Syria SITREP October 31st, 2015 by John Rambo

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The Middle East Wars

The Middle East is once again swept up in wars. Not since the early 80s has the Middle East experienced such a wide array of conflicts. Not only do we have the mother of all proxy wars in Syria but also a slew of campaigns and operations dotting the entire region and greater area from tribal skirmishes to transnational conflicts.

In tangent with the Syrian crisis is the Iraqi civil war, which has been continuous since the fall of the Saddam’s Iraq by US forces. Modern Iraq has rarely known peace. From the Iran-Iraq war, the two gulf wars, and now this never ending civil war. These conflicts have warped Iraq on multiple levels. The ghost of the Iraqi army is what we know as ISIL today. [Source]

There is the Yemen war which pits multiple belligerents in another Iran-Saudi proxy war between Houthi Yemenis (who are predominantly Shia but have large Sunni support) against the old and ousted Hadi-loyalist Yemeni government. Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State are also prominent in this fight.

Russian Strikes Destroy 1,600 Terrorist Targets in Syria Since Sept. 30

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The Russian air group in Syria has carried out 1,391 sorties over the past month, the General Staff said Friday.
Since the beginning of its operation in Syria on September 30, Russian Aerospace Forces have carried out 1,391 sorties in Syria, destroying a total of 1,623 terrorist targets, the Russian General Staff said Friday.

In particular, Russian warplanes destroyed 249 Islamic State command posts, 51 training camps, and 131 depots, Andrey Kartapolov, head of the Russian General Staff Main Operations Directorate said.

Kartapolov added that Islamic State has retained positions in a number of areas, having turned them into fortified zones complete with underground tunnels and shelters.

Latin America SITREP October 28th, 2015 by Jack

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1) Latin American Left: the Pink Tide: 1999-present?
Two recent pieces on the status and prospects of the progressive governments, social movements and multilateral institutions collectively known as the ‘Pink Tide’.
Raúl Zibechi: Taking stock of ‘Progresismo’ in Latin America [source]
Immanuel Wallerstein: The Latin American Left Moves Rightward [source]
(NB I have the utmost respect for both these writers, but the optimist in me has to say that it is surely too early to mark the high water of the ‘Pink Tide’.)

Putin blasts the US at the Valdai Club Conference

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As always, the Kremlin translation service is pathetically slow in translating Putin’s speeches.  In the first half already published, there are some amazingly blunt statements by Putin.  See for yourself:

Today, unfortunately, we have again come across similar situations. Attempts to promote a model of unilateral domination, as I have said on numerous occasions, have led to an imbalance in the system of international law and global regulation, which means there is a threat, and political, economic or military competition may get out of control.

What, for instance, could such uncontrolled competition mean for international security? A growing number of regional conflicts, especially in ‘border’ areas, where the interests of major nations or blocs meet. This can also lead to the probable downfall of the system of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (which I also consider to be very dangerous), which, in turn, would result in a new spiral of the arms race.

We have already seen the appearance of the concept of the so-called disarming first strike, including one with the use of high-precision long-range non-nuclear weapons comparable in their effect to nuclear weapons.

Big meeting in Moscow !

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Big meeting in Moscow:

By now everybody has seen the photo of Putin and Assad shaking hands.  What has received less attention is whom Assad actually met.

Putin, of course.  And Lavrov and Shoigu.  They spoke for a total of three hours.  Then  Medvedevjoined them for a private dinner.   Guess who else joined them?  Mikhail Fradkov, Head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, and Nikolai Patrushev, Head of the Russian Security Council.

Guys, this is most definitely a power-meeting my any standard, something which only happens very very rarely in the presence of a foreign head of state (only Xi had that kind of access, if I remember correctly).  And that tells me that majo

WikiLeaks Releases CIA Director John Brennan's Hacked Email Contents

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WikiLeaks obtained and released the hacked contents of CIA director John Brennan's AOL account on Wednesday.

The organization released a statement saying:

"Today, 21 October 2015 and over the coming days WikiLeaks is releasing documents from one of CIA chief John Brennan's non-government email accounts.  Brennan used the account occasionally for several intelligence related projects."

Week Two of the Russian Military Intervention in Syria Options for Daesh, the Empire and Russia

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This column was originally written for the Unz Review: http://www.unz.com/tsaker/week-two-of-the-russian-military-intervention-in-syria/

The Russian offensive in Syria is still very much in full swing and it is hard to make sense of what is really happening or how effective it has been. According to the Syrians, 40% of all the infrastructure of “Daesh” (meaning ISIS+al-Qaeda+all the hundreds of smaller groups fighting together against the Syrian government) has been destroyed. Russian sources are less enthusiastic and speak of a rather slow and hesitant Syrian offensive. So far, no major victory has been reported, but since all sides agree that the Russian air campaign is devastatingly effective and highly disruptive for Daesh, I think that there is a good probability that the Syrians will soon achieve a major success. If not, then the Iranians most definitely have the capability to truly tip the balance. So this might be a good time to look at what options Daesh will have.

The Fall Of The Unipower

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The distinguished and knowledgeable international commentator William Engdahl, in a superb statement, has expressed the view I gave you that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech on September 28 at the 70th anniversary of the United Nations changed the balance of power in the world.

After the fatal terrorist shootings at an historic black church in South Carolina, President Barack Obama again cited lax gun laws as contributing to this type of mass violence.

DC Watches Helplessly as Putin Bombs the Daylights out of their Pet Terrorists

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Russia’s Offensive Begins

Source

Well, well, Russia has now begun their long-awaited offensive against ISIS/Daesh/Al-Nusra/Al-Qaeda/Free Syrian Army, over the past week, a great deal has been seen(and learned) about what it means, and how it will change the dynamic going forward.

Video: RUSSIAN HELICOPTERS AIRSTRIKE ATTACKING SYRIA. ISIS IN PANIC

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Russia attack ISIS - Russia vs. ISIS - Russian airtrikes in Syria - Iraq war - Syria war - Kurds - ISIS - Sinjar battle - Kobane battle - Kobani - female soldier - Arin Mirkan - Zozan Cudi - Female soldiers IDF - Yezidis - iraq Christians - Peshmerga - Kurdos - IDF - Kurds female fighters - Gaza - YPJ - Kurdish YPG - Ukraine war - James Foley - ISIL - killing ISIS - PKK - IS - Ayn Al-Arab - Jordan Matson - Kobanê - feminism - Daesh . Kurdistan - Guns - Snipers - Gun Battle - great battles - SU 34 Sukhoi - Russia air force - Kalinka - Mi-24 Hind Helicopter

Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt 'Knocking on Putin’s Door,' Not Obama’s

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Some of the US’s major allies appear more and more convinced that Barack Obama is losing his political influence on the Syrian conflict and the fight against the self-proclaimed Islamic State terror group, according an analysis in the US media.

Key US partners are increasingly fixing their eyes on Moscow rather than Washington, writes Dan de Luce, a columnist for Foreign Policy.

The Battles Of And For Idlib:

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by Ghassan Kadi

If there was ever indeed a civil uprising in Syria, it would have had to be, by-and-large, in Idlib.

Idlib is an impoverished region of Syria. It is located in the north-west, inland from the coastal Syrian Army stronghold of Lattakia, and south of Aleppo; Syria’s second largest city and economic hub. Being predominantly Sunni and poor, the combination made it a lucrative recruitment spot for the various Takfiri groups.

Recipe Of The Day: How to Prepare Goat Meat Pepper Soup

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Pepper soup is basically meat in a spiced stock, the exceptional taste originates from the flavor blend. pepper soup is normally made with goat meat or catfish. Making pepper soup is super easy, to the extent you have the pre-blended spice mix.

Ingredients

• 3 teaspoons Pepper soup spice mix (Pepper Soup Mix: Buy it in UKR|RUS|PLN in EUR)
• 2 tea =spoons dry blended hot chilli
• Goat meat ( 10 small pieces)(cleaned)
• 3 cubes Maggi
• salt to taste
• small onion, small ginger and garlic (peeled, not cut)

Paul Craig Roberts, “Only an idiot would believe” Dutch MH17 report. No black box, no air traffic control tapes, victims’ family barred from examining corpses

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First the awesome Zerohedge comments on Paul Craig Roberts write up of the flawed and disappointing Dutch MH17 report…which essentially said nothing (can you say cover up), and ignored a lot of important information.

Once again Zerohedge commenters point out the obvious, that so many western zombies refuse to acknowledge.

Turning down Russian gas has already caused Poland huge losses

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by: Olga Samofalova

translation by: Alena Scarecrow

source: http://www.vz.ru/economy/2015/10/13/772080.html

“We are independent in the gas issue”, – happily announces Poland having finally built a terminal for receiving liquefied natural gas (LNG). However, the new marine way of delivering gas from Qatar instead of saving financial resources will entail even much higher costs than earlier. Warsaw is already paying – now, that it has not yet received one single cubic meter of gas.

“Poland has achieved her strategic goal: we are independent in the gas issue” said the Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz at the opening ceremony of the new LNG terminal in the city of Swinoujscie, obviously referring to the cherished dream of the Polish government – giving up Russian gas.

Interview of Sheikh Imran on Republika Srpska television (MUST WATCH!!)

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In the meantime, in Nazi-occupied Ukraine

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The dramatic developments in Syria have somewhat overshadowed the events in Nazi-occupied Ukraine.  True, nothing truly ‘major’ has happened there, but that in itself is a major development and a case of “no news is good news”.

Banderastan:

Remember how close we were to a Ukronazi attack just a few months or weeks ago?

That attack never materialized.

This is, I submit, major news and something which most of us did not dare hope for.  After all, the Ukronazis had assembled a very large (some would say “bloated”) force all along the line of contact, the rhetoric out of Kiev was even worse than usual and all the signs were that the junta was poised to attack any day.  Then two things happened.

Poland’s stance towards Russia: pathetic, contemptible and plain stupid

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Alexander Rutskoi (Major-General of Aviation, former President and Vice-President of Russia, Hero of Russia): You know, there is that saying that if a rape is inevitable, then you should relax and enjoy it.  Well, this is the kind of “enjoyment” which all of Europe is getting nowadays.  I have quoted Nietzsche in the past who said “only the strong can be respected, the weak can only be pitied, and even that not always”.  Now they are finally respecting Russia again and now all of these folks are shaking in fear because Russia has stood up from her knees.  We have a peace-loving President, he wants to form a coalition with everybody, he always says let’s settle this issue together – but there is zero reaction on the other side.  But now those who have that “zero reaction” (to Putin’s offers) now know that Russia today can also smash their faces (“дать по морде”).

Zigmund Dzencholovski (Polish journalist): I am very worried about the words I heard today from Mr. Rutskoi who said that now the world has to understand that we have reached the point were the world has to understand that “Russian can smash their faces”.  This is precisely this type of Russia which we fear and this is why we are uniting.

Show: special correspondent, Oct. 14th 2015

Moscow Slams US Reaction to Dutch (One of U.S's Permanent Puppets) #MH17 Report As Misleading

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On Tuesday, the State Department said that the Dutch report “validated” the US theory that MH17 was downed by a surface-to-air missile from “separatist-controlled territory,” although the report gave no exact location of the missile system.
The reconstructed airplane serves as a backdrop during the presentation of the final report into the crash of July 2014 of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, in Gilze Rijen, the Netherlands, October 13, 2015

Moscow considers the US State Department's reaction to the final Dutch MH17 crash report unclear and aimed at misleading the public, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Wednesday during a briefing in Moscow.

Russia to US: Quit Cruise Missile Fairy Tales, Deal With ISIL Toyotas

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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said that Russia is calling on the United States to stop telling fairy tales about Russian cruise missiles and to better handle the problem of off-road Toyota pickups ending up in the hands of the Islamic State in Syria.