Even in the context of a post-truth geopolitical environment run amok, Russian President Vladimir Putin telling his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani over the phone that any further Western strikes against Syria may “lead to chaos in international relations” should at least be seen for what it is; a massive understatement. According to the Kremlin, Putin …
Continue reading Syria, Iran and ‘Chaos in International Relations’
Under President Donald Trump, the US has basically eliminated the only real international authority the UN used to have. Here is how this was done: The equivalent, in international law, to a domestic-law crime involving murder, rape, and theft, is an international invasion that’s purely for aggressive purposes and not at all authentically a defensive …
The April 14 missile attacks on Syria were a politically-motivated fireworks display that were largely designed to silence Trump’s critics. The attacks– which were coordinated with Moscow– did not kill any Russian, Syrian, Iranian or Hezbollah combat troops. They did not kill any Syrian civilians. They did not impede the Syrian Army’s ongoing military offensive …
Many, including Russia’s President Putin, have asked why the US launched an illegal attack on Syria prior to the chemical weapons inspectors examining the site of the alleged chemical attack. This popular question completely misses the point. The US attack on Syria is a clear and indisputable war crime against a sovereign country regardless of …
The colonial, imperialist nature of postwar capitalism has, to some extent, been disguised by the formal political independence of most of the formerly colonised world. With an unambiguous and unrivalled lead in technological capacity, the Western nations have not required direct colonisation in order to guarantee essentially "captive" markets for their goods and capital. The …
Continue reading Syria and the West’s Last-Ditch Battle to Halt the Rise of China
Armenia’s unconvincing attempts to “balance” between Russia and the West as it moves ever-closer to the pro-American EU might end in failure as the Yerevan protests put pressure on the country’s leadership to more decisively move westward. The Roots Of Armenian Rage The Armenian capital of Yerevan has been rocked by increasingly violent protests over …
Continue reading The Yerevan Protests Might End Armenia’s Unconvincing “Balancing” Act
“Ten days ago, President Trump was saying ‘the United States should withdraw from Syria.’ We convinced him it was necessary to stay.” Thus boasted French President Emmanuel Macron Saturday, adding, “We convinced him it was necessary to stay for the long term.” Is the U.S. indeed in the Syrian civil war “for the long term”? …
![Protestors at the Gaza-Israel border seen on the third consecutive Friday as part of the 'Great March of Return', on 13 April, 2018 [Mohammad Asad / Middle East Monitor]](https://astutenews.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/b3.jpg?w=900)
The term ‘media bias’ does not do justice to the western corporate media’s relationship with Israel and Palestine. The relationship is, indeed, far more profound than mere partiality. It is not ignorance, either. It is a calculated and long-term campaign, aimed at guarding Israel and demonizing Palestinians. The current disgraceful coverage of Gaza’s popular protests indicates that …
Continue reading Media Cover-Up: Shielding Israel is a Matter of Policy
In the reviews that rolled out recently for Google's new Clips smart camera, there were the rote things that you'd expect in all tech reviews: what was good, what was bad, and, inevitably, whether or not you should buy it. There was, however, a key idea conspicuously absent: whether or not the product should exist …
Continue reading The Disturbing Acceptance of Google’s New ‘Smart’ Camera
