Russia

With anti-establishmentarians on the rise in the US & Europe, it appears the neocons and their NATO proxy aren't wasting any time and are stepping up not just the words, but their deeds, against a so-called "resurgent Russia." NATO's European Command (EUCOM) "needs to change," blasts General Philip Breedlove, urging the military to get back to the business of war planning, a skill lost during the post-Cold War era saying his objective is to send a signal of deterrence to Russia.

China and Russia have both successfully tested their offset hypersonic gliders which they claim are capable of penetrating the American THAAD system (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense). The U.S. plans to deploy the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in South Korea to counter threats from North Korea.

Submitted by Irina Slav via OilPrice.com,

Russia and Saudi Arabia have been (relatively) quietly fighting for market share in China ever since oil prices started their downward spiral in mid-2014 - now the battle is heating up, and teapot refineries are what could tip the balance.

Tensions continue to escalate between the US and Russia. As a reminder, Russia conducted several close encounter fly-bys when first a Russian Su-24 "buzzed" the US missile destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea, and just days later flew within 50 feet of a US recon plane also flying over the Baltic Sea. The U.S. quickly responded and complained vocally to Russia, followed quickly by the first deployment of US F-22 stealth fighter to Romania, in close proximity to both the Black Sea and 400 km from the Russian military stronghold of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula.

From The Archive: MH-17

Paul Craig Roberts

Not long ago I wrote that every American institution, public and private, is corrupt. And every week Robert Parry’s reports prove the truth of my statement.