A (well anonymized) anonymous reader sent me a very interesting link today. It is an opinion piece by Strobe Talbott for Reuters entitled “In 2015, Vladimir Putin may witness his empire’s death knell” in which Talbott predicts that:
The year ahead could see the outbreak of the third Chechen war, which, in turn, could be the death knell of the Russian Federation in its current borders. (…) For the past five years, the situation has been more or less quiescent, though neighboring republics have been rocked by violence. The lull in Chechnya, however, ended in early December with a series of bloody incidents in the Chechen capital of Grozny. The group behind the resurgence of unrest is advocating a “Caucasus Caliphate,” with ties to al Qaeda and, more recently, Islamic State. There is at least an indirect tie between outside support for Islamic radicalism in the Caucasus and Putin’s sponsorship of Russian secessionism in eastern Ukraine. By proclaiming ethnicity and religion as the basis for Russian statehood and aggression against its neighbors, Putin is inadvertently stoking the forces of secessionism in those parts of Russia that are historically and culturally Islamic.
Needless to say, Talbott, himself a former Deputy Secretary of State under Bill Clinton, member of both the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral, married to Brooke Shearer, also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a senior aide to Hillary Clinton with links to banks Commission, is the archetypal US “deep-stater”. He is also considered a “Russia specialist” which, in Foggy Bottom parlance means a rabid russophobe. A person like Talbott is very much “plugging in” the US deep state and if he says that next year there will be an insurgency in Chechnia, we can be darn sure that the US will try to create one.
Of course, this does not at all mean that they will succeed.
In fact, I am quite sure that there is zero chance of overthrowing Kadyrov, nevermind of Chechnia breaking away from Russia. If only because there is overwhelming evidence that the Chechen people want nothing to do with Wahabi terrorists and that they in fact form a very strong power base for Putin. Not only that, but Russia truly has formidable military capabilities in and around Chechnia. They keep a low profile and do not get involved in law enforcement or counter-insurgency operations, but only because the Chechens handle these tasks superbly. But make no mistake, Russia can flush at least 100’000 highly trained, motivated and superbly equipped men into Chechnia drawn from the 58th Army of course, but also from various special forces, Internal Ministry and State Security troops.
The weak link in the Russian Caucasus in Dagestan and the border with nearby Georgia from which attacks could come. Could the US at the very least rekindle the Wahabi insurgency (possibly supported by Nazi units from the Ukraine)? Yes, of course. But their chances to succeed in anything more than one or several truly ugly terrorist attacks are very, very slim.
I think that Talbott probably understands that, but he just cannot help by daydream out loud being, as he no doubt is, aware that if Russia prevails in her defense against the AngloZionist Empire this will mean the end for the latter.
The US deep state is simply saturated with russophobia, phobia in both the sense of “hate” and “fear”, and so it should. Just like all the other western invaders of Russia in the past, the AngloZionist Empire has completely cornered the Russian Bear which now has to fight for its very survival. Neither side will back down and only one will prevail. And my money is not on the US, neither is Talbott’s, at least now deep down. He must realize that the writing is on the wall. Hence the hate and the fear.
The Saker
thelovegovernment.com said:
“The larger question is what causes the fear?”
When all dust has settled it comes down to this: The US Dollar’s current status as the world’s “reserve currency” brings with it, as Valéry Giscard d’Estaing noted in the 60s “exorbitant privileges”.
For example the power to print as much USD as desired – known as QE (quantitative easing) and done exessivly (starting 3 months after the Lehman collapse in Nov. 2008) – without facing the dire consequences that any other nation would face if they would do the same, namely: rapid devalution and subsequent annihilation of their currency.
Here comes the kick. Even for the seemingly omnipotent USA QE works only as long as they can force the rest of the world to use the dollar for trade. And as we all know, lead by China and Russia, the nations of the world have started rebelling against the USD’s dominion and have realised: the Greenback ist toxic.
The End Game is on. Either the USA, be it by military force, false flags, torture, finacial terrorism, Hollywood propaganda, and all kind of other sheanigans, manages to keep the USD’s reserve currency states, or the whole house of cards comes down. Hard and fast. Devastatingly. Game over.
That’s why the panic.
The tide has turned. Try what they might, there is no way they can win.
Long live Russia! Long live Putin!
A shout out to Saker and all the fine people here!
.samir
Not even QE has worked well for them. It has just kept them from collapsing.
There has been only one bright spot in the North American economy since Lehman. That has been the shale oil and gas industry. Once that pops, all hell will break loose. There are already signs that the reversal of the unconventional oil and gas boom has begun. It’s about who can take the temporary pain of low oil prices better, the US, UK Canada, or Russia?
Who would you bet on?
Dmitry and Strobe (s.a. A Russian ‘reset button’ based on inclusion, Financial Times, Feb 23, 2009), the World Federalist at Brookings: Two horses pulling the same carriage.
File:Dmitry Medvedev in the United States 14 April 2010-9.jpeg
And in this Dec. 19 2014 – CSIS – Interview Big Zbig, this blue-cold-blooded reptile shows how much he favorizes Medvedev (as he already did in “Strategic Vision”,145-149), where he is also praising Deng Xiaoping:
“But I think the Russions are also beginning to realize – and the Russian middle-class already has – that the better alternative is the kind of regime which seem to be revolving under Medvedev, namely: tolerant for the middle-class, more contacts with the West and so forth. And I think eventually they revert to it.”
Talbott is your typical Neocon Zhyd.
@btw I wouldnt go that far, most people in the UK are simply ignorant and havent a clue whats going on in their own country let alone Russia, there are many who REALLY know whats happening and are sympathetic towards Russia. The english need to stop confusing the oligarchs that live in fear in London from real Russians but you know, UK is struggling for its own survival, literally, it is a broken country with more debt than the last 100 years combined and so tightly aligned with the americans that it makes Cameron et al rabid too .. they have to be in order to survive as ‘the special relationship’ is so important to them (although not to the US) Those that know about Russian culture and understand even a little of their history can be quite outraged at the one sided ‘reporting’ presented in the press and on TV, even on channels like CH4 news and papers like the Guardian. I think this massively feeds into something the Saker constantly says about the Russians being their own worst enemy in terms of PR, although we have RT of course, there simply isnt enough publicity about what the deal really is with the Russians and of course like the US the UK are still in the ‘cold war commie’ mindset. Ridiculous. Anyway, apart from that I have to say a lot of people especially younger people are often on the side of Putin purely because of their hatred of the US war machine and its economic fascism. Russia needs to blow its own trumpet a bit better about its achievments and its continued support of the western community in space (ISS) and with issues like Syria, Iran etc
From the horses mouth!
JOHN SIMPSON, BBC: Western countries almost universally now believe that there’s a new Cold War and that you, frankly, have decided to create that. We see, almost daily, Russian aircraft taking sometimes quite dangerous manoeuvres towards western airspace. That must be done on your orders; you’re the Commander-in-Chief. It must have been your orders that sent Russian troops into the territory of a sovereign country – Crimea first, and then whatever it is that’s going on in Eastern Ukraine. Now you’ve got a big problem with the currency of Russia, and you’re going to need help and support and understanding from outside countries, particularly from the West. So can I say to you, can I ask you now, would you care to take this opportunity to say to people from the West that you have no desire to carry on with the new Cold War, and that you will do whatever you can to sort out the problems in Ukraine? Thank you!
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Thank you very much for your question.
So, in fact, we only have two bases outside Russia, and both are in areas where terrorist activity is high. One is in Kyrgyzstan, and was deployed there upon request of the Kyrgyz authorities, President Akayev, after it was raided by Afghan militants. The other is in Tajikistan, which also borders on Afghanistan. I would guess you are interested in peace and stability there too. Our presence is justified and clearly understandable.
Now, US bases are scattered around the globe – and you’re telling me Russia is behaving aggressively? Do you have any common sense at all?
Finally, the ABM system – something I mentioned in my Address to the Federal Assembly. Who was it that withdrew unilaterally from the ABM Treaty, one of the cornerstones of the global security system? Was it Russia? No, it wasn’t. The United States did this, unilaterally.
http://russia-insider.com/en/2014/12/19/2048
From the horses mouth!
JOHN SIMPSON, BBC: Western countries almost universally now believe that there’s a new Cold War and that you, frankly, have decided to create that. We see, almost daily, Russian aircraft taking sometimes quite dangerous manoeuvres towards western airspace. That must be done on your orders; you’re the Commander-in-Chief. It must have been your orders that sent Russian troops into the territory of a sovereign country – Crimea first, and then whatever it is that’s going on in Eastern Ukraine. Now you’ve got a big problem with the currency of Russia, and you’re going to need help and support and understanding from outside countries, particularly from the West. So can I say to you, can I ask you now, would you care to take this opportunity to say to people from the West that you have no desire to carry on with the new Cold War, and that you will do whatever you can to sort out the problems in Ukraine? Thank you!
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Thank you very much for your question.
So, in fact, we only have two bases outside Russia, and both are in areas where terrorist activity is high. One is in Kyrgyzstan, and was deployed there upon request of the Kyrgyz authorities, President Akayev, after it was raided by Afghan militants. The other is in Tajikistan, which also borders on Afghanistan. I would guess you are interested in peace and stability there too. Our presence is justified and clearly understandable.
Now, US bases are scattered around the globe – and you’re telling me Russia is behaving aggressively? Do you have any common sense at all?
Finally, the ABM system – something I mentioned in my Address to the Federal Assembly. Who was it that withdrew unilaterally from the ABM Treaty, one of the cornerstones of the global security system? Was it Russia? No, it wasn’t. The United States did this, unilaterally.
http://russia-insider.com/en/2014/12/19/2048
this new i’m not a robot captcha dont work properly!
From the horses mouth!
JOHN SIMPSON, BBC: Western countries almost universally now believe that there’s a new Cold War and that you, frankly, have decided to create that. We see, almost daily, Russian aircraft taking sometimes quite dangerous manoeuvres towards western airspace. That must be done on your orders; you’re the Commander-in-Chief. It must have been your orders that sent Russian troops into the territory of a sovereign country – Crimea first, and then whatever it is that’s going on in Eastern Ukraine. Now you’ve got a big problem with the currency of Russia, and you’re going to need help and support and understanding from outside countries, particularly from the West. So can I say to you, can I ask you now, would you care to take this opportunity to say to people from the West that you have no desire to carry on with the new Cold War, and that you will do whatever you can to sort out the problems in Ukraine? Thank you!
VLADIMIR PUTIN: Thank you very much for your question.
So, in fact, we only have two bases outside Russia, and both are in areas where terrorist activity is high. One is in Kyrgyzstan, and was deployed there upon request of the Kyrgyz authorities, President Akayev, after it was raided by Afghan militants. The other is in Tajikistan, which also borders on Afghanistan. I would guess you are interested in peace and stability there too. Our presence is justified and clearly understandable.
Now, US bases are scattered around the globe – and you’re telling me Russia is behaving aggressively? Do you have any common sense at all?
Finally, the ABM system – something I mentioned in my Address to the Federal Assembly. Who was it that withdrew unilaterally from the ABM Treaty, one of the cornerstones of the global security system? Was it Russia? No, it wasn’t. The United States did this, unilaterally.
http://russia-insider.com/en/2014/12/19/2048
this new i’m not a robot captcha dont work properly!
Russia must in collaboration with Iran destroy the feudal Saudi Kingdom. That is the hornet’s nest and origin of wahhabi terrorist inspiration, and the nexus from where global terror financing emanates with the tacit connivance of ‘deep staters’ like Talbott.
Saudi Arabia is where the queen lays the eggs of terrorist destruction and global instability and is a vital cog for western geopolitical and economic destabilisation, such as we can see in Syria and the emergence of the CIA/Mossad created ISIS. Destroy SA therefore and Russia fatally cripples the west.
It all starts and ends with the vast oil fields in SA’s eastern province where 90% of SA’s oil fortune is located, but that field is in a Shiite majority province, people who are religiously very close to Iran but are second class citizens of SA as a consequence.
Destabilise that region and oil will shoot up to 200us$ a barrel, and which will drive the west into economic depression and uncontrollable social upheaval. What is Russia waiting for?
Same propaganda on the AZ empire itself:
The year ahead could see the outbreak of a Mexican war, which, in turn, could be the death knell of the United States in its current borders. (…) For the past five years, the situation has been not so quiescent, though neighboring republics have been rocked by violence. The not-so-lull in Mexico, is constantly interrupted by (formerly armed by CIA) drug gang massacres. The group behind the resurgence of unrest is advocating a “California Caliphate,” with ties to American criminal gangs and, more recently, C-I-A and various shady US orgs.
There is at least an indirect tie between outside support for Mexican radicalism in the South and Obamas sponsorship of the war on drugs in the US. By proclaiming ethnic strifes based on race, and waging a dangerous war on drugs and terror with one hand, while supporting ‘islamic’ terror groups and drug cultivation&trade in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and beyond with the other hand, Obama is inadvertently stoking the forces of secessionism in those parts of US that are historically and culturally Latino or non-mainstream Yankee.
The Anglo-Zionists hate Russia with realist Vladimir Putin wrecking their USD easy money(ZIRP) empire of finance. The advocates of low interest rates and political money apparently don’t realize that is what we already have and the IMF + BIS are crushing the empire of easy money speculation, so mankind can put the real economy before finance. It will be painful for many used to living beyond their means. It is time to pay!
Grieved linked an excellent article-The Russian Central Bank Has Entered The Game, which will leave many scratching their heads about how the world of money works. The world is over run by deception. People often end up supporting their enemies without knowing it!
Inflationists are typically the type of Yavlinski and Glazyev.Up front, they are strivers for the people, but actually, guardians of the interests of the bankers and the traders… Please read the whole link…it is important!
Sergei Glazyev and the MMT crowd are easy money inflationists. They claim to represent the PEOPLE, but in effect the represent the debtors rather than savers. The biggest debtors are governments and bank financed speculators. The inflationists wish to steal the time and energy of the working and producing class, by settling loans with cheaper(easy) money. The oligarch’s are really just like the idle poor, who have discovered easy low interest money means they can live without work on the blood of those who produce and work. These parasites call the system we have capitalism, but it is big government, big corporations, the idle poor, and oligarchs using easy money to destroy and coop the fruits of the creative and working class. The USD Empire is descending into chaos because of MALINVESTMENT caused by easy money. The oil shale industry is an example of malinvestment as the result of cheap money! Read Drilling Our Way Into Oblivion
Everyone claims “exclusiveness” when they feel threatened. People are just like that.
But most Europeans hate Slavs too.
It’s because they also feel threatened by them somehow.
Doesn’t even matter if they’re of same religion with slavs.
Greeks, Romanians also HATE Slavic peoples. They are good Machiavellits, and will not admit it at times when they need the help of Slavic nations, but deep down they REALLY HATE SLAVS.
It’s just the way it is.
“The British oil industry, ” on the verge of collapse” by falling prices and Chevron abandoned strategic projects”
http://www.elespiadigital.com/index.php/noticias/historico-de-noticias/7834-la-industria-petrolera-britanica-qal-borde-del-colapsoq-por-la-caida-de-los-precios-y-chevron-abandona-proyectos-estrategicos
I highly recommend the writings of this blogger, an astute and highly informed observer (and past participant) in the international scene:
http://blogs.rediff.com/mkbhadrakumar/2014/12/20/talbott-declares-war-in-chechnya/
The new Captcha works fine for me.
Click in the box,next a verify box appears.
If you do not like the words,use the reload clockwise symbol,one or two words will appear.
Click on verify and if you interpreted correctly you will get a green tick.
Then click on the submit button.
cheers.
Strobe Talbott, a scholar and former political actor in the state department, is a person known for his arrogance, while the helm of responsibility. Here is one true episode of this. In 1997,duringthe Nagorno-Karabakh conflict negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, US State department was pressuring Armenia to accept a solution which would put Karabagh back under Azerbaijani domination, with the status of internal autonomy. Had Armenia accepted such a proposed solution, the Armenian Karabakh of more than three thousand years old would have disappeared and its Armenian population scattered around the world. This suicidal solution was proposed by the American negotiators in order to secure their oil interests with Azerbaijani government. Certainly Armenians did not give in to the American pressures. Stobe Talbott is reported to have made a statement in the following terms: ‘We have to break the back of Armenia, so they know that they have to act according to American interests’. You can judge yourself the arrogance of such US officials.
The AZ’s have been at this for a long time. Using the same tactics they are using now. Lies and mainstream media..
The war for “Cuba’s freedom” was really all about controlling Asia.
“It is arguable that the Spanish-American War was perhaps the most pointless war in the history of the United States. Although it was not known at the time, the war was not truly fought for territory, for markets, for principle, or even for honor. Rather, it began because William Randolph Hearst, editor of the popular New York Journal sought sensational material to print.”
The totally lopsided war ended in August, after just 3 and 1/2 months. But not before the war’s most important instigator, Teddy Roosevelt, stepped down from his position and volunteered to “fight”. The grand-standing clown served just long enough to build his resume as a “war hero”. His mythical achievements as the fearless, horse-mounted leader of the “The Rough Riders” and “hero of San Juan Hill” would be hyped by the very same Yellow Press which propagandized for the phony war in the first place. In reality, the Battle of San Juan Hill was only a minor skirmish, fought on foot, in which Americans outnumbered Spaniards 15-1!
TR waged a brutal war against the ex-Spanish colony of the Philippines. During TR’s war of aggression, 5,000 Americans and 20,000 Filipinos were killed, with as many as 100,000 more natives dying of disease. This was the Philippine independence movement’s reward for rising up against Spain, based on America’s empty promises. The formerly Spanish-speaking natives were then converted to the English language, which they speak to this day.
In 1903, irritated by Colombia’s request for better terms for what was to become the Panama Canal, TR ordered a fake revolution in Colombia. The result was the newly formed puppet state of Panama. Colombia got screwed out of lease payments!
Yes, indeed. TR did quite a bit of damage to America and, by extension, the world; and none of it would have been possible were it not for the Spanish-American War which created him, after he created it.
An imperialistic American/NWO naval foothold was established in the Pacific (Philippines, Guam, Hawaii). Without which, the 1905 undermining of Tsarist Russia, the 1930’s U.S. influence over China, and the associated harassment and provocation of Japan (World War II) would not have been possible.
http://www.tomatobubble.com/span_am_war.html
BTW, I think you’ll find a significant number of people really think the US is more of a threat to world peace than Russia is. Not that you’d know it from the media and Yahoo, but then, who trusts the media nowadays?
Because so many people ask how the general population in Germany/Austria thinks about the current crisis in the Ukraine:
I’m a Serb living in Austria and I can tell you that the Russian position is here supported overwhelmingly. This is not only true for the comment section in media that is consumed by the masses, but also for media that targets the so called elite.
The media coverage on the other hand is a mix of Pro-Ukrainian, neutral and sometimes even Pro-Russian, but still all Pro-Ukrainian comments get hammered with downvotes where ever you look. The difference to Germany is that the Austrian government wants to be neutral and keep its good relations with Russia, therefore they do not close comment sections or censor them like they do it in Germany. So I’d say that in Austria it’s something like 75% (or even slightly more) against any sanctions and a small minority (higher educated, higher income) supporting them.
When I look at German media I see the exact same thing where they didn’t close/censor comments – but it’s obvious that here the government has a different stance and wants to suppress the Pro-Russian position. And while the media coverage in Austria is not completely Pro-Ukrainian, in Germany it is to the extreme. You see a constant flow of outright lies and misrepresentations and propaganda pushed in a very aggressive language.
German media doesn’t yet call Russians subhumans, but I really wonder if that could happen in the future. (some articles really bordered on that) So the German elite definitely has to pay a price, no matter how this crisis plays out, since their elites work very hard on creating a racist tendency towards Russians within their population.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article40526.htm
Tony Cartalucci details how US NGOs are setting up to attack Iran & Russia.
Putin, once again is very clear and understands the whole plan:
My post in which I mentioned some numbers about “Hatred of Russia in various countries” has drawn some flak. First of all, I would be delighted if I am wrong. I do not want to see anyone hating Russia, or any other country for that matter. Secondly, my numbers were of course unscientific quantification (I have enough statistical training to pretend otherwise). All I intended was to drive home the point that hatred of Russia has been – alas – a recurrent theme in western countries and that some countries are worse than others in this regard. Having observed this phenomenon – from a study of history, international diplomacy, cultural idioms and prejudices, and of course from our present day “mass media of mind control” – I cannot pretend that the problem does not exist. It exists, it is a real problem, it is an old and deep-rooted problem – and it is a problem that Russian leaders need to be aware of if they are to succeed in leading Russia out of this mess.
Look at it another way: the Chinese are also not much loved in the west. However, there is a qualitative difference in the hatred that the west bears for Russia and the one towards China. Towards Russia, there seems to be a definite attitude of contempt; towards China, only a fear of their rising economy. I think the answer lies in three directions. Firstly, the Chinese, as a people and as a state, don’t give a hoot for what the west thinks about them. They do what they need to do. Russia is perpetually performing circus tricks to win over the west’s heart, earning only more contempt in the process. Secondly, China has been an economic star performer and they take counsel from no one, while Russia has been a laggard seeking counsel and approval from the west all the time. Thirdly – and most importantly – China and the Chinese people – have transitioned through different politico-economic state structures seamlessly and without losing their Chinese identity, while Russia almost lost its state and soul when it abandoned communism and Russians today are still trying to define what it means to be Russian. If you don’t know who you are and what you want to be, the international market and the international political jungle will eat you up in no time. You will be hated in the way that a predator hates a prey trying to escape.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0MgZgKgl7N8
WWIII – The Calm Before The Storm
http://www.globalresearch.ca/what-putin-is-not-telling-us-the-raid-on-the-ruble-was-supposed-to-be-a-checkmate-its-not/5420985
http://landdestroyer.blogspot.be/2014/12/the-impending-russian-maidan.html
I agree with Stavros at 04:49 – the two ‘pillars’ of political theory in the US have a pragmatic reason for sounding their alarms – they want to be on the side that is going to succeed.
I would also highly doubt that percentage of Russia-haters in the US. The squeaky wheel gets the oil, and all polling practices are suspect here. It does not compute that the increasing majority of voters – who know both parties and the press are lying to them and who voted in overwhelming numbers for Obama for the right reasons the first time around (as all the world too looked upon him with such hope) – are duped into hating Russia.
The US media is NOT the US citizenry. (By the way, I’ve liked the new CAPTCHA so far.)
Georgia would be ill-advised to try another stupid trick like they did back in 2008 with that little creep Sakashvilli.
Some AmeriKans still think Russia was the one who started it, but then again, some mouth-breathing brain morons still think Iraq had WMD and was at least partially responsible for 9/11.
Farflungstar
Zio Occupied AmeriKa
Once Nazi, today Natoist
Popular joke asks why there has not been a revolution in Washington.
The answer: There is no American Embassy there.
Russia should stop any cooperation on Afghanistan, stop providing transport for the Nato troops there and also leave the sanctions against Iran and instead provide them with air-defence missiles. The same with Syria b.t.w.
Nic
EU has been created to fight and to attack Russia.
EU is a new Hitler in disguise.
I am a citizen of an European country and I have renounced my country because of this neo-Nazi politics of Europe towards Russia on behalf of Anglo-Zionists.
Russia is a victim, Russia has been many times a victim on the hand of Europe.
Brief rundown on fifth columnists and their backers: familiar faces and names –
http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-impending-russian-maidan-us-sponsored-regime-change-initiative-in-the-russian-federation/5421059
When I was a kid my favourite scary flick was “Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein”, where one of the main characters was Mr. Talbot (acted by Lon Chaney, Jr.), a rabid werewolf at the sight of a full moon. A “t” more or less, Putin’s Russia or full moon…
Look no further than the British Propaganda Corporation, AKA BBC, for an exercise in not exactly subtle russophobic propaganda.
Spewed forth on December 17 and 18:
“Is Putin to blame for the plunging rouble?” Accompanied by picture of Putin’s face cropped to remove the mouth and to look as ‘out of it’ and as unflattering as possible:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30539355
“But in reality the war and the rouble crisis could have been avoided”
Cleverly, nowhere does the author state how he feels the war in Ukraine could have been avoided:
Count the errors, omissions and spin and recognise that Ben Judah is a card-carrying Russophobe.
Note below how the headline “Russian President Putin: ‘We are not the aggressor’ “, is accompanied by a picture of Putin showing teeth and with a raised fist. Not exactly subtle this propaganda is it?
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-30528059
And this one is sickening with its condescending deception and smear, particularly the ending ‘Empire’ meme that is MSM echo-chambered everywhere:
The Russians fighting a ‘holy war’ in Ukraine
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30518054
Check out Ben Judah’s Twitter
https://twitter.com/b_judah
He writes for The Economist. Enough said. Honestly now, is there a more rabidly anti Russia publication than The Economist?
1. The west wants Russia only as a provider of CHEAP hydrocarbon energy.
2. Russia has a bigger nuclear arsenal than all of Nato put together.
3.Putin should “turn the table” at USA and the west. In stead of them saying: “abandon Donbass/Novorossia, abandon Crimea and maybe we will lift the sanctions”, Putin should say: “Abandon the Kiev-hunta and the sanctions or we will libarate not only Novorossia but all land east of the Dnepr too”. and then immediately recognise Donbass AND Novorossia and give them enough help so they can get liberated!
NEW!
If Saker can find time, maybe look into this further to see if it’s a decent translator, but also does it work on other files?
In the preview version, it worked with English and Spanish speakers. Skype hears the callers speaking, translates their words into text, and then audibly speaks the text into the correct language for the other person in real time. And here’s a neat fact: each person will hear the text in the correct accent of the other speaker.
It is hopeful that this service will be especially beneficial to schools all over the world.
http://news.filehippo.com/2014/12/skype-can-now-translate-video-calls/
CZECH JEWS SLAM GOVERNMENT INVITE TO PUTIN FOR HOLOCAUST CEREMONY–
“Jews criticize overture to regime that ‘doesn’t respect international treaties, is aggressive and uses its power to occupy the territory of a neighboring state.’”
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/1.633056?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Hmmmmm
Last time I heard…
Israel doesn’t respect international treaties.
Israel is aggressive and uses its power to occupy the territory of a neighboring state.
Regards,
Carmel by the Sea
To Stavros: Yes. We get it. Most “real Americans” want the AZ-Empire destroyed so that America can live and be redeemed. And “Real Americans” don’t wish to see Russia or Russians harmed. This in spite of years of AZ propaganda. Most of it to confuse Americans on the basis of Soviet vs. Russia construct. We are learning to see the difference.
Strobe Talbott is another outed traitor to America and the Constitution. Tick-tock.
That’s precisely what I said. America is a great country that has contributed a lot to world civilization. If the American people could boot out the neocons and the plutocrats (mind you, every country on the face of the earth must get rid of its plutocrats, not just the USA) and the interventionist libertarians, then that would be the best for America and the planet.
I suppose it just struck me-Putin saying at q and a USA is a phenomena(if live translation of the session was accurate) -meaning in his eyes something just observable but transitory……? but also in Kantianism philosophy, “a thing as it appears to and is constructed by the mind” …………..= illusory/delusionary?
That is a very interesting point and shrewd point to make. Could you expand on it a bit more though?
Dear Saker,
This childish article by Strobe Talbott is nothing just another confirmation that this world tyranny is run by the primitive and at the same time very canny thugs just check the comments under his article.
It reminds me the time immediately after US attack on Iraq and the internet suddenly was flooded with the articles against French / don’t buy any French cheese, any French products we will destroy them by this / because the French refused to participate in the invasion lead by the US and Empire.
As we know today it was the right decision on the French side as it is obvious, because it was based just on the lies. Same story again and again and the world population is having a good laugh how these desperate monsters are just simply exposing themselves by writing these type of articles.
Concerning Ivan’s comment:
“1) A cornered US might do insane things. “
Things *always* get worse with persons that have an abusive personality regardless if the abused person “behaves” or not.
If it looks like an abuser and acts like an abuser then it should be treated like a person with an abusive mentality—–no excuses regardless of their personal history-
Perhaps a breakthrough with South Stream after all:
https://deepresource.wordpress.com/2014/12/21/south-stream-revived/
Kind regards,
Dutch
BTW said, in comparing the West’s attitude toward Russia and China, “Russia is perpetually performing circus tricks to win over the west’s heart, earning only more contempt in the process.”
In a similar vein, Anonymous 19:29 said, “Putin should turn the table on the USA and the west. Instead of them saying: ‘abandon Donbass/Novorossia, abandon Crimea and maybe we will lift the sanctions’, Putin should say: ‘Abandon the Kiev-hunta and the sanctions or we will libarate not only Novorossia but all land east of the Dnepr too’.”
I agree. I would go a step further an say Putin should bang his shoe on the table. Krushchev sure got the message across. Putin’s been called “the leader of the moral world” by Paul Craig Roberts, but the moral world is shrinking, indeed fast disappearing. Putin needs to catch up. He remains the most dignified, intelligent and powerful leader in the world. But this only means he could and should do more to bring a halt to Western atrocities. Putin would have greater influence and power in the world if he challenged the West head-on. He would be helping the world as a whole, since the heinous crimes such as those in Donbass would finally come to an end.
For a list of websites with information on Novorossiya, see
https://www.skankworks.net/novorossia-linkage/
See also
http://quemadoinstitute.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/tragedy-of-donbass-the-saddest-episode-in-modern-history/
People are over-reading the East-West dialectic. America is the recalcitrant power. Russia and China are poised to assume greater stature within the IMF –all at America’s expense. The so-called AZ’s think they have enough fire power to go rogue. But you can’t beat the bankers because it’s their history to be run as they see fit. Meanwhile Putinism has run a bit off the rails with romantic palpitations. He’s not going to purge the Atlanticists because they are his human bridge to BIS-IMF promotion. The bankers don’t like sovereignty, flag-waving, all that swelling breast stuff. They’re internationalists. So that Mother Russia shtick will be flattened a bit in time. -NB
Capitalism can’t really work without central banking. During the 19th century, the US did not have a central bank and suffered multiple crises as a result. The European countries did have central banks and were far more stable.
There is a more than comprehensive analysis of this on a blog named: critiqueofcrisistheory.com
Ah ah ah… Hi. I’ve just read that:
SONY Hack.
Hacking Collective Anonymous Says FBI Is Lying, “North Korea Is Not Source Of Hack”
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-12-21/hacking-collective-anonymous-says-fbi-lying-north-korea-not-source-hack
My knowledge of economics pretty much is limited to balancing my checkbook
But why wont Russia institute capital controls to prevent speculators from crashing the Russian economics as an act of what is obviously an economic war declared by the West against Russia
Put a lid on the hot money parasites
http://tonyortega.org/2014/02/27/is-ukraines-proposed-new-prime-minister-a-scientologist-says-his-niece-thats-crap/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VT085isnyB0
Dear Saker: Re your penultimate observation: “Neither side will back down and only one will prevail. And my money is not on the US, neither is Talbott’s, at least now deep down. He must realize that the writing is on the wall.”
While I agree with your post generally, I hope you are not expecting a US economic collapse as a deus ex machina. There have been episodes of 10-15% inflation and interest rates under Carter, the Savings and Loan collapse under Clinton, the tech-bubble collapse somewhere in the middle (I tend to lose count), plus the most recent housing-bubble in 2007. The US has weathered them all, although they’ve often caused a change from one party to another in the next election (tweedledee to tweedledum). I live near the belly of the beast, with many family and neighborhood connections to the deep state, indeed worked for it 45 years, the last 20 as a contractor. There is no trepidation anywhere I can see that the US will collapse economically. The Government knows it can simply issue more money. (It buys Treasury notes/bills in the open market, and pays for them with an entry in a Federal Reserve Bank account, created out of nothing.) As long as inflation can be kept within 10% or so for a year or two, the system will survive and perpetuate itself, Russia is faced with a long war. Something like the 30-year war, the 100-year war, even the Mongol yoke, which it will have to endure, until better times, until the end of the age.
What will be the counter to the latest round of US/Canuck sanctions?
I think the Russians should say: only rubles for oil/gas sales. Force the Eurotards to choose.
What will be the counter to the latest round of US/Canuck sanctions?
I think the Russians should say: only rubles for oil/gas sales. Force the Eurotards to choose. Current contracts be damned
The West will not destroy Russia through economic shenanigans
You will help us de dollarize or freeze
In reply to BTW- I am from the UK and I am by no means disposed to give any ‘free passes’ to my fellow citizens (I think they are extremely ignorant generally of true world history and of what is really happening in the world and, even more condemnably mostly don’t even care). HOWEVER I have to say that I totally disagree that 75 percent of people ‘hate Russia and Russians’-one of the only good signs I have consistently got , not just in conversations with people but also from looking at comments on major UK newspapers etc, is that the hysterical ‘Putin=Hitler/the Devil’ propaganda has had remarkably little effect. Of those who do exhibit genuine ‘Russophobia’ I’d say that its mostly young, university educated people (the group I, unfortunately fall into!) and of these its mostly homosexuals, hyper liberals and non-whites who have a paranoid and over the top hatred of Russia/lap up all the scare propaganda. The public in general, ESPECIALLY the ‘man/woman on the street’ (who is fed up with the EU/US dominance, who hates the EU and mass immigration and increasingly admires Putin for his actions which are perceived as ‘standing up’ to the international bankster criminals/culture wrecking Zionists) is fairly ‘pro Putin’ certainly much more so than Cameron or any other world leader (although there are still a lot of people, especially silly middle aged Boomers, who feel they must excessively praise Obama, no doubt solely on account of his skin colour as they can never actually give any REASONS for admiring the wretch!). All Russians please understand, our press/media have been hijacked/sold out and do NOT represent/rub off on the working class men and women, most Brits do not hate Russia but we DO hate the EU, US and the Zionists as well as our own, degenerate and insane liberal elite and their pet nightmare ‘multiculturalism’!
Excellent post mate.
In matter of fact, I am also getting the same vibe over those who hate Russia and Putin. At least in the English speaking world. It is mainly uber liberals, gays, and people from non European ancestry who perversely see in Putin and a strong Russia some kind of white supremacism. It is that stupid, yet it exists. In other, equally stupid (if not more) countries some people hate Russia because they think that Russia is the bastion of communism!Laugh at it all you want but the lack of any kind of knowledge amongst the population is frightening indeed. It’s as if the last thirty years did not happen for many people. In fact, the CIA wholly takes advantage of this stupidity and presents an image of Russia that is specifically designed to rile a particular target audience.
Now, for those people who were losing their shit when the ruble plummeted for a couple of days, I have already posted the Bloomberg link in which the Chinese Prime Minister declares that China is willing to provide money to Russia if need be. Now, even a mainstream publication such as the Financial Times runs an article that clearly states that Russia is in no danger of defaulting for the simple reason that she is a net creditor to the rest of the world, and that is without the Central Bank reserves, the government reserves, the separate corporations reserves as well as the income streaming inside the country from exports (diminished as they may be due to the temporary collapse in the price of oil)
You can find the article on Russia Insider.
Another thing that I think is worth mentioning-and that I feel frequently gets left out of such discussions-is the fact that Russia has many’friends’ on both the so-called ‘far right’ and the ‘far left’ of politics in Europe. People like Nigel Farage, Alexis Tsipras, Marine Le pen and others-whose once marginal parties are now beggining to steadily eclipse the old ‘established’ parties which brought us subservience to the US, mass immigration, destruction of our values, breakdown of culture etc. The Europeans (at least in many countries) are suddenly turning to ‘extremes’ (more on the right-wing than the left it must be said) and one BIG hope Russia has is that non-interventionist, anti-US and anti-mass immigration parties such as UKIP, FN, Golden Dawn , Jobbik, PVV etc do well in forthcoming elections, which all polls show they will. Bar some major false flag/coup (which would still badly damage the Wests reputation and render any resulting regime highly unstable) I dont see how the Western elite-who still depend on the ‘sham’ of democracy-can escape from the fact that the parties whihc may soon govern some of Europe’s most important countries will be (relatively) Russophile, opposed to Israel’s war in the middle east, and against the cultural/racial confusion spread by the Zionists by means of which they can govern an ignorant and divided population and get away with all the crimes (against Russia and others) that they have done so far. The people are waking up! (tick-tock tick-tock Messrs Cameron, Hollande, Blair, Papandreou etc!)
BTW @ 21 December, 2014 18:27
“I cannot pretend that the problem does not exist.”
Why do you posit that what exists is a problem?
I like this attitude:
“3.Putin should “turn the table” at USA and the west. In stead of them saying: “abandon Donbass/Novorossia, abandon Crimea and maybe we will lift the sanctions”, Putin should say: “Abandon the Kiev-hunta and the sanctions or we will libarate not only Novorossia but all land east of the Dnepr too”. and then immediately recognise Donbass AND Novorossia and give them enough help so they can get liberated!”
My two cent overview. It appears Mr. Putin never got the office memo sent by the west or ignored it. That memo read that all Russian resources were to be gifted to western oligarchs in return of payoff to Russian elites if they behave. Apparently Mr. Putin believes that the Russian people deserve at least some small benefit from the resources they live adjacent to. Mr. Putin by expression of these beliefs as exemplified through deeds and actions limiting those benefits to the people is therefore not a true Russian nationalist but rather seeking accommodation with the western oligarchy. This will not work out and his regime will fall unless it becomes a true nationalist movement representing the rank and file citizenry. The rich and powerful in the west have eyed up the resources of Russia as now belonging to themselves after the Yeltsin years and mean to have them. Any halfhearted ploy by the Putin regime to try and reach an accommodation as the more economically strong Chinese oligarch are striving for will end in disaster. All or nothing is the nuance I am trying to convey but I don’t think Mr. Putin as an elite is a man of the people in true essence.
Question of the Year?
Has the EU figured out they have committed financial suicide by sanctioning Russia
UK, French, German Citizens Wish to See EU Policy More Independent From US
According to the poll conducted by ICM Research, 62 percent of Germans think that Brussels should become more independent from Washington, while 38 percent of French citizens and 39 percent of Britons share the same opinion.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
We are ready to issue necessary permits to build the South Stream pipeline — with the blessings of the EU Bulgaria has a change of heart
Bulgaria is ready to issue all the necessary permits for the construction of the South Stream pipeline, according to Prime Minister Boyko Borisov. He said it will up to Gazprom whether the pipeline is built or not.
Borisov said he has the full support and understanding of the European Union and that Bulgaria is not in the wrong and should not suffer financial consequences for stopping the project, the Bulgarian news agency BGNES reports.
Bulgaria was set to reap $600 million per year in transit fees, and investment on the Buglarian side was estimated at 3.5-4 billion euros.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
A little late by 3 weeks, so Stick the permits in a very dark closet.
= = = = =
A video interview with Dr. Paul Craig Roberts
Russia will be fine.
Is Ruble Collapse an Act of War-Paul Craig Roberts
Former Assistant Treasury Secretary Dr. Paul Craig Roberts thinks the only thing that explains the plunge in the Russian ruble is that it is being attacked by America. Roberts contends, “It is not a currency crash in the sense there are no economic reasons for the ruble’s fall. Unlike the United States, which has a massive trade deficit, and if the currency markets were not rigged, the dollar would be collapsing, the Russian economy has a trade surplus. Therefore, there is no pressure on its currency for economic conditions.” Dr. Roberts goes on to say, “This is not some independent action of market forces. So, it’s either hedge funds, currency speculators like Soros, or it’s an Act of War on behalf of the United States government by the Federal Reserve or the Exchange Stabilization Fund. . . or possibly both hedge funds working with the federal government.”
= = = = = =
Sanctions on Russia and Crimea? How stupid!
Why is the UK government still occupying the Falklands? How very far away from London are the islands? Why did they go to war for some mini bits of terra off the coast of Argentina?
How about that lease for Gitmo?
I believe it was no accident that the ruble crisis started in earnest on Dec. 15.
The day Russia was to test their SWIFT alternative.
Did that test go forth?
To anonymous@22:55
Are you talking about a bankers who own the wallpaper type non stop printed money which already has NO VALUE?
If yes, then you have a very GOOD sense of humor
@ there is a qualitative difference in the hatred that the west bears for Russia and the one towards China. Towards Russia, there seems to be a definite attitude of contempt.
“Jews criticize overture to regime that ‘doesn’t respect international treaties, is aggressive and uses its power to occupy the territory of a neighboring state.’”
China is in a better position than Russia in the hierarchy of Jewish hatreds because it never reached the status of the mythological invented eternal enemy of the Jewwwws, the Gogmagog scarecrow from the land of Rosh!
Hey, FWIW, I’m an American and I love Russians. Really nice people. I just wish I spoke your language better!
Really sorry about this asshole of a “government” we have. It’s not really a government. The bankers high-jacked our country back in 1871. Things ramped up when the CIA killed our President Kennedy, who was going to fix all this. Then the head of our CIA criminal organization, George H W Bush, became President and things went crazy.
Our own government attacked us on 9/11 to give them an excuse to spread the Rothschild bank into the Middle East. We didn’t know the plan, because the American people are kept within one of the most effective propaganda networks in the world, second maybe to Israel. Literally everything on TV is a lie. Many people here thought Iraq attacked us.We’re being held hostage here, you see. Kept within a false reality that lies to us about the world.
I hope to see these criminals in prison very soon so they will stop hurting people. Then we can all be good friends. And maybe we could crank up some of that Tesla technology and get us off of oil!
Horasho!
@ Seward,
Q: …the US has weathered them all.
R: Looking at the [preliminary] end result today, I have to disagree with you. The top 1% has done remarkably well. The middle class? All but wiped out. Through all those man made hiccups, wealth has shifted upward so that the gap between what’s left of the middle class and the aforementioned higher echelons is 6 times bigger than before.
I do agree with the notion that the US fights dirty and so should PM Putin.
No [French] warships and more sanctions? Fine. We’ll pay back loans [and whatever else] once the ruble has bounced back.
Once Nazi, today Natoist
This kind of news Anglo-Zionist media don’t give publicity, they hide it from the public.
When certain news suit them no matter how much is irrelevant but in hope that will damage the Russian interest, they will publish in every single their newspaper.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Police in Germany found a private nuclear-proof bunker made by a man who says he feared an attack from Russia. At least 140 different weapons were found in his “atomic safe” facility where he was planning to hide with his family.
The 59-year old electrician has been arrested on charges of storing illegal weapons and explosives which he hid in his self-made bunker near his house in Kelheim municipality in Bavaria, southeastern Germany,
All in all police confiscated 80 rifles, 60 handguns, two submachine guns, 20,000 rounds of ammunition and about 40 kilograms of substances for explosives production, said State Criminal Police Office (LKA).
The court of Regensburg, a nearby city, said the man failed to provide any legal permit for his arsenal.
The electrician managed to cement the weapons in the floor of his “atomic safe shelter” and made 40-centimeter-thick walls.
The man, identified only as Max S. by Germany’s Bild newspaper, told police that he wanted to protect his family from possible nuclear attacks. According to the media outlet, he had 12 children………
http://rt.com/news/208071-germany-weapons-man-russia/
History, people don’t know their history!!!
One of the major catastrophe’s of the 2 world wars was the loss of historical and cultural identity and knowledge.
This is worldwide – never have there been so many people on the earth knowing so little!
We need a greater, deeper understanding of the religious, cultural and spiritual history of Germany, and Europe, Russia and China for instance, to understand and appreciate fully what is happening now.
As for Russia-racism, terrible ignorance and fear/hatred and for which I believe we will pay the very high price for in time.
I live in the UK too and swim against the tide of this blighted nation. This Christmas I will visit the Russian orthodox church and experience their religious festival celebrations and ritual. A new experience!
Greetings to all the marvellous Saker community who keep me informed with news and thoughts and links and more.
Nato-Nazi propaganda from The New York Times
TOGLIATTI, Russia — Ladas are the family cars that Russians love to hate.
Loathed as outmoded rattletraps, they have long inspired more punch lines than passion: How many people does it take to drive a Lada? Four; one to steer and three to push.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/22/world/trying-to-save-russias-punch-line-of-a-car.html
Why doesn’t the Russian government close down RIA Novosti?
This article described something about “freedom” and “democracy” in Poland. Worth of reading:
http://www.thenation.com/article/193089/anniversary-or-apathy
Anniversary of apathy? I depends on are you part of tiny 5-10% group of secured or are you those in servitude.
Banderastan collapsing:
Transit workers in Kyiv began strike action on Dec. 18, demanding payment of their wages.
They have not been paid for several months. Union leader Vitaly Mahinko told Ukrainian media on Dec. 18 that the strike will expand in the coming days. (Russian-language news report here.)
The Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine is demanding an urgent meeting between Prime Minister Yatsenyuk and representatives of national trade unions. The FTUU is the largest union federation in Ukraine.
Its president, Grigory Osovoy, says the unions in Ukraine are angry with government policy that “makes people poor and turns them into applicants for state welfare benefits”.
The Federation says will hold a general strike on December 23 if its concerns are not met. Osovy explained:
http://russia-insider.com/en/2014/12/21/2092?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
In Odessa, southern Ukraine, workers at a large chemical factory in the area of the port of Odessa are protesting loss of jobs and a threatened privatization of their factory which employs 600 people. The ‘Privat’ group of companies owned by oligarch Igor Kolomoysky is looking to get its hands on the state-owned factory for a song.
It is one of the more profitable enterprises in Ukraine, producing fertilizers and other derivatives of ammonia. It was the largest factory of its kind in the Soviet Union.
The workers are also demanding an end to the economic blockade of the Donbas region because their industry has close economic ties to there and it has lost a lot of work due to the civil war. At a large rally on Dec. 14, workers shouted, ‘No to a blockade! Let us work with Donbass! Let our plant work! Save our jobs! Kolomoysky, hands off the plant!”
Russia is a Creditor to the World – Default Risk Non-existent
Russia is solvent and fully able to pay its debts. The threat of default – sovereign, public, and private – does not exist.
http://russia-insider.com/en/2014/12/22/2104?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook
MH370 was ‘shot down by US military’, claims former French airline boss
A former French airline CEO Marc Dugain claims that the US may have shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 and then covered it up, adding to a rash of conflicting theories about the missing plane.
———
Since late 1970s the world switched over to Jamaican fixed exchange rate or a pegged exchange rate. The currencies were pegged to dollar not backed-up by gold. The world ushered into the era of globalization. Full liberalization of capital operations practiced by the West became an integral part of the process.
The International Monetary Fund-imposed condition to do away with any barriers on the way of cross border capital flows was an important element of the Washington consensus. In the 1990s the West exerted great pressure on the countries situated on the capitalist periphery to make them clear any obstacles on the way of capital movement. They immediately entered the zone of high financial turbulence created by speculators acting under the disguise of «investors». The International Monetary Fund cared little about abrupt exchange rate fluctuations. The financial crisis in South-East Asia in the 1997-1998 happened to be an acid test for the established order.
In the 1997-1998 the countries of South East Asia had to counter the activities of financial speculators acting in accordance with the prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund. They resorted to currency interventions spending the money taken from currency reserves. With the reserves depleted they turned to world lenders. There they had the International Monetary Fund with its sickly and threadbare Washington consensus dragging them into a vicious circle.
All of a sudden one country got out of it. Malaysia led by Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad’ introduced capital controls. It banned currency operations related to cross border capital flows. The measure was a direct challenge to the International Monetary Fund and its backroom owners. Since September 1, 1998 local entrepreneurs were forbidden for a year to take currency and assets out of the country. A one year waiting period was also introduced for foreign portfolio investments to be transferred from Malaysia. The ringgit, the Malaysian national currency, was pegged to the US dollar. By the end of September 1998 the government added more currency controls to return the ringgit from offshore zones. The measures allowed the Malaysian central bank to significantly reduce interest rates without provoking devaluation of national currency. In September 1999 the capital controls were softened, for instance, a one year waiting period on portfolio capital outflows was replaced with a set of graduated exit taxes. In 2002 the capital controls were fully lifted. In 2014 the experts of International Monetary Fund had to admit that the measures introduced those days allowed Malaysia to accumulate currency reserves during a period of ringgit stability to trigger the economic recovery. Some time had passed and the Malaysian economic success made pale the performance of its neighboring countries facing economic hardships as a result of their consent to follow the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund.
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2014/12/22/capital-controls-global-experience.html
MH370 was ‘shot down by US military’, claims former French airline boss
A former French airline CEO Marc Dugain claims that the US may have shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 and then covered it up, adding to a rash of conflicting theories about the missing plane.
———
Since late 1970s the world switched over to Jamaican fixed exchange rate or a pegged exchange rate. The currencies were pegged to dollar not backed-up by gold. The world ushered into the era of globalization. Full liberalization of capital operations practiced by the West became an integral part of the process.
The International Monetary Fund-imposed condition to do away with any barriers on the way of cross border capital flows was an important element of the Washington consensus. In the 1990s the West exerted great pressure on the countries situated on the capitalist periphery to make them clear any obstacles on the way of capital movement. They immediately entered the zone of high financial turbulence created by speculators acting under the disguise of «investors». The International Monetary Fund cared little about abrupt exchange rate fluctuations. The financial crisis in South-East Asia in the 1997-1998 happened to be an acid test for the established order.
In the 1997-1998 the countries of South East Asia had to counter the activities of financial speculators acting in accordance with the prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund. They resorted to currency interventions spending the money taken from currency reserves. With the reserves depleted they turned to world lenders. There they had the International Monetary Fund with its sickly and threadbare Washington consensus dragging them into a vicious circle.
All of a sudden one country got out of it. Malaysia led by Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad’ introduced capital controls. It banned currency operations related to cross border capital flows. The measure was a direct challenge to the International Monetary Fund and its backroom owners. Since September 1, 1998 local entrepreneurs were forbidden for a year to take currency and assets out of the country. A one year waiting period was also introduced for foreign portfolio investments to be transferred from Malaysia. The ringgit, the Malaysian national currency, was pegged to the US dollar. By the end of September 1998 the government added more currency controls to return the ringgit from offshore zones. The measures allowed the Malaysian central bank to significantly reduce interest rates without provoking devaluation of national currency. In September 1999 the capital controls were softened, for instance, a one year waiting period on portfolio capital outflows was replaced with a set of graduated exit taxes. In 2002 the capital controls were fully lifted. In 2014 the experts of International Monetary Fund had to admit that the measures introduced those days allowed Malaysia to accumulate currency reserves during a period of ringgit stability to trigger the economic recovery. Some time had passed and the Malaysian economic success made pale the performance of its neighboring countries facing economic hardships as a result of their consent to follow the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund.
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2014/12/22/capital-controls-global-experience.html
THIS NEW CAPTCHA THING IS VERY BUGGY!
The Washington Times believes that the US intelligence is concerned over the Russia-Cuba security agreement concluded in May 2014 establishing a joint working group between Russia’s Security Council and the Cuban Commission for National Security and Defense. The newspaper’s article says «The Russia-Cuba agreement was announced May 16 when a memorandum was signed in Moscow U.S. intelligence agency concerns that Russia is taking steps to follow through on plans to conduct strategic nuclear bomber flights over the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea, possibly with the help of Cuba and Venezuela». (5) Additional concern is explained by the fact that Venezuela for the past several years has been extending the main runway at the Maiquetia international airport near Caracas. U.S. officials believe the extension will allow Tu-95 nuclear capable bombers (Bear Hs), possibly equipped with nuclear-armed cruise missiles, to use the airfield. Since a long time ago the United States has been haunted by the nightmare of Russian strategic weapons deployed on Cuban soil. STRATFOR experts have warned that once deployed in Cuba Russian missiles and aviation could paralyze the US economy by blocking the Mexican Gulf – an important cargo transit water pathway.
It means nothing else but stating the Washington’s intent to interfere into Cuba’s internal affairs. The restoration of full diplomatic relations with exchange of missions significantly broadens the opportunities for such meddling.
It’s worth to note that STRATFOR experts use the example of Venezuela, the Cuban nearest and closest ally in the hemisphere, in their assessments of prospects for US-Cuba relationship. They believe that ultimately the Venezuela’s future will rely on global oil prices and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s ability to simultaneously manage unrest on the streets and counter challengers within the government. In fact, several hours after the U.S.-Cuba prisoner swap was announced, Maduro publicly said Venezuela would be willing to improve its stagnant political ties with the United States.
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2014/12/22/cuba-and-us-foreign-policy.html
re “Talbott, … , married to Brooke Shearer, also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a senior aide to Hillary Clinton with links to banks Commission … “
Brooke Shearer died in May 2009. To my knowledge Strobe Talbott has not remarried.
PS: Before Talbott joined the Clinton administration, he had a reputation of being very moderate and conciliatory to the Soviet Union, and to Russia following. O tempore o mores.
well hopefully Minsk is still attainable-23/24 Dec MOSCOW, December 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation on Monday with Presidents of Ukraine and France, Petro Poroshenko and Francois Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Kremlin press service said.
“The leaders exchanged views on issues of the conflict settlement in southeastern Ukraine. They noted with satisfaction that the conflicting parties in the recent days have been observing the ceasefire regime,” the press service said more meetings-23/24 Dec
Chechnya was never the most important factor in the Caucasus. Independent Chechnya would be a landlocked country with the only border not bordering Russia being the mountainous region between Georgia and Chechnya that it good for launching guerrilla warfare but bad for normal transport and trade.
Chechnya was only important for being a base to destabilise Dagestan and Caspian oil transport to Europe that Russian controls with the only other viable option being Iranian backed Nabucco that won’t happen and Georgian passage through Abkhazia that was probably one of the main reasons for the 2008 war.