Archiv: Mainstream / Zombie-Linke / Contras / Simulanten / mainstream / centrists / zombie left / contras / simulants


13.01.2025 - 18:00 [ Nachdenkseiten ]

Neue „Division für Heimatschutz“: Legal, illegal, sch…egal

Eine neue „Division für Heimatschutz“ der Bundeswehr verstößt mutmaßlich gegen das Grundgesetz. Einem Einsatz der deutschen Armee im Inland sind enge juristische Grenzen gesetzt, aber das interessiert die Initiatoren des Vorstoßes und die großen Medien nicht.

12.01.2025 - 18:51 [ Politico.eu ]

Germany reportedly boosting domestic defense with new division

The fourth division will oversee Germany‘s domestic defense, including the protection of infrastructure such as ports, railways and supply and deployment routes, the reports said.

12.01.2025 - 18:43 [ Heise.de ]

Kritische Infrastruktur: Bundeswehr soll Drohnen im Inland abschießen dürfen

(January 10, 2025)

Das Luftsicherheitsgesetz gestattet es der Bundeswehr bisher nur, recht milde Mittel einzusetzen. So dürfen die Streitkräfte im Luftraum fliegende Objekte abdrängen, zur Landung zwingen, den Einsatz von Waffengewalt androhen oder Warnschüsse abgeben. Abschüsse zur Ergänzung polizeilicher Aktionen sollen nun vor allem infrage kommen, wenn ein katastrophaler Schaden oder Gefahr für Leib und Leben droht. Als Beispiele werden ein Flugzeug- oder Eisenbahnunglück, der Ausfall des Stromnetzes oder ein drohender Terroranschlag genannt

11.01.2025 - 15:30 [ FirstPost.com ]

Sullivan calls Yoon‘s martial law bid ‚shocking,‘ ‚wrong,‘ says alliance still set for success despite turmoil

(January 10,2025)

North Korea has so far been largely silent on the domestic turmoil that took hold of South Korea after President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law last year. However, the US is of the view that Pyongyang could exploit this internal chaos

11.01.2025 - 15:17 [ Korea Times ]

South Korea’s political crisis and Uncle Sam’s silence

(January 7, 2025)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken — who was in Seoul this week for meetings as though nothing unusual had happened — released a readout that made no mention of South Korea’s political situation. His response to a direct question about the U.S. position on Yoon’s actions vaguely referenced private intergovernmental discussions before pivoting to boilerplate about democratic resilience. Despite a shocking breach of liberal democracy, Seoul has faced the bare minimum of consequences from its supposed “democratic values-based partner.” Why?

11.01.2025 - 15:08 [ New York Times ]

Impeachment in South Korea Has Cost Washington a Staunch Ally

(December 16, 2024)

President Yoon Suk Yeol has changed the course of South Korea’s diplomacy like no leader before him. He put his country in lock step with the United States by countering North Korea with sanctions and joint military drills. He won Washington’s plaudits when he overcame a century of historical grievances Koreans held against Japan​ and helped lay the ground for trilateral cooperation to deter China.

He sang the praises of Western values such as freedom.

10.01.2025 - 11:30 [ Indypendent.org ]

NYU Imposes One-Year Suspensions on 11 Students for Protesting Gaza Genocide

On Dec. 11, over a dozen NYU students and faculty dropped flyers and hung banners throughout the Bobst Library while 13 people sat in on the administrative floor of thelibrary. The actionists were demanding a meeting with administrators, who had, in the spring during the Gaza solidarity encampment movement at NYU, promised students to disclose the university’s endowment, including all its investments in weapons manufacturers and ties to Israel and companies that profit off its occupation of Palestine.

The direct action was organized by student group Shut It Down NYU, which challenges what it sees as NYU’s ties to imperialism. Not only were the students’ demands ignored, but yesterday, 11 of them were suspended for a year on the pretext of participating “in coordinated and collective disruptive action” — the non-violent action at the library. Several more NYU students are currently going through disciplinary proceedings that could result in similar punishments.

Here is the press release we received from Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine:

09.01.2025 - 02:51 [ Middle East Eye ]

Jeremy Corbyn demands answers from UK government on arms exports to Israe1

Corbyn also demanded answers on whether or not the UK would suspend the licences of F-35 fighter jet parts to Israel.

„I remain astounded by your government‘s admission that it is making an exception to the UK‘s legal obligations. The Foreign Secretary has accepted the fact that F-35 jets are being used in violation of international humanitarian law. By justifying the continued licencing of F-35 jet parts, your government is admitting its complicity in war crimes,“ the letter said.

07.01.2025 - 17:46 [ Libertarianinstitute.org ]

Top Trump Official Claims Iran Is the Problem in the Middle East, Vows Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Protesters

In an interview with Mark Levin, Waltz explained the “philosophy” of the incoming administration for the Middle East. “The problems in the Middle East by and large originate from Tehran, not from Tel Aviv. We’re going to stand by and support our greatest ally in the Middle East,” he said. “We’re aligned from a national security, intelligence and values standpoint.”

Waltz described this policy as instituting a “complete philosophical, wholesale national security shift.”

07.01.2025 - 17:26 [ Common Dreams ]

‚Morally Bankrupt‘ Biden Blasted for $8 Billion More in Arms to Israel Amid Gaza Genocide

Human rights advocates in the United States and around the world on Monday condemned outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden for continuing to fuel Israel‘s genocidal assault on the Gaza Strip with a pending $8 billion weapons package.

Since Axoisrevealed late Friday that his administration had notified Congress of the deal, Biden has faced a fresh flood of outrage, with critics calling the president „morally bankrupt“ and his decision to keep arming Israel „willful madness.“

07.01.2025 - 13:36 [ diePresse.com ]

SPÖ-Vorsitz: Fußi gescheitert

Eine Neuwahl des SPÖ-Vorsitzenden wollte der PR-Unternehmer Rudi Fußi erzwingen. Dafür wären die Unterstützungserklärungen von zehn Prozent der SPÖ-Mitglieder notwendig gewesen. Diese hat er nicht erreicht, wie er am Dienstag eingestehen musste.

Dabei hatte Fußi vor zwei Wochen noch behauptet, bereits 46.000 Unterschriften, also von rund einem Drittel der Mitglieder zu haben. Die seien aber zum Großteil nicht von SPÖ-Mitgliedern gewesen, sagte er am Dienstag in einer Pressekonferenz vor schütterer Kulisse.

05.01.2025 - 13:35 [ Common Dreams ]

Biden Greenlights ‚Racist‘ and ‚Sociopathic‘ $8B Arms Sale to Israel

The administration of US President Joe Biden announced on Saturday an arms sale to Israel valued at $8 billion, just ahead of President-elect Donald Trump‘s return to the White House.

Biden has repeatedly rejected calls to suspend military backing for Israel because of the number of civilians killed during the war in Gaza. Israel has killed more than 45,000 people in Gaza, primarily women and children.

04.01.2025 - 16:07 [ NewArab.com ]

Controversy as Syria‘s de-facto ruler declines to shake hands with German FM Annalena Baerbock

Baerbock and her French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot visited Syria in a sign of support for the transitional government, where they expressed willingness to help the war-torn country after Bashar al-Assad’s regime was toppled last month, making them the first European officials to do so.

04.01.2025 - 16:02 [ MSN.com ]

German, French foreign ministers meet with Syria‘s HTS Islamist group

Syria‘s new de facto ruler and leader of the Islamist militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) received an EU delegation led by German Foreign Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot on Friday.

04.01.2025 - 13:59 [ Axios ]

Scoop: Biden notifies Congress of $8 billion arms sale to Israel

„The President has made clear Israel has a right to defend its citizens, consistent with international law and international humanitarian law, and to deter aggression from Iran and its proxy organizations. We will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel‘s defense,“ a U.S. official said.

04.01.2025 - 13:51 [ Middle East Eye ]

Live: Israel kills dozens of Palestinians since dawn

Meanwhile, the US is preparing an $8bn arms package for Israel, including heavy bombs

01.01.2025 - 18:16 [ Antiwar.com ]

Foreign Jihadists Appointed to Senior Positions in New Syrian Military

Syrian sources told Reuters that the foreign fighters appointed to the military include Uyghurs, a Jordanian, a Turk, and an Albanian. “This is a small token of recognition for the sacrifices Islamist jihadists gave to our struggle for freedom from Assad’s oppression,” an HTS source told the media outlet.
(…)
HTS is still designated by the US as a foreign terrorist organization, but the Biden administration has celebrated its takeover of Syria. The US has also made clear it’s willing to work with the new government and its de facto leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, who has been going by his real name Ahmed al-Sharaa.

30.12.2024 - 10:12 [ Guardian ]

The world court will rule on Germany’s support for Israel. That shows how geopolitics has changed

(April 9, 2024)

Western governments could once be confident of protecting their friends. Nicaragua’s case shows those days are gone

22.12.2024 - 07:24 [ Antiwar.com ]

Report: US Had Foreknowledge of HTS Offensive To Topple Assad and Prepared Other Rebel Group To Join

(December 19, 2024)

“They did not tell us how it would happen,” Bashar al-Mashadani, an RCA commander, told The Telegraph. “We were just told: ‘Everything is about to change. This is your moment. Either Assad will fall, or you will fall.’ But they did not say when or where, they just told us to be ready.”

In October, the US brought several other Sunni Muslim militias under the command of the RCA, swelling the force from 800 fighters to about 3,000. All of the fighters are armed by the US, and the US pays their salaries of $400 per month.

22.12.2024 - 05:36 [ Telegraph.co.uk ]

US ‘prepared Syrian rebel group to help topple Bashar al-Assad’

(December 18, 2024)

RCA fighters who captured the Russian-controlled Syrian air base on the outskirts of the town last week said they had been told to prepare for Assad’s possible fall in early November, nearly three weeks before the offensive began.

Until one month earlier, Capt Mashadani had been second-in-command of the Abu Khatab brigade. This small unit of 150 men was created by US Special Forces and trained by their British counterparts in Jordan until 2016, to hunt down Isis fighters near Deir ez-Zor, a city in eastern Syria.

22.12.2024 - 04:23 [ Antiwar.com ]

US Official Has ‘Good, Productive’ Meeting with al-Qaeda-Linked Julani in Damascus

Julani fought for al-Qaeda in Iraq against American soldiers during the Iraq War. He then founded al-Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria, the al-Nusra Front. In recent years, he has attempted to soften his image by giving friendly interviews to Western journalists, often appearing in a suit and with a trimmed beard to obscure his jihadist ideology.

Leaf said of Julani after the meeting, who is also going by Ahmad al-Sharaa, “I heard him on his priorities, which are very much rooted in getting Syria on the road to economic recovery.”

“We’ve been hearing this for some time, some very pragmatic and moderate statements on various issues, from women’s rights to protection to equal rights for all communities,” she added. “It was a good first meeting. We will judge by deeds, not just by words.”

21.12.2024 - 07:14 [ TKP.at ]

Gaza-Deal zwischen Saudis und Netanjahu?

„Als Gegenleistung für ihre Unterstützung und ihr Geld, so sagte mir der Israeli, würden die Vereinigten Staaten der saudischen Führung ein erweitertes Verteidigungsabkommen anbieten, das Saudi-Arabien in ihren nuklearen Schutzschirm einbeziehen würde – für den Fall, dass der Iran, Israels letzter verbliebener Feind, in den Besitz einer Atombombe gelangen sollte. “
(…)
„Der Israeli sagte mir, dass das saudische Paket einen zusätzlichen Anreiz enthält: Die Saudis würden wegschauen, wenn die Israelis Bombenangriffe durchführen, einschließlich der Bombardierung militärischer Ziele im zerrissenen Syrien, und würden Israel Zugang zu einem Flugplatz innerhalb der saudischen Grenzen gewähren. Auf diese Weise könnten israelische Bomben, die zumeist von den Vereinigten Staaten geliefert werden, innerhalb von Minuten, nicht Stunden, auf wichtige iranische Ziele abgefeuert werden.“

21.12.2024 - 01:56 [ New York Times ]

Israel Found the Hamas Money Machine Years Ago. Nobody Turned It Off.

(December 16, 2023)

Israeli leaders believed that Hamas was more interested in governing than fighting. By the time the agents discovered the ledgers in 2018, the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was encouraging the government of Qatar to deliver millions of dollars to the Gaza Strip. He gambled that the money would buy stability and peace.

Mr. Levy recalled briefing Mr. Netanyahu personally in 2015 about the Hamas portfolio.

21.12.2024 - 00:37 [ Seymour Hersh ]

THE NEW CEASEFIRE EQUATION: Saudi Arabia’s entry into talks between Israel and Hamas may change Gaza’s future

In return for its support and money, the Israeli told me, the Saudi leadership would be offered an expanded defense treaty by the United States that would include Saudi Arabia in its nuclear umbrella—its zone of protection—in case Iran, Israel’s last standing enemy, were to acquire a nuclear bomb.
(…)
There is an added inducement in the Saudi package, the Israeli told me: the Saudis would look the other way as the Israelis conduct bombing raids, including bombing of military targets inside fractured Syria, and would give Israel access to an airfield within Saudi borders. This would bring Israeli bombs, most supplied by the United States, within minutes, and not hours, of key Iranian targets.

21.12.2024 - 00:12 [ Middle East Eye ]

Israel, Saudi Arabia closer to normalisation deal: Report

(December 18, 2024)

Israel and Saudi Arabia have reached a breakthrough in talks around normalising relations, Haaretz reported on Tuesday, adding that the normalisation could be related to an elusive ceasefire deal that would bring about an end to Israel‘s war on Gaza.

Sources familiar with the negotiations told Haaretz that rather than Israel agreeing to Saudi Arabia‘s demand for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the two sides agreed that Israel would give a vague commitment on a „path towards Palestinian statehood“.

20.12.2024 - 19:47 [ New York Times ]

Senior U.S. Diplomats Arrive in Syria to Meet With Governing Militias

The State Department said early Friday that three senior American diplomats had arrived in Damascus, the capital of Syria, to meet with leaders of the militias that have seized control of the country, and to look for signs of the journalist Austin Tice and other missing U.S. citizens.

18.12.2024 - 06:01 [ Sevim Dagdelen, Mitglied des Bundestages ]

Nein zu deutschen Bodentruppen in der Ukraine

(Dezember 5, 2024)

Und ein Wort zur AfD: Wer hier sagt – wie der Redner der AfD -:

(Stephan Brandner (AfD): Das ist aber schon viel mehr als ein Wort jetzt! Ein Wort wollten Sie sagen!)

„Die Bundeswehr ist da, um zu kämpfen und zu siegen“, ist so wenig Friedenspartei wie die Olivgrünen in diesem Haus.

(Beifall beim BSW)

Diese Resteampel erweckt zunehmend den Eindruck, als wolle sie Deutschland vor Moskau verteidigen,

(Britta Haßelmann (BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN): Hören Sie doch auf mit Ihren Fake News! Verschonen Sie uns damit!)

und das ist auch vor dem Hintergrund unserer Geschichte einfach grundfalsch.

(Merle Spellerberg (BÜNDNIS 90/DIE GRÜNEN): Ich glaube, da braucht jemand Geschichtsnachhilfe!)

Nach dem gebrochenen Versprechen, die NATO nicht nach Osten zu erweitern, schicken Sie jetzt auch noch für 11 Milliarden Euro die deutschen Soldaten nach Litauen, an die russische Grenze. Sie verlieren so jede Glaubwürdigkeit.

18.12.2024 - 05:41 [ Sevim Dagdelen, Mitglied des Bundestages ]

Merz-Union im Geist von Putschpräsident Yoon

(Dezember 8, 2024)

Die Union möchte ja, dass die Bundeswehr rund um die koreanische Halbinsel wie im gesamten Indopazifikraum stärker zum Einsatz kommt. „Aber ist das wirklich die Aufgabe der Bundeswehr?“, frage ich mich. Wollen Sie bei den Konflikten dort jetzt auch noch mitmischen? Und haben Sie sich jemals gefragt, ob die Koreaner aus Nord und Süd jetzt auf die Bundesmarine gewartet haben, um ihr strahlend vom Ufer zuwinken zu können? Was haben Sie sich dabei nur gedacht?

(Gabriele Katzmarek (SPD): Es gibt Menschen, die denken sich tatsächlich noch was dabei!)

17.12.2024 - 22:16 [ Middle East Eye ]

Germany joins US, UK in making diplomatic contact with Syria‘s HTS

Germany plans talks with representatives of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Damascus on Tuesday, the foreign ministry said, joining the United States and Britain in establishing contact with the group after it led the overthrow of Syria‘s Bashar al-Assad.

16.12.2024 - 12:17 [ Middle East Eye ]

Lammy: UK had ‚diplomatic contact‘ with HTS

„Using all the channels that we have available, and those are diplomatic and, of course, intelligence-led channels, we seek to deal with HTS where we have to.“

On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States has had direct contact with HTS.

15.12.2024 - 07:31 [ New York Times ]

U.S. in Direct Contact With Rebels Who Took Over Syria

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the United States was communicating directly with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the dominant rebel faction, despite its designation as a terrorist group.

11.12.2024 - 07:34 [ Middle East Eye ]

Germany, France ready to cooperate with new Syrian leadership

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron expressed their willingness to engage with Syria‘s new leadership, following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad, under certain conditions, a statement from the German government revealed after a call between the two leaders.

11.12.2024 - 07:21 [ Washington Post ]

U.S. would recognize a Syrian government that comes from inclusive process, Blinken says

The U.S. government would “recognize and fully support” a future Syrian government that results from an inclusive and transparent transition process, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, outlining a first set of principles regarding the Biden administration’s hopes to influence discussions over Syria’s future after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad.

08.12.2024 - 22:25 [ Rudaw.net ]

US Strikes over 70 ISIS camps in Syria

The United States army announced on Sunday that it carried out airstrikes against 75 Islamic State (ISIS) camps in Syria, to prevent the group from taking “advantage” of the recent kerfuffle in the country.

“The strikes against the ISIS leaders, operatives, and camps were conducted as part of the ongoing mission to disrupt, degrade, and defeat ISIS,” read a statement from the army’s Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees US troops in the Middle East.

08.12.2024 - 22:10 [ C-SPAN / Youtube ]

President Biden on Situation in Syria: „At long last the Assad regime has fallen.“

President Biden: „After 13 years of civil war in Syria, more than half a century of brutal authoritarian rule by Bashar al-Assad and his father before him, rebel forces have forced Assad to resign his office, flee the country.“

08.12.2024 - 21:50 [ Washington Post ]

Assad must go, Obama says

(18.8.2011)

As Obama issued his statement, the leaders of France, Germany and Britain joined him in calling on Assad “to face the reality of the complete rejection of his regime by the Syrian people and to step aside.”

Obama had spoken to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron over the past two weeks to discuss calling for Assad’s resignation and to coordinate steps on sanctions.

08.12.2024 - 02:00 [ Antiwar.com ]

Jake Sullivan Says US Won’t ‘Cry’ About the Pressure Syria Is Facing from Al-Qaeda-Linked Fighters

(December 2, 2024)

US officials have not been shy in the past about their preference for HTS and its leader, Abu Mohammad al-Julani, over other factions in Syria. James Jeffrey, an American diplomat who served as a special envoy to Syria under the Trump administration from 2018-2020, said in a 2021 interview that HTS was “an asset” to the US’s strategy in Idlib, a northwestern Syrian province that’s been under HTS control since 2017.

07.12.2024 - 16:30 [ Ben Norton / Geopoliticaleconomy.com ]

Al-Qaeda-linked ‘rebels’ in Syria say they ‘love Israel’. USA gave them billions in weapons & support

The United States spent billions over years arming and training militants in Syria, many linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Current US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan admitted back in 2012 that “AQ [Al-Qaeda] is on our side in Syria”.

03.12.2024 - 01:02 [ CNN ]

Democrats left fuming over Biden’s decision to pardon his son — after he repeatedly said he wouldn’t

President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon his son has left some Democrats fuming over his choice to repeatedly and unequivocally claim that he would never take that step, even though a pardon long appeared possible to Hunter Biden’s legal team.

Multiple officials who recently worked for Joe Biden said they never believed the president or White House aides speaking on his behalf when they insisted in recent months that a pardon for Hunter Biden was off the table.

03.12.2024 - 00:56 [ Associated Press ]

Biden pardons his son Hunter despite previous pledges not to

President Joe Biden pardoned his son, Hunter, sparing the younger Biden a possible prison sentence for federal felony gun and tax convictions and reversing his past promises not to use the extraordinary powers of the presidency for the benefit of his family.

30.11.2024 - 03:56 [ Paul Craig Roberts ]

Will Washington Destroy the World?

(November 25, 2024)

Americans who think themselves informed because they watch CNN, read the NY Times, and listen to NPR, regard my warnings about nuclear war as disinformation, even hysteria. They say that US government officials, such as Secretary of State Blinken and National Security advisor Jake Sullivan, are not stupid or insane.

Dear readers, you tell me how you can give permission for the US and NATO to fire missiles into Russia, especially when the Russian President has clearly stated it means the US and NATO are at war with Russia, and not be stupid and insane.

29.11.2024 - 23:14 [ theCradle.co ]

KSA abandons US defense pact over Palestinian statehood ‚stalemate‘: Report

As a result of the Saudi and Israeli positions, “Riyadh and Washington hope a more modest defense pact could be sealed before President Joe Biden leaves the White House in January,” according to the Saudi and western sources.

29.11.2024 - 23:11 [ Reuters ]

Saudi Arabia abandons pursuit of US defence treaty over Israel stalemate

In a drive to get a wide-ranging mutual security treaty over the line earlier this year, Riyadh softened its position on Palestinian statehood, telling Washington that a public commitment from Israel to a two-state solution could be enough for the Gulf kingdom to normalise relations.

But with public anger in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East at fever pitch over Israel‘s military actions in Gaza, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has again made recognition of Israel conditional on it taking concrete steps to create a Palestinian state, two Saudi and three Western sources said.

28.11.2024 - 12:25 [ Associated Press ]

White House pressing Ukraine to draft 18-year-olds so it has enough troops to battle Russia

(November 28, 2024)

A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private consultations, said Wednesday that the outgoing Democratic administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilization age to 18 from the current age of 25 to expand the pool of fighting-age men available to help a badly outnumbered Ukraine in its nearly three-year-old war with Russia.

The official said “the pure math” of Ukraine’s situation now is that it needs more troops in the fight