20 April 2013 — Strategic Culture Foundation
Mediterranean: Winds of Change (I)
20.04.2013 | 11:54 | Andrei AKULOV
…The recent discoveries of enormous oil and gas reserves in the little-explored Mediterranean Sea between Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Israel, Syria and Lebanon suggest that the region could become literally a «new Persian Gulf». But there is a reverse side of the medal. New battles over rights to resources in the Levant Basin and Aegean Sea could spark tensions and military conflicts. Turkey insists the gas must be shared, it has sent ships to back its stance. Syria and Lebanon have their own claims. Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria are also advancing claims to the “Aphrodite” gas field off Cyprus…more
America’s Middle East Initiatives are Stalling Once Again
20.04.2013 | 00:00 | Dmitry MININ
Experts are linking America’s efforts in the Middle East with possible preparations for a Syrian intervention. It has been reported that the US Defense Minister, Chuck Hagel, is to make an «urgent» visit to Israel on 21 April. On 22 April, meanwhile, a meeting is planned between the Israeli delegation and their Turkish colleagues, at which will be discussed «further steps in the reconciliation of both sides». One cannot rule out that following this, somewhere near the end of April-beginning of May, a more active phase of the West’s interference in Syrian affairs will begin with the help of Turkey and Israel…
Boston Marathon Suspects Identified as Chechen Brothers
19.04.2013 | 21:02 | Wayne MADSEN
Although facts about the identities of the two perpetrators of the deadly twin bombing of the Boston Marathon as well as facts surrounding the terrorist bombing, itself, changed practically minute to minute during the episode, federal, state, and municipal authorities identified the bombing suspects as two brothers hailing from a «Russian region near Chechnya»… The Chechen origin and reported military training of the two brothers raises some pointed questions about past U.S. support for the Chechen insurgency and who sponsored the brothers to live in the United States, paid for their college tuition, receive military training abroad, and paid for Tamerlan’s Wai Kru martial arts training in Boston… However, most of the media began resurrecting a slogan from the post-9/11 months: that the Boston marathon bombings represented the «new normal,» that is, that Americans should get used to the idea of living under virtual martial law with the U.S. Constitution representing nothing more than a «quaint piece of paper»…
Tom Donilon Visits Moscow: Prospects for Reset
19.04.2013 | 00:00 | Dmitry MININ
Tom Donilon, the US National Security Advisor, visited Moscow on April 14-15… The visit had been thoroughly prepared and postponed a number of times. Still, the timing was hardly propitious. The Magnitsky bill was signed into law on April 12, 18 Russia citizens will be barred from entering the United States, and their US bank accounts will be frozen… Moscow responded with the same number of people included into the Guantanamo blacklist, including the US citizens forbidden to enter the Russia’s territory for being involved in unlawful detentions abroad, jail tortures, as well as initiators of anti-Russian actions…
Romania: Shale Gas and Geopolitics
19.04.2013 | 00:00 | Vladislav GULEVICH
Twenty Romanian cities have been hit by the protests against the government’s decision to start shale gas extraction… The manifestations have spread to the neighboring Bulgaria. Those who sympathize with the Romanian demonstrators went to the streets of Dobrich, the ninth most populated city in Bulgaria, the administrative centre of Dobrich Province and the capital of the region of Southern Dobrudzha. If shale extraction starts in Romania, the city and its hydro resources will be affected…
Northern Kosovo in the Heat of Geopolitical Battle
18.04.2013 | 00:00 | Pyotr ISKENDEROV
According to Kosovo Albanian sources, Agim Çeku became the main Washington’s proxy as far back as 2006. Tribuna, a Pristina newspaper, said the United States had plans to make him Prime Minister, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, it was Hashim Thaci who took the office. If the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina fails, it’s quite probable the West will do its best to get rid of Thaci and get back to banking on the right hand man who is tried and tested…
Europe Embraces Nord Stream Expansion
18.04.2013 | 00:00 | Igor ALEXEEV
European countries, including the Netherlands, Finland and the United Kingdom expressed their interest in the expansion of Nord Stream. The third and fourth strings of the pipeline enjoy the highest level of political support in Europe. As a result Nord Stream will be the cornerstone of European energy security in the decades to come…
A Pogrom of Offshore Companies, or Operation «Offshore Leaks»
17.04.2013 | 00:00 | Valentin KATASONOV
From the beginning of April this year, the subject of «Offshore leaks» has become a favourite with the world’s media. Even the issue of Cyprus has paled in significance. Loosely speaking, «Offshore leaks» can be defined as the leakage of sensitive information about offshore companies and their clients… We are talking about a planned operation on a global scale. On 4 April, the leading media companies of a variety of countries almost simultaneously issued a sensational news story claiming that an organisation called the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has a rich database on offshore companies and their clients. The overall volume of files at ICIJ’s disposal exceeds 260 gigabytes…
Europe’s Fascist Drift Will Only Benefit Bankers and the Elites
16.04.2013 | 00:00 | Wayne MADSEN
It is ironic that many nations are drifting toward fascism as a result of severe austerity measures imposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and, in the case of Europe, the European Central Bank. The corporate-owned media provides fascist parties like Jobbik in Hungary and Golden Dawn in Greece with massive coverage…
Nicolas Maduro: Hard Won Victory
16.04.2013 | 00:00 | Nil NIKANDROV
The Venezuelan National Election Council (CNE – Consejo Nacional Electoral) has announced the election results. As the forecasts had said, Nicolas Maduro has won. It was a tough fight, Maduro has gained 50.76% of the vote against 49.07% for 40-year-old opposition candidate Henrique Capriles… Does the Maduro’s victory on April 14 guarantee the continuation of Hugo Chavez’s policies aimed at further progress of Bolivarian revolution? Maduro and his supporters exclude anything else. This course is fundamental…
US Boosts Foreign Military Aid to Promote Global Clout
15.04.2013 | 00:00 | Andrei AKULOV
The US return to Asia, boosting the number of exercises and military presence in the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East involvement and drone strikes, the gradual intensification of efforts to reinvigorate the African policy – all are the issues in focus. Training, assisting, and subsidizing armed forces of other countries is another significant aspect of US foreign policy, which is often overlooked or underestimated. But it is an important tool used to strengthen the country’s global clout. The last Quadrennial Defense Review report, which saw light in 2010, puts great emphasis on military-to-military coordination…
Syria’s Civilian Suffering – Western Imperialism Resorts to Medieval Barbarity
14.04.2013 | 00:00 | Finian CUNNINGHAM
There can be no mistake or misunderstanding. Syria is a humanitarian disaster made by the West… And all the while, the Western mainstream media, with their pretentious claims of free-thinking and speech, act as the dutiful fog machine, hiding the facts, blurring reality and choking any questions that might reveal the grotesque obscenity of what the Western regimes are up to…
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The New Dark Age 