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The Economic Motive for America’s Current Wars
Eric Zuesse
Russia has long been the chief seller of energy — mainly gas and oil — in the world’s largest energy-market: the EU, or Europe. This means that U.S.-based energy companies, such as Exxon and Halliburton, aren't the ones who dominate in supplying oil, gas, pipelines, and other energy-supplying needs, to the consumers and businesses in the world’s largest energy-market: Europe.
Around half of Russia’s gas and oil into the EU is transported there via pipelines that traverse Ukraine, and this is a major reason why the Obama Administration (which was in service to the owners of the U.S.-based international corporations and even to the Koch brothers who heavily fund the Republican Party against Obama’s Democratic Party) started, by no later than 2011, its preparations for a coup in Ukraine, which occurred in February 2014, to overthrow the democratically elected President of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, who, as had been planned and expected by the U.S. government, turned down the EU’s offer of membership because the highly uneconomic arrangement that the EU was offering would have cost Ukraine an estimated $160 billion. The U.S. government knew he’d turn it down, which is why, when he did say no, on 21 November 2013, the Obama regime had everything prepared to launch, that day, the ‘anti-corruption’ demonstrations on the Maidan Square in Kiev, starting the execution of the Obama Administration's coup-plan. (Though it was an ‘anti-corruption’ and ‘pro-democracy’ ‘revolution’, to overthrow the democratically elected President of Ukraine, one of the key demands by the U.S. and the EU had been the release, from a Ukrainian prison, of America’s preferred leader of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, who had been convicted on corruption-charges — and this demand was, of course, a violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and taken by Ukraine’s government to be an insult, which was yet another reason why Yanukovych had to reject the deal.) The EU nations weren’t eager to take that $160B burden onto themselves, it was laid entirely upon Ukraine, take-it-or-leave-it, and Ukraine rejected it — and so rejected the rest of the U.S. team's offer. But Obama’s agent who handled Ukraine continued to run into resistance from the EU, because EU leaders weren’t as fascist as today’s U.S. leaders are. On 4 February 2014, in a phone call to the U.S. Ambassador in Kiev, Obama’s agent on Ukraine said “F—k the EU!” about Europe’s concerns, and to impose atop the post-coup government “Yats” or Arseniy Yatsenyuk, who would do what the U.S. government wanted and would ignore the needs of either Ukrainians or Europeans. “Yats” received the appointment 18 days later, and, immediately, accepted the EU’s uneconomic offer; so, Ukrainians were doomed. (And Crimea, which had voted 75% for Yanukovych, broke off from Ukraine, and so too did Donbass, which had voted 90% for Yanukovych.)
US Plans Permanent Iraq Occupation
Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman)
In early May, Trump and US-installed puppet Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi discussed keeping US troops in the country after the battle of Mosul ends.
Talks involved Defense Secretary Mattis and other Iraqi officials on how America’s permanent presence would affect the country.
An understanding was reached short of finalizing how things will work. Washington’s goal is preventing Russian influence in Iraq, along with assuring Big Oil profits from its oil.
Washington began raping and destroying Iraq during the Carter years. Its people suffered horrifically because of US imperial lawlessness - for 37 nightmarish years, millions of lives lost in the process.
It’s unclear what force-strength Washington intends maintaining in the country. Its sovereignty will never be regained or people liberated as US occupation continues.
Qatar Formally Rejects Outrageous Saudi-Led Demands
Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman)
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar, instituting a land, sea and air blockade, an undeclared act of war.
A baker’s dozen of outrageous demands were made to be rejected, not accepted by Qatar.
They include curbing ties with Iran, shutting down Al-Jazeera and other news outlets Qatar controls, ending military cooperation with Turkey, paying reparations to Riyadh and its rogue allies, among others - and comply in 10 days or they become invalid. Time expires today, extended by 48 hours, but it didn’t matter. As expected, Qatar rejected the ultimatum, replying by handwritten letter to the four countries.
They plan to meet in Cairo this week to decide their next moves. It’s unclear if they’ll impose illegal sanctions or something harsher.
America’s Deplorable Independence
Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman)
When America gained independence from Britain, everything changed but stayed the same under new management.
Democracy was established in name only. Today a plutocratic police state at war on humanity at home and abroad runs things.
Independent America subjugates ordinary people at home and abroad, exploited by its ruling class for wealth and power - no matter the human cost.
Governance is of, by, and for its privileged few exclusively. We the People in the Constitution’s preamble refers to them, not us. Its general welfare clause means their interests alone, no one else’s.
American Samizdat: What happens when America’s top investigative journalist reports what its media-owners don’t want the public to know?
Eric Zuesse
This isn’t only about U.S. President Barack Obama’s secret policy on Syria; it’s also about his successor President, Donald Trump’s, adopting that secret policy, and about the U.S. press keeping this policy secret from the U.S. public — effectively blinding America’s voters so they can’t see, much less understand, the U.S. government’s ongoing international looting-operation, nor even the key parts of it:
Seymour Hersh used to have his important news-reports published in the New Yorker. Then in 2007, he reported there something that disturbed America’s aristocracy for it to be made public — “The Redirection”, about the U.S. government’s plan to bring “the United States closer to an open confrontation with Iran and, in parts of the region, propelled it into a widening sectarian conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims” — which raised a red flag on Hersh. More followed when he challenged the official story on “The Killing of Osame bin Laden”, which crossed the line so much that the New Yorker rejected it but he found a willing London Review of Books to pay his fee to publish it on 21 May 2015. Afterwards, yet again, the LRB published on 19 December 2013 his “Whose Sarin?” which raised serious questions as to whether U.S. President Barack Obama had lied to say that Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad was behind the 21 August 2013 East Ghouta sarin gas attack that crossed Obama’s famous “red line” and warranted the U.S. (as policeman, judge, jury and executioner, the international government, for the whole world) to bomb Syrian government forces as punishment. Next, on 17 April 2014 — also in LRB — came “The Red Line and the Rat Line”, reporting, about that sarin-attack, the study by:
Saudi Arabia and Qatar: Irreconcilable Differences
Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman)
Both oil-rich countries are rogue states. They’re family dictatorships, state-sponsors of terrorism, guilty of high crimes against peace, defiant of rule of law principles.
Riyadh and its rogue allies (the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt) want Doha transformed into a subservient vassal state, its resources exploited, its wealth stolen, perhaps regime change demanded next.
A sweeping 13-point ultimatum reads like post-WW I Versailles terms - unacceptable to any nation wishing to retain its sovereignty. Here’s the dirty baker’s dozen:
1. Curb diplomatic ties with Iran. Close its diplomatic missions. Expel members of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp. Agree to commerce and trade allowed by the JCPOA nuclear deal alone.
Russia Combating Terrorism in Syria Effectively
Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman)
Russia and America are world’s apart on Syria - Moscow committed to continue combating the scourge of terrorism Washington supports.
On Thursday, Sergey Lavrov and Rex Tillerson spoke by phone, the call initiated from Washington.
Lavrov told his counterpart it’s “delusional” on the part of America to pressure Russia with sanctions, new US Treasury ones imposed days earlier.
They accomplish nothing other than rupturing bilateral relations more than already - why Moscow “felt compelled to suspend” a June 23 meeting between deputy foreign ministers of both countries.
Lavrov expressed outrage over US operations in Syria - making it harder to defeat terrorism, impeding conflict resolution.
Putin and Lavrov Blast NATO
Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman)
NATO is America’s killing machine, an alliance for offense, not defense, other members and partners pressured to serve US interests, harming their own.
Whatever reasons justified NATO’s existence during Cold War years vanished when Soviet Russia dissolved in December 1991.
Yet the alliance remained, provocatively expanding east near Russia’s borders, surrounding its territory with bases, installing so-called missile defense systems intended solely for offense, threatening its security.
Putin promised to “be ready to respond quickly and adequately to any potential threat” from the alliance.
As long as it exists and expands, endless US-launched imperial wars will continue. Peace and stability will be unattainable. Possible nuclear annihilation will remain humanity’s greatest threat.
Trump Has Been Continuing Obama’s Syria-Policy
Eric Zuesse
U.S. President Donald Trump, who during the election-campaign ferociously condemned Barack Obama’s foreign policies, while asserting nothing concrete of his own, has, as the U.S. President, committed himself quite clearly to continuing Obama’s publicly stated policy on Syria, which policy was to place, as the first priority, the elimination of ISIS, and as the policy to follow that, the elimination and replacement of Syria’s government. I have previously indicated that on June 19th “Russia Announces No-Fly Zone in Syria — War Against U.S. There”, and that the early indications are that Trump has changed his Syria-policy to accommodate Russia’s demands there; but, prior to June 19th, Trump was actually following Obama’s publicly stated Syria-policy. As also will be shown here, Obama’s publicly stated policy — to destroy ISIS and then to overthrow Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad — was actually less extreme than his real policy, which was to overthrow Assad and to use the jihadist forces in Syria (especially Al Qaeda in Syria) to achieve that objective. Trump, at least until 19 June 2017, has been adhering to Obama’s publicly stated policy. Russia’s warning was for him not to adopt and continue Obama’s actual policy (to overthrow Assad).
Nikki Haley’s Recklessly Belligerent Remarks
Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org (Home - Stephen Lendman)
Trump’s neocon UN envoy sounds like Samantha Powers on steroids - her hostility toward Russia, Syria and world peace evident from her reckless comments.
In prepared Wednesday remarks before House Foreign Affairs Committee members, she sounded like an out-of-control war goddess.
She lied saying “(i)n early April, (Syria) dropped chemical weapons on Syrian children,” belligerently adding:
“We drew a red line. If the UN would not act collectively, the United States would act alone. And we did” - failing to explain attacking Syria’s Shayrat airbase was unprovoked naked US aggression.
