Stephen Lendman

Washington expects negotiated cessation of hostilities in Syria failure - blaming Russia before implementation.

On February 23, the Wall Street Journal headlined “Pentagon, CIA Chiefs Don’t Think Russia Will Abide by Syria Cease-Fire” - maintaining unrelenting Russia bashing, proving again Putin has no geopolitical partner in Washington.

According to the Journal, hawkish Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Joint Chiefs chairman General Joseph (“fighting Joe”) Dunford and rogue CIA head John Brennan “voiced increasingly tough views in White House meetings, calling for new measures to ‘inflict real pain on the Russians.’ ”

The Journal cited an unnamed senior administration official. Putin and Assad justifiably consider all anti-government forces terrorist groups, intending continued just cause war to eliminate them, the only hope for eventual Syrian liberation.

The Journal repeated the Big Lie about Russian air strikes “aggressively target(ing)” nonexistent moderate rebels.

Debate in Washington continues over whether to support anti-government forces “with advanced ground-to-air antiaircraft weapons” - able to target Russian warplanes and personnel on the ground, a game-changer if agreed on, upping the stakes hugely for direct East/West confrontation.

Put nothing past lunatics infesting Washington, perhaps willing to risk WW III to achieve their imperial aims. Madness defines their policies.

Putin and top government officials advising him understand what they’re up against - forthrightly pursuing diplomacy, showing good faith, knowing America’s agenda is pure evil, wanting Russian and Chinese sovereignty destroyed after disposing of smaller, weaker independent states like Syria.

According to the Journal, the Pentagon and CIA haven’t “formally submitted recommendations” to Obama for more aggressive anti-Russian action.

An unnamed “senior administration official” said Putin “will be judged by his actions, not his words” - at the same time, outrageously blasting his support for Syria’s overwhelmingly popular legitimate leader, despicably calling Assad “a brutal dictator.”

It’s unclear precisely what Washington intends next. It’s been clear all along it wants war, not peace - wanting sovereign Syrian independence replaced with US-controlled puppet governance.

Whether it intends upping the stakes militarily remains to be seen. Russia will do whatever it takes to defend its personnel in Syria. If attacked, they’ll forcefully strike back.

Will Washington risk direct confrontation? Lunatics in charge alone know the answer.

Syria remains a hugely dangerous flashpoint - perhaps ground zero for WW III.

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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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