19 October 2013 — Strategic Culture Foundation
Washington Casts Blame for Expansion of Al-Qaeda on Turkey
19.10.2013 | 00:00 | Dmitry MININ
It is no longer possible to conceal the obvious. The West, in its attempts to remove Bashar al-Asad from power during the years of the war in Syria, has nurtured a force so sinister that its tentacles are now reaching to the Western capitals themselves. Al-Qaeda is at the peak of its influence in the Middle East. In Somalia, the group al-Shabaab has announced its complete merger with this organization. In Libya its members unceremoniously arrested the prime minister, and then let him go. In Yemen al-Qaeda essentially rules entire provinces. In Syria itself, no other serious forces remain which are fighting against the regime…
Bankrupt at Home and Abroad, Syria Shows Washington is a Spent Geopolitical Player
19.10.2013 | 00:00 | Finian CUNNINGHAM
US policy on Syria could be described as «a comedy of errors» if the consequences for human suffering were not so brutal. Having largely created a quagmire of terrorism and lawlessness in Syria through covert insurgency operations over the past two and half years, the US government looks like a hapless Doctor Frankenstein who has lost control of the beast, or should we say beasts…
Obama Engages Iran Sidestepping Detractors
18.10.2013 | 00:00 | Melkulangara BHADRAKUMAR
Below the radar, the tortuous process leading to an Iran nuclear deal may have got under way in Geneva where the two-day talks between the protagonists – P5+1 and Iran – ended on a positive note on Wednesday… However, the problem for the Obama administration is going to be the Congress, because on the Capitol Hill the combined clout of the Israeli and Saudi Arabian lobbies becomes a formidable resistance factor to the idea of conceding anything at all to Iran unless it altogether capped and rolled back its nuclear program…
Performing Play Called US Debt Ceiling Revision
18.10.2013 | 00:00 | Valentin KATASONOV
Another act of the play called US Debt Ceiling Revision is over. It has been performed for many years. For almost three weeks the US budget crisis, that could possibly entail a default, has been the hottest issue on the radar screen… The main idea behind the scenario is that America can and should go on increasing national debt. That is something the grassroots have become accustomed to. The people have been instilled with the idea there is no option and this is the only way out of the financial crisis… Nobody has even discussed the very expediency of raising the debt ceiling at all…
Russia’s Middle Eastern Frontier
17.10.2013 | 00:00 | Nikolai MALISHEVSKI
…Since the beginning of the Arab spring and the aggression against Syria, Qatar has begun to play a key role in America’s anti-Russian plans, as it has: a) colossal gas reserves, in which respect this small country has already surpassed Gazprom, b) a huge fleet of 54 special Q-max and Q-flex ships for transporting liquefied gas, and c) the largest gas field in the world, the Northern field, for which the moratorium on development ends in 2014. Most likely, that is when the deciding battle for Syria will take place and the all-out «gas» attack on Russia will begin…
NATO Steadfast Jazz Exercise – Chill of Cold War
17.10.2013 | 00:00 | Andrei AKULOV
…Exercise «Steadfast Jazz» is the largest in scale NATO training event in seven years to be held from Nov. 2 to 9 in a number of locations across the Alliance with the largest elements being hosted in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. If NATO were ever called on to defend an alliance member, «we have to be prepared for the more high-end of military operations», said U.S. Air Force General Philip Breedlove speaking at a NATO headquarters at Brunssum in the Netherlands on September 18…
Who Will Pay Kyiv’s Bills?
16.10.2013 | 00:00 | Igor ALEXEEV
Germany, an economic growth engine of the European Union and main Euro enthusiast, will soon have to deal with new overdue bills from the East (as if Greece debt was not enough). EU Ukraine Association Agreement will burden the European Union with another financial aid receiver and may herald end of the European welfare state…
Canadian Intelligence Working in the Interests of the U.S.
16.10.2013 | 00:00 | Nil NIKANDROV
The «quiet Canadians», unlike the «quiet Americans» from intelligence agencies, are rarely caught red-handed when performing their duties. However, recently Canadian ambassador Jamal Khokhar was summoned to the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations. Following the instructions of President Dilma Rousseff, Foreign Minister Luiz Alberto Figueiredo voiced a protest against the activities of Canadian intelligence agencies on the territory of Brazil. Using a special program called Olympia, the Communications Security Establishment Canada monitored the content of telephone calls and electronic correspondence of employees of leading ministries. The Canadians, according to O Globo television exposés, even spied on the oil company Petrobras…
NSA’s Global Economic Intelligence Net
15.10.2013 | 00:00 | Wayne MADSEN
…A classified NSA slide released by Snowden reveals the United States cannot determine whether the following countries are «friends, enemies, or problems». Included on the NSA list are Brazil, Egypt, India, Iran, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkey, and Yemen. As has been seen in the past, when it comes to spying on economic secrets, NSA only sees American «interests», not allies or friends, even among its Five Eyes partners…
Central Africa: UN Responds to CAR Tragedy
15.10.2013 | 00:00 | Andrei AKULOV
NATO went beyond the UN resolution 1973 in Libya, ignoring the Russia’s and China’s warnings about the consequences. The NATO’s intervention spurred a domino-like effect across Africa. It affects one nation after another – Somalia, Mali, Kenya, and now – the CAR… A dangerous chain reaction has been started. The hand of West-inspired Al Qaeda lurks behind Seleka rebellion in Central African Republic…
The OPCW wins Nobel by default
14.10.2013 | 00:00 | Melkulangara BHADRAKUMAR
…The high probability is that Obama may not launch a military attack on Syria. The main reason for that is the strong aversion to wars in the American public opinion. That in turn poses a moral challenge to the Nobel committee in Stockholm: Isn’t it about time the Peace Prize is awarded to the anti-war American lobby that has finally succeeded in creating such a compelling public opinion that the US political establishment is forced to pay heed to? The time may have come to honor Noam Chomsky.
Iranian Nuclear Problem: Does it Have Solution?
14.10.2013 | 00:00 | Nikolai BOBKIN
…The next round of Geneva talks devoted to the Iran’s nuclear program is slated to take place on October 15-16… It is expected that Tehran will agree to stop the uranium enrichment at 20%, because, as the Iranians admit themselves, what they have in storage already exceeds the national requirements… It is also expected Iran will agree to more thorough and comprehensive inspections by the inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in comparison with the checks the IAEA experts have conducted until recently. Talking about the prospects for the closure of Fordu uranium enrichment facility, this concession is excluded: it goes beyond the limits of what is acceptable and would send a wrong message to demonstrate that Iran admits it has suffered a defeat instead of sticking to more flexible diplomacy…
Obscuring the Details: A Panoramic Look at America’s Case Against Syria
13.10.2013 | 00:00 | Mahdi Darius NAZEMROAYA
The US strategy in Syria is that of an indirect war of attrition. America loses the conflict in Syria if either combating side in Syria wins. The US government and Israel want the fighting in Syria to continue as long as possible between all combating sides. Washington and Tel Aviv do not want to see anyone coming out totally victorious. This is even acknowledged by US analysts with high-level ties to the Pentagon and US government… The real target of the US-led campaign in Syria is the Syrian nation and not merely the government in Damascus. The government could matter less. The US and Israeli objectives in Syria are to crush Syria as a nation-state, even if their own insurgent allies or Syrian National Coalition clients win and form the government in Damascus.
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The New Dark Age 