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Crimea: Putin’s Triumph
Israel Shamir
Nobody expected events to move forward with such a breath-taking speed. The Russians took their time; they sat on the fence and watched while the Brown storm-troopers conquered Kiev, and they watched while Mrs Victoria Nuland of the State Department and her pal Yatsenyuk (“Yats”) slapped each other’s backs and congratulated themselves on their quick victory. They watched when President Yanukovych escaped to Russia to save his skin. They watched when the Brown bands moved eastwards to threaten the Russian-speaking South East. They patiently listened while Mme Timoshenko, fresh out of gaol, swore to void treaties with Russia and to expel the Russian Black Sea Fleet from its main harbour in Sevastopol. They paid no heed when the new government appointed oligarchs to rule Eastern provinces. Nor did they react when children in Ukrainian schools were ordered to sing “Hang a Russian on a thick branch” and the oligarch-governor’s deputy promised to hang dissatisfied Russians of the East as soon as Crimea is pacified. While these fateful events unravelled, Putin kept silence.
Obama: “Remaking the Middle East”: The American Gulag
James Petras
Introduction
During the beginning of his first term in office President Obama promised “to remake the Middle East into a region of prosperity and freedom”. Six years later the reality is totally the contrary: the Middle East is ruled by despotic regimes whose jails are overflowing with political prisoners. The vast majority of pro-democracy activists who have been incarcerated, have been subject to harsh torture and are serving long prison sentences. The rulers lack legitimacy, having seized power and maintained their rule through a centralized police state and military repression.Direct US military and CIA intervention, massive shipments of arms,military bases, training missions and Special Forces are decisive in the construction of the Gulag chain from North Africa to the Gulf States.
We will proceed by documenting the scale and scope of political repression in each US backed police state. We will then describe the scale and scope of US military aid buttressing the “remaking of the Middle East” into a chain of political prisons run by and for the US Empire.
Fake Donetsk Letter Circulating
by Stephen Lendman
John Kerry denounced it, saying:
"During the past couple of days Jews in one of the cities were sent letters that they should declare themselves as Jews. The letter also contained threats."
"By 2014, after all the lessons that history has presented to us, it is not just unacceptable. It is - absurd. This is - beyond acceptability."
"People involved in this kind of activity on both sides need to understand that there is no place for this."
Kiev Breaks Easter Truce
by Stephen Lendman
On April 19, Kiev putschists pledged no Easter weekend Eastern Ukraine attacks. They promised "suspension of the active phase of the anti-terrorism operation" to defuse crisis conditions.
A state security service (SBU) spokeswoman said suspension was "linked to the implementation of the Geneva agreement and the Easter holidays."
Putschist Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia added:
"The anti-terrorist operation was put on hold for the Easter time, and we will be not using force against them at this moment."
A day earlier, he said "more concrete actions" will follow next week if activists don't stop resisting. He demands unconditional surrender.
Protesters remain firm. They want their fundamental rights respected. They want local autonomy. They want real democracy.
Unacceptable Kiev-Sponsored Murder
by Stephen Lendman
Fascist thugs operate this way. Moscow denounced them. Slavyansk Mayor Vladimir Ponomaryov asked Russia to send peacekeepers for protection. More on this below.
A companion article said Kiev putschists pledged no Easter weekend Eastern Ukraine attacks. Straightaway they occurred.
Earlier deployed Right Sector neo-Nazis murdered 4 Slavyansk activists. They did so in cold blood.
Other gunmen attacked central city residents. Two victims were injured. They remain hospitalized. Expect more Right Sector initiated violence ahead.
They bear full responsibility for Maidan killings. Clear evidence proves it. Ousted President Viktor Yanukovych had nothing to do with what happened.
Russia Bashing Continues
by Stephen Lendman
Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions. Russia alone has gone all-out to resolve them responsibly.
Putin and Sergei Lavrov deserve Nobel Peace Prize recognition. War criminals alone get it. Obama is Exhibit A.
US bullying, bluster, and threats continue. Brazen lies repeat. Sanctions were imposed. Obama threatened more saying:
"My hope is we do actually see follow-through over the next several days, but I don't think, given past performance, that we can count on that, and we have to be prepared to potentially respond to what continues to be efforts of interference by the Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine."
Neocons infest Washington. National Security Advisor Susan Rice is one of the worst.
"We expect and we will be watching whether Russia does or does not uphold its responsibility to use its very considerable influence to restrain and withdraw those irregular militia from the buildings and spaces that they've occupied," she said.
Canada Targets Russia
by Stephen Lendman
Right-wing Prime Minister Stephen Harper marches in lockstep with Washington. He's Obama's unctuous little sidekick. He dances to his tune. He partners in his dark side. No pun intended.
Canadian travel restrictions were imposed on senior Russian officials. Crimean ones were targeted. Economic sanctions followed. Last month, Harper announced them, saying:
"It's my strong belief we must keep the pressure on and we must continue to maintain sanctions and maintain putting in place strong steps to dissuade this behaviour."
"What the Putin regime has done cannot be tolerated and can never be accepted. The individuals targeted are responsible for undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and for facilitating Russian military action against Ukraine."
"Canada will not stand by while Russia violates Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Putin Speaks
by Stephen Lendman
On April 17, Putin held his annual televised Q & A session. He did it with ordinary Russians nationwide. He did it for the 12th time. Doing so connects with them.
He responded to questions forthrightly. Most concerned Ukraine and Crimea. He covered lots of ground.
Trust lost is hard to regain, he said. It's been "undermined to a great degree, but why is this happening?
"We believe in this situation we are not at fault." Restoring trust requires Washington abandoning its "double standards."
An Interview With David Rovics, Art of Resistance
By GILAD ATZMON
Rovics and Atzmon
I have a lot in common with David Rovics. We are both artists- he is an American singer/songwriter, I am a Jazz artist, we are outspoken, we both oppose imperialist wars and we also believe that ethics and aesthetics are somehow related and can bring a change. For many years I’ve been overwhelmed by the simplicity, the honesty and the directness with which David delivers his message.
Gilad Atzmon: Music and politics, shouldn’t they be separate entities?
David Rovics: Music without politics is fine. Politics without music, I’m not so sure… Politics needs music to keep it human, to keep it connected with humanity. As far as politics in music, it works well because you can tell a story in a song that doesn’t ring the same alarm bells as it would if you told the story some other way. I think music — and other forms of artistic expression, but especially music — is the best way to bring someone somewhere you want to bring them, if you can’t take them to the actual place you’re singing about.
Kiev Violates Four-Party Agreement
by Stephen Lendman
The ink wasn't even dry. On April 17, deal terms was struck. A previous article discussed them. Hold the cheers. They're not worth the paper they're written on.
Washington negotiates duplicitously. Promises made are systematically broken. Don't expect this time to be different.
Kiev's illegitimate putschists didn't surprise. They violated agreement terms. They did so straightaway. They acted with full US support. More on this below.
On April 17, a joint US/EU/Russia/Ukraine statement said the following:
"The Geneva meeting on the situation in Ukraine agreed on initial concrete steps to de-escalate tensions and restore security for all citizens.
All sides must refrain from any violence, intimidation or provocative actions. The participants strongly condemned and rejected all expressions of extremism, racism and religious intolerance, including anti-semitism.
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