THE GMO SCRAPBOOK: RUSSIA’S GMO GEOPOLITICS COMES INTO THE OPEN ...

While I was scheduling this week's blogs, I had a brief email exchange with Ms. M.W., who shared the following op-ed piece by one of my favorite researchers, F. William Engdahl, and wait until you read what's in it:

Sanctions and the Birth of the New Russia

Regular readers here will know that I've been predicting that the BRICSA nations would eventually make GMOs a geopolitical issue, if only for purely economic reasons to counteract the almost total dominance of western "agribusiness" firms such as Mon(ster)santo, making their products available to a western market that is now hopelessly overgrown with such corporations and their mercantilist policies. Indeed, I predicted that such moves would perhaps come from Russia first, and there have been indicators, here and there, that this "GMO geopolitics" was indeed in Russia's thinking, when various ministers called into question the entire "scientific" basis for GMOs. Last year Russia added fuel to the fire by calling for extensive inter-generational and comprehensive testing of GMOs. Now, in Mr. Engdahl's article, there appears to be more sweeping and generalized confirmation that this may be in the cards:

"Today’s Russian leaders have realized that what was considered under the corrupt Yeltsin era to be a liability—Russia’s agriculture—is one of her greatest assets.

I had occasion in the context of this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, to speak with the Deputy Secretary of Agriculture who told me the government has made a strategic decision to use the sanctions and Russian “counter sanctions,” namely banning imports of major food products of the European Union, to build a Russian natural or organic food production.

Deputy Minister, Sergey Levin, told me that Russia already today has banned any commercial planting of GMO seeds. His comments were echoed at the Forum by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich who announced that Russia will not use genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Russian Agriculture Minister, Nikolai Fyodorov has pledged to keep Russia a GMO-free country. At a meeting of deputies representing rural areas recently he declared in reference to GMOs, that the government will not “poison their citizens.”

They have realized that the abundantly rich, fertile Russian soil, owing to the Cold War requirements of diverting most chemical production into the military defense sector, has largely avoided the heavy soil application of agrochemicals that have done severe damage to the farmlands of the United States and much of the European Union since 1945. American agribusiness methods have been marvelous for increasing harvest yields but not for maintaining nutritional quality of the food produced. Here is where Russia has realized it can become a major world producer of organic, non-GMO quality agriculture products. Fertile Russian agriculture lands become even more strategic to world food supplies as the similarly fertile black soils of Ukraine are being destroyed by war and chaos there. (Emphasis added)

In other words, Russia recognizes that it stands poised to exploit the growing demands around the world for alternatives not only to GMOs, but to the corporate-backed "science" undergirding them. The other significant point here is the statement of the Rusian agricultural minister that the Russian government will not poison its citizens, a direct slap not only at the West but at its GMO corporations. In other words, expect a propaganda war to heat up on this issue, and like it or not, this is an issue that mere propaganda on the west's part will not and cannot win.

There's other leaks in Washington's dike, and Engdahl is quick to point them out, not the least being all of Russia's energy deals which seem to be bypassing Washington's and Brussels' demands to keep the sanctions regime in place:

The diversity of such strategic trade deals that emerged from St. Petersburg is impressive. Andrew Korybko, journalist and analyst with Moscow’s Sputnik News detailed some of the most significant of the deals that emerged from the Russian forum. Korybko points out that far from being regarded internationally as a pariah state, as a “rule-breaker” of rules of the Washington game, today’s Russia is becoming a magnet of international interest unprecedented her history.

That was demonstrated in the attendance at the annual St. Petersburg forum. Despite strong efforts by the silly US State Department to discourage attendance in St. Petersburg, this year a record number of paid participants, some 10,000, joined in three days of intensive discussion and signed over 200 contracts worth $5.4 billion in new trade deals with Russia, with tens of billions in new deals in serious negotiation. Attendance was some 25% more than a year ago, and a record for the 19 year-old forum, despite the repeated Washington and Brussels efforts to demonize Russia and Putin.

Sending a clear signal to their NATO-tied governments that they do not regard Russian sanctions as a hindrance to further cooperation with Russia in development of Russia’s vast undeveloped hydrocarbon resources, Britain’s BP and the Anglo-Dutch Royal Dutch Shell, as well as Germany’s E.ON, made major new agreements with Russia in St. Petersburg.

Russian energy giant Gazprom and Shell signed a memorandum on the construction of a third technical line for a liquefied natural gas plant on Sakhalin Island on Russia’s Pacific Coast. Gazprom also signed a memorandum on the construction of a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea with E.ON, Shell and Vienna-based OMV oil and gas company.

Recently it was stated in various articles that the sanctions regime has cost the European Union member states dearly in lost business, exports, and contracts, leading the European locomotive, Germany's economy, to contract, while Frau Merkel blathered platitudes about "decarbonization" at the G7 summit. There's no two ways to interpret her remarks, either she and the German know something and have an ace up their sleeve, or she was just being silly and trendy. But in either case, the economic realities of the sanctions regime is that they are not in Europe's best interest, and sooner or later this will force Brussels (read, Paris and Berlin) to face reality. One can dream of the day when the Italian Prime Minister or the German chancellor (probably not Merkel) will give a press conference and just say that it's time for the USA to leave. The USA will say no, of course, and then the fun will begin...

...or maybe it already has. The other geopolitical move by Russia, in addition to the long term potential of its stance on GMOs, has to be the earthquake that just went off with Russia and Saudi Arabia:

One of the most geopolitically fascinating developments around the St. Petersburg forum was the appearance of Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Defense Minister and son of King Salman. Prince bin Salman, and Putin held a joint press conference during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum where Putin announced he had invited Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to visit Russia, and had accepted an invitation to visit Saudi Arabia.

In addition, the two discussed Saudi purchase of Russian nuclear power technology. Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told RT that Saudi Arabia plans to use Russia’s expertise to build up to 16 power-generating nuclear reactors. Russia and Saudi Arabia signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the peaceful use of nuclear energy. According to Russia’s state-run atomic energy agency Rosatom, for the first time in the history of Russian-Saudi relations it creates a legal framework for bilateral cooperation in nuclear energy, and opens prospects for cooperation in construction and operation of reactors, nuclear fuel cycle services as well as education and training.

Russian President Putin and the Saudi Prince discussed possible cooperation in the arms trade. Hmmmm. Until now Saudi Arabia has been a prime arms customer of the USA and of Great Britain. No doubt the May 9 Moscow parade of the most advanced Russian weapons systems caught the eye of Prince bin Salman. Referring to the talks between bin Salman and Putin on possible Russian weapons system purchases by Saudi Arabia, Foreign Minister al-Jubeir stated, “This issue [purchase of weapons] is being considered by the military experts from our countries. But I want to stress that nothing prevents us from buying Russian defense systems, just like nothing prevents Russia from selling them to Saudi Arabia.”

We can imagine this statement raised more than a few eyebrows in Washington and London and Brussels NATO headquarters, where it’s been assumed ever since the 1945 meeting between US President Roosevelt and Saudi King Ibn Saud securing exclusive rights for American oil majors to develop the huge oil reserves of the Saudi Kingdom, that Riyadh would be a US vassal state.

What Mr. Engdahl does not point out in his article (but no doubt is aware of) is Russia's heavy involvement in the Iranian nuclear fuel cycle, and its support for Iran and its role in brokering discussions with the West about that project. Thus, Russia, by opening the doors to Saudi nuclear deals and arms trade, is gaining an influence within both wings of the Islamic world, while simultaneously chipping away at that country's reliance upon western arms for its military. Behind this, one may expect to see deals for the exchange of intelligence. One may thus imagine that this not only raises eyebrows in Washington and Brussels, but that it set off a few quiet earthquakes. What emerges from this is that BRICSA bloc or no BRICSA bloc, Russia means to play its own game by its own rules, and to challenge the central dogmas of western globaloneyists, and their mystical and pesimistic dogmas of the obsolescence of the nation-state and its accompanying Malthusian pessimism. Russia is optimistic, in spite of all that has been dished out. Recent defections among the Ukrainian military have only reinforced these policy decisions as the corrupt fascist oligarchs - installed by Washington - in Kiev fumble their way to ruin. This is the reality.

The trouble is, they're not living in the real world in Brussels and Washington and London, and they seem to be hyptonized in Madrid, Paris and Berlin.

See you on the flip side.

 

 

 

Posted in

Joseph P. Farrell

Joseph P. Farrell has a doctorate in patristics from the University of Oxford, and pursues research in physics, alternative history and science, and "strange stuff". His book The Giza DeathStar, for which the Giza Community is named, was published in the spring of 2002, and was his first venture into "alternative history and science".

14 Comments

  1. DanaThomas on June 28, 2015 at 4:27 am

    Slightly off topic on THIRD WAY matters: Greek speaks out on pre-Nazi and post-Nazi infiltration of his country: https://youtu.be/EvRNhS1-32M



    • DanaThomas on June 28, 2015 at 4:30 am

      PS first few seconds in Italian, the rest is in English



  2. Rad on June 27, 2015 at 5:41 am

    My opinion is that both “the west” and Russia are just pawns for a greater game played by higher powers. Sometime they step outside the lines or try to play the winner but eventually are bring back in line, even if eventually are destined to play the loser.

    Russia can’t offer much in agriculture as they don’t have yet enough for them, they import a lot until now. They can become self-sufficient eventually, if they resolve all their problems (including to exploit what they have).

    Because look what happen lately

    http://tass.ru/en/russia/804075

    “MOSCOW, June 26. /TASS/. Authorities of Russia’s Transbaikalia say they may sign early next year an agreement on lending to Chinese investors for 49 years of 115,000 hectares of land, Governor Konstantin Ilkovsky said on Friday.”

    Russia may lend quite some piece of agriculture land in Siberia to “Chinese investors”, for 49 years.
    In good old Chinese fashion, like the “Chinese drop” and the saying that the road of 1000 miles start with a step China move more in their lost lands of Siberia, little by little.
    After they get a great deal on gas with Russia (after Russia refused 10 years to sign it). More and more China become the dominant partner in relation with Russia (China economy dwarfs Russian ones these days). Some in Russia become increasingly worried about this.

    About Saudis relations or talks with Russia (including about nuclear plants), I think the future signs that oil (and even gas) will become less relevant make them try to see for something they can do about. I had read somewhere that Saudis are afraid that in less then 100 years they will remain with their oil buried in their sands and without customers.
    There is as well the problem they have with Iran and possibility that Iran will get some nuclear weapons in the future and will threat Saudi Arabia and its Emirates states around.

    EU have a surplus of agriculture products (up to the point some lands remain not cultivated and some other farmers are paid to not harvest anything in some years). And a significant portion is GMO free. Not sure where Russia may find a market even if manage to produce enough for export (which I doubt they will anytime soon).

    My view is that Russia is used as boogeyman for Eastern Europe and ISIS and muslim immigration is the boogeymen for western Europe. The idea is to dilute and destroy European nation states based in general on homogenous ethnic blocks, and form a mixed population pushed under the same flag and to form the USE, similar in a way with USA, and both inspired a lot from Roman empire (just look how the Roman society was structured and see already lots of similarities).

    Then the “tools” like Russian empire or islamist terrorists will be eliminated when they finished their job, and USE+USA will rise in a rivalry with China (that will take much of Asia under her shadow and influence).
    Probably “new humans” will appear and spread as well to replace the “older” species.
    GMO will eventually modify some human DNA, same thing will do some EM waves, chemicals and even a new spirituality (if energy/astral body need to be put in some new standards). Genetic engineering coupled with social engineering and some spiritual engineering in the new societies that will appear are probably destined to form few new human races. A better “herd” is probably the desire of those higher powers, as the more direct ways (like mass elimination) had failed in the XIX and XX century when they tried that.
    I think however that are other powers involved around and any plan is not sure to be successful for those.



  3. johnycomelately on June 27, 2015 at 3:56 am

    Here’s a simple thought experiment.

    The US actually fought the Vietnam war to ensure communist victory.

    Ensure poor tactics would result in officer fragging – check.

    CIA sponsored counter culture anti war protests – check.

    Make war domestically as unpopular as possible – check.
    (Forced Conscription, use criminals, incarcerate popular cultural refuseniks ie. Muhammed Ali)

    Kill and destroy as many Vietnamese civilians as possible to increase communist sympathisers – check.
    (Destroy a village to save a village, napalm, carpet bombing, torture, indiscriminate shelling)

    Extract Vietnamese nationalists to remove potential 5th column – check.

    There is no geopolitics, there are shepherds and there are sheep, nothing more nothing less. On a macro level the global elite are working together collectively to herd the sheep.



  4. TRM on June 26, 2015 at 10:16 pm

    If Saudi Arabia starts selling oil for anything other than USA dollars they will be wiped out in a heartbeat. They are far too vulnerable internally and the house of Saud knows it.

    Talk and trade are cheap but what are you selling your goods for? US dollars? If yes then you get to live a little longer until your masters have used you for all you they can.



  5. Frankie Calcutta on June 26, 2015 at 6:28 pm

    I imagine the west has a doomsday seed in their arsenal for just such a scenario: when the healthy eaters revolt on a national and international level. In the least, we cold expect to see GMO seeds unnaturally making their way out of the Ukraine to infect Russian crops. The western mercantilists will then demand from their servile governments a military action against Russia to recover royalties for the Russian’s “Illegal” use of Monsanto seeds. Only the military action, ironically, will be carried out by enfeebled American soldiers made weak and defective by the very GMO agribusinesses they now crusade for. And like the Wehrmacht sugar addicts who soon faltered and then crumbled once the chocolate laden packages stopped arriving from the home front, so too will the vitamin and mineral deficient US soldiers disintegrate against the stronger and healthier Russian soldiers. Unable to physically sustain themselves on twinkies and potato chips as they try to march on Moscow against better fed Russians, they will soon stumble and then, as the supply lines disappear, their thoughts will quickly turn from thoughts of victory to that of junk food as they make a disorderly retreat from the Russian homeland desperately foraging for junk food as they exit (and never once considering eating a head of cabbage or a potato because no one in the US military will know how to cook it).



  6. basta on June 26, 2015 at 2:51 pm

    If the slimeball Saudis indeed throw their hand in with Russia in a big way, you can be sure that the ZioCon Cabal will eventually (despite — or rather because of — all the documented but suppressed evidence of dancing art students aka Mossad agents arrested in Fort Lee who were there “to document the event,” those white Israeli moving vans with the smoking towers stencilled on their flanks spotted Downtown and caught with explosives on the onramp of the GW bridge, the Mossad cells in Florida, etc, etc.) simply pin 9/11 on the Saudis and throw them under the bus.

    You can see that this is the fall-back plan due to all the recent, ominous rumblings coming from the Mighty Wurlitzer and various members of the AIPAC-controlled congress critters, militating (ineffectually, at the moment) to declassify the redacted 28 pages of the 9/11 Ommission Report. The Saudis flip sides and they will just whip up 28 pages of slam-dunk Saudi involvement (think Saddam’s WMD) and let ‘er rip.



    • Robert Barricklow on June 26, 2015 at 3:22 pm

      Yes basta, the propaganda media would pull a Ukraine[rhymes with train] on their criminal Saudi brothers, if they were to act in their own best interests.



  7. WalkingDead on June 26, 2015 at 2:18 pm

    This also could be more theater and misdirection to secure their “New World Odor” from the east rather than the west. Now that the Vatican has jumped on board their eugenics train and TPP and other “secret” trade agreements are coming on line to bring India, Indonesia and China under big Pharma’s deadly pharmaceuticals; and their new, even more aggressive, Agenda 21 nonsense, they seem to be on track with their agenda.
    The defecation will hit the rotary oscillator once things get so bad that the Vatican announces the arrival of their “ET god” or the singularity is announced. By then, no doubt, the international corporations will own the entire planet. The only thing left then will be which one of the oligarchs ends up top dog and owns it all.
    We live in interesting times…



    • Robert Barricklow on June 26, 2015 at 3:17 pm

      Beijing has a back-up plan to the lead in an alternative[just as they did in the AIIB Banking scenario]. An alternative Trade Agreement other than the Act Now! pressure of the TPP Trade regime’s staightjacket sales pitch. And like the aforementioned AIIB, the U.S. is not to be included. No doubt, as in the AIIB, Russia was in play. So both Russia & China are out. India is also against tailoring-up for a TPP straightjacket, as is Indonesia. Like Greece/EU, the TPP is not likely to come to the terms that both India & Indonesia want. Also the TPP is not as yet down & dirty in the US of A.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whEvyQXtkII



  8. marcos toledo on June 26, 2015 at 10:48 am

    The EU is in denial the CSA and the rest of it’s boat people states. It created in the Americas, Australia, New Zealand a coming back to haunt Western-Central Europe. The trash cans it created over the last five hundred years are coming home to roost. And to add to this they are alienating Eastern Europe mainly Russia and kicking the hornet nest in the Islamic societies fine work jerks.



  9. Robert Barricklow on June 26, 2015 at 8:47 am

    The “tipping Point” is drawing closer…
    The West can only kick the can down the road…
    and the road is reaching a…
    tipping point.



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