Ken Burns and Vietnam Revisionism

https://bracingviews.com/2017/09/20/the-vietnam-war-a-tragic-mistake/

I haven't watched the Ken Burns series on Vietnam and there's a good chance I won't bother with it. Why not? Because despite all the hype and praises heaped upon it I expected it to be more or less as the author of this link has described it.

Burns is only going to go so far in criticising the United States. Tied to the Establishment he's not going to risk burning his bridges with PBS, the educational mandarins and the host of foundations and corporations that promote and fund works such as his.

Hezbollah's Victory, the Fall of ISIS and Principles of Historical Interpretation

http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/ISIS-Threat/Hezbollah-leader-boasts-We-defeated-ISIS-in-Syria-504896

This story has received almost no coverage in the West but it's significant. And though it undoubtedly vexes a good number of people in both Israel and America, it is nevertheless true.

Hezbollah, born of the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, shocked everyone in 2006 by presenting a serious challenge to Israel on the battlefield. Since then it has grown even stronger and has recently scored significant victories in Syria. Hezbollah, a Shiite paramilitary organisation allied with Iran, waged a fierce war against the Sunni extremists of ISIS.

Trump +247: Mueller, the 9/11 Cover-up and the DNC Crisis

Robert Mueller is considered to be a man of integrity, of impeccable credentials and character. His appointment to investigate Russian involvement in the 2016 election was lauded by the Establishment political class, media and a great deal of the public.

And yet the same media is utterly failing to connect his name to the recent Saudi scandal that's been quietly making the news. It seems the media would rather this story just went away.

For years some of the families associated with the victims of 9/11 have been dissatisfied with the official investigation. With good reason they view it as insufficient, truncated and even corrupt.

Plan Mexico, Condor B and a Series of Long Dirty Wars

https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/08/22/the-u-s-is-fanning-the-flames-of-violence-in-mexico/

The author provides a well done and quite readable narrative regarding the drug war in Mexico which began in 2006. He provides many links, including not a few to diplomatic cables provided by Wikileaks.

The Saakashvili Saga Lives On

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/mikheil-saakashvili-fails-in-mission-to-reform-ukraine-a-1163344.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41219773

I'm not sure if anyone knows what to think about Mikheil Saakashvili and his changing fortunes. Depending on how you read the situation he either started the 2008 Georgia-Russia War or was its victim.

Kony, Kagame and AFRICOM

Some readers will no doubt remember the Kony 2012 movie sensation. It was a flash in the pan that was quickly eclipsed by other events, especially the Chibok girls in 2014. All of these stories, from al-Shabaab's 2012 Church attacks in Kenya to the 2013 attack on the Westgate Mall have played a role in shaping Western public opinion with regard to Western military interventions in Africa.

Azerbaijan: A Den of Spies, Secrets and Dirty Deals

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/saudi-arabia-uae-implicated-arms-transfers-170827115154085.html

Azerbaijan continues in its role as an energy supplier to the West and a staging ground and a clandestine base for Western and Israeli operations... especially against Iran. Baku serves largely as a facilitator for Western intelligence agencies.

Russian Sanctions and the US Energy Sector

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfZKtpEi8Oo

This is short clip of an interview with John Pilger on RT's Going Underground. I post it because of his brief commentary on Russia and in particular his reference to the August sanctions pushed by the United States. He correctly observes that once again the notion that Trump is some kind of Russian agent is patently absurd. While momentarily attempting to reach out to Russia and find common cause on the geopolitical scene his administration has already in its short tenure escalated the tensions and antagonism vis-à-vis Moscow.

And just days ago further diplomatic moves were made by Washington in forcing the Russians to close three consulates.

Authoritarianism Transcends the Pseudo-Political Divide

Here are a couple of recent postings from The Intercept that I found to be relevant.

https://theintercept.com/2017/08/25/even-wikileaks-haters-shouldnt-want-it-labeled-a-hostile-intelligence-agency/

While the author (Biddle) is hardly friendly to Wikileaks, he raises some interesting points with regard to the direction the US government is heading. Mike Pompeo, head of the CIA seems to be leading the charge. Of course as I and many others have pointed out, there's been quite a reversal on Wikileaks by figures within the GOP and Trump Administration. During the campaign they praised Assange, now they want him dead.