Monthly Archives: December 2021

2021-12-29: News Headlines

_____ (2021-12-29). Political Coordination between Egypt and Russia Intensifies. journal-neo.org Against the background of consistent strengthening by Egypt of its role in the Arab world and and in the international arena, further coordination of policy between Egypt and Russia continues with the development of bilateral cooperation in various fields. Nikolai Patrushev, Secretary of the Security Council of Russia, held a meeting with colleagues from Egypt …

WSWS (2021-12-29). Russian Supreme Court orders liquidation of Memorial, the leading research center on Great Terror. wsws.org The human rights organization and research center Memorial is being targeted by the Putin government because its work cuts across the Kremlin's efforts to rehabilitate and justify the crimes of Stalin.

William Briggs (2021-12-29). Great power rivalry and capitalist crisis. greenleft.org.au Thirty years since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War the promised peace and harmony has been illusive, writes William Briggs.

teleSUR (2021-12-29). Lifting US Sanctions Priority of Vienna Nuke Talks. telesurenglish.net Lifting sanctions should be a priority on the agenda of the ongoing talks over Iran's nuclear program since the Western parties have concluded that psychological operations against Iran are no longer viable, said Mohammad Qaderi, an Iranian international affairs expert. | RELATED: | Negotiators from Iran and the remaining parties to the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reconvened on Monday in A…

Volodymyr Ishchenko (2021-12-28). Ukrainians Are Far From Unified on NATO. Let Them Decide for Themselves. truthout.org After weeks of media scare about a purported Russian military invasion of Ukraine, the conflict may get a chance to be solved in a negotiated way. The public conversation on the current escalation of the Russian-Western conflict over Ukraine is, however, quite ironic. At least on the surface, it focuses on guarantees that Ukraine would not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military alliance, which is not only far from inviting Ukraine to join but which most Ukrainians themselves do…

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2021-12-28). Putin hints at military options in Ukraine. mronline.org The Rossiya 1 state television in Moscow broadcast today President Vladimir Putin's annual press conference on Friday. It conveys a much fuller picture of the grave crisis brewing in the Russian-American relations than what the excerpts in the Russian media sought to convey over the weekend.

Staff (2021-12-28). Headlines for December 28, 2021. democracynow.org World Coronavirus Cases Hit Record High as Omicron Surges, Israel Tests Fourth Vaccine Doses as COVID Surges in Largely Unvaccinated African Nations, Biden Warns Governors of Looming Shortages of Hospital Beds as COVID-19 Cases Near Pandemic Highs, CDC Recommends Shorter Isolation for People with Asymptomatic Coronavirus Infections, Afghan Taliban Bans Women from Road Trips Without Male Escort, Talks on Reviving Iran Nuclear Deal Resume in Vienna, Iraq's Top Court Ratifies Results of October's Contested Election, Russia to Hold Talks with U.S. and NATO Allies over Ukraine Border Tensions, New German Government Mo…

_____ (2021-12-28). Eighth Round Of JCPOA Revival Talks Begin. popularresistance.org "Today all parties have agreed to come back to activate the eighth round of negotiations even in (the) Christmas and New Year's holiday. This in itself fully shows a greater sense of urgency on the part of all parties concerned," Wang Qun, China's ambassador to the United Nations institutions headquartered in Vienna, Austria, which includes the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA) nuclear watchdog, told reporters on Monday. | China is just one of several parties to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal, who also include Russia, France, Germany, the UK, the European Union, the US, and…

_____ (2021-12-28). If You Haven't Researched Arguments Disputing a Western Narrative, You Don't Understand the Issue. strategic-culture.org By Caitlin JOHNSTONE | It's a question that can be applied to any disputed western narrative about any government the US-centralized empire doesn't like. Russia is engaging in aggressive provocations. Assad is using chemical weapons. There's a genocide in Xinjiang. Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Maduro is deliberately starving his people. Whatever's the Official Imperial Line of the Day about the Official Bad Guy of the Day. | What I've found interesting about this exercise is that while I would've correctly predicted that those questioned had done zero research into the opposing viewpoints of the issue they…

teleSUR (2021-12-28). Russia Will Block NATO's Expansion. telesurenglish.net According to the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, for the next diplomatic meeting with Washington, Moscow has as its objective to completely stop any signal of eastwards expansion of the NATO military bloc. | RELATED: } | Sergey Ryabkov said to news agency Interfax that Russia would have a clear agenda for negotiations, making clear that the country would refuse any attempt coming from U.S. diplomats on dissolving…

_____ (2021-12-28). Missiles on the Doorstep and Impending Nuclear Winter. strategic-culture.org Nobody in their right mind would advocate what is called 'first use' of nuclear weapons. | 'Nuclear winter' is

Peoples Dispatch (2021-12-28). Iran stresses sanctions removal, verification in JCPOA negotiations and other stories. peoplesdispatch.org Today we look at the start of the 8th round of talks on the Iran nuclear deal, a report on fatal police shootings in Canada, and more…

teleSUR (2021-12-28). Iranian FM Says Vienna Talks on "Good Path" telesurenglish.net The Iranian foreign minister said on Tuesday that the talks in Vienna, Austria on the restoration of a 2015 nuclear deal are on a "good path." | The file photo taken on Oct. 27, 2021 shows Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (2nd L) speaking at the Second Meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan's Neighboring Countries in Tehran, Iran.

_____ (2021-12-28). The World is Turning to Nuclear Power amid the Raging Energy Crisis. journal-neo.org The energy crisis is perhaps the worst since 1973, when the Arab countries imposed an oil embargo, protesting against Western support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War. Combined with a pandemic, new strains, and a lockdown relapse threat, it is a deadly blow to economies and industries worldwide. Bloomberg sounds the alarm: problems with …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-12-28). History: "Wipe the Soviet Union Off the Map", 204 Atomic Bombs against 66 Major Cities, US Nuclear Attack against USSR Planned During World War II. globalresearch.ca According to a secret document dated September 15, 1945, "the Pentagon had envisaged blowing up the Soviet Union with a coordinated nuclear attack directed against 66 major urban areas.

WSWS (2021-12-28). An Anniversary of Stalinist Counterrevolution: 30 years since the end of the USSR. wsws.org The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) recognized, as early as 1985, that Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika expressed the drive of the Stalinist bureaucracy to reintegrate the Soviet economy with the world market through the restoration of capitalism.

2021-12-29 18:11 | 14:11 EST | jz | 18 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 0 

2021-12-28: News Headlines

M. K. Bhadrakumar (2021-12-28). Putin hints at military options in Ukraine. mronline.org The Rossiya 1 state television in Moscow broadcast today President Vladimir Putin's annual press conference on Friday. It conveys a much fuller picture of the grave crisis brewing in the Russian-American relations than what the excerpts in the Russian media sought to convey over the weekend.

Staff (2021-12-28). Headlines for December 28, 2021. democracynow.org World Coronavirus Cases Hit Record High as Omicron Surges, Israel Tests Fourth Vaccine Doses as COVID Surges in Largely Unvaccinated African Nations, Biden Warns Governors of Looming Shortages of Hospital Beds as COVID-19 Cases Near Pandemic Highs, CDC Recommends Shorter Isolation for People with Asymptomatic Coronavirus Infections, Afghan Taliban Bans Women from Road Trips Without Male Escort, Talks on Reviving Iran Nuclear Deal Resume in Vienna, Iraq's Top Court Ratifies Results of October's Contested Election, Russia to Hold Talks with U.S. and NATO Allies over Ukraine Border Tensions, New German Government Mo…

_____ (2021-12-28). The World is Turning to Nuclear Power amid the Raging Energy Crisis. journal-neo.org The energy crisis is perhaps the worst since 1973, when the Arab countries imposed an oil embargo, protesting against Western support for Israel in the Yom Kippur War. Combined with a pandemic, new strains, and a lockdown relapse threat, it is a deadly blow to economies and industries worldwide. Bloomberg sounds the alarm: problems with …

Prof Michel Chossudovsky (2021-12-28). History: "Wipe the Soviet Union Off the Map", 204 Atomic Bombs against 66 Major Cities, US Nuclear Attack against USSR Planned During World War II. globalresearch.ca According to a secret document dated September 15, 1945, "the Pentagon had envisaged blowing up the Soviet Union with a coordinated nuclear attack directed against 66 major urban areas.

WSWS (2021-12-28). An Anniversary of Stalinist Counterrevolution: 30 years since the end of the USSR. wsws.org The International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) recognized, as early as 1985, that Gorbachev's policies of glasnost and perestroika expressed the drive of the Stalinist bureaucracy to reintegrate the Soviet economy with the world market through the restoration of capitalism.

_____ (2021-12-27). The West Might Deliberately Start A War In Ukraine. popularresistance.org On Monday, Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced that the West might provoke a war in Ukraine to blame Russia and impose economic sanctions on it. | "I do not rule out that there is such a desire to fuel militaristic sentiments [in Ukraine] to stage a 'small war' and then accuse us and impose new sanctions to suppress our competitive advantages," Lavrov said. | The Foreign Minister, who has repeatedly reiterated that the concentration of Russian troops in the vicinity of Ukraine is not for aggressive purposes, denounced that the West has sent over US$2.5 billion in weapons to Ukraine since 201…

_____ (2021-12-27). The West Might Deliberately Start A War In Ukraine: Lavrov Says. popularresistance.org On Monday, Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced that the West might provoke a war in Ukraine to blame Russia and impose economic sanctions on it. | "I do not rule out that there is such a desire to fuel militaristic sentiments [in Ukraine] to stage a 'small war' and then accuse us and impose new sanctions to suppress our competitive advantages," Lavrov said.

teleSUR (2021-12-27). Russia Won't Turn Into a Fortress Because of Western Sanctions. telesurenglish.net Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia would find a way to respond to the West strengthened sanctions, but they will not turn the country into a fortress because of it. | Foreign Minister of Russia declares they won't turn the country into a fortress because of Western sanctions. Dec. 27, 2021.

Sergey Ryabkov (2021-12-27). Russia's nonproliferation policy and global strategic stability. moderndiplomacy.eu While the weight of accumulated problems and troubling instabilities in strategic sphere is significant, relations among nuclear powers are very far from being well-tempered. The situation is heavily overshadowed by disintegration of the arms control architecture, mostly due to the destructive course of the previous U.S. Administration. The New START Treaty is practically the last …

Dr. Andrey KORTUNOV (2021-12-27). Russia in the Eastern Mediterranean: The Art of Balancing. moderndiplomacy.eu Strictly speaking, Russia is not an Eastern Mediterranean country. It does not have direct access to the Mediterranean Sea; its most important strategic and economic interests belong to other parts of the world, such as the North Atlantic or East Asia. However, for a long time Russia has been trying to make its presence in …

Andrew Korybko (2021-12-27). The Neo-NAM: From Vision to Reality. moderndiplomacy.eu The latest Putin-Modi Summit was a global geostrategic game-changer unlocking the potential for the two great powers to jointly assemble a new Non-Aligned Movement ("Neo-NAM"). Their meeting came against the backdrop of both countries recalibrating their respective "balancing" acts. Russia has been engaged in high-level diplomacy with the U.S. while India defied America's CAATSA sanctions …

_____ (2021-12-27). Why is Turkey so Eager to Run Five Afghan Airports? journal-neo.org On the sidelines of a recent meeting of member-states of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Islamabad, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed operating Afghan airports with acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. After these deliberations, Ankara announced that Turkey, together with Qatar, was going to offer services to Taliban (banned in Russia) regarding operating …

2021-12-28 23:37 | 19:37 EST | jz | 14 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 0