Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

It's becoming very difficult for Israel and Iran to balance their own hawks’ demands, domestic public perception, and the perception of their opponent’s policymakers (which include hawkish elements).

Israel finally retaliated against Iran on Friday for Iran’s own prior retaliation against Israel earlier this month, which the Islamic Republic carried out against the self-professed Jewish State in an attempt to restore deterrence, in the second round of their dangerous tit-for-tat that first began in spring. Unlike Iran’s retaliation against Israel, Israel’s retaliation against Iran wasn’t widely filmed. It was also surprisingly restrained despite lots of earlier hype and concerns about an uncontrollable escalation.

No critical infrastructure, including Iran’s sole nuclear reactor and its oil refineries, was directly targeted but the New York Times cited unnamed sources from both countries to report that Israel destroyed surrounding air defenses in order to leave Iran open to a more painful attack if it retaliates to this one. Axios also reported that Israel warned Iran about its attack in advance via third parties in an attempt to deter retaliation that could risk everything spiraling into a larger conflict depending on how it plays out.

Iran announced that four of its soldiers had been killed and reaffirmed its right to respond. A high-ranking source reportedly told Tasnim that Iran is ready to do precisely that, though Sky News Arabia cited an anonymous source to report that Iran informed Israel via third parties that it won’t do so. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Post reported that Israel does indeed expect retaliation, but it might be carried out via Iran’s regional allies in the Resistance Axis. It’s therefore unclear what’ll happen next.

Karine Bechet-Golovko
Russie politics

Les BRICS ont une certaine potentialité, dans la mesure où leurs élites nationales sont réellement prêtes à ne pas jouer selon les règles atlantistes.

Le sommet des BRICS vient de se terminer hier à Kazan en Russie. S'il confirme l'intérêt de nombreux pays pour une autre vision du monde, la question centrale reste de savoir si les BRICS ont la capacité et la volonté de construire ce nouveau monde ou si cette organisation n'est pas finalement une énième structure globaliste régionale. Le refus de la Banque des BRICS d'investir en Russie et le "plan de paix" soutenu obligent à la prudence.

Les BRICS sont présentés comme cette force nouvelle, qui va assurément balayer de la volonté "souveraine" de ses membres le système de la globalisation. Les Etats-Unis en ont soi-disant peur, les "pro-russes" applaudissent à s'en rompre les bras. Cela ne se discute pas. Amen !

C'est le moment d'y regarder de plus près. Sans entrer dans tous les détails, deux éléments sont particulièrement significatifs et devraient faire réfléchir, ceux qui se cherchent une nouvelle idole à adorer.

La banque des BRICS opère conformément aux restrictions atlantistes

La Banque des BRICS, sur laquelle repose l'espoir d'un système financier plus "juste", plus "équitable", tient pourtant une étrange position : pas d'investissements en Russie pour éviter de tomber sous sanction et ne pas violer les règles globales. C'est le discours ferme tenu par sa nouvelle présidente, grande amie de la Russie - What else ?, Dilma Roussef, ancienne présidente du Brésil. Le "Sud global" est bien global, plus que géographique.

La banque des BRICS, appelée Nouvelle banque de Développement (NBD), a été instituée en 2014 en grande pompe comme une alternative au FMI. Son siège est à Shangaï. Elle doit financer des projets dans les pays membres, mais pas pour tous : uniquement pour ceux autorisés par le système global.

Elena Panina (Елена Панина)
iarex.ru (ИА REX)

Outcomes of the BRICS summit: the course has been set, but there will be no easy way forward

Vladimir Putin's press conference on the BRICS summit results turned out to be an ideal finale because it enumerated the main points of the event and the difficult issues that need to be worked on.

The first and most important thing is that in BRICS, as the President emphasized, it is possible to work and achieve results with mutual respect and obligatory consideration of each other's interests. This is a definite plus: 35 states and six international organizations participated in the summit. However such equality places higher demands on the quality of dialog and mutual trust.

All predictions about who would be admitted to BRICS this time did not come true because no one was accepted. Instead, a category of "partner countries" emerged, which included Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Vietnam. Difficulties arose with Venezuela (opposed by Brazil) and Pakistan (opposed by India).

Gary D. Barnett
Gary D. Barnett Substack

Trump's McDonald's Visit Was One of the Greatest Political
Stunts of All Time, Thanks to Kamala’s Blunder

“They want you poor, so they can be rich.
They want you weak, so they can be powerful.
They want you dumb, so they can be smart.
They want you guilty, so they can be innocent.
You cannot realize it, but you’re nothing more than a slave.”

~ Maria Karvouni

The fakery of life is a constant, whether at the top of the power pyramid or at the bottom of the common herd. The differences however, are stark, as the powerful control the narrative. The reporting criminals, those called the mainstream media, (and the pretend alternative media) are meant to support the top tier to the detriment of the all others. They abuse all those who listen, by promoting all the lies necessary to appease the collective crowd of fools, making them impotent in the face of tyranny. By these tactics, the media whores strive to protect the criminal state that supports them. The guilty are held out as 'gods,' while the innocents are treated as prisoners of society. As Steven McGee clearly stated, "Lies are the American way,' especially when any politicians, government, organized religion, or media speaks.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

The truth will ultimately reveal itself, but for now, it’s best for Alt-Media to be skeptical.. It compellingly appears as though the latest reports are fake news.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed a South Korean claim last week that North Korean troops had been sent to the special operation zone to fight Ukraine, yet Zelensky still ran with the report over the weekend, after which it was maximally amplified by Mainstream Media outlets like CNN. Some prominent Alt-Media accounts also lent credence to this story too. Ukrainian media then shortly thereafter alleged that 18 of these North Korean troops went AWOL near the international border.

These reports coincide with three developments: 1) Germany, which is Ukraine’s second-largest donor, just became the latest country after Poland to max out its military support; 2) Russia is preparing to ratify summer’s updated strategic partnership agreement with North Korea that reaffirms their mutual defense commitments; 3) and North Korean-South Korean tensions have once again begun to worsen. The relevance of each development to these latest reports will now be explained.

Hongda Fan / PressTV

As the Gaza-Israel war progresses, American criticism of Israel has been gradually increasing, especially among younger Americans.

On September 2, U.S. President Biden publicly stated that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had not done enough to rescue hostages held by Hamas. On the same day, Netanyahu bluntly responded, "No one is more committed to freeing the hostages than me... no one will preach to me on this issue." This marks yet another significant disagreement between the U.S. and Israeli leaders following the outbreak of the Gaza-Israel war on October 7, 2023.

As the Gaza-Israel war progresses, American criticism of Israel has been gradually increasing, especially among younger Americans. A Pew Research Center survey conducted between February 13-15, 2024, targeting American adults, showed that 38% found Israel’s military actions against Hamas acceptable, while 34% found them unacceptable. Among the 18-29 age group, only 21% considered Israel’s actions acceptable, while 46% found them unacceptable; 14% expressed complete or primary sympathy for Israelis, while 33% sympathized with Palestinians.

Moreover, Washington’s bias toward Israel has encountered some resistance in U.S. mainstream media, including CNN. Nearly 1,500 American journalists issued a public statement condemning Israel for killing journalists in Gaza and urging Western media to report honestly on Israel’s atrocities against Palestinians. Social media platforms, particularly TikTok, have become powerful channels for sharing the realities of the Gaza war, bringing the brutal scenes in Gaza directly to the American public. This has further increased sympathy and support for Palestinians among Americans.

Walter Gelles

Note: This piece points up Kamala Harris's sheer hypocrisy, as well as the sell-out of Trump, Harris, and RFK Jr. on the "Palestine problem." It also highlights the vast undercount of the official death toll. 40,000? 300,000 murdered thus far by Zionist Jews supported by the US and UK is much closer to reality.[*] The Vietnam War-era chant against mass murderer Lyndon Johnson ("How many kids did you kill today?") has been updated to reflect America's ongoing wars against Russia and Palestine. Why aren't millions of people out in the streets of every major US and European city demanding an end to BOTH of these criminal campaigns?

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

Moldova is a deeply divided society as the latest referendum results show even if one ignores credible suspicions of fraud in support of the winning side

Moldovan President Maia Sandu boasted about how the referendum that she initiated for joining the EU narrowly passed despite the allegedly “unfair fight” against her side that she blamed on allegedly foreign-backed “criminal groups” who supposedly tried to buy off 300,000 votes. EU spokesman Peter Strano was more direct in declaring that “We noted that this vote took place under unprecedented interference and intimidation by Russia and its proxies aiming to destabilize the democratic processes.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov demanded that “some evidence (of this purported fraud) be presented to the public” and questioned the results after a dramatic late turnaround for the pro-EU side that suspiciously resembled what happened in some swing states during the US’ 2020 elections. The opposition also reported hundreds of violations while Irish journalist Chay Bowes claimed that Moldova only made 10,000 ballots available in Russia despite half a million expats being eligible to vote.

It also deserves mentioning that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Moldova earlier this month where she promised its people nearly $2 billion in financial support from her bloc over the next three years. Moreover, the lead-up to this referendum and the presidential election that were held on the same day (the first round of which Sandu won so a run-off will be held on 3 November) saw state-sponsored repression of the opposition, including defamatory claims that they’re backed by Russia. All of this made Moldova’s EU referendum neither free nor fair.

Humaira Ahad/PressTV

One fine morning in February, 3-year-old Palestinian boy Imad Hazem excitedly rushed to buy oranges from a street vendor. Eager to eat his favorite fruit, he hurried back home.

While crossing a street in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City, three kilometers from the city center, an Israeli sniper shot and killed him and his 20-year-old cousin Hadeel on the spot.

A graphic video documenting the crime went viral on social media, showing the bodies of the young child and his cousin.

In January, an Israeli sniper killed 13-year-old Nahid and 20-year-old Ramez Barbak in the Al-Amal neighborhood of Khan Younis, a city in the southern Gaza Strip.

Following Israel's evacuation orders, Nahid was waving a white flag above his head when he was shot just outside his house. Ramez ran to save his younger brother, only to be shot in the chest, falling over Nahid and the white flag.

Their bodies remained unattended on the road for hours as their family, unable to approach due to continuous Israeli gunfire and bombings, watched helplessly.

Harold Turner
Hal Turner Show

All Four to "Kick-Off" World War 3 - Or Will it be Trump Assassination that does it?

Right now, there is the Russia-Ukraine Conflict, a slow-simmering, but soon-to-be-hot, Israel-Iran conflict, the ominous China-Taiwan situation, and now North Korea-South Korea. Are all four going to kick-off for World War 3 this month? It looks that way.

Let's begin with the Russia-Ukraine thing. Ukraine is losing. Badly. There is no hope for Ukraine to prevail, or even to survive without direct NATO entry into the conflict. If NATO enters the conflict, then that is immediate, NUCLEAR, World War 3.

A well known Geo-Political Expert in Finland, Thomas Malinen, says he believes the situation for the collective West with the Russia-Ukraine war is at the point where "the future of NATO is at-stake" and as such, he believes a "bat-shit crazy escalation" must (and is going to) take place. He says:

He points out that there have already been two distinct Ukraine counter-offensives, both of which failed miserably. The first, vaunted "Spring Counter-offensive" in 2023, fell on its face. Complete failure. The second, Ukraine's invasion of Kursk, Russia, which is an unmitigated disaster with losses of manpower and equipment so bad, it is literally a slaughter of Ukraine.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

The ball is in the US’ court when it comes to the future of ties with India.

Indian-Canadian ties were toxified in late September 2023 after Trudeau accused that country of assassinating a Delhi-designated terrorist-separatist with dual citizenship on its soil earlier that summer. India denied the allegations and briefly suspended visas for Canadian citizens.

The US then leveled its own similar accusations against India, which greatly harmed mutual trust, but India has thus far managed this dispute much better than the one with Canada. Here are five background briefings:

The latest development on this front was India expelling six Canadian diplomats, including the High Commissioner, after Trudeau accused the Indian High Commissioner and others of direct involvement in summer 2023’s assassination despite continuing to withhold any evidence in support of this claim. Trudeau subsequently said that Canada received proof about their alleged involvement from the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance that’s led by the US.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

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Non-nuclear Iran is incapable of existentially threatening the US as nuclear-armed Russia could.

Politico cited a senior Senate aid and two sources in the Biden Administration to report on Wednesday that the US is much more afraid of an uncontrollable escalation sequence with Russia than with Iran due to the first’s nuclear capabilities.

As proof of this, the US has no qualms about shooting down Iranian missiles launched against Israel but won’t consider shooting down Russian ones launched against Ukraine, which has upset Zelensky and some of his compatriots who thus feel like second-class allies.

The difference between Russia/Ukraine and Iran/Israel in this regard accounts for the US’ different approach towards each pair. As was explained last month in this analysis about why “Putin Explicitly Confirmed What Was Already Self-Evident About Russia’s Nuclear Doctrine”, the comparatively more pragmatic policymakers who still have the final say in Russia and the US have thus far managed to avoid the uncontrollable escalation sequence that their respective hawkish rivals want. Here’s how they did it:

Glenn Diesen
RT.com/Glenn’s Substack

The decision of the US and UK to conduct a proxy war led to the unavoidable Istanbul+ endgame

In February 2022, Russia started its military operation against Ukraine to impose a settlement after a group of NATO countries had undermined the Minsk II peace agreement for seven years. On the first day after the start of hostilities, Vladimir Zelensky confirmed that Moscow had contacted him to discuss negotiations based on restoring Ukrainian neutrality. On the third day, Russia and Ukraine agreed to start peace negotiations based on a Russian military withdrawal in return for this. Zelensky responded favorably to this condition, and he even called for a “collective security agreement” to include Russia to mitigate the security competition that had sparked the war.

The talks that followed are referred to as the Istanbul negotiations, in which Russia and Ukraine were close to an agreement before the US and UK sabotaged it, according to numerous claims by people close to the process.

Washington rejects negotiations without preconditions

For Washington, there were great incentives to use the large proxy army it had built in Ukraine to weaken Russia as a strategic rival, rather than accepting a neutral Kiev. On the first day after the start of the military operation, when Zelensky responded favorably to starting negotiations without preconditions, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price rejected this stance – saying Russia would first have to withdraw all its forces.

💬 “Now we see Moscow suggesting that diplomacy take place at the barrel of a gun or as Moscow’s rockets, mortars, artillery target the Ukrainian people. This is not real diplomacy… If President Putin is serious about diplomacy, he knows what he can do. He should immediately stop the bombing campaign against civilians, order the withdrawal of his forces from Ukraine, and indicate very clearly, unambiguously to the world, that Moscow is prepared to de-escalate.”

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

Ukraine Humiliated Western Propagandists After Its Defense Minister Admitted It’s A NATO Proxy. Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov’s description of the Ukrainian-NATO relationship perfectly aligns with Merriam-Webster’s definition of a proxy. Their official website informs readers that “A proxy may refer to a person who is authorized to act for another or it may designate the function or authority of serving in another’s stead.”

The objectively existing military-strategic dynamics of the Ukrainian Conflict coupled with Reznikov’s candid admission therefore leave no doubt about the fact that Ukraine is a NATO proxy by definition.

The US-led West’s Mainstream Media (MSM) has insisted over the past 10,5 months that President Putin is supposedly insane for considering Ukraine a NATO proxy whose close military ties with that explicitly anti-Russian bloc pose a serious threat to his country’s national security red lines. Their perception managers subsequently expanded upon their gaslighting operation to discredit Russia’s special operation on the false basis that it’s driven by so-called “imperialism” and not self-defense.

Every single one of the countless information warfare products that they’ve since created was just exposed as fraudulent by none other than Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov, who admitted during an appearance on national TV on Thursday that their country is indeed a NATO proxy.

Harold Turner
Hal Turner Show

Out of concern about an Israeli strike, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will soon enter the "strongest bunker in the world" alongside Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Israel claims it has a "right" to retaliate for Iran's recent ballistic missile attack, wherein about 200 ballistic missiles were launched from Iran into Israel.

Israel does NOT have any such right because that missile barrage was a RESPONSE to attacks made earlier by Israel itself!

Israel blew up a building in Tehran, Iran, to assassinate Ismail Heniyeh, of HAMAS, who was in Tehran. That detonation of a bomb to kill a man on Iran soil __was__ in and of itself, an "attack" upon Iran.

Iran had the right to strike back, under United Nations Charter, Article 51. Hence, Israel has no right to respond, it hit first.

Iran has made it explicitly clear that if Israel attacks them again, they "are ready to respond within 15 minutes" and that response will be "massive" and go after Israeli infrastructure: Power plants, water processing plants, bridges, military bases, etc.

The United States has made clear it will defend Israel, and is sending yet another Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system to Israel, right now, which will arrive in the wee hours of the morning tomorrow. The U.S. also admits it is sending "100 troops to operate that system.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

Something big is coming, and whatever it is, there’s now a heightened chance that the US will become directly involved.

The Pentagon confirmed that it’ll dispatch nearly 100 troops to Israel to operate one of its premier air defense systems, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), of which it only has seven in total. This comes ahead of Israel’s expected retaliation to Iran’s latest missile strike on the first of the month that it carried out to restore deterrence after the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Here’s what this latest US move signifies:


1. Israel Is Probably Planning Something Big

Rumors have abounded about what exactly Israel is planning, but it’s probably something big and will provoke at least proportional retaliation from Iran, hence why the self-professed Jewish State requested that the US deploy one of its few THAADs to help defend it afterwards.

Karim Charara
Al Mayadeen English

We didn’t get the chance to talk to you during your lifetime, but perhaps these words can reach you now.

We could be anyone, a boy or girl, man or woman, young or old, Christian or Muslim, religious or agnostic…It doesn't really matter. We’re the millions whose lives you’ve impacted, here to say a few words to you.

Where to start?…Maybe somewhere near the beginning?

Many perhaps didn’t take you seriously at first, after all, yours was still somewhat a movement that hadn’t yet proven itself against the Israelis, and you were... what? 31? when you became the leader of the Resistance? Even though you were against handling such a great task, you shouldered it when it was thrust upon you, placing your complete trust in God so that he’d aid you in your endeavor.

That in and of itself was a lesson you taught us; us who are scrounging for answers in these dark times; us who are so used to looking to you for answers…

It was a hard few years for you, that we know. Between the Israeli occupation and its collaborators planted everywhere, the torture your fighters and people had to endure in prison, and the overwhelming disparity between your capabilities and those of the Israelis, you sacrificed a lot for our wellbeing, including your son, who was martyred on this very path.

Still, you stood strong, until you gifted us with liberation. Even then, you called it an achievement of the Lebanese people, and didn’t think to capitalize on it for political gain for one second.

Days of Palestine Editorial
Days of Palestine

Israel has perpetrated a concerted policy to destroy Gaza’s healthcare system as part of a broader assault on Gaza.

[This] is committing war crimes. [It is committing] the crime of extermination, with relentless and deliberate attacks on medical personnel and facilities, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said in a new report on Friday.

💬 “Israel must immediately stop its unprecedented wanton destruction of healthcare facilities in Gaza,” said Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission. “By targeting healthcare facilities, Israel is targeting the right to health itself with significant long-term detrimental effects on the civilian population. Children in particular have borne the brunt of these attacks, suffering both directly and indirectly from the collapse of the health system.”

The report found that Israeli security forces have deliberately killed, detained, and tortured medical personnel and targeted medical vehicles while tightening their siege on Gaza and restricting permits to leave the territory for medical treatment.

These actions constitute the war crimes of wilful killing and mistreatment and of the destruction of protected civilian property and the crime against humanity of extermination.

Harold Turner
Hal Turner Show

A Bill has been introduced in the Iran Parliament which would create an official military alliance between Iran and its "Axis of Resistance" to Israeli Occupation and ongoing aggressions.

The Bill would formalize the Axis of Resistance into a Military Bloc to confront and defeat the ongoing Israeli Genocide and Crimes against humanity.

Israel has been using fighter jets to drop 2,000-pound bombs onto Apartment buildings, Hospitals, Schools, private homes, and even refugee camps in the Gaza Strip for over one year. The world has done almost nothing to stop it.

Even the World Court (International Court of Justice) has not reined in the ongoing Genocide in Gaza, which has claimed the lives of at least forty-one-thousand (41,000) men, women, and children in Gaza. Efforts to issue an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others in the Israeli regime, have hit all sorts of international political interference; and have, to date, proven useless.

Emboldened by its supporters, Israel has recently begun bombing Beirut, Lebanon.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

The trend of Israel striking civilian areas in Syria as part of its regional assassination spree threatens to further destabilize the Arab Republic.

Israel bombed a civilian district in Damascus on Tuesday in its latest attack against the Arab Republic. RT cited Saudi media to report that the target was “a Hezbollah official in charge of Unit 4400, which allegedly supplies the Lebanese Shia militia with weapons from Iran.”

Israel rarely strikes civilian areas in Syria, yet it’s increasingly begun to do so since the start of the latest Israeli-Lebanese War. Here are five takeaways from this development:

1. Israel Is On A Regional Assassination Spree

The past month has seen the Mossad leveraging its intelligence superiority over the Resistance to assassinate dozens of their members, first with pager bombs and then with airstrikes, despite predictable collateral damage to civilians.

The latest bombing of Damascus is the natural evolution of this trend and signals that Israel will go to any length, including endangering civilians, to take out its targets. The Syrian capital might soon be hit as frequently as the Lebanese one if enough targets are discovered.

Editor thepeoplesvoice.org
The People's Voice

They've been victimized by transgender delusion and
pronoun madness while the price of food doubled,
and their families went hungry.

To explain how this situation occurred in America I will talk a little about my interactions with my neighbor. I'm not worried that he will see this article, because the Internet isn't how he gets his news and forms his opinions. Everything he knows comes from the Democrat left-wing globalist media, CNN and MSNBC. In fact, the more biased and filled with "fake news" the more he believes it. He doesn't possess critical thinking skills. He believes all of the left-wing democrat propaganda no matter how many times he's lied to, he believes, believes, believes.

When the Russia, Russia, Russia, hoax was in the news day and night he believed it all. He believed that Russia interfered with the 2016 and 2020 elections. He believed that Donald Trump was working with the Russians.

When it was all exposed as crap and the globalist media quietly got on with a new pack of lies, he simply forgot about being misled and lied to, and accepted the next idiocy. He believes men can be women and give birth because the Democrats and their media told him so. He doesn't possess the mental faculties to question it.

Sometimes when we're both outside in our backyards, we have short, strained conversations. I have to walk on eggshells and be careful not to say anything about the cost of food, the economy, Trump, the war in Ukraine, or the coming election.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

Estonia wouldn’t talk about blockading the Gulf of Finland without prior encouragement from the US.

Most of the discourse surrounding the NATO-Russian proxy war in Ukraine naturally focuses on events inside that country. This nowadays includes the improvised “war of attrition” that’s being waged by both sides within it, false flag attack scenarios against its nuclear power plants, and what would have to happen for Russia or Belarus to use nukes in this conflict.

What most commentators have forgotten about though is how NATO’s northeastern flank can stir up a lot of trouble for Russia if the order is given.

Lithuania’s failed blockade of Kaliningrad in summer 2022 and this year’s efforts to build an “EU defense line” along the Polish-Belarusian border to the Estonian-Russian one, which would de facto function as a new Iron Curtain that could expand to the Finnish-Russian border, aren’t discussed enough nowadays. That might change after the Commander of the Estonian Defense Forces spoke last week about Tallinn’s plans to close off the Gulf of Finland. Here are his exact words as reported by publicly financed ERR:

💬 “Maritime defense is an area where cooperation between Finland and Estonia is set to increase, and we may be able to make more concrete plans on how, if necessary, we can completely block adversary activities in the Baltic Sea, literally speaking. Militarily, this is achievable, we are ready for it, and we are moving in that direction. If there is a threat and it is necessary, we are ready to do it to protect ourselves.”

That prompted the Russian Foreign Ministry to respond as follows according to Sputnik:

Alexander Dugin
Arktos Journal

Alexander Dugin argues that the escalating conflict in the Middle East marks the beginning of a larger global war, as Iran and its allies confront Israel and the Western hegemony, opening a second front following Ukraine.

The missile strikes by Iran on Israel are a natural step from the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is a response to Israel’s prior actions against Lebanon’s Hezbollah, including the assassination of its leader, Sheikh Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and Hamas’ political leader, Ismail Haniyeh (killed in Tehran), as well as the genocide of civilians in Gaza.

It is hard to say whether the hundreds of Iranian missiles have hit their targets because, as in all military conflicts, both sides tend to hide the true situation. However, it must be noted that the war in the Middle East, which many experts predicted as inevitable, has already become a reality. A “second front” in the confrontation between the rising multipolar world and Western hegemony is now open. The first front is Ukraine, the second is the Middle East.

For a long time after Israel invaded Gaza and the start of the mass genocide of civilians, Hezbollah hesitated to enter the war directly. Iran also delayed serious action, attempting to find common ground with the West through its new president. However, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei decided to launch a massive missile strike on Israel.

The escalation has taken a new step. Israeli troops have invaded southern Lebanon. The shelling of Beirut and the entire territory of Lebanon has become the norm. Another front will undoubtedly open for Israel in Syria. I also believe Iraq will increasingly be drawn into the anti-Israel coalition, given that Iraq’s population and government are predominantly Shiite. Therefore, the Great War in the Middle East can be considered underway.

But what is the balance of power in this war? Israel has a significant technological advantage. As long as technology decides everything, Israel remains the strongest side of the conflict, even compared to the well-armed Hezbollah and Iran. Yes, Hezbollah’s leaders have been eliminated. Yes, it has suffered enormous losses after Israeli intelligence operations. Yes, the West supports Israel.

Editor thepeoplesvoice.org
The People's Voice

When people are convinced of the normalcy of abominations, they will submit to any cruelty desired by the State.

The Biden-Harris administration's 'America Last' policies have intentionally left the country vulnerable. Biden and Harris drained the strategic petroleum reserve and sent hundreds of billions in cash and weapons to Ukraine. The regime sent vital electrical transformers to Ukraine that had been stored away for exactly such disasters as Hurricane Helene.

Biden and Harris spent 640 million dollars, nearly all the FEMA funds intended for emergency preparedness on their precious illegal immigrant voters. Now when the American people desperately need assistance with Hurricane Helene, FEMA is 'broke.' FEMA doesn't have any money left for hurricane season, which typically lasts through November.

In a shocking firsthand account, a SpaceX engineer in storm-battered North Carolina reveals that Biden and Harris blocked shipments by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), of critical goods for relief efforts into the storm-battered region. It appears to be the intention of Biden and Harris to destroy American communities, infrastructure, and the American people.

Pepe Escobar
Strategic Culture Foundation

(These two...individuals have no known connection with this story. -Editor)

The Talmudic psychos are not only obsessed with breathing fire against the Axis of Resistance but now also going after Russian national interests.

A case could be made that Iran’s Ballistic Retaliation Night, a measured response to Israel’s serial provocations, is less consequential when it comes to the efficacy of the Axis of Resistance than the decapitation of Hezbollah’s leadership.

Still, the message was enough to send the Talmudic psychopathologicals into a frenzy; for all their hysterical denials and massive spin, Iron Toilet Paper and the Arrow system were de facto rendered useless.

The IRGC announced that the volley of missiles was inaugurated by a single hypersonic Fatteh 2, which took out the Arrow 3 air defense system’s radar, which is capable of intercepting missiles in the atmosphere.

Well-informed Iranian military sources stated that hackers went into heavy cyberattack mode just before the start of the operation to disrupt the Iron Dome system. The IRGC finally confirmed that just about 90% of the intended targets were hit; the implication was that each target was supposed to be visited by several missiles, with some getting intercepted.

It’s open to speculation how many F-35s and F-15s were ultimately destroyed or damaged on two air bases, one of which, Nevatim, in the Negev, became literally inoperable.

Leonid Savin
Oriental Review

The collective West stands on the side of Israel and does not worry at all about gross violations of international law.

It is obvious to everyone that the Zionist regime violates numerous conventions and treaties of international law.

If the International Criminal Court has already ruled on the ethnic cleansing that Israel carried out in the Gaza Strip, then the aggression in Lebanon has become another dimension that increases the list of war crimes of the Benjamin Netanyahu regime. The most obvious cases are the use of technical means of communication as a weapon, targeted killings, as well as the disproportionate use of military force.

Quite indicatively, the same cases apply to the United States, since it had previously applied similar actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani with a drone strike on January 3, 2020. For Israel, these cases are a kind of argument to justify their own crimes, since they can be interpreted as case-law.

However, from the standpoint of internationally recognized laws, they have committed and are committing crimes that have yet to be not only condemned, but also to push developing a reliable mechanism for the execution of decisions of international agencies, since Israel has not fulfilled the earlier decision of the International Criminal Court and is unlikely to comply.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

To paraphrase the famous saying, “Russians saddle slow but ride fast”, so it’s possible that everything might soon accelerate as a result of Russia finally adopting these tactics.

The Washington Post (WaPo) published a piece on Wednesday about how “Ukraine’s east buckling under improved Russian tactics, superior firepower” to coincide with Russia’s capture of the strategic Ukrainian fortress town of Ugledar at the junction of the Donbass and Zaporozhye fronts. According to them, Russia is now relying on assault teams as small as four soldiers each in order to evade drone surveillance. It also has much more equipment than Ukraine and is able to better coordinate its attacks as well.

An anonymous officer from the 72nd Mechanized Brigade that fought in Ugledar “for about two years with no relief” told them that “artillery volleys in the area sometimes reach 10 shells to 1 in favor of Russia and glide bombs launched unopposed from jets can destroy whole sections of a trench line and anyone manning them.” WaPo added that Ukraine still struggles to replenish its losses and has been distracted by its invasion of Russia’s Kursk Region, the latter outcome of which was predictable.

Another interesting tidbit from their report is that “The destruction of railways and bridges (around Pokrovsk) means it is effectively lost”. Readers can learn more about how that city’s capture can be a game-changer for the Donbass front from this analysis here, but it’s also significant that Russia is finally targeting Ukraine’s military logistics. It still won’t touch bridges across the Dnieper nor any of the railways connecting Ukraine to Poland, but at least it’s finally destroying those near the front.

While none of these tactics are novel, it’s the first time that they’ve been employed by Russia, let alone altogether. Dropping “meat assaults” in favor of small assault teams was long overdue, as was bombing Ukrainian trenches and targeting its military logistics near the front line. Russia has always been far ahead in the “race of logistics”/“war of attrition”, but it’s only just now doing something other than relying on brute force by finally devising more effective ways to leverage this advantage.

Cathy Smith
olivebiodiesel.com

Indigenous communities worldwide face numerous challenges in protecting their land and resources. These challenges are mired in historical injustices, ongoing discrimination, and unequal power dynamics.

Some of the critical challenges faced by indigenous communities include:

Land Dispossession: One of the most significant challenges faced by indigenous communities is land dispossession. Throughout history, indigenous peoples have been forcibly removed from their ancestral lands through colonization, land grabs, and development projects. These land grabs have resulted in losing traditional territories and resources essential for their cultural identity and livelihoods.

Lack of Legal Recognition: Many indigenous communities need legal recognition of their land rights. In some countries, laws do not adequately protect indigenous land rights, leaving them vulnerable to encroachment by governments, corporations, and other external actors. This lack of legal recognition undermines indigenous communities' ability to protect their lands and resources.

Dmitry Trenin
RT.com

The conflict between Russia and the West won’t end after Kyiv is no longer viable as a proxy

The “Ukraine crisis” is not actually an accurate name for what is happening now in relations between Russia and the West. This confrontation is global. It touches virtually every functional area – from finance to pharmaceuticals to sport – and spans many geographical regions.

In Europe, which has become the epicenter of this confrontation, the highest level of tension outside Ukraine is now in the Baltic region. The question often asked in Russia (and in the West) is: Will this become the next theater of war?

In Western Europe and North America, a scenario has long been contemplated in which the Russian Army, after its victory in Ukraine, continues to march forward – next seeking to conquer the Baltic republics and Poland.

The purpose of this simple propaganda fantasy is clear: to convince Western Europeans that if they do not “invest fully” in supporting Kyiv, they may end up with a war on their own territory.

It is telling that almost no one in the EU dares to publicly ask whether Moscow is interested in a direct armed conflict with NATO. What would its aims be in such a war? And what price would it be willing to pay? Obviously, even posing such questions could lead to accusations of spreading Russian propaganda.

Our country takes note of provocative statements made by our northwestern neighbors, the Poles, the Baltic states, and the Finns. They have referred to the possibility of blockading the Kaliningrad exclave by sea and land, and closing Russia’s exit from the Gulf of Finland. Such statements are mostly made by retired politicians, but sometimes sitting ministers and military officers also raise their voices.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

These lessons are: 1) prioritizing military goals over political ones; 2) the importance of superior intelligence; 3) insensitivity to public opinion; 4) the need for one’s “deep state” to be fully convinced of the ongoing conflict’s existential nature; and 5) practicing “radical decisiveness”.

The latest Israeli-Lebanese War and the Ukrainian conflict are so different from one another as to be practically incomparable, but Russia can still learn some general lessons from Israel if it has the will. The first is that prioritizing military goals increases the chances of achieving political ones. Russia’s special operation continues to be characterized by self-restraint, which is influenced by Putin’s magnum opus “On the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians”, unlike Israel’s conduct in its war with Lebanon.

The expectation was that the lightning-fast on-the-ground advances during the opening stage of the conflict would coerce Zelensky into agreeing to the military demands that were made of him. The only miniscule collateral damage that would have occurred could have then facilitated the process of Russian-Ukrainian reconciliation. This plan was predicated on Zelensky’s capitulation, which didn’t happen. Instead, he was convinced by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to keep fighting.