by Ghassan Kadi I should thank dear friend Andrew Korybko for giving me the inspiration to write this article. After he interviewed me a few days ago on his program Redline on Sputnik Radio, it became clear to me that Erdogan is perceived by many observers as a fairly mercurial character; which he is. However, if we dissect his ideology and history, we may get surprised and discover that he
This column was originally written for the Unz Review: http://www.unz.com/tsaker/week-three-of-the-russian-intervention-in-syria/ The end of international law and diplomacy The end of the Cold War was welcomed as a new era of peace and security in which swords would be transformed into plows, former enemies into friends, and the world would witness a new dawn of universal love, peace and happiness. Of course, none of that happened. What happened is that the
Dear friends, This is the full text of the interview I was referring to in my rant about what I consider to be stupid flag-waving. Considering all the controversy this interview generated here, I feel that I need to clarify something here: I am not “endorsing” either Sivkov or his views (especially not his “other” views not mentioned in this interview). I do, however, believe that Sivkov is an very
The Saker: You are a very well known public figure in the United States. Still I would like you to tell us three things about you which in your opinion is the most important things about you. Cynthia McKinney: I am always in a state of questioning and learning and I love to research questions and an array of solutions of interest to me. I think curiosity is a good thing
Again, it is thanks to Alena Scarecrow that I can share with you a very interesting video about the biggest military exercise held in contemporary Russia: “Center-2015”. In the Cold War years such a video would have been classified as “TOP SECRET” and western intelligence agencies would have paid a fortune to get it. Nowadays, Russia has made a 180 and is showing a surprising degree of openness. In this
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, Allow me to greet you here at this regular meeting of the Valdai International Club. It is true that for over 10 years now this has been a platform to discuss the most pressing issues and consider the directions and prospects for the development of Russia and the whole world. The participants change, of course, but overall, this discussion platform retains its core, so to speak – we have turned into a kind of mutually understanding environment. We have an open discussion here; this is an open
by Oriental Review Source: http://orientalreview.org/2015/10/22/who-is-committed-to-fully-investigate-mh17-tragedy/ The long-awaited Final Report on MH17 crash released by the Dutch Safety Board’ International Commission last week has only left a cold scent in the headlines. The reason is hardly the booming Syrian epic. The Dutch report lacked the substance so vigorously expected by all concerned parties: direct indication to the perpetrator. The legally impeccable statement about Ukraine’s failure to comply with its obligation to
Dear friends, We are glad to inform you that SouthFront is continuing to make huge waves in the English-speaking world, providing an online platform for alternative media that allows everyone to contribute to the production and distribution of alternative point of view. Our team launched a series of new products and increased the content’s quality in September and October. Now, we are preparing for the last step in October and
Saker gives up: Wow, I really did take a beating in this comments section! Oy vey! And here is the deal – as a military analyst I know a lost cause when I see it and this is one. So, I am giving up! You guys win :-) You want to flag-wave? Please – be my guest, I won’t argue any more. You think that Russia will have an easy
A warning from Scott: Prior to writing for thesaker, I collected antiques and art. Since I started writing, I gave up my family, my job, my business, sleeping, showering, and other bad habits. Hell, I even stopped shaving my beard. Being a compulsive collector, now I only collect Russian jokes and anecdotes. First, they are free. Second, they are more effective than booze and drugs combined. You have been warned.
by Andrew Korybko The relatively obscure and media neglected topic of Nepal’s growing constitutional crisis has the very real possibility of transforming into a larger proxy confrontation between China and India. Neither state stands to gain by falling into this strategic trap, but as their mutual neighbor’s destabilization only intensifies, and each Asian giant finds themselves increasingly supporting opposing sides, it might just take another small spark of violence to
The political conflict over the refugee issue intensifies. There is a growing schism in German society and even within political parties. Local politicians who by the nature of their positions are closer to the concerns of the citizenry are beginning to defect from the dictate of the party leaders. SPD: The mayor of Magdeburg has left the SPD over a dispute with his higher-ups regarding his stance on the refugee
Source: http://www.kp.ru/daily/26446/3316981/ Colonel General Andrey Kartapolov: Russia may have a military base in Syria. It will be sea, air, and ground . October 16, 2015 Author Victor Baranets Translated by Carpatho-Russian Our military observer Victor Baranets talked with the Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff, who is directing the operation in Syria. Nearly 90 years ago, the outstanding military theorist and practitioner, Marshal of the Soviet
Foreword by the Saker: Kakaouskia has been a regular contributor to this blog and when I realized that he had first had experience with Western and Russian armor (as a career officer) I asked him to write a short “compare and contrast” between the designs these very different schools of armor design and use. I hope that you will find this exercise interesting and, if yes, I could try to
Foreword by the Saker: Vladimir Pozer is the Moscow equivalent of the notorious Savik Shuster in Kiev: one of the worst of the worst “liberal” “democratic” (in the Russian meaning of these words) journalists out there. You will see that most of his questions are ‘loaded’ – he operates by innuendos, suggestion, by appealing to emotions and associations. If Shuster is a dumb scumbag, then Pozner is a clever, one
It’s been a mediocre week in Syria. Syrian forces have committed to a relentless offensive and have stepped up their assaults with fresh operations in Homs and Aleppo. Operations are being committed against both the Islamic State and the so called rebels supported by the West. Gains have been modest, while territory is being recaptured by the Syrian Arab Army (supported by the Russian air force) the offensives, in the
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
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
Is China preparing for a “Super SDR” to challenge the US dollar? China has made every effort to bypass the US/EU financial institutions by creating parallel structures such as the AIIB, BRICS bank, launching initiatives such as New Silk Road, OBOR, and CIPs to replace SWIFT. They have also built-up their gold reserves in view of a possible gold-backed Yuan. So why is China so committed to the IMF? The
