US Capitulates to Russia Over Syrian War Cooperation

A little over a month ago, a strange thing happened in Washington. On July 14th, Secretary of State John Kerry got on a plane, flew to the Kremlin in Moscow, and met with Vladimir Putin to discuss cooperation and coordination between US and Russian military forces in Syria. The meeting lasted three to four hours and until 1 o’clock in the morning. On the 15th, Kerry met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, most likely going over the finer points and details of military cooperation. This offer concluded a slow, forced shift in US policy, over the course of a few years, that originally demanded the removal of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, a.k.a. “regime change.” This initial policy changed to allowing Assad to stay in power until stepping down on a later date. Then, after a meeting in December of last year, US policy again changed to allowing Assad to compete in future elections and abandoning any timetables calling for his resignation. The July meetings between Kerry, Putin and Lavrov signaled that the original mission of regime change had quietly been abandoned.

The Obama administration just ‘made a scary retreat’ in its Syria policy, and negotiations are quickly unraveling

But this shift would not remain quiet, and suspicion among the media and political commentators would grow after press secretaries/mouthpieces could not elaborate on Sec. Kerry’s meeting. The White House Press Secretary could not even confirm if the White House had or had not approved the meeting. In fact, the State Department spokesperson refused to even comment or characterize the meeting. When confronted with the accusations of a shift in US policy, the State Department simply avoided, dissembled, and played semantic word games until the press gave up on the question. These weird, embarrassing interactions have been linked below:

7/14/16: White House Press Briefing

Matt Lee: So, the Russians were right about Syria? 14 July 2016

Fast forward to today and cooperation with the Russians is treated as a no-brainer, nothing to see here. The fact that the US has been pressured into changing its foreign policy has gone unrecognized. The administration is now publicly announcing Kerry’s cooperation with Lavrov in what could be construed as an unofficial abandonment of the regime change goal.

Lavrov, Kerry to meet on Syria and Ukraine in Geneva on Friday

Russia also said that the two ministers had talked about the need to separate “Washington-oriented” Syrian opposition groups from the “terrorist groups” that are not covered by a regularly broken ceasefire.

This detail may seem somewhat minor or mundane, but it’s actually quite important. As the US has refused to identify exactly which “moderate” terrorist groups they are backing against Assad, the Russians couldn’t target them to remove the West’s influence in Syria. If Kerry is forced to share this information with Lavrov, expect to see a rapid degradation of the West’s power in Syria, and for Assad to remain in power. Such a result would be yet another failure by Western leadership, who have also been contending with a myriad of issues including the Brexit, the EU immigration crisis, Chinese expansionism, and a petulant Erdogan in Turkey. Time and time again, the Globalists are finding themselves between a rock and a hard place by refusing to yield to silly things like national sovereignty or self-determination.

Knowing this, the adversaries of the West have begun to play off of this inflexibility, and Erdogan has given the US and the EU offers that they can’t help but refuse. By publicly promising to reinstate the death penalty, Erdogan has disqualified his country from EU membership, yet he is still demanding the advancement of Turkey’s application process into the EU. If the EU, doesn’t give in to his demands, Erdogan has threatened to unleash a wave of up to 2 million refugees into Europe. Either choice is a losing situation for the EU. Erdogan also gave the US an ultimatum, demanding the extradition of alleged Turkey coup plotter Fethullah Gulen. This creates a rather serious ethical/political dilemma as the US must weigh the geopolitical importance of good relations with Turkey against sending a man (and reportedly a Clinton asset) to his death. The fact that Erdogan is able to make these ultimatums suggests that Turkey represents a vital component in the West’s geopolitical ambitions against Russia, but I suggest that Erdogan has no intention to mend fences with the West. Instead, he has turned to the East.

Turkey, Russia, and the Geopolitical Endgame of Eurasia

If you’ve been paying attention to how badly American and Western foreign policy has performed, you might be wondering just how close Russia and China are getting towards their own geopolitical goals. Forming an alliance with Erdogan in Turkey is a very big step forward.

Turkey warns EU it is making ‘serious mistakes’ over failed coup

Unhappy with the weird, weak response of the West following the latest coup, and the refusal to extradite the alleged leader of said coup to Turkey, Erdogan is now threatening to quit the bidding process to join the EU. Publicly supporting reinstating the death penalty after the coup, a punishment outlawed by the European Convention on Human Rights, it would appear that Erdogan has no intention of mending relations with Europe. He has begun meeting with Putin, has apologized for the downing of a Russian jet and even offered full compensation to the Russian families of the deceased pilots. After reversing policy on Assad in Syria, Turkey is now normalizing relations with Russia. So why is this so important? It all started 112 years ago.

At the turn of the 20th century, the plotters and strategists of foreign policy were still obsessed with controlling sea power and maritime trade with their giant naval fleets. But in 1904, a geographer from the University of Oxford named Halford Mackinder would lay down the foundations for what would soon become global geopolitical strategy. In the Heartland Strategy,  Mackinder stated that the “World Island,” or the combined continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa, represents the catbird seat of the world. These three continents hold the most plentiful and varied combination of natural resources and human populations, and the area of Eurasia in particular was a vital corridor for trade between undeveloped but resource-rich third world countries and the heavily industrialized first world nations. Eurasia was also the door to Africa, a veritable cornucopia of untouched natural resources. But the Heartland part of Heartland Strategy refers to the massive, contiguous land mass spanning between Eastern Europe, Iran, Northern China, all the way to Eastern Siberia. Mackinder considered this area to be the most tactically advantageous with icy seas to the north deterring naval invasions and the bare expanses of Siberia sapping any land campaign. Mackinder’s Heartland, in other words, was the land already being occupied by Russia.

Although it was Mackinder who really first envisioned global strategy, it would be his disciple, Nicholas Spykman, who would deal with the Russians (the Soviet Union) directly. It was Spykman who encouraged the end of isolationism and the establishment of a balance of powers, with the US at the top, after the conclusion of World War II. This detente strategy was centered on the Heartland/Soviet Union, but Spykman placed less emphasis on sea power. Rather than considering a military strategy against the Heartland, Spykman contemplated co-opting the nations surrounding the Heartland, anticipating the expansionist policy of the Soviets, and playing the soft power card that imbues Western foreign policy to this day. This is the groundwork for what would later become George Kennan’s successful containment policy against Communism.

Spykman is a seminal figure in American geopolitical strategy. Having inspired both Henry Kissinger and Zbigniew Brzezinski, his theories and ideas are still very relevant over 70 years later. Eastern Europe and Eurasia are still critically important control points, and just about every effort has been made to keep Russia contained. The official US support of the mujahideen in Afghanistan was an effort to repel the Soviets from the region, and the strategic funding of Wahhabism, Salafism and Islamic fundamentalism by the West and its regional allies has been an effort to keep them out further. The West has never wanted Russia in Europe for fear of a German-Russian Alliance, and the solidification of the Heartland and Eastern Europe. During the Russo-Turkish war in 1878, arguably the war that dealt the death blow to the Ottoman Empire, Russia regained its lost territories from the Ottomans and then began pushing toward Europe up through Constantinople. Britain became so panicked they sent a fleet of warships to stop the Russians before their armies could reach the city. The British and Germans forced the Russians to accept the Ottoman Empire’s truce, and proceeded to split up the Balkan states (now know as “Balkanization”) to reduce the reach of Russia’s influence.

These latest developments between Erdogan and Putin could be seen to represent a continuation of Russia’s expansion from the Russo-Turkish war. If Turkey decides to turn to Russia and away from the West, it could become the first breach in the wall of containment established after World War II. Russia’s goal has not changed, it still wants to gain control over the Eurasian corridor, open up the Middle East for oil exploitation, and integrate the region into the continent-spanning New Silk Road Initiative.

Russia and Turkey Could Form a ‘Big Eurasia’ Axis

Russia and China are now winning the soft power culture strategy, which is ironic considering how the strategy originated in the West and from Zbigniew Brzezinski in particular. Now, Brzezinski’s Trilateral Commission toadies are grasping at straws and Henry Kissinger broke ranks with the establishment to meet with Putin in February and Trump in May. Kissinger, who was Nixon’s Secretary of State and specialist in detente and balance of power strategy, may be suggesting a policy opposed to the uni-polar policies of the Globalists in Washington, London and Berlin.

After Kissinger’s meeting with Putin in February, the Obama administration, the “most transparent administration in history,” announced the very next month that they would declassify certain documents pertaining to the military junta ruling 1970’s Argentina. Guess what was recently declassified:

Kissinger hindered US effort to end mass killings in Argentina, according to files

Could this be the start of another one of the Globalists’ smear campaigns? It wouldn’t surprise me at all.

US Military Bases Facing Expulsion, Has Trilateral Foreign Policy Failed?

Make no mistake, I love America. Even with all of our selfie sticks and deep-fried twinkies, I love this country. But I have to give credit where credit is due, and I have to seriously consider if Russia, and Putin in particular, has bested this country in the realm of geopolitics, for now. The petrodollar hegemony is under siege, GMO’s and trade deals are being rejected, the EU is in danger of disintegration, and our allies are turning to Russia. One of those allies is Japan, who has recently invested in the Russian oil project in the Irkutsk region of Eastern Siberia. Wary of an aggressive China, Japan has recently set off on a course of rearmament and military revival, rather than relying on the US as a guarantor of protection. Relations between the US and Japanese Okinawa have soured to the point that the US has agreed to move its base to a remote location, away from a local populace deeply angered over a history of criminal conduct involving members of the US military. The US wore out its welcome in Okinawa.

Abe, U.S. commander agree to carry out defense guidelines in steady manner

Due to a severe backlash against the refugee and migrant policy in the EU, which may have been the primary cause of the Brexit referendum, Turkey and its president, Recep Erdogan, were forced to capitulate to the Russians and end their effort to remove Bashar al-Assad from power in Syria. With the possibility that much of Europe could severely limit the amount of migrants and refugees entering their countries, Erdogan was facing the grave scenario of Syrian war refugees entering Turkey for asylum and having nowhere else to go. A massive influx of refugees staying in rather than passing through Turkey would have severe economic, political and social ramifications. Very shortly after Erdogan’s reversal of policy, a (possibly rushed) coup attempt failed to unseat him. Officially blaming the US, power to the Incirlik Air Base and thousands of US Airmen was cut off and no flights were allowed to take off from the base for two days. Last night, thousands of Turkish police officers have surrounded the base for a “security check” after local police were told of a second coup attempt. Nothing was found, but it is clear that the base, and the US, is no longer welcome in Turkey.

Report: 7,000 Turkish forces surrounded Incirlik air base overnight

US military bases are crucial to the projection of American power. With the ability to quickly form a military response, the US is able to establish and enforce treaties and agreements, protect allies, and deter rivals. When local opinion turns against the US, the military base and its inhabitants are often the first target of protests and enmity. The situations in Turkey and Japan, and the fact that this scenario is no longer an isolated incident, suggests that the foreign policy of the current administration has performed poorly.

The Obama administration belongs to the Trilateral Commission school of thought, with Zbigniew Brzezinski being the expert on foreign policy and a key founder of the group. There are clear parallels between current policy and Brzezinki’s policy during the Carter administration

• an aversion to unilateral policy and overt warfare
• a preference for covert armament and proxy wars, technological superiority and manipulation, and political and media pressure
• alliance building, support for the EU and control over Eurasia
• and most importantly, the abandonment of (Kissinger’s) balance of power strategy, as per Presidential Directive 18 on U.S. National Security, for a globalist, supranational hegemony led by Western financial elites, technocrats, and intelligence agencies.

Nation state as a fundamental unit of man’s organized life has ceased to be the principal creative force: International banks and multinational corporations are acting and planning in terms that are far in advance of the political concepts of the nation-state. – Zbigniew Brzezinski, Between Two Ages: The Technetronic Era, 1971

It should be noted that Brzezinski does not hold any official positions in the administration, and he has even criticized some of its decisions including the arming of rebels in Syria. Brzezinski even admitted that the US is “still the strongest, but we’re not necessarily the most respected or legitimate,” in 2014. This point, legitimacy and respect, is the linchpin of Brzezinski’s style of foreign policy, and the key failure of the Obama administration in implementing it. With the exposure of NSA surveillance, technological superiority and legitimacy are threatened. Due to unpopular economic policies and underhanded trade deals, our alliances and friendships are threatened. The policy of regime change, dubious support of “moderate” Muslim radicals in Syria, and drone warfare collateral damage degrades our reputation as a facilitator of peace.

There has been a schism in the leadership over these issues. Henry Kissinger, the purveyor of the balance of power strategy (AKA detente), has tacitly shown displeasure at the current state of affairs. In February, Kissinger met with Putin as the West was imposing sanctions and denouncing the Russian slow-mo invasion of the Ukraine. Kissinger even met with Donald Trump in May, answering Trump’s requests for help developing foreign policy.

Donald Trump to meet with Henry Kissinger, GOP’s foreign-policy eminence

“America first will be the overriding theme of my administration,” Trump said last month in a speech at Washington’s Mayflower Hotel, where he also called globalism a “false song.”

 

China Defies Tribunal, New Zealand Picks a Side in the Pacific

Despite the ruling a week ago from the International Criminal Court rejecting China’s claims over the resource-rich South China Sea, China has continued to develop artificial islands and is setting up communication systems on them.

During US Navy visit, China vows ‘never to stop’ island buildup

The islands could serve as platforms for China to project military force throughout the region, allowing the control of trade and exploitation of oil reserves. Choosing to ignore the court’s decision is a continuation of the “slow-motion invasion” style of territory grabbing that China’s ally, Putin, utilized in the Ukraine. In light of these developments, the US Navy has been invited to make a port call in New Zealand for the first time in over 30 years.

US Navy to return to New Zealand after 30-year rift over nukes

The 30-year stand-off was due to a conflict between New Zealand’s anti-nuclear laws and America’s policy of neither confirming or denying the presence of nuclear weapons on its ships.

It should be noted that the US Navy has continued to apply their policy of neither confirming nor denying nuclear armaments on their ships, which could serve as a reminder, if not a tacit warning, to any Chinese attempt to impede “freedom of navigation” operations. By caving to the policy and inviting US presence, New Zealand is announcing their opposition to China’s expansionism, serving as an important stepping stone between America and Australia.

In stark contrast to these warming relations, the Incirlik Air Base, and a whole other nuclear matter, may represent a serious setback in US geopolitical positioning. With power to the base still cut off after 6 days, and fuel reserves rumored to hold out for less than a week, some commentators have begun to speculate if the base was being used as a bargaining chip in the fallout of Erdogan’s accusations of American involvement with the recent failed coup. In Okinawa, an unfortunate history of criminal activity involving servicemen has severely soured relations with the Japanese. A protest held two days ago drew over 60,000 people asking for the military bases to be moved out of Okinawa. As China seeks to expand their ability to project force in the South China Sea, the US’s first line of force projection is being contested.

 

New Details in Turkey’s Failed Coup Indicate External Influences

Not long after Tayyip Erdogan reversed the coup in Turkey by inciting a popular uprising against the coup plotters, some rather unusual details have started to surface.

Erdogan official blames U.S. for coup attempt; U.S. forces at Turkey’s Incirlik air base on high alert

Erdogan has decided to officially blame the US, and claims the organizer of the coup was Fethullah Gulen. Gulen was a former ally of Erdogan before exiling himself to Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania in 1999. The two had fought for control over influence on Turkish courts, media and police forces, and in 2014 Erdogan had allegedly asked for Gulen’s extradition from the US to Turkey but was refused. It is clear that the two were indeed political rivals, but it seems that Gulen was particularly well-connected in American politics.

New Ties Emerge Between Clinton And Mysterious Islamic Cleric

The connections between the Gulen movement and Clinton are not the first to be revealed. They also add to questions about what it is the Gulenists want from Clinton and whether the Democrat has rewarded their financial support with favors.

Last year The Daily Caller reported that numerous Gulen followers have donated to Clinton’s various political campaigns and to her family charity. One Gulen movement leader, Recep Ozkan, donated between $500,000 and $1 million to the Clinton Foundation.

This very specific, albeit circumstantial, evidence seems to point the finger wholly at US involvement. An analysis of recent shifts in attitudes by the Obama administration (and Kissinger and Kerry in particular) towards Russia would suggest the participation of just one faction within the American political establishment. This faction, in theory, would have the goals of complete opposition to Russia, the continuation of war in Syria, and the support of Jihadist and Islamic extremists like ISIS in the Middle East. For those of you in the know, that info might already be enough, but for everybody else there are still more clues:

Turkish commander of air base housing US nukes detained for complicity in coup attempt – official

If this coup were completely Turkish in origin, then why bother with the nukes? No coup organizer would use a nuclear weapon in their own country, and no coup leader would create an international incident and severely undercut their own legitimacy by taking control of them away from NATO. I would suggest that the coup wanted control of the nukes to keep them away from a panicking, desperate Erdogan. His survival via popular revolt looked a lot like a Hail Mary pass, and imagine if Erdogan had a “nuclear option” as well. The political, and literal, fallout of such a possibility would be grave for all parties involved.