cuba, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mali, Nicaragua, the State of Palestine, the Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

[46] Tom O’Connor, “China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and More Join Forces ‘in Defense’ of U.N.”, 3 December 2021.

[47] Foreign Affairs, “The Nonaligned world: The West, the Rest, and the New Global Disorder”, May/June 2023.

[48] Tim Murithi, “Order of Oppression: Africa’s Quest for an International System”.

[49] Matias Spektor, “In Defense of the Fence Sitters: What the West Gets Wrong About Hedging”.

[50] Nirupama Rao, “The Upside of Rivalry: India’s Great-Power Opportunity”.

[51] David Miliband, “The World Beyond Ukraine: The Survival of the West and the Demands of the Rest”.

Links to Parts I to XIII-A:

The War on Gaza: Might vs. Right, and the Insanity of Western Power

By Amir Nour, December 01, 2023

The War on Gaza: How the West Is Losing. Accelerating the Transition to a Multipolar Global Order?

By Amir Nour, December 04, 2023

The War on Gaza: Debunking the Pro-Zionist Propaganda Machine

By Amir Nour, December 11, 2023

The War on Gaza: Why Does the “Free World” Condone Israel’s Occupation, Apartheid, and Genocide?

By Amir Nour, December 22, 2023

The War on Gaza: How We Got to the “Monstrosity of Our Century”

By Amir Nour, January 25, 2024

The War on Gaza: Towards Palestine’s Independence Despite the Doom and Gloom

By Amir Nour, February 02, 2024

The War on Gaza: Whither the “Jewish State”?

By Amir Nour, April 17, 2024

The Twilight of the Western Settler Colonialist Project in Palestine

By Amir Nour, August 17, 2024

The War on Gaza: Perpetual Falsehoods and Betrayals in the Service of Endless Deception. Amir Nour

By Amir Nour, August 25, 2024

The War on Gaza: Why the Sustainability of the Western-Zionist Colony Is Nigh on Impossible. Amir Nour

By Amir Nour, September 07, 2024

The War on Gaza: Requiem for the Deeply Held Two-State Delusion. Amir Nour

By Amir Nour, September 21, 2024

The War on Gaza: The Case for the Only Durable Solution: One Democratic State from the River to the Sea. Amir Nour

By Amir Nour, October 26, 2024

The War on Gaza: A New Global Order in the Making?

By Amir Nour, December 02, 2024

The US-led political West is known for its chest-thumping when it comes to buzzwords such as “freedom, democracy, the rule of law, nonpartisanship”, etc. To that end, thousands of major NGOs (and God knows how many smaller ones) are engaged in creating the image of the political West that “leads the world” in all of the above.

If you go to websites of organizations such as Transparency International or the likes of it, you’ll find the US, UK, EU and other vassals and satellite states to be in the “blue” or “green”, while the actual world is all “red” or “orange”. The key takeaway is – the “jungle” is “horribly corrupt”, while the “garden” is “something to look up to”. There’s just one “tiny” issue with this – it’s all lies aiming to create a particular narrative that can be used to enforce the US/NATO viewpoint on the entire world.

In reality, the political West is essentially just as corrupt as any other place in the world (if not more, particularly on the top level). The treatment of Donald Trump is a testament to that. His flaws notwithstanding, Trump (or anyone, for that matter) certainly doesn’t deserve to be treated as a criminal if he hadn’t committed a crime. However, that’s exactly what happened, with the US ‘Justice’ Department targeting him in what was obviously a political decision. Expectedly, the mainstream propaganda machine joined the witch-hunt, all the while not only ignoring, but outright suppressing information about the elephant in the room – Hunter Biden. The incumbent’s son is perhaps one of the most prominent criminals in the world, as he has been involved in all sorts of repulsive illicit activities all over the world.

It should be noted we’re not only talking about “good old” corruption, embezzlement, drug and sex scandals, but even more disturbing crimes such as financing terrorism, development of bioweapons and child trafficking. Hunter Biden’s “vibrant career” spans well over a decade and it has always been a sort of “open secret” in the halls of power in Washington DC. However, over the years, he became quite careless, resulting in the laptop scandal that the corrupt federal institutions, including the FBI, tried to cover up (although they somehow managed to be sloppier than Hunter himself while doing so). You can only imagine the extent of his crimes when not even his family could prevent the opening of several cases against him. However, they still used their political power to drastically reduce the scope of prosecution.

On June 11, the “First Crackhead”, as some more independent media like to style Hunter Biden, was convicted on all three felony gun charges, concluding that he violated laws meant to prevent drug addicts from owning firearms. The mainstream propaganda machine immediately resorted to damage control with laughable sob stories about Hunter Biden “battling addiction”, while the DoJ officials insisted that the verdict shows “no one in this country is above the law”. Now that you’re done laughing, let’s analyze whether this claim holds. Namely, while it could be said that at least “some justice was served” with this conviction, as previously mentioned, drug abuse and high-level corruption are the least of Hunter Biden’s wrongdoings. The victims of his sadistic and barbaric tendencies certainly found no comfort in this verdict.

In fact, it can be argued that it was carefully tailored to include the least gruesome of his crimes, meaning that he was already highly unlikely to serve a long-term prison sentence, which would be the least that he deserved. But more importantly for the Biden crime family, this verdict didn’t implicate anyone important, particularly not his father. However, the real imperative for the corrupt federal institutions was to perpetuate the illusion there’s any actual “rule of law” in the US. Just imagine what would’ve happened had anyone ever found any evidence about one of Trump’s sons using crack cocaine, to say nothing of the possibility of them having a firearm while using it. Not only would the mainstream propaganda machine “crucify” them, but the DoJ would surely expedite a long-term prison verdict.

We’re not even going to consider the possibility of them committing Hunter Biden’s other, far more serious crimes that even include “an unnatural obsession with minors” (a euphemism for the abomination the political West is trying to “normalize”). And yet, not even this pitiful sliver of “justice” will be served, as “daddy’s boy” has just been pardoned after years of lies and false promises that this wouldn’t happen. The incumbent’s decision comes ahead of Hunter Biden’s December 12 sentencing for his conviction on federal gun charges, as well as an upcoming December 16 sentencing in a separate criminal case in which he pleaded guilty to federal tax evasion charges. The “full and unconditional” pardon also covers offenses “which he has committed or may have committed or taken part in” over a nearly 11-year period (2014/1/1 to 2024/12/1).

It should be noted that this includes the Burisma scandal, which Donald Trump was impeached for asking about. To make things even more comical, the incumbent’s statement regarding the pardon says that “Hunter was treated differently by the DoJ” and that “the charges only came about after several of my political opponents in Congress instigated them to attack me and oppose my election”. Joe Biden also lamented that “in trying to break Hunter, they’ve tried to break me”, adding that “enough is enough”. Some analysts have been saying for years that the incumbent would pardon his son, although these claims were usually dismissed as “conspiracy theories” by the mainstream propaganda machine. Either way, the “justice” system in the US is a charade, as the corrupt federal institutions continue to protect criminals.

This includes not just the Biden crime family, but the entire “swamp” of warmongers, war criminals, kleptocrats and plutocrats in Washington DC. The oligarchy certainly doesn’t care about the “rule of law”, be it international or domestic. They’re solely concerned with controlling the narrative and presenting it in a way that protects and expands their agenda and interests. Needless to say, all this stands in stark contrast with the interests of the actual world. These truly Mephistophelian elites are conducting an all-encompassing global aggression that is affecting not only billions of people around the world, but also hundreds of millions of Americans and others who live in Western countries. Their two-tiered “justice” system is designed against all of us, as evidenced by its self-proclaimed exterritoriality. It’s truly a travesty they get to spread this “justice” across the globe.

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

Featured image: This caricature of Hunter Biden was adapted from in the public domain from the US Congress (PDF). The body was adapted from in the public domain from The White House’s Flickr photostream.

President Putin faces the possibility of a second Ukraine, a second war front that could result from Washington’s success in staging a coup d’etat in Georgia with a color revolution. Riots ongoing since the “Russian party” defeated the “Western party” by 54% to 34% have convinced the Prime Minister of Georgia that the West is in the process of launching a color revolution to overthrow, as was done in Ukraine, the democratically elected government.  Putin is silent and consequently could find himself fighting on two fronts.  Then the West will open a third front. This is what Putin can expect from consistently presenting himself as a non-interventionist unless Russia is attacked.  Russia, certainly the most powerful military entity on earth, carries no weight in Western councils.

Georgia, the country, became a part of Russia in early 1800. In 1917 Georgia became one of the provinces of the Soviet Union.  The country became independent in 1991 when the collapse of the Soviet Union gave Washington the opportunity to break up the Soviet Union. Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, and the Central Asian provinces were turned into independent countries.

In 2003 Washington engineered the “Rose Revolution” in Georgia, which put a pro-Western government in office. In 2008  Washington  sent its US-trained and equipped Georgian army into South Ossetia, a disputed province that did not agree to leave Russia with Georgia. As Russian peacekeepers were killed in the Georgian invasion of South Ossetia, Putin sent in the Russian Army which quickly destroyed the American trained Georgian Army  and conquered Georgia in five days, which is what should have happened in Ukraine.

Failing to realize that Washington would continue to try to turn Georgia into a front against Russia, Putin turned Georgia loose and took his army home. Putin, a true believer in non-interference even when it is at Russia’s expense,  left Georgia to be subverted by Washington. Putin did not require that Georgia shut down Washington’s NGOs operating in the country or that Georgia subordinate itself in any way to Russia.

Consequently, Washington got a French-born woman installed as president of Georgia, and Washington’s propaganda and NGOs have convinced 34% of Georgians to prefer alignment with the West than with Russia. It is part of Washington’s intent to surround Russia with missile bases.

Washington’s EU puppet has threatened to impose sanctions on the democratically elected Georgian government for failure to void the election and put in office a pro-West government. The EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas took the side of the 34%, whom she declared to be the “Georgian people,” not the 54% who won the election. She promised that the EU would punish those who won and that sanctions against Georgia was one of the options for dealing with the Georgian people’s refusal to comply with EU rule.

Last Saturday the US State Department spokesman announced Washington’s suspension of its strategic partnership with Georgia, thus setting up Georgia for overthrow.

The Georgian President supports Washington’s NGO protesters and said the parliamentary elections are illegitimate.

There is no indication that the Russian government realizes that the overthrow of the pro-Russian government means trouble for Russia.  Fyodor Lukyanov, chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, writes nonsensically  about the attempt at “color revolution” as if it is merely an internal affair for Georgia. Instead of coming to Georgia’s support, Putin and Lavrov continue to cause massive misinformation in Russia by speaking of “our Western partners.”    

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Paul Craig Roberts is a renowned author and academic, chairman of The Institute for Political Economy where this article was originally published. Dr. Roberts was previously associate editor and columnist for The Wall Street Journal. He was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy during the Reagan Administration. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Sources

https://www.rt.com/news/608514-eu-kallas-georgia-sanctions/

https://www.globalresearch.ca/west-tries-stage-coup-detat-georgia/5874025

https://www.rt.com/russia/608470-georgia-pro-eu-protests-continue/

https://www.rt.com/russia/608467-georgian-president-refuse-leave-office/

https://www.rt.com/news/608491-us-suspend-strategic-partnership-georgia/ 

https://www.rt.com/russia/608470-georgia-pro-eu-protests-continue/

https://www.infowars.com/posts/georgia-pm-accuses-eu-of-launching-color-revolution-after-riots-erupt-in-wake-of-election 

Featured image is from FMM graphics studio

The involvement of Colombian mercenaries in the Ukrainian conflict highlights the structural roots of the paramilitary phenomenon that has plagued the Latin American country for decades. In this context, Colombia and Russia agreed to create a working group to address the issue, especially since hundreds of Colombian mercenaries have died fighting in the Ukraine conflict.

The meeting, led by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Colombian Foreign Minister Luis Gilberto Murillo, took place amid growing concern about the participation of former Colombian military personnel in international conflicts. The decision, announced after the meeting in Moscow in November, seeks to establish joint mechanisms to mitigate the impact of this problem, which threatens Colombia’s internal politics and global security.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro tweeted on November 27 that “mercenary work must be banned in Colombia,” adding that to prevent recruitment by private contractors, raising the “standard of living” of soldiers was necessary. He also called for “criminal punishment” for those using mercenaries in foreign conflicts, thereby supporting the bill his government introduced to the Colombian Congress in August to approve the United Nation’s International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries.

The creation of the Russian-Colombian working group reflects a necessary response to political pressure on Bogota due to increased military and ex-military personnel involved in conflicts abroad, especially in Ukraine. There is an alarming number of Colombian military and ex-military personnel captured or killed in combat against Russian military forces in Ukraine.

Nonetheless, the phenomenon is not limited to the crisis in Ukraine but is part of a broader trend in which former military personnel, paramilitaries, and guerrillas from the South American country are recruited to participate in conflicts in different parts of the world. Some media outlets, such as Cuestión Pública, estimate that around 4,000 former members of Colombia’s Public Force participate in foreign conflicts.

As mentioned, the bill will include measures to criminalize the use, hiring and training of mercenaries, an essential step considering the avalanche of Colombian mercenaries that affects not only Ukraine but also other countries in conflict, such as Libya and Sudan.

Another concern is, obviously, the ramifications in Latin America. For example, former members of the Colombian military are recruited by Mexican drug cartels not only for training but also for paramilitary operations on the ground.

Privatized war and military training in Colombia are rooted in the influence of Israel’s Mossad and American companies, such as Blackwater, and are linked to drug trafficking and extractive economies. In effect, Colombian mercenarism has been fueled by a system that perpetuates violence as a tool of control. The training that Colombian soldiers receive, based on American and British techniques, makes them ideal combatants for international conflicts and criminal activities.

Resolving the mercenary problem in Colombia lies in addressing both the structural causes and the regulations that allow its proliferation. Fully implementing the Peace Agreement signed in Havana in 2016 between the Colombian government and militant groups, which includes measures for substituting illicit crops and economic development in the areas most affected by the conflict, is critical.

The agreement between Colombia and Russia represents a significant step in controlling the export of mercenaries and their impacts. However, the problem transcends national borders. Colombia has a long tradition of internal conflict and a highly trained military that is poorly paid and vulnerable. The solution requires political will and a structural change in the power dynamics perpetuating violence. The only way to find peace is through dialogue and policies that dignify soldiers and deactivate patterns of war.

Until this occurs, though, Colombians will continue to be tempted to fight in Ukraine due to the promise of thousands of dollars a month. Although Colombians can earn more money fighting in Ukraine than having a conventional job at home, more than 300 of the 2,000 believed to have gone to the Eastern European warzone have been killed, while hundreds more have been wounded or deserted their positions.

Even if Colombian mercenaries survive unscathed, they still face other issues. Recently, two Colombian soldiers returning home were detained in Venezuela and sent to Russia, where they have been charged with mercenary activities.

With Colombian nationals exposed to financial rewards in Ukraine, caveated with a likelihood of imprisonment, injury or death, Murillo also confirmed that peace efforts were part of his discussions with Lavrov: “We delivered a message of peace regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine, encouraging political and diplomatic dialogue.” Only through peace will Colombian lives stop being wasted in far-off Ukraine, but as it appears, the Kiev regime is still holding out from any negotiations with Moscow.  

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Ahmed Adel is a Cairo-based geopolitics and political economy researcher. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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First published in September 17, 2023

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Washington-led Empire’s criminal war on Syria is a war against civilization itself.

Empire, with its legacy media accomplices, hides behind veils of fabricated lies to commit crimes against children, women, men, Muslims, Christians, minorities, secularism, democracy, and the entire fabric of the sovereign nation of Syria itself.

Empire balkanizes, steals, loots, plunders, and supports terrorism of all kinds, even as it imposes colllective punishment in the form of unilateral coercive measures against those in government-secured areas.

“Crimes Against Syria” unmasks the war propaganda apparatus. It presents the evidence-based truth that the West and its agencies seek to obscure.

Big lies of “humanitarian warfare” and the “Global War on Terror” are exposed for all to see. 

Watch the trailer below. 

Watch the full documentary below.

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Mark Taliano is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG) and the author of Voices from Syria, Global Research Publishers, 2017. He writes on his website where this article was originally published.

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[In view of the latest developments in Syria, we are reposting this important article by Shane Quinn, first published in April 2022.]

The United States, with occasional interruptions, has been interfering in the important Middle East nation of Syria for over 70 years, and today there are hundreds of American soldiers still present on Syrian soil. These realities are not well known.

US intrusion in Syrian affairs can be traced to the late 1940s, as outlined in 2016 by the American author Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The CIA, at the behest of Harry Truman’s government in Washington, started to destabilise Syria shortly after the country’s official independence in April 1946.

Kennedy Jr. wrote,

“The CIA began its active meddling in Syria in 1949 – barely a year after the agency’s creation. Syrian patriots had declared war on the Nazis, expelled their Vichy French colonial rulers, and crafted a fragile secularist democracy based on the American model”.

Syria at this time was governed by president Shukri al-Quwatli, a man aged in his 50s who had been elected through a democratic process in August 1943. Quwatli is a founding father of the modern Syrian state, and he is regarded by many Syrians as among the most renowned figures in the country’s 20th century history.

Image on the right: Quwatli declaring Syria’s independence from France, 17 April 1946 (Licensed under the public domain)

Quwatli had Syria’s interests at heart, and he was well acquainted with the methods of imperial powers. He repeatedly pressed for Syrian independence from its French master, often irritating politicians in France by what they perceived to be Quwatli’s stubbornness and disobedience.

It was inevitable these character traits would annoy the leaders of another major power. This time Quwatli was not dealing with a long-declining colonial state like France, but instead his country’s independence was standing in the way of the geopolitical designs of the world’s strongest country, America.

By the 1930s and 1940s, it was recognised in American political circles that the Middle East was the earth’s richest and most strategically important region, chiefly because it contains vast quantities of oil and gas. The waters beside Syria’s coastline are estimated to hold 122 trillion cubic feet of gas and around 107 billion barrels of oil.

The Truman administration wanted to construct extensive oil infrastructure, called the Trans-Arabian Pipeline, through the US ally and oil dictatorship Saudi Arabia, northwards into Syria and Lebanon. British author James Barr, a Middle East analyst, wrote, “By the fall of 1947, Syria had become as important to the United States as it had been to the Crusaders eight centuries earlier”.

The Trans-Arabian Pipeline was a venture of American corporations like Standard Oil of New Jersey (today ExxonMobil), which in the past had conducted business deals with the fascist regimes in Europe. Also involved in the Trans-Arabian Pipeline was Standard Oil of California (today Chevron) and Texaco (now part of Chevron). Texaco likewise pursued business operations with the far-right European powers, having for example constructed a large oil refinery in Nazi Germany at the city of Hamburg, which supplied fuel for the Luftwaffe.

The CIA itself had been founded in July 1947. Two months later, in September 1947 a 31-year-old CIA agent named Miles Copeland arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus. He thereafter gathered intelligence details on the country. Copeland was soon joined in Syria by another CIA agent, Stephen Meade.

Much to the Americans’ disapproval, president Quwatli was not keen on sanctioning the US-initiated oil pipeline across Syrian territory. As a consequence it was decided in Washington that he would have to go. The CIA agents in Syria, Copeland and Meade, would perform a central role in ousting Quwatli. The Truman administration gave its consent to the installation of a military dictatorship in Damascus, led by Brigadier-General Husni al-Zaim, someone who Kennedy Jr. described as “a convicted swindler”.

The CIA officers in Damascus advised and bribed Zaim, who was the chief-of-staff of the Syrian Army. Meade alone met with Zaim on at least 6 occasions, and they spoke about the possibility of an “army supported dictatorship”. Zaim informed Meade that the “only way to start the Syrian people along the road to progress and democracy” is “with the whip”. Bolstered by the CIA, Zaim overthrew Quwatli on 30 March 1949.

Brazilian historian Moniz Bandeira recognised the underlying reason was that the ousted Quwatli “had hesitated in approving the construction of the Trans-Arabian Pipeline, connecting the oil fields of Saudi Arabia to the ports of Lebanon, which the United States wanted to build through Syria”. Syria’s tentative democracy had been quickly smashed with US assistance.

The CIA-engineered overthrow of Quwatli was one of the first covert operations the intelligence service had undertaken. Zaim’s rule in Damascus was a brief and unpopular one, lasting for four and a half months until mid-August 1949. He was toppled and killed by disloyal military colleagues “with the help of the United States” Bandeira noted. A succession of short-lived and mostly military autocracies reigned in Syria, until the mid-1950s. In an unlikely return Quwatli reassumed power in early September 1955.

Now aged 64, Quwatli chose a foreign policy of non-alignment outside of the American and Soviet camps. With the Cold War between west and east intensifying, Quwatli’s independent strategy bothered the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration. Eisenhower, a famous US Army general who became president in January 1953, described the Middle East two years before as “the most strategically important area of the world”.

For president Eisenhower, the Middle East state of Syria was a valuable piece on the chess board. At this time around 1955 the CIA Director under Eisenhower, Allen Dulles, and his brother the US Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, began formulating a clandestine war against Arab nationalism; which they conveniently linked with communism, particularly when it threatened US hegemony over foreign oil sources. Eisenhower and the Dulles brothers already had leading parts in deposing democratic governments in oil rich Iran (August 1953) not far from Syria, and Guatemala (June 1954) in Central America.

Just as Quwatli was returning to power in Damascus, Eisenhower’s regime change policy towards Syria was taking shape. The CIA Director Allen Dulles considered Syria “ripe for a coup”. From 1955, the CIA worked in tandem with Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and also Turkish intelligence. Together these special services colluded with the conservatives of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, in the hope of removing Quwatli.

On 1 July 1956 the CIA officer Archibald Roosevelt Jr., grandson of former president Theodore Roosevelt, met in Damascus with Wilbur Crane Eveland, a US National Security Council member. Also present at this meeting was an ex-Syrian minister, Michail Bey Ilyan. Displeased with Quwatli’s government, the three men discussed an “anti-communist” takeover of Syria and its biggest cities, such as Damascus, Aleppo and Homs.

On 21 September 1956 – on the pretexts of containing Soviet communism and the influence of Egypt under its new left-wing leader Gamal Abdel Nasser – the Secretary of State John Foster Dulles informed America’s ambassador in Syria, James S. Moose, to continue “to seek means of assisting Western firms which are bidding for the contract for construction of the Syrian national oil refinery, in competition with bids from the Soviet bloc”.

In October 1956, the special services of America, Britain and Turkey gave the green light to what was titled Operation Straggle, a plan to eliminate Quwatli. Secret agents of the Anglo-American-Turkish powers instigated unrest along Syria’s frontiers, which would serve as the pretext for a putsch in Damascus.

The CIA-led Operation Straggle turned into a fiasco. Syria’s head of military intelligence, Colonel Abdel Hamid al-Sarraj, discovered the anti-government plot and arrested the principal Syrian conspirators. A CIA operative, Walter Snowdon, who was also the Second Secretary in the US Embassy in Damascus, was implicated and had to hastily leave Syria. As too did the US military attaché, Colonel Robert W. Molloy.

Operation Straggle was terminated on 29 October 1956, just when the so-called Suez Crisis was erupting nearby to the south-west, as president Nasser of Egypt in following days would get the better of his Western foes.

Undeterred by the setbacks, CIA subversive activities in Syria promptly resumed. In 1957 the CIA dispatched to Syria two of its agents, Howard “Rocky” Stone and Kermit Roosevelt Jr., another grandson of Theodore Roosevelt. Stone and Roosevelt Jr. had helped to organise the previously mentioned coups in Iran (Operation Ajax) and Guatemala (Operation Success), which led to such devastating results for those two countries.

Kennedy Jr. wrote,

“Flush from his Operation Ajax ‘success’ in Iran, Stone arrived in Damascus in April 1957 with $3 million to arm and incite Islamic militants, and to bribe Syrian military officers and politicians to overthrow al-Quwatli’s democratically elected secularist regime”.

Operation Straggle was reconstituted by the Americans under the new codename Operation Wappen. The CIA goals were to gather together right-wing elements in Syria’s officer corps, and bribe them with millions of dollars, along with ex-Syrian politicians exiled in neighbouring Lebanon.

The US Embassy in Damascus was now, however, under constant surveillance by anti-imperialist Syrian Army officers like Colonel Sarraj, who was an admirer of Nasser. Colonel Sarraj had prior knowledge of the coup’s development. The plan was further denounced by Syrian military personnel who refused to accept bribes to oust Quwatli. Stone, the CIA agent in Damascus, was arrested by Syria’s authorities and on television he confessed to the plot. US Ambassador Moose was expelled from Syria, with his tenure officially ending on 30 June 1957.

Eisenhower was seriously annoyed at this turn of events, as US-Syrian relations hit one of its all time lows in mid-1957. His administration in response sent the US Sixth Fleet to the Mediterranean Sea beside Syria. The Americans were contemplating a military attack against Syria, in order to install a Western-friendly leader.

Eisenhower considered the risks too great in the end. Following the failure of these latter coup attempts in Syria, Bandeira wrote,

“President Dwight Eisenhower and Allen Dulles had no alternative but to accept the defeat. An invasion in Syria could lead to a Soviet intervention in Turkey”.

American suspicions towards Syria did not abate in February 1958, when a union was formed that month between Syria and Egypt, called the United Arab Republic. Yet the alliance lasted for less than 4 years. It was undone on 28 September 1961, as a result of a section of the Syrian military being against subordination to Nasser in Cairo.

Following more instability in Syria and another succession of short-lived regimes, General Hafez-al Assad, tied to the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, took power in March 1971. He was the father of the present day Syrian leader. Over ensuing years, General Assad would have a difficult relationship with the US, in part due to his uncompromising stance towards Israel, which Syria shares a southern border with.

At the beginning of his long reign in 1971, General Assad agreed that year to the Soviet Union establishing a naval base in the Syrian city of Tartus, resting on the strategically important Mediterranean Sea. In many ways, Syria is a link between the Middle East and Europe, and the Russians continue to use this vital base of operations at Tartus.

From the 1970s onward, Washington made continued efforts to erode General Assad’s position. There was the 1982 Hama revolt in western Syria, which resulted in a decisive victory for Assad’s Syrian Army. This blood-soaked rebellion may well have been encouraged by both the US and its NATO ally Turkey, according to Bandeira. The efforts to oust Assad continually floundered; on separate occasions he crushed with an iron fist revolts enacted by the right-wing Muslim Brotherhood.

Ongoing US hostility towards Assad predictably pushed him closer to the Soviet Union. David W. Lesch, an expert in Middle East affairs wrote,

“As a function of its [Syria’s] cold war alliance with the Soviet bloc, and its traditional position as the most vehemently anti-Israeli Arab state, Syria has been perceived by Washington as an implacable foe for most of the period since World War II”.

In October 1980, Syria and the Soviet Union signed a Treaty of Friendship and Co-operation, which was meant to last for 20 years. In November 1982, with the assumption to power of the 68-year-old Russian politician Yuri Andropov, the USSR shipped to Syria advanced missile systems and warned Israel “not to take any military action against Syria”. Russian military aid partly enabled the Syrians to defeat the US Expeditionary Force present in Lebanon.

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Shane Quinn obtained an honors journalism degree. He is interested in writing primarily on foreign affairs, having been inspired by authors like Noam Chomsky. He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).

Sources

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., “Why the Arabs Don’t Want Us in Syria”, Politico Magazine, 22 February 2016

James Barr, “Once Upon a Time, America needed Syria”, Foreign Policy, 18 September 2018

Luiz Alberto Moniz Bandeira, The World Disorder: US Hegemony, Proxy Wars, Terrorism and Humanitarian Catastrophes (Springer; 1st ed., 4 Feb. 2019)

Adam Hochschild, “The Untold Story of the Texaco Oil Tycoon Who Loved Fascism”, The Nation, 21 March 2016

Office Of The Historian, Instruction From the Department of State to the Embassy in Syria, 21 September 1956

Luiz Alberto Moniz Bandeira, The Second Cold War: Geopolitics and the Strategic Dimensions of the USA (Springer 1st ed., 23 June 2017)

Olivia B. Waxman, “The U.S. Intervened in Syria in 1949. Here’s What Happened”, Time Magazine, 13 April 2017

David W. Lesch, When the Relationship Went Sour: Syria and the Eisenhower Administration, Presidential Studies Quarterly, Winter 1998, Published by: Wiley, Jstor

Fred H. Lawson, “Karsh, The Soviet Union and Syria”, Middle East Report, March/April 1990

Featured image is from Mideast Discourse

Order Mark Taliano’s Book “Voices from Syria” directly from Global Research.

Mark Taliano combines years of research with on-the-ground observations to present an informed and well-documented analysis that refutes  the mainstream media narratives on Syria. 

Voices from Syria 

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Author: Mark Taliano

Year: 2017

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“The sun burned every day. It burned Time. The world rushed in a circle and turned on its axis and time was busy burning the years and the people anyway, without any help from him. So if he burned things with the firemen and the sun burned Time, that meant that everything burned!” —Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

Annie Jacobson, in her book “Nuclear War: A Scenario,” describes the first few seconds of a one-megaton thermonuclear weapon detonating over an American city as beginning “with a flash of light and heat so tremendous it is impossible for the human mind to comprehend. 180 degrees Fahrenheit is four or five times hotter than the temperature that occurs at the center of the sun.” The fireball produced by this explosion is so intense “that concrete surfaces explode, metal objects melt or evaporate, stone shatters, humans instantaneously convert into combusting carbon.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressing the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) at a meeting held in the Kazakh capital of Astana this past Thursday, declared that Russia’s new intermediate-range ballistic missile, Oreshnik, which was used to strike a Ukrainian military production facility near the city of Dnipropetrovsk, possessed destructive power comparable to that of a nuclear weapon.

“Dozens of warheads, self-guided units attack the target at a speed of 10 Mach (ten times the speed of sound),” Putin said. “This is about three kilometers per second. The temperature of the striking elements reaches 4000 degrees. If my memory serves me right,” Putin noted, “the temperature on the surface of the Sun is 5,500-6000 degrees. Therefore, everything that is in the epicenter of the explosion is divided into fractions, into elementary particles, everything turns essentially into dust.”

In short, the Russian President declared the use of several Oreshnik missiles in one strike would be comparable in destructive power to a nuclear weapon.

The imagery presented in Annie Jacobson’s book is so utterly horrific as to surpass the ability of most humans to comprehend, let alone apply real-life examples that allow for a modicum of intellectual comprehension. As such, when Vladimir Putin made his analogous claim regarding the comparative destructive power of a hydrogen bomb and the Oreshnik missiles conventional warhead, one’s brain is deflected away from the unthinkable and toward the practical.

The Oreshnik missile attack against the Yuzmash factory outside Dnipropetrovsk produced stunning visual images of six separate impact “events,” each comprised of six luminescent “rods” impacting the factory grounds. The Russian government had alluded to the destruction caused by this attack as being devastating; the Ukrainians, on the other hand, have minimized the damage done as negligible.

Click here to read the full article. 

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“Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War” 

by Michel Chossudovsky

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ISBN Number: 978-0-9737147-5-3
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Michel Chossudovsky is Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), which hosts the critically acclaimed website www.globalresearch.ca . He is a contributor to the Encyclopedia Britannica. His writings have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Reviews

“This book is a ‘must’ resource – a richly documented and systematic diagnosis of the supremely pathological geo-strategic planning of US wars since ‘9-11’ against non-nuclear countries to seize their oil fields and resources under cover of ‘freedom and democracy’.”
–John McMurtry, Professor of Philosophy, Guelph University

“In a world where engineered, pre-emptive, or more fashionably “humanitarian” wars of aggression have become the norm, this challenging book may be our final wake-up call.”
-Denis Halliday, Former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations

Michel Chossudovsky exposes the insanity of our privatized war machine. Iran is being targeted with nuclear weapons as part of a war agenda built on distortions and lies for the purpose of private profit. The real aims are oil, financial hegemony and global control. The price could be nuclear holocaust. When weapons become the hottest export of the world’s only superpower, and diplomats work as salesmen for the defense industry, the whole world is recklessly endangered. If we must have a military, it belongs entirely in the public sector. No one should profit from mass death and destruction.
–Ellen Brown, author of ‘Web of Debt’ and president of the Public Banking Institute

Story:

• This Alberta woman’s daughter who has Down Syndrome, was almost killed by Alberta Health Services (AHS) in 2022 when she was hospitalized with breathing problems, put on a ventilator and doctors wanted to start Remdesivir.
• Alberta Health Services would have undoubtedly killed her in 2022, if mom didn’t intervene and refuse Remdesivir.
• Now, both are sick with a respiratory infection.
• Mom is taking 40mg of Ivermectin a day and giving 30mg to daughter.

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Another Tool for Infections – Chlorine Dioxide 

• I had a bad flu a few months ago and it wasn’t going away with a few days of Ivermectin.
• I remember trying Chlorine Dioxide out of curiosity and it was gone in what seemed like 24 hours but may have been 2 days.
• This was a nasty flu (or COVID) that had lingered for a couple of weeks and it seemed Ivermectin was not bringing it down.

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Chlorine Dioxide was used successfully in South America (Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador) for severe COVID-19.

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Result

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My Take…

Alberta Health Services has killed 10,000s of Albertans since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In 2023, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith ordered a review of the handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic by Dr.Gary Davidson (a promise she ran on) but his Committee was stonewalled as AHS lawyers refused to hand over crucial COVID-19 pandemic data.

To this day, no one at AHS has been held accountable for the patient deaths AHS caused. This includes COVID-19 Vaccine injuries & deaths, including pregnant women and children.

About 6000 Albertans were killed due to AHS blocking Early COVID-19 Treatments like Ivermectin or Hydroxychloroquine, or due to AHS putting patients on ventilators and Remdesivir (a discredited practice AHS continues to this day).

This young woman would have been one of AHS’s victims in 2022 had her mother not refused Remdesivir, saving her life.

She remains in danger any time she goes to the hospital, as AHS is liable to kill her if they get their hands on her and try to put her on Remdesivir again.

Albertans are avoiding AHS doctors and hospitals like the plague.

Cancer patients are not getting proper Cancer Care from AHS. No one is held responsible in this lawless province.

Avoid the hospitals if you can. Your life may depend on it.

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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.

Today, (November 30), the Syrian military said that the large number terrorists, who launched a broad attack from multiple axes on Aleppo and Idlib fronts using heavy weapons and large number of drones, and the multiple fronts of engagement have  forced the army to redeploy with the aim of strengthening the defense lines in to contain the attack, preserve the lives of civilians and soldiers, and prepare for a counterattack.

It added that  dozens of its armed forces were martyred and others were wounded during the battles, according to the statement issued by the Syrian General Command of the Army and Armed Forces, which was published by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).

The statement affirmed that the redeployment is a temporary measure and the army will work by all possible means to ensure the security and safety of the people in the city of Aleppo, and will continue its operations and carry out its national duty in confronting terrorist organizations to expel them and re-control the entire city and its countryside.

It underlined that terrorist groups  had not been able to establish fixed positions in Aleppo city due to the army’s continued bombardment of their positions.

In this context, Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV channel reported today that Militants are deployed in about 60% of Aleppo’s area and are imposing a curfew on residents in their areas of deployment until further notice.

Yesterday, French humanitarian Pierre Le Corf, who has been in Aleppo for 9 years stressed that the large-scale attack, which started two days ago on Aleppo governorate, was launched by around 15-20 thousands terrorists of Syrian and foreign nationalities and foreign intelligence bodies.

He expects a street war in Aleppo as many terrorist groups infiltrated into the city of Aleppo and terrified people there.

”I saw many terrorists, who were trying to get within the city center.. I hope that they will not arrive to the center of Aleppo city… It will be a long night I think,” added Le Corf.

He indicated that the current terrorist attack has been very well-organized at a specific point of time.

Ahmad, who is living with his family in Aleppo city, told us that the people who live near the lines of engagement have left their homes and moved to other places. Meanwhile, many people in other areas in Aleppo got into their cars and fled, because the scenario was very similar to that of the fall of Idlib…. The infiltration of some terrorists from one side of the front due to betrayal was coincided with the awakening of sleeper cells in various places inside Aleppo. Videos were filmed for a few seconds and distributed, and the people of Aleppo believed them. So they left their homes.

Another citizen from Aleppo, Edward, said that a lot of people are awaiting for buses to pick them up to other governorate through safe road as the international highway is closed because of the terrorist attacks.

Today, the Syrian army announced that its forces successfully thwarted a large-scale attack by armed groups from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the rural regions of Aleppo and Idlib provinces in northern Syria.

In a statement, the army said the HTS — an al-Qaeda-linked extremist organization — has launched attacks using various heavy and medium weapons, including drones provided by its foreign allies.

“Our armed forces have inflicted heavy losses to the attacking groups, causing hundreds of deaths and injuries among the terrorists,” the statement said, adding, “We have destroyed dozens of vehicles and armored units and have downed 17 drones.”

The army is reinforcing its positions on various frontlines to prevent further breaches, the statement noted.

It also accused the HTS of disseminating misleading information and videos aimed at alarming the civilian population in Aleppo, urging citizens to rely solely on official national media for accurate information.

Four civilians were killed and several university students were injured on Friday (November 29) when the armed militant groups fired shells at a dormitory complex in Aleppo city, state news agency SANA reported.

For his part, Oleg Yegnasiyuk, Deputy Head of the Russian Reconciliation Center in Syria declared that at least 400 terrorist militants linked to Jabhat al-Nusra were killed during their attack on SAA positions in the Aleppo and Idlib countrysides on November 27.

In a press conference, Yegnasiyuk confirmed that the terrorist groups suffered heavy losses in both personnel and equipment while attacking the SAA. He noted that the Syrian army is “fighting fiercely, supported by the Russian Air Force.”

13 terrorist attacks were recorded against Syrian government forces (Syrian Army and allied units) in the Idlib “de-escalation zone,” including 12 in Idlib province and one in Aleppo province.

Meanwhile, Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Syria reported that armed groups operating west of Aleppo have unveiled the use of an advanced drone, reportedly acquired from Kiev’s intelligence services.

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All images in this article are from Mark Taliano

The rate of myopia progression among Chicago-area kids more than doubled during the COVID-19 lockdowns when compared to the same kids during the year before the lockdowns, according to a new peer-reviewed study.

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is growing more common among children, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Though estimates vary, nearly half of the world’s population is expected to have myopia by 2050.

The study authors — who published their findings on Nov. 18 in the British Journal of Ophthalmology— looked at eye exam results of 2,064 Chicago-area kids ages 2-17 from January 2019 through March 2021.

They compared the differences in exam results from 2019 to 2020 — before the COVID-19 lockdowns — with the differences in exam results from 2020 to 2021 when COVID-19 lockdowns were in effect.

Through statistical analyses, they found “a substantial worsening” of myopia progression “during the period of home confinement and online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Specifically, the change in myopia progression rates from 2020 to 2021 was more than double (2.2 times greater) the change from 2019 to 2020.

“The greatest increase in myopia prevalence was seen in younger elementary school-aged children, particularly in 8-year-olds, and also in 17-year-olds,” they said.

The authors said their findings align with prior research showing that kids who spend lots of time indoors reading and looking at screens tend to have worsening eyesight. They also cited prior research showing that spending time outdoors typically prevents and mitigates myopia.

The researchers concluded that COVID-19 pandemic policies — including school closures and cancellation of outdoor group sports — likely played a role in the uptick in myopia progression.

Online learning methods — and increased screen time and less outdoor time — have persisted despite the end of COVID-19 lockdowns, they said. Their evidence suggests that may be a problem when it comes to kids’ eye health.

The authors of the study called for a reduction in kids’ online learning because of its associated screen time and lack of outdoor activity.

8-year-olds and 17-year-olds Saw Biggest Jump

The new research adds weight to the argument that lockdowns harmed kids and teens. In September, University of Washington researchers found that COVID-19 lockdowns accelerated the aging of teenagers’ brains.

For this new study, researchers with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago examined how lockdowns affected the eyesight of children and teens.

They looked at data from Chicago-area kids and teens who completed a cycloplegic refraction — a vision test using eye drops to relax the eye muscles — at a tertiary children’s hospital in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

They compared the differences in exam results between these years as a way of examining whether there was a heightened increase in the progression of myopia among children during the lockdowns.

They explained:

“Exams performed in January, February, and March of 2021 took place after the pediatric population experienced remote learning since city-wide public school closures began March 17, 2020.

“Exams from January, February, and March of 2019 and 2020 reflect data before the major lifestyle changes of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thus, patients seen in the early months of 2019 and 2020 serve as ‘control’ patients, and patients seen in the same early months of 2021 serve as ‘behavior change experiment’ patients.”

They found that the rate of increased myopia from 2020 to 2021 was more than double that of the rate from 2019 to 2020.

From 2020 to 2021, kids ages 8 and 17 saw the greatest increase (25%).

The uptick stood in stark contrast to the year before the COVID-19 lockdowns during which both ages saw a decrease in myopia, they said. From 2019 to 2020, 8-year-olds saw a 1% decrease and 17-year-olds saw a 24% decrease.

Moreover, kids who were already myopic in 2019 were typically the ones who reported the greatest worsening of their eyesight.

The study authors also compared the kids’ exam results by education level. They looked at the myopia prevalence among elementary-level kids versus middle schoolers versus high schoolers.

Elementary-level kids had the greatest increase (10%) in prevalence during the COVID-19 lockdowns.

However, the authors noted that it’s not just young kids who are at risk. “The notable increase in myopia prevalence in 17-year-olds in 2021 is an unexpected finding,” they said, “as older children are thought to be less plastic.”

Their data suggest it’s important to reduce screen time and increase outdoor activity not only for younger children but older kids and adolescents, too.

They also called for more research on the long-term impact of increased screen time and decreased outdoor activities on kids’ vision.

The study authors noted a limitation of the study is that it lacked exact measurements of screen time hours and outdoor activity hours.

Instead, the authors used the timeline of official education guidelines to infer the extent to which kids shifted from in-person learning and normal outdoor activities to online learning and restricted outdoor activities.

“Given the lack of direct measurements, our interpretations and conclusions are made with caution,” they said.

The study was funded by a grant from the nonprofit Research to Prevent Blindness.

The Defender reached out to the study’s corresponding author but did not receive a response by the deadline.

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Suzanne Burdick, Ph.D., is a reporter and researcher for The Defender based in Fairfield, Iowa.

Featured image is from CHD

Donald Trump has repeatedly announced he is preparing a war against drug cartels, and James Bosworth, a global fellow at the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program, argues that Trump’s threats should be taken seriously.

There is in any case a larger context to Donald Trump’s “war on drugs” promises: he has after all vowed to employ the military for mass deportations (of illegal migrants) and to do so, he plans to declare “national emergency” – the plan does not rule out deporting whole families altogether. Several immigration “hard-liners” have been tapped by Trump to serve in his future administration (he will take the oath in January 2025). Such measures would be a great shift for the US military, normally not involved with domestic law enforcement matters. It has been tried before, though: the so-called Operation Wetback, under then President Eisenhower, in 1954, deported around 1 million Mexicans and even some US Americans of Mexican descent.

This might not be just about providing a very harsh answer to illegal migration and border problems (such as the Fentanyl crisis). Trump has at times even promised that thousands of American troops from overseas would be moved to the border. Think about it: mobilizing the military domestically and declaring a “national emergency” is a great way to increase one’s own power. And, as I wrote before, Trump’s war with part of the so-called “Deep State” is (to a large extent) all about that. It is about “taming” the intelligence services, expanding the Executive (as outlined in Project 2025) and boosting presidential powers.

Back to the border issues, in September 2023, Foreign Policy published a piece by Cato Institute’s researchers Justin Logan and Daniel Raisbeck about the (still ongoing) Fentanyl crisis. US Americans have long been facing an opioid crisis and a large share of the drug’s supply comes from Mexico. The issue fuels political tensions: for instance, American authorities have been vocally accusing Chinese companies of supplying Mexican cartels with the ingredients needed to manufacture fentanyl. In May 2023, Washington sanctioned 17 individuals and entities in China and Mexico over the issue. Amid American-Mexican tensions, increasingly heavy rhetoric against the Mexican cartels involved in this illegal trade has often included calls for “military solutions.”

Already in May 2024, Trump announced his plans to send “kill teams” to Mexico to “take out” cartel leaders. He is no lone voice on that, though. In August 2023, during the Republican Party presidential debate (before Donald Trump was made the party’s nominee), Florida Governor Ron DeSantis promised to send US Special Forces into neighboring Mexico to combat drug cartels if elected president. Bryan Griffin, his spokesperson, elaborated the promise thusly: “Ron DeSantis will declare the cartels to be narco-terrorists, and change the rules of engagement on the border.

The full force of the federal government will be utilized to ensure that illegal drug flow is stopped, and he will bring to bear every tool he has to this end.” DeSantis did not make it to become his party’s nominee, but his statements back then go to show that this kind of rhetoric (which fails to take into consideration Mexico’s sovereignty) goes beyond Trump, and, in fact, Mexico is (no surprise here) a big part of the US debate on foreign policy.

Newly-sworn Mexican President Claudio Sheinbaum appears to have taken a more aggressive approach domestically towards Mexican cartels, employing Mexico’s military to combat them. However, thus far she has refused US security assistance and has even limited cooperation and intelligence-sharing since she took office in October. Putting it mildly, bilateral relations are not good right now – again, no surprise here.

Such typical American aggressiveness can only further alienate the neighboring country and push it away towards Beijing, for instance: Chinese pragmatic diplomacy after all contrasts quite dramatically to American belligerency. Mexican civilian authorities are not the only actors who could object to any such US incursion on their territory: we are talking about a heavily militarized nation, and this includes sophisticated and tremendously wealthy and heavily armed paramilitary groups such as the drug cartels themselves.

Any such cross-border militarization (with potential for some degree of armed confrontation) could have escalating consequences and unpredictable repercussions in terms of diplomatic and economic impacts, gang violence, and domestic and cross-border inter-ethnic tensions: the two countries not only share a 2,000-mile border but are also very much integrated, with Mexican-Americans being 11.2% of the US population in 2022. In Texas, 31.6% of the local population has Mexican ancestry

Besides the military and diplomatic angles (taken together with mass deportation plans impacting millions of people which would cost billions of dollars), there is a potential for economic disaster, as the two countries complement each other in this realm as well: for one thing, in 2021 Mexico was the US second largest trading partner, with a total of $725.7 billion goods and services trade. By July 2023, Mexico had already surpassed China, becoming the top trading partner.

In addition to that, Trump’s plans are sure to trigger a legal battle at home, lawsuits from state governors and so on. It also opens the room for some level of armed conflict with different actors with a neighboring country. The aforementioned James Bosworth warns that the potential for a “Blackhawk Down scenario” in which US troops “end up pinned down in a violent standoff with criminal forces or even Mexican troops defending the country’s sovereignty from US intervention—is real”, for a “simple’ operation” could “rapidly escalate into something more complex and deadly.”

He adds that Washington should also consider “potential responses by the cartels”, because “some Mexican criminal groups may decide to fight back and even escalate violence by targeting US interests, businesses and citizens”. Moreover, according to Bosworth, they can do “plenty of damage to US forces operating in Mexico, and they have the capabilities, weapons and personnel to take the fight into US territory in a way that al-Qaida and the Islamic State could only dream of.”

As is the case with so many belligerent US policies and plans, the risk lies in the unpredictability of escalation scenarios. One may only wonder whether such risks will be worth it, even from Trump’s perspective.

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Uriel Araujo, PhD, is an anthropology researcher with a focus on international and ethnic conflicts. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

The documentary “Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming” introduces Brigid LeFevre, who grew up in an Irish Camphill community practicing biodynamic farming; families lived with individuals with special needs and operated without monetary transactions

The documentary advocates separating food from market economics, arguing that forcing farmers to compete financially undermines sustainable land management and community well-being

LeFevre runs a CSA in Sweden focusing on fermented foods, which support gut and mental health while preserving harvest throughout the year for community members

The film emphasizes biodiversity’s importance in farming, contrasting it with harmful monocultures that deplete soil nutrients and increase pest problems in modern agriculture

Regenerative farming is presented as an alternative to industrial agriculture, emphasizing holistic practices, community involvement and long-term environmental stewardship over short-term profits

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The documentary “Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming” is a profound exploration of practices that not only restore our land but also enrich communities and personal well-being. This film explores the philosophies and methodologies that underpin regenerative farming, presenting a vision that starkly contrasts with the prevailing industrial agricultural models.

The documentary opens by introducing Brigid LeFevre, whose upbringing in Ireland forms the bedrock of her regenerative farming philosophy. “I grew up in a little oasis in Ireland,” LeFevre begins,¹ setting the stage for a narrative steeped in community and sustainability.

She was raised in a Camphill community — a village inspired by anthroposophical principles — where families lived together with individuals with special needs. This environment creates an inclusive and supportive atmosphere, emphasizing collective responsibility and mutual respect.

Life in the Camphill community was markedly different from conventional living. “My parents and everyone else worked voluntarily. There was no exchange of money at all,” LeFevre explains.²Instead of monetary transactions, the community relied on voluntary labor and a shared sense of responsibility.

This system not only reduced financial stress but also strengthened communal bonds, creating a self-sufficient and harmonious living environment. The community operated a biodynamic farm and a store, all maintained through collective effort and a deep respect for the land.

Embracing Biodynamic Farming and Self-Sufficiency

Biodynamic farming emphasizes holistic and sustainable agricultural practices that enhance soil fertility, increase biodiversity and promote ecological balance. Biodynamic methods go beyond organic farming by incorporating spiritual and holistic practices, aiming to create a self-sustaining ecosystem.

One of the most striking aspects of the Camphill community is its separation of food from the economic market. “The question of a market connected to food is completely … It was never part of my childhood, and it’s not part of the Camphill model,” LeFevre explains.³ By eliminating monetary transactions in favor of a system based on need and contribution, the community minimizes the pressures and distortions often introduced by market forces.

This radical approach creates a more authentic and sustainable relationship with the land. Without the constant drive for profit and efficiency, the community prioritizes long-term ecological health over short-term gains.

“Separating food from the market is definitely a lesson … to put pressure on the people who are maintaining land, providing food and habitat, forcing them to know about and engage in the economic market and competition, I think is crazy,” LeFevre asserts.⁴

This perspective challenges the conventional economic paradigms that often lead to environmental degradation and social inequities, advocating instead for a model that values sustainability and community well-being over financial profit.

The Camphill community exemplifies the strength of inclusive and collaborative living. The integration of individuals with special needs within the farming community is not just a matter of accommodation but a source of profound enrichment. By valuing every member’s contributions, the community builds resilient networks that support both personal well-being and collective environmental goals. 

Living with Complexity — Embracing the Interconnectedness of Life

A recurring theme throughout the documentary is the capacity to “stay with the trouble.” This concept involves acknowledging and embracing the inherent complexity and difficulty of our current environmental and social challenges. “We have to be able to stay with the trouble. Stay with it. It’s really hard, complicated and complex,” LeFevre emphasizes, advocating for a nuanced understanding of our interconnectedness with nature.⁵

Instead of seeking simplistic solutions or succumbing to despair, regenerative farming encourages a deep engagement with the multifaceted realities of life. The narrative highlights the beauty and complexity of existence — from the intricate structure of a flower to the processes that shape our cities and landscapes.

“The amazing beauty of a flower. The knowledge that cities are created out of destroyed mountains,” LeFevre reflects,⁶ underscoring the profound connections between human activity and the natural world. By holding space for these multifaceted realities, individuals can cultivate a deeper sense of connection and responsibility towards the environment.

Fermentation Is a Living Process for Health and Sustainability

LeFevre runs a community supported agriculture (CSA) operation in Järna, Sweden, named “Förädlad.” The CSA model is a cornerstone of regenerative farming, building a direct relationship between farmers and consumers. Members of the community invest in the farm by purchasing shares of the harvest, which in return receive fresh, locally grown produce.

An intriguing aspect explored in the documentary is the role of fermentation in regenerative farming and the CSA model. LeFevre’s focus on fermenting the harvest serves as a means to enrich food with nutritious lactic acid bacteria.

Fermented foods support a healthy gut microbiome, which is key for overall health. “Eating fermented food helps your physical and mental health. Because it makes your stomach happy and that makes your brain happy,” LeFevre notes, aligning with emerging scientific evidence that links gut health to overall well-being.

Fermented foods are depicted not just as dietary choices but as active engagements with the microbial world. “For me, the amazing thing with fermented food is that you’re so actively participating in the real world,” LeFevre explains,⁷ highlighting fermentation as a process that acknowledges and collaborates with countless microorganisms.

By creating environments conducive to beneficial microbes, regenerative farmers harness natural processes to enhance food quality and longevity, reducing the need for artificial preservatives and interventions. Fermentation also serves as a means of preserving the harvest, ensuring food availability throughout the year.

“We aim for everything to be ready in the autumn, so we can take care of it, and store it. And give to our members throughout the year,” LeFevre shares.⁸ This approach not only supports food security but also aligns with the principles of sustainability by minimizing waste and promoting resource efficiency.

Biodiversity — The Cornerstone of Resilient Farming

Biodiversity is a fundamental principle of regenerative agriculture, serving as the cornerstone for resilient and sustainable farming systems. The documentary contrasts the rich diversity found in regenerative farms with the detrimental effects of monocultures.

“Monocultures, where you have many of just one plant, is incredibly draining on soil,” LeFevre explains,⁹ pointing out how monocultures deplete soil nutrients and disrupt ecological balance.

Diverse crop systems support a wider range of wildlife, enhance soil fertility and reduce vulnerability to pests and diseases.

“There’s a huge problem with different insects that attack cabbage … due to the fact that nearby are many monocultures,” LeFevre notes, illustrating how monocultures exacerbate pest issues and undermine crop health.

By growing a variety of plants, regenerative farmers create ecosystems that are more resilient and self-sustaining, reducing the need for chemical interventions and promoting natural harmony. The loss of plant varieties over the last century is another concern highlighted in the documentary.

“We’ve minimized and lost so many varieties of plants. Just within the last 100 years,”¹⁰ LeFevre laments, underscoring the importance of preserving and cultivating diverse plant species to maintain ecological balance and ensure long-term agricultural viability.

The documentary positions regenerative agriculture as a necessary evolution in our approach to farming and environmental stewardship, involving not only crop diversification but also soil enrichment, water conservation and the integration of livestock in ways that support ecological balance.

Cultivating a Regenerative Future

The documentary does not shy away from critiquing the industrial farming model, highlighting its environmental and social repercussions. LeFevre articulates a somber view of the future under industrial agriculture: “There is no future for the large-scale industrial farming model. We all know it. Even though we’re forging on.”¹¹

Industrial farming’s emphasis on scale and efficiency often leads to environmental degradation, including deforestation, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity.

“We’ve already destroyed all of Europe. No, that was dramatic. We haven’t destroyed Europe. But we’ve done a lot of deforesting and degradation,” LeFevre clarifies, emphasizing the ongoing damage caused by industrial practices.

This critique serves as a stark warning about the unsustainable trajectory of current agricultural systems and underscores the urgent need to shift toward regenerative practices. While the documentary presents a hopeful vision for regenerative agriculture, it also acknowledges the complexity and uncertainty of the path forward.

“I hope the future is something beyond my capacity to imagine it. I hope it’s beautiful,” LeFevre shares,¹² expressing both hope and humility in the face of future challenges.

The future, as envisioned in the film, is one where regenerative practices become the norm, driven by a collective commitment to environmental stewardship and social equity. This requires reimagining our relationship with the land, embracing complexity and building communities that prioritize long-term well-being over short-term gains.

“Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming” resonates deeply with the principles of holistic health and sustainable living that I advocate for, underscoring the interconnectedness of our health, our communities and our environment.

Embracing the wisdom of regenerative farming offers a pathway to a more balanced and harmonious existence. This documentary is not just an exploration of farming practices; it’s a reminder of our responsibility to nurture the Earth and each other, ensuring a thriving planet for generations to come.

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Notes

¹ YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 2:54

² YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 3:02

³ YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 3:38

⁴ YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 3:58

⁵ YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 0:28

⁶ YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 0:49

⁷ YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 22:00

⁸ YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 10:16

⁹ YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 18:01

¹⁰ YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 19:11

¹¹ YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 19:48

¹² YouTube, Campfire Stories, Into the Soil: The Wisdom of Regenerative Farming October 3, 2022, 26:15

The topic of corruption in Ukraine is once again surfacing. According to a The Times story written by their Kyiv’s correspondent Maxim Tucker, the country has “failed to build bunkers for electricity substations that protect them from Russian airstrikes” thereby leaving “the country vulnerable before the winter.” To “prevent the collapse of its energy system,” Ukraine is for now having to rely on” British-supplied gabions — rudimentary rock-filled cages”, as well as “anti-air attack systems provided by its western partners.”

Tucker acknowledges the presence of British military and intelligence personnel (including engineers) operating in Ukraine, which, among other things, helped create concrete structures to protect energy grid locations against Russian attacks amid the ongoing conflict. According to the journalist, the British warned their Ukrainian “colleagues” that they should build extra structures, which has not happened: “nine months later, President Zelensky’s government has not done so, amid accusations that government corruption has stalled the work.” In fact, around 80 per cent of the country’s energy infrastructure is currently damaged or ruined.

The situation is so bad that even the head of Ukraine’s State Agency for Restoration and Infrastructure Development resigned. Mustafa Nayyem directed the government agency tasked with preserving strategic infrastructure, and he had requested €1.4 billion for “third-level protection” bunkers used in substations. The funds were blocked, due to (he claims) “vested interests” having to do with bribes no longer being paid to Kyiv’s officers:

“It was impossible to work. When you see that the leadership of the government is creating some artificial obstacles for you, it’s useless… They [the government] didn’t pay contractors; the contractors stopped all projects.”

Nayyem’s successor, Sergiy Sukhomlyn, is then quoted as saying that contractors had been expecting “too much profit” and so the Agency was renegotiating their contracts, redesigning some of the defence structures to cut costs. The Times news piece goes on to describe how contractors are allegedly harassed by Ukrainian officials:

“One of the leading Ukrainian building companies involved in the substation protection contracts has had its offices raided by officials who, it says, acted without a warrant, seizing computers, telephones and documents. The company also said the government had failed to release the funds needed for them to build the bunkers.”

In September, Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Volodymyr Kudrytsky, the chief executive of Ukraine’s state energy company, over summer power cuts. This has only consolidated more power with Zelensky’s own Chief of Staff, Andriy Yermak and his own people. According to a Business Insider (BI) story, Yermak is Zelensky’s “right-hand man” as well as the country’s “real power broker”. He is described as having consolidated a new corrupt oligarchy under Ukrainian martial law.

The December 2023 piece then describes how Washington was demanding “numerous reforms the White House expected Kyiv to make in return for continued financial assistance from the United States”, including “ beefed-up supervision of state-owned enterprises in the energy sector”. None of it happened and the American money kept on flowing – but this could change pretty soon with the new US presidency.

Still according to BI, during the former Donald Trump administration in fact Yermak, “then an advisor to Zelensky, was dispatched to meet with Rudy Giuliani, who on Trump’s behalf was pushing Kyiv to investigate Hunter Biden’s ties to Burisma, the Ukrainian energy firm.” At the time Yermak did promise Zelensky would pledge to investigate Burisma (a holding  company for energy exploration that employed Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden). It never happened.

Corruption also plays a role in American geoeconomic interests in Eastern Europe and I wrote before about Joe Biden’s own family shady dealing in Ukraine. Back to Yermak, one of his lieutenants, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, is described as still being a kind of “gatekeeper” for government building projects – Tymoshenko was the President’s deputy head of office, but resigned last year under pressure amid an anti-corruption campaign. He remains a political force, however.

Far from being an isolated scandal, the systemic problem of corruption in Ukraine has been a pressing issue. As Tucker puts it, it has been one of the major obstacles to the country’s goal of joining the European Union. Corruption is far from being the only matter, though. The other obstacles include lack of democracy (with the opposition having been banned), and lack of transparency.

Another issue, as I wrote before, are the civil rights problems – which relegate minorities such as Russians to second-class status, according to scholars like Nicolai N. Petro, a professor of political science at the University of Rhode Island, who was a US Fulbright scholar in Ukraine in 2013-2014. This is a problem also acknowledged by the European Commission for Democracy through Law, better known as the Venice Commission. This European body, among other things, has recommended that Kyiv revise the State Language Law, and take “positive action” to enable ethnic “minorities to assert their specific identity” in order to comply with the ECHR human rights standards.

I’ve argued that the “Ukrainian Question” in fact is a challenge to the very idea of Europe (as it envisions itself).  It “short-circuits”, so to speak, some of the key values of the West itself: in other words, by welcoming post-Maidan Ukraine as “uno de noi”, the European bloc thereby denies much of the human-rights narrative that is supposed to be the core and even the raison d’être of its main institutions. It is true that the West is no stranger to hypocrisy, and thus has been more than willing to turn a blind to the fascist and neo-Nazi elements of Ukrainian nationalism (and even to whitewash it). With endemic corruption however, there lies a structural issue that impacts the economy and now is even sabotaging warfare efforts.

From Kyiv’s perspective, the situation of course should not get any better with a US Republican administration under Donald Trump curbing aid. With oligarchic corruption, chauvinistic nationalism, an unwinnable war pushed by the West, an energy crisis and the upcoming winter, things are not looking good for Ukrainian civilians who keep leaving the country in large numbers to escape the harsher news conscription laws.

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This article was originally published on InfoBrics.

Uriel Araujo, PhD, is an anthropology researcher with a focus on international and ethnic conflicts. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

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Describing Russia’s new Oreshnik hypersonic multiple non-nuclear warhead missile, which destroyed a Ukrainian military aerospace facility, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said:

“I think it’s like the ancient warriors who used to beat their swords against their shields to intimidate their adversaries. The missiles Putin is talking about were recently tested. They are old missiles. There is nothing new about them. They are retouched missiles, in short, they have retouched missiles that they had to try to frighten the Ukrainian adversary”.

It would therefore be, as Italian daily newspaper Il Tempo headlines, a ‘Putin bluff’. But the reality is described by an arms expert, Pietro Batacchi, editor of the Italian magazine Defence, in an article titled “Back to the Euromissiles and the darkest days of the Cold War”:

“Europe is suddenly back in the darkest days of the Cold War. The Russian ‘pre-nuclear’ demonstration strike – as we called it – demonstrated the availability in Moscow’s arsenal of a new intermediate-range missile equipped with multiple independent re-entry vehicle (MIRV) warheads’.”

To understand the seriousness of the situation that Mr. Tajani is trying to conceal by telling the Italians about “old missiles that have been repainted”, it’s first necessary to understand what Euromissiles are.  They are missiles with a range of between 499 km and 5,000 km that the United States deployed in Europe in the 1980s: Pershing 2 ballistic missiles in West Germany and Tomahawk cruise missiles in Italy (at Comiso), the United Kingdom, West Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, against which the Soviet Union countered with SS-20 ballistic missiles deployed on its territory in European Russia. This very dangerous category of nuclear weapons, designed for close nuclear combat, had been eliminated by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in 1987 by Presidents Gorbachev and Reagan. In 2014, when the Maidan Square coup triggered NATO’s new confrontation with Russia, the Obama administration accused Moscow, without any evidence, of testing a cruise missile of the banned category, and in 2019 (during the Trump administration) the US withdrew from the INF Treaty.

Since then, the US has resumed production of intermediate-range missiles to be deployed in Europe close to Russia, disguising them as missiles intended to protect Europe from the ‘Russian nuclear threat’. Russia responded by producing missiles like the Oreshnik to be deployed in the European part of its territory. The fact remains that while US intermediate-range missiles deployed in Europe can hit Moscow within minutes of launch, similar missiles deployed by Russia in the European part of its territory can hit European capitals but not Washington.

Having understood this scenario, it is crucial to understand the destructive power of the arsenals of the two major nuclear powers, the US and Russia. This is shown to us in the documentary ‘The True Scale Of Modern Nuclear Weapons’ by the US channel Science Time which, based on precise scientific data, shows what the effects of a US nuclear attack on Moscow and Beijing and a Russian nuclear attack on San Francisco and New York would be.

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This article was originally published in Italian on Grandangolo, Byoblu TV.

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

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“Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War” 

by Michel Chossudovsky

Available to order from Global Research! 

ISBN Number: 978-0-9737147-5-3
Year: 2012
Pages: 102

PDF Edition:  $6.50 (sent directly to your email account!)

Michel Chossudovsky is Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), which hosts the critically acclaimed website www.globalresearch.ca . He is a contributor to the Encyclopedia Britannica. His writings have been translated into more than 20 languages.

Reviews

“This book is a ‘must’ resource – a richly documented and systematic diagnosis of the supremely pathological geo-strategic planning of US wars since ‘9-11’ against non-nuclear countries to seize their oil fields and resources under cover of ‘freedom and democracy’.”
–John McMurtry, Professor of Philosophy, Guelph University

“In a world where engineered, pre-emptive, or more fashionably “humanitarian” wars of aggression have become the norm, this challenging book may be our final wake-up call.”
-Denis Halliday, Former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations

Michel Chossudovsky exposes the insanity of our privatized war machine. Iran is being targeted with nuclear weapons as part of a war agenda built on distortions and lies for the purpose of private profit. The real aims are oil, financial hegemony and global control. The price could be nuclear holocaust. When weapons become the hottest export of the world’s only superpower, and diplomats work as salesmen for the defense industry, the whole world is recklessly endangered. If we must have a military, it belongs entirely in the public sector. No one should profit from mass death and destruction.
–Ellen Brown, author of ‘Web of Debt’ and president of the Public Banking Institute

Video: Say No to Nuclear War! Peace on the Planet

By Drago Bosnic and Prof Michel Chossudovsky, December 01, 2024

This interview of Drago Bosnic by Prof. Michel Chossudovsky focuses on the dangers of nuclear war. Bosnic, an independent geopolitical and military analyst, examines nuclear policies as well as the military dimensions and nature of these bombs.

When Is a Ceasefire Not a Ceasefire?

By Philip Giraldi, December 02, 2024

We are possibly witnessing another stealthy move by Washington and Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to enhance the Israeli position in a Middle East at war while pretending to do something else. 

The War on Gaza: A New Global Order in the Making?

By Amir Nour, December 02, 2024

With regard to the Middle East region, the U.S. envisions “A more integrated Middle East that empowers our allies and partners” and advance “regional peace and prosperity, while reducing the resource demands the region makes on the United States over the long term.”

Giving Peace a Chance? Trump’s Cabinet Picks Are Neocons, Warmongers, and Pro-Zionist Fanatics

By Timothy Alexander Guzman, December 02, 2024

Trump claims that he wants peace, but his cabinet choices says that he is planning a war against Iran.  So, with Trump resuming office in January, the world is heading into uncertain times. 

Who’s Cheating with Nuclear Power? Let’s Find Out About the Game Gates. Manlio Dinucci

By Manlio Dinucci, December 02, 2024

The US has resumed production of intermediate-range missiles to be deployed in Europe close to Russia, disguising them as missiles intended to protect Europe from the ‘Russian nuclear threat’. Russia responded by producing missiles like the Oreshnik to be deployed in the European part of its territory.

Simulation of World War III: Vigilant Shield 07 War Games Scenario (Declassified). The Four Enemies of America Are Ruebek, Churya, Irmingham, Nemazee

By William M Arkin, December 01, 2024

This important article by renowned geopolitical analyst William Arkin first published in 2006 (Washington Post blog)  reveals the details pertaining a declassified World War III scenario implemented by US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).

Iraq War: How the U.S. Contaminated Iraq with Depleted Uranium

By Prof Souad N. Al-Azzawi, December 01, 2024

Hundreds of tons of (DU) expenditure have been fired & exploded on Iraqi highly populated areas like Basrah, Baghdad, Nasriya, Dewania, Samawa, and other cities. Exploration programs and site measurements by Iraqi and non-Iraqi researchers all proved the existence of (DU) related contamination over most Iraqi territories.

President-elect Donald J. Trump will hit the ground running on January 21^st, 2025.  Trump has made his choices for the top spots at the Department of State, the Pentagon and the CIA.  Let’s keep in mind that Trump can replace or fire any of his cabinet picks down the road if of course, they are confirmed by the senate.  So far, it seems that Trump has flushed his peace proposals down the toilet with his latest picks.

First and formost, for the state of Israel, it really did not matter who would have won the US Presidential elections, whether it was Donald J. Trump (which they preferred) or Kamala Harris who was just as Pro-Israel as most US politicians who are bought and paid by the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC). The majority of politicians, whether Democrat or Republican believe that Israel has a right to exist on what was once called Palestine, so the reality is that Israel won the election. The one person who is extremely happy that Trump won the election is no other than Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu who recently said that

“In the last few days, I spoke three times with President-Elect Donald Trump. These were very good and important conversations. Talks designed to further tighten the strong alliance between Israel and the USA. We see eye to eye on the Iranian threat, on all its components, and the danger posed by it.”

Trump claims that he wants peace, but his cabinet choices says that he is planning a war against Iran.  So, with Trump resuming office in January, the world is heading into uncertain times.  Iran is about to retaliate for Israel’s latest attack and government officials in Tel Aviv are very concerned. It is certain that Israel will prepare to retaliate once Trump is in office, but what will that look like?  We don’t know, but it is not just about Iran being in Washington’s hit list, because Russia, Belarus, China, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and the new BRICS alliance will most likely on that same list as well.

Peace is not on the agenda with Trump’s new cabinet picks because they want the US to be ultimate hegemon, the power that rules the world with an iron fist but the times have changed. Trump’s team will push for wars, regime change and economic sanctions, so in other words, nothing will change since his cabinet has been filled with neocons, warhawks and Pro-Israel extremists.

Meet Trump’s New Cabinet, Same as the Old Cabinet

Trump has selected several people for important cabinet positions related to US foreign policy and it does not look good for any sort of peace deal, especially in the Middle East.

Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick for Secretary of State is a senator from Florida and a neocon warmonger, Marco Rubio.  This pick suggests that Trump was looking for another Mike Pompeo and found him.  Rubio is a strong supporter of Israel, so much so that he has an Israeli flag next to the American flag outside of his office.  Rubio has supported Israel’s illegal settlements in the West Bank and other Palestinan territories.  Rubio has shamelessly defended Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and Lebanon.

In 2003, Rubio supported the US invasion of Iraq, and the US-NATO led war on Libya which was orchestrated by the Obama regime.  Rubio supports harsh sanctions and regime change in Iran and in Syria.  He also supported Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. Rubio seeks regime change or wars against several Latin American countries including Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Bolivia and whoever else opposes US influence on the continent.

Rubio is also a China hawk, so he supports sending more US troops in the Asia-Pacific region to send China a “message.” 

Rubio also got involved in the internal affairs of China.  A report by DW.com, ‘Could Marco Rubio champion human rights in Southeast Asia?’ said that in 2018, Rubio co-sponsored legislation based on “the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, which seeks to deny entry into the United States to any Chinese officials who prohibit US citizens from entering Tibet, a territory claimed by China.”  Rubio also “introduced legislation sanctioning China for its repression of the minority Uyghur population and the crackdown on protests in Hong Kong. The Chinese government responded by blacklisting Rubio.”

The bottom line is that Senator Marco Rubio is a neocon warmonger that would advise Trump on going to war rather than seeking a constructive peace deal.  Rubio is a horrible choice that will likely be confirmed by his many friends from both sides of the aisle in the senate.

Elise Stefanik, another pro-Zionist neocon who was nominated by Trump to become US Ambassador to the United Nations. She is a clone of the last US ambassador, Nikki Haley. Stefanik once worked with the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), a pro-Israel neocon think tank.

To understand Stefanik’s stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict, all you need to do is read her statement she posted on her website on September 23^rd, 2024 based on Israel’s “right to defend itself”:

“Last week, the United Nations overwhelmingly passed a disgraceful antisemitic resolution to demand that Israel surrender to barbaric terrorists who seek the destruction of both Israel and America. Once again, the UN’s antisemitic rot is on full display as it punishes Israel for defending itself and rewards Iranian-backed terrorists.

Instead of deplorably targeting the legitimacy of the state of Israel, the UN should be demanding that Hamas release every hostage and start enforcing UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to stop Hezbollah’s endless Iranian-backed terrorist attacks. As the UN’s General Assembly occurs this week in New York, the Biden-Harris Administration must call out the UN’s extreme antisemitism and moral depravity and unequivocally support Israel’s right to defend itself against both brutal terrorists and biased international organizations”

We know where all of this is going.  Stefanik visited the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem in May and here is just part of what she said:

Today, I stand before you not just as a leader in the United States Congress, but as a lifelong admirer, supporter, and true friend of Israel and the Jewish people.  You see I am lucky enough to have had the privilege of traveling here many times before, but I must confess that this time feels different. 

The stakes are higher. Our sense of moral, patriotic duty feels heightened, renewed. 

226 days ago, we witnessed the most vicious, brutal attack on Israel and the Jewish people since the Holocaust, a barbaric terrorist attack that claimed more than 1,200 innocent lives. Civilian women, children, and the elderly were ripped from their homes and massacred. Raped — Beheaded — Jewish families were bound together and burned. Babies burned alive. Atrocities of humanity.  We must never forget, and we must never relent

Stefanik repeated Israeli talking points about how the elderly and children were massacred, raped and beheaded which all turned out to be lies. Stefanik is another Nikki Haley, there is no doubt about that, and she will be most likely confirmed by the senate.

Mike Huckabee is Trump’s pick for U.S. Ambassador to Israel is a non-Jewish candidate for the position, but that does not matter because Huckabee, a former Arkansas Governor is an evangelical Christian supporter of Israel and that’s all that matters.

This guy should be in an insane asylum.  The things that came out of this man’s mouth is a sign that the Palestinians will be a major target of the Trump regime.

The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS) “In 2008, Huckabee said:

“There’s really no such thing as a Palestinian. You have Arabs and Persians. And there’s such complexity in that. But there’s really no such thing. That’s been a political tool to try and force land away from Israel.”

Mike Huckabee sounded like what Golda Meir, the former Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974 who was interviewed by the London Sunday Times on June 15^th, 1969, and she said that

“There was no such thing as Palestinians. When was there an independent Palestinian people with a Palestinian state? It was either Southern Syria, before the First World War, and then it was a Palestine, including Jordan. It was not as though there was a Palestinian people in Palestine considering itself as a Palestinian people and we came and threw them out and took their country from them. They did not exist.”

Al Jazeera reported on what Trump said about Huckabee who has similar beliefs as his former US ambassador from Trump’s first term, David Friedman:

After his appointment, Trump released a statement in which he said Huckabee “loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about Peace in the Middle East!”

His appointment demonstrates a “very hawkish, very pro-right-wing Israel” approach by the Trump administration, Yossi Mekelberg, an expert on Israel at the Chatham House think tank, told Al Jazeera.  He said Huckabee’s appointment is similar to that of David Friedman, who served as US Ambassador to Israel between 2017 and 2021 and supports Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank

Huckabee will also be most likely confirmed for the ambassadorship with the pro-Israel senate.

Rep. Mike Waltz from Florida is a nominee for Trump’s National Security Advisor who served more than 26 years in the Army as a Special Forces officer with tours in Afghanistan, Africa and the Middle East.  Waltz was a defense policy director for secretaries of defense under Donald Rumsfeld and Robert Gates who both served under former US President and war criminal, George W. Bush.  Walz also served as Dick Cheney’s counterterrorism advisor.

For Trump’s peace plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, here is what Waltz said

“I think a second Trump term will be energy policy and the fact is that sanctions haven’t been enforced on Russia. They’re selling more oil and gas through China and India than they ever did even before the war, their war machine is flush with cash. President Trump is, I think going to get him to the table very quickly because if he enforces those sanctions, the old adage, Russia is a little more than a gas station with nukes, absolutely holds true.”

So Waltz is for increasing sanctions on Russia which is a form of economic warfare.

Waltz has called for a “new Monroe Doctrine” to counter the rise of China in Latin America.  He suggests an active role by US officials to counter China’s economic and military presence in Latin America, so Walz wants a US military build-up to confront Beijing’s influence.  Not only does he want to increase US military presence in certain regions to send a message to China, he wants to arm Taiwan to defend itself from China.

Waltz is also a full-fledged supporter of Israel.  In an interview on FOX News, Waltz spoke about a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, and he said that the Biden regime is “focused on the wrong place,”meaning they should be focused on Iran.  Waltz also said that Iran is “flush with cash.”  He also said that neither Hamas nor Iran want peace.

Waltz repeats what other Pro-Israel politicians in Washington have said in the past regarding Israel’s security,

“So, the administration, Biden and Harris, have sold themselves is that once we get to a cease-fire and the hostages are released, which we all want, that everything will be fine,” Waltz said on Fox News’s America Reports. “No. Iran will continue to stoke unrest because they want to destroy Israel, and look, making concession after concession to Iran is actually what is destabilizing the situation.”

Waltz has criticized the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant on charges of intentional starvation of the Palestinian people, crimes against humanity and other charges.  Waltz responded with

“The ICC has no credibility, and these allegations have been refuted by the US government” and that “Israel has lawfully defended its people [and] borders from genocidal terrorists. You can expect a strong response to the antisemitic bias of the ICC [and] UN come January.”

Mike Waltz part of the George W. Bush regime that was filled with neocons and that alone should be a concern for those who desire peace on earth.  Waltz has similar ideas as Trump’s former National Security advisor, John Bolton.

Pete Hegseth is Trump’s pick for US Secretary of Defense.  Now this guy is a loose cannon. A FOX News television host, author, and a former Army National Guard officer.  Listen to Pete Hegseth’s speech at the 2018 Arutz Sheva conference in Jerusalem:

What Hegseth said about Iran tells us that he is another Christian Zionist who supports Israel and that Iran is the evil regime that needs to be stopped:

The minister talked about the head of the octopus talked about Iran and the many tentacles that the Iranian regime has in the world today nefariously both for Israel and for the United States and just all you have to do is look at how the Obama Administration addressed the issue of Iran versus the Trump Administration and of course the Obama Administration did everything they could to strike a horrific deal that is creates an inevitable path to nuclear weapons, funding the tunes of billions of dollars the hateful terrorist is Iranian regime seeking death to America and death to Israel….

Pete Hegseth will push the Trump regime to go to war with Iran and its allies to protect Israel and its interests in the region, there is no other way to describe what he stands for.

Kristi Noem, the former Governor of South Dakota is Trump’s pick for the Secretary of Homeland Security.  As Governor, Kristi Noem presented a statement of support for Israel after the October 7^th attack on Israel by Hamas, and she did not disappoint her Israeli friends and lobbyists:

“Beloved people of Israel: your friends and allies in America stand with you. We support you in defending the homeland given to your people by God. These barbaric actions have shocked the conscience of the world. We share your anger at the viciousness of these attacks and the death, pain, and suffering it has caused, and we support your right to use all measures necessary to prevent future attacks. 

During my time on the House Armed Services Committee, I saw what regular violence perpetrated by Hamas terrorists against Israel looks like. This goes so far beyond that – this was an act of war, an invasion of your sacred home. 

We are praying for a swift resolution to this war; for safety and peace for the hostages taken by the Hamas terrorists; for comfort to the families who have lost loved ones or whose lives have otherwise been forever changed by this horrific day; for the first responders to act calmly and quickly in their work of healing and repair; for Prime Minister Netanyahu and his armed forces to strike swiftly, truly, and with justice; and for Hamas to be driven from the face of the Earth as a just consequence for their atrocities.  In the coming days, all Americans – and the whole world – must stand firm in our resolve to support the Israeli people. As Prime Minister Netanyahu said, ‘This war will take time. She will be hard. Challenging days are ahead. But… with the help of God… we will win.’ Godspeed to you, my friend Prime Minister Netanyahu, and to your people. You will win, and you have our support every step of the way.” 

Kristi Noem has also banned campus free speech zones in her home state so as Secretary of Homeland Security, will she target anti-Israel protesters on college campuses?

John Ratcliffe is Trump’s choice as the new Director for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  This former Director of National Intelligence (DNI) is another China Hawk and of course, a Pro-Israel supporter.

As DNI, Ratcliffe focused on China’s growing influence on a global scale. Ratcliffe’s commentary for the Wall Street Journal said it all, ‘China Is National Security Threat No. 1’:

“The intelligence is clear: Beijing intends to dominate the U.S. and the rest of the planet economically, militarily and technologically. Many of China’s major public initiatives and prominent companies offer only a layer of camouflage to the activities of the Chinese Communist Party”

Ratcliffe is also a longtime supporter of Israel who helped establish the U.S.-Israel partnership in cyber defense through the US-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act in 2016.

Ratcliffe who praised Israel’s strikes on Iran told Maria Bartiromo of Sunday Morning Futures on FOX News,

“What Israel has done is essentially employ ‘the Trump doctrine’: a maximum-pressure campaign, understanding the only way to deter terrorists like Iran and their proxies is to put your foot on their throat. Israel has done that; we should be assisting Israel in doing so.”

Ratcliffe is a Trump loyalist, a China hawk and a Pro-Israel supporter which means that he is a qualified candidate, so the US Senate should have no problem confirming John Ratcliffe as the new Director of the CIA.

Tulsi Gabbard is Trump’s choice for the Director of National Intelligence (DIA).  Now this pick is quite interesting, but she has a couple of serious problems.  I know there are people in the alternative media that say Gabbard is “Pro-Peace,” to an extent, is partially true.

So, let’s start with the idea that Tulsi Gabbard is a peace activist.   Tulsi Gabbard is a former Democrat representative from Hawaii who in January 2017 went on a “fact-finding mission” to Syria to investigate if President Bashar al-Assad’s had ordered his forces to use chemical weapons on civilians which turned out to be a false accusation by the West. She also found out that the Syrian opposition were made up of members from Al-Qaeda and ISIS.  Gabbard spoke out against US politicians who accused Russia of invading Ukraine for no apparent reason, only to expand its already vast territory. She is also opposed to US military support for Ukraine.

Gabbard had accused the US government and its NATO allies of being responsible for the war in the first place since one of the reasons was for the possibility of allowing Ukraine to join NATO which is a direct threat to Russia.  She also spoke out on the US government operating secret bioweapons labs in Ukraine.

Yes, Tulsi Gabbard has done great things in efforts to end current wars by investigating the facts of what really happened. She was after the truth which is commendable.

However, there is another side to Tulsi Gabbard when it comes to Israel. You can’t be for peace on one side of the world and then call for war on the other side, it’s hypocritical. Many people portray Gabbard as some sort of anti-war hero, but she has been vocally supportive of Israel’s wars on Gaza and Lebanon.

Gabbard is seen by Trump and his MAGA base as “anti-establishment” but her support for Israel is aligned with both sides of the political circus in Washington D.C.  Gabbard has even criticized pro-Palestine protesters in the US by calling them “puppets” of Hamas.

Gabbard also opposes a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas just like Trump who called on Netanyahu to finish the job before he enters office in January. Gabbard also believes that Israel should continue the war on Gaza “as long as Hamas is in power, the people of Israel will not be secure and cannot live in peace.”

This video was produced by Breakthrough News which exposes Tulsi Gabbard’s position on Israel when it comes to Hamas and the Palestinians:

Tulsi Gabbard said all the right things for Israel and that’s why she was picked by Trump.  Will she get confirmed by the Senate?  It’s hard to say since many Democrats believe she works for Syria and Russia as some sort of agent, so we will see what happens during the confirmation hearings.   

Pam Bondi is Trump’s pick for US Attorney General who happens to be another pro-Israel supporter after the US Representative from Florida, Matt Gaetz withdrew his nomination over past legal issues involving a minor had resurfaced.  Matt Gaetz also faced criticism because he invited a Holocaust denier to a State of the Union address which is something that can destroy your political career in United States:

In 2018, the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Anti-Defamation League both criticized Gaetz, then in his first term, for inviting a Holocaust denier as his guest at the State of the Union address. The guest, Charles Johnson, had publicly doubted that 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust and suggested falsely that only 250,000 had died of illness

According to Jewish groups and the ADL, Gaetz is an Antisemite:

This past spring, Gaetz, alongside Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, opposed a bill that would codify an official definition of antisemitism because it classified the view that Jews killed Jesus — which Gaetz endorsed — as antisemitic.

“The Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism under the terms of this bill!” Gaetz wrote on X, adding, “The Bible is clear. There is no myth or controversy on this”

It seemed obvious that Matt Gaetz was not going to be part of Trump’s team right from the start since most Democrats and Republicans are in the pockets of the Israeli lobby.  Pam Bondi is on a different level; she believes that university students who protest Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians and others in the Middle East are ignorant people who should be deported. 

The Jerusalem Post headlined with ‘Trump’s new A-G nominee calls Palestine supporters “ignorant children.’  The article mentioned “In an interview this year with news host Chris Salcedo, Bondi addressed the pro-Palestinian protests on US college campuses, saying, “The students who protest against our Jewish friends and support Hamas – they should be deported from our country, they are ignorant children.”

The Jerusalem Post article also mentioned that in 2018, Bondi was interviewed by FOX News, and was asked about the Israel-Palestine conflict:

“Israel is one of our greatest allies in the world, if not the greatest,” Bondi said as part of an interview about concerns of escalation in the Middle East. “I visited Israel twice as Attorney-General, and Jerusalem is Israel’s capital”

So, Trump’s pick for Attorney General satisfies the Israeli lobby who wants to stifle free speech or in other words, end free speech when it comes to criticizing the state of Israel.  In fact, Trump did say that those who protest Israel and their genocidal policies should be deported.  The Telegraph headlined with a title that says it all, ‘Pam Bondi: Pick to replace Matt Gaetz wants to deport pro-Palestine protestors’:

The former prosecutor is a firm supporter of Israel and called for a crackdown on pro-Hamas demonstrations that erupted at college campuses last year.

“The thing that’s really the most troubling to me [are] these students in universities in our country, whether they’re here as Americans or if they’re here on student visas, and they’re out there saying ‘I support Hamas.’” she continued, “Frankly they need to be taken out of our country, or the FBI needs to be interviewing them right away” 

Will Pam Bondi work with Noem Kristi to deport anti-Israel, anti-genocide Protesters on university campuses?

Trump also picked another far-right neocon, a NewsMax TV host of the The Gorka Reality Check, Sebastian Gorka for the positions of deputy assistant to the president and senior director for counterterrorism. Gorka was part of the first Trump administration and was appointed Deputy Assistant to the President and a strategist in the White House team which was known as the Strategic Initiatives Group.

On an interview with Times Radio, Gorka claims what will Trump say to Putin “I’ll give one tip away that the president has mentioned, he will say to that murderous former KGB Colonel that thug who runs the Russian Federation, you will negotiate now or the aid that we have given to Ukraine thus far will look like peanuts.” So Trump’s claim that he will end the Russia-Ukraine war in 24 hours is not a reality with people such as Sebastian Gorka in his cabinet.

There are other Trump nominees such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr who supports Israel, if confirmed, he will be the Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) and there will be others with the same ideologies as mentioned above that will be in Trump’s future cabinet because as we all know, Trump can replace any of his picks on a whim.    

What is certain in an uncertain world is that President-Elect, Donald Trump and his choices for his top positions is a recipe for a world war, not peace.  China, Iran, Russia and other countries who are on the US hit list will face a regime full of warmongering extremists and that is not a good start.  For the looks of it, it seems that war is on the agenda once again.   

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Timothy Alexander Guzman writes on his own blog site, Silent Crow News, where this article was originally published. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.

Featured image is from SCN

[Links to Parts I to XII are provided at the bottom of this article.]

“For the Romans I set no boundaries of time and space; I have granted them empire without end.” (Publius Vergilius Maro)[1]

1. In the Beginning Was Westphalia

In my abovementioned book, which I wrote in the wake of the 2014 Gaza war, also known as “Operation Protective Edge”, I posited that:

• The end of the Cold War had the effect of making two major international realities more evident: the consecration of the position of the United States of America as the dominant world power, due to its military, political, economic and technological weight; and the shift of the global economic and commercial center of gravity from the Old Continent to the Pacific region as a result, in particular, of the prodigious development achieved by the Chinese dragon. And despite its relative decline caused by the economic and financial crisis of 2007/2008, the United States, being precisely a nation that is both Atlantic and Indo-Pacific, will continue to play a leading role during the 21st century;
• The vicissitudes of the “Arab Spring”, the politico-military maneuvers in the East and South China Sea, and the developments of the Ukrainian crisis, far from constituting epiphenomena of turbulent current affairs, are in fact the most telling manifestations of a geostrategic upheaval, in a globalized world entering a phase of accelerated reconfiguration. Obviously, this development, which is gradually taking the form of a multipolar world, is not to the taste of those in favor of the perpetuation of Western domination of the world, more than ever symbolized by the power of the American leader;
• The history of the 21st century, particularly its first half, seems to revolve around two contradictory struggles. The first will consist of attempts by secondary powers to form coalitions to try to contain the hegemonism of the United States. The second will encompass preventive actions on the part of this country aimed at preventing the formation of such coalitions that could endanger its strategic interests in the world;
• Regardless of the real sponsors of September 11 attacks and their true motives, this historic event provided the United States with the opportunity to implement its strategy of domination over a Muslim world considered – despite its present state of asthenia – as a potential adversary that must be continually weakened, while exploiting its significant natural resources, especially energy. Since the invasions of Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, a new “Sykes-Picot” seems to be taking shape in the region. But while the secret Franco-British agreements of 1916 aimed to “facilitate the creation of a State or a Confederation of Arab States”, the current process aims to dismantle existing States. This strategy of “mass disintegration” would allow the United States to achieve a triple objective: guaranteeing the preservation of its strategic interests in the region; strengthening the position of its Israeli ally, thereby ensuring its survival as a Jewish state; and redirecting most of U.S. efforts and resources toward the most important region of the world: the Pacific region.”

Since then, and fundamentally, the U.S. geostrategic vision has not changed one iota, as clearly evidenced by the October 2022 Biden-Harris Administration’s National Security Strategy.[2] Indeed, the document states that

“The Strategy is rooted in our national interests: to protect the security of the American people, to expand economic opportunity, and to realize and defend the democratic values at the heart of the American way of life. In pursuit of these objectives, we will: Invest in the underlying sources and tools of American power and influence; build the strongest possible coalition of nations to enhance our collective influence to shape the global strategic environment and to solve shared challenges; and modernize and strengthen our military so it is equipped for the era of strategic competition.”

It also stresses that

“The most pressing strategic challenges we face as we pursue a free, open, prosperous, and secure world are from powers that layer authoritarian governance with a revisionist foreign policy. We will effectively compete with the People’s Republic of China, which is the only competitor with both the intent and, increasingly, the capability to reshape the international order, while constraining a dangerous Russia.”

With regard to the Middle East region, the U.S. envisions “A more integrated Middle East that empowers our allies and partners” and advance “regional peace and prosperity, while reducing the resource demands the region makes on the United States over the long term.”

What has crucially changed, however, is the very world the U.S. has relentlessly strived to dominate since the end of WWII, and even more so after the collapse of the Soviet Union, which, as history will record, was only a temporary “freezing” of the Cold War.

The outbreak of the Ukraine War in 2022 and, to a greater degree, the ongoing round of the War on Gaza have brought Israel, Ukraine, and the West closer to each other[3], and by the same token have further distanced them from the rest of the world, all the while accelerating the transition to a multipolar global order.

At this point, it is both appropriate and warranted to emphasize, with John Ikenberry once again, that

“the world’s most powerful state has begun to sabotage the order it created. A hostile and revisionist power has indeed arrived on the scene, but it sits in the Oval Office, the beating heart of the Free world.”

The French Academy dictionary defines order as “an arrangement, a regular layout of things in relation to one another; a necessary relationship which regulates the organization of a whole into its parts”. In reality, the notions of order and disorder are part of a practical, ethical, political, even mythical and religious discourse. From a philosophical point of view, according to Professor Bertrand Piettre[4], these two notions seem to be more normative than descriptive and have more value than reality. Thus, the term “order” is understood at least in two contradictory senses: either the order is thought of as finalized, as carrying out a purpose, pursuing a direction, thence making sense; disorder is then defined by the absence of an intelligent design. Or, the order is thought of as a stable or recurring structure and, thereby, recognizable and locatable, as a constant and necessary arrangement; but as such, it can appear totally devoid of finality and purpose. Disorder, then, is not thought of as what is devoid of a finality, but as what appears to be devoid of necessity. These two meanings, he further explains, refer to two philosophically different visions of the world: finalist or mechanist, and their combination, in a play of contingency and necessity, produces the diversity of the material and living world that we know.

In the realm of international relations, order is commonly understood to mean the set of rules and institutions that govern relations between the key players in the international environment. Such an order is distinguished from chaos, or random relationships, by a certain degree of stability in terms of structure and organization.

Perhaps, one of the best studies ever done on this topic is the one published by the Rand Corporation in 2016 under the title “Understanding the Current International Order.”[5] The main aim of this study was to understand the workings of the existing international order, assess current challenges and threats to the order, and accordingly, recommend future policies deemed sound to U.S. decision-makers.

The report says that in the modern era the foundation of the international order was built on the bedrock principles of the Westphalian system, which reflected fairly conservative conceptions of order while relying on pure balance-of-power politics in order to uphold the sovereign equality and territorial inviolability of States.

This Westphalian system led to the development of the territorial integrity norm, considered to this day as a cardinal norm against outright aggression toward neighbors with the aim of seizing their lands, resources or citizens, which was once a common practice in world politics. Thus defined in its main elements, this system has continued to prevail, especially since the Concert of Europe, also known as the Vienna Congress system, which from 1815 to 1914 established a whole series of principles, rules and practices having greatly contributed, after the Napoleonic wars, to maintaining a balance between European powers and shielding the Old Continent from a new all-out conflict. It stood fast until the outbreak of World War I.

At the close of the horrific hostilities of the Great War, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson spent several months of 1919 in Europe, working closely with British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau, and other leaders to build a more peaceful postwar order. Together, they brought to life the League of Nations. Unfortunately, the League was dealt an early and deadly blow when the U.S. Senate rejected U.S. membership in it, refusing to participate in an international legal system that it deemed would encroach on the country’s sovereignty. The League’s failure to provide an effective response to the nationalism and militarism in Europe and Asia during the 1930s further damaged its credibility and precipitated its demise. Yet, this innovative burst of order-building left an important imprint on global affairs and was akin to a general dress rehearsal for the international architecture, later decided by world plenipotentiaries gathered in San Francisco in 1945, in the shape of the United Nations Organization.

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The League to Enforce Peace published this full-page promotion in The New York Times on Christmas Day 1918. (From the Public Domain)

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In sum, even if it took different forms in practice, the Westphalian order continued to be a permanent feature of the relations between the great world powers during all the aforementioned periods, thus allowing, to the greatest possible extent, the prevalence of structured relations designed to forswear territorial conquest and curtail any global disorder susceptible of generating wars or large-scale violence in their midst.

The RAND report indicates that since 1945, the United States, which was the greatest beneficiary of the restored peace, has pursued its global interests through the creation and maintenance of international economic institutions, bilateral and regional security organizations, and liberal political norms and standards. These ordering mechanisms are often collectively referred to as the “international order”. However, in recent years, rising powers have begun to challenge the sustainability and legitimacy of some aspects of this order, which is clearly seen by the U.S. as a major challenge to its global leadership and vital strategic interests. Three broad categories of potential risks and threats likely to jeopardize this order have thus been identified by the writers of the report:

• some leading states consider that many components of the existing order are designed to restrict their power and perpetuate American hegemony;
• volatility due to failed states or economic crises;
• shifting domestic politics at a time of slow growth and growing inequality.

Two years before the publication of this study, Henry Kissinger, the veteran of American diplomacy credited with having officially introduced “Realpolitik” (realistic foreign policy based on the calculation of forces and the national interest) in the White House while serving as Secretary of State under Richard Nixon’s administration, had further explored the theme of world order in a landmark book.[6]

From the outset, Mr. Kissinger asserts that no truly global “world order” has ever existed. The order as defined by our times was devised in Western Europe four centuries ago, on the occasion of a peace conference held in Westphalia “without the involvement or even the awareness of most other continents or civilizations”. This conference, it should be remembered, followed a century of sectarian conflict and political upheavals across Central Europe, which ended up provoking the “Thirty Years’ War” (1618-1648), an appalling and pointless “total war” where a quarter of the population of Central Europe died from combat, disease, and starvation.

Nevertheless, the negotiators of this peace of Westphalia did not think of laying the foundations of a system applicable to the whole world. How could they have thought so when then, as always before, every other civilization or geographic region, seeing itself as the center of the world and viewing its principles and values ​​as universally relevant, defined its own conception of order? In the absence of possibilities for prolonged interaction and of any framework for measuring the respective power of the different regions, Henry Kissinger rightly observed, each of these regions viewed its own order as unique and defined the others as “barbarians” which were “governed in a manner incomprehensible to the established system, and irrelevant to its designs except as a threat”.

Subsequently, thanks to Western colonial expansion, the Westphalian system spread around the world and imposed the structure of a state-based international order, while failing, of course, to apply the concepts of sovereignty to colonies and colonized peoples. It is these same principles and other Westphalian ideas that were put forward when the colonized peoples began to demand their independence. Sovereign state, national independence, national interest, noninterference in domestic affairs and respect for international law and human rights have thus asserted themselves as effective arguments against the colonizers during armed or political struggles, both to regain independence and, afterwards, to protect the newly formed states in the 1950s and 1960s in particular.

At the end of his reflection combining historical analysis and geopolitical prospective, Kissinger draws important conclusions about the current international order and asks essential questions about its future. The universal relevance of the Westphalian system, he said, derived from its procedural nature, that is value-neutral, which made its rules accessible to any country. Its weakness had been the flip side of its strength: designed by states exhausted from the bloodletting they inflicted on each other, it offered no sense of direction; it proposed methods of allocating and preserving power, without indicating how to generate legitimacy.

More fundamentally, Kissinger argued that in building a world order, a key question inevitably concerns the substance of its unifying principles, which represents a cardinal distinction between Western and non-Western approaches to order. Quite aptly, he pointed out that since the Renaissance, the West has widely adopted the idea that the real world is external to the observer, that knowledge consists in recording and classifying data with the greatest possible precision, and that the success of a foreign policy depends on the assessment of existing realities and trends. Therefore, the “Peace of Westphalia” embodied a judgment of reality and more particularly of realities of power and territory – in the form of a concept of secular order supplanting the demands of religion.

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The historic town hall of Münster where the treaty was signed (Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0)

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In contrast, other great contemporary civilizations conceived of reality as internal to the observer and defined by psychological, philosophical or religious convictions. Consequently, Kissinger was of the opinion that sooner or later, any international order must face the consequences of two trends that compromise its cohesion: either a redefinition of legitimacy or a significant shift in the balance of power. In such circumstances, upheavals could emerge, the essence of which being that “while they are usually underpinned by force, their overriding thrust is psychological. Those under assault are challenged to defend not only their territory, but the basic assumptions of their way of life, their moral right to exist and to act in a manner that until the challenge, had been treated as beyond question”.

Like many other thinkers, political scientists and strategists, especially Westerners, the American stateman considered that the multifaceted developments underway in the world are fraught with threats and risks that could lead to a sharp rise in tensions, and chaos threatens “side by side with unprecedented interdependence: in the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the disintegration of states, the impact of environmental depredations, the persistence of genocidal practices, and the spread of new technologies threatening to drive conflict beyond human control or comprehension.”

This is the main reason why he thought that our age is insistently engaged in an obstinate search, sometimes almost desperately, of a concept of world order, not without expressing his concern, which takes on the appearance of a warning. In our time, he said, “a reconstruction of the international system is the ultimate challenge to government. And in the event of failure, the penalty will be not so much a major war between States (though in some regions this is not foreclosed) as an evolution into spheres of influence identified with particular domestic structures and forms of governance, for example the Westphalian model as against the radical Islamist version” with the risk that “at its edges each sphere would be tempted to test its strength against other entities of order deemed illegitimate.”

The major conclusion of this scholarly book which concerns us in the context of our theme is this: