While the world is focused on the dramatic events in the Middle East, there are other noteworthy events going on. We’ve taken a look at the Armenia - Azerbaijan situation a few times, and now there’s been a development that raises interesting possibilities for the future.
Russia is proposing a naval base in Abkhazia, while Georgia sees it as an aggression toward it's territorial integrity.
Seems like the US is preparing a Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey axis to overwhelm Russia in the Caucuses. The link is necessary to give Azerbaijan a land conduit. I think they’ll go through Armenia anyway.
OT: If I recall there was some debate here a few days ago about Jeffrey Sachs' role in the transformation of the Russian economy under Boris Yeltsin, including whether he is culpable for the initially disastrous outcome. I believe Mark pointed out that Alex Krainer largely absolves Sachs of blame. For anyone interested in this issue (because it does impact Sachs' credibility as an opponent of today's proxy war against Russia), here is a link to Sachs' own assessment of his involvement:
The article which first came to my attention regarding our (the United States) disgraceful role in the rape, pillage and plunder of Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union was David McClintick's 'How Harvard Lost Russia', published in Institutional Investor in 2006. I have referred to it many times here on MIH. Here's a link: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/2btfpiwkwid6fq6qrokcg/home/how-harvard-lost-russia
After reading the Nation and Institutional Investor articles you can decide how objective and/or self-serving you think Sachs' own appraisal of his role actually is.
As mentioned above, Alex Krainer more or less gives Sachs a pass, as Sachs does himself.
Alex Krainer's views are important because the greed, self-dealing and ineptitude of the 'Harvard boys' leads directly into the story of American William (Bill) Browder's feud with Vladimir Putin, which Krainer recounts at length in his book 'Grand Deception', which in many respects tells the back story for the West's fear and loathing of Putin today.
If you believe Browder, he was an innocent investor who stumbled into Russia twenty plus years ago and found a gold mine of investment opportunities as the Russian Government divested itself of billions of dollars worth of industrial and natural resource assets for bargain basement prices to a handful of insiders, who became the infamous Russian 'Oligarchs'. Along the way Browder made and lost a few fortunes and ended up persona non grata in Russia, had his visa revoked and then found himself under criminal investigation for economic and financial crimes.
Best known to the public is Browder's story of how his innocent accountant, Sergei Magnitsky, was imprisoned for alleged financial crimes (with which Browder was associated) and then died in prison. According to Browder, Magnitsky had uncovered a corrupt police plot to steal a tax refund owing to one of Browder's companies and was killed in detention in order to silence him. Magnitsky's death led to Browder's advocacy for and the passage by the US Congress of The Magnitsky Act, intending to punish Russian officials responsible for Magnitsky's death by prohibiting their entrance to the United States and their use of the US banking system. The Magnitsky Act is the background for the system of economic sanctions the US has tried to use today in its proxy war against Russia. The Magnitsky story as told by Browder is also the source of much of the Hitleresque, madman mythology surrounding Vladimir Putin today.
Many people doubt that Bill Browder is as clean or honest as he professes to be. Alex Krainer details the case against Browder, and describes the US role in destroying the Russian economy in the 1990s in 'Grand Deception'. The book is a highly detailed and very credible takedown of Browder and his claims. Yet, amazingly, Browder has been able to pretty much ban the book...you won't be able to find it at Amazon...I found it at its publisher's website: https://www.redpillpress.com/shop/grand-deception-bill-browder-magnitsky-act-russian-sanctions/. I find Krainer to be highly credible.
The Browder narrative has also been punctured by Russian documentary film maker Sergei Nekrasov, apparently a critic of the Putin regime, in his film 'The Magnitsky Act Behind the Scenes'. Nekrasov apparently began the undertaking intending to expose the wrongdoing of the Russian government in connection with Magnitsky's death. In the course of making the movie Nekrasov discovered significant discrepencies and anomalies in Browder's narrative, as Krainer has. As a result, Nekrasov's documentary reveals that Magnitsky and Browder were likely evading tax from the Russian state and that Magnitsky had been questioned and detained by police for that reason. Furthermore, he finds that the cause of Magnitsky's death was not as a result of the alleged assault by the police. The conclusion of the film is that the Magnitsky Act, through which the US has subsequently enforced severe economic sanctions against Russia, is the result of a bogus case manufactured by Browder of Russian corruption and violation of human rights. Critics of Browder and the Magnitsky Act have noted that the Magnitsky narrative dovetails with the false Russiagate narrative, which attempted to bring down Donald Trump. You can watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg-o0_yu5dA.
G'evening Frances, As Rascal Nick noted coupled with your observation of the NATO/US/Ukraine - Russia mess being defunded somewhat by Gaetz actions, energy (diesel & N Gas) becomes huge leverage. War "Rumors of War (Rascal) with, don't forget, Jesus also noted there'd be cries of 'Peace! Peace! Peace!' in the conflagration. It's hard to decipher what's the long game for Russia regarding a corridor through the region - does it appear Turkey may be vying for becoming the EU's Nat Gas distribution hub? The Chinese Belt and Road initiative may be part of that long game, after all.
I wonder about Biden/Iran, well rather the Obama/Iran love affair Biden reinstated. Can it flip from 'love' to 'hate' just because of BRICS? It seems Biden is he11 bent on juxtaposing Iran against Israel, at least via a Nuke capability (maybe not a love affair after all?) Complicated! Best regards FL! (WrH)
G'evening Frances, What a perfect descriptor - Whirling Dervish - for where we find ourselves! With the US of [Socialist] America trying to do a square dance in the middle of said floor. President Trump is looking like an amazing president - but when considering the contrast to the current one, I think even I'd look okay... (It's Sunday after all, some humor must be maintained!!!) I do wish you the very best regards! (WrH)
Russia is proposing a naval base in Abkhazia, while Georgia sees it as an aggression toward it's territorial integrity.
Seems like the US is preparing a Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey axis to overwhelm Russia in the Caucuses. The link is necessary to give Azerbaijan a land conduit. I think they’ll go through Armenia anyway.
well within their right to do so. Appears to make sense to me with hostile actors all around.
OT: If I recall there was some debate here a few days ago about Jeffrey Sachs' role in the transformation of the Russian economy under Boris Yeltsin, including whether he is culpable for the initially disastrous outcome. I believe Mark pointed out that Alex Krainer largely absolves Sachs of blame. For anyone interested in this issue (because it does impact Sachs' credibility as an opponent of today's proxy war against Russia), here is a link to Sachs' own assessment of his involvement:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d59c0bdfff8290001f869d1/t/5ed7d8e248deea6dbee5d577/1591204091062/Sachs+%282012%29_What+I+did+in+Russia.pdf
You have linked repeatedly to a lengthy article on that subject--in the New Yorker?--which also goes into depth on Sachs involvement.
The article which first came to my attention regarding our (the United States) disgraceful role in the rape, pillage and plunder of Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union was David McClintick's 'How Harvard Lost Russia', published in Institutional Investor in 2006. I have referred to it many times here on MIH. Here's a link: https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/2btfpiwkwid6fq6qrokcg/home/how-harvard-lost-russia
Predating McClintick's exposé is Janine Wedel's 1998 article in the Nation entitled 'The Harvard Boys Do Russia', which I have also referred to here in the past: Here's the link: https://www.thenation.com/article/world/harvard-boys-do-russia/
Please note Larry Summers' disgraceful role in the story, which a New York Times article has suggested led to his dismissal at Harvard. https://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/27/business/media/did-an-expose-help-sink-harvards-president.html
After reading the Nation and Institutional Investor articles you can decide how objective and/or self-serving you think Sachs' own appraisal of his role actually is.
As mentioned above, Alex Krainer more or less gives Sachs a pass, as Sachs does himself.
Alex Krainer's views are important because the greed, self-dealing and ineptitude of the 'Harvard boys' leads directly into the story of American William (Bill) Browder's feud with Vladimir Putin, which Krainer recounts at length in his book 'Grand Deception', which in many respects tells the back story for the West's fear and loathing of Putin today.
If you believe Browder, he was an innocent investor who stumbled into Russia twenty plus years ago and found a gold mine of investment opportunities as the Russian Government divested itself of billions of dollars worth of industrial and natural resource assets for bargain basement prices to a handful of insiders, who became the infamous Russian 'Oligarchs'. Along the way Browder made and lost a few fortunes and ended up persona non grata in Russia, had his visa revoked and then found himself under criminal investigation for economic and financial crimes.
Best known to the public is Browder's story of how his innocent accountant, Sergei Magnitsky, was imprisoned for alleged financial crimes (with which Browder was associated) and then died in prison. According to Browder, Magnitsky had uncovered a corrupt police plot to steal a tax refund owing to one of Browder's companies and was killed in detention in order to silence him. Magnitsky's death led to Browder's advocacy for and the passage by the US Congress of The Magnitsky Act, intending to punish Russian officials responsible for Magnitsky's death by prohibiting their entrance to the United States and their use of the US banking system. The Magnitsky Act is the background for the system of economic sanctions the US has tried to use today in its proxy war against Russia. The Magnitsky story as told by Browder is also the source of much of the Hitleresque, madman mythology surrounding Vladimir Putin today.
Many people doubt that Bill Browder is as clean or honest as he professes to be. Alex Krainer details the case against Browder, and describes the US role in destroying the Russian economy in the 1990s in 'Grand Deception'. The book is a highly detailed and very credible takedown of Browder and his claims. Yet, amazingly, Browder has been able to pretty much ban the book...you won't be able to find it at Amazon...I found it at its publisher's website: https://www.redpillpress.com/shop/grand-deception-bill-browder-magnitsky-act-russian-sanctions/. I find Krainer to be highly credible.
The Browder narrative has also been punctured by Russian documentary film maker Sergei Nekrasov, apparently a critic of the Putin regime, in his film 'The Magnitsky Act Behind the Scenes'. Nekrasov apparently began the undertaking intending to expose the wrongdoing of the Russian government in connection with Magnitsky's death. In the course of making the movie Nekrasov discovered significant discrepencies and anomalies in Browder's narrative, as Krainer has. As a result, Nekrasov's documentary reveals that Magnitsky and Browder were likely evading tax from the Russian state and that Magnitsky had been questioned and detained by police for that reason. Furthermore, he finds that the cause of Magnitsky's death was not as a result of the alleged assault by the police. The conclusion of the film is that the Magnitsky Act, through which the US has subsequently enforced severe economic sanctions against Russia, is the result of a bogus case manufactured by Browder of Russian corruption and violation of human rights. Critics of Browder and the Magnitsky Act have noted that the Magnitsky narrative dovetails with the false Russiagate narrative, which attempted to bring down Donald Trump. You can watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg-o0_yu5dA.
What a tangled web we weave...
Azerbaijan reducing tensions with Iran is huge.
And it makes possible a north south corridor that goes through Azerbaijan, instead of Armenia.
Nothing Erdogan surprises me. In O/T saw this from ZeroHedge. A voice of reason and Zhou’s thinking UKRAINE may be corrupt after all. C’mon man.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/ukraine-corrupt-all-levels-says-former-eu-commission-chief-juncker
There is a Chicago radio host that must play that sound clip at least two to three times per week. Who knows what to believe anymore.
G'evening Frances, As Rascal Nick noted coupled with your observation of the NATO/US/Ukraine - Russia mess being defunded somewhat by Gaetz actions, energy (diesel & N Gas) becomes huge leverage. War "Rumors of War (Rascal) with, don't forget, Jesus also noted there'd be cries of 'Peace! Peace! Peace!' in the conflagration. It's hard to decipher what's the long game for Russia regarding a corridor through the region - does it appear Turkey may be vying for becoming the EU's Nat Gas distribution hub? The Chinese Belt and Road initiative may be part of that long game, after all.
I wonder about Biden/Iran, well rather the Obama/Iran love affair Biden reinstated. Can it flip from 'love' to 'hate' just because of BRICS? It seems Biden is he11 bent on juxtaposing Iran against Israel, at least via a Nuke capability (maybe not a love affair after all?) Complicated! Best regards FL! (WrH)
G'evening Frances, What a perfect descriptor - Whirling Dervish - for where we find ourselves! With the US of [Socialist] America trying to do a square dance in the middle of said floor. President Trump is looking like an amazing president - but when considering the contrast to the current one, I think even I'd look okay... (It's Sunday after all, some humor must be maintained!!!) I do wish you the very best regards! (WrH)