It’s this time of the year again when the corporate media engages in the silly “man of the year” exercise and when I offer my own nominations just as a small sign of defiance towards the Imperial propaganda. Last year, I decided that the title of “Saker man of the year” should go to the Syrian solider without whom neither Russia, nor Iran, nor Hezbollah would have been able to save Syria from the NATO-Wahabi aggression. I also listed Vladimir Putin as a “runner up” and Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as honored by a “special distinction”. Looking back, I would say that these were very good nominations and I hope that this year I will get it right again. So here we go.
The 2014 Saker man of the year nomination goes to the masked Russian solider: the “Polite Men in Green” and the Novorussian volunteer.
I decided that, if anybody, the Polite Man in Green deserved this honor because of the absolutely brilliant way he liberated Crimea and protected the Crimean people during the referendum while the Novorussian volunteer deserved the distinction because of the no less brilliant way he defeated a much larger Ukrainian force.
The Polite Man in Green |
The Polite Man in Green:
It is often forgotten that the Ukrainians had a very large force on the Crimean Peninsula composed of their best trained and equipped units. The operation to disarm them all with a minimum of violence was far from being risk free. Of course, the Ukrainians had no chance to prevail against the Russian Special Forces, but they sure had the manpower and resources to give them a very good fight. What prevented them from doing so what the lightening speed of the Russian operation as well as the overwhelming force clearly represented by a large number of fully equipped Spetsnaz operators. Simply put – the Ukrainians understood that they had no chance, none at all, against such a formidable enemy. The calm but very self-confident behavior of these Polite Man in Green psychologically crushed the Ukrainian will to resist.
But that is not why I wanted to honor these man. There are, after all, plenty of skill soldiers worldwide. No, main the reason why I felt that these men deserved to be recognized is because they were truly liberators in the most noble sense of the world. The AngloZionist Empire and the Nazi junta leader in Kiev had already decided that Crimea was theirs, the USN even had plans to built special facilities on the peninsula and they were all sure that there was nothing the locals could do about it, that they were irrelevant. The Polite Man in Green proved them wrong: they liberated them and gave them a chance to freely decide their future themselves, they gave them back a dignity which had been taken away from them by Nikita Khrushchev.
The Novorussian volunteer |
The Novorussian volunteer:
Here again I am honoring a collective “man”, all those who did not wait for an order from above or for somebody else to do the right thing and who decided that I will not stand by and I will fight against the Nazi regime which is trying to oppress my people.
Unlike the Polite Man in Green, the Novorussian Volunteer had all the odds staked against him and even his hope that the Russian Federation would do for Novorussia what she had done for Crimea was soon proven wrong: no Polite Man in Green were sent to Novorussia (or very few). The Nazis had an overwhelming advantage in firepower, in armor, in artillery, in heavy weapons and they had a total control of the skies, yet – unlike the Ukrainian soldiers in Crimea – the Novorussian volunteer did not let his will to resist be crushed, he fought on, very skillfully, and not only defeated his enemy but even launched a highly successful counter-offensive which was stopped on political grounds but which could have been sustained much further (though probably not as far as some believe it could have).
Together, the Polite Man in Green and the Novorussian volunteer stand against the Empire and its Nazi allies just as the Syrian soldier stood against the Empire and his Wahabi allies. All of them have proven, yet again, that the most powerful weapon in any conflict still remains the fighting spirit and the individual courage of the fighting man.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinpin |
The runner up(s): Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinpin
For a second time I am going to chose Vladimir Putin as the runner up for “2014 Saker Man of the Year”, but this time with Xi Jinpin. Together these two man have taken the unprecedented step for creating something much more complex than just a strategic alliance: they have decided to integrate their two nations in a symbiotic relationship which will truly turn them into a type of “Siamese twins” except that they will share most of their “vital organs” while keeping to separate “heads”. Through a series of huge multi-billion contracts in such key areas as energy and defense (along many more comparatively smaller ones), the Russian and the Chinese leaders have basically decided to “marry” their two nations for a common future. Not only that, but by not following the US model of hegemonic and planetary full-spectrum dominance Russia and China are now offering a new model of international relations one in which multi-polarity is actively sought, in which security is viewed as collective and in which the sovereignization, not subjugation, of the rest of the world promoted. Thanks to Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinpin, we will probably end up with a new world order, but most definitely not the one envisioned by AngloZionist imperialists and for that I think that they most definitely deserved to be recognized.
Ramzan Kadyrov |
Special distinction: Ramzan Kadyrov
For many years already Ramzan Kadyrov has been the driving force behind the Chechen miracle. Let’s remember what Chechnia looked like in 2000: Grozny was in such ruins that many seriously advocated completely abandoning the city and relocating the capital of Chechnia elsewhere. All the western “experts” predicted that the Chechen insurgency would never be defeated. Most importantly, it sure looked like Russians and Chechens hated each other with a dark and burning passion. Fifteen years later, Grozny has turned into a superb city, with the lowest crime rate in Russia, the Wahabi insurgency has been comprehensively defeated, and traditional Sunni Islam is triumphant over Wahabism which has been completely eradicated. As for the terrorist threat, it has become so low that when in the recent incident a group of Wahabi terrorists penetrated deep inside Grozny the world found out that the city did not even have checkpoints or roadblocks because they had been removed by the authorities a long time ago.
Furthermore, Ramzan Kadyrov fully took on the role of “protector of the Russian people” not only politically, but by getting personally involved in the conflict in Novorussia: many know that Chechen volunteers are fighting against the Nazi forces, but most people ignore that Chechnia is also accepting many Ukrainian refugees who are finding a safe heaven and, for many, a new home in the small republic.
And through this Ramzan Kadyrov arguably achieved his most amazing miracle: whereas by 2000 the Russian people hated and despised the Chechens whom they saw as vicious and evil enemies, nowadays Russian see Chechen as their most courageous and faithful allies. It is not an exaggeration to say that Ramzan Kadyrov has restored the honor of the Chechen people in a dramatically short period of time.
Needless to say, it is precisely for all these reasons that Kadyrov is absolutely hated by the Empire and its propaganda machine and Kadyrov is presented as a bloodthirsty thug. Truth be told, Kadyrov certainly did display some very thug-like behavior, especially in the past, but there is a lot more to the man than his natural swagger: he is a deeply principled, religious and patriotic leader who has shown in many difficult circumstances that he as fully inherited his father’ wisdom and personal courage.
Now it is your turn. Who are your men/women of the year 2014?
Cheers,
The Saker
Dear Saker,
My man of the year is you. You’ve given me hope for the new world, and your voice is more reasonable, measured and truthful than any politician or leader I have ever listened to.
Your friend,
Charles Mondeley
Igor Ivanovich Strelkov. I do not think I need to explain why.
1) The Novorussian volunteer. Fighting against the odds. Defeated pure evil. Let the cowards in Washington and Brussels know that this bear, is not for turning.
2) Putin and Xi. Leading their great countries against enormous pressure from the Empire. Deftly building the foundations for a far more just world. The Russian president keeps outsmarting the entire clan of Western leaders time and again. Has a pair of 8s, the Western Alliance has four aces. Still can’t beat him. Xi is finally leading his country to global eminence. Stands by Putin, his natural ally. Has and will be sending lots of corrupt officials to the electric chair.
c) The Russian soldier. Superb operation in Crimea. Swift and efficient, made total mockery of the Western racist belief that Russians may be brave, but crude. The Ukies and their cursed Junta were left hopeless bystanders. The chagrin and agony of the Western media while events were unfolding, only added to the drama and delight.
Special mention: The Chinese worker. Let us not kid ourselves for a single moment here. Without the discipline, hard work, diligence, sweat and blood of the Chinese worker, the Empire of Cynicism and Hypocrisy would still be sitting pretty, bombing the next Serbia and humiliating and humbling the planet at will. Through the brutal sacrifices of the Chinese worker, China has risen from one of the very, very poorest countries on the planet, to an industrial, trading, and financial powerhouse. Who would have ever imagined a few decades back that humble China would rise to such eminence in such a short period of time? Lending money to the Empire! Dragging its teeming masses out of absolute poverty, along with several other long suffering countries! Without China’s turbocharged growth, commodity prices would never have risen, the main factor behind Russia’s revival, along with countless other countries destroyed in the 80s and the 90s by IMF dictat. Really, when was the last time that a country helped Russia and not the other way round?
Special SPECIAL mention: Barrack Obama! Had it been a Nixon or a Kennedy, things would never have moved so fast and so against the Empire ‘s interests. This merchant of hope, this cheap marketing ploy, this poster boy of faux progressivism and insidious so called “multiculturalism” has single handedly accelerated world history, and to the right direction. While things are still in the balance, I have felt since day one and still feel today that Barack Hussein Obama will be remembered by history as a much worse and sinister version of Gorbachev.
Meyssan says final coups iran/cuba will be by colored revolutions from open infiltrators:
http://www.voltairenet.org/article186256.html
Final note: the cease-fire with Washington is particularly dangerous. The United States will not stop trying to destabilize these revolutionary states, but they will now do it with inside access. Neither Cuba nor Iran will now be able to monitor the many Americans who come for business or tourism. The CIA will not fail in the next two years to try colored revolutions.
In this, the resumption of diplomatic relations between Washington and Havana prefigures that between Washington and Tehran.
The Woman of the Year
President Dilma Rousseff. Did very well in an attempt to “color revolution” in 2013. She was re-elected against the Empire and a totally corrupt media. Having support of the majority’s Brazilian people.
We often forget that Brazil is another major target for the Empire of Chaos. Dilma Rousseff will be sorely tested by the Serpent. Brazil is probably the most vulnerable major component of the fledgling resistance. We can’t have Latin America fall to Juntas and corrupt oligarchs ever again. Latin America can cause serious trouble to the Empire.
Yes, Saker, those are good choices…
But Anonymous also has a good point…what about women of the year ?
I like to keep the spotlight on the smaller , less obvious, yet crucial players.
My men of the year are:
Motorola
Givi
blue_horseshoe
Anonymous said…
The Woman of the Year
President Dilma Rousseff. Did very well in an attempt to “color revolution” in 2013. She was re-elected against the Empire and a totally corrupt media. Having support of the majority’s Brazilian people.
Anonymous is seriously misinformed. He should read James Petras’s article President Rousseff Declares War on the Working Class.
In early December 2014, President Rousseff appointed Joaquin Levy as the new Finance Minister – in effect the new economic czar to run the Brazilian economy. Levy is a leading member of the Brazilian financial oligarchy. … Within a year, Rousseff and Levy’s shock policies will convert Brazil into a boiling cauldron of social discontent. … Rousseff’s decision to appoint Levy as economic czar is a declaration of class war.
“Anonymous said…
The Woman of the Year
President Dilma Rousseff. Did very well in an attempt to “color revolution” in 2013. She was re-elected against the Empire and a totally corrupt media. Having support of the majority’s Brazilian people.”
I have to agree…. to defy the Empire just on it’s backyard is not easy…
I am brazilian and you are wrong. Dilma and PT are corrupts and midia here is tottally a favor the Dilma. You that no live in Brazil are completly wrong and desinformad
I didn’t realize that the Russian people’s attitude towards the Chechens have so changed.
And oh my blogger/journalist/educator of the year is certainly you Saker.
A very merry holiday cheers to The Polite Man in Green for doing their jobs without violence. I dread to think of the death and destruction if the empire of chaos was in such a position..
My man of the year would go to the unknown soldier.. The people who fight the Empire and Evil behind the lines and with no hope of anyone knowing what sacrifices they have made and what they had done. Without whom no one would have a chance. These are the people who put up resistance to the will of the Empire that is imposed on the world.
For a bright and prosperous future to all..
President Bashar AlAssad .Without his steadfastness,his resilience ,his incredible courage(remember the terrible defamation politics of the Media all over the planet,more than a thousand of them decrying him as a butcher?) the tectonic shift would never have happened .This tectonic shift who moved the West in a perpetual decline and promoted the emergence of another axis prepared to fight for such basic principles as sovereignty and a multi polar world.Russia and China are totally aware of this .He is adulated by his army.And he is the one who in a terrible moment where his country was assaulted by the Anglozionist empire,his own brothers the arabs,and even worse from within by a portion of his population driven into madness by the continuous hate fill propaganda against the Syrian State and billions of dollars gave hope to the silent majority of whom nobody wanted to hear the fear and the sense of total isolation.He gave hope to all the state apparatus as well,hence the very ridiculously small number of defections among civil servants.By his resilience he forced the West to engage Iran .And last but not least he protected Hezbollah.He has been the most solid and loyal ally to Sayed Hassan and his Party,to Iran to Russia to China but most of all to the spirit and soul of Syria.
BCH
Apologies for going off topic, but since this is the latest post on the blog I decided to put this question here to either the Saker or any other reader of this blog who may know a thing or two about the very serious issue of Ukraine’s nuclear reactors. It is already well known that there has been at least one accident with a nuclear reactor in Zaparozhnaye I think. Fort Russ is reporting that as many as 15 nuclear reactors across the country may be in danger of some kind of meltdown due to poor maintenance and lack of nuclear fuel. Also because the cursed ukies have been buying American fuel which is basically incompatible with old Soviet era nuclear reactors. Is there a chance for a tragic and catastrophic accident to happen? Or even worse, is there a chance of a false flag by the Nazis and the Empire?
I would put nothing beyond them at this stage. Absolutely nothing.
Natalia Poklonskaya
Nominate Col John Boyd USAF, ” Art of Warfare”. Moral level of warfare trumps the Mental, in turn the Physical. Perfect case lesson!
Link to study!! Hint, hint :-) http://chuckspinney.blogspot.com/2014/12/into-heart-of-darkness.html?m=1
Cheers Col K
I’ll nominate a class of person as human of the year – the independent journalist. In this class I include the Saker for his writings, and Larchmonter for his paper, and all those who work to become informed and then work to publish a readable version of their information to others.
Nothing we the readers do here in these threads could happen without the journalists who go in front to get us the information and the perspectives. And as we’ve seen, some of them are wounded or killed, and even deliberately murdered in the course of their task. And none of them will ever be rich, I suspect.
So here’s to the truth, and those who find it and share it.
The unknown guy in the US establishment who managed to trick the Kremlin into thinking that they could possibly work out a deal regarding the Crimea and thus got Russia all tied up in knots. Once you start a war, which is what the move on the Crimea was, you have to expect it to continue.
OK, just joshing. We don’t know what happened behind the scenes. My candidate is the Syrian soldier, and perhaps Assad for the man of 2013.
Stavropol @3:29
I thought it was lack of coal needed to power the cooling systems for the reactors. And without that no orderly shutdown of them, and runaway catastrophe. See http://www.enenews.com for ongoing info on the slow death of Japan and the Pacific from the complete melt through of three, and the blowing the top off of a fourth reactor in Fukushima…
It is great to see Pepe Escobar starting to get the recognization he deserves. After diligently working for so long at long last people have begun to see him for one of the greatest reporters we have in our time. If we had a reporter of the year he would be in it for many years.
Pepe Escobar, who was born 1954 in Brazil, is one of the most outstanding journalists of our time with three decades of experience in covering politics and conflicts around the globe. He works for Hong Kong/Thailand-based Asia Times Online as “The Roving Eye.“ Moreover, he is the author of four books: “Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War,“ “Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge,“ and “Obama does Globalistan.“
Mr. Escobar has been a foreign correspondent since 1985, based in London, Milan, Los Angeles, Paris, Singapore, and Bangkok. Since the late 1990s, he has specialized in covering geopolitical stories from the Middle East to Central Asia and has reported during this decade from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, the Central Asian Republics, China and the U.S.A.
He was in Afghanistan in Summer of 2001 and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, just a few weeks before his assassination, and he has been one of the first journalists to reach Kabul after the Taliban’s retreat. He is a renowned expert on the network of pipelines hardwiring the countries of the Middle East, Central Asia, Russia, and Europe that he has dubbed “Pipelinestan.” Mr. Escobar lives in Sao Paulo, Bangkok, and Hong-Kong.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/CHIN-01-190514.html
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175903/tomgram%3A_pepe_escobar,_new_silk_roads_and_an_alternate_eurasian_century/
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/175935/tomgram%3A_pepe_escobar%2C_eurasian_integration_vs._the_empire_of_chaos/#more
His latest book is “Empire of Chaos: The Roving Eye Collection”
http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Chaos-Pepe-Escobar/dp/1608881644
http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Chaos-The-Roving-Collection-ebook/dp/B00OYVYD3G
Blowback after blowback for the “Empire of Chaos”
PODCAST INTERVIEW: This month, Lars Schall talks with Pepe Escobar, foreign correspondent at Hong-Kong-based Asia Times Online.
http://goldswitzerland.com/pepe-escobar-blowback-after-blowback-for-the-empire-of-chaos/
That’s Xi Jinping, not Xi Jipin.
That’s a world of difference in chinese.
Man of the year – definitely Strelkov. After Slaviansk i was completely shattered, then the summer of cauldrons
Female- RT’s Anissa Naouai giving it to that Persian-Zionist presstitute Christiane Amanpour. No quarter. So delicious that hag from The CIA News Network censored the segment
Brava!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g1SUQ1qtdb0
There are Chechens from Europe fighting on the side of Kiev so it would be interesting to see if there are any battles of the pro-Kiev and pro-Russian Chechen fighters fighting each other.
People of the year. The people of Palestine (not their leaders) for the fact that after 66 years of oppression and genocide, they still survive.
Hi Saker,
When you mentioned that Ramzan Kadyrov got personally involved in Novorussia, I remembered the incident where he flew to Kiev and negotiated the release of two kidnapped Russian journalists from LifeNews and brought them back with him on his plane. That’s how directly involved he got. Impressive.
http://rt.com/news/161344-ukraine-russian-jounalists-released/
1. Vladimir Putin
2. Bashar Al’Assad
3. Xi Jinping
Also Evo Morales, Hassan Nasrallah and the polite men in green.
Is it too late to change my vote?
Lavrov is definitely man of the year. made John Kerry look like look like a whiny overmatched buffoon. He certainly has been a lucid and passionate defender of the multi polarity challenging the rank hypocrisy of the NATOists and other Exceptional AZ dead enders.
Here is a controversial choice for woman of the year. Giving her the benefit of the doubt that she isn’t just pandering: Marine LePen for wanting to remove France from the EU
She also wants to remove France from NATO. Even though I somewhat suspicious of her,because of her father etc, I will definitely give her the benefit of the doubt.
Maybe it’s captcha problems; I’ll try this again:
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Great post, nice photos, well done, thanks.
To Stavros H.: I was thinking the same thing about BHO. Like an angry teenager, he defines “impetuous”. Certainly one to accelerate the course of history. One often reads comments written along religious lines; the evil of the empire and so forth. I too try to get people to consider the anti morality of the thing. But in spite of those comments, I often feel like I’m surrounded by modern day deists; they believe in God, but never mention His involvement in contemporary political events. For the sake of conversation, even if I concede that He’s not involved, what I keep wondering about are His -principles-. This BHO, man, continually reminds me of: “Pride goes before destruction…” and, “That as a man sows, so shall he reap”. Such a strong desire to economically crush another country…Hmmm.
As with every year, those manning the FEBA against the Outlaw Empire are to be saluted first.
Stavros H: I think Hydra is a better term than serpent to describe the Outlaw Empire, since it’s a specialized serpent that’s been around a long time. Hercules never really killed it 100%.
I suggest the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov. He has class and is the best diplomat out there, in either the East or West. He tells it just like it is. Make him Person of the Year.
Jose Garcia
Novorossian Soldier for me no doubt.
And some recent news tell me that Kadyrov might be the man of the year 2015. Can’t wait to see that.
Dear Saker,
I came to this blog by chance. I am politically ignorant but not listening to MSM for the last year and a half. So, if you allow me to say, I fully agree with anon at 24 December, 2014 03:05
“And oh my blogger/journalist/educator of the year is certainly you Saker.”
I have learned so, so much from your blog. Thank you very much.
If you ever send me to the «trash» (I think you did once and rightly so), that is a sign to me that I have to cool down. Then I think to myself, although I am an Euroasian, whenever my Latin DNA or in other words my heart starts to pound and I become overcome by my emotions and I do have to «cool down». There is so, so much at stake, I should be careful with what I write.
If I may say so, I do agree with your choices because I have studied and learned from your blog. I had no idea of so many things. My History books have gone to the «bin».
So I thank you for everything you have done. Also a very special nomination for your special contributors in information(papers) and special donators(like Larchmonter445) and also the small donators. Also the commentators who are not trolls or “bashers”.
A very happy Xmas and New Year to you and your family.
From crumbling Southern Europe and European Union
“If you want to set something in motion on this planet, you need access to people you haven’t met. You need knowledge and information that is not yet at your disposal. You need ideas. You can always get them somewhere. From people.” Martijn Aslander, Loyal Rebels
Submarines in the desert had a profound effect on me as have many of the posts on this blog.
My vote goes to The Saker, Loyal Rebel and one of the finest runners in the race.
Hello saker
Awesome Blog
I do not understand whats going on at Donetsk airport.
Ukrainian security officials had violated an agreement with the militia, requesting regular rotation. B oytsy army DNR found weapons in a truck “Ural”, which went to the airport on the green corridor. Deception was discovered during the inspection at the checkpoint.
– Ukrainian military asked for another rotation in Donetsk airport, and army soldiers DNR went for it , but the conditions were such that the military must pass with a minimum reserve of weapons – told LifeNews . – But in the truck found a lot of ammunition, they were seized at the checkpoint and sent back to the territory occupied by the APU.
Wouldnt you let them run out of food,water and ammunition, seems like there helping their enemy to fight against them.
Man of the Year
The Unknown Russian Soldier 2014,and The Unknown Volunteer Soldier 2014
One of Osip Mandelstam’s (January 3 January 1891 – 27 December 1938)apocalyptic or prophetic poems was titled The Unknown Soldier..
“Let this air be witness -to his heartbeat battling in the distance – “
The Russian poets life by his wife, Nadezhda Mandelstam, Hope against Hope, is surely one of the greatest books to come out of 20c Russia.
I can’t remember how and when I first stumbled upon this book, and mention it again now only because of what I perceive as some lack of understanding or clarity of 20c history here sometimes..
What better way to dispel myth and ignorance than through knowledge of this poets life, whose whole personal destiny perfectly mirrored his time, and became therefore impersonal.
Brodsky on Mandelstam:
Perhaps more than anyone in this century, he was a poet of civilization: he contributed to what had inspired him. Of course he was a Russian, but not any more so than Giotto was an Italian. Civilization is the sum total of different cultures animated by a common spiritual numerator, and its main vehicle–speaking both metaphorically and literally–is translation. The wandering of a Greek portico into the latitude of the tundra is a translation.
His life, as well as his death, was a result of this civilization. With a poet, one’s ethical posture, indeed one’s very temperament, is determined and shaped by one’s aesthetics. This is what accounts for poets finding themselves invariably at odds with the social reality, and their death rate indicates the distance which that reality puts between itself and civilization. So does the quality of translation.
A child of civilization based on the principles of order and sacrifice, Mandelstam incarnated both…’
pb
Nice awards. All of you fighting for the Novorussia Forces, thank you.
For those of you who are going through the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Eastern Ukraine, just to stop your land being pillaged and raped by us in the West, I am so sorry and hope things get better in 2015. Thank you for showing that you may not have everything that a materialistic nations desires, but you have so much more. Generosity of spirit, pride, strength, determination and will not be taken lying down.
Russia, again thank you for the same reasons and being strong enough to ignore the colour revolution and regime change, that the imbeciles of the West are trying to force on you.
There is so much support from the citizens of the NATO Alliance Countries and so much admiration. It is just a shame that the zombies have not yet woken up from their Media induced diet. Hopefully, enough are now starting to wake help out (well that is my New Year Resolution).
Saker, thanks for giving Novorussia and others a voice.
AM
Grieved, thank you. I forgot the journalists, that are sacrificing their health and lives to give Novorussia and the citizens in the East a voice. Fully agree and support your comment.
To all those involved in saving Novorussia, whether behind or in face of the frontlines.
AM
This should go in the Quote of the decade awards..
“Reports that say that something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones.”
Psychoanalytic philosopher Slavoj Žižek noted that there is a fourth category, the unknown known: what we know that we intentionally refuse to acknowledge that we know.
http://www.oftwominds.com/blogdec14/oil-risk12-14.html
Dear Saker,
this is to thank you for being there.
so, let us “fly with the wings of wind”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Cg6f-foLzc
Cheers and Best wishes
Patagonian Condor
Hello Saker, and thank you for all your wonderful work.
I have a question about chechnia, do you know where to find materials about chechen wars and chechnia recovery since, wich would be propaganda-free ?
I was too young to take interest in these wars when they happened, and I would like to learn more about it (and not in a New York Times article :s)
Thanks a lot
The brave men and women at Russia Today who risk their lives on the frontlines to bring us truthful reporting.
I will nominate Saker. I had the great pleasure of meeting him and staying with him and his wonderful family in October. Here is a man and his family who are all very busy with their lives and they took time off from their schedules and opened up their home and hospitality to a complete stranger who goes by the single name ‘Auslander’. We all talked all afternoon, evening and late in to the nights I was his guest about the situation in Novorossiya, Krimu and the world in general.
Saker has dedicated his life to the fight against repression, using every moment he has to assist the fight against the evil forces who are so close to taking over the world. It is because of Saker and a very few others that the evil will fail. I hesitate to even think of the hours he puts in to gathering informations, putting them together and writing his posts up in a very understandable format and he has the complete support of his family in this arduous task.
In my opinion HE is the Man of the Year. Runner up, V V Putin, without whose help Krimea and Sevastopol would have fallen prey to the very horrors that Novorossiya is now enduring. Novorossiya will be, again thanks to both Saker and V V Putin, albeit the cost is terrible.
I second all your choices, Saker. The only person I would add to your list is Yegor Strelkov.
All good choices…
Thinking back at your previous year’s picks….
…remembering March 5, 2013 – well over a year ago. Let us never forget what a giant Hugo Chavez was. RIP
Part of my ‘All Star – Century Team” along with Putin, Xi, Ghadaffi, Nasser, Lumumba – you know the gang…
David Rovics is a singer/songwriter based in Portland, Oregon.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/12/24/how-facebook-killed-the-internet/
This is off topic but since the Saker likes David Rovics,enjoy.
cheers.
Men of the Year:
Putin (I knew years ago greatness would be thrust upon him someday)
Jinping (for catching the winds of change and acting upon them)
Assad (for defying the AZ Empire and fighting for his secularr Arab Republic)
The Fighters of Novorosiya (so many to name – for fighting Nazis while EU coddles them)
We should also have A-Hole of The Year awards…but I fear that list could be added to all the way to New Year’s Day as there are just SO MANY
Peace, Love & NovoRossiya this holiday season
Farflungstar
Zio Occupied AmeriKa
We already know that VLadimir Putin is a hero and the man of the year since 2000.
Let’s try something different, how about Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Bakr_al-Baghdadi
He created a completely new state, with vast potential that could eventually encompass most of the Islamic world and already is another nail in the coffin of the empire, by fooling the Americans in thinking he was doing their bidding in their attempts in toppling Assad (another good candidate for ‘man of the year’).
ISIS is functioning as the icebreaker for Turkish rise to new prominence as the core of a neo-Ottoman empire. The new pipeline (“Turkish Stream”) almost surely will greatly strengthen Turkish geopolitical position at the cost of Europe. And if Turkey really makes the switch from the West to SCO, the latter alliance will become unbeatable.
It looks like Putin’s plan A (Paris-Berlin-Moscow) is off the table for a long time to come and that Eurasianist leaning thinkers, like the Saker (“double helix”), will get their way with Putin’s plan B. Congratulations.
Not that I blame Putin.
https://deepresource.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/moscow-confirms-turkish-stream/
Kind regards,
Dutch
Greetings from France:
Saker’s choice for 2014 is perfect.
My choice for 2014 is Saker!
Joyeux Noël / Feliz Navidad.
Mario Medjeral
Common sense, I hope, will be the winner for always!
Strelkov, this year, is also worthy mentioning – less political than spiritual, he deserves to be respected and awarded.
“anonymous”
I second all the excellent choices (of Mr. Saker, and the commenters) for the finest people of the year.
The United States has also produced some fine individuals in 2014, although some of them have been fine for decades.
Former Congressman Ron Paul comes to mind as the finest voice for liberty and opponent of US imperialism. Surely, Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, former Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Joan Baez, Jane Fonda, and former Governor Jesse Ventura, deserve mention.
Edward Snowden (receiving assylum in Russia, Chelsea Manning in prison for life, and Julian Assange, in the Ecuadorian embassy for life, are deserving of notice for their principled courage in 2014.
Above all, the incomparable Novorossyan Partisans are an inspiration to all free souls. They will awaken their sleeping American comrades.
Peter J. Antonsen
Recalling Anarchist leader, Buenaventura Durruti, who fought for the Spanish Republic!
For the Democratic Republic!
IMAGINE
Man of the year – Vojislav Šešelj.
He won against the Hague tribunal completely alone. 11 years of imprisonment did not break him. Like Mendela or Gandhi.
The Wend.
I would say the Russian, along with the Novorossian volunteer soldiers, would be my choice.I know of men that have come even from Siberia to defend their brothers in Novorossia.And also the people of Russia that donate so much and spend so much time trying to help their “family” in Novorossia.
On another note I saw quotes about a Soros article where he says the West will win because Russians won’t let Ukraine collapse.That because Russians think of Ukrainians as brother Russians, in the end they will help them.And that the love Russia feels for their brothers allows the West to win.The translation was so horrible I really couldn’t understand all what was said.And there wasn’t a link to the original.But from those parts it was total cynicism coming from him.
Uncle Bob
Yuletide songs Russian style,with winter pictures…Beautiful!!
http://russia-insider.com/en
Merry Crimble,
cheers.
Happy Holiday season to everyone on this precious blog and all the best for the coming year, good health, lots of happiness and peace around the globe.
Thank you Saker to do this fantastic job and Merry Christmas
From Uncle Bob above,
24 December, 2014 17:19
“about a Soros article where he says the West will win because Russians won’t let Ukraine collapse.That because Russians think of Ukrainians as brother Russians”
True,but imperialists see through misty glasses.
If we look at the voting patterns of the territories east of the Dnieper River,we can easily see the line of resistance to be enhanced.
The only logical choice for the people of the ENTIRE east is to take back their country from foreign aggression of America and Nato.
Already sabotage is occuring in other Oblasts and it takes time to organize,plus a commitment to a cause before any people will leave the ‘safe’ life.
Pushback is unavoidable and 12 months from now?,the people of the Ukraine must take back their country and clean house,or live as slaves.
Russia cannot have Ukraine as a Nato member or ally so they will train,arm and support the ‘Free Ukrainian Army’,possibly aiding the ‘Free Ukranian Assemby’.
Likely candidates for the ‘Free Ukranian Assemby’ are those excluded from participation in the RADA elections and ‘Lustrations’.
cheers.
Alien Tech:
It is great to see Pepe Escobar starting to get the recognization he deserves. After diligently working for so long at long last people have begun to see him for one of the greatest reporters we have in our time. If we had a reporter of the year he would be in it for many years.
—-
As a regular reader of Pepe and Paul Craig Roberts, they both work in the Saker’s Atlantic Integration vs Euraisan Sovereigns in their writings
I wonder if The Nation’s expert on Russia – who has predicted the West’s diminishment of Russia for a decade has made contact with The Saker? Stephen F. Cohen
Should Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld & CIA Officials Be Tried for Torture? War Crimes Case Filed in Germany
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NvSUYTGf4M
12 minutes
Published on Dec 19, 2014
http://democracynow.org – A human rights group in Berlin, Germany, has filed a criminal complaint against the architects of the George W. Bush administration’s torture program. The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights has accused former Bush administration officials, including CIA Director George Tenet and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, of war crimes, and called for an immediate investigation by a German prosecutor. The move follows the release of a Senate report on CIA
My man of the year 2014 is without any doubt The Saker, relentlessly casting the light of Truth in these dark days. For this, dear Saker, I am very thankful. I hope the community feels the same. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
D.D.M.
My nomination for Prisoner of the Year — North Korea.
Blamed for being crazy and anti-social, by the same self-proclaimed United States of America that has locked her into solitary confinement, NK is now being punished for letting Russia put an important pipeline on her territory…which will lead to a side branch to help NK develop.
2015 is the Year of Liberation for half the world.
I wish Christmas and New Year blessings for Saker and his huge army of resistance fighters.
Zakharchenko.
MERRY CHRISTMAS !to ALL.
God save, protect CHRISTIAN Russia & PUTIN.
GOD save and protect my brothers and sisters Muslim and Christians in Palestine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUGSnqh-nSQ
An American Christian,
Carmel by the Sea
Will you be free?? or will you fight??
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2014/12/24/christmas-column/
if you will fight …how??
possible repeat coming of the 1950’s Seaway-Great Lakes project here northern US-Canada, where all manner of saltwater parasite foreign species like sea lamprey, sea lice, etc got introduced via pumped out bilge water and boat hulls (barnacles) into the freshwater species of the Lakes.
http://thebricspost.com/china-backed-50-bn-nicaragua-canal-project-launched/#.VJoGzLgBuE
The $50 billion project, which will rival the Panama Canal to the south when completed in 2019, is being built in southern Nicaragua by the Hong Kong-based Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Co., Ltd. (HKND Group).
The 278-km canal, to be able to accommodate cargo ships with a capacity to carry 18,000 shipping containers, will connect Nicaragua with the world and increase its national and international trade. The government estimates the project would raise annual economic growth to more than 10 per cent.
OT: I point to an article by Uriel Fanelli, a sci-fi writer (I think) – interesting but rather longwinded (December 23).
http://www.keinpfusch.net/2014/12/gli-errori-di-putin.html#more
Not a Putin hugger by any description, he says West is running rings round Russia not militarily but financially. Fanelli’s eye is very much on Belarussia which is being financially hit and both financially and politically lured away from Moscow sphere of influence.
I add, a Minsk Maidan, perhaps?
Fanelli says BASF have unilaterally pulled out of an “assets swaps deal” (Google translator) currently in progress. Gazprom will not enter Germany and shall be confined to the world of the ruble (more or less his words). EU forging ahead with LNG, with Merkel’s full collaboration (i.e. German gov IS the European Commision or vice versa…). The smaller EU countries will be mopped up by the EU consensus. Energy policy shall be enacted by dint of large tax exemptions (that scares me, because it may have us all rushing down the shale cul-de-sac). “A president who was superior,” writes Fanelli, “in political, geopolitical and military art has showed his weak side. Modern finance. And his opponents have understood this. It’s clear that they shall always attack only on that side. And this due to a simple, stupid mistake; timing a chess game as if it was, in fact, a game of chess”. There may be some truth to all this, but how dependent is Russia on so-called Europe? Is Fanelli just a tad too Eurocentric in his analysis? Has he factored everything in or has he latched on to his own favourite facts or factoids? If Russia depends on, say, Gemany, and if Germany is being lured away, dropping a few US treasuries in the bucket may rock the boat enough for people to realise that the Western boat can be legally swamped for months if not actually sunk (I mean, by totally above board means). I like Fanelli’s image of timing a chess game “as if it was, in fact, a game of chess”. If the game becomes financial, does Russia have to start treading water? Or should she send out a few shockwaves?
I don’t want to be too far off topic, except to reassure Sasy at 19:48 that this new concept of Putin being shaky on economics is only possible because everyone is shaky on economics, and lies are very easy. As to timing, it’s like saying the NAF breakout from Slavyansk was a defeat. It sure looked that way to people who didn’t understand tactics. Then we saw how it was the building block to success.
Be of good cheer, Sasy. Don’t spend your Christmas worrying about Russia. The article you cite is very wrong. The west is only running rings around itself. Russia is fine. Putin understands more about finance than he is even required to know by his position. He has a good team. These are Russian technicians in the markets, and they’re making money for Mother.
Russia is winning at such high levels of success that the slugs on the ground can’t even see it.
Very good choice, Saker. I would add to your list people who fights for the truth in one way or another:
1) Russian journalists. They risked their lives in Novorossiya to show us the truth
2) All the Saker community
My Woman of the Year is Marine Le Pen
I’d nominate several groups of people:
1. Those who carry the heaviest responsibilities in this struggle of civilizations: Putin, Xi, Assad, to some extent Kadyrov
2. Those who are at the frontline of the information war:
– the independent journalists (who often pay with their lives)
– the honest bloggers (with the Saker being an outstanding example)
3. Those who are at the frontline of the military conflicts:
– the Novorussian volunteers
– the Syrian army
– the polite men in green
– and not to forget the people of Gaza
My nominee satisfies both the man and woman of the year. I think that nobody has done more to wreck the Evil Empire’s cloaking device and suffers more for it than Bradley/Chelsea Manning. PFC Manning is the only soldier on this planet I’d be willing to salute.
In regard to the nomination above of Col. John Boyd, it was not mentioned that the Colonel is these days preaching his OODA Loop ideas to the Angels.
Anonymous said…
“possible repeat coming of the 1950’s Seaway-Great Lakes project here northern US-Canada, where all manner of saltwater parasite foreign species like sea lamprey, sea lice, etc got introduced via pumped out bilge water and boat hulls (barnacles) into the freshwater species of the Lakes.”
Before the Panama Canal was built there were plans to build it in Nicaragua instead.The route was easier (much of it was in lakes,so little digging required).But then Nicaragua issued stamps showing Volcanoes overlooking the lakes.The backers of the Panama route seized on that to scare investors away from Nicaragua by telling them if the Volcanos erupted the canal would be destroyed.Since then the US has tried to block a canal there.They owned the Panama Canal and wanted absolute control over that route from the Pacific to Atlantic.I suspect they will try tricks to disrupt the plans now.On a related note.A map clearly shows a good beginning protective area for the canal is Cuba.
The “loss” of Crimea means that any pipe-dream like the “Projects for establishing a Jewish republic in the southern Ukraine or in the Crimea or on the Black Sea coast from Bessarabia to Abkhaz with its capital in Odessa, or a Jewish autonomous area in the southern Crimean and Azov region centered in Kerch” have been quashed forever. It clearly means the winding down of the “Great October Socialist Revolution”. The Neo – Khazar Empire will never be.
I don’t know who is winning this crisis.I do know I’d like to think Russia will overcome the economic problems and win.But as of now the West is crowing that they are winning and Russia is done for.
If I was a Chinese leader I’d be worried.And be moving heaven and earth to make sure Russia wins this.Because as the saying goes “as sure as God made little green apples” they are next on the “hit list”,and they better understand that fully.They are said to have 4-6 Trillion,with a “T” dollars in foreign currency in reserve.And I’d be using as much of that as I needed to turn this around for Russia.If their problem is long-term business financing I’d finance that.Because the bottom line is,Russia has the military power that they don’t have for protection. And if the West see’s how easy it is to destroy Russia economically.What on earth do the Chinese think they would do to them without the Chinese even having the military power of a Russia for the West to worry about if they went too far.
It’s all good for the Chinese to imply they stand with Russia.But what is needed is explicit statements of support.And broadcasting to the financial world markets that Chinese funds back Russia.If Russia doesn’t act,and China doesn’t fully back them the game is over.And the Wests NWO is here to stay.I don’t even like to think about how horrible that would be.But Russians and Chines together better think about that.And get to work quickly to stop it.
Uncle Bob
Both Russia and China are patient and methodical when it comes to international relations. This is very unlike the west where the politicians are eager to show off all the time.
Both the Russians and the Chinese like to keep their cards close to their chests. The Western mainstream media were all celebrating a few days back that Russia was done and dusted. Propaganda like this only serves to make them look more stupid in the end.
Do you think that the Chinese do not realize what it would mean for them if Russia were to go down? Who would then be their ally on the world stage? Myanmar? Turkmenistan? Pakistan? Or do you think that the Chinese are so exceedingly naive so as to expect any kind of leniency from the Americans/Europeans/Japanese once Russia is taken out of the game and they are surrounded on all sides?
WizOz spelled it out perfectly:
The Khazars are foaming at the mouth mad as hell that Crimea is gone back to Russia forever. This is an unforgivable act by Putin in their eyes, and they want him to pay, but he won’t end up like JFK, who never suspected the people closest to him; physically closest. Putin knows who shot JFK, and he won’t make that mistake. Putin will survive because he knows, like Michael Corleone, not to trust anybody, including family.
@ Dutch
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi?
You put too much trust in Wikipedia.
Al-Baghdadi was born of two Jewish parents and is a Mossad agent – Shimon Elliot. ISIS/IS is supported by USrael. Even media showed him in company of McCain once or twice;
I give my voice for Putin/Jinping duo, as they are bringing fundamental changes to the world, based on honest relations and international law. A/S psychopaths know nothing about honesty or normal decency, that’s why no understanding will ever be possible with their lies, dirty tricks (like ISIS), blackmails and money manipulations.
And the second choice – all people fighting nazi scum in Ukraine; These are the real heroes of today, dying for the freedom from fascist opression.
Saker also belongs here with his fight for the truth and decency.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Alexei Mozgovoi
here are two examples of this man.
[eng+ger subs] LPR militia commander Mozgovoy speech on forum discussing the problems of Novorossia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_omwqdW_kQ&list=PLY96rNvqGJm8gmw_Cbecbwsf91vMDEmZU&index=16
[eng subs] Alexei Mozgovoi speech at the banner award ceremony 16/12/14
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxvEINTqz_A&index=2&list=PLY96rNvqGJm8gmw_Cbecbwsf91vMDEmZU
there is a whole playlist of him on Kazzura youtube channel.
He is a very interesting strong man. Defends with many international defenders of all walks for a true socialist society where there are no oligarchs. He aspires for a difficult feat in this dark age of greed, but he rises with courage and reason. See for yourself, there are those who slander him but most respect him as tries to talk to anyone willing to reason, even in Kiev. If anyone can, he will rid Ukraine of corruption and evil doers, unite greater Novorossya into a new Ukraine.