Russia Begins Operations in Syria: End Game for the US Empire?

[angelburst29]

US troops in Syria to topple govt.: FM Lavrov
http://www.presstv.us/Detail/2016/04/29/463065/Russia-Syria-USled-coalition-Lavrov

Russia says the US military intervention in Syria is illegal, ultimately aimed at toppling the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter that the intervention without the authorization of the "legitimate" Syrian authorities was a "big mistake."

"I've told our American partners repeatedly that this is a big mistake. Just like they received approval from the Iraqi government, they should have obtained approval from Damascus or come to the UN Security Council," he said.

"The fact that they went there illegally reflects, firstly, the arrogant stance that Syrian President Assad heads an illegitimate regime," Lavrov said in remarks published on Thursday.

"And, secondly, in my opinion, the desire to keep their hands untied and be able to use the coalition to attack not only terrorist positions, but perhaps also the regime's forces later on in order to overthrow it, as it happened in Libya."

Lavrov said Russia is "the only country engaged in anti-terrorism activities in Syria legally."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also said Friday that the deployment of US special forces to Syria without coordination with Damascus violates Syria's sovereignty.

Since September 2014, the US and some of its allies have been carrying out airstrikes against purported Daesh positions inside Syria.

The Syrian government has charged that the airstrikes had targeted the country's infrastructure in many instances and done little to stop the advances of terrorists.

On Thursday, Damascus denounced the arrival of 150 US special forces in Syria, calling it a blatant violation of the country's sovereignty and an aggression.

A statement issued by the Foreign Ministry said the troops arrived in the town of Rumeilan in Syria's predominantly Kurdish province of Hasakah in the north.

President Barack Obama announced this week the deployment of 250 more troops to Syria, which would bring the number of US special forces in the war-torn country to 300.

The Syrian statement said the deployment of the troops is a "rejected and illegitimate intervention that was done without the Syrian government's consent."

Russia, meanwhile, said it wants detailed information about the US plan, including the precise purpose of the deployment.

“We would like to comprehend what this is all about; whether this is a one-time action, who these people are and where they will be stationed,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in Moscow.

"What they are dispatched there for and whether this is part of a program or a plan," she added.

A US State Department spokesman said earlier in the week that Obama’s promise not to put US boots on the ground in Syria was never a promise.




The European Union always was a CIA project, as Brexiteers discover
http://novorossia.today/the-european-union-always-was-a-cia-project-as-brexiteers-discover/

Brexiteers should have been prepared for the shattering intervention of the US. The European Union always was an American project.

It was Washington that drove European integration in the late 1940s, and funded it covertly under the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations

While irritated at times, the US has relied on the EU ever since as the anchor to American regional interests alongside NATO.

There has never been a divide-and-rule strategy.

The eurosceptic camp has been strangely blind to this, somehow supposing that powerful forces across the Atlantic are egging on British secession, and will hail them as liberators.

The anti-Brussels movement in France – and to a lesser extent in Italy and Germany, and among the Nordic Left – works from the opposite premise, that the EU is essentially an instrument of Anglo-Saxon power and ‘capitalisme sauvage’.

France’s Marine Le Pen is trenchantly anti-American. She rails against dollar supremacy. Her Front National relies on funding from Russian banks linked to Vladimir Putin.

Like it or not, this is at least is strategically coherent.

The Schuman Declaration that set the tone of Franco-German reconciliation – and would lead by stages to the European Community – was cooked up by the US Secretary of State Dean Acheson at a meeting in Foggy Bottom. “It all began in Washington,” said Robert Schuman’s chief of staff. (Article continues.)

 

[Cosmos]

[...]

The German Bundeswehr is planning to deploy its soldiers in Lithuania as part of NATO's mission aimed at "containing" possible Russian aggression, German media reported.

Germany Will Deploy Troops in Lithuania to 'Contain' Russia
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160429/1038839911/germany-troops-lithuania.html

According to German magazine Der Spiegel, the German military will be deployed in Lithuania after the next NATO summit in Warsaw in July.

During the meeting, NATO countries plan to make a decision on strengthening the eastern flank of the alliance. The mission involves deployment of a permanent NATO contingent in the Baltic States, Poland and Romania. Each country is expected to host a battalion of up to 1,000 soldiers.

According to Der Spiegel, the Bundeswehr is currently planning to send some 1,000 soldiers to take part in the NATO mission in Lithuania. The article noted that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed such proposal on April 25 at the Hanover meeting with the leaders of Britain, France, Italy and the United States.

Earlier, Der Spiegel wrote that in this regard Berlin has been a subject to a strong pressure from Washington. At the same, Germany is trying to follow a cautious stance on military issues, since the Bundeswehr has already been involved in the formation of the NATO Response Force.

[...]

So the rumors were right after all that Obama talked with Merkel about it a couple of days ago in the german city of Hannover.
Pure psychopathic insanity there...

The german government should know better, considering the history of failed attempts by hitler to conquer russia. I'm pretty sure though that they know what they are doing when they follow the US agenda like that. No backbone or conscience there it seems.

I'm just speechless about that kind of nefarious stupidity towards the russians and the german population.

 

[Ca.]

A truck loaded with 3.5 tons of ammonium nitrate bound for terrorists seized on Athrya-Khanaser road
http://sana.sy/en/?p=75907

Aleppo, SANA – An army unit seized a truck loaded with 3.5 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive substance, on Athrya-Khanaser road on the border between Aleppo and Hama provinces.

The car, which was headed towards terrorist groups affiliated to ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra, was seized as it was moving in the area between Tabbaret al-Sakhabeh and Mraghah hill, according to a military source.

The source told SANA that the car was also transporting two machine guns (7mm and 12 mm), noting that the driver was arrested.

There are army units positioned in the area to keep Athrya-Khanaser road secure as it is the only supply line to Aleppo city that links it with the other provinces.

Let me think. Now what country would do such a thing as too supply munitions that would support the villains?

http://<iframe width="560" height="...2U" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Published on Apr 27, 2016

Сирийские силы безопасности конфисковали большое количество израильского оружия
Этим утром в южной провинции Сувейда силы безопасности Сирийской Арабской Армии задержали автомобиль, загруженный большим количеством оружия израильского производства.
Как сообщают военные источники, транспортное средство направлялось на запад Сувейды. Однако до пункта назначения автомобиль так и не доехал, попав в засаду солдат САА, подготовленную благодаря сведениям, полученным от местных жителей.

Syrian security forces have confiscated a large number of Israeli weapons This morning in the southern province Suwayda security forces of the Syrian Arab Army detained a car loaded with a large number of Israeli-made weapons. According to military sources, the vehicle is directed to the west Suwaidi. However, to the destination car and did not get in an ambush soldiers SAA prepared thanks to information received from local residents.

 

[bjorb]

[quote author= Pashalis]The german government should know better, considering the history of failed attempts by hitler to conquer russia. I'm pretty sure though that they know what they are doing when they follow the US agenda like that. No backbone or conscience there it seems.
[/quote]

I have given up on Germany since Merkel a few months ago proclaimed how awful the Russians are for bombing civilians in Syria. Germany follows the American narrative and nothing more. Bunch of spineless cowards and psychopaths.

France rejecting the Russian sanctions gives hope. But there is one upcoming litmus test that to me at least will prove if Europe is ever willing to take an independent stance or not. And that's the TIPP agreement. If Europe is willing to sell it's soul on this, they ultimately will also point their weapons to Russia and go to war for the US.

 

[Cosmos]

[ ...]

If Europe is willing to sell it's soul on this, they ultimately will also point their weapons to Russia and go to war for the US.

If they are really that psychopathically crazy (which it looks like), then I can only say: Could luck with that!

It isn't as though russia has proven on many occasions that it is not conquerable and that they will fight back very hard and professionally if some are so foolish to try it...

No of course not that is not in the history books...

 

[angelburst29]

So the rumors were right after all that Obama talked with Merkel about it a couple of days ago in the german city of Hannover.
Pure psychopathic insanity there...

The german government should know better, considering the history of failed attempts by hitler to conquer russia. I'm pretty sure though that they know what they are doing when they follow the US agenda like that. No backbone or conscience there it seems.

I'm just speechless about that kind of nefarious stupidity towards the russians and the german population.

For some odd reason, my impression of Merkel's involvement in this scheme with Obama is only a "dog and pony show" for public consumption. Somewhere along the line, I think she took middle ground and is playing - both sides of the equation, between Putin and Obama? I see her, as an accomplished individual, who has worked her way up the ladder and not one to compromise herself, her position or the German People. Most of all, I don't see her "as stupid or careless"?

In one interview, it was remarked - that Merkel doesn't make hasty decisions but takes time to think things through and has a fairly good idea of the possibilities on the other end - before she proceeds with action. The way I understand it, many get upset with her, for taking too much time, to come to a decision, in some cases. She might be playing along - to get along, at the moment but when the timing is right, a decision will be made with Germany's benefit in mind. She has been known - to change position - at times.

Plus, remember Merkel's reaction, back in October of 2013 when it became known that NSA was wire tapping her cell phone? And speculation that it had been going on ........ for X amount of years! Pay back might be a Bit##! NEVER underestimate a Woman!

 

[bjorb]

[quote author=Angelburst29]For some odd reason, my impression of Merkel's involvement in this scheme with Obama is only a "dog and pony show" for public consumption.[/quote]

There is always that. If so, I think she is betting on the US losing it's soft power in the upcoming economic depression before playing her cards.

Fact is that her decisions are closely watched and any sign of rebellion can cost German lives by false flag attacks. She is in a tough position only a few people could ever correctly cope with. The world wouldn't even believe her if she told the truth.

 

[Ca.]

International Military Review – Syria, April 28, 2016
South Front
Published on Apr 29, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAYUW7Xr_98

Syria War 2016 - Heavy Clashes As Kurdish YPG And Syrian Government Troops Battle Over Al Qamishli
Apr 28, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmvXAVWKzA8

Syria War 2016 - Heavy Clashes As Kurdish YPG And Syrian Government Troops Battle Over Al-Qamishli.

Heavy clashes occured recently as Kurdish YPG units together with FSA rebels started heavy fighting and firefights with Syrian government troops from the National Defense Force (NDF) over the control of the northern Syrian town of Qamishli.

The footage shows Kurdish YPG fighters in heavy urban combat in the town that mostly was untouched by the raging Syrian Civil War.

A main battlefield durign the short battle of Al-Qamishli was the Allya prison that was overtaken by Syrian government forces and led to the erruption of the clashes between Kurdish YPG fighters and National Defense Forces.

The battle was won by the Kurds leading to the capturing of at least 50 Syrian government loyalist. About 21 NDF fighters were also KIA.

The Syrian Army shelled Kurdish positions in northern Syria with artillery and mortar fire as a response to the battle.

However after the intervention of a Russian special delegation sent by Vladimir Putin to Qamishlo a truce has been reached between the Kurdish Forces and the forces loyal to Bashar Assad in which the NDF agreed to pull out of the city and leave the security measures to the Kurdish Asayish and YPG forces.

СИРИЯ Дейр-эз-Зор принимает гуманитарную помощь / SYRIA Delivery humanitarian aid for Deir ez-Zor
Published on Apr 29, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjkX7ZLTkjk

Российские военные доставили очередную партию гуманитарной помощи в сирийский Дейр-эз-Зор. Город уже несколько месяцев осаждают исламистские боевики. Погрузка проходила на аэродроме в пункте базирования "Хмеймим". В составе груза - 35 тонн продуктов питания и предметов первой необходимости. Ещё 4,5 тонны гуманитарной помощи доставили в провинции Дамаск и Алеппо.

Aleppo's Reality: Daily Life of Aleppo Residents Under Rebels Shells
Published on Apr 27, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCGZvDXVGZc

 

[Cosmos]

[quote author=Angelburst29]For some odd reason, my impression of Merkel's involvement in this scheme with Obama is only a "dog and pony show" for public consumption.

There is always that. If so, I think she is betting on the US losing it's soft power in the upcoming economic depression before playing her cards.

Fact is that her decisions are closely watched and any sign of rebellion can cost German lives by false flag attacks. She is in a tough position only a few people could ever correctly cope with. The world wouldn't even believe her if she told the truth.
[/quote]

As a german who watches the political scene quite closely every day, for years now, I just would be careful to putting Merkel on any kind of sanity podestal. She is most likely just a tool as many Chancellors were in the past and I still have a hard time to believe that there is much of a conscience there.

Having said that, it is certainly interesting to watch the contratictary statements coming out from that government every now and then. Sometimes it seems like there are sane faction within the government, who would like to work together with russia and stop the US influence. Then you go woww! But then you realize that most of that talk is just talk and seldom followed up by actions.

And so it goes on and off. Sometimes you get the impression that the german government plays their own role in some way, but what that exactly is, is hard to say. But if that has anything to do with sanity or humanity is questionable.

But it is certainly true, that any sane person or faction has it very hard here to get into power, let alone doing anything substential in that direction, because germany is the most imortant country in the EU and Europe as a whole and thus is under direct control of the evil empire, so that they do not fall out of line.

 

[Ca.]

Russian Plane Barrelrolls Over U S Reconnaissance Plane ......

http://<iframe width="560" height="...Uo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I had laugh at the Hollywood journalism with the pretty good actors. And the unabated string pulling of the target audience, with such emotional overtones.

Hmmmmmm looks like Russian territory to me.

Barrelroools.....OMG....... LOL

Go take a selfy Actors.

 

[angelburst29]

[quote author=Angelburst29]For some odd reason, my impression of Merkel's involvement in this scheme with Obama is only a "dog and pony show" for public consumption.

There is always that. If so, I think she is betting on the US losing it's soft power in the upcoming economic depression before playing her cards.

Fact is that her decisions are closely watched and any sign of rebellion can cost German lives by false flag attacks. She is in a tough position only a few people could ever correctly cope with. The world wouldn't even believe her if she told the truth.

As a German who watches the political scene quite closely every day, for years now, I just would be careful to putting Merkel on any kind of sanity pedestal. She is most likely just a tool as many Chancellors were in the past and I still have a hard time to believe that there is much of a conscience there.

Having said that, it is certainly interesting to watch the contradictory statements coming out from that government every now and then. Sometimes it seems like there are sane faction within the government, who would like to work together with Russia and stop the US influence. Then you go woww! But then you realize that most of that talk is just talk and seldom followed up by actions.

And so it goes on and off. Sometimes you get the impression that the German government plays their own role in some way, but what that exactly is, is hard to say. But if that has anything to do with sanity or humanity is questionable.

But it is certainly true, that any sane person or faction has it very hard here to get into power, let alone doing anything substantial in that direction, because Germany is the most important country in the EU and Europe as a whole and thus is under direct control of the evil empire, so that they do not fall out of line.
[/quote]

I agree, "Germany is the most important country in the EU and Europe as a whole" and for that reason, alone, I suggested, don't underestimate Merkel and what she may be maneuvering behind the scenes in keeping Germany intact and the souvenir of the German people? She's been in Government for 15 years or so and on her third term as Chancellor, I believe? She must be doing something right - to still be in Office - or the German people would have ousted her out. She might be tip-toeing around the Elite, so she doesn't end up in a scenario like President Dilma Rousseff position in Brazil?

And I agree with Bjorn, "her decisions are closely watched." She doesn't have a lot of wiggle room in public, so the "play along - to get along" might be deceptive on one level, while plotting her own course behind the scenes?

I have to give her some credit, for putting up with and dealing with bad boy Erdogan and his antics. Even Obama refused to personally grant him an audience, the last time he was in Washington, at the end of March. Or except an invitation to attend the Grand opening to an Islamic cultural center with Erdogan in Lanham, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/03/29/turkey-president-recep-erdogan-visit-washington/82384294/

Then, there's Obama's last visit to Germany, as President., in which I entered a link to a video of a short segment of his speech. Merkel is doing a lot of babysitting? To keep Germany intact, strong and united - Merkel would have to align herself with Russia and Putin and I think, she knows that? If Germany would exit the EU and be excepted into the BRICS, Germany would become a Power unto it's own again and the economy would prosper. Germany being part of EU, I think, is bringing her down because Soro's and his ilk are behind it.
Soro's is directly behind - the so called "Merkel Plan." It wasn't Merkel's idea.

As for Obama, he doesn't want the UK to leave the EU over Brexit. The US money makers would lose out. If the UK drops out, Germany has a chance of doing the same, along with other Countries that are now in the EU. As for the TIPP, Berlin saw a large turn out of demonstrators against it, last October. There are many "seas of change" in the works and it's only a matter of time, before things play out. Where Germany will take a stand, we don't know, nor what Merkel might have up her sleeve? If she wants to keep Germany whole, she would have to side with Russia and BRICS, the way I see it? As for the US, we're hanging on a thin thread and it's going to get worse - before the fog clears.


Atlantic Puppeteers: Who is Behind 'The Merkel Plan' and EU Refugee Policy
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160429/1038848148/merkel-soros-eu-plan.html

What lies beneath the so-called "Merkel Plan" to deal with the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe? American author and researcher F. William Engdahl suggested that the US and NATO-linked think tanks play a central role in what he calls "the greatest social dislocation across the EU."

Back in October 2015 when thousands of asylum seekers were arriving on the shores of the European continent, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced on a popular German TV program that she had a "plan" to handle the crisis.

In his latest article for New Eastern Outlook American author, researcher and strategic risk consultant F. William Engdahl narrated that what was dubbed "the plan" turned out to be a string of inexplicable actions, including the violation of principles of free speech, all to indulge the controversial Erdogan regime.

It is worth mentioning that since spring 2015 more than one million refugees have entered Germany due to Angela Merkel's "open arms" refugee position.

"All of those seemingly inexplicable actions from the once-pragmatic German leader appear to go back to her embrace of a 14-page document prepared by a network of pro-NATO think-tanks, brazenly titled 'The Merkel Plan,'" Engdahl wrote.

Indeed, on October 4, 2015, the European Stability Initiative (ESI), an international think tank with headquarters in Berlin, Istanbul, Brussels and Vienna, issued "The Merkel Plan: A proposal for the Syrian refugee crisis," which was strikingly similar to the strategy that German Chancellor has been recently pursuing in Europe.

"This paper outlines how an agreement between Germany and Turkey could have an immediate and dramatic impact on the Syrian refugee crisis. It would restore control over Europe's south-eastern border without sacrificing compassion for the refugees. But with the far right resurgent across Europe, the window of opportunity for decisive action is closing fast," the paper read.

Interestingly enough, the paper's authors insisted that Germany should agree to grant asylum to 500,000 Syrian asylum seekers "registered in Turkey over the coming 12 months" and call on other EU member states to join "the scheme;" Germany, other participating EU countries and the European Commission should provide Turkey with financial assistance to manage the readmission of refugees; Germany and the European Commission should agree to help Turkey to obtain visa-free travel within the EU in 2016.

It sounds familiar, doesn't it?

The paper argued that the plan is in the EU's and Turkey's best interests:

"The rise of an anti-Muslim, pro-Putin far right in European politics should… be a cause for real concern. It brings the prospect of EU politics moving in the direction of aligned its foreign policy more with the Kremlin," the paper warned, claiming that Turkey and Germany should align to counter this "threat" and handle together the refugee crisis.

The question then arises, who is behind the ESI?

"Current ESI Chairman directly responsible for the final Merkel Plan document is Istanbul-based Austrian sociologist, Gerald Knaus. Knaus is also a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), and an Open Society Fellow," Engdahl elaborated.

Remarkably, the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) is sponsored by American multi-billionaire George Soros. And it is George Soros who is the creator of the Open Society Foundations (OSF).

A further analysis of ESI's list of funders shows Soros' Open Society Foundations, the Soros-tied German Stiftung Mercator, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, the European Commission and the United States Institute of Peace all as donors.

"Already it becomes clear that the 'Merkel Plan' is the Soros Plan in fact," Engdahl noted.

In his article for The New York Review of Books published on April 9, 2016, George Soros continued to push ahead with "the plan."

According to the American billionaire, Europe absorbs between 300,000 and 500,000 asylum seekers each year, spending about €30 billion ($34 billion) a year to carry out this plan.

"Thirty billion euros might sound like an enormous sum, but it is not when viewed in proper perspective. First, we must recognize that a failure to provide the necessary funds would cost the EU even more," Soros warned.

Engdahl believes that there is something really sinister about the plan championed by Soros, and his counterparts. There is something in this plan "which threatens to destroy the social fabric of the very core of European civilization."

"Is Germany, as former US presidential adviser and Rockefeller crony, Zbigniew Brzezinski called her, a 'vassal' of US power in the post-1990 world?" the researcher asked.

Whatever the answer will be, the ESI's Merkel Plan has shed light on how the US and NATO-linked think tanks are controlling Europe from behind the Atlantic curtain, he concluded.

The prospect of the UK leaving the European Union is becoming more likely, given the power of persuasion that the Brexit campaign appears to be having. It is for this reason that the United States is viewing a British exit from the EU as a threat to the long-established relationship with a strategic ally in Europe.

US Fears Losing Europe to Russia If Brexiteers Get Their Way
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20160429/1038856606/us-europe-brexit-fears.html

When President Obama visited the UK, his goal was clear — he did not want to see the UK leave the EU. His reason stems from the deeply close and strategic relationship that the UK and the US have had for decades.

Telegraph columnist Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, wrote an article on the 'deeper than deep' love that the EU and the US have for one another, stating that the 'Leave' campaign has misjudged how important international allies are to the debate.

"The leave campaign need to develop a policy that will reassure the international community that Brexit is a good idea. If they can't, they will lose the vote," Mr Evans-Pritchard told Sputnik.

Evans-Pritchard's article highlights the CIA-linked groups that have invested money into Europe: "The key CIA front was the American Committee for a United Europe (ACUE), chaired by Donovan. Another document shows that it provided 53.5 per cent of the European movement's funds in 1958."

The columnist believes the Brexit team have ignored this crucial group and they should explain to the world their position on Brexit.

However, it is not just the misjudgement of the importance of the international community that is under inspection. The risk of the UK leaving the EU is a big threat to the US, who would see this as paving the way to the unraveling of other EU member states.

"Everything that happened in the last two years with Russia, Crimea and Ukraine, and began earlier with Georgia in 2008, exposes the vulnerability of the US strategic position in Europe… It exposed [US] vulnerability, [the] Americans concluded," Mr Evans-Pritchard said.

"There is this feeling that if Britain goes away from the EU, everything will unravel and these countries will be picked off one by one," Mr Evans-Pritchard said.

Mr Evans-Pritchard believes that the Russia-West relationship is lingering in the background and affecting the Brexit debate.

As the debate on whether to remain or leave the EU continues, one thing is certain — the outcome of the referendum in June is not one to be taken lightly and looks like it will be a much watched event on both sides of the Atlantic.

The German capital hasn't seen a demonstration this big in more than ten years. On Saturday, up to 250,000 people marched against TTIP (the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership) and CETA (the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement).

A Quarter of a Million in Berlin Against TIPP and CETA
http://www.leftvoice.org/A-Quarter-of-a-Million-in-Berlin-Against-TIPP-and-CETA

Back dated Monday 12 October 2015 - There were so many demonstrators that Berlin’s central train station was temporarily shut down. Tens of thousands of people gathered at Washington Square. There were still people waiting to leave the starting point when the closing rally began at the Victory Column several kilometers away. In total, up to a quarter of a million people were in the streets. They arrived on 600 buses and five trains from throughout Germany.

#NoTTIP was the motto of the protest against the planned free trade agreement between the United States and the European Union. Due to a petition signed by three million people, the “shadow courts” dominated by corporations may be replaced by public trade courts. But this will not be the case for the agreement’s Canadian-Europoean Union counterpart, CETA, which poses a much more imminent threat since negotiations have already been completed. Already 82 percent of major US companies are based in Canada, which means these multinationals would also profit from CETA – the rest won’t wait for long. Ratification is expected to happen soon.

One hundred seventy different organizations including trade unions, environmental and consumer groups, as well as political parties like the "Grüne" (Green) and "Linke" (Left) – called for the demonstration. The event was professionally organized by reformist apparatuses, and their goal was to "defend democracy," in the words of the first speaker, the left social democratic politician Michael Müller, and ensure "fair trade."

They act as if Germany is not a major imperialist country rich from weapons exports, military occupation and financial plundering of other countries. Taking this view to the extreme, there was a right-wing, nationalistic, conspiracist sector at the demonstration that claimed, "Merkel is selling us out to the USA." But to be fair, the organizers assured that many American activists could speak from the stage to show an international perspective of resistance from both sides of the Atlantic.

 

[angelburst29]

Russian Plane Barrelrolls Over U S Reconnaissance Plane ......

I had laugh at the Hollywood journalism with the pretty good actors. And the unabated string pulling of the target audience, with such emotional overtones.

Hmmmmmm looks like Russian territory to me.

Barrelroools.....OMG....... LOL

Go take a selfy Actors.

Hey, C.A., missed ya, great to see you back!

Looks like the Russians are having a little fun with the American's?

Flight and Fight: A Look at the Soviet-Era Jet That Spooked a US Spy Plane (Photos)
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160430/1038891660/russia-united-states-fighter.html

Now that the Pentagon has gone so far as claiming that a Russian Su-27's alleged performance of a "barrel roll" over an American surveillance plane will tarnish further relations between the countries, you may be eager to know a few facts about this sophisticated Soviet-era warplane.

A Su-27's 'dangerous' fly-by of a US reconnaissance aircraft has prompted a Pentagon spokesperson to address the further deterioration of Russian-US ties, prompting many to wonder about the specifics of this advanced Russian fighter jet.

First and foremost, this is not the first time Washington has made such allegations. Earlier this year, it was reported that other Su-27 aircraft had engaged in "unsafe and unprofessional" attempts to intercept US surveillance planes.

As far as the Su-27 is concerned, it is worth noting that analyst Bill French wrote in a report last year that the Russian aircraft is superior in technical performance to the most advanced US jet fighter, the F-35.

He quoted US Air Force Intelligence and the Lockheed Martin Company as saying that for each destroyed Su-27 there would be three F-35s obliterated.

In a separate report published by an authoritative UK-based analytical center, Flight International, the authors said that Russia's Sukhoi Su-27 and Su-30 warplanes are among the world's most commonly sold fighting aircraft.

According to the report, there are 943 fighter jets from the Su-27 and Su-30 families, accounting for six percent of the total number of combat aircraft in the world.

A long-range air superiority fighter, the Su-27 (NATO designation Flanker) was created by the Sukhoi Design Bureau and it entered service back in 1985. The Su-27 is comparable to the US F-15, even though the Russian plane is certainly superior in many aspects.

It is a twin-engine fourth generation front-line aircraft with a blended wing and fuselage, and twin tail fins. During airshows, the Su-27 has repeatedly demonstrated exceptional controllability and maneuverability at high angles of attack.

The aircraft is equipped to operate autonomously in combat over hostile territory, in escorting deep-penetration strike aircraft and in the suppression of enemy airfields. The aircraft provides general air defense in cooperation with ground and airborne control stations, according to the website fighter-planes.com.

Russian and US military planes reports are exaggerated amid NATO alliance expansion near the Russian border, a senior Russian lawmaker said Saturday.

US Flyby Incidents Linked to NATO Troop Deployment Near Russia - Lawmaker
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160430/1038890726/russia-us-nato-military.html

Media reports magnifying incidents with Russian and US military planes come amid news that NATO will deploy additional forces near the Russian border, a senior Russian lawmaker said Saturday.

Earlier in the day, US media reported that NATO member states were preparing to deploy about 4,000 troops – four battalions — in the Baltic states and Poland as part of the Alliance’s strategy of military buildup on the Russian border.

"Now it becomes completely clear why the United States needed a hype around the interception of a US spy plane over the Baltic Sea and the incident with the Donald Cook destroyer. This was information preparing for the additional placement of four battalions of NATO in the Baltic region," Franz Klintsevich, the first deputy chair of the upper-house Committee on Security and Defense, told RIA Novosti.

On April 13, the United States expressed concern after Russian Su-24 tactical bombers flew over the US guided missile destroyer Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea.

On Friday, US media reported that a Russian Su-27 jet performed a "barrel-roll" over a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance plane in the Baltic Sea.

As the US continues to patrol Russia’s borders, it has accused another Su-27 fighter of performing a "barrel roll" over an American surveillance plane.

Russian Su-27 Performed Flyby of US RC-135 Plane in the Baltic Sea
http://sputniknews.com/military/20160429/1038865772/su27-baltic-sea.html

With tensions rising in the Baltic Sea following an incident involving two Russian fighters and the USS Donald Cook, US officials claim that an Su-27 has performed another “unsafe” flyby of an American surveillance aircraft in the region.

Two US defense officials claim that a Russian jet performed a "barrel roll" within 100 ft. of a US Air Force RC-135 spy plane, according to the Telegraph.

A statement from the Pentagon later claimed that the incident actually occurred within 25 ft. of the US plane.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov denied similar allegations from a separate incident earlier this month.

"The reports of foreign media saying that a Russian Su-27 allegedly flew in dangerously close proximity to a US RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft in the skies over the Baltic Sea on April 14 are not true," he told reporters

"To identify the target, one of the Su-27s of the Baltic Fleet aviation forces on duty was sent."

Washington also accused Moscow of "unsafe" maneuvers near the USS Donald Cook destroyer as it sailed through the Baltic earlier this month.

A US surveillance aircraft has taken off from the Russian city of Ulan-Ude for US state of Alaska on Saturday, Baikal International Airport official stated.

US Surveillance Flight Jet Takes Off From E Siberia to Alaska
http://sputniknews.com/world/20160430/1038883156/us-russia-jet-military.html

A US surveillance aircraft, which carried out a flight over Russia under the Open Skies agreement, has taken off from the Russian city of Ulan-Ude for US state of Alaska, a representative of the Baikal International Airport said Saturday.

"Today at 09:30 [local time, 06:30 GMT], [the aircraft] flew off to Anchorage," the representative told RIA Novosti.

The US OC-135B aircraft conducted the unarmed surveillance flight with Russian experts on board earlier this week.

The Treaty on Open Skies signed in March 1992 became one of the major confidence-building measures in Europe after the Cold War. It entered into force on January 1, 2002, and currently has 34 states parties, including Russia and most NATO members.

 

[bjorb]

[quote author= Angelburst29]And I agree with Bjorn, "her decisions are closely watched." She doesn't have a lot of wiggle room in public, so the "play along - to get along" might be deceptive on one level, while plotting her own course behind the scenes? [/quote]

Germany is not only being threatened and intimated, it's also been infiltrated by the Empire. She possesses little space to maneuver. I can't tell right now if she has any conscience or is sincere for gaining sovereignty. But I can imagine that she must see where the wind is blowing. The global economy is about to finally officially die and the US will be on its knees when it happens. That's when you strike. If she resists the Empire now, what would it archive? False flags on German soil that will take lives. The far-right will take a stronger foothold and it may cost her position because of public opinion screaming for stronger anti-immigration/Muslim laws. Like always it's all about forbearance and the right timing.

But we can only hope I suppose. If so I hope Merkel is keeping a list of all the traitors. In the media, inside the government, the secret service etc.

Round them all up when it's the right moment. Give them a fair trail for all to witness and put them away for life.

Surely the German population will be in a shock. But that's irrelevant. As a leader it's your duty to tell your public when they are right but also when they are wrong.

 

[angelburst29]

The United States has demanded that Russia restrain the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad amid Moscow’s criticism of US interventionism.

Washington wants Moscow to stop Assad
http://www.presstv.us/Detail/2016/04/29/463064/US-Russia-Syrian-leader

On Thursday, Washington expressed outrage over an airstrike on a hospital in the Syrian city of Aleppo, leveling accusations against Damascus and Moscow, which were flatly dismissed by both as unfounded.

Russia and Syria rejected allegations that their warplanes had targeted the hospital in the northwestern Syrian city, with Moscow suggesting that the US-led coalition was instead responsible for the incident.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Moscow had conducted no airstrikes in Aleppo in recent days.

Also, Syria's official news agency SANA quoted an unnamed Syrian military source on Thursday as saying that reports about the Syrian Air Force targeting the medical facility "is untrue and aimed at covering the terrorists' crimes against civilians."

However, US Secretary of State John Kerry said the raid matched a pattern of Syrian government strikes.

"We are outraged by yesterday's air strikes in Aleppo on the al-Quds hospital supported by both Doctors Without Borders and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which killed dozens of people, including children, patients, and medical personnel," he said.

"While we are still trying to gather the facts surrounding the circumstances of this attack, it appears to have been a deliberate strike on a known medical facility and follows the Assad regime's appalling record of striking such facilities and first responders,” Kerry added.

-US senator Richard Black held a press conference on Thursday at Four Seasons in Damascus, talking about his visit to Syria and saying “I had the honor to meet President Bashar al-Assad and his wife,” adding “the impression was excellent.”

Senator Black: I had the honor to meet President al-Assad-VIDEO
http://sana.sy/en/?p=75921
This video has been removed by the user.

“When I started to make a study about Syria, I was very interested in President al-Assad and his wife and I was very delighted when I found them completely as I have seen them in media, both are gentle and love their home sincerely,” Senator Black said.

He added the Syrian people are one of the most courageous peoples, considering that the outcome of the war on Syria will determine the destiny of the human civilizations.

Mr. Black warned that the collapse of Syria would threaten the neighboring countries, then Europe where terrorists will succeed in spreading chaos and destabilizing situation there.

As for the role of the neighboring countries in the terrorist war on Syria, the US senator said “ I was afraid when Jordan participated in the events in Syria, particularly in 2012 when it allowed the UN intelligence to train hundreds of gunmen and send them to attack Damascus, it seems that some neighboring countries imagined that they could inject poison in part of the body without moving into another part of it.”

He hoped the US was more decisive in combating terrorists, saying “We have to wait a little and see the US new President’s stance whose I hope be moving towards peace.”

The US senator hoped his country would re-open the Syrian embassy in Washington, considering that closing it in 2014 was because of the presidential elections in Syria as the US administration feared the Syrians would go with large numbers to vote for President al-Assad.

US Senator John McCain has blasted President Barack Obama’s foreign policy, saying under his administration the United States has been “on a holiday from American leadership.”

McCain blasts Obama's foreign policy for world crises
http://www.presstv.us/Detail/2016/04/30/463311/McCain-rips-Obama-for-world-crises

McCain, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said on Saturday that Obama did not have a strategy to resolve the Middle East’s conflicts and growing unrest in other parts of the world.

“What's unfortunately clear is this President has no strategy to successfully reverse the tide of slaughter and mayhem in a world that Director of National Intelligence General James Clapper says has not faced more crises and more refugees than we confront today,” the Arizona senator said in this week’s GOP address.

“The crisis in the Middle East has not been contained,” he added.

The senator predicted that the so-called ceasefire in Syria will collapse, resulting in a “stronger ISIL that will benefit from the chaos left behind.”

McCain said Obama’s strategy to destroy the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist organization was “reactive, slow and insufficient.”

“We have achieved some tactical and operational success against ISIL thanks to the excellence of our military leadership and our troops on the ground,” he said. “But at a strategic level, we always seem to be a step behind, a day late, and a dollar short.”

McCain slammed Obama’s decision to scale back the US military footprint in the Middle East, saying the unrest there is spreading and has “reached the streets of Paris, Brussels, and San Bernardino.”

The turmoil, McCain said, has created “a refugee crisis that has destabilized Europe and divided the West.”

Five Asayish militants (the official security organization of Syrian Kurdistan) became victims of a suicide attack in Qamishli, a Kurdish source told Sputnik on Saturday.

Suicide Blast in Syria’s Qamishli Kills Five Kurdish Fighters
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160430/1038886184/syria-kurds-military-blast.html

Five militants of the Asayish, the official security organization of Syrian Kurdistan, became victims of a suicide attack on a checkpoint in the north-eastern Syrian city of Qamishli, a Kurdish source told Sputnik on Saturday.

​No terrorist group has claimed responsibility for the attack as of now.

Qamishli has been under control of both the Syrian government and Kurdish forces, with the latter controlling the majority of the city.

Some members of Iraqi parliament are in critical condition after the attack of demonstrators, according to a member of the Iraqi parliament.

Iraqi Lawmakers Injured in Protesters’ Attack on Parliament Building
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160430/1038892283/iraq-protest-baghdad.html

Some Iraqi lawmakers have been severely injured in the attack carried out by protesters on the parliament building in Baghdad, where the meeting on the formation of a new government took place on Saturday, a member of the Iraqi parliament said.

Earlier in the day, the military command of Baghdad announced the state of the full combat readiness after the group of supporters of the Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada Sadr broke into the territory of the parliament building and began smashing furniture inside.

According to media reports, the Iraqi parliament, experiencing a split, was unable to vote on candidates for the new government, and rescheduled the hearing for Tuesday.

Hundreds of supporters of Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday reportedly stormed Baghdad's Green Zone, according to Sputnik.

Protesters in Baghdad Break Into Parliament Building - Reports (Video)
http://sputniknews.com/middleeast/20160430/1038885246/baghdad-protests-parliament.html

​​According to earlier reports of local media, Iraqi parliament, experiencing a split, was unable to vote on candidates for the new government, and rescheduled the hearing for Tuesday.

 

[Laura]

Plus, remember Merkel's reaction, back in October of 2013 when it became known that NSA was wire tapping her cell phone? And speculation that it had been going on ........ for X amount of years! Pay back might be a Bit##! NEVER underestimate a Woman!

Yes, remember that. It may be why she's doing what she's told - they have all the goods on her and she has no choice. It might be an illusion to think that she would ever be in a position for payback with the way the US psychos play ball. I've been saying for years that they have every single member of congress in their pockets because of the surveillance. The few times it came up and some lawmakers made a fuss... very shortly it just disappeared from the news... probably because the individuals in question were told just how much blackmail data was being held about them and exactly what would be done with it.

[
Fact is that her decisions are closely watched and any sign of rebellion can cost German lives by false flag attacks. She is in a tough position only a few people could ever correctly cope with. The world wouldn't even believe her if she told the truth.

Exactly. Even if she got on TV and told how she was being blackmailed by the West to do as she was told, it would be laughed off as just a temper tantrum and Merkel trying another ploy. Seeing how much she's aged in the past couple of years tells a story.

Remember what happened to LBJ after he "played ball". He may have been involved in the JFK assassination, but he paid a very high price.

After leaving the presidency in January 1969, Johnson went home to his ranch in Stonewall, Texas... he was dead 4 years later. I've heard stories that he was a haunted man who embarked on a program of self-destruction.