Politics

The moment the first Russian jet landed in Syria at the invitation of the Assad government in 2015, Putin placed himself in the driver's seat concerning the international proxy war in the Levant. From a strategic standpoint the armed opposition stood no chance of ever tipping the scales against Damascus from that moment onward. And though US relations with Russia became more belligerent and tense partly as a result of that intervention, it meant that Russia would set the terms of how the war would ultimately wind down.

Via TheAntiMedia.org,

According to Bernie Sanders, Saudi Arabia has “funded terrorism” around the world and is “not an ally of the United States.”

Bernie Sanders broke with the bipartisan consensus on Capitol Hill in an exclusive interview with The Intercept.

The United States has long considered Saudi Arabia to be a loyal friend, supporter, and partner in the so-called war on terror. 

Authored by Patrick Buchanan via Buchanan.org,

If a U.S. president calls an adversary “Rocket Man … on a mission to suicide,” and warns his nation may be “totally destroyed,” other ideas in his speech will tend to get lost.

Which is unfortunate.

For buried in Donald Trump’s address is a clarion call to reject transnationalism and to re-embrace a world of sovereign nation-states that cherish their independence and unique identities.

Never March on Russia

I share with The Saker the concern that the hubris and arrogance that reside in Washington are capable of a fatal mistake that would bring the world to an end. Indeed, the crazed Israeli government could provoke the conflict. http://thesaker.is/russian-special-forces-repel-a-us-commanded-attack-in-syria-denounce-the-usa-and-issue-a-stark-warning/

In a considerably more aggressive, and less diplomatic, 'story' in China's government mouthpiece Xinhua, writers warn:

"It is not hard to tell that the situation has become a vicious circle where more missile tests trigger more sanctions, while more sanctions trigger more tests..." urging the double-freeze solution once again, saying that "the parties concerned need to respect each other's security concerns."