By Francis Lee for the Saker Blog Between 1989 and 1992 Soviet GDP per head fell by approximately 40 per cent. What happened? The short century of the Soviet Union which began in 1917 reached its nemesis in 1989. The great experiment was, to all intents and purposes, over. Symbolically this was occasioned by the fall of the Berlin wall when huge crowds of East Germans simply strolled, unmolested by
2020/06/04 06:30:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of the issues of the day. The ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’ will have two new open threads each week. The Saker stated moderation policy will apply eg ‘no caps’, no obscenity … etc to all post. The Cafe is now open for
please make sure to press the “cc” button to see the English language captions!
Speech by Hezbollah Secretary General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah on March 28, 2020, devoted to the holy month of Sha’ban (which precedes the month of Ramadan) and the Covid-19 pandemic. Source: https://video.moqawama.org/details.php?cid=1&linkid=2106 Translation: resistancenews.org Video: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7u8ue8 Transcript: Summary of the beginning of the speech before the full transcript of the last section: The Lebanese abroad who want to come home should be brought back asap by the government at any cost
by Pepe Escobar – posted with permission The so far purely emotional insurrection lacks political structure and a credible leader to articulate grievances The Revolution Won’t Be Televised because this is not a revolution. At least not yet. Burning and/or looting Target or Macy’s is a minor diversion. No one is aiming at the Pentagon (or even the shops at the Pentagon Mall). The FBI. The NY Federal Reserve. The
by Ramin Mazaheri for the Saker Blog The US has recently been trying to become a modern, humane society – and this is one of the many great hard-won and predictable consequences from electing a corporate fascist like Trump – but the results are chaos. The US cannot protest Look at these tiny, piddling protests, rarely over 1,000 people. Millions of Iranians can march in silence, unity and respect; China
South Front A new round of intense fighting has broken out between the Libyan National Army (LNA) and Turkish-backed forces near Tripoli. During the past few days, fighters from the Government of National Accord (GNA) and Syrian militants supported by the Turkish military carried out several attacks on Tripoli’s Airport attempting to capture it from the LNA. At one point, Turkish-led forces even entered the territory of the airport but
by Postfataresurgo for the Saker Blog Years ago, as Italy’s real estate market was spiraling upward after the euro came into effect, I strived to be of assistance to a couple of friends from the Bay Area who had set their minds on becoming home owners in Tuscany. After reading what had become a popular book among Tuscany cognoscenti about a lady who buys an abandoned home in southern Tuscany
By Intibah Kadi for the Saker Blog With COVID-19 capturing almost total world attention, eyes are not focused on the numerous alarming events occurring around the world. In Lebanon, a disaster has been unfolding; a place in the long past described as the “Land of milk and honey” and even when one now wanders the hills, it still rings true to an extent. The fact is that now the ordinary
by Ramin Mazaheri for The Saker Blog The headline says it all – why even write the article? Journalism has – of course, and with universal unanimity – become merely the relaying of the statements of Dr. Anthony Fauci. Fauci is not just an immunologist – he’s an economist, historian, judge, legislator (national, state, county, city and village), manufacturer, landlord, employer, son, daughter, mother, lawyer for both the prosecutor and
South Front Russia has intensified its military involvement in the Syrian conflict. On May 30, Syrian state media announced that it had received a batch of MiG-29 multirole fighters from Russia. Damascus did not provide details regarding the number of the received jets, but said that they are entering service with the Syrian Air Force on June 1. They are set to conduct regular patrols in Syrian airspace. Prior to
by Pepe Escobar – crossposted with Strategic Culture Foundation With the specter of a New Great Depression hovering over most of the planet, realpolitik perspectives for a radical change of the political economy framework we live in are not exactly encouraging. Western ruling elites will be deploying myriad tactics to perpetuate the passivity of populations barely emerging from de facto house arrest, including a massive disciplinary – in a Foucault
by Nat South for the Saker Blog This week, in an interview with TASS, the head of the Russian Border Guard Service spoke about the increase in intelligence activities along the Russian sea borders. “Seaward parts of Pacific and Arctic oceans, Baltic and Black Seas are increasingly becoming areas of intelligence[-gathering], naval exercises, in which foreign ships and aviation of several states are involved” Vladimir Kulishov, First Deputy Director of
2020/05/31 19:00:01Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of the issues of the day. The ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’ will have two new open threads each week. The Saker stated moderation policy will apply eg ‘no caps’, no obscenity … etc to all post. The Cafe is now open for
by Jimmie Moglia for The Saker Blog The Coronavirus phenomenon has left so many attired in wonder that they know not what to say – including the undersigned who runs the positive risk of losing some or all of his 25 readers. Writing objectively about the reported death of thousands and the predicted demise of millions is impossible. For the very questioning of the figures triggers a perception of callousness,
by Eric Zuesse for The Saker Blog Some people say that Hillary Clinton had no achievements as the U.S. Secretary of State; but that view is factually false. She had a huge and enduring impact, on at least three countries, as will here be documented via the links: HONDURAS: When the dozen oligarchs who control Honduras overthrew Honduras’s popular democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya on 28 June 2009, and installed a
by Pepe Escobar – posted with permission With Sinophobic hysteria reaching new heights in US, China’s counter play is a massive new economic plan Stranger things have happened. Everyone was expecting US President Donald Trump to go nuclear by de facto sanctioning China to death over Hong Kong. In an environment where Twitter and the President of the United States are now engaged in open warfare, the rule is that
by Ramin Mazaheri for the Saker Blog It is often boasted in the US that they forced the implosion of the USSR via military overspending, as if recklessly creating a dangerous and useless arms race was something to brag about. However, the spoiled American rich kid is about to get his comeuppance and learn that money does not equal virtue. The coronavirus hysteria, the West’s foolish Great Lockdown and the
South Front The fog of war over the censorship of SouthFront on YouTube and Facebook has cleared away. As we wrote earlier, SouthFront was attacked because of our coverage of the developing COVID-19 crisis. The US Department of Defense accused SouthFront of spreading “disinformation”, “global mistrust and confusion”. “So the first — and I think the most pernicious disinformation that we have to contend with is the disinformation that is
by Francis Lee for The Saker Blog Unquestionably, the world – circa 2020 – seems currently to be moving away from democratic forms of rule and transmuting into more totalitarian systems (liberal totalitarianism if you will – see below). This has been a prolonged historical metamorphosis beginning in the late 19th century and ultimately borne out by a complete rejection of the Enlightenment and its values. The late 19th and
