Sunday, August 31, 2014

Dutch Intellectuals Apologize to Putin for Lies on MH17, Syria, Ukraine...

EDITOR'S CHOICE | 31.08.2014 | 01:29
 
A letter sent by a prominent Dutch Professor to Russian president Vladimir Putin has attracted much media attention in Europe.  The letter was written by Professor Cees Hamelink and signed by dozens of Dutch intellectuals and professors. Below is the letter in its entirety.
Dear Mr. President Putin,
Please accept our apologies on behalf of a great many people here in the Netherlands for our Government and our Media. The facts concerning MH17 are twisted to defame you and your country.

We are powerless onlookers, as we witness how the Western Nations, led by the United States, accuse Russia of crimes they commit themselves more than anybody else. We reject the double standards that are used for Russia and the West. In our societies, sufficient evidence is required for a conviction. The way you and your Nation are convicted for 'crimes' without evidence, is ruthless and despicable.

You have saved us from a conflict in Syria that could have escalated into a World War. The mass killing of innocent Syrian civilians through gassing by ‘Al-­‐Qaeda’ terrorists, trained and armed by the US and paid for by Saudi Arabia, was blamed on Assad. In doing so, the West hoped public opinion would turn against Assad, paving the way for an attack on Syria.

Not long after this, Western forces have built up, trained and armed an ‘opposition’ in the Ukraine, to prepare a coup against the legitimate Government in Kiev. The putschists taking over were quickly recognized by Western Governments. They were provided with loans from our tax money to prop their new Government up.

The people of the Crimea did not agree with this and showed this with peaceful demonstrations. Anonymous snipers and violence by Ukrainian troops turned these demonstrations into demands for independence from Kiev. Whether you support these separatist movements is immaterial, considering the blatant Imperialism of the West.

Russia is wrongly accused, without evidence or investigation, of delivering the weapons systems that allegedly brought down MH17. For this reason Western Governments claim they have a right to economically pressure Russia.

We, awake citizens of the West, who see the lies and machinations of our Governments, wish to offer you our apologies for what is done in our name.
It’s unfortunately true, that our media have lost all independence and are just mouthpieces for the Powers that Be. Because of this, Western people tend to have a warped view of reality and are unable to hold their politicians to account.
Our hopes are focused on your wisdom. We want Peace. We see that Western Governments do not serve the people but are working towards a New World Order. The destruction of sovereign nations and the killing of millions of innocent people is, seemingly, a price worth paying for them, to achieve this goal.

We, the people of the Netherlands, want Peace and Justice, also for and with Russia.
We hope to make clear that the Dutch Government speaks for itself only. We pray our efforts will help to diffuse the rising tensions between our Nations.

Sincerely, Professor Cees Hamelink 
macedoniaonline.eu

Ukraine: Russian Trucks Deliver Food — and Leave By Sara Flounders

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Two hundred twenty-seven white paneled trucks ”invaded” Ukraine from Russia on Aug. 22, transporting large bags filled with grain, beans, drinking water, medicines, generators and sleeping bags. By Aug. 23, the trucks were back in Russia.
The trucks had delivered emergency survival supplies to the people in Lugansk, eastern Ukraine. Lugansk is resisting a military onslaught from the Kiev junta regime and the fascist groups active in that regime. The Kiev junta is the product of a coup against the elected government last Feb. 22.
U.S. officials, who support Israel’s slaughter of Gaza’s children, expressed outrage, shock and alarm at the truck convoy and threatened heavier sanctions against Russia, accusing that country of flagrant violation of Ukraine’s ­sovereignty.
The head of Ukraine’s security service, Valentyn Nalyvaychenko, called the Russian convoy a “direct invasion.” (cnn.com, Aug. 23)
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen issued a statement accusing Moscow of a “blatant breach of Russia’s international commitments.” (Washington Post, Aug. 22)
U.S. National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden asserted, “Russian vehicles violate Ukraine’s sovereignty.” (whitehouse.gov, Aug. 22)
Vice President Joseph Biden denounced “Russia’s blatant provocation and disregard of Ukraine’s sovereignty.” (Associated Press, Aug. 23)
The level of hypocrisy and cynicism from the world’s biggest warmakers knew no bounds.
Britain fully supported and participated in the U.S. massive bombing, invasion and occupation of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. However, British ambassador to the U.N. Mark Lyall Grant denounced the Russian food trucks delivering supplies and withdrawing the following day as “an undeniable and blatant violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and clear breach of international law and the U.N. charter.” (abcnews.go.com, Aug. 22)
In the interests of Wall Street’s profits, the U.S. military has invaded 74 countries in the past century. There were U.S. military operations and major troop movements in 14 countries in the past 15 years. These involved tens of thousands of troops, tanks, jet aircraft, armored personnel carriers and predator drones.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued its own strongly worded warning against an attack on the aid convoy: “We are warning against any attempts to thwart this purely humanitarian mission which took a long time to prepare in conditions of complete transparency and cooperation with the Ukrainian side and the [International Committee of the Red Cross]. Those who are ready to continue sacrificing human lives to their own ambitions and geopolitical designs and who are rudely trampling on the norms and principles of international humanitarian law will assume complete responsibility for the possible consequences of provocations against the humanitarian relief convoy.
“All the excuses to delay the delivery of aid to people in the area of a humanitarian catastrophe are exhausted. The Russian side has made a decision to act. Our column with humanitarian cargo starts moving toward Luhansk.” (globalresearch.ca, Aug. 22)
The bold distribution of supplies in east Ukraine took place just before the Aug. 24 event in Kiev where the pro-West regime celebrated Ukraine’s 23rd Independence Day. The coup leaders planned to use the occasion to call for increased defense spending.
In the lead up to this right-wing celebration and desperate for a decisive victory against the popular insurrection, the Kiev troops, led by fascist forces, had stepped up attacks on Luhansk and Donetsk with military aircraft, tanks and armored vehicles targeting residential areas and civilian facilities.
On the same day and in another type of stinging response to the fascist celebration in Kiev, rebel forces in Donetsk put two destroyed Ukrainian armored personnel carriers on display in Donetsk’s central Lenin Square and marched captured fascist thugs through the streets.
In Donetsk, an estimated one-third of the city’s population of 1 million has been evacuated, especially children. Many who remain have lived for weeks without electricity or running water and spent days hunkered down in bomb shelters.
U.N. officials estimate that more than 2,000 people have died and nearly 5,000 have been wounded in eastern Ukraine since mid-April.

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Articles by:Sara Flounders
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Center of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post original Global Research articles on community internet sites as long as the text & title are not modified. The source and the author's copyright must be displayed. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: publications@globalresearch.ca
www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.
For media inquiries: publications@globalresearch.ca

Saturday, August 30, 2014

Wider den reißerischeren, zum Kriege führenden Strom!



"Die Ukraine, korrupter Journalismus und der Glaube der Atlantiker"
Ein Beitrag von Prof. (em.) Karel Wolferen, ehemaliger Ostasienkorrespondent des niederländische NRC Handelsblad

Der Artikel von Karel von Wolferen ist  schon am 14. August erschienen, noch  höchstaktuell, ein wichtiger Beitrag zum Antikriegstag.  Erstaunlich, dass dieser Text, der die aktuellen Vorgänge einzuordnen hilft, keine weitere Verbreitung gefunden hat. Deshalb machen wir darauf aufmerksam. Carsten Weikamp hat den Text freundlicherweise für die Nachdenkseiten übersetzt. Hier ist die deutsche Fassung als PDF. Die englische Fassung findet sich hier
Karel von Wolferen setzt sich kritisch mit der NATO und den Atlantikern, mit der amerikanischen Politik und der Rolle der Neokonservativen auseinander. Er sieht im Versagen der Medien eine der großen Ursachen für die Fehlentwicklung. Die deutschen Medien überschätzt er allerdings, vor allem den „Spiegel“, und wohl auch die  Deutschland führenden Politiker Merkel und Steinmeier. Dieses Manko beeinträchtigt nicht die Bedeutung des Textes, die nachdenklich stimmt.

aus dem Artikel:

Was muss passieren, dass die Europäer aufwachen und erkennen, dass Washington mit dem Feuer spielt und aufgehört hat, der Beschützer zu sein, auf den sie sich bisher immer verlassen haben, und stattdessen ihre Sicherheit gefährdet. Wird der Moment kommen, in dem klar wird, dass es bei der Ukraine-Krise als allererstes darum geht, Star Wars Raketen auf einem langen Abschnitt der russischen Grenze in Stellung zu bringen, was Washington – in der wahnwitzigen Sprache der Nuklearstrategen – die Möglichkeit eines 'Erstschlags' eröffnet?

Älteren Europäern dämmert es, dass die Vereinigten Staaten Feinde hat, die nicht die Feinde Europas sind, weil sie sie aus innenpolitischen Gründen brauchen; um eine wirtschaftlich enorm wichtige Kriegsindustrie am Laufen zu halten und im Schnellverfahren die politische Eignung von Kandidaten für öffentliche Ämter zu testen. Während Schurkenstaaten und Terroristen als Ziele für 'gerechten Krieg' nie so richtig überzeugend waren, könnte Putins Russland, so wie es von einer militaristischen NATO dämonisiert wird, geeignet sein, den transatlantischen Status Quo zu bewahren. Ich dachte vom ersten Moment an, als ich davon hörte, dass die Wahrheit über das Schicksal des malaysischen Flugzeugs politisch determiniert würde. Die Blackboxen sind in London. In NATO-Händen?


Weitere Informationen … / link zu den nachdenkseiten

“Russia Invades Ukraine”, Strategic NATO Public Relations Stunt. Where are the Russian Tanks?

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Read the London tabloids. Russia has launched “a full-scale invasion”. A vast propaganda campaign has been launched. Where is the evidence?
The media is spreading “fake evidence” in the week leading up to the Wales NATO Summit.
The objective is to herald Russia as the aggressor.
What is at stake is a strategic public relations stunt.
Sixty countries will be represented at the NATO Summit in Wales on 4-5 September including the 28 NATO member states.
NATO Summit Wales 2014The media lies “fit the military agenda” already formulated by the Pentagon in consultation with NATO and Her Majesty’s Government.
US-NATO requires “evidence” to build a political consensus at the Wales NATO Summit on September 4-5 hosted by Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron. According to PM David Cameron in a letter addressed to heads of State and heads of government of NATO member states ahead of the Summit:
“Leaders [of NATO countries] must review NATO’s long term relationship with Russia at the summit in response to Russia’s illegal actions in Ukraine.
“And the PM wants to use the summit to agree on how NATO will sustain a robust presence in Eastern Europe in the coming months to provide reassurance to allies there, building on work already underway in NATO.” (See PM writes to NATO leaders ahead of NATO Summit Wales 2014)
A pretext for an all out war on Russia under a humanitarian cloak?  The West coming to the rescue of civilians in Eastern Ukraine?
In late July in consultation with the Pentagon, NATO’s Europe commander General Philip Breedlove had (ahead of  the Wales NATO meeting) already called for “stockpiling a base in Poland with enough weapons, ammunition and other supplies to support a rapid deployment of thousands of troops against Russia”.(RT, July 24, 2014). According to General Breedlove, NATO needs “pre-positioned supplies, pre-positioned capabilities and a basing area ready to rapidly accept follow-on forces”:
“He plans to recommend placing supplies — weapons, ammunition and ration packs — at the headquarters to enable a sudden influx of thousands of Nato troops” (Times, August 22, 2014, emphasis added)
Breedlove’s “Blitzkrieg scenario” which could escalate into a World War III scenario is part of NATO’s summit agenda in Wales next week. In substance it is a “copy and paste” of the draftRussian Aggression Prevention Act (RAPA) (in the US Senate) which directs President Obama to initiate the militarization of Eastern Europe with a view to confronting Russia.
The Convoy of Russian Tanks. Where is It?
In support of NATO’s planned deployments to Eastern Europe, the Western media is claiming without evidence that a large convoy of Russian tanks has crossed the border into Ukraine and are operating under Russian command inside Ukraine.
The satellite images released by NATO show tanks and vehicles inside Ukraine, within an area controlled by Donbass forces. Where did they come from?
Ironically, these images are not from advanced US-NATO military satellite sources, they are from a digital commercial company operating on the internet. www.DigitalGlobe.com “a leading global provider of high-resolution earth imagery”.
While the Atlantic Alliance has access to advanced military and intelligence imagery, it takes the trouble of identyfing its source:  [Image #1 provided by Digital Globe]
While media reports (with extensive photographic evidence). confirmed the  entry into Ukraine of  a convoy of Russian “white vans” which were part of Russia’s humanitarian initiative, nobody actually saw the tanks entering Ukraine.
With regard to the NATO satellite images, there is no indication as to where these tanks and armored vehicles came from and whether they were operated by the Russian military.
The Daily Mail online featured an unconvincing 20 second video of an alleged Russian tank inside Ukraine (see still image above).

Spinning a Russian Invasion
This is not the first time that the media is spinning a “Russian Invasion”.  Earlier reports in June alluded to State Department sources that:
“three aging Russian T-64 tanks had been sent to Ukraine,” and that the Ukrainian government was claiming that there were 10 more tanks. The Times also noted:
Adding to Western concerns, the senior Obama administration official said, artillery has been moved to a deployment site inside southwest Russia and may soon be shipped across the border.
Not only are the anonymous claims of one official the source of the information–they also provide the analysis of that information, floating a slightly-too-perfect theory that Russia is handing over old equipment in order to make it seem like they’re not actually doing so (Peter Hart, Ukraine Tips From Nameless US Officials: Good Enough for the New York Times,  Global Research, June 27, 2014,http://www.globalresearch.ca/ukraine-tips-from-nameless-us-officials-good-enough-for-the-new-york-times/5388916
It should be noted that this as well as previous “Russian invasions” have been the object of sizable speculative gains on financial markets.
Where are the alleged Russian Tanks?
While various explanations are put forth concerning the alleged Russian tanks and armored vehicles, what is never mentioned in Western media reports is that the Donbass militia do not need Russian tanks.
“large quantities of advanced weapons, including air defence systems, artillery, tanks, and armoured personnel carriers [are] being transferred to separatist forces in Eastern Ukraine,”
Yet the evidence confirms that in  the course of the last two months, the Donbass militia have acquired a significant arsenal of tanks and armored vehicles captured from Ukrainian forces.
Separatist rebels operate a tank in eastern Ukraine (Rob Stothard/Getty Images)
Rebels operate a tank in eastern Ukraine (Rob Stothard/Getty Images)
The large loss of military equipment is confirmed by the Ukraine Ministry of Internal Affairs, either destroyed or captured by Donbass forces.
Official Ukraine sources acknowledge a significant loss of  tanks and armored vehicles.
Based solely on a two week period in July, 35 Ukraine Army tanks and 96 Armoured Battle Vehicles were either confiscated or destroyed by Donetsk and Lugansk forces, according to an official brief  signed by Arsen Avakov (Minister of Internal Affairs) and V. Gritsak (Head of ATO [Anti-Terrorism Operation])
  1. Tanks: 35
  2. Armoured Battle Vehicles: 96
  3. Artillery: 38
  4. Aircraft: 7
  5. Helicopters: 2
  6. Automobiles: 104
While the above figures do not distinguish between  confiscated and destroyed military equipment,Cyberberkut, provides the following data based on leaked official information. 
According to Cyberberkut: some 65 tanks and 69 armoured battle vehicles and other military hardware (See list below) were captured by the Donbass militia over a period of less than 2 months (from June 20 to August 15).
tanks T-64 – 65 units;
infantry fighting vehicles (BMP) – 69 units;
armored personnel carriers (BTR) – 39 units;
combat reconnaissance patrol vehicles (BRDM) – 2 units;
airborne combat vehicles (BMD) – 9 units;
multiple artillery rocket systems (RSZO)  BM27 Uragan – 2 units;
self-propelled guns (SAU) 2S4 “Tyulpan” – 2 units;
self-propelled guns (SAU) 2S9 “Nona” – 6 units;
self-propelled guns (SAU) 2S1 “Gvozdika” – 25 units;
howitzers D-30 – 10 units; 82 mm. caliber mortars – 32 units;
anti-aircraft mounts ZU-23-2 – 18 units; wheeled vehicles – 124 units.
While we are not in a position to fully corroborate the Cyberberkut report (based on leaked official documents), the figures collected over the period of June 20 to August 15 are broadly consistent with the official release.
What these two sets of figures confirm is that rebel forces in Donesk and Lugansk possess a significant military arsenal and this arsenal did not originate  from Russia.  It was captured from Ukraine forces as confirmed by official Ukraine sources.
This information is of crucial significance because it refutes the accusations by Washington and NATO that the tanks and armored vehicles identified in Donbass came from Russia. With the exception of some 1000 Russian volunteers under Donbass military command, there is no evidence of Russian forces inside Ukraine.
Moreover, it should be noted that entire Ukrainian battalions have surrendered to the Donetsk and Lugansk militia; a large number of Ukrainian soldiers who have abandoned the battlefield have fled to Russia or have joined the Donbass militia:
“The 72nd Brigade for all intents and purposes has ceased to exist [in early August] due to ammunition and food rations running out. They held on while they still had resources and then began to exit into the territory of the Russian Federation – at first in separate groups, followed by the surviving remnants of the once full-fledged brigade.
The hardware was all abandoned at their positions, which continue to be controlled by Junta troops that have not yet surrendered. When militiamen would drive up on tanks as close as 400 metres away from the positions of the Junta, there was no return fire – there is simply nothing to fire back with. Some of the soldiers of the 72ndBrigade had no rounds left during the surrender; others had 1-2 magazines per automatic rifle. (Entire Ukraine Military Brigade Abandons the Battlefield and Surrenders to Donbass Militia, The Surrender of the 72nd Brigade, Global Research, August 4, 2014)
More generally, the Western media has failed to cover the war theater in Donbass. More than 2000 civilians have been killed as a result of shelling and bombing by Kiev forces, close to a million Ukrainians are refugees in Russia.
The humanitarian crisis is invariably not mentioned by the media and when it is, the blame is placed on Russia.
BuMtBF6IQAAPmQi.png-large
Entire battalions of the Ukraine forces have surrendered.

Annex I
July 18, 2014 – Official Ukrainian Military Accounting of Losses for July 9-15, 2014

((1) Ukrainian Version; (2) Translation)BREAKING!
TOTAL UKRAINIAN LOSSES
  1. Killed in Action: 1600
  2. Wounded in Action: 4723
  3. Tanks: 35
  4. Armoured Battle Vehicles: 96
  5. Artillery: 38
  6. Aircraft: 7
  7. Helicopters: 2
  8. Automobiles: 104
TOTAL MILITIA LOSSES
  1. Killed in Action: 48
  2. Wounded in Action: 64
  3. Tanks: 2
  4. Armoured Battle Vehicles: 0
  5. Artillery: 5
  6. Automobiles: 8
TOTAL CIVILIAN LOSSES
  1. Killed: 496
  2. Wounded: 762
SIGNED & SUBMITTED BY: Arsen Avakov (Minister of Internal Affairs) and V. Gritsak (Head of ATO)

Annex II Cyberberkut Report (Translated from Russian)
Having access to classified information of Ukrainian security services, we are able to confirm that the fratricidal war led by the Kiev regime is from a military standpoint in an impasse. The Kiev forces have experienced significant losses.
From the new documents, we are able to confirm that from 8 to 15th of August, the Army of the Southeast has captured:
tanks T-64 – 18 units;
infantry fighting vehicles (BMP) – 24 units;
armored personnel carriers (BTR) – 11 units;
combat reconnaissance patrol vehicles (BRDM) – 2 units; airborne combat vehicles (BMD) – 9 units;
multiple artillery rocket systems (RSZO) BM27 “Uragan” – 2 units;
self-propelled guns (SAU) 2S4 “Tyulpan” – 2 units; self-propelled guns (SAU) 2S9 “Nona” – 2 units;
self-propelled guns (SAU) 2S1 “Gvozdika” – 10 units;  82 mm. caliber mortars – 6 units;
anti-aircraft mounts ZU-23-2 – 3 units; wheeled vehicles – 44 units.
In total, from June 20 to August 15 during the punitive action, according to the reports of the Ukrainian military, the militia forces captured:
tanks T-64 – 65 units; infantry fighting vehicles (BMP) – 69 units;
armored personnel carriers (BTR) – 39 units;
combat reconnaissance patrol vehicles (BRDM) – 2 units;
airborne combat vehicles (BMD) – 9 units;
multiple artillery rocket systems (RSZO)  BM27 Uragan – 2 units;
self-propelled guns (SAU) 2S4 “Tyulpan” – 2 units;
self-propelled guns (SAU) 2S9 “Nona” – 6 units;
self-propelled guns (SAU) 2S1 “Gvozdika” – 25 units;
howitzers D-30 – 10 units; 82 mm. caliber mortars – 32 units; anti-aircraft mounts ZU-23-2 – 18 units; wheeled vehicles – 124 units.
References
Global Research Related Articles
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About the author:

Michel Chossudovsky is an award-winning author, Professor of Economics (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa, Founder and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal and Editor of the globalresearch.ca website. He is the author of The Globalization of Poverty and The New World Order (2003) and America’s “War on Terrorism”(2005). His most recent book is entitled Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War (2011). He is also a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His writings have been published in more than twenty languages. He can be reached at crgeditor@yahoo.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Michel Chossudovsky est directeur du Centre de recherche sur la mondialisation et professeur émérite de sciences économiques à l’Université d’Ottawa. Il est l’auteur de "Guerre et mondialisation, La vérité derrière le 11 septembre", "La Mondialisation de la pauvreté et nouvel ordre mondial" (best-seller international publié en plus de 10 langues). Contact : crgeditor@yahoo.com
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are of sole responsibility of the author(s). The Centre for Research on Globalization will not be responsible for any inaccurate or incorrect statement in this article. The Center of Research on Globalization grants permission to cross-post original Global Research articles on community internet sites as long as the text & title are not modified. The source and the author's copyright must be displayed. For publication of Global Research articles in print or other forms including commercial internet sites, contact: publications@globalresearch.ca
www.globalresearch.ca contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of "fair use" in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than "fair use" you must request permission from the copyright owner.
For media inquiries: publications@globalresearch.ca