Pepe Escobar
Strategic Culture Foundation

Both have had enough of being “polite”. You want confrontation? Confrontation is what you’re gonna get.

Something very important happened earlier this week in Astana during the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi went straight to the point: he called for SCO members to “maintain their strategic autonomy”, and “never allow external forces” to turn Eurasia into a “geopolitical arena.”

Wang Yi detailed how “a few countries are pursuing hegemony and power, forming small cliques, establishing hidden rules, engaging in interference and suppression, ‘decoupling and cutting off ties,’ and even assisting the ‘three forces’ in the region”, thus attempting to suppress the strategic autonomy of the Global South.

The “three forces” is Chinese code for terrorism, separatism and religious extremism – actually the three main reasons for the foundation of the SCO way back in 2001, a short while before 9/11.

The straightforward translation of Wang’s message points to Beijing being very much aware of the Hegemon’s myriad Hybrid War tactics now deployed all across the Heartland. Still, Beijing excels in politeness, calling for “common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable” security cooperation and to work with the “international community”.

The problem is the “international community” is a hostage of the “rules-based international order”.

Staff, Alahed News, The Guardian

The Guardian revealed on Tuesday that the former head of the Mossad, Yossi Cohen threatened the former ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda so that she closes the investigation of “Israeli” war crimes.

According to the British daily, Cohen and Bensouda secretly met in the years preceding her decision to open an official investigation in 2021 on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Palestinian territories.

The Guardian noted that Cohen's involvement against the ICC occurred while he served as head of the Mossad. The report cited an “Israeli” source that noted that the Mossad sought to “compromise the prosecutor or enlist her as someone who would cooperate with ‘Israel's’ demands.”

Another source told The Guardian that Cohen was acting as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's “unofficial messenger.” The Guardian quoted Cohen as saying,

💬 “You should help us and let us take care of you. You don’t want to be getting into things that could compromise your security or that of your family.”

Between late 2019 and early 2021, the sources said, there were at least three encounters between Cohen and Bensouda, all initiated by the spy chief. His behavior is said to have become increasingly concerning to ICC officials.

Other reports of intimidation were revealed by The Guardian, which added that the Mossad, under Cohen's tenure, took an interest in the prosecutor's family, even obtaining transcripts of conversations between Bensouda and her husband in an attempt to use these conversations to discredit her.

Shahrokh Saei
Tehran Times

Hamas fighters kill and capture Israeli soldiers in an ambush inside north Gaza tunnel

The tunnel network, which Israel has dubbed the "Gaza Metro", is effectively operating despite the regime’s claims of destroying a large part of it.

Hamas says it has built 500 kilometers (311 miles) worth of tunnels under the Gaza Strip. The efficiency of the tunnels came to light during fighting between Hamas fighters and Israeli forces in the Jabalia camp in northern Gaza.

The military wing of the resistance group released a video of the fighting on Sunday saying its fighters have captured and killed an unidentified number of Israeli soldiers after luring them into a tunnel.

💬 "Our fighters lured a Zionist force into an ambush inside a tunnel ... The fighters withdrew after they left all members of the force dead, wounded, and captured," Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Al Qassam Brigades, said in a recorded message.

The footage shows an Israeli soldier being dragged along the ground in a tunnel and photos of military fatigue and rifles.

The ambush carried out by Hamas fighters highlights Israel’s false claims about destroying Hamas tunnels in Gaza and defeating the group in northern Gaza. Citing US intelligence, Politico reported last week that about 65 percent of Hamas tunnels are still intact. Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari claimed in early January this year that the regime had dismantled Hamas’s command network in northern Gaza and killed around 8,000 resistance fighters in that area.

Abbas Juma, RT.com

RT correspondent Abbas Juma, who was in Iran on assignment when President Raisi’s helicopter crashed, describes the disbelief that enveloped the nation when the news broke.

For now, the world waits for the investigation results and the upcoming presidential election.

Throughout the night of May 19-20, Iranian rescue teams searched through dense fog for the wreckage of the helicopter carrying the president and the foreign minister. The search was hindered by the weather conditions and terrain, with the rain-soaked ground impeding both personnel and equipment. Meanwhile, Iranians across the country prayed, wept, and anxiously awaited news.

Hope and loss — During the night, prominent and reputable regional and global media outlets, in a frenzy for sensational updates, disseminated inaccurate information about the search efforts. Some later hurriedly removed these reports. Social media was flooded with hastily fabricated falsehoods, fueled by opponents of the Iranian government. According to one widely spread rumor, mass celebrations erupted in Tehran, with claims that people were rejoicing over the president’s death and launching fireworks.

Refuting these blatant lies was not difficult, as I spent the night on Valiasr Street, one of Tehran’s main thoroughfares. Loudspeakers broadcasting prayers were promptly set up in the square, and journalists actively gathered the views of residents who had come out to support the president.

South Front (Editorial)

The Russian army is successfully fighting enemies both on the frontlines and in its rear.

In the Zaporozhie region, the bloody battle for the ruins of Rabotino, the main gain of Kyiv’s counteroffensive last year, finally ended. Russian forces continuing to expand Russian victory and expanding the zone of their control.

In the South Donetsk direction, after their victory in Novomikhailovka, Russian troops launched assault on Paraskovievka and advance on a wide front in the fields approaching the strategically important road to Ugledar. At the same time, heavy battles continue in a heavily fortified town of Krasnogorovka, where the Russian army already took control of an important stronghold, the local refractory plant and the Ukrainian units are holding defense in the multistory buildings in the north.

West of Donetsk, the Russian army is advancing in different directions around Avdeevka. Reports from the front confirm Russian control of Netailovo. On the northern flank, Russian forces are expanding the zone of their control around Ocheretino, advancing to the north, west and south.

David T. Ratcliffe, ratical.org

It is telling that even Sen. Johnson, who has otherwise been at the forefront of holding public forums, speaking in interviews, etc., will not “take the spear to the chest” to challenge the supremacy of the unspeakable biomedical police state kill box system.

In recent years, Katherine Watt has worked with Sasha Latypova, an ex-pharma/biotech professional with 25 years experience in clinical trials, clinical technologies, and regulatory approvals. She owned/managed several contract research organizations, worked for 60+ pharma companies worldwide, and interacted with FDA as part of a scientific industry consortium on improving cardiac safety assessments in clinical trials.

On 13 December 2022 Watt and Latypova participated in a zoom call with Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) scheduled by Johnson’s staffers, and subsequently worked up this memo upon his request:

IN RE: Evidence of Covid-19 Regulatory Failures, Criminal Wrongdoing and Attempts to Avoid Liability by Senior Executive Service Officials in Multiple Federal Agencies. The opening paragraphs [emphasis added] state:

💬 "Americans were misled about all Covid-19 “countermeasures,” including those products marketed as “vaccines.” Covid policy was managed by the National Security Council (NSC) acting on war footing and countermeasures were contracted for by the Department of Defense (DoD) and Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) without any effective regulatory oversight at any stage along the process.

The activities passing as “regulatory processes” appear to have been fraudulent attempts to create color of law and avoid liability for what were clearly criminal acts. These multiple overlapping and mutually reinforcing violations of federal law have imposed serious harms on the American people, including severe injury and death."

Interview with Prof. Jefferey Sachs
Apocalypseos

Israel right now is absolutely radicalized—extremist. Israel is killing tens of thousands of people and I'm proud that our students are saying, "No! Don't do that." China is not an enemy. Russia is not an enemy. We don't need these wars. They don't make us safer. They don't make us more prosperous.

And the American people sense it. What is told to us are lies and the public is protesting. And to keep to the lies, the government is cracking down. That's where we are. It's extremely dangerous.

Structurally the US security establishment is fighting for its hegemony and it could end up creating a World War. The US has starkly divided the world because the US has said, "You're with us or you're against us." China is not out to run the world. It's not out to dominate the United States. It's not out to invade the US. It's not out to hinder the United States.

The BRICS countries want a means of settlement that isn't the US dollar. That's mainly because of the weaponization of the dollar by the United States. The second factor is that the dollar itself may become unstable for the reasons that we were speaking about. A third factor is that there is lots of technological change so different ways to make settlements. The current settlement system goes through banks but in the future, it will go through digital currencies probably Central Bank digital currencies.

The US, on the other hand, resents Russia for being big and powerful. The US has a completely neurotic fixation on China. Why we are slipping towards World War III is that America's self-image as a hegemon is completely inconsistent with the ground reality. We do what we want and we expect others to do what we want. Structurally, the US security establishment is fighting for its hegemony and it could end up creating a World War.

Islamic countries are ready for peace. The Saudis don't want war, UAE doesn't want war, Egypt doesn't want war, Jordan doesn't want war, and Lebanon doesn't want war, but they want Palestine not to live under apartheid rule, or worse under genocide, which is what's happening in Gaza right now.

South Front (Editorial)

On May 20, Zelensky’s term of office expired. The presidential elections should have been held on March 31, but the current regime canceled them due to martial law. The Ukrainian parliament extends it every three months. No elections in Ukraine, neither parliamentary nor presidential, can be held during martial law (source).

The MSM and the Ukrainian media launched an information campaign justifying the preservation of power in the hands of Zelensky. One of the main broadcasting narratives pushes to convince the public that Zelensky’s support is so high that he simply has no competition.

Indeed, opposition parties are banned in the country, and all independent media and TV channels were closed long ago. On May 18, the new law strengthening military mobilization came into force. People are afraid to go out on the streets. Half of the population has no right to leave the country, those who try to illegally cross the border are shot, and the military kidnaps people en masse on the streets.

Walter Gelles

In the following poem, I'm trying to draw a connection between the Biden/Netanyahu genocide of Palestine and the US/NATO war against Russia via sacrificial proxy Ukraine. Among the many parallels:

1) Both wars were engineered by, or with full complicity of, the USA. 2) Both wars are kept going only because of US materiel and financial support. 3) Both are immoral and risk nuclear Armageddon. (The Israel/Palestine conflict is not really a "war", it's a one-sided mass slaughter based on the pretext of the October 7 false-flag attack that Israel allowed to happen.) 4) Resources and power underlie both conflicts. Israel wants to complete its ethnic cleansing, removal, and extermination of the Palestinians so the West can have access to the huge oil and gas reserves off the coast, while Israel may also build a canal bisecting Gaza. USA wants to topple Putin, carve up Russia, and gain access to its wealth, while also keeping Ukraine as America's central hub for money laundering (e.g. Biden crime family), plus sex and drug trafficking and US-run biological weapons labs on Russia's border. 5) If you're American, you and your children's children's children will be paying for this gargantuan waste through inflation and taxes. So where is the moral outrage and fight-back?

IMHO, an effective anti-war movement would include both the pro-Palestinian campus protests and encampments AND strong vocal/physical opposition to the US/NATO crime against Russia. Then the dirty, corrupt, globalist-directed, Mossad-owned politicians would be forced to relent. So far, there has been very little linkage between the two insane wars into a combustible viable opposition.

David Swanson
World BEYOND War

Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty declares that NATO members will assist another member if attacked by “taking action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force.” But the UN Charter does not say anywhere that war-making is authorized for whoever jumps in on the appropriate side.

The North Atlantic Treaty’s authors may have been aware that they were on dubious legal ground because they went on twice to claim otherwise, first adding the words “Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.” But shouldn’t the United Nations be the one to decide when it has taken necessary measures and when it has not?

The North Atlantic Treaty adds a second bit of sham obsequiousness with the words “This Treaty does not affect, and shall not be interpreted as affecting in any way the rights and obligations under the Charter of the Parties which are members of the United Nations, or the primary responsibility of the Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security.” So the treaty that created NATO seeks to obscure the fact that it is, indeed, authorizing war-making outside of the United Nations — as has now played out in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Libya.

Vasilis Kapoulas (Βασίλης Καπούλας)
warnews247.gr

17 Dec 2021: Russia calls on US to stop NATO eastward expansion in draft security treaty (Source)

Russia Releases Secret Documents: "Which Commitments NATO Has Failed - Why A Major War Is Possible". In a pivotal moment, the Kremlin released recently declassified secret documents concerning the NATO-Russia agreement after the fall of the USSR and the talks up to 2000. These documents were shown on the Russian RT TV. You can watch the clip below.

Moscow gives a clear impression that Ukraine will only be the beginning if NATO does not compromise on fundamental issues [and] there is no return to the status quo of 1990! It raises three basic issues that NATO did not respect: Its non-expansion, its non-interference in the post-Soviet space, and the reduction of the number of troops in Europe (withdrawal of American forces – anti-missile bases in Romania-Poland, etc.) The non-compliance with these three conditions justifies, for example, an attack on Finland or the Baltic countries. Why there; Because after Ukraine, NATO through the Baltic countries directly threatens Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Kaliningrad. So it is a cause of World War III.

"Which agreements NATO did not keep:" Saskia Taylor reveals to RT: 💬 When you make promises, you have to keep them. Unless you are NATO, then a promise is just a few words strung together! These documents, mostly redactions, describe the optimism with which the fledgling Russian state sat down at the table with the West in the early 1990s. Top US and NATO figures have courted the Kremlin with talk of reducing nuclear arms, promoting peacekeeping missions, joining councils together, and welcoming Russia into a New Europe from the Urals to the Atlantic. Cooperation, inclusion, peace, partnership. It was the dawn of a New Era... By and large NATO and the West went wild in making empty promises during the collapse of the Soviet Union to gain access to Russia's vast natural wealth. They said it was needed to assuage Moscow's concerns. Let's be clear: We were told no NATO expansion, no involvement in the post-Soviet space, and fewer troops in Europe.

Bilal Nour Al-Deen
The Cradle

Lebanon has a deep cultural connection to its trees. Its ancient cedar tree, which dominates the forests of its northern highlands, holds great symbolic importance as a national emblem and is featured front and center on the country’s flag.

As with other countries around the world, the iconic, resilient cedar faces the growing threat of climate change.

But Lebanon’s woodland has come under an even more insidious threat in the past few months. Hundreds of acres of southern Lebanon’s lush greenery and vegetation – distinct from the northern cedar forests – have come under heavy, incendiary Israeli attacks, causing severe environmental and agricultural devastation to the region.

The occupation state’s use of white phosphorus bombs has dramatically impacted the lives of Lebanese residents, agricultural workers, and the south’s vital agricultural sector, which produces a significant portion of the country’s fruit, citrus, olives, and tobacco.

Revolver News (Editorial)

Canada To Imprison Anyone Who Has EVER Posted ‘Hate Speech’ Online

Canada has fallen. It’s become the North Korea of the West, and it’s getting worse every single day. This new bill they’ve introduced is the cherry on their tyrannical sundae. It’s called the Online Harms Bill C-63, and it would make even Stalin blush. As a matter of fact, tyrannical dictator Kim Jong-Un would look at this bill and feel an instant rush of communist inadequacy. With this new bill, Justin Trudeau is fueling those online rumors that his real father is actually communist dirtbag Fidel Castro.

This new bill is supposedly aimed at safeguarding the masses from online “hate speech,” and it’s a dictator’s dream come true. Naturally, the left is hailing it as a beacon of democracy—a term they seem to misunderstand more and more. The real shocker in this bill is the alarming retroactive aspect. Essentially, whatever you’ve said in the past can now be weaponized against you by today’s draconian standards. Historian Dr. Muriel Blaive has weighed in on this draconian law, labeling it outright “mad.” She points out how it literally spits in the face of all Western legal traditions, especially the one about only being punished if you infringed on a law that was valid at the time of committing a crime.

Reporter
Interview with Scott Ritter

If the West continues to expect nuclear strikes from Russia, it will receive them. This opinion was expressed in an interview with Judging Freedom by former US Marine Corps officer, and now one of the most authoritative military experts in the world, Scott Ritter. According to him, Putin is not bluffing. These are not games. This is not a joke. This is a matter of life and death for Russia.

💬 "I think we need to understand one important truth: Russia views this conflict as existential. There is no draw, no defeat - there is only victory. They have a plan to achieve this victory, and now they are closer than ever. As we speak, the Ukrainian army is disintegrating at the front. This causes waves of panic among NATO and its ilk, which is why we see Emmanuel Macron talking about the need to send in French troops if the Ukrainian front line collapses. And it is collapsing right now. David Cameron makes similar statements," Scott Ritter recalled.

He emphasized that such statements are taken quite seriously in Moscow. And Russian exercises in the Southern Military District using non-strategic nuclear weapons are an adequate response to NATO’s actions.

💬 "Vladimir Putin gave the order for exercises in the Southern Military District. People, please open your eyes and ears and hear what I say! Exercises on the use of tactical nuclear weapons will be held in the Southern Military District. This does not mean that they are going to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, not at all. But they will destroy NATO troops in Romania, Poland, Germany, France, and Italy. This is a nuclear war. If this is what you, the West, want, you will get it," the expert emphasized.

South Front (Editorial)

Israel has launched a ground operation in the area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, ignoring all international warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.

Israel has launched a ground operation in the area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, ignoring all international warnings of a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched the operation on May 6, a day after four of its troops were killed and wounded around ten others in a rocket attack on the southern Israeli area of Kerem Shalom which was launched by the Hamas Movement from Rafah.

More than 1,4 million Palestinians who had been taking refuge in Rafah were ordered by the IDF to evacuate to a “‘humanitarian zone” in the al-Mawasi area and other parts of central Gaza and Khan Yunis city in the southern part of the Strip. This so-called humanitarian zone is heavily bombarded, badly serviced, and lacks proper resources.

The IDF struck Rafah at least 50 times during the initial push. Later that day, Israeli troops entered the outskirts of Rafah and approached the Rafah Border Crossing and the Egyptian border. 20 Hamas fighters were killed in the operation, according to the IDF.

Hamas announced that it had accepted an Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal in a last-ditch effort to stop the invasion, but this was ignored by Israel.

On the morning of May 7, the IDF captured the Rafah crossing. Hamas and other Palestinian armed factions shelled advancing Israeli troops and Kerem Shalom from Rafah again.

Aseel Mousa
Middle East Eye

Adnan al-Bursh refused to flee, even when the hospital he worked in came under heavy bombardment. He was arrested by Israeli troops in December

Rozan al-Bursh was in shock when she heard the news about her uncle Dr Adnan al-Bursh’s death in Israeli custody.

The prominent Palestinian surgeon had been forcibly disappeared by Israeli forces and not been seen since December.

And last week, the Palestinian Prisoners' Society said he was killed by torture while in Israeli detention.

💬 “It was the most significant shock of my entire life,” said Rozan, his niece. “It felt as though my very core had been shattered.”

Rozan, a medical student at Gaza’s Al-Azhar University, said Dr Adnan was more than just an uncle to her. He was a friend and supporter who encouraged her to study medicine, she told Middle East Eye.

💬 “My uncle was a steadfast pillar of support, resolute as a mountain,” she said. 'He was very cheerful and cherished life greatly. He loved life very much.' - Rozan al-Bursh, doctor's niece

South Front (Editorial)

Elected as head of state in March 2024, Putin became Russia’s president for the fifth time. The inauguration ceremony was held in the Kremlin on May 7.

The Russian president once again declared that the country’s course was correct in the face of serious challenges. Russia does not refuse contacts with western countries, including on issues of security and strategic stability, but the dialog should be equal, “not from a position of strength, without any arrogance, swagger and someone’s exclusivity.”

Amid the celebrations, major provocations are expected. Security measures have been increased throughout Russia. On May 9, there is a big holiday, Victory Day. For security reasons, mass events have been canceled, but in some cities, there are fake leaflets urging residents to take to the streets for celebrations. Local authorities warn that these could be enemy preparations for terrorist attacks.

The Ukrainian and NATO militaries are expected to attempt a massive attack on the Crimean peninsula using air and sea drones as well as various western missiles, including ATACMS and Storm Shadows. On the night of May 6, another attack was repelled off the western coast of Crimea.

Tom Fowdy
Al Mayadeen English

Not only has Netanyahu stepped up settlements in the occupied West Bank and oppression of Palestinians, but his vision for the Gaza Strip is one that "Israel" completely controls.

Netanyahu has decided to invade Rafah. The city in the southern part of the Gaza Strip is home to over 1 million refugees who have fled "Israel’s" relentless campaign of bombing and destruction. Although pushes were made for a last-minute peace deal, to nobody’s surprise, this has been rejected with Netanyahu again citing his desire for a war of a total annihilation of Hamas and a military occupation of the Gaza strip, arguing that the old status quo cannot be reset. This has skewered pushes for a ceasefire.

First, was there any serious hope that "Israel" would agree to a prolonged ceasefire or a withdrawal from the Strip? The answer is no, there should be no illusions surrounding the reality that Benjamin Netanyahu completely rejects the notion of a "two-state solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, and anyone who believes otherwise is peddling a fantasy. Not only has Netanyahu stepped up settlements in the occupied West Bank and oppression of Palestinians, but his vision for the Gaza Strip is one that "Israel" completely controls. He deems that his entire political career hinges upon achieving these ultranationalist goals and has made it clear from the beginning that there is to be no compromise, and thus no self-governing Palestine.

Alastair Crooke
Strategic Culture Foundation

(This paper [was] the basis of a talk [...] given at the 25th
Yasin (April) International Academic Event on Economic and
Social Development, HSE University, Moscow, April 2024)

Israel's strategy from past decades will continue with its hope of achieving some Chimeric transformative "de-radicalization" of Palestinians that will make 'Israel safe'.

In the summer following Israel’s 2006 (unsuccessful) war on Hizbullah, Dick Cheney sat in his office loudly bemoaning Hizbullah’s continuing strength; and worse still, that it seemed to him that Iran had been the primary beneficiary from the U.S. 2003 Iraq war.

Cheney’s guest – the then Saudi Intelligence Chief, Prince Bandar – vigorously concurred (as chronicled by John Hannah, who participated in the meeting) and, to general surprise, Prince Bandar proclaimed that Iran yet could be cut to size: Syria was the 'weak' link between Iran and Hizbullah that could be collapsed via an Islamist insurgency, Bandar proposed. Cheney's initial skepticism turned to [enthusiasm], as Bandar said that U.S. involvement would be unnecessary: He, Prince Bandar, would orchestrate and manage the project. 'Leave it to me', he said.

Robert Inlakesh
Al Mayadeen English

In one case, a young Black woman is violently shoved to the ground by a crazed Zionist man, while in another case that was caught on video, a young man is caught yelling the N-Word repeatedly.

As the American corporate media and government mobilize in opposition to student protests across the United States, ridiculously attempting to portray pro-Palestinian demonstrations as being in support of terrorism and anti-Semitism, pro-Israeli counter-protesters launch a campaign of racist hate. Repeatedly there have been reports of and videos in which Zionists yell the N-word, but why do they direct their hate towards Black people?

While student encampments are being set up on University campuses across the United States and beyond, with protests urging academic institutions to divest from Israeli-linked companies, the establishment is employing every tactic available to discredit and combat these efforts. Suddenly, US corporate broadcast media outlets, such as CNN and FOX News, who would usually object to the other's description of the color of the sky being blue, are condemning pro-Palestinian students together. With few exceptions, a bipartisan effort between Democratic and Republican Party representatives - who only seem capable of agreeing on financing war - has been launched to smear the anti-war movement as violent and anti-Semitic.

Dr Vernon Coleman MB ChB DSc
vernoncoleman.com

"Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue." (From Psalm 109)

Anyone over 60 years of age, disabled, chronically ill or poor will probably be dead by the year 2030, killed by a euthanasia programme which is rapidly going global and which is out of control.

The euthanasia squad will kill you, your family and your friends unless you speak out now. This is the population control plan they have been working towards.

Euthanasia is going global in the same way that the covid fraud went global. And, just as with covid, celebrities all over the world are advocating `doctor assisted suicide’.

If you thought that face masks and the covid jab were fashionable, just wait until you see what happens as the euthanasia bandwagon rolls onwards.

Since I last wrote about euthanasia, Ecuador has joined the growing list of countries endorsing euthanasia. In Peru, a psychologist with a muscle disease has already died from `doctor assisted suicide’. Make no mistake about it: euthanasia is spreading and is now more popular than Taylor Swift.

Dr. Vladislav B. Sotirović

The eastern portion of Europe and the end of WWI – The end of WWI resulted in significant changes concerning the political boundaries of Central, East, and South-East Europe. The extent of these changes resulted in regional wars over the land distribution in several mini-regions in the eastern portion of Europe, and it was to take around five to six years before new borders between the states were finally established and stabilized. This continued at least up to 1938.

The political transformation of the eastern portion of Europe after 1918 was a direct result of the collapse of both the German Second Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the last months of 1918, as well as due to unsettled western borders of the ex-Russian Empire (collapsed in 1917) which still was involved into the revolution and civil war. Most of the boundary changes in this half of Europe after WWI were direct result of decisions reached by the Entente powers (Allied and Associated Powers during WWI) at the Paris Peace Conference that began in early 1919. This resulted in five peace treaties, named after the castles outside Paris where they were been finally signed. Each of these peace treaties dealt in part, but in some cases entirely, with states in Central Europe. This was the case, for instance, for Poland which was already in the post-WWI military-political conflict with the West Ukrainian nationalists over the land of East Galicia.

The state borders of post-WWI Poland were decided by the Paris Peace Conference by three means: 1) Through decisions of the Council of Ambassadors; 2) Plebiscites held under Entente direction; and 3) By the result of the war between West Ukraine and Bolshevik Russia. Concerning Poland, the final settlement of its eastern borders became the most complex. In fact, the first boundary problem was Galicia, or more precisely East Galicia, where Poles went to open war with Ukrainians. On November 1st, 1918, when the rule of Austria-Hungary finally collapsed in the region, local Ukrainian nationalistic leaders proclaimed the independence of the West Ukrainian National (People’s) Republic. This new state claimed the whole of East Galicia (eastward from the San River with Lwiw) to be Ukrainian followed by North Bukowina and Carpathian Rus’. However, these territorial claims became immediately challenged by local Poles who fought all over Galicia to be united with the post-WWI Poland. Consequently, the result was a Polish-Ukrainian War that lasted from November 1918 until the summer of 1919, when the Galician-West Ukrainian military detachments were expelled from East Galicia which finally became a part of the interwar Poland.

Dr Vernon Coleman MB ChB DSc
vernoncoleman.com

There seems to be some confusion about what Israel is doing in Gaza. So, let’s be clear.

By stopping the provision of food and water supplies, the Israelis have been deliberately, cold-bloodedly slaughtering babies and children. The ones who haven’t been shot or blown up have been starved to death.

Fortunately, most of us in the West have no idea what starving to death is really like. So, let me explain. The process of starvation starts with stomach cramps and intense pains. There is a loss of energy and sufferers feel extremely tired.

Babies and children who are starving will cry incessantly and will eat anything they can find – mud, grass, gravel, dust. They will eat anything in an attempt to fill their bloated stomachs.

Their hearts beat faster and their breathing slows. They are overwhelmed with a feeling of thirst. Their eyes appear glazed and distant. Their muscles shrink. They look pale and feel dizzy. It is a slow, torturous, painful process.

Eventually, the child becomes so weak that they cannot cry. They just whimper. Their breath smells of acetone as their body burns its tissues. When the fat stores are gone the body eats its muscles. Without protein, the cells die. The kidneys fail. And then the children fall asleep. And then they die.

Dr. Vladislav B. Sotirović

Introduction — This article deals with the question of political and human/minority rights in the region of Kosovo & Metohija twenty years after the „2004 March Pogrom“ and twenty-five years after NATO's military aggression on Serbia and Montenegro and occupation of the region. This research topic is important because this is the first time in European history, that a terrorist-style and mafia-ruled (quasi)independent state was created by a full diplomatic, political, economic, military, and financial sponsorship by the West under the umbrella of NATO's and the EU's protective administration. The precedence of Kosovo's self-proclaimed independence in February 2008 already had several negative „domino effect“ consequences elsewhere in Europe (the Caucasus, the Crimean Peninsula, the Donbas region...). The article aims to present the current situation in Kosovo & Metohija and the possible consequences of the Kosovo case for international relations and the post-Cold War 1.0 world order.

The NATO's intervention in 1999 and its consequences — Twenty years passed after the „2004 March Pogrom" in Kosovo & Metohija against the local Serbs was organized and perpetrated by Kosovo Albanians, led by the veterans from the Kosovo Liberation Army – the KLA and logistically supported by NATO's occupation troops in Kosovo & Metohija under the name of the Kosovo Forces – the KFOR. That was simply a continuation of the last stage (up till now) of the dismemberment of ex-Yugoslavia – the Kosovo War (1998-1999), and NATO's military intervention and aggression against Serbia and Montenegro. (At that time they composed the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia the FRY.) This represented a violation of international law. In this context, we can say that at the end of the 20th century, the fate of ex-Yugoslavia was determined by several international organizations, and not decisively by the Yugoslavs themselves.

NATO's military intervention against the FRY in March-June of 1999 (led by the USA) under the pretext of protecting human rights in Kosovo (Albania), marked a crucial step toward finishing the process of creation of the global „Pax Americana" in the form of NATO's World Order, the NWO. As NATO used force against the FRY without permission from the UN Security Council, and also without an official proclamation of the war, we can call this military intervention pure „aggression" against a sovereign state, according to international rules and law. In the Balkans in the 1990s, NATO acquired not only considerable military experience but also had the opportunity to get rid of old weapons and use some new ones. NATO also managed to enhance its activities, and thus developed into a global organization.

Rob Slane

[March 3, 2017] According to popular legend, if you place a frog in boiling water it will immediately jump out, whereas if you put it in cold or tepid water and then gradually turn up the heat, it will stay until it is eventually boiled to death. Simmering Frog Syndrome is often used as an analogy to show how people react rather quickly to sudden change, whereas if you spread the change out over time they don’t notice.

The analogy is a good one, but the problem with it is that it isn’t strictly true. Yes, a frog placed suddenly in boiling water will immediately try to exit, and yes a frog that is gradually heated will stay put for some time. But apparently (although I must stress I’ve never experimented myself) at a certain point when the water is being heated, the frog will not just stay put, but its pain receptors will cause it to seek to get out.

It has been said that we in our society are like simmering frogs. If you were to gather all the social changes that have occurred over the last 50 years and imagine that they had been foisted on us overnight, it’s easy to see what would have followed. Revolution would have been met by resistance, which in turn may well have been met with force, and so on. Yet the Cultural Bolsheviks that have led the revolution in the West have been far more cunning, and have introduced their changes in dribs and drabs, bit by bit. By and large we’ve taken it lying down, so that what was once unthinkable has now become normal. This means that what is unthinkable today…well I’ll leave you to work that out. But if we’ve been like simmering frogs, at what point do we reach that ouch point where we feel compelled to get out of the pan? I’ll return to the frogs in a moment.

Staff, Alahed News

Dozens of protesters were arrested on Wednesday while participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations across US college campuses.

At least 34 protesters, including a member of the media from a local news station, were arrested during protests at the University of Texas in Austin, and at least 50 more were detained by police at the University of Southern California [USC].

The arrests come amid a wave of demonstrations at campuses across the US, which began last week after students at New York’s Columbia University set up encampments calling for the university to divest from weapons manufacturers with ties to “Israel”.

The crackdown led to mass suspensions and arrests of hundreds of students in New York and other cities.

House speaker, Mike Johnson, jumped into the fray on Wednesday with a visit to Columbia’s campus, where he faced jeers from the pro-Palestinian protesters and called for the resignation of the university’s president.

Flanked by several Republican members of Congress, Johnson denounced the demonstrations as “mob rule” and condemned what he called a “virus of antisemitism” at colleges nationwide.

Dr. Vladislav B. Sotirović

In 2009, Russian President Medvedev (President from May 7th, 2008 to May 7th, 2012) called for a new European security policy known as "Fourteen Points" as a new security treaty to be accepted to maintain European security as the ability of states and societies to maintain their independent identity and functional integrity (this Russian draft European security treaty was originally posted on the President's website on November 29th, 2009). This treaty proposal was passed to the leaders of the Euro-Atlantic States and the executive heads of the relevant international organizations such as NATO, EU, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and the Organization of Security Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). In this proposal, Russia stressed that it is open to any democratic proposal concerning continental security and is counting on a positive response from Russia's (Western) partners.

However, not so surprisingly, D. Medvedev's call for a new European security framework (based on mutual respect and equal rights) became interpreted particularly in the USA in the fashion of the Cold War 1.0, in fact, as a plot to pry Europe from its strategic partner (USA). Nevertheless, this program in the form of a proposal was the most significant initiative in IR by Russia since the dismissal of the USSR in 1991. From the present perspective, this proposal could save Ukrainian territorial integrity, but it was rejected primarily due to Washington's Russo-phobic attitude.

Moscow since 1991, and particularly since 2000, viewed NATO as a Cold War 1.0 remnant and the EU as no more but only as a common economic-financial market with many crisis management practices. Nevertheless, Medvedev's 2009 "Fourteen Points" was announced on November 29th, 2009, and Russia published a draft of a European Security Treaty. Medvedev's program resembles the program drawn up by US President Woodrow Wilson (issued on January 8th, 1918), who had emancipated peace aims in his well-known "Fourteen Points". These two programs have two things in common: 1) Both documents advocate multilateralism in the security area and devotion to international law, and 2) They are very idealistic in terms of the tools needed for their implementation.

Staff, Alahed News

Severely damaged skin, signs of fatigue, unkempt hair and long beards - this was the state in which a number of Palestinian detainees emerged from “Israeli” prisons following six months of detention.

In the past few days, at the end of six months of renewable administrative detention, “Israel” released dozens of Palestinian detainees from several jails - people who had been arrested in the wake of the start of the aggression on Gaza on 7 October.

The evidence of mistreatment shown by the prisoners is indicative of what rights groups have warned is an unprecedented level of abuse taking place in “Israel's” jails.

Community activist Omar Assaf was among those released in recent days. Assaf, 74, was arrested on 24 October after his house in central Ramallah was stormed by the “Israeli” army. He was immediately transferred to administrative detention, which allows him to be held without trial or charge for as long as the Zionist authorities want.

He unveiled that the prison conditions were indescribably cruel, and that his appearance speaks volumes about the condition of Palestinian detainees.

💬 “They constantly assaulted the prisoners with severe beatings, using batons, rifles, and heavy shoes," he explained. "There were prisoners with broken ribs and limbs without providing them with any treatment."

Palestinian prisoner groups said that the “Israeli” occupation army has arrested more than 8,000 Palestinians from the West Bank alone since 7 October, including 280 women and at least 540 children.

Rights groups have documented widespread mistreatment, with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees [UNRWA] last week releasing a report detailing - among other abuses - detainees being urinated on and made to act like animals, and children being attacked by dogs.

Mark B. Rosenthal

[August 17, 2005] VAWA Reauthorization: Billions for battered women, not a penny for battered men!

For thirty years now, researchers have known that wives kick, punch, stab, or shoot their husbands about as often as husbands kick, punch, stab, or shoot their wives. But federal law ignores the facts and instead uses the power of the purse to get states to impose Kafkaesque policies that punish victimized men and reward violent women.

Back in 1975, the First National Family Violence Survey turned up results that surprised even the sociologists conducting the survey. Wives attack husbands about as often as husbands attack wives. And wives attack first about as often as husbands attack first, which is strong evidence that women's assaults on men can't be explained away simply as self-defense.¹ But battered women's advocates were intent on portraying domestic violence as something only men do and only women suffer from. So they'd conveniently leave out the part about women's assaults on men whenever they cited the study's results.²

Susan R. Paisner is a criminologist and longtime advocate for abused women and men. She recalls being stunned by the hostile attitudes toward male victims that she encountered at one of the nation's first conferences on domestic violence. She naively thought that "we were all there to do good -- for all who needed it." Yet when she mentioned having read a brief newspaper article about male victims, many of the other women at the conference turned on her, saying,

💬 "This is OUR issue, OUR cause. If men are battered, then let other MEN do something for them."³

Rob Slane

[June 16, 2017] It’s been fun learning over the past week or so that I am an extremist. I hadn’t previously considered myself to be one, but it’s now been pointed out so many times over the past few days, by certain young left-leaning folks, that I can no longer be in any doubt. I assume that I, along with other like-minded people, must now wait for the powers-that-be to start issuing little badges with the letter “E”, to warn others that there are dangerous people with unwholesome views in their midst.

Until recently, I’d sort of thought of extremists as being those bearded head-chopper chaps with their black flags, or radical anarchist types intent on bringing down the State. Compared to them, I’m a fantastically dull extremist. Happily married for 17 years; raising six fairly contented children; held down jobs since leaving university 20-odd years ago; never been in trouble with the law; taxes paid into the Treasury’s redistribution scheme; an elder in a local Anglican church; no links to any terrorist organisations; good relations with neighbours; and by and large, pretty relaxed and content with my lot.

But according to Napoleon’s puppies (I’ll explain that in a moment), none of this counts for diddly squat, and I am indeed to be regarded on a par with chaps heading out for an extended holiday in one of those “training camps” in David Cameron’s New Libya.

You might say that it was quite by accident that I found it out. Had Theresa May not taken the inexplicably stupid decision to hold an election shortly before beginning the process of negotiating our way out of the EU, I might never have known. But after her gamble went splat, and she was forced into begging the DUP to bail her out, the grin which had been slowly spreading over the faces of some of the more mathematically challenged citizens during the election night (who still seem to think that 262 seats get you into government), soon started to be turned into a rather menacing scowl.