Puppet MastersS


Tsunami

Seeds of chaos: Here's why Africa can't trust Western 'security guarantees'

Maxwell Boamah Amofa
RT
Tue, 14 May 2024 18:10 UTC
The conference of Berlin, as illustrated in Illustrirte Zeitung.
© WikipediaThe conference of Berlin, as illustrated in Illustrirte Zeitung.
Military agreements with the US and former colonial powers fail to deliver what they are supposed to

The threat of terrorism continues to weigh heavily on many African countries including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Libya, Mali, Somalia, and Sudan, among others. Active Salafi-jihadi organizations, particularly those linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, aggravate the destabilizing effects of these conflicts.

Over the years, Western military engagements with Africa have been portrayed as counterterrorism measures to promote peace and regional stability. However, a thorough examination exposes a concerning trend.

Sierra Leone's first lady, Fatima Maada, said in response to an interview question on the effects of colonization: "The kind of mineral resources we have in our country is enough to take care of everybody in that country but unfortunately, we are not given the free will to make decisions on our mineral resources. There's always big brother who decides and when you fight and say no, we are not going to do this, they use the system to stop you. It's either they set you up with the opposition and they will be supporting the opposition against you from the back or they cause unnecessary chaos in your country. They will do things to make you not functional and of course, any country that doesn't have peace, cannot develop."

Comment: Since Africa is home to close to about 1.4 billion people, substantially more than the Golden Billion of the US and allies, the Africa and its new trends is a space to watch. Below are more recent articles:

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Putin

Putin to visit China this week - Kremlin


RT
Tue, 14 May 2024 09:04 UTC
Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, March 21, 2023.
© Sputnik / Alexey MaishevChinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, March 21, 2023.
The trip will focus on fostering strategic partnership, with a number of agreements expected to be signed

Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China later this week to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the Kremlin has announced. It will be the Russian leader's first foreign trip of his new presidential term.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Kremlin said that the state visit at the invitation of the Chinese leader is scheduled for May 16 and 17. During the summit, the two leaders "will discuss in detail the entire range of issues of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction" between Moscow and Beijing, as well as determine key directions for the further development of Russian-Chinese ties.

Putin and Xi will also discuss the "most pressing international and regional issues," the Kremlin added. The leaders are expected to sign a joint statement and a number of bilateral documents, the announcement said, without giving further details.
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Attention

Western elites want to prosper at the expense of others - Putin


RT.com
Wed, 15 May 2024 02:58 UTC
The Russian president has previewed his China trip by championing "mutual respect" among nations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
© Gavriil Grigorov / SputnikRussian President Vladimir Putin presides over a government meeting in Moscow on May 10, 2024.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has set the stage for his state visit to China by praising efforts by Moscow and Beijing to build a "just, multipolar world order" as Western leaders try to retain global dominance by disregarding the sovereign interests of other countries.

In an interview with Xinhua News Agency that was published on Tuesday, Putin said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had achieved the strongest Russia-China relations in history by relying on "the principles of equality and trust," as well as mutual respect for each sovereign nation's interests. He contrasted that approach with Western attitudes toward other nations.

"Earth is the cradle of humanity, our common home, and we are all equal as its inhabitants," Putin said. "I am convinced that this view is shared by most people on the planet."

However, he added, "US‑led Western elites refuse to respect civilizational and cultural diversity and reject centuries-old traditional values," and "have usurped the right to tell other nations whom they may - or must not - make friends and cooperate with."

They seek to ensure their well‑being at the expense of other states, just like in the old days, and resort to neo-colonial methods to that end," Putin said.
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Mail

Moscow slams UK's 'desperate lies'


RT
Tue, 14 May 2024 11:30 UTC
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
© Sputnik / Sergey BobylevFILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has accused Russia of attempting a "nuclear escalation" and cutting off gas supplies to the West

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is brazenly deceiving the public by accusing Moscow of trying to bring about nuclear escalation and weaponizing its energy resources to suffocate the West, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.

On Monday, Sunak warned Western nations at a meeting of the Policy Exchange think tank that, if Russia succeeds in Ukraine, they "might be next." He further accused Moscow of "recklessness," claiming that it "has taken us closer to a dangerous nuclear escalation than at any point since the Cuban Missile Crisis."

Comment: The UK must want this war very badly. Shortly after there was from Britain:
Ukraine can use British weapons to strike Crimea - defense secretary

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Big Bomb

Ukraine can use British weapons to strike Crimea - defense secretary


RT
Tue, 14 May 2024 13:11 UTC
Crimean Bridge
© Sputnik / Konstantin MihalchevskiyFILE PHOTO: Crimean Bridge

Russia has threatened retaliation for any attacks with UK-supplied arms against its territory

Ukraine can use any weapons supplied by the UK to launch strikes on Russia's Crimean Peninsula, British Defense Secretary Grant Shappsconfirmed to journalists on Tuesday. London considers the region, which joined Russia in 2014 following a referendum, to be an "integral part of Ukraine," he said.

Russia has already warned that it could retaliate to any strikes by attacking British military targets in Ukraine and beyond.

Comment: The statements from Sunak confirms less and less veiled, what Andrew Bridgen was saying about the UK being at war with Russia:

Maybe Russia moving forward in Ukraine forces the hands of the Western elites to go increasingly public even against their will, and reinforce the idea, once again, that it is all Russia's fault. If people will believe that story, it will be more easy to mobilize public support in the UK to officially send some soldiers, mainly young men, and let them die.

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Star of David

Israel's war has always been against Palestinian civilians

Lucas Leiroz
Strategic Culture Foundation
Tue, 14 May 2024 18:22 UTC
Rafah tanks
© IDFIsraeli forces enter Rafah Crossing
Destroying Hamas was never in the plans of the Zionist state, which is aware of its military weakness, with the sole objective of provoking the massacre of innocents in Palestine.

Israel is entering Rafah. After Hamas announced its willingness to negotiate a ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar and Egypt, Zionist forces invaded Rafah, where more than 1.5 million Palestinian civilians seek shelter after having their homes destroyed during the brutal bombings by Tel Aviv. Israeli tanks advance in the region, in parallel with strong air attacks, generating terror and panic among local residents.

The operation in Rafah was already expected by many experts. Strategically, it does not seem interesting or profitable for Israel to launch this type of mobilization, considering that many civilian casualties will occur in the hostilities, and, in this way, the international image of the Zionist regime will be further damaged. The U.S., which is Israel's biggest ally, has already made it clear that it does not support Netanyahu's measure, which shows how the regime is isolated internationally, acting without diplomatic support from its own partners.
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Nuke

Iranian Politician Says Tehran Might Already Have Nukes


Iran International
Fri, 10 May 2024 00:00 UTC
Ardestani
© UnknownLawmaker Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani
Iran might already possess a nuclear weapon, an insider politician in Tehran said on Friday, after remarks by a senior foreign policy figure the day before about a possible change in nuclear policy.

Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, re-elected to parliament in March, conveyed to the Rouydad 24 website his belief that Iran's decision to risk attacking Israel in April stemmed from its possession of nuclear weapons.

Moreover, he drew attention to remarks by Kamal Kharrazi, senior foreign policy advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Thursday, who said that Tehran will change its nuclear doctrine if Israel attacks its atomic facilities. For years, the Islamic Republic has insisted that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, despite enriching uranium to 60-percent purity, which can only have a weaponization purpose.

Ardestani was quoted as saying:
"In my opinion, we have achieved nuclear weapons, but we do not announce it. It means our policy is to possess nuclear bombs, but our declared policy is currently within the framework of the JCPOA. The reason is that when countries want to confront others, their capabilities must be compatible, and Iran's compatibility with America and Israel means that Iran must have nuclear weapons."
Clearly putting Iran in the same trench as Russia, Ardestani added:
"In a climate where Russia has attacked Ukraine and Israel has attacked Gaza, and Iran is a staunch supporter of the Resistance Front, it is natural for the containment system to require that Iran possess nuclear bombs. However, whether Iran declares it is another matter."

Comment: On the world stage and damned politely, Israel has been given notice.

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Target

Biden's war on Gaza is now a war on truth and the right to protest

Jonathan Cook
Middle East Eye
Fri, 10 May 2024 11:28 UTC
JoeB
© AFPPresident Joe Biden speaks during a campaign stop at Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry campus on April 23, 2024
The media's role is to draw attention away from what the students are protesting - complicity in genocide - and engineer a moral panic to leave the genocide undisturbed

As mass student protests quickly spread to campuses across the United States last week, and others took hold in Britain and elsewhere in Europe, the western media gave centre stage to one man to arbitrate on whether the demonstrations should be allowed to continue: US President Joe Biden.

The establishment media reverentially relayed the president's message that the protests were violent and dangerous, treating his assessment as if it had been handed down on a tablet of stone. Biden declared the protesters had no "right to cause chaos", giving the green light for police to go in with even greater force to clear the encampments.

This week, Biden raised the stakes further by suggesting the protests were evidence of a "ferocious surge" of antisemitism in the US. According to reports, more than 2,000 protesters have been arrested after some university administrators - under growing pressure from the White House and their own wealthy donors - called in local police.

In approving the crushing of dissent, Biden contradicted himself:
"We are not an authoritarian nation where we silence people or squash dissent. But order must prevail."
One small problem went unmentioned: Biden was not a disinterested party. In fact, his conflict of interest was so gigantic it could, like the damage to Gaza, be seen from outer space.

The students were calling on their universities to pull all investments from companies that are assisting Israel in carrying out what the World Court has called a "plausible" genocide in Gaza. Those weapons are being supplied in huge quantities largely thanks to the decisions of one man.

Yes, Joe Biden.

Comment: If the objective is to rip America apart from top to bottom, the shredding is well underway. Jonathan Cook has done it justice.

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Take 2

Blinken delivers some of the strongest US public criticism of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza

Josh Boak
AP
Sun, 12 May 2024 10:08 UTC
Blinkn
© Kevin Wolf/APSecretary of State Antony Blinken
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday delivered some of the Biden administration's strongest public criticism yet of Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza, saying Israeli tactics have meant "a horrible loss of life of innocent civilians" but failed to neutralize Hamas leaders and fighters and could drive a lasting insurgency.

In a pair of TV interviews, Blinken underscored that the United States believes Israeli forces should "get out of Gaza," but also is waiting to see credible plans from Israel for security and governance in the territory after the war.

Hamas has reemerged in parts of Gaza, Blinken said, and "heavy action" by Israeli forces in the southern city of Rafah risks leaving America's closest Mideast ally "holding the bag on an enduring insurgency."

He said the United States has worked with Arab countries and others for weeks on developing "credible plans for security, for governance, for rebuilding'' in Gaza, but "we haven't seen that come from Israel. ... We need to see that, too."

Comment: Damage control and image tweaks in prep for the next prez election? College protests have gained public attention. Blinken is buying time.
During his appearance on the CBS TV news program Face the Nation on Sunday, Blinken was asked if Washington agreed with the recent claim by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the attacks on Gaza have so far resulted in the death of 14,000 "terrorists" and 16,000 civilians.
"Yes, we do. Israel has processes, procedures, rules and regulations to try to minimize civilian harm. They have not been applied consistently and effectively. There's a gap between the stated intent and some of the results we've seen."
Blinken stressed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are fighting "an enemy that hides in civilian infrastructure, hides behind civilians," which makes it problematic to determine what actually happened in each of the individual incidents.

However, the Secretary of State added that it was only an assessment, and that more investigating was needed for the administration of US President Joe Biden to come up with definitive conclusions.

Last week, the State Department released a report that criticized Israel's conduct of the war in Gaza, but didn't single out any specific violations that would necessitate a ban on US military aid to its ally.

At least, 35,034 people have been killed and 78,755 others wounded in the IDF's attacks on Gaza, according to the latest data from the Palestinian enclave's health ministry, which doesn't differentiate between civilians and militants in its reports.

The UN's Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said last week that there were 14,500 children and 9,500 women among those who were killed in Gaza. The Jerusalem Post reported on Saturday that the UN has since then halved its estimated number of fatalities among minors and females.


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Attention

Biden 'doing it all wrong' - ex-Clinton adviser


RT
Mon, 13 May 2024 07:59 UTC
Bidgum
© Mandel Ngan/AFPUS President Joe Biden and reporters • Seattle Tacoma International Airport • May 10, 2024
US President Joe Biden risks losing a potential election rematch with Donald Trump because his campaign is too focused on courting his left-leaning base, while neglecting swing voters whose support could prove decisive, a former adviser to Bill Clinton has warned.

In an opinion piece for the New York Times published on Sunday, Mark Penn, who advised the former US leader and his wife, ex-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, from 1995 to 2008, suggested that "Biden is doing it all wrong" when it comes to his reelection campaign.

According to Penn, many believe that a high turnout should be a priority for any candidate, because swing voters are fewer in number. In the current US political landscape, Biden and Republican frontrunner Trump each enjoy solid support from about 40% of the nation's population, with only 20% on the fence, the adviser noted.

However, in a highly polarized political environment, those 20% "have disproportionate power because of their potential to switch," Penn believes.

Comment: 'Doing it all wrong?' Biden is the epitome of disaster, the perfect fall guy for the Left. He was self-made for this job. Barack said so.

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