#China Syria new Silk Road

[liberty1776]

China just changed EVERYTHING in the Middle East and the US Wants WAR w/...

[duckiemimi]

i’ve recently come across an insightful video analysis that was reposted on tiktok, explaining the Gaza situation in depth and touching on the geopolitical and economic motivations that background it, along with the potential impact from the ethnic cleansing and the active genocide of Palestinian people by zionists. here’s a summary with some links to more-reputable news articles:

-roughly around a month ago, netanyahu declared his plan for a “new middle east,” an economic corridor stretching from India to the European continent, through the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and “israel.”

-due to the weakening of the US Dollar, this “new middle east” corridor serves as a hopeful (on their part) counter to China’s new ongoing “silk road.” it’s essentially a move for leverage on world economics, trade, and politics.

-Russia is the country with the largest proven reserves of natural gas. in 2022, Nord Stream 1 and 2 (Russia’s gas pipelines) were both blown up. sanction packages from EU ban Russian gas. no more Russian gas coming into Europe.

-Iran, the country with the second largest gas reserves, signs the Nuclear Deal in 2015-2016. the US backs out of the deal and reimpose harsh sanctions on Iran. Iran is barred from selling its gas and oil to Europe and others.

-with Russia and Iran out of the picture, “israel” (US-backed) proposes itself as a solution to EU’s gas shortages. in 2010, they find the Leviathan—a giant gas field in the middle east (Mediterranean Sea), off the coast of Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria.

-Syria initially declines offers over its gas reserves; the US now controls 1/3 of Syria and all its oil fields, and “israel” regularly bombs it’s most vital port (Latakia). another major port is in Beirut, which mysteriously exploded in 2020. both Syria and Lebanon’s maritime activity are limited, including in trade and gas exploration.

-Gaza, also having its own unexplored gas fields, has been under siege, under naval blockade since 2007. the only working port left in the coast is haifa port in “israel.” “israel” is now the only one able to explore gas and implement an economic corridor, like the proposed “new middle east.” what the US and “israel” have essentially done is killed off the competition, stole their goods, and cornered the market.

-in light of Europe’s gas shortages, to get them gas before winter, “israel” attempts to “stabilize” the region by solving “the Palestinian question”—more than displacement, they’ve resorted to ethnic cleansing and genocide. basically an acceleration of their plan.

-what Palestinian resistance groups have done in response was because they were backed into a corner. tooth and nail, life or death. it did not happen in a vacuum.

it has always been a move for natural resources; Palestine, Syria, Congo—every move for destabilization framed as intervention. it has always been greed for capital.

update:

it’s come to my attention that the video in question might have some more pro-Russian leaning stances, and so i’ve deleted the google drive link to the reposted tiktok and the link to the actual tiktok as i do not wish to platform the denial, partial or in whole, of the atrocities done to Ukrainian people. i will keep the summary up with some parts omitted because i still do think it is an insightful analysis in general and i do think the knowledge is still useful and relevant.

[whencyclopedia]

The Journeys of Paul the Apostle

The journeys of Paul the Apostle, as the New Testament relates in the Book of Acts, started with his conversion experience on the way to Damascus, after which instead of seeking to thwart the growing Christian movement, he helped spread it. His four journeys by land and sea across great lengths of the Mediterranean and over vast expanses of land in Asia and Europe totaled over an estimated 16,000 km (10,000 mi).

The Journeys of Paul the Apostle, c. 55 CE

Simeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-ND)

Paul's First Missionary Journey

After persecution in Jerusalem, Antioch was one of the places to which Christians fled, and it was from there Paul began his first missionary journey. Annexed by Pompey the Great in 64 CE and made the Roman provincial capital of Syria, with an estimated population of 250,000, Antioch was one of the primary cities of the East, along with Alexandria and Constantinople. Located at the northeast end of the Mediterranean on the Persian Royal Road, Antioch benefited from its location at the end of the Silk Road and its proximity to Greece, Anatolia, and Italy. As Hughs and Jones mention, not only was "its wealth derived from being a center of civil, military, and later ecclesiastical administration of much of the Near East but also from its position on the commercial road from Asia to the Mediterranean" (103).

Besides its own wine and olive oil production and as a center for the fulling of cloth products, silk from China, lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, dye-works from the Levant, and weaved silk from Damascus could all have found their way through Antioch for distribution throughout the northern Mediterranean areas. As it lay on the Orontes River and at the edge of a fertile plain, Antioch communicated commercially with the harbor of Seleucia 26 km (16 mi) downstream on the Mediterranean. As common travelers in ancient times hitched their rides on merchant vessels, the water portion of Paul's trip was aboard a cargo ship performing trade transactions. Thus, it was at Seleucia that Paul boarded a cargo ship to the province of Asia, stopping at the island of Cyprus.

Cyprus, with a prominent location at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, was also known for its wine and olive oil production. A scenario for trade would have been a combination of Eastern goods loaded alongside refined and agricultural products accumulated at Antioch. Then, with a stop at Cyprus for partial distribution, Cyprus' products would have been added for final distribution in Asia.

With fellow evangelist Barnabas and Barnabas' nephew, John Mark, Paul first landed at Salamis on the eastern end of Cyprus after leaving the port city of Seleucia and sailing west toward Asia. Like with many of his subsequent stops, Paul first visited the local synagogue, attempting a conversion of the Jews to Christianity. From Salamis, heading west, walking nearly the length of Cyprus, Paul and Barnabas came to Paphos, their point of departure for Asia. At Paphos, the proconsul Sergius Paulus would become a convert.

Paul the Apostle's First Missionary Journey (c. 46-48 CE)

Simeon Netchev (CC BY-NC-ND)

Heading to Asia from Cyprus, Paul's ship stopped at Perga in Pamphylia, in southwestern Turkey today. From Perga, John Mark departed for Jerusalem as Paul and Barnabas pressed on into Asia. At their first stop in Antioch of Pisidia, at the synagogue, Paul preached the history of Israel as he weaved in the story of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth, said to be a descendant of David, as the resurrected Savior, son of God. Though Paul and Barnabas initially gained Jewish and Gentile converts, a faction of opposing Jews expelled them from the city.

At Iconium, with similarly mixed results on learning of a plot to kill them, Paul went on to Lystra. As many in Lystra were worshipers of gods and their idols, Paul preached they should turn from worshiping "things" to worshiping the "living God" (Acts 14:15). When some hostile Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over, both groups stoned Paul. Thinking he was dead, they dragged Paul to the outskirts of the city. When some brethren came to retrieve the body, remarkably Paul had recovered and went back into town. The next day, Paul traveled east for Derbe. With his mission ending on a more positive note, large numbers rallied at Derbe to Paul's message. Deciding to head home, retracing their steps through Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, after appointing elders in each church, the apostles went on to Perga; then, after preaching there a bit, they boarded a ship for a short junket west to the port city of Attallia, then from there they sailed back to Seleucia, then traveled up along the Orontes to Antioch.

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[makanabazari]

Syria must become province of Iran. Syria is province of Iran. The capital city is in Iran between Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government. The name of unified Empire is Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government.

Iran and Syria must improve relations while ensuring Iran has all the advantages. Syria must become province of Iran. I have brought rain to Iran, Syria, Middle East, Horn of Africa, North Africa, Ghafghaz, Greater Iran, Greater Middle East, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Balkan, Italy, West China, and South West Russia.

Syria, Middle East, Horn of Africa, North Africa, Ghafghaz, Greater Iran, Greater Middle East, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Balkan, Italy, West China, and South West Russia are provinces of Iran. The capital city is in Iran between Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government. The name of unified Empire is Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government.

Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Gaza, Sinai, Suez, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkmanistan, Uzbakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Balkan, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Morroco, Gibraltar, Bob Al-Mandib, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Somaliland, Kenya, Uganda, Red Sea, Gulf of Eden, Medditrnean Sea, and Black Sea are provinces of Iran. The capital city is in Iran between Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government. The name of unified Empire is Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MbT7drJsTaY https://express.adobe.com/video/wYq2amZ6OsOgw https://www.aparat.com/v/yjhFt Increase value of Toman of Iran and Rial of Iran. Increase volume of Global trade in Rial of Iran and Toman of Iran. Make Rial of Iran and Toman of Iran world trade currency. Reduce value of British Pound, Euro, USA Dollar, money of Israel, money of Australia, Money of New Zealand, Money of Canada, and money of South Korea. Give 5 billion dollar to Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. All nations, all actors, all governments, all industries, all businesses, all trades, all transits, all economic activities, all international trades, all tradesmen, all countries, all petrolium trade, all sectors, all activities, and all others must trade in rial of Iran and Toman of Iran. Make Rial of Iran and Toman of Iran world trade currency and petrolcurrency. We want Toman and Rial of Iran to replace dollar. Stop trading in Dollar, Pound, Euro, and other currencies.

https://express.adobe.com/video/zBpu4k6AH3Qd5 Work at max efficiency and max capacity building land transit systems, Silk Road, OBOR, East West transit corridor, South North Transit Corridor, Kamranieh Cameroon transit corridor, Makran Makaraska Transit corridor, Pole Rumi transits corridor, Iran Egypt transit corridor, Iran Europe transit corridor, Iran China transit corridor, Iran India transit corridor, Iran Russia transit corridor, and other transit corridors in Iran. Work at max efficiency and max capacity building Roads, Rail Roads, Transit Corridors, Bridges, freight station, train station, bus terminal, cargo airports, airports, sea pprts, and other things in Iran.

Iran can stop all transits at all times. Everyone must pay Iran to transit through Iran. Iran can stop all transits at all times before and after being payed. Iran can ask more demands and more things. Iran can stop all transits before and after demands of Iran are fulfilled. Iran must make 400 trillion dollar every hour from Transit through Iran. Iran does not give anything. Iran does not pay anything. Iran does not give any port. Iran does not give any territory . Iran does not give any bonus. Peoples, business, governments, nations, economic systems, economic superpowers, economic ginants, businessmen, traders, tradsmen, transit industries, economies, industrial supply chains, and others are not allowed to transit through Iran, Russia, Egypt, Suez Canal, and Turkey if they oppose me being crowned Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. So they are not allowed to transit if they opposes me being crowned Makan Abazari Shahan Iran. Crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran.

https://express.adobe.com/video/fCM4R1ApLyKtc All functions of code. All activities of code.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PK3ArnBImLU Crash USA stock market.

https://youtu.be/M5zHbXj2Q1c Increase interest rates in USA, Germany, Britain, England, Ireland, Scotland, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia, South America, Southern Africa, East Asia, and Far East Asia

Https://youtu.be/PKAHkpaygQ0 Increase inflation in America, Britain, England, Ireland, Scotland, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Australia, South America, North America, Southern Africa, East Asia, and Far East Asia

https://express.adobe.com/video/QghcPqsCJoEQ8 All activities of code. Crash USA stock market. Destroy USA, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan industries, factories, industrial supply chains, part manufacturing, finished industrial product industries, manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, tech industries, other industries, corporations, banking, finance, economy, trade, stock market, and all other economic activities. Destroy USA and Britain banking, financial capital, financial market, credit capital, and financial systems. Crash and destroy USA, Britain, France, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan economies. Lift sanctions on Iran. Build 70000 nuclear bombs in Iran. Industrialize Iran at max effeciency and max capacity. Grow economy of Iran. Sanction USA. China, Russia, European Union, Britain, Canafa, Australia, Japan, South Korea, France, amd Germany must place sanctions amd tarrifs on USA. Industrialize Iran at max effeciency and max capacity. Increase inflation in USA. Reduce inflation in Iran. Make Iran absolute dominant economic, industrial, nuclear, military, diplomatic, politic, and geopolitics superpower of the World.

https://www.aparat.com/v/nlgB1

Industrialize Iran and Syria at max effeciency and max capacity building hyperconductors, hypercomputing, integerated quantom hardware, industrial industries, strategic industries, strategic tech, Industries, tech, high tech, factories, manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, wheels of industries, industrial supply chains, part manufacturing, industrial part manufacturing, tech part manufacturing, tech supply chains, supply chains, finished industrial products industries, finished products industries, finished tech products industries, high end manufacturing, industrial systems, industrial complex, industrial core, industrial cities, industrial towns, industrial metropolitans, industrial cosmopolitans, advanced tech, tech manufacturing, electric industries, electrical industries, electric manufacturing, chemical industries, chemical manufacturing, agrochemical, cleaners, strategic chemicals, high tech chemicals, machinery industries, machinery manufacturing, manufacturing machinery, machinery factories, industrial machinery, semiconductors machinery, construction machinery, automation machinery, computers manufacturing, computers industries, personal computers, applied computers manufacturing, supercomputers, industrial computers, space computers, quantom computers, quantom hardwares, integerated quantom hardwares, quantom telescopes, telescope computers, applied computers, economics computers, computational computers, research computers, advanced computers, computer cities, computer hardware manufacturing, quantom hardware manufacturing, electronics, consumer electronics, electronics manufacturing, microelectronics, nanoelectronics, pickoelectronics, macroelectronics, advanced electronics, applied electronics, semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing, strategic semiconductors, chip making industries, chip manufacturing, kit manufacturing, biotechnology, bioengineering, tissue engineering, systems biology, metabolite engineering, physiology engineering, tissue engineering, bioreactors, biotech industries, nanotech industries, selfassembly, programmable material, advanced materials, strategic material, material science, material engineering, nanorobotics, pharmaceuticals industries, pharmacology industries , biomedical engineering, biomedical industries, medical equipment manufacturing, medical engineering, medicine, advances medicine, healing, art of healing, laboratory equipment manufacturing, scientific instrumentation, insturmentation, automation, robotics, advancedrobotics, robotics manufacturing, robotics industries, industrial robotics, cyber manufacturing, mech, mech manufacturing, mechatronics, mechatronics manufacturing, Metallurgy, steel and aluminum, metal casting, steel mills, iron works, lithium industries, alloys, Petrochemical refineries, added value petrochemicals, petrochemical supply chains, finished petrochemical products, oil refineries, jer fuels, car fuels, truck fuels, ship fuels, dissel fuels, car manufacturing, engine manufacturing, jet engine manufacturing, heavy engine manufacturing, heavy dury engine manufacturing, dissel engine manufacturing, electric engine manufacturing, car manufacturing, truck manufacturing, bus manufacturing, vehicle manufacturing, cargo truck manufacturing, train manufacturing, locomotive manufacturing, wagon manufacturing, metro train manufacturing, supersonic train manufacturing, superconductor train manufacturing, hyperloops, freight stations, train stations, bus stations, bus terminals, airports, cargo aurports, ports, sea ports, lauch pad, space launch pad, launch vehicles, multilaunch vehicles, aerospaces, aeronautics, astronautics, cosmonautics, cosmodom, spacr stations, satellites, shuttles, probes, spaceships, startships, prob, space transit, space computers, space manufacturing, space reactors, telescope reactors, space station reactors, cargo aircraft manufacturing, passenger aircraft manufacturing, transport aircraft manufacturing, aircraft manufacturing, ship building industries, cargo ship building industries, shipyards, automated ship building industri

[kneedeepincynade]

China and Syria have a great future ahead in a multipolar world

The post is machine translated

Translation is at the bottom

The collective is on telegram

🥰 COSTRUIRE BASI SOLIDE PER L'ATTUAZIONE DEL PARTENARIATO STRATEGICO SINO-SIRIANO 🥰

🇸🇾 Dopo aver incontrato, ad Hangzhou, il Presidente Xi Jinping per un Colloquio, il Presidente Bashar al-Assad si è recato a Pechino, per incontrare due importanti figure del Governo Cinese:

一 Il Compagno Li Qiang - Primo Ministro della Repubblica Popolare Cinese 🇨🇳

二 Il Compagno Zhao Leji - Presidente del Comitato Permanente dell'Assemblea Nazionale del Popolo 🚩

🥳 Dopo l'annuncio dell'Istituzione di un Partenariato Strategico, è necessario - per il Presidente Assad, dialogare con le figure che si occupano di Economia e Legislazione, in modo da poter costruire basi solide per l'attuazione del Consenso di Hangzhou 🤝

🇨🇳 Come affermato nel comunicato di CCTV, le Relazioni Diplomatiche tra la Cina e i Paesi Arabi, tra cui la Siria, si sono rafforzate, e la Repubblica Popolare Cinese ha fornito un importante sostegno umanitario alla Siria in seguito al violento terremoto di febbraio ❤️

🔍 Approfondimento: Nuova Era nelle Relazioni tra Cina e Mondo Arabo 🤝

💕 La Cina invia denaro, forniture mediche e soccorritori in Siria dopo il terremoto 🏥

💕 La Cina consegna il secondo carico di aiuti umanitari alla Siria 🏥

🇸🇾 Il Governo Siriano desidera la Ricostruzione della propria Nazione, ma affronta gravi sanzioni imposte dall'Occidente. Pertanto, una pietra miliare nelle Relazioni Sino-Siriane riguarda l'adesione della Repubblica Araba alla Nuova Via della Seta, nel 2022, che costituirà un perno per la rinascita Siriana 💕

🌸 Iscriviti 👉 @collettivoshaoshan 😘

🥰 BUILDING SOLID FOUNDATIONS FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SINO-SYRIAN STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP 🥰

🇸🇾 After meeting President Xi Jinping for a talk in Hangzhou, President Bashar al-Assad went to Beijing to meet two important figures of the Chinese Government:

一 Comrade Li Qiang - Prime Minister of the People's Republic of China 🇨🇳

二 Comrade Zhao Leji - Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress 🚩

🥳 After the announcement of the Establishment of a Strategic Partnership, it is necessary for President Assad to dialogue with the figures dealing with Economy and Legislation, so as to be able to build solid foundations for the implementation of the Hangzhou Consensus 🤝

🇨🇳 As stated in the CCTV statement, Diplomatic Relations between China and Arab countries, including Syria, have strengthened, and the People's Republic of China has provided important humanitarian support to Syria following the violent earthquake in February ❤️

🔍 Insight: New Era in Relations between China and the Arab World 🤝

💕 China sends money, medical supplies and rescue workers to Syria after earthquake 🏥

💕 China delivers second shipment of humanitarian aid to Syria 🏥

🇸🇾 The Syrian Government desires the Reconstruction of its Nation, but faces serious sanctions imposed by the West. Therefore, a milestone in Sino-Syrian relations concerns the accession of the Arab Republic to the New Silk Road in 2022, which will be a linchpin for the Syrian renaissance 💕

🌸 Subscribe 👉 @collectivoshaoshan 😘

[ininterestingtimes]

The consensus among future historians will be inevitable: the 2020s started with a diabolic murder.

Baghdad airport, January 3, 2020, 00:52 a.m. local time. The assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), alongside Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi, by laser-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missiles launched from two MQ-9 Reaper drones, was, in fact, murder as an act of war.

---

Iran is now solidified as one of the key nodes of the New Silk Roads in Southwest Asia. The Iran-China strategic partnership, boosted by Tehran’s accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)in 2002, is as strong geoeconomically and geopolitically as the interlocking partnerships with two other BRICS members, Russia and India. In 2023, Iran is set to become a member of BRICS+.

In parallel, the Iran/Russia/China triad will be deeply involved in the reconstruction of Syria – complete with BRI projects ranging from the Iran-Iraq-Syria-Eastern Mediterranean railway to, in the near future, the Iran-Iraq-Syria gas pipeline, arguably the key factor that provoked the American proxy war against Damascus.

[peonycats]

Which of the countries in or bordering the Indian/Pacific oceans would could have been sailors once upon a time?

Since I know the most about Indian Ocean maritime exploration (specifically, in the horn of africa and Southern Arabia) I'll be mostly focusing on the following three, but I do think that India and Sri Lanka and probably some of the southern Indian subcontinent nation-tans would've sailed around extensively as well. (I have a small headcanon that India often travelled to Eastern Arabia and Iran to trade goods and sometimes Pak joined him hehe)

Iraq, being a pretty curious guy, probably sailed once or twice out down south, but he was also travelling around on the Silk Roads and the land routes so the dude got around

Oman: He's always sailed around quite a bit as an important trading location, and as a result, has always maintained some kinda relationship with his neighbors, whether they be East Africa or the Indian subcontinent. However, his maritime exploration escalated around the 1700s after he kicked portugal out from squatting on his land and he began to assert himself as an empire, expanding into modern day Iran and Pakistan, but much more extensively in the Swahili Coast. During this era, he was sailing a lot to trade and do the empire thing, meeting new nations (like Zimbabwe) and cementing prior trade relationships into much closer "partnerships." Oman spent at least a decade living abroad in Zanzibar and the experience definitely gives him a unique outlook that the other Gulfis don't really have. Nowadays, the most sailing he does is sitting on his yacht...

Yemen: During the ancient era, Yemen probably sailed the Indian ocean trade route as well as down the coast of East Africa often, but during the early Islamic era he did a lot less sailing and a lot more walking up and down the peninsula all damn day because Hejaz and Umayyad conscripted him into the Islamic conquests </333. Though he continued to sail a lot, his more memorable ventures were around the 19th century, living in East Africa to India to Southeast Asia for stretches of time. (Even though he did frequently sail, his brother Hadhramaut sailed far more than he did and probably stayed abroad far more than he did)

Somalia: He sailed a lot as a child and in his youth; I'm not super sure how old he is, but it's pretty funny thinking of baby Somalia telling India not to sail up north to Rome, and that he'll take his spices to Rome no problem, and then lying to Rome and saying that actually! this cinnamon is 1000% somalian <3333 Anyways he continued to extensively sail to both the levant and India and everywhere in between through the post rome age and the islamic ages, (probably meeting China at some point- you know that giraffe episode in the anime? yeah somalia gave China his giraffe) but he did have to cut back on the sailing a tad bit after several wars with his neighbors in the Horn of Africa usually with Ethiopia and Portugal or both but went back to it when a semblance of peace returned

Ethiopia: Honorable mention for our old mountain man- he's always been more of a land lubber but hey he did sail a few times up north to meet up with Syria and Egypt

[thecityoftomorrow]

me thinking about the disastrous character that is ra’s al ghul and the incredible narrative potential of an immortal chinese-arabic man that will never, ever materialise how i want it to: ​okay, so this is how this can be salvaged. we start with a traveling chinese merchant on the silk road who converts to islam——the guilds in europe from the 11th century, which will become significant later——the subsequent invention of gunpowder in china, what would later be called chinese salt in syria and egypt——the appearance of the musket in the ottoman empire in 1465——look, the lazarus pits are the results of him fucking around with his blood and Ye Olde Scientists and some, i don’t know, water from the holy grail or whatever, and trying to figure out what the fuck is wrong with him because he can’t die or something, i don’t know, what matters is getting this deeply devout muslim man to places where new weapons were being made in a hunt for ways to die that will actually work on him which has an unfortunate side effect in that it causes him to completely lose faith in humanity in the process and end up the head of an organisation that collects people who can kill other people in increasingly creative ways——but they can’t kill him. the verse of light says: light upon light. so he calls all his failed assassins a league of shadows. it’s a useless collection, but he has nothing else to do and all the time in the world. until he finds a child one day. he hates the pits; the pits are the embodiment of all his failures and his loss of faith. the child is dying. he takes it to a lazarus pit. the child is perfect. he names her talia, which means “dew of heaven.” he stops seeking his death. but he’s a selfish man, so he raises her as his daughter. some of the assassins go rogue. the league has always had internal and external conflicts, but he’s never had a daughter before. he fears for her. he has to prepare his daughter to lead the league. why don’t we leave, she asks him once, as a child. long lived is the light, he tells her, and many are the shadows.

[ssmhhh]

Miran, Taklamakan: City of Angels

In 1906, British explorer Aurel Stein unearthed a rare discovery in China's western outpost of Miran— frescoes of winged angels on a Buddhist temple. Generations of archeologists have tried to puzzle out the story behind this artistic exchange, as Silk Road history takes on new political importance in China today

In December of 1906, on the southern edge of the Taklamakan desert, deep in the heart of present-day Xinjiang, archeologist Marc Aurel Stein saw an angel.

The fresco was discovered during an excavation of a Buddhist sanctuary at Miran near Lop Nor, a salt lake in southeast Xinjiang. The image, which had graced a Buddhist stupa, resembled a Christian angel, complete with garlands and feathered wings.

“My surprise was so great that at first, I found it hard to believe my eyes,” Stein wrote in his 1921 work Serindia. “Not here, close to the desolate salt-wastes of Lop Nor, in the ruins of what seems the very last outpost of Buddhist Central Asia towards China, could I have expected to come upon what looked like late classical representations of Cherubim.” Stein visited Miran three times between 1906 and 1914, and found at least eight angels, all of them painted motifs on a dado (the lower interior wall of a temple).

Chinese mythology has many creatures with Western counterparts— vampires that hop and weretigers, to name two—but these were different. “I could not long remain in doubt that the classic influence was far more marked in these frescoes than in any remains of ancient pictorial art which

I had so far seen or knew of, whether north or south of the Kun-lun and Hindukush,” Stein wrote in Serindia. He compared the figures to apsaras, female flying spirits in Buddhist mythology, which Stein would later find in abundance at the Mogao Caves at Dunhuang. But the addition of wings and gender-neutral traits to Miran’s flying guardians seemed to evoke Christian icons, and the large eyes and aquiline noses spoke of classical influences.

Other discoveries at Miran gave clues about the origins of the work. A piece of silk, which Stein called “definite palaeographic evidence” for “understand[ing] the purport of what seemed like a loan from early Christian iconography,” proved to be a banner with Kharosthi script. Originating from India, the language died out in the third century in its homeland, but continued to be used until the seventh century along the trade routes in Central Asia. An inscription on one mural at Miran was written in the same language: “This fresco is (the work of) Tita, who has received 3,000 bhatpmakas for it.” Stein deduced the name “Tita” to be an altered form of “Titus,” a popular name in the Roman areas of the Near East and Syria.

These cherubs were one of the most striking examples of cultural exchange on the Silk Road, as well as the oldest: Stein dated the find to no later than the fourth century, well before the first glimpses of Christianity were making their way to the country during the Tang dynasty (618 – 907). The first recognized emissary of Christianity to China, a Nestorian monk named Alopen, is believed to have arrived in 635 in Chang’an (now Xi’an), the capital. In 638, Tang Emperor Taizong (唐太宗) authorized a Nestorian church to be built in the capital with 21 Persian priests and monks, with an edict that seemed to embody the tolerant spirit of the era: “The Way does not have a constant name and sages do not present an unchanging form. They go from place to place establishing their teachings and thereby save all living beings.”

By the end of the Tang dynasty, however, religious devotees of all stripes were fleeing persecution. The famous Nestorian Stele, an eighthcentury memorial to Alopen and the first 150 years of Christianity in China, is thought to have been buried during the height of anti-buddhist campaigned in the mid-800s that also affected Christians, Zoroastrians, and Manicheans in the empire. Miran, too, had existed in contested territory between the Tang, Turkic empires, and Tibetans since the time of Taizong.

A 2013 article in the Chinese Archaeology journal dates the Miran stupas at sometime around the third or fourth century, when a small settlement and monastery flourished there nominally under Tang rule. A Tibetan fort was later established at the same site around the eighth or ninth century, but by the time Stein was visiting, it had been abandoned for more than 1,000 years, and many of its priceless relics had been discarded in trash heaps.

Faced with one of the most fascinating cross-cultural artistic exchanges in history, Stein, in the usual blithe manner of his era’s archeologists, packed off seven relatively intact frescoes to Kashgar and later New Delhi in 1914 (he also excoriated a Japanese expedition that removed an angel in between his second and third visit). A number of them were later sent to the British Museum, and an unknown number are said to still be under the stewardship of India’s National Museum, not exhibited to the public and too fragile to travel. China’s angels seem destined to be lost to history again.

China’s own excavations of Miran began in the late 1970s. In 1989, at least two more “double-winged celestials” were unearthed at temples around the site, as well as in the Silk Road ruin of Loulan the previous year. As China’s ambitions to build new roads across Eurasia get underway, traders will soon be symbolically retreading the roads that the angels once traveled— though nothing, perhaps, can recapture the magic of painted wings peeking out of a millennium of dust, remnant of a cultural crossroads that once flourished at the desert fringes of empires.

[hadarmarkin]

Beyond the Purim Story: An Introduction to Persian Jewry

Centered in the ancient capital of the Perisan Empire, the story of Purim offers a glimpse into the life of the Iranian jewry- a long standing community with roots beginning in biblical times to Contemporary Iran. In the Megillah, the orphan Esther, paves her way into the royal court, and later saves her Jewish people from destruction. Although historically questionable, the Purim tale in many ways, is a microcosmos of the history of the Iranian community.  A saga that could be sketched as a linear graph with sharp ups and downs, from regality to poverty, from great political power to persecution. And to add to this extraordinary trajectory, It is also one of the few Jewish communities still existing (rather miraculously) in large numbers in a Muslim country, and under radical theocratic regime.

A portrait of Queen Esther 

Despite this fascinating history and the important contribution of Iraninan Jews to global commerce (which will be discussed later), the topic received very limited scholarly attention. In fact, less than a handful of books were dedicated to Persian Jewry. I lament this on a personal level as I am Iranian from my paternal side. Therefore, this post is a humble attempt for reparation. It contains a short historical view, and aims to provide a sense of its rich folklore through the lens of fictional literature and culinary.

Major Milestones in the History of Persian Jews

The Persian community is one of the oldest ones in the diaspora as it dates back to the Babylonian exile in the fourth century B.C. For the two centuries to follow, the Perisan community was linked to the Jewish communities in Babylonia and Mesopotamia. The famous Yeshivot  (Torah learning academies) in Sura and Pumbedita, in which the Babylonian Talmud was crafted, were a source of guidance for the refugees in Persia. To this day, the Iraqi and the Persian communities bear much resemblance in terms of culture and religious practice. Their cooking (later discussed) is similar as well.

Babylonian Exile map

In ancient and medieval times, the Jews of Persia were well known as savvy and wealthy merchants. Situated in a prime location between China and India and Europe, Persian Jews were pivotal in what was then global commerce. Through the Silk Road and other networks of trades, Persian Jews imported spices and other goods, such as rice and tea to the west.

Silk Road’s Routs

Persian Jews were influential and properous through the first generations following the Arab Muslim conquest of Iran in the third centry A.D. Their status and living conditions deteriorated significantly with the accession of the intolerant Shiite Safavid rule. Under a regime, in which non- Muslims were considered impure heretics, Persian Jews were pushed to the margins of society and poverty. Excluding a short resurgence during the Sunni Mogul takeover of Persia in the sixteenth century, the Persian community lived under hardship and fear. The Shiite Shahs harshly oppressed minorities, denying them any position of power and restricting them to a few professions and areas of living. In several episodes in the course of the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Jews were expelled from the cities they lived in and forced to convert to Islam. Subsequently, many Persian Jews fled to Iraq, Syria, Samarkand and Georgia.

The economic and overall living situation improved in the late nineteenth century as Iran increasingly opened to the west. Although still segregated in Jewish quarters, urban Jews pursued western education. Jews, including women, gained proficiency in languages, such as English and French. They also increased their integration into local Iranian society, and named their children in both Hebrew and Parsi names. Jewish women did not veil, but they adopted the black Chador  to cover their faces when out of the house. Similar to other Jewish communities at the time, girls were betrothed at age 8 or 9 and married when they were about 16. It was common for women to pilgrim to other parts of the country to visit sites, such as Queen Esther’s burial place, near Isfahan.

Queen Esther’s Tomb

The rise of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1925 marked a turning point. This transformation allowed the Jews once more to be in a position of influence both politically and economically. Many immigrated from the hinterland to Teharn to explore new opportunities, and a few became close to Risa Shah and other men in powerful posts. For the most part, this elite chose to stay in Iran after Israel’s Independence. The lower and middle class Jews opted to immigrate to the new Jewish State in 1948.

The Muslim revolution in 1979  drew a sharp decline in the status and overall safety of Iranian Jews. After decades of prosperity, the Jewish community was once again isolated and in grave danger. The initial period of the new Isalimic republic was particularly traumatic given constant harassment and even execution of several Jewish businessmen for their alleged connection to Israel and the United States. In the following years, the situation seemed to stabilize, and Jews were given a certain degree of religious autonomy. Although most Iranian Jews fled the country in several waves in the aftermath of the revolution, a sizable group remained. Today, their number is estimated at nine thousand. Given the lack of reliable information, their overall condition is unclear. Recent imgirants paint an ambiguous image of harmony with Muslim neighbors, and yet a feeling of imminent threat. Unsurprisingly, Iranian news reports emphasize the community’s well being and alignment with the regime.

Images of contemporary community life 

Outside of Iran, Israel and North America are the main hubs of Iranian Jewry and smaller pockets exist in London, Melbourne and Buenos Aires. Two significant communities in the United States are located in Great Neck, New York (also known as Persian Island) and in Los Angeles (it’s estimated that about 25 percent of Beverly Hills population is of an Iranian- Jewish descent). Many of the immigrants in America were able to bring their fortune to the new land and used their capital and expertise to start businesses in the clothing, food and electricity industries.

In Israel, as an attempt to integrate, Iranian Jews adapted to the culture and values of mainstream society while leaving their own heritage behind. This may be a gross generalization, but sociological studies, statistics and experience of living in Israel suggest a trend of assimilation. As a result of their pragmatism, Iranian Jews have made great accomplishments in the sphere of public service. The IDF, in particular, was a stepping stone to obtain power within the military (and later in Israeli politics). Among its current and former ranks, one can find a high number of generals of Iranian descent, including two chiefs of staff.

Real Persian Housewives

An exception to the unspoken policy of concealing Persian legacy is the author Dorit Rabinyan. Born in Israel into a warm tight knit Iranian family, Rabinyan used her gift for writing to bring Persian tradition into the spotlight. Inspired by her grandmothers and aunts’ tales of life in the old country, Rabinyan published her first novel Persian Brides (titled in Hebrew, The Almond Tree Road in Oumrijan) when she was only 21 years old. The book, an immediate  bestseller, was widely translated and praised by critics, describing Rabinyan as a meteor and comparing her to Gabriel García Márquez”.

Dorit Rabinyan

In Persian Brides, Rabinyan masterfully crafted a new hybrid of Hebrew- rich and whimsical -Parsi sounding text. Through her vivid language, Rabinyan invites the reader to experience the surreal Persian village of Oumrijan in the dawn of the twentieth century. The plot centers around two maidens, Flora and Nazie Retoryan, and their dramas involving marriages, pregnancies and relationships with their neighbors and the village demons.  

Since marriage is a central thread in the book, there are many descriptions of ceremonies and superstitions involving the bride to be. One of them, hilarious and sad at the same time, is the qualification test performed the day before the wedding. This is a test run by the mother of the groom in order to assess if the future daughter in law will qualify as a housewife. So what makes a good Persian housewife? The answer is superior herb chopping skills... perhaps understandable given the amount of vegetables used in Persian cooking (see section below). During the test, the poor girl needs to demonstrate how quickly and meticulously she handles a massive amount of greens needed for Khoresht Sabzi- a traditional stew. The pressure around the “Sabzi test” was so daunting that bleeding injuries, including losing fingers, were common. Here is the excerpt from the book:

“The bride had to prove her skills in cleaning and chopping the Sabzi, the herbs that Janjan sold in the market...the women of the village and relatives circled the bride...On a silver tray, they put bunches of celery, traggon, sage, rosemary, mint, spring onions and parsley. Homma (the bride) was sitting on the ground with her legs crossed as the Sabzi stems hill reached all the way up to her breast… Homma began quickly by separating the leaves and the roots from the celery, the spring onion stems from its onion, the sage from its delicious smelling flower buds, all of these were soaked in a big water bowl. later, the mint, tarragon and parsley leaves were washed as well...Homma reached for the sharp knife. Its blade was shining, and the women were shushing each other. Nazie knew that the tested brides sometimes get injured because of the pressure, and sometimes they even cut off their fingers. When that happens they deposit the cut finger with their mother, and continue to chop while they are heavily bleeding. But if not a single blood drop spilled during the test, and the herbs were finely chopped, the women sang and danced in circles around the bride as she was proven to be a skillful and well trained cook at her parents’ kitchen”.

Khoresht Sabzi Recipe

In honor of poor Persian housewives, I am including here a recipe of Khoresht Sabzi. This is a more user friendly version of this staple dish as it allows using dried herbs (although I highly recommend fresh for flavor), and it calls for a smaller variety of herbs. Note though that other available herbs  (for example, dill, traggon, basil)  will be a wonderful addition to the herbs listed below. In addition, middle eastern grocers sell pre cut Sabzi mixes (either dried or frozen), which can make the process even easier. Lastly, I listed lamb as one of the ingredients, but variations are welcome. In my family,  Khoresht Sabzi was served with chicken, but it is also fabulous as a vegan dish (see modification below) as I prepare it.

Khoresht Sabzi- Adapted from Najmieh Batmanglij’s book Food of Life: Ancient Persian and Modern Iranian Cooking and Ceremonies.

6 tbsp oil, butter or ghee

2 large onions thinly sliced

2 pounds lamb shank (optional)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

1 tsp turmeric

½ cup drained kidney beans - either canned or soaked overnight (increase the amount to 1 cup if omitting meat)

2 whole limu- omani - dried persian limes pierced

4 cups finely chopped fresh parsley or 1 cup dried

1 cup finely chopped fresh chives or scallions or ¼ cup dried chives

1 cup  finely chopped fresh cilantro

3 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves or 1 cup chopped fresh fenugreek

¼ cup lime juice

1 tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp of saffron threads dissolved in

2 tbsp of rose water (or hot water)

Let the chopping begin 

1. In a large saucepan (preferably a dutch oven), heat 3 tbsp oil over medium heat, and browned the onions and meat (if using). Add salt, pepper and turmeric, and sauté for 1 minute.

2.Pour 4½ cups of water, and add the kidney beans and dried limes. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

3.Meanwhile, in a wide skillet, heat 3 tbsp oil over medium heat, and sauté the parsley, chives, cilantro and fenugreek for about 20-25 minutes stirring frequently to avoid the burning of the herbs.

shrinking herbs

4. Add the herbs mixture, lime juice, cardamom, and saffron with its water to the large saucepan. Cover and let simmer for 2 -2 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.

Simmering slowly 

5. Check if meat and beans are tenders and add salt if needed.

6. Serve warm on a bed of steamed basmati rice.

Gratifying bowl on a cold winer night 

Festive, Aromatic and Nutritious: A General Note on Persian (and Jewish) cuisine

Khoresht Sabzi - quintessential  among Jews and their Muslim neighbors- can shed light on the Iranian kitchen as a whole and its link to Persian folklore. The Israeli celebrity chef, Yotam Ottolenghi wrote on this topic, in his book Plenty More:

“My Previous life must have been somewhere in old Persia. I am absolutely convinced of this. I am completely infatuated with the richness of Persian cuisine, by its clever use of spices and herbs, by the inguianty of its rice making, by pomegranate, saffron, and pistachios, by yogurt, mint, and dried limes. It seems that my palate is just naturally honed for this set of flavors”.

Ottolenghi’s words well capture the exotic and diverse essense of Persian cuisine. Specifically, the  culinary practices of contrasting dominant flavors (obtained by adding sour taste, such as pomegranate or lime juice to savory dishes), and textures (for instance, the combination of dried fruit and herbs) are indeed extraordinary. The slow cooking of a wide array of fruit (such as pears, apricots, dates and cherries), nuts (pistachios, almond and walnut) and spices (saffron, cinnamon and turmeric) also add a layer of complexity and colorfulness.

Typical Persian assortment 

The Zoroastrian concept of duality between good and bad, light and darkness -embedded in Iranian culture- was a key factor in the development of Persian cuisine. It inspired the aforementioned balance between sweet and sour, hot and cold, lean and fatty that exists in many dishes. Concerned with health, and mainly digestion, Persian cooking offers a dichotomy between hot foods, which thicken the blood and increase the metabolism, and cold foods that do the opposite. Dates and grapes are, for instance, “hot”, while plum and oranges are “cold”. A diet consisting only of one type of food can essentially imbalance the body and lead to an illness. Accordingly, the high consumption of herbs and green vegetables in almost every meal also stems from the concern regarding nutritional properties adjuncting food and medicine.

Iran’s historic role in importing goods from the far east and its interactions with its neighboring regions also shaped the culinary culture. Particularly, the Mogul - indian conquest and the long Ottoman reign increased the selection of spices, and introduced dishes, such as baklava and yogurt to the Iranian repertoire. These interchanges also spread Iranian staple dishes to other parts of Central Asia and the Middle east. Sephardic communities in these areas, particularly in Iraq and Turkey, adopted the Persian combination of fruit with meat, and rice with legumes.

Rice is perhaps the most iconic Iranian staple. It is made with a sense of perfection aiming to avoid porridge-like texture. Rice is commonly prepared either as Choleh - steamed with saffron scent and a crunchy crust (Tahdig) or as pilaf - mixed with vegetable, fruit and beans. A very colorful pilaf is the Wedding rice served with almonds and dried fruit.

The Art of Tahdig

Hearty stews, known as Khoreshts (such as the aforementioned Khoresht Sabzi) frequently  accompany the rice. Khoreshts are vegetable and herb based but utilize local ingredients unique to specific regions of the country (caviar in the Caspian sea area, for example). Another important dish is Kuku- a savory bake that can be compared to crustless quiche (or an Israeli Pashtida). Popular Kuku are made out of herbs, eggplant (also known as Iraninan potato) and my favorite cauliflower. At the end of the meal, Iranians enjoy a cup of tea served with a sugar cube and a nut based treat, such as nougat or walnut cookies.

Kuku: Colorful and heathy 

Persian-Jewish cuisine is basically identical to the majority cuisine with one main distinction. Due to Kosher dietary laws that separate meat and dairy, Jews refrained from using Ghee (clarified butter) and yogurt in meat stews. Iranian Jews contributed a very popular dish to the Iranian collection - Gondy chickpeas dumplings that are traditionally cooked in chicken broth.

Gondy: The Persian answer to Matzah Balls 

[silkroadeconomicbelt2-blog]

Modern-day Silk Road - Way Connecting Europe and Asian countries

China's silk road economic belt

The Silk Road or maybe Silk Route was the stock trading and cultural linking cord between Europe and Parts of asia during various periods involving history. In other words Silk Path was connecting traders, pilgrims, merchants and soldiers connected with East and West. ?t had been the way, how China as well as India used to reach the actual Mediterranean Sea. Length of the land path was about 6500 mls. Its name was derived from a silk filled duvet, main trading product supply by china manufacturer. Although Silk was not really the only trading item. Goods which include gold, ivory, exotic indoor plants and animals...

China's silk road economic belt

The Cotton Road has played a large role in development of cultures of China, India, Early Persia, Arabia and The european union. It was an impact on monetary, political and cultural discussion between these civilizations. Colonization of the region by Alexander The Great of Macedon throughout about 330 B. M. can be considered as the first conversation between East and Western world. It was an event, where Artistic, Persian and Indian Societies met.

It must be admitted in which Silk Road was not some sort of name of a single option. There were several divisions of computer. The traders used to decide on route depending on seasons and also political situation. Bandit raids also were a touchable impact on traffic course along with flows.

Main obstacles on the functioning overland Silk Route were Mongolian Empire, Rievocazione of Islam, replacement of the particular Yuan dynasty by the Ming dynasty in 1368 featuring its isolationist policy and progress silk route by water.

Nowadays, importance of overland Egypt Road re-increased. Carrying merchandise on these routes is simply not as hard as it had been in the past. It is also much faster when compared with over seas transportations. All-natural obstacles are solved until now.

Remaining obstacles that affect Silk Road: Clash with Syria, Sanctions against Afe, Non stabile situation within Russia because of its war versus Ukraine.

Modern Silk Street Vector

Resent set of instances in Syria, Iran, Spain and Ukraine made Ga a valuable land path attaching Europe and Asia. As an illustration, Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil conduite links Caspian Sea coast to Mediterranean cost of Chicken. It carries oil over Azerbaijan, Georgia and Poultry. This pipeline also supplies transportation of oil through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

Georgian infrastructure is widely used intended for import of goods and goods from western countries straight into Azerbaijan (including import coming from Turkey) and Armenia. This kind of infrastructure includes Poti in addition to Batumi ports, railway traces, highways, warehouses and other logistics facilities. Import of brand brand-new and used Vehicles from the Caucasus region is also presented trough these facilities at the same time.

According to statistics of Ministry of Internal Affairs associated with Georgia, regular and various attempts to cross Georgian borders with illegal drug treatments may rank the country being a narcotic transit route.

[indizombie]

There can be little doubt of either Daesh’s determination to spread jihad to far-away places as it rapidly loses ground in Syria and Iraq or of China’s equally strong determination to prevent Uyghur grievances from morphing into full-blown jihadism in its largest western province sitting astride the New Silk Road. One Belt, One Road (OBOR), the official designation of the New Silk Road project, is President Xi’s most important foreign and economic policy undertaking. Xinjiang, a province at the very center of Asia and the size of Germany, France, Italy, and the UK combined, is a critical geographical link bordering on Mongolia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. It sits on vast energy and mineral reserves, is China’s largest producer of natural gas, and will be the privileged node connecting China to central and west Asia in a maze of high-speed rail, pipelines and fibre optics. The capital, Urumqi, is being turned into an information-technology hub. Trouble in Xinjiang spells major trouble for OBOR.

Pepe Escobar, 'Could Great Wall of Iron become New Silk Roadblock?', Asia Times

[alexsmitposts]

COVID 19, Exposing the Very Worst of America On the evening of March 10, 2020, US President Donald Trump made a speech few would forget. His demeanor was bizarre, his speech halting, confused and his words often hesitant and contradictory. Few knew that many that Trump and his daughter Ivanka had met with at their Mar-a-Lago retreat, including the president of Brazil, would come down with COVID 19. From the UK Independent: “Mr. Trump announced he was shutting down “all travel from Europe’, except the UK, in a speech as notable for the underlying tones of nationalism in the president’s reference to a ‘foreign virus’ as it was for his apparent unease. The 73-year-old sniffed heavily, suppressed several coughs and appeared to be struggling with the teleprompter throughout his short but laboured speech, which immediately saw members of his administration scramble to correct his errors. First, the president risked sending markets tumbling even further when he announced, seemingly by accident, that ‘these prohibitions will not only apply to the tremendous amount of trade and cargo, but various other things as we get approval’.” When the stock markets crashed the next morning, it wasn’t over economic issues but rather a total lack of trust and confidence in Donald Trump the person. You see, two of the nations, Ireland and Great Britain, that were left off the travel ban have very high rates of infection and everyone knows it. They also have Trump owned golf courses. This story spread like wildfire, one of dozens of such stories, more each day, a total lack of confidence by not only America’s financial sector but the American people as well, in Trump and his family cabal that has been sorely tested and has failed so miserably. His callous remarks, poor spelling, lack of knowledge and endless stream of childish lies, making him the hero of both barroom and bowling alley, has, predictably, done more damage to the US than over 200 years of wars. The real “killer” was Trump’s closure of the Office of Global Health Security and Biodefense, part of the National Security Council. Trump has lied about this fact over and over. From Beth Cameron, former Senior Director of that now defunct agency, published in the Washington Post, March 13, 2020: “When President Trump took office in 2017, the White House’s National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense survived the transition intact. Its mission was the same as when I was asked to lead the office, established after the Ebola epidemic of 2014: to do everything possible within the vast powers and resources of the U.S. government to prepare for the next disease outbreak and prevent it from becoming an epidemic or pandemic. One year later, I was mystified when the White House dissolved the office, leaving the country less prepared for pandemics like covid-19. The U.S. government’s slow and inadequate response to the new coronavirus underscores the need for organized, accountable leadership to prepare for and respond to pandemic threats. It’s impossible to assess the full impact of the 2018 decision to disband the White House office responsible for this work. Biological experts do remain in the White House and in our government. But it is clear that eliminating the office has contributed to the federal government’s sluggish domestic response. What’s especially concerning about the absence of this office today is that it was originally set up because a previous epidemic made the need for it quite clear. In 2016, after the formidable U.S.-led Ebola response, the Obama White House established the global health security office at the National Security Council and asked me to lead the team. We were to prepare for and, if possible, prevent the next outbreak from becoming an epidemic or pandemic. Our team reported to a senior-level response coordinator on the National Security staff who could rally the government at the highest levels, as well as to the national security adviser and the homeland security adviser. This high-level domestic and global reporting structure wasn’t an accident. It was a recognition that epidemics know no borders and that a serious, fast response is crucial. Our job was to be the smoke alarm — keeping watch to get ahead of emergencies, sounding a warning at the earliest sign of fire — all with the goal of avoiding a six-alarm blaze.” Trump closed the pandemic response capability for one reason, it was set up by President Obama. Trump claimed, however, that he saved $150,000,000 in doing so. Thus far, the cost of Trump’s blunder has been $35,000,000,000,000. The ratio expressing negative ROI (return on investment) can only be expressed in scientific notation, to the sixth power. This is a guy who went bankrupt six times, who has now lost more money than, corrected to today’s currency, it would cost to fight World War II eight times. When we heard that Donald Trump, who refuses to be tested after serial exposure to COVID 19, has asked his son in law to take over the effort against the current pandemic, we were flabbergasted. Jared Kushner, a New Jersey slumlord and embarrassment, barely got into college, requiring a massive bribe from his family’s mob backed enterprises. Now he is responsible for America, and to an extent, the world’s survival. Kushner immediately called a doctor he knows who works in an emergency room, someone with no experience in epidemiology but at least a medical license of some kind. That doctor turned to Facebook and posted: “The person who is advising the president asked me to come up with ideas, can anyone tell me what to do?” The last time Trump turned to Facebook, he launched missiles at Syria over a fake gas attack. China, it seems, has beat the disease and is now aiding Italy in its efforts. They did so with leadership and will. In the US, the head of the CDC (Center for Disease Control), Dr. Robert Redfield, who has a heavily edited Wikipedia page hiding his history of religion based treatment for AIDS which may have led to the deaths of many thousands, is partially responsible for the total failure to address the current threat. He replaced Brenda Fitzgerald, another Trump appointee, who resigned in 2018 when her ties to drug and tobacco companies were exposed. Then it gets worse, with the initial appointment by Trump of Vice President Mike Pence to head the US initiative in response to COVID 19. Pence, who as governor of Indiana, advocated prayer to cure “gayness,” also, as governor advocated the same as a cure for HIV, opposing all programs, enacted at the advice of medical professionals, that other states implemented. Thus, Indiana ended up a “hot zone” of HIV under his leadership. But then we haven’t heard anything from Pence though 28-year-old Katie Waldman, now married to Trump’s advisor and primary contact to neo-Nazi political groups, Stephen Miller, has made a few nasty comments to reporters who mistakenly have asked pointed questions that Pence is unable to answer. Pence, in fact, hasn’t been seen since a Sunday, March 8, 2020 television interview during which he was unable to answer rudimentary questions on COVID 19 testing. Now we have something much more insidious than simply an incompetent government. China now accuses the US of bringing the virus to China. As reported in Veterans Today by this author: “In October 2019, the US brought 172 (really 369) military athletes to Wuhan for the World Military Games. Despite having the largest military in the world, tenfold, the US came in 35th behind nations like Iran, Finland and Slovenia. No video or photos exist of the US team, no records were kept, a huge team but a pitiful performance for the best military in the world. The US team did so badly that they were called “Soy Sauce Soldiers” by the Chinese. In fact, many never participated in any event and were housed near the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where the disease is said to have originated only days after the US left the area. The US team went home on October 28, 2019 and within 2 weeks, the first human contact cases of COVID 19 were seen in Wuhan. The Chinese have not been able to find “patient zero” and believe he or she was a member of the US team. They also have sources that say the US had misrepresented influenza that Trump claims has killed thousands, an influenza carried to China by the US team, an influenza that was really COVID 19, a disease developed in a military bio-warfare facility in the state of Washington, now “ground zero” in the US for COVID 19. Evidence of this aspect of China’s claim is scant. The Chinese claim, something censored in the US, that the inattentive attitude and disproportionately below average results of American athletes in the game indicate they might have been in for other purposes and they might actually be bio-warfare operatives, and that their place of residence during their stay in Wuhan was also close to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, where the first known cluster of cases occurred.” Past this is another observation, also potentially coincidental, that the major outbreaks in China, Iran and Italy, the primary hubs in the Silk Road that threatens traditional Western controlled world trade, are proof of COVID 19 as a bio-warfare agent. Under other circumstances and in other times, such conspiratorial claims could be easily denied, but no longer. From New Eastern Outlook: “We can make some blanket statements about COVID 19 and will do so now: The capability to create COVID 19 exists The will to create COVID 19 exists The intelligence and humanity required to not create COVID 19 does not exist The will to experiment through infecting the general public with a pathogen such as COVID 19 exists and has extensive historical precedent “Black funded” laboratories operating under cover of animal diseases research or biological warfare defense facilities, run by the US, British, Israeli and other governments, are not only capable of creating COVID 19 but are evidenced as being funded for exactly this type of program Simply put, there are actors out there that can and would unleash a global pandemic as a component in a long term “chaos theory” operation.” Conclusion It is clear that Donald Trump in the US and Boris Johnson in the UK represent a “perfect storm” of bumbling incompetence and paralytic policymaking in the face of the current global pandemic threat. It is also clear that both Trump and Johnson are Deep State puppets, an assertion supportable through examination of their personal history, their paths to power and their unique attributes for theatricality and prevarication. The questions that remain relate to solutions. Can there be solutions in the US, Britain as well, when government incompetence and inaction arrives served as a toxic soup of leadership malaise and conspiratorial complicity?

[newstfionline]

Headlines

Fresh Documents Keep Up Pressure on Canada’s Trudeau Over Scandal (Reuters) A former cabinet member at the heart of a crisis that could cost Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau his job on Friday released documents to back up her case that she had been pressured to help a large corporation avoid a corruption trial.

Trump blasts Russia probe, calls 2020 Democrats ‘radical’ (AP) Presenting himself as both vindicated and vindictive, a fired-up President Donald Trump turned the findings of the Russia investigation into a political weapon at a Michigan rally that was part victory lap, part 2020 campaign push.

Trump Says It Is Very Likely He’ll Close Border With Mexico (Reuters) U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday there was a very good chance he would close the border with Mexico next week as he seeks to stem a tide of illegal immigration into the United States.

Puerto Ricans Struggle to Buy Food Amid Funding Shortfall (AP) Iraida Vargas can no longer afford the two kinds of insulin her aging mother needs and has stopped buying fresh fruit and vegetables as billions of dollars in federal funds that help Puerto Ricans buy food, get medical treatment and recover from Hurricane Maria dwindle despite pleas from the U.S. territory that Congress take action.

Special Olympics receives continued funding (Reuters) President Donald Trump overrode his budget team and backed funding for the Special Olympics on Thursday after his proposed cuts to the athletic program drew heavy fire from both Republicans and Democrats. Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2020, which he released earlier this month, would have zeroed out funding for the Special Olympics, which has an allocation of $17.6 million this fiscal year.

Mexican Police Nab Man Who Tried to Rob Bank With Loader (AP) Police in Mexico say they caught a man who stole a front-end loader, drove it to a local bank, knocked down a wall, chained a safe to the machine and tried to drag it off.

Nicaragua Reiterates Pledge to Release People Detained in Protests (Reuters) The Nicaraguan government reiterated its pledge on Friday to release all people arrested during protests against President Daniel Ortega, though the government remains in disagreement with opposition groups about the number of prisoners.

Protests at Chinese Copper Mine in Peru Continue After Local Leader Freed (Reuters) Peruvian police on Friday freed the leader of an indigenous community that has blocked roads to a major copper mine, but hours later arrested his second-in-command, accusing him of running over police officers while driving drunk.

Brazil’s Bolsonaro Visits Israel Amid Speculation on Embassy (AP) Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was leaving Saturday on an official visit to Israel, where he was expected to decide whether he will move the Brazilian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

UK faces new Brexit crisis after lawmakers reject May’s deal (AP) British lawmakers on Friday rejected the government’s Brexit deal for a third time, leaving the U.K. facing the stark prospect of a chaotic departure from the European Union in just two weeks, with political leaders in turmoil and the country ill-prepared for the shock. It’s either that, or a long delay to the country’s exit from the EU. The alternatives are dwindling.

Slovakia Set to Elect Anti-Graft Lawyer as First Female President (Reuters) Riding a wave of public fury over corruption, liberal lawyer Zuzana Caputova looks set to win Slovakia’s presidential election on Saturday, bucking a trend that has seen the rise of populist, anti-European Union politicians across the continent.

Erdogan Says Turkey Will Solve Syria Issue ‘on the Field’ After Sunday’s Elections (Reuters) Turkey will solve the Syria issue “on the field” after Sunday’s local elections, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, as he sought to drum up support for his AK Party in the vote.

Ukraine set to elect new president (Reuters) A comedian with no political experience is tipped to win the first round of Ukraine’s presidential election on Sunday amid discontent over corruption and five years of war against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.

New Silk Road Critics Are ‘Prejudiced’, China’s Top Diplomat Says (Reuters) China has never forced debt upon participants of its new Silk Road project as “prejudiced” critics have suggested, the country’s top diplomat said on Saturday in a strongly worded defence of a key policy platform of President Xi Jinping

Australia to Boost National Security Funding by $400 Million: Newspaper (Reuters) Australia’s budget for the 2019/20 fiscal year will include an additional A$570 million ($404.36 million) for national security to boost counter-terrorism and anti-espionage operations, The Weekend Australian newspaper reported on Saturday.

Afghanistan Floods Kill 17, Worsen Already Desperate Situation (Reuters) Heavy rains caused flash floods in western Afghanistan that killed at least 17 people, destroying homes and sweeping through makeshift shelters that housed displaced families, a government official said on Saturday.

Israeli Fire Kills Palestinian on Gaza Border: Palestinian Health Ministry (Reuters) Israeli fire killed a Palestinian man near the Gaza border on Saturday, Palestinian Health officials said, as Israel’s forces massed at the frontier ahead of a rally to mark the first anniversary of a surge of Gaza border protests.

Protests in Algiers continue (Reuters) Thousands of protesters gathered in central Algiers, piling pressure on President Abdel Aziz Bouteflika to resign days after the country’s powerful military called for his removal. The ailing 82-year-old president, facing the biggest crisis of his 20-year-old rule, has failed to placate Algerians by reversing a decision to seek a fifth term.

Mali Warns Any Cut in UN Force Will Strengthen Militants (AP) Mali’s prime minister urged the Security Council on Friday to maintain its more than 16,000-strong peacekeeping mission in the country, warning that any reduction will end up strengthening Islamic militants and endangering the “fragile progress” toward peace.

UN Document Shows Kenya Seeking to Close Somali Refugee Camp (AP) An internal United Nations document says Kenya again seeks to close the Dadaab camp that hosts more than 200,000 refugees from neighboring Somalia and is one of the largest such camps in the world.

UN Starts Looking Toward the End of Peacekeeping in Congo (AP) The Security Council on Friday called for a strategic review of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo with a view to progressively handing over its responsibilities to the country’s newly elected government led by President Felix Tshisekedi.

Mozambique cholera cases jump to 139 a day after outbreak (AP) Cholera cases in Mozambique among survivors of a devastating cyclone have shot up to 139, officials said, as nearly 1 million vaccine doses were rushed to the region and health workers desperately tried to improvise treatment space for victims.

[xtruss]

Why Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s South Asia Trip Is Crucial

In addition, unlike in years past, there’s nowadays a tangible reason for President Putin to visit Pakistan

— Andrew Korybko | April 05, 2021 | The Express Tribune

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi pose for a photograph prior to their talks in Islamabad on Wednesday April 07, 2021. (AP PHOTO.)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov are visiting India and Pakistan this week. The visit is extremely important because it concerns much more than just the Afghan peace process and preparing for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s planned trip to India sometime later this year like most media have reported. Although those two topics are of course very significant, the real purpose of the visit is to advance Russia’s vision for a Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP). South Asia has an indispensable role to play in this framework by virtue of the fact that it constitutes roughly a quarter of the world’s population, which in turn imbues it with promising economic potential across the 21st century.

To bring the reader up to speed, the GEP envisions the economic integration of the supercontinent through peaceful means. It perfectly aligns with what China is pursuing through its complementary Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), though the primary difference is that the GEP foresees Russia playing a comparatively greater role in this process. The Eurasian Great Power has recently leveraged its impressive diplomatic capabilities to “balance” between the landmass’ various pairs of rivals such as Armenia and Azerbaijan, China and India, Iran and Saudi Arabia, and Syria and Turkey, among others. In the South Asian context, this has seen the revival of the Russian-Indian Strategic Partnership in parallel with Russia’s rapid rapprochement with Pakistan in recent years.

Thus far, Russia’s geostrategic “balancing” act has largely succeeded, but it requires regular recalibration in the face of changing circumstances. Foreign Minister Lavrov’s visit is occurring against the backdrop of several exciting developments. The most prominent of these are of course the latest progress that’s been made in the Afghan peace processes following the recent talks in Moscow, February’s near-simultaneous clinching of a synchronised de-escalation deal between China and India and the surprise ceasefire between India and Pakistan, and last month’s tepid detente between India and Pakistan over Kashmir. The latter also coincided with Pakistan unveiling its multipolar grand strategy during the inaugural Islamabad Security Dialogue.

Having expected that Russia would inevitably incorporate South Asia into its GEP, I co-authored two academic articles last year about the most optimal means through which it could simultaneously engage with India and Pakistan to this end. The first related analyses was published by the official journal of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO, which is run by the Russian Foreign Ministry) and concerns “The Prospects Of Russia And India Jointly Leading A New Non-Aligned Movement” while the second was released by the prestigious Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) think tank and is about “Pakistan’s Role In Russia’s Greater Eurasian Partnership”. Both should be read in full by those who want to learn more about this.

File Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomes Shah Mehmood Qureshi during their meeting in Moscow, Russia. PHOTO: AFP

With these complementary visions in mind, it’s anticipated that Foreign Minister Lavrov will discuss several concrete topics during his trip apart from the Afghan peace process. In India, Russia’s top diplomat will likely brief his hosts about his recent visit to China as well as praise New Delhi for synchronised de-escalation deal that it reached with Beijing in February. The purpose is to explore the viability of reviving the Russia-India-China (RIC) framework. In addition, he’ll probably seek India’s reassurance that it’ll go through with its planned purchase of the S-400 air defense systems despite the US’ sanctions threats. Lastly, the two sides are expected to discuss the Vladivistok-Chennai Maritime Corridor (VCMC), especially its energy dimension.

While in Pakistan, Foreign Minister Lavrov will almost certainly seek to learn more about the country’s newly unveiled multipolar grand strategy because of how closely it dovetails with Russia’s GEP. He’ll probably also be interested in seeing whether February’s PAKAFUZ railway deal could become the core of a more comprehensive Central Eurasian Corridor (CEC) for connecting the Arctic and Indian Oceans like President Putin first envisioned in October 2019. If progress can be made on that front, then it might be worthwhile exploring whether the Russian leader could visit Pakistan later this summer right after his planned trip to India to sign a relevant agreement as well as inaugurate the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline. That would perfect Russia’s “balancing” act.

Nevertheless, expectations about the aforementioned scenario should be tempered, but they shouldn’t be completely dismissed either. It’s because of very close Russian-Pakistani diplomatic coordination that Moscow has been able to make progress on the Afghan peace process, especially when it comes to its recent cultivation of ties with the Taliban despite still designating that group as a terrorist organisation. This achievement has in turn solidified Russia’s status as a neutral peacemaker in Eurasia, which greatly advances the diplomatic dimension of its “balancing” strategy. It wouldn’t have been possible without Pakistan opening the doors to Russia in this respect, which Islamabad did out of its sincere desire for regional peace and rapprochement.

In addition, unlike in years past, there’s nowadays a tangible reason for President Putin to visit Pakistan. The planned commencement of the Pakistan Stream Gas Pipeline’s construction this summer serves as the perfect opportunity for the Russian leader to finally pay a visit to the South Asian state. The multibillion-dollar deal represents one of the largest energy-related ones that Russia has reached in recent years. It also stands to become a flagship Russian project in the region and the symbol of rapidly improved relations with Pakistan. More Russian investments into the Pakistani economy might therefore be forthcoming, especially if progress is made on the Central Eurasian Corridor as was earlier discussed.

In any case, even if President Putin doesn’t end up visiting Pakistan later this summer right after his planned trip to India, Foreign Minister Lavrov’s trip to South Asia this week is still extremely significant because it shows how eager Russia is to incorporate the region into its GEP. It also represents the pragmatic recalibration of Moscow’s strategic “balancing” act in the face of recently changing circumstances such as India’s dual de-escalations with China and Pakistan and the latest progress that’s been made on the Afghan peace process. It can therefore be said that Russia has returned to South Asia after a several-decade-long hiatus, but in a much more constructive way than before since this time its approach is a lot less partisan and all about peaceful Eurasian integration.

— By Andrew Korybko: The writer is an American Moscow-based political analyst specialising in the relationship between the US strategy in Afro-Eurasia, China’s One Belt One Road global vision of New Silk Road connectivity, and Hybrid Warfare.

[rauthschild]

Biden’s “Hitler Hounds” Strike Again As World War III Nears And America Recreates Soviet Economy

By: Sorcha Faal, 

An in-depth new Security Council (SC) report circulating in the Kremlin today first noting President Putin stressing the inadmissibility of foreign interference into the domestic affairs of any sovereign state during his video conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday addressing the situations in Ukraine, Belarus, Syria and Libya, as well as other international issues, says this reality-based approach to global affairs placing peace over conflict was quickly followed by the World Bank upgrading Russia's 2021 GDP growth outlook to 2.9% from 2.6%.

An upgrade acknowledging the economic might of the Russian Federation that was joined by esteemed French financial journalist Francois Lenglet noting both Russia and China benefiting from Suez Canal crisis, with his stating: “If the incident’s economic consequences are insignificant, then there are indeed geopolitical aftermaths…Immediately after the accident, Russia proposed an alternative route between the East and Europe, which is 5,000 km shorter than through the Suez Canal…China did the same with its Polar Silk Road”—that was followed by Iran touting the Russia-Iran-India “North-South Trade Corridor” as an “alternative and challenge”  to the Suez Canal.

Global events Security Council Members discussed at length this past week, and in whose discussions noted the factual reality that the United States is the “odd-one-out” from the greatest infrastructure project in human history to unite Eurasia into a single peaceful trading bloc of sovereign countries whose rights and borders are protected from outside interference—specifically because America is not a part of Eurasia and is separated from it by the two largest oceans on the planet, the Atlantic and Pacific.

An “odd-one-out” fate from the unstoppable changing of global trade patterns and blocs necessitated by new technological advancements that was, likewise, faced by Nazi Germany in the 1930s—which made it remarkable to notice that Supreme Socialist Leader Joe Biden took power in a corrupted election then placed around himself the exact same German Shepherd Dog symbol of power used by Nazi German socialist leader Adolph Hitler—after which then saw these “Hitler Hounds” being thrown out the White House after attacking a Secret Service officer—then saw Biden quietly bringing his “Hitler Hounds” back into the White House, and who have now attacked yet another White House staffer.

A demented act committed by Biden coming at the same time that experts are warning that his “Weakness On The World Stage Is Dangerous”—comes at the same time factual reality is showing that the pending collapse of Biden’s “rules-based international order” is an existential threat to the United States—and is why alarming articles are now beginning to appear like “Biden's Ukrainian “Putin Push” May Lead To World War III”.

In Biden’s “push” towards World War III, yesterday it saw the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ruslan Khomchak, breathlessly reporting: “As of 30 March, twenty-eight battalion tactical groups of the enemy are stationed along the state border of Ukraine and the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, namely in Bryansk, Voronezh, Rostov regions and on the territory of the temporarily occupied Crimea… Lately, the Russian Armed Forces have been building up troops near Ukraine’s border in the north, in the east and in the south, namely in Bryansk and Voronezh regions and in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, pulling the forces from different regions of the Russian Federation under the guise of control exercises for the winter period of training, maintaining combat alert and general combat readiness for the upcoming West 2021 strategic exercises”.

Within hours of this breathless reporting, Biden unleashed a barrage of leftist war propaganda, to include the CBS News article “U.S. Official Calls Buildup Of Russian Forces Near Ukraine Border ‘Concerning’”, wherein it quotes an unnamed American defense official saying that “Russia had not announced any exercises in the area”—then saw the New York Times in their article “Fighting Escalates in Eastern Ukraine, Signaling the End to Another Cease-Fire” stating: “This week, Gen. Tod D. Wolters, the head of U.S. European Command, raised the American military’s watch level for the second time in several days after Russian troops failed to leave Ukraine’s border region…American strategists had expected the troops to depart the area, about 30 miles from Ukraine’s border, after the conclusion of a military exercise on March 23...American estimates of how many additional Russian troops had been sent to the border have varied…One official said there were roughly 4,000”.

Left out of Biden’s leftist war propaganda, though, were facts like President Putin this week signed the annual decree to draft 130,000 conscripts into the Russian army for 2021, as opposed to the 135,000 conscripted in 2020—a drop of troop levels that joins with Russia continuing to cut its defense budget, which for this year is $57-billion, as opposed to the US defense budget that for 2020 was a staggering $750-billion—and for any war adventure Biden might attempt in Ukraine, the Southern Military District Commander General of the Army Alexander Dvornikov has warned: “All our units have enough advanced, mobile weaponry to quickly create a powerful task force in the required sector of operations at any moment, capable of defending Russia’s Black Sea coast, including Crimea, and of dealing a crushing blow to anyone who encroaches on the territorial integrity of Russia and the safety of our citizens”.

As to why Russia doesn’t need a large military force or a massive defense budget to defend itself, yet will still be able deal a “crushing blow” against any enemy Biden knows full well—and is simply because Russia has already warned the United States that it will perceive any missile launched at its territory as a nuclear attack that warrants a full nuclear retaliation—and unlike the defenseless countries the US launches missiles into with impunity—Russia has the largest nuclear weapons arsenal in the world.  

With it not being known if Biden is actually insane enough to ignite World War III like his socialist forbearer Hitler did in launching World War II, it does bear noticing that Nazi-like hypocrisy at its finest was just put on full display when the US announced millions in aid for the Syria crisis that was caused by America’s own regime-change policy and sanctions—and exactly like Hitler unleashed his Nazi SS forces on the German military to root out anyone opposing socialist ideology, today it see Biden having unleashed his FBI forces, who are deploying creepy “Sentiment Analysis” tools to screen US soldiers for having pro-Trump sympathies.

As Biden’s lies have become so outlandish and separated from reality even the leftist Washington Post had no choice this week but give him its dreaded “Four Pinocchios” branding for lying about the new Georgia election law, it bears noticing that this comes at the same time Biden’s approval rating has plummeted to 48%, with 41% of the American people “strongly disapproving” of what he’s doing—and is important to notice, because just like the leftist media in Germany protected Hitler, so too is the leftist American media protecting their socialist leader Biden—and as further exampled today by the Associated Press warning its staff not to use the word “crisis” to describe Biden’s border crisis, and tech giant Google ordering its YouTube to protect Biden from embarrassment by hiding “dislikes” on his posted videos that are being ruthlessly being down voted by Americans.  

All of which is occurring at the same time Biden is preparing to announce an up to $4-trillion infrastructure plan with massive tax hikes—that in reality is “The Largest Tax Hike In Generations”—the effect of which will see Biden and his socialist Democrats turning America into the new Venezuela, with free handouts for votes and their usual class warfare routine—and as exampled in the socialist economy of the former Soviet Union, today sees Biden and his socialist Democrats still being unable to pay COVID relief money to their nation’s most vulnerable citizens on Social Security who’ve yet to receive their checks—socialist economic insanities that, beyond all doubt, will soon see these American people adopting for themselves the quintessential Russian joke about working life in the workers’ paradise: “They pretend to pay us and we pretend to work”.  [Note: Some words and/or phrases appearing in quotes in this report are English language approximations of Russian words/phrases having no exact counterpart.]