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by Stephen Lendman
On April 1, P5+1 countries and Iran agreed "in principle on all key aspects of a deal."
An article discussing the announcement said hold the cheers. It's a long way from preliminary to final agreement - especially with Washington involved, serving its own and Israeli interests.
It's longer still believing America will honor what it agrees to. Its sordid history suggests otherwise - breaching and/or reinterpreting one agreement and convention after another to suit its political agenda.
Washington's only rules are its own - made up based on geopolitical considerations and enforced belligerently.
By Khalid Amayreh in occupied Palestine
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has lambasted Palestinian efforts to raise international awareness over Israel's institutionalized apartheid and other forms of systematic abuse of Palestinian rights.
Netanyahu, an extreme right-winger and strong believer in Jewish supremacy, reportedly warned that Israel was facing “international campaign to blacken its name" aimed at de-legitimizing its very existence.
Netanyahu routinely equates international criticisms of Israel's apartheid policies against Palestinians with denials of Israel's existence. On Monday, he was quoted as saying that the BDS campaign does not target Israel based on its policies regarding the Palestinians but "seeks to deny our very right to live here."
But, Netanyahu is not telling the truth, unless he implies that Israel could only exist at the expense of another people, the Palestinians.
by Stephen Lendman
Yemen is Obama's war - planned months before Saudi-led proxies launched naked aggression.
It's been raging since March 26 with no end in sight. At stake is Yemeni sovereignty and the fate of its 24 million people suffering horrifically from relentless Saudi terror-bombing and shelling.
Israel is very much involved. In late April, Fars News reported its submarines and warplanes "readily observed" near Saudi Arabia's coastline since conflict began - according to unnamed foreign diplomats. They said Riyadh secretly agreed decades ago to give Israeli submarines and warplanes access to Saudi waters.
They've been patrolling them since the start of conflict. According to Fars News, "(m)any regional officials…earlier revealed collaboration among the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia in the aggression against Yemen."
Eric Zuesse
On May 12th, I presented my analysis of the polling as of that time, headlining, “The Early Signs of Whom The Next U.S. President Will Likely Be: Presidential Polls Look Confusing Regarding Bernie, But Downright Bad Regarding Hillary & All Republicans.” Based on the net-favorability ratings of candidates in the first poll that had really meaningful results on that most important of all factors (which poll had just been published), and also based on the latest available reliable poll of Americans’ ideological preferences (which had been taken in 2011, but that’s okay because ideology changes only very slowly), I concluded that Vermont U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders was likely to surprise on the upside at the start of his contest, and that, "Sanders would probably be able to crush any Republican except perhaps Rand Paul, if he were to win the Democratic primaries.” He is already surprising on the upside (though pundits haven’t yet caught on that Hillary’s a dud), and so I am now predicting that Sanders will win, first, the Democratic nomination, and then the White House. But, first, to summarize:
by Stephen Lendman
He's a longstanding imperial tool. He consistently violates core UN Charter provisions - notably Chapter XV, Article 100.
It mandates secretary-generals "not (to) seek or receive instructions from any government or from any other authority external to the Organization."
"Each Member of the United Nations undertakes to respect the exclusively international character of the responsibilities of the Secretary-General and the staff and not to seek to influence them in the discharge of their responsibilities." He broke every major pledge made - including working for nuclear disarmament, advancing global health, sustainable development, education, saving lives, promoting democracy, supporting justice, championing human rights, and "creating a new dimension for the responsibility to protect."
by Stephen Lendman
Israel is a repressive, aggressive, lawless, racist police state - ruled by degenerate hate-mongers waging war on Occupied Palestinians and its 20% Arab population.
Netanyahu is an unindicted war criminal - guilty of wars of aggression, mass murder and daily persecution of Palestinians for not being Jews.
He deplores peace, stability, equity and justice. He enforces vicious police state practices. Palestinians challenging Israeli authority risk harassment, beatings, arrest, imprisonment, torture and/or death.
Netanyahu's demagoguery is notorious. He lost credibility long ago. On Sunday, he blustered:
"We are in the midst of a great struggle being waged against the state of Israel, an international campaign to blacken its name."
"It is not connected to our actions. It is connected to our very existence. It does not matter what we do. It matters what we symbolize and what we are."
James Petras
“We will have a very strong (military) presence, very strong continued posture throughout the region to back our commitments to our allies, to protect and work with our partners and to continue ensuring peace and stability in the region, as well as back our diplomacy vis-à-vis China on the South China Sea”.
David Shear, US Department of Defense’s Assistant Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs.
Indian President Modi “seals $22 billion of deals on China visit... China had already promised $20 billion of infrastructure investment during (Chinese President) Xi’s visit to India last year”. Financial Times (5/18/165, p. 4)
Introduction
The highly influential Council on Foreign Relations recently published a Special Report entitled, “Revising US Grand Strategy toward China”, (Council on Foreign Relations Press: NY 2015), co-authored by two of its Senior Fellows, Robert Blackwill and Ashley Tellis (‘B and T’), which proposes a re-orientation of US policy toward China. The Report a policy for buttressing ‘US primacy in Asia’ and countering what they describe as “the dangers that China’s geo-economic and military power pose to US national interests in Asia and globally”. The Report concludes by listing seven recommendations that Washington should follow to re-assert regional primacy.
by Stephen Lendman
Kiev junta officials violated virtually all Minsk II ceasefire terms straightaway. An immediate ceasefire was agreed on.
Junta forces attack Donbass areas daily. Civilian neighborhoods are deliberately targeted.
Washington pretends to know nothing about what's happening in official statements or outrageously blames Donbass freedom fighters for Kiev high crimes.
All heavy weapons were to be repositioned well behind the contact line to create a minimum 50 km security zone. Kiev refused to comply.
Numerous other provisions continue being systematically ignored - including providing safe access, delivery, storage and distribution of humanitarian aid to needy Donbass residents.
On May 28, Ukraine's interior minister Arsen Avakov called for a full Donbass blockade - isolating it from other regions.
by Stephen Lendman
A separate article discussed US Justice Department indictments against 14 current and former FIFA officials.
Blatter wasn't named but isn't out of the woods. US prosecutors indicated what's announced isn't "the final chapter. It is not over," they said.
FBI Director James Comey indicated "work will continue until all of the corruption is uncovered and a message is sent around the world."
Swiss Attorney General spokesman Andre Marty said Blatter "could be questioned. (E)very person involved in the allocation of the World Cups might be questioned."
by Stephen Lendman
Amateur and professional sports are big business. It's no surprise they're rife with corruption. With billions of dollars at stake, anything goes, most often unaccountably.
Organized crime is involved. Crooked deals take place behind closed doors.
Corruption has many forms - including bribes, kickbacks, rigged construction bids, money laundering, front companies, exploitation of amateur athletes, and lots more.
Big-time US college sports are notoriously corrupt. Runaway commercialism is pervasive. Schools sell their souls for lucrative advertiser sponsorships, television contracts, ticket, concession and merchandise sales, licensing fees and other revenue sources.
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