Selected Articles: US Senate’s Anti-Russia Legislation, Iran’s Role in Syria Crisis, Calexit: Should California Secede?
The Russia Review Act: Senate Aims to Block Trump From Lifting Sanctions on Russia
By Stephen Lendman, February 10 2017
Called the “Russia Review Act,” it establishes a review process, giving congressional members oversight over whether to maintain or lift sanctions, preventing unilateral Trump action. It requires the White House to submit a report, explaining why it seeks sanctions removal, a 120-day review period following, giving Congress final say on whether to maintain or ease sanctions in question.
Iran has been “Implacable in the Rejection of Washington’s Destructive Role in Syria”
By Prof. Tim Anderson, February 10 2017
Professor Tim Anderson is a distinguished author and senior lecturer of political economy at the University of Sydney, Australia. In an interview with Khamenei.ir, he answers questions about the Syrian crisis, the Astana peace talks as well as the role of Iran, Russia and Turkey in the peace process.
Calexit: Should California Secede?
By David Swanson and Ann Garrison, February 10 2017
On November 21st, California secessionists calling themselves “Yes California” filed papers with the California Secretary of State proposing a November 2018 ballot measure that would ask registered voters whether California should secede from the US and become its own nation. If passed, the measure would strike language from California’s constitution that says the state is “an inseparable part of the United States of America, and the United States Constitution is the supreme law of the land.”
By Steve Horn, February 10 2017
On January 30, 600,000 gallons (14,285 barrels) of oil spewed out of Enbridge’s Seaway Pipeline in Blue Ridge, Texas, the second spill since the pipeline opened for business in mid-2016. Seaway is half owned by Enbridge and serves as the final leg of a pipeline system DeSmog has called the “Keystone XLClone,” which carries mostly tar sands extracted from Alberta, Canada, across the U.S. at a rate of 400,000 barrels per day down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Triumphing over Reality: China, Australia and Free Trade
By Dr. Binoy Kampmark, February 10 2017
The suspended reality across the Pacific took hold as the Australian Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, conversed with her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, in a state of mild delusion. Assuming the air of a clairvoyant, Bishop insisted that she knew that the United States would not repudiate its own free trade agreement with Australia. Knowledge, however, soon changed to disbelief.
