7th Week of the Russian Intervention in Syria: dramatic surge in intensity

This column was written for the Unz Review:http://www.unz.com/tsaker/week-seven-of-the-russian-intervention-in-syria-dramatic-surge-in-intensity/

This week was clearly dominated by two major events: the terrorist attacks in Paris and the Russian official declaration that Kogalymavia Flight 9268 was, indeed, destroyed by a bomb.

First, I would notice that contrary to so many prediction that the Russians, Egyptians and other nations involved would lie and cover up this attack, this did not happen. Both the Russians and the Egyptians were open and honest about this attack from day 1. There is something to be learned here: while some politicians clearly have lost the ability to speak the truth even if they tried to, others did not. While lying is the standard operating procedure for most (all?) of “western” (Empire-run) states, this is still not the case everywhere else. It is simply wrong to assume that Russia is some kind of “anti-USA” and that the Kremlin has a policy of systematic deception like the White House. To the extend that Russia could be considered an “anti-USA” this ought to include categorically different methods and motives.

Week Five of the Russian Intervention in Syria: The Russians Are Digging in

This column was originally written for the Unz Review: http://www.unz.com/tsaker/week-three-of-the-russian-intervention-in-syria/

Whether this tragedy was directly linked to the war in Syria or not, there is no doubt that the downing of Kogalymavia Flight 9268 was the main event of the past week. Since I have covered this issueelsewhere, I shall not return to it in detail again here. I will just repeat here my personal conclusion that this tragedy will not impact the Russian operation in Syria or affect the political situation inside Russia. As for the cause of the tragedy, there are increasing indications that both western and Russian security services have come to a tentative conclusion that it was, indeed, a bomb. On Friday, the head of the Federal Security Service has recommended canceling all flights to Egypt and the evacuation of all the Russian citizens in Egypt (roughly 70,000 people). Several EU countries have also taken similar measures.

DC Watches Helplessly as Putin Bombs the Daylights out of their Pet Terrorists

Russia’s Offensive Begins

Source

Well, well, Russia has now begun their long-awaited offensive against ISIS/Daesh/Al-Nusra/Al-Qaeda/Free Syrian Army, over the past week, a great deal has been seen(and learned) about what it means, and how it will change the dynamic going forward.

Russian Aviation Hits Over 50 ISIL Facilities in Syria With 60 Flights

Russian aviation has conducted over 60 flights hitting more than 50 infrastructure facilities of the Islamic State in Syria, Andrei Kartapolov, the head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff said Saturday.


The Russian jets deployed in Syria carried out over 60 combat missions to destroy more than 50 positions of the Islamic State (ISIL) militants, the head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff said Saturday.  The Russian Air Force has undermined the material base of ISIL and has significantly reduced the militants' combat potential over the three days of the military operation, Lt. Gen. Andrei Kartapolov told reporters.

Western Media Losing Credibility with Reports on Russia Bombing Syria

As Russia launched airstrikes against the self-proclaimed Islamic State terrorist group in Syria, the United States immediately began its disinformation campaign.

On Wednesday, Russian combat jets launched pinpointed strikes against IS targets in Syria. Almost immediately, Western media outlets carried reports of civilian casualties.

Brad Friedman discussed the reporting of western media following the airstrikes that were conducted by Russia in Syria.

Russia's activity in Syria: What really Scare Washington

'Sole Superpower' in Decline: US Losing Its Grip on the Middle East:

Washington has lost its strategic influence in the Middle East, writes F. William Engdahl, adding that the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has acquired a new meaning in light of the Syrian crisis.

Twenty five years ago, on September 11, 1990 then US president George H.W. Bush declared the United States the "sole superpower"; however, times have indeed changed for Washington since then, American-German economic researcher and historian F. William Engdahl emphasizes.

A Step Closer to the End? Syria War Prompts Pull from Doomsday Seed Vault

A seed storage vault built into the side of an Arctic mountain to protect global food supplies in case of global cataclysm is being tapped by researchers in the Middle East who say the Syrian war has devastated their crops.

UN found a total of 290 locations inside 18 Syrian cultural heritage areas to have been directly affected during the last three years

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, built in 2008 by the Norwegian government as the world's largest secure seed storage, is intended to protect thousands of varieties of essential food crops against things like nuclear disaster, disease and climate change.

Listening to Bashar al-Assad

Like most of you, I spend 1 hour listening to Bashar al-Assad’s interview with the Russian media yesterday.  I have to tell you that I am impressed.

But before I discuss this in more detail, let me confess something which old-time readers of this blog might remember: I used to be very opposed to secular Arab nationalists, especially Baathists.  Not only did I have an extremely bad opinion of Saddam Hussein (which does not prevent me from being outraged at the way he was treated and murdered),

So What Are the Russians Really Doing in Syria?

Note: this column was written for the Unz Review http://www.unz.com/tsaker/so-what-are-the-russians-really-doing-in-syria/)

I think that a week after Ynet broke the story about a Russian military intervention in Syria we can confidently say that that this was a typical AngloZionist PSYOP aimed at inhibiting the Russian involvement in the Empire’s war against Syria and that it had no basis in reality.

Or did it?

Athens Denies US Request to Close Airspace for Russian Aid to Syria

Moscow requested and received Athens' permission to conduct flights to transport humanitarian aid to Syria in the period from September 1 to September 24, according to a diplomatic source.

 Greece denied on Sunday US request to close Athens airspace (FIR Athens) for the flights of Russian aircraft with humanitarian aid to Syria, a diplomatic source in Athens said.

From Arming Rebels to Air Strikes: How the West Destabilized Syria

© AP Photo/ Jake Simkin

With clashes between army forces, rebel groups and the spread of jihadists, it's no surprise that Syria was recently ranked as the world's most dangerous country. Despite Syria's internal problems, many argue that the West must bear some responsibility for the situation after years of intervention.
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