Stephen Lendman

Propaganda substitutes misinformation and Big Lies for hard truths. Repeated enough gets most people to believe it, especially when credible information is suppressed.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) operates as a mouthpiece for Western imperial interests.

A previous article said it accused Russia of killing 2,100 Syrian civilians since from last September through May, including 500 children and 300 women - citing no credible evidence supporting its spurious accusation. Yesterday, it claimed nonexistent Russian airstrikes killed 23 civilians in Idlib - in northwestern Syria near Turkey’s border. Photographic evidence cited was unrelated to the incident, used by Al Jazeera last November - at the time, irresponsibly blaming Russia for killing at least 44 civilians.

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Stephen Lendman

Russia genuinely wants conflict in Syria resolved diplomatically. Otherwise, it can continue interminably.

America wants endless war, Assad ousted, pro-Western puppet governance installed and Syrian sovereignty destroyed.

Intractable East/West positions show no signs of changing. Endless war rages, escalation likely.

So-called cessation of hostilities proved farcical. Peace talks were dead on arrival. Washington and its rogue partners support terrorist groups ravaging Syria. US air power and special forces on the ground aid them. No so-called moderate rebels exist, one of many Big Lies about Obama’s dirty war, the pure evil face of imperialism, continuing without mercy no matter who succeeds him.

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Stephen Lendman

Last week, Russian sports minister Vitaly Mutko fired back against reports indicating US Justice Department officials launched an investigation into alleged doping of Russian athletes, saying:

“There are enough violations of anti-doping rules round the world, and they can all be probed. We would like to see the United States probing its own national team. The atmosphere there is far from being cloudless.”

Late last year, Putin ordered a thorough investigation into alleged doping of Russian athletes, saying offenders alone should be punished, not an entire country. “(T)hat’s the rule,” he stressed.

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Stephen Lendman

So-called Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) imposition by any country involves protecting its national security interests.

Foreign aircraft entering it without authorization may be intercepted, ordered out, or forced down if refuse. In the case of the South China Sea, vessels could be interdicted for entering protected waters without permission.

US-generated tensions risk escalating dangerously. A previous article indicated China intends deploying nuclear-armed subs in Pacific Ocean waters for the first time - to counter America’s growing threat.

Unjustifiably claiming freedom of navigation rights, provocative US air and naval military patrols, along with joint exercises with Asian allies, ups the stakes for possible direct Sino/US confrontation.

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Stephen Lendman

From June 10 - July 10, European football championship matches will be held in France - fear-mongering in high gear, hyping a suspected ISIS sleeper cell terrorist attack.

The Islamic State is US-created, Western-supported. Any attack during upcoming games will be another in a series of false flag incidents, hyping fear to justify endless aggression and tougher police state harshness - Western societies increasingly unfit and unsafe to live in. Evidence strongly indicates false flag responsibility for last November’s well-coordinated, strategically timed, multiple attacks in Paris.

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Stephen Lendman

Lawless collective punishment usually follows violent incidents involving Palestinians - most often state-sponsored, not their fault.

Wednesday evening Tel Aviv shootings were unusual, reports indicating four Israelis killed, 16 wounded at the Sarona open-air shopping center, according to Israeli emergency services.

Two armed men reportedly disguised as orthodox Jews opened fire indiscriminately. Suspects were arrested. One is hospitalized in moderate condition.

Israel automatically calls these incidents “terrorist” attacks, using them to demonize all Palestinians, justifying unjustifiable collective punishment.

Netanyahu convened a Thursday security meeting, harsh recrimination sure to follow, nonviolent Palestinians to suffer unfairly for the crimes of two individuals.

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Stephen Lendman

The 14th Dalai Lama’s longstanding history of CIA collaboration shows he’s no saint-like human rights champion - earlier supporting the agency’s involvement in arming, training, funding and directing Tibetan fighters against China from his exiled Indian residence.

He’s as much a political operative as religious figure, supporting Western imperial interests - a refugee himself, opposed to others forced to flee from US war zones, notably Syria.

In an interview with German newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung, he said “too many” refugees seek asylum in Europe.

“Europe, for example Germany, cannot become an Arab country. Germany is Germany.” It’s taken in so many refugees, “it becomes difficult” to avoid it.

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Stephen Lendman

Endless war continues with no prospect for peace because Washington rejects it - wanting overwhelmingly popular Bashar al-Assad forcibly ousted, knowing he won’t step down voluntarily nor should he.

International law supports him. Syrians alone may decide who’ll lead them, free from foreign interference.

All armed opposition groups in Syria engaged in combat against government forces along with slaughtering defenseless civilians are terrorists.Washington and its rogue allies support them - imported death squads unable to exist without foreign backing.

No so-called “moderate rebels” exist. Speaking last October at the International Valdai Discussion Club’s annual meeting, Putin forthrightly said “(w)hy play with words dividing terrorists into moderate and not moderate. What’s the difference?”

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Stephen Lendman

Manning was wrongfully imprisoned for courageously revealing US war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan Pentagon officials want suppressed.

Responsible parties got medals and promotions. Manning got prison. Show trial proceedings sentenced her to 35 years behind bars.

Rogue states honor their worst, persecute their best, Manning one of thousands of US political prisoners.

Lawyers representing her filed a motion before the US Army Court of Criminal Appeals, calling her 2013 conviction unconstitutional, arguing it should be overturned.

One count was based on allegedly violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), aimed at holding individuals involved in breaking into computer systems responsible, what Manning didn’t do.

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Stephen Lendman

NATO was always more about offense than defense, about America controlling the policies of Alliance members, increasing their numbers, pressuring them to stress militarism more than they’d chose otherwise - and selling them lots of US weapons.

When founded in April 1949, Soviet Russia was a North Atlantic Alliance enemy in name only, ravaged by WW II - needing years after Stalin’s April 1953 death to regain pre-war normality, peace essential to restore it.

Washington controls NATO, covering 75% of its budget, calling the shots, installing subservient Alliance officials to serve its agenda.

At a time when no US enemies exist, they’re invented to justify NATO’s existence - including Milosevic, bin Laden and the Taliban, Saddam, Gaddafi, Assad, Yemeni Houthis, Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and independent democratic leaders everywhere America doesn’t control.

Cold War II is much more intense than its earlier version, Putin bashed and denigrated shamelessly for not bowing to Washington’s will, for wanting multi-world polarity according to international rule of law principles.

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