The presidents of Russia, Iran, and Turkey convened to discuss critical issues pertaining to West Asia, with the illegal US occupation of Syria a key talking point. Oil and gas, wheat and grains, missiles and drones – the hottest topics in global geopolitics today – were all on the agenda in Tehran this week.
By Pepe Escobar, posted with the author’s permission and cross posted with The Cradle
The Tehran summit uniting Iran-Russia-Turkey was a fascinating affair in more ways than one. Ostensibly about the Astana peace process in Syria, launched in 2017, the summit joint statement duly noted that Iran, Russia and (recently rebranded) Turkiye will continue, “cooperating to eliminate terrorists” in Syria and “won’t accept new facts in Syria in the name of defeating terrorism.”
That’s a wholesale rejection of the “war on terror” exceptionalist unipolarity that once ruled West Asia.
Standing up to the global sheriff
Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his own speech, was even more explicit. He stressed “specific steps to promote the intra-Syrian inclusive political dialogue” and most of called a spade a spade: “The western states led by the US are strongly encouraging separatist sentiment in some areas of the country and plundering its natural resources with a view to ultimately pulling the Syrian state apart.”
So there will be “extra steps in our trilateral format” aimed at “stabilizing the situation in those areas” and crucially, “returning control to the legitimate government of Syria.” For better or for worse, the days of imperial plunder will be over.
The bilateral meetings on the summit’s sidelines – Putin/Raisi and Putin/Erdogan – were even more intriguing. Context is key here: the Tehran gathering took place after Putin’s visit to Turkmenistan in late June for the 6th Caspian summit, where all the littoral nations, Iran included, were present, and after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s travels in Algeria, Bahrain, Oman, and Saudi Arabia, where he met all his Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) counterparts.
Moscow’s moment
So we see Russian diplomacy carefully weaving its geopolitical tapestry from West Asia to Central Asia – with everybody and his neighbor eager to talk and to listen to Moscow. As it stands, the Russia-Turkey entente cordiale tends to lean towards conflict management, and is strong on trade relations. Iran-Russia is a completely different ball game: much more of a strategic partnership.
So it’s hardly a coincidence that the National Oil Company of Iran (NIOC), timed to the Tehran summit, announced the signing of a $40 billion strategic cooperation agreement with Russia’s Gazprom. That’s the largest foreign investment in the history of Iran’s energy industry – badly needed since the early 2000s. Seven deals worth $4 billion apply to the development of oil fields; others focus on the construction of new export gas pipelines and LNG projects.
Kremlin advisor Yury Ushakov deliciously leaked that Putin and Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in their private meeting, “discussed conceptual issues.” Translation: he means grand strategy, as in the evolving, complex process of Eurasia integration, in which the three key nodes are Russia, Iran and China, now intensifying their interconnection. The Russia-Iran strategic partnership largely mirrors the key points of the China-Iran strategic partnership.
Iran says ‘no’ to NATO
Khamenei, on NATO, did tell it like it is: “If the road is open for NATO, then the organization sees no borders. If it had not been stopped in Ukraine, then after a while the alliance would have started a war under the pretext of Crimea.”
There were no leaks on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) impasse between the US and Iran – but it’s clear, based on the recent negotiations in Vienna, that Moscow will not interfere with Tehran’s nuclear decisions. Not only are Tehran-Moscow-Beijing fully aware of who’s preventing the JCPOA from getting back on track, they also see how this counter-productive stalling process prevents the collective west from badly needed access to Iranian oil.
Then there’s the weapons front. Iran is one of the world’s leaders in drone production: Pelican, Arash, Homa, Chamrosh, Jubin, Ababil, Bavar, recon drones, attack drones, even kamikaze drones, cheap and effective, mostly deployed from naval platforms in West Asia.
Tehran’s official position is not to supply weapons to nations at war – which would in principle invalidate dodgy US “intel” on their supply to Russia in Ukraine. Yet that could always happen under the radar, considering that Tehran is very much interested in buying Russian aerial defense systems and state of the art fighter jets. After the end of the UN Security Council-enforced embargo, Russia can sell whatever conventional weapons to Iran it sees fit.
Russian military analysts are fascinated by the conclusions Iranians reached when it was established they would stand no chance against a NATO armada; essentially they bet on pro-level guerrilla war (a lesson learned from Afghanistan). In Syria, Iraq and Yemen they deployed trainers to guide villagers in their fight against Salafi-jihadis; produced tens of thousands of large-caliber sniper rifles, ATGMs, and thermals; and of course perfected their drone assembly lines (with excellent cameras to surveil US positions).
Not to mention that simultaneously the Iranians were building quite capable long-range missiles. No wonder Russian military analysts estimate there’s much to learn tactically from the Iranians – and not only on the drone front.
The Putin-Sultan ballet
Now to the Putin-Erdogan get together – always an attention-grabbing geopolitical ballet, especially considering the Sultan has not yet decided to hop on the Eurasia integration high-speed train.
Putin diplomatically “expressed gratitude” for the discussions on food and grain issues, while reiterating that “not all issues on the export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports are resolved, but progress is made.”
Putin was referring to Turkiye’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, who earlier this week assured that setting up an operations center in Istanbul, establishing joint controls at the port exit and arrival points, and carefully monitoring the navigational safety on the transfer routes are issues that may be solved in the next few days.
Apparently Putin-Erdogan also discussed Nagorno-Karabakh (no details).
What a few leaks certainly did not reveal is that on Syria, for all practical purposes, the situation is blocked. That favors Russia – whose main priority as it stands is Donbass. Wily Erdogan knows it – and that’s why he may have tried to extract some “concessions” on “the Kurdish question” and Nagorno-Karabakh. Whatever Putin, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev and Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev may really think about Erdogan, they certainly evaluate how priceless is to cultivate such an erratic partner capable of driving the collective west totally bonkers.
Istanbul this summer has been turned into a sort of Third Rome, at least for expelled-from-Europe Russian tourists: they are everywhere. Yet the most crucial geoeconomic development these past few months is that the western-provoked collapse of trade/supply lines along the borders between Russia and the EU – from the Baltic to the Black Sea – finally highlighted the wisdom and economic sense of the International North-South Transportation Corridor (INTSC): a major Russia-Iran-India geopolitical and geoeconomic integration success.
When Moscow talks to Kiev, it talks via Istanbul. NATO, as the Global South well knows, does not do diplomacy. So any possibility of dialogue between Russians and a few educated westerners takes place in Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and the UAE. West Asia as well as the Caucasus, incidentally, did not subscribe to the western sanctions hysteria against Russia.
Say farewell to the ‘teleprompter guy’
Now compare all of the above with the recent visit to the region by the so-called “leader of the free world,” who merrily alternates between shaking hands with invisible people to reading – literally – whatever is scrolling on a teleprompter. We’re talking of US President Joe Biden, of course.
Fact: Biden threatened Iran with military strikes and as a mere supplicant, begged the Saudis to pump more oil to offset the “turbulence” in the global energy markets caused by the collective west’s sanction hysteria. Context: the glaring absence of any vision or anything even resembling a draft of foreign policy plan for West Asia.
So oil prices duly jumped upward after Biden’s trip: Brent crude rose more than four percent to $105 a barrel, bringing prices back to above $100 after a lull of several months.
The heart of the matter is that if OPEC or OPEC+ (which includes Russia) ever decide to increase their oil supplies, they will do it based on their internal deliberations, and not under exceptionalist pressure.
As for the imperial threat of military strikes on Iran, it qualifies as pure dementia. The whole Persian Gulf – not to mention the whole of West Asia – knows that were US/Israel to attack Iran, fierce retaliation would simply evaporate with the region’s energy production, with apocalyptic consequences including the collapse of trillions of dollars in derivatives.
Biden then had the gall to say, “We have made progress in strengthening our relations with the Gulf states. We will not leave a vacuum for Russia and China to fill in the Middle East”.
Well, in real life it is the “indispensable nation” that has self-morphed into a vacuum. Only bought-and-paid for Arab vassals – most of them monarchs – believe in the building of an “Arab NATO” (copyright Jordan’s King Abdullah) to take on Iran. Russia and China are already all over the place in West Asia and beyond.
De-Dollarization, not just Eurasian integration
It’s not only the new logistical corridor from Moscow and St. Petersburg to Astrakhan and then, via the Caspian, to Enzeli in Iran and on to Mumbai that is shaking things up. It’s about increasing bilateral trade that bypasses the US dollar. It’s about BRICS+, which Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt are dying to be part of. It’s about the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which formally accepts Iran as a full member this coming September (and soon Belarus as well). It’s about BRICS+, the SCO, China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the Eurasia Economic Union (EAEU) interconnected in their path towards a Greater Eurasia Partnership.
West Asia may still harbor a small collection of imperial vassals with zero sovereignty who depend on the west’s financial and military ‘assistance,’ but that’s the past. The future is now – with Top Three BRICS (Russia, India, China) slowly but surely coordinating their overlapping strategies across West Asia, with Iran involved in all of them.
And then there’s the Big Global Picture: whatever the circumvolutions and silly schemes of the US-concocted “oil price cap” variety, the fact is that Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela – the top powerful energy-producing nations – are absolutely in sync: on Russia, on the collective west, and on the needs of a real multipolar world.
Nobody can digest a maze of facts, interpret nuances, and weave a tapestry of information in common speech like Pepe Escobar.
We are in total agreement with you regarding Pepe Escobar. He is truly a rare gift. He is “heads and shoulders” above any & all American reporters or journalists who are for a multi-polar world.
Another renowned writer is an Italian named Professor Veghi. He works at a UK college. We wholeheartedly endorse his writings. One of his best works on both the multi-polar issue, but also the real nuts & bolts of the US Hegemon’s current motives & actions in Western Europe & beyond.
Your can read Professor Veghi’s article on: http://www.thephilosophicalsalon.com The title is “Pause for Thought….”
Another worth following is M. K. BHADRAKUMAR. Former Indian diplomat. His reports are short and concise:
https://orientalreview.org/author/mkb/
wow, this is a very well written article. I am impressed by this guy’s analysis. As an economist/finance practitioner myself I cannot hardly disagree with prof. Vighi.
If only others, who are naturally confused with current affairs, would read that article by Veghi!
Without Pepe, most would be lost.
Muito obrigado,não foce este grande jornalista não saberia de fato as nuanses desta situação política envolvendo estes países da Eurásia UE UEA…muito obrigado!!🙏
I wonder if any of my country’s ostensible experts have ever looked at a map?
Tehran can close Hormuz with very little effort or capability. Heck, I think a bottle rocket could make it across at one point. How could even a tiny military contingent be unable to board a few oil tankers and hold up traffic in the strait? Anything “the most powerful military in the history of the Milky Way Galaxy” could do, would only make it worse.
Amerikinski: They know well enough. But they do need to keep up appearances in the form of propaganda pressure on Iran. It pleases their masters and helps hold their increasingly rickety empire together. Sometimes it is necessary for us to distinguish between actual intention and stated intention on their part. It is an empire of lies after all.
America has been stoned at the wheel for years as the world turned.
Defeat the US navy you defeat America.
If Russia, China and Iran know it, so does everyone else.
The world spins at over a 1000 kms an hour. The A10 and slow mow Spooky Herc’s don’t cut it anymore. That’s why those old, “has been, game changers,” ain’t flying in Nazi Ukrainian.
Taiwan loves Profits not War. The Donbas is harvesting wheat and exporting it as normal.
Pepe is right again and again and again LOL.
Didn’t they mostly defeat their own Navy all on their own?
Being an Amerikanski, “Amerikanski”, by chance have you come across a countryman of yours, Will Schryver? Without doubt, one of the smartest ‘analysts’ getting about. Great depth and breadth of historical knowledge, which he bounces off to provide great insights. In essence, not an error of consequence from mid Jan, when he ‘forecast’ exactly what we’ve seen since Feb 24th.
And, just last week he provided a fascinating tale from 2002, when the US spent $250m planning and playing a war game against Iran;
‘..It even envisioned the “Blue Team” (US forces) employing battlefield technologies not yet available, but which were anticipated to be operational by 2007.
The “Red Team” (enemy forces) was understood to represent Iran, and the Pentagon tapped retired Marine Lieutenant General Paul Van Riper to lead it.
Van Riper, however, did not act according to the expectations of the desk-jockey analysts in the Pentagon. Rather, he waited until the naval task force had transited the Strait of Hormuz, and then he launched salvos of land-based ballistic missiles, anti-ship missiles launched from low-flying planes and helicopters, and swarms of elusive “fast boats” against the flotilla of ships. This attack entirely overwhelmed the defense capabilities of the fleet, and in a matter of mere minutes, all nineteen ships in the task force had been sunk, along with their entire complement of 20,000 sailors and marines.
It was a total catastrophe – not to mention a shocking humiliation for Pentagon planners who had expended a quarter billion dollars setting up the elaborate exercise in the first place.
So, what did they do? Well, like a teenage boy playing war in a video game, they simply pressed the “reset” button, “refloated” the sunken ships, and then entered “cheat codes” into the simulation that guaranteed the Blue Team would win.
I kid you not.
General Van Riper was outraged, and quit on the spot. Another more pliant general was assigned to take his place; the exercise proceeded “according to plan”; the Blue Team achieved a great and glorious victory over the “inferior forces” of the Red Team.
Van Riper summarized the debacle in succinct terms:
“Nothing was learned from this. And a culture not willing to think hard and test itself does not augur well for the future.”…’
https://www.imetatronink.com/2022/07/lessons-never-learned.html
This is Schryver on his twitter after watching one of Putin’s pressers in Tehran;
‘And he is effortlessly and extemporaneously discussing…no teleprompter, no notes. He is speaking from a foundation of understanding.’
“Americans are the best in the world at drawing a target, centered in the place where the arrow hit…” – Mark Twain.
“Tehran’s official position is not to supply weapons to nations at war – which would in principle invalidate dodgy US “intel” on their supply to Russia in Ukraine. Yet that could always happen under the radar,”
It would be surprising. I don’t think so. The Ayatollah, being a major leader in his religion, has his word as his “bond” and his main source of authority. Others can “lie”, but he cannot without losing his main power. I think he would first change his official position and then do that.
I remember when the ISIL and Al-Nusra terrorists and others had almost overrun Syria. In those days, the NYT had articles about how powerful Assad’s enemies were and how they were funding themselves through their oil export profits. The oil was exiting through Turkey. Russia later attacked those trucks and stopped their oil sales. I don’t know how now Turkey plays this role with Russia and Iran.
Very good and insightful comment about the Ayatollah’s word being his bond.
Refreshing also in this deceitful world.
That’s why I think Turkey would be the Trojan horse if they were to be accepted at BRICS. Time and again, Erdogan has proved his unreliability. He’s treacherous, vengeful and unscrupulous. Unfortunately, he sits at the gate between east and west.
They would be unreliable… for both sides.
The metaphor of the Trojan Horse darkly portrays Turkeye as a deceitful intrigant working for the US & EU. But Pepe Escobar is portraying Turkeye much more as a Janus face, with one face looking towards the US & EU and the other looking at Eurasia. This Janus double face of Turkeye describes its unique geopolitical & world-historical pivot position. Turkeye’s Janus face doesn’t mean that it is a vasal of the US & EU. Turkeye is keen on heeding its national self-interest. Also the geopolitical position of Russia may be described as a Janus face, with Russia looking at the same time looking West & East, East & West.
Certainly the hard things that Erdogan is saying about the U.S. this week (accusations), bear no comparison with anything harsh he may have said about Russia in the past, and I can’t think of anything harsh that he said. I think he has always spoken respectfully about Russia, hasn’t he?
Yes. The Ayatollah cannot be expected to act like disposable bureaucrats do.
But if it’s desirable? They may sell anything to third parties. For example, India (unless they promised Pakistan not to, that is). And if India happens to immediately get a lucrative offer from Russia and re-sells the goods without even unacking… Those are their toys now, Iran is not Microsoft. And that’s their neutrality, Iran is not USA.
As a side note, the wording of his decree against using nuclear weapons may or may not (depending on how accurately it’s quoted) allow an exception for nuclear mine belt. Like in Europe. “No, John, you are USSR now”. And then John was USSR.
“Those are their toys now, Iran is not microsoft.”
I don’t think any country makes a major weapons sale without conditions and one must be that you can’t resell it, probably the first one too.
“the wording of his decree against using nuclear weapons may or may not (depending on how accurately it’s quoted) allow an exception for nuclear mine belt.”
It’s none whatsoever. Same reason, he must be different from said bureaucrats. Time will tell.
This Ayatollah is shrewd – feared. Big people called Soleimani “the biggest terrorist” but none called the Ayatollah any such thing. Why? Soleimani was a General under the authority of the Ayatollah and it’s self-disqualifying to call the underling the “biggest…” but not his boss. Shameless too.
Yesterday came across a site that not only fully supports Russia but has some well written articles. Details below — https://www.imetatronink.com/ – – – All articles are not over long with very interesting short video’s ( 20sec – 1 min)
Sowing the Wind
Lessons Never Learned
Playing With Fire
Wunderwaffe Du Jour
Destroying the “Mother of All Proxy Armies” in Ukr…
The United States Could Not Win and Will Not Fight…
A Bird’s Eye View of the Ukraine War
The End of NATO, American Imperial Hegemony, and T…
I would just like to say thank you for the Link to further the discussion. I have a list called, continuing education. Saker is top of the list followed by Zerohedge.
The continuing slaughter of forced Ukrainian conscripts is up setting. But if you vote for or tolerate Nazis, you get what’s coming. That goes double for the US, UK and EU, it’s going to be horrible.
I agree that its upsetting about the slaughter of the Ukranian conscripts, and I’m not sure that they actually had a choice in who they voted for.
I think Zelensky lied and said he was going to go for war and then he’s closed down\banned any opposition parties, assassinated and tortured opposition MPs, journalists, dissidents. The usual Amreican Nazi, CIA, NATO regime overthrow, torture, plunder coup routine.
The new currency will be key to bankrupting the devil’s empire.
Rejection of the US$ will bring it to an end.
When there are enough participants, it may happen in a rush.
A new currency is the keystone.
Pepe rocks! I wait for his article like I wait for new movies. I have learned so much from him. Thank you Pepe!
The US seems to believe Iran is Iraq or Afghanistan. And they can stroll in and take over. That is a fatal mistake for them:
Is the US Sleepwalking into War with Iran? Or was this Always the Plan?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45hiIG_LZi8
“Is the US Sleepwalking into War with Iran? Or was this Always the Plan?”
No, the Plan was not to have Biden “sleepwalk” (appropriate word) into war with Iran. The Plan was to “take out 7 countries in 5 years” with Syria and Iran “taken out” at the Grande Finale, 2006. That was the Plan, 2001.
Many thanks to Pepe and the Saker blog for posting this excellent article.
“Now to the Putin-Erdogan get together – always an attention-grabbing geopolitical ballet, especially considering the Sultan has not yet decided to hop on the Eurasia integration high-speed train.”
Perhaps it’s too early for Turkiye to join the Eurasian train. For sure, the moment a functioning banking-currency unit comes into operation amongst the members of the SCO and EAEU, Ankara will be the first one to participate followed by all the other neighbors in the region, including the GCC countries.
Russia-Iran-India corridor also means there’s going to be a new and more Eurasia-centric OPEC+ where the global energy trading system and security will be managed and decided mainly in St. Petersburg, Riyadh, Beijing, Caracas and Tehran with a new BRICS currency.
The success of the Anglo-Saxons in establishing the current global financial system was based on the British ability to prevent Russia – some 200+ years ago – from accessing the Indian Ocean through its southern gate via Iran. The British (American) stooges in Iran during the Qajar and Pahlavi dynasties, did all they could for that purpose in return for pocket money and candies. In doing so the Anglo-Saxons basically hit three birds with one stone, namely, preventing Russia from direct access to India and southern Suez- Malacca straits, keeping Iran (ME) in a perpetual state of underdevelopment and internal conflicts and finally looting India’s natural resources without the presence of all other major competitors, which led to the current US-dollar based world order.
Russia-Iran-India corridor is going to compensate for that historic awkwardness and very quickly change the course of events on world stage. With a new OPEC+ comes greater presence of Russia-Iran and China military and security cooperation, covering the entire Persian Gulf- Ban-el-Mandib(Yemen)-Suez Canal to the Asia Pacific region.
Consequently, the days of the Anglo-Saxons are numbered. All one could do to help the Anglo-Saxon at this time is to suggest they take out that old wheel cart parked in their garage and give it a nice service because they would need it for their future chestnuts selling career.
De-dollarization is the big kahuna in all this. It has been happening since 2007/08 at a glacial pace . The recent weaponizing of the dollar and looting of assets (aka freezing) has accelerated the trend.
Watch the data closely over the next 12-24 months to see if de-dollarization has significantly accelerated.
Reliance on lots of trained irregulars is not “the conclusions Iranians reached” some time lately, it’s a page straight from the book of good old “Emir Dynamite” (Mr. Lawrence). But yes, it looks like they are realistic about what works over there and which options they have.
Aquí el que ha cambiado su política pro occidental es Rusia y el que no se ha movido de la suya es Irán que comienza a cosechar los frutos de su paciencia estratégica. Y no necesita una guerra de guerrillas ni una bomba atómica para derrotar a Occidente. En realidad ya lo ha hecho: Hezbollah es una pistola en la sien de Israel y con eso es suficiente para paralizar a toda la OTAN.
Western powers are now committed to breaking up Russia into a dozen small artificial statelets, ripe for exploitation – basically identical to the objectives of Operation Barbarossa.
This is the red line, everyone declares, and the swords are drawn – no chance now the plowshares.
https://patternofhistory.wordpress.com/
Do not trust in any manner, shape, or form, the “Sultan of Savagery.”
The question: if USA is claimed to be global sheriff then who is his master?
I would suggest that NATO and USA is militia of capitalism. Not a master.
In Gulf literally all producers are targeting oil price to 120 dollars per barrel. For instance Aramco (and S.A) can’t survive long period with $60-70 prices. Since 2019 oid production per capita has actually went down. COVID 19 recover has not been very succesful. This is the strongest reason why we hardly will see very cheap oil prices during 2020s.
Turkey has higher GDP-PPP than Italy and not much behind France. Its geostrategic position is very important. Turkish people on average have higher standard of living that eastern europeans, especially those living near Turkey.
“The presidents of Russia, Iran, and Turkey convened to discuss critical issues pertaining to West Asia, with the illegal US occupation of Syria a key talking point.”
Odd that they didn’t mention the illegal military actions by Turkiye in Northern Syria. Equally odd that Assad was not invited to provide his input.
I guess that is what being “Diplomatic” is all about.
A very upbeat and enjoyable analysis from Pepe, even if I am living in the crumbling collective west.
I look forward to the imminent victory of the Russian Federation and its allies over NATO and its lickspittle Ukronazis and to the downfall of so called “Western civilisation”
As an Irish rebel I have nothing in common with the Eurotrash imperialists, even less with the British huns. I despise the undemocratic fascistic EU and all it stands for.
We Irish have never colonised and enslaved other people nor invaded and destroyed their homelands. It is because we are Celts and fundamentally different to other Europeans.
Ireland today (at least the 26 county republic that is not under the Brit jackboot) is a true neutral state. Our neutrality is valued by the nation and it defines us. It is something the Irish political elites dont want to fuck with even if they are prone to sucking up to the EU and the Yanks.
Biden is Irish
Obama part Irish
Haha….they claim to be Irish in the belief it will win over the Irish vote in presidential elections but they’re no more Irish than the man in the moon. Both of them are evil warmongers. If you look up Mc Lysaght’s book of Irish surnames you won’t find an O’Bama or Mc Biden. O’Bama had to go back to the 18th century to find his Irish ancestor. This obsession that some US presidents have for an Irish connection goes back to John F Kennedy who admittedly did have strong Irish connections and living relatives in Ireland. Nixon copied Kennedy and made a visit to Ireland to dig up his Irish ancestors who were actually English quakers who settled in Ireland in the 1600s to escape religious persecution in England. Reagan followed the trend and visited Ireland in the 1980s to visit his ancestral home which had been converted into a cowshed in the intervening years. There were huge demonstrations in Ireland against his visit. Not only was he unpopular with Irish people for his sabre rattling against the USSR and his Star Wars policy of militarising space, he was also no friend of Ireland. He helped Thatcher repress the Nationalist population in the occupied North and extradited American born members of the IRA to the UK. His unwelcome pilgrimage to Ireland cost the Irish taxpayer £10m a considerable sum at the time. Ford, Carter, Clinton and the Bushes didn’t go for the Irish-American vote but O’Bama ressurected the tactic. In Ireland we are very sceptical of these “Plastic Paddy’s”
Incidentally, I read somewhere that JFK benefitted more from the female Hispanic vote in the 1960 election than the Irish vote.
To add more flavor and context to (1) the seminal International North-South Transportation Corridor (INTSC) and (2) the Putin-Sultan ballet, and keeping in mind the intricacies of Pepe’s Pipelineistan, this is one of MKB’s best articles, absolutely breathtaking under consideration. A review of the Great Game, with excellent maps showing the key waterways which will manage internal Eurasian trade, free of interdiction by blue-navy Sea Pirates.
After the 2014 Crimean lightning strike, “The US was caught unawares for the second time when in the early days of the current special military operation, when all western eyes were trained on the Kiev region, Russian troops captured the highly strategic southern city of Kherson as early as on March 2… The capture of Kherson in early March practically spelt doom for the NATO’s design to extend its military presence in the Black Sea basin. Today, the game is practically over for the US and NATO, once Russia took control of the entire basin of the Sea of Azov.” This makes clear the frenzied ongoing attempts to retake Kherson, the “million-man army to march to retake it” PsyOp, and why they bleed thousand+ Ukies on a daily basis.
The 6th Caspian Summit in Ashgabat on June 29, 2022, put the cherry on top by formalizing exclusion of NATO or other navies. “The key points of the Final Communiqué of the Ashgabat Summit was the reiteration of a fundamental principle regarding the total exclusion of the armed forces of all extra-regional powers from the Caspian Sea (which primarily meets the geopolitical interests of Russia and Iran.)”
Thus “it is yet to sink in that in the geopolitics of the entire Eurasian landmass, the liberation of Mariupol by Russian forces was a pivotal event in the great game, since the Kerch Strait ensures maritime transit from the Black Sea all the way to Moscow and St Petersburg, not to mention the strategic maritime route between the Caspian Sea (via the Volga-Don Canal) to the Black Sea and the Mediterranean..
Suffice to say, Russia has gained control of an integrated system of waterways, which connects the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea to the Baltic and the Northern Sea Route (which is a 4800 km long shipping lane that connects the Atlantic with the Pacific Ocean, passing along the Russian coasts of Siberia and the Far East.)
No doubt, it is a stupendous consolidation of the so-called “heartland” — per Sir Halford Mackinder’s theory (1904) that whoever controls Eastern Europe controls the Heartland and controls the “world island.””
MKB additionally implies the Russian-Chinese-Iranian consort turned “Turkiye.” Perhaps its hitherto ostensibly malign designs of the Greater Turan/Turkic Council shenanigans concocted by MI6 no longer apply? Or they were made a better deal. They apparently played the AZE, and so far have succeeded to wedge Transcaucasia under the multipolar tent. Hence current panicked moves to marginalize Turkey by seeking urgent rapprochement between Armenia & Azerbaijan (ha! after fostering war for 30+ years), wooing Ilham Aliyev and visiting Baku, etc.. Both sides are in a full-court press and Azerbaijan is the beautiful bride being wooed.
The maneuvering and successes of last months are stupendous and a calamity for the 5 Eyes gargoyles.. While they were busy deindustrializing and deep-sixing Old Europe, they lost the 85% Rest of the World, not to mention the ground-zero for Mackinder’s acolytes.. Is it a wonder why Erdogan, Africa, Asia, L America and all those with modicum of sense, understanding of history and geography, line up to visit Russia and meet with its leadership? The next Century is Russia’s to lose..
Turkey apples for EU membership. It has never been progressed. Greece would veto. Europe does not want Muslim Turks moving freely in its borders.
Yet the offered broke Ukrainie membership. And broke Baltic’s.
Turkey has noticed that.
In the end it is not white or Christian enough for the EU and Greece will demand North Cyprus in return.
Therefore there is only so far west it can go. It knows they see it as a second class citizens.
Therefore the chance to be a first class citizen in the East and Eurasia versus a second class one in the West.
It has an appeal I think.
C’mon Pepe, look at Erdy’s face in the photo, nobody can unite that duplicitous person with anything. They might be able to offer him a deal he can’t resist but he will always be a fly in the ointment.
In his press conference in Tehran, it was noted
“the Russian president also noted, adding that in the military sphere too the countries would try to increase their cooperation and also try to increase their cooperation and trilateral military drills with China.”
Russia and China can ensure Iran’s security, and seem on the brink of doing so formally. Furthermore, it looks as though Russia, Iran and Venezuela are on the brink of busting the US-EU Poodle economic warfare sanctions against these nations. Can NKOR be far as well?