by Eric Zuesse for The Saker Blog
A reliable and exceptionally knowledgeable source, who doesn’t wish to be publicly identified, has confidentially informed me that an agreement has been reached in which U.S. troops will remain permanently in Iraq but under exclusively NATO command, no longer under the command of CentCom (US Central Command in the Middle East).
On February 12th, NATO’s defense ministers agreed to increase operations in Iraq. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has been working ever since Fall of 2019 to prepare this plan (Trump had been pushing for it even before that), and Stoltenberg has consulted in Jordan with King Abdullah, and also in Brussels with Sabri Bachtabji, Tunisia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, because Tunisia is a key part of Trump’s plan, to use other NATO nations as America’s proxies controlling the Middle East.
On February 1st, pro-Muslim-Brotherhood Turkey agreed to the plan, and will be transferring jihadists (al-Qaeda-affiliated groups, plus some ISIS) from Syria’s jihadist-filled Idlib Province, into Libya, via Tunisia, so as to boost the forces of Fayez al-Sarraj (former monarchist now backed by U.S., EU, and Turkey) to defeat the forces of Khalifa Haftar (former Gaddafi-supporter, now in the Libyan civil war claiming as his objective the defeat of all jihadists there). Whereas U.S., EU, and Turkey, back al-Sarraj, Russia isn’t involved in the war, except trying to negotiate peace there, but al-Sarraj rejects any involvement by Russia. Turkey’s interest in Libya is to win Libya’s backing so as to be in a stronger position to win turf in the emerging competition for rights to oil and gas under nearby parts of the Mediterranean Sea. To have Libya beholden to Turkey would be to increase the likelihood of Turkey’s getting that offshore oil.
America’s position regarding the jihadists that Turkey has been protecting in Syria’s Idlib province is that they can be useful as proxy boots-on-the-ground to defeat Haftar, whom America too opposes, favoring al-Sarraj, whom Turkey likewise backs; so, Turkey and U.S. are cooperating on this effort in Libya.
America’s interest is in overthrowing Syria’s secular Government and replacing it with one that would be acceptable to the fundamentalist-Sunni Saud family who own Saudi Arabia. In order to do this, America will therefore need to keep its forces in Iraq. Otherwise, Russia and Iran, both of which America and the Sauds hope ultimately to conquer, would have stronger influence in the Middle East, which neither America nor the Sauds want. America invaded Iraq not only directly for its international corporations to profit, but also in order to have its hundreds of bases there from which to control the entire Middle East — bases that are supplied out of the world’s largest Embassy building (from which even other U.S. embassies are supplied), which building was constructed in Baghdad after the 2003 invasion. Trump’s plan now is to bring in NATO allies, so that they will help out in the Middle East, more than in the past. Trump wants America’s vassal-nations to absorb some of the financial burdens of imposing empire, so that America’s taxpayers won’t need to fund the full cost of it, for the benefit of the billionaire owners of international corporations that are based in the United States and in its allied (or vassal) (including other NATO) countries. This is why Stoltenberg has been working, for months, to effectuate Trump’s plan.
On February 1st, the veteran Middle Eastern reporter David Hearst headlined at his Middle East Eye site, “EXCLUSIVE: US military offers Iraq a partial pullback”, and he reported that,
A representative of the US military told the Iraqis present that the United States was prepared to leave positions in or near Shia-majority areas, such as Balad Air Base, which is located 80km north of Baghdad and houses US trainers and contractors.
Washington, the Iraqis were told, could even consider reducing its presence in Baghdad.
“We are prepared to leave some of the Shia-majority areas, like the base in Balad. Maybe we could reduce our presence in Baghdad,” the military representative told his Iraqi counterparts, who understood from this that the US presence in the Iraqi capital would be reduced to guarding its embassy and the airport.
However, the US side categorically ruled out withdrawing from their biggest air base in Iraq, and indeed the whole Middle East, Ain al-Assad. …
For the US side, Ain al-Assad was its “red line”.
The representative said: “We cannot even start talking about withdrawing [from that base]. Withdrawal is out of the question.”
Such was the sensitivity of these discussions that they were held well away from Iraq. The meeting took place in the private residence of the Canadian ambassador to Jordan in Amman, Middle East Eye was told.
Present at the meeting was a representative of the US military, a Nato official and a senior Iraqi security adviser.
America needs the vast Ain al-Assad base in order ultimately to overthrow Bashar al-Assad (no relation), Syria’s secular President, who is allied with Russia and with Iran. NATO will increasingly be taking over this function of assisting the war for regime-change in Syria.
On February 15th, Middle East Monitor bannered “Iraq: Washington to strengthen presence of NATO to disengage militarily from Baghdad” and reported that America’s allies will take over there but “This will only work if the NATO mission includes a strong US component.” So: America’s withdrawal will be only nominal. This will help NATO by assuring that Trump won’t abandon NATO if he wins a second term, and it will also help Trump to win a second term by Trump’s claiming to be withdrawing from the Middle East even without actually doing any such thing.
The aim of this is to fool the public everywhere. In international affairs, this is the way to win: first, fool your own public; then, get your allies to fool theirs. That builds a “coalition.” Donald Trump is doing precisely this.
Trump is continuing Barack Obama’s wars, just like Barack Obama continued George W. Bush’s wars. The plan for America to control the Middle East remains on course, now, ever since 2001. As Obama often said, “America is the one indispensable nation.” (All others are therefore “dispensable.”) It is certainly the leading nation. And America’s aristocracy possess patience. They know that Rome wasn’t built in a day. In order to be the leading nation and the biggest international aggressor (so that “America is the one indispensable nation”), what is essential is to treat every other nation as being “dispensable” (make them fear you), so that either they will do as the leading nation wants, or else they will be dispensed with — they will become added to the list of target-nations to be conquered. They are dispensable; they are disposable. A disposable nation is aware of its subordinate position. On February 15th, the International Institute for Strategic Studies reported that
the US dedicated a significantly higher proportion of its defence budget to procurement and R&D than its NATO allies. European countries are increasing their defence investments as a share of their total spending – for those countries with available data, funds rose from 19.8% in 2018 to 23.1% in 2019 – but the equivalent category reached 29% in the US. The United States’ defence investments were thus worth around four times as much as European states’ combined.
A nation which spends 29% of its GDP on “defence” might be weak in other ways, but everyone in the world will fear it, and all other nations will know that they are “dispensable,” because the country which spends that high a percentage (and there is only one which does) also happens to have the world’s largest economy. Any other country, which isn’t one of its vassals, will be viewed by it (or by its aristocracy) as being an “enemy” — a nation that is targeted for “regime-change,” instead of for being a market. And being a targeted nation is very different than being a target market. It is to be only a target — a target of sanctions, a target of coups, and, if those fail, then a target of invasion and military occupation, like Iraq is.
(Howsever, actually, the U.S. spends only around 7% — $1.5 trillion divided by $22 trillion — of its economy toward the Pentagon and the rest of America’s military. Still, it might be the highest percentage on Earth. Because around $1 trillion yearly in U.S. military spending is off-the-books, that ‘defence’ figure could actually be closer to 10%. But it’s not 29%. Right now, around 20% of U.S. GDP goes to buy healthcare, which is the very largest percentage for healthcare of any country on the planet. America’s quality of healthcare is at or near the lowest of all industrialized nations; so, the wastage in its healthcare is even larger than in its military.)
Iraq and Iran and Syria — and every other nation that is friendly toward Russia — all of them, are targets of the U.S. regime. That’s why Trump plans to keep U.S. forces in Iraq: Iraq was conquered in 2003, and he wants it to stay that way.
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Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
Assassinating General Soleimani guaranteed the US another decade of occupation.
The double assassination of the PMF leader Abu Mahdi Mohandis enhanced the security of the US presence in Iraq.
While Iran got some of its payback with the missile attack on the US base, there is no indication that Iraq cares to fight to rid itself of the US.
Most importantly, Muqtada al-Sadr shows no inclination to use his massive resource to resist the US domination. For many years he appears to be on “someone’s payroll”. Yes, he put millions of people in the street to show his influence, but he has become comfortable over the last decade and a half.
Thus, only missiles from Iran can cost the US heavy enough casualties and bad news back home.
With the US exchanging flags with NATO, maybe Iran will treat NATO to a few dozen of those missiles which hit the Americans. A few hundred traumatic head injuries for NATO might change the dynamic of occupation.
Unlike Syria which will fight to the death to kick out the US, the Turks and Israeli proxies, the Iraqis are a conquered colony of the US.
It was Soleimani and the Iraqi PMF that had the will and skill to deal with the US. It was going to be an insurgency war. Unfortunately for Iraq, the US shot first.
Possibly more accurate to say, only the Allawites in Syria will fight to the death, because its literally their only option. At some point, enough Sunni and far smaller minorities except for the Kurds were inspired to join them, recognizing their own tribal positions were also at risk, or newly empowered local orders stepping into the power vacuums left by the defectors.
The Iraqis are hooked on U.S. dollars; the Shia who are in power, pay their people in U.S. dollars. Its a cozy scheme. Only a small minority of elites needs to be paid off with access to U.S. dollars and travel and business with the U.S.. The U.S. under Trump understands soft power plays far better.
Soleimani looked like he had a plan for a U.S. Embassy Occupy movement. Honestly, it looks like Iran didn’t want to win so soon and Surena’d Soloeimani.
As in, killed a popular general the way Iran did when they were Parthians and Rome was the imperial invader, except, Surena won before he was killed whereas Soliemani was denied victory. The only rift that could have occurred between Soleimani and the Theocracy, was his desire to win over their desire for soft power empire.
Could be Sadr and Sistani have some kind of rivalry going. Funneling opposition into partisan, polarized camps easily exploited by an outsider coming up the middle to play kingmaker is kind of an old trick. Also difficult to counter, as it exploits basic psychology. Even if intellectually aware of the problem, the leaders would be psychologically, emotionally unable to resist division nor properly weigh the threat of conquest.
Assassinating leaders just manufactures new leaders (like Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah). Perhaps it’s possible for the US to maintain some fortified outposts in Iraq, but their occupation is already over.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Acre_(1291)#/media/File:SiegeOfAcre1291.jpg
“their occupation is already over.”
Correct.
Now that the Americans have finally accepted that their bases are indefensible against highly-accurate Iranian rockets, we have the Americans busy trying to pretend that they are remaining for the long-term. It is a charade.
What is the purpose of having the largest base in the Middle East if the thing can be put out of action in a few hours
Another version of the “Mission Accomplished” speech.
Well, our ‘stable genius’ also used to have his own television show, and a ‘university’ of his very own…
#emojieyeroll
… You seem not to respect those accomplishments. Most people never come close.
Depends on your definition of accomplishment, I suppose.
Never come close to playing pretend on television? Never come close to starting a school to teach people to run ponzi schemes?
Are you joking?
Am I joking? No and yes.
Trump’s accomplishments are real and no jest insofar as he’s a billionaire celebrity and POTUS. Many people have tried to make it in real estate, as an entertainer or a politician and fallen well short.
However, the system he beat (so far) is a cheaty, nasty joke.
I have no respect for the self-described genius. He inherited his money. More to my point, when he was campaigning for president he said many things people wanted to hear. But it was all an act. He has done just the opposite. Almost everything coming out of his mouth and those of the swamp creatures he appointed is lies upon lies.
When he made the decision to kill an Iranian official on a diplomatic mission, with diplomatic protection, all the while showing favour for him to come and have his diplomatic meeting in Baghdad, he graduated from consummate liar to being a murderer.
Trump established his Credentials as a grotesque ” Murderer” on April 2017 when ; as the newly elected president who promised to get the US out of the Middle East…. he sent 59 Tomahawks into Syria ; killing several innocent Syrians…….based on his absolute BS about a fake “Poison Gas attack ” by that ” Animal Assad”. Trump’s credentials as an agent of the Talmudic State of Israel were carved in stone by that treacherous and evil act. Misfits and psychopaths are ruling the USA Today. These times will eventually come to an end.
Its doubtful they can come to an end b/c they have been occurring for so long. For up to now, the mic has been running this country along w/the naive congress, manipulative fbi and corrupt cia.
Lots of people inherit money; its the most common way of getting rich. Not as many hang onto it, let alone build upon it. The system is rigged to bleed the middle class, not build it up.
All politicians lie. Its an accepted part of the election ritual.
Trump became a murderer the moment he began issuing orders that killed civilians as C in C. Wars of aggression don’t have the fig-leaf of self-defense. All Presidents of late have become so guilty.
Soleimani was a great man, but he was playing the Great Game. He, and more importantly, the Iranian leaders who sent him to his death, should have understood the danger and acted accordingly.
An open meeting between himself and al Muhandis in U.S. occupied Iraq with the Saudis involved, should have been a red flag not in hind sight. Attacking during peace negotiations is a Saudi trope.
Well, Brockland, he never “came close” to being an honourable human being. Your retort Is laughable.
When did I ever call Trump an honourable human being?
Trump accomplished some things; I never said he did so honourably, nor does the system make honourable behavior practical.
TDS perfectly scapegoats a dehumanizing system; everyone falls upon the strawman. The energy spent on TDS might better be spent on more productive thought.
That’s where the split is. You call his television show et al an ‘accomplishment’. The Kardashians, who have no particular merits that I’m aware of, also ‘accomplished’ a television show and acquired fame, It’s a question of what has value and what does not. His television show had no more value than any other piece of useless junk that can be hawked to the gullible.
To call a television show an ‘accomplishment’ begs some questions. It’s a statement of value. I deny the value of Donald Trump having a television show. Others would not, but then others also watch the Kardashians prance about.
Just a clarification.
Agreed; reality TV isn’t a particularly noble accomplishment. But people watch it. What are they looking for?
Star Trek (TOS), on the other hand, inspired a couple of generations of engineers, doctors, and scientists.
So effective was ‘Trek, later generations of TV execs have worked to expunge any genuine humanitarian sentiment and turn it into militarist Deep State propagandsism. With absolutely no charisma or redeeming value whatsoever. Its like watching psychopaths and sociopaths pretend to be human.
One problem the humanitarian set has, is an inability to really connect with the masses. Trump can connect.
Trump can connect. He even had fans in Russia and China. He understands something human many do not at a pragmatic level, without needing to be near as genuine as Putin. It may be wise to respect that.
(However, actually, the U.S. spends only around 7% — $1.5 trillion divided by $22 trillion — of its economy toward the Pentagon and the rest of America’s military. Still, it might be the highest percentage on Earth. Because around $1 trillion yearly in U.S. military spending is off-the-books, that ‘defence’ figure could actually be closer to 10%. But it’s not 29%. Right now, around 20% of U.S. GDP goes to buy healthcare, which is the very largest percentage for healthcare of any country on the planet. America’s quality of healthcare is at or near the lowest of all industrialized nations; so, the wastage in its healthcare is even larger than in its military.)
Everett Dirksen is spinning in his grave.
@ Amerikanski
Could you please provide the source of this quote?
Also, why exactly are you mentioning Dirksen? (On one side, he was promoting the civil rights legislation. On the other, he was a rabid supporter of Vietnam war…)
Sorry, I see the quote source: it is the above article:) My mistake.
The question about Dirksen stays though.
.
T’was one of those misattributed quotes ..
“A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon you’re tlkin’ real money.”
He probably never really said that.
Also, it might be tough for someone who does not know the difference between Australia and Austria to cut any kind of deal with people who can actually spell those two words. Just sayin’.
What, you mean Australia and Austria are two different places? Lordy, ya lern somethin’ evry day…
Unfortunately, for the indispensable nation, in matters of war and occupation, the other side has a say.
Don’t even get me started on his ‘brilliant’ oil pumper thingy schemes…
The U.S. regime needs increasing quantities of affordable crude oil or it fails; it cannot win a war of attrition. So, rather than thinking of the U.S. regime deciding to stay in Iraq, think of it as the regime being unable to make any other decision, and that is a weak position indeed.
All to often the political elite would rather play god than believe in one, this is a big mistake. B/c playing and believing are two totally different realms, one is a controller, and one is a deliverer, the deliverer wins the in the long run while the other is forced to make something happen before something happens to them.
And something is going to happen to those who play god, when and where no one knows, but the months ahead will surely promise a role, interesting times indeed.
Of course pindoland has no plans to leave Iraq. Massa wont allow it. If the usa leaves Iraq, israel wont be able to keep the country divided and impotent.
The zionazi-gays also have no plans to leave Afghanistan.
The problem that I see is the law of diminishing returns – the US – rather its zionazis masters have no limit to the capital that they spend on war and conquest. However, the limitless threshold of spending only exponentially increases the growth of inefficiency.
Even now the US is off balance in the ME – regardless if they want to stay in Iraq or not – the time has already passed for the plan for the greater entity. Syria is lost and Afghanistan simply does not matter – except for the opium trade by the CIA.
If Syria had collapsed certainly the zionazis entity and their Saud whores would be in a better position – but not by much. The fact that they went after Syria in the first place demonstrates desperation on the part of the elite – unable to even touch Iran. Let alone Russia.
Of course, the situation now is much worse – the SAA is a formidable fighting army – more organized and capable beyond Saddam’s military at its peak in the first Gulf War. And the resistance is on a mission not just for a leader but against an empire of chaos and violence – the use of mercs and Saud inspired maniacs has taught an important lesson to the Arabs. The west and its vassals are the absolute scum of the earth – they could not even send their own forces. It is a sign of weakness and cowardice on the part of the western oligarchy.
The US and its ziostooge masters will leave the ME sooner than later – no amount of re-organizing under NATO branding will change that. Idlib is the end of the road for the US in ME.
Don’t discount the power of money. Iraq depends on being able to trade in U.S. dollars now, and the U.S. can withdraw that with a sanction. Furthermore, there is suddenly no other source of capital.
China has been carefully taken out, and their New Silk Roads were bankrolling, ultimately, Russian and Iranian independence.
Not that Russia and Iran would not have tried to assert independence with or without China, but being bankrolled by an independent power with worldwide cash flows and financial muscle makes that much easier.
Chinese pop culture was studied for weaknesses. For one, most city Chinese are partially westernized, living day-to-day with regards to food. They like to buy fresh from markets and restaurants; they are not a survivalist or ‘poor’ culture anymore with a month or more of independent supplies hoarded for lean times.
China’s protein supply was attacked with avian and swine flus, weakening the population. More Chinese likely have died this flu season from malnutrition than usual, especially among the elderly and sickly, but triggering an epidemic panic and quarantine guaranteed mass casualties.
TCM has been carefully studied and encouraged as a parallel medical science. Whether or not it is, is secondary to the fact that modern medical medicine is what works. TCM has its own Big Pharma profiteering-stuff-that-doesn’t-work problem; its just that pangolin scales and rhino horn take the place of statin cholesterol drugs.
Chinese elite culture was studied for weakness as well. CCP inability to discern good face from bad face in seeking big face for themselves, echoing elitist dynastic forbears, grants predictable leverage on Chinese behavior including corruption patterns.
Chinese DNA was collected by the U.S.; clumsy and overt but put to a stop late. Then France flattered China by helping them set up a bioresearch lab in one of their most critical cities. D’oh; what could go wrong. The CDC in Atlanta or Porton Down, Salisbury in the U.K. are no comparison. They were set up in the infancy of modern biowarfare and not actions that would be repeated today.
The West knew they could trigger a panic and quarantine in China, and, they knew the CCP would FUBAR with high certainty. Years of alphabet virus releases have built up to this power play.
Unable to admit to making mistakes, and covering up, means China loses face with the world but their leadership is encouraged to be blind to the problem. The WHO has been particularly bad- or good – at praising China’s self-defeating behaviors.
Ann Coulter accused Trump of having an affirmation complex; its not clear if this is a real thing in real psychology, but its telling that as a professional social influencer, she’s heard of it or something like it. More dedicated psychological warriors would know these memetic controls and triggers in fine detail.
Odds are the Chinese have not or would not see pridefulness in that way, as a personal and mass psychological exploit, in themselves. Yet they seem to be suckers for praise, and easily sucker punched by attacks leading with apparent praise.
Someone needs to talk to the CCP behind closed doors if nowhere else, about being so easily psychologically played as NPCs. Which they probably were a few times, in a NATO total war sim before the live action play. The limb being sawn off, is sat upon by nearly everyone but the most cosseted private banksters, whether we choose to recognize this or not.
First, China ain’t bankrolling anybody, Russia and Iran are sovereign states.
Second, the virus backfired – now we got plant closures in the West because the just-in-time delivery model is breaking down.
Third, and I know this may sound harsh but if the virus takes out the old and weak it is actually benefiting China in dropping some of the ‘dead weight’.
Fourth, having few hundred dead is not even a statistical anomaly in China. The war on China is failing.
Fifth, whenever I read ‘cover-up’ I instantly know it is written by a propagandist. China isn’t covering up anything. Quite the contrary, they are making everything public.
Trade is absolutely critical for both Russia and Iran. Sovereignty is backed by cash. However intelligently invested, the money has to be there to begin with. Neither could thrive entirely on their internal market.
The decision to trade with anti-globalist Russia and Iran in spite of U.S. sanctions while benefiting from globalism, has had severe negative repercussions on China.
The virus did not backfire; you’re assuming the U.S. was soley the source of the virus and not also a target.
Who benefits when industry crashes in China then the U.S., then a pandemic rages across the U.S. in an election year? Neither China or the U.S.., but globalized financial elites; at least the ones who know what’s really going on.
Remember – Trump was not supposed to win. Hilary and the globalist imperialist Democrats were. A certain war with Iran would have popped the quadrillion dollar oil derivatives bubble blown during the Obama years, crashing global finance. There would be virtual civil war between faux Progressives and Conservatives over gun rights and migrants. There would be unchecked migrants and alt-left rioting for ‘social justice’ but only the middle class and a few hapless politically unprotected rich would pay.
There are other globalist players who desire to reduce the sovereignty of both the U.S. and Chinese nationalists. France, for example. They helped China start its BSL-4 lab. France has gotten the U.S. into trouble in Vietnam, Libya, and the African Sahel, each time enticing U.S. imperialists as the Dumb Giant to serve as muscle. France even made an overt imperial play into Japan, trying to take over Nissan under Renault.
The Vietnam War is a well-studied disaster, but it was originally a Colonial French handover when they couldn’t beat Ho Chi Min.
In Libya, most people assume the U.S. was trying to protect the U.S. dollar from Gaddaffi’s gold dinar. The truth is, the U.S. was protecting the CFA Franc, France’s main monetary tool for robbing Africa of its wealth.
A Libyan Gold Dinar would have supported the U.S. dollar because Gadaffi would have had to include U.S. dollars in Libya’s FX reserves like everyone. Gadaffi was independent, but compliant, running Libya Inc.. as a budding revolutionary financial power as opposed to a military one. Gadaffi had thought his enemy was neocolonial Europe, led by neo-colonialist France, not that the Dumb Giant and NATO could be sicced on him so easily. Greater U.S. and European national interests were sacrificed for what was best for French financiers.
China may benefit from dropping ‘dead weight’, but then why not allow nature to take its course and cover that up? Not introduce mass quarantines and try and stop the virus; that kills more than just dead weight. Mass quarantine stops the economy and starves the working poor, whereas letting nature takes its course would allow the fit to take care of themselves and their families, as usually happens.
COVID-19 is just another Alphabet virus; hitting harder than the flu, but deaths would be no more than a bad flu year killing the usual victims of the flu. However, the pandemic panic made things far worse, spreading the disease as people not sick with COVID-19 also flooded hospitals seeking treatment, shared pathogens, and those turned away carried illnesses picked up at the hospital back to those who didn’t panic.
Damage to the Chinese brand will have lasting repercussion on the Belt and Road project; China will need to cooperate more with middleman powers to revive it. Such as France aspires to be. The Wuhan BSL-4 was made possible by France; some might wonder where the Rothschilds fit into this.
Did I claim cover-up? Everything I’ve posted is based on readily searchable information.
The crypto-Christian Epoch Times, the media platform for anti-CCP Fulan Gong exiles and their ‘friends’, appears to promote the worst anti-China agit-prop copied by everyone else. They likely network within China to promote disorder and reveal it to the world as CCP oppression.
The Epoch Times is relied upon by such U.S. anti-government writers on Natural News and even Infowars. Psuedo-patriot prepper sites also seem eager to promote U.S. collapse. There seems to be someone using a neo-Puritan evangelicals to infiltrate patriots and fear-monger pandemic panic, if only to profiteer off useless n-95 face masks.
GreatGameIndia is another site which has promoted the China-bioweaponed-itself-meme; they may not be just anti-Euarasian Indian nationalists, but working for minor Western powers over the U.S..
A future where the naturally great powers of the world – the U.S., Russia, India, and China, interface without interference from middleman powers, does not work for some of today’s financial powers.
The U.S. only faces a bit of rollback. China can tank on. European powers, face a total loss of traditional patsies even as shadow colonial empires of dark finance and influence.
China’s CPP screwed up. They’ve been taken on their first real ride as the Dumb Giant. That’s the complex truth some are eager to smear or cover up as simple U.S. malfeasance alone.
“We have scanned your species for psychological and biological weakness. We have determined that there darned well better be some, or we are toast.”
All peoples have psychological and biological weaknesses, as individuals and as groups.
Its one thing to scan for triggers, another to pull them.
Who pulls them and why are part of the ‘by their fruit you will recognize them” thing.
Or ye shall know them by the rotten fruits they throw at you and why, as it were.
Someone found China’s number and rang it like bellchimes. The U.S. need be wary about dancing to bells that so invitingly toll for them.
We all need be wary about those who trigger deafness, blindness, and dumbness.
Iran & Axis of Resistance, please turn up the heat, and blow up US bases in the region.
More like Trump plans to pawn off as much of the globalist imperial burden as he can on the globalists themselves, as expressed through NATO. This means Turkey in Syria, France in Africa, and assorted minor Euros in Iraq.
This is a good thing.
American imperialism and imperialists aren’t going away anytime soon, but at the very least they need to step back and take stock if their worldwide empire is really ‘theirs’ or not, or if they are not only the dumb giant, but the dumb giant about to get a brain transplant.
There seems to be only so much room at the top of the world for the ‘natural’ empires and their shadows.
https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2019/07/06/trumps-relationship-to-russia-and-china-a-revival-of-the-henry-wallace-doctrine-for-the-post-war-world/
Well yes, and nobody has ever said otherwise.
What colony’s occupied since post WW1 have we ever really left?
Name a colony since WW2 that we have left? Taiwan, Japan, all the places where ‘we won’ the war are still under our occupation and control, and that includes Indonesia which is Muslim. Probably the only place I can think of we don’t control is Malaysia, which is why the CIA-MOSSAD are always abusing their airliners.
We spent $10 Billion USD on the green-zone in Afghan, and Baghdad, these are permanent embassy’s the size of most city’s, being that they’re both over 5 square-miles.
The USA will never leave its colony’s until it must leave, that’s not likely to happen, because the PTB enjoys the USA being the “Worlds Policeman”, a walled police-state where the citizens are so destitute the only way to climb up is to “Join the Army”, which creates a never ending supply of volunteer cannon fodder. No other country on earths wants this job.
The Green-Zones in Iraq/Afgan are not just prisons, and consulates, they’re also air-ports where the rich & PTB can enjoy ‘duty-free’ sex with children, and where everybody is a diplomat, so nobody has to have their bags checked coming and going, its the greatest mafia bastion on earth.
Now somebody here tell me why the PTB, Deep-State, and Mossad-CIA ( East India Company ) are going to give up on this fringe benefits??
‘Now somebody here tell me why the PTB, Deep-State, and Mossad-CIA ( East India Company ) are going to give up on this fringe benefits??’
Because they risk having some Iranian rockets giving them ‘headaches’
Only the expendable class suffers the headaches.
The ruling financial class might get a champagne hangover once in a while though.
(Howsever, actually, the U.S. spends only around 7% — $1.5 trillion divided by $22 trillion — of its economy toward the Pentagon and the rest of America’s military. Still, it might be the highest percentage on Earth. Because around $1 trillion yearly in U.S. military spending is off-the-books, that ‘defence’ figure could actually be closer to 10%. But it’s not 29%. Right now, around 20% of U.S. GDP goes to buy healthcare, which is the very largest percentage for healthcare of any country on the planet. America’s quality of healthcare is at or near the lowest of all industrialized nations; so, the wastage in its healthcare is even larger than in its military.)
…
https://www.gaia.com/video/missing-21-trillion-catherine-fitts
Catherine Fitt’s has already proved that the US-MIL has its own off-books budget that is $21T USD just like the US formal public-budget. There are two budgets the PUBLIC-BUDGET that your talking about, and the Deep-State budget that funds NSA, CIA, and all MIL, and State-Dept ‘special projects’ over the entire earth.
The US-MIL has been counterfeiting money since 1950’s NSA, its so big now that some like Fitt’s actually think that the ‘deep-state’ secret budget, may be larger than the so called public-budget.
This huge amount of phony money, allows the Green-Zones to pay all their employee ‘contractors’ 1/2M /yr USD paydays, with 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off, and a free ticket anywhere on earth. This huge amount of money is how the US-MIL created the Green-Zones all over the world, which are just ‘duty-free zones’ where contraband can be stored, and never inspected in or out of the GZ.
The question begs to be asked? Does Zuesse not know the truth, or does he prefer to push the narrative that the USA only spends what on the public-books, and that all debt will be re-paid, and that the entire US economy is not a ponzi?? This is not a personal attack. This is a serious question, because he ends his OP with the crucial summary, which is fact 100% fiction. Given that the Green-Zone in Baghdad is a cover for running drugs & prostitution for Friends-of-the-USA for the entire region.
The fact that the US-MIL can pull infinite cash out of its ass, means there is no limit to US power and/or hegemony.
Fact is, as was pointed out clearly in an article I read years ago, that using basic math & the govt’s own debt figures for the bonds issued during WW II, that well before the end Sept2/1945 the USA was bankrupted as far as the int’l redeeming clause for gold by other nations holding bonds wanting to exchange dollars for ounces.
That’s even assuming that the ‘official’ figure for US gold stores was true & accurate.
So, the whole world ‘coasted’ on that mirage from 1945 to 1971, at which point the moneychangers just pull it out their wazoos in endless, infinite quantities at will! No need to even use a laxative!
Granted, costs for any materiel were astoundingly lower in USD during that time, but still it added up to many tens of billions then. At $35/oz (devalued $ figure FDR 1934), no way could any but a few minor US bondholder countries redeem.
examples:
USN submarine $6MM USD (actually mentioned in a movie of the time);
torpedo $10,000;
Frontline fighter (Mustang, Corsair, Hellcat) $50,000;
B-17 $450,000 USD;
B-29 $950,000;
these costs were basically out-the-door or dockyard costs, not including any electronic ongoing addon/upgrades like the radars/aids to nav, crew training costs, wear & tear repairs, losses in training accidents, fuel, ammo, transporting to theater of use, just to name some.
This is a good, short recap of events but I don’t think a well placed though secret authority is needed to conclude the U.S. has no intention of ever leaving Iraq or the area in general. Maybe the only way they will ever abandon this current project is when their country is a smoldering heap. They hold no lives as precious, not even the lives of Americans.
It seems odd that they are against Haftar. I thought he was a CIA man? Ah, but it wouldn’t be the first time they used and then discarded one of their assets. This is the way the exceptional people behave.
Saying that NATO is going to be taking over the show has to be seen as a facade. NATO is largely the U.S. Which other countries will commit troops besides Britain and France? I have my doubts Germany will take part. And how long will it be before this mishmash from various countries wonders to themselves “what the hell am I doing here?”
Any nation that doesn’t submit is a target of this evil beast. At some point, Russia and China will also have to either surrender or fight for their existence.
Khalifa Haftar did indeed live very closely to Langley for about 20 years after he fell out with Gadaffi, but before that he had military training in Moscow and in the last few years has returned there on more than one occasion. This is not to say that he is Moscow’s man, but rather that he has been looking for allies and support. He is no longer the CIA’s man, and has his main support from the UAE and Egypt.
If Haftar were really against the U.S./NATO, he’d not survive in Libya for long.
By supporting Haftar, Russia was led into confrontation with Turkey in Libya, and also no longer competition with NATO for GNA favor. Oddly enough, the GNA is the internationally recognized government; Russia usually would respect that.
The GNA may outwardly seem like a Western creation, but they are probably as mercenary as they were when they were more formally mercenaries.
Now Russia is kind of stuck, since abandoning an ‘ally’, however fair-weather and utilitarian, is not good for the Russian brand.
One can try to assess or analyze Trump’s actions from a geo-political perspective, or in my view, what brings you further is to assess from a pure business basis. In business, this is called re-branding – we stay there, but under the NATO umbrella, so, it is not the US, it is NATO. And in the process the US is trying to spread the cost to the other NATO members, as well as the risk. In reality, they do not have a choice. The US ‘brand of spreading democracy’ has reached its ‘use by date’. Once one starts rebranding and spreading the cost, your options are few. This is the ‘last station’. There are no other options.
I fully expect the resistance will continue.
Of course the Resistance will continue,as it should and as it must, under Natural Law….and as it always does and has done to the limits of its present capacity.
Everyone is driven by the imperative to survive.
Nearly all put their particular survival, quite naturally, at the very top of THEIR list…..as priority numero uno.
Very few have the luxury …or inclination………….of comprehending the Entire Conundrum of species survival……..and what threatens those others…who are out of sight….and out of mind, relative to Numero Uno….the self or the larger communal self that the individual attaches his or her identity to.
Those whose prospects are more marginal naturally resent those with more in depth capacity for survival…or continuing to prosper.
Where is Trump in all of this?
Eric Z may be right in his conclusion, but I see a bit too much of the blanket lack of differentiation of “all politicians” (the most wrong and convenient excuse of the “little me” type) or even “ALL” Americans among …not so many Alt-Media authors but more so among commenters….who have no interest in the complexity of the situation of those outside of their own individual or larger or smaller identity of group or community or tribe or national well-being and durable survival.
Such people have no inclination whatsoever to even attempt to comprehend the complexities of the political (which is directly connected to physical…in this case) survival of a person such as Donald Trump…..who did NOT need the job to “get ahead”, or survive quite nicely, mind you……….without the White House gig, with its answering of questions from gaggles of “press” people who hate you…because they believe you their job security depends on such hate.
And it does, in a great many cases, while the survival of the country actually depends on the discrediting and disgrace of their employers.
So, I don’t think this is so simple as presented in the above article.
If Trump’s a 100% committed imperialist toady…..WHY take the job…and the risks that come with it??? There are always plenty of other far hungrier for fame and fortune “candidates” that, as 100% puppets of the Deep State could be assured of Lamestream Media Approval….and a nicer time of it all.
And IF he’s not?? And if he’s not…if he sees Empire (globalism) as a mistake that someone has to correct??
Well, just consider If YOU were not, and in the same position.
What short term compromises might you have to make to survive just another day let alone …another term in office, to even have the slightest outside, long-hot chance………….to demonstrate your better, non-Imperialist intentions???
Ummmm??
Yeah, the U.S. is down to one last trick; Iraq’s dependence on the U.S. dollar.
NATO wouldn’t be strong enough without U.S. trade-finance blackmail to keep Iraq themselves.
Trump’s calculus probably goes deeper; he ain’t paying for anymore ‘reconstruction’. The carpetbaggers can pay their own way.
In an otherwise admirable analysis (to which I have already drawn some friends’ attention) Eric Zuesse appears to misunderstand the statement quoted from the International Institute of Strategic Studies [IISS]. The 29 per cent of US spending (and 23.1 per cent of European spending) is on defence investment, not overall defence spending. So I think that the IISS is referring to the proportion of defence spending that goes on procurement and on research and development [R&D].
American troops don’t leave anywhere they are stationed in the world unless they’re thrown out by force. That’s a simple fact. And not only just the American government and business elites are comfortable with this Athenian-style ”Delian League” arrangement, but so too are the American people. It pains me as an American to say this, but it’s true.
The US is leading the world by the nose to a nuclear war. The conventional war has already started. I think it’s a good idea to understand why.
There are four historic events that go a long way to explain the single “ball of wax” that is the US political system, the printed-out-of-thin-air USD and both’s vital need for perpetual war.
First, in 1971 Nixon decided that nations that had lent money to the US by buying US “treasury” bonds could no longer redeem those bonds for physical gold. (I highly recommend watching the entire 18 minute video.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ye4uRvkAPhA
Nixon said that he was “temporarily” stopping this convertibility because of “currency speculators”, but the real reason he did that was, in short, because the US literally did not (and still does not) have enough physical gold to ship to those nations who wanted to return their US bonds for gold rather than more paper. Nixon was literally forced to do what he did or he would have to stop making war on the world. He chose the former and all his successors have made the exact same choice.
Second, because the US economy would, as George Kennan said just a few years before the end of the USSR, have experienced too much “shock” without perpetual war and the economically-necessary military-industrial-complex to fight it, something other than gold had to be found to “back up” printed-out-of-thin-air USDs. A few increasingly desperate years later one was — the petro-dollar. It is vitally important that everyone understand its secret origin, because without such understanding a person cannot make sense of the current United States of America. (Also take careful note of the people in the article’s photos.)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2016-05-30/the-untold-story-behind-saudi-arabia-s-41-year-u-s-debt-secret
This new, completely experimental petro-dollar system and the ensuing “Carter Doctrine”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter_Doctrine
explain most of the US’s military behavior in Latin and South America, as well as, more recently, in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen and Somalia. In short, by adopting the petro-dollar, the US had fully committed itself to use its military forces to control not only the middle east, but the entire world in order to maintain US dollar hegemony. From the get-go, that was a fatal mistake.
Third, for just one example of the petrodollar’s irresistible political power, on October 4, 2017, for the first time ever, a Saudi King flew to Moscow and met with the head of the Russian Federation, who at that time just happened to be Vladimir Putin.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/05/saudi-russia-visit-putin-oil-middle-east
The King’s trip sent an earth-shaking, absolutely clear message to the US Elite, as well as to the US President, who at that time just happened to be Donald Trump. Nine days after that unprecedented visit, on October 13, Trump announced that Iran was violating the JCPOA– the “nuclear deal” with Iran.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/13/politics/iran-deal-decertify/index.html
even though Iran was NOT, and is still not, violating the terms of that painstakingly negotiated and detailed agreement.
The King’s visit to Russia and Trump’s announcement only a few days later were no mere coincidence. The King of the petro-dollar was telling the commander-in-chief of the US military forces that unless the US president fulfilled his nation’s commitment to the petro-dollar agreement, the USD would not remain the de facto world reserve currency for long. The US war-petro-dollar-based economy would collapse.
Trump obeyed his orders and in May 2018, pulled the US out of the deal. The rest of the nations that signed onto the deal have been unwilling or unable to fulfill their own obligations to it.
The US’s petro-dollar quagmire is completely responsible for the US’s reaction to MbS’s murder of Khashoggi. Here’s my headline for this part of my “story”:
Donald Trump Admits Bush’s War On Terror Is Actually President Lyndon Johnson’s War On Poverty —“I don’t want to lose an order like that.”
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/trump-promises-severe-punishment-behind-khashoggis-disappearance-1152147
From the above link (my emphasis in bold):
“When considering punishments if Saudi Arabia were found culpable, Trump was hesitant to suggest sanctions. ‘It depends on the sanctions,’ he said. ‘Let’s give an example: We are ordering military equipment. Everybody in the world wanted it: Russia wanted it, China wanted it, we wanted it, we got it, and we got all of it, we got every bit of it.’
‘So would you cut that off, or take…’ Stahl asked.
‘Well, I tell you what I don’t want to do: Boeing, Lockheed, Raytheon, all these companies, I don’t want to hurt jobs, I don’t want to lose an order like that. And you know, there are other ways of punishing, to use a word that’s a pretty harsh word, but it’s true,’ Trump replied.”
What Trump failed to mention is that the US economy literally can not afford to “lose an order like that”. Again, George Kennan explained exactly why just a few short years before the end of the Soviet Union. (What he said is even more true today.)
“Were the Soviet Union to sink tomorrow under the waters of the ocean, the American military-industrial establishment would have to go on, substantially unchanged, until some other adversary could be invented. Anything else would be an unacceptable shock to the American economy.”
Fourth, the “Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008” (EESA) — the act that prevented the Elite from suffering losses on their mal-investments and created the TBTF banks:
https://www.congress.gov/110/plaws/publ343/PLAW-110publ343.pdf
Although there are many important, unprecedented actions allowed/required by that act, for the present purpose, the following Section 112 is most important:
“SEC. 112. COORDINATION WITH FOREIGN AUTHORITIES AND CENTRAL BANKS.
The Secretary shall coordinate, as appropriate, with foreign financial authorities and central banks to work toward the establishment of similar programs by such authorities and central banks. To the extent that such foreign financial authorities or banks hold troubled assets as a result of extending financing to financial institutions that have failed or defaulted on such financing, such troubled assets qualify for purchase under section 101.”
Just exactly how much of this unprecedented, completely-experimental coordination between foreign “financial authorities” (the “Group of 30”, maybe? http://group30.org/members ) and central banks is taking place this very day and just exactly what is their real goal? We can take a damned good guess by reading what VIP George Kennan wrote a few decades ago:
“…..we have about 50% of the world’s wealth but only 6.3% of its population. This disparity is particularly great as between ourselves and the peoples of Asia. In this situation, we cannot fail to be the object of envy and resentment. Our real task in the coming period is to devise a pattern of relationships which will permit us to maintain this position of disparity without positive detriment to our national security. ……..We need not deceive ourselves that we can afford today the luxury of altruism and world-benefaction.
………
We should cease to talk about vague and — for the Far East — unreal objectives such as human rights, the raising of the living standards, and democratization. The day is not far off when we are going to have to deal in straight power concepts. The less we are then hampered by idealistic slogans, the better.
We should recognize that our influence in the Far Eastern area in the coming period is going to be primarily military and economic. ……… It is my own guess, on the basis of such study as we have given the problem so far, that Japan and the Philippines will be found to be the corner-stones of such a Pacific security system and if we can contrive to retain effective control over these areas there can be no serious threat to our security from the East within our time. Only when we have assured this first objective, can we allow ourselves the luxury of going farther afield in our thinking and our planning.”
The very serious problem for the transnational US Elite is that USD hegemony is now, for the first time since the end of WWII, being seriously challenged by other increasingly powerful nations’ economies and their currencies and their weapons. Things are no longer going completely the Superpower US’s way. China’s economy is perhaps even now larger than that of the US.
What we commoners are now hearing 24/7, the only thing we’re allowed to hear, is the Elite’s investments incessantly beating the drums of war for profit. Their voice was Donald Trump addressing the United Nations. Their voice was Donald Trump saying “I don’t want to lose that order” for $110 billion of weapons systems. Their voices ordered Donald Trump to kill Qasem Soleimani.
Speaking of the voices of the Elite, don’t forget the relatively recent NYT article by Bernanke, Paulson and Geithner in which they predict yet another financial crisis that, when it inevitably happens, will be declared by the same three to have been completely unexpected.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/07/opinion/sunday/bernanke-lehman-anniversary-oped.html
“But the powers of the regulators alone proved inadequate. Congressional action made it possible for two presidents, one Republican and one Democratic, working with regulators, to prevent the collapse of the financial system and avoid another Great Depression.”
We must ask: just exactly what is “the financial system” whose “collapse” was prevented in only few hours of discussion by the above three Robber Barons? It is a system in which a microscopic percentage of the population owns the vast majority of wealth and large-scale capital equipment for their own astronomical profit. It is an ancient, increasingly explosive economic system that is still operating today. The population/climate catastrophes, the perpetual war catastrophes and the incessant, inevitable, predictable financial catastrophes are all part of an all-encompassing “ball-of-wax” that has that ultimately-fatal, completely man-made agreement as its core.
To sum up, we are living in the competition of all tribal competitions and the outcome of this “contest” will determine the role of the US economy in the world, as well as the ultimate fate of the Fed’s hundreds of trillions, perhaps quadrillions of printed-out-of-thin-air USD.
The US’s imposition of all these tariffs and “sanctions” and wars are absolute proof of the transnational US Elite’s flailing desperation to do only one thing –maintain USD hegemony in order to prevent Kennan’s “unacceptable shock to the American economy”. These measures will ultimately fail and, therefore the only really important question that remains is whether the increasingly-desperate US Elite will “go gentle into that good night” and develop a peace-based economy amidst near-certain economic/political/social chaos, or will this insane Elite “false-flag” the rest of the world into a no-win nuclear shootout at the OK Corral. The US pulling out of the INF treaty; US Secretary of the Interior’s recent threat to perhaps use the US navy to blockade Russian exports; the US ambassador to NATO’s recent threat to “take out” Russian missiles on Russian soil, the US moving B-52 bombers to Dieo Garcia and, finally, the murder of Qasem Soleimani indicate that the shoot-out is far more than being seriously considered. The lead-up has already started. At least now you will be able to tell your children why.
Actually, while U.S. transnational elites are feeling the pinch, Europe needs U.S. hegemony far more.
The social civil war in the U.S. is between U.S. globalists and U.S. patriot nationalists. The nationalists don’t care for, nor does their social power domestically depend on, trans-national power.
Recently, American stormtroopers shot and killed 14-year-old Faisal Khalid Muhammad in Syria after the American military tried to breach a Syrian Arab Army checkpoint and came into conflict with local Syrian villagers.
Apparently, killing teenagers is another quality that the Americans share in common with the Israelis–from Gaza to Syria to Iraq.
Likely, a Congressional Medal of Honor awaits this American war criminal for his heroic killing of the Syrian teenager.
Time to fight back members of US TERROR ARMY in Syria
https://nomadicthoughts.blogs.sapo.pt/time-to-fight-back-members-of-us-terror-32988
It is the United States, not America. America is the whole continent that is mostly inhabited by Latin countries.
The global strategy of the US is to turn all countries into Americans and treat them accordingly. This concept should send shivers down our collective spines.
So the Americans are going to hide behind the skirts of French, British, or German stormtroopers in Iraq.
Good luck with that plan.
Call it Operation NATO Human Shields.
LOL.
The French, British, and German colonizers will suffer their own traumatic brain injuries…. I mean “headaches” and be sobbing even more than the Americans.
The Europeans and Anglo Americans are all the same.
Not only are they war criminal nations–but they are pathetically gutless war criminal nations.
There certainly is disagreement among the U.S. and some Euros as to who’s global empire this really is, who gets to be the brains behind U.S. brawn, and who pays the bill for this trash party on top of the Iraqis.
It’s worth reading Thierry Meyssan on this.
https://www.voltairenet.org/article209223.html
Extract
“NATO Go Home!”
“For two decades, US troops have been imposing their law on the broader Middle East. Entire countries are now without a state to defend them. Populations have been subjected to the dictatorship of the Islamists. Mass murders have been committed. There have been famines as well. President Donald Trump has forced his generals to repatriate their soldiers, but the Pentagon intends to continue its work with NATO soldiers.”
Personally, I don’t think the American plan to outsource the management of the further destruction of The Middle East to Western European elements of NATO is going to work, except maybe to get President Trump re-elected. I think this plan is mainly for US domestic consumption. Trump said he would bring the boys home, and he probably will largely achieve that.
I think there will be little if any appetite, for European vassals, to step in, with their own militaries, to replace The Americans, who quite understandably have had enough.
Europe has got enough of its own problems to deal will, largely caused by Americans.
American actions with regards to Russian sanctions, have been a powerful indirect (in reality direct) attack on European interests. Russia is the most obvious natural trading partner for European countries, particularly with regards to energy. There is no way the the USA can provide anything but a tiny fraction of Europe’s energy needs.
European people are physically and culturally much closer, not just to Russians, but all the people of the Middle East. We work with them, trade with them, and go on holiday to each others countries.
The vast majority of Americans, have absolutely no understanding of this.
America has very little to offer Europe, except the brute force of a mafia gangster.
Nearly everyone keeps quiet about this, though it is not appreciated.
The leaders of European countries need to grow a bit of a backbone.
BREXIT is another issue contributing to this, and I found it encouraging that the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson managed to upset President Trump so much recently, that he slammed the phone down on him.
The USA’s days of controlling the planet are numbered.
Most countries across the world, do not appreciate America’s influence on their own internal affairs, and suggest the Americans should go home, and sort their own internal problems out, which I think they will.
Tony
I’ve Read Multiple Reports on Zerohedge that the US backs Haftar – “Haftar defected to the United States, dashed out of Libya with his family and arrived in Virginia. The United States government essentially gave Haftar exile status, keeping him in cold storage for when he might be useful.”
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/trump-officials-meet-strongman-haftars-political-team-major-libya-shift
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-11/libyas-incoming-strongman-haftar-will-send-oil-out-europe-and-keep-its-migrants
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-04-24/us-gave-rogue-general-haftar-green-light-attack-tripoli
Not sure what to make of this but there is absolutely no doubt that the Zionist Masters plan to keep US troops in Iraq permanently, that much became pretty clear the moment construction began on that Embassy.
What is it that Mr. Zuesse has with these 29%. Of course, no nation on earth (not even North Korea, I guess) does spend 29% of GDP for defence! The citation says: “the US dedicated a significantly higher proportion of its defence budget to procurement and R&D than its NATO allies.” So it is talking about percent of the defence budget spent on procurement and R&D, not percent of GDP spent for anything.