Dear friends,
Today is the Orthodox Eve of the Nativity, and tomorrow is the Orthodox Christmas so I will keep this one short.
- It appears that Russia and China blocked a US UNSC Resolution. The message to Uncle Shmuel is simple: get out. Needless to say, The Idiot-in-Chief and his malignant manatee are pissed.
- It also appears that Uncle Shmuel will initiate some kind of withdrawal.
- Why was Trump the Saker 2019 man of the year?
Let’s take them one by one.
First, it appears that no country outside “The Only Democracy in the Middle-East” is supporting the US. Okay, the UK did, but after some hand twisting. The rest of the EU are the usual spineless non-entities which cannot voice anything more cogent than “we appeal for restraint on all sides” or equally insipid canned sentences. The truth is that the entire planet is horrified and does not know what to do to stop this insanity.
Second, we already know how Trump likes his withdrawals: he likes them partial, as was the case in Syria. Besides, he is already issuing more dumb threats, but now against the Iraqis. Good luck with that Donald.
Third, I wonder which part of
“I think I have been very clear about my total disappointment with Donald Trump. In fact, my disappointment has now turned to outright disgust. And if you ask me to make a list of what I have against Trump, it would be a long one. And yet, we have to always keep things in perspective. The choice was Trump or Clinton. With Clinton we had “war for sure” (probably against Russia, starting with a suicidal attempt to impose US-run no-fly zone over Syria). With Trump our choice was “war maybe, but maybe not”. And the fact that the US *almost* had a war with the DPRK, with Iran, with Syria (and, possibly, Russia!) and against Venezuela. And, let’s be honest again, this still might happen. But at the time of writing (Dec 3rd) Trump did not authorize a war. He came close to it in Syria, but neither “almost” nor “close to” are equivalent to “did it”.
Are hard to understand. But okay, I will explain it in simple terms.
With Hillary we had a quasi certain war with Russia. That could mean up to 100 MILLION people dead in a few hours. Her plan was, officially, to try to impose a no-fly zone over all of the Syrian airspace, including Tartus and Khmeimin. Now, if you know ANYTHING at all about Russia, do you really expect the Russian Aerospace Forces to lay low and let that happen?
With Trump we did NOT have a war in 2019. Yes, in 2020, we are now seeing a war between the US/Israel and Iran. That is bad, really bad. But compared to Russia-US war this is a minor and local event. No, I am NOT belittling the horror of what is taking place. But I do understand the difference between “bad” and “worse”. Some, apparently, don’t. That is their problem, not mine.
One more thing: initially, I called the probability of war 80% to 20%.
Listening to the idiotic threats made by both Pompeo and Trump, I now have to raise it to 90% to 10%. Sorry, but I have to be honest here, even if this is extremely distressing.
I am (temporarily) signing off to prepare for the feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savoir Jesus-Christ.
Tomorrow morning, I will be in church, so expect your updates starting from mid to late afternoon.
Kind regards
The Saker
A very blessed Christmas to you Saker and to your family. And thank you for all you have given us.
С Рождеством!
счастливое Рождество
Wishing you and your family a warm, peaceful and calm Christmas, God bless you all.
An update:
The Iraqi’s have received a letter from the US stating they are moving out:
https://sputniknews.com/middleeast/202001061077961429-us-led-coalition-tells-baghdad-it-will-move-out-of-iraq-official-letter/
Veritas…. Esper has just denied the United States is pulling out of Iraq. The letter they sent may have been fake?
Esper has definitely said no – as reported just then literally 3 mins ago by Jerusalem Post, Elijah Magnier and Daily Sabah.
Hello Gezzah,
How are things in Australia? Are you any area that is afflicted by the punishing fires that have been imposed on your nation? I hope you are safe.
Btw, the troop withdrawal letter has been admitted as being real by the Pentagon, but the Pentagon further claimed, that it was just a draft between the local US military command and the Iraqi government, also it was not signed (which is true) because it was still in draft and therefore not valid nor of consequence.
Don’t you think the above post by Saker was right on the mark, in particular, the reiteration that even now Trump was lesser of two evils when you consider that the idiot and monster, Hitlery Clinton, would have started a world war by starting a hot conflict with Russia in year 1 of her short lived term. Yet we have fools that wag the finger now at those of us who breathed a sigh of relief when Hillary lost and consequently Trump won (I was one of them for the same reasons outlined in this article by Saker).
Hi Anaam, salutations to you.
No, am in Melbourne, over 300 kms from the nearest fires, tho lots of smoke haze here, and the air quality poor.
I’ve been monitoring the situation, and saw the claim that the withdrawal letter was a draft.
Frankly, I don’t think the imbeciles themselves know what they’re doing.
In my opinion, Saker is one of the best geopolitical analysts on the entire Planet.
That’s why I come here.
I strongly agree with his analysis, and I’ve told acquaintances about Vineyard Of the Saker, and have recommended they read it also.
Yeah, also fully agree – with Hillary Clinton as Prez, we would’ve had war ages ago. We probably wouldn’t even be here, except for the cockroaches. Take care Anaam…
The US moving out of Iraq is great news but I will not celebrate until it actually happens. As Vladimir Putin notes, the United States is not “agreement capable.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-army-tells-iraq-it-preparing-move-out
The Secretary of the Department of Defense is now saying that there are no plans to leave Iraq.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/274190
Its not a good idea to tell anyone of your actual intentions during war time, this only narrows down the options of the opposing side which then becomes a liability.
A true war should be won in the stomach and then any hold outs simply starve or are too weak to enter into battle.
Alabama, in this case, it seems they are trying deception – it certainly confused many Iraqis and Iranians for a while.
Here’s an explanation of the whole thing. The US used the state of temporary relief at prospect of withdrawal as a cover to resupply.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-sent-reinforcements-northern-baghdad-during-withdraw-reports-says-security-expert
That makes sense. The letter actually states that there would be increased activity in the next few days preparatory to withdrawal. But that was a ruse to prevent the Iraqi from stopping the resupply effort.
This wasn’t a mixup, it was intentional misinformation.
Je vais écrire un commentaire dans ma langue maternelle. Je vous souhaite un Joyeux Noël malgrès tout. J’espère que nos prières seront entendues.
Yandex translation. Mod:
I will write a comment in my native language. I wish you a Merry Christmas despite everything. I hope our prayers are answered.
There’ll be no war, the rats will leave, they understand the situation the y find themselves in right now much better than the rest of us!
С Рождеством!
And you are absolutely right: Clinton would have been worse! She wanted a conflict, possibly war (but not even she could be that stupid/cold heated), with Russia. The worst case scenario would have been the ultimate catastrophy.
But Trump were actually clear on the fact that he sought a conflict with Iran.
I feel for the Iranian people, and dread the new presidence that has been set, but, yes, this is a more limited catastrophy.
This is probably Trumps way of deflecting focus from the impeachment and allogations at home. He would have won the vote in the Senate, but not without taking flak. And being (wrongly) critisized for beeing in league with The Enemy is never a good thing. Who is to say that there is no fire when the smoke is so thick, people would think. Now he his taking flak from “terrorists” and their sympatizers. Which is actualy will give him sympathy.
And his oponents are now starting their rants agaist him with saying: “It was right to kill Soleimani, but…” And that is not so impressive to Trump’s core supporters.
Celebrate Our Lords Nativity with joy!
Happy Orthodox Christmas to all my Orthodox Brothers and Sisters!
As it is all staged scenario it will end up with peace process in few weeks.
Once the US troops have withdrawn from Syria and Irak.
A la kim… mais en mieux !
Dear Saker,
My very best wishes and sincere thanks to you and the team for the best site on the ‘net for truthful, insightful and informed discussion.
And massive respect for this..
‘ I am (temporarily) signing off to prepare for the feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savoir Jesus-Christ.’
Sincerés Amitiès
Adam
Some photos from Russian TV: https://imgur.com/a/ZT2rt8B
Your analysis, your rationale, and your honesty is very much appreciated Saker.
I have been monitoring numerous sites, including here, Sputnik, SouthFront, Elijah Magnier and Moon Of Alabama for the latest news.
I also believe war will now happen, given the absolute infantile cretins in Washington.
I, too, have been horrified at the relentless stream of threats and sheer bullshit emanating from Trump, Pompeo, Esper, and the revolting mainstream media.
They still have no idea what they have done, and have no idea of the consequences of their actions.
I completely agree with your sentiments about Hillary Clinton regards Syria.
Thanks for your updates.
Plausible take on how the Axis of Resistance is partly responsible for Soleimani’s assassination
https://ejmagnier.com/2020/01/05/fragmentation-in-the-axis-of-resistance-led-to-soleimanis-death/
I – and I think many – have been confused of why the Saudis with American military could not defeat Yemen in a war that was a disastrous outcome for Saudi Arabia.
Could be possibly that the conscript soldiers just didn’t care?
Washington, through Mark Esper just denied the claim that they are getting out of Iraq!
BREAKING: @EsperDoD says memo on withdrawal is not accurate “there’s been no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq.” https://t.co/52DDhSIIQ2
“there’s been no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq.”
There has, actually, Mr Esper.
Only you didn’t make it.
христос се роди
Ваистину се Роди!
Христос се роди !
Вастину се Роди!
S Rozhdestvom, Dorogoy Saker! Thank you for your continuous hard work and the valuable service you provide. I hope and pray that the world will emerge intact from this latest crisis. May this be the catalyst that finally compels the US to vacate its empire and start behaving like a regular, decent country.
“May this be the catalyst that finally compels the US to vacate its empire and start behaving like a regular, decent country.”
I truly do wish. Alas, from the first European colonists (invaders) there has been an assumption of entitlement. The American Empire was built by people who believed they were entitled. They were entitled to the land and
therefore wiped out the indigenous peoples. Because they are a ‘light unto
the world’ with their mistaken belief that theirs is the right and noble way no American is willing to give up their ill gotten gains, even when/if they lose those alleged gains to their own oligarchs. America is not just sociopathic, it is a nation of psychopaths and the war party (dimms and repugs) are not going to let go because the American people won’t let them.
And, yes, I am angry … I am deeply saddened by the reality that my country is a hate filled, greedy monstrosity.
“start behaving like a regular, decent country” — CG, that is a pipe dream that will never, ever, ever happen. So stop daydreaming.
The united states of evil is absolutely, categorically incorrigible, recalcitrant, incapable of repentance. It should be unequivocally be decimated and annihilated — never to rise again. Then that’s the time world peace is possible.
Chaucer, I wish people wouldn’t say things like that, decimated and annihilated, because though there may be evil among us, most of us are decent, kind, loving people whose only wish is peace with the world. The evil are known, their names are published, but we are powerless to remove them.
Chaucer’s remarks parallel those who call for body bags of american enlisted men who couldn’t find any other job and who probably hate what they are doing. That kind of insensitivity sucks.
The US government is of course about as evil and corrupt as any powerful government in history, but to imagine the US’s downfall will result in world peace is naive, in view of human history.
I would like to say to any Iranians out there reading this: most Americans are duped. They shouldn’t be, of course – they should be smarter. But the western media is largely controlled by diabolically clever propagandist tools of the Zionist alliance. Most Americans, if they knew the truth, would be utterly opposed to war with Iran, as you are opposed to war with us. A lot of innocent Americans will suffer and possibly die as a result of our government’s craven aggression. We as individuals are not all evil; we are at the mercy of a mad dog state.
Khamanei himself harbors no ill will towards common Americans:
“The slogan “Death to America” is directed against the “evil” US President Donald Trump and his associates, not the American people, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said.
Speaking to a gathering of Iranian Air Force officers, Khamenei hit back at Trump’s State of the Union address, which included an attack on the Iranian “regime that chants ‘Death to America.’”
“The US is the embodiment of evil, but still complains when you chant ‘Death to America,’” Khamenei said. He then explained that those chants specifically target the people ruling the country, not “the American nation.” ”
https://www.rt.com/news/450960-iran-khamenei-death-trump-america/
Peace to all.
Merry Christmas and blessings to you, Saker! Thank you for your brilliant analyses! (By the way, whatever one think of that idiot in chief, there’s no doubt he is all about terminating the empire of kindness, although it is far from sure that he is cognizant of it himself.)
Thank you…..Happy Christmas…. find prority time for self and family. News sites and twitter supply up to the minute developments. Reasoned analysis takes time and reflection . Events are sadly not in our hands.
Other latest developments including the ‘Trending’ of false flag terms and references on various media sites.
I follow a wide variety of news sources, although some could hardly be classed as ‘news’, rumour perhaps, but they are all interesting and give different perspectives.
It is normal that there is little correlation between so called ‘main stream media’ and some of the more ‘esoteric’ (perhaps ‘ecentric’ would be better word), however in the last 48 ours there has been a highly unusual correlation.
That correlation is in the form of chatter / talk / speculation / even assesment of the potential for a very serious false flag attack (possibly even multiple false flag attacks) in the Continental USA – which will of course be blamed on Iran.
Such will the nature of the false-flag attacks, that the US will claim ‘Casus Belli’, and hit Iran with both tactical and strategic weapons – and keep hitting them until there is no possibility of them hitting back at any serious level, ever.
This scenario has been well known since before 9/11, and it was synchronistic that today I heard a seemingly obscure comment, made just today, by a member of a certain lobby group / club. The quote was, “I enjoy a good game of Blackjack”.
In the context of flase flag attacks, it is well known by more conspiratorial types, such as myself, that references to ‘Blackjack’ refer to the fictional ‘Operation Blackjack’ of 2009.
In 2009 the major main stream British newspaper ‘The Telegraph’ published a bizzare ‘fictional picture story’ (like a comic book slide show of sorts) called ‘Blackjack’. It was a very interesting account of a massive international scale False Flag attack against major western cities, mostly in the US and the UK, blamed on religious extremists from Iran, Syria, and China.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4515126/Blackjack-Part-3.html?image=1
The false flag involved ‘terrorist nukes’:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4515126/Blackjack-Part-3.html?image=2
And was initiated by the Deepstate:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4515126/Blackjack-Part-3.html?image=3
But it was blamed on other agents and resulted in a full scale US nuclear strike against Iran, Syria, and China:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4515126/Blackjack-Part-3.html?image=7
and the birth of some kind of Anglo-American New-World-Order where the UK leaves the EU and joins the US (Hmmm – that was 7 years before Brexit was even mentioned!):
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/4315740/Blackjack-Part-2.-A-slideshow-story.html?image=24
To cut a potentially very long comment short, the possibility of a False Flag attack against the US to give ‘Casus Belli’ for a full US strike is now very real – Blackjack scenario related or not.
Other Interesting individual slides are here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4590866/Blackjack-Part-4.html?image=14
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/4315740/Blackjack-Part-2.-A-slideshow-story.html?image=18
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4515126/Blackjack-Part-3.html?image=8
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4515126/Blackjack-Part-3.html?image=9
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4515126/Blackjack-Part-3.html?image=10
The original full version contains some VERY esoteric references to certain groups and beliefs, so will delight those who like to explore hidden meanings, references, and symbols. For those who would like to see the original daily Telegraph Blackjack slide show from 2009, the link is below.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/4220575/Blackjack.html
Yes, the danger of a False Flag attack to be blamed on Iran (or its allies) is a clear and present threat.
This is a danger that should be highlighted in all antiwar or alternative media.
If nothing else, if enough of the public is made aware of this possibility, it may somewhat deter the execution of such a False Flag event in that American and Israeli terrorist controllers would be afraid of exposure.
Great point, compared to 9/11 we have the internet to destroy the narrative.
But oerhaps the false flag from Israel was already part of this scenario: they are the ones who are using this frequently and have the ability to deflect it. Piper’s Final Judgment traces the involvement of Mossad and its links to CIA and Crime syndicats (Meyer Lanski) in the nurder of JFK. Same with 9/11: Mossad was hardly refrred to in the early years and later nobody cares as it is all too late, so they know how to play this.
Trump’s threats are almost like a blatant invitation to place the flase flag and blame Iran to start the war Israel has always wanted. Trump might not want such a war, but he can easily be manipulated into it as his narcissistic rage is a visible symptom of his narcissistic personality (so paychopathic tendencies can become manifest when triggered).
Hassam,
Interesting theory especially if you consider the reported unknown drone activity in Colorado over an alleged missing nuke. See https://noriohayakawa.wordpress.com/2020/01/05/behind-the-mysterious-drone-activities-in-colorado-nebraska-and-elsewher/
May be those pesky Iranians are about to be framed for stealing a nuke to create a dirty bomb which will be detonated in …[enter US city of choice].
I just wanted to remind everyone in 1982 when The Resistance decided to kick the israelis and the american from Lebanon. And the americans (marines) were forced to leave with their tails between their legs, after they were gifted 200+ marines and officers in freshly wrapped body bags…In those days The Resistance was a project in its infancy, in those days Iran & Iraq were entangled in a destructive war, in those days Syria was busy fighting the muslim brotherhood and in those days israel was in the capital Beirut. And in less than 2 years the israelis finaly found their way back and the “yanks went home” !
My second point is concerning Iran and her nuclear program, Iran is closer today than ever to acquire nuclear weapons, and you may ask why ? Well simply because “the world” is telling Iran that you are in the right, abiding by international law and you are a victim of aggression by the u.s regime, but ” you’re the one who needs to make concessions, because trump is an arrogant idiot ” !
In this case they’re saying to Iran that the dominant equation “Is power controls the rule of law and the rule of law is not for controlling power ” so the logical outcome is ” Have more power so you can do whatever you want ! “.
Your last paragraph is excellent, that is exactly correct: As the author of 1984, “George Orwell” (allegedly an anti trotskite British Intelligence Agent, Eric Arthur Blair) portrayed repeatedly through out his novel. The Anglo Establishment always invert language and intent, therefore:
Rule of law is not for controlling power but…
Power is for controlling Rule of Law.
Thank you Anaam, it is unfortunately the case, hopefully the empire will crumble with limited collateral damage !
С Рождеством!
The fools who try to devalue your analysis will remain imbeciles. There are many enemies who want to construct lies and misrepresent what you have to say.
Times like these show the true value of your blog. I haven’t given some coins in a long time, but it’s a shame that I only think about donating at high profile events.
I ask all of the readers to help by volunteering or donating for The Saker
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas from Belgium. Thank You and the different authors for the interesting articles which bring us other perspectives to what happens in the word.
May God bless You and all the people on the site and God bless Russia.
МИР БОЖИЈИ, ХРИСТИС СЕ РОДИ !
To all of you, Merry Christmas!
Saker, I don’t think the idiotic threats of Trump have the same meaning as the ones made by Pompeo. Trump has used that rhetoric with almost everyone, he’s a showman, then he goes on and shakes hands with Kim as if nothing had happened. Pompeo is not joking, he’s not being rhetorical. He means it.
I very much agree with your assessment.
Rumor has it that the Pentagon did not want that strike.
The “malevolent manatee” insisted.
Saker,
The rumour that “the Pentagon did not want that strike”, but Pompeo insisted, may be true. BUT, he may also have been against it and, now, he is being blamed for it.
I just read in Sputnik that Pompeo may decide to run for Senate in June 2020. Why? Why now?
https://sputniknews.com/us/202001071077964724-mike-pompeo-senate-elections/
I have the same impression as well. I think Trump was expecting to repeat the twitter war he made with Kim…
A friend of mine, whom studies linguistic told me that there was a kind of communication breakdown going on, Thi friend speculates that Trump took the decision without knowing much about the importance of Soleimani and how Iran would take it. Once he realized the magnitude of Iran reaction and how high was the stakes, he tried to down play, and de-escalate, but using the same belligerent and arrogant tone. And things got worst. He was fooled by Pompeo, this evil idiot. Personally, I find this quite possible, which in my humble opinion does not excuse Trump in any way. Quite the opposite indeed.
He used to have this show, shouting “You are fired !!!’ to people, naturalizing and joking about one of the most devastating things can happen in the life of a person. I could see he playing in the same way in twitter with Kim, making threads/jokes about who has the bigger atomic bomb, etc. Like this was not connected to thousands of deaths in Japan or to the very real possibility of ending the life in this planet. Trump, Pompeo,…, and “Killary” are clear examples of psychopaths, unable to have any minimum capacity of empathy or to valuate how their measures can destroys lives and nations etc.
American troops will leave Iraq either vertically or horizontally. The manner of their departure is their choice.
Шойгу провел переговоры с начальником генштаба ВС Ирана в связи с убийством Сулеймани
Shoigu held talks with chief of General staff of the Iranian armed forces in connection with the murder Soleimani (in Russian)
https://tass.ru/armiya-i-opk/7472061
No details, but the fact is interesting anyway.
yes, he also spoke with the Turkish head of intelligence.
These are very significant developments.
Thank you!
President Putin is in Syria today:
https://www.rt.com/news/477648-putin-visit-syria-assad/
“Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a surprise visit to Damascus, holding talks with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, at the Russian military command center.
Putin “rode through the streets of Damascus” on his way to the command center, where he headed after landing at the city’s airport, Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said.
The Russian president met with Assad there as the two leaders listened to reports by military officials on the conditions on the ground in various regions of the country…………”
Something is brewing……what do they know that we don’t……..
EVERYBODY:
Thank you all for your kind wishes!!
Kind regards
The Saker
Thanks for all you do and for being a truth teller, Saker.
Have a wonderful Christmas with your family and I hope you get some well deserved rest and happiness.
Ray of Hope?
I see a ray of hope in contradictory statements coming from senior American military people regarding withdrawal or no withdrawal. Perhaps there is intense internal division, with some favoring withdrawal and some insisting on staying on. The fact that a draft version of the letter to the Iraqi Govt was released shows that the letter was in fact prepared, was under final decision, but the timing and mechanism of its release had not been decided upon. It was prematurely released by the side favoring withdrawal. There may be hope yet.
There are always internal divisions in the American military. This is what makes the situation so frightening. If the military (and the U.S. government) was clear in their support or non-support of war, that would make decision making easier. The divisions create confusion to the point that the rest of the world can only assume that the U.S. wants war despite their internal divisions. This means that there is no hope for peace.
Hi Friends, I returned to my duties today and wow! …. It was really a test of patience listening to the most random arguments from colleagues. They are parroting everything going on the corporate media, except that a war is necessary. I don’t know, people seems more and more detached from reality.
To summarize, I had a long discussion with a friend that bases his arguments in this chart:
https://www.globalfirepower.com/countries-listing.asp
OMG!!!
Did you noticed this thing from The Intercept:
https://theintercept.com/series/iran-cables/
When I told time ago The Intercept was the wikileaks of the 1% people wanted to lynch me … I never bought the fact that J. Assange and C. Manning were arrested and G. Greenwald was not. Not to mention P. Omidyar hands on it.
Look forward for your comments .
I could not even read it… It is disgusting…
“With Hillary we had a quasi certain war with Russia. That could mean up to 100 MILLION people dead in a few hours. Her plan was, officially, to try to impose a no-fly zone over all of the Syrian airspace, including Tartus and Khmeimin.…
It astonishes me how few people seemed to grasp this obvious implication to Hilary’s rhetoric. Taken on its face it would mean the US had to be prepared to wage war on Russia. However I don’t think it would have gone that far. I recall hearing a podcast interview of Senators Lindsay Graham andJohn McCain with a military publication (I think it was either militarytimes or Stars & Stripes). In it they explained that their gamble was that the Russians would clear out Syria once a no-fly zone was announced to be backed up by US troop deployments to Syria.
I think forcing Russia to retreat from Syria was the real gambit.
God bless you, Saker! Pray for the peace of the world. Christ is born! Glorify Him!
When I heard about the assassination of Soleimani (my preferred choice for man of the year 2019), I just couldn’t believe it, and began straight hating Trump.
When I heard that the US supposedly asked Iran for a “proportionate answer”, and after that Trump’s tweet (“We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war.”), I just couldn’t believe it again.
And when I heard the latest Trump’s rants about destroying Iran’s cultural heritage (another war crime) and about asking money to Irak, I again couldn’t believe it.
This is pure madness, provocation, self-destruction.
Most people in the Pentagon let it be known that they were not part of the decision, all democrats let it be known it was bad they were not consulted, and even Netanyau let it be known to its ministers that Israel had nothing to do with it.
I read a story about Trump just after he was elected, I do not know if it is right, the sources are jewish, but I tend to believe it as the storytelling doesn’t sound fake.
Here it is:
https://www.dreuz.info/2016/12/08/yves-cohen-donald-trump-saved-my-autistic-daughter-from-drowning/
This story epitomized for me some of Trump’s traits: being alone to spot/comprehend a situation, capable to connect with autistic presence, decisive in action, and not irremediably attached to his class ego.
This story helped me to connect the dots regarding his actions related to Syria, North Korea, Venezuela, Israel etc: as many have already said, he is so provocative that he torpedoes what he supposedly promotes. This in order to counter the “swamp”. The best such fairytale evaluation can be found here:
https://orientalreview.org/2019/11/15/about-trump/
Trump is not an idiot, he is very intelligent, so to say he does what he does because he is nuts just doesn’t make sense.
And if he isn’t nut, all this doesn’t make sense: if he wanted a war with Iran, he wouldn’t have proceeded like that, in a way that clearly shows to the world that the USA would be responsible for it.
So, after having again thought about it, I now believe that after avoiding war with others countries, he is now taking his decisive step, by putting all the neocon’s noses in their feces: your wanted a war with Iran, I give it to you on a plate. Do you have the guts to support it, risking the destruction of Israel, or will we finally leave Irak and Syria?
This is a very high level gambit, as there is now the official murder of Soleimani and the furor of the arab and persian street in the balance. But I guess he deemed it necessary to reach that level in order to clear the air.
The fact is that now, he is the real king in town, and will be even more if the neo-cons and the pentagons hawks back down.
My feeling is that he will prevail, and that the USA will get out sooner that later from Irak and Syria.
MasterStroke.
Just my feeling.
I must apologize to The Saker as I didn’t in my previous message include what I do now, all my wishes for a peaceful and happy Christmas with his family.
And all my thanks for this wonderful site, where I really learnt a lot about orthodoxy, history and world politics, even if I disagree about catholicism and about Trump nature.
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
A blessed Christmas to all!
No doubt that the coup against Iran and Iraq is part of a larger plan.
‘Public opinion’ is steadily prepared:
“US Senate advances bill giving State Department right to call Russia ‘sponsor of terrorism’
11 Dec, 2019 22:17:
” The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved a bill asking the State Department to determine whether Russia falls under criteria of a state sponsor of terrorism, potentially opening a way stricter sanctions…
Introduced by Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) in April, it requires the Secretary of State to give “appropriate congressional committees” a straight answer on whether Russia could be designated a sponsor of terrorism.The bill also requires the State Department to determine and report to Congress whether the militia in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics in eastern Ukraine can be considered “foreign terrorist organizations.”
The report should be presented “no later than 90 days” after the proposed law comes into force, should it pass in both Senate and the House and be signed by the president”.
@https://www.rt.com/usa/475637-us-senate-russia-sponsor-terrorism/
“China, Russia, North Korea, Iran: Confronting the new axis of aggression and evil”, By Joseph Bosco, opinion contributor — 01/06/20 12:30 PM EST
“The American strike that killed the head of Iran’s terrorist Quds Force last week also may expose the emerging axis of aggression comprising China, North Korea, Russia and Iran…
Those regimes are at odds with the United States because of divergent strategic interests, as well as fundamentally conflicting values. But what differentiates them from other states which similar anti-U.S. interests and anti-Western values is their aggressive intentions to act on those differences — they are, in fact, aggressor states…
Over the past week, the two powers expanded their separate contributions to Iran’s military capabilities into a three-party arrangement. China’s defense ministry announced that Russia and Iran will join the People’s Liberation Army Navy in joint naval drills in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman just as regional tensions have increased with the growing U.S.-Iran confrontation. Beijing and Moscow leave no doubt as to whose side they are on.
Meanwhile, a potential crisis looms across the Taiwan Strait as Taiwan’s presidential election approaches and Beijing strives to influence voters to reject President Tsai Ing-wen and her refusal to yield to Chinese pressure and accept its claims over the island’s democratic sovereignty.
The death of Taiwan’s top general and other military officials in a helicopter crash last week, reportedly in an equipment-related accident, has only aroused concerns of a nefarious Chinese role in the political campaign.
American officials undoubtedly are on the alert for the likelihood of simultaneous crises erupting from members of the quartet of evil-doers. In response to the U.S. strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s military described an “axis of resistance” among Iran’s terrorist proxies and partners in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria. But the China-Russia-North Korea-Iran linkages may be even more ominous and will require the sustained attention of America’s military and political leaders”.
@https://thehill.com/opinion/international/476899-china-russia-north-korea-iran-confronting-the-new-axis-of-aggression-and-evil
Blessings on the Nativity of our Lord and Savoir Jesus-Christ to you and your family
“Talking a tough game against Iran in order to get Israeli votes is one thing, but facing the real possibility of being the target of Iranian missiles is apparently quite another.”
https://www.rt.com/news/477604-netanyahu-distances-israel-soleimani-killing/
Happy Orthodox Christmas!!
Merry Christmas Saker!
Dear Saker,
Merry Christmas to you, your family, and all the Orthodox Christians! Thank you for all your brilliant work.
Just a quick question for you, when you come back, re the letter from William H. Seely III, Brigadier General, U.S. Marine Corps. I find it beyond strange. Considering all the generals that Mr. Trump kicked out of the White House… Do you think there is a little resentment, perhaps even resistance, on the part of the US military? (I’m not suggesting a coup d’état, but it made me wonder a bit.)
ХРИСТОС СЕ РОДИ !
ХВАЛА БРАТЕ САКЕРУ !
Поздрав,
Србин из Босне
Google translate,MOD:
CHRIST SEE RODI!
PRAISING BROTHER TO THE SACKER!
Greetings
Srbin from Bosnia
International Action Center are the one’s who are organizing protests against war throughout the U.S. and elsewhere.
Check out their website to stay connected on events: https://iacenter.org
Merry Christmas and God bless you, dear Saker!
Thank you for your work through the years.
It has been and continues to be indispensable.
Greetings from Okinawa
Thank you Saker, and thanks to everyone in this community for speaking and standing for the truth!
A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.”
— Malcolm X
МИР БОЖЈИ – ХРИСТОС СЕ РОДИ!
Google translate,MOD:
GOD’S PEACE – CHRIST SEE RODI!
It seems that General Qassem May have been playing a leading role in preventing a Sunni Shia civil war in the house of Islam. Why aren’t people
talking about this?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.independent.co.uk/voices/qassem-soleimani-death-iran-baghdad-middle-east-iraq-saudi-arabia-a9272901.html%3famp
Cui Bono?
The only country which benefits is Israel.
That’s why pentagon doesn’t know anything.
This was an Israeli job that they are giving
Trump credit for. The way he is talking, it could
Be a zionist telling him what to say or even
Using his twitter in order to create a much needed
War between Iran and US, but What it really will turn in to is a war between Iran and SA. That
Civil war is a long time israeli goal.
Anyone else here frequent Off-Guardian.org? I think I recognise a couple of posters from there. I’ve been reading them plus MoA and Saker on the Soleimani crisis. Not many other outfits seem to get that this is a bigger crisis for Uncle Sam than Iran.
с рождеством Saker,
agree with you on the basics as usual, and I hope I can still tell the difference between bad and worse, but there is a connection between the bad war against Iran and the worse war against Russia: they are two different stages of the same thing. And, then there is my concern with the Jewish lobby in Russia. They will certainly try every trick in the book to stop Russia from helping Iran. And you know the Russians better than I do and you know how naive Russian public opinion can be. Israel is their Achille’s heel.
по-братски
Well yes, the draft of that letter of withdrawal is true, and many people are thinking that those “in charge” that did write the letter knows that they will be the very first canon fodder to sacrifice for the interest of those in Tel aviv. That there is nothing “patriotic” to stay in those places right now. I believe them.
It is becoming increasingly well-known that Soleimani was on a diplomatic mission in his trip to Baghdad and not plotting attacks on the US as per the US narrative. Trump had so far not given a press conference regarding this affair which, given that it could ignite a full-blown war, is more than just a little curious.
Could it be that he is stalling for time, waiting on an Iranian response that would make the lies of his justification a moot point? Seems so to me.
A very good article from Tom Luongo chronicling what is emerging from this fiasco so far.
https://tomluongo.me/2020/01/06/after-soleimani-killing-suddenly-us-alone/
Woogs, the piece by Luongo is pretty good, and perhaps it’s getting closer to the heart of the matter. Please bear with me as I interject a fundamental question in the form of a personal reaction:
When I first read about the assassination I asked: Why? Why did this happen? Anyone with half a brain knows that you simply can’t go around assassinating officials, otherwise it’s going to happen to you. This is especially true of diplomats, because then there can be no diplomacy. Why did the U.S. do this now?
You can blame it on Trump, but that doesn’t make sense. He doesn’t make decisions like this in isolation. You can consider ideas forwarded by Nasrallah, and more recently by Magnier. But their explanations are not very satisfying either. Certainly, Nasrallah presents a clear model of the motives, and Magnier gives some conjecture about efficacy. But assassinating diplomats (the U.S. must have known he was on a diplomatic mission) is so far removed from acceptability that there must have been some extremely urgent reason that the U.S. panicked. What could it possibly have been?
Perhaps Luongo gets close in pointing out that any accord between the KSA and Iran is unacceptable, and Soleimani was engineering exactly that. But in principle, that alone might not be fatal to the West’s plans, and it certainly would not warrant a panic and such an extreme action. No, there must be something else that is in-process that scares the West. What?
The only plausible explanation (to me) is that the Saudis are about to switch sides. And that would be fatal to the West’s project. And that would cause panic. And that would explain why this happened.
There are multiple indications why the Saudis might want to “defect” to the East now. I won’t attempt to list or discuss them. I will let that up to much more knowledgeable individuals who can more critically examine the matter, like the Saker, et al.
@44360 The idea of the Saudis switching sides is an interesting one. What was part of Magnier’s reporting of Mahdi’s statements is that Trump wanted him to be the mediator. End the war in Yemen because that is the one most likely to end in a massive destabilization of the region via oil market disruptions.
That, in turn, sends oil soaring and the futures and derivative markets imploding.
That’s where Iran’s greatest strength lies, asymmetric warfare that targets the U.S. financial empire.
Thank you for reading my work. Y’all are a great resource here.
Tom, who knows what really happened? But it was reported that Mahdi said that these latest communications were initiated by the Saudis. That makes sense because it’s not the first time they made an effort to call off their war. Trump probably had no part in that communication, but he allegedly did ask Iraq to mediate in other matters.
Iran said they will only target U.S. military. If they stick to that and in particular do not target Saudi facilities, which they presumably could, then that might be an indication of what might be happening behind the scenes and what the Saudis intend to do.
I like reading your writing, but (seriously) I would rather hear about your goats. These matters are too troubling.
Trump proves again how deserving he is of “Man of the Year” by demonstrating the sheer ugliness brutality & stupidity of american foreign policy.
In his mind all he did was extend Obamas drone project in the most hubristic possible way, while the whole world held its breath during this “Franz Ferdinand” moment.