by Stephen Lendman

Shameless fear-mongering along with bashing independent countries and their leaders is longstanding US practice. Russophobia rages out-of-control in America. Propaganda substitutes for hard truths.

How many times have we heard US officials and go-along media irresponsibly accuse Putin of “Russian aggression,” “hybrid” or non-traditional warfare, “cyberwar,” invading Ukraine using (nonexistent) “little green men,” and engaging in other destabilizing, hostile acts.

Obama earlier called ebola, Russia and ISIS America’s greatest threats, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter saying Moscow is a “very, very significant threat,” and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Joseph (“Fighting Joe”) Dunford calling Russia’s “behavior…alarming…an existential threat.” Big Lies repeated ad nauseam get most people to believe them. Propaganda wars rage because they work. America is the greatest threat to world peace and stability, Russia its best hope to avoid the ravages of catastrophic global war, with weapons able to end life on earth.

Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley is another top US official to bash Russia. Last July, he told Senate Armed Services Committee members its activities are “very, very stressful.”

It’s “the only country on earth that retains a nuclear capability to destroy the United States, so it's an existential threat.”

On Monday, addressing the Defense One summit in Washington, he repeated the baseless accusation - citing nonexistent Russian “aggressi(on), adversarial to the interests of the United States (as well as) aggressive” ground, air and naval exercises.

He failed to mention they’re all within its own territory, unlike US-led NATO ones provocatively near its borders.

“Russia bears close watching,” Milley warned. He urged contesting nonexistent “Russian aggression” with sanctions and NATO exercises - at the same working with Moscow on matters of mutual interest.

Former US Assistant Defense Secretary for International Security Affairs/Deputy NATO Secretary-General Alexander Vershbow runs things, Jens Stoltenberg a Pentagon-controlled front man.

Vershbow is extremely hawkish, calling Russia “more an enemy than partner.” On October 28, he addressed a NATO conference in Madrid, updating participants on the Alliance’s show of strength - including ongoing Trident Juncture exercises.

They’re NATO’s largest since 2002, involving around 35,000 troops, over 140 aircraft and 60 naval vessels from 30 participating countries - a major anti-Russian provocation, unrelated to protecting European security as claimed.

Vershbow repeated the long ago discredited Big Lie, claiming NATO and allied nations “face a newly assertive Russia.” Ignoring Washington’s coup, replacing democrats with fascists in Kiev, he called Ukraine a “wake-up call.”

“The world woke up to Russia’s actions when it took Crimea by force early last year, denying the actions of its ‘little green men’ every step of the way until the peninsula was firmly under its control,” he blustered like he’s done before.

“Since then, it has supported separatist fighters in the east of Ukraine with men and with arms - including heavy weaponry - and now effectively controls those forces on the battlefield while implausibly denying that Russian forces are there, hiding in plain sight.”

Fact: The whole world knows Crimeans voted overwhelmingly on their own by referendum to rejoin Russia, correcting a long overdue historic mistake.

Fact: No forceful seizure occurred. No “little green men” invaded Ukraine. No Russian troops are there now.

Fact: No evidence suggests Moscow supplied Donbass freedom fighters with heavy or other weapons. Hard facts show it continues supplying generous amounts of humanitarian aid - defying Washington and Kiev wanting it blocked.

Vershbow: “Moscow seems to think that Russia can only be secure if its neighbors are unstable, or even dismembered.”

Fact: America prioritizes endless wars of aggression, instability, and chaos globally. Russia is the greatest force for world peace, stability and mutual cooperation among all nations.

Vershbow: “Now Russia has turned its attention to Syria. But rather than fighting ISIL alongside the US-led coalition of regional countries and NATO Allies, Russia is focussing its firepower on shoring up the position of its client, the regime of President Assad.”

“In theory, Russia has an opportunity to help destroy ISIL and to end the war in Syria, bringing much needed stability to the region. But in reality, its actions are only prolonging the war and exacerbating the suffering of its people.”

Fact: Syria is Obama’s war, US aggression against a nation threatening no others, using imported proxy terrorist foot soldiers.

Fact: America’s air campaigns in Syria and Iraq support ISIS and other takfiris, targeting infrastructure and other government targets in both countries, supplying heavy weapons to terrorists on the ground.

Fact: Russia is waging real war on ISIS and other terrorist groups. It supports Syria’s sovereign independence and right of its people to decide who’ll lead them.

Fact: Washington’s agenda is polar opposite, raping and destroying another country it wants dominion over, responsible for millions of deaths and vast destruction post-9/11 alone.

Vershbow lied saying US-dominated NATO’s “primary aim (is) collective defense.” Naked aggression is Washington’s main strategy to achieve unchallenged global dominance, ravaging one country after another, recklessly confronting Russia and China, risking nuclear war if not stopped.

Clearly, America is Russia’s greatest threat. To his credit, Putin doesn’t stoop to fear-mongering.

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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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