Why Washington is Terrified of Russia and China

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The Russia-China strategic partnership, uniting the Pentagon’s avowed top two “existential” threats to America, didn’t come with a formal treaty signed with pomp, circumstance… and a military parade. Enveloped in layers of subtle sophistication, there’s no way to know the deeper terms Beijing and Moscow agreed upon behind those innumerable Putin-Xi high-level meetings. Off the record, diplomats occasionally let it slip there might’ve been a coded message delivered to NATO to the effect that if it seriously harassed one of the strategic members… be it in the Ukraine or in the South China Sea… NATO would have to deal with both. For now, let’s concentrate on two instances of how the partnership works in practice, and why Washington is clueless on how to deal with it.

Exhibit A is the imminent visit to Moscow by the Director of the General Office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Li Zhanshu, invited by the head of the Presidential Administration in the Kremlin, A E Vaino. Beijing stressed the talks will revolve around… what else… the Russia-China strategic partnership, “as previously agreed on by the countries’ leaders”. This happens just after President Putin received China’s First Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli, one of the top seven in the Politburo and one of the drivers of China’s economic policies, in Moscow. They discussed Chinese investments in Russia and the key energy angle of the partnership. However, most of all they prepared Putin’s next visit to Beijing, which will be particularly momentous, for the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) summit on 14-15 May, steered by Xi Jinping. The General Office of the CCP… directly subordinate to Xi… only holds this kind of ultra-high-level annual consultations with Moscow and no other player. Needless to add, Li reports directly to Xi as much as Vaino reports directly to Putin. That’s as highly strategic as it gets.

That also happens to tie directly to one of the latest episodes featuring The Hollow (Trump) Men, in this case, Trump’s bumbling/bombastic National Security Advisor Lieutenant-General H R McMaster. In a nutshell, McMaster’s spin, loyally regurgitated by US corporate media, is that Trump developed such a “special chemistry” with Xi after their Tomahawks-with-chocolate cake summit in Mar-a-Lago that Trump managed to split the Russia-China entente on Syria and isolate Russia in the UN Security Council. It would have taken only a few minutes for McMaster to read the BRICS joint communiqué on Syria for him to learn that the BRICS are behind Russia. No wonder a vastly-experienced Indian geopolitical observer felt compelled to note:

Trump and McMaster look somewhat like two country bumpkins who lost their way in the metropolis.

Follow the Money

Exhibit B centres in Russia and China quietly advancing their agreement to replace the US Dollar’s reserve status with a gold-backed system. That also involves the key participation of Kazakhstan… very much interested in using gold as currency along OBOR. Kazakhstan couldn’t be more strategically positioned; a key hub of OBOR; a key member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAES); member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (ShOS); and not by accident the smelter of most of Russia’s gold. In parallel, Russia and China are advancing their own payment systems. With the Yuan now enjoying the status of a global currency, China has swiftly promoted their payment system, CIPS, careful not to frontally antagonise the internationally-accepted SWIFT, controlled by the USA.

On the other hand, Russia emphasises the creation of “an alternative”, in the words of Russian Central Bank’s Elvira Nabiullina, in the form of the Mir payment system, a Russian version of Visa/ MasterCard. What this implies is that were Washington inclined to exclude Russia from SWIFT, even temporarily, at least 90 percent of ATMs in Russia would be able to operate on Mir. China’s UnionPay cards are already an established fixture all across Asia… enthusiastically adopted by HSBC, amongst others. Combine “alternative” payment systems with a developing gold-backed system… and “toxic” does not even begin to spell out the reaction of the US Federal Reserve. It’s not just about Russia and China; it’s about the BRICS. What First Deputy Governor of Russia’s Central Bank Sergey Shvetsov outlined is just the beginning:

The BRICS countries are large economies with large reserves of gold and an impressive volume of production and consumption of this precious metal. In China, the gold trade is in Shanghai, in Russia, it’s in Moscow. Our idea is to create a link between the two cities in order to increase trade between the two markets.

Already, Russia and China established systems for global trade bypassing the US Dollar. What Washington did to Iran… cutting their banks off SWIFT… is now unthinkable against Russia and China. Thus, we’re already on our way, slowly but surely, towards a BRICS “gold marketplace”. We’re building a “new financial architecture”. That’d imply the eventual inability of the US Fed to export inflation to other nations… especially those in the BRICS, EEU, and SCO.

The Hollow Men

Trump’s Generals, led by “Mad Dog” Mattis, may spin all they want about their need to dominate the planet with their sophisticated AirSeaLandSpaceCyber commands. Yet, that may be not enough to counter the myriad ways the Russia-China strategic partnership is developing. Therefore, more on than off, we’ll have Hollow Men like Vice-President Mike Pence, with empurpled solemnity, threatening the DPRK:

The shield stands guard and the sword stands ready.

Forget this doesn’t even qualify as a lousy line in a cheap remake of a Hollywood B-movie; what we have here is Aspiring Commander-in-Chief Pence warning Russia and China there may be some nuclear nitty-gritty very close to their borders between the USA and the DPRK. Not gonna happen. Therefore, here’s to the great T S Eliot, who saw it all decades in advance:

We are the hollow men

We are the stuffed men

Leaning together

Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!

Our dried voices, when

We whisper together

Are quiet and meaningless

As wind in dry grass

Or rats’ feet over broken glass

In our dry cellar.

21 April 2017

Pepe Escobar

Sputnik International

https://sputniknews.com/columnists/201704211052866086-washington-terrified-of-russia-china/

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Iran and Russia Ink Military Cooperation Agreement… Ends Threat of Anglo Aggression Against the Islamic Republic

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Defence Minister S K Shoigu and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Dehghan signed an agreement on military coöperation between the two countries. Afterwards, Shoigu said that relations between the Russian and Iranian Defence Ministries have been on a steady rise for the past few years, saying, “Today’s signing of an intergovernmental agreement on military coöperation is a major step along these lines. We created a theoretical basis for interaction in the military sphere”. Russia and Iran agreed that bilateral coöperation should have a greater practical aspect and contribute to enhancing the combat readiness of the Russian and Iranian forces. Shoigu said that the negotiations concerned issues of mutual interest, such as delegation exchanges, inter-staff talks, exchange of experience in peacekeeping operations, and the struggle against terrorism. At Russia’s request, both parties discussed the topic of humanitarian mine-clearing operations. Shoigu said, “We agreed to expand frequency of naval ship visits to Russian and Iranian ports”.

In addition, Shoigu invited his Iranian counterpart to a Moscow conference on international security, due in April, saying after the negotiations and signing a Russo-Iranian of military coöperation agreement, “I invited General Dehghan to visit Russia and to speak at the 4th Moscow Conference on International Security in April 2015”. Besides this, he voiced hope for a further dialogue with Iran in the course of activities Russia would arrange for during its presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (ShOS). Dehghan thanked Shoigu for the invitation to the conference, where, according to Dehghan, “We’ll be able to speak our mind and express our views on crucial issues of maintaining international security and regional stability”. Last year, Dehghan visited the Moscow conference. At a meeting with Shoigu, he declared that Iran had interest in taking coöperation with Russia to a new level.

Shoigu noted, “During the talks, we exchanged views on several key issues of international and regional security. Primarily, this related to the Middle East and Afghanistan. To a large extent, our assessments on the situation are similar or identical”. He said that both parties emphasised a need to coördinate efforts aimed at countering terrorism and drug trafficking, saying, “We consider de-escalation of tensions one of the priority tasks in our responsibility area. We’ll intensify contacts on this problem. I hope for further close cooperation”.

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On Tuesday, Defence Minister S K Shoigu said at talks with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Dehghan that the development of constructive relations between Russia and Tehran is an “important factor of ensuring international security and global stability. We want long-term and multi-faceted coöperation with Tehran. We welcome the Iranian leadership’s drive for the comprehensive extension of ties with Russia, amongst other things, in the defence sphere”. Shoigu, who arrived in Tehran for a two-day official visit on Monday, said that Russia and Iran have common challenges and they can only counter regional threats with joint efforts. Shoigu said that his meeting last year with his Iranian counterpart in Moscow helped to lay the foundation for boosting bilateral military and technical coöperation. He called to focus on strengthening its legal basis, saying, “The signing of a Russian-Iranian agreement on military coöperation will become an important step in this direction”. He also proposed discussing prospects of bilateral coöperation, to prioritise practical steps that the sides are due to take in the near future. Shoigu also praised Iran’s efforts in the fight against global terrorism, observing, “We welcome Tehran’s wish for fair coöperation on Afghanistan including in the framework of the ShOS”, adding that Tehran took taken serious steps towards counteracting drug trafficking from Afghanistan. In this context, he said, “The cooperation of Russian and Iranian military agencies is becoming of special importance”. Shoigu thanked Dehghan for the invitation to visit Tehran, saying this is the first visit to Iran paid by a Russian Defence Minister in 15 years.

20 January 2015

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The Obama Administration is still “studying” information about Defence Minister S K Shoigu’s visit to Tehran. In advance, the US side warned Russia that supplying S-300 SAM systems to Iran would be unacceptable. The USA saw the news about the meetings in Iran between Russian and Iranian officials to discuss military coöperation and possible agreements. Now, a US State Department official told TASS on condition of anonymity that it’s studying reports about these meetings. Previously, the official added that the US side made it clear that it objects to any sale of the S-300 system to Iran, and that these objections are still in force. According to previous reports, in particular, during Shoigu’s visit to Tehran, the sides signed an agreement on Russo-Iranian military coöperation. Connected with the start of UN sanctions against Iran in September 2010, Russia suspended implementing a contract to supply Iran S-300 SAM systems. Later, Tehran challenged this decision through the courts. Last summer, Iran announced that it successfully tested its own analogue of the S-300 system, the Bavar-373 (Belief-373).

21 January 2015

ITAR-TASS

http://itar-tass.com/en/russia/772087

http://itar-tass.com/en/russia/772066

http://itar-tass.com/en/world/772294

Editor:

The Americans are scared shitless of the S-300… that means that it’s superior to American gear and immune to American airborne missile countermeasures. That is, with S-300s, Iran could fend off any American or Israeli aggression via airstrikes. In other words, this agreement renders all loudmouth US Republican trash talk bootless bullshit. It couldn’t happen to better people. Eat shit and die, Ted Cruz… go to hell, go directly to hell, don’t pass “Go”, don’t pocket 200 million bucks, Marco Rubio. Isn’t it drop-dead funny to see them throw tantrums? It means that the “sole superpower” doesn’t have the power to impose its juvenile and narcissistic will.

God willing, this will preserve the peace…

BMD

Pushkov sez that the USA Lost its Unilateral Dictation over Global Decision-making

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RF Gosduma Deputy Aleksei Pushkov, the chairman of the Gosduma Committee on International Affairs, believed that the USA couldn’t issue unilateral diktats on global political affairs anymore. According to Interfax, he posted on Twitter, “The USA lost its monopoly on global solutions. At the G20, BRICS countries supported Russia on Syria, and, now, the SCO summit. It’s a lesson for Barack Obama“. On 5 September, BRICS leaders stated that foreign intervention in Syrian affairs is negatively affecting the global economy. On the eve of the SCO summit, the SCO members issued the Bishkek Declaration, which supported the initiative “transferring Syrian chemical weapons to international control, their subsequent destruction, and the accession of Syria to the UN Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction“.

14 September 2013

Voice of Russia World Service

http://rus.ruvr.ru/news/2013_09_14/Pushkov-SSHA-lishilis-monopolii-na-prinjatie-globalnih-reshenij-1907/

Editor’s Note:

Don’t attend to the hogwash emanating from CNN and Fox… after all, they’re attending to “Their Master’s Voice”, aren’t they? Their fat paycheques with many zeros in them are dependent on their echoing the lies of the leading elements of the Affluent Effluent… and they do so, don’t they? Bite the coin… there’s a lot of funny money out there, kids…

BMD

As John Robles Sees It… Freedom House Crackdown

The USA doesn’t even try to hide the fact any more that it’s actively attempting to subvert the Russian government; it’s funding and supporting those within the Russian Federation who’d attempt to do so for their own selfish gains. American-backed Russian NGOs and their American colleagues continue to push for “tougher measures” against the Russian Federation, many even calling for the USA and the West to implement a policy of “containment”, something Washington did during Soviet times to “stop the spread of Communism”. One has to wonder as to the real motivations of these organisations and individuals, as they’re on the American payroll and receive funds from American taxpayer monies routed to them by hawkish right-wing groups and individuals, who seek to propagate outdated Cold War clichés and Russophobic hysteria. Their reasoning is open to question… contain what? Some sort of undefined “evil” ideology or some non-existent military expansionism? It’s utterly ludicrous.

The continuing activities of most of these bodies, many of which only exist for the sole reason of subverting (in this case) the Russian government, weakening the Russian Federation internationally on all fronts, giving reason and justification to American expansionism, military build-up, and meddling and interference in the internal and external affairs of the Russian Federation have proven the wisdom and the necessity for the recently-passed Russian legislation requiring all members of foreign-funded NGOs to register with the government as foreign agents. Bringing the problem to centre-stage again is an American taxpayer-funded NGO called Freedom House, which has gathered an all star cast of American-backed and funded Russian “opposition” members, US Congressmen, NGO operatives from the USA and Russia, as well as EU officials for an upcoming forum entitled, New Approach or Business As Usual? US-EU-Russia Relations After Putin’s Crackdown.

I’m still wondering what “crackdown” they’re talking about, but I’d suppose they’re referring to the recent law mentioned above and perhaps to the recently-adopted Dima Yakovlev law that protects Russian children, or, perhaps, to the expulsion of USAID for their questionable activities throughout Russia. I believe that the real reason is that Russia is strengthening ties and increasing trade with Europe, especially in the energy sector, and this hasn’t pleased Washington, who sees Europe as their minion. The adeptness with which the USA continues to demonise Russia is daunting due to the level and the massive scale it’s attained, as well as increasingly more obvious, this time the more so, especially in light of the fact that the two above-mentioned laws were enacted because there were and continue to be clear and present threats against the sovereignty of Russia and against the Russia people.

We know the following is true for the USA… Russia must be kept weak politically, militarily, economically, and socially. This is for the sole reason that Russia must be brought under the control of the USA and that control must permanent and complete. A strong democracy and civil society are bad for the USA because a well-off and satisfied citizenry aren’t as pliable and less subject to go against the state. Hence, the funding of NGOs and the Russian opposition, who sow discontent and strife with false-flag arguments, straw-man evils, and phantom wrongs and injustices.

Just ask any member of the so called “opposition”… “What would you change, give me an example of what is wrong with Russia?” Like brainwashed hypnotised people just waking from a sleep, they’d probably answer something to the effect, “Putin bad. America good!” I oversimplify, but that’s what it boils down to. America doesn’t want a strong leader in Russia, they need someone they can manipulate. The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, unfortunately for the USA, isn’t that man. Keeping a country economically-weak is also good for the USA, as a country that’s weak economically is easy to manipulate, its markets are easier to access for the dumping of goods and for exploitation, its workforce is easier to exploit, its citizens are easier to manipulate and direct against the state, and its officials are easier to bribe and buy. Any country, such as Russia, which has an assertive and independent foreign policy, is also bad for the obvious reason that it isn’t under the control of the USA. This is particularly bad when such countries form alliances, groupings, organisations, treaties, and cooperate independently and without the control of the USA or kowtowing to Washington.

The script being used by Freedom House is as old as are most of Washington’s attempts at forming “colour revolutions”, usurping power, overthrowing governments, getting rid of leaders, and justifying their own expansionist policies. We’ve seen the script in use repeatedly, and, in fact, frankly, it’s gotten old. Demonise, repeat key words repeatedly until the world accepts them as truth, and, then, move in with “humanitarian” sanctions or missiles. In this case, the key words are “Putin and crackdown”. What we’re seeing with Freedom House is a clue as to where things are going, especially after the banning of USAID and their activities on the territory of the Russian Federation. The US government will now attempt to use those inside Russia more and more to subvert the Russian state. This would include politicians, the “opposition”, members of NGOs, academics, and even “the man in the street”. Not to mention the members of the US Foreign Service, who’re now increasingly being tasked with what could be called subversive activities. Anyone who can spread discontent and destabilise the country will be fair game.

In a recent analysis for VOR, Edward Lozansky, President of the American University in Moscow, gave some insights into Freedom House. According to Mr Lozansky, Freedom House is damaging the national interests of the USA, whilst receiving taxpayer funding. He said, “This organisation has already wasted enormous amounts of taxpayers’ money on supporting the colour revolutions in the post-Soviet space, which ended in total fiascos. Now, they want America not only to ‘stand in solidarity’ with Russian activists, but also to challenge the various authoritarian groupings in which Russia plays a prominent role, such as the Eurasian Union, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)“.

I’m sure that Mr Lozansky calling these groups “authoritarian” was a tongue-in-cheek stab at the ridiculousness of the classification. He continued, “One item on that agenda is particularly laughable… the call to challenge the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, where China plays a key role. In other words, Freedom House expects China, a top foreign American lender, to provide more funds to the US Treasury to finance a challenge against itself”. As for the Russian division of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, he said, “One of its senior associates, (an American-paid Russian) finds the Freedom House challenge approach too modest; she calls for a “new way to contain Russia”, no more and no less”.

Of course, we’re all used to American hypocrisy, but they’re growing bolder and bolder with every passing day. If the shoe were on the other foot, as I love to point out, things would be entirely different. Were a group of American politicians and civic “leaders” to appear before the Federation Council or the RF Gosduma and ask the Russian government to expand sanctions, to implement harsher measures against the elected government of the USA, and continue to isolate and “contain” the USA, those involved would surely be charged with treason and put in front of a firing squad. Nevertheless, when it comes to Russia, this is supposed to be OK, and any move against these individuals, whose sole aim is to assist an increasingly hostile foreign power to harm their own country, is called a “crackdown”.

As for the shoe being on the other foot, Russia would have far more justifiable and legitimate reasons to take such actions as I detailed above. Russia would have the moral high ground in areas such as drone attacks, the unbelievable numbers of civilians killed in the Global War on Terror, the meddling into the internal affairs of countries worldwide, the expansion of the NATO/US military presence all over the planet, and even in the deaths of so many Russian orphans. Yet, as always, it’s the pot calling the kettle black…

For the members of the Russian “opposition” who’re attending the event, one last thought… if there were, in fact, such a “crackdown” here in Russia, as Freedom House claims, then, these individuals would be thinking twice about engaging in such activities or in trying to subvert the state and recreate it in Washington’s image from the outside, such activities used to be called treason, and such individuals used to be shot. That means that their presence at such a forum negates their very argument of totalitarianism and authoritarianism.

25 February 2013

John Robles

Voice of Russia World Service

http://english.ruvr.ru/2013_02_25/Freedom-House-crackdown/

Editor’s Note:

There are analogues of the Freedom House slimers here in diaspora Orthodoxy. All Orthodox people should be wary of four toxic individuals in the District. One is Freddie M-G, who works (or worked) for National Public Radio… that is, she’s a paid minion of the US government. Then, there’s Victor Potapov, who works (or worked) for RFE/RL, a well-known Langley front. Indeed, a ROCOR priest told one of my Cabinet members in the late 80s, “You know, Potapov’s a spy”. That is, I’m unmasking no-one… he’s been a known quantity for some thirty years. Alexander Webster is a stink-tanker and a reserve chaplain in the American forces who writes “religious” apologias for the American warmongering in foreign parts. Bringing up the rear is the clown jester of this ragtag lot, Rod Dreher… he’s a stink-tanker and he pals about with Patrick BuKKKanan. He’s the lightweight of the bunch… he’s bound to go off half-cocked, but then again, he’s a drifting wanderer (he’s lived in Brooklyn, Texas, and the District… all in less than ten years’ time… a veritable rightwing Bedouin!) without roots or compass. These people are haters of the Orthosphere and proponents of Consumerist America (and strong supporters of the Rightwing of the Republican Party).

Don’t forget… during the Cold War, Jordanville lied about its ties to a non-existent “catacomb Church” (to get money from the CIA, as Alexander Lebedeff admitted, “We needed the money and we’re grateful for it”). Sadly enough, the ROCOR was ridden with KONR traitors… whose descendants are still within the body, who’re of suspect loyalty to the Orthosphere and its ethos (they’ve capitulated completely to American Suburban Materialism).

The four named individuals are allied with a suspect “bishop”… James (Jonas) Paffhausen. Paffhausen was a long-time disciple and devotee of Gleb Podmoshensky, a sodomite defrocked by the ROCOR. He lied about his status at Valaam Monastery, and his elevation to “abbot” only one year after his tonsure is questionable, to use the kindest term (Tikhon Fitzgerald was stupid enough to do so). His term as First Hierarch of the OCA (after NO experience at all as a ruling bishop) was, perhaps, the most ludicrous period of history in Orthodoxy in the Americas. As Far Right as the four previously-named individuals are, Paffhausen is worse. He wanted to ally Orthodoxy with Evangelical swine who deny the Eucharist, the Communion of Saints, and the Holy Church Itself (the “invisible Church” heresy). Besides that, he wished to ally the Church with the Uniate traitors… who’ve killed Orthodox clergy and faithful and stolen Orthodox churches.

These five individuals are the diaspora Orthodox equivalent of the Freedom House traitors. Note this well… many of the konvertsy worship these people… I kid you not. Don’t argue with them… but do mark down who they are and where they are. God willing, they’ll leave us because we’re not “good enough” for them… that can’t happen soon enough for my taste, let me tell you. It’ll be “interesting times” until they leave… God do help us…

BMD