http://sputniknews.com

Le libéralisme et l’intellectualisme sont menacés
▻http://www.taurillon.org/le-liberalisme-et-l-intellectualisme-sont-menaces

Les victoires du Brexit au #Royaume-Uni et de Donald Trump aux Etats-Unis sont deux faces d’un même phénomène qui gagne en importance dans les « vieilles » démocraties libérales. Appelé « populisme », « extrême-droite » ou « droite alternative », il est avant tout antilibéral, anti-mondialisation, et anti-intellectualiste ; et est nourri par les inexactitudes et mensonges de certains médias en ligne, mais aussi de puissances étrangères.

#Opinions

/ #États-Unis_d'Amérique, #Populismes, #Extrême_droite, Royaume-Uni, #Russie

▻https://www.ft.com/content/65bff04a-b6ec-11e6-ba85-95d1533d9a62
▻https://www.ft.com/content/c804a020-b877-11e6-ba85-95d1533d9a62
▻https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/15/trumpism-solution-crisis-neoliberalism-robert-skidelsky?CMP=fb_gu
▻http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36616028
▻http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/16/us/politics/the-two-americas-of-2016.html?mc=aud_dev&mcid=fb-nytimes&mccr=NovINTLMidMC&
▻http://www.francetvinfo.fr/elections/regionales/carte-regionales-les-regions-ou-le-fn-obtient-ses-meilleurs-scores-au-s
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▻https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/16/facebook-bias-bubble-us-election-conservative-liberal-news-feed?CMP=fb_
▻http://www.breitbart.com
▻http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-seth-rich_us_57b1ddede4b007c36e4f5ffa
▻https://sputniknews.com
▻http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/10/politics/russia-contact-trump-campaign
▻https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/29/german-spy-chief-russian-hackers-could-disrupt-elections-bruno-kahl-cyb
▻http://www.atlanticcouncil.org/publications/reports/kremlin-trojan-horses
▻http://cepa.org/reports/winning-the-Information-War
▻http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/11/09/the-world-as-we-know-it-is-crumbling-before-our-eyes
▻http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/11/29/world/americas/western-liberal-democracy.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur&_r=3&refere
▻https://www.ft.com/content/99d13024-ba3e-11e6-8b45-b8b81dd5d080
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Hell Hath No Fury Like a Teflon Sultan
▻http://sputniknews.com/columnists/20160717/1043158581/erdogan-turkey-coup.html

Pepe Escobar, très en forme !

So the number one eyebrow-raising possibility is a go; Erdogan’s intel services knew a coup was brewing; and the wily Sultan let it happen knowing it would fail as the plotters had very limited support. He also arguably knew – in advance — even the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), whose members Erdogan is trying to expel from parliament, would support the government in the name of democracy.

Two extra facts add to the credibility of this hypothesis. Earlier last week Erdogan signed a bill giving soldiers immunity from prosecution while taking part in domestic security ops – as in anti-PKK; that spells out improved relations between the AKP government and the army. And then Turkey’s top judicial body HSYK laid off no less than 2,745 judges after an extraordinary meeting post-coup. This can only mean the list was more than ready in advance.

The major, immediate post-coup geopolitical consequence is that Erdogan now seems to have miraculously reconquered his “strategic depth” – as former, sidelined Prime Minister Davutoglu would have it. Not only externally – after the miserable collapse of both his Middle East and Kurdish “policies” – but also internally. For all practical purposes Erdogan now controls the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary – and is taking no prisoners to purge the military for good. Ladies and gentlemen, the Sultan is in da house.

This means the neo-Ottoman project is still on – but now under massive tactical reorientation. The real “enemy” now is Syrian Kurds – not Russia and Israel (and not ISIS/ISIL/Daesh; but they never were in the first place). Erdogan is going after the YPG, which for him is a mere extension of the PKK. His order of the day is to prevent by all means an autonomous state entity in northeast Syria – a “Kurdistan” set up like a second Israel supported by the US. For that he needs some sort of entente cordiale with Damascus – as in insisting that Syria must preserve its territorial integrity. And that also means, of course, renewed dialogue with Russia.

Les scientifiques vont un jour faire pousser les humains comme les roses : une équipe de 130 des plus grands généticiens du monde ont annoncé dans la revue Science qu’ils espèrent construire un génome humain entièrement synthétique
▻http://www.brujitafr.fr/2016/07/les-scientifiques-vont-un-jour-faire-pousser-les-humains-comme-les-roses-u

* CIA Director John Brennan claims that advances in genome editing pose a threat to national security and may be used to create biological weapons ▻http://sputniknews.com/us/20160629/1042192637/cia-claims-genome-editing-dangerous.html Ils justifient ce...

US Media Claims Russia Recruiting Syria’s So-Called ’Moderate Opposition’
▻http://sputniknews.com/world/20160612/1041201557/syria-russia-rebel-groups.html

Some Syrian rebels who were previously supported by the United States may now be recruited by Russia, BuzzFeed reported; the goal is to do away with the Islamists, end the Syrian conflict on Moscow’s terms, and finally oust the Americans from the region.

The information was revealed during BuzzFeed correspondent Mike Giglio’s interview with the commander of one of the rebel groups in the Turkish city of Antakya, near Syrian border

Si c’est vrai, cela a le mérite de rappeler qu’un mercenaire est juste un mercenaire, et que tous les oripeaux idéologiques qu’on met en avant pour masquer la chose n’y changeront rien.

pauvre #syrie

Selon Sputnik News, prétendant citer une source anonyme kurde, la France serait en train de construire une base pour ses forces spéciales près de Kobane, en Syrie.
▻http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160610/1041141404/france-syria-military-base.html

According to a Kurdish source, French forces stationed in northern Syria have begun constructing a military base near the city of Kobani in Aleppo province.
French forces stationed in northern Syria have begun constructing a military base near the city of Kobani in Aleppo province, a Kurdish source told Sputnik on Friday.
“The French have begun constructing a military base similar to the US military bases… French experts and military advisers working in the region will be stationed there,” the source said.

Boeing Wins $667Mln Contract to Supply Qatar With Apache Helicopters
▻http://sputniknews.com/military/20160608/1040969178/boeing-apache-helicopters.html

The Boeing Company has won a two-thirds-of-a-billion dollar US Army foreign military sales contract to supply the Gulf Arab nation of Qatar with 24 Apache ground-support helicopters, the US Department of Defense announced.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Work on the contract will be performed in Mesa, Arizona, with an estimated completion date of May 31, 2020, the Defense Department noted.

“Boeing Company [of] Mesa, Arizona, was awarded a $667.5 million… foreign military sales contract (Qatar) for 24 AH-64E Apache helicopters, 1 Longbow crew trainer, ground support equipment, and Thales radios,” the announcement said on Tuesday.

The Apache AH-64 has been described as a flying tank; it is a helicopter designed to survive heavy attack and is armed to inflict massive damage on ground forces.

The AH-64 is designed to operate day or night, including in unfavorable weather and poor visibility.

Ils remplaceront les 14 SA-342G Gazelle actuellement en service.

Selon Sputnik, citant as-Safir, le Hezbollah se préparerait activement à un nouveau conflit avec Israël
▻http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160529/1040428723/hezbollah-israel-conflict-escalation.html

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to Lebanese daily As-Safir, Hezbollah was placing its rocket arsenal along the northern border with Israel and tracking the movements of the Israeli army.
Adnan Badreddine, brother of top Hezbollah commander Mustafa Badreddine, grieves at his brother’s picture in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon
The newspaper reported that the group was building several “sophisticated” tunnels on the border with Israel following the example of the Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas, which had reportedly built several tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

Le dernier article d’Elijah Magnier dans al-Raï note également les préparatifs du Hezbollah dont la direction semble penser, dans le contexte de la nomination de Liebermann à la Défense, qu’une agression israélienne dans un avenir proche est très probable : multiplication des exercices côté israélien, perception israélienne d’un Hezbollah affaibli par son implication en Syrie (malgré l’expérience acquise), tensions exploitables au Liban, soutien tacite des pays du Golfe à une attaque israélienne ... :
L’original en arabe ici : ▻http://www.alraimedia.com/ar/article/special-reports/2016/05/27/682645/nr/lebanon
Traduction en anglais là : ▻https://elijahjm.wordpress.com/2016/05/31/the-drums-of-war-are-beating-hezbollah-versus-israel

Every time a political solution seems imminent in Syria, and the warring factions adhere to the ceasefire imposed by Russia and the US, the drums of war are heard along Lebanon’s southern border.

Along these borders, preparations for the war are on-going. Hezbollah believes that it is directed against them “given that the region has been set against Hezbollah, having been branded as a terrorist organization by the GCC countries and the majority of western countries”.

Sources on the ground say “ Hezbollah is preparing for the next war with Israel that the latter may impose along the Israeli-Lebanese borders. The present Israeli government is packed with warmongers and its Secretary of Defence Lieberman will rely on the Israeli army to raise the levels of tension and not just along the borders. But he may well provoke a response from Hezbollah that will send the situation over the edge”.

Sources add, “Israel is carefully assessing Hezbollah’s increasing development and experience gained from its participation in the Syrian war. Israeli leaders maybe asking themselves: up to what point shall they allow Hezbollah to expand? Israeli society is one where, confronting the dangers along its borders, war is a primary focus. Right now, this puts Hezbollah in the spotlight”.

According to sources on the ground “Israel believes that Hezbollah is exhausted from the long war in Syria, where a number of its high profile leaders were killed, and where their forces were drained. Moreover, Israel believes its own forces can take adequate and efficient measures (when the war starts) to intercept Hezbollah’s missiles through its Iron Dome and other intercept advanced systems. Israeli soldiers run constant war drills simulating different war scenarios. The objects of these drills are multiple: boosting morale, enhancing military and technological capabilities and prepare the population for a forthcoming war. In addition, regional countries like Saudi Arabia encourage and support strikes against Hezbollah (considered a terrorist organisation by many Gulf countries). Hezbollah’s effective participation in the war in Syria and Iraq is propagandised as a sectarian campaign and its militants are accused of “committing genocide against the Sunnis”. Moreover, Hezbollah is also portrayed as a hegemonic force in Lebanon, confiscating the political and military decisions of the country. This is why Israel is enthusiastic about a war, especially as Prime Minister Netanyahu – accused of cowardice – has not yet waged a war against Hezbollah”.

Bye bye #Breedlove !

http://cdn3.spiegel.de/images/image-820112-breitwandaufmacher-qcwp-820112.jpg

SHAPE | U.S. Army General Scaparrotti - 18th #SACEUR
▻https://www.shape.nato.int/2016/us-army-general-scaparrotti-18th-saceur

NATO’s 18th Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, assumes command of Allied Command Operations (ACO) from General Philip M. Breedlove at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) today.
 
Military members and civilians from across the 28-nations attended the ceremony, highlighting the continuing unity and solidarity of the military alliance at SHAPE, which celebrated its 65th anniversary in April.

Hello #Scaparrotti !

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7d/Scaparrotti_SACEUR.jpg/800px-Scaparrotti_SACEUR.jpg

SHAPE | Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR)
▻https://www.shape.nato.int/saceur-2

General Curtis M. Scaparrotti is a native of Logan, Ohio, graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point, in 1978 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
 
A career infantry officer, General Scaparrotti most recently served as Commander, United States Command / Combined Forces Command / United States Forces Korea. Before that he was the Director Joint Staff. Prior to his tour with the Joint Staff, General Scaparrotti served as Commander, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command and Deputy Commander, U.S. Forces – Afghanistan the Commanding General of I Corps and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and the Commanding General of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Le site russe d’info Sputnik bloqué en Turquie par « mesures administratives » :
▻http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160414/1038031852/turkey-blocks-sputnik.html

Continuing its crackdown on press freedoms, the Turkish government has blocked access to the Sputnik News Agency website.

Ankara has justified its decision by citing “administrative measures.”

“After technical analysis and legal consideration based on the law Nr. 5651, administration measure has been taken for this website (sputniknews.com) according to decision Nr. 490.05.01.2016.-56092 dated 14/04/2016 of the Presidency of Telecommunication and Communication,” reads message that appears for anyone trying to access the Turkish site.

Accusations d’utilisation d’armes chimiques, il y a quelques jours, par les Kurdes à l’encontre de groupes rebelles qui les auraient utilisés sur le quartier kurde de Cheikh Maqsoud à Alep sous contrôle du YPG.
Par ailleurs une déclaration officielle censée émaner de Jaysh al-islam dénonce l’utilisation d’armes à Cheikh Maqsoud par un de ses commandants, considérées comme illégales au regard du règlement du groupe.
Ces infos ne sont pas du tout traitées en « Occident », ne serait-ce que pour rapporter les allégations kurdes et tenter de les vérifier, de même que la déclaration censée émaner de Jaysh al-islam.

Voice of america (propriété du gouvernement fédéral américain) traite pourtant l’info :
Kurdish Officials : Rebels May Have Used Chemicals in Aleppo
Voice of America / 08.04.16
▻http://www.voanews.com/content/kurdish-officials-rebels-may-have-used-chemicals-aleppo/3276743.html

Kurdish health officials say civilians and fighters wounded in this week’s shelling of Kurdish forces by Syrian rebels are showing signs of chemical weapons injuries.
“We received four people yesterday who had serious wounds,” Welat Memo, a physician with the Kurdish Red Crescent told VOA from Aleppo. “We can’t tell what’s been used against them, but they’re vomiting and having difficulty in breathing."
The symptoms are consistent with the use of chlorine gases, the Red Crescent said.
[...]
A rebel spokesman reached in Syria declined to comment to VOA. But in a statement released Thursday by the rebel Army of Islam, the main group involved in the fighting said that an unauthorized weapon was used against civilians.
“One of our commanders has unlawfully used a type of weapon that is not included in our list,” a statement posted on the group’s Twitter account read

Jaysh al-islam étant un groupe soutenu par l’Arabie saoudite dont l’un des membres, Mohammed Allouch est le négociateur de l’opposition syrienne (HCN) à Genève, les médias russes ou chinois la traite également :

Russia Today : ▻https://www.rt.com/news/338849-jaysh-al-islam-chemical-aleppo
Sputnik News : ▻http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160408/1037680457/jaysh-islam-syria-chemical.html
ou encore Xinhua l’agence de presse chinoise : ▻http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-04/08/c_135261826.htm

La déclaration officielle censée émaner de Jaysh al-islam ici (compte twitter Islam Allouch) : ▻https://twitter.com/islamalloush0/status/718121743949414403

2 évolutions très étonnantes sur le champ de bataille en Syrie.

1° - les rebelles coincés dans la poche d’Azaz viennent d’avancer vers l’est et de prendre à Da’ich du territoire, dont la ville d’al-Raï. Ils progressent le long de la frontière turque et sont soutenus par la Turquie (tirs d’artillerie à partir de l’autre côté de la frontière et livraisons d’armes) et l’on parle aussi (des clichés circulent) de la présence de quelque militaires turcs au sol (forces spéciales ?).
Hier Libération écrivait un article sur le sujet (al-Raï n’était pas encore prise) en se focalisant sur la question de Dabiq et de sa symbolique pour Da’ich :
▻http://www.liberation.fr/planete/2016/04/06/les-rebelles-syriens-en-passe-de-liberer-dabiq-ville-symbole-de-l-ei_1444

Pour les rebelles, Dabiq n’est qu’un village à reconquérir parmi d’autres. Depuis la mi-février, ils ont repris une quinzaine de bourgades à l’EI dans une bande qui court entre Azaz, à l’ouest, Alep, au sud, et la frontière turque, au nord. Une dizaine de groupes, pour la plupart issus de l’Armée syrienne libre (ASL), participent à l’offensive, dont Faylaq al-Sham, Sultan Mourad, Fastaqim ou la brigade Hamza. Motasem, un groupe aidé par les Etats-Unis, est également présent. Les rebelles sont appuyés par des tirs d’artillerie de l’armée turque et des bombardements de la coalition. Leur objectif est de porter les combats jusqu’à Al Bab puis Manbij, les deux principaux fiefs de l’EI dans la région.

Situation récente au nord d’Alep :
▻https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CfcTP_HUYAEnHg5.jpg:large

2° - Alors que Jaysh al-islam participe à l’offensive contre les forces du régimes aux côtés d’al-Nousra au sud d’Alep, selon des sources pro-régime un accord avec le régime dans les alentours de Damas fait qu’ils s’entendent avec celui-ci pour y affronter Da’ich du côté d’al-Dumayr. Al-Doumayr c’est là : ▻https://www.google.fr/maps/@33.6437074,36.6557403,12z
Les forces du régime auraient laissé des troupes de Jaysh al-islam traverser une route sous leur contrôle pour aller affronter Da’ich et leur aurait assurer la couverture aérienne lors des combats :
▻https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/syrian-army-rebels-work-together-isis-east-damascus

The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and rebel forces are working together to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) in the Greater Damascus area for the first time since the start of this violent conflict. According to an Al-Masdar correspondent in Damascus City, the government forces allowed a rebel contingent from Jaysh Al-Islam (Army of Islam) to travel through the Homs-Damascus Highway to the Al-Dumayr front in order to reinforce their comrades fighting against ISIS. When ISIS launched an attack on Jaysh Al-Islam’s positions in Jabal Ruhaybeh this morning; it was the Syrian Arab Air Force (SAAF) that provided covering fire for the rebel forces confronting the terrorist group. The ISIS attack has now been repelled by Jaysh Al-Islam and the Ahmad Abdo Brigade at Jabal Ruhaybeh in the Qalamoun Mountains. With ISIS at the outskirts of the East Ghouta region of rural Damascus, the government and rebel forces face a serious threat near ‘Adra; this is one of the reasons why they are collaborating against the terrorist group. In the video below, Jaysh Al-Islam’s leadership state it is permissible to ally with the government if it means defeating ISIS.

Une vidéo suit dans l’article montrant un type de Jaysh al-islam justifiant une entente avec le régime pour combattre Da’ich.

Comme prévu après la prise de Palmyre, Qaryatayn vient d’être reprise par les forces du régime à Da’ich :
▻http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160403/1037410323/syria-al-qaryataynin.html
Qaryatayn c’est là : ▻https://www.google.fr/maps/@34.2285857,37.1677565,9z
La question maintenant est vers quel objectif le régime va-t-il allouer ses forces disponibles : briser le siège de Deïr az-Zor ou bien couper en 2 le territoire syrien de Da’ich en prenant Tabaqah sur la route de Raqqa ?
La question est en fait politique. Elle dépend de deux autres questions :
1° - D’abord la cessation des hostilités va-t-elle tenir malgré les offensives conjointes des « rebelles » et d’al-Nousra/Ahrar al-Cham au sud d’Alep et dans la province de Lattaquieh et permettre de continuer l’offensive anti-Da’ich, ou bien le régime va-t-il devoir délaisser sa poussée vers l’est et se reconcentrer sur la « Syrie utile » ?
2° - Qu’est-ce que le régime considère comme la menace la plus crédible : l’impossibilité de s’entendre avec les SDF/YPG si leurs avancées les mettaient en position de force alors qu’ils s’approchent de Raqqah (et viennent de pénétrer dans la mouhafaza de Deïr ez-Zor), menaçant alors le régime d’une fédéralisation forcée, ou bien un plan de Sunnistan dans le désert que concocteraient les Saoudiens (et d’autres) ?
Et quel est le degré d’entente russo-américain ?
Et quelles sont les priorités des Iraniens : pas de fédéralisation ou bien réouvrir des voies de communication entre le Liban et l’Iran via Deïr az-Zor et l’Irak ?

#course_vers_Raqqa

Escalade au sud d’Alep où un ensemble de groupes avec notamment les groupes salafistes al-Nousra, Ahrar al-Cham et Jound al-Aqsa attaquent plusieurs villages constituant des positions prises par l’armée syrienne fin 2015 lorsqu’elle avait, avec l’appui de l’aviation russe, établi une zone sécurisant l’autoroute Damas-Alep. Le village de Tall al-’Eiss vient semble-t-il d’être pris par al-Nousra. L’attaque est présentée par ces groupes comme une réponse aux violations du cessez-le-feu par le régime.
2 remarques sur cette escalade :
1° - al-Nousra pourrait être en train d’essayer d’entraîner plusieurs groupes à rendre caduque la cessation des hostilités - même si la zone concernée ne fait pas partie de cet accord. Voir ici l’analyse d’E.J. Magnier sur la menace que cet accord fait peser sur al-Nousra : ▻http://seenthis.net/messages/475052
Sujet déjà abordé à plusieurs reprises sur seen this (voir #liste_blanche / #liste_noire)
2° - la Division 13 (ASL), récemment boutée hors de son QG de Maraat al-Nouman par al-Nousra (voir : ▻http://seenthis.net/messages/469485), ce qui avait déclenché des manifestations pro-ASL et anti-alNousra dans la ville, combat désormais au cours de cette offensive aux côtés de cette branche syrienne d’al-Qaïda.
Ceci attesté sur son compte twitter où est publiée la photo d’un de ses combattants mort dans la bataille pour la prise du village de « Khalidyah dans le rif sud d’alep » : ▻https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ce-9m7KWQAAhLDC

Si le titre du Monde vous laisse un peu sur votre faim (Avec la reprise de Palmyre, le régime Assad s’offre une victoire militaire et médiatique), vous pouvez toujours lire RT.

Palmyra Victory Proves Syria ’Can Crush Terrorists With Its Own Forces’
▻http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160328/1037068442/palmyra-victory-syrian-army.html

L’enjeu est bien là où RT l’écrit, la guerre de l’information du côté du Monde « car il n’est pire menteur »...

#syrie

Joumblatt:L’annonce d’une région kurde en Syrie est le début de sa partition
▻http://www.almanar.com.lb/french/adetails.php?eid=292841

La Syrie que nous avions connue n’existe plus", a-t-il conclu.

Joumblatt a le sens de la formule... Juste avant, il précise : « L’opposition syrienne aurait dû, dès le début, s’entendre avec les Kurdes sur leurs droits, avant que ces derniers ne se tournent vers les grandes puissances. » Phrase qu’il faut mettre en rapport avec l’édito d’ABA (▻http://seenthis.net/messages/471351) et le dernier papier de Pepe Escobar (▻http://sputniknews.com/columnists/20160317/1036477086/us-russia-syria-bargain.html).

En bon 14 mars, Jumbaltt n’oublie pas le gimmick oblogatoire : « c’est à cause du régime et de ses agissements que la Syrie en est arrivée là ».

#syrie

Meet the Sultan of Civil War
24.12.2015 | Pepe Escobar
▻http://sputniknews.com/columnists/20151224/1032265320/erdogan-sultan-civil-war.html

http://cdn5.img.sputniknews.com/images/103102/63/1031026316.jpg

(...) So the question now hinges on how close — politically and militarily – will be Moscow’s support for the YPG-PKK.

Moscow does not exactly favors the birth of a Kurdistan as advocated by Israel and US neocons. The US-Israel axis privileges some very specific Kurds; the vastly corrupt Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq, which also happen to entertain close relations with Ankara (the oil export angle). No one knows how a Syrian Kurdistan controlled by the YPG-PKK would fit into an already complex equation.

Ankara’s red line though is much easier to detect: any Kurdistan qualifies as a red line.

Waiting for Pipelineistan

Erdogan, in desperation, is even flirting with Israel again. In this case, further Sultan burning may also be on the cards.

Israel’s long game is an energy game: make sure it has access to non-stop, cheap Kurdish – as in stolen from Baghdad — oil flowing through the Kirkuk-Haifa pipeline. And in the long run Tel Aviv would love to bypass Ceyhan and replace it with Haifa as the top oil export terminal in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Israel has easily bribed the noxious KRG mafia – and slimy Israeli operators have been involved for years in buying totally undocumented Kurdish oil, which may have been mixed along the way with stolen Iraqi/Syrian Daesh oil. Everyone familiar with the KRG knows how the Israelis on the ground are fronted by US and UK oil companies. The bottom line is startling: bribed-to-death Iraqi Kurds are selling discounted oil virtually stolen from Baghdad — which developed the wells and built the pipelines — to a country Iraq refuses to do business with.

The “Kurdistan” Israel and US neocons really want, much more than a northern Syrian entity, is a northern Iraq colony, a vassal enclave run by the Barzani mob. That would imply no less than a war between Baghdad (supported by Tehran) and the KRG (supported by Washington and Tel Aviv). As apocalyptic scenarios go, this one at least is on hold.

Moscow, for the moment, prefers to focus on stripping Ankara naked in those convoluted Syrian peace negotiations, which, for all practical purposes, boil down to a US-Russia game.

And as much as Erdogan remains a Washington vassal and an “adversary” of Israel only in posture, now he cannot even be sure where the Obama administration stands.

Only a few weeks ago Obama requested him to deploy “30,000 (troops) to seal the border on the Turkish side”. At the time, Team Obama was hopeful that Erdogan’s troops would be able to clear and hold an area 98 km long and 30 km deep inside Syrian territory that would harbor Erdogan’s famous “safe zone”. Ankara would need just a mere pretext to invade — and a little American air cover.

After the downing of the Su-24 and Russia’s deployment of the S-400s, this plan is now six feet under.

From the point of view of the myriad “Assad must go” front, the name of the game now in Syria is “hold on to what you’ve got”. Erdogan, as desperate as he may be, would have to accept his Jihadi Highway to retreat back across the Turkish border, and wait for the next window of wreaking havoc opportunity (which Russia will never open.)

Yet the long game that really matters, for all players involved, is predictably Pipelineistan. Who will control a great deal of the oil and gas across “Syraq”, including the non-exploited wealth in the Kurdish areas; to where will it all flow; who sells it; and for what price.

It’s a waiting game that the Sultan plans to fill with – what else – an anti-Kurdish civil war.

Alors que Bagdad vient de menacer Ankara de s’adresser au Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU si les troupes turques n’étaient pas retirées de Bashiqa (région de Mossoul), le Hürriyet révèle qu’un accord pour y installer une base turque permanente a été signé le 04 novembre entre Ankara et le Gouvernement régional kurde d’Erbil :
▻http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-military-to-have-a-base-in-iraqs-mosul.aspx?pageID=238&nI

Turkey will have a permanent military base in the Bashiqa region of Mosul as the Turkish forces in the region training the Peshmerga forces have been reinforced, Hürriyet reported.
The deal regarding the base was signed between Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani and Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioğlu, during the latter’s visit to northern Iraq on Nov. 4.
At least 150 Turkish soldiers, accompanied by 20-25 tanks, were deployed to the area by land late on Dec. 4, Anadolu Agency reported.
Turkish army sources told Anadolu Agency on Dec. 5 that they had been training fighters across four provinces in northern Iraq to fight ISIL.

La pression des milices chiites sur al-Abadi pour appeler les Russes à la rescousse va se faire plus forte encore...

’Unprecedented’ : New Report Details Daesh Support in US
▻http://sputniknews.com/us/20151201/1031077390/isil-deash-us-sympathizers.html

http://cdn3.img.sputniknews.com/images/103041/88/1030418884.jpg

There are currently 900 active investigations into supporters of Daesh, also known as ISIL/the Islamic State, in every American state, according to a new report.

Un rapport qui faitles délices de RT.

#EI #USA

“Su-24 of the Russian aviation group has crashed in the Syrian Arab Republic after alleged fire from the ground,” the Russian Defense Ministry stated.

▻http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20151124/1030638683/russia-syria-turkey-plane-crash.html

Bonus: nice picture of a SU-24

http://cdn3.img.sputniknews.com/images/103063/90/1030639094.jpg

#Syria #Russia

Hezbollah’s New Ally In Syria - Nour Samaha
▻http://newsweekme.com/hezbollahs-new-ally-in-syria

While the Russian foreign ministry states that it does not consider Hezbollah to be a terrorist organization; rather, it is a legitimate political and social force in Lebanon, and that it maintains contact with the party. Moscow has stopped short at admitting direct coordination with Hezbollah in Syria. In fact Russian sources have denied any contact between the Russian army and the Lebanese party, saying the Russians only deal with official state actors.

Coordinating directly with non-state actors like Hezbollah would put Russia in an uncomfortable position with the international community.

Yet several Lebanese sources close to what is considered the ‘axis of resistance’ – Syria, Hezbollah, Iran – with intimate knowledge of ground operations, have confirmed that Russia and Hezbollah do coordinate directly.

“The Russians have an operations room with the Syrian army, and the Syrian army coordinates between Hezbollah and the Russians,” said one source, who refused to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. “But from time to time there has been direct coordination. It is done on a case by case basis.”

This has also been confirmed by another source who detailed the coordination has so far taken place in the areas of Sahl el Ghab, Latakia, and the Damascus suburbs.

“In these areas there were several meetings between Russian generals and high ranking Hezbollah commanders,” he said.

The same source also said Russia’s coordination with Hezbollah predates its official involvement in Syria, as it participated “for a few days” in the Zabadani battles along the Lebanese-Syrian mountainous terrain. “Russia used the Zabadani battles as a sort of live training ground for some of its select elite forces, where Hezbollah was the main fighting force alongside the Syrian army,” he said.

According to Barmin, it is important for Moscow not to demonstrate any relations with Hezbollah. “Communication between Russian forces in Syria and Hezbollah command is very strong,” he said, “they basically coordinate their actions on the ground, yet Russia doesn’t want everyone else to see it.”