7 December 2013 — Strategic Culture Foundation
Euromaidan in Kiev or Poland against Poland War
07.12.2013 | 12:09 | Vladislav GULEVICH
The December 1, 2013 session of Poland’s National Security Council was called by President Bronislaw Komorowski to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Warsaw said it would work out a new strategy defining its policy towards this country under the conditions of «post-Vilnius reality»… The Civil Platform Party led by Prime Minister Donald Tusk and the opposition Law and Justice Party headed by Jaros?aw Kaczy?ski compete in their fervor to express support for the Euromaidan. It strikes the eye that Polish politicians have no strategy to unite them on the issue of Ukraine. The media has already come up with a term for this occasion saying there is a «Poland against Poland political war» going on. It proves that in general terms the West is at crossroads, it urgently needs to work out a definite policy towards Ukraine…
Ukraine, Turkey and America’s Selective Human Rights Rhetoric
07.12.2013 | 00:00 | Chad NAGLE
The US government was quick to condemn its Ukrainian counterpart for the brutality of police in Kiev against pro-European Union demonstrators after the Ukrainian government’s suspension of negotiations on closer association with the EU… Flash back to May and June in Turkey, which, like Ukraine, is also a member of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Over a period of several weeks, police cracked down on crowds of demonstrators many times the size of those in Kiev, using truncheons, water cannon and tear gas, injuring hundreds and ultimately killing half a dozen… The White House and State Department never criticized the Turkish government for heavy-handedness… The vocal negative reaction of the US and EU is almost certainly attributable to geopolitical perceptions still rooted in the outdated mentality of the Cold War. But one thing should be certain: in the wake of the Turkish upheaval of 2013, Washington’s indignation over police brutality – such as what has occurred over the last few days in Kiev – is hollow and phony. It is truly selective, and has nothing to do with human rights…
The Subtext of the Stalled Afghan-US Treaty: Will the US Trade Karzai for the Taliban?
07.12.2013 | 00:00 | Mahdi Darius NAZEMROAYA
2013 is almost over and the US has still not managed to get NATO-garrisoned Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai to sign the Pentagon’s bilateral security agreement. The agreement is vital strategic importance for the US and NATO in respect to having a position amidst the main players in Eurasia. The United States has set December 2014 as its so-called military withdrawal date from NATO-manned Central Asian country. Despite the claims of the US, the Pentagon wants to keep a figure of 20,000 or more military personnel in Afghanistan, retain at least nine bases, and to use Afghan airspace and territory for Pentagon operations in Central Asia and beyond…
Ukraine and the Bigger Picture of US and European Assault on Russia’s Sphere of Influence
06.12.2013 | 08:41 | Finian CUNNINGHAM
Speaking at the NATO headquarters in Brussels this week on the political turmoil in Ukraine, US Secretary of State John Kerry affected an air of neutrality and cautioned against “a bidding war” between the European Union and Russia… And despite Kerry’s caution against a bidding war over the Ukraine, that is exactly what the EU and the US have been waging, and waging aggressively for at least two decades – albeit in low-key fashion. This bidding war is not just aimed at enticing Ukraine into the EU fold, but at cleaving all the former Soviet republics from Russia’s sphere of influence. And it is not just about developing closer commercial ties; the bidding war is a full-on covert war to encircle and undermine Russia as a geopolitical power…
Israel Aims to Sabotage the Geneva Agreement with Iran
06.12.2013 | 00:00 | Dmitry MININ
…A real uprising against the closing of the «Iranian dossier» is brewing in Congress. Both Republicans and Democrats are criticizing Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. For the first time, the administration has come up against the joint efforts of the two most powerful foreign policy lobbies in the U.S. – the pro-Israel lobby and the pro-Arab lobby. The latter is no less active in the U.S. than the former, and is headed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. The Gulf lobby differs from the better-known Jewish lobby in that it spends dozens of times more money on its PR campaigns than Israel…
CIA Given Free Hand in Lithuania
06.12.2013 | 00:00 | Nil NIKANDROV
«Irina» is from Kaliningrad. She was recruited with the help of blackmail and threats. The NTV documentary Call Agent is based on her confession. The film reveals the methods of work employed by the State Security Department of the Republic of Lithuania… The Lithuanian secret service curators tasked «Irina» with gathering information to discredit Lithuanian politicians, entrepreneurs, journalists and diplomats. She conducted her activities under the guidance of former Lithuanian consul in Kaliningrad Mindaugas Jaskevicius and the head of security service Renatas Pyatkus among others. The both men are on the CIA’s payroll… Years have passed since Lithuania became independent but Washington still harbors doubts about political reliability of the country’s political elite…
Vilnius Summit Over, West Opts For Klitschko
05.12.2013 | 09:00 | Natalia MEDEN
The West views Vitaly Klitschko as the next leader of Ukraine. It opts for him; he is the man of the West’s choice… Those who know something about his private life write in their Internet posts that it sounds peculiar to believe that «another clown of the West» who has lived twenty years in Germany and the United States of America will now «rescue Ukraine». It does not matter so much actually. What really matters is his statement that he made out loud for everyone to hear, «We will continue our fight… the days left for Yanukovych to stay in power are numbered», he said it in an interview for a German newspaper. The boxer added there are fights without rules ahead…
Why Is Ukraine Being Stirred Up?
05.12.2013 | 00:00 | Nikolai MALISHEVSKI
Demonstrators in Kiev are blockading the cabinet building, picketing the Rada and seizing state institutions… Looking at these actions, magnified many times by the television screen, many see what is going on in Ukraine as a rehearsal for «Orange Revolution 2». In a certain sense this may be true. However, why is this happening just now?.. Polish political scientists answer the question posed in the title of this article without hesitation. For example, Mateusz Piskorski openly writes that «a certain part of the ‘Ukrainian’ protest was developed and prepared in the United States Embassy in Kiev. This is not even the European Union, but an overseas center of power»…
Russia and Armenia’s Strategic Partnership Given New Impetus
05.12.2013 | 00:00 | Mikhail AGHAJANYAN
On 2 December, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Armenia. The state visit began in the republic’s second largest city, Gyumri, in the outskirts of which is located the Russian 102nd Military Base, covering the border between Armenia and Turkey… The close cooperation between Russia and Armenia with regard to military and technical cooperation was the basis for the strengthening of bilateral economic ties and Armenia’s inclusion in the processes of integration into Euroasia. Before Yerevan made the decision to join the Customs Union, there were a number of disputes surrounding Armenia’s choice between Eurasian and European integration trends. These disputes have now lost their urgency. Even those in Yerevan who are fervently in support of the European option are beginning to realise that the progressive strengthening of Russia’s economic position in Armenia defeats the purpose of any previously formed plans for associating the republic with the European Union…
Hungary to Grab Transcarpatia
04.12.2013 | 14:05 | Vladislav GULEVICH
Budapest clearly intensifies its Ukraine’s policy. The target is Transcarpatia province (Zakarpattia Oblast) of Ukraine, where over 150 thousand Hungarians form the largest ethnic minority (12% of whole population of the province). Over 90% of them consider Hungarian as their native language. I recall the early 1990s, the childlike gleefulness of Ukrainians over independence. Pretty soon Ukraine found itself alone facing the geopolitical challenges never surfaced before when it had been part of the more powerful state entity – the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Since the declaration of independence the Ukraine’s western neighbors started to pay special interest to the territories of former Ukrainian Soviet Republic: Romania eyed Bukovyna, Hungary – Transcarpatia. While the Ukrainian nationalists countered the “Moskali” (Russians) threat, all territorial losses occurred in the west…
Outrageous Polish Excesses in Kiev
04.12.2013 | 00:00 | Vladislav GULEVICH
The leader of the Polish conservative clerical Law and Justice Party, former Prime Minister of Poland Jaroslaw Kaczynski, has arrived for a visit to Kiev. He has come to support those demonstrating in support of eurointegration. The irony of the situation is that in his home country Kaczynski is considered a Eurosceptic… One may recall that in 2012 Kaczynski opposed holding Euro 2012 in Ukraine due to the neo-Banderovite excesses of Ukrainian politicians… Now, however, when speaking at Euromaidan, Kaczynski tried to fire up the crowd by urging protesters not to give in and shouting the Banderovite slogan «Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!», which many in Poland found to be outright scandalous…
Is Iran Being Lured to Shore up US Hegemony in Middle East?
04.12.2013 | 00:00 | Finian CUNNINGHAM
…Iran has so far remained staunch in its support for the Syrian government of Bashar al Assad. But in the run-up to the Geneva II political negotiations, scheduled for next month, on the transitional future of Syria, it would appear that Iran is being lined up to extract concessions from its Syrian ally in order to meet Western objectives of regime change in that Arab country. The multi-billionaire-dollar sanctions relief being dangled in front of Iran by the West and the normalization of economic relations could prove to be an acute pressure point on Iran to peddle these Western demands…
Ukraine: Leaders and Led
03.12.2013 | 00:00 | Vladimir NESTEROV
…Talking about the events unfolding in Ukraine some say nothing extraordinary is occurring. Ordinary power struggle is taking place under the veil of fight for European integration. It partially rings true. But there is another aspect of the matter. The Ukrainian opposition (or what is called using this term) has always been known for its outstanding cowardice and complete lack of ability to take resolute actions. Still all of a sudden it started active and bold actions using the romantic infatuation of young people with the idea of European integration, the illusions of an average Ukrainian citizen about the united Europe and the Russophobia of nationalists. It all boils down to just one thing: the anti-government orgy is artfully orchestrated by well-trained people from foreign embassies…
Germany – US: Crisis of Trust
02.12.2013 | 00:00 | Natalia MEDEN
…According to polls conducted among German companies, in 2012 every fourth incident related to spying originated from North America. There have been voices raised expressing doubts about the expediency of acceding to the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Volker Treier of German Chamber of Commerce and Industry said complete transparency in the relationship between partners was indispensable for signing the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership agreement. The lack of confidence would complicate the negotiation process… In its turn the United States let know it would not make serious concessions related to such an important area as cyber security…
The Monroe Doctrine is History, But the Empire is Attacking Everywhere
02.12.2013 | 00:00 | Nil NIKANDROV
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has announced the end of “the era of the Monroe Doctrine”. On November 18 he gave a keynote speech on partnership with Latin America at the headquarters of the Organization of American States in Washington… «America for the Americans» – the United States used this slogan to mask the imperialist essence of the doctrine, which was used in the Cold War years to counter «Soviet expansion». The Monroe Doctrine has been used to justify the suppression of revolutions in Guatemala and Chile, the physical elimination of popular leaders, and military operations against guerillas in Cuba, Nicaragua and other countries…
Will the Eastern Partnership Share the Fate of GUAM?
01.12.2013 | 12:31 | Yuri BARANCHIK
Kiev’s decision to slow down the process of Ukraine’s eurointegration after it seemed like the country was rushing headlong to sign an association agreement with the EU has given cause to think about whether the Eastern Partnership might not repeat the fate of the defunct military and political organization GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova) which they tried to create back in 1997…
On the «bombshell» dropped by China on 20 November 2013 (II)
01.12.2013 | 00:00 | Valentin KATASONOV
…As global experience shows, the full liberalisation of capital transactions in countries on the periphery of global capitalism usually leads to speculators with their hot money, rather than strategic investors, swooping down on the country. Investors like these do not develop the economy, but pick at its assets and destabilise the work of those businesses still clinging to life. The full liberalisation of capital transactions at the end of the 1980s-beginning of the 1990s that took place in a number of ASEAN countries known back then as the «Asian Tigers» resulted in these tigers becoming pitiful kittens. The result of liberalising the movement of capital fully emerged during the financial crisis in Southeast Asia in 1998. It inflicted incalculable damage on the economies of these former tigers…
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The New Dark Age 