by Stephen Lendman

Coups are a US specialty. Replacing legitimate governments with pro-Western stooge ones.

Ukraine is Exhibit A. The latest example. America's newest colony. For sure not the last. Washington tolerates no sovereign independent states.

Subservient ones only. Last February, longstanding US plans culminated with ousting Ukraine's democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovich.

This writer's edited and contributed to book "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III" explains today's most important geopolitical issue.

The gravest one since WW II. East/West confrontation. Possibly the unthinkable. Potential nuclear war with Russia. Madness if happens.

Oliver Stone is an award-winning screenwriter/director/film producer.

His films include Born on the Fourth of July, Salvador, Wall Street, Nixon, JFK, South of the Border, Mi Amigo Hugo (on Hugo Chavez) three Fidel Castro documentaries, and Persona Non Grata (on Israeli/Palestinian relations) among others.

He's working on an Edward Snowden documentary. Based on the book titled The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man. In part on the novel Time of the Octopus.

He'd like to do a documentary on Vladimir Putin. "(B)ecause he represents a different point of view than Americans don't hear," he said.

According to Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin is "aware of Stone's desire to make a film."

On November 4, he met Putin at a Russian actor/director Vasily Shukshin remembrance event.

He's now in Russia working on his Snowden documentary. Filming to continue for about a year. Things progressing well, he said.

His new film in production documents US-style regime change in Ukraine. He spent four hours interviewing ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. For an English language documentary produced by Ukrainians.

Saying it's "clear that the so-called (Maidan) 'shooters' (killing police and civilians) were outside third party agitators. "(T)he truth is not being aired in the West."

"Many witnesses, including Yanukovych and police officials, believe these foreign elements were introduced by pro-Western factions - with CIA fingerprints on it."

Remember April 2002. The aborted two-day coup against Hugo Chavez, Stone noted. "(M)ysterious shooters" fired on demonstrators from office buildings, he said.

Much like what happened in Maidan. Commonplace CIA practice. Create chaos. Fear-monger. Oust sitting governments. "It's America's soft power technique called 'Regime Change 101,' " said Stone.

Make it look like an expression of popular will. Good guys replacing bad ones. A new dawn. Better times ahead.

America's involvement is concealed. Its dark intentions. Predatory and then some.

Even though Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland admitted Washington spent over $5 billion dollars for years on regime change in Ukraine.

The same thing America did against numerous other sitting governments.

"A dirty story through and through, but in the tragic aftermath of this coup, the West has maintained the dominant narrative of 'Russia in Crimea; whereas the true narrative is 'USA in Ukraine,' " said Stone.

"The truth is not being aired in the West. It's a surreal perversion of history that's going on once again, as in Bush pre-Iraq 'WMD' campaign."

"But I believe the truth will finally come out in the West, I hope, in time to stop further insanity."

Vital truths usually are known when it's too late to matter. Things ahead look grim. In Ukraine. Elsewhere abroad. In America. The heart of most world mischief.

Trends researcher Gerald Celente foresees manipulation of everything ahead, saying:

"It’s the grand manipulation of the markets and the news, and it just keeps spreading."

"There is manipulation of the gold markets, and we know there is manipulation in the Forex market. We are not making this up."

"We are talking about $5.3 trillion a day. The markets are rigged. We know that the LIBOR market is rigged. That’s the interest rate market."

"This is not a conspiracy theory. Banks have been fined for 'misdeeds.' Misdeeds? They are rigging the show and no heads roll. The whole market, the news, the information is all one rigged game."

"In our business, trend forecasting is based on the understanding that current events form future trends."

"So, we take the information we have and analyze it and see how it will play out and what the implications will be."

It’s becoming more and more difficult because we’re getting phony information continually. So, whether it has to do with geopolitics, economics or whatever it is, they are cooking the books and spinning lies."

"So, it is harder and harder to see where some of these things are going…We don’t have capitalism any more."

"The merger of state and corporate powers is called fascism, and when you are looking at the rigging of the game, it’s called bankism…."

"This thing should have collapsed a long time ago, but they keep making up new rules and a new game."

"This is nothing more than a central bank confidence game, and you can tie it all back to bankism."

It's not "a big wide wonderful world (we) live in," as an old song goes. It's rigged by central banks, Wall Street ones and the US Treasury, explains Paul Craig Roberts and others.

At negative real interest rates, Washington charges purchasers for buying its bonds. Hyped recovery is fantasy.

Rigged economic and financial data conceal hard truths. Things can continue as long as Washington colludes with Wall Street to rig things their way.

Ordinary people increasingly lose out. US-led Russia bashing risks erupting into open conflict.

Oil prices keep falling. Creating greater instability. On Monday, West Texas intermediate (WT) fell below $50 a barrel for the first time since 2009.

Brent dropped to $53 a barrel. Most analysts expect lower prices. How low remains to be seen.

Energy expert Arthur Berman believes explaining things is simple.

Demand is down because prices stayed high too long, he says.

Supply is up "because of US shale oil and the return of Libya’s production. Decreased demand and increased supply equals low price."

Saudis care only about making money, he believes. So they keep producing heavily to make all they can.

Eventually US oil production will decrease, he said. Prices will recover when demand increases.

"We’ve read a lot of silly articles since oil prices started falling about how US shale plays can break-even at whatever the latest, lowest price of oil happens to be."

"Doesn’t anyone realize that the investment banks that do the research behind these articles have a vested interest in making people believe that the companies they’ve put billions of dollars into won’t go broke because prices have fallen? This is total propaganda."

Oil prices need to be around $90 to attract investment. "So are companies OK at current oil prices," asked Berman? "Hell no," he said.

They're dying at current prices. "Crap" people read doesn't explain.

Things won't get better for some time, Berman believes. He said nothing about rigged markets. Who benefits. Who loses.

Why it matters. America's responsibility for one major world crisis after another. While pretending the best of all possible worlds exists.

The worst of things for most people stays hidden. Looking ahead likely to get worse than ever.

Don't expect the usual suspects to explain. Big Lies suppress hard truths.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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