There is a lack of ability or lack of willingness in 'western' media and politics to see the world through the eyes of others. This leads to wrong conclusions about certain situations and in consequence to misguided policies. An example...

By Ahmed Adel | June 1, 2023

The legacy of Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelensky will be turning Ukraine into a new Afghanistan, according to former Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov. Azarov was head of government three times and presided over Ukraines largest economic growth in its post-Soviet history, thus making his opinion about Zelenskys legacy, especially scathing.

Over the years, presidents of Ukraine made promises to turn the country into either a new France or a new Switzerland. However, Zelensky went further than anyone and turned the country into a new Afghanistan, to the delight of the Anglo-Saxons and defence companies, Azarov wrote in a social media post.

What do you think? Is there a chance that Washington will get tired of its toy in the foreseeable future? Or is the pleasure of playing dirty tricks on Russia more important than the lives of the hostages of the Kiev regime? the politician asked on Facebook.

It is recalled that Azarov explained in an interview in early May the role played by the US and the UK in transforming Ukraine into a failed state, outlining how since the Euromaidan coup in 2014, the countrys population halved. He also characterised the current Ukrainian president as an empty vessel who cares more about profits and popularity abroad than the Ukrainian people, which makes him a tool of Western powers and oligarchic interests.

Azarov is certainly not the first to compare the war in Ukraine to that of the 20-year US war in Afghanistan, with experts believing that both conflicts were prospects for the US military-industrial complex to profit from massive new defence contracts. However, experts also warn that Ukraine could become Washingtons next Afghanistan-style forever war.

It is recalled that analyst Scott Ritter, a former United Nations inspector and US Marine in Iraq, said that President Joe Biden should tell his Ukrainian counterpart that his country realistically has no chance of emerging victorious from its confrontation with Russia and that the US runs from fights as it does not have to deal with the terrible consequences of leaving, just like in Afghanistan and Vietnam.

In this same light, The American Conservative published in August 2022 that defense contractors shed a tear when Americas war in Afghanistan came to a close [] But just after one protracted conflict came to a close, another came to the complexs rescue. Though there is li...

RT | June 1, 2023

The US is in no position to condemn North Korea for trying to launch a satellite, having sent thousands into orbit itself, the influential sister of leader Kim Jong-un said on Thursday. Pyongyang will soon launch its first-ever reconnaissance spacecraft, Kim Yo-jong promised.

On Wednesday, North Korea confirmed that its rocket carrying military satellite Malligyong-1 crashed into the Yellow Sea due to a malfunction of the second-stage engine.

The development was criticized by Washington and its allies in South Korea and Japan. US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the attempted launch by Pyongyang was a reason for major concern, even if it failed. Kim Jong-un and his scientists and engineers, they work and they improve and they adapt. And they continue to develop military capabilities that are a threat not only on the peninsula but to the region, he explained.

Kirbys colleague Adam Hodge suggested that the door has not closed on diplomacy but Pyongyang must immediately cease its provocative actions and instead choose engagement.

In her statement, cited by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim Yo-jong argued that if the DPRKs (Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea) satellite launch should be particularly censured, the US and all other countries, which have already launched thousands of satellites, should be denounced. This is nothing, but sophism of self-contradiction.

The far-fetched logic that only the DPRK should not be allowed to do so though other countries are doing so, is clearly a gangster-like and wrong one of seriously violating the DPRKs right to use space and illegally oppressing it, she said.

A UN Security Council resolution forbids Pyongyang from using ballistic missile technology for any purposes, including space launches.

Kims sister, who is a senior figure in North Koreas ruling Workers Party, insisted that it is certain that the DPRKs military reconnaissance satellite will be correctly put in space orbit in the near future and start its mission.

As for the US calls for negotiations, she said the authorities in Pyongyang do not feel the necessity of dialogue with the US. North Korea will continue its counteraction in a more offensive attitude so that they should not but realize that they will have nothing to benefit from the extension of the hostile policy toward the DPRK, Kim Yo-jong added.

By Kyle Anzalone | The Libertarian Institute | May 31, 2023

The North Atlantic alliance began military drills hosted by Finland just miles from the Russian border. An American defense official said the war games show the blocs commitment to the newest member of NATO.

US Army Major-General Gregory Anderson said on Tuesday, We are here, we are committed. The US Army is here training with our newest NATO ally to build that capability, to help defend Finland if anything happened.

About 7,500 NATO soldiers are participating in the exercises dubbed Northern Forest 23. The drills are taking place just a two-hour drive from the Russian border in northern Finland and will run from May 27 to June 2. Reuters described the war games as Finlands biggest modern-time land force drill above the Arctic Circle.

A Finnish Army press release detailed the multiple weapons systems allies will deploy for drills. The equipment of the international forces will include, among others, Warrior infantry fighting vehicles [from the UK], MLRS rocket launcher systems [from the US and UK] and CV90 infantry fighting vehicles [from Sweden and Norway], the statement said.

Helsinki is NATOs newest member. When Finland became a member of the North Atlantic alliance, it doubled the blocs border with Russia. At over 800 miles, Helsinki has a longer border with Moscow than any other member of NATO.

Tensions between Brussels and Moscow have soared due to the alliances support for Kiev. However, the confrontation between Russia and the West has spread to other regions of Europe as well. Washington has increased its military presence in the Arctic as a show of force eyeing Moscow.

Last week, the USS Gerald Ford the worlds largest aircraft carrier made a port call in Norway. The Ford is the first American aircraft carrier to visit Oslo after six decades.

The warship will now travel into the Arctic Circle to conduct war games. A spokesperson for Oslo said, This visit is an important signal of the close bilateral relationship between the US and Norway and a signal of the credibility...

RealClear Wire | May 29, 2023

Please note: this article was pulled down offline from Forbes. I will let you draw your own conclusions as to why. Factually, there was no justification for it. 

This list could be closer to 50 but lets just stick to a handful of them. I literally live in this business every day, and Im just so confused.

1. In a world that is apparently getting both warmer and colder because of global warming, how is it that we can increasingly rely on non-dispatchable (i.e., intermittent, usually unavailable), weather-dependent electricity from wind and solar plants to displace, not just supplement, dispatchable (i.e., baseload, almost always available) coal, gas, and nuclear power? In other words, if our weather is becoming less predictable, how is it that a consuming economy like ours can, or should even try, predictably rely on weather-dependent resources? ERCOT exemplifies this: the Texas grid operator has around 31,000 MW of wind capacity but goes into winter expecting only 6,000 MW (just 20%) of wind farms to be available to generate electricity. Again, in the marketplace, the alternatives you keep hearing about are proving to be far more supplemental than alternative.

Further, good wind and solar spots are finite, based on geography, so new builds, naturally, will be forced into areas that are less windy and less sunny, lowering their already very low 35% capacity factors. And because they devour immense swaths of land, interrupting a whole host of things, that...

Mahathir Mohamad takes West to task over Russia, China in FCCJ

appearance

In his most recent press conference at the FCCJ on May 24, the former Malaysian prime minister, Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad, delivered a strong indictment of what he suggested is the unjustified presumption by Western nations that they are best qualified to run the world.

Despite being 97, he gave little impression of slowing down, offering penetrating intellectual analysis, up-to-date knowledge of global affairs and fluent delivery. All of his faculties were still in place and matched those of a much younger man.

He has also retained his ability to deliver acerbic comments, such as when he suggested that Europeans like going to war to settle quarrels, while Southeast Asians generally prefer negotiation, and when he attacked the presumption of certain Western powers in seeking to set global priorities and agendas.

Mahathir, who was in Tokyo to speak at a Nikkei Asia regional conference on Asia, drew quite a large crowd at the FCCJ and attracted many questions from the floor.

Mahathir, Malaysias prime minister from 1981 to 2003, and then again from 2018 to 2020, responded to questions with forthrightness, fluency, politeness and political maturity, confirming his reputation as an elder statesman of Asia. They are qualities that stand in stark contrast to the style and actions of many contemporary national leaders.

Mahathir called for a new model of government prevent a third world war and, possibly, the destruction of the planet and its people. The global population has now reached 8 billion, but this has not been matched by peoples ability to govern themselves, he said.

Migration is creating multiracial societies that create economic and social strains, but governments have not learned to deal with population growth and diversity, he said. Tribalism, he said, had given rise to nation states and nationalism, but not globalism, in government.

As a result, a handful of major powers has assumed the right to g...

By Tyler Durden | Zero Hedge | June 1, 2023

Four months after The Guardian and other European media outlets revealed the worlds leading carbon credit certifier sold worthless offsets to major corporations, the head of Washington-based Verra has stepped down.

I am writing to let you know that after nearly 15 fantastic years as the CEO of Verra, I have decided to step down, Verras CEO, David Antonioli, wrote in a LinkedIn post last week. Hes leaving the role after dominating the multi-billion dollar carbon offset market for years and certifying over a billion dollars in credits through its verified carbon standard (VCS).

Antonioli expressed gratitude towards the current and past employees and was proud of Verras accomplishments as the worlds leading standard-setter for climate action and sustainable development. He did not give a reason for his abrupt departure.

Antoniolis exit comes four months after The Guardian, German weekly Die Zeit, and SourceMaterial, a non-profit investigative journalism organization, revealed a damning report on how Verra approved tens of millions of dollars of worthless offsets to Disney, Shell, Gucci, and other big corporations.

The report found Verrra issued phantom credits to major corporations that dont represent genuine carbon reductions. Some corporations purchased these fraudulent credits and labeled their products as carbon neutral.

Days after The Guardians report in January, Antonioli rejected the findings, calling them outlandish claims and heavily defended Verras certification of carbon credits. But after all that, Antonioli is still stepping down.

Meanwhile, Some firms are moving away from offsetting-based environmental claims, such as Gucci, which has removed a carbon neutrality claim from its website that heavily relied on Verras carbon credits, The Guardian said.

By Drago Bosnic | June 1, 2023

After years of belligerent moves aimed at undermining Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity virtually everywhere, be it Hong Kong, Xinjiang, South/East Sea China or Taiwan, the United States is showing no signs of ever stopping with its aggression against Beijing. As if billions of dollars worth of weapons earmarked for Chinas breakaway island province werent bad enough, including at least 400 anti-ship missiles and the latest F-16 Block 70/72 fighter jets, reports now indicate that Taipei and Washington DC are in talks about Taiwan gaining the protection of the US nuclear umbrella in a similar manner to Japan and South Korea.

According to RealClearDefense, citing local sources, Taiwanese foreign minister Joseph Wu announced that the island is in talks with Washington DC about possibly being brought under the US nuclear umbrella. RealClearDefense warns that the move would likely be seen by Beijing as a clear escalation and would likely greatly increase the potential for a future war with China. This assessment can only be considered an understatement, as the Asian giant is essentially guaranteed to respond directly to such escalation. Being under the American nuclear umbrella entails several key changes that would be absolutely unacceptable to China and would certainly provoke an adequate reaction.

The Taipei Times reported that local defense experts find this a positive for Taiwan. On May 23, Institute for National Defense and Security research fellow Su Tzu-yun stated:

Taiwans national security doctrine explicitly rejects the development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, despite the nation facing the threat of such weapons being used against it. The extension of an allys nuclear umbrella over Taiwan would be significantly beneficial to Taiwans security.

The nuclear umbrella is a deterrence policy stemming from the (First) Cold War and entails a nuclear power to guarantee the usage of its nuclear weapons to retaliate if its ally was exposed to a nuclear attack by any third party. This also includes the option of hosting US nuclear weapons, as was the case with countries such as South Korea between 1958 and 1991. Taipeis Foreign Minister Wu made the comments about this possibility during a session with the Legislative Yuan (Taiwanese parliament). However,...

By U.S. Army Colonel (Ret) and former U.S. diplomat Ann Wright, World BEYOND War, June 1, 2023

Citizen activism to bring about changes in how brutal wars are conducted is extremely difficult, but not impossible.  Citizens have successfully pushed through the United Nations General Assembly treaties to abolish nuclear weapons and to ban the use of landmines and cluster munitions.

Of course, countries that want to continue to use these weapons will not follow the lead of the vast majority of countries in the world and sign those treaties.  The United States and the other eight nuclear armed countries have refused to sign the treaty to abolish nuclear weapons.  Likewise, the United States and 15 other countries, including Russia and China, have refused to sign the ban on the use cluster bombs.  The United States and 31 other countries, including Russia and China, have refused to sign the treaty on the ban on land mines.

However, the fact that rogue, war mongering countries, such as the United States, refuse to sign treaties that the majority of the countries of the world want, does not deter people of conscience and social responsibility from trying to bring these countries to their senses for the sake of the survival of the human species.

We know that we are up against rich weapons manufacturers that buy the favor of politicians in these war nations through their political campaign donations and other largesse.

Up against these odds, the latest citizen initiative for banning a specific weapon of war will be launched on June 10, 2023 in Vienna, Austria at...

By Franz Jedlicka, Pressenza, June 1, 2023

As a sociologist and peace researcher, I am concerned with the connections between child-rearing styles in countries around the world and their peacefulness. I ask the simple question Can a country become sustainably peaceful if a large proportion of its children already experience violence in the family? Almost everything I have researched on this so far points to a definite no (I have published the most important sources and statistics on this in my ebook The Forgotten Peace Formula). And the Child Protection SDG 16.2. is perhaps quite deliberately a sub-item of the Peace SDG 16.

My research is interdisciplinary in nature: First, it is about international data on violence against children. Here, on the one hand, there are statistics from UNICEF, e.g. the reports Hidden in plain sight and A familiar Face, and on the other hand, there are detailed lists of legal child protection from corporal punishment in countries around the world: at http://endcorporalpunishment.org (Corporal punishment is the English term for corporal punishment). These lists also show whether corporal punishment is allowed in a country not only in families but also in schools, kindergartens or even prisons (!).

This data can be compared with the Global Peace Index, which is published every year by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) and ranks nations in terms of their peacefulness. Already here it becomes clear that in the most peaceful countries of the world Austria is almost always found among the top 5 (corporal punishment was banned in Austria in 1989 it was the third country worldwide) children may no longer be beaten. But of course there are other factors, such as democracy, prosperity, low social inequality.

The next scientific discipline is, of course, psychology: focusing on early childhood development, it is now clear that early childhood trauma because hitting is just that has a long negative after-effect, in the worst cases damaging or blocking the empathy centres in the brain. Of course, not every child who was beaten at an early age becomes violent as an adult, but the reverse is true and this is where criminal psychology comes in that almost every perpetrator of violence (yes, they are mostly men ) experienced violence as a child. In countries witho...

In 2022, we partnered with Al-Haq, Bisan Center for Research and Development, and Mind the Gap consortium to visually depict effect of Israeli spyware and how technologies that uphold Israeli apartheid ripple outward to impact communities thousands of miles away from Palestine.

Join us as we put a spotlight on the Pegasus Effector how the captive Palestinian population has been used by the Israeli cyber industry as a laboratory for research and development, with global human rights consequences at RightsCon, the leading summit on human rights in the digital age. The deadline to register for a virtual ticket is June 2.

SESSION DETAILS AND HOW TO JOIN:

When: Tuesday, Jun 6, 2023 at 6:00 pm Palestin...

Jerusalem Pride parade kicks off alongside far-right countermarch

French President Emmanuel Macrons recent trip to Mongolia an unprecedented visit by a sitting French President reflects a shifting geopolitical dynamic. Despite its abundant natural resources and strategic location, Mongolia has exercised caution in international affairs. This recent development prompts a broader discussion about Mongolias extensive resources, including its uranium, copper, rare earths, coal, and its burgeoning mining industry. Understanding Mongolias evolving relationship with major powers, including Russia, China, the United States, and the European Union is key, as these nations recognize Mongolias potential as a strategic ally in securing future resources, particularly for future energy needs.

The post Mine The Gap: Mongolia as a Resource Powerhouse appeared first on Geopolitical Monitor.

May 31, 2023 Mohammad Salami The political crisis in Lebanon intensified by the seven-month presidential vacuum is deepening since some parties have insisted on approaching the presidency issue on the basis of the private interests away from the national considerations. Except the national duo-Hezbollah and Amal Movement, most of the political parties have persisted on vague nominations []

A Washington state appeals court this week granted an emergency injunction to a retired doctor who faces disciplinary action from the Washington Medical Commission (WMC) arising from articles he published in a local newspaper in 2021, questioning the official narrative and medical advice related to COVID-19. Dr. Richard Eggleston, a retired ophthalmologist in Clarkston, Washington, wrote the articles Continue reading Washington Doctor Under Investigation for Criticizing COVID Policies Wins Emergency Injunction

Turkey: Erdogans tough options on the economy

The US is losing. Recently, Ukraine just aired hopes and ideas about a ceasefire. Sanctions are ineffective on Russia. The US is not winning on Taiwan either. The Ukraine war has depleted US and NATO war stocks. The US cannot produce artillery shells and the US hasnt even got anti-ship missiles left for one week Continue reading AI More Powerful Than Ukraine and Taiwan

Canadian court overturns ruling to repatriate men held in Syrian camps

Israel advances bills to tighten control over Palestinian schools

Iranian press review: Arrests and sackings over 'unveiled' marriage proposal

The Highwire with Del Bigtree | May 17, 2023

Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance President, Dr. Pierre Kory, discusses his new book The War on Ivermectin, launched in partnership with ICAN Press. The War on Ivermectin is the personal and professional narrative of Dr. Kory and his crusade to recommend a safe, inexpensive, generic medicine as the key to ending the pandemic.

The War on Ivermectin marks the launch of ICAN Press, a new division of The Informed Consent Action Network. Order your copy directly from ICAN, at ICANDECIDE.SHOP, today!

As noted here previously, on May 30^th the Times published an article by Jack Malvern about the promotional appearance the previous day of the BBCs international editor Jeremy Bowen at the Hay literature festival.

In our earlier post we documented the failure of the Times to provide essential context concerning an incident that took place during Israels withdrawal from southern Lebanon twenty-three years ago which is described in the article as follows:

It really gets my goat when theres a story with a journalist talking about how they feel, he [Bowen] told an audience at the Hay Festival of literature. I dont give a damn about how they feel.

He said they should explain the human challenges, what its like to be there, what its like to be the person whos [sic] village has blown up. And at the same time I think you have to put in some context about why its happening.

Mike Whitney The Unz Review May 30, 2023

The Durham Report fails to identify the ringleader of the Russiagate fiasco, John Brennan. It was Brennan who first reported contacts between Russian officials and persons in the Trump campaign. It was also Brennan who initially referred the case to the FBI. It was also Brennan who hand-picked the analysts who cobbled together the Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) which said that Putin was trying to swing the election in Trumps favor. And, it was also Brennan who hijacked the Trump-Russia-meme from the Hillary campaign in order to prosecute his war on Trump. At every turn, Brennan was there, massaging the intelligence, pulling the strings, and micromanaging the entire operation from behind the scenes. So, while it might seem like the FBI was leading the Russiagate charge, it was actually Brennan who was calling the shots. This is from an article by Aaron Mate:

it is clear that Brennans role in propagating the collusion narrative went far beyond his work on the ICA. (Intelligence Community Assessment) A close review of facts that have slowly come to light reveals that he was a central architect and promoter of the conspiracy theory from its inception... Brennan stands apart for the outsized role he played in generating and spreading the (collusion) false narrative. The Brennan Dossier: All About a Prime Mover of Russiagate, Aaron Mate, Real Clear Investigations

Mate is right, Brennan was central architect and promoter of the Russiagate fraud. The alleged Trump-Russia connection may have started with the Hillary campaign, but it was Brennan who transformed it into an expansive domestic counterintelligence operation aimed at regime change. That was Brennans doing; he was the backroom puppetmaster overseeing the action and guiding the project towards its final conclusion. What the Durham Report confirms, is that the plan was put into motion sometime after Brennans Oval Office meeting with Barack Obama in July, 2016. Check out this clip from an article by Lee Smith:

The only genuine piece of Russian intelligence that US spy services ever received about Donald Trumps ties to Russia was intelligence that Russia knew Hillary Clinton backed a 2016 campaign plan to smear Trump as a Russian agent.

According to John Durhams 300-page report, the information reached the CIA in late July 2016. Brennan told Durham that on August 3 he briefed President Barack Obama at the White House on what the special counsel refers to as the Clinton Plan intelligence. Others in attendance at the meet...

Visible Origami May 31, 2023

Dog Poet Transmitting.

Our physical bodies are magnetized and marked by Karma. The physical eyes cannot see the markings but they are there. These markers have attractors for all the things and conditions having to do with the specific Karma. Its how what happens happens where it happens and when it happens.

Without Karma, we wouldnt have a physical body. Its Karma that makes us visible here. This magnetism draws us into the type of envelope in which the Karma acts out. The envelope is like a bubble, and the whole world consists of bubbles that connect to one another and are contained in larger bubbles filled with kindred spirits.

You cant see the bubble you are in, but you can feel the atmosphere. You cant see the Karma either because Karma is a form of blindness that occludes the objective perspective that might otherwise walk you right out of there.

Everywhere you look, people seem to be coming and going, making choices exercising their free will. Theyre going by in cars on buses planes ships subways and other kinds of trains. They seem to be doing what they want to be doing, BUT they are in a dream of Karma outworking along continuums inside of bubbles that are a form of aura that keeps them in line with the flowing repercussions of all their thoughts words and actions.

They have a state of mind. They have a range of emotions. They have all of what they like and dont like, and these are major components that shape their forms, and the actions those forms take at the behest at the command of the forces that their Karma has attracted to see itself carried out.

Let me give you an example. Lets say youre a big star living in Hollywood and you are in a film. Youre the headliner. You have someone to drive you to the studio. Someone opens your door and lets you out. People come up to you as soon as you enter the soundstage or whatever theyre calling it these days they got clipboards; one of them is the script girl. You head to your dressing room or your trailer if you are on location.

Once you get into whichever of those it is, you are greeted by your hairdresser the makeup artist the wardrobe person your personal assistant (who was probably with you all along). The director might come in to talk to you while these other people are doing their thing.

Your agent might be sitting on a couch nearby scheming ways to get you more money and by extension more money for the agent. Agents are among the sleaziest people around except for those in public relations. Its a lot like selling cars or real estate.

These pe...

Larry Johnson SONAR May 30, 2023

I suppose it should not surprise anyone that the failure to understand the challenges Ukraine faces in trying to launch a counter offensive is a consequence of the fact that most Western politicians and media have zero experience serving in a military organization. That lack of experience means there is little understanding of the importance of training and the logistics chain that must be in place to support that training. Once of the biggest problems confronting Ukraine, in my view, is the complete lack of uniformity.

The strength of any army is the principle of uniformity. Here is a Captain Obvious moment the reason that a military organization sports a uniform is to ensure that troops in the heat of battle can easily identify their fellow fighters. Can you imagine an army that would grant each soldier or sailor or Marine the option to choose their own wardrobe? While you might get some fabulous fashion choices, allowing such diversity would undermine the operational effectiveness of that organization in combat.

The concept of uniform in the military extends beyond what men and women wear. How about training? An effective military organization relies on standard operating procedures in order to ensure that even the least mentally competent member of a unit knows the policies, procedures and tactics he or she must perform under stress. One of the critical objectives in basic training is to teach new recruits how to communicate and how to act on orders. If a military organization incorporates different units with different methods of communicating the odds of confusion on the battlefield increase dramatically.

So look at Ukraines problem. Ukrainian soldiers are not being instructed at Ukrainian bases on Ukrainian soil by Ukrainian officers. Nope. Ukrainian troops are being trained in the United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, France and Italy. Would you be surprised to learn that each of those countries employ different methods for teaching everything from marksmanship, marching, unit maneuvers and personal hygiene? I am not suggesting that the respective NATO countries are doing a poor job of training the Ukrainian units under their care. However, once those Ukrainian troops return home and are deployed to the front lines it is highly likely that a unit trained in the United Kingdom will operate differently from a unit trained in France. In other words, lack of uniformity. That creates a command and control challenge.

Lack of uniformity also is a problem because of the variety of weapons issued to Ukrainian troops. Anti-tank weapons illustrates the dilemma. The photos below show a British NLAW and a U.S. Javelin missile. Both are designed to kill a tank, but the procedures a soldier must follow to fire a NLAW differs from a Javelin. The Javelin, for example, is equipped with an optic, the NLAW is not. I am not saying that a soldi...