Dear friends As usual, I will present you with a bullet point “state of the blog” report, something I try to do once a year. The short summary is that the blog is doing great, in spite of a totally crazy 2021 year. I will be honest and admit that this was a tough year on many levels for the entire Saker community and for me too. Between the pandemic,
On December 30, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the United States of America Joseph Biden. December 31, 2021 02:20 The conversation focused on the implementation of the agreement to launch negotiations on providing Russia with legally binding security guarantees, reached during the December 7 videoconference to launch negotiations on providing Russia with legally binding security guarantees. Vladimir Putin detailed the fundamental approaches underlying the Russian drafts
Original link: http://middleeastobserver.net/ansarullah-retakes-key-yemeni-region-after-60-years-of-defacto-saudi-control/ Description: A short presentation by Al Maydeen TV on the strategic importance of the Yemeni al-Yatamah region which Ansarullah-backed forces reportedly took over from Saudi-led forces in recent days. Source: Al Mayadeen (YouTube) Date: December 29, 2021 Please help MEO keep producing independent translations for you by contributing a sustainable monthly amount https://www.patreon.com/MiddleEastObserver Transcript: News Presenter: For the first time in 60 years, the strategic region of al-Yatamah returns to the
By Nat South for the Saker Blog Part 1 This article focusses on the new build programming and commissioning of ships and boats in 2021 and 2020. It provides an insight into the significantly less visible part of the Russian Navy and its ongoing modernisation programme. Russian support vessels are the backbone of any of the Fleets and the Caspian Flotilla, since they underpin the combat ships and submarine operations
Who is the strongest? Who is the best? Who holds the aces The East Or the West? This is the crap our children are learning! Roger Waters (1987) I noticed that my remarks about the silly PR stunt with a US CVN in the Med elicited some reactions in the comments section. And it is true, that both sides, Russia and the “collective West”, are declaring themselves as militarily stronger,
It appears that the united West is preparing what I would call a “negotiations zoo” which would include not only Russian-US talks, but also NATO and even the OSCE. True, the US-Russia summit would take place 2 days before, at least that is the idea, but I still get the impression that the US has decided to use the Europeans like a kind of a political fig leaf behind which
By Francis Lee for the Saker Blog PART 1 It might be a good idea to start with some theoretical clarifications. Firstly, nationalism should not be confused with national sovereignty. Nations which are effectively ruled by outside agents – from Greece to Honduras – are not sovereign; they are colonies or vassals of some larger agency. And since they are not sovereign, the cannot be democratic, since decision making, and
Interview: 27 December 2021 22:40 (Note: This transcript is currently partially complete and will be posted as it becomes available) (Update: This transcript is now complete) Vladimir Solovyov: We are like three-winged birds. The Russian Foreign Ministry operates on three fronts: on the first one, it communicates with our American partners, the second one is NATO, and the third are the Europeans, no matter what they call themselves (the OSCE
The US did not provide Russia with any answer on Friday. By itself, this is not very surprising, the levels of infighting in the US ruling elites have made it impossible to agree on a reply on such short notice, especially during the various end of year celebrations in the West. As for the Russians, they are fine with that, since their own deadline was mid-January. So as of right
Original link: http://middleeastobserver.net/saudi-expert-defends-intensified-bombardment-in-yemen-ansarullah-vows-painful-response/ Description: During a recent political talk show on RT Arabic, Saudi military expert Mohammad al-Qabibaan defended the recent intense escalation of the Saudi-led coalition’s bombardment campaign in Yemen, describing the relentless airstrikes of recent weeks as “successful operations” designed to force the Houthi Ansarullah movement to sit down at the negotiating table. For his part, Nasr al-deen ‘Aamir, a representative from the Sana’a-led Media Ministry, said that the
Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova 💬 Kleptocrats have stolen $100 billion of government money. Oh, I forgot one important detail – in the United States. Who said this? No, neither Vladimir Solovyev, nor Dmitry Kiselev, nor Margarita Simonyan. US Secret Service Coordinator Roy Dotson made this statement. In his words, the US allocated money to counter pandemic-related unemployment but, as you might have guessed, these funds did not reach the
By Thorsten J. Pattberg for the Saker Blog Deceit is the giving of false advice. The false advice is concocted to put a rival at a disadvantage and send him down a perilous path of defeat and humiliation. The deceitful person knows for a fact that his advice is dishonest. Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger The Austrian-born bodybuilder, movie actor and former governor of California, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger, once described the deceitful
Original link: http://middleeastobserver.net/sunni-lebanese-sheikh-within-10-years-our-axis-has-shifted-global-balance-of-power/ In a recent interview published on the Islam asil YouTube channel, Sunni Lebanese Sheikh Ghazi Yusuf Hunayna stated that ‘within only 10 years, the Resistance Axis managed to shift the global balance of power’. The ‘Resistance Axis’ referenced here by Sheikh Hunayna broadly refers to a strategic anti-Israel/anti-US imperialist alliance composed of, but not limited to, Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi, Yemen’s Ansarullah, and various Palestinian armed
By Noel Monteiro for the Saker Blog Many comments have been written about Russia’s proposals to Nato, for a new defense framework in the west of Russia, and the Saker website has done a very good job of portraying it all from the Russian viewpoint, including the whole series of comments on/about Russia’s unambiguous and bluntly hard-worded proposals. There is no doubt, that the meaning of the words used, can
Military superpower Russia, having had enough of U.S./NATO bullying, is now dictating the terms of a new arrangement. By Pepe Escobar posted with permission and widely cross-posted Coming straight from President Putin, it did sound like a bolt from the sky: “We need long-term legally binding guarantees even if we know they cannot be trusted, as the U.S. frequently withdraws from treaties that become uninteresting to them. But it’s something,
At the time of writing, 8PM in Moscow, the Russians have received no reply from the US. So it appears that the US side, which had declared that an answer would be forthcoming for Friday, has changed their mind. Yesterday Putin had a 4 hour long presser, which further incensed the War Party and its propaganda machine (aka “the West’s free and democratic media”). Judging by the many statements coming
Today, on a lighter note, I want to share with you two official US statements which gave the Russians a monumental case of uncontrollable laughter. First, US Trade Representative Tai which actually declared that the Russian import substitution program violates the WTO norms and hurts the US workers (see here and here). Yup, you read that right. The US imposes (totally illegal) sanctions on Russia and when Russia begins to
At the time of posting this is still ongoing. Mr. Putin takes the podium at time marker 36:58 and proceeds directly to Q&A. A transcript will be available but will take some time. Update: Completed after 3 hours and 56 minutes. The president fielded the questions of 44 people, focusing on both domestic and international issues. Please follow the written transcript here.
This video describes the status of the negotiations on the JPCOA but is broader than that. It also demonstrates how the USA negotiates. 0:00 Intro 1:20 What has been achieved, why hasn’t there been a restoration of the nuclear deal yet? 9:02 US and Europe want to keep sanctions in place 16:36 Who is being constructive vs obstructing the talks? 20:25 Why should Iran even resume talks? 29:10 Does Iran
Between the complex internal dynamics of the Taliban and the western trick of conditional aid, it is the Muslim world that must act to save Afghanistan By Pepe Escobar, posted with permission and cross-posted with The Cradle Afghanistan was at the heart of the 17th Extraordinary Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers representing 57 nations at the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC). It was up to Pakistani Prime Minister
