Geopolitics

Paul Craig Roberts: Washington’s Drive For Hegemony Is A Drive To War

"NATO lost its purpose with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Yet, it has been greatly expanded and now includes former constituent parts of the Soviet Empire. NATO has become a cover for US military aggression and supplies troops for Washington’s wars. Georgia’s troops are fighting for Washington in Afghanistan and fought for Washington in Iraq. Washington kept NATO alive and made it into a mercenary army that serves Washington’s world empire. Are Americans aware that Washington is conducting military exercises all over the world, is surrounding Russia and China with military bases, and now has an Africa Command?" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPaul Craig Roberts: Washington’s Drive For Hegemony Is A Drive To War

U.S. Pulls Out of Egypt’s Bright Star War Game Over Massacres

"President Obama on Thursday cancelled the U.S. military’s participation in next month’s Operation Bright Star in Egypt – a biennial training exercise with the Egyptian military – following Cairo’s brutal crackdown on opponents that left more than 500 dead the day before. Continuing the charade – that the U.S. needs to continue to cooperate with Egypt to improve things there – would have been bizarre. The notion that such military cooperation can give the U.S. influence over a foreign military is dubious, despite the $1.3 billion in military aid the U.S. gives to Egypt annually, a bounty for signing the Camp David accords with Israel in 1978." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Pulls Out of Egypt’s Bright Star War Game Over Massacres

Egypt closes Gaza border crossing indefinitely

"Egyptian authorities have closed the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip 'indefinitely' for security reasons after a day of deadly violence nationwide, a security official told AFP on Thursday. Hundreds of Palestinian travellers were left stranded on both sides of the crossing, the only gateway into the Hamas-ruled Palestinian territory that bypasses Israel, witnesses said. The measure follows widespread unrest in Egypt on Wednesday after a bloody crackdown by security forces on loyalists of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgypt closes Gaza border crossing indefinitely

Eric Margolis: Kicking Sand In Russia’s Face

"Imagine if the US increased its arms supplies to Syria’s rebels and imposed a no-fly zone, as Sen. John McCain urges. Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles down US warplanes. The US launches attacks on Russian AA units, then on Russian ships delivering arms to the Assad government. It’s not hard to see how a direct clash over Syria could put Russia and the US on their most perilous collision course since the Cuban missile crisis. Instead of dealing with this major threat, Obama, under blistering attack from Republicans over the deaths of three Americans in Benghazi, Libya, is offending Putin and indeed all Russians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Margolis: Kicking Sand In Russia’s Face

Pepe Escobar: Bandar Bush, ‘liberator’ of Syria

"Bandar Bush's visit to Moscow simply could not have happened without a green light from Washington. So what's the (muddled) master plan? The Obama administration seems to believe in a remixed Sykes-Picot - almost a century after the original. The problem is they are clueless on how to configure the new zones of influence. Meanwhile, they're letting the Saudis do the heavy lifting. The first step was to eliminate Qatar from the picture. It's astonishing how fast the emirate, up to two months ago a prospective mini-superpower, now has been reduced to less than an afterthought." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: Bandar Bush, ‘liberator’ of Syria

US Government “Protection” of Al-Qaeda Terrorists and the US-Saudi “Black Hole”

"Royal family protection from Qatar and Saudi Arabia (concealed by the 9/11 Commission) was repeatedly given to key figures like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged 'principal architect of the 9/11 attacks.' This finding totally undermines the claim that the wars fought by America in Asia since 9/11 have been part of a global 'war on terror.' On the contrary, the result of the wars has been to establish a permanent U.S. military presence in the oil- and gas-rich regions of Central Asia, in alliance with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Pakistan – the principal backers of the jihadi terrorist networks the U.S. been supposedly fighting." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Government “Protection” of Al-Qaeda Terrorists and the US-Saudi “Black Hole”

Pepe Escobar: Vlad the Hammer vs Obama the Wimp

"Vlad the Hammer can sense a wimp of Carter-esque proportions like a polar bear hunting a seal. He quickly evaluated how the Obama administration turned its already shaky credibility to ashes on two simultaneous fronts; because of the scale of the Orwellian/Panopticon complex detailed by Snowden's leaks, and because of the way he was being mercilessly hunted. The New York Times posted an editorial justifying the cancelation of the summit, saying, 'Mr Putin is a repressive and arrogant leader who treats his people with contempt.' Right; and Snow White lives in the White House." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPepe Escobar: Vlad the Hammer vs Obama the Wimp

Do We Really Want a Cold War II?

"In three years, the USSR gave up an empire, a third of its territory, and half its people. And it extended to us a hand of friendship. How did we respond? We pushed NATO right up to Russia's borders, bringing in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria, even former Soviet republics Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. To cut Moscow out of the Caspian Sea oil, we helped build a pipeline through two former Soviet republics. In the Boris Yeltsin decade, the 1990s, U.S. hustlers colluded with local oligarchs in looting Russia of her natural resources. When columnist Tony Blankley visited Russia, he was astounded at the hostility he encountered." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDo We Really Want a Cold War II?

PetroChina to join Exxon on giant Iraqi oilfield

"China’s biggest energy firm PetroChina will join Exxon Mobil in developing Iraq’s giant West Qurna oilfield and is in talks with Lukoil to buy into a second project at the field, industry sources said on Friday. China is already the top foreign player in Iraq’s southern oilfields and a deal at West Qurna would boost its dominance and could make PetroChina the biggest single foreign investor. PetroChina partners BP at Rumaila, Iraq’s biggest oilfield, and operates the Halfaya field. The company was the first foreign firm to sign an oil service deal in Iraq after U.S.-led forces toppled former president Saddam Hussein." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPetroChina to join Exxon on giant Iraqi oilfield