No it *wasn’t*. After 9/11, Syria happily tortured ‘dissidents’ on behalf of Tony Blair, as did Libya. Both Syria and Libya thought by creeping to the West, their future was secure. Saddam made the same mistake after the first Gulf War when he gave in to every American demand- and promised the USA total control of its oil business if it would lift sanctions.
The reason for the death of Lbya, Iraq, Syria etc is to build a Greater Saudi Arabia- a wahhabi empire where moderate Islam is exterminated, and Human freedoms non-existent.
Each muslim nation targeted has been a secular autocracy where a once West friendly strong man who ensured freedom and equality for all his citizens, men and women (so long as they weren’t political troublemakers), and respected all religions and faiths, has been carefully demonised.
It is a TONY BLAIR narrative to state that the muslim nations targeted were targeted because they opposed the West in some way. It is a Tony Blair narrative to always deny or ignore the role of Saudi Arabia (and its blood brother ‘twin’ Israel) in the fall of these nations.
The local protests inside syria in 2011 were not any open rebellion against assad.
They existed but immediately the CIA plans tried to foster, increase and push in hundreds of jihadis to help the ”assad must go”.
As you see it backfired, with determined russian and iranian help.
The battle for full control of syrian state and territory by US, saudi and Catar is lost.
The problem with US foreign policy arises from the 2008 election of Barack Obama, and his appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.
Obama, purely out of personal spite, wrecked the foreign policy inherited from W. Bush. Bush’s policy at least made sense; Obama’s had no direction other than appeasement of radical Islam in general and Iran in particular.
Obama suffered from a desire to be “liked”. He thought that if only he showed the Muslim world what a “cool” guy he was then they would realize he was a friend and everything would be OK. The radical Islamists and the mullahs in Iran were not impressed.
Hillary Clinton is a trigger-happy war mongering moron. Her top advisor, Huma Abedin, comes from a family completely immersed in the Muslim Brotherhood. She advised Hillary Clinton to take actions favorable to radical Islam. Hillary was persuaded to overthrow Assad on the pretext of protecting Israel but the real reason, I believe, is to topple yet another secular dictatorship. I doubt Mrs. Clinton really grasped that.
I think that, apart from the unarguable charms of Huma Abedin and her lovely husband Anthony ‘Wiener’ (Is that not a marriage made in hell?), the fifty million US dollars from Saudi coffers may have had more to do with Madame Secretary’s ‘convictions’ than anything resembling real convictions.
Speaking of ‘convictions’, when do the trials begin?
“It seems ISIS leadership and their partners planned and implemented an up-to-date and successful operation to not allow the Syrian government and its allies to gain the strategic initiative in media and diplomatic terms.”
Well, that is how Jewish zionazis run their psywar govno.
same thing happened when the west murdered Gaddafi, the UK royal scum wedding was filling the front pages
same thing happened with Sochi Olympics, when the west was reporting about the Kiev maidan puch
same thing will repeat till the west suffers for their actions:
some CIA analyst came up with the idea for the Syrian tragedy? then I want to see his home on fire and his kids without limbs. they planned the Kiev puch in Langley? then I want Langley destroyed like Gorlovka. then and only then will the scum stop
How could it be possible that Syrian armed forces are been so weak such a long time? I think this is the much harder issue for Assad, Iran, Hezbollah and Russia than wiping out not so well trained terrorist groups which are hardly well united at all.
I am sure others will tell you
This isn’t the local people amateur fighters but zealots who have fought in Libya and other places for money by the CIA
These jihadis are trained in Jordan and turkey and given on the ground support by the USA
” IS forces in Syria get reinforcements where they need them and enjoy relative freedom of action. On December 4, a team of IS military commanders came to Mosul from Raqqa unhindered. They do not seem to be fighting fierce battles against the US-led coalition either in Mosul or Raqqa. The unrestricted movement allowed the IS group to move reinforcements from Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and even the Iraqi province of Anbar, to Palmyra.
The US-led drawn-out offensive to retake Mosul has stalled. The Kurds – the most capable force – have left the coalition. Despite the fighting, the terrorists are free to move between Mosul and Raqqa, their unofficial capital located in Syria. The US air support has so far failed to allow the regular Iraqi troops to make any tangible advances.
Altogether 54,000 Iraqi troops and 5,000 US servicemen – supported by 90 warplanes and 150 heavy artillery pieces – were invested in the Mosul campaign when it was launched in October. They proved unable to beat 9,000 jihadists. On December 11, the US Defense Secretary visited Iraq to see how the operation unfolded on spot. He is reported to be trying to solve very difficult problems related to coordination of activities with Iraqi military but the hopes to retake the city before President Obama leaves office are slim. Perhaps, it is easier to «squeeze the IS out» of the city than engage the enemy in battle. After being pushed out, the terrorists move to Syria.”
It seems the US is leading the Iraqi military to waste itself against ISIS in Mosul, while allowing (encouraging?) those same ISIS thugs to travel unimpeded to fight against the SAA/Russia in Syria. Given the US/Saudi/Israeli objective is to set up a new caliphate in eastern Syria and contiguous parts of Iraq (and some of Turkey?), ensuring the Iraqi armed forces are dispirited and disorganized will ensure that can’t be prevented. Note the Kurds have backed out of fighting “ISIS” in Mosul, so are not depleting their abilities to maintain hold their autonomous section of Iraq, which the US/Saudi/Israeli group may want as part of the caliphate, but the Iraqi Kurds may not.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend ad infinitum, writ large.
Russia is claiming the leadership of the Syrian army in Palmyra panicked at the first shots from the jihadists and fled, dragging the rest of the army with them and throwing things into chaos.
The regular division of the Syrian army at the first shot by the militants in a panic, throwing weapons and military equipment, fled from Tadmor (Palmyra). Valorous Syrian fighters rushed so that they hardly stopped the far west of Palmyra, on the outskirts of T4 AFB (Et Tiyas)…
Ahead of all in a panic retreating Syrian divisions ran Deputy Chief of Staff of the armed forces of Syria.
Behind him in complete confusion, dragging the ordinary soldiers and junior commanders, fled head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of Syria, the commander of the missile troops and artillery of the Syrian army commander and the headquarters of the 3rd Army Corps, commander of the 18th Panzer Division.
Deputy Chief of the General Staff could hardly have found two days later. Anything else, like elementary cowardice, this behavior can not be explained by the representatives of the Syrian Higher Command. With barely managed to hold alarmists and cowards, cause divisions in the Syrian army and the feeling of the morning on December 11, to return to their positions, stabilize the situation. But then again the Syrians fled.
Gazeta.RU is israeli 5th column, but nice try, sayanim.
Those “panicked” SAA forces managed to not only repel the first zionazi attack, but were able to afterwards evacuate over 80% of the local civilians before being overwhelmed in subsequent attacks. Considering the SAA there was outnumbered and outgunned, yet still managed an orderly retreat and were able get the majority of the civilians out is not panic, but a well done organised retreat. Something your “people” would be incapable of.
They evacuated and left their weapons behind for ISIS. Including, possibly anti-aircraft weapons.
Oh, and I am not an Israeli, nor a fan of that country.
Also, Palmyra is in the very middle of Syria. And that an army that cannot defend the very middle of their own country is a sign of terrific weakness.
I also suspect, perhaps, traitors in the leadership. They should have fought and not all this evacuation.
Why they even bus the militants to another part of Syria when they start to win, as in Aleppo and so many other countries.
something is very wrong with the Syrian army and its tactics.Please don’t use all capitals – its shouting and breaks moderation rules. They have been reduced this once – future comments with capitals will go to the trash. Mod
An Army within its own country should be able to kill thousands of invaders everyday.
“An Army within its own country should be able to kill thousands of invaders everyday.”
Could you name an example of today, or recent past, and bring in facts to corroborate it?
I mean thousand of invaders who were not women and children living in their own homes since ages before the supposed owners of that country, or those who are bringing “democracy”, arrived.
Let me give you an answer that expalins- but that you almost never hear.
Strong-man ruled nations are very primitive compared to modern West nations in many respects. To understand them you must look back in History to when Britain, France or many other European nations were ruled the same way.
The incredibly wonderful “The Vikings” TV show lets you see this principle in beautiful detail. The Vikings are ‘chancers’- ruthless brutes with a talent for contructive murder. Against an empire like Rome (from centuries earlier) the Vikings would have been a pathetic joke. But post-Rome, Europe had degenerated into kingdoms run by strong-men – sad little kings who only kept power by constantly focusing on keeping their population weak and pathetic, so a *tiny* number of loyal palace troops could supress any revolt with extreme brutality. The European populations rapidly became ‘peaceful’ at the cost of their ‘manliness’ – which wasn’t an immediate issue cos widespread conquering warfare had fallen out of fashion.
Then came the Vikings, who discover to their amazement that a tiny number of well trained killers can take on the forces of a whole kingdom and beat them easily, because those kingdoms only have a small force of bullying enforcer thugs good enough to keep in place a pacified people. Sure these King’s men can brutalise, torture and murder untrained peasants – but faced with a real warrior they may as well not exist at all.
In a nation like Syria, you become a powerful charismatic military leader and you are enemy no.1 of Assad, so at best you are singled out and your career goes nowhere. By constantly culling the brightest and best in the Syrian army, the army becomes as useless as those European dark age ones. Corruption rules. Ordinary fighting men expect their superiors to let them down, so are always calculating the best moment to run away from an enemy (and who can blame them). The higher ranking generals are always hyper corrupt lick-spittles that Assad knows can never challenge him. But they can’t run a war-time army either.
Of course, the UK made Syria this way. Most ruling stong-men were trained in the UK at British military academies during their younger days. Rome used to do the same with local leaders it placed in power in the conquered areas of its empire. As kids they were selected, brought to Rome and educated there- if they showed to much of the ‘wrong’ kind of promise, they never made it back alive.
Now Assad has proven to have qualities the British never expected, but even so Assad’s fear of a ‘palace coup’ ensures Assad would be another Arab leader with a vast but totally useless army.
More BS pseudo-analysis. How about writing posts containing actual facts rather than some conjectured propositions about how the Vikings “thought”. Why not use the Mongol hordes as well, they subjugated large areas and populations with a relative handful of fighters… all you’ve proven that violent invading thugs can destroy peaceful organized societies. Brown-shirts anyone?
The UK didn’t “make” Syria anything… you missed Sykes-Picotte? DUH!
First off, Syria was part of the FRENCH Mandate. Second, NONE of the “strong men” I could find who ran the areas now making up Syria in the post-Mandate period until the Assads fully took power were trained in England, and probably not in France either. In fact Bashar’s grandfather was part of a group who wished to stay out of the “new” Syria and remain under the French Mandate. Hafez al-Assad, Bashar’s father left the Alawite town where he was born/lived at age 9 and got his early schooling in Sunni-dominated Lataki, joined/moved up through the Baathist party ranks while still in school. Later joined the Syrian Armed Forces, and became a pilot on his way to the top. So no English training.
Bashar, already a medical doctor from UofDamascus, studied ophthalmology in London, and practiced there until called to Syria after the “car crash” death of his next-in-line brother in 1994.
But I guess a Trumpist can just play bullshit-baffles-brains games like Donny boy… except when someone is around who can find the real info. 10 minutes research… how lazy can you be? Or are you deliberately trying to mislead?
“Now Assad has proven to have qualities the British never expected, but even so Assad’s fear of a ‘palace coup’ ensures Assad would be another Arab leader with a vast but totally useless army.”
@ vot talk:
Agreed. The moderators need to brush up on their understanding of the “Israel Project’s Global Language Dictionary” which these “helpers/sockpuppets” seem to be using. Just fills the threads with half-truths and misleading commentary.
A major “tell” is that they insert some broad item which saker readers/posters will agree with, then walk the commentary around in confusing loops of irrelevant zero-content wordiness, or insert outright misleading “facts” which point way from the real info they wish to keep concealed.
Also very defensive/antagonistic/projecting with any posters who actually refute or rationally contest their line of manufactured consent.
Another common “tell” is that they “reply” among “themselves”, sometimes pretending to disagree over points, all of which are simply wrong or misleading.
“The moderators need to brush up on their understanding…”
What do you mean? That the moderators job is to censor some opinions, and to spoon feed lazy readers with the truth? The moderators are not teachers. They volonteer to try to keep the discussion going on by weeding out comments that break Saker’s blog rule. Why do you complain?
What about the readers, can’t they be expected to “brush up on their understanding”? With the help of well informed people, like in this case, where you are doing a good job informing others about how lies are spread, and I competely agree with you, I just don’t think it is fair to blame the moderators for every conflicting opinion that is written in the threads.
Agree with vot tak and nice try, these, include this anonymous, are sayanims trolls.They have appeared just after the victory in Aleppo.
When some were moderators this kind of comments could pass once, but not more since nonsense and slandering comments, no elaborated at all, mantaining fabulous theories without any base/fact to support them, against Russia and its allies.
This path the blog will finish took over only by trolls.
You have already those “conspiracy theorists” over there in the cafe and now these “sayanim” in the war room.
You prove my point. I’m not “blaming” the mods, just stating a fact that a very clever and insidious form of troll has recently arrived here post-WaPo “fake news” article.
I have seen what may well be the same individual(s) destroy comment sections at more than a few formerly rational and tolerant websites. The mission of these troll operatives is about denying readers’ access to information contrary to the MSM/0.01%’s party line. They can’t change the article writers’ material, but they can and do direct readers’ attention… in short, part and parcel of the Establishment psy-ops.
Yes, readers should be aware of the 0.001%/Zionist-inspired trolls operating everywhere, but they have busy lives and should be able to rely on the mods here to weed out the most egregious and subtly persistent trolls on their behalf. The Saker’s reputation as a source for real independent information and commentary is at stake.
“Independent views” is not to be misread as “anything goes”.
About the comments moderation:
Nobody likes trolls, except maybe, other trolls. And sometimes, trolls work together to tag-team a comment forum into submission by beating it about the head and shoulders with a folding chair. The chilling effect they have on other readers is palpable. If a troll comment is abusive, if it is off-topic, or straw-man…it usually ends up in the round file. Sometimes they slip through; moderators are not infallible, we’re pretty sharp, but not god-like. If you don’t want to be led where a troll wants you to go, then don’t let it do. Just let his comment stand out there to twist in the wind. We have lists, and growing, of those who do this and have ways to deal with them quietly, and permanently if need be.
How off-topic do you have to be, before a moderator responds? I can only speak for myself. If you are “kinda” related with your post, I allow it, but if you’re way out in the weeds, I won’t publish it because it is a form of trolling, to overwhelm a forum with flotsam. I don’t play favorites either. I’ve noticed, this off-topic-ness has been on the rise, I don’t know if you have. But the picture we see on the board is quite different than what you see on the published page – is that censorship?
You bet it is. But at the same time we protect the right to have a dissenting opinion because myriad are the ways to look at any one subject, thus, what YOU think is trolling, WE see as diversity in the discussion. You are free to agree, disagree, or just ignore it all together; unless we see someone who refuses to allow anyone to ignore them. Then – we pounce. But not until then.
So, if you don’t like trolls, don’t do things that are “troll-like”. If that comment you are just dying to post is off-topic, you know it is, but you submit it anyway? Don’t be surprised that you never see it published, and don’t complain. I don’t hold that against you. If you do good work, it get’s published. If you don’t I do my best to pull it. Nobody has a perfect record, including myself. OK – so what’s good work? Stay on topic; ask questions; offer a dissenting view and explain it/ support it with reasons, links, or quotes and citations. Be thoughtful about what you say, and don’t use abusive language/ profanity. That’s what we would like to see. We live in a world where thoughtful dissent is discouraged and vilified; here, it is encouraged.
You don’t have to write a comment about each and every item that Saker adds to the blog. No, you really don’t. I sometimes post here under my private nick, but it’s just sometimes, not every time. And that’s because some things that get posted on the blog I personally don’t think need to be commented about. I’m just saying- I use some restraint and even if I am a moderator, I don’t feel like dominating with hundreds and hundreds of posts to my name.
The Cafe is an open forum. You are likely to find a very wide range of topics represented there. It is not moderated as strictly, unless the commenter gets abusive of others. We get some complaints sometimes about that laissez faire approach, but we’re going to be patient and understanding as we can be.
Thank you all for reading, commenting, and supporting The Vineyard of the Saker.
@Mod: Hi, I just have posted a comment almost an hour ago rebating the unbased claims of the numerous trolls here accusing the Syrian Army of being cowards, with a link to an article from Voltaire Network and has not been published.
Well, but it does not appear in the RSS feed of comments, where I usually read comments since have not the time to read all the threads, this is why I am claiming it, why could this be?
Yes, now it is there, but it´s not the first time this happens. Sometimes appeared my most recent comment and the previous not. I wonder if perhaps it could be because the comments are not moderated from the oldest comment to the newest, as was the costume when I was mod myself.
The other night, I was seeing comments published an hour after mine while mine did not appeared, so that leaves me to repost it, and then claim it to the mod, since other times I have been told by the mod on duty that my comment was not in pending, and so lost…
Well, it´s not my intention to take the time of the mods in any way with my claimings, the thing is, since spend a time in commenting at least like my comment being published, and there have been already a bunch of comments of mine lost.
@dg-moderator: Understood, the role of mod is often a thankless one… so THANKS!!! for doing the job so well. As long as the mods feel the situation is under control, fine, but I have seen similar situations where the mods stood on “avoiding censorship” and ended up with the troll-comments alienating readers and driving out good posters. So I only offer a caution as The Vineyard is head and shoulders above all but a handful of sites and I would feel guilty if avoidable harm occurred and I didn’t speak up.
Ya, I also tend to wander “off topic”, but try to remain in a parallel track to the article and other relevant comments.
I have no problem with dissent (it’s what I do mostly), if it is reasonably grounded in fact and logical inference/extension. But when there are serial comments over multiple threads (as one recent example paraphrased, saying “the UK did this to Syria because it installed British-trained strongmen in key positions”) which an unwitting reader may take as fact, it indicates on the part of the poster either a gross misunderstanding of history, or a deliberate intent to mislead. In either case, the comment should not have appeared or have had the historically inaccurate bits removed. In that case I took time to correct the record (learning a great deal of additional relevant detail as my research confirmed my initial “take”) but what if neither I nor anyone else took the time to do so? The Saker blog being otherwise well sourced would be displaying simply wrong info, and this wrong, unchallenged info may be taken as fact by a casual reader.
Again, I know moderating is a volume business and all such items can’t be caught. But seeing this and other types of historical or factual “error” suddenly being displayed in many recent threads is alarming.
One of the most difficult aspects of trollery is to keep a consistent, yet distinct “voice” for each sockpuppet and keep track of who is being replied to on which details. They invariably trip themselves up in one or both aspects, and other legitimate, experienced (not my first comment rodeo) posters are often the first notice the “tells”. This is why the trolls get defensive, lash out, project, etc. when corrected/called out by other posters, to instigate flame wars which the mods must mete out “blame” in typically equal amounts, even though the troll was indeed a troll first.
So keep up the good work, seems you know who is here to help and who to hinder.
More photos of Aleppo before the war, although the pictures are shown only very short time, since they try to squeeze in 365 of them in the video, one for each day of the year. But very nice photos. And nice music.
The mainstream media now write, 100%, as if Clinton and not Trump got elected- and are making zero effort to gradually transition to a Trump presidentcy. This is *unprecedented* in media history- save for the time when the media laid the ground for 9/11 and its aftermath.
The usual suspects will try to convince you that this is just the ‘losers’ burying their heads in the sand. Sorry, this is not how the mainstream media ever works. If those that control the media outlets *know* a cause is lost, they (without missing a breath) move to the next propagada strategy. They never ever continue to ride a horse that has already lost.
Look at the coverage of the liberation of Aleppo. A roar of anti-Russian reporting that is laying down the ground for a shocking increase in anti-Russian activity by the USA and Europe. Russia has already started to lose major international sporting events, and the World Cup in Russia is now certainly doomed.
But what about Trump you say? This is the most disburbing aspect, because as far as the mainstream media is concerned, he’s already a dead-man walking. Will it be a carefully recruited, carefully handled ‘lone nut’? Will it be an ‘ISIS outrage’ leveling whole blocks that just ‘happen’ to contain Trump? Will it be a convenient plane crash or heart-attack? Whatever they intend, 100% of the mainstream media is now certain Trump will never get to make a difference, and that it not only will be ‘business as usual’ next year, but a total escalation against Humanity by the demons.
The latest from ‘lame duck’ Obama is that the fall of Palmyra gives the USA the ‘right’ to strike ‘ISIS’ targets all across Syria- especially in areas under Russian or Syrian govenment control. Few here really understood what the recent fall of Palmyra was really about (a ‘distraction’ to save the terror gangs in Aleppo- what a joke- what idiot would think Putin would give up on Aleppo to save Palmyra, yet that’s what the usual suspects claim as a motive for Palmyra).
A month before Trump is *supposed* to take office, and yet ‘lame duck’ Obama is preparing to massively up his aggression in Syria. Obama fully expects a coordinatred alliance of Western powers, led by the UK and USA, to start striking Syria and Iran. Yet almost none of you pay attention to this rhetoric, and realise the only reason for it is that the rhetoric represents a real plan on the very edge of execution.
The anti-Russian mainstream propaganda push is what you always get before any war escalation. Demonisation is an essential part of preparing for war. We saw the exact same thing before Blair’s attacks agaisnt Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. And *no*, the anti-war protests that accompanied the surge in war propaganda did nothing to prevent those coming wars. Russia itself is not going to be targeted directly, of course (although they will hit plenty of targets containing Russians across Syria and Iran). But Russia is to presented with the stark choice = World War or Run Away. And either option plays into the short term plans of the demons.
Putin keeps failing to draw a line in the sand, and this is his fatal weaknes. If Putin was to declare that the liberation of Aleppo was to *end* the uninvited, illegal war activity of the UK, USA, Israel, Saudia Arabia and others in Syria, the demons would be check-mated in this game. But Putin never does. Instead, the more the UK and USA kick and pummel Russia, the more Putin begs them to join him and be his mates. Putin formally encourages the USA to make war in Syria. And this is *insane*.
When the Soviet empire existed (for good or bad), the iron Soviet rule was “west keep out of *our* nations, or else”. Today the Russian rule is “we’re all after the same thing, west, so stick your nose in wherever you want”. Hence Ukraine, and Russia’s desperate necessary move to recover Crimea that cost Russia everything it had built up diplomatically and commercially for the last 15 years. Russia needs to make the West hear ‘iron rules’ again. Where absolute certainly lies, the press propaganda effectively gives up as a lost cause.
Without an iron rule (by which I mean Putin tells the West “keep out or else”) for Syria, the terror gangs will be back again in *every* area Russia liberates. And the West will back the terror gangs in every way, including bombing on their behalf. Trump isn’t going to be there to save them or us.
Putin’s “fatal weakness” as you call it is probably why people across the world are seeing the alternative to the regimes they are ruled by as a possibility worth striving for. You are not seeing the power of his example. There indeed has been an influence upon the US elections by Russia, but it was the influence of statesmanship, diplomacy, cordial relations one country to another. Sure, the leadership in the west ground their teeth that Russia did not rise to the bait, and they continued to act in nefarious ways and the pain was considerable in the countries they ravaged and still are ravaging.
Their economies are moving from stagnant to moribund, and that, like global climate events, will happen suddenly. Not because of anything Russia did to them but because of what they are doing to themselves. And yes, we will suffer; we will all suffer.
I hope Russia will stay strong and continue to provide the example. It is the only way for all of us to get out of this nightmare.
I followed with interest what you wrote up to: “Putin keeps failing to draw a line in the sand, and this is his fatal weaknes”. I agree with “the rhetoric represents a real plan on the very edge of execution.”
I deem time–financial time, that is– to be on Russia’s side and not the AZ empire’s side. I take the “rhetoric” seriously because the AZE isn’t generating wealth. (See: Deflation in the casino) The ECB and the JCB print money now at the rate of ~US$140 billion per month. That’s the glue that keeps the empire standing. Yes, the empire can field a lot of resources, but at an enormous cost. Imagine what it costs to do this: US troops rushed to Poland before Trump’s inauguration. Pension funds in the “developed” world are underfunded by trillions and falling further into the hole.
These accelerating financial disasters make me take the rhetoric seriously: the empire must generate more chaos because it understands it has very little financial time to establish unassailable dominence to seize Russian assets the way its minions did in Russia in the 1990s. I believe the empire has run out of time, but not out of the means to take a lot of souls with it. And it appears to be determined to win at any cost. Hence, the expansion and proliferation of the rhetoric, the trailer for the main show.
Russia did not embark recently on war preparations as a lark. What would be fatal to Russia would be find itself unprepared for a genuine, serious attack on its homeland. My opinion is that Russia has never been better prepared in all its history to defend itself and in perhaps no more than 2 years, it will be unconquerable. The window for preparation is closing as we write.
Putin only(I hope) keeps the door to the West open so he does not get cornered and effectively isolate(Russia) him self. I think Putin knows just like we do that with the current AngloZionist Regimes in most Western countries a peaceful coexistence will never be possible – so he’s playing (((them))) both ways. On one hand officially keeping the ruse going on the other biding his time for the inevitable crumbling of the Western governments once their overburdened(with immigration and ageing societies) social/-list states finally collapse.
Habitants of Aleppo decided not to fight for their city and their land. Actually there isn’t left any Aleppo anymore, just Piles of Rocks and Destruction, and the habitants let go to Hell.
With just a little bit of knowledge/skills, (which you obviously don’t have/posses, you can easily find my GPS location. I never post anything, anywhere anonymously. You do!
As for paying. Nobody pays me anything for anything. I pay myself with money that is so hard-earned that most people wouldn’t understand.
Out of respect for the rules in this community I’ll leave it there.
On the other hand. If you are let through the gates for further comments as the above, YOU are free game as far as I’m concerned-
You are off-course welcome to elaborate in a civilized manner with point,s of views of your own making regarding any issues pertinent to the context of this thread.
@ kent, it seems the WaPoo “fake news” article has led the paid trolls to saker. Twilight is another one, taking tactical cues from the “Israel Project’s Global Language Dictionary”, the Zionist troll’s cookbook to media dirty tricks. I recognize the “voice” as being tasked with filling several formerly open and rational comment sections with noise and mayhem, resulting in the moderators being so overwhelmed that comments were discontinued or so heavily “moderated” to be de facto censored. Even on corporate sites, and volunteer-run sites fared even worse.
Saker may have to change the posting access requirements as it is too easy for trolls to create multiple sockpuppets and jam all threads with crap. Unfortunately tightened security also means more overhead for admins, a scarce commodity here. But that’s there game…
In my honest opinion, if you want to fight (the empire or anything really). Show your face, identify yourself, THIS IS ME, this is my name, this is my adress, e-mail etc (last two for the Admin only off-course).. If you are not a verifiable person, you are not eligible to comment.
Works on Russia Insider – The Duran, etc.
I do know absolutely all of the arguments for not doing so, (can’t be recognized as me, due to where I work, my position, my colleagues, my family etc. etc.).
Doesn’t work in the long run. For me, anybody, and I mean anybody, however brilliant comments and analysis they contribute to here, or elsewhere as Anon’s, or with not verified nicknames at the very least, is not really worth much in my opinion.
Its’ to late for that. I’ve even heard arguments such as “my life is on the line”. Really?? It’s been on the line (so to speak) from the day you were born, don’t you know that?
Never bought into that argument, And, I’m still alive, right?
I would not like this site to enter the fairly steep road downwards., but as you might know by now, I have some experience in fencing of attacks, some subtle, and some regretfully not so subtle.
I did warn you all after the WAPO “Proporn” (that’s what it is).
Are you naive, or you pretend to be too naive?
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” – Abe Lincoln
The comments on this thread are majority websayanim trolling. Way to go to kill discussion on an enemy site, mods.
We are not the MSM.And only allow comments we like.As long as the rules are followed we post the comments.If you and others disagree with a comment we feel you will refute it.MOD
You have the wrong MOD. But no I’m not upset. I just wanted you to understand how we feel about comments. We think that fellow posters will respond if they don’t agree with other comments. As long as comments are made within the Saker’s rules,we post them. We don’t have to agree with them.But don’t feel we should censor comments just because we don’t agree with them.MOD
“Islamic State fighters who took Palmyra may have seized weapons and air defense equipment that could threaten the US-led coalition, its commanding general said, adding he expected Russia and Syria to deal with the “embarrassing” loss.”
What one haves here is ed schultz being clever promoting his zionazi paymasters. This govno is disgusting. Lose the zionazis. They are not human, let alone living creatures.
Look at this trained zionazi ghoul,Brent Budowsky, suddenly worried about “half a million” of dead Syrians on whose behalf HE decided to speak?! Was it “worth it” this time Mr. Gerbils? If this is not the face of evil, I don’t know what is:
‘No 2nd opinion, no alternative’: Experts discuss Aleppo liberation and its media coverage
That was a good programme, the ghoul showed himself to be a complete patronising, arrogant idiot, with no help from anyone to do it.
Thanks for the link.
I must say the comments section has gotten interesting again. It seemed like after the Trump election everyone just went on relax and relief mode, as if Trump’s erection actually solved anything.
Now in the last few days there was a roasting of a certain male goose for expressing an interesting take on the implications of the fall of the empire for those living in the empire, amongst other things. The highly self-esteemed “poets” in the cafe (though there is only one of them I got beef with) get as appreciated as the “sayanim” (not too certain what that means yet, got to google it) in the war room. Plus Kent gets clobbered, the Saker’s comments section has definitely got interesting again.
For you all to see that this “music” from the sayanim trolls about the weapons left behind by the Syrian Army when retreating in Palmyra is not only the same music of the MSM but also of the DoD in the US:
Russia responds to US and minimizes weapons taken by EIIL in Palmira
“The Pentagon should be concerned about the handing over of weapons that the US will make to the terrorists in Syria, instead of weapons dropped in the hands of Daesh in Palmyra.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday after that the commander of the US counterterrorist operation, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, expressed concern on Wednesday about the reports issued by the Takfirí group ISIS (Daesh, in Arabic) concerning the weapons found by terrorists in the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria that “could be used against US troops and their allies.”
“We believe that between what they found in Palmira there were armored vehicles and heavy weapons, and possibly some defense equipment,” Townsend said, adding that “if Russia and Syria do not attack ISIS, we will do so.”
” US General Stephen Townsend should be concerned about recent US Congressional authorization to send anti-aircraft missiles (MANPADS) to Syrian rebels in 2017″, says Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
In response, the spokesman of Russian Defense Ministry, General Igor Konashenkov, considered that what was confiscated by the terrorists was nothing more than “small arms and several abandoned military vehicles, which can not constitute a threat to the anti-ISIS coalition” led by the United States.
In recent months, support from Western countries for so-called ‘moderate rebels’ has increased in Syria, in fact, for the first time since the start of the Syrian crisis in September, the armed groups received last generation ground-ground Grad rocket launchers, which facilitated them to recover part of the territories lost in combats against the Syrian forces.”
Hi elsi, there was a required change related to the contract, and a slightly updated version was made available. Sadly, it doesn’t include the preview. I think they are going to see if it can be retrieved. We are all missing it, but so far it doesn’t look as though much can be done. mod PS
Syria was targeted for destruction because it dared to resist US hegemony and oppose
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-38311053
No it *wasn’t*. After 9/11, Syria happily tortured ‘dissidents’ on behalf of Tony Blair, as did Libya. Both Syria and Libya thought by creeping to the West, their future was secure. Saddam made the same mistake after the first Gulf War when he gave in to every American demand- and promised the USA total control of its oil business if it would lift sanctions.
The reason for the death of Lbya, Iraq, Syria etc is to build a Greater Saudi Arabia- a wahhabi empire where moderate Islam is exterminated, and Human freedoms non-existent.
Each muslim nation targeted has been a secular autocracy where a once West friendly strong man who ensured freedom and equality for all his citizens, men and women (so long as they weren’t political troublemakers), and respected all religions and faiths, has been carefully demonised.
It is a TONY BLAIR narrative to state that the muslim nations targeted were targeted because they opposed the West in some way. It is a Tony Blair narrative to always deny or ignore the role of Saudi Arabia (and its blood brother ‘twin’ Israel) in the fall of these nations.
The local protests inside syria in 2011 were not any open rebellion against assad.
They existed but immediately the CIA plans tried to foster, increase and push in hundreds of jihadis to help the ”assad must go”.
As you see it backfired, with determined russian and iranian help.
The battle for full control of syrian state and territory by US, saudi and Catar is lost.
The problem with US foreign policy arises from the 2008 election of Barack Obama, and his appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State.
Obama, purely out of personal spite, wrecked the foreign policy inherited from W. Bush. Bush’s policy at least made sense; Obama’s had no direction other than appeasement of radical Islam in general and Iran in particular.
Obama suffered from a desire to be “liked”. He thought that if only he showed the Muslim world what a “cool” guy he was then they would realize he was a friend and everything would be OK. The radical Islamists and the mullahs in Iran were not impressed.
Hillary Clinton is a trigger-happy war mongering moron. Her top advisor, Huma Abedin, comes from a family completely immersed in the Muslim Brotherhood. She advised Hillary Clinton to take actions favorable to radical Islam. Hillary was persuaded to overthrow Assad on the pretext of protecting Israel but the real reason, I believe, is to topple yet another secular dictatorship. I doubt Mrs. Clinton really grasped that.
Good riddance to bad garbage.
I think that, apart from the unarguable charms of Huma Abedin and her lovely husband Anthony ‘Wiener’ (Is that not a marriage made in hell?), the fifty million US dollars from Saudi coffers may have had more to do with Madame Secretary’s ‘convictions’ than anything resembling real convictions.
Speaking of ‘convictions’, when do the trials begin?
“It seems ISIS leadership and their partners planned and implemented an up-to-date and successful operation to not allow the Syrian government and its allies to gain the strategic initiative in media and diplomatic terms.”
Well, that is how Jewish zionazis run their psywar govno.
same thing happened when the west murdered Gaddafi, the UK royal scum wedding was filling the front pages
same thing happened with Sochi Olympics, when the west was reporting about the Kiev maidan puch
same thing will repeat till the west suffers for their actions:
some CIA analyst came up with the idea for the Syrian tragedy? then I want to see his home on fire and his kids without limbs. they planned the Kiev puch in Langley? then I want Langley destroyed like Gorlovka. then and only then will the scum stop
How could it be possible that Syrian armed forces are been so weak such a long time? I think this is the much harder issue for Assad, Iran, Hezbollah and Russia than wiping out not so well trained terrorist groups which are hardly well united at all.
I am sure others will tell you
This isn’t the local people amateur fighters but zealots who have fought in Libya and other places for money by the CIA
These jihadis are trained in Jordan and turkey and given on the ground support by the USA
Here’s an apparently factual take on how those mysterious ISIS attackers got there:
http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2016/12/14/capturing-palmyra-cannot-prevent-islamic-state-final-defeat.html
” IS forces in Syria get reinforcements where they need them and enjoy relative freedom of action. On December 4, a team of IS military commanders came to Mosul from Raqqa unhindered. They do not seem to be fighting fierce battles against the US-led coalition either in Mosul or Raqqa. The unrestricted movement allowed the IS group to move reinforcements from Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and even the Iraqi province of Anbar, to Palmyra.
The US-led drawn-out offensive to retake Mosul has stalled. The Kurds – the most capable force – have left the coalition. Despite the fighting, the terrorists are free to move between Mosul and Raqqa, their unofficial capital located in Syria. The US air support has so far failed to allow the regular Iraqi troops to make any tangible advances.
Altogether 54,000 Iraqi troops and 5,000 US servicemen – supported by 90 warplanes and 150 heavy artillery pieces – were invested in the Mosul campaign when it was launched in October. They proved unable to beat 9,000 jihadists. On December 11, the US Defense Secretary visited Iraq to see how the operation unfolded on spot. He is reported to be trying to solve very difficult problems related to coordination of activities with Iraqi military but the hopes to retake the city before President Obama leaves office are slim. Perhaps, it is easier to «squeeze the IS out» of the city than engage the enemy in battle. After being pushed out, the terrorists move to Syria.”
And even more detail from Moon of Alabama
http://www.moonofalabama.org/2016/12/syria-roundup-government-liberates-aleppo-in-revenge-isis-retakes-palmyra.html#more
It seems the US is leading the Iraqi military to waste itself against ISIS in Mosul, while allowing (encouraging?) those same ISIS thugs to travel unimpeded to fight against the SAA/Russia in Syria. Given the US/Saudi/Israeli objective is to set up a new caliphate in eastern Syria and contiguous parts of Iraq (and some of Turkey?), ensuring the Iraqi armed forces are dispirited and disorganized will ensure that can’t be prevented. Note the Kurds have backed out of fighting “ISIS” in Mosul, so are not depleting their abilities to maintain hold their autonomous section of Iraq, which the US/Saudi/Israeli group may want as part of the caliphate, but the Iraqi Kurds may not.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend ad infinitum, writ large.
Russia is claiming the leadership of the Syrian army in Palmyra panicked at the first shots from the jihadists and fled, dragging the rest of the army with them and throwing things into chaos.
Inadequate Syrian officers in Palmyra left the city before ISIS assault. Russia asking their removal.
https://www.gazeta.ru/army/2016/12/14/10427117.shtml?utm_source=gazetatw&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shans-ostanovit-haos-v-sirii-bez-zapada
The regular division of the Syrian army at the first shot by the militants in a panic, throwing weapons and military equipment, fled from Tadmor (Palmyra). Valorous Syrian fighters rushed so that they hardly stopped the far west of Palmyra, on the outskirts of T4 AFB (Et Tiyas)…
Ahead of all in a panic retreating Syrian divisions ran Deputy Chief of Staff of the armed forces of Syria.
Behind him in complete confusion, dragging the ordinary soldiers and junior commanders, fled head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of Syria, the commander of the missile troops and artillery of the Syrian army commander and the headquarters of the 3rd Army Corps, commander of the 18th Panzer Division.
Deputy Chief of the General Staff could hardly have found two days later. Anything else, like elementary cowardice, this behavior can not be explained by the representatives of the Syrian Higher Command. With barely managed to hold alarmists and cowards, cause divisions in the Syrian army and the feeling of the morning on December 11, to return to their positions, stabilize the situation. But then again the Syrians fled.
israeli
Gazeta.RU is israeli 5th column, but nice try, sayanim.
Those “panicked” SAA forces managed to not only repel the first zionazi attack, but were able to afterwards evacuate over 80% of the local civilians before being overwhelmed in subsequent attacks. Considering the SAA there was outnumbered and outgunned, yet still managed an orderly retreat and were able get the majority of the civilians out is not panic, but a well done organised retreat. Something your “people” would be incapable of.
They evacuated and left their weapons behind for ISIS. Including, possibly anti-aircraft weapons.
Oh, and I am not an Israeli, nor a fan of that country.
Also, Palmyra is in the very middle of Syria. And that an army that cannot defend the very middle of their own country is a sign of terrific weakness.
I also suspect, perhaps, traitors in the leadership. They should have fought and not all this evacuation.
Why they even bus the militants to another part of Syria when they start to win, as in Aleppo and so many other countries.
something is very wrong with the Syrian army and its tactics.Please don’t use all capitals – its shouting and breaks moderation rules. They have been reduced this once – future comments with capitals will go to the trash. Mod
An Army within its own country should be able to kill thousands of invaders everyday.
“An Army within its own country should be able to kill thousands of invaders everyday.”
Could you name an example of today, or recent past, and bring in facts to corroborate it?
I mean thousand of invaders who were not women and children living in their own homes since ages before the supposed owners of that country, or those who are bringing “democracy”, arrived.
Meanwhile you find anything, enjoy:
http://www.hispantv.com/noticias/oriente-medio/327426/israel-estudiantes-poster-netanyahu-hitler-libertad-expresion
Let me give you an answer that expalins- but that you almost never hear.
Strong-man ruled nations are very primitive compared to modern West nations in many respects. To understand them you must look back in History to when Britain, France or many other European nations were ruled the same way.
The incredibly wonderful “The Vikings” TV show lets you see this principle in beautiful detail. The Vikings are ‘chancers’- ruthless brutes with a talent for contructive murder. Against an empire like Rome (from centuries earlier) the Vikings would have been a pathetic joke. But post-Rome, Europe had degenerated into kingdoms run by strong-men – sad little kings who only kept power by constantly focusing on keeping their population weak and pathetic, so a *tiny* number of loyal palace troops could supress any revolt with extreme brutality. The European populations rapidly became ‘peaceful’ at the cost of their ‘manliness’ – which wasn’t an immediate issue cos widespread conquering warfare had fallen out of fashion.
Then came the Vikings, who discover to their amazement that a tiny number of well trained killers can take on the forces of a whole kingdom and beat them easily, because those kingdoms only have a small force of bullying enforcer thugs good enough to keep in place a pacified people. Sure these King’s men can brutalise, torture and murder untrained peasants – but faced with a real warrior they may as well not exist at all.
In a nation like Syria, you become a powerful charismatic military leader and you are enemy no.1 of Assad, so at best you are singled out and your career goes nowhere. By constantly culling the brightest and best in the Syrian army, the army becomes as useless as those European dark age ones. Corruption rules. Ordinary fighting men expect their superiors to let them down, so are always calculating the best moment to run away from an enemy (and who can blame them). The higher ranking generals are always hyper corrupt lick-spittles that Assad knows can never challenge him. But they can’t run a war-time army either.
Of course, the UK made Syria this way. Most ruling stong-men were trained in the UK at British military academies during their younger days. Rome used to do the same with local leaders it placed in power in the conquered areas of its empire. As kids they were selected, brought to Rome and educated there- if they showed to much of the ‘wrong’ kind of promise, they never made it back alive.
Now Assad has proven to have qualities the British never expected, but even so Assad’s fear of a ‘palace coup’ ensures Assad would be another Arab leader with a vast but totally useless army.
More BS pseudo-analysis. How about writing posts containing actual facts rather than some conjectured propositions about how the Vikings “thought”. Why not use the Mongol hordes as well, they subjugated large areas and populations with a relative handful of fighters… all you’ve proven that violent invading thugs can destroy peaceful organized societies. Brown-shirts anyone?
The UK didn’t “make” Syria anything… you missed Sykes-Picotte? DUH!
First off, Syria was part of the FRENCH Mandate. Second, NONE of the “strong men” I could find who ran the areas now making up Syria in the post-Mandate period until the Assads fully took power were trained in England, and probably not in France either. In fact Bashar’s grandfather was part of a group who wished to stay out of the “new” Syria and remain under the French Mandate. Hafez al-Assad, Bashar’s father left the Alawite town where he was born/lived at age 9 and got his early schooling in Sunni-dominated Lataki, joined/moved up through the Baathist party ranks while still in school. Later joined the Syrian Armed Forces, and became a pilot on his way to the top. So no English training.
Bashar, already a medical doctor from UofDamascus, studied ophthalmology in London, and practiced there until called to Syria after the “car crash” death of his next-in-line brother in 1994.
But I guess a Trumpist can just play bullshit-baffles-brains games like Donny boy… except when someone is around who can find the real info. 10 minutes research… how lazy can you be? Or are you deliberately trying to mislead?
“Now Assad has proven to have qualities the British never expected, but even so Assad’s fear of a ‘palace coup’ ensures Assad would be another Arab leader with a vast but totally useless army.”
Jesus, these sayanim are a waste of space here.
@ vot talk:
Agreed. The moderators need to brush up on their understanding of the “Israel Project’s Global Language Dictionary” which these “helpers/sockpuppets” seem to be using. Just fills the threads with half-truths and misleading commentary.
A major “tell” is that they insert some broad item which saker readers/posters will agree with, then walk the commentary around in confusing loops of irrelevant zero-content wordiness, or insert outright misleading “facts” which point way from the real info they wish to keep concealed.
Also very defensive/antagonistic/projecting with any posters who actually refute or rationally contest their line of manufactured consent.
Another common “tell” is that they “reply” among “themselves”, sometimes pretending to disagree over points, all of which are simply wrong or misleading.
“The moderators need to brush up on their understanding…”
What do you mean? That the moderators job is to censor some opinions, and to spoon feed lazy readers with the truth? The moderators are not teachers. They volonteer to try to keep the discussion going on by weeding out comments that break Saker’s blog rule. Why do you complain?
What about the readers, can’t they be expected to “brush up on their understanding”? With the help of well informed people, like in this case, where you are doing a good job informing others about how lies are spread, and I competely agree with you, I just don’t think it is fair to blame the moderators for every conflicting opinion that is written in the threads.
Agree with vot tak and nice try, these, include this anonymous, are sayanims trolls.They have appeared just after the victory in Aleppo.
When some were moderators this kind of comments could pass once, but not more since nonsense and slandering comments, no elaborated at all, mantaining fabulous theories without any base/fact to support them, against Russia and its allies.
This path the blog will finish took over only by trolls.
You have already those “conspiracy theorists” over there in the cafe and now these “sayanim” in the war room.
You prove my point. I’m not “blaming” the mods, just stating a fact that a very clever and insidious form of troll has recently arrived here post-WaPo “fake news” article.
I have seen what may well be the same individual(s) destroy comment sections at more than a few formerly rational and tolerant websites. The mission of these troll operatives is about denying readers’ access to information contrary to the MSM/0.01%’s party line. They can’t change the article writers’ material, but they can and do direct readers’ attention… in short, part and parcel of the Establishment psy-ops.
Yes, readers should be aware of the 0.001%/Zionist-inspired trolls operating everywhere, but they have busy lives and should be able to rely on the mods here to weed out the most egregious and subtly persistent trolls on their behalf. The Saker’s reputation as a source for real independent information and commentary is at stake.
“Independent views” is not to be misread as “anything goes”.
About the comments moderation:
Nobody likes trolls, except maybe, other trolls. And sometimes, trolls work together to tag-team a comment forum into submission by beating it about the head and shoulders with a folding chair. The chilling effect they have on other readers is palpable. If a troll comment is abusive, if it is off-topic, or straw-man…it usually ends up in the round file. Sometimes they slip through; moderators are not infallible, we’re pretty sharp, but not god-like. If you don’t want to be led where a troll wants you to go, then don’t let it do. Just let his comment stand out there to twist in the wind. We have lists, and growing, of those who do this and have ways to deal with them quietly, and permanently if need be.
How off-topic do you have to be, before a moderator responds? I can only speak for myself. If you are “kinda” related with your post, I allow it, but if you’re way out in the weeds, I won’t publish it because it is a form of trolling, to overwhelm a forum with flotsam. I don’t play favorites either. I’ve noticed, this off-topic-ness has been on the rise, I don’t know if you have. But the picture we see on the board is quite different than what you see on the published page – is that censorship?
You bet it is. But at the same time we protect the right to have a dissenting opinion because myriad are the ways to look at any one subject, thus, what YOU think is trolling, WE see as diversity in the discussion. You are free to agree, disagree, or just ignore it all together; unless we see someone who refuses to allow anyone to ignore them. Then – we pounce. But not until then.
So, if you don’t like trolls, don’t do things that are “troll-like”. If that comment you are just dying to post is off-topic, you know it is, but you submit it anyway? Don’t be surprised that you never see it published, and don’t complain. I don’t hold that against you. If you do good work, it get’s published. If you don’t I do my best to pull it. Nobody has a perfect record, including myself. OK – so what’s good work? Stay on topic; ask questions; offer a dissenting view and explain it/ support it with reasons, links, or quotes and citations. Be thoughtful about what you say, and don’t use abusive language/ profanity. That’s what we would like to see. We live in a world where thoughtful dissent is discouraged and vilified; here, it is encouraged.
You don’t have to write a comment about each and every item that Saker adds to the blog. No, you really don’t. I sometimes post here under my private nick, but it’s just sometimes, not every time. And that’s because some things that get posted on the blog I personally don’t think need to be commented about. I’m just saying- I use some restraint and even if I am a moderator, I don’t feel like dominating with hundreds and hundreds of posts to my name.
The Cafe is an open forum. You are likely to find a very wide range of topics represented there. It is not moderated as strictly, unless the commenter gets abusive of others. We get some complaints sometimes about that laissez faire approach, but we’re going to be patient and understanding as we can be.
Thank you all for reading, commenting, and supporting The Vineyard of the Saker.
@Mod: Hi, I just have posted a comment almost an hour ago rebating the unbased claims of the numerous trolls here accusing the Syrian Army of being cowards, with a link to an article from Voltaire Network and has not been published.
Any idea what could have happened?
Elsi, that comment was posted here: /syrian-forces-liberate-aleppo-major-defeat-for-the-anglozionist-empire/#comment-304277
Well, but it does not appear in the RSS feed of comments, where I usually read comments since have not the time to read all the threads, this is why I am claiming it, why could this be?
Elsi, I don’t know; I’m seeing it in my view of the feed.
Yes, now it is there, but it´s not the first time this happens. Sometimes appeared my most recent comment and the previous not. I wonder if perhaps it could be because the comments are not moderated from the oldest comment to the newest, as was the costume when I was mod myself.
The other night, I was seeing comments published an hour after mine while mine did not appeared, so that leaves me to repost it, and then claim it to the mod, since other times I have been told by the mod on duty that my comment was not in pending, and so lost…
Well, it´s not my intention to take the time of the mods in any way with my claimings, the thing is, since spend a time in commenting at least like my comment being published, and there have been already a bunch of comments of mine lost.
@dg-moderator: Understood, the role of mod is often a thankless one… so THANKS!!! for doing the job so well. As long as the mods feel the situation is under control, fine, but I have seen similar situations where the mods stood on “avoiding censorship” and ended up with the troll-comments alienating readers and driving out good posters. So I only offer a caution as The Vineyard is head and shoulders above all but a handful of sites and I would feel guilty if avoidable harm occurred and I didn’t speak up.
Ya, I also tend to wander “off topic”, but try to remain in a parallel track to the article and other relevant comments.
I have no problem with dissent (it’s what I do mostly), if it is reasonably grounded in fact and logical inference/extension. But when there are serial comments over multiple threads (as one recent example paraphrased, saying “the UK did this to Syria because it installed British-trained strongmen in key positions”) which an unwitting reader may take as fact, it indicates on the part of the poster either a gross misunderstanding of history, or a deliberate intent to mislead. In either case, the comment should not have appeared or have had the historically inaccurate bits removed. In that case I took time to correct the record (learning a great deal of additional relevant detail as my research confirmed my initial “take”) but what if neither I nor anyone else took the time to do so? The Saker blog being otherwise well sourced would be displaying simply wrong info, and this wrong, unchallenged info may be taken as fact by a casual reader.
Again, I know moderating is a volume business and all such items can’t be caught. But seeing this and other types of historical or factual “error” suddenly being displayed in many recent threads is alarming.
One of the most difficult aspects of trollery is to keep a consistent, yet distinct “voice” for each sockpuppet and keep track of who is being replied to on which details. They invariably trip themselves up in one or both aspects, and other legitimate, experienced (not my first comment rodeo) posters are often the first notice the “tells”. This is why the trolls get defensive, lash out, project, etc. when corrected/called out by other posters, to instigate flame wars which the mods must mete out “blame” in typically equal amounts, even though the troll was indeed a troll first.
So keep up the good work, seems you know who is here to help and who to hinder.
Beautiful Aleppo before West started “regime change” attacks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6c9NVTg2n88
More photos of Aleppo before the war, although the pictures are shown only very short time, since they try to squeeze in 365 of them in the video, one for each day of the year. But very nice photos. And nice music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrOAmVKd1JY
I wish I had visited Aleppo earlier, but like many other westerners, I had hardly heard of that city before.
The mainstream media now write, 100%, as if Clinton and not Trump got elected- and are making zero effort to gradually transition to a Trump presidentcy. This is *unprecedented* in media history- save for the time when the media laid the ground for 9/11 and its aftermath.
The usual suspects will try to convince you that this is just the ‘losers’ burying their heads in the sand. Sorry, this is not how the mainstream media ever works. If those that control the media outlets *know* a cause is lost, they (without missing a breath) move to the next propagada strategy. They never ever continue to ride a horse that has already lost.
Look at the coverage of the liberation of Aleppo. A roar of anti-Russian reporting that is laying down the ground for a shocking increase in anti-Russian activity by the USA and Europe. Russia has already started to lose major international sporting events, and the World Cup in Russia is now certainly doomed.
But what about Trump you say? This is the most disburbing aspect, because as far as the mainstream media is concerned, he’s already a dead-man walking. Will it be a carefully recruited, carefully handled ‘lone nut’? Will it be an ‘ISIS outrage’ leveling whole blocks that just ‘happen’ to contain Trump? Will it be a convenient plane crash or heart-attack? Whatever they intend, 100% of the mainstream media is now certain Trump will never get to make a difference, and that it not only will be ‘business as usual’ next year, but a total escalation against Humanity by the demons.
The latest from ‘lame duck’ Obama is that the fall of Palmyra gives the USA the ‘right’ to strike ‘ISIS’ targets all across Syria- especially in areas under Russian or Syrian govenment control. Few here really understood what the recent fall of Palmyra was really about (a ‘distraction’ to save the terror gangs in Aleppo- what a joke- what idiot would think Putin would give up on Aleppo to save Palmyra, yet that’s what the usual suspects claim as a motive for Palmyra).
A month before Trump is *supposed* to take office, and yet ‘lame duck’ Obama is preparing to massively up his aggression in Syria. Obama fully expects a coordinatred alliance of Western powers, led by the UK and USA, to start striking Syria and Iran. Yet almost none of you pay attention to this rhetoric, and realise the only reason for it is that the rhetoric represents a real plan on the very edge of execution.
The anti-Russian mainstream propaganda push is what you always get before any war escalation. Demonisation is an essential part of preparing for war. We saw the exact same thing before Blair’s attacks agaisnt Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. And *no*, the anti-war protests that accompanied the surge in war propaganda did nothing to prevent those coming wars. Russia itself is not going to be targeted directly, of course (although they will hit plenty of targets containing Russians across Syria and Iran). But Russia is to presented with the stark choice = World War or Run Away. And either option plays into the short term plans of the demons.
Putin keeps failing to draw a line in the sand, and this is his fatal weaknes. If Putin was to declare that the liberation of Aleppo was to *end* the uninvited, illegal war activity of the UK, USA, Israel, Saudia Arabia and others in Syria, the demons would be check-mated in this game. But Putin never does. Instead, the more the UK and USA kick and pummel Russia, the more Putin begs them to join him and be his mates. Putin formally encourages the USA to make war in Syria. And this is *insane*.
When the Soviet empire existed (for good or bad), the iron Soviet rule was “west keep out of *our* nations, or else”. Today the Russian rule is “we’re all after the same thing, west, so stick your nose in wherever you want”. Hence Ukraine, and Russia’s desperate necessary move to recover Crimea that cost Russia everything it had built up diplomatically and commercially for the last 15 years. Russia needs to make the West hear ‘iron rules’ again. Where absolute certainly lies, the press propaganda effectively gives up as a lost cause.
Without an iron rule (by which I mean Putin tells the West “keep out or else”) for Syria, the terror gangs will be back again in *every* area Russia liberates. And the West will back the terror gangs in every way, including bombing on their behalf. Trump isn’t going to be there to save them or us.
Putin’s “fatal weakness” as you call it is probably why people across the world are seeing the alternative to the regimes they are ruled by as a possibility worth striving for. You are not seeing the power of his example. There indeed has been an influence upon the US elections by Russia, but it was the influence of statesmanship, diplomacy, cordial relations one country to another. Sure, the leadership in the west ground their teeth that Russia did not rise to the bait, and they continued to act in nefarious ways and the pain was considerable in the countries they ravaged and still are ravaging.
Their economies are moving from stagnant to moribund, and that, like global climate events, will happen suddenly. Not because of anything Russia did to them but because of what they are doing to themselves. And yes, we will suffer; we will all suffer.
I hope Russia will stay strong and continue to provide the example. It is the only way for all of us to get out of this nightmare.
YESS!
For you.
http://fotovision.no/GLP1/Warior_Olga_03.jpg
Take Care
Kent
I followed with interest what you wrote up to: “Putin keeps failing to draw a line in the sand, and this is his fatal weaknes”. I agree with “the rhetoric represents a real plan on the very edge of execution.”
I deem time–financial time, that is– to be on Russia’s side and not the AZ empire’s side. I take the “rhetoric” seriously because the AZE isn’t generating wealth. (See: Deflation in the casino) The ECB and the JCB print money now at the rate of ~US$140 billion per month. That’s the glue that keeps the empire standing. Yes, the empire can field a lot of resources, but at an enormous cost. Imagine what it costs to do this: US troops rushed to Poland before Trump’s inauguration. Pension funds in the “developed” world are underfunded by trillions and falling further into the hole.
These accelerating financial disasters make me take the rhetoric seriously: the empire must generate more chaos because it understands it has very little financial time to establish unassailable dominence to seize Russian assets the way its minions did in Russia in the 1990s. I believe the empire has run out of time, but not out of the means to take a lot of souls with it. And it appears to be determined to win at any cost. Hence, the expansion and proliferation of the rhetoric, the trailer for the main show.
Russia did not embark recently on war preparations as a lark. What would be fatal to Russia would be find itself unprepared for a genuine, serious attack on its homeland. My opinion is that Russia has never been better prepared in all its history to defend itself and in perhaps no more than 2 years, it will be unconquerable. The window for preparation is closing as we write.
Putin only(I hope) keeps the door to the West open so he does not get cornered and effectively isolate(Russia) him self. I think Putin knows just like we do that with the current AngloZionist Regimes in most Western countries a peaceful coexistence will never be possible – so he’s playing (((them))) both ways. On one hand officially keeping the ruse going on the other biding his time for the inevitable crumbling of the Western governments once their overburdened(with immigration and ageing societies) social/-list states finally collapse.
Habitants of Aleppo decided not to fight for their city and their land. Actually there isn’t left any Aleppo anymore, just Piles of Rocks and Destruction, and the habitants let go to Hell.
Please do be careful of what you eat and drink my friend. Some substances are hard to digest, and sometimes has the most astonishing side-effects.
Like this: http://fotovision.no/GLP1/ROFL.jpg
Take Care
Kent
Your comment is too weak. You are a paid TROLL.
“You are a paid TROLL.”
With just a little bit of knowledge/skills, (which you obviously don’t have/posses, you can easily find my GPS location. I never post anything, anywhere anonymously. You do!
As for paying. Nobody pays me anything for anything. I pay myself with money that is so hard-earned that most people wouldn’t understand.
Out of respect for the rules in this community I’ll leave it there.
On the other hand. If you are let through the gates for further comments as the above, YOU are free game as far as I’m concerned-
You are off-course welcome to elaborate in a civilized manner with point,s of views of your own making regarding any issues pertinent to the context of this thread.
Take Care
Kent
@ kent, it seems the WaPoo “fake news” article has led the paid trolls to saker. Twilight is another one, taking tactical cues from the “Israel Project’s Global Language Dictionary”, the Zionist troll’s cookbook to media dirty tricks. I recognize the “voice” as being tasked with filling several formerly open and rational comment sections with noise and mayhem, resulting in the moderators being so overwhelmed that comments were discontinued or so heavily “moderated” to be de facto censored. Even on corporate sites, and volunteer-run sites fared even worse.
Saker may have to change the posting access requirements as it is too easy for trolls to create multiple sockpuppets and jam all threads with crap. Unfortunately tightened security also means more overhead for admins, a scarce commodity here. But that’s there game…
In my honest opinion, if you want to fight (the empire or anything really). Show your face, identify yourself, THIS IS ME, this is my name, this is my adress, e-mail etc (last two for the Admin only off-course).. If you are not a verifiable person, you are not eligible to comment.
Works on Russia Insider – The Duran, etc.
I do know absolutely all of the arguments for not doing so, (can’t be recognized as me, due to where I work, my position, my colleagues, my family etc. etc.).
Doesn’t work in the long run. For me, anybody, and I mean anybody, however brilliant comments and analysis they contribute to here, or elsewhere as Anon’s, or with not verified nicknames at the very least, is not really worth much in my opinion.
Its’ to late for that. I’ve even heard arguments such as “my life is on the line”. Really?? It’s been on the line (so to speak) from the day you were born, don’t you know that?
Never bought into that argument, And, I’m still alive, right?
I would not like this site to enter the fairly steep road downwards., but as you might know by now, I have some experience in fencing of attacks, some subtle, and some regretfully not so subtle.
I did warn you all after the WAPO “Proporn” (that’s what it is).
Take Care
Kent
Are you naive, or you pretend to be too naive?
“You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.” – Abe Lincoln
The depiction below can be interpreted as you wish.
In the context of when it was made (Maidan) with my comments at the time, it couldn’t be misinterpreted at all I assure you.
http://fotovision.no/GLP1/BurningFlags.jpg
Take Care
Kent
The comments on this thread are majority websayanim trolling. Way to go to kill discussion on an enemy site, mods.
We are not the MSM.And only allow comments we like.As long as the rules are followed we post the comments.If you and others disagree with a comment we feel you will refute it.MOD
Obviously, I hit a nerve, mod ps.
You have the wrong MOD. But no I’m not upset. I just wanted you to understand how we feel about comments. We think that fellow posters will respond if they don’t agree with other comments. As long as comments are made within the Saker’s rules,we post them. We don’t have to agree with them.But don’t feel we should censor comments just because we don’t agree with them.MOD
ISIS seized weapons in Palmyra, US might strike them if Russia doesn’t – US general
https://www.rt.com/usa/370310-isis-palmyra-townsend-coalition/
“Islamic State fighters who took Palmyra may have seized weapons and air defense equipment that could threaten the US-led coalition, its commanding general said, adding he expected Russia and Syria to deal with the “embarrassing” loss.”
What one haves here is ed schultz being clever promoting his zionazi paymasters. This govno is disgusting. Lose the zionazis. They are not human, let alone living creatures.
Look at this trained zionazi ghoul,Brent Budowsky, suddenly worried about “half a million” of dead Syrians on whose behalf HE decided to speak?! Was it “worth it” this time Mr. Gerbils? If this is not the face of evil, I don’t know what is:
‘No 2nd opinion, no alternative’: Experts discuss Aleppo liberation and its media coverage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1ia7AsXFsc
That was a good programme, the ghoul showed himself to be a complete patronising, arrogant idiot, with no help from anyone to do it.
Thanks for the link.
I must say the comments section has gotten interesting again. It seemed like after the Trump election everyone just went on relax and relief mode, as if Trump’s erection actually solved anything.
Now in the last few days there was a roasting of a certain male goose for expressing an interesting take on the implications of the fall of the empire for those living in the empire, amongst other things. The highly self-esteemed “poets” in the cafe (though there is only one of them I got beef with) get as appreciated as the “sayanim” (not too certain what that means yet, got to google it) in the war room. Plus Kent gets clobbered, the Saker’s comments section has definitely got interesting again.
To beautiful Syria and brave people fighting there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc7vA5Uei3s&list=RDNc7vA5Uei3s
You are doing your best and so your land will be liberated soon and once rebuilt again will bright as the “bride bracelet”.
Salud, comrades!
No pasarán!
For you all to see that this “music” from the sayanim trolls about the weapons left behind by the Syrian Army when retreating in Palmyra is not only the same music of the MSM but also of the DoD in the US:
Russia responds to US and minimizes weapons taken by EIIL in Palmira
http://www.hispantv.com/noticias/rusia/327427/eeuu-manpads-siria-armas-palmira-isis
“The Pentagon should be concerned about the handing over of weapons that the US will make to the terrorists in Syria, instead of weapons dropped in the hands of Daesh in Palmyra.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday after that the commander of the US counterterrorist operation, Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, expressed concern on Wednesday about the reports issued by the Takfirí group ISIS (Daesh, in Arabic) concerning the weapons found by terrorists in the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria that “could be used against US troops and their allies.”
“We believe that between what they found in Palmira there were armored vehicles and heavy weapons, and possibly some defense equipment,” Townsend said, adding that “if Russia and Syria do not attack ISIS, we will do so.”
” US General Stephen Townsend should be concerned about recent US Congressional authorization to send anti-aircraft missiles (MANPADS) to Syrian rebels in 2017″, says Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov.
In response, the spokesman of Russian Defense Ministry, General Igor Konashenkov, considered that what was confiscated by the terrorists was nothing more than “small arms and several abandoned military vehicles, which can not constitute a threat to the anti-ISIS coalition” led by the United States.
In recent months, support from Western countries for so-called ‘moderate rebels’ has increased in Syria, in fact, for the first time since the start of the Syrian crisis in September, the armed groups received last generation ground-ground Grad rocket launchers, which facilitated them to recover part of the territories lost in combats against the Syrian forces.”
Vamos, el colmo de la caradura!
Hi elsi, there was a required change related to the contract, and a slightly updated version was made available. Sadly, it doesn’t include the preview. I think they are going to see if it can be retrieved. We are all missing it, but so far it doesn’t look as though much can be done. mod PS
You beat me to it, Elsi.
I also wondered where it had gone, and miss it too – very handy as you say for checking errors.
To mod: thanks for clearing it up – I thought it might be my browser, but obviously not.