PEPE ESCOBAR JOINS JEFF J. BROWN FOR A GREAT CONVERSATION ABOUT THE US, EU, CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN AND DPRK, PLUS MUCH MORE.
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Jeff J. Brown ASSOCIATE EDITOR
PEPE ESCOBAR JOINS JEFF J BROWN FOR A GREAT CONVERSATION ABOUT THE US, EU, CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN AND DPRK, PLUS MUCH MORE. CHINA RISING RADIO SINOLAND 210331
Dateline: March 31, 2021
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This is Jeff's most recent conversation with one of our dearest colleagues, the well-known geopolitical analyst and (genuine) journalist Pepe Escobar. The focus is on the tug of war between the US empire and its vassals in the EU and elsewhere, and the emerging bloc of truly independent powers led by Russia, China and Iran. As the talk of war and all sorts of interventions increases on the American side, the world is watching the birth of a new order. American global hegemony, enforced by lies, hypocrisy, economic blackmail and brutal military power is on the way out, largely victim of its own arrogance and excess, and the incurable problems of capitalism Meanwhile, Moscow and Beijing are busy constructing a multilateral order based on mutual benefit and respect for every nation's sovereignty.
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Two Ambassadors to Syria with Wildly Different Analyses
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By Rick Sterling
Syria after US/NATO intervention, and the situation remains desperate for many.
In the past few months, Grayzone journalist Aaron Mate has interviewed two former ambassadors to Syria: former UK Ambassador Peter Ford and former U.S. Ambassador Robert S. Ford.
The two ambassadors have a common surname but dramatically different perspectives. This article will compare the statements and viewpoints of the two diplomats.
UK Ambassador Peter Ford (PF)
Peter Ford trained as an Arabist and served in the British foreign service in numerous cities including Beirut, Riyadh, and Cairo. He was Ambassador to Bahrein from 1999 to 2003, then Syria from 2003 to 2006.From 2006 until 2014 he was a senior officer with the UN Relief Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees.
The interview with UK Amb. Peter Ford (PF) shows why he is exceptional former diplomat. He analyzes and criticizes western aggression against Syria. (See the full interview and transcript in our appendix below).
PF describes the current situation:
“The Syrian government forces control about 70% of the country. There’s that pocket of jihadi fighters controlling Idlib province and a couple of patches of neighboring provinces, and then you’ve got the big—what I call the wild east of Syria—the big triangle of land up all the way along the thousand miles along the Turkish border and then down the Iraqi border, and that is effectively a US protectorate. There are US forces there being helped on the ground by basically Kurdish militia, the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces.”
PF describes the crushing economic sanctions:
“It’s utterly shocking…The policy has been effective in the sense that Syrian people are suffering every day. There are long queues for bread, long queues for gasoline. The policy of sanctions and denial of assistance for reconstruction has been effective, but what kind of policy is it that tries to immiserate a whole country? It’s delusional because it’s not even going to work….
“The experience of 10 years of this conflict is that the Syrian government is amazingly resilient. They’ve been on the ropes many times in this conflict and pulled through largely because they have the support of great swaths of the Syrian populace. Assad is not going to buckle under this new increased economic pressure. It is utterly delusional to believe that this cynical, callous policy could work.”
PF analyzes the US troops in north eastern Syria.
“By their mere presence, they’re preventing the advance of the Syrian government forces. The result is that the Syrian people are denied the great oil and grain wealth of that triangle, the territory. And, so the war over the last year has been more an economic war than a military war…
“The troops are there basically as a tripwire, a deterrent, so that if the Syrian government forces advanced, they would trip over a few American soldiers and that would incur the massive intervention of the US Air Force. This is what it comes down to. They don’t even need big numbers of troops to create the tripwire.
“Even so, it’s interesting that the architects of this policy in the permanent government of the US found it necessary to deceive the head of the executive, the President, keep him in the dark about the numbers…. So, the deceit that has gone on—on every level—is jaw-dropping to me as a former ambassador and an insider in the British system. I find it absolutely incredible.”
PF describes what the war is and is NOT about.
“US policy is NOT about installing in Syria a democratic government, because there is no prospect of that while the US is effectively supporting Islamist fanatics, and while it’s supporting elsewhere in the Middle East regimes like the feudal regime of Saudi Arabia. No, it’s not about democracy. It’s about helping Israel on the one hand and scoring points against Russia on the other. And when it comes down to it, that is what this whole war is really about, from the US standpoint.”
PF analyzes accusations Syrian government used chemical weapons.
“The world has amnesia over Iraq, the non-existent weapons of mass destruction, the Colin Powell dossier proof presented to the UN. It’s like Groundhog Day when you hear the claims made about Assad, the use of chemical weapons.
“In the first place, it would make no practical sense for Assad to use chemical weapons; it could only ever have been an own goal. If he wanted to invite heavy Western intervention, he would not have gone about it any other way. You’d have to be incredibly either twisted or delusional to believe that Assad could have been so stupid as to do the one thing—use chemical weapons—which would bring about, or possibly bring about, his obliteration.
“I’m quite convinced this is an elaborate hoax. A series of hoaxes. It’s very revealing that not one of the alleged instances of use of chemical weapons was investigated on the ground by any UN or other international investigations, with the sole exception of Douma. And why Douma? Because that was a piece of territory that the government forces managed to recover immediately after the alleged incident, so that the US and its allies were unable to keep away the international investigators…. That ultimately is the purpose of the chemical weapon hoaxes—to justify the occupation of northeast Syria and the continuing cruel economic pressure.”
PF comments on the senior staff from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons who say they did NOT find evidence of chemical weapons attackand their findings were changed by management.
“These gentlemen [from OPCW]) drafted a report stating that they found evidence that was consistent with staging of an incident, rather than an authentic incident. And ever since, they have been vilified, condemned, undermined. And the campaign against the truth goes on and on and on….”
PF comments on the role of the “White Helmets”.
“The White Helmets’ role is absolutely crucial, pivotal to the Western effort to undermine Syria through these accusations of use of chemical weapons. I think, basically, what happened is that Western governments realized that after the Iraq debacle, that if they were going to use claims about WMD, chemical weapons, whatever, again, they were going to have to produce some kind of smoking gun.
“And this is the role of the White Helmets. They produced the phony pictures of phony incidents which constitute the smoking gun. And that is absolutely pivotal to the propaganda to justify the bombing and the relentless economic and military pressure on Syria…. Western governments [have] been funding the White Helmets to the tune of about $50 million a year. That’s peanuts compared to what they see as the advantages of bringing Syria to its knees.”
PF predicts what may happen ahead.
“I think things are likely to get worse, rather than better.
“What we’ll probably see is simply a continuation of the status quo. The current policies will simply be extended…. to prolong the conflict, to prevent Assad gaining military victory, the continuation of economic warfare to try to bring Assad to his knees and force him to sign a suicide note, which would be acceptance of elections on US terms. I’m sure these policies will be continued.
“But there’s a question mark over whether policy might not become even more adventurous and interventionist with a beachhead of a few thousand soldiers already occupying part of Syria. I greatly fear that Biden might be tempted to increase those numbers, put some military pressure on the Syrian government forces, create more no-fly zones. Already, there’s effectively a no-fly zone over that big triangle of territory that’s occupied by the US forces and Kurdish allies. An attempt might be made to create the no-fly zone of Idlib, which would be ironic. It would mean that the US Air Force was the air wing of al-Qaeda…
“I’m definitely not optimistic. And I fear things could get even worse.”
US Ambassador Robert S. Ford (RSF)
Robert S. Ford was a U.S. diplomat in numerous cities including Algiers and Cairo. He was Deputy Chief of Mission in Bahrein from 2001 to 2004, then Political Counselor at the US Embassy in Baghdad from 2004 to 2006. As an Arabic speaker,he may have helped Ambassador John Negroponte launch the “El Salvador option” (death squads) in Iraq.Robert S. Ford was Ambassador to Syria from the end of 2010 until 2014 when the US terminated diplomatic relations with Syria. He has continued as an unofficial advisor on Syria policy.
In contrast with the Peter Ford interview, the interview with US Ambassador Robert S. Ford (RSF) is a case study in public relations. Interviewer Aaron Mate asks important questions but RSF deflects the questions, claims ignorance of new revelations, and repeats standard talking points on Syria.
RSF acknowledges there has been “mission creep” for US troops in Syria.
“American troops were sent into Syria originally to fight ISIS. Now that that job is more-or-less finished, we have a sort of mission creep where now the American forces are there not to defeat ISIS—ISIS is already defeated… But now, so what are the Americans doing? Well, now they sort of changed the mission to putting pressure on Damascus, the Assad government, trying to get the Iranians out, trying to limit the Russian influence.”
RSF implies the sanctions on Syria are just.
“Sanctions is a different question, Aaron. I think a lot of it is emotional here in the United States. There’s a desperate desire for justice after all the war crimes committed in Syria. And I think getting rid of the sanctions is going to be a much harder battle to fight in the Congress. So, the sanctions have very strong approval in Congress...”
RSF maintains the initial protests were “almost entirely peaceful”
“In March and April, May into June, the protests were almost entirely peaceful. That’s not to say there was no violence. In the first protest, for example, in Daraa, in which we’re now coming up on the 10-year anniversary, yeah, the protesters did attack the telephone office [Syriatel] that’s owned by Bashar al-Assad’s cousin, Rami Makhlouf. They did attack a court building…”
[Fact check: RSF neglects to mention seven police were killed in the “almost entirely peaceful” Daraa protest.]
RSF acknowledges US allies were sending weapons early but claims the US began sending weapons in 2013.
“Those countries [Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey] did send in weapons before the Americans…
“I supported arming factions of the Free Syrian Army as early as the summer of 2012. And it took the president a year to get to a decision.”
[Fact check: US Central Intelligence Agency was sending weapons from Benghazi Libya to Syria in Oct 2011.]
RSF compares the Free Syrian Army to the anti-Nazi resistance in WW2.
“The United States never gave anti-tank weapons to al-Qaeda…. the number might be half a dozen.
“I want you to think about this in historical context. Do you think when the Americans airdropped weapons into the French resistance against the Nazis in France, do you think the Nazis never got their hands on any of those air drops?...
“The leakage to the al-Qaeda elements, there was a small amount of leakage, but much, much, much more of their weaponry came from the Assad government, either, because the Assad soldiers were corrupt, as we said, we talked at the start about corruption. They sold them, or in some cases, they surrendered, and with that, huge caches of weaponry made their way into al-Nusra hands. The amount of material that al-Nusra got from the United States wouldn’t have lasted them for a day of combat.”
Fact check:This claim is preposterous. As reported by Janes Defense, the US supplied nearly one thousand TONS of weapons in December 2015, much of which ended up in Nusra (Al Qaeda) hands. Nusra obtained weapons when they over-ran Syrian military bases, but otherwise they were amply supplied with weapons by the Gulf monarchies, Israel, Turkey, the US and UK.
RSF claims the Syrian government has primary responsibility for the war and are the “bad guys”.
“What I hope your listeners will take away from this is that it is not an equal combat on both sides; is not an equal responsibility on both sides. One side from the beginning was using torture and shooting at innocent people, thousands of arrests. And one side was trying peacefully, for a very large part, to bring about change. And, unfortunately, in this instance, the bad guys won.”
RSF claims that Syria is responsible for the war refugees and destabilizing its neighbors.
“Even had Turkey, Qatar and the United States, Saudi Arabia, stayed out of it, there still would have been huge refugee flows trying to escape from those same brutal Syrian security forces, and they still would have flooded the borders of Lebanon and Jordan and of Turkey, which is itself destabilizing, particularly in Lebanon, but some places like Jordan, Turkey. Therefore, you can’t just say that all these other countries intervened in sovereign Syrian territory. The Syrian government itself was taking actions which were destabilizing to its neighbors.”
Fact check: Most refugees fled when their neighborhoods were taken over by militants and became battle zones, NOT because they were afraid of Syrian security.
RSF criticizes Turkey but thinks Syrian government bears primary responsibility.
“I’m never going to justify the Turks allowing Salafi jihadists to go into Syria. I think that I’ve already said that that was a bad mistake. And we criticized them at the time of playing with snakes. I’m never going to justify it. But I have to say, Aaron, that in the end, they came in response to what the Assad government was already doing. And so, the principal responsibility … do the Americans have a share of responsibility? Of course, we do. Yeah. It was our anti-tank missiles blowing up Syrian government tanks, and not just a few; I mean, hundreds of them.
“I think we have to go back to where it started in 2011. And that’s with the Syrian government…”
RSF says he is not aware of the huge scandal at the OPCW but believes Syria has used chemical weapons.
“I’m not familiar with that controversy within the OPCW….
“But I guess I would just say this, Aaron. There’s plenty of documentation by the UN’s joint investigative group with the OPCW that looked at incidents in Syria chemical weapons use, from 2013 onwards. They’ve issued several reports…. So, the 2018 incident, I don’t know about that report, but I have no doubt whatsoever that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons on multiple instances, the same government that bombs hospitals, the same government that bombs bakeries, the same government that kills people in detention routinely. Look at the photos that were brought up by the military defector. You know, why would you think they wouldn’t use chemical weapons? Why would you think they would suddenly have moral scruples against these? It doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
[Fact check: the OPCW scandal has confirmed manipulation of that organization by the US and west. The “military photographer” refers to the ‘Caesar torture photos’ propaganda stunt.]
RSF wants to increase humanitarian aid to Syria refugees.
“Something the Americans could do that would be hugely helpful is to increase humanitarian aid to the Syrian refugees that number some five million, particularly in Lebanon, where their living circumstances are precarious, very precarious, but also in Jordan and Turkey… I’d like to spend less on the military operation and much more on humanitarian aid.
“And then there is the issue of Northwest Syria, Idlib, where the UN is in charge of an operation getting humanitarian aid to some two million displaced Syrian civilians.”
[Fact check and observation:Idlib province is dominated by Nusra (Al Qaeda). Robert Ford seems to want to perpetuate the AQ stronghold and refugee crisis by supplying aid to Idlib and foreign countries while preventing return of refugees and rebuilding war torn Syria.]
Conclusion
Both ambassadors speak Arabic and have intimate knowledge of Syria.
Robert S. Ford criticizes some past decisions and tactics, but not the assumptions or right of the US to violate the UN Charter and commit aggression against Syria.
Meanwhile, Peter Ford is doing his best to expose the reality of the situation, contrary to government and media bias and falsehoods. Like Daniel Ellsberg, Scott Ritter and Katharine Gun, he is using his special knowledge to publicly challenge the claims and assumptions of western policy. With Ellsberg it was about Vietnam. With Ritter and Gun, it was about Iraq. With Peter Ford, it is about Syria.
The full interview with UK Ambassador Peter Ford is well worth watching or reading.
Rick Sterling is a journalist base in the SF Bay Area of California. He can be contacted at rsterling1@protonmail.com
Appendix.
Ex-UK ambassador: War on Syria continues with US occupation, sanctions, propaganda
Former UK ambassador to Syria Peter Ford on how the US and its allies continue to wage war on Syria via sadistic sanctions, an illegal US military occupation, the OPCW cover-up, and media propaganda that masks the brutality.
Syria and its allies prevented regime change, but the US and its allies are continuing to squeeze Syria’s population with crippling sanctions on all aspects of civilian life and a US military occupation in Syria’s northeast breadbasket. Peter Ford, the former UK Ambassador to Syria, analyzes the state of the Syria proxy war and the ongoing propaganda campaign to whitewash it.
Guest: Peter Ford, veteran British diplomat who served as the UK ambassador to Syria from 2003-2006.
TRANSCRIPT
AARON MATÉ: Welcome to Pushback. I’m Aaron Maté. Joining me is Peter Ford. He is the former British ambassador to Syria, now the co-chair of The British Syrian Society. Peter, welcome to Pushback.
PETER FORD: Thank you, Aaron. I feel privileged to be on your show.
AARON MATÉ: It’s a privilege to have you, and a lot I want to ask you about.
Let me start just with your overall sense of the state of Syria today. The bulk of the proxy war is over, but now there’s a new front—these economic sanctions that are preventing Syria from rebuilding. And you still have rebel control of a major province, Idlib, as well as a US occupation in northeastern Syria. What is your overall sense of where Syria stands right now, nearly 10 years after the proxy war began?
PETER FORD: Well, the situation has basically stood still for a year. There’s been an effective stalemate since the Syrian government forces recovered a slice of southern Idlib back in in March. At that point, the Turkish army intervened massively, and effectively brought hostilities to a halt. But the situation today is that the Syrian government forces control about 70% of the country. There’s that pocket of jihadi fighters controlling Idlib province and a couple of patches of neighboring provinces, and then you’ve got the big—what I call the wild east of Syria—the big triangle of land up all the way along the thousand miles along the Turkish border and then down the Iraqi border, and that is effectively a US protectorate. There are US forces there being helped on the ground by basically Kurdish militia, the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces.
And by their mere presence, they’re preventing the advance of the Syrian government forces. The result is that the Syrian people are denied the great oil and grain wealth of that triangle, the territory. And, so the war over the last year has been more an economic war than a military war.
AARON MATÉ: And the outgoing US representative to the anti-ISIS coalition, envoy James Jeffrey, he’s been giving a number of interviews recently, where he laid the US strategy currently in Syria pretty bare. I want to quote to you what he says.
He says, “Basically, first and foremost is denial of the Assad government getting military victory … And of course, we’ve ratcheted up the isolation and sanctions pressure on Assad, we’ve held the line on no reconstruction assistance, and the country is desperate for it. You see what’s happened to the Syrian pound, you see what’s happened to the entire economy. So, it’s been a very effective strategy.”
Your comments on that?
PETER FORD: Well, it’s absolutely morally abominable. It’s utterly shocking. Confession that the US strategy has been to punish the Syrian people, hoping to get at Assad in that way.
The policy has been effective in the sense that Syrian people are suffering every day. There are long queues for bread, long queues for gasoline. The policy of sanctions and denial of assistance for reconstruction has been effective, but what kind of policy is it that tries to immiserate a whole country? It’s delusional because it’s not even going to work.
The experience of 10 years of this conflict is that the Syrian government is amazingly resilient. They’ve been on the ropes many times in this conflict and pulled through largely because they have the support of great swaths of the Syrian populace. Assad is not going to buckle under this new increased economic pressure. It is utterly delusional to believe that this cynical, callous policy could work. So, it’s a failure even on its own terms, if the objective is to bring about regime change in Syria. It’s not going to work. In the meanwhile, it’s causing appalling suffering. The suffering in Syria today is on a par with what was witnessed in Iraq, in the lead-up to the Iraq war.
AARON MATÉ: And that situation in Iraq caused two UN coordinators who were overseeing that policy to resign, because they called the US-led sanctions policy on Iraq genocidal. But we’re not seeing that same kind of outcry today over the US sanctions on Syria, when, as James Jeffrey says openly, that the aim is to target reconstruction. Can you talk more about the material impact of that, on what that means on the ground level to try to rebuild Syria, for there are reports of long lines to get bread, basic staples like that, people not having fuel, doctors having to smuggle in medical parts into the country just for their medical machines.
PETER FORD: That’s right. The sanctions’ architects, the Western governments practicing sanctions—mainly the US and the UK—claim that there are medical exemptions, but this is a cynical claim. They know very well that in practice the sanctions work by deterring providers. That there are no … it’s not possible to point to text in the legislation covering the sanctions, banning trade in humanitarian goods. Nevertheless, the effect—because of the chilling effect on banks, in particular—banks will not go near any dollar transaction with Syria. And many, many providers of medical equipment are deterred. Even some of the humanitarian organizations like Amnesty International, which would normally support the Western governments, are complaining about this. It is a scandal. And the hypocrisy of the claims that there are medical exemptions is breathtaking, Aaron. Breathtaking.
AARON MATÉ: I want to read you more from James Jeffrey. He also, on his way out, acknowledged that in another interview that he misled the White House and the public on the levels of US troops inside Syria.
He said, “We were always playing shell games to not make clear to our leadership how many troops we had there.”
What is the aim of the US troops in Syria right now? Trump was very open when he talked about stealing Syria’s oil. But what is the geopolitical aim here? Because it’s not just about the oil itself, but it’s about what that oil means to Syria. And, also, this is a region that produces a fair amount of wheat for Syria. Food, if I understand it correctly.
PETER FORD: That’s right. The troops are there basically as a tripwire, a deterrent, so that if the Syrian government forces advanced, they would trip over a few American soldiers and that would incur the massive intervention of the US Air Force. This is what it comes down to. They don’t even need big numbers of troops to create the tripwire.
Even so, it’s interesting that the architects of this policy in the permanent government of the US found it necessary to deceive the head of the executive, the President, keep him in the dark about the numbers. Trump seems to have gotten the impression that the troops were numbered in, like, a couple of hundred, when in fact the figure was more like two, three, four thousand. So, the deceit that has gone on—on every level—is jaw-dropping to me as a former ambassador and an insider in the British system. I find it absolutely incredible.
But Jeffrey is correct in his cynical assessment that the presence of these forces creates a major geostrategic plus for the US, in the sense that it stymies the Russians who are trying to normalize conditions in Syria. So, if you take as your starting point that the whole point of the war is to prevent Russia having a victory, then yes, the policy is somewhat effective. But if you, as most policymakers would claim, say that the aim is to end the conflict, then it’s achieving the opposite.
What Jeffrey was effectively saying was that the US Plan A, as he called it, is to prolong the conflict, to prevent a resolution on terms which might not favor the US’s preferred solution of getting rid of Assad. That’s Plan A; he was very candid about that. Plan B was to sort of install some stooge regime; he didn’t give many clues about who would actually replace Assad. And no wonder because Plan B is an empty box. There is nobody waiting; there’s no Mandela in the wings in Syria. There’s a bunch of Islamist fanatics that the US supposedly is fighting. That’s Plan B.
AARON MATÉ: What do you think was the aim of the proxy war? You served as UK ambassador to Syria from 2003 to 2006. There was talk back then of an opening between Assad and the West. It didn’t happen. Why do you think the US and its allies devoted so much money and so much energy to this proxy war? The New York Times calls it one of the costliest covert action programs in CIA history. According to The Washington Post, the CIA had a budget approaching $1 billion per year on the Syria proxy war. What do you think the aim was?
PETER FORD: Well, I’ll tell you what it’s not. US policy is not about installing in Syria a democratic government, because there is no prospect of that while the US is effectively supporting Islamist fanatics, and while it’s supporting elsewhere in the Middle East regimes like the feudal regime of Saudi Arabia. No, it’s not about democracy. It’s about helping Israel on the one hand and scoring points against Russia on the other. And when it comes down to it, that is what this whole war is really about, from the US standpoint.
Israel, obviously, because Syria has been a recalcitrant, insisting on the return of its lost territory to Israel—the Golan Heights—and giving staunch support to the Palestinians. So, Syria could never be forgiven for these sins. And for 50 years, Russia and Syria have been quite close. But I am sure that if Syria at some point had offered to switch horses, the US would be backing Assad today.
AARON MATÉ: I wanted to get your thoughts on the OPCW scandal. It’s something I’ve been covering extensively: inspectors from the OPCW who investigated an alleged chemical weapons attack in the town of Douma in April 2018. This was the rationale for US-led strikes on Syria that same month. These inspectors had their evidence suppressed, and they were sidelined from their investigation. And these allegations of chemical weapons attacks in Syria have been very key to the overall narrative that is used to sustain the proxy war and now justify sanctions on Syria, that we have to sanction this regime that uses chemical weapons against its own people. I’m wondering if you followed this controversy about Douma and the suppression of the OPCW’s own findings and their own investigators, and what your thoughts are?
PETER FORD: Yeah, chemical weapons in Syria, the issue has been played much with the issue played with Iraq. And the world has amnesia over Iraq, the non-existent weapons of mass destruction, the Colin Powell dossier proof presented to the UN. It’s like Groundhog Day when you hear the claims made about Assad, the use of chemical weapons.
In the first place, it would make no practical sense for Assad to use chemical weapons; it could only ever have been an own goal. If he wanted to invite heavy Western intervention, he would not have gone about it any other way. You’d have to be incredibly either twisted or delusional to believe that Assad could have been so stupid as to do the one thing—use chemical weapons—which would bring about, or possibly bring about, his obliteration.
And it simply beggars belief for what we’ve seen, I’m quite convinced, is an elaborate hoax. A series of hoaxes. It’s very revealing that not one of the alleged instances of use of chemical weapons was investigated on the ground by any UN or other international investigations, with the sole exception of Douma. And why Douma? Because that was a piece of territory that the government forces managed to recover immediately after the alleged incident, so that the US and its allies were unable to keep away the international investigators. That didn’t stop them bombing Syria; they went ahead without waiting for the international investigators to arrive on the site. And ever since we’ve seen an elaborate attempt to provide a post hoc justification and to provide the justification for the sanctions, the cruel policy that we were discussing earlier. That ultimately is the purpose of the chemical weapon hoaxes—to justify the occupation of northeast Syria and the continuing cruel economic pressure.
AARON MATÉ: And what do you make of the relative media silence on this issue? We’ve done a lot of reporting on this at The Grayzone. The late Robert Fisk covered this issue for The Independent a little bit; he actually got on the ground in Douma, shortly after the alleged attack, and found evidence of the scenes being staged in the hospital. But even though now, since then, these inspectors have had their evidence leaked. And so, it’s been made clear to the public there that the inspectors who went to Douma reached a far different conclusion than what was put out publicly, had key evidence and data being censored, and false, unsupported conclusions being inserted to falsely tell the public that essentially there was a chemical attack by Syria. But, yet, media, for the most part, especially in the West, has been pretty much silent on the story. What do you make of that?
PETER FORD: Well, besides being a former British diplomat, I’m also a former UN official. I worked for eight years with a UN refugee agency in the Middle East, and it doesn’t surprise me in the least. Because I’ve seen from the inside of the UN machinery how arms get twisted by the Western powers, and particularly by the US. You can’t have a very successful career in the UN if you make an enemy of the US by doing the honest thing, sometimes. And therefore, an organization like the WHO is always going to be extremely easy to manipulate for the US and its allies, including my own country. They stack it with their own people, very often.
But occasionally somebody gets through the net, an honest person with some integrity, and that is what happened on this occasion. And these gentlemen drafted a report stating that they found evidence that was consistent with staging of an incident, rather than an authentic incident. And ever since, they have been vilified, condemned, undermined. And the campaign against the truth goes on and on and on.
AARON MATÉ: Well, speaking of that, there was a recent BBC podcast series called “Mayday,” which interviewed you. It disgusted me as well. And it devoted one episode to basically denigrating these OPCW inspectors in trying to justify the claim that there was a chemical attack in Douma. But the rest of the series was devoted to repairing the image of the White Helmets and its late founder, James Le Mesurier, a former UK military officer. And the White Helmets actually played a role in these chemical attack incidents, because in both the case of Douma and the previous year in Khan Shaykhun, the White Helmets handed over data and evidence that was used in the final reports that aim to justify the narrative that there was a chemical attack. And in the case of Douma, there’s even evidence that the White Helmets were involved in staging the scene at the hospital in Douma, to make it falsely appear as if a chemical attack had happened. And there’s even a BBC producer named Riam Dalati, who claims to have found evidence that the hospital scene was definitely staged with White Helmets’ involvement, although he hasn’t released it. But I’m wondering your comments on the White Helmets, who they are and their role in these chemical attack allegations in the overall Syria proxy war narrative.
PETER FORD: The White Helmets’ role is absolutely crucial, pivotal to the Western effort to undermine Syria through these accusations of use of chemical weapons. I think, basically, what happened is that Western governments realized that after the Iraq débâcle, that if they were going to use claims about WMD, chemical weapons, whatever, again, they were going to have to produce some kind of smoking gun.
And this is the role of the White Helmets. They produced the phony pictures of phony incidents which constitute the smoking gun. And that is absolutely pivotal to the propaganda to justify the bombing and the relentless economic and military pressure on Syria. Without that so-called testimony, the video, the staged videos, the testimony, the eyewitness reports provided by the White Helmets, the story would be even less credible than it is already. But it’s a small investment for the US government and other Western governments compared with its stakes. They’ve been funding the White Helmets to the tune of about $50 million a year. That’s peanuts compared to what they see as the advantages of bringing Syria to its knees.
AARON MATÉ: And I should have specified that the White Helmets are known around the world as a rescue group. And there’s documentaries made about them. One of them even won an Oscar. And there’s footage of them rescuing civilians from buildings that have been bombed by Syria or Russia, which created a very powerful narrative of them as these noble rescue workers. What has come out, though, from reporting inside Syria, and also from the story of the White Helmets’ founder James Le Mesurier’s death is a more sinister side: there’s videos of them working alongside jihadists, including for executions in the towns that the jihadists controlled. In the case of Le Mesurier, he was implicated in financial fraud. He admitted to it in an email shortly before he died. And there’s even questions about how he died. It’s believed to be suicide, but he also may have just fallen off of his building. It’s unclear, but what do you make of who Le Mesurier actually was and what the White Helmets were actually doing on the ground in Syria?
PETER FORD: Yeah. An interesting character. I can’t wait for the film version, actually. The BBC had just tweeted through this 15-part radio series. And I’m sure it’s building up to a fantastic film, and we can have fun doing the casting. I claim to play myself, please, if you’re listening, the filmmakers. And by the way, I happen to know that there’s already a Hollywood mogul interested, and he’s the guy behind the financier of the BBC Radio series. Maybe Tom Cruise will be free to play Le Mesurier.
But this whole “who done it,” about who kicked … or how did Le Mesurier meet his end is a rather amusing distraction, I think, from the real story. He’s obviously an embarrassment to his handlers in the British security services. Topping yourself is not a good career option. And swindling large amounts of dollars wasn’t really a very wise course. So, I think, I’m sure this is why the BBC series was commissioned by Le Mesurier’s handlers, because they had to whitewash not only the White Helmets but also James Le Mesurier.
AARON MATÉ: Yeah, and they also attacked me, and they attacked my colleague Max Blumenthal. You had a testy interview with them as well. And it was interesting that in a series about the White Helmets, they also choose to devote a whole episode to the Douma incident. And I actually learned from this that the White Helmets, it actually confirmed a few things.
One is that the White Helmets handed over witness testimony and evidence for the Douma incident. And, also, that the founder of the White Helmets claimed that he gave the coordinates of the bodies of the victims who were found in Douma. He claimed that he gave that to the OPCW, and that those coordinates were given to the Syrian government, although I’ve never seen any official confirmation anywhere that actually the location of the grave of the bodies was ever actually handed over.
So, to me this podcast gave some interesting new details and only raised more questions. And one of their sources was an anonymous guy who claims to work for the OPCW and who attacked the inspectors—the whistleblowers. And he also attacked the OPCW’s first director general, José Bustani, who has spoken out in their defense. And it made me think that whoever was behind the White Helmets had also probably connected this purported OPCW official to the BBC as well. I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on that.
PETER FORD: Yeah, I find it in a way encouraging that the Western governments have gone to these lengths with the propaganda tool, the state broadcaster of the UK, the BBC. It’s rather complimentary that our efforts should be considered so damaging to the strategy of building up the White Helmets. And as I mentioned earlier, they are pivotal to the whole effort. If the White Helmets are discredited, the whole strategy begins to collapse. So, it’s complimentary to be attacked by these people.
AARON MATÉ: With Donald Trump on his way out and Joe Biden coming in, do you see any prospects of a shift in policy on Syria? Biden’s Secretary of State, of course, is Tony Blinken, or it will be Tony Blinken, who was a very strong proponent of actually increased US intervention in Syria in the proxy war, even more than was ultimately done. What is your assessment of what the US strategy will be under Biden, and do you think there will be any shift from the Trump strategy?
PETER FORD: I’m certainly not optimistic. I think things are likely to get worse, rather than better.
What we’ll probably see is simply a continuation of the status quo. The current policies will simply be extended. That is, the policies as described by Ambassador Jeffrey: the attempt to prolong the conflict, to prevent Assad gaining military victory, the continuation of economic warfare to try to bring Assad to his knees and force him to sign a suicide note, which would be acceptance of elections on US terms. I’m sure these policies will be continued.
But there’s a question mark over whether policy might not become even more adventurous and interventionist with a beachhead of a few thousand soldiers already occupying part of Syria. I greatly fear that Biden might be tempted to increase those numbers, put some military pressure on the Syrian government forces, create more no-fly zones. Already, there’s effectively a no-fly zone over that big triangle of territory that’s occupied by the US forces and Kurdish allies. An attempt might be made to create the no-fly zone of Idlib, which would be ironic. It would mean that the US would … well, the US Air Force was the air wing of al-Qaeda.
But we’ve already seen stuff like that in the course of the Syrian conflict. So, I’m definitely not optimistic. And I fear things could get even worse. Trump, for all his faults, did try seriously on more than one occasion to scale down—end, even—the US military presence in Syria, but he was thwarted by the permanent government. Yeah, it’s not a good outlook.
AARON MATÉ: Peter Ford, the former British ambassador to Syria, and now the co-chair of The British Syrian Society, thank you very much.
PETER FORD: Thank you very much, Aaron. Some interesting questions you posed there.
AARON MATÉ: That’s what I try to do. I really appreciate your time. So, thank you.
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‘Georgia spa gunman posted his anti-China hate for the entire world to see’
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"For four years Trump orchestrated a firehose of disinformation against China..."
Opinion 25-Mar-2021
We are happy to see Robert Vannrox file a clear and passionate response to the ugly shooting in Georgia, part of a nationwide outbreak of violence directed at Asians living in America. That this sickness is very much prompted by the regime of massive ignorance, division, racial hatreds, and propaganda that permeates American life is beyond doubt. China is being aggressively demonized by the US oligarchic establishment, from politicians like Trump and Biden and their cohorts, to media figures across the phony "bipartisan" spectrum. Donald Trump spent most of his disgraceful four years in office scapegoating China, muslims and immigrants, in general, without ever explaining how America became de-industrialised, or why so many poor Latin immigrants are showing up on our borders. Of course, no American politician or media pundit would dare to explain that much to the perennially clueless and confused population, as to educate the American people about such matters is tantamount to indicting the imperialist system they all so abjectly serve. Unfortunately, malignant propaganda works, folks. And the innocent dead people in Atlanta prove it.
—The Editor
The young American gunman accused in last week's Georgia spa shooting is "a product" of a prolonged and deliberate anti-China racist campaign intensified during the tenure of former U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a China-based American expat who has previously worked with the U.S. government and military.
Robert Aaron Long, 21, is accused of shooting and killing eight people including six of Asian descent at three spas in Atlanta, capital of U.S. state of Georgia, on March 16.
The shooter: Robert Aaron Long. As usual, very young and impressionable, and subject to twisted idealisms and manipulation.
"He (Long) regurgitated the anti-China propaganda word for word. He repeated the propaganda phrase by phrase. Make no mistake, he is the product of over four years of intense hatred directed towards China, as well as the firehose of disinformation orchestrated by Donald Trump, Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, with Senator Tom Cotton arranging the funding to spew the hate all over the world," Robert Vannrox told CGTN Digital in a Zoom interview from his current residence in Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong Province.
"And frankly, it really gets me upset," added Vannrox, the CEO of Smoking Lion, a Zhuhai-based firm that manages the supply chain, manufacturing and R&D for several Western companies.
While there's an overwhelming public clamoring for hate crime charges against Long, the Georgian authorities haven't yet invoked the specific hate crime law that were enacted in several U.S. states only last summer. Long for now faces the charges of "malice murder" and aggravated assault.
"He posted his hate for the entire world to see and it amazes me that it is not being treated as a hate crime," said a visibly annoyed Vannrox, noting that Long's tirades on his internet postings were "near repeats of the nonsense spewed forth by the conservative, hard right media."
"He referred to China as 'Chicoms,' which is a Rush Limbaugh trademark. He referred to 'not hating the Chinese people just the Chinese government,' which is an Alex Jones trademark. He referred to 'Evil China,' which is a Fox News trademark. He referred to the 'China Virus' which is a Mike Pompeo trademark," the American expat elaborated to stress how the relentless toxic anti-China propaganda has poisoned the minds of the American youth.
'China is fair, safe'
In contrast, "I've never had any problems with discrimination or race within China at all," Vannrox said, adding in the same breath that "China has been very good to me. China has been fair. China, its people are friendly and respectful and nice. The Chinese government is efficient, just and unhelpful. The living environment within China is lovely and pleasant. China is safe."
The American expat, however, admitted that even he had his 'own share of biases' against China before he first arrived in the Asian country some 15 years ago, which swiftly changed with time.
"I'm a little embarrassed to say it, but I was a very gung-ho pro-American, Star-Spangled Banner believer. And I still have a fondness for America, that doesn't disappear. But, you know, my opinions about China have changed since I arrived here," Vannrox said.
"My illusion of what China was had absolutely no resemblance at all to what I saw. It had no resemblance to what I experienced. It had no connection to reality in any way whatsoever. Over time you see things as they are," he elucidated.
'China, U.S. must work side by side as equals'
Emphasizing that both, the U.S. and China, are vital parts of his existence, Vannrox said he is troubled by the increasing political confrontations between the two countries.
"As you can tell, I have strong feelings about both America and China. Both are part of my heart and part of my being. And it's difficult for me to say anything bad about America or bad about China because I love both so much. I have friends in both places. I have family in both places. It's part of my life," he remarked.
"It just hurts me and pains me to see fighting between some strangers in America against people here in China. It's so upsetting," he lamented.
However, Vannrox remains hopeful that the U.S. and China will eventually find a way to work together, a prospect that will be good for the whole world.
"Call me crazy, but I envision a world where America leads by example, and not by threats of military action. Where America leads by offering constructive help and physical assistance, not bales of money or military weapons. And being a leader as well, China works side by side with America as equals towards the betterment of all society. It shouldn't be all that difficult. Not really. It shouldn't."
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Chronicles of the Criminally Insane: America has decided to wage a hot war against China. It’s not if, it’s when.
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We are just a group of retired spooks that discuss things that you’ll not find anywhere else. It makes us unique. Take a look around. Learn a thing or two.
Ido not want to sound alarming. But… Jeeze Louise…
After this last week with [1] the events of the Alaskan meeting between the United States and China, and [2] the “write ups” leading to it are quite horrifying.
I wonder what the Hell is going on in the minds of the folks back in Washington DC, for they have obviously have a mixture of numerous mental illnesses. Not a singular one. A mixture.
The Alaskan meeting was stunning in its insanity.
For starters, America demands that China (and the rest of the world) STOP working with the United Nations. Instead they order all other nations, and their leaders to “follow the United States” as it leads.
Yes.
You read that correctly.
Well, for one thing, the Americans demand a “Rules based obedience“. Not one that follows the United Nations. I know that it sounds so nice, and so orderly. “Rules”. ‘Why would anyone not want to follow “rules”?’ say the American sheeple. And yes, it does play well in the “red states” back inside of America, but it is dangerous.
It is very, very dangerous.
Because this “rules based obedience” means…
There is not any kind of national sovereignty, only American sovereignty.
Nations exist at the pleasure and allowance of the United States.
The United States makes the rules at will.
The United States changes the rules at will.
All other nations are subservient to the United States.
The United Nations has no say what•so•ever in International affairs.
The United Nations is a convenience that America uses when it wants to, and ignores when it decides to.
This is a very authoritarian and demanding posture.
It is unyielding and fixed.
It’s almost as if the leaders in America are Megalomaniacs. To believe and allow such an insane level of insanity.
Megalomania is a psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, omnipotence, and by inflated self-esteem. Historically it was used asa name for narcissistic personality disorder prior to the latter's first use by Heinz Kohut in 1968, and is used today as a non-clinical equivalent.
But it’s not just that.
It’s many other things.
Such as the litany of demands that America placed on China.
Such as…
China’s actions and behavior regarding 台湾.
China’s actions and behavior regarding 西藏.
China’s actions and behavior regarding 香港.
China’s actions and behavior regarding 快乐的脚.
All of which might not look familiar to the American readers in the audience.
As all of the items (that America demanded on China) are de facto Chinese land, cities, areas and territories.
These are regions as specified within the United Nations and identified as Chinese domains.
Such as Hong Kong, Tibet, Xinjiang, and Taiwan.
So it really is insulting that these jackasses from Washington DC have the fucking nerve to tell the Chinese what to do in 香港.
Which is like China demanding that America do something about Baltimore, the killings in Chicago, and the maritime operations in the Gulf of Mexico and Boston harbor.
Cognitive disorders, also known as neurocognitive disorders, are a category of mental health disorders that primarily affect cognitive abilities including learning, memory, perception, and problem solving. Neurocognitive disorders include delirium and mild and major neurocognitive disorder. They are defined by deficits in cognitive ability that are acquired, typically represent decline, and may have an underlying brain pathology. The DSM-5 defines six key domains of cognitive function: executive function, learning and memory, perceptual-motor function, language, complex attention, and social cognition.
Why was the American delegation so rude, demanding, and ill-behaved during the Alaskan meeting? Could it be that they ACTUALLY BELIEVED that they were that powerful, and that they indeed represented the United States within that capacity?
How and why would they hold this amazingly dangerous position? It’s not patriotism. It’s pure evil. It is exactly what Hitler demanded of Austria, West Prussia, Poland, the Netherlands, and France in the late 1930’s.
It’s pure evil.
The (stoked) hatred towards China inside America is just ripe for war
The last four years of spewed hate has been horrible. Here’s the “news” from today…
In April 2020, Mike Pompeo laid out a speech decrying China and saying that all efforts to contain it have failed and that new aggressive measures must be taken. This speech was bemoaned by the entire global community as unrealistic, a throwback to World War II, and entirely antagonistic [screed] as well as a violation of the UN charter.
Well, guess what? Yup. It’s now official American policy.
The Longer Telegram
Don’t believe me? Here we look at an American “policy paper” known as “The Longer Telegram“.
It’s called a “telegraph” as it is used as a “fair warning” that the United States considers China as a hostile enemy that must be destroyed. Thus the message is “telegraphed” to all the people involved.
It is a reissue, and rewording of a post World War II document on how to be Master of the World. And it is being followed with religious fervor in the United States by the Biden administration. Following this outdated, outmoded, and insane cartoon-image of what the world is today is hastening the demise of the United States.
As well as forcing the hands of the Chinese, Iranians and Russians towards nuclear war.
It’s authored by “anonymous“, but we can see clearly that the contributors are the entire neocon establishment on “K street”. That’s John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, and the rest of the neocon cabal.
What is this “telegram”?
It’s a strategy and orders towards “reclaiming American greatness” by the destruction of the largest "threats to the American way of life” in the world. In it, it describes a very militaristic policy of total annihilation of the enemies of the United States.
Not cooperation.
Not negotiation, and trade.
Not Geo-political alignments, and posturing.
No.
It’s about total annihilation of all the threats the the United States global leadership, and how to go about making sure that it is successful.
Primarily the destruction of China.
Isolation of China from Russian support and alliances.
Isolation of China geographically.
Isolation of China internationally, culturally and socially.
Isolation of China in technology, skills, knowledge and science.
America is a military empire.
It’s a long-worded tome.
Obviously it was written by one or more “think tanks” in the military-industrial complex. Obviously a number of committees wrote various parts, spliced them together, and achieved “buy in” as a group.
The document describes a China that exists only in their furtive imaginations; An “authoritarian” country whose communist rulers are divorced from the people they rule, in which President Xi is described as more or less a warlord surrounded by “cronies,” enriching themselves at the expense of everyone else, and who have visions of ruling the world. This fantasy is in fact a mirror-image of the United States.
Indeed.
It has absolutely no resemblance with China, as it is today, in any way, shape or form.
The American military are experts at fighting wars in far away lands. (Americans back home don't quite know what war really is.)
Facts do not matter to the ideologically obsessed.
But, enough of Anonymous’ fancies – they have no base in reality:
The USA out-sourced its manufacturing to China long ago and won’t be getting it back.
Wokeism is killing its education system.
America's politics are broken.
America's military is losing everywhere and doesn’t realize it.
A tsunami of debt has built up.
Most absurd of all, after years of needless hostility to Russia, Washington has no hope of separating
Moscow from Beijing.
And Xi Jinping is not some rogue who seized control...
...he is the top of a robust pyramid.
The only significance of this paltry effort is that it gives us another – and depressingly influential – example of the curious American obsession with personalities – everything in Chinese-U.S. relations was going along swimmingly until Xi.
But actually, as anyone capable of seeing reality knows, China is much, much more than one man.
China/Russia/Iran/Iraq/(insert-name-of-country) was happy to accept its place in the Rules-Based
International Order...
... until that nasty Xi/Putin/Ayatollah/Saddam/(insert-name) changed everything; get rid of him and it will
all fix itself.
Sure...
When are they going to understand that it’s a whole country, not just one guy?
In an extraordinarily provocative move, the U.S. foreign policy establishment has warned China that it is pushing for a more aggressive strategy... ... all the way up to instigating war. In a tome-like article published by the Washington-based Atlantic Council, there are foreboding demands for numerous “red lines” to confront China over. Entitled ‘The Longer Telegram’ the article is a strange throwback to Cold War thinking. It is ostentatiously mimicking the famous document authored by George Kennan in 1946 who as a U.S. diplomat based in the Moscow wrote ‘The Long Telegram’ prescribing a hostile strategy of containment against the Soviet Union. Thus the Atlantic Council is billing the recent article as a seminal historical contribution to formulating U.S. policy towards China, and one that is more bellicose and “comprehensive”.
The suppression of China will require “boots on the ground” inside of China.
The paper repeats the mistake inherent in all American thinking about the world, of [1] inventing a rival that does not exist, and then [2] positing strategies to deal with this fiction.
Washington, Beijing and European capitals have been firing off barrages of commentary in the past weeks on an anonymously authored paper on China published on January 28 by the U.S.-NATO think tank, the Atlantic Council, entitled “The Longer Telegram: Toward A New American China Strategy.”
It is modeled on another policy paper written by George Kennan in 1946. That policy paper was called the Long Telegram. In it Kennan set out a strategy for “containing” the Soviet Union. Which is a nice euphemism that means “destroying it”.
The American military has been training to seize Chinese islands and fight within Chinese cities. Can ANYONE in his right mind imagine an invasion and conquest of today's China?
Kennan’s advice was adopted and became U.S. strategy. The Longer Telegram purports to set out a strategy for undermining China and its socialist system.
Which is really fucked up as the Chinese system is far, far, FAR superior to the American system of oligarchy-run military-empire that pretends to be a democracy.
The Longer Telegram has met with approval by some U.S. and allied strategists and governments but alarm by others. China has denounced it for what it is, a plan for aggression against China and its socialist system.
The paper repeats the mistake inherent in all American thinking about the world, of inventing a rival that does not exist, and then positing strategies to deal with this fiction.
This delusory thinking has led the United States into one defeat after another and caused the world untold troubles as it tried to throw its weight around to secure markets and resources for its industries and capital.
Yemen
Panama
Libya
Afghanistan
Syria
etc, etc…
The destruction of one country after another to achieve that objective, the deaths of millions, the immiseration of entire regions of the world are nothing to American capital so long as it can make money.
American occupation of Xinjiang, Taiwan, Tibet and Hing Kong are all part of the war plans.
All their rhetoric about “human rights” “democracy” and other such platitudes is just a cover for maintaining their economic hegemony and keeping everyone else down.
They even sometimes admit this.
In the National Defence Strategy issued in 2018, the real reason for the slanders against China, the constant provocations in Hong Kong, and the South China Sea is stated clearly…
“Failure to meet our defense objectives will result in decreasing U.S. global influence... ...eroding cohesion among allies and partners... ...and reduced access to markets... ...that will contribute to a decline in our prosperity and standard of living.”
Of course even this is a lie since American capital does not care at all about the standard of living of the American people, only about the prosperity and standard of living of the big capitalists.
The world can see what conditions are in the United States.
The [1] failure to protect their people from the Covid pandemic, [2] the almost daily extrajudicial killings of blacks and poor people, [3] the hollow promise of Biden to institute a higher minimum wage, [4] the collapse of the power grid in Texas are [5] eloquent expressions of the contempt and disregard big capital has for the common people.
The document describes a China that exists only in their furtive imaginations;
…an “authoritarian” country whose communist rulers are divorced from the people they rule, in which President Xi is described as more or less a warlord surrounded by “cronies,” enriching themselves at the expense of everyone else, and who have visions of ruling the world.
This fantasy is in fact a mirror image of the United States.
The American marines have been drilling and practicing the invasion and seizure of Chinese held islands for the last four years.
The anonymous author(s) sees China as he has been conditioned to see America, and then projects that outward to any nation that attempts to develop its economy and improve the conditions of its people.
And just as the forces of capital in the United States manipulate elections and the political system to guarantee their power in order to feather their own nests, the author of the Longer Telegram accuses the President of China of doing the same in China, of using his position for his own benefit.
It then offers recommendations on how to try to split the Chinese leadership from the people, and even on how to split the Communist Party from its membership and the people, using false claims as propaganda to undermine social cohesion.
China did well to kick out the BBC last week and to arrest the U.S. and British agents in Hong Kong.
The document adopts the Henry Kissinger strategy urging a soft approach to Russia to try to lure it away from its alliance with China.
This would require a complete reversal of American strategy of surrounding Russia with bases, ships and missile systems, of attempting to ruin the Russian economy with all the illegal trade and financial embargoes.
It is not going to happen.
But the suggestion shows the confusion in the American leadership on how to stop its economic decline that precedes its decline as the world hegemon.
For decades the Americans have claimed to support nations trying to raise themselves from the poverty created by European and American colonialism, to achieve economic prosperity and a better life for their peoples.
The Chinese military are not 1980’s era conscripts with out-of-date Russian weapons systems. They are a modern and formidable army.
But when a country achieves those goals it suddenly becomes an enemy.
America want no rivals.
China is declared an enemy simply because the Communist Party has, over its long struggle from the Long March to today, raised a billion and more people out of poverty, has created a social and economic system no western nation can equal.
China is as big as the United States.
China has more factories than the United States.
China has a peer capable military.
China is a threat on all levels of (former) United States dominance.
And most importantly…
Their example shows the world what can be achieved by nations finally freed from colonialism, and shows the strength and vitality of socialism.
But now America faces renewed threats from the aspiring colonial powers.
China is a serious, serious nation that does not play.
Defeated in 1949, the colonial powers have never abandoned their ambitions to again reduce China to a colony.
They are, once again, actively engaged in trying to undermine China as a sovereign nation.
To slander it.
To sabotage its economy.
To threaten it with armed force.
And to break it into smaller, manageable pieces, as they want to do with Russia.
The method of attack is broad.
The Canadians, on U.S. orders, have essentially kidnapped and still hold hostage, Meng Wanzhou, Chief Financial Officer of the technology company, Huawei.
At the same time, the U.S. used the arrest as a warning to others trading with Iran.
They have increased their military provocations off the Chinese coast.
The Chinese are not illiterate goat herders living in mud huts.
With the U.S. and its vassal states sending naval ships, time and again, through the Taiwan Strait, claiming to be enforcing “freedom of navigation” ……but in reality declaring that Taiwan, a province of China, is an American protectorate.
The complete response to the Longer Telegram is found in China’s national defence white paper which states, “Though a country may become strong, bellicosity will lead to its ruin...
The Chinese nation has always loved peace.
Since the beginning of modern times, the Chinese people have suffered from aggressions and wars, and have learned the value of peace and the pressing need for development.
Therefore, China will never inflict such sufferings on any other country.
Any attack on China will come with an enormous price tag.
Since its founding 70 years ago, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has never started any war or conflict.
You just cannot say this about America; the biggest military empire in history.
Since the introduction of reform and opening-up, China has been committed to promoting world peace, and has voluntarily downsized the PLA by over 4 million troops.
China has grown from a poor and weak country to be the world’s second largest economy neither by receiving handouts from others nor by engaging in military expansion or colonial plunder.
Instead, it has developed through its people’s hard work and its efforts to maintain peace.
China has made every effort to create favorable conditions for its development through maintaining world peace, and has equally endeavored to promote world peace through its own development.
China sincerely hopes that all countries will choose the path of peaceful development and jointly prevent conflicts and wars.”
The US military experts gave a high estimate of the tests of the new Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile which showed that the US aircraft carriers are in real danger as reported by Washington Free Beacon at the beginning of July. The tests took place in the South China Sea, where, in particular, the US Navy ships are deployed. It is specified that the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBM) requires hi-tech surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting systems. According to the Pentagon, China has already deployed all of those. The US has no missile systems of the kind, and the possibilities to counteract them are limited, according to the website.
All those who want peace in the world, can support that statement.
The Longer Telegram is not just a policy paper, it is also propaganda.
Dangerous anti-UN propaganda
Propaganda which must be rejected as a call for the violation of all the principles set out in the Charter of the United Nations.
A charter that guarantee every nation [1] the right to peaceful development, [2] to its sovereignty and [3] to non-interference from other nations; [4] to be treated with respect.
Instead of contemplating strategies on how to contain China…
….the world must instead contemplate strategies for containing the United States of America.”
It’s all pretty damning. But why does Metallic Man believe that America has chosen to engage in a hot war?
Americans are ripe and “chomping at the bit” for a war.
There is unrestrained budget constraints and the debt is at twenty trillion dollars with no signs of any kind of fiscal responsibility. Either the American governance is counting on a financial and fiscal collapse, or…
…or…
…they plan on looting a large, plump and ripe nation to compensate for their fiscal irresponsibility.
And they are eyeing China.
History tells us that when nations have depleted their coffers, and their citizenry have taken to “torches and pitchforks” the only way out…
…socially, economically, and as a way to control the situation…
…is a war.
China does not play.
If they win, and conquer the opposing targeted nation, they can loot it, and fill their empty coffers. They can unite an upset and disturbingly angry citizenry with an enemy, and they can postpone the demise of their government that caused the fiscal irresponsibility in the first place.
For a start (the policy paper) denigrates China’s President Xi Jinping in the most pejorative terms unbecoming of diplomatic norms. It proposes that “U.S. strategy must remain laser-focused on Xi, [and] his inner circle.”
The document states:
“At home, Xi has returned China to classical Marxism-Leninism and fostered a quasi-Maoist personality cult, pursuing the systematic elimination of his political opponents… Xi is no longer just a problem for U.S. primacy. He now presents a serious problem for the whole of the democratic world.” (sic)
What the Washington policy elite are explicitly calling for is “regime change” in Beijing by aiming to destabilize the senior government.
This marks an unprecedented notice of increased hostility towards the Chinese leadership. This is taking things way past U.S. aggression under Obama and Trump and brings it to a whole new level.
What’s even more alarming is the Atlantic Council article sets out numerous “red lines” which could trigger military confrontation.
These red lines include [1] “major hostile action” by China in the South China Sea, or [2] an attack on Taiwan, or [3] cyberattacks against the United States.
This is alarming because these actions are being exacerbated by the U.S. itself.
China is not afraid to use its nuclear weapons on any attacking force, and no one within America, England, Australia or wherever the aggressors want to hide .
[1] A“major hostile action” by China in the South China Sea
Since Biden took office last month, his administration has sent two navy carrier strike groups to conduct exercises in the South China Sea, which Beijing has condemned.
[2] Taiwan
A U.S. warship also recently passed through the Strait of Taiwan.
[3] And cyberattacks against the United States.
As for cyberattacks, they can be easily fabricated and falsely attributed by U.S. intelligence agencies. As clearly specified in theVault 7 releaseby Wikileaks.
At one point the Atlantic Council article notes:
“U.S. strategy must understand that China remains for the time being highly anxious about military conflict with the United States, but that this attitude will change as the military balance shifts over the next decade. If military conflict were to erupt between China and the United States, and China failed to win decisively, then – given the party’s domestic propaganda offensive over many years proclaiming China’s inevitable rise – Xi would probably fall and the regime’s overall political legitimacy would collapse.”
This last paragraph is a clear sign that Washington planners are actually considering a preemptive war against China in which the latter “failed to win decisively” thereby precipitating the fall of President Xi.
The reaction from China has been surprisingly reserved.
Beijing condemned the American Cold War mentality but seemed to avoid condemning what are clearly U.S. threats of war.
One analyst for Global Times speculated that the Atlantic Council article was a “remnant from the Trump administration”.
Such thinking is dangerously complacent.
America wants China destroyed
For the evidence points to the article being an expression of policy formulation by the Biden administration.
It is notable in a recent interview with CBS, President Biden sounded remarkably disrespectful towards his Chinese counterpart.
Biden said he hadn’t yet spoken directly with Xi since the U.S. presidential inauguration ceremony nearly three weeks ago.
Such an absence of communication seems to be a calculated snub from Biden and his policy planners in Washington which is in total keeping with the proposed strategy outlined in the Atlantic Council article to “laser-focus” on denigrating Xi and his leadership.
Here’s another notable oddity.
While Biden has yet to contact Xi, the American leader held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin the day after his inauguration.
In the Atlantic Council article, the author proposes:
“Dividing Russia from China… is critical.” It calls for “stabilizing relations with Russia” and the United States.
In the 1970s, it was the other way around.
U.S. policy then, first under Richard Nixon and later successors, was all about drawing China away from the Soviet Union because Moscow was perceived as the main threat to American hegemony.
Now, as the Biden administration and other Washington planners assert over and over, it is Beijing that is perceived as the principal challenger to the waning U.S. global empire.
But the same tactic of divide and rule is at play.
Officially, the Biden White House says it has yet to formulate definitive policies on relations with China or Russia.
America has no defense for the hypersonic DF-17 carrier killer.
But the vibe and tone of the Atlantic Council article has Team Biden’s fingerprints all over it – indicating that it is preparing to take a reckless aggressive course toward China. The Trump administration – which was brazenly antagonistic to China – is criticized for lacking “comprehensive strategy”.
That’s Orwellian euphemism for the Biden administration telegramming the threat of much more confrontational policy.
It may all just be reckless rhetoric by Washington’s imperial planners.
Nevertheless, the mere playing with war rhetoric is reprehensible and speaks of American desperation to salvage its diminishing global power.
It’s a time to be very careful and guarded.
Do not be under the impression that Russia and China are all unaware of all this.
No wonder, China has been hurriedly mass-producing nuclear warheads, MIRV ICBM missiles, and state of the art weapons technology at a hectic pace.
The DF-41 will render all of America completely radioactive rubble.
They are not fools.
Do not be under the illusion that China is a far away land and that American military can engage China…
…on Chinese territory…
… in a superior manner…
…where American lays out the terms of conflict…
…and Americans can watch on their television sets eating popcorn as the war and conflict rages in far, far away China.
Nope.
It’s not going to be like that.
As the Saker has pointed out…
And crucially, “keep the barbarians from coming together” applied to Russia, China and Iran. That was Pax Americana in a nutshell. And that’s what’s totally unraveling now.
Hence the Kill Bill logic. It goes back a long way. Less than two months after the collapse of the USSR, the 1992 Defense Planning Guidance preached total global dominance and, following Dr Zbig, the absolute imperative of preventing the emergence of any future peer competitor.
Especially Russia, defined as “the only power in the world with the capacity of destroying the United States.”
Then, in 2002, at the start of the “axis of evil” era, came the full spectrum dominance doctrine as the bedrock of the US National Security Strategy. Domination, domination everywhere: terrestrial, aerial, maritime, subterranean, cosmic, psychological, biological, cyber-technological.
And, not by accident, the Indo-Pacific strategy – which guides the Quad – is all about “how to maintain US strategic primacy.”
China should be taken seriously and respected.
This mindset is what enables US Think Tankland to formulate risible“analyses” in which the only “win” for the US imperatively requires a failed Chinese “regime.”
American arrogant imbecility and open warmongering is only accelerating the integration of Russia and China as a single strategic bloc. [The US is widely regarded now by Russia, China and Iran, among other sovereign nations resisting the empire, as a completely untrustworthy entity, incapable and unwilling of honoring treaties and alliances. Under such conditions, it would be supreme foolishness or outright treason to contemplate splitting the sinorussian alliance.—Ed]
Consider the “dead hand” for instance…
Dead Hand Dead Hand, also known as Perimeter, is a Cold War-era automatic nuclear weapons-control system that was used by the Soviet Union. General speculation from insiders alleges thatthesystemremains in use in the post-Soviet Russian Federation as well. An exampleoffail-deadly and mutual assured destruction deterrence, it can automatically trigger the launch of the Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles by sending a pre-entered highest-authority order from the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Strategic Missile Force Management to command posts and individual silos if a nuclear strike is detected by seismic, light, radioactivity, and pressure sensors even with the commanding elements fully destroyed. By most accounts, it is normally switched off and is supposed to be activated during times of crisis; however, it is said to remain fully functional and able to serve its purpose whenever it may be needed.-Wikipedia
But, America need not worry, right? A few strategically placed bombs here and there, a capture of an island or two and some “boots on the ground” will force China to obey America. Right?
Dead Hand
Russia upgrading its ‘Dead Hand’
29 Mar 2018 in 10:20
It’s active and alive. As this three year old article points out…
Russia is upgrading its nuclear final defence system which automatically launches it entire arsenal in a doomsday-like barrage, one of the US leading authorities on nuclear disarmament Bruce Blair said.
Russia’s defence chiefs are working to improve the so-called “Dead Hand” weapons system – also known as Perimeter. It has been referred to as a “Doomsday device” by analysts and was first developed during the paranoia of the Cold War.
Blair, who is the former US Air Force nuclear launch officer, said he believes the system is still operational and is even being “upgraded,” Daily Star Online reported.
Dead Hand is described as a “fully automatic” system which is turned on amid times of crisis by Russia. It is operated by three crew members whose sole job is just to make sure the system is operational with “no judgement” involvement.
Despite the terrifying concept, Dr Blair, co-founder of disarmament campaign group Global Zero, said the existence of such a weapon actually helps reduce the risk of nuclear war.
However, he questioned the system’s “vulnerability to cyber attack” as a cause for concern to global security. Dead Hand’s operation means the West will always have to think twice if there is a temptation for a nuclear strike.
“[Dead Hand] is fully automatic except that it has to be turned on by the general staff during a crisis, and there is a small crew that would perform a small number of functions before it would operate,” Blair said. “It is not a risk unless it could hacked and trigger an unauthorized launch,” he added
But don’t worry. China is isolated from Russia. And can be beaten easily by the superior American military…
Right?
Are you willing to bet your life, and your families lives on it?
So you really trust this man with your future…
Mike Pompeo: born to lie, and no regrets. He seems to relish tightening the garrotte on Iran. This is the sociopathic scum that runs the American nation.
Or, his “official” replacement in the Biden Administration. Neocon Antony Blinken
So:
So, do you really think that things are just going to be a lot of “hot air” and posturing?
And that nothing will come of all this, that somehow it will all go away…?
China will not be provoked
America will try and push and push China into an action. If China fails “to take the bait”, then America will make up and fabricate a “false flag” event that will justify a war.
Now, let it be understood that America is not allowed to go to war without Congressional approval.
But that is meaningless.
America is currently fighting eight simultaneous wars all over the world directly and another twenty or so surreptitiously. None of which were specifically authorized by Congress.
So do not expect that the normal war declaration process will be followed. It will not.
Just expect a “false flag” event as an excuse to go to war within the next couple of years, if not months.
A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blameon a second party. The term is popularamongst conspiracy theory promoters in referring to covert operations of various governments and cabals.
-Wikipedia
Keep in mind that war is unpredictable
Please keep in mind that war is madness.
Yes it is crazy.
On one hand, don’t be so sure that China will be able to stop America, and this “road map towards destruction”. They might not be able to. And the United States might, and could very well, roll right over China. Destroy it, and carve it up into much smaller vassal states to service the American wealthy. Indeed, China might easily crumble after a concerted attack by skilled military forces working in unison.
After all, America is a well trained battle empire. It has over 75 years of non-stop military excursions, the top line and highest quality weaponry, and lots and lots of nuclear missiles. [The US weapons quality assertion is seriously questioned by a growing number of military strategists, ncluding Andrei Martyanov. Martyanov in fact claims that the US armed forces are now lagging behind Russia and even China in several critical areas, from electronic countermeasures to hypersonic missiles, and standoff arsenals.—Ed]
It also has its cronies like the UK, Australia Korea, Japan and India who will participate in a conflict with China. Combined, it seems that China doesn’t have a chance, and while China can train and train, they do not have active hostile fighting experience like the American military has. The United States could plausibly rip right through China like a hot knife though butter.
And of course, please don’t be so sure that Russia will not sit everything out. They might. They might just allow America and China to duke it out while they watch from the side-lines. Yes. That could happen, but don’t count on it. Russia and China see America as a very unpredictable enemy.
But war is about betrayals.
You will think that one nation and people are on your side, and then they could flip at a moment's notice. Sort of how Italy was aligned with Nazi Germans and then flipped and allied with the American during World War II.
Don’t be so sure that America will win a war against Asia. I know that this will come to a shock to those that watch the Rush Limbaugh show and watch FOX news. For in their minds, America is invincible!
There is no such thing as invincibility. There is only layers and degrees of damage, and one's varying ability to contain and repair the damage.
Don’t be so sure that any destroyed American cities will be able to be rebuilt either. America does have that ability any longer. Sure there are handymen, and construction companies. Sure there is the potential. But the real, active and genuine skills required to rebuild a devastated nation, it’s not really there.
I am sure that any destroyed city can be rebuilt. However we know from history that when Genghis Khan decimated Western Europe and the “Silk Road” cities, they remained empty and devoid of inhabitants for centuries afterwards. Indeed, many were never rebuilt.
America has lost the skills, and the ability to build, let alone rebuild. As well as the technical expertise in the most basic of constructions. While there are trillions of dollars in the value of American companies, most do not make anything. They either play with numbers or images in communication venues, or provide services. Both of which are not capable of rebuilding cities, infrastructure or societies.
Don’t be so sure that nuclear weapons will not be used. China does not play. They have repeatedly warned in words and deeds that they will respond in absolute terms to any American aggression. Do not think, for a minute, that they will risk allowing the United States to attack them unopposed.
This idea, this fantasy, that America can dictate terms to China, and bludgeon them into compliance as some kind of bargain-basement slave is very dangerous. China is like the nerd in High School that everyone picks on, makes fun of, and taunts without mercy….
….Meanwhile he’s also the kid who has built a death-ray in his basement.
Don’t expect anything.
But do not be under the misguided impression that the bullshit narrative the “Long Telegram” is based upon has validity. It is a fantasy, and if the American leadership follows this “roadmap” for the “suppression” of China, it will end up turning out quite…ugly.
Conclusion
Yes, this is a profoundly sobering and disgusting article. I am sorry for it.
With a range of 16000 km China's DF41 ICBM is one of the world's most lethal.
Any war with China will not be contained to the South China Sea, but will land inside of America in a most horrific manner.
But everything points to a historical progression of events. One that can no longer be ignored. It’s not if there will be a hot war, but rather how it will develop and whether or not it can be contained.
Certainly the American leadership believes that China can be “suppressed” and a war could be fought on American terms, with American rules of engagement, and on American defined battle fields. They might be right.
But I have a completely different projection.
And the earth might not survive the resulting insanity that will manifest.
If I were to take bets, I would argue that both Russia and China are working on plans to preemptively annihilate and castrate the United States before it slaughters the entire world.
But what do I know?
Be safe you all.
This is the meeting that China had with Russia immediately after the Alaskan meeting with the United States. I wonder why China was in such a rush to chat with the Russians…?
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in China on Monday, starting a two-day visit at the invitation of Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The meeting will be held in the city of Guilin in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Speaking ahead of his trip, Lavrov said both the leaders and citizens of the two countries felt their relations were better than at any time in their history.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying’s Regular Press Conference on March 22, 2021
CCTV:Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said in an interview that the Untied States and Western countries are pursuing policy of hegemony in international affairs, trying to impede the trend toward a multi-polar and democratic world, and imposing its will and requirements on others. The primary task of China and Russia is to strengthen high-level collaboration and jointly advance multipolarity and regional integration and collaboration. What’s your comment?
Hua Chunying: Foreign Minister Lavrov’s remarks are right to the point. The more unstable the world is, the more China and Russia need to advance our cooperation.
For a long period, the US and the West wantonly interfered in other country’s domestic affairs by using democracy and human rights as an excuse. Such moves created troubles in the world and even became the source of instability and war.
China and Russia always stand together in close cooperation, firmly rejects hegemony and bullying practice and have become a pillar for world peace and stability.
In the past year, under the leadership of President Xi Jinping and President Putin, China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era achieved remarkable outcomes. In the face of once-in-a-century pandemic and changes, China and Russia stand in solidarity to fight the virus together, and advance cooperation in such areas as economy, trade and scientific innovation despite challenges.
The two sides firmly support each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and jointly uphold international fairness and justice. It is fair to say that China-Russia relations withstood the test and emerged stronger with our friendship becoming even closer.
We believe Foreign Minister Lavrov’s on-going visit will further cement the sound momentum of the high-level bilateral relations and bring the two countries closer in the strategic collaboration on international affairs.
China is ready to work with Russia to follow through on the consensus of the two heads of state, and take the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Good-neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation as an opportunity to carry forward the spirit of the treaty and advance China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era at greater scope, in wider areas and at deeper levels.
The two sides will join hands in building a model of international relations featuring strategic trust, mutually beneficial cooperation, close people-to-people ties, fairness and justice. Together, the two sides can make greater contribution to upholding world peace and stability.
Metallic Man" is Robert Vannrox's nom de guerre. an American engineer and scientist who has previously worked closely with the U.S. government and military, the incessant propaganda campaign on Xinjiang is borne out of Washington's fear of a rising China and part of a larger strategic plan to destabilize a region that is key to the success of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
"The anti-China narrative is one that pretends to show sympathy to the Muslims in Xinjiang, when it really does no such thing at all. It is designed to create hatred, strife, discomfort, and to destroy," Vannrox told CGTN Digital in a Zoom interview from his current residence in Zhuhai in south China's Guangdong Province.
Metallic Man is the nom de plume of an American expat living in China. His diverse background includes some spooking (not of the CIA kind), plus formal training in sciences and engineering.
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Regis Tremblay interviews Jeff Brown: China up close and personal
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Jeff J. Brown ASSOCIATE EDITOR, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT FOR CHINA AND THE FAR EAST, EDITOR, CHINA RISING
Though momentarily accursed with a terrible cold, which often triggers fits of cough, our tireless Jeff Brown still keeps his appointment with Regis Tremblay. The result is an invaluable interview, a window into what China is really like today, by someone who, along with his family, has lived and experienced that nation for almost 20 years, and who has also evolved from an admitedly "arrogant Westerner" with a bad superiority complex into a humbled, commited socialist with a deeply fraternal perspective on all of humanity.
—The Editor
"An American from Oklahoma sharing his first-hand, on-the-ground views on China..."
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Based out of Yalta, Russia, Regis has many fascinating stories to tell and inform you. Here is our interview on his channel. I felt terrible about my sore throat and cough, doing everything I could to suppress it,
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Punto Press released China Rising - Capitalist Roads, Socialist Destinations (2016); and for Badak Merah, Jeff authored China Is Communist, Dammit! – Dawn of the Red Dynasty (2017).
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