ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Finally serious economists are considering a position I have been maintaining and writing about since the 2008 financial meltdown. Whatever its name— erasure, repudiation, abolishment, cancellation, jubilee—debt forgiveness, will have to eventually emerge forefront in global efforts to solve an ongoing systemic financial crisis.  The US Rothschild Controlled Media (RCM) has completely BLACKED OUT/CENSORED any news about Iceland’s DEBT FORGIVENESS. If you Google “ICELAND FORGIVES ENTIRE POPULATION OF MORTGAGE DEBT” you will get ‘About 359,000 Results’. Not one of them is a Media Outlet in the US. Not one single Major or Minor news outlet in America has mentioned a single word about this story.  This is TOTAL MEDIA CENSORSHIP and a TOTAL MEDIA BLACKOUT, and it should tell you who owns and runs the Media in America. We are allowed to see a tortured, bleeding, dying Gaddafi anywhere, but we are not allowed to know about Debt Forgiveness.  If you Google “DEBT FO...

Japan says it has deployed two Patriot missile interceptors in Tokyo to counter North Korea’s activity. The deployment comes amid reports that Pyongyang is preparing for a space rocket launch. Two ground-to-air Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) launchers were installed near the Defense Ministry’s headquarters on Saturday morning, according to the Japan News website. The Ministry said they had been set up as a safeguard in case it became necessary to shoot down a North Korean missile or any debris that might fall from one onto Japanese territory. #Japan again deploys PAC-3 interceptors in case #DPRK launches ballistic missile. https://t.co/jc5nXIcJ9n #VOAalert pic.twitter.com/O2R2OQG6MQ — Steve Herman (@W7VOA) January 29, 2016 The ground-to-air units are to be placed mainly in the Okinawa Prefecture and Tokyo metropolitan area, as there are fears that these are the two locations North Korean missiles might hit. Earlier this week, Japan’s Defense Minister, General Nakatani, ann...

A former Oxford schoolboy has denied reports he has joined Isis in an exclusive interview with The Independent – but labelled David Cameron "an evil creature"and described the US-led bombing of Syria as a “diseased” plot designed to kill off all Muslims "one by one". In his first interview since reports accused him of becoming the first white British man to travel to Syria and join the jihadist group, Jack Letts insists he has travelled to the so-called Islamic State to spread the word of Allah and help "take down" the government of Bashar al-Assad. "I can speak Arabic and English," he said. "That’s like my only skill. I’ve spent efforts to take down the Syrian government." In the interview, conducted over messaging app Telegram, Mr Letts, who has been widely dubbed "Jihadi Jack", confirms he is still in Syria and admits he will probably be put in prison if he tries to return to the UK. He also calls on British people to con...

Kurdish forces, close to sealing the border, must beware - President Erdogan is unpredictable A month before Turkey shot down a Russian bomber which it accused of entering its airspace, Russian military intelligence had warned President Vladimir Putin that this was the Turkish plan. Diplomats familiar with the events say that Putin dismissed the warning, probably because he did not believe that Turkey would risk provoking Russia into deeper military engagement in the Syrian war. In the event, on 24 November last year a Turkish F-16 shot down a Russian bomber, killing one of the pilots, in an attack that had every sign of being a well-prepared ambush. Turkey claimed that it was responding to the Russian plane entering its airspace for 17 seconds, but the Turkish fighters made every effort to conceal themselves by flying at low altitude, and they appear to have been on a special mission to destroy the Russian aircraft. The shooting-down – the first of a Russian plane by a Nato po...

The IS attack on the neighbourhood was carried out early Saturday, with several suicide bombers blowing themselves up at government forces' positions, the TV report said . The terrorist militia IS has arranged a massacre in Syria - the jihadists killed 85 civilians near the town of Deir al-sor included. A Russian air force cargo plane drops off humanitarian aid in the region around Deir al-Zor. "And Prime Minister Al-Halqi stressed that these defeated groups carry out these massacres to cover up their repeated defeats, and that their days on Syrian territory are numbered". The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring body, said people were taken from areas in the north-west of the city. Isis  casualties have been reported as 42 by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The state-run SANA news agency said that most of those killed in day-long attacks on Deir el-Zour Saturday were elderly people, women and children . Reuters was unable to independ...

Sweden’s controversial plans to deport up to 80,000 asylum-seekers are in line with EU rules and could even strengthen embattled migration policy across the Continent, the European Commission argued yesterday. Commission officials said the returning of failed asylum-seekers fits into the EU’s wider efforts to build a coherent migration strategy that distinguishes between different claims. “Countries are entitled and indeed obliged to return people who are not entitled to stay in the European Union. It is essential to make sure genuine asylum-seekers have their asylum applications processed quickly,” Natasha Bertaud, the commission’s spokeswoman on migration, said. “It is a matter of credibility that we do return these people because we do not want to give the impression that Europe is an open door.” Sweden has been the second most popular destination – after Germany – for the nearly one million migrants who have made their way to Europe in the past year. By population, it has taken in ...

On Thursday, Commander of Anbar operations Brigadier General Ismail al-Mahalawi announced, that 60 members of the so-called the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) were killed and 19 booby-trapped vehicles were destructed, while indicated that the Army forces imposed its full control on the situation north of the city. Mahalawi said in a statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “ISIS intensified its attacks on the headquarters of the army’s 10th brigade, brigade 40 and brigade 39 in al-Tharthar area north of Ramadi.” “The army forces backed by the international coalition aviation, Iraqi Army Aviation, army artillery, in addition to the Iraqi Air Force managed to kill 60 members of the so-called the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), while destructed 19 booby-trapped vehicles driven by suicide bombers and inflicted heavy human and material losses on them,” Mahalawi added.

By Glenn Greenwald The immediate aftermath of the NATO bombing of Libya was a time of high gloating . Just as Iraq War advocates pointed to the capture and killing of Saddam Hussein as proof that their war was a success, Libya war advocates pointed to the capture and brutal killing of Muammar el-Qaddafi as proof of their vindication. War advocates such as Anne-Marie Slaughter and Nicholas Kristof were writing columns celebrating their prescience and mocking war opponents as discredited, and the New York Times published a front-page article declaring: “U.S. Tactics in Libya May be a Model for Other Efforts.” It was widely expected that Hillary Clinton, one of the leading advocates for and architects of the bombing campaign, would be regarded as a Foreign Policy Visionary for the grand Libya success: “We came, we saw, he died,” Clinton sociopathically boasted about the mob rape and murder of Qaddafi while guffawing on 60 Minutes. Since then, Libya — so predictably — has all but comp...

At least 231 people were evacuated from the dam of the hydroelectric power plant near the Russian city of Novosibirsk after reports of explosive devices planted there, a plant official said. An engineer on duty received a message from local emergency services about an explosive device possibly planted on the grounds of the power station, a spokesperson for the Novosibirsk power plant, Olesya Tarasova, told RIA Novosti. She added that bomb disposal experts had arrived at the scene to investigate the incident. However, the specialists haven’t managed to locate any explosive devices in the area around the plant, Tarasova said. She added that the tipoff was a false call from a local woman who is currently being treated in a psychiatric facility and had claimed she had “a vision” of the bomb.

Pyongyang may be preparing for no less than a space launch, US officials told the media, citing recently obtained satellite imagery of a site around the Sohae Satellite Launching Station – and it may come sooner than later. Recent movement of components and propellant could indicate that North Korea is considering a rocket launch in the near future, unnamed US officials told Reuters. “Our concern though is that they do a space-launch, but really it’s the same technology to develop ICBMs,” one of the officials said, adding that the launch could happen in a couple of weeks. Another official told AFP news agency that there were no signs of a ballistic missile. “The indications are that they are preparing for some kind of launch… Could be for a satellite or a space vehicle – there are a lot of guesses,” the official said. “North Korea does this periodically – they move things back and forth... There’s nothing to indicate it is ballistic-missile related.” Concerns that North Korea may be pr...

The dark net has continued to make headlines over the last decade as a mysterious part of the internet where criminals lurk and engage in illegal activities, all from the privacy of home computers. Stories of the infamous Silk Road drug market, where users can order illicit drugs online, may come to mind . Or perhaps you have heard about the anonymous digital currency, Bitcoin . But for all that is written about the dark net, most people would be hard-pressed to explain it. Here is a simple, user-friendly explainer of what it is, how it is used, and the questions it raises as we drift deeper into the digital age. What is the dark net? The dark net generally means using the internet in a manner that is difficult for authorities or non-state actors to monitor. This is usually achieved through encryption or by layering networks. It might sound complicated, but for the majority of dark net users this is done simply with software that is downloaded for free and opened, just like ordinary, e...

By Matt Novak The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists announced today that the Doomsday Clock, which represents our proximity to an apocalyptic event, will remain at three minutes to midnight. But that’s still terrifying. “That decision is not good news but an expression of dismay that world leaders continue to fail to focus their efforts and the world’s attention on reducing the extreme danger posed by nuclear weapons and climate change,” the group said in a statement. In a world that hasn’t seen nuclear warfare in over 70 years, the so-called Doomsday Clock sounds like a joke. But when you look at the number of near-misses we’ve had throughout our nuclear history, one thing becomes abundantly clear: The Doomsday Clock is no fucking joke. Yes, the Doomsday Clock is admittedly a gimmick that’s been used by the anti-nuclear proliferation group and its journal, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, since 1947. But unlike other media-bait events, like “National Popcorn Day” or “Vale...

By F. William Engdahl If there is any single price of any commodity that determines the growth or slowdown of our economy, it is the price of crude oil. Too many things don’t calculate today in regard to the dramatic fall in the world oil price. In June 2014 major oil traded at $103 a barrel. With some experience following the geopolitics of oil and oil markets, I smell a big skunk. Let me share some things that for me don’t add up. On January 15 the US benchmark oil price, WTI (West Texas Intermediate), closed trading at $29, the lowest since 2004. True, there’s a glut of at least some 1 million barrels a day overproduction in the world and that’s been the case for over a year. True, the lifting of Iran sanctions will bring new oil on to a glutted market, adding to the downward price pressure of the present market. However, days before US and EU sanctions were lifted on Iran on January 17, Seyyid Mohsen Ghamsari, the head of international affairs at National Iranian Oil Company stated...

After fighting al Qaeda and its affiliates for a decade and a half, the CIA is now helping them gain ground in Syria. Almost every aspect of the Obama administration’s policy toward Syria has been scrutinized, lambasted or praised in recent months, but one of the most significant facets, the CIA’s covert aid program to Syrian rebels, has largely slipped below the radar. It is time that we start paying attention, since this initiative is benefiting the very jihadist groups the U.S. has been fighting for the past 15 years. America’s abrupt about-face is a mistake, but even those who would defend this new course as the least bad option should favor a more robust public debate. The CIA’s program, launched in 2013, initially was conceived as a way of strengthening moderate rebels fighting Bashar al-Assad’s regime without significantly increasing the U.S. footprint in the conflict. The program got off to a slow start, with rebel commanders grumbling that the CIA was stingy due to its concern...

Dozens of British, Russia and American troops have arrived in Libya in support for the weak internationally-recognized government in Tobruk, London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat reported. The daily also said French troops are expected to arrive soon for the same purpose. The officers and soldiers are currently stationed in Jamal Abdulnasir military base south of Tobruk where the parliament is holding its sessions in the city. Witnesses in the base, meanwhile, said the number of foreign troops mounts to 500 troops in the past three weeks, but a security official, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said they are just dozens. However, a small group of Americans have arrived west of Tripoli, where the opposing government is. On Friday, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford said a decisive military action is needed to halt the spread of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Libya, saying the group wanted to use the north African nation as a platform to co...

Air strikes by the Russian military in support of forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have helped turn the tide in Syria, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday. Lavrov said that the Russian air force’s strikes had “really helped to turn around the situation in the country, helped towards reducing the territory controlled by terrorists” since Moscow launched a bombing campaign at Assad’s request on September 30. Russia’s top diplomat also denied reports that Russia had asked long-time ally Assad to step down and offered him political asylum. “This is not true,” Lavrov said of media reports that Russia’s late military intelligence chief Igor Sergun had travelled to Syria to ask Assad to resign. “No one asked for political asylum and no one offered anything of the kind.” Lavrov also said that no-one has ever supplied proof that Russian air strikes in Syria caused civilian deaths or struck the wrong militant groups, He said the Russian military went to great lengths ...

The Syrian Army has regained control of large territories in Latakia province with support from the Russian Air Force, with terrorists now redeploying forces to eastern parts of the country, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday, citing Syrian opposition sources. Supported by Russian war planes, Syrian government troops have been successful in defeating Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants in Latakia province. In the past 24 hours, more than 92 square kilometers (35 square miles) of territories were regained from terrorist groups. The Syrian Army has regained control over 28 towns, including the strategically important town of Rabia in Latakia. Having lost their advantage in western parts of the country, IS command has now decided to concentrate its forces on trying to seize the city of Deir ez-Zor, the largest city in the eastern part of Syria, the Russian Defense Ministry said. Up to 2,000 heavily armed militants have been redeployed by IS to the region, the m...

Syrian regime forces on Sunday overran the last major rebel-held town in the coastal province of Latakia, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad, state television and a monitoring group reported. Citing a military source, state television said Syria 's "armed forces, in coordination with the popular defence [militia], seized control of the town of Rabiya." The northwestern town had been held by the opposition since 2012 and was controlled by a range of rebel groups including some made up of Syrian Turkmen, as well as the Al-Nusra Front , an al Qaeda affiliate. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict in Syria, Rabiya fell on Sunday after a steady regime advance that left the town surrounded. "In the past 48 hours, regime forces surrounded the town from three sides – the south, west, and north – by capturing 20 villages," Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. Abdel Rahman said senior Russian milita...

Over 200,000 South Sudanese civilians are sheltering inside U.N. camps from civil war, the United Nations said Monday, a bleak barometer of ongoing conflict despite peace efforts. The figures, among the highest in over two years of civil war and similar to numbers recorded in August 2015 during some of the heaviest battles, come despite political efforts to implement a peace deal inked on paper six months ago. More than 201,000 civilians are crammed inside squalid camps in six towns across the country, including the capital Juba, according to the U.N. peacekeeping mission (UNMISS). Over 122,000 are in the camp in Bentiu alone, a former key oil town in the northern Unity region where fighting has been concentrated. The continued rise in the number of people fleeing violence offers a clear indication that conditions continue to worsen in the poverty-stricken nation. In October, U.N.-backed experts warned of a “concrete risk of famine” in parts of Unity if fighting continues, with tens ...