Note by The Saker: as has been the case so many times in the past, I am posting an article with which I disagree, rather strongly, in fact, but which I find nevertheless worth posting precisely because it represents a point of view different from mine and because it asks some interesting questions. My own two cents about all this is that the Russians are seeking opportunities to appear to be compromising with the Trump Administration and that by appearing to yield to US pressures about the Astana Conference they are thereby giving in to the “negotiable minimum” to preempt US pressure where it really matters: China and Iran. As for Palmyra and Jaish al-Islam (JAI), I will say the following: in the first case, Palmyra is militarily irrelevant and, besides, that is a Syrian, not Russian, decision to be made. As for JAI, this is an old Russian trick: the Russians always talk to everybody, no exceptions ever. In the western mentality, the mere fact of sitting down with somebody sends a powerful message, in the Russian mentality, it means nothing. In this case, the JAI representatives will be sitting across the table from Russians and Iranians who will be looking at them and asking “so what are you willing to offer us? Give us a reason to be interested in talking to you”. This would be a clear case of divide et impera and not a case of abandonment of strategic objectives. Anyway, rather than writing a full-length response/rebuttal here I just want to remind possible newcomers that posting an article on this blog does not constitute an endorsement of its contents or conclusions.
The Saker
——-
Is Russia’s Deep State In Civil War Just Like America’s
by Brainstorm
During the American elections and particularly in the post-election period, we were witnesses to the deep internal struggle of the American political structures to prevent the “undesirable“ candidate, Donald Trump, from winning the elections and becoming the 45th President of the United States.
As is usual in America, there was a lot of noise and public spectacles, and the entire establishment regardless of their colors and political dispositions were on one side. The entire mainstream media, Hollywood stars, Liberal America, the richest parts of the country along the East and West Coasts, the state-sponsored and controlled fake left and fake “progressive” movements such as “Black Lives Matter”, the LGBT militarized agenda, and the military industrial complex have interests which are far apart from those of the American Midwest, the Rust Belt, and the millions of impoverished average Americans which dream of a better future but fear raising their voices in the face of the militarized police of state terror.
After the elections, the new President-elect, Mr. Donald Trump, faced unprecedented resistance from the aforementioned establishment forces, while certain circles and some of the media – which the President-elect didn’t hesitate to label as terrible and fake media – openly promoted his assassination or a coup against him in order to prevent his inauguration on January 20th, 2017.
Some strange things were happening at the same time on the other side of the world, but mostly in silence and without pompous headlines or events which would expose the turmoil below the surface.
Russia was spiraling out of control in the 1990s after the collapse of the USSR and only later exponentially reacquired its old strength, glory, and influence under the exceptional leadership of Mr. Vladimir Putin. Its great return to the geopolitical scene was followed by the successful reunification of Crimea to the Motherland and the extraordinary geopolitical results of their powerful comeback in the Middle East.
Russia’s legitimate engagement in the Syrian Crisis came in response to an official request from the Syrian government and President Bashar al Assad and has been a game-changer following 5 years of bloody proxy war waged by US/NATO forces and their allies among the Arab monarchies, first among them Saudi Arabia, through the organized dispatching of foreign mercenaries, fanatical Islamic jihadists, and a small amount of local fundamentalists, many of which eventually joined together under the banner of the so-called “Islamic State” or ISIS.
With the Russian Aerospace Forces hitting thousands of fixed and mobile terrorist targets, training and supporting the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), and providing logistics, intelligence data and organization, the SAA managed to decisively flip the tables and beat back ISIS, numerous mercenary terrorist groups, and the hypocritically Western-labeled “moderate rebels” on many fronts. The ancient city of Palmyra was liberated; Deir ez Zor survived and was defended from total encirclement through an air bridge, and the final gem in the liberation war was when the SAA, supported by Russian forces, Iran, and Hezbollah fighters, finally freed the largest and most important city in northern Syria, Aleppo.
After nearly being on the brink of conflict with Turkey, Russian diplomatic and military moves carefully reversed the situation and at the end brought about a complete about-face from Ankara whereby it ultimately decided to embrace the multipolar world by joining Iranian and Russian efforts to bring an end to the Syrian Crisis.
Everything looks fine but…. is it so?
Faced with an embarrassing defeat and the loss of its influence as well as leading position in the Middle East, the administration of what is now already former President Barak Obama was infuriated. As presidential candidate Donald Trump’s influence continued to rise all during the election campaign and afterwards, Obama took to accusing Moscow of every problem and issue in the world as well as within the US, never minding how ridiculous and improbable this looked to the public. “Blame Russia” became the slogan of the outgoing Obama Administration, according to which Putin was personally guilty for everything, whether it was the “annexation of Crimea” (as the US tried to present it), the war in Donbas, the war in Syria and the supposedly “inhumane indiscriminate bombing of hospitals and civilians” by the Russian Aerospace Forces, or the hacking of the Democrats and Podesta in order to influence the US electoral process.
Obama personally promised retaliatory moves against Russia for its alleged election hacking which would be in the “manner, scope, time, and discreteness” of his choosing.
The Cold War rhetoric spiked to epic proportions and the Mainstream Media went crazy, but the most concerning of Obama’s orders were when he sent NATO troops and machinery to the Eastern European countries bordering Russia. All of that was concurrent with the long-term economic sanctions issued by the US administration and imposed as a compulsory obligation on its European vassals.
Russia successfully passed through the period of sanctions, and while some measures definitely impacted on the Russian economy, they didn’t hurt the giant bear in the manner or to the extent that the West expected.
Instead, the US sought to “wound the bear” by exploiting the local and inner circles of the Russian neoliberal elite, oligarchs, and high-level business people. This “fifth column” on whom the US and Western powers have always counted when destabilizing targeted countries was expected to exert significant influence on the Russian government in order to divide the so-called “hardliners” – the more conservative and patriotic forces which have historically functioned as the impenetrable dam protecting Russian sovereignty and interests from Western influence and domination – and create opportunities for the liberal club of oligarchs, political elites, and the more pro-Western-oriented circles who are disproportionately impacted by the Western-imposed sanctions and are ready to offer up concessions and compromises in order to acquire sanctions relief for their private business interests.
With the help of insiders, this category of forces is silently but continuously advancing Western interests, and as a visible result, we can observe certain confusing oscillations in Russian foreign policies and military actions, particularly those related to the “Russian war on terror” in Syria.
At the peak of Russian power and the Syrian Arab Army’s successes in its war against terrorist groups and ISIS (Daesh, as they are called in the Arabic world), when the whole world was breathing a heavy sigh of relief and expected that the terrorists would be given a final death blow, the Russian forces made a sudden decision to scale down their military activity and instead pushed for peace negotiations and reconciliation in Syria..
The first partial Russian withdrawal which confused the West and probably shocked others happened on March 14, 2016.
There were many more or less similar analyses why that sudden and unexpected move happened but most of them simply stated that it was the great Russian move to give peace and reconciliation a chance.
In an article published in Sputnik on March 19th, these views were formulated as:
The politician expressed hopes that now the West would understand the necessity to cooperate with Russia to fight terrorism as well as other issues.
“The actions of Russia in Syria and it’s now pulling its troops out after the job has been done, I very much hope this is the catalyst for reassessment of how NATO and the West can effectively engage with Russia,” Kawczynski pointed out.
So, the message was really all about being a symbolic outreach which would inspire NATO and the West to more efficiently reengage with Russia!
Standing out against many analyses which praised the partial withdrawal of Russian troops from Syria as being some sort of a “Mission Accomplished” statement, I offered my own take on these events in my article for The Saker titled The Clock is ticking: Russia’s partial military withdrawal from Syria” which underlined the possible military aspect of the Russian withdrawal. By the time of Moscow’s first decision to draw down its military presence in Syria, the relationship between NATO-member Turkey and Russia was on a steep slope and rushing towards the possibility of the type of widespread conflict which I described in my article. I assumed that Russia was not ready for a larger conflict, or that there was a lack of political will for it, so by this wise move, the Kremlin freed up space for taking various other decisions in the following period.
As expected, the ceasefire and peace talks didn’t hold water and Russian jets soon gradually returned to Syria, keeping the terrorists occupied 24 hours a day with ensuring their own survival.
Yet the short-lived ceasefire and Russian-brokered peace talks didn’t lead to any results, and on the contrary they allowed the US and NATO to refit their pet ISIS warriors with supplies, ammo, and weapons in order to prolong the war. By the end of March 2016, the SAA, supported by Iranian and Hezbollah forces as well as the Russian Aerospace Forces and special ground troops, liberated the ancient city of Palmyra from the hands of Daesh. It was an unprecedented success and seemed to be the turning point of the entire war. The SAA and Russia sent a strong message, and the liberation improved the morale of the Syrian Arab Army as well as that of all patriotic Syrians. The eyes of the whole world were on Palmyra.
After the liberation of Palmyra, the SAA got a chance to reassign a significant amount of troops towards Aleppo, and after lengthy preparations and utilizing maximum caution in order to minimize the suffering and casualties of the civilians still held hostage in the terrorist-occupied areas of Aleppo, the SAA, supported by Iranian and Hezbollah troops with strong air support from the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Russian fleet led by the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which was at that time stationed in the Eastern Mediterranean, liberated the ancient pearl of Syria and the Middle East.
The Liberation of Aleppo was another nail in the coffin as Professor Tim Anderson nicely analyzed in his article “Liberation of Aleppo is the most serious setback for the US in 15 years“, and while the whole peace- and freedom-loving world celebrated the liberation, the Mainstream Media and Western governments followed the lead of the US in crying over the “lost civilian lives and indiscriminate ruthless Russian bombing”.
The Liberation of Aleppo, which was formally announced by the Russian Defense Ministry’s Center for Reconciliation on December 16th 2016 was, or should have been, the turning point of the overall war. Analysts were predicting that soon after the liberation of Aleppo, the SAA and its allies would move to clear Idlib Province from the “rebels”, which mostly consist of numerous groups of Islamic fundamentalists, jihadists, and mercenaries backed by the US/NATO. Other analysts pointed to the heart of ISIS-held territory in Raqqa, where the US-led coalition launched an offensive. It is worth mentioning that the Syrian Kurds, as represented by the military wing of the YPG, also look at Raqqa as their ultimate goal, having in mind their long-planned and recently openly declared separatist federalization declaration. Whoever gets to Raqqa first will have the keys to the future of Syria and an eventual blank check for partitioning the country into zones of influence if they wanted to.
The importance of Raqqa was brilliantly analyzed in the article “The Race For Raqqa And America’s Geopolitical Revenge In “Syria “ by Andrew Korybko, a political analyst, journalist, and a regular contributor to several online journals, as well as a member of the expert council for the Institute of Strategic Studies and Predictions at the People’s Friendship University of Russia.
Yet while the eyes of the whole world were on Aleppo anxiously expecting a quick end to the war and the defeat of terrorist groups and ISIS in Syria, another Russian military drawdown was suddenly announced by Moscow yet again. In parallel with the Russian-Turkish-Iranian-brokered peace and reconciliation talks to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, Russia once more decided to scale down its military presence in Syria instead, despite everyone expecting them to intensify their efforts together with the SAA, Iran, Hezbollah, and their new Turkish partners to make a final collective blow to Daesh and the remaining terrorists and al Qaeda-related groups, particularly in Idlib Province and to the west of Aleppo.
Many members of the social networks where pro-Syrian and pro-Russian supporters gather to carefully follow the developing situation and offer great support in spreading the truth about the dirty war on Syria experienced sudden confusion and even shock, questioning why peace talks and a ceasefire would once again be on the table at this decisive and potentially game-changing moment which could finally end the war once and for all.
At the dawn of the Astana talks and before the peace conference, it is normal to expect the SAA to gain the best possible negotiating position seeing as how it’s the winning side in the war, and it’s the last force in need of halting operations and freezing its gains against all militant groups except for those which are still recognized as “terrorists”.
Such questionable Russian diplomatic moves followed one by one, and each following step was harder to explain or understand.
When the Astana conference was initially announced, it was declared that it would be brokered by the Russian-Turkish-Iranian tripartite and Syria on one side, and “moderate rebel groups” not “officially” listed as “terrorists” on the other.
The US was not to be involved in the process, nor was the Kurdish YPG. Such a platform was satisfactory for all the organizing sides and promised that the Astana talks could bring about fruitful results.
As the opening of the Astana conference date approached, Moscow unilaterally started inviting other parties to it and such moves defied the expectation of its other allies. Sputnik reported on January 19th, 2017 that the “US Ambassador to Russia Receives Invitation for Washington to Join Astana Talks” .
It seems that Moscow prefers to invite Washington to the peace deal by any means, and its efforts became particularly bold in the run-up to Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States.
It looks that Moscow sees the chance for a rapprochement with Washington and that it’s taking all diplomatic steps and efforts to open up doors to the new US administration and an easy path to Trump, hoping that this will enable it to reach the detente which they’ve been seeking for a long time already. Earlier in the same day, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov formally invited the US to the Astana talks:
“During his annual press conference on Wednesday, Lavrov pointed out that Moscow considers it appropriate to invite representatives of the new US administration and UN to Syria talks in Astana. Moscow hopes that the Trump administration will accept this invitation, Lavrov said adding that Syria talks in Astana could serve as first official contacts between Russia and Trump administration.” (Sputnik, January 19th 2017)
This initiative from Moscow displeased its strategic partner Tehran, which publicly displayed reluctance to the move. Moscow’s outreaches to Washington and attempt to offer Trump’s Administration a “face-saving” hand might unwittingly give the US the chance to create further problems and dissonance in the tripartite alliance.
Iran openly says it does not want the US at the Syria talks in Astana, so why would Moscow bring this to the table, displease its strategic regional partner, and risk endangering the positive outcome of its own initiatives? What recently changed so much that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MID) took such a risky step?
Just a few days prior to inviting the US to the Astana conference, Sputnik published disturbing information that Russia will be acting as Guarantor of Syrian-Kurdish Talks on Federalization .
This is another painful topic, not only for Syria itself but also Turkey, which are Russia’s two other strategic regional partners. It is well known that President Assad and the Syrian government strongly oppose the federalization process that is being pushed by the YPG Kurdish military faction in northern Syria. The Syrian position is clear: the federalization attempt is against the constitution and would require referendum by all Syrians in order to change the law. The self-proclaimed Kurdish federal entity in northern Syria is illegal and therefore only has temporary status. (Syria rejects Russian proposal for Kurdish federation)
On the other side, Turkey is totally against the Kurdish federal unit in northern Syria because they see it as an imminent danger for themselves. Turkey has been confronted with the Kurdish question on its territory for a long time already, and according to Ankara, granting any special rights to the Kurds in Syria directly threatens Turkish interests.
So what happened now and why is Moscow changing its position at such a key moment and in such dangerous ways? What made the Russian MID take such surprising steps which threaten to reverse all of the soft power gains in the region that it’s achieved thus far?
Washington’s response to the Russian invitation is that the US won’t send a delegation to Syria talks in Kazakhstan and will be represented only by its ambassador.
Tehran is obviously pretty upset with the recent roll-out and openly opposes Moscow’s invitation of the US. The situation before the Astana conference became very tense and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the statement that Iran’s Position Is Complicating The Astana Talks on Syria. That was expected from the Iranian side because of what happened but the real question is why did Moscow put their long-time partner into such a position in the very first place and jeopardize the outcome of the Astana talks?
Trump’s Administration did indeed accept Russia’s hand, and while they scaled down the importance of Moscow’s outreach by not sending a delegation to Astana, they will still send the US Ambassador to Kazakhstan to the peace talks. Is a kind of detente on the horizon? Moscow seems to be making progress in its goal, but one must ask at what costs?
The answer could be found between the lines of the most recent statements from MID.
What could be perceived as the climax leading up to the Astana drama is the recent statement of Mr. Sergei Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, which was published by Sputnik on January 18th, 2017:
Syria Talks in Astana Could Include US, Jaysh Islam Leader – Lavrov :
“Speaking alongside Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, Lavrov noted that the leader of the Jaysh Islam UN-designated terrorist group could also take part in the Astana talks on Monday, January 23.
“Given the fact that, along with other opposition groups, Jaysh al-Islam has expressed readiness to sign a ceasefire agreement and to enter into negotiations with the Syrian government, of course we support this approach,” Lavrov said.“
This is a complete reversal of Moscow’s stance towards an organization which is legally considered by the UN to be a terrorist group linked to Al-Qaeda and as such should be unacceptable as a partner in peace talks.
Let me highlight that even Sputnik couldn’t clear up this mess, which is why we find the name of Sergei Lavrov in the same sentence as the words Astana talks and terrorist group.
This couldn’t pass unnoticed and it creates the dangerous precedent that a UN-designated terrorist group is about to be an official partner in international peace talks. The very fact that the Russian MID supported the participation of an internationally recognized terrorist group discredits the peace talks before they even begin.
Let’s carefully review everything that’s happened in the recent past. The peace talks are beset with drama, Russia decided to draw down its military presence in Syria, Iran is loudly protesting against the US’ Russian-invited participation in Astana, and Russia invited a terrorist group to the peace talks while at the same time Palmyra was just recaptured by ISIS/Daesh and thereby annulled the Syrian efforts and Russian soft power gains from liberating this ancient town. As all of this is happening, Daesh terrorists were strengthened and replenished by fresh forces arriving from Mosul, and this empowered them to gain strategic positions on the encircled Syrian town of Deir ez Zor. Having in mind that Al Qaeda-related terrorist groups from Aleppo were evacuated to Idlib Province and are regrouping in preparation of another attack on western Aleppo, it seems like the avalanche of recent Russian diplomatic and military moves reversed most of their acquired positions and successes, which in turn reversed Russia’s soft power gains in the region. The latest Russian military drawdown in Syria occurred while the historical treasure of the Middle East, Palmyra, is once again under ISIS occupation, which is without a doubt pursuing its bloody work of destroying ancient monuments and selling priceless and irreplaceable artifacts on the black market.
Why is this happening? What is driving Moscow to take such controversial steps which are hard to understand and even give goosebumps to those who are watching in horror at the unfolding situation in the region?
The answer to all of these confusing questions can be found if we go back and analyze some recent information.
On the 16th of January, 2017, MID spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the Russian TV station Channel One a story about US attempts to recruit a Russian diplomat (US Intelligence Made ‘Attempt to Recruit’ Russian Diplomat)
She said that it happened several years ago, but the timing of the story’s announcement to the public is curious.
A day later, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov made a statement accusing the US of stepping up “recruitment attempts” against Russian diplomats:
“MOSCOW, January 17. /TASS/. The United States stepped up its recruitment activity against Russian diplomats during Barack Obama’s second presidential term, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during his annual news conference.
“As far as recruitment attempts are concerned, this sort of unfriendly activity grew over the past several years, in particular, Barack Obama’s second presidency,” Lavrov said”. http://tass.com/politics/925394
Russian politicians and diplomats are very reserved and don’t carelessly reveal important information like this unless it serves a particular purpose.
Why would two similar stories appear in the span of just two days? It’s obvious that this is a message to the US administration:“We know what you are doing and we are ready to take countermeasures and protect our interests”.
Let’s go back to Peskov’s recent words from the article that I cited earlier:
“Moscow welcomes US participation in Astana talks on Syrian crisis, but Iran’s position is complicating the issue,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
This reveals that the Kremlin is aware of the imminent threat to the Astana talks because of Iran’s position, which itself is due to Russia’s invitation that the Trump Administration participate in the conference.
“We will welcome that [US participation in Astana talks]. The situation is very complicated. You know that there is also Iran like a very important player in the Syrian issue. Iranians are not welcoming this. So it is a very complicated issue for a very careful play,” Peskov said.”
So Moscow is ready to play on the edge of the knife, carefully balancing to please Iran, but their desire to reconcile with the new Trump Administration is too big of a prize to be neglected.
“This is probably the cause of some disagreement between Moscow and Tehran… It is obvious that without the United States it is impossible to resolve the Syrian issue,” Peskov said.
Peskov’s last sentence in the Sputnik article captured my attention:
The abundance of parties involved in the upcoming talks in Astana, to take place on January 23, may jeopardize the harmony of negotiations, the spokesman added.”
Exactly! The Kremlin is fully aware that the peace talks which they’ve been working on and preparing for a long time already are jeopardized, and this is because MID “diplomats” and “experts” convinced Lavrov that it was a “good idea” to invite so many new players such as the US and its terrorist pet Jaysh Islam. I would dare say that the Astana talks are probably doomed to fail before they even begin.
Having in mind everything mentioned above and the Russian role in “guaranteeing” talks about Kurdish federalization (which is deeply against the publicly stated interests and positions of both Syria and Turkey), inviting a UN-designated terrorist group to the talks (which would for sure displease Damascus), inviting US representatives to the talks which are bound to greatly displease another strategic partner (Tehran), and the lack of political will to continuously perform airstrikes and increase (not drawdown) its military presence in Syria until the final victory is won over the terrorist groups and ISIS, it can be argued that Russia in a very short period of time measured by just days or at most a few weeks reversed all of the soft power gains and influence which it had managed to achieve so far.
It’s almost like Russian interests in the region have been sabotaged, but the question is, by whom? Does the answer to this question lay in the two subsequent stories about US intelligence aggressively attempting to recruit Russian diplomats?
Has a silent coup by the neoliberal circles against the “hardliners” and patriots been underway in Russia over the past couple of weeks? Has US intelligence managed to recruit and infiltrate certain ranks of the Russian MID and Ministry of Defense, thus using its newfound covert influence to change the course and scope of Russian activities and decisions in Syria?
Peskov’s last statement from the Sputnik article indicates that the Kremlin might be aware of the situation. While there were previously many suggestions that a meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin could be held sometime soon in the immediate days or weeks following the inauguration, the latest information is that it’ll take place in months and that no time frame has been set.
Just as Donald Trump is discretely purging his Washington administration of Obama’s sleeper cells, is Vladimir Putin doing the same thing in the Kremlin, MID, and the Ministry of Defense right now?
Is Russia’s Deep State in civil war just like America’s?
Do both leaders of the mighty superpowers first wish to “clean house” before they meet each other and talk about a new dawn of cooperation and detente with one another?
Only time will tell, but by all indications, it convincingly looks like Russia’s confusing and counterproductive decisions over the past week or so aren’t the result of a “clever” Russian plan, but are a clumsy series of mistakes which at best are due to incompetence and short-sightedness, and at worst are the result of a silent deep state civil war triggered by American infiltration.
Or the Russians just want to keep all options on the table.
Russians think steps further, which blowback there would be if Kurds would be smashed and Iran got unconditional support for power projection into neighboring countries.
Well, Russia is not the friend of Syria, China or Iran. Russia does what is best for Russia, nothing else.
I am quite sickened by your US-style cynicism.
All my life I have been running into two kinds of people, one too frequently, the other not.
Cynics and Altruists.
Guess which one you are.
Yes well, the RF works in mysterious ways….
On a somewhat related matter(due to the famous undermining state still being alive), this person sometimes looks at events thru an alternate reality. So, talking the USofA and thinking the overwhelming Putin-Done-It meme that is everywhere at all times. This silly thinking is that actually the USA-Done-It (in order to insert the Don because the Hill was damaged goods) and the meme is to draw attention away from the fact in order to become The Good Guys except it’s a Trojan horse….How my mind keeps me entertained….
It makes sense to invite all the players. There are players that are not directly represented- Saudi, Qatar, Jordan etc. By inviting their proxies, the negotiation includes their backers too, by proxy.
The situation is fragile and any one of the players could put a spanner in the works. Looks like Russia wants lay a broad foundation so that there is less chance of it breaking down later since none of the parties will feel they are losing out.
The Iranian reaction indicates that the factions inside Iran do not have a common voice. Not Russia.
Looks like Russia is going for the slow and sure method instead of the fast and risky one.
This article makes perfect sense .
Until the sentence “At the peak of Russian power….” shortly before the first link.
I think all of Russia’s actions mentioned after that including the ‘Astana talks’ are simply diversionary tactics to prevent (world) war, and to buy time – especially because of the possibilty of a Trump presidency – and shouldn’t be taken very seriously at all. (inviting ‘Jaysh al-Islam’ says enough)
Why would Iran have anything against the US run by (anti-ISIS) Trump participating, while they themselves foolishly (and of course to no avail) negotiated with the evil black Nazi-ISIS leader Barry Davis (Ziobama) & Co.? (who are the ones run by a 5th column, and the ones being clumsy here?)
Why would Iran have anything against the US run by (anti-ISIS) Trump participating, …
Maybe it’s because Trump made statements during his election campaign that he intends to scrap the Iran deal – Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action / JCPOA.
Random thoughts: say theres 3 giants in the world , 1 has recently awoke to contending on the world stage for its share of the pie. the west{us/eu} , RF, an China or the East {the eagle,bear,dragon}
we know the previous attempts to destroy the Bear >Napeleon >Hitler > Communism by the West all have failed. Today the 3 giants cannot attack directly each other as that means the world is destroyed so how is war waged but by Proxie force which we see in the west supporting Sunni against Shite’s{with eastern support} so in terms of totally destroying Isis{daesh} is really impossible with endless supply of sunni’s willing to fight Shite’s ,Russa sees that the only way is to seek some agreement or accept endless war/terrorism etc. Most of Russia’s sectors are deep in red only a few show huge profit so Russia in its own interests isn’t able to afford a huge long engagement, Neither is the US/EU , Perhaps parts of the Deep state in the west recogonize the path being traveled is actually hurting them more an Trump is their way to backtrack. In Trumps inauguration speech he declared both parties of the DC elite as failures it was an amazing speech in some ways to put so bluntly DC elites are just thieves working for themselves, anyway all the actions of war against Libya,Iraq/Afganistan,Syria,an many smaller ones are just wars by proxie by the Giants . However we know threwout history power has always sought to unite the whole world {empires} the last 4 popes all have given the same message .. the world must come together, communism said ‘workers of the world unite’ a reverse of the tower of babel if you like, in 2017 pope francis is calling for all religions to unite under the banner of doing good deeds etc , so my random though was what if the 3 giants are meant to take the world to the edge {of chaos or destruction} to simple reinforce the idea we must all unite or perish
pope francis is calling for all religions to unite under the banner of doing good deeds etc …
Working together isn’t that bad at all. Judaism, Islam and Christianity are all based on the Old Testament. Despite the Ten Commandments being part of the Old Testament people are still trying to play followers of one religion off against followers of other religions.
I suspect you’re trying to hint at the mysterious “one world religion”.
In my opinion creating a “one world religion” is next to impossible. There are so many factions of Christian Churches. It’s not even possible to reunite the Catholic Church and the Protestant Church. How on earth should Judaism, Islam and Christianity form a “one world religion”? I’m not too familiar with the scriptures about end time prophecies, but I’ve heard several theories of the appearance of the Antichrist. Some think the Antichrist is the Catholic Church itself, others suggest there will be a person claiming to be the Messiah. This maybe a catalyst for all religions joining together. Maybe there’s already a “one world religion” that most people are already praying to? Independently of family background and thus religious affiliation, most people already pray to a common “god”. That “god” is called Mammon. The temples are even higher than Church towers, Minarets and Synagogues. Even Buddhists and Hindus fell for that “religion”. The Temptation of Christ tells the story of the devil offering Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. What has been ruling most parts of the world for a very long time? It’s money – Mammon.
Pope Francis calling to deny the true religion by uniting it with the false religions “if the world is to live in harmony”, is a public declaration of apostasy.
” Whosoever therefore shall confess me [Jesus Christ] before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33-34).
“Let any Bishop, or Presbyter, or deacon that merely joins in prayer with heretics be suspended, but if he had permitted them to perform any service as Clergymen, let him be deposed.” (Canon XLV of the Holy Apostles). The Pope deposed himself. The so-called Catholic Church is a zombie.
The author appears to be unaware that the Russians withdrew some Su-24 high altitude bombers and sent in some more Su-25 ground attack aircraft. The aircraft fleet has been adjusted to suit the remaining tasks. That seems sensible to me.
Regarding the US presence – Trump stated well before the inauguration that all Obama political appointees would be withdrawn from their posts on 20 January. There is then the question of who would actually represent the US in those circumstances? Perhaps the simplest explanation is that it is a reverse dig at Obama and his regime.
Has US intelligence managed to recruit and infiltrate certain ranks of the Russian MID and Ministry of Defense, thus using its newfound covert influence to change the course and scope of Russian activities and decisions in Syria?
“US intelligence” is a red herring in this picture. The same people own and direct “US intelligence” that are limiting and resisting VP in RF. A tool does not wield itself.
Just as Donald Trump is discretely purging his Washington administration of Obama’s sleeper cells, is Vladimir Putin doing the same thing in the Kremlin, MID, and the Ministry of Defense right now?
Let us devoutly hope so and pray for his success.
Only time will tell, but by all indications, it convincingly looks like Russia’s confusing and counterproductive decisions over the past week or so aren’t the result of a “clever” Russian plan, but are a clumsy series of mistakes which at best are due to incompetence and short-sightedness, and at worst are the result of a silent deep state civil war triggered by American infiltration.
Please see preceding comment. I would add that VP’s incrementally overcoming the vampire squid in RF (especially in finance) closely parallels Stalin’s gradual dismembering of Trotsky’s power base during the 1930s (by different methods, of course).
It seems inarguable that the author of this essay has the right idea in general, but has not traced the problem back to its source. The elephant-in-the-livingroom question never asked is why RF, with its superb intelligence, watched the agents of Soros’ “color revolution” shuttle back and forth between Washington and Kiev, (seemingly) doing nothing until the Ukraine was destroyed and lost to civilization.
Did Russian intelligence genuinely imagine that this would make no important difference to RF ? Impossible. Just as impossible as imagining Russian inaction while believing that Putin was able to direct the state without securing permission from the not very well hidden faction in Russia that came out of the woodwork during the 1990s to size control of the creation of money, credit and banking (against which the Russian people have protested loud and long. To what effect ?)
It would be difficult to argue that there is not some force in RF that does not want the problem in Syria resolved once and for all. It would be similarly difficult to argue that this force (and its decisions) have Putin’s principled agreement and support.
“The elephant-in-the-livingroom question never asked is why RF, with its superb intelligence, watched the agents of Soros’ “color revolution” shuttle back and forth between Washington and Kiev, (seemingly) doing nothing until the Ukraine was destroyed and lost to civilization.”
It’s a long shot but if so then at a diabolical level of chess moves ahead against Brzezinski’s chessboard.
Restoring Crimea to Russia for Black Sea/Mediterranean strategy may be more important to Russia than Ukraine as a whole. It is extremely obvious that in addition to the two preceding Crimean referendums that the plan to incorporate Crimea with such swiftness didn’t happen overnight.
It was carefully thought out, logistically prepared for and orchestrated with almost painful precision.
Other than Crimea, Russia does not need Ukraine other than a buffer against US/NATO and perhaps Crimea and eastern Ukraine will suffice in that regard?
Just a thought.
I quite agree with (not only) your opinion that the Crimean operation was a well thought and enforced operation, probably existing as a “contigency plan” from the nineties. Amongst other, this is due to the extreme geostrategic and military importance of the region.
However, I strongly disagree with the last paragraph stating that Russia does not “need” (or as implicated “care”) about Ukraine. Over 50% of Ukrainian inhabitants speak Russian in their homes, the contemprary “Russians” and the majority of nowdays “Ukrainians” have the same history and culture. They are the same people, linked by innumerable ties. Of course RF cares.
It is just that the government of nowdays Russia has no intention of financing the government of nowdays Ukraine if it enforces a rabid anti-russian policy, whilst Ukraine is controlled by th AZ cabal (as clearly stated by the President of RF).
The price of petrol and energy in USA and EuroAsian economic union (as well as some smaller oil producing countries) is much lower than the rest of the world. This confers to these countries, its people and its industry a huge economic advantage. The EU countries are energy insufficient and have to import energy either from the AZ oligarchy-controlled sources at a huge price, or from EEU countries, Iran or Venezuela (at somewhat lower competitive prices). Thus, Ukraine is faced with the choice. Either join the EU & USA (both economically and militarily), sever ties with EEC countries, be subjected to colonization and extreme exploitation, and pay huge prices for energy (or freeze). Or, join the EEC union and stay in the family.
And if the population of Ukraine expected to be incorporated into EU like Portugal or Finland it will have to guess again. The cost of incorporation of East Germany into Germany was probably close to a trillion $. A huge amount was poured into Poland due to its geostrategic importance and renewed “Drang nach Osten” policy. But the AZ empire run out of money.
Жељко из Крајине
PS. Please add that the problem is obviously not just in the Russian Ministry of Defence, but runs deeper.
Also that I should have included Russian industry in the list of vampire squid hijackings.
As always when looking for reasons in political affairs: Follow the Money Trail. The ones with the gold make the rules and call the shots.
The Arab world is complex tribal world with many alliances followed by treasons and later reconciliation. Israel and the US have used this weakness to multiply the divisions, trigger wars and generate chaos when Russia is trying to help reconciliation and bring back peace.
Aleppo was finally liberated through negotiation with the terrorists with the help of Turkey and it worked.
Russia with Iran seem to understand the importance of the reconciliation mechanism in the Arab world which requires that even in the worst time, you maintain an open door to start talking. I think, this what is explaining the multiple ceasefires tentatives or the Geneva and now Astana meetings.
I will add that in doing so, Russia has always had the support of Bashar al Assad.
Reconciliation means living again together what ever are your ethnic origine or your faith, it is the opposite of an armistice where you divide the country into pieces to accomodate various ethnies or religious groups. Reconciliation is calling for one Syria and not a balkanisation of Syria.
Astana is just another step to move in this direction and it is not the last.
You took us through a bunch of news reports and then tell us there are Fifth Columnists screwing up Putin and Russia’s Military and Diplomacy.No proof, no names, no incidents inside the Kremlin or in Moscow or in their Media.
You wasted my time. I agree with Saker’s cautions. You don’t understand Russians.
Russia, in case you missed the forest for the trees, is now the Regional Hegemon of Syria, Turkey and nearby wannabes, like Israel and Iran.
Russia decides. Others hang on.
Russia just signed a 49-year deal with Syria to keep 11 ships based in Tartus naval base, and to keep the expanded air base for that same period of time at Khmeimin, Latakia province.
This says what Russia is about in the ME and Syria. They will defend the Syrian people, Christianity and borders. And they will defend Russian personnel and installations. They have a security interest in Turkey, well expressed in protecting Erdogan and pressuring him to cooperate on Syria.
They also have a security interest in Iran. Arranging an air base and cooperating in the Caspian Sea region are indicative, as was the S300 missile defense deal.
Iran has fallen into place as an ally because it is protected by Russia. They are not equals. Russia will call the shots.
Iran can become a very large Eurasian player. It is not going to decide much outside its borders any longer unless it continues to use Shiite militias in Iraq. The end game of that is China, the Kurds, Russia and Turkey will squelch Iran’s capabilities as a regime if violence is Iran’s policy. It’s a deadend game. They almost lost Iraq to the Caliphate. To continue that gambit seems to go nowhere. It certainly will not be fortuitous for them to operate out of sync with Russia.
What is at play in the region, in the region of the Ukraine and Baltics, in North Africa, also, is multi-polarity, re-alignments, and the end to global hegemony. There will be zones where various of the superpowers, USA, Russia and China will have some regional hegemony. So, things are changing. None of these shifts are painless or seamless. They are like great plates shifting underground. You will have to perceive through the dust and smoke what is going on where the friction occurs.
To assume Fifth Columns in Russia are at play is yet to be noted except in your Article Title and your last sentence which is inept, at best.
American infiltration? Really?
As far as I am concerned, these problems in the Russian deep state are all caused by the fifth column, basically populated by Gog and Magog, the Khazarian Jews. Read Apocalypse 2:9 and 3:9.
There are far more of these out there than anyone realizes. The elite Khazarian Jews are like the Presidents of any country. They issue orders to their generals and the orders go on down the line. The everyday Jew is the foot soldier. They are the ones on the front lines like the Ukrainian Maiden, the anti-Trump protests, etc. Many of the fifth column Khazarian Jews are diplomats who are sleepers and do nothing until activated. So they may seem like they are innocent and patriotic citizens of a nation.
President Putin should make decisions and Not Allow Anyone To Change Them.
Iran’s deputy Foreign Minister calls for efforts from the ‘international community’ to establish peace in Syria.
He specifically calls on an end to the arming of ‘opposition’.
Wonder if that will be heard?
What has KSA to gain from peace?
What does Israel?
I have just posted the Iranian position at Astana.
It is one which recognizes the road to peace can only be through international efforts – that would include the US.
So I consider this analysis to be somewhat irrelevant, though the background research is top-notch.
This ‘Brainstormig’ session left me with the impression that it is a (not so) subtle piece of Black propaganda. Surprise, puzzlement, indignation, alarm at the Russian ‘betrayal’ of his ‘allies’. Russia had received blows to her ‘prestige’ and it reveals to be actually ineffective. Russia is ready to give in to the Americans (who are still imperially calling the shots). It is consonant with the clamors you hear on other sites that Lavrov should be removed, Putin should be removed, etc. The phrase “their desire to reconcile with the new Trump Administration is too big of a prize to be neglected”, subtly suggest that Russia is desperate to have the sanctions removed, ‘annexation’ of Crimea recognized, end Russia’s “isolation”, by the new big boy in town who’s gonna make an offer a deal they can’t refuse!
There is an underlying supposition that Russia is in Syria to actually defeat America on behalf of Iran, or on the contrary to implement America’s objectives in ME as its junior partner. So, in the Brainstormers minds, Russia is the ‘riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma’ that they cannot decipher. They refuse to see the ‘key’ to this riddle, that Churchill clearly pointed at. ‘The Russian national interest’. And the Russian national interest is to preserve Syria’s integrity and sovereignty and make America acquiesce to this outcome in the frame of international law. Syria, i.e. its constitutional government, is in actual fact the only formal ally of Russia in the region. That would be the real defeat of America in the ME. My two cents is that America would not renounce its objectives (regime change, partition of Syria, active involvement of Israel in the ‘fight against terrorism’ with the ultimate goal of eliminating Iran and sabotaging the emerging New Silk Road).
After systematically shooting down all the MSM red herrings and fake news in a recent interview with NBC’s Bill Neely, in the last minute or so Peskov goes jellyfish at Neely’s suave but scurrilous repetition of the narrative of Russian annexation of Crimea and bombing hospitals and children in Aleppo, exquisitely timed to throw Peskov off balance as the interview draws to a close. He put up a meek demurrer to the Crimea lie, but didn’t even touch the gross Aleppo slander, missing his chance to end the conversation on a note of fearless, self-confident truth. Maybe he got comfortable and let his guard down. Maybe he “trusted” Neely? Russian willingness—eagerness, even—to appease American warmongers, often at the very moment that Russia’s own goals are achingly close to realization, never ceases to baffle me. I can hardly imagine it’s naïveté. I keep telling myself I’m just not a strategic thinker on the level of those who make such decisions, or others like you and The Saker who analyze them, and I should just trust them. You know, have faith. At such times I wish I weren’t an atheist so that I could pray to God that they really do know what they’re doing, against such unspeakable evil—but alas, I can only wait and see, and contribute the occasional comment for whatever it’s worth.
@ I can only wait and see
Hopefully not ‘waiting for God-ot’!
Well, you know…
Come to think of it, the layers upon layers of analysis and interpretation get so dense and goniochromic that it begins to sound like Lucky’s monologue in that play. Yet no matter how hard it is we must keep trying to understand. We Saker readers are at least about 62,553,932% better off in that regard than the average American couch potato (if that’s any consolation).
Of course, you can’t ask them if they ever heard of the Gatopardo (or Godot, for that matter) when statistics (Shocking Facts: 23 Statistics on Illiteracy in America@https://www.creditdonkey.com/illiteracy-in-america.html) show that:
Approximately 32 million adults in America are considered to be illiterate; about 14% of the entire adult population cannot read.
Among developed nations, the U.S. ranks 16th for adult reading skills.
Between 40 and 44 million adults, or roughly 20 to 23% of adults in the U.S., are limited to reading at the basic or below basic proficiency levels.
Reading material becomes more complex for students around the fifth grade, and some 30 million adults aren’t able to comprehend texts that are appropriate for 10-year-olds.
An estimated 63 million adults read between a sixth and eighth grade level. Just 11% of men and 12% of women make the grade as proficient readers.
Just under 20% of high school grads haven’t developed basic reading proficiency by the time they don their cap and gown.
Studies suggest that two-thirds of students who struggle with reading by fourth grade will run into trouble with the law at some point.
Illiteracy is widespread among juveniles who find themselves in trouble with the law. Approximately 85% of youth who come into contact with the juvenile court are considered to be functionally illiterate, meaning they read at a basic or below basic level.
Moreover, “The current literacy rate isn’t any better than it was 10 years ago. According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy (completed most recently in 2003, and before that, in 1992), 14 percent of adult Americans demonstrated a “below basic” literacy level in 2003, and 29 percent exhibited a “basic” reading level”@http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/illiteracy-rate_n_3880355.html.
So my estimate was about right. To quote Mr. Trump, “sad.”
Factions indeed.
Not within Russia but inside Iran.
The ‘democatically’ elected leadership of Iran, not to be confused with the opposing clerical establishment led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have been playing footsie with killary necons for quite some time.
To summarize most briefly, Iran-Iraq War profiteer and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s master puppeteer, Hashemi Rafsanjani, was rewarded for his years of double dealing, dating back to Iran-Contra days, when he was allowed to take a large position in a 20 billion toll road looted from Canadian (Ontario) taxpayers — specifically for the occaison.
Even as Stephen Harper was busily severing relation between Canada and the Islamic Republic,. Hashem Rafsanjani was able to launder his ill gotten billions, stolen from the Iranian people and paid for with the blood of up to 1 million Iranians, by being permitted to aquire extremely lucrative hard assets in Canada.
RE: Mullah Rafsanjani and his family’s foreign investment in Canada
http://iranzamin2500.blogspot.ca/2007/01/re-mullah-rafsanjani-and-his-familys.html
Should I also mention how the beloved Iranian administration of President Rouhani did this while simultaneously giving away the store in negotiations with same said zionists?
Plus ca change.
Please also read the article below by Thierry Meyssan to get a sense of who and what this faction of the Iranian government represents.
The Abdication of Iran
http://www.voltairenet.org/article181291.html
For those many smart readers who frequent this blog, the positions of both the Russian government and the new Trump administration, vis a vis Iran, can be seen in an entirely new light.
It seems zionists, necons, bolsheviks or whatever your prefferred term for the gangsters represented by Biggest Loser Killary, are losing across the board.
Some Russian’s clumsy mistakes are nothing more than a product of economic fear. Putin is not afraid of war, but its consequences, more sanctions or total blokade due to no existing navy. Some of you are afraid of war, but why would US engage Russia militarly if they can dismantle russian external economy overnight. All these explains russian constant reaproachments with the west.Unless Russia rebuilds its economy, the war is unwinable simple as that.
BREAKING NEWS FROM SPUTNIK!!!!!!:
Only Russia, Turkey and Iran will sign communique following intra-Syrian talks in Astana, armed opposition delegation adviser Yahya Aridi said Tuesday.
ASTANA (Sputnik) — Only Russia and Turkey, possibly Iran, will sign communique following intra-Syrian talks in Astana, armed opposition delegation adviser Yahya Aridi said Tuesday.
“The communique would be just issued by the parties, the Russian Federation, Turkey and possibly Iran because of the fact that it was on the Moscow meeting… It is not meant to be signed by the parties [the Syrian government and opposition],” Aridi told reporters.
“I don’t believe that the communique will be so strong that it can be taken to the UN,” he added.
https://sputniknews.com/asia/201701241049942084-syria-astana-talks-communique/
I’m perfectly willing to believe that the US is trying to recruit Russian diplomats, and whoever else they can get their hands on. But what this person is talking about are top-level decisions, frankly Putin-level decisions. Putin is a long term thinker and he’s been dealing with this issue for a long time; he is not going to be swayed from week to week by mid-level suborned diplomats. So if the US is being invited into the talks, it is because Putin decided he wanted the US invited into the talks, for reasons and based on strategies that he’s thought about carefully and on an information base most of which he’s had for some time. Same goes for draw-downs of Russian forces.
Now, whether those decisions are necessarily the right, or the best, decisions is another question. Putin is very able, but I think he may get a bit too cute sometimes–and vastly contrary to the foaming at the mouth of the mainstream media about Putin being a thug, I think he actually doesn’t like war and simply prefers diplomatic solutions. He fights hard when he really has to, but I think one of the few miscalculations he makes is believing a little too hard in the chance of other political actors being reasonable, and so he gives people a chance when he should maybe just crush them. There are times when the tactical becomes more important than the strategic. He knows that strategically, if what he wants is long term peace and prosperity, a negotiated settlement everyone buys into is best, and continued violence tends to beget violence. But simply not letting up on the terrorists and bringing the Syrian government to a position of strength decisively may actually be worth more in this case. Many of the opponents are particularly not amenable to being reasoned with and are not going to stop being violent until they are crushed, so best to just get on with crushing them, establish a ground reality where the government controls all the important terrain, and that could bring the situation closer to long term peace than all the (broken) cease fires in the world. Sit down to the negotiating table, sure, but I’m not at all sure it’s worth it to “build confidence” or whatever by reducing forces or doing cease fires at the expense of momentum on the ground.
Putin probably has a point inviting the US, though. There’s a new administration, best to find out what its position will really be sooner rather than later. I also agree that people should talk to the Kurds. You can talk about the constitution all you want, but the Kurds have a strong sense of identity, they’re good fighters, and they’ve hung tough against ISIS. So, what, a war-weary country is going to occupy them against their will? After they helped defend the country against ISIS? Does Syria really want to buy another bloodbath as soon as they end the current one? Sure, the Syrian government disagrees with them about what should be done. That’s why you negotiate–if everybody agrees there’s nothing to negotiate about.
Indeed! Only time will tell. Couldn’t notice any cleverness in the latest Russian plans either, but surely hope that matters will keep going in the right direction. Dear VVP, purge, please!
it might be just exposing the new Trump administration as to the real complexities9 and Russia will guide them though these? at at least the engagement is a sign of less geopolitical confrontation, (it still takes time to slow down a steam engine running out of steam but travelling first and then to reverse direction), that it is not black and white situation, plus once again identifying the terrorists and those who quack like them….ie to leader of Jaysh islam…if you sign up to peace , but non of your followers respect your leadership decision, then they will be neutralised, and your impotency as leader will be publicly revealed and you will still be a terrorist,disqualified from any further participation..
This is a good example of projection: In this case, a writer who appears to be American analyzing the Russian state through the lens of American experience.
The American “Deep State” has been infiltrated by malevolent political operatives (note: not Russian but rather the American radical “New Left” Obamaite variety) and is currently undergoing a quiet purge. As the purge is underway some unusual activity is noted – odd statements by officials, inexplicable releases of long-suppressed obscure but nonetheless explosive documents.
Perhaps the machinations of the Russians reveal the same thing, yes?
As Saker says, probably not. But it is a fascinating example of an analyst taking a set of facts and inferring the motives of the actors based on his own experience.
In this way it is as amusingly offbase as some of the Russian analyses of American politics.
Thanks for posting this, Saker. I would say that it is still too early to tell whether there is actually a deep state civil war in the US, though the signs are ominous. But just as it does seem to be a pivotal moment in our discourse here, I’m pretty much in agreement with most of the analysis and comments, though I will leave the critique of Russia itself to others better qualified.
The waters are so treacherous for Trump that I can only wish him well in what I think is a genuine will to change the status quo for international affairs, to right the ship of state as far as that is possible to do. He is a rich man, but he is not of the oligarchy and that spells trouble for him. I think he is making some brave first steps; his manner is rough – the opposite of Obama’s slick delivery, and I find myself admiring him for his courage.
The oligarchy is powerful, but it is a power based on a flimsy monopoly of the airways, the currency of power inherent there. I watched as much of the inaugural proceedings as I could, and they were peppered with the lies of propagandists for the old regime; they will resist him in any way they can.
I think it was appropriate for Russia to offer participation in talks about Syria, but also appropriate that the US not join as a participating ‘power’ but send the ambassador. The US is not in Syria officially invited by Syrian leadership; it is a guest of the participating forces there.
Putin is proceeding cautiously as well. The visible carnage in Syria is heartbreaking. It’s plain he doesn’t want to wreck that country the way Iraq and Libya have been wrecked. There is so much to do; so many lives to mend.
I am hopeful. All I can do is pray for peace and goodwill to all.
Is that why russian defence minister stupidly said that russia might concentrate on non nukes in order to reduce international tension ?
In other words russia has already shown her hands in advance so will have no bargaining power.
For sake of some elusive reset with Anglos Russia is reducing nukes the only thing which has protected russia from TOTAL destruction yet.
How stupid can Russians be ? Unimaginably stupid people.
————————————–“”””””””:””””””””
http://www.dailyo.in/politics/isis-india-pak-ties-russia-pakistan-afghanistan-ties-cpec-china-taliban/story/1/14918.html
-”-‘-‘-‘-“-“‘”‘”‘”‘”‘”‘”‘”‘”‘ x xczc'”-“‘ xxcz'”-“‘”‘””
1st of January 2017.
By what right this churkin of UN russian rep. says that usa must be involved in syrian truce ? Is this not the same creature who threatens assad to have russia pull her troops until assad agrees to cease-fire in middle of winnable battle ? And Putin did pull up troop saying mission in Syria was accomplished.
__________________________________
Quote ” For you Mr Putin: “There’s a method to their madness. There really is not much method to yours. It’s because you’re operating from a place of ignorance, and until you change that, you’re going to be bumbling around, bumping into each other, saying and doing the wrong things, not understanding the nature of your enemy… and if you don’t understand the nature of your enemy and the weapons they use, you cannot fight that enemy! You cannot fight the battle. You should not even be on the battle field.” ~ William Cooper, Lansing Michigan Lecture, 1996 “
Like our departed friend CI,eh! once said, “If Russia folds, we’re all slaves, the whole world is enslaved.”
Well. it hasn’t folded and it has gotten stronger. It’s moving in the right direction.
USA might be, but one bullet might put an end to that.
I find Brainstorm’s hand-wringing, worry-wart anxiety irritating and Socho’s gung-ho arm chair generalship just plain absurd.
There is 1000 times more cause for worry right here in the USA and work to be done in educating the populations of the USA and Europe than there is in worrying about or complaining about Russia. Russia has given us precious time. We shouldn’t squander the opportunity it has given us to turn back Empire by worrying about them or calling them stupid.
It were better to look in the mirror long and hard, and then hold one’s tongue, before demanding that Russians be a bunch of idiotic Rambos. Seriously, Socho. Please do that before your next comment.
Has not anyone picked up on Dmitry Medvedev saying not to hope on foreign leaders for lifting of sanctions? On the one hand it seems that this is a patriotic statement but in reality this is an extension of Clinton/Obama policy. Medvedev looks uncannily like Czar Nicolas II, he is the heir of the kerensky traitors and of the Romanov Holstein Gottorp family which is part of the Rothschild lineage. Why would we conflict with USA after achieving all of our objectives as well as having a friend in the white house? Putin and Medvedev… (keep your friends close… keep your enemies closer) Not good these statements from Medvedev and saying a meeting will take months. Remember who went to war in Georgia…Medvedev has sabotagede EAEU forever. He wants to break eastern Russia off and unite Belarus Ukraine and western Russia.
BREAKING NEWS FROM SPUTNIK
KASPERSKY LAB EMPLOYEE AND FSB DEPARTMENT HEAD ARRESTED FOR TREASON IN DECEMBER
Has the purge been going on and we didn’t even know about it until now? How much further will it go?
———-
Ruslan Stoyanov, head of computer incidents investigation at Kaspersky Lab, was arrested over treason charges, Russian media reported on Wednesday.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Stoyanov is said to have actively cooperated with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and his arrest may be linked to arrest of one of the FSB department heads, the Kommersant newspaper reported citing a source close to FSB.
Both Stoyanov and the FSB employee were arrested in December. Details of the case remain unknown.
Kaspersky Lab confirmed Stoyanov’s arrest but pointed out in an official statement that the investigation was being carried out against him as a private person with the company not being involved in the criminal case. According to the statement, Stoyanov was not employed at the company at the time of the purported offense.
Kaspersky Lab stressed that it cooperates with the international community of experts in information security as well as with federal law enforcement agencies of different countries in their fight against cyber crime.
The Kaspersky Lab cyber security and anti-virus provider, founded in 1997 in Moscow, operates in almost 200 countries and territories worldwide, and its products and technologies are used by over 300 million users. The company has a special focus on large enterprises and small and medium-sized businesses.
———-
https://sputniknews.com/russia/201701251049979058-kaspersky-lab-manager-arrested-treason/
Interesting analysis by brainstorm, although I dont quite agree on his take on the inclusion of Jaysh Al-Islam in Astana. One have to understand that Jaysh Al-Islam is not in any position to demand anything. Russia and Syria know this, hence they offer Jaysh Al-Islam a way to lay down their arms and accept amnesty, the same deal they’ve been offered for three years now.
This recent ceasefire feels different from the previous ones as it has held far longer than those before. As a matter of fact, not only has it allowed the SAA to push eastwards in the Aleppo countryside, it has also resulted in severe infighting among jihadist groups in Idlib.
Saker the Russian state knows more than you do. Be patient.
There is a civil war in the Russian deep state but it is with the central bank and the Zionist oligarchs against the Russian people and the church etc.
A terrorist civil war is starting gin in Idib. There will be no Syrian rebel army when it is finished, so it does not matter who comes to the negotiation table. Turkey will attack the Kurds in Syria and after much fighting, between them Russia will mediate and reconstitute Syria with the approval of the Kurds and Turks to the original pre civil war status quo with tiny little bit of autonomy for the Kurds, language recognition etc. The kurds and turkey will then both hate Americans and Israel for the double betrayal of both the Kurds and the Turks.
Turkey will likely then leave NATO and join the Asian alliance of Russian and China along with Iran, which will keep Iran safe probably with Iran having one Russian and one Chinese military base as extra protection from the Zionist empire. Putin and Russia are doing very well.
Russia only needs to placate and string along the Zionist trump until these goals are accomplished. Then all these Russian moves will make sense to you. Iran was not happy with how Russia handled turkey at first but I bet they are very happy with the results now, as they will be once the Syrian conflict is over and the next one begins with the empire.
Next Europe will be in play as the Zionist, Jewish supremacist racist empire begins to collapse further.
Сергей
Russia is doing what is best for that region. Yes they told that without US negotiating involved it is impossible. We will get details soon of what Trump and Putin talked about. There was suggestion to do Kurdish autonomus zone(but under Syrian administration) like Chechnya in Russia, which is to counter balance Turkey. I don’t like this idea personally.
Brainstorm in his article made this phrases from which I want to comment – —“It’s almost like Russian interests in the region have been sabotaged, but the question is, by whom? Does the answer to this question lay in the two subsequent stories about US intelligence aggressively attempting to recruit Russian diplomats?” and ”Has a silent coup by the neoliberal circles against the “hardliners” and patriots been underway in Russia over the past couple of weeks? Has US intelligence managed to recruit and infiltrate certain ranks of the Russian MID and Ministry of Defense, thus using its newfound covert influence to change the course and scope of Russian activities and decisions in Syria?”
There is some infiltration in Russia but it is in the media, the alternative media, not in MoD or MoE. There are some foreigners such as some Americans in the alternative media who pretend to be Russia’s friend whilst also supporting Turkey . There are also Dugin’s people in every where in some department working as spies for Obama admin but after Trump this will change in peace talks.
Obama administration has gone and Trump administration is getting closer to Putin, some countries like Turkey will not want US on negotiating table. Iran was opposed when Obama was there but I think now Iran will also like US on negotiating table after they settled some things with Trump.
There are many oppositions of Putin in Russian media also (both fake supporter of Russia and liberals who supports US). Now they are in trouble to be exposed either by Russia or by Trump. May be some are still thinking that Russia will forever oppose US administration and they can earn their money from CIA or other intelligence agencies.
All Anti Russian statements are coming due to fifth columnist (Duginist) which indirectly indicated here in article that Putin should be removed on the name of American infiltration in MoD , MoE. This is all rubbish. The main infiltrators are those who write articles of misleading and conspiracy.
Russia will make perfect negotiation to keep eye on Syria’s sovereignty and integrity, but till then keep out of all these alternative media writers.
Dugin’s spies are in some posts where they are double arrowed. One way they pretend to support Russia and telling Russia should go for war against US and other way they are they are telling because of Putin Russian economy was down and he shouldn’t be as president.
The article by Brainstorm worries me. It is apparent he or she not a Russian writing this and shows tendencies of fanatical beliefs of a fascistic nature. Reading between lines it looks that Brainstorm wants Russians to clash with the Americans in Syria. I think this is an unsavoury attempt to meddle in Russian politics and policies. Perhaps the writer wants a big fight in Syria until all Russian soldiers die.