By Pepe Escobar, posted with the author’s permission and widely crossposted ISTANBUL – Emmanuel Macron is no Talleyrand. Self-promoted as “Jupiterian”, he may have finally got down to earth for a proper realpolitik insight while ruminating one of the former French Minister of Foreign Affairs key bon mots: “A diplomat who says ‘yes’ means ‘maybe’, a diplomat who says ‘maybe’ means ‘no’, and a diplomat who says ‘no’ is no
First, the easy one. Russia has a typical 5th column: pro-western “liberals”, assorted agents of influence, nostalgic of the 90s (when they could plunder Russia as much as they wanted), Washington Consensus types, folks who hate Russia (for whatever reason) and dream of the day Russia will break apart, etc. etc. etc. They are, objectively, agents of influence for the western PSYOPs. I coined the term “Atlantic Integrationists” because, at
By Michael Hudson and posted by permission The Iron Curtain of the 1940s and ‘50s was ostensibly designed to isolate Russia from Western Europe – to keep out Communist ideology and military penetration. Today’s sanctions regime is aimed inward, to prevent America’s NATO and other Western allies from opening up more trade and investment with Russia and China. The aim is not so much to isolate Russia and China as
President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr President, Emmanuel, It is a pleasure to see you. Last time we met was two years ago and, of course, there is a backlog of issues that we can and should discuss in a direct format. Still, over these years, our contacts have never been interrupted, and we remain in touch at all times. Moreover, despite the pandemic, bilateral trade is up. During the pandemic, it fell by 15 percent, but over 11 months of 2021 it grew by over
by Observer R for the Saker Blog BACKGROUND On February 4, 2022, on the occasion of the opening of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, the presidents of China and Russia issued a document entitled: Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development This document sets a new level in the cooperation
Russian MFA 🇷🇺, [2/7/22 4:47 AM] ⚡️ #Opinion by Maria Zakharova: 💬 Josep Borrell’s recent deliberations (https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/110293/tensions-rising-our-eastern-borders-unity-remains-our-strength_en) about the future of Europe, published in his blog on January 30 have confirmed my long-time suspicion that his blog has a life of its own and that the EU’s foreign policy chief may not even know what exotic texts are posted there on his behalf. The new entry plays on the Western
The president of Argentina as a matter of urgency approached President Putin in the day before President Putin left for Beijing. They needed help with odious debt that the country entered into with the IMF. This is the sequence of events in the last few days: Argentina is trapped in $44 billion of odious debt from the US-controlled IMF. Seeking alternatives to US hegemony, Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández traveled to
By Thorsten J. Pattberg for the Saker Blog Corporations lie to us – the consumers – that we naturally follow their brand, cause and celebrity. We don’t. They follow us. Whitney Houston Follows Whitney Houston drowned at the age of 48, face-down in her bathtub. Oh, and yeah she was on cocaine and other drugs. But that‘s not how she died, said her drug-addict ex-husband Bobby Brown, who said she
by Ramin Mazaheri and cross-posted with PressTV We shouldn’t be surprised the West doesn’t understand the Iranian Islamic Revolution, even after 43 years. After all, they don’t even understand their own political revolutions. I’m writing a new book on the brutal repression of the Yellow Vests in France – which should be out before April’s election – and it’s forced me to freshen up on my modern Western political history,
Introduction: First things first, this is a very long statement (5300 words). It is also an extremely important one since it deals primarily with grand strategy issues (it discusses the “whats” not the “hows”). To put it succinctly, this is a common vision of the future shared between Russia and China. It is therefore also a common goal setting document. Considering its scope and objective, this is most definitely a
Translated and subtitled by Leo. Russia started to give a rebuff to Israel for their constant dragging into Syrian affairs. Russian electronic warfare capabilities being located in the Middle Eastern country is hindering the work of the Tel Aviv airport, claims one of the Israeli TV channels. The stated Israeli media is also mentioning that the Russian military has taken control of the Latakia port, depriving in these ways the
By Pepe Escobar: Reporting from Istanbul and posted with permission: As the world turns further over monumental announcements from the Putin-Xi summit in Beijing, Turkey’s Erdogan keeps walking a thinning tightrope between NATO and Eurasia. Crossposted with The Cradle. The Chinese year of the Black Water Tiger started with a big bang – a live Beijing summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping – and
There is so much info (good and bad) about the Putin Xi summit that I decided to create this informational thread. Please try to prioritize sharing factual information and please refrain from 1) offering opinions (it is too early to analyze anything) and 2) making predictions (it is too early to predict anything). Thank you Andrei CLARIFICATION: the point of this post is ONLY to collect facts. Not options, not
At the invitation of President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir V. Putin visited China on 4 February 2022. The Heads of State held talks in Beijing and took part in the opening ceremony of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games. The Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, hereinafter referred to as the sides, state as follows. Today, the world is
I was watching Russian TV yesterday, and here is (roughly) the exchange which took place between the host and one guest. Here is what they both seemed to agree on: ——-begin nonsense——- Russia has a major problem. She cannot really deter the USA. Why? For two reasons: Russia has truly retreated as far as she can, while the USA have an almost limitless room for maneuver. The USA is under
First, I need to report a few things: Due to the current crisis, the blog’s readership has sharply risen. We have been contacted by enough excellent moderator candidates to fulfill all our needs. The Internet is literally exploding with speculations about tomorrow’s Putin-Xi meeting. Frankly, I prefer to wait for some official information before offering any analyses, which means that, unless something dramatic already happens tomorrow, you can expect my
It has begun. Small stuff, but quite worth mentioning. The Belarusian military has taken control of a Ukie reconnaissance drone and forced it to land. The Ukie ambassador was summoned. Details here. Russia has banned the German propaganda outlet Deutsche Welle. Here is a machine translation of the official announcement on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website: On the content of response measures against the German media operating on the territory
By Pepe Escobar, posted with the author’s permission and widely crossposted The Year of the Black Water Tiger will start, for all practical purposes, with a Beijing bang this Friday, as Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, after a live meeting before the initial ceremony of the Winter Olympics, will issue a joint statement on international relations. That will represent a crucial move in the Eurasia vs. NATOstan chessboard, as
Vladimir Putin President of the Russian Federation On the eve of my upcoming visit to China, I am pleased to communicate directly with the Chinese and foreign audience of Xinhua, the largest news agency. Our countries are close neighbours bound by centuries-old traditions of friendship and trust. We highly appreciate that Russia-China comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, entering a new era, has reached an unprecedented level and become a
