Reports that German intelligence has been unable to find any evidence of Russian interference in German politics comes as no surprise.
It has become an article of faith on the part of establishment politicians and commentators in the West that the Russian government (always referred to as “the Kremlin”) is manipulating from behind the scenes the political processes in Western countries.
The latest fighting in and around the eastern Ukrainian town of Avdeevka is being represented as the product of a supposedly new Ukrainian ‘infiltration’ tactic whereby Ukrainian troops are said to insert surreptitiously into no-man’s land thereby gradually gaining territory and putting the eastern Ukrainian militia at a disadvantage.
Russia’s General Staff is reporting that the Syrian army is now within striking distance of retaking Palmyra from ISIS.
This comes after reports that the Syrian military has redeployed its elite Desert Hawks unit to the area, and earlier reports that the Russians are supporting the Syrian army’s offensive against ISIS in the area by providing air to ground support with SU-25 ground attack aircraft and KA-52 helicopters.
Reports are circulating – some of which are traceable to Jihadi sources – that fast advancing Syrian army forces have completed the encirclement of 5,000 ISIS fighters who are trapped in the strategic north Syrian town of Al-Bab.
If true then this begs the major question of whether the Syrian troops who have been advancing on Al-Bab from the south are coordinating with the Turkish troops who together with Turkey’s Jihadi allies have been trying to take Al-Bab from the north.
If since coming to office the new Trump administration has been making tentative moves towards repairing the US’s fraught relations with Russia, towards Iran it has been acting with heightened hostility.
It has blamed Iran for a missile attack on a Saudi frigate carried out by Yemeni forces, criticised Iran for its missile tests, and slapped more sanctions on the country. President Trump has made no secret of his strong disagreement with the Iranian nuclear agreement Iran agreed with the Obama administration, and he has also called Iran “the number one terrorist state”.
The Russians have made it absolutely clear over the course of the day that they disagree with the Trump administration’s increasingly confrontational policy towards Iran.
In a succession of what were clearly coordinated statements top Russian officials have made it clear that they will not sacrifice their relations with Iran in return for better relations with the US.
“Killing me softly.”
Former POTUS Barack Obama may have played the part of a dainty liberal, but don’t be fooled, deep down Barack was a killer. A killer of mass proportions.
Back in November I wrote a bleak account of the situation in Greece as I witnessed it following a brief visit there.
More recently I have written pointing out how the IMF has itself concluded that the situation in Greece is unsustainable.
Shortly after the French Right nominated Russian President Putin’s friend Francois Fillon as its candidate in the forthcoming French Presidential election, he has been hit with a scandal that threatens to derail his campaign. Indeed Fillon is now coming under pressure to pull out of the race entirely.
What happened?
The legal moves and counter-moves in the court case concerning Donald Trump’s ‘travel ban’ Executive Order may appear complicated, but in reality they follow standard practice. Since there are some misunderstandings in reporting them I will provide a brief explanation.
