Economic and Political Intrigue Surrounding Deutsche Bank, Apple and the European Union

In a previous piece, we mentioned the German-French project to form a new military command which has frustrated and angered Washington. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave tepid support to a new Brussels command in a public statement but it's clear this is a move on the part of Berlin to consolidate power in a moment of US weakness.

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.

Brzezinski's Pivot or Recalibration?

http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/08/25/the-broken-chessboard-brzezinski-gives-up-on-empire/

This is a very interesting article and some will find it surprising. Brzezinski is villainised by many. He's considered part of the Globalist Cabal, a Rockefeller protégé turned puppetmaster, a collaborator, counterpart and friendly rival of Henry Kissinger. He has navigated many circles within politics, business and academia.

His 1997 book The Grand Chessboard became famous in the alternative media and conspiracy circles. This was the book that laid out the plans for the American Empire and predicated it on a Pearl Harbor-type event. 

Corbyn's Victory and the Pseudo-Left

It was all but inevitable that Jeremy Corbyn would win re-election as his party's leadership. At least that was the case as the votes were cast.

A few months ago, barely anyone would have guessed it. The Right-wing of the Labour Party and for that matter the whole of the British Establishment is against him.

What's happening? How did he pull this off?

Trotsky in Exile, the Radicalisation of the Masses in 1930's Germany and Today

Recent political events drove me to revisit an old but stimulating book. Historical repetition is rarely exact, but the parallels are sometimes uncanny.

The European Establishment, Brexit and US Imperialism

France and Germany are trying to make a move in order to cement some autonomy and consolidate power. This is precisely what the US feared would happen as a result of Brexit.

The Domestic Consequences of German Militarism

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20160823/05582635308/germany-interior-minister-pushing-deployment-facial-recognition-software-public-areas.shtml

Militarism and democracy are incompatible. Militarism requires massive funds and it is inevitable that social inequities will arise. This will lead to social and political dissent.

The Media Lays the Groundwork for Duterte's Ouster

Rodrigo Duterte now joins Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the list of Western Media pariahs. These figures are being set up for removal. If they won't go quietly through parliamentary machinations, scandal or some other means, eventually the military or the covert-ops people (jackals) get involved.

Well, the covert-ops people are already involved. They're already working all the angles. They're working assets within the media complex as well as stirring up political, social and economic trouble on the ground. That's true in Turkey and if not already it will soon be the case in the Philippines.

Rick Warren's Continued Drift

http://pulpitandpen.org/2015/07/06/rick-warren-teaching-contemplative-prayer-at-hillsong-2015/

As Rick Warren came onto the scene in the late 1990s many realised there were problems with his teaching. And then came 'The Purpose Driven Life' in 2002 and for several years it seemed like Rick Warren was going to be the new leader of American Evangelicalism.

Dominionism's Road to Evangelical Orthodoxy

http://www.politicalresearch.org/2016/08/18/dominionism-rising-a-theocratic-movement-hiding-in-plain-sight/#sthash.C8TklSVA.dpbs

This is a long but excellent article that summarises Dominionist influence in the Christian Right. He articulates the difference between the Rushdoony wing and the Charismatic wing represented by Seven Mountains Theology. While there are direct connections that are missed he acknowledges the influence of the former on the latter and how the movement as a whole is able to incorporate a wide array of figures and movements.

Western Media, the India Strikes and New Delhi's embrace of both Wall Street and the Pentagon

Millions of people were recently on strike in India, but our media has chosen to ignore it. While other leaders are castigated over human rights, Narendra Modi of India gets a free pass. This is even while his society is being stressed by economic upheaval and the concentration of wealth resulting from his Neoliberal economic policies. Paramilitary groups are attacking religious and ethnic minorities and yet, Modi is the new hero in Brussels and Washington. He has implemented the policies of Wall Street and now India is also embracing the aims of the Pentagon. India is a new frontline state in Cold War II.

The Indian people have not supported this and the bulk of the American population knows next to nothing about it.

French Arm Sales Under Scrutiny

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2016/0826/France-s-arms-industry-on-defense-after-sub-data-leak-UN-criticism

Who benefits from these leaks? Who benefits from wounding French credibility?

The Human Rights argument falls flat. France is by no means the only nation arming Saudi Arabia and thus helping them to perpetuate the Yemen conflict. As long as the United States is doing the same, there's little to criticise and France knows this. This aspect of the story strikes me as specious. Any of the Western powers engaged in proxy wars, counterinsurgency and in many cases military 'humanitarian' interventions will fall prey to these charges. Why is France being singled out?

Massoud's Assassination: A Shot Heard Round the World

Fifteen years ago today (Sunday, 9 Sep 2001) I was poking around an old fixer-upper house (actually an old one-room schoolhouse) that I had purchased for us to live in. We never did move in and I eventually sold it.

But I remember vividly the reports coming in over the radio that Ahmad Shah Massoud had been killed. I had been following Afghanistan for some time and knew very well who he was.

The Laos Rapprochement and Conscience Regarding Indochina

The Right will attack Obama over his aid package to Laos, but you can be certain they will misinterpret his actions and their context.

First, he's not apologising for the absolute destruction of Laos and the horrific legacy of the CIA's Secret War which continues to kill and maim people even to this day. The country is to be pitied. Laos has the dubious distinction of being the most bombed nation in history. His offer of clean-up money is not an apology. Actually it's rather insulting and does nothing in the way of taking responsibility for the atrocity. It's a manipulative pittance, and little more.

US Nuclear Weapons, Turkey and Romania

https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/us-moves-nuclear-weapons-from-turkey-to-romania/

The US record with regard to nuclear weapons and proliferation is riddled with lies. In another piece I wrote about an incident I witnessed and even participated in back in the 1990s. Official denials are meaningless.

http://pilgrimunderground.blogspot.com/2016/06/missile-defense-in-romania.html

The US may officially deny that they're moving weapons to the new missile 'Defense' base in Romania, but who can say?

The Kurdish Betrayal and a New Phase in the Syrian War

Once again the Kurds have been betrayed by the United States. The so-called Syrian Rebels are largely comprised of Sunni Arab Islamists, al Qaeda franchise affiliates, various groupings of ethnic and ethno-religious minorities and finally, Kurdish YPG militias which are ideological cousins and a virtual offshoot of the Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) across the border in Turkey. Technically the YPG is the armed wing of the PYD, a Syrian political party that identifies the PKK's Abdullah Öcalan as their ideological leader and inspiration.

Karimov's Death and its Implications for Uzbekistan, Central Asia and Cold War II

The death of Uzbekistan's Islam Karimov is significant. According to Brzezinski's 'Chessboard' model, Uzbekistan is 'the' pivot state in Central Asia.

In the struggle for Central Asia, what I've sometimes called the Great Game II, Uzbekistan plays a key role in terms of its geography, resources and its position within the Turkic world. Indeed this new Great Game is but a facet within a larger struggle now being identified as Cold War II. The stakes are high.

Executive Orders and The Memory Hole

From the Bush Administration Archive:

As President, my first executive order was to establish the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives at the White House. (Applause.) And my next one led to the creation of Faith-Based and Community offices at 11 federal agencies. These offices were tasked with this new mission: to lower the legal and institutional barriers that prevented government and faith-based groups from working as partners -- and to ensure that the armies of compassion played a central role in our campaign to make America more promising and more just.

http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2008/06/20080626-20.html

The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (OFBCI) was initiated by executive order in January 2001.  The implications cannot be overstated. This represented a titanic shift in government doctrine and expenditure... all accomplished by the stroke of a pen.