A surprising development.. A German investigation points fingers at two new countries regarding the "Nord Stream" bombing and the password in the boat

A surprising development.. A German investigation points fingers at two new countries regarding the "Nord Stream" bombing and the password in the boat

    Monday, April 03, 2023   No comments

Western media reported on Monday that investigators in Germany suspect that the yacht, previously linked to the Nord Stream attack, was used to divert attention from the true perpetrators of the sabotage.

The Washington Post, quoting informed sources, indicated that “a number of officials in the United States and Europe share Germany’s suspicions that a crew of six could plant hundreds of kilograms of explosives to blow up pipelines.”

The investigation is examining the version that the Andromeda yacht may not have been the only one used in the attack, or even served as a distraction.

Although a German investigation found traces of "military" explosives found on a table in the cabin of the yacht to match those used in the pipeline, some officials suspect that experienced saboteurs left behind such clear evidence of guilt. The publication says that they do not rule out that someone is deliberately trying to lead the investigation down the wrong path.

The newspaper reported that some Western officials are discussing the possible involvement of Warsaw and Kiev in the attack on the "Nord Stream".

Based on Germany's initial findings, officials are discussing behind the scenes the possible involvement of the Polish or Ukrainian government in the attack.

Some have said Poland may have had a motive, given that it has been one of the fiercest critics of the Nord Stream project since its inception in the late 1990s, the journalist reported.

Russian authorities dispute, and so does China based on Chinese media report, the Western claims of an act of sabotage that did not involve any state actor, including Ukraine and asked UNSC to mandate an independent investigation. Western states blocked the UNSC from doing so.

How do US and EU sanctions work?

How do US and EU sanctions work?

    Monday, April 03, 2023   No comments

US Senator explains how US sanctions work and why they work they way they do and he predicted US sanctions will not be able to be deploy in five to six years.

The key to success of US sanctions is that the US dollar is used in trade between nations; the more countries trade in other currencies the less effective the sanctions regimes will be.

The role of the UN and the UNSC in preventing conflict

The role of the UN and the UNSC in preventing conflict

    Saturday, April 01, 2023   No comments

The role of the UN and the UNSC in preventing conflict is non-existent because of its lack of independence from Western hegemony.

UN spokesperson Farhan Haq was asked if the US military presence in Syria is illegal. Listen and watch his answer.

Substitute the questions about Syria with same questions about the invasion of Iraq in 2003, and you get your answers why the world is not up in arms against the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Only the West is, but it was the West that made such actions acceptable.

Media review: Cracks in Western media coverage of the war in Ukraine created by the narrative of a spring offensive and Bakhmut

Media review: Cracks in Western media coverage of the war in Ukraine created by the narrative of a spring offensive and Bakhmut

    Friday, March 31, 2023   No comments

Ukrainian leaders institance to defend Bakhmut at any cost and the outcome of that battle may create a narrative problem for media, thus far eager to promote the notion that Ukraine will be able to retake all the lost terrirties militarily. 

Western media and officials in Ukraine are promoting the spring offensive as it will adjust the balance of military forces and restore dignity to the Ukrainian army, without any indication of the date of the attack or on which front it will start. There may be actual preparations for this counter-attack, but this does not negate that it may be a last attempt before the great collapse.

The words of Scott Ritter, a retired US Marine Corps intelligence officer whose statements were celebrated by the Russian media that Ukraine faces inevitable defeat, depend on military estimates and indicators that the Western media tries not to address.

The Ukrainian army has not been able to achieve a breakthrough in the Russian defenses during the past months, at a time when the continuous Western support did not succeed in changing the rules of the field balance of forces. The situation in Bakhmut embodies the course of the war throughout Ukraine. According to what was announced by the Ukrainian presidential advisor, Sergey Leshchenko, on Thursday, that Kiev no longer controls only a third of the city of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, which has been witnessing fierce battles for months. While the Russian forces control 70 percent of the civilian population. With this field reality in Bakhmut, it is clear that the Ukrainian forces are preparing to suffer a resounding defeat after months of attempts to defend the city with the support of Western countries. For this reason, the foreign ministers of NATO countries will hold a new meeting in Brussels between the third and fifth of next April, a meeting in which they will stress the continuation of US support for Ukraine. But what will the alliance do about the retreat of the Ukrainian army?

Away from the details of the decisive battles in Bakhmut, and in general, the reports that the Western media controls are obfuscating them, talking about the emergence of symptoms of the defeat of the Ukrainian army. And indications of developments indicate that Ukraine is not on its way to achieving a complete victory, with the apparent stumbling of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's attempts to recover what his country lost in the war.

Western media and officials in Ukraine are promoting the spring offensive as it will adjust the balance of military forces and restore dignity to the Ukrainian army, without any indication of the date of the attack or on which front it will start. There may be actual preparations for this counter-attack, but this does not negate that it may be a last attempt before the great collapse.

The words of Scott Ritter, a retired US Marine Corps intelligence officer whose statements were celebrated by the Russian media that Ukraine faces inevitable defeat, depend on military estimates and indicators that the Western media tries not to address.

Everything is already there, Ritter adds. The decisive defeat of Ukraine is inevitable. Ukrainian forces can do nothing to prevent Russia from destroying them.”

Regarding the promised spring offensive, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba says that the failure of the offensive planned by the Ukrainian armed forces will strengthen the positions of supporters of a settlement with Russia in the West.

“They (proponents of settling the conflict with Russia through diplomacy) are everywhere – in Washington, in Berlin, in Paris, in London. They will try to do something creative in the spirit of Minsk-3.”

According to Kuleba, if the Ukrainian offensive falters, this will affect the additional supply of American and European weapons. He also noted that there is a narrative in the West that is dangerous for Kiev that the Ukrainian Armed Forces must wage “one decisive battle” that determines the outcome of the entire conflict, otherwise military assistance must be stopped.

On the other hand, a lengthy report published by the New York Times revealed many imbalances among the American volunteers in Ukraine, some of which relate to claiming non-existent military experience, wasting resources, and trying to profit from the war.

The “New York Times” highlighted that the research and interviews it conducted revealed a series of acts of deception, mistakes, and disagreements among volunteer fighters in Ukraine that hindered the volunteer campaign that began after the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2022, when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launched an appeal requesting He asked all friends of Ukraine who wanted to join the fight in its defense to come to the country, stressing that Ukraine would give them weapons to do so.

NATO nations’ support to Ukrainian armed forces reaches another level

NATO nations’ support to Ukrainian armed forces reaches another level

    Thursday, March 30, 2023   No comments

Ukrainian officials have shown off nee weapons systems received from NATO nations, which they said will allow them to launch offensive actions to take back territories now under Russian control.

The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, released images of new weapons and transport systems handed over by the US. The Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksiy Reznikov, was shown testing the new Strykers and Cougars handed over by USA.

Also, more than 300 powerful DJI Mavic 3T Thermal copters for Ukraine's Defense Forces were transferred to the frontlines, according to Ukrainian forces.

This unprecedented number of weapons transferred to a war zone is likely to push both sides to escalate.

Russian officials have used a strategy of inserting new weapons to the battle field incrementally and in reaction to NATO’s increased involvement, which can lead to a dangerous nuclear confrontation.

These developments bring to the forefront once again the consequences of illegal wars, invasions, and aggressions undertaken by Western states in the last 3 decades. Most recently, the US invasion of Iraq and how that event is unmasking the inequality that permeates the world today. If Iraq has had reliable and powerful allies with nuclear weapons, who decided to take the same actions taken by Western nations to support Ukraine resist an illegal war, what would the outcome have been? What if Russia and China, had used the same logic, and decided to openly provide weapons and military support to Iraq to defend itself? What would that have done to the world order then?

And did Russia exert a level of restraint, voicing their opposition to those illegal wars (Ira, Syria, Yemen, and Libya) without providing any lethal aid to these attacked nations to defend themselves, made them think that if they did the same, attack another nations in the future, the West will do the same (not provide military assistance)?

Since that assumption is proved wrong now, will Russia supply its friends who are under threat of attack from Western nations, like Iran, with all kinds of weapons and technology to pre-empt an attack, or strike military alliances that would allow them to intervene militarily in defense of their allies?

This is how complex the effects of the war in Ukraine and the West’s reaction to it is. With election cycles around the corner in key Westerm nations, it is only  matter of months, not years, to see how these decisions will shape the outcome of the war in Ukraine.

Qatar acknowledges that it is vetoing Syria's return to the Arab League

Qatar acknowledges that it is vetoing Syria's return to the Arab League

    Wednesday, March 29, 2023   No comments

Qatar affirmed that it has not changed its position on the move to return Syria to the Arab League, noting that it “will not normalize relations with the Syrian regime until the reasons that called for boycotting it are gone.”

Yesterday, Tuesday, the official spokesman for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majid Al-Ansari, said that “there is still no Arab consensus on the return of the Syrian regime to the Arab League, and the State of Qatar deals with this issue as one of the priorities of Arab issues, so the Arab consensus in it is of interest, and even There is this consensus, which comes as a result of positive developments on the Syrian scene that we do not see before us.

Al-Ansari stressed the “steadfastness of the Qatari position,” saying, “We believe that there will be no change in the Qatari position. Our position is clear and stable and is not affected by what is going on in the scene unless there are real developments inside Syria in a way that satisfies the aspirations of the Syrian people, or there is a built Arab consensus.” On these positive developments inside Syria, but at the present time there is no reason for optimism about the nearness of normalization with the Syrian regime and its return to the Arab League.

He affirmed Qatar's welcome and support for Arab efforts in the framework of finding a solution to the Syrian crisis, stressing that this solution must be based on positive developments and a real response to popular demands, and that there should be no "betrayal of bloodshed" to achieve these aspirations, he said.

France: Millions of people demonstrate against Macron's pension amendments... and strikes continue

France: Millions of people demonstrate against Macron's pension amendments... and strikes continue

    Wednesday, March 29, 2023   No comments

The French CGT (General Confederation of Labor) union said today, Tuesday, that two million French people participated in the demonstrations in various French regions.

Meanwhile, the French Ministry of the Interior reported that about 740,000 participated in France's protests today.

According to the Al-Mayadeen delegate to Paris, the demonstrations today included 240 cities, and some of them were crowded in major cities, such as Marseille and Lyon, while the French police spoke of about 100,000 demonstrators in Paris.

Our envoy pointed to the outbreak of confrontations with police officers during the Paris demonstrations, in light of the police's use of tear gas, pointing out that the French unions called for the eleventh day of "strike and demonstration", next Thursday.

Saudi cabinet approved the decision to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Saudi cabinet approved the decision to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

    Wednesday, March 29, 2023   No comments

 The Saudi cabinet approved today, Wednesday, the decision to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as Riyadh embraces a long-term partnership with China, despite US security concerns.

The Saudi Press Agency said that the Kingdom had agreed to a memorandum on granting Saudi Arabia the status of a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a Eurasian international organization, founded in the form of a political, economic and military alliance, in the Chinese city of Shanghai, on June 15, 2001, by 6 countries at first, namely: China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. These countries, with the exception of Uzbekistan, were members of the "Shanghai Five", which was established on April 26, 1996 in Shanghai.

Iran also signed full membership documents in the organization last year, and sources told Reuters that Saudi Arabia's accession to the organization was discussed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the kingdom.

The sources added that the status of the dialogue partner will be a first step before granting the kingdom full membership in the medium term.

The decision comes after Saudi Aramco announced on Tuesday that it had increased its investment in China by several billion dollars by completing a planned joint venture in northeastern China and acquiring a stake in a private petrochemical group.

The growing relations between Riyadh and Beijing raise concerns in Washington, a traditional ally of the kingdom. Washington says China's attempts to exert influence around the world will not change US policy toward the Middle East.

The member states of the organization intend to hold a "joint anti-terrorism training" in Chelyabinsk, Russia, in August of this year.

An investigative report reveals that some countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are secretly sending ammunition to Ukraine

An investigative report reveals that some countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are secretly sending ammunition to Ukraine

    Tuesday, March 28, 2023   No comments

A report on the "Intelligence Online" website said that a number of countries, which are part of an alliance with Western countries and NATO, secretly send ammunition and military aid to Ukraine.

The report stated that a large group of these countries, "despite their formal neutrality, especially countries dealing with the military industry sector in the West, are indirectly helping the war effort to support Ukraine militarily, by secretly opening up its stockpiles of weapons in favor of Kiev."

The site investigated, in particular, the supply of French "Crotal" and "Mistral" missiles, anti-aircraft and air targets, short and medium range, and French "Milan" anti-tank missiles, for use against Russia.

Ukraine's extensive use of missiles and missiles is a motive for its allies to urgently find new military supplies, especially after Kiev's growing demands for more ammunition and weapons to be used against Russian forces.

French officials remain silent so far on this issue, and it seems that the participation of these countries came as part of an agreement at the level of Western countries and their allies, according to which these participating countries were requested.

According to information obtained in the relevant capitals, a group of neutral governments have officially opened their military stockpiles, in order to compensate for the shortage caused by dwindling Western ammunition stocks, after more than a year of conflict in Ukraine.

The information stated that "the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar provided, within this framework, hundreds of "Mistral" anti-aircraft missile systems, which were delivered to Ukraine, thanks to the intermediary countries working for Kiev.

Other countries, officially involved in supporting Ukraine, such as Finland, supplied it with weapons and made it public. However, countries, such as the Gulf states, which have relations with Moscow, chose to maintain secrecy regarding the provision of "Mistral" missiles to Ukraine.

A few days ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Europe to "strengthen the supply of modern weapons, expedite their dispatch, and impose tougher sanctions on Russia."

"It is up to the 27-nation bloc to take measures to contain Russia, more than a year after its war with Ukraine," Zelensky said, in a speech that expressed exceptional and frank frustration.

He pointed out that the European Union "was the one that postponed decisions on providing long-range weapons and modern combat aircraft, and moving forward with talks to grant Ukraine its membership."

Czech Republic announces the cessation of military assistance to Ukraine

This comes after the President of the Czech Republic declared that his country “can no longer help Ukraine militarily by supplying weapons,” due to “the shortage of its military depots,” and its “inability to adequately produce ammunition,” especially since its forces “are suffering significant deficiency."

 

According to the Czech president, his country "has the opportunity to expand production in the field of air defense and ammunition, but there is a problem due to a shortage of labor with the current unemployment rate, which is very low in the republic," noting that "a way out of the situation requires attracting workers from Ukraine."

Last week, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced a new US military aid package worth $350 million to Ukraine, based on an authorization from US President Joe Biden, while the thirty-fourth withdrawal of US weapons and equipment from the stockpile allocated to the Ministry of Defense within a year.

UNSC failed to get Nord Stream blast international independent investigative commission

UNSC failed to get Nord Stream blast international independent investigative commission

    Monday, March 27, 2023   No comments

The UNSC, which literally stands for the United Nations Security Council, and whose mission “is to maintain international peace and security;” failed to adopt a resolution that “would have established an international independent investigative commission into the September 2022 “acts of sabotage” committed on the Nord Stream gas pipeline in the Baltic Sea.”

The vote, or lack thereof as was the case this time, shows how politicized this UN body has become. If the attack on an asset established to transact trade between a number of nation-states is not of concern to the UN body charged with maintaining peace and security, then what is?

The politics of power and control are not limited to the halls of the UN. The media, too, is deep in the business of writing narratives that are highly political and less informative. This screen capture shows how some of these media outlets reported about the vote: “Russia fails at UN to get Nord Stream blast inquiry” when the fact is clear: the UNSC failed to get Nord Stream blast inquiry.

It is because of media bias and the ineptitude of the UNSC that countries are invaded, peoples exploited, and resources and pillaged by the rich and powerful.