Posts From amarynth
Original links: Part 1: http://middleeastobserver.net/hezbollah-vs-israel-2006-who-has-upper-hand-14-years-on-pt-1/ Part 2: http://middleeastobserver.net/hezbollah-vs-israel-2006-who-has-upper-hand-14-years-on-pt-2/ Description: Senior Lebanese political analyst Nasser Qandil explores what has changed between Hezbollah and Israel over the last 14 years since the ‘July War’ or ‘The Second Lebanon War’ in 2006. After tracing the major changes and transformations in the military balance of power between the two sides over the last 14 years, Qandil then explores the current challenges facing Hezbollah inside Lebanon, particularly
by Ramin Mazaheri crossposted with PressTV It is amusing that one of the first people I spoke with in Kenosha, Wisconsin – as I filmed a car dealership whose entire inventory had been torched – was a French journalist, considering that I have been posted in France for over a decade. It really is a small and interconnected world…. The situation in Kenosha is a microcosm of the United States
Vladimir Putin answered questions from VGTRK journalist and anchor of Vesti v Subbotu (News on Saturday) programme Sergei Brilyov. http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/63951 Sergei Brilyov: Good afternoon, Mr President. Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon. Sergei Brilyov: No matter what else is happening, and no matter what area of life we discuss, this nasty coronavirus always looms somewhere in the background. Vladimir Putin: That’s true. Sergei Brilyov: What do you think about the notorious second wave that scares so
by Pepe Escobar with permission by the author and first posted at Asia Times We have seen how China is meticulously planning all its crucial geopolitical and geoeconomic moves all the way to 2030 and beyond. What you are about to read next comes from a series of private, multilateral discussions among intel analysts, and may helpfully design the contours of the Big Picture. In China, it’s clear the path
South Front Russian and Syrian forces eliminated 327 ISIS militants during a joint security operation that took place in the desert areas of Homs and Deir Ezzor from August 18 to August 24. According to the Russian side, strikes of the Syrian Air Force, the Russian Aerospace Forces, field artillery and actions of special forces units in the desert also allowed to eliminate 134 shelters, 17 observation posts, 7 warehouses
By Godfree Roberts selected from his extensive weekly newsletter: This week’s selection is only three pieces from the Here Comes China newsletter and this selection corresponds with recent essays and discussions on the Saker Blog. The first piece is Belarus and the New Silk Road, then a BRI update and finally the question that we face frequently: How does Russia and China cooperate. (No, you won’t see this in the
South Front A large explosion rocked the Arab Gas Pipeline in Syria on August 24 causing a blackout in the country’s capital Damascus and multiple other cities and towns. The explosion occurred between the towns of Ad Dumayr and Adra the a result of a ‘terrorist attack’, according to Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ali Ghanem. The incident led to a pressure drop and cascading shutdowns of the country’s
South Front The US military has been facing increasing pressure from local resistance forces and pro-Iranian groups in Iraq. On August 21, an improvised explosive device (IED) reportedly struck a vehicle of company working with the U.S.-led coalition in Aweerij, south of the capital, Baghdad. The vehicle was destroyed and its driver was killed. Pro-Iranian sources even claimed that the entire supply convoy of the US-led coalition was destroyed, and
by Pepe Escobar with permission by the author and first posted at Asia Times Let’s start with the story of an incredibly disappearing summit. Every August, the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) converges to the town of Beidaihe, a seaside resort some two hours away from Beijing, to discuss serious policies that then coalesce into key planning strategies to be approved at the CCP Central Committee plenary session
South Front The military situation in Syria continued deteriorating in the recent days. On August 21, the Syrian Army and its allies increased their anti-ISIS raids in the Palmyra-Deir Ezzor-Al-Mayadin triangle. According to pro-government sources, these efforts are being actively supported by recently deployed reinforcements from the Iranian-backed Liwa Fatemiyoun armed group. On August 20, ISIS claimed responsibility for the recent attack on Russian troops in the province of Deir
From http://middleeastobserver.net/international-axis-emerging-due-to-us-sanctions-tv-report/ Description: A short segment on Al Mayadeen TV illustrating the most important strategic agreements between states increasingly being targeted by American sanctions. Source: Al Mayadeen News (YouTube) Date: 21 July, 2020 (Important Note: Please help us keep producing independent translations for you by contributing as little as $1/month here: https://www.patreon.com/MiddleEastObserver) Transcript: Every time Washington tries to tighten the screws on states by imposing sanctions on them, these states in turn come together
By Ghassan Kadi for the Saker Blog The intriguing twists and turns following the catastrophic explosion at Beirut’s Sea Port have thus far had international repercussions, beginning with the visit of French President Marcon to Beirut just three days after the disaster; a visit that could hardly be classified as a visit of a foreign head of state to another country. Marcon did not go to Lebanon just to meet
South Front The shaky stability established in Syria after the end of the Turkish attack on the Syrian Army in Idlib in February and March of 2020 has collapsed. Just a day after the confrontation between the US military and the Syrian Army in the province of al-Hasakah, US troops deployed at the Koniko gas fields on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River came under rocket attack. According to
by Naresh Jotwani for the Saker Blog Fair warning: This is an indictment of so-called ‘economists’ of the modern world, many of whom often behave like a pestilence in human form. As we all know, the original Greek word for ‘economics’ meant ‘managing the home’ or, almost equivalently, ‘the skill of managing the home’. ‘Economists’ today presume to advise countries — and sometimes even the world at large! — about
By Godfree Roberts from his extensive weekly newsletter with further up to date editorial notes: We start off with the Three Gorges Dam, a Wild Party in Wuhan and the always logical Nathan Rich with some views on Pompeo’s ‘clean networks’. We now see filtering through the Chinese media some news on the Three Gorges Dam as a result of a major flooding in China. News is widely available but
South Front For the first time in about a year, Syrian pro-government forces and the US-led coalition found itself engaged in what seems to be direct clashes near the village of Tal al-Dhahab in northeastern Syria. Syrian sources said that on August 17 an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter struck a checkpoint of the Syrian Army in the province of al-Hasakah after the Syrian Army and pro-government locals blocked a US
By Francis Lee for the Saker Blog For the benefit of Frau Merkel & Nordstream-2 No sovereignty = No democracy: If a State is subordinate to another State or group of states it is no longer sovereign. That is to say if it ceases to exercise control over its vital policies, economic, political, social and cultural. Moreover it follows that if it is not sovereign it cannot be democratic since
South Front As it was expected, the ‘historic’ UAE-Israeli peace deal did not contribute to the stability in the Middle East. Instead, the situation has been slowly, but steadily moving towards a larger confrontation in the region. Immediately after the announcement of the US-sponsored peace deal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that his country is not going to fulfill one of its key provisions – the suspension of the
South Front The Middle East is on the brink of the new tectonic shift in the regional balance of power. The previous years were marked by the growth of the Iranian and Hezbollah influence and the decrease of the US grip on the region. The January 2020 started with the new Iranian-US confrontation that had all chances to turn into an open war. August 202 appeared to mark the first
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/63888 Debates around the Iranian issue within the UN Security Council are becoming increasingly strained. Tensions are running high. Iran faces groundless accusations. Resolutions are being drafted with a view to dismantling decisions that had been unanimously adopted by the Security Council. Russia maintains its unwavering commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear programme. Its approval in 2015 was a landmark political and diplomatic achievement that helped fend off the threat of an armed conflict and reinforced nuclear non-proliferation. In 2019, Russia presented
