Here’s how the Trump presidency will play out

by Pepe Escobar

The Trump era starts now – with geopolitics and geoeconomics set for a series of imminent, unpredictable cliffhangers.

I have argued that Trump’s foreign policy guru Henry Kissinger’s strategy to deal with the formidable Eurasia integration trio – Russia, China and Iran – is a remixed Divide and Rule; seduce Russia away from its strategic partnership with China, while keep harassing the weakest link, Iran.

Trip Report: China

Period: December, 2016.

By: Anil Chelampath (a pseudonym)

I just got back to Canada from a 30 day trip through China, and wrote a trip report for my friends here in the Toronto area. Since I am a friend of the Saker, I thought I would polish it up, and submit it to the Saker to see if he might consider it for his blog.

Syria’s Future

by Igor Pejic

The Syrian crisis is slowly reaching its seventh year. Violence, radicalization, civil displacement, fragmentation and deterioration of the Syrian society are reaching unprecedented levels. International and regional actors, thus far, have largely failed in their attempts to reach a compromise or a sustainable solution in order to control the crisis and quell the radical groups which are running rampant across the region. Despite Russian, Turkey’s and Iranian latest effort to reach some-kind of peaceful agreement, the situation on the ground still remains very turbulent. Assassination of the Russian ambassador in Turkey, renewed IS advance in the east of the country and the constant refusal by the insurgent groups for any kind of deal with the government are showing a rather grim picture of the future.

Trump’s inaugural speech – promises, hopes and opportunities

This article was written for the Unz Review: http://www.unz.com/tsaker/trumps-inaugural-speech-promises-hopes-and-opportunities/

Just hours ago Donald Trump was finally sworn in as the President of the United States. Considering all the threats hanging over this event, this is good news because at least for the time being, the Neocons have lost their control over the Executive Branch and Trump is now finally in a position to take action. The other good news is Trump’s inauguration speechwhich included this historical promise “We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to follow”. Could that really mean that the USA has given up its role of World Hegemon? The mere fact of asking the question is already an immensely positive development as nobody would have asked it had Hillary Clinton been elected.

French Socialist primary – hiding 5 years of betrayal

by Ramin Mazaheri

The French Socialist Party has the first round of their political primary on January 22nd, and as a longtime news correspondent in Paris I thought it incumbent on me to make a fun prediction.

The fun, if you couldn’t tell, has already started: the incumbent, Francois Hollande, is not even running for re-election.

Russia, EU and NATO SITREP January 11th, 2017 by Scott Humor

In the first ten days of the new year we see the conflicts from 2016 getting worse.

Russian bloggers wish the Westerners a Happy New Year and… a happy Russophobia in 2017:

An interesting essay by Sergey Vasiliev reflects the general mood. The following is a boiled-down version.

An offer “Die!” is the only consistent offer that “civilized” Europe has ever formulated for its Eastern neighbor.

It was formed in the period of the Ecumenical councils of the Church and was consecrated by all the bishops of the Vatican, and then by their followers including Luther, Marx,  Engels, Goebbels and Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis .

Shadow play: the New Great Game in Eurasia

by Pepe Escobar for the Asia Times

So right in the heart of Bali, spellbound after a serious conversation with a dukun – a spiritual master – it struck me: this should be the new Yalta, the perfect setting for a Trump-Xi-Putin summit setting the parameters ahead in the ever-evolving New Great Game in Eurasia.

Balinese culture makes no distinction between the secular and the supernatural – sekala and niskala. Sekala is what our senses may discern. Niskala is what cannot be sensed directly and can only be “suggested”. Massive geopolitical shifts ahead could not be more shrouded by niskala.

Russian ‘Cyberattacking’ – When the Most Flagrant Lie Becomes the Truth

by Peter Koenig

Russian ‘Hacking’ and tilting the American elections in favor of Donald Trump’s is one of the most flagrant lies the White House has thrown around the world. Yet, Mr. Obama is desperate to make the American people and the word believe it did actually happen. As Goebbels, Hitler’s Propaganda Minister, said some 70 years ago, and many before and after him, “If you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes the truth”.

The real significance of the ODNI report on “Russia’s election election interfering”

I have to confess that my first reaction was to simply ignore this report as an irrelevant load of nonsense.  Then I listed to a Ukrainian blogger, Anatoli Sharii, making fun of this report for over 10 minutes.  Listening to him my first reaction was “can’t be – Sharii is in overkill mode”.  But then Sharii began quoting the report at length and I simply could not believe my eyes (I reading the original English text which Sharii had translated into Russian): every word Sharii said was true.  That’s when I decided to download this document and read it.  Here it is embedded for you to read.  Please do read the full text.  It is absolutely amazing:

Before we go into the details, I also recommend that you go through the following two examples of how the US corporate media “helpfully” provided their readers with a “guide” to better understand/interpret this report:

Brief on International Diplomacy January 2017, by Scott Humor

Russia

In the first week of January the US Embassy in Russia began refusing to continue issuing visas citing some unidentified problems with plumbing. Moscow water authorities claim that they didn’t receive any complaints from the Embassy.

It is unclear when the US Embassy will resume its work.

Lagos Trader Tortures Nine-year-old Boy For Stealing (photos)

The police have arrested a woman, identified only as Bassey, for allegedly inserting a stick of broom dipped in pepper into the private parts of a nine-year-old boy, identified as Promise, in the Ebute-Meta area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that Bassey had accused the victim, who was her nephew, of stealing N2,000.

Awujale: Obasanjo Fought Adenuga Because Of Atiku - The Nation

Excerpt from Awujale: The Autobiography of Alaiyeluwa Oba S.K Adetona, Ogbagba II, Mosuro Publishers, 2010, pp. 187-195

The EFCC in Lagos had come calling brusquely on Mike Adenuga (Jnr), Chairman Globacom on 9 July 2006. They broke his gate, swarmed into his house and kept him under ‘arrest’. When I heard about the arrest, I called the legal firms, of Ayanlaja SAN & Adesanya SAN as well as Professor Biodun Adesanya SAN to take up the matter and secure Mike’s release. They swung into action and gave indication that they would take the matter to court.

2016: the year of Russia’s triumph

This column was written for the Unz Review: http://www.unz.com/tsaker/2016-the-year-of-russias-triumph/

Just like European maps place Europe in the center of the planet, so do most western commentators look at the past year from a US/Europe-centered perspective.  Which is fair enough.  Furthermore, the AngloZionist Empire has just suffered two major disasters, the Brexit and the election of Trump, so there is truly much interesting to focus on.  Still, what I want to do today is to look at the year which is ending from a Russian perspective.  The following were the major challenges Russia faced in 2016:

Obama’s Legacy of Failure

by Ghassan Kadi

In his recent article titled “Obama Out Not With a Bang, But a Whimper”, and in his regular eloquent and expressive style, Pepe Escobar nailed it. More need not be said about the Obama legacy, but this man, Obama, has had a personal effect on me, one that I cannot let go of without putting down on paper my own views of his infamous legacy.

Neocon panic and agony

This column was written for the Unz Review: http://www.unz.com/tsaker/neocon-panic-and-agony/

There are clear signs that the Neocons running the AngloZionist Empire and it’s “deep state” are in a state of near panic and their actions are indicating that they are truly terrified.

Senate indicts SGF Lawal, demands his resignation, prosecution

The senate has, on Wednesday, indicted Secretary to the Government of the Federation [SGF], David Babachir Lawal over “Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North East”.

The Senate also called for the immediate resignation and prosecution of SGF Lawal, ‎accusing him of awarded N200 million contract to his personal company.

Retiree commits suicide two days after losing sight

A retiree of a milk producing company in Lagos, Roy Davies, 54, has comitted suicide two days after a treatment on his left eye went awry, reports Punchng.

Davies, who lived on Oyegbemi Street, Amukoko, Lagos State, reportedly took substance suspected to be Sniper – an insecticide – in the early hours of Saturday.

First Turkish Leopard 2 Tank Knocked Out In Syria (Video)

Photo: YouTube / Turkish Military Portal Turk Silahli Kuvvetleri.

A video, showing a process of hitting of the Turkish Leopard 2A4 tank by an antitank guided weapons system, has been published online. Turkish troops, operating in Syria, have lost the Leopard 2A4 tank, which was hit by an antitank guided weapons system. As a result of the missile hit, four armor crewmen were wounded.

Gambian Soldiers Take over Electoral Commission as West African Leaders Press Jammeh to Quit

Nigeria said on Tuesday Gambia’s veteran ruler seemed receptive to a message from West African leaders that he accept his election defeat and step down, even as Gambian soldiers took over the offices of the electoral commission.

Security guard found dead inside petrol tanker in Delta State, one week after going missing .

Emmanuel Obene a.k.a Emeke, a private security guard attached to Frankies Filling Station along Enerhen road in Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, was on Monday found dead inside a petrol tanker belonging to the owner of the station where he works, Punchng reports.

The Choice: Repent or Betray?

by bell_moscow

translated by Vox Populi Evo

Investigation by journalists of German newspaper “Contra Magazin” give some food for thought. The title of the article “Relations between Russia and Turkey: Is Ankara playing a double game?” is quite transparent.

Where have all the flowers (and the Peace Movement) gone?

by Ghassan Kadi

Love or hate the Hippie era, it was definitely different, and it heralded the beginning of a new type of awakening in the West, and this time the awakening was not against the Western Church(es), but against the establishment.

The Italian Referendum

by Jimmie Moglia

The Italians said “no” in the recent referendum. Its main objective was to reform the Italian Constitution, strengthen the authority of the government and reduce the power of the electorate at large to influence political outcomes.

Unskilled in political autopsies, I will not discuss details amply elucidated elsewhere, in the mainstream and alternative media.

But ever prone to scour the useless in search for the irrelevant, I will talk about the 3 regions that voted ‘yes’ in the Referendum.

Putin sends “Chechen” special operation forces to Syria

This SITREP was written for the Unz Review: http://www.unz.com/tsaker/putin-sends-chechen-special-operation-forces-to-syria/

Very interesting news today: according to the journal Izvestia, Russia will be sending operators from the so-called “Chechen” special forces battalions “West” and “East” to Syria to “guard the Russian installations” in Khmeimim and Tartus.  According to Russian sources, these two battalions have been converted into a “military police” force which will be fully deployed by the end of December.

The World SITREP December 7th, 2015 by Baaz

The Middle East

The Yemeni army and popular forces continued their advances in Southern Saudi Arabia, inflicting losses on the military hardware of the kingdom’s government troops.

“On Monday, the Yemeni army and popular forces took control of a military base in Najran province.

“The Yemeni forces captured a military base with all its military equipment near the city of Najran,” Senior Ansarullah Commander Ali al-Hamzani told FNA.