Guest Analyses
By Aram Mirzaei for the Saker blog On May 6, the Syrian Army finally kicked off the long awaited Idlib offensive to expel the US-backed Jihadists from the Idlib demilitarized zone. Having postponed the offensive for months due to Ankara’s reluctance to allow the Syrian Army to reclaim the area, Moscow and Damascus finally lost their patience after the latest Jihadist missile attack on Hmaimeem airport last week and decided
by Le Saker Francophone for The Saker Blog 7,400 police officers and gendarmes have been mobilized, including 22 CRS companies and about thirty squadrons of mobile gendarmes. Didier Lallement, the new prefect of the capital, intends to act firmly and orders the police to “go to contact”. 164,000 people took to the streets on Wednesday, May 1, including 28,000 in the capital, according to the latest assessment by the Home
by Pepe Escobar – Crossposted with permission with Consortium News Once upon a time, deep into the night in selected campfires across the deserts of Southwest Asia, I used to tell a fable about the eagle, the bear and the dragon – much to the amusement of my Arab and Persian interlocutors. It was about how, in the young 21stcentury, the eagle, the bear and the dragon had taken their
by George Eliason, Special Correspondent for the Saker Blog in Novorussia On May 2nd, the civic organization “Memorial” and the Federation of Trade Unions in Lugansk People’s Republic held an international roundtable at the Russian World Hall in Lugansk. It commemorated the 2014 tragedy at the Trade Union building in Odessa in which Kiev reported 48 people killed and over 200 injured and the genocide in Donbass that followed it that Kiev
by Ramin Mazaheri for The Saker Blog The French government has been forced to shamefully admit that they made totally false accusations that May Day Yellow Vest anti-government protesters tried to break into the Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital in order to “attack”, “assault” and “steal”. Countless mainstream media are just as covered in ignominy for having repeated these untrue claims. I was right there when it happened, covering it for PressTV,
By Pepe Escobar – posted with permission Scores of nations across the Global South have adopted the Chinese development model over financing from the US or EU for very simple reasons It’s the same old story: The dogs of demonization bark while the New Silk Road caravan advances. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), according to a projection by Anglo-Australian mining and metals giant BHP Billiton, will generate as much
by Ramin Mazaheri for The Saker Blog There are almost too many socioeconomic gains for me to list… and yet the idea that China’s Cultural Revolution (CR) represented not gains but regression is dominant in the West. The Chinese know better, and that’s why I’m discussing Dongping Han’s indispensable academic and investigative book: The Unknown Cultural Revolution: Life and Change in a Chinese Village. Han intensely examined rural Jimo County,
by Jimmie Moglia for The Saker Blog In patient resignation, most of us accept that the web of life is of a mingled yarn, that good and ill go together, that our virtues may shine were it not for our faults – and that our sinfulness would induce despair, were it not redeemed by our virtues or, at least, by some atoning acts of charity or goodness. Yet there are
by Denis A. Conroy for The Saker Blog Father time and mother nature must be looking askance at the motherfucking arrogance that has given us Anglo-Zionism and global capitalism. The mere fact that Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo, John Bolton, Hilary Clinton, Benjamin Netanyahu and the AIPAC fifth column have brought a neo-liberal crypto-fascist zeitgeist into the Greco-Roman pantheon attests to the fact that Western culture is being privatised in every
by Peter Koenig for The Saker Blog In the early morning hours of 30 April, 2019, the self-declare “Interim President”, Juan Guaidó, launched what at first sight appeared to be a military coup – Guaidó calls it “Operation Freedom” (sounds very much like a Washington-invented title) – against the democratically elected, legitimate government of Nicolas Maduro. With two dozen of defected armed military from the Carlota military base east of
by George Eliason, Special Correspondent for the Saker Blog in Novorussia How was it possible for a Jewish candidate to win the 2019 Ukrainian presidential bid if Ukraine is a rigidly nationalist country? Although the investigation isn’t complete, I have uncovered all the working parts that make an impossible story not only plausible but show the election results as the only logical conclusion. As I was sorting through all the
by Lynda Burstein Brayer for The Saker Blog The Holocaust In this edition of Palestine Potpourri I have decided to concentrate on one of the special features of Jewish life in Palestine, and modern Jewish life in particular. It is the Jewish fascination with death, and the centrality of death within their self-understanding. It seems to be rather unique as a cultural phenomenon gluing the community together, but one must
Chris Faure for The Saker Blog President Xi Jinping announced The Belt and Road initiative or ‘the new Silk Road,’ six years ago during a state visit to Kazakhstan. The idea is to establish and maintain trade corridors between more than 60 countries in Central Asia, Europe, and Africa. The design is inspired by the legacy of the historical Silk Road that connected the East and the West for centuries.
By Pepe Escobar and posted by agreement with the author. The Beijing leadership seems to be aware that transparency is key for the global success of BRI, which is now supported by over 120 states and territories The Belt and Road Forum in Beijing was a graphic demonstration of how tactical adjustments are essential to enhance the appeal of a complex overall strategy. Talk about a turbo-charged 4.0 version of
by Ramin Mazaheri for The Saker Blog If 7,000 Greeks can stop the Persian empire at the narrow pass at Thermopylae, I think it’s absurd to think Iran can’t stop 20-30% of global oil traffic at the 3 kilometer-wide shipping lane in the Strait of Hormuz. That would, of course provoke a global crisis and economic disaster. That’s the “nuclear option” for Iran. It is reportedly part of a military
by Ramin Mazaheri for The Saker Blog Even though the Yellow Vest anti-government movement is historic in scope, duration and intensity, and even though Muslims compose 5-10% of France’s population, there has been almost zero media coverage of the interplay between these two forces. Check Google in French or English and you truly find almost nothing. I have been waiting and waiting to do a story on this angle for
by Pepe Escobar (cross-posted with the Asia Times by special agreement with the author) Sleepy, landlocked Laos is undergoing rapid changes as China builds connections to mainland Southeast Asia. The small wooden boats slowly make their way down the brown waters of the Mekong at sunset. Flowing meditation – just enjoying the silence, watching the river flow. Then, suddenly, in the distance, an apparition – a row of cement
by Aram Mirzaei for the Saker Blog It has become clear by now that Washington is seeking yet another war in the region. The Zionist servants in Washington have made great efforts this year to “put pressure” on the Resistance axis. They have for months raised the stakes with their aggressive rhetoric about the “outlaw, terrorist supporting Iranian regime”. The “maximum pressure” campaign escalated in 2019. Washington declared IRGC a
by Pepe Escobar (cross-posted with the Consortium News) by special agreement with the author Vast swathes of the West seem not to realize that if the Strait of Hormuz is shut down a global depression will follow, writes Pepe Escobar. The Trump administration once again has graphically demonstrated that in the young, turbulent 21st century, “international law” and “national sovereignty” already belong to the Realm of the Walking Dead. As if
by George Eliason, Special Correspondent for the Saker Blog in Novorussia “Most previous ODIHR and Council of Europe’s European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) recommendations that would bring the legal framework further in line with international obligations and standards, as well as good practice, including for the adoption of an election code that would consolidate and harmonize the various election laws, remain unaddressed.”- the INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION
