Sunday, 10 August 2014

Washington threatens the whole world

The turmoil brought into the Middle East by the Bush and Obama regimes has meant death and displacement for millions and untold future deaths.
The turmoil brought into the Middle East by the Bush and Obama regimes has meant death and displacement for millions and untold future deaths.
Source 

Saturday, August 09, 2014 5:57 PM

The consequence of Washington’s reckless and irresponsible political and military interventions in Iraq, Libya, and Syria has been to unleash evil.

The various sects that lived in peace under the rule of Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi, and Assad are butchering one another, and a new group, ISIS, is in the process of creating a new state out of parts of Iraq and Syria.

The turmoil brought into the Middle East by the Bush and Obama regimes has meant death and displacement for millions and untold future deaths. As I write 40,000 Iraqis are stranded on a mountain top without water awaiting death at the hands of ISIS, a creation of US meddling.

The reality in the Middle East stands in vast contradiction to the stage managed landing of George W. Bush on the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln where Bush declared “Mission Accomplished” on May 1, 2003. 

The mission that Washington accomplished was to wreck the Middle East and the lives of millions of people and to destroy America’s reputation in the process. Thanks to the demonic neoconservative Bush regime, today America is regarded by the rest of the world as the greatest threat to world peace.

The Clinton regime’s attack on Serbia set the pattern. Bush upped the ante with Washington’s naked aggression against Afghanistan, which Washington clothed in Orwellian language–”Operation Enduring Freedom.”

Washington brought ruin, not freedom, to Afghanistan. After 13 years of blowing up the country, Washington is now withdrawing, the “superpower” having been defeated by a few thousand lightly armed Taliban, but leaving a wasteland behind for which Washington will accept no responsibility.

Another source of endless Middle East turmoil is Israel whose theft of Palestine is Washington-enabled. In the middle of Israel’s latest attack on civilians in Gaza, the US Congress passed resolutions in support of Israel’s war crimes and voted hundreds of millions of dollars to pay for Israel’s ammunition. Here we witness Great Moral America 100 percent in support of unambiguous war crimes against essentially defenseless people.

When Israel murders women and children, Washington calls it “Israel’s right to defend their own country”–a country that Israel stole from Palestinians–but when Palestinians retaliate Washington calls it “terrorism.” By supporting Israel, declared to be a terrorist state by a few moral governments that still exist, and accused of war crimes by the UN General Secretary, Washington is in violation of its own laws against supporting terrorist states.

Of course, Washington itself is the leading terrorist state. Therefore, it is illegal under US law for Washington to support itself. Washington, however, does not accept law, neither domestic nor international, as a constraint on its actions. Washington is “exceptional, indispensable.” No one else counts. No law, no Constitution, and no humane consideration has authority to constrain Washington’s will. In its claims Washington surpasses those of the Third Reich.

As horrific as Washington’s recklessness toward the Middle East is, Washington’s recklessness toward Russia is many orders of magnitude greater. Washington has convinced nuclear armed Russia that Washington is planning a nuclear first strike.

In response Russia is beefing up its nuclear forces and testing US air defense reactions.

It is difficult to imagine a more irresponsible act than to convince Russia that Washington intends to hit Russia with a preemptive first strike. One of Putin’s advisers has explained to the Russian media Washington’s first strike intentions, and a member of the Russian Duma has made a documented presentation of Washington’s first strike intentions. By marshaling the evidence, I have pointed out in my columns that it is impossible for Russia to avoid this conclusion.

China is aware that China faces the same threat from Washington. China’s response to Washington’s war plans against China was to demonstrate how China’s nuclear forces would be used in response to Washington’s attack on China to destroy the US. China made this public, hoping to create opposition among Americans to Washington’s war plans against China. Like Russia, China is a rising country that does not need war in order to succeed.

The only country on earth that needs war is Washington, and that is because Washington’s goal is the neoconservative one of exercising hegemony over the world.

Prior to the Bush and Obama regimes, every previous US president went to great efforts to avoid telegraphing any nuclear threat. US war doctrine was careful to keep nuclear weapons limited to retaliation in the event the US suffered a nuclear attack. The purpose of nuclear forces was to prevent the use of such weapons. The reckless George W. Bush regime elevated nuclear weapons to preemptive first use, thus destroying the constraint placed on the use of nuclear weapons.

The overriding purpose of the Reagan administration was to end the cold war and, thereby, the threat of nuclear war. The George W. Bush regime, together with the Obama regime’s demonization of Russia, have overturned President Reagan’s unique achievement and made nuclear war likely.

When the incompetent Obama regime decided to overthrow the democratically elected government in Ukraine and install a puppet government of Washington’s choosing, the Obama State Department, run by neoconservative ideologues, forgot that the eastern and southern portions of Ukraine consist of former Russian provinces that were attached to the Ukraine Soviet Socialist Republic by Communist Party leaders when Ukraine and Russia were part of the same country–the Soviet Union. When the Russophobic stooges that Washington installed in Kiev demonstrated in word and deed their hostility to Ukraine’s Russian population, the former Russian provinces declared their desire to return to mother Russia. This is not surprising, nor is it something that can be blamed on Russia.

Crimea succeeded in returning to Russia, where Crimea resided since the 1700s, but Putin, hoping to defuse the propaganda war that Washington was mounting against him did not accept the pleas from the other former Russian provinces. Consequently, Washington’s stooges in Kiev felt free to attack the protesting provinces and have been following the Israeli policy of attacking civilian populations, civilian residences, and civilian infrastructure.

The presstitute Western media ignored the facts and accused Russia of invading and annexing parts of Ukraine. This lie is comparable to the lies that US Secretary of State Colin Powell told the UN about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction in behalf of the criminal Bush regime, lies that Colin Powell later apologized for to no avail as Iraq had been destroyed by his lies.

When the Malaysian airliner was destroyed, before any facts were known Russia was blamed. The British media was especially primed to blame Russia almost the instant it was known the airliner was downed. I heard the BBC’s gross misrepresentation and blatant lies on American National Public Radio, and only the Daily Mail’s propagandistic account was worse. The entire “news” event has the appearance of orchestration prior to the event, which, of course, suggests that Washington was behind it.

The airliner deaths became all important for Washington’s propaganda war. The 290 casualties are unfortunate, but they are a small fraction of the deaths that Israel was inflicting on Palestinians at the same moment without provoking any protests from Western governments, as distinct from Western peoples in the streets, people whose protests were conveniently suppressed for Israel by Western security forces.

Washington used the downing of the airliner, which probably was Washington’s responsibility, as an excuse for another round of sanctions and to pressure its European puppets to join the sanctions with sanctions of their own, which Washington’s EU puppets did.

Washington relies on accusations and insinuations and refuses to release the evidence from the satellite photos, because the photos do not support Washington’s lies. Facts are not permitted to interfere with Washington’s demonization of Russia any more than facts interfered with Washington’s demonization of Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Iran.

Twenty-two reckless and irresponsible US senators have introduced the “Russian Aggression Prevention Act of 2014,” US Senate bill 2277, sponsored by Senator Bob Corker, who well represents in his ignorance and stupidity what appears to be the majority of the American population or the majority of voters in the state of Tennessee. Corker’s bill is a mindless piece of legislation designed to start a war that would be likely to leave no survivors. Apparently, idiotic Americans will elect any fool to power.

The belief that Russia is responsible for the downed Malaysian airliner has become fact in Western capitals despite the total absence of even a tiny scrap of evidence in behalf of the claim. Moreover, even it the accusation were true, is one airliner worth a World War?

The UK Defense Committee has concluded that a broke and militarily impotent UK must “focus on the defense of Europe against Russia.” The military spending drums, if not the war drums, are beating and the entire West has joined in. A militarily impotent Britain is going to defend Europe from a non-existent, although much proclaimed, attack from the Russian bear.

US and NATO military dignitaries and the Pentagon chief are issuing Russia Threat Warnings based on alleged but non-existent Russian troop-buildups on Ukraine’s border. According to the the Western Ministry of Propaganda if Russia defends the Russian populations in Ukraine from military attack from Washington’s stooge government in Kiev, it is proof that Russia is the villain.

Washington’s propaganda campaign has succeeded in turning Russia into a threat. Polls show that 69 percent of Americans now regard Russia as a threat, and that the confidence of Russians in American leadership has vanished.

Russians and their government observe the identical demonization of their country and their leader as they observed of Iraq and Saddam Hussein, of Libya and Gaddafi, of Syria and Assad, and of Afghanistan and the Taliban just prior to military assaults on these countries by the West. For a Russian, the safest conclusion from the evidence is that Washington intends war on Russia.

It is my opinion that the irresponsibility and recklessness of the Obama regime is without precedent. Never before has the United States government or the government of any nuclear power gone to such great efforts to convince another nuclear power that that power was being set up for attack. It is difficult to imagine a more provocative act that more endangers life on earth. Indeed, the White House Fool has doubled up, convincing both Russia and China that Washington is planning a preemptive first strike on both.

Republicans want to sue or to impeach Obama over relatively inconsequential issues, such as ObamaCare. Why don’t Republicans want to impeach Obama over such a critical issue as subjecting the world to the risk of nuclear armageddon?

The answer is that the Republicans are as crazed as the Democrats. Their leaders, such as John McCain and Lindsay Graham, are determined that “we stand up to the Russians!” Wherever one looks in American politics one sees crazed people, psychopaths and sociopaths who should not be in political office.

Washington long ago gave up diplomacy. Washington relies on force and intimidation. The US government is utterly devoid of judgment. This is why polls show that the rest of the world regards the US government as the greatest threat to world peace. Today (August 8, 2014) 
Handelsblatt, Germany’s Wall Street Journal, wrote in a signed editorial by the publisher:

“The American tendency to move from verbal escalation to military escalation–the isolation, demonization, and attacking of enemies–has not proven effective. The last successful major military action the US conducted was the Normandy landing [in 1944]. Everything else – Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan – was a clear failure. Moving NATO units towards the Polish border with Russia and thinking about arming Ukraine is a continuation of relying on military means in the absence of diplomacy.”

Washington’s puppet states–all of Europe, Japan, Canada, and Australia–enable Washington’s unrivaled danger to the world by their support of Washington’s agenda of exercising hegemony over the entire world.
The 100th anniversary of World War I is upon us. And the folly that caused this war is being repeated. WWI destroyed a civilized Western world, and it was the work of a mere handful of scheming people. The result was Lenin, the Soviet Union, Hitler, the rise of American Imperialism, Korea, Vietnam, the military interventions that created ISIS, and now resurrected conflict between Washington and Russia that President Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev had ended.

As Stephen Starr has pointed out on my website, if merely 10% of the nuclear weapons in the US and Russian arsenals are used, life on earth terminates.Dear readers, ask yourselves, when has Washington told you anything that was not a lie? Washington’s lies have caused millions of casualties. Do you want to be a casualty of Washington’s lies?

Do you believe that Washington’s lies and propaganda about the Malaysian airliner and Ukraine are worth risking life on earth? Who is so gullible that he cannot recognize that Washington’s lies about Ukraine are like Washington’s lies about Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction, Iranian nukes, and Assad’s use of chemical weapons?

Do you think that the neoconservative influence that prevails in Washington, regardless of the political party in office, is too dangerous to be tolerated?

By Paul Craig Roberts

Source: Infor Wars

Paul Craig Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Economic Policy and associate editor of the Wall Street Journal. He was columnist for Business Week, Scripps Howard News Service, and Creators Syndicate.

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The Battle for Ukraine's Soul

 Brzezinski's Battle for Ukraine - Why US is Siding with Neo-Nazis in Ukraine

Reviewing James Petras’ The Politics of Empire: The US, Israel and the Middle East

The Battle for Ukraine's Soul 

Many previous articles explained the geopolitical importance of crisis conditions in Ukraine.
The book "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III" discusses its gravity and much more in detail.
 Ukraine remains in the eye of the storm. Neocons infest Washington. They influence administration policy.
They want total unchallenged world dominance. Russia and China mainly stand in the way.
 United they pose formidable opposition to Washington's imperial aims. At risk is a potential East/West confrontation.
 
July 28 marked WW I's 100th anniversary. WW II followed the war to end all wars.
 
US-led NATO bears full responsibility for perpetual wars through today's ongoing conflicts. It's a global killing machine.
 
Wars on humanity persist without end. World peace hangs by a thread. America's rage for dominance risks WW III.
 
Ukraine could become the flashpoint that ignites it. The risk is huge. Daily events should scare everyone.
 
Western propaganda wrongfully blames Russia for US crimes. Putin is maliciously vilified.
 
Sanctions wars persist. An August 7 New York Times editorial urges Western unity against a fabricated in Washington Russian enemy.
 
It outrageously accuses Putin of "brazen(ly) challeng(ing) the post-Soviet order." It falsely calls Southeastern Ukrainian freedom fighters "secessionists."
 
It suggests possible Russian "direct intervention in support of the rebels" battling Ukrainian forces.
 
It ignores their freedom-fighting struggle. Their rejection of illegitimate fascist governance. Their passion for real democracy.
Their willingness to risk all for it.
 
Numerous Western editorials and op-eds falsely accused Russia of downing MH17. Michel Chossudovsky cited expert Peter Haisenko's analysis.
 
A missile was not responsible for the plane's destruction. No evidence whatever suggests it.
 
Shrapnel marks suggest a " '30 millimeter caliber projectile' fired from a military aircraft." Eyewitnesses reported a Ukrainian one flying close to MH17 when it was downed.
 
The New York Times and other Western media falsely blamed Russia and Southeastern Ukrainian freedom fighters for MH17's destruction.
 
The Kiev government in collusion with Washington bears full responsibility.
 
The obvious went unreported. Cui bono? Clearly, Russia and Ukrainian freedom fighters had nothing to gain and plenty to lose.
 
In contrast, Kiev and Washington benefit greatly by blaming Moscow and Ukrainian freedom fighters for their crime.
 
The incident was a classic false flag. Planned in Washington. Executed by the illegitimate fascist Ukrainian government. Falsely blamed on Russia and Ukrainian freedom fighters.
 
On August 7, Malaysia's New Straits Times accused Washington and Kiev of downing MH17. Western media ignored the report.
 
It refutes the official propaganda narrative. It bursts the illusion of Russian/Ukrainian freedom fighters' involvement.
 
At the same time, Moscow has verifiable satellite and radar data. They show a Ukrainian Sukhoi-25 warplane tailing MH17 before its destruction.
 
The New Straits Times cited "experts who had said that the photographs of the blast fragmentation patterns on the fuselage of the airliner showed two distinct shapes - the shredding pattern associated with a warhead packed with 'flechettes,’'and the more uniform, round-type penetration holes consistent with that of cannon rounds.”
 
It bears repeating. Clear evidence is consistent with machine gun fire. No missile of any kind was involved. US and Western media claims otherwise are bald-faced lies.
 
A deplorable July 17 Washington Post editorial headlined "The world must know whose weapon destroyed a passenger plane."
 
It falsely claimed nonexistent evidence of "a missile fired by Russian-made surface-to-air battery supplied to Moscow's Ukrainian proxies."
 
It called on Washington and its allied to "insist that those responsible be held accountable - including those in the Kremlin."
 
It accused "Ukrainian rebels (of) cover(ing) up what occurred." It ridiculed Putin's correct analysis. It claimed he "disingenuously" blamed Kiev.
 
Wall Street Journal editors quoted billionaire anointed Ukrainian president Petro Poroshnko. He accused "Russian staff officers (of) taking part in military operations against Ukrainian forces."
 
No corroborating evidence was cited. Journal editors disgracefully accused Putin of "attempting to disguise his use of force to achieve his strategic goals…"
 
Facts are conveniently turned on their head. Truth is systematically suppressed. Pressure builds.
 
It bears repeating. A potential East/West confrontation looms. Western media propaganda aids and abets the possibility.
 
So does John Kerry. He shames the office he holds. He's an unindicted war criminal. He's a serial liar.
 
He claimed nonexistent "extraordinary circumstantial" evidence claiming freedom fighting Ukrainians downed MH17 with Moscow provided missiles.
 
The New Straits Times report discredits his fabricated account. So does other credible evidence.
 
Don't expect media scoundrels to explain. The official narrative repeats ad nauseam.
 
It constitutes lies, damn lies, and malicious anti-Russian propaganda. Truth is consistently drowned out. Pro-Western propaganda substitutes.
 
In mid-July, Moscow's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin submitted "elements" for a Security Council resolution on Ukraine.
 
Another won't follow, he stressed. "Instead, we offer the key elements that we believe are necessary to include in the text of the resolution,” he said.
 
They include halting all violence by both sides immediately. Giving journalists free access to cover events.
 
Going all-out for equitable conflict resolution. He called Poroshenko's peace plan "smoke screen" mumbo jumbo to militarize Ukraine's East.
 
At the time, Poroshenko said "(f)or every taken life of our servicemen, they will pay with tens and hundreds of theirs."
 
"Not a single terrorist will escape responsibility. Everyone will get what they deserve."
 
Meanwhile, fierce fighting continues. US-led NATO is funding and arming Kiev forces. Doing so, it claims, is to "protect (Ukraine's) eastern border against (nonexistent) Russian aggression."
 
The battle of words accompanies hot conflict. Deaths and destruction continue.
 
On August 7, US-led NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen expressed support for Ukraine's putschist fascist government, saying:
 
"NATO's support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is unwavering. Our partnership is long-standing."
 
"It's strong, and in response to Russia's (nonexistent) aggression, NATO is working even more closely with Ukraine to reform its armed forces and defence institutions."
 
Rasmussen shamelessly accused Russia of massing troops on Ukraine's border, shielding "separatists," and using pretexts for further intervention.
 
He turned reality on its head. He pointed fingers the wrong way. He made similar comments many times before. He lied blaming Russia for US-led NATO/Ukrainian crimes.
 
He called on Russia "to step back from the brink. Step back from the border. Do not use peacekeeping as an excuse for war-making."
 
He "urge(d) Russia to follow the genuine path to peace. To stop its support for separatists. To pull pack its troops from Ukraine's border. And to engage in a sincere dialogue for a peaceful solution."
 
Russia's Defense Ministry blasted NATO's claims. It called them unsubstantiated. They support a litany of Big Fat Lies.
 
Shameless Russia bashing continues unabated. Putin genuinely wants peaceful conflict resolution. Washington wants war without mercy.
 
It continues unabated. Western media sanitize deaths, destruction and appalling Kiev atrocities.
 
They report nothing about ordinary Ukrainian soldiers. They're underpaid, poorly fed and clothed, as well as deplorably treated.
 
Many young men seek refuge in Russia to avoid serving in a conflict they want no part of. Others are forced to fight against their will.
 
In contrast, Ukraine's National Guard is controlled by neo-Nazi extremists. Western media ignore their involvement and appalling atrocities.
 
Myth-making substitutes for reality. Lawless fascist elements are considered democrats. Courageous freedom fighters are called terrorists.
 
Truth telling is verboten. Most Americans are mindless of the real Ukraine story.
 
They're indifferent about a distant war. It's in a country they know nothing about.
 
On the one hand, they're fed up with US wars. They want them ended. They crave elusive peace.
 
On the other, they're unaware of US military and political involvement in Ukraine.
 
Euromaidan conflict erupted last November. Obama's dirty hands bore full responsibility.
 
Last February, Washington orchestrated democratically elected Viktor Yanokovych's ouster. It replaced him with putschist fascist governance.
 
Euromaidan protesters didn't go quietly into the good night. They remained. Their protests continue.
 
They clashed with police. They fortified old barricades. They erected new ones.
 
They threw stones and Molotov cocktails at police. They burned tires. They remain in control of government buildings and hotels seized earlier.
 
Ukrainian prosecutor general, Vitaly Yarema, said refusal to clear Maidan and leave occupied buildings constitutes criminal responsibility.
 
So far, protesters remain committed. It's unclear what may follow. Kiev's Independence Square again is on fire.
 
Despite Ukraine's new government, protesters say they'll remain in Maidan to ensure promised change benefitting them and all Ukrainians.
 
Expect them to be bitterly disappointed. What follows remains to be seen.
 
At the same time, Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said protesters agreed to vacate the city's administration building as well as an area from the Central Department Store (TsUM) to Proreznaya Street.
 
Turmoil still rocks the city. Robberies and attacks on journalists increased. Garbage piled up. Sanitation is poor.
 
Kiev police initiated three criminal cases. Police chief Aleksandr Tereshchuk said "investigation(s) were underway under three articles of Ukraine's criminal code into car theft, illegal handling of firearms, ammunition and explosives, and hooliganism."
 
At the same time, Russia bashing and false accusations persist. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov categorically denied Russian military forces attempting to infiltrate Ukrainian territory.
 
"We struggle to understand what the Ukrainian side means. There have been no attempts of infiltration by the Russian army,” said Peskov.
 
Claims otherwise are false. They're Big Fat Bald-Faced Lies. They repeat. They persist. They risk potential global war.
 
Ukraine is the gravest geopolitical crisis since WW II. Washington stops at nothing to advance its imperium. Millions of corpses attest to its barbarity.
 
Replacing independent governments with subservient pro-Western ones is longstanding US policy. Wars are waged to achieve it.
 
Previous articles explained that Obama's Ukrainian allies are fascist thugs. They have no legitimacy whatever. They represent mob rule.
 
They're murdering their own people in cold blood. They're committing appalling atrocities.
 
Western media turn a blind eye. They support what demands condemnation. Major conflicts begin this way.
 
Potential nuclear war is possible. Preventing the unthinkable matters most. Obama pledged full support for Kiev. Even at the risk of open confrontation with Russia.
 
Belligerence is longstanding US policy. "Washington threatens the world," says Paul Craig Roberts. Its reckless irresponsibility is the greatest threat to world peace and stability.
 
The battle for Ukraine's soul persists. The struggle for humanity's survival matters most.
 
A Final Comment
 
An astonishing number of supportive well-wishing emails continue welcoming me back. Words can't properly express my gratitude.
 
Good friends are precious. I'm blessed with many. My sincerest thanks to everyone wishing me well.
 
It's wonderful being home. It's glorious doing what I love best. It's special knowing many friends, colleagues and readers care.
 
So do I. About spreading important truths on vital issues at the most perilous time in world history.
 
Survival depends on enough good people committed to doing the right thing. Settling for nothing less that peace, equity and justice for everyone.
 
This writer for sure is committed. Hopefully, good health will permit many more active years speaking truth to power - no punches pulled.
 
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
 
His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
 
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
 
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
 
Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.
 
It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.
 
http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour
 
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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!

Pain inflicting techniques

The Saker

 
by Nikolai Starikov for Vzgiad
(translated by the Russian Team)

The West is so used to the one-sided game that they seem genuinely surprised that Russia has responded to the West’s sanctions against her.

That’s ok, let them get used to it. Whoever will come to us with a sword by the sword will perish. That is only when we are talking about a battle sword and a "hot" war. If this is an economic war where the weapons are prohibitions and sanctions, the aggressor will end up getting more than he asked for.

I support with both hands the introduction of the retaliatory sanctions against countries, which in turn tried to "sanction" Russia. For many reasons:

- it is good for our economy and our producers;

- it is important for the self-respect of our people, who never failed to punish an offender, who lost the sense of reality;

- it is necessary to foster the respect for Russia not only inside the country but also beyond its borders.

Russia is a superpower; we retrieved this status again after the reunification with Crimea. Therefore, the boorish attitude towards Russia as a guilty child, who must be punished and taught a lesson, is futile.

From now on, any aggressor must get used to the fact that he will pay dearly for his aggression. Retribution will be measured by the degree of the aggression.

The aggressor will pay dearly with his economy and income for economic aggression. He will pay dearly with his soldiers' lives and with the loss of freedom of maneuver in the international sphere for military aggression.

As it has already happened many times in history, we didn’t start the confrontation. This is Russia who is being "punished" because ... a war is going on near our borders, after explicit and practically overt support of the coup d’état in Ukraine by the West. This is NATO that threatens to expand its infrastructure near our borders. This is our territory that is being shelled from the conflict zone.

The West itself is not in danger. Russia does not take any hostile actions towards the West near its borders. But we are being punished. Well, we will punish you. You need us more than we need you.

From now on, not a single cannon has the right to shoot near our borders without our permission. The world should understand it and remember. That’s how it was since the times of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna to the times of Leonid Brezhnev.

No one has the right to shoot near our borders without our permission, and especially across it.

The whole European part of Eurasia is the area of our vital interests. Get used to it, gentlemen "partners".

That’s how it was and that’s how it should be now. In the meantime, military and economic guns are shooting not only without our permission, but at us. Therefore, the shooters must and will be punished.

Punished severely. That’s enough! Our kindness is mistakenly decrypted by the West as our weakness.

It's time to answer aggression and political pressure on Russia with pain inflicting techniques.

Just over a week ago in the article "Pain inflicting techniques in the protection of Russia" I wrote the following:

"It’s time for Russia to switch to a policy of pain inflicting techniques. Further continuation of the policy of peace only allows our enemies to increase their strength. We must stop simply smiling and respond to the attacks on us.

Our actions should be faster and more painful than the blows of our opponents. As like in the ring, where against a heavyweight boxer, the weaker athlete can have only one advantage: speed.

And deliver painful blows to the sensitive spots of a stronger opponent. What are the pain points of our geopolitical "partners"? You need to understand, evaluate and pick them out.

So that's what happened. We understood, appreciated, and made our choice. And we have answered.

Already being banned:

According to the measures for implementation of the Presidential Executive Order No 560 of 6 August 2014 “On Adopting Special Economic Measures to Provide for Security of the Russian Federation” a 1-year ban has been introduced on the imports of agricultural products, raw materials, and foodstuffs from the following countries:

- United States Of America;
- European Union countries;
- Canada;
- Australia;
- The Kingdom Of Norway.

The list includes:

1. chilled, fresh or frozen beef, pork, poultry, salted, dried, or smoked meat, fish and seafood.

2. milk and dairy products, vegetables, fruits and nuts, sausages and similar products, and other variety meat (including finished food products made on their basis).

3. processed foods, cheese, cottage cheese and other dairy products based of vegetative fats.

It needs to be emphasized that the RF’s embargo on products from the Western countries does not extend to baby food imports and to individuals bringing in goods from countries on Russia’s sanctions list.

In addition, Russia has imposed a ban on the transit of Ukrainian airlines’ flights through its airspace. "There is one solution which was issued by the government. We’re referring to the suspension of Ukrainian airlines’ transit flights through Russian airspace to a number of countries – Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia and Turkey," said D.A. Medvedev.

The sanctions that can be further implemented:

1. An airspace ban against European and US airlines that fly over our airspace to Eastern Asia, namely, the Asia-Pacific Region.

2. Changing the so-called Russian airspace entry and exit points for European scheduled and charter flights. This will affect transportation costs and fare prices for the Western carriers.

"Our country is ready to revise the rules of using the trans-Siberian routes, that is, to denounce the agreed upon modernisation principles of the existing system, - stated the Prime Minister D.A. Medvedev. - This revision will apply in full to the EU countries. We will also discontinue talks with the US air authorities on the use of the trans-Siberian routes.”

The response to the aggression is not only justified, but is the only right step for Russia. However, Russia is ready to stop the confrontation and to start a peaceful and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Russia was forced to introduce the sanctions in response to those countries which have declared economic sanctions against us. This is a clear signal to everybody else: don't even think about it! It’ll cost you. Note that our sanctions will remain valid for one year.

It’s enough for our "partners" to feel the pain and to change their minds. If this didn’t help, the sanctions can be extended. We’ll introduce them to new sectors where they will hurt you most, and will be suitable for us.

This is our country, and thus, the rules will also be ours. We have played by your rules long enough. Thank you, our dear partners that you have now abolished your own rules. This has delivered us from the need to withdraw unilaterally.

You didn’t expect this?

Get used to it. We are back..

Nikolai Starikov is the co-chair of the all-Russian political party "Party of the Great Fatherland" (POF), writer, publicist
 
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PFLP: Palestinians are committed to the terms of the resistance


Abu_Ahmad_Fouad-300x200The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine is committed to the terms of the resistance in the paper presented in Cairo, said Comrade Abu Ahmad Fouad, Deputy General Secretary of the PFLP, calling on all factions and the unified Palestinian delegation to reject suggestions to delete some of those terms or postpone them to future negotiations, saying they should be dealt with as a package.

Fouad also urged the PLO Executive Committee to immediately accede to the Rome Statute and join all international institutions, particularly the International Criminal Court, related to pursuing the occupation state for war crimes trials, saying that any delay opens the path for the occupation and the United States to subdue this matter through postponement and compromise.

Comrade Dr. Maher al-Taher, member of the Political Bureau of the PFLP, said that the Palestinian delegation did not approve an extension of the ceasefire because the occupation has not responded to the Palestinian resistance conditions, saying that the occupation is trying to elude and maneuver and earn time. “If the Zionist side does not respond to these demands, then the Palestinian delegation will not sign any agreement,” said Taher.

He said that the delegation is engaged in a political battle that is an extension of the military battle and the battle of steadfastness in which our people in Gaza are locked, and which have created a historical milestone for their nation. He saluted the Palestinian people and the brigades of the armed resistance fighting on the battlefield, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, Al-Quds Brigades, Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, Al-Aqsa Brigades, National Resistance Brigades and Nasser Salaheddin Brigades).

“The responsibility for the lack of progress in Cairo is with the Zionist side, which refuses to respond to the terms of the resistance and the people,” said Taher.

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following Aug. 6 statement of Dr. Maher al-Taher, a member of the political bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
“Disarming the resistance is out of the question, and all factions hold tight to their weapons as long as there is occupation anywhere on the land of Palestine,” said Comrade Dr. Maher al-Taher, a member of the political bureau of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
pflp[1]“There are various media reports that Israel will not accept the reconstruction of Gaza except after the removal of the weapons of the resistance, and it is demanding to supervise everything that enters the Strip. We have affirmed very clearly that the idea of disarming the resistance is a pipe dream and an illusion that is unacceptable to all. It is unacceptable to even discuss this issue in principle or see it as a debatable question. It is our inalienable right to resist this occupation,” said Taher.
He noted that the Palestinian delegation is united in its insistence to lift the siege imposed on Gaza and allow free movement of goods and people. “This demand is part of the political battle, which must be addressed as competently and with as much steadfastness and clarity as the resistance has done in the military battlefield.”
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Palestinian Resistance threatens to bomb Tel Aviv unless its demands are met


Palestinian protesters carry a cardboard model of M75 rockets during a demonstration in support of Gaza after Friday prayers in the West Bank town Bethlehem on August 8, 2014. (Photo: Musa al-Shaer)
Published Saturday, August 9, 2014
On Friday, the Resistance gave [Israel] an ultimatum expiring on Sunday to have its demands met. Otherwise, rocket attacks on Tel Aviv would be resumed. In the meantime, reports have surfaced that European efforts are currently focusing on a deal over the port in Gaza, with proposals for a sea route to Cyprus.
As the three-day ceasefire agreement expired on Friday, the fragile calm in the Gaza Strip was shattered with the resumption of hostilities and Israeli bombardment. Although the number of casualties remained relatively low (5 killed and 31 wounded) compared to the period prior to the temporary ceasefire, other issues related to the conflict, including refugees and humanitarian conditions, continue to weigh heavily on the people of Gaza.
On the other hand, the Palestinian Resistance responded by firing the first rocket attacks after the ceasefire expired on Israeli settlements in Gaza’s vicinity. This gave the impression that the Resistance has returned to the method of gradually escalating and expanding attacks as required by the pace of the battles, which was in place before the ongoing war.
Remarkably, the Resistance focused its attacks on targets within a range of 40 km and less, and did not fire more than 70 rockets in total. Similarly, the Israeli army responded with a limited number of strikes, which possibly signals that the two sides do not want a full-blown escalation for the time being.


In conjunction with the interruption of the humanitarian ceasefire and the postponements of talks over it, multiple sources have told Al-Akhbar that the Palestinian delegation had by midnight not yet received any Israeli response through Egyptian mediators. The sources seem to be in agreement that Israel has not shown any flexibility regarding the demands Israel had refused on Thursday, including agreeing to allow the reopening of the seaport in Gaza, contrary to press reports that had suggested otherwise.
According to sources from Hamas, the Palestinian side relayed to the Egyptian mediator that, “If Israel continues to stall, then the Palestinian delegation will withdraw from Cairo on Sunday,” after which the Resistance would “expand its bombardment to Tel Aviv.”
However, Khaled al-Batsh, a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad delegation, said that another 72-hour truce is on the table, although he added that his group has yet to state its position regarding this matter.
The Palestinian sources have clearly indicated that they will not hold Cairo responsible for the failure of its mediation efforts. They have also revealed that the Resistance has now decided to focus on the demands related to the seaport, having realized that the Rafah crossing issue would be off the table as part of a truce with Israel.
The sources said, “The opening of the Rafah crossing cannot be guaranteed because it has been linked to the return of the Presidential Guard to Gaza. This means that the Palestinian Authority may set other conditions, including demanding that all its forces return to their posts, which would require many months to implement.”
On the other hand, other sources said that Cairo would not stop its efforts to broker an agreement between the two sides, criticizing what they termed “uncalculated acts” by Hamas. The sources said that Cairo had raised the state of alert along the international border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, and at all security posts along the international highway from the town of al-Arish to the crossing.


Commenting on this, analyst Mohammed Ibrahim said, “The goal of the war on Gaza is to disarm the Resistance, and pave the way for a comprehensive change in the rules of the game on the ground,” adding that in return, “the Rafah crossing would be reopened.”
In the meantime, a number of commentators on Israeli television channels were recently expressing their resentment over the way Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has handled the situation in Gaza, believing Sisi to be in favor of the continuation of the aggression on Gaza – and Hamas – at any cost.
One such commentator is Keren Neubach, a radio presenter for Reshet Bet. She said that while the Israelis know that Sisi hates Hamas more than they do, it was not known how the Israelis would benefit from this. Neubach claimed that the Israelis want a ceasefire, which is in their interest, but that Sisi wants something else.
Political commentator for Channel Ten Raviv Drucker has also made similar comments. For his part, Danny Danon, former deputy defense minister, said that the Egyptians had asked the Israeli side two weeks ago to continue its attack on Hamas and block any negotiations, because Hamas “had not suffered enough.”
Reacting to these claims coming from Israel, Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesperson for Hamas, called on Egypt to respond to these statements, especially the remarks made by Israeli minister Tzipi Livni, who pointed out that there is an agreement with Egypt on “strangling Hamas.” Abu Zuhri described what Livni said as “base statements that necessitate an Egyptian response.”
The above notwithstanding, it appears that there is agreement among the Palestinians to avoid a clash with Cairo. The head of the Palestinian delegation Azzam Al-Ahmad said, “We have told our Egyptian brothers that we are staying in Cairo and are against escalation, but we want to conclude a final agreement that would restore rights including lifting the blockade on Gaza in all its forms.”


On a different note, the Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights confirmed on Friday afternoon having received assurances that the European Union was putting pressure to help end the “devastating conflict in Gaza,” and would put forward a plan to develop the seaport in Gaza and launch a sea route through Cyprus.
Meanwhile, press reports indicated that Germany and France have put forward a proposal to redeploy the European detachment at the Rafah crossing, and to develop the Gaza seaport as part of reconstruction efforts.
In Israel, Zvika Fogel, former chief of staff of the Israeli army Southern Command, said that the Palestinian demand for a seaport in Gaza did not contradict the goal of preserving the security of Israel, but instead encourages long-term calm on the Gaza front. Fogel, in an appearance he made on Channel Two, said that building the port would take five to eight years, which means giving the region a long period of calm, as he said.
Nevertheless, Fogel did not deny that this would be a strategic achievement for the Palestinians though he said it would give them something to lose in any coming war, adding that this would be an element of stability and not the opposite. Fogel pointed out that it would be possible to establish an international monitoring and inspection system at the port to prevent the entry of arms and combat equipment into the Gaza Strip.
Number of injured Israeli soldiers increases during the truce
Figures published on Friday have revealed that the number of Israeli soldiers injured since the start of the war on Gaza had reached 1,620, bearing in mind that the figure on the previous Friday was 1,357. It is odd that this increase took place even though, since Tuesday morning, there had been a three-day truce with no hostilities taking place.


According to figures published by Haaretz, the number of Israeli soldiers killed since the beginning of the assault is 64 in addition to four civilians. The newspaper pointed out that the number of Israelis killed during Operation Cast Lead at the end of 2008 was 10 soldiers and three civilians.
Resistance factions in the Gaza Strip have fired 2,648 rockets into Israel, of which the Iron Dome intercepted 578; 116 rockets landed in populated areas, while the rest landed in open areas.
The Israeli army has recalled 82,201 reservists, while reports on Friday said 30,000 reservists were discharged during the past two days.
The Israeli air force has carried out a total of 4,762 air strikes on Gaza.
This article is an edited translation from the Arabic Edition.

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!