Daily Archives: April 5, 2017

Russias unwavering support of Syria, even after the Chemicalattack, killingover 70, could draw the conclusion that war could be on the horizon.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov cited the opinion of the Russian military, which said the contamination may have been caused by damage to a rebel chemical weapons storage site.

You have heard the statement from the Russian Defense Ministry and I have nothing to add to the facts they stated. The Russian Federation and its military are continuing the operation to support the anti-terrorism operation and liberation of the country, which is being conducted by the Syrian armed forces,Peskov said.

The acting Russian envoy to the UN will voice this position during an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Wednesday, which was called following the chemical incident, Peskov added.

At least70 people, including 11 children, have been reported killed in the town of Khan Sheikhoun after a suspected chemical weapons attack on Tuesday morning. Rebels accused the Syrian government of bombing the town with chemical munitions.

The accusations have been backed by a number of Western governments.

Staffan de Mistura, UNs special envoy for Syria, said reliable evidence would be needed to confirm the alleged use of chemical weapons, let alone establish who was responsible for it.

We have no yet any official or reliable confirmation,he said on Wednesday.We will be stimulating all those who have the capacity of finding out technically what had happened.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also said there was no evidence yet to draw any conclusion on what had happened in the Idlib governorate, but stated that the Syrian government heldprimary responsibilityfor the situation.

Amid the public condemnation of Damascus for the attack and Moscow and Tehran for their support of the Syrian government, some experts pointed out that the Syrian Army had no rational reason for using chemical weapons against rebels in Idlib.

Iran, an ally of Damascus, condemned on Wednesday any use of chemical weapons and offered help to the victims.

We are ready to bring the victims to Iran and help them,Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi said, as quoted by Tasnim news agency.

Earlier Turkey, an opponent and frequent critic of Damascus, reported treating dozens of victims of the alleged attack in hospitals located in the border province of Hatay, AP said.

The incident in Khan Sheikhoun happened days after Washington stated thatousting Syrian PresidentBashar Assad was no longer a priority for the US. The Assad must go premise was one of the cornerstones of Washingtons Syrian policy under Barack Obama. The Trump administration has been dismantling many of Obamas policies.

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Could Russia's Unwavering Alliance with Syria Start WW3? - TRUNEWS

THE US has just signed a huge new defence contract as it looks to tackle Chinese military action in the Pacific with fears of all-out-war increasing.

It has sealed a $2.2 billion deal with Boeing for at least 17 state-of-the-art anti-submarine planes, named P-8A Poseidon.

And video revealed the Navy has already been training its Thai allies in using the planes, which have the worlds most advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities.

The training exercise named Cobra Gold 2017 took place over the western Pacific Ocean last month and was the largest security cooperation exercise in the region.

The South China Sea remains one of the world's most tense areas as it provides the main route for Chinese nuclear submarines.

BOEING/GETTY

We will intercept any intruding aircraft and follow every military vessel in areas under our responsibility

For these submarines missiles to pose a first or second strike threat to the continental US, they must transit the South China Sea and enter the Western Pacific, Malcolm Cook, senior fellow at the Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, explained in a report last year.

Fears were heightened last month when China conducted its own military training exercise in the area that involved bombers, fighter jets and early-warning aircraft.

It resulted in Japan scrambling its own aircrafts in response.

But Chinese state media claimed the exercise did not target any specific countries or goals and was conducted in accordance with relevant international laws and conventions.

GETTY

It is the latest in a line of aggression after Chinas first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, cruised into the Western Pacific for the first time in December.

And officials in China have confirmed that the up-tempo pace of exercises will continue.

We will intercept any intruding aircraft and follow every military vessel in areas under our responsibility, Wang Weiming, deputy chief of staff of the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, told the official Xinhua News Agency.

With relations between the US and China fragile, holding a joint live-fire military display with the Thai army could be seen as making things worse especially when Trump's chief advisor Steve Bannon believes America and China will be at war 'within a few years.'

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Thai and US military tanks participate in a live fire military display

With President Trump continuing to be outspoken on international matter, the massive US deal with Boeing includes options for 32 additional aircraft, as well as money for long-lead parts for future orders.

The Navy will receive 11 aircraft, while Australia will expand its P-8A fleet with four more. The UKs first two P-8A jets are part of the agreement, with first delivery set for 2019.

It comes as a Pentagon report revealed US would LOSE WW3 to China as it was not ready to take on highly capable opponents.

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WW3: US signs $2.2bn deal to tackle China nuclear submarines ... - Daily Star

World War 3 Could Start in This Ignored Region

World War 3 might be in the making and sooner than anyone expected. The potential epicenters of WW3 are multiplying with each passing week. The Middle East shows no signs of calming. The offensive against ISIS and other groups continues, while the U.S. and Russian superpowers may entertain sharply diverse ambitions over Syria and the future of the region.

As if the traditional WW3 hotspots werent enough, another is brewing again in Europe now. The U.K.s divorce from the European Union is assuming tones not unlike King Henry VIIIs abandonment of the Catholic Church. That fueled tensions for centuries between the two leading European empires of the day: England and Spainand Scotland.

Today, Gibraltar and Scotland could prove to be dangerous thorns against Londons plans. The match between Spain and the United Kingdom is back on in an ever more dangerous global geopolitical scenario. The two kingdoms have fought each other to dominate the seas since the 1500s.

Before Hitler tried to invade the U.K. in WW2, Spain tried in 1588, deploying a fleet of over 130 ships to attack the British Isles. Now, Brexit has refueled tensions and awakened old rivalries. Gibraltar is but four square miles in area, but it has served as a reminder of Britains ultimate win over Spain since the beginning of the 1700s. It remains a British overseas territory.

Yet, Gibraltar is surrounded by Spain. Once, Britain is out of the EU, it loses its privileged access to Gibraltar. Now, British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would follow in the footsteps of none other than Margaret Thatcher in the Falklands. The Iron Ladydeployed 30 ships and troops to force out Argentine occupiers from the archipelago located off the coast of Argentina in 1982.

The Falklands War, which started on April 2, 1982 lasting until July 14 of that year left 1,000 soldiers dead. A British Conservative MP urged PM May to show resolve to defend the people of Gibraltarmilitarily that is. So much for the European Union; if peace, the main reason why anyone still supports the EU, is frail there, what of the rest of the world?

Its unlikely that a British military intervention over Gibraltar could spark WW3, but it would create a situation that other powers, like Russia, could exploit. The U.K. will replace its EU ties with stronger ones to the United States. Thus, Gibraltar risks weakening NATO, a prospect dear to Russia and Vladimir Putin. WW3 between Russia and the United States does remain a possibility.

The CIA, much of Congress, and the mainstream media are sparing no effort to find links between Russia and Trump. In fact, theres no evidence whatsoever that Trump has a cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Thus, the risk of the U.S. and Russia reaching a major collision that could spark WW3 cannot be excluded.

If the Middle East and Eurasia (Russia extends across both Europe and Asia) arent enough, theres always North Korea. For the past few weeks, Kim Jong Un, the temperamental North Korean dictator, who allegedly had his own uncle executed for alleged treason, has been rattling his proverbial sword.

Indeed, World War 3 is in the making and its epicenter might occur in the Korean peninsula. North Korea has been on the U.S. naughty listas well as the Axis of Evilsince its formation. North Korea and the United States have not signed a formal peace. Since the end of the Korean War in 1953, there has been a perpetual state of tension.

Thats why there are at least 40,000 U.S. troops stationed near the border between North and South Korea at any one time. The fact that the war in Korea began so soon after the end of WW2 makes most people forget how big it was. Over a million U.S. soldiers took part and over 50,000 did not return. It was a big war.

In 1975, the war in Vietnam ended. To exploit Americas perceived lack of appetite for another fight in Asia, then North Korean President Kim il-Sung tried to persuade the Chinese to revive a North Korean war. A similar effort was rumored in the early 80s. Thus, North Korea has been itching for a confrontation with the United States and the West.

Now, more than at any other time, that scenario is reappearing. However, given the fact that North Korea has proven it has rockets able to reach Japannot to mention South Koreathe war risks being nuclear. It risks becoming the cradle of World War 3.

This scenario could materialize because of several factors. Not least of these is the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. The U.S. president has made no secret of his concerns about China, engaging in a provocative policy towards Beijing. Not since the days before Nixon traveled to the Chinese capital in 1972 to ease relations have the U.S. and the Chinese giant faced greater strain.

Chinas support against North Korea is essential. Its one of the few powers that has influence over Pyongyang. It can threaten to cut off imports of coal at any time, severely weakening what little is left of the North Korean economy and sources of currency.

Should Washington continue to pursue an aggressive path toward the Peoples Republic, Beijing could retaliate. North Korea presents an ideal blackmail scenario. China could refuse to play a favorable influence, that is one dissuading Dear Leader Kim Jong Un from pursuing his nuclear weapons ambitions.

Beijings diplomatic absence would create the conditions for the spark to rekindle the conflict. The spark could happen right in an area that has already served as the spark of international tensions. It is ironically known as the DMZ, or the demilitarized zone. Its actually a strip of land that has separated major land armies.

The Korean Peoples Democratic RepublicNorth Koreahas made every effort to present itself as a full-blown nuclear power. Military analysts believe North Korea could already have 20 nuclear weapons in its possession. In a few more years, having conducted various rockets capable of deploying nuclear warheads,North Korea could gain the ability to launch one of these nuclear tipped missiles against the United States itself. (Source: Tillerson: 20 years of failed diplomacy toward North Korea, USA Today, March 16, 2017.)

But it could hit American allies in the Pacific Oceanlike Japanand American interests even sooner. The direct presence of some 28,000 American troops in the DMZ has always made the area a virtual powder keg. Meanwhile, apart from China, Russia has interests as well by virtue of the fact, it too, borders North Korea.

North Korea, not unlike the Middle East, is where various geopolitical interests clash. The difference is that the DMZ and North Korea present a bigger headache for the United States than the Middle East. Thats because the only power in the latter region to have nuclear weapons is Israel, a staunch U.S. ally.

In the DMZ, U.S. interests have to confront three nuclear powersall of which are hostile: North Korea, China, and Russia. The Korean war has sometimes been called the Little World War. It was World War 3 by another name. It would be historically ironic for that war to re-ignite and acquire full WW3 status.

At that point, theres little point in speaking of economic collapse or financial crash. WW3s level of destruction could literally terminate the human race. Still despite those odds, world leaders appear to have lost all sense of logic, pushing the boundaries of logic with warmongering language and threats.

Getting back to Russia Ukraine, Russia poses well known risks. North Koreas ability to deploy nuclear warheads to the United States has not been proven. Meanwhile, there has been a relentless demonization of Vladimir Putin. Trump wants to Make America Great Again. Thus he cannot afford to allow Putin to gain an inch in Europe.

Rather than the peace with Putin, America may be heading straight into a war with his Russia. Washington is doing everything it can to prevent Europe and Russia from improving ties to the point that a free trade area can emerge within the Eurasian continent. Because Russia spans from Finland to China, free trade between the EU and Russia would enable a direct link to China.

In other words, Washington wants to prevent the rebirth of the Silk Route. Shifting the focus of world trade back to Europe and Asia via land also involves more energy exchanges. As Europe moves away from nuclear power, it needs to replace it with a reliable source. So-called clean energy is more hype than reality. Thus, the only alternative to coal remains natural gas.

Russia has plenty of it. One of the reasons why the U.S. may have chosen to overthrow the government in Ukraine in 2014, close to Russia, was to block the linking of the EU to Asia via the Russian land bridge. The prospect of Russia becoming the main supplier to meet the EUs energy needs would damage U.S. influence irreparably.

Moreover, in such a scenario, the U.S. dollars role as the main trade currency would end. That would make U.S. debt among the biggest in the world and much more difficult to manage. The U.S. economy wont just collapse; it will sink into a swamp. Thats why Russia, even though there is no longer a Communist Soviet Union, remains a concern.

After all, Americans never seem to wonder why Russia and the U.S. never stopped pointing nuclear tipped rockets against one another. Its because Russia has such wealth of resources and geographic reach, spanning from China to Europe, that it threatens Washingtons hold on world dominance.

Washingtons relations with Russia will always be problematic because Russia poses a constant threat to US ambitions to dominate the world. Geography, or rather geology, determines a countrys political and economic fate. Russia contains vast reserves of oil and natural gas. In turn, Europe needs the gas to heat its homes.

There is a tendency for Europe to reach for a more interdependent relationship with Russia. That could prove to be a nightmare for the United States. Thats why the threat of World War 3 lingers ever closer. The first few months of 2017 have only increased the volatility and the number of potential spark zones to launch WW3.

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This Is How World War 3 Could Start - Lombardi Letter - Lombardi Letter