ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Most of us carry smartphones and watch web-enabled TVs without much thought. But the revelations found in Wikileaks’ “Vault 7” release warn that we should consider the sinister capabilities that such devices could lend to those who might abuse them. By Roqayah Chamseddine  " Mint Press " -  Since launching in 2006, Wikileaks has reportedly released over 10 million documents, including controversial disclosures that have  helped unravel war crimes , uncover  corporate secrets  and even brought to light  explosive revelations stemming  from Hillary Clinton’s most recent presidential run. Despite facing widespread international denunciation, Wikileaks has remained faithful in blowing the whistle on information that would have remained hidden from the public. These secrets have helped to expose many layers of the global state security apparatus and aided in shaping the discourse surrounding government and corporate transparency. On April 7,  Wikileaks released 27 document

By Ken Meyercord What I believe to be the true significance of the mix-up over the wanderings of the  USS Carl Vinson  has been entirely missed, even by the alternative media. I think it provides an intriguing insight into the machinations of the nefarious, secretive – some say nonexistent – “Deep State”. On April 8th Pacific Command announced that the  Vinson  (previously famous for being the carrier from which Osama bin Laden’s body was unceremoniously dumped in the presence of only a few top officers) was headed for Korea, a show of resolve lauded by the ever trigger-happy corporate media. On April 12th, in an interview on Fox, President Trump confirmed an armada was headed for the war-zone (we’re still technically at war with North Korea), a claim repeated later that day by administration spokesman, Sean Spicer. Then, on April 17th it was revealed that the Good Ship Lollygag was actually meandering around the Indian Ocean on its way to maneuvers with the Australian navy.

Su-34 Fighter Bomber According to media reports, the Russian military reinforced its air force group at the Hmeimim Air Base near the city of Jableh with four additional Su-34 fighter bombers. The warplanes were escorted by Tu-154 aircraft, a method used by the Russian Aerospace Forces for transporting warplanes to Syria. The Tu-154 is used as a guide for other fighters throughout the way, and may be used to hide the bombers from the American radars in the Persian Gulf and Iraq. The Russian fighter jets deployed in Hmeimim continued carrying out multiple airstrikes on terrorist positions throughout Syria. Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image On April 23, the Russian Aerospace Forces paid a special attention to the militant-held town of Lataminah and provided a close-air-support to the Syrian Arab Army in the Hama offensive. Russian jets carried out a number of raids pounding ISIS positions in Deir Ezzorr and in the vicinity of Palmyra.

The Syrian National Defense Forces published a photo from Hama showing what appeared to be an electronic warfare system to jam drones operated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and its allies. It’s thought to be developed by the Syrian Scientific Research Center. The photo shows the system installed on a truck belonging to the “Electronic Warfare Forces ” according to the official National Defense Forces page on Facebook. The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has already managed to down over 8 drones, some of them armed in Hama, Latakia and western Aleppo. It seems that these drones were downed using this Syrian made jamming system. Click to see the full-size image It is worth mentioning that ISIS armed drones in Iraq caused large losses in the ranks of Iraqi security forces, pushing the United States to deploy AUDS anti-drone systems. The US system detects drones and then down them by jamming. Click to see the full-size image Click to see the full-size image Earlier this month, I

Written by  Diana Johnstone ; Originally appeared at  GlobalResearch The results seem to be just what the polls have predicted from the start:  Emmanuel Macron  versus  Marine Le Pen.   As if the whole campaign brought us right around to the point of departure. I would add that a significant result of this campaign is the substitution of a new left represented by  Jean-Luc Mélenchon  for the totally discredited French Socialist Party, which has betrayed all the hopes of its followers by totally adopting the neoliberal economic policies dictated by the Europe Union. This is a renewed and much more vigorous and original left. Click to see the full-size image The leaders of the failed Socialist Party are rushing to find a place in Macron’s ill-defined movement, “En Marche!” So now we are faced with the choice between a fake left – Macron – and a fake “extreme right”: Marine Le Pen. The plain truth is that Marine Le Pen, of a younger generation than her notorious father Jean

Turkish Presidential Press Office Turkish President Recep Erdogan labeled the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units, also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, as a “terrorist organization” and a part of the “Persian expansion policy” in an intervew to the Doha-based news outlet Al Jazeera (Its Baghdad office was shot down by the Iraqi government for promoting secrarian divisions in the country). The Popular Mobilization Units have been playing a key role in the Iraqi government campaign against the ISIS terrorist group. However, Erdogan is not happy with this. “Who are the Hashd al-Sha’abi? Who is backing them? The Iraqi Parliament supports Hashd al-Sha’abi, but, honestly,  they are a terrorist organization  and should be known who stands behind it,” he said arguing that the group is a part of  a “Persian expansion policy.” Last November, the Iraqi Parliament approved a law, recognizing the Popular Mobilization Units as part of the Iraqi Armed Forces. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry summon

On Friday Paris prosecutor François Molins announced the name of the man who had fatally shot a police officer on the Champs-Élysées Thursday night before being shot dead as he tried to flee the scene. Karim Cheurfi, the prosecutor said, was a convicted criminal who had spoken about wanting to kill police officers. On the ground by his body, police said they found a handwritten note defending the Islamic State militant group (ISIS). The timing of the attack seemed calculated. Thursday marked the last day of campaigning for France’s presidential election. The first round of voting takes place Sunday with the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen likely to make it to the second, runoff round. The polls have consistently indicated that she will then lose this round—which will take place on May 7— to the centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron . Cheurfi’s attack could change that. A last-minute poll taken after the attack showed a slight increase in support for Le Pen, though she was still jus

North Korea has bluntly warned Australia of a possible nuclear strike if Canberra persists in "blindly and zealously toeing the US line". North Korea's state new agency (KCNA) on Saturday quoted a foreign ministry spokesman castigating Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop after she "spouted a string of rubbish" against the the Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (DPRK). "If Australia persists in following the US moves to isolate and stifle the DPRK and remains a shock brigade of the US master, this will be a suicidal act of coming within the range of the nuclear strike of the strategic force of the DPRK," the report said. "The Australian foreign minister had better think twice about the consequences to be entailed by her reckless tongue-lashing before flattering the US." US Vice-President Mike Pence is in Australia and the threat of North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles programs were high on the agenda in talks wit