The Multifaceted Competition Continues in Central Asia

https://eurasianet.org/us-strikes-mineral-deals-with-uzbekistan-tashkent-report

https://eurasianet.org/kyrgyz-pm-gets-polite-brush-off-by-us-business-executives

https://www.eurasiantimes.com/china-intrudes-in-russias-backyard-as-moscow/

https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Central-Asia-and-Beijing-after-the-Astana-summit-63374.html

https://eurasianet.org/united-states-and-russia-angling-for-influence-in-turkmenistan

https://eurasianet.org/rumors-of-chinese-land-deals-spark-public-unease-in-uzbekistan

As Ankara seeks to work with Azerbaijan in the creation of a new energy and trade corridor connected to Central Asia, the other big players are also quite active and the region is astir.

More Signals from Armenia

https://eurasianet.org/armenia-sending-signals-that-it-wants-to-back-out-of-a-nuclear-energy-deal-with-russia

https://theworld.org/stories/2024/09/06/the-rise-of-an-armenian-church-opposition-leader

Yerevan continues to signal its shift to the West. There's little doubt that Moscow is alarmed as now Armenia seeks to re-orient its nuclear energy programme to the West and to cut out the Russians.

Boeing and its Place in the US Empire

https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2024/5/2/whistleblower-joshua-dean-ex-worker-at-boeing-supplier-dies

Boeing is too big to fail. As a member of the S&P100, the company constitutes a large and essential component within the stock market as well as the US security apparatus. Boeing builds commercial jets and does billions of dollars in military contracts. In fact it's the second biggest military contractor in the United States (and third in the world).

Netanyahu's Gambit: The Baiting of Iran and the Manipulation of Trump

All the evidence suggests Israel has just assassinated one of Iran's top nuclear scientists. This is nothing new. Israel has been assassinating Iranian scientists and sabotaging their nuclear operations for years.

But this time is a bit different and this explains why the story is generating some limited media attention in the West. There's a sense of building pressure of something in the works. Many commentators believe an attack is in the offing.

Questions Surrounding Coverage of the Saudi Nuclear Programme

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_energy_in_Saudi_Arabia

https://www.eurasiareview.com/19042020-saudi-arabias-nuclear-reactor-nears-completion-bringing-prospect-of-saudi-wmd-oped/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/27/us-approved-secret-nuclear-power-work-for-saudi-arabia-reuters.html

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/06/719590408/as-saudi-arabia-builds-a-nuclear-reactor-some-worry-about-its-motives?t=1586993595561

After receiving some press a few years ago, the first phase of the Saudi nuclear project is (as of April 2020) nearing completion and yet many are expressing the warranted fear that the kingdom is going to pursue a weapons programme. While they have signed on to the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, the treaty increasingly has no teeth. Undermined decades ago by Israel, India, Pakistan, South Africa and in recent years by Libya, Iran and North Korea, the international community's commitment to Non-Proliferation is becoming a quaint but largely meaningless commitment.

Atlantic Breakdown in Slow Motion

https://www.euractiv.com/section/eu-china/news/eu-and-china-pledge-to-deepen-relationship-despite-trade-tensions/

Even though the EU and China have their own differences the actions of the United States are forcing both entities to look outward. Trump continues to antagonise Europe, driving them toward the pursuit of their own economic, diplomatic and military agendas.

Toxic Scandals and Timing

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/04/russias-toxic-water-techa-rivers-history-contamination-180401113605955.html

It is certainly valid to call attention to these scandals. They are not merely issues of concern for 'environmentalists'. This touches on the health of the population and should concern us all.

To this day the bulk of the population has no idea about what happened during the first thirty years after Hiroshima. The rise of the nuclear industry and the proliferation of weapons unleashed radioactive pollution across the globe. Nothing would or will ever be the same. The chemistry of the Earth has been forever changed. The only places exempt from radioactive contact are sealed containers. The Cesium 137 test is now used to determine if antique wines have been faked. Forgers can do an excellent job replicating old wines but they can't fake the Cesium. The forged wine will have it, meaning it was bottled after 1945. If you think through the implications of this, it's a little startling.

Suspicions Everywhere: Radiation Clouds and Fire at the SVR

While at this point there's no evidence of arson, the fire at the headquarters of one of Russia's top intelligence agencies (the SVR) is suspicious. Yes, there was remodeling work being done which may explain its origin but it must also be admitted that construction and renovation provide one of the easiest and most convenient scenarios for sabotage. This is especially true when subcontractors are used.

Rouhani and Trump

I caught a few minutes of Trump's Saudi Arabia speech this morning and I thought it unfortunate. By lambasting Iran he (consciously or not) places Rouhani in a difficult situation.

Mainstream Media's Anti-Russian Campaign

http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/08/30/491898040/the-curious-deaths-of-kremlin-critics

This piece ran about a month ago on NPR and yet it is but one example among many. The US Establishment is seeking to reconstitute the Cold War and while China is one villain, the chief antagonist is Russia under Vladimir Putin.

The lies grow wearisome. Putin is hardly a virtuous character but US accusations are disingenuous, rooted in arrogance and extremely hypocritical.

The fact that the Mainstream media has embraced conspiracy theories regarding Russia tells us a great deal about their role.

A Few Thoughts on the Death of Shimon Peres, the Israeli Nuclear Programme and Apartheid South Africa

Shimon Peres will be praised as a man of peace, the Israeli dove who sought reconciliation. He was anything but.

There are numerous works which detail the Israeli nuclear weapons programme. Suffice it to say, Peres was a key player in that story. It's on my list of things to write about but first I need to finish the twenty or so already written pieces, let alone the fifty or so that exist in note form. I've just got too much on my plate at the moment. Despite that I cannot help but 'jump in' as events dictate. The story is a fascinating one and ranges from Africa to France and the United States.

Sri Lanka: A Pawn in the Asian Theatre of the New Cold War

The recent story of Sri Lanka, its civil war and aftermath represent yet another tortured tale, a series of proxy battles resulting in devious schemes and dark betrayals.

Nuclear India

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-nuclear-idUSKBN0U619N20151224

While other countries are treated as pariahs for refusing to comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Israel and now India are given a free pass due to their relationship with the United States.