Miscellaneous News

plawolf said:

It actually feels like maybe a deal and plan was done behind the scenes in advance.

Assad didn’t even try to make a fight, neither did the Syrian army.

While many have chalked that down to incompetence and blamed it all on Assad, I think the whole thing just happened too quickly and bloodlessly, that doesn’t make it feel like a typical military collapse.

Generally, a whole national military doesn’t just fold like a house of cards at the merest touch. Especially not a battle hardened army. For it to collapse, it should have at least tried to make a stand and lost. To not make any attempts to put up even a token defence is frankly bizarre.

To be honest, it feels more like the Syrian army just took their uniforms off and declared themselves the rebels and started taking commands from the chosen successor regime.

If the Turkish backed head choppers actually start fighting with the SDF, then it would appear that Assad and the Russians got wind of the Turkish-Israeli plan, knew Assad didn’t have enough strength and will left to endure another long and bitter war of resistance, so they basically rebranded the country and made a deal with the most friendly and powerful warlord they can work with to take control of Syria in place of Assad, with the bulk of the Syrian regular army simply joining the warlord’s existing forces. Russia gets to keep their military bases, Iran gets to keep its supply lines with Hezbollah. Basically nothing changes other than the local leader they work with.

Click to expand...

supersnoop said:

The stage was already set. Obama visited Vietnam and offered to sell F-16 and other weapons to Vietnam in order to counter China. Vietnam is which is still controlled by the "terrible communist regime" responsible for 10's of thousands of dead Americans. What did they fight for if you are willing to arm the people they fought against?

Click to expand...

TK3600 said:

Of course it is bad. It is inevitable kind of bad. But it is also relatively inconsequencial in the great power struggle. Big win for Israel and Turkey, that is all.

But end of the day these are minor headache for China and Russia. Bigger loser is Iran here.

Click to expand...

Sinnavuuty said:

These are different situations. When Obama visited Vietnam and offered fighter jets for sale, it had been 40 years since the last American soldier was in Vietnam. Furthermore, there is no comparison between the Vietnamese guerrillas and the Islamic terrorists of Al-Qaeda. The former is far from being an immoral actor, because he was defending his country and nation. The cynicism and hypocrisy of the Americans has truly reached a new breaking point without limits. There is no comparison with the past that can describe what they are doing today.

Click to expand...

Its (North Vietnam) goal is to conquer the South, to defeat American power, and to extend the Asiatic dominion of communism. . . . An Asia so threatened by Communist domination would certainly imperil the security of the United States itself.

Click to expand...

FriedButter said:

They will work with whoever is in power. China was never really picky about who they worked with anyway. Syria is hardly relevant for China in the geopolitical or economic scene.

Click to expand...

MarKoz81 said:

Don't insult goldfish. They're smarter than you are.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

22 Feb 2014 - overthrow of Yanukovych
23 Feb 2014 - pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian protests in Crimea
27 Feb 2014 - unmarked Russian military takes over Crimea, oust the government of Crimea and install pro-Russian administration
1 Mar 2014 - protests begin in Donbas
16 Mar 2014 - referendum on status of Crimea
18 Mar 2014 - Russia annexes Crimea
7 April 2014 - Donetsk People's Republic is proclaimed.
27 April 2014 - Luhansk People's Republic is proclaimed.

I hope you're not stupid enough to debate these dates because these can be verified from Russian sources.

And why was there a "coup" in the first place?

Ukraine under Yanukovych was a failing state with struggling economy and declining standards of living. Yanukovych narrowly won the election for presidency in 2010 (49,55% vs 46,03%, with rampant electoral fraud in the east) and under Ukrainiain constitution nominated Party of Region's Mykola Azarov as Prime Minister for the minority caretaker government despite lack of support in the parliament. In 2012 under changed rules and with the help of more election fraud he gained majority in parliament. In other words Yanukovych and Party of Regions governed for three years in the lead up to the protests. During those three years there was no improvement of economic condition and corruption was growing. He was not popular and immediately resorted to changing the law to protect his power.

What grew the protests was also not pro-EU position but the opposition to Yanukovych's and Party of Region's use of force against protesters exercising their rights.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

Euromaidan began as a relatively small organised protest on 21 Nov 2013 against Yanukovych abandoning association agreement with the EU. The peak of participation was on Sunday but it didn't cross 50 thousand protesters in all the cities. Emboldened by this Yanukovych ordered first attack by Berkut (police) on 30 Nov 2013. That attack caused uproar from people in Kiyv and elsewhere who saw this as an attack against freedom to protest and more people started joining for that specific purpose. The protest grew but slowly.

Yanukovych then ordered another large attack on 11 Dec 2013 with the use of Berkut and Internal Troops which failed again due to the protest growing in number and getting organised. That only outraged people more, support kept growing faster and Euromaidan began to draw in politicians from all over the world. Here's US senator John McCain speaking there four days after the attack:

The agreement with Russia was signed on 17 Dec 2013 as a move to support Yanukovych who was rapidly losing popularity in the face of his incompetence and brutality. It was not an agreement in the works unless the preparations were made in secret. In fact during 2013 Russia was increasing economic pressure against Ukraine, not helping it. They only helped when their control of the country was threatened.

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

The agreement did little to help the failing Yanukovych government but he continued to resist. Partly because by that time he was fighting for his own position in the party and refused to back down as not to admit a mistake - the usual strategy of stupid and brutal authoritarian types (see: Assad, Putin etc.).

On 16 Jan 2014 Party of Regions, Communists and "Independents" passed anti-protest laws which only reinforced the support for Euromaidan, again not so much due to its geopolitical position but against the brutal and corrupt Yanukovych and his government. The dividing line became "EU supports democracy and civil rights and Russia represses them" and after that nothing that Yanukovych could do would help him. He lost his gambit by using force instead of allowing the protest to lose momentum on its own while it was small.

On 28 Jan the Prime Minister Mykola Azarov of Party of Regions resigned. Weakened Yanukovych announced an amnesty bill hoping to resolve the protests but that only encouraged the protesters.They demanded removal of Yanukovych and constitutional reform reverting it to 2004. From there on the situation slowly spiraled out of control until the overthrow of Yanukovych on 22 February.

The removal was conducted by a procedure of questionable legality and personally I view it as a mistake which only aggravated the situation, but it was definitely not a "coup". Note:

[..] In the afternoon [of 22 February], the Rada voted 328–0 (about 73% of the parliament's 450 members) to remove Yanukovych from his post and to schedule an early presidential election for 25 May.[...]

3/4 of Parliament participated in a session and voted unanimously for removal. That was majority sufficient to amend the constitution to make that removal legal. And since the 2012 election Party of Regions had 185 of 450 seats this means that for 328 members to vote for removal of Yanukovych 53 of 185 of Party of Regions members had to vote for removal. That's 28,65% of PoR MPs.

Even that clown in Korea managed to get his entire party to resist the impeachment. How bad was Yanukovych that people from his party voted against him?



Africans will soon learn that they were naive in trusting Russia to deliver them from "colonialist" powers. Russia has no interest in improving the situation of Africa. They directly benefit from increased instability because it weakens both Europe, and MENA through migrations and it increases difficulty for China's expansion. Already in every country that ejected western powers in favour of Russia the situation has already worsened. Russians benefit from this too - it makes the juntas more dependent on their help. But if this continues then all of the juntas will fall because Russia has very limited resources for power projection and Sahel will become a chain of failed states. If the insurgency are a problem it would be better to partner up with an Islamic power - Turkey and Qatar or Saudis etc.

I think that Russia started the war in Ukraine not so much against the west but to show China that they're an equal partner. They banked on quick stunning success as in 2014 and instead they lost everything and had to come hat in hand.

The sudden and unexpected dependency on China will only mean that Russia will try to fight back and the only place that they can do it is Africa. They lost Central Asia to China and Turkey and Europe and East Asia are beyond their capability to control. Where do they have left? Who is weak enough to be exploited by a power without any actual power?

As for Russia changing their mentality you clearly have no idea what you're talking about. Think China's Qing not Revolutionary France. Russia today has none of the potential that made the revolution in early 20th century possible. They're a declining reactionary irredentist power driven by weakness. And that makes them both malicious and dangerous. They are like a drowning man that will drag you to the bottom to save himself.

But that's on Africa to learn from their own mistakes.

Click to expand...

Sardaukar20 said:

True. Iran is the biggest loser. Still, Russia and China now has a bigger problem with terrorism than before.

Iran is more vulnerable than they think they are. They have borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan. The average Iranians are also not satisfied with their current economic situation. The one thing in favour for Iran is that they are a theocracy, so their militaries will have much better morale than any regular secular Arab army. Iran has to wake up now and start cooperating closer with China. Their economy badly needs some fixing now. It is idiotic to continue looking to the West and Turkey for business after what just happened.

Click to expand...

USDA launches national testing of milk from dairy farms to track bird flu outbreak​

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Friday it will require dairy farms to share samples of unpasteurized milk when requested, in an effort to gather more information about the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza.

Public health officials have tracked the spread of bird flu or H5N1 in domestic poultry flocks for years before the virus began showing up in the country’s dairy herds this March, raising concerns.

While the risk to the general public remains low and there is no evidence to suggest bird flu can spread from person to person, nearly 60 people, mostly farmworkers, have contracted the virus this year.

The new milk testing requirements from USDA will apply nationally but will begin first in California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania, the week of Dec. 16.

“Among many outcomes, this will give farmers and farmworkers better confidence in the safety of their animals and ability to protect themselves, and it will put us on a path to quickly controlling and stopping the virus’ spread nationwide,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a written statement.

Unpasteurized milk​

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has repeatedly tested pasteurized milk on store shelves throughout the country to reaffirm it’s safe to drink. Other dairy products, like cheese and ice cream, have also been found safe.

But the FDA continues to urge people against consuming unpasteurized milk, since it doesn’t go through the heating process that kills off viruses and bacteria.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a written statement the new milk “testing strategy is a critical part of our ongoing efforts to protect the health and safety of individuals and communities nationwide.”

“Our primary responsibility at HHS is to protect public health and the safety of the food supply, and we continue to work closely with USDA and all stakeholders on continued testing for H5N1 in retail milk and dairy samples from across the country to ensure the safety of the commercial pasteurized milk supply,” Becerra said. “We will continue this work with USDA for as long and as far as necessary.”

The USDA began a voluntary bulk tank testing program for milk this summer in an attempt to make it easier for farmers to move their cattle across state lines without having to test each cow. The department also began a year-long study in August to test for bird flu in dairy cattle moved into meat production, seeking to confirm prior studies that found it safe to eat.

The bird flu outbreak has affected 720 dairy herds throughout 15 states so far this year, though California became the epicenter during the last month, according to data from the USDA.

The Golden State holds nearly all of the 273 herds diagnosed, with just four found in Utah during the last 30 days.

California also holds the bulk of bird flu infections in people, with 32 of the 58 diagnosed cases this year, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Colorado accounts for another 10 human cases and Washington state confirmed 11 people infected with H5N1. Michigan has had two cases this year, while Missouri, Oregon and Texas have each had one positive human case.

USDA order​

The USDA federal order announced Friday will require anyone responsible for a dairy farm — such as a bulk milk transporter, bulk milk transfer station, or dairy processing facility — to share unpasteurized or raw milk samples when requested.

Any farm owners whose dairy herds test positive for H5N1 will be required to share epidemiological information that would allow public health officials to perform contact tracing and other types of disease surveillance.

Additionally, private laboratories and state veterinarians must alert USDA to positive samples that were collected as part of this National Milk Testing Strategy.

Click to expand...

The bird flu outbreak has affected 720 dairy herds throughout 15 states so far this year, though California became the epicenter during the last month, according to data from the USDA.

Click to expand...

California also holds the bulk of bird flu infections in people, with 32 of the 58 diagnosed cases this year, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Click to expand...

While the risk to the general public remains low and there is no evidence to suggest bird flu can spread from person to person, nearly 60 people, mostly farmworkers, have contracted the virus this year.

Click to expand...

Bellum_Romanum said:

I for one do not subscribe the fear or overly concern with the potential terrorist actions against China's Xinjiang region as a result of the Syrian debacle.

If by now China has not woken up and beefed up their border insecurity and ensure that those head choppers aren't properly dealt with at the source, then that's on the government's ineptitude and stupidity.

I highly doubt that's the case though. I personally would welcome an attempt from those head choppers to try their terrorist activity in China thereby further validating and vindicating what the Chinese people and government have been singing all these years in terms of its actions made in Xinjiang region. Especially now that the level of awareness (Uyghur head choppers) amongst the social media users in the west have been exposed to the actual situations and happenings with regards to these fanatics who want to impose their medieval non-Chinese customs in the country. Not to mention witnessing what an actual genocide looks like in real-time.

I say bring it on.

Click to expand...

Sardaukar20 said:

When I describe the terrorism that could be directed at China. I'm not speaking from a position of fear, but from a position of outrage. I'm more outraged that those Takfiris and their supporters are now in a stronger position than before. If these people want to harm the Chinese people again, bring it on. China can easily handle these terrorists within its borders. But outside of China, Chinese citizens and diaspora overseas are more vulnerable. That is gonna be a more complicated security issue to solve.

Click to expand...