ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Hong Kong held legislative elections this week with one of the leaders of the so-called "Umbrella Movement" also known as "Occupy Central" apparently winning a constituency seat. The BBC in an article titled, " Hong Kong election: Anti-China activists set to take LegCo seats ," would report: A new generation of anti-China activists have won seats on Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo), preliminary results indicate. Among them is Nathan Law, one of the young leaders of the mass pro-democracy demonstrations of 2014, who is now on course to win a constituency seat. It is the first taste of real political power for the young protest leaders. But pro-Beijing politicians will retain a majority of seats, partly because of the electoral system. What the BBC neglects to inform readers is that while it claims the opposition failed to do better because of a pro-Beijing electoral system, the opposition itself exists solely because of Western backing. (Nathan

October 3, 2016 (Tony Cartalucci - LD) - Recent protests held across North America and Europe staged by supporters of armed militants in Syria have staged scenes in Western streets eerily similar to those featured in the photos and videos of the US-European funded "Syrian Civil Defence" also known as the "White Helmets." Image: This is not Aleppo, Syria, but rather the streets of Europe where a recent "save Aleppo" protest was staged. Actors posing in fake dust and blood proved just how easy it is for anyone to create "war victims" anytime, anywhere. Saudi state media, Al Arabiya English would report in an October 1, 2016 article titled, " Worldwide protest against Assad, Russia to ‘save Aleppo’ ," that: The stalling talks between international powers on Syria - with Russia ramping up its air raid campaign - has ignited worldwide protests calling for an end to the horror in Aleppo. Protestors in Turkey, France, Netherlands, America and

Aleppo, Syria (4:54 A.M.) - On the evening of the 3rd of October, the Syrian Arab Army supported by allied militias launched a massive offensive in southern Aleppo. The large-scale assault primarily targeted the district of Sheikh Sa'eed and the missile base of Khan Touman. Heavy clashes are reportedly ongoing as the Syrian Army attempts to gain a foothold in both regions. Securing a presence in Sheikh Sa'eed will be especially hard for the government forces as there's a vast exposed space around the embattled neighborhood. Such a feat would place rebel positions in Al-Sukkari at grave danger while enabling Syrian troops to access several other east Aleppo districts previously inaccessible to them. All the while, the Russian Air Force is pummeling the jihadist rebels' supply lines in both the city and its southern countryside. Both the Syrian and Russian governments seem exceedingly intent on expelling the insurgent presence from the nation's industrial capital in t

© Thaier Al-Sudani / Reuters The Pentagon paid a UK PR firm half a billion dollars to create fake terrorist videos in Iraq in a secret propaganda campaign exposed by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism. PR firm Bell Pottinger, known for its array of controversial clients including the Saudi government and Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet’s foundation, worked with the US military to create the propaganda in a secretive operation. The firm reported to the CIA, the National Security Council and the Pentagon on the project with a mandate to portray Al-Qaeda in a negative light and track suspected sympathizers. Both the White House and General David Petraeus, the former general who shared classified information with his mistress, signed off on the content produced by the agency. Fake news and false flags: How the #Pentagon paid a British PR firm $500M for top secret Iraq propaganda http://bit.ly/2dk54xs 3:22 PM - 2 Oct 2016 The Bell Pottinger operation started soon after the US invasi

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) greets Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov during a bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting in Vientiane, Laos July 26, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva (RT) If the US launches a military campaign to oust the Syrian government, it would further fracture the country and have tremendous negative long-term consequence for the entire region, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova warned. “If the US launches a direct aggression against Damascus and the Syrian Army, it would cause a terrible, tectonic shift not only in the country, but in the entire region,” Maria Zakharova said during a talk show, which is to be aired fully later on Saturday and has been cited by RIA. With no government in Damascus, there will be a power vacuum in Syria, which “so-called moderates, who are, in reality, not moderate at all but just terrorists of all flavors, would fill; and there will be no dealing with them,” the diplom

In the latest video, an al-Nusra spokesman endorses the Nobel Peace prize candidates, the White Helmets, as mujahideen. Abdallah Muhammad al Muhaysini, is a popular Saudi cleric who has relocated to Syria illegally and became the Army of Conquests Shariah Court spokesperson. The White Helmets are seen as humanitarians, but the relationship between them and internationally recognised terrorist groups like al-Nusra is ignored. Abdullah Muhaysni says the White Helmets "are no different from the Mujahideen". In an interview with the Swiss Islamic Central Council, he said, “I was an admirer of al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Islamic State of Iraq."

In view of the total failure of the US policy to regime-change Syria and overthrow Assad, the time has now come for the United States to make a fundamental choice: to negotiate or double down. Apparently, Kerry and others initially tried to negotiate, but the Pentagon decided otherwise, treacherously broke the terms of the agreement and (illegally) bombed the Syrian forces. At which point, Kerry, Power and the rest of them felt like they had no choice but to “join” the Pentagon and double down. Now the US “warns” Russia that if the Aleppo offensive continues, the US will not resume negotiations. This is a rather bizarre threat considering that the US is clearly unable to stick to any agreement and that the Russians have already concluded that the US is “ not-agreement-capable ”. The Russia reaction was predictable: Lavrov’s admitted that he could not even take his American colleagues seriously . Okay, so both sides are fed-up with each other. What comes next? The US will send more wea

By Mike Whitney “Syria is the summation of all the errors of a dysfunctional empire collapsing upon itself. History forgotten. Science ignored. Facts denied. Propaganda cannot hide that West is supporting and killing Islamists at the same time in a World War that risks escalating into a nuclear holocaust.” Vietnam Vet, comments-line, Sic Semper Tyrannis The attack on Deir Ezzor was a flagrant act of betrayal. For the first time in the five year-long war, US warplanes targeted an SAA military outpost killing 62 Syrian regulars. The surprise attacks — which lasted for the better part of an hour and were followed by a coordinated ground assault by members of ISIS– were intended to torpedo the fragile ceasefire agreement and send a message to Moscow that the US was prepared to achieve its strategic objectives in Syria whether it had to launch direct attacks on defenders of the regime or not. The attacks–for which the Pentagon eventually accepted responsibility–were followed by a callous