(2022-02-04). What a Waste, and You're Paying for it: $778 Billion for the Pentagon and Still Counting. juancole.com 
( Tomdispatch.com) — 2021 was another banner year for the military-industrial complex, as Congress signed off on a near-record $778 billion in spending for the Pentagon and related work on nuclear warheads at the Department of Energy. That was $25 billion more than the Pentagon had even asked for. It can't be emphasized enough just …
(2022-02-04). How Erdogan Scapegoated ISIS Caliph to Appease Biden? dissidentvoice.org Whilst Turkish President Erdogan was in Kiev on Thursday, ostensibly brokering a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine to defuse escalating tensions following the Russian troop build-up along Ukraine's borders and the deployment of 3,000 US forces in Poland and Romania, Biden announced that the Islamic State leader had been killed in a special-ops raid …
(2022-02-04). Saturday 2/5: No War With Russia; Yes to Diplomacy and Peace. indybay.org Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park, MLK Jr. Way @ Allston Way, Berkeley.
(2022-02-04). Russia and China sign major energy deal. rt.com 
The 30-year agreement will boost gas supplies by 10 billion cubic meters and will be settled in euros | Russia's Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) signed a second long-term contract on Friday for the supply of 10 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas from the Russian Far East. The agreement comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin is in China on an official visit. | According to Gazprom, the agreement is "an important step in further strengthening mutually beneficial cooperation between Russia and China in the gas sector." After the project reaches its full capacity, the volume o…
(2022-02-04). Covid-hit Russian women's team earn first Beijing win. rt.com 
The ROC women's hockey team beat Switzerland in their opening game at the Beijing Winter Games | The Russian women's ice hockey team put some major disruptions behind them to pick up an opening win against Switzerland at the Beijing Olympics. | The Russian team — competing under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) — was hit by a spate of positive Covid tests in the buildup to their opening encounter in the Chinese capital which severely disrupted their opportunities to train. | But still despite missing six players due to Covid protocols, the ROC team eventually eased past their Swiss r…
(2022-02-04). Ukrainian Olympic skaters admit they prefer to use Russian. rt.com 
The duo explained why they prefer the language when speaking with the press | Artem Darenskyi and Sofiia Holichenko, who represent Ukraine in pairs skating, have refuted reports that they are prohibited from speaking Russian, adding that it's up to them to decide which language to use. | The figure skaters took part in the Olympic team event and
(2022-02-04). Bizarre Exchange: Journalist Says State Dept Engaged In "Alex Jones" Level Russian "False Flag" Conspiracies. southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | Written by A veteran Associated Press writer named Matt Lee had State Department spokesman Ned Price flustered on Thursday after he pressed the government mouthpiece on alleged evidence of Russian plans to stage a false-flag against Ukraine. | During the press briefing, Price claimed Moscow could be seeking to engage in a "false-flag operation in order to initiate military activity," in Ukraine. | Ne…
(2022-02-04). China and Russia to Face Regional Threats Jointly. telesurenglish.net On Friday, President Xi Jinping confirmed that China stands ready to work with Russia and President Vladimir Putin to chart the future and provide guidance for bilateral relations under new historical circumstances. | RELATED: | Xi is willing to promote the continuous transformation of high-level mutual trust between China and Russia into results of cooperation in all fields and bring real benefits to the people of the two countries. | "Despite the…
(2022-02-04). Xi says meeting with Putin will inject more vitality into China-Russia relations. ecns.cn
(2022-02-04). Biden administration must rejig its North Korea strategy. asiatimes.com The UN Security Council was to hold an emergency meeting this Friday to discuss North Korea's seven missile tests in the past four weeks. The meeting was requested by the United States, along with Britain and France, and agreed by Russia, which holds the presidency of UNSC for the month of February. However, given the …
(2022-02-03). Iran's Economy Reveals Power And Limits Of US Sanctions. popularresistance.org Tehran, Iran — As economists, politicians, and pundits mull the threat of "swift and severe" United States economic sanctions against Russia should the latter invade Ukraine, one country that has long been in Washington's crosshairs does not have to ponder what such punitive measures can do — Iran. | Some 655 Iranian entities and individuals were sanctioned under the administration of former US President Barack Obama, according to data compiled by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). But the most brutal punishment kicked off in 2018, after former US President Donald Trump's administration un…
(2022-02-03). Russia Accuses US And NATO Of Provoking War In Ukraine. popularresistance.org On Monday, January 31, at a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting called to discuss the situation in Ukraine, the Russian envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, accused the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of whipping up war hysteria in eastern Europe. | Nebenzya was responding to the US permanent representative at the UN, Linda Thomas Greenfield, who reiterated her country's claims of an imminent threat of Russian invasion of Ukraine. She called on the UN to take urgent steps to prevent the war, saying that failure to do so will lead to "horrible consequences." She claimed that deployment at the Russ…
(2022-02-03). Russia And China Hatch Sanctions-Busting Plan To Limit Use Of Dollar. popularresistance.org Amid a worsening stand-off between East and West, Russia and China are increasingly contemplating using their own currencies in mutual settlements and finding ways to work together to counter sanctions, Moscow's envoy in Beijing has disclosed. | Speaking as part of an appearance on YouTube channel Soloviev Live on Wednesday, Andrey Denisov weighed in on the impact of embargoes imposed by Western nations on ties between the two nations. | "The fact that these sanctions have a negative impact on some aspects of our relations is indeed true," he said, pointing at the impact on financial settlements. "If penalties ar…
(2022-02-03). Neo-Nazis active in Ukraine as White House adds 3,000 troops. peoplesworld.org 
There's an increasingly surreal air regarding the war scare over Ukraine. The original roles in the drama seem to be reversed. Back in December, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Oleksii Reznikov was warning that "not provoking Russia—that strategy does not and will not work," claiming that Russia invaded Georgia in 2008 because NATO hadn't let it join. …
(2022-02-03). Intermarium realized: Ukrainian FM attends NATO Eastern Flank meeting for first time. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Regarding the article below, the Bucharest Nine group (Bulgaria, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia), addressed by President Joe Biden last May, is the largest component of the current implementation by the U.S., NATO and EU of the plan to cordon Russia off from Europe devised a century ago by …
(2022-02-03). Russia & China set to make new declaration — Moscow. rt.com 
The announcement comes as Moscow and Beijing increase their cooperation in a number of spheres | Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are set to declare the two countries will work shoulder to shoulder on their most important missions, Moscow has announced, as relations with the US and its allies in Europe come under increased strain. | Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov revealed that the text of a major announcement would be on the agenda for the Russian leader's upcoming visit to China. | "A joint statement on international relat…
(2022-02-03). Closing ranks against Russia: NATO's North Atlantic Council, EU's Political and Security Committee, Ukrainian envoys meet. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com NATO and EU Ambassadors meet to discuss crisis in Ukraine Russia's military build-up in and around Ukraine and the implications for European and international security were discussed at today's (03 February 2022) informal meeting between the North Atlantic Council and the European Union's Political and Security Committee (PSC). The meeting, part of the regular high-level …
(2022-02-03). Ukraine crisis: "The U.S. is climbing the escalation ladder" liberationnews.org 
oordinator of the ANSWER Coalition Richard Becker appeared on KPFA's "Flashpoints" radio to discuss the aggressive actions by the U.S. government bringing tensions with Russia to the brink.
(2022-02-03). War in Ukraine Could Be Humanitarian Catastrophe for Millions in the Region. truthout.org 
Image Credit: Norwegian Refugee Council | As tensions grow between Russia and NATO over a potential invasion of Ukraine, up to 2 million people in eastern Ukraine are at risk of massive displacement and violence if the conflict escalates. We speak with the Norwegian Refugee Council's Jan Egeland, who is on the ground in Ukraine and says a war could roll back nearly a decade of humanitarian progress made in the Ukrainian region. "We need reconciliation, we need peace," says Egeland on the messages…
(2022-02-03). Russia reveals plans in case of cut-off from US dollar. rt.com 
The Kremlin has urged calm in the face of massive US sanctions | Moscow is prepared for the possibility that harsh US sanctions could restrict its banks' access to dollar transactions, the Kremlin has said, admitting that the potentially unprecedented measures have officials worried. | Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Wednesday that Moscow is well aware of the threat of massive sanctions coming from the American side amid an ongoing row over Ukraine. "Certainly, the Kremlin is concerned, because the sanctions behavior of the US is absolutely unpredictable," he said. | The spokesman wen…
(2022-02-03). US Needs Fear of Russia to Keep Europe under Control. journal-neo.org 
If NATO were to become irrelevant, the US would lose its influence on Europe. If Europe were to become an independent player in world politics, it will effectively defeat the US plan to prevent the systemic shift to multipolarity. Preventing both of these eventualities requires, from Washington's perspective, a constant external threat to Europe that …
(2022-02-03). Russia Closes Office of German Broadcaster Deutsche Welle. telesurenglish.net Russia said on Thursday it shut the Russian office of German broadcaster Deutsche Welle in response to Berlin's recent ban on Russian broadcaster RT's German-language service RT DE. | RELATED: | All staff of the Russian bureau will have their accreditation revoked, and Deutsche Welle will be prohibited from broadcasting in Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. | In addition, a procedure will be initiat…
(2022-02-03). Military Situation In Syria On February 3, 2022 (Map Update). southfront.org 
Click to see full-size image | On February 3, the Russian Ministry of Defence recorded no hostilities and ceasefire violations in Idlib region in the past 24 hours; | On February 3, the US special forces backed by several attack helicopters, combat drones and warplanes attacked Atmah town in Idlib province. 13 people were reportedly killed in the attack; | On February 3, the SDF security operation aimed to arrest ISIS members continue in the city of Hasakah; | On February 3, the US killed Abu Ibr…
(2022-02-03). Between Russia and the USA: Will Turkey's Zigzags Work in the 'Ukraine Crisis'? strategic-culture.org It is not possible to be at more than one table at the same time, especially in topics such as Ukraine, where tensions are at critical levels, Erkin àñncan writes. | It would be more appropriate to call this crisis a 'Russia-US/NATO crisis', rather than Russia-Ukraine. | While the Western world continues its strategy of containing Russia at full speed, under the leadership of the USA, the Western media (propaganda device at all) continues to pump the opposite narrative: the so-called Russian occupation. | The 'Russian occupation' narrative featured in the Western media is actually not about the steps that…
(2022-02-03). Argentina President: It's Necessary to End Dependence on US, Develop Cooperation With Russia. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Argentina's large external debt rose largely because of the United States, so Buenos Aires needs to get rid of dependence on Washington and open up new opportunities in cooperation with Russia, President Alberto Fernandez said.
(2022-02-03). The Russians Are Coming: Are Beijing and Moscow at the Cusp of a Formal Alliance? dissidentvoice.org 
It should matter little to the Chinese that American diplomats and a handful of their western allies will not be attending the Beijing Winter Olympics in February. What truly matters is that the Russians are coming. The above is not an arbitrary statement. It is supported with facts. According to a survey conducted by China's Global …
(2022-02-03). Is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Beginning to Open Up? journal-neo.org 
After a year and a half of interruption, North Korea has reopened rail connections with China. Since the end of January 2020, the DPRK has halted cross-boarder railway services. Even though on June 26, 2020 one freight train passed from Hunchun (a border city in China's Jilin province) to Tumangang station on the North Korea-Russian …
(2022-02-03). Argentina To Develop Cooperation With Russia. telesurenglish.net The President marked the challenging context Argentina is facing, economically speaking, because of a severe external debt crisis. To a large degree, A crisis originated due to Argentina's orientation towards the U.S. since the 1990s. | RELATED: | The dependence on Washington has only increased Argentine debt to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), said the President. | In conversations with Russian President Vladimir Puti…
(2022-02-03). Despite the U.S. Hype about an "imminent" Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moscow is not Ready to Risk War. juancole.com Belgrade (Special to Informed Comment) — Russia seems to be giving up on the "ultimatum" it issued to the United States in December. After Washington and its allies said no to Moscow's security demands, the Kremlin started to soften its rhetoric regarding a potential NATO expansion eastward. Western media, however, keep spreading rumors of an …
(2022-02-03). In Video: Russian Advisors Train Syrian Soldiers On Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems. southfront.org 
Screen grab from RT video. | Russian military advisors had been training Syrian Arab Army (SAA) soldiers on the use of man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADs), RT reported on January 31. | According to the Russian network, Russian advisors and SAA officers developed a new training program that reduces the time needed to train soldiers on portable air-defense systems from six months to two weeks. | During the short training program, soldiers are taught how to identify, track and fire at fighter jets and drones as well as…
(2022-02-03). "We Need Peace": War in Ukraine Would Be Humanitarian Catastrophe for Millions in the Region. democracynow.org 
As tensions grow between Russia and NATO over a potential invasion of Ukraine, up to 2 million people in eastern Ukraine are at risk of massive displacement and violence if the conflict escalates. We speak with the Norwegian Refugee Council's Jan Egeland, who is on the ground in Ukraine and says a war could roll back nearly a decade of humanitarian progress made in the Ukrainian region. "We need reconciliation, we need peace," says Egeland on the messages he is hearing from Ukrainians.
(2022-02-03). US sends another 3,000 troops to Eastern Europe. wsws.org Along with these latest troop deployments, the Pentagon is sending another six F-15 fighter jets to Estonia, whose border is only about 200 miles from Russia's second major city, St. Petersburg.
(2022-02-03). Full text of Putin's signed article for Xinhua. ecns.cn A signed article by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin titled "Russia and China: A Future-Oriented Strategic Partnership" was published by Xinhua News Agency on Thursday.
(2022-02-03). Face-To-Face Meeting Between Xi and Putin to Happen On Friday. telesurenglish.net On Thursday, Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi met with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Beijing, as they made political preparations for the upcoming meeting between the two countries' heads of state. | RELATED: | Noting that Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin will have a face-to-face meeting on Friday for the first time in more than two years, Wang said the primary task of…
(2022-02-03). Blackwater Is In The Donbas With The Azov Battalion. popularresistance.org The phone call between President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky "did not go well", CNN headlines: while "Biden warned that the Russian invasion in February is practically certain when the frozen ground makes it possible for tanks to pass through", Zelensky " asked Biden to tone down, arguing that the Russian threat is still ambiguous". While the Ukrainian president himself takes a more cautious stance, the Ukrainian armed forces are massing in Donbas close to the Donetsk and Lugansk area inhabited by Russian populations. According to reports from the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, units of th…
(2022-02-03). New Ukraine-EU-NATO security initiative launched. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com Ukraine, EU and NATO launch new format for discussing security issues — Chentsov Also see: Closing ranks against Russia: NATO's North Atlantic Council, EU's Political and Security Committee, Ukrainian envoys meet Ukraine, the European Union and NATO have launched a new format for discussing security issues. Representative of Ukraine to the EU, Ambassador Vsevolod Chentsov …
(2022-02-03). Coalition to Prevent War with Russia. indybay.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — TUESDAY, FEB. 1, 2022…
(2022-02-03). Ukraine Tensions Escalation Has Split the EU. telesurenglish.net Allegations of Russia's "invasion" of Ukraine have been growing in the West, as the U.S./UK media continues to overdrive on the matter. Every month, Western satellites show almost identical images when experts talk about the country's "increasing military buildup" along its western borders. | RELATED: | U.S. media outlets keep showing the picture of Moscow's plans to "attack from three directions," in the meantim…
(2022-02-03). Russian Historian: We Need Both the U.S. & Russia to Deescalate Crisis over Ukraine. democracynow.org 
Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin continuing to deny accusations of a planned invasion of Ukraine, the Biden administration ordered the deployment of 3,000 additional troops to Eastern Europe on Wednesday to supposedly protect Ukraine. Moscow-based historian and political writer Ilya Budraitskis says both Russia and the U.S. are gaining more from the threat of conflict than an actual war, and says Russia has no real strategic gain from a potential invasion.
(2022-02-03). Warmongering against Russia in the name of Auschwitz. wsws.org The more the USA and NATO intensify their war drive against Russia, the more aggressively the ruling class in Germany behaves.
(2022-02-03). "Just meeting our commitments with NATO": French, U.S. military integration in Romania. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian on Thursday said that the announced French military presence in Romania cannot be seen as a "challenge" by Russia since France doesn't do anything else but honouring its commitments. "France is a nation-state, and its participation in NATO's enhanced forward presence in Romania is in …
(2022-02-03). US Exacts Revenge on Afghanistan for its Defiance. journal-neo.org 
Ever since the Taliban (an organization deemed terrorist and banned in Russia) took control of Afghanistan last August amid a shameful and chaotic US withdrawal, the country, ravaged by war and occupation for 20 years, has plunged deeper and deeper into disaster, causing new waves of displacement, further impoverishing it and raising the specter of …
(2022-02-03). NATO bulwark Turkey pushes to mediate between Russia, Ukraine. Putin to visit Ankara. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com -As High Level Strategic Council (presidents of both countries) and joint ministerial meetings have been held in Kiev. -Ankara continually confirms its demand that Crimea and the Donetsk and Lugansk republics be returned to Ukraine, which means Russia being expelled from Crimea. -Constantly condemns Russia for alleged persecution of its "ethnic (read racial) kin," the …
(2022-02-03). Top Senate Democrat Slams Biden Administration for Negotiating With Iran to Revive the JCPOA. news.antiwar.com Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), the influential chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Menendez said the administration was "clinging" to the deal for "nostalgia's sake" in a rebuke to the US's indirect negotiations with Iran. "At this point, we seriously have to ask what exactly are we trying to salvage?" he said. | "As someone who has followed Iran's nuclear…
(2022-02-03). US Officials Claim Iran's 'Breakout Time' Will Be Under a Year If JCPOA Is Revived. news.antiwar.com As the indirect negotiations between the US and Iran are said to be entering the final stage, anonymous US officials "Breakout time" is a term used in the US and Israel that means the time it would take for Iran to develop a nuclear bomb if they decided to make one. The estimates are generally made to make it appear that Tehran is secretly planning to make a bomb, but after decades of warnings, it still hasn't happ…
(2022-02-03). Read Mao's article on battle of Stalingrad. fightbacknews.org Feb. 2 marks the 79th anniversary of victory over fascism at Stalingrad | | To mark the victory of the Soviet Union at Stalingrad, Fight Back News Service is reprinting the following article by Mao Zedong, that was first published October 12, 1942, in Liberation Daily. | | The Turning point in World War 2 | | The Battle of Stalingrad has been compared by the British and American press to the Battle of Verdun, and the "Red Verdun" is now famous all over the world. This comparison is not altogether appropriate. The Battle of Stalingrad is different in nature from the Battle of Verdun in World War I. But they…
(2022-02-03). Chinese view: U.S.'s Ukraine policy driven by domestic politics, desire to dominate Europe. antibellum679354512.wordpress.com It goes without saying that the current crisis, the manifestation (perhaps the culmination) of decades-old geopolitical plans, may in part be attributable to the causes identified below; but the strategy has been the same, with perhaps to some extent a brief four-year hiatus (in degree if not in essence), since the breakup of the Soviet …
(2022-02-03). UN Survey: Moscow World's Best City in Terms of Quality of Life, Infrastructure Development. sputniknews.com The City Prosperity Index (CPI) measures different kinds of achievements in a city and identifies its prosperity with success, wealth, thriving conditions, well-being as well as confidence in the future, and opportunities for all.