Douma Chemical Attack: Timeline of facts so far
A brief post, collating all the known events surrounding the build up to the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma, Syria on the 7/8th of April 2018.
All posts tagged: Middle East
WATCH: Tony Benn Speaks to Parliament
Tony Benn would be 93 years old today, and in tribute to greatest Prime Minister Britain never had, we publish this video, showing at once how right he was in his predictions, and how little the political scene has really changed. He cites America fabricating a pretext for war in the Middle-East, the dangers of acting outside the UNSC, the hypocrisy of supporting Saudi Arabia whilst condemning alleged human rights abuses in other countries and the vile hate propaganda creating a fever for war in the press. He talks about America’s history of brutality and the consequent lack of moral authority, the profit of the military industrial complex and their real motivation being oil and energy supplies. He was speaking in 1990.
Syrian Refugees are Going Home, the West is Ready to Attack
Text and Photos by Andre Vltchek. Originally published by New Eastern Outlook. “How many years have you been living in Beirut?” I asked my barber, Eyad, after he told me, beaming, that in three months from now, he will be returning home, to Damascus. Even one year ago, such conversations would not be easy to commence. But now, everything has been changing, rapidly and, one wants to believe, irreversibly. Although nothing is truly irreversible, the better things are on the ground in Syria, the more threatening the West is becoming, particularly the United States. Now it is, once again, intimidating Damascus, ready to attack the Syrian army, something that could easily drag Russia and others into a lethal confrontation. The war! The West is clearly obsessed with perpetual war in Syria, while most of the Syrian people are passionate about bringing back an everlasting peace. “6 years,” replied my barber, preparing his razor. I detected sadness and indignation in his voice, “6 years too many!” “After you go back, then what? Are you going to …
Guardian trashes White Helmet sceptics
Today’s Guardian (December 18th) plumbs new depths in its narrative on Syria. A Spotlight Piece by Olivia Solon – her profile refers to her as “a senior technology reporter for Guardian US in San Francisco” – carries the header, How Syria’s White Helmets became victims of an online propaganda machine.
First Opinion Poll held in War-torn Syria
Sophie Mangal, Inside Syria Media Center There had been general public opinion poll conducted by independent sociologists and political scientists from all around the world in war-torn Syria. The citizens of the state shared their views on the main events and situation now taking place in the country, their attitude towards other countries acting actively on the fate of the country and also called the main problems of the state. This analysis led to the identification of the population of Syria’s relationship to the conflict with the participation of various parties, as well as to find out at last where the truth that the media usually publish lies and how big is the falsehood. It is noticed that the survey was conducted in all the Syrian provinces including those under pressure of war. According to preliminary data, 97% of respondents believe that the country is currently suffering from the crisis caused by corruption, internal weakness of the state and the collusion of other countries against Syria, consequences of which fuel and enhance a humanitarian catastrophe …
Middle East, post-Daesh: Some Possible Scenarios
by Denis Churilov ISIS/Daesh is likely to be defeated in Syria and Iraq very soon. But will it bring peace to the region? No. There are many potential local conflicts that can break out in the nearest future. Some of them are already going on, some of them are in the dormant state, waiting to be triggered. Other conflicts might be created spontaneously out of thin air. Let’s try to predict the upcoming conflicts in the Middle East. The following list contains the worst case scenarios that are not mutually exclusive and can, in fact, facilitate one another in a domino effect style: A civil war in Iraq between Kurdish Erbil and Iranian-backed Baghdad government. We have already seen reports on the clashes between Peshmerga forces and the Shia militias in 2016. The recent developments with the referendum may soon exacerbate the situation, especially considering that ISIS has been seriously weakened and now can’t serve as a unifying common threat factor. Kurds in Turkey. The clashes between various Kurdish militants and Erdogan’s government have been …
Hezbollah and Syrian Army Finishing Off Terrorists of Al-Nusra
From Lebanon, text and photos: Andre Vltchek It came unexpectedly, rapidly and with great force: on 21 July 2016, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Syrian army from their side, in unison, attacked positions of the malevolent terrorist group, Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly known as Al-Nusra Front), in the mountainous province of Jroud Arsal in Bekaa Valley, on the border of two countries. Simultaneously, the Lebanese Army surrounded and hermetically sealed the area around Arsal town, preventing new terrorist forces from entering the battle zone. More than 150 militants were killed. Two dozen Hezbollah fighters lost their lives. Despite the difficult mountainous terrain, the battle was swift, heroic and well coordinated. The group was forced into accepting a ceasefire agreement, which went into effect on 27 July, and which stipulates that all of its fighters will be transferred by the army to a designated area inside Syria (Idlib). Vanessa Beeley, Associate Editor of the 21st Century Wire, wrote this comment for my essay, literally from “the rubble of East Aleppo”: This is a momentous victory for …
Amnesty International Admits Syrian “Saydnaya” Report Fabricated Entirely in UK
Amnesty International’s 48 page report titled, “Syria: Human Slaughterhouse: Mass Hangings and Extermination at Saydnaya Prison, Syria,” boasts bold claims. However, even at a cursory glance, before even reading the full body of the report, under a section titled, “Methodology,” Amnesty International admits it has no physical evidence whatsoever to substantiate what are admittedly only the testimony of alleged inmates and former workers at the prison, as well as figures within Syria’s opposition.
Hillary Clinton’s Project For A New American Century
by Dan Wright Here we go again. Earlier this year, some were surprised to see Project For The New American Century (PNAC) co-founder and longtime DC fixture Robert Kagan endorse former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for president. They shouldn’t have been. As is now clear from a policy paper [PDF] published last month, the neoconservatives are going all-in on Hillary Clinton being the best vessel for American power in the years ahead. The paper, titled “Expanding American Power,” was published by the Center for a New American Security, a Democratic Party-friendly think tank co-founded and led by former Undersecretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy. Flournoy served in the Obama Administration under Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and is widely considered to be the frontrunner for the next secretary of defense, should Hillary Clinton become president. The introduction to Expanding American Power is written by the aforementioned Robert Kagan and former Clinton Administration State Department official James Rubin. The paper itself was prepared in consultation with various defense and national security intellectuals over the course of six dinners. …
Guardian accidentally shows even more proof Syrian “rebels” are western stooges
by BlackCatte In a narrative of increasing farce, we are now being told by the Guardian that “41” of the various Syrian rebel groups have joined in a rare “show of unity” to condemn the Russian bombing and promise revenge. As expected the Guardian is sketchy about the background of these groups, or about whether we should be sympathising with them or not. This is suggested in tone, rather than overtly stated, because sympathy for Ashrar al Sham or al Nusra would be a hard thing for even the Guardian to justify. Apparently what the Graun expects us to take away from this is that people like being bombed by the west, but hate being bombed by Russia. Because Russia is evil. They don’t, apparently, think we’ll notice this is stupid, and that the mere spreading of such a ridiculous tale only makes it more obvious the “rebels” are and always were western-backed mercenaries, there to further US geopolitical interests at any cost. Like the psychopath claiming he didn’t murder his wife even after the …
Fallujah: the Hidden Massacre
WARNING: This video contains images that depict the reality and horror of what weapons such as white phosphorous can do to living people. It should only be viewed by a mature audience Fallujah: the Hidden Massacre is a documentary by Sigfrido Ranucci and Maurizio Torrealta which first aired on Italy’s RAI state television network on November 8, 2005. This November will mark the 11th anniversary of what is now called the Fallujah Massacre, when US troops allegedly attacked a civilian population with white phosphorous. Given the ongoing western war crimes in the Middle East, we think it’s apposite to re-publish this disturbing film at this time. NOTE – If anyone would like to remind Nick Cohen about the events depicted in this film, he can be reached via Twitter at @NickCohen4 From the Independent, Tuesday 08 November 2005: Powerful new evidence emerged yesterday that the United States dropped massive quantities of white phosphorus on the Iraqi city of Fallujah during the attack on the city in November 2004, killing insurgents and civilians with the appalling …
Obama’s “Safe Zone” in Syria intended to turn it into new Libya
by Shamus Cooke The road to war is paved with a thousand lies. A fresh fib was tossed on the lie-cluttered warpath to Syria, when it was announced that the U.S. and Turkey would create a “safe zone” inside of Syria — supposedly to be aimed against ISIS. This “safe zone” is a major escalation of war, but it was described in soft tones by the media, sounding almost cuddly. In reality, however, a “safe zone” is a “no-fly zone,” meaning that a nation is planning to implement military air superiority inside the boundaries of another nation. It’s long recognized by the international community and U.S. military personnel as a major act of war. In a war zone an area is made “safe” by destroying anything in it or around that appears threatening. Turkey has been demanding this no-fly zone from Obama since the Syrian war started. It’s been discussed throughout the conflict and even in recent months, though the intended goal was always the Syrian government. And suddenly the no-fly zone is happening — …
America’s Safari to Nowhere
By Michael Brenner Senior Fellow, the Center for Transatlantic Relations; Professor of International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh The United States is heading over a cliff in the Middle East. The impending crack-up, though, evokes no serious debate about the thinking and methods that have led us there. Instead, the only criticism solicited or heard is from the John McCains and Lindsey Grahams who have perfect records of being wrong on everything since 2001 Every Soul is captive Of its own Deeds ~ Qur’an 74:38 From late 2007 through 2010, the United States and its Israeli partner ruled the roost in the Middle East. It was the best of all worlds – for them. With that construct now shattered, they are trying desperately to put Humpty-Dumpty back together again. Sadly for them, their only tools are gorilla glue and prayer beads. Moreover, they are laboring without architectural design or engineering blueprints. Let’s look back at that earlier structure so as to identify its sustaining features. That will serve as a point of reference for understanding why …
Iran Holds Out, Yemen and Donbass Burn
By El-Murid, Russia Iran has something to be proud of and something to celebrate: it preserved the right to develop its peaceful nuclear program, albeit under 10 years of control, including the production of their own fuel. In exchange, the West rolls back its sanctions imposed in the last few years, leaving those sanctions, which operated from the beginning of the revolution in 1979 – for human rights violations and other trifles. No one is surprised that the US police killed 100 people last month, but human rights are violated by Iran, that’s today’s logic. Iran didn’t back down, did not give up its positions, managed to defend its right to nuclear energy – a rare example of unity between government and people in the modern world, who were able to undertake a task and complete it. Many of the self-described superpowers manage much less. On the other hand, we should not delude ourselves much: the United States is not showing its “soft side” for nothing. They have their own plans and their own interests, …
A Hostage Drama in Istanbul: Radicals Killed by Police
ISTANBUL, TURKEY, RT.COM. Turkish security forces cut short a standoff with a far-left group that captured prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz, when they launched a storm on an Istanbul court. Local media reported that all hostage takers are dead, and the court official wounded. Kiraz was taken hostage by the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front on Tuesday afternoon. The official gained public notoriety leading the case of Berkin Elvan, a 15-year-old protester who suffered injuries during the anti-government demonstrations of 2013. Elvan, who fell into a coma and died nine months later in March 2014, has become a symbolic figure for the street opposition movement in the country. FULL STORY ON RT.COM
Questions you aren’t supposed to ask about ISIS: #1 – those Toyota trucks
by BlackCatte Part 1 of our “ISIS” series. Part 2 can be seen here ISIS. Murky, masked, terrifying Bad Guys. Islamic hardliners, doing unspeakably ghastly things in faraway sandy places. A horde poised to be unleashed on the innocent everywhere. They merge in the Jungian western mind with race memories of the Saracen, that other convenient boogey man from a previous and ultimately ill-fated bid to make strategic conquest into a moral Crusade. Fear is the message. And it works. As with most official narratives, the ISIS trope is left largely unexamined by mainstream media, while at the same time being used as a major motivation for continued and increasing war in the Middle East. Given the growing chaos in the region, now spreading to Yemen, and the increasingly blurry role ISIS would appear to be playing, as media fear-porn, war-provocateur and enemy of western enemies, we’ve decided to do a short series asking some of the largely un-addressed questions about these people, and who may be offering them direct or indirect support. How did …
