Inter-Imperialist Rivalry

The Royal Touch: How Saudi Money Keeps Washington At War In Yemen

October 5, 2018 By Ben Freeman, Tomdispatch.com Educate! Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Saudi Arabia, US Imperialism, Yemen

It was May 2017. The Saudis were growing increasingly nervous. For more than two years they had been relying heavily on U.S. military support and bombs to defeat Houthi rebels in Yemen. Now, the Senate was considering a bipartisan resolution to cut off military aid and halt a big sale of American-made bombs to Saudi Arabia. Fortunately for them, despite mounting evidence that the U.S.-backed, supplied, and fueled air campaign in Yemen was targeting civilians, the Saudi government turned out to have just the weapon needed to keep those bombs and other kinds of aid coming their way: an army of lobbyists. That year, their forces in Washington included members of more than two dozen lobbying and public relations firms.

How The Tentacles Of The U.S. Military Are Strangling The Planet

October 5, 2018 By Vijay Prashad, Portside.org Educate! Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Military bases, US Imperialism

The United States military has a staggering 883 military bases in 183 countries, Russia has 8, China 1. There is no country with a military footprint that replicates that of the United States. The bases create instability rather than peace. Earlier this year, in Itoman (Okinawa, Japan), a young girl—Rinko Sagara (age 14)— read out of a poem based on her great-grandmother’s experience of World War II. Sagara’s great-grandmother reminded her of the cruelty of war. She had seen her friends shot in front of her. It was ugly. Okinawa, a small island on the edge of southern Japan, saw its share of war from April to June 1945. “The blue skies were obscured by the iron rain,” wrote Rinko Sagara, channeling the memories of her great-grandmother. The roar of the bombs overpowered the haunting melody from the sanshin, Okinawa’s snakeskin-covered three-string guitar.

Syria And The S-300s: Re-Centering The People In The Global Struggles For Power

October 4, 2018 Ajamu Baraka, Blackagendareport.com Educate! China, Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Middle East, Russia, United States

But as result of greed, hubris and just plain incompetence, U.S. policy-makers, especially the amateurs running foreign policy during the Obama years, pushed the Russians out of their preferred zone of caution in international affairs, with Syria being exhibit A. Forcing the Russians’ hand in Syria was followed by the Ukraine when the U.S. sparked a coup in that nation as the second front against Russian “intervention” in Syria. So it was quite comical to see how the announcement that Russia will deliver the S-300 air defense system to the Syrian government was met with feigned horror by U.S. and NATO forces . This decision was taken after the U.S. allowed or didn’t stop the Israeli Air Force from playing games that resulted in a Russia cargo plane being shot out of the air by Syrian ground defenses who mistook the Russia plane for an Israeli aircraft.

Last Week Washington Threatened Iran, Syria, China, Venezuela & Russia

October 3, 2018 Philip Giraldi, Unz.com Educate! China, Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Iran, Russia, Syria, Venezuela

The nuclear war doomsday clock maintained on the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists website has advanced to two minutes before midnight, the closest point to possible atomic apocalypse since the end of the Cold War. In 1995 the clock was at fourteen minutes to midnight, but the opportunity to set it back even further was lost as the United States and its European allies took advantage of a weakened Russia to advance NATO into Eastern Europe, setting the stage for a new cold war, which is now underway. It is difficult to imagine how the United States might avoid a new war in the Middle East given the recent statements that have come out of Washington, and, given that the Russians are also active in the region, a rapid and massive escalation of something that starts out as a minor incident should not be ruled out.

US Threatens Russia To Attack Russian Missiles And With An Economic Blockade

October 3, 2018 Staff, Moonofalabama.org Educate! Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, NATO, Russia, US Imperialism

The U.S. and Russia have for some time disagreed about the INF treaty. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed in 1987 between the Soviet General Secretary Gorbachov and U.S. President Reagan. It prohibits land based (not sea based) nuclear capable systems with a range of more than 500 kilometers and less than 5,500 kilometers. The agreement came to pass after the Soviets stationed SS-20 missiles in East Europe. NATO responded with the Pershing II deployment. The problem with these missiles was warning time. Fired at a relative short range they threatened to overwhelm one side before it could respond. The missiles thus destroyed the equilibrium of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). The INF treaty banned these missiles.

In The Heart Of A Dying Empire

October 3, 2018 By Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com Educate! History, Imperialism, Inter-Imperialist Rivalry

When you think about it, Earth is a relatively modest-sized planet -- about 25,000 miles in circumference at the Equator, with a total surface area of 197 million square miles, almost three-quarters of which is water. It’s not so hard, if you’re in a certain frame of mind (as American officials were after 1991), to imagine that a single truly great nation -- a “sole superpower” with a high-tech military, its capabilities unparalleled in history -- might in some fashion control it all. Think back to that year when the other superpower, the lesser one of that era, so unbelievably went down for the count. Try to recall that moment when the Soviet Union, its economy imploding, suddenly was no more, its various imperial parts -- from Eastern Europe to Central Asia -- having largely spun free.

Global De-Dollarization Spells Jolts And Crises For US Economy

October 2, 2018 By Jon Jeter, Mintpressnews.com Educate! Finance and the Economy, Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, New Economy

BEIJING — In January, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to denounce Pakistan’s commitment to fighting terrorism. Twenty-four hours later, Pakistan’s central bank announced that it no longer would use the U.S. dollar in international transactions, and would instead switch to the Chinese yuan. Four months later, in response to the Trump Administration’s withdrawal from the United States’ nuclear weapons pact with Iran, the European Union announced that it would use its own currency, the euro, to pay for Iranian crude oil. Earlier this month, Moscow and Beijing announced a plan to use their own national currencies in bilateral trade. Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters that the move would “increase the stability of banks’ servicing of export and import operations while there are ongoing risks on global markets.”

Washington’s Sanctions Machine

October 1, 2018 Philip B. Giraldi, Strategic-culture.org Educate! Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Sanctions, Trump Administration, US Imperialism

Perhaps it is Donald Trump’s business background that leads him to believe that if you inflict enough economic pain on someone they will ultimately surrender and agree to do whatever you want. Though that approach might well work in New York real estate, it is not a certain path to success in international relations since countries are not as vulnerable to pressure as are individual investors or developers. Washington’s latest foray into the world of sanctions, directed against China, is astonishing even when considering the low bar that has been set by previous presidents going back to Bill Clinton. Beijing has already been pushing back over US sanctions imposed last week on its government-run Equipment Development Department of the Chinese Central Military Commission...

17 Years Of Getting Afghanistan Completely Wrong

September 29, 2018 David Swanson, Davidswanson.org Educate! Afghanistan, Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Middle East, US Imperialism, Wars and Militarism

There are, as far as I know, no polls on the percentage of people in the United States who know that the war is still going on, but it seems to be pretty low. Polling Report lists no polls at all on Afghanistan in the past three years. For longer than most wars have lasted in total, this one has gone on with no public discussion of whether or not it should, just annual testimony before Congress that this next year is going to really be the charm. Things people don’t know are happening are not polled about, which contributes to nobody knowing they are happening. Possible reasons for such ignorance include: there have been too many wars spawned by this one to keep track of them all; President Obama claimed to have “ended” the war while explicitly and actually not ending it, and pointing this out could be impolite...

The World Laughed At Donald Trump

September 28, 2018 Vijay Prashad, Globetrotter Educate! Donald Trump, Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, United Nations

When U.S. President Donald Trump began his speech at the UN General Assembly, laughter erupted from the hall. “In less than two years,” Trump said, “my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the entire history of our country.” There was a pause. Then, Trump continued, “America’s — so true” — but he was interrupted by laughter. Not laughter at a joke that Trump had cracked. Nothing like that. The laughter was directed at him. “Didn’t expect that reaction,” Trump said, “but that’s OK.” There was more laughter, even raucous laughter. The delegates from the 192 other member states sitting in the hall of the General Assembly found Trump’s brashness funny.

Freedom Rider: World War Dangers In Syria

September 28, 2018 Margaret Kimberley, Blackagendareport.com Educate! Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Middle East, Syria, US Imperialism

President Bashar al-Assad has reconquered most of Syria from the United States-backed al Qaeda and Isis terrorists. But the war that should be over isn’t because the U.S., Israel, Turkey and Saudi Arabia refuse to walk away from their regime change scheme.Their goals haven’t changed and theyare determined to carve up as much of Syria as they can and prevent their venture from being a total loss. Their plots may yet create an even wider conflagration after a Russian plane was shot down as a result of Israeli skullduggery. The average American is unaware of the dangers because the corporate media collude with Democrats and Republicans to make the case for endless war. Russia has been so thoroughly demonized that only a handful of people would question an attack on that country which is in fact operating within the framework of international law.

The Establishment’s ‘Fear’ Is Different From Yours

September 27, 2018 Paul Street, Truthdig.com Educate! Capitalism, Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Ruling Class

The instantly famous Anonymous New York Times Op-Ed (ATOE), published Sept. 5, in which a senior Trump administration official complained about the brutish awfulness and incompetence of Donald Trump and claimed to be working with other White House officials to check Trump’s worst impulses, has evoked a range of responses on so-called social media. “The author is Mike Pence,” a first correspondent wrote to me, because the editorial’s anonymous author (hereafter “AA”) used the word “lodestar,” an unusual word that Pence has used many times in the past. No—too easy. The word choice seems calculated to throw people off. Pence, Trump’s presidential heir apparent in the case of constitutional removal, is like the first suspect in every murder mystery. He’s the person who initially seems to make sense as the culprit and then fades as the investigation gets more serious.

US Isolated: Europe’s Big 3, Plus China & Russia Outmaneuver Trump To Keep Iran Deal At UN

September 26, 2018 Juan Cole, Juancole.com Educate! China, Europe, Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Russia, United Nations, United States

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Frederica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, chaired a special session of foreign ministers on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly meeting aimed at outmaneuvering Donald Trump on the Iran Deal. The meeting was attended by the European Union “Big Three,” i.e. Britain, France and Germany (the E3), plus Russia and China. So four of the five members of the UN Security Council participated. The US was conspicuous by its absence. In my whole 65 years I have never heard about 4 members of the UN Security Council meeting without the US and with the express purpose of outflanking Washington Policy! This is both weird and ominous.

Tensions Grow As China, Russia And Iran Lead The Way Towards A New Multipolar World Order

September 26, 2018 Federico Pieraccini, Strategic-culture.org Educate! Capitalism, China, Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Iran, Russia, United States

With the province of Idlib ever closer to being liberated from terrorists by the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the tensions between the US and Syria (and Syria’s allies) are rising. Every significant military campaign by the SAA seems to be accompanied by the usual alarms and false reports emanating from the Western media and governments warning of an imminent (staged) use of chemical weapons by the SAA. Tensions are rising as several American voices, including that of the President, have expressed the desire to strike Syria over any alleged use of chemical weapons, without even waiting for any independent verification. Threats by the US, the UK and France to bomb Russian troops in Syria are voiced everyday on Western media. The insanity is reaching disturbing levels.

China’s ‘Peace Ark’ Ship Makes Maiden Visit To Venezuela (VIDEO)

September 25, 2018 Staff, Rt.com Educate! China, Inter-Imperialist Rivalry, Venezuela

A Chinese hospital vessel has moored at a port near Caracas, where its staff will be providing free medical care to Venezuelans. Recently, a similar-class ship was sent by the US to Colombia to treat refugees fleeing Venezuela. The ‘Peace Ark,’ a 300-bed Chinese Navy hospital ship, has moored on Saturday at the port of La Guaira lying close to Venezuelan capital. The vessel, which was commissioned back in 2008, is said to have eight surgery rooms and a medevac helicopter. According to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the ‘Peace Ark’ will stay in Venezuela for about a week. During the stay, the Chinese commander of the ship will meet with military and political officials and inspect Venezuelan and medical facilities.

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