Uprooted Palestinian: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM – سلام القدس عليكم: 23/07/2017

Saturday, 29 July 2017

Good News: Anti-Russian Sanctions Bill `Will Result in a Tectonic Break Between US, Europe`

The new US sanctions bill against Russia will lead to serious tensions between the European Union and the United States, according to experts.

U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan looks at U.S. President Donald Trump as he signs H.J.Res. 41, providing for congressional disapproval of a rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers. at the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., February 14, 2017

New US Sanctions on Russia, North Korea, Iran ‘Message From Congress’ – Ryan

The US Senate passed in a 98-2 vote a new version of a sanctions bill on Russia, Iran and North Korea, limiting President Donald Trump’s ability to lift the restrictions on Moscow.The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the bill on Tuesday. The chamber voted to attach Iran and Russia to a bill that originally targeted North Korea, which is what the Senate had requested. The bill passed by the Senate retains the stipulation that any attempt by the White House to lift or relax sanctions must go through the US Congress.

The restrictions target Russia’s defense, intelligence, mining, shipping and railway industries, and restrict dealings with Russian banks and energy companies.

In addition, Washington continues to oppose the implementation of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, citing the alleged adverse impact it exerts on the energy security of the EU.

Association of European Businesses Concerned Over New US Anti-Russia Sanctions

The EU described the new sanctions bill as a unilateral move and said Brussels is ready to “act appropriately” should Europe’s interests not be taken into account.Brussels’ major concern is that the new sanctions will affect energy cooperation with Russia, in particular the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

“Abandonment of the Nord Stream 2 project is spelled out in the text of the bill, but in fact, any project in the EU-Russian cooperation in the field of energy security … may be subjected to sanctions, including pipeline repair work, on which EU energy security depends,” Gernot Erler, a member of the Bundestag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, was quoted as saying by the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that if adopted, the US anti-Russia sanctions bill would be an “extra-cynical move.”

“These [sanctions] are evident attempts to use their [i.e., the US’s] geopolitical advantages in a competitive struggle with an aim to ensure [their] own economic interests at the expense of their allies,” Putin said.

Putin on Anti-Russia Sanctions Bill: Moscow Will Have to Respond to ‘US Arrogance’ as Patience Runs Out

On Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry suspended the use of all US Embassy warehouses and its compound in Moscow and also offered the US to cut down the number of its diplomatic staff in Russia to 455 people by September 1. Moreover, the ministry said that it reserves the reciprocal right to hit US interests in response to the US sanctions bill.”Of course such measures are impossible without authorization by the president,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

The possible new sanctions are likely to provoke a surge of serious tensions between the US and Europe, according to Alexei Grivach, deputy head of the National Energy Security Fund and an expert with the Valdai discussion club.

“These sanctions will affect a wide range of European companies involved in export projects with Russia. This will result in a new tectonic break between Washington and Brussels,” Grivach told Sputnik, adding that the European Commission is considering a “tough response.”

According to the expert, the new sanctions will be used as foreign political weapons and a tool to create more jobs in the US at the expense of the European market. They are also a blow to the self-respect of the European Union.

“This time, the US showed no politeness to its European allies. Brussels is not happy with the fact that Washington does not take Europe’s interests into consideration,” Grivach said.

He pointed out that the possible new sanctions comply with Donald Trump’s campaign promises.

The United States Capitol, the meeting place of the US Congress in Washington, DC The Capitol's foundation stone was laid by George Washington on September 18, 1793

Trump May Either Sign US Anti-Russia Sanctions Bill or Negotiate ‘Even Tougher’ One – Scaramucci

“The point is that the new sanctions follow the logic of Trump’s election program, including creating new jobs, developing domestic energy and equating the trade balance with European countries,” Grivach said.The expert added that during the discussions some of the bill’s provisions were softened and thus “Congress is shifting to Trump the responsibility for tensions with Europe.”

Commenting further, he suggested that the scope of consequences of the new sanctions would depend not on Trump, but on Moscow and Brussels.
“Europe needs Russian gas and the Russian market. The question is whether the EU still has leaders who are ready to stand for the interests of Europe,” Grivach concluded.

Sergei Pravosudov, director of the National Energy Fund, also suggested that the new sanctions risk sparking confrontation between Washington and Brussels.

“Previously Europe actively supported Washington’s sanctions against Russia. But the new bill presumes measures that would seriously hit Europe’s interests. This situation is developing towards a conflict. In this situation, Russia would be a bargaining chip,” Pravosudov told Sputnik.

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The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

جيش القيامة الفلسطيني فاوضونا أو انتظروا جيش محمد والمسيح

محمد صادق الحسيني

يوليو 29, 2017

«نحن نتدرّب بجبهة النصرة تمهيداً لاقتحام الجليل…!»

هذا ما دوّنه أحد المقاتلين الأشداء من رجال الله من جرود عرسال – القلمون بالنصّ موجّهاً كلامه إلى الضابط «الإسرائيلي» افيخاي ادرعي…

إنها «المناورات الحية وبالذخيرة الحية» الأهمّ والأخطر والأبلغ أنها رسالة لم تحصل في تاريخ الحروب العالمية والتي جرت بعض وقائعها وفصولها تحت نظر ومراقبة عشرات انْ لم تكن مئات الأقمار الصناعية وطائرات الاستطلاع وأجهزة التجسّس الدولية والتي لم تكن تملك سوى الاندهاش والحيرة والتسمّر أمام فعل جنود من جنس الملائكة…!

مناورات جيش حزب الله المنتشر على امتداد الدول والأمصار والأقطار ومساحات تفوق حيّز جيوش المنطقة وآخرها على الأرض اللبنانية القاهرة لجيش الكيان الذي ظنّ يوماً أنه لا يُقهر…!

في هذه الأثناء وعلى الضفة الأخرى من مناورات جيش القدس العالمي الشعبي تقول مصادر متابعة لحراك أهل البلدة القديمة المقدسة، ومَن يرابط للدفاع عنها بأنه وفي اجتماع عاصف لقيادة الجيش «الإسرائيلي» وقيادة الشاباك ليل الخميس الفائت قال جنرالات الجيش والشاباك لنتن ياهو:

أولاً: إذا لم نقم بإزالة كلّ وسائل المراقبة التي وضعت في الأقصى قبل بزوغ فجر الجمعة فستندلع انتفاضة كبرى في فلسطين كلها وستشارك فيها التشكيلات المسلحة ولن نكون قادرين على السيطرة على الوضع..

ثانياً: قواتنا منتشرة على الجبهة الشمالية، ونحن منهمكون في مراقبة الوضع هناك. ولا مجال لسحب قوات عن الجبهة للسيطرة على الوضع في الضفة الغربية.

ثالثاً: معلوماتنا الجيش والشاباك تؤكد أنّ حماس وحزب الله سيفتحان جبهتي الشمال والجنوب ضدّنا، ولن يكون بمقدورنا مواجهة هذا التطور.

ملاحظة: لدينا فيديو مسجل لمقاطع من الاجتماع باللغة العبرية .

في هذه الأثناء يرى العديد من المحللين والمختصين «الإسرائيليين» أن استمرار المواجهات في القدس ومناطق أخرى في فلسطين سيؤدي إلى:

1 ـ خروج الأمور عن السيطرة في الأراضي المحتلة واضطرار «اسرائيل» للزجّ بآلاف الجنود في شوارع الضفة الغربية لقمع الانتفاضه الفلسطينية التي هي قيد التبلور الآن…

وهذا سيلحق ضرراً كبيراً باستعدادات الجيش «الإسرائيلي» على الجبهتين الشمالية والجنوبية ويزيد من الأخطار الاستراتيجية التي تهدّد الكيان «الاسرائيلي»…

2 ـ إن تبلور الانتفاضة وتجذّرها في الضفة الغربية سوف يؤدي الى نشوء قيادة فلسطينية جديدة وشابة لا تلتزم بما تلتزم به القيادة الفلسطينية الحالية برئاسة أبو مازن.

3 ـ سوف تقوم القيادة الفلسطينية الجديدة عند نقطة ما في تطور الأحداث بإسقاط قيادة أبو مازن وسوف تعود لبرامج الثورة الفلسطينية القديمة الداعية لإزالة إسرائيل من الوجود وإحلال دولة فلسطينية مكانها مما يشكل تماهياً مع سياسة حزب الله وإيران. وهذا يعني أننا سنكون مضطرين لمواجهة قوات حزب الله والحرس الثوري الإيراني داخل الكيان، وليس فقط على حدود الجولان والحدود الأردنية.

4 ـ هذا يعني أنّ سياسة نتن ياهو العديمة الجدوى هي التي تصبّ الماء في طواحين إيران وحزب الله، وستقودنا إلى مواجهة مجموعات فلسطينية مسلحة في القدس والمدن الفلسطينية الأخرى يسيطر عليها حزب الله. والتي قد يتوسّع وجودها لتنتشر في الأردن، لأسباب عديدة، ما يشكّل تهديداً استراتيجياً جديداً لـ«إسرائيل» في حال أدّى تطوّر الأحداث الى سقوط النظام في الأردن والذي سيُفضي إلى إعادة تشكيل الجبهه الشرقية ضدّ الدولة العبرية مما يعني أنّ أرتال الدبابات العراقية سيكـون بإمكانهـا المرابطـة على بعد 40 كيلو متراً فقط من «إسرائيل».

أيّ أنّ سياسة نتن ياهو ستقودنا لخسارة القدس كلّها وليس فقط «جبل الهيكل»…!

ونحن نقول لهم بكلّ ثقة إنكم ستخسرون وجودكم كله على اليابسة الفاسطينية، كما على بحرها ونهرها وفي أرجاء هوائها لأنها ليست لكم، وهي تقاتل بثبات إلى جانب صاحبها ومالكها التاريخي وليس ذلك على السنن الكونية بعزيز…!

لذلك ولغيره الكثير مما تعرفون ولا تعرفون ننصحكم بالنزول عند رغبة ثوار القدس والأقصى، قبل أن تضطروا لمفاوضة محمد بن عبد الله والمسيح عليهما السلام في الفصل المقبل من مشهد يوم القيامة الفلسطيني…

وعندها لا مفرّ لكم إلا الرضوخ لقهر قانون الأرض والسماء، والاختفاء من هذه البقعة الطاهرة قبل نيل حتفكم المدجّج بوسائل الفناء..

ويبقى سلطانك قائماً يا فلسطين حتى التحرير الكامل.

بعدنا طيّبين، قولوا الله…

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THE US HAS OFFICIALLY LOST THE WAR IN SYRIA: REPORT

28.07.2017

Written by Darius Shahtahmasebi; Originally appeared at TheAntiMedia.org

By ending the “secret” CIA program to arm and train Syrian rebels attempting to topple Bashar al-Assad in Syria, the Trump administration has accepted defeat in Syria, according to the Century Foundation, a prominent New York-based think tank.

The Century Foundation believes this signals an end to America’s commitment to achieving regime change in Syria and claims Washington’s attempt to topple Assad was half-hearted to begin with.

That being said, the Century Foundation also concedes that the program was doomed from the outset, stating:

“The problem with the program, which was reportedly running the CIA nearly a billion dollars a year, was not that it was under resourced or ‘insufficient in scale.’ The problem was that its logic was wrong and out of sync with the basic dynamics of the insurgency.” [emphasis added]

Whatever the program had going for it, its ludicrous nature came to light after the conflict took full swing and opposition groups gathered momentum, as the think tank explained:

“But the covert program’s theory of the case also fell apart when when [sic] it became clear that the armed opposition—which was supposed to extract political concessions from the regime—was increasingly permeated by sectarian extremists and de-linked from the civilian interlocutors with which the regime was meant to compromise.” [emphasis added]

The think tank then went further to explain why this might signal the end of the regime change operation in Syria, as America’s allies have started to lose interest in pursuing an agenda they can no longer realistically achieve:

“Moreover, it’s not clear many opposition backers will be willing to continue with this or a similar effort absent America’s political cover and leading role. Opposition sponsors—including most of the Gulf states—are exhausted, if not checked out on the opposition entirely. Saudi Arabia, preoccupied now with its war in Yemen, is no longer seriously invested in regime change in Syria. Turkey has also give[n] up on regime change, instead preferring to negotiate with Russia over de-escalation and pursue its narrow national security ends. Qatar has been a rogue actor, participating in the joint arms program but also independently supporting Islamist factions in partnership with Turkey. But, as Qatar’s dispute with Saudi and the United Arab Emirates drags on, its standing internationally and with the United States specifically is precarious. Donald Trump is already telling fundraisers that Qatar funds terrorism—if Qatar decides this is the opportune moment to go all-in on the Nusra Front, well, that’s its prerogative.” [emphasis added]

There is plenty of evidence to indicate that the U.S. aimed to achieve regime change as early as 2012 — or at the latest by 2013 — yet Assad has shown no signs of stepping down some five years later. Though this is clear to the outside world, the problem is that the United States is never one to accept defeat outright. Not, at least, until they have completely left their destructive mark on everything that moves in the very country they are struggling to forcibly bring to its knees.

In other words, the Century Foundation makes some insightful points but doesn’t touch on the fact that the Pentagon backs groups in Syria that pose an equal threat to the Syrian state and is still continuing to back these groups quite heavily. The report doesn’t touch on the fact that, although it is common knowledge that the U.S. is partnering with the Kurds, the Trump administration is actually attempting to give the Kurds as much Syrian territory as possible, conveniently taking Syria’s most oil-rich region in the process. This would take the region directly out of the hands of the Syrian government, which retains an isolated military outpost there.

What happens if the Syrian government decides it doesn’t want the American-backed Kurds to take their most oil-rich city? Will regime change be back on the agenda?

It is worth noting that the Trump administration has merely axed one program that has proved incredibly ineffective and counter-intuitive but has not rolled back any of its other operations in Syria. Nevertheless, as the Century Foundation explains in its report, the U.S. has basically killed the CIA’s support base for Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliates (which, at the very least, is progress to a degree).

Despite this, the mainstream media has attempted to paint this issue as one in which Trump has handed Russia and Syria a treacherous victory in the Syrian conflict. At its peak, the CIA program was costing $1 billion a year to teach Syrian rebels potential terrorist tactics, yet Assad has only strengthened his position in the face of such an aggressive covert program.

It seems more likely that the U.S., which has vacillated between advocating and abandoning the strategy of regime change in the most schizophrenic of ways, is probably considering other approaches in regard to the Syrian conflict. At the very least, we should take note of the fact that Iran is Syria’s closest ally, and regime change in Iran has become an official U.S. strategy.

The other problem with this entire assessment is that no one is asking why on earth the United States is at war with Syria to begin with — not in relation to fighting the terror group ISIS, but more specifically, why the CIA was spending $1 billion a year to train rebels to overthrow a sovereign government in the first place.

Do we just accept this and dismiss it as unworthy of further scrutiny and criticism? If Russia spent $1 billion a year training rebels to overthrow the U.S. government, nobody would stand for it; and quite rightly so.

While the U.S. is accepting defeat when it comes to the Obama administration’s Syria strategy, its wars remain completely active in the Middle East. If anything, predicting the Trump administration’s next move is the tricky part, but you can be almost certain that the next move will not see anything close to a withdrawal from Syria or the wider Middle East region.

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Putin: It is Impossible to Tolerate Arrogance Toward Our Country Forever

by Richard Edmondson

Some interesting comments from Vladimir Putin regarding the sanctions bill which has now passed both houses of Congress by lopsided votes. (You will need to click the closed caption button to get the English subtitles). The reporter asking the question observes that “it looks like the US is trying to distribute the power of its laws to the territories of other countries.”

To this Putin not only agrees, but he calls the practice “unacceptable,” and he then goes on to add that while Russia has been patient up till now, “at some point we will have to respond.” This comment was then followed by the rather eyebrow-raising, “It is impossible to tolerate arrogance toward our country forever.”

The sanctions bill, which targets Russia, Iran and North Korea, passed the House by a vote of 419-3 on Tuesday, and cleared the Senate 98-2 on Thursday. Today it is being reported that Russia has responded by suspending the use of certain US Embassy properties in Moscow and by ordering the US to reduce the size of its diplomatic staff. It seems Putin has made good on his word, and although the response will likely remain a purely diplomatic one for now, obviously the bill’s passage has ratcheted up tensions in a manner that could lead in some extremely dangerous directions.

The sanctions target a number of Russian industries, including shipping, defense, mining and railway companies, and they also restrict dealings with Russian banks and energy companies. EU officials vociferously opposed the measure, for it seems European energy companies are expected to be the big losers on the deal.

So how is it that such an atrocious piece of legislation could pass both houses of Congress with only five people working up the nerve to vote against it? Do all 517 elected officials who voted “yea” seriously believe the fake news about Russian interference in the election? Or did some of them vote the way they did for other reasons? Are they being controlled by some sort of “force” or “power?” Are they being bribed, threatened, blackmailed? Or did they simply believe the mainstream media’s anti-Russia propaganda has been so effective it has succeeded in brainwashing the majority of their constituents and that it was imperative to support the sanctions bill in order to avoid being voted out of office?

You can go here to see the roll call vote in the House, and here for the Senate’s tally. The most striking thing I noticed, in looking over both lists, was the name of Tulsi Gabbard among the “yea” votes in the House. Gabbard is the congresswoman from Hawaii who in January of this year introduced the “Stop Arming Terrorists Act” in Congress, this after making a fact-finding trip to Syria in which she got to know average Syrians and even met with the country’s president, Bashar Assad.

Gabbard is surely savvy enough to figure out that it is Russia who is fighting terrorists in Syria, while the US has supported them. Or at least one would think. So why would she vote in favor of a sanctions bill against Russia? Was it out of the sort of political considerations mentioned above? Does she believe that the majority of the people of Hawaii who voted her into office are incapable of using an Internet connection to figure out that the mainstream media are not in reality champions of American democracy and that all the hysteria over “Russian hacking” is nothing more than a soap opera? Does she not give them credit for this much intelligence?

The sanctions bill was introduced in the House by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA). Royce is much more your typical, run-of-the-mill Congress member. I put up a post about him earlier this year. This was after he introduced a bill condemning the UN Security Council for passing a resolution which had demanded a halt to Israeli settlement building. The resolution specifically labeled the settlements as “illegal” under international law.

“Today we put Congress on record objecting to the recent UN Security Council resolution that hurt our ally, that hurt Israel, and I believe that puts an enduring peace further out of reach,” Royce said during the congressional debate on his bill, which passed by a vote of 342-80.

This was back in January of this year. In March, AIPAC held its annual policy conference in Washington. Royce, not surprisingly, was one of the speakers. In fact, I put up a post at the time in which I listed all the members of Congress named on AIPAC’s website as scheduled speakers at the conference. There were 32 in all. Here is the list:

Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)
Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL)
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY)
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ)
Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX)
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA)
Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN)
Rep. Jim Langevin (D-RI)
Sen James Lankford (R-OK)
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY)
Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA)
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX)
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
Rep. Michael D. Rogers (R-AL)
Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL)
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA)
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) Speaker of the House
Sen Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA)
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
Rep. Marc Veasey (D-TX)

Out of the above 32 Congress members, 31 voted in favor of the sanctions bill. The lone exception was Rep. Grace Napolitano, who, according to the roll call, was not present when the vote was taken in the House on Tuesday.

Now take another good look at the list and notice the name at the top–Sen. Ben Cardin. I posted an article on Cardin, actually two articles, a week ago. (See hereand here.) Both concerned a bill he introduced in the Senate entitled the “Israel Anti-Boycott Act.” The ACLU says Cardin’s bill would impose harsh penalties, including hefty fines and/or imprisonment, for US citizens supporting a boycott of Israel, while Cardin, though he admits the bill targets the BDS movement, denies that its penalties are that draconian. I guess it’s a matter for legal analysts to settle, but the point is, Cardin, in addition to being an avid Senate backer of Israel, was also strongly in favor of the Russia sanctions bill.

“This bill will give us the strongest possible hand to stand up against the aggressions of Russia,” he said yesterday during the Senate debate.

Additionally he claimed that “Russia attacked us on our Democratic institutions”; he also accused the Russians of invading Ukraine, and he insisted that Russia “is participating in war crimes in Syria.” He also believes that if Trump vetoes the bill it will show “presidential weakness toward Russia.” This is Sen. Ben Cardin.

Trump seems to be in a no-win situation here. If he signs the bill into law, it will further alienate his base. If he vetoes the bill, it will be interpreted as proof that he is a patsy or a stooge of Russia. The president’s chances of serving out the full four years of his term don’t look particularly good at this point.

In case you’re curious, the five people who voted against the bill are Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders in the Senate, and Reps. Justin Amash of Michigan, James Duncan of Tennessee, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky in the House. Out of a total of 535 people, these five alone, while perhaps not perfect human beings, chose to hang on to a shred of their integrity.

What can you say about the rest? How do you explain their votes? Do you chalk it up to Bribery? Threats? Blackmail? Half-wittedness? Stupidity?

Is there perhaps an “evil spell” of some sort that they’re all under?

Hard to say what the answer is.

But with leaders of this caliber, America’s chances of avoiding a major debacle or catastrophe at some point down the road don’t look too much better than Trump’s chances of serving out his full term in office.

River to Sea Uprooted Palestinian

The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Blog!

Sanctions against China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. Part of a Global Military Agenda. Pentagon’s World War III Scenario

By Prof Michel Chossudovsky

Global Research, July 29, 2017

Washington announced sweeping sanctions to be imposed on three countries: Russia, Iran and North Korea, following the US House of Representatives vote to impose a three countries’ sanctions “package”.

While the justifications are diverse and unrelated, all three countries are from a military and geopolitical standpoint on the US nuclear “hit list”. They are considered as de facto rogue states, enemies of America.

The Congressional bill invoked respectively Tehran’s support of terrorism, Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential elections, and North Korea’s ICBM missile tests.

The pretexts with regard to Russia and Iran are largely fabricated. The main sponsor of Islamic terrorism is US intelligence.

The “package sanctions regime” is intimately related to the Deep State military agenda. Moreover it is worth noting that the legislation included a (rather dangerous) clause to “disapprove of any moves the president makes to end the sanctions… and build a better relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

This clause is visibly intended by the neocon hawks in Washington to constrain the powers of the White House. In the words of Paul Craig Roberts, they are intended to “Put Trump in a box.”

The Congressional bill still requires the endorsement of President Trump, who might exercise his veto.

The China Sanctions Regime

While China was excluded from the Congressional three countries’ “package”, Washington formally intimated in early July that sanctions would also be imposed on China in response to China’s increased bilateral commodity trade with North Korea.

China is described as an ally of North Korea. While the US sanctions regime is not officially directed against the Chinese government, selected Chinese banks and trading companies involved in the financing of China-DPRK commodity trade are potential targets of US reprisals.

Having lost patience with China, the Trump administration is studying new steps to starve North Korea of cash for its nuclear program, including an option that would infuriate Beijing: sanctions on Chinese companies that help keep the North’s economy afloat.

The insinuation is crystal clear: curtail your trade with North Korea, or else…

Washington has visibly opted for a coordinated package of sanctions which is intimately related to its global military agenda. Is this sanctions regime a preamble to military action?

From a US foreign policy perspective, China, Russia and Iran constitute a geopolitical “block”. China and Russia are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Agreement (SCO), allies in the fields of trade, energy as well as military cooperation, Iran is slated to become a full member of the SCO.

Economic sanctions are indelibly tied into military and intelligence planning. In many regards the sanctions “package” (in derogation of international law) constitutes an act of war.

Russia and China have a longstanding comprehensive military cooperation agreement. Ironically, barely acknowledged by the Western media, a month prior to the House of Representatives vote, Beijing and Moscow signed (June 29, 2017) a so-called roadmap on military cooperation for 2017-2020, which in essence constitutes a rebuttal to US-NATO threats including the US sanctions regime.

Moreover, both China and Russia have economic as well as defense cooperation agreements with North Korea.

Russia signed in November 2015 an “agreement on the prevention of dangerous military activities” with the DPRK, largely directed against the militarization of the Korean peninsula. In turn, China has a bilateral military cooperation agreement with North Korea which is part of the 1979 Sino-North Korean Mutual Aid and Cooperation Friendship Treaty,

The US sanctions regime is not only directed against those “three plus one” countries, it is also directed against countries which have bilateral trade, investment or military cooperation agreements with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea.

Weakening the European Union

Moreover, the sanctions regime is quite deliberately intended to weaken the European Union, specifically in relation to the sale of Russian natural gas to the EU.

Punitive measures are also envisaged directed against European companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project, which is used to transport natural gas from North Western Russia to Germany.

What this suggests is that EU member states which enter into trade with Russia would be subjected to sanctions.

France has raised doubts about “the legitimacy of new US sanctions against Iran and Russia, saying they do not conform to international law due to their extraterritorial reach” (Press TV)

The Pentagon’s Military Agenda

This sanctions package directed against four enemies of America is related (and “supportive”) of US and allied military deployments in major regions of the World:

Eastern Europe, Scandinavia, Balkans (against Russia),
Caucasus (against Russia and Iran)
Syria and Iraq (against Iran and Russia),
Militarization of the Persian Gulf (against Iran)
South China Sea (against China as part of the Pivot to Asia)
East Asia and the Korean peninsula including the THAAD deployment (against North Korea, China and Russia).

Vigilant Shield 07:

Irmingham [Iran], Nemazee [North Korea], Ruebek [Russia], Churya [China]

From a strategic point of view, the Pentagon’s World War III war “scenarios” which have been conducted on regular basis for more than ten years include these four countries, which are now the object of US sanctions.

The details of these WWIII war games scenarios –which involve the use of nuclear weapons– invariably remain classified. In 2006, the Vigilant Shield 2007 war games involving four fictitious countries were leaked to the Washington Post in an article by William Arkin

Vigilant Shield exercise (Vigilant Shield 07), which simulated the outbreak of a major war, contemplated four hypothetical enemies: Ruebek (Russia), Churya (China), Irmingham (Iran) and Nemazee (North Korea).

Examine the details below of the World War Scenario (Road to Conflict). Is there a relationship?

Is the US sanctions regime directed against four countries in any way related to the war games and routine World War III scenarios conducted by the Pentagon against these four countries.

Further analysis is contained in Michel Chossudovsky, Towards a World War III Scenario, The Dangers of Nuclear War, Global Research, (2011) (click cover to order from Global Research)

Irmingham [Iran], Nemazee [North Korea], Ruebek [Russia], Churya [China]

Details and Sequencing: [emphasis added]
“• Road to Conflict (RTC): 11 Sep – 15 Oct 06

– Initial Irmingham Enrichment I&W [indications and warning]
– Initial Ruebeki & Irmingham Involvement – Ruebek I&W, PACFLT [U.S. Pacific Fleet] Sub Deployments
– Initial Nemazee ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile] I&W
– Initial MHLD [homeland defense?] I&W
– Strategic IO [information operations (cyber warfare)] operations (Ruebek & Churya)
– Ruebek & Irmingham Conduct Joint AD [air defense] Exercise

• Phase 1 / Deployment: 4 – 8 Dec 06

– Rogue LRA [Russian long-range aviation] w/CALCM [conventional air launched cruise missile] Launch
– Continue Monitoring Strategic Situation
– Continue Monitoring Nemazee Situation

  • Possible Nuclear Testing  • Probable ICBM Preparation

– Continue Monitoring MHLD Situation

• Five VOIs [vessels of interest]
  • Churya Flagged VOI into Dutch Harbor Supports BMDS [ballistic missile defense system] Threat to Ft Greely

– Continue Monitoring IO Activities
– Nemazee Conducts SLV [space launch vehicle] Launch – 8 Dec 06

• Phase 2 Minus 42 Days:

• Additional Nemazee ICBM Shipments to Launch Facilities
• RMOB [Russian main operating bases] Acft Conduct LR Navigation Flights
• AS-15 [nuclear armed cruise missile] Handling at RMOBs

– Minus 41 Days:
• Additional Nemazee ICBM Preps at Launch Pad # 2
– Minus 40 Days:
  • Activity at Nemazee Nuclear Test Facilities
– Minus 35 Days:
  • DOS [Department of State] Travel Warning – Minus 30 Days:
• Ruebek LRA Deploys Acft to Anadyr & Vorkuta

• Phase 2 Minus 30 Days:

• Growing International Condemnation of Ruebek
• Ruebek Deploys Submarines

– Minus 20 Days:
  • Nemazee Recalls Reservists – Minus 14 Days:
• DOS Draw-down Sequencing
– Minus 13 Days:
  • Ruebek Closes US Embassy in Washington DC – Minus 11 Days:
• Nemazee Conducts Fueling of Additional ICBMs
  • Ruebeki Presidential Statement on Possible US Attack

• Phase 2 Minus 10 Days:

• POTUS Addresses Congress on War Powers Act

– Minus 6 Days:
  • Ruebek President Calls “Situation Grave” – Minus 5 Days:
• CALCM Activity at Anadyr, Vorkuta, and Tiksi
• Ruebeki SS-25 [nuclear armed mobile ICBMs] Conduct out of Garrison Deployments
• Nemazee Assembling ICBM for Probable Launch
– Minus 4 Days:
  • Ruebek Closes US Embassy in Washington DC  • Ruebek Acft Conduct Outer ADIZ [air defense identification zone] Pentrations
• Mid-Air Collison w/NORAD Acft During ADIZ Penetration

• Phase 2 Minus 4 Days:

• Nemazee ICBM Launch Azimuth Threatens US

– Minus 3 Days:
• NATO Diplomatic Efforts Fail to Diffuse Crisis • USAMB to Ruebek Recalled for Consultation
• POTUS Addresses Nation – Minus 2 Days:
• Nemazee Leadership Movement – Minus 1 Day:
• Ruebek Expels US Mission

• Phase 2 / Execution: 10 – 14 Dec 06

– Pre-Attack I & W
– Imminent Terrorist Attack on Pentagon Suggests Pentagon COOP [continuity of operations plan]
– Nemazee Conducts 2 x ICBM Combat Launches Against United States
– Ruebek Conducts Limited Strategic Attack on United States
• Wave 1 – 8 x Bear H Defense Suppression w/CALCM
• Wave 2 – Limited ICBM & SLBM Attack
– 2 x ICBM Launched (1 impacts CMOC [Cheyenne Mountain], 1 malfunctions)
– 2 x SLBM Launched Pierside (1 impacts SITE-R [“Raven Rock” bunker on the Maryland-Pennsylvania border], 1 malfunctions)
– 3 x Bear H from Dispersal Bases w/ALCM (Eielson AFB, CANR, Cold Lake)
– US Conducts Limited Retaliatory Attack on Ruebek
• 1 x ICBM C2 Facility
• 1 x ICBM Against ICBM Launch Location
• Phase 2 / Execution:
– Ruebek Prepares Additional Attack on United States
• Wave 3 – Prepares for Additional Strategic Attacks  – 1 x ICBM Movement, NO Launch
– 3 x SLBM PACFLT Pierside Missile Handling Activity (NO Launch)
– 6 x BEAR H (launch & RTB [return to base]) w/6 x ALCM (NO launch)”

emphasis added