Trump Tells Russia War is Coming

5 Comments

1. 

   Oui on April 11, 2018 at 11:09 am

   Wall Street is pushing towards new summits, record profits as the US deficit soars. Worries for a later day, we can always cut welfare, hospital costs, and refraim from caring for the poor … LOSERS!

   The Russian economy is in a poor shape, we aim to help them put new policy in place. But Putin has got to GO!

   US and Russia closer to open conflict than any time since Cold War | The Independent |

   Following Tuesday evening’s abortive UN Security Council meeting, air strikes on Syrian military targets now seem a matter of hours away. With this, the world has moved one step closer to a potential direct clash between two military superpowers.  

   On its part, Moscow has refrained from walking back on the stark red lines first issued in March by the chief of its general staff, Valery Gerasimov. On Wednesday morning, Russia’s ambassador to Lebanon reiterated Mr Gerasimov’s warnings: Russia would shoot down missiles and strike any platforms used to launch missiles to Syria if it considered its servicemen to be under threat. He appeared to go further to suggest any missiles fired at Syria would be shot down.

   Not since the Cold War has Moscow made such a direct and public threat to military engage with the US army —  to strike at its ships and planes.

   Analysis: ‘There is an enormous sense of alarm,’ says Mikhail Gorbachev in rare media intervention

   The prospect of a military clash stimulated Mikhail Gorbachev, one of the architects of the end of the previous confrontation, to make a rare media intervention.

   “There is an enormous sense of alarm,” said the last Soviet leader. “I’m incredibly disappointed with the way that our current leaders are dealing with things — they seem incapable of dialogue, of using diplomatic mechanisms, and politics has instead turned into an exchange of accusations, sanctions and military strikes.”

   #OPCW will deploy the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to #Douma, #Syria. Learn more: https://t.co/ban2xukAKx pic.twitter.com/MyMyQgr4R2

   — OPCW (@OPCW) 10 April 2018

   ○ United Natios Meeting: Following Three Draft Texts on Chemical Weapons Attack in Syria, Security Council Fails to Agree upon [A New] Independent Investigative Mechanism

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   A Kurdish fighter looks out over the devastated Syrian village of Halimce after retaking it, along with the nearby city of Kobani, from ISIS thugs. (Photo credit: Gett Images)

2. 

   Oui on April 11, 2018 at 1:48 pm

   Before and after Russian intervention in Syrian civil war | 2015-2018 |

   Psyops and propaganda, the fog of war, as well as the difficulty to obtain reliable information on the Islamic State, all interacting, contribute to this  complicated situation.

   The scope, intensity and evolution of the threat constituted by the Islamic State, its Khilafah and the worldview and system they seek to establish (see the Psyops series), as well as the length of the war and the prospects for its fate, fundamentally depend upon the Islamic State’s ability to be successful in meeting aims located along three interacting dimensions: Wilayat Sanaa, Yemen, Islamic State, IS, ISISconsolidating and developing the Islamic State and its Khilafah as a polity in all its facets, asserting supremacy over actual or potential competing groups and fighting victoriously against attacking foes.

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   Stalemate per today with regional powers establishing themselves inside the Syrian sovereign state.

   Who is controling what in Syria? https://t.co/MlPM1aJf4Q pic.twitter.com/qz2dY2qvT0

   — Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 3, 2018

   ○ Russia will shoot down US missiles fired at Syria and retaliate against launch sites, says ambassador | Reuters |

3. 

   Oui on April 11, 2018 at 5:03 pm

   Iran hurls ‘support for terrorism’ charge back at Saudi Arabia | Dawn – Pakistan |

   Iran hit back at Saudi accusations that Tehran provides “support for terrorism”, pointing at alleged links between Riyadh and militant groups such as Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS).

   Countries in the region “will never forget the role played by Saudi Arabia in conspiring for, supporting and arming violent terrorists and extremists such as Al-Qaeda and Daesh (IS) and other similar groups,” Iran’s foreign ministry said.

   It also singled out Saudi support for Iraq’s fallen dictator Saddam Hussein in his 1980-1988 war against Iran, its military intervention in Yemen since 2015 and its apparent rapprochement with Israel.

   ○ Iran’s delegate to the United Nations said that 5,000 people had been killed and 5,000 wounded in a chemical attack on Halabja | NY Times – March 1988 |

   It has been nearly three years since the chemical bombardment of Halabja, a small town on Iraq’s northeastern border with Iran in which up to 5,000 civilians, mostly women and children, died a painful and well publicized death.

   Despite the international outcry over this one infamous event, little was heard in the United States about Saddam Hussein’s brutal treatment of his own people until his invasion of Kuwait last August 2. Even now, virtually no mention is made of the many other times the Iraqi government has gassed its large Kurdish minority.

   [Source: HRW March 11, 1991]

   Iran, a bitter regional rival of Saudi Arabia with which diplomatic ties were cut in 2016, was responding to the kingdom’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who referred to Tehran’s “support for terrorism” during a visit to Paris.

   ○ FO summons US ambassador over death of biker in accident involving American diplomat

   Macron defends French arms sales to Saudi Arabia, voices concern for rights in Yemen | France24 |

   President Emmanuel Macron defended French weapons sales to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, but said he was concerned by the humanitarian situation and would host a conference on the issue before the summer.

   “Between now and the summer a joint conference will be held on Yemen to clarify what is being done and what needs to be done,” Macron said at a news conference alongside visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

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   Macron veut "la paix" entre l'Arabie saoudite et l'Iran, sur fond de crise au Moyen-Orient - Nov. 2017  

   When asked about civilian casualties, Prince Mohammed said the coalition was doing everything to avoid civilian casualties in Yemen, but that mistakes were inevitable in conflicts.

   Pressure has been mounting on Macron to scale back arms support for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which are leading the coalition fighting the Iran-aligned Houthi group that controls most of northern Yemen and the capital
   Sanaa.

4. 

   Oui on April 11, 2018 at 6:25 pm

   Security Council fails to adopt three resolutions on chemical weapons use in Syria

   The Council rejected a third text – also proposed by Russia – which concerned the work of the OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM).

   The draft received five votes in favour (Bolivia, China, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan and Russia), four against (France, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States), and six abstentions (Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Peru, and Sweden).

   Ahead of the Security Council meetings today, UN Secretary-General António Guterres had repeated his call on 15-member body to “find unity” on the issue of use of chemical weapons in Syria and ensure accountability.

5. 

   Oui on April 14, 2018 at 12:52 am

   ○ PM statement on Syria: 14 April 2018
   ○ Mattis, Dunford Detail Attacks on Syrian Chemical Arsenal | Pentagon |

   Syria: US, UK and France launch air strikes in response to chemical attack | The Guardian |  

   The Pentagon said the air strikes, which began at 4am Syrian time, involved planes and ship-launched missiles, more than a hundred weapons in all. Officials named three targets: a scientific research centre in Damascus, a chemical weapons storage facility west of Homs, and another storage site and command post nearby.

   “Right now, we have no additional attacks planned” the US defence secretary, James Mattis, said. “This is a one-time shot.”

   Mattis expects Russia ‘disinformation campaign’ on Syria strikes | Times of Israel |

   James Mattis, the US defence secretary, said more than double the number of missiles were used than in the US air strike against Syria in April 2017, when 59 missiles were launched.  He also confirmed that the strike was over during a Pentagon briefing at around 10.10pm, meaning it lasted no more than 70 minutes.

   A US-Russia “deconfliction line” to avoid crashes over Syrian airspace was used, the official said, but he stressed it is used most days.

   Mr Mattis indicated Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, had not been a target when asked, saying the regime’s chemical weapons programme had been the focus.

   General Joe Dunford, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the US chose targets to avoid hitting Russian forces.

   The US military warned Russia of areas it would be operating in, but did not coordinate planning or targets, Dunford said. Mattis and Dunford were joined at the Pentagon podium by British and French top officers.

   ○ Will Macron do in Syria what Obama wouldn’t? | France24 |

   I expect the Saudi Boy Prince will spread some more wealth from the oil dollars earned during the Iraq War under George Bush. The weapons bought by the Arab states will be in equal strength compensated to Israel. High fives all around.