Western Media's conundrum – why is 'bad guy' Putin so popular at home?

Source: https://www.rt.com/op-ed/423921-putin-economy-russia-capitalism/
By: Steve Keen is an Australian economist and author. He’s professor and Head of the School of Economics, History and Politics at Kingston University in London. You can support his attempts to build a new economics https://www.patreon.com/ProfSteveKeen.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is reviled as a "bad person" in the Western press and by Western politicians. And those accusations have heightened since the Skripal poisoning incident, which has been blamed on the Kremlin.

I'm neither going to dispute, nor support that characterization. Instead, I want to give some background as to why a "bad person" or "strongman" or, indeed, a hyper patriot, might have been elected Russia's leader in the first place. In other words, I want to explain why Putin has pursued certain policies which have helped to prompt such emotional reactions from many Western analysts.

And elected he was, first in 2000 – when, though the elections were criticized, they were regarded as broadly democratic. He has since been elected another three times, though Russia is no longer regarded as a true democracy by much of the West's media and political establishments.

The Bolshevik Experiment

No story starts yesterday, especially with Russia. The latest date one should commence with is 1914, when Russia was ruled by a hereditary emperor whose political ineptness helped lead to the First World War. The many disasters that flowed from WWI led to Nicholas II's own overthrow in 1917 when, after a bloody civil war, the Bolshevik faction of the Communist Party led by Vladimir Lenin became Russia's new leaders.

Who is John Bolton?

By: Marjorie Kohen

Source: http://marjoriecohn.com/trump-finds-fellow-bully-in-bolton/

Trump Finds Fellow Bully in Bolton

Nothing Donald Trump has done since his inauguration 14 months ago is more dangerous – to the United States, and indeed, to the world – than his selection of John Bolton for National Security Adviser. It is not surprising the president would feel most comfortable receiving advice from a fellow bully.

Trump bullies people on a nearly daily basis, directing his ire at immigrants, Muslims, women, LBGTQ people, the poor and the environment. He hurls Twitter attacks at those who disagree with him.

The president has encouraged police brutality, suggesting in a Long Island speech that law enforcement officers bang suspects’ heads against police car doors. “Please don’t be too nice” when arresting people, Trump advised. “Like when you guys put somebody in the car, and you’re protecting their head, you know, the way you put your hand over” their head, “I said, ‘You can take the hand away, OK?’”

After being told someone might throw tomatoes at him at a campaign rally, Trump urged his supporters to “knock the crap out of them … I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees.” He stated on Fox News that a Black Lives Matter activist who was attacked at a Trump rally “should have been roughed up.”

Cue the Chemical Weapons Stunt in Syria

Source: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/49176.htm
By Finian Cunningham

April 08, 2018 -  This weekend’s alleged chemical-weapon attack on civilians in Syria has all the hallmarks of a false-flag propaganda stunt. Only people who have had their critical senses numbed by saturated Western media distortion could possibly believe otherwise.

Three hallmarks are: the typically unverified claims and videos showing children being hosed down, which are attributed to the discredited media outlet, the so-called White Helmets. This group is embedded with terrorist organizations like Nusra Front and Jaysh al Islam, among others, but is eulogized in Western media as a respectable source. Anything that the White Helmets claim should be taken with extreme caution, if not contempt.

State Dept Claims Syria Chemical Attack, Blames Russia

Last week, Trump announced removing Americans from Syria unless Saudis pay for it. Therefore, killing innocent people in a chemical attack in order to keep Americans in Syria and flare up another round of bombardment of Syrian government's military was necessary. Of course, it is very hard to convince anyone that Syrian government killed its citizens at the time when they are winning the war against the remaining Saudi and American supported rebels. The following is the latest news:

Source: https://news.antiwar.com/2018/04/07/state-dept-claims-syria-chemical-attack-blames-russia/

BREAKING: 'AIRSTRIKE on Syria' reports of fighter jets and missiles over Lebanon

REPORTS of explosions have been heard at Syria’s Tiyas Military Airbase amid reports of jets flying across Lebanon into Syria as well as unknown projectiles, it has been reported.

Lebanon residents have reported hearing unidentified jets towards Syria.

Speculation is rising of a foreign attack against the Syrian regime just a day after a chemical attack.

It happened roughly at 3.30am local time on Monday.

Residents reported hearing loud booms and the sound of jets.

There are reports that Syrian air defence has intercepted missiles.

There are also reports that US warships from the Mediterranean are reportedly launching tomahawk missiles into Syria.

Syrian state television has reportedly confirmed

Reports are not confirmed so far, but video has emerged showing an unknown object flying across the sky in Lebanon.

One Twitter user said: “We're already under attack at this very moment!”

Another said: “USA lauches widespread assault on SyAF infrastructure. Warships are now positioning to launch tomahawks in the second wave of attacks.”

Lebanon residents have reported hearing unidentified jets towards Syria.

Speculation is rising of a foreign attack against the Syrian regime just a day after a chemical attack.

THE ISOLATION OF JULIAN ASSANGE IS THE SILENCING OF US ALL

Source: http://johnpilger.com/articles/the-isolation-of-julian-assange-is-the-silencing-of-us-all

In this letter, twenty-seven writers, journalists, film-makers, artists, academics, former intelligence officers and democrats call on the government of Ecuador to allow Julian Assange his right of freedom of speech.

If it was ever clear that the case of Julian Assange was never just a legal case, but a struggle for the protection of basic human rights, it is now.

Citing his critical tweets about the recent detention of Catalan president Carles Puidgemont in Germany, and following pressure from the US, Spanish and UK governments, the Ecuadorian government has installed an electronic jammer to stop Assange communicating with the outside world via the internet and phone.

As if ensuring his total isolation, the Ecuadorian government is also refusing to allow him to receive visitors. Despite two UN rulings describing his detention as unlawful and mandating his immediate release, Assange has been effectively imprisoned since he was first placed in isolation in Wandsworth prison in London in December 2010. He has never been charged with a crime. The Swedish case against him collapsed and was withdrawn, while the United States has stepped up efforts to prosecute him. His only "crime" is that of a true journalist -- telling the world the truths that people have a right to know.

Overthrow: 100 Years of U.S. Meddling & Regime Change, from Iran to Nica...

Is Trump Assembling a War Cabinet?

Source: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/49086.htm
By Patrick Buchanan

March 27, 2018

The last man standing between the U.S. and war with Iran may be a four-star general affectionately known to his Marines as "Mad Dog."

Gen. James Mattis, the secretary of defense, appears to be the last man in the Situation Room who believes the Iran nuclear deal may be worth preserving and that war with Iran is a dreadful idea.

Yet, other than Mattis, President Donald Trump seems to be creating a war cabinet.

Trump himself has pledged to walk away from the Iran nuclear deal – "the worst deal ever" – and reimpose sanctions in May.

The Skripal Poisonings and the Ongoing Vilification of Putin

Source: https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/03/28/the-skripal-poisonings-and-the-ongoing-vilification-of-putin/

by Gary Leupp

March 28, 2018

Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned by a nerve agent on March 4 on a park bench in Salisbury, England.

Skripal had been a Russian double agent, a spy who turned over 300 names of Russian spies to British intelligence from 1995 to 2004. He was (not so surprisingly) arrested in Russia in 2004 and sentenced to thirteen years in prison. He was released in a spy-swap in 2010, settled in the UK and became a British citizen.

Martin Luther King Jr.

In 1960s, when there was a large upheaval in the United States against the governments' atrocities within the country, and its expansionist policies outside of its boarders, four major political assassinations returned the government back to the hands of the "Hidden State". Since the presidency of McKinley, when in pretense of helping four islands to become independent of Spain US entered the war, and after kicking Spanish out, Philippines, Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico were attached as subjects of the US government, a policy that continued by the next president Theodore Roosevelt to this day turned US foreign policy into a colonizing power. Four people who were against such policies and had a large followings, were John Kennedy assassinated on November 22, 1963, Malcolm X on February 25, 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, and Robert Kennedy assassinated on June 5, 1968. All of these assassinations happened during the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson and FBI Director J Edgar Hoover. There are numerous books on the subject of a conspiracy between Johnson, a friend of Texas oil barons and connected to the mobs, and Hoover, another friend of Texas oil barons and the mobs, a triangle of the president, the CIA, and the FBI. A book by Dr. William Pepper titled "The Plot to Kill King" not only discloses who was behind the assassination of  King, it also briefly touches upon the connection to JFK assassination. A two part investigative film on Youtube also arrives to the same conclusion. The first part of the film is linked below, and the second part starts on Youtube right after. Below the link, beginning of Dr. Pepper's fascinating book is also copied here. 

The day before Deraa: How the war broke out in Syria

BY Steven Sahiounie
https://ahtribune.com/world/north-africa-south-west-asia/syria-crisis/1135-day-before-deraa.html

The day before September 11, 2001 was like any normal day in New York City.  September 10, 2001 was unaware of the earthshaking events which would happen the next day.

Similarly, one might think the day before the violence broke out in Deraa, Syria in March 2011 would have been an uneventful day, unaware of the uprising about to begin. 

But, that was not the case.  Deraa was teaming with activity and foreign visitors to Syria well before the staged uprising began its opening act.

Text of Putin's Speech

Source: http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Citizens of Russia, members of the Federation Council and State Duma,

Today’s Address is a very special landmark event, just as the times we are living in, when the choices we make and every step we take are set to shape the future of our country for decades to come.

MSNBC: Stop censoring U.S.-assisted carnage in Yemen

Source: https://act.rootsaction.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=13204&tag=RA180114&track=RA180114

An analysis by Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) has found that the purportedly liberal cable network MSNBC did not run a single segment devoted specifically to the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen in the second half of 2017, even though – or perhaps because – the U.S. government has played a key role in creating the catastrophe. During this period MSNBC ran nearly 5,000 percent more segments that mentioned Russia than segments that mentioned Yemen.
In all of 2017, MSNBC only aired one broadcast on the U.S.-assisted Saudi airstrikes that have killed thousands of Yemeni civilians. And it never mentioned Yemen’s cholera epidemic, which infected more than 1 million Yemenis in the largest outbreak in recorded history, a direct result of the U.S.-assisted Saudi/UAE war and blockade.[1]

Tillerson’s open-ended Syria war proves US is stuck in Mideast quicksand

By: Stephen Kinser
1/24/2018
Source: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6578073269238700358#editor/target=post;postID=2220879227933611649

 

 

When Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced last week that American troops would remain in Syria indefinitely, he sounded much like the legendary nation-grabber Theodore Roosevelt.

“We have hoisted our flag, and it is not fashioned of the stuff which can be quickly hauled down,” Roosevelt declared during debate over the Philippine War more than a century ago. “There must be control! There must be mastery!”

No one imagines that the 2,000 American soldiers now in Syria — or even a much larger force — can bring either mastery or control. Yet Tillerson’s announcement made clear that Syria is becoming a new front in the “long war” that the United States seems determined to fight in the Middle East. This commits our blood and treasure to a project that serves no vital American interest. On the contrary, our extended involvement in the Syrian civil war will promote instability, feed radicalism, divide NATO, and expose American troops to deadly attack. Since Congress has not approved our entry into this war, it may also be illegal.

Robert Parry’s Legacy and the Future of Consortiumnews

January 28, 2018

The is an article for the Late Robert Parry who died two days ago, written by his son. It is a brief history of the newspaper (semi-obituary semi-historical), which at the same time reflects complacency of Khomeini in Regan’s election, Iran-Contra, and Contra-Cocaine scandals.
Source: https://consortiumnews.com/2018/01/28/robert-parrys-legacy-and-the-future-of-consortiumnews/



Those Who Value Science کسانی‌ که برای علوم ارزش قائلند

For many who value science, 2017 will be remembered as the dawn of a new era. January saw the inauguration of Donald Trump, a president who has denied climate change and filled his inner circle with anti-science activists. But the year was as much an awakening as an annus horribilis: Researchers and citizens alike, in the U.S. and beyond, chose to speak out at rallies, on social media and even in the political arena — unprecedented numbers of scientists are considering a run for office. In a year of surprises, setbacks and signs of hope, here are some of the most memorable and consequential moments from just the first several months of the Trump administration:

برای کسانی‌ که برای علوم ارزش قائلند، سال ۲۰۱۷ به عنوان آغاز یک فصل جدید در خاطره‌ها خواهد ماند. در آغاز این سال، دانالد ترامپ به عنوان رئیس جمهور آغاز به کار کرد، رئیس جمهوری که نه تنها خود نگون بختی و تلاشیِ محیط زیست را به سخره می‌گیرد، بلکه کابینهٔ خود را مملوّ از علم ستیزان‌ و منکرینِ تغییرات اقلیمی کرده است. ولی‌ این سال آنچنان “سال مهیبی” بود که: محققین و شهروندان در آمریکا و سایر نقاط بر آن شدند که به تظاهرات بپردازند؛ و در رسانه‌های جمعی‌ و حتی در صحنه سیاسی- تعداد غیر قابل تصوری از دانشمندان تصمیم به فعالیتهای سیاسی گرفتند. در این سالِ بسیار شگفتی آور، لحظه‌های خاطره‌انگیزِ بارقه‌های امید و از آنطرف یأس، در چند ماه اول ریاست جمهوری ترامپ از این قرار بودند:

خدای مهربان

از زمانی‌  که آقای مومنی بخاطر می‌آورد در شرکتی مشغول به کار بوده است. این البته انتخاب او نبود و قریب به اتفاق اشخاصی‌ که در آن ناحیه زندگی‌ میکردند در آن شرکت یا اداره بکار اشتغال داشتند. او هم مانند بقیه به انجام امور مربوط به خودش اشتغال داشت. ولی‌ گاهی که خوب می‌اندیشید به شک می‌افتاد، چرا که فعالیتهای شرکتش کمی‌ مشکوک به نظرش میرسیدند. این تردید در او زمانی‌ تشدید می‌یافت که دستورات غیر متعارف رئیسِ مستقیمش را دریافت میکرد. علاوه بر فعالیتهای روزمره، رئیس ایشان گاهی از او می‌خواست که کارهای عجیبی‌ انجام دهد که از روال کارهای عادیِ مربوط به او خارج بود. مثلا او میبایست که روزی چند بار نرمش کند و دولا و راست شود، در حالیکه جملاتی به عربی‌ به زبان میاورد. یا اینکه به او دستور داده میشد که برای مدتی‌ از خوردن خودداری کند و روزه بگیرد. زمانی‌ رئیسش از او خواست که جملات نامفهومی را از حفظ کند. هر بار که او محترمانه اعتراض کرد که این اعمال از امور روزمره خارج بود، رئیسش توضیح داد که اینها خواسته‌های رئیس کل بودند و او (یعنی‌ رئیس مستقیم آقای مومنی) فقط رابط و یا واسطه‌ای بین کارمندان و مدیر کل بود. البته به او هیچوقت اجازه داده نشده بود که این رئیس کل را ملاقات کند، و می‌گویند فقط پس از بازنشستگی میتوانست او را ببیند! هفته‌ای یکبار هم باید به سخنرانی‌ فردی میرفتند که داستان‌های مضحکی را نقل میکرد و در مورد آداب زناشوئی و سایر مسائل شخصی‌ سخنرانی‌ میکرد، که این وقت تلف کردن برای او بسیار ناگوار میامد. آقای مومنی که از این درخواستها (و یا دستورات) و جلسات مذبوحانه خسته شده بود، پس از دوندگی فراوان و به مخاطره انداختن موقعیت شغلی‌ و حتی خودِ شغلش، درخواست انتقال به دائره دیگری را داد، که چنانکه به او گفته بودند، سرپرست معقولتری داشت. جالب این بود که سرپرستان هیچکدام یکدیگر را قبول نداشتند، و حتی برخی از آنان عنوان میکردند که سرپرستِ قسمتِ دیگر واسطهٔ بین کارمندان و مدیر کل نبود و دروغ میگفت. کارمندانِ این بخشِ جدیدی که او به آن منتقل شده بود اجبار نداشتند که فعالیتهای احمقانهٔ کارمندان دائرهٔ پیشین را انجام دهند، و حتی آن جملات نامفهوم را ترجمه کرده بودند که تماما ستایش و تعاریف از مدیر کل بود. ولی‌ در اینجا هم مشکلاتی بود و علاوه بر کارهای روزمره، فعالیتهای عجیب و غریب دیگری از او خواسته میشد که انجام دهد.  به عنوان مثال، کارمندان بایستی هر هفته به یک سخنرانی‌ میرفتند که سخنران مانند سخنران دائره پیشین، داستان‌های بچه‌گانه‌ای را میگفت و از مدیر کل و اطرافیان او تعریف و تمجید، و سخنان بی‌ارزش دیگری را عنوان میکرد. نه تنها در مورد مدیر کل، بلکه در مورد همسر و فرزند مدیر کل هم سخنرانی‌ میشد، و کارهای نا معقولی به آنها نسبت داده میشد. البته در پایان، مراسم خاصی‌ نیز همراه با موسیقی و آوازِ کارمندان داوطلب انجام میگرفت. آقای مومنی به قسمتهای دیگر اداره رفت و پس از گفتگو با کارمندان آن دوایر و تحقیق متوجه شد که کل آن سازمان در جهت تحمیق کارمندان، و در نتیجه، استثمار آنان بود. پس از اینکه آقای مومنی دریافت که تمام دوایر و قسمتهای اداره به همان نحو سرپرستی میشدند، و اکثر سرپرستان ادعا میکردند که نماینده مدیر کل بودند، تصمیم گرفت که استعفا دهد و به کار آزاد بپردازد. در اینصورت دیگر رئیسی نداشت که از او بخواهد که اعمال غیر عقلائی و احمقانه انجام دهد، و اصولا مدیر کلی‌ هم نداشت. نام خود را هم از مومنی به آزاد تغییر داد، تا بیشتر نمودار شغلش و عقایدش باشد.

صف‌آرایی ناگزیر طبقاتی

گفتگوی محمد مالجو با اعتماد درباره ی اعتراضات دی ماه 

http://www.akhbar-rooz.com/article.jsp?essayId=84171

 

 • آنچه اتفاق افتاد فقط محصول عملکرد دولت‌های یازدهم و دوازدهم نیست، اما دولت فعلی از این حیث شاخص است که تمام خطاهایی را که دولت‌های قبلی جداجدا انجام می‌دادند در خود متراکم و انباشته کرده است و به این اعتبار، دولت‌های یازدهم و دوازدهم هم در نوع جهت‌گیری اقتصادی‌شان و هم در نوع سوگیری سیاسی‌شان اصولا نقش فراوانی در بروز ناآرامی‌ها داشته‌اند ...

Iran: Release Detainees, Uphold Citizens’ Fundamental Freedoms

Source: https://freedomhouse.org/article/iran-release-detainees-uphold-citizens-fundamental-freedoms

Washington

January 9, 2018

In response to Iranian authorities’ detention of more than 2,000 demonstrators in the protests that began December 28 against government corruption and other economic and political issues, Freedom House issued the following statement:

“Iranian authorities should release the detainees, who were exercising their rights to freely assemble and express themselves,” said Dokhi Fassihian, senior program manager for Middle East and North Africa programs at Freedom House. “The deaths of at least three protestors while in custody raise urgent concerns about the treatment of detainees at the hands of security forces. Denying the Iranian people their fundamental freedoms and political rights is what started this crisis. Repression will not solve it.” 

Iran is rated Not Free in Freedom in the World 2017, Not Free in Freedom of the Press 2017, and Not Free in Freedom on the Net 2017.

Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world, and advocates for democracy and human rights.

بیانیه ی گروهی از فعالان چپ ایران به مردم شریف و آزاده‌ی ایران

بیانیه ی گروهی از فعالان چپ ایران به مردم شریف و آزاده‌ی ایران

Source: http://www.akhbar-rooz.com/article.jsp?essayId=84102

• تعدادی از فعالین چپ ایران با انتشار اعلامیه ای از مبارزات مردم حمایت و سرکوب اعتراضات آن ها توسط حکومت را محکوم کرده اند ...

اخبار روز: www.akhbar-rooz.com 

يکشنبه  ۱۷ دی ۱٣۹۶ -  ۷ ژانويه ۲۰۱٨ 

مردم شریف و آزاده‌ی ایران

ده روز از خیزش سراسری شما در شهرهای کوچک و بزرگ ایران می‌گذرد که حاصل آن تاکنون ده‌ها کشته و صدها دستگیری و شمار زیادی مجروح بوده است. در این شرایط ما امضاکنندگان این نامه وظیفه¬ی خود می‌دانیم که همدلی خود را با شما ابراز کنیم.

دکتر ابراهیم باستانی پاریزی

یکی‌ از نویسندگان پر توان ایران که حدود ۷۰  کتاب نوشته و در ادبیاتِ تحقیقی فعالیتهای بسیاری کرده و زبان شیرینی‌ در نوشته‌هایش داشت، دکتر ابراهیم باستانی پاریزی بود. او که سه سال و نیم پیش به دلیل بیماری کبد در سن ۸۸ سالگی بدرود حیات گفت، تا آخرین لحظه عمر به خواندن و نوشتن اشتغال داشت. اطلاعات تاریخی‌ خود را به زبانی ساده و همراه با امثال و سخنان طنز آمیزی عنوان میکرد که خواندن وقایع خشک تاریخی‌ را بسیار جذاب مینمود. زیرنگاشت‌هایی که در کتابهایش میاورد به دلیل طول آنها، که گاهی چند صفحه را در بر میگرفتند، بسیار مشهور بودند.