GERMANY, RUSSIA, AND SYRIA
Last week I talked in my News and Views from the Nefarium about the quiet meeting that took place in Berlin between Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeir, the German foreign minsiter, and Sergei Lavrov, their Russian counterpart. The subject of the meeting was, I suggested, a quiet geopolitical earthquake, for the German and French governments appeared to be breaking ranks with American policy in Syria. As I also pointed out, there were indications that America's "coalition partners" had supplied ISIS targeting data to America, which promptly did absolutely nothing - no air strikes, no drones, - nothing. The meeting appeared to "greenlight" the Russian military intervention on behalf of, and in response to a request from, Mr. Assad in Damascus. There is no other way to interpret the meeting, though as I also implied in my video, one can suspect that the discussions of the three foreign ministers of Europe's "Big Three" were not confined solely to Syria and their mutual unhappiness with American policy there.
Doubtless the Ukraine was on the list of discussion topics, and doubtless too, the sanctions that Washington insisted that Europe - read Paris and Berlin - had to adopt vis-a-vis Russia, to their own economic detriment.
Now there is some confirmation that, indeed, the topic of sanctions was on the agenda in Berlin, in this article from Russia's Sputnik, shared by Ms. K.M.:
West Cannot Ask Russia for Partnership While Sanctions in Place - Berlin
What is intriguing here is the clear implication that the call for an end of German participation in Washington and London's sanctions regime appears not to be coming from Russia, but rather, from Germany itself:
German politicians have started to talk about the abolition of anti-Russian sanctions, as successful cooperation with Moscow in Syria cannot begin while they are in place. German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said that it is impossible to simultaneously support sanctions and ask Russia for cooperation.
According to him, the rapprochement could start with the construction of a second branch of the Russian-German Nord-Stream pipeline and be completed after the abolition of the sanctions.
"The conflict over Ukraine cannot influence the attitude of Germany, Europe and the United States to Russia so much that Russia would stop being a partner in Syria," Gabriel stated, indirectly supporting the abolition of sanctions against Russia, regardless of the implementation of the Minsk Agreement.
Reading between the lines a bit produces our high octane speculation of the day: Note that the German Vice-Chancellor has stated what the principle behind the discussions in Berlin might have been based upon, namely, a decoupling of French and German policy vis-a-vis Syrian and the Russian intervention there, from the whole issue of the Ukraine, which in any case, both countries know - though will never admit in so many words - is largely a fiasco of America's unilateral creation. In other words, the Ukraine was also a subject of discussion in Berlin, as were the sanctions, and it appears that the Germans might have presented the Russians with a proposed timetable: first, the French and Germans greenlight the Russian military intervention in Syria; second, the Russians and Germans negotiate a second pipeline; third, Germany lifts the sanctions against Russia, probably in stages as the pipeline goes through. In other words, it would appear that Mr. Putin isn't the only one playing some high stakes, and very subtle, geopolitical chess. They're playing it in Berlin and Paris as well, and by greenlighting Russia in Syria, they are signaling that the Syrian issue will be the wedge used to drive widen the gap between Paris and Berlin on the one hand, and Washington on the other. That wedge will be used to lift the sanctions, call into question the wisdom of American policy over the last seven years, and to strengthen their hands when they demand that Washington cease its unipolar handling of the Ukraine. And first off the list of discussable topics will be the Crimean and Sevastopol. There's no way Moscow will allow the USA to strip it of its traditional Black Sea Fleet base, and Paris and Berlin know it. Its only in the delusional minds of the neocons in the State Department that it remains a reality. But they might as well maintain that Charleston should be handed back to the Confederacy.
"It aint going to happen," and Paris and Berlin know it, and over the long term, are playing for keeps.
See you on the flip side.
14 Comments
Help the Community Grow
Please understand a donation is a gift and does not confer membership or license to audiobooks. To become a paid member, visit member registration.
OT re Ukraine, the blockade of food products by the Right Sector & Kiev while on the surface is supposed to harm Crimea may actually drive Ukrainian farmers to a financial cliff…I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear very soon that Monsanto, fracking corporations and others are buying up huge tracks of highly fertile and productive farmland for pennies on the dollar.
Re Syria I suspect Israel and/or its’ proxy Saudi Arabia may put on some sort of stunt very soon – no way they are going to let their little “sh@#t show” schemes in Syria fall by the wayside without a fight
Goshawk. Heard something across youtube last week from James Corbett apparently about scenes that Lucas cut? Something about empire governers planning to suspend constitutions until their manufactured wars are won – forced instead of manufactured consent. What’s Lucas in all this. Hard to describe such a propagandist when he’s outing such obvious non-theoretical conspiracy. It does seem an odd place to hear such plain truths.
GW. Nice link. Thank you much.
Dr F. Any way you can advance some now or later on GW’s link?
Kinda puts a better light on Putin’s continual gold buying all through even the worst of the ruble crash first quarter, 2015.
http://news.muckety.com/2014/09/05/top-us-government-contractors-are-also-investors-in-russia/47511
http://news.muckety.com/2014/09/03/russian-bank-hires-former-us-senators/47491
This mess might be easier to sort out if not for the apparent infighting that is the U.S. Anyone got some insights into the infights beyond fiorina yelled at trump who yelled at….?
Thank you all.
zendogbreath, science fiction has been used forever as a way to get ‘verboten’ subjects out in the open, disguised as another planet or timeline. Lucas is following in that fine old tradition. Just after the Patriot Act was committed, Lucas came out with this:
“Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” (2005)
Count Dooku: “What if I told you that the Republic was now under the control of a dark lord of the Sith?”
Obi-Wan: “No, that’s not possible. The Jedi would sense it.”
Count Dooku: “The Dark Side has clouded their vision. Hundreds of Senators are now under the influence of a Sith lord called Darth Sidious.”
–and–
The Emperor(ex Supreme Chancellor): [to the Senate] “In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society which I assure you will last for ten thousand years.”
[Senate fills with enormous applause]
Senator Padmé: [to Bail Organa] “So this is how liberty dies… with thunderous applause.”
~~~~~~~~~~
And the following caused a great uproar in the press, with cries of “Is Bush a Sith Lord?” due to Bush’s ‘with us or against us’ speech:
Obi-Wan Kenobi: “Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic… to democracy!”
Anakin Skywalker: “If you’re not with me, you’re my enemy.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi: “Only a Sith Lord deals in absolutes.”
~~~plus~~~
Darth Sidious (aka Supreme Chancellor): Once more, the Sith will rule the galaxy! And… we shall have peace.”
—However—
Yoda: “Good relations with the Wookies, I have.” (grin)
A nice one too:
https://syrianfreepress.wordpress.com/2015/09/23/russia-syria-stalingrad/
Well Mr. Obama, Mr. Assad isn’t going anywhere soon, and your plans of regime change just got smashed, and all of those billions you spent trying to get Syria into your flock have been wasted.
Truth pops up in the strangest places:
I was catching-up with the second season (2010-11) of the animated “Star Wars – Clone Wars” series. Lo and behold, the characters start talking about the ‘banking alliance’ making loans to both sides in the interstellar conflict. The banksters insist they are neutral, and it is just business. Hmmm, sounds familiar…
Honest politicians on both sides prepare a peace negotiation. Suddenly, ‘incidents’ happen to derail the peace process. Negotiators are killed by third parties. The fear card is openly played.
Both sides despair that war financing is driving them into bankruptcy. The war is also diverting funds from crucial social services, threatening the cohesion of their societies.
Seeing weakness, the banksters insist that no more credit lines will be available until the banks are deregulated. Opposing politicians are threatened, roughed-up, and even killed. Finally, the deregulation bill passes.
When the governments come for their credit lines, they find out that the interest rates they will be paying have jumped from 10% to 25%. Furious, the governments ask for a reason. The banks reply that they are now deregulated, and can now charge whatever the ‘market’ will bear…
—
With truth of this depth being publicly-stated, it is no wonder that LucasFilms was bought by Disney. My big wonder is whether it was an honest deal, or whether ‘other pressures’ were brought to the negotiations…
The bullets gonna hit the bone when Russia bombs an ISIS target and America insists its a rebel target not ISIS and defends its perceived asset against Russian/Syrian attack,and maybe it is ISIS and ….they know it. The 500 million they spent training and arming rebels who defected to ISIS were perhaps supposed to? Is the CIA/NSA combination so stupid that they didn’t notice the first few hundred trainee’s joining ISIS immediately as soon as the training was completed ? Did they figure it was just a massive fluke in the training program ? Ain’t nobody that stupid and they’re not stupid at all,they can even read thought. Hold onto your hats folks its going to be one wild rodeo.
Perhaps Russia and Europe are using Syria as a bargaining chip to end the sanctions. I don’t think they really care about Syria and Iran but know how important these objectives are to the Saudis, Israel, and the US. It appears to me that although they have wounded the ISIS beast they are careful not to destroy it as they easily could have done by now. I suspect massive war in the Middle East will actually strengthen Europe and Russia in the long run while weakening the US. Russia only cares about the sanctions in my view and the long term goal of both Russia and Europe is to weaken the US via a Middle Eastern war entanglement first and then with China. With the Middle East, US, and China devastated Russia won’t have a chance against the EU. Japan probably won’t be suckered into this one and are probably racing to beef up their defenses for self defense in the NWO.
No WalkingDead the Confederate States of America and the British Empire would see the planet go up in flames. If they can’t continue shooting bombing murdering and spreading terror Worldwide they will destroy the place.
My thinking is along those same lines. Old/declining empires never go quietly has been histories lesson.
Will common sense and reason prevail in US foreign policy; or are the neocon blinders so firmly in place they cannot be removed which have lead to its tunnel vision and single minded outcome?
Russia is offering the US a way out of this mess, will she take it?
If you’re right, we might expect to see Merkel and Hollande out of power in short order.
The German timeline sounds reasonable and other European countries may get enough confidence to follow suit, despite any “VW” or “Charlie Hebdo” incidents which might be in the pipeline.
However, the howling of the “dogs of war” has shifted attention from the European Central Bank/Bundesbank assault on Greece.
So while on the one hand, this decoupling from the neocon train headed to nowhere will gain a lot of consensus among people in Europe from a wide political spectrum; but the ruthless use of “austerity” as a weapon could cancel that out, unless there is some change in the German financial oligarchy. Which as far as I can see does not seem to be on the cards just yet (despite the festering Deutsche Bank crisis).
Sets a nice precedent for Germany to volunteer the help of the ESA in setting up BRICSA’s parallel system of financial clearing. Plus a nice excuse for the EU to put more satellites in orbit, which they will need if they are serious about forming an independent EU military.