If you remember the Kennedy - Nixon debates in 1960 then you’ll remember Quemoy and Matsu—two groups of islands over which the Chinese Nationalists have retained control after being driven from China.
  The US and the Iraqi military are facing a direct clash
The US has targeted members of the Iraqi army in Baghdad. Calls for US Embassy seizures.
Several explosions are heard in Baghdad, according to reports, the US is targeting members of the Popular Mobilization Forces which are part of the Iraqi armed forces.
Iraqi-resistance affiliated groups are calling on supporters to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
All roads and checkpoints leading to the Green Zone in Baghdad have been closed.
That can’t be right, I mean I’ve heard people from the government say that they don’t want a wider war in the ME. That’s just crazy talk, I mean that would be as reckless as putting Green Berets on an island that’s practically a parking lot for the Chinese mainland. Com’on man, that’s got to be mal, mis or disinformation! I mean the people in charge just can’t possibly be that stupid, irrational and suicidal? Oh, wait, this just in……shit….never mind.
“This is the mindset of our ruling oligarchy. And it applies to domestic matters as much as it does to international matters. Sheer arrogance. They treat free citizens of the American Republic just like they treat foreigners to be bullied at will. It won’t end well.” You could say the same thing about the delusional zombies in Brussells Mark. I see they’re currently foaming at the mouth over Tucker’s promised interview with Putin. Channeling the recent shrieks from Bill Kristol, they want Tucker banned from EU countries!! Article at Zerohedge, will link below. It seems they are reduced to lashing out with empty threats, stuck in denial, frantic to sign security agreements right and left, which will provide anything but…
Yes, it is demoralizing to see our elites dredge up the Russia hoax once again when it is only a chimera, not grounded in reality, and label anyone with a brain or an independent thinker a stooge for Putin! It is vile and dishonest. I’m actally glad the US/UK/EU do not have the armies and hardware to make war as they did on the eve of WWI (and II). We saw what that led to…
"The US is confidently striding in the same direction as the Soviet Union." Putin gets it. we've come full circle from The End of History (we won!) to neo-communism. At some point, Putin and Xi are going to decide that they have no choice but to give the neocons what they want. The tragedy for we who just want to live normal, happy lives, is that, barring some internal revolution, this is the only thing that will stop the maniacs.
It's ironic that under Nixon we opened the door with China to get in between the two powerful communist nations. Today Russia re-opens the door to China replacing the USA as a the Nationalist Democratic power cuddling up to China. What a switcheroo, yes?
It depends how far the neocons push them. Seizing those two islands shows that they have learnt nothing and have no limits. They are well capable of doing something that will destroy the remaining patience of Vlad and Xi. That patience is wearing thin, certainly in Moscow - witness Medvedev's speech today about nukes. Also, I don't think Putin or Xi give a damn about Davos. Xi might seem to be on board with them at times, but he is almost certainly using them. Neither man is going to let Davos push them about.
No arguments from me, Cas, about the influence and sheer nastiness of Davos. However, I think that Davos and the Neocons (sounds like a 70s rockband, don't it?) have met their match. Davos is starting to get pushback even in supine Europe and Russia is only getting stronger. None of us know what's going to happen, but that's my take.
Thanks, Mark, for sharing this. I had no idea of the recent "tripwire" deployment.
Had an old-school, DC Cold Warrior professor in college who continually stressed Quemoy and Matsu as the model for the next great conflict. With outcry over Tiananmen Square and the fall of the Berlin War as context for that semester, we all kind of thought he was nuts. 35 years later, he may have been on to something.
I'm guessing Zhou has no idea about this. Austin either for that matter. Wonder who's calling the shots these days?
Larry Johnson claims to have a reliable source who says it's fake. Johnson has had personal contact with Carlson, so his claim seems credible.
I wonder what would be the response of the Green Berets if China just decided to flood the island with immigrants?
Surely they’d have to give them safe haven.
But don't forget the Middle East:
Megatron @Megatron_ron
BREAKING:
  The US and the Iraqi military are facing a direct clash
The US has targeted members of the Iraqi army in Baghdad. Calls for US Embassy seizures.
Several explosions are heard in Baghdad, according to reports, the US is targeting members of the Popular Mobilization Forces which are part of the Iraqi armed forces.
Iraqi-resistance affiliated groups are calling on supporters to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad
All roads and checkpoints leading to the Green Zone in Baghdad have been closed.
That can’t be right, I mean I’ve heard people from the government say that they don’t want a wider war in the ME. That’s just crazy talk, I mean that would be as reckless as putting Green Berets on an island that’s practically a parking lot for the Chinese mainland. Com’on man, that’s got to be mal, mis or disinformation! I mean the people in charge just can’t possibly be that stupid, irrational and suicidal? Oh, wait, this just in……shit….never mind.
“This is the mindset of our ruling oligarchy. And it applies to domestic matters as much as it does to international matters. Sheer arrogance. They treat free citizens of the American Republic just like they treat foreigners to be bullied at will. It won’t end well.” You could say the same thing about the delusional zombies in Brussells Mark. I see they’re currently foaming at the mouth over Tucker’s promised interview with Putin. Channeling the recent shrieks from Bill Kristol, they want Tucker banned from EU countries!! Article at Zerohedge, will link below. It seems they are reduced to lashing out with empty threats, stuck in denial, frantic to sign security agreements right and left, which will provide anything but…
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/eu-lawmakers-want-sanction-tucker-carlson-over-putin-interview
Yes, it is demoralizing to see our elites dredge up the Russia hoax once again when it is only a chimera, not grounded in reality, and label anyone with a brain or an independent thinker a stooge for Putin! It is vile and dishonest. I’m actally glad the US/UK/EU do not have the armies and hardware to make war as they did on the eve of WWI (and II). We saw what that led to…
"The US is confidently striding in the same direction as the Soviet Union." Putin gets it. we've come full circle from The End of History (we won!) to neo-communism. At some point, Putin and Xi are going to decide that they have no choice but to give the neocons what they want. The tragedy for we who just want to live normal, happy lives, is that, barring some internal revolution, this is the only thing that will stop the maniacs.
It's ironic that under Nixon we opened the door with China to get in between the two powerful communist nations. Today Russia re-opens the door to China replacing the USA as a the Nationalist Democratic power cuddling up to China. What a switcheroo, yes?
It depends how far the neocons push them. Seizing those two islands shows that they have learnt nothing and have no limits. They are well capable of doing something that will destroy the remaining patience of Vlad and Xi. That patience is wearing thin, certainly in Moscow - witness Medvedev's speech today about nukes. Also, I don't think Putin or Xi give a damn about Davos. Xi might seem to be on board with them at times, but he is almost certainly using them. Neither man is going to let Davos push them about.
I don't see this as a Davos driven move... Something else is going on behind the scenes. Thinking may be related to 5 eyes.
This move isn't being controlled by Davos IMO. So none.
No arguments from me, Cas, about the influence and sheer nastiness of Davos. However, I think that Davos and the Neocons (sounds like a 70s rockband, don't it?) have met their match. Davos is starting to get pushback even in supine Europe and Russia is only getting stronger. None of us know what's going to happen, but that's my take.
Thanks, Mark, for sharing this. I had no idea of the recent "tripwire" deployment.
Had an old-school, DC Cold Warrior professor in college who continually stressed Quemoy and Matsu as the model for the next great conflict. With outcry over Tiananmen Square and the fall of the Berlin War as context for that semester, we all kind of thought he was nuts. 35 years later, he may have been on to something.
I believe Kennedy won the point about not going to war to protect a few meaningless islands. Nixon looked very inflexible. It certainly won my vote.
Now we wonder whether that contributed to K's being killed.
And Kennedy had shaved that morning.
If quantified, it would turn out that citizens at home have paid an enormous cost. The bill for a refund has not yet been presented.
Anyone else here remember the "peace dividend"?