ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Putin reveals 'fair multipolar world' concept in which oil contracts could bypass the US dollar and be traded with oil, yuan and gold By Pepe Escobar The annual BRICS summit in Xiamen – where President Xi Jinping was once mayor – could not intervene in a more incandescent geopolitical context. Once again, it’s essential to keep in mind that the current core of BRICS is “RC”; the Russia-China strategic partnership. So in the Korean peninsula chessboard, RC context – with both nations sharing borders with the DPRK – is primordial. Beijing has imposed a definitive veto on war – of which the Pentagon is very much aware. Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear test, although planned way in advance, happened only three days after two nuclear-capable US B-1B strategic bombers conducted their own “test” alongside four F-35Bs and a few Japanese F-15s. Everyone familiar with the Korean peninsula chessboard knew there would be a DPRK response to these barely disguised “decapitation” tests. S...

FILE IMAGE On September 7, the ISIS-linked news agency Amaq claimed that ISIS fighters repelled an attack of NATO forces and the Afghan Army in Nangarhar province in southeastern Afghanistan. Amaq claimed that NATO helicopters evacuated many injured soldiers from the battlefield. Furthermore, Amaq said that ISIS fighters shelled positions of the Afghan Army and NATO forces with mortars after repelling the attack. On September 5, a suicide attacker of the Taliban attacked one of the gates of the Bagram Air Base – one of the biggest US bases in Afghanistan. According to the US Army the attack resulted in a “small number of casualties.” The Taliban said that the attack was an answre for an “anti-Islam” leaflet that was dropped by US-led coalition aircraft over Parwan province. The leaflet featured a lion running after a white dog with the Islamic Shahada on it. The Islamic Shahada is considered one of the most holy roles and symbols in Islam, and it is a part of the Taliban ...

On Wednesday, two US Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II attack jets crashed during a training flight over a Nevada military range, the US newspaper Stars and Stripes  reported on Thursday  citing US officials. The incident took place at the Nevada Test and Training Range at 20:00 local time. According to a statement of Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, the warplanes’ pilots ejected safely and were taken into a military hospital. The pilots were assigned to the Air Force’s 57th Wing at Nellis. It is not clear yet what caused the crash. The incident is under investigation. Click to see the full-size image

Valeriy Sharifulin/TASS On September 7, a meeting was held between representatives of Free Syrian Army (FSA) groups in the northern Homs countryside and Russian officials, according to Syrian opposition sources. The meeting was also attended by Syrian government officials. Opposition sources revealed that the aim of the meeting was to modify the original de-escalation agreement. According to the sources, the Russians wanted the FSA to allow re-openning of the Homs-Homs highway that had been blocked since 2011. Moreover, pro-government sources claimed that Russia asked the FSA to hand over al-Rastan and Talbiseh towns in the northern Homs countryside. From its side, opposition representatives requested an immediate release of 5000 prisoners of war allegedly held by the Syrian authorities. It’s unlikely that FSA will agree to the new Russian demands. Furthermore, even if the road was re-opened it will be hard to consider it a safe road. FSA groups in northern Homs countr...

On Wednesday, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson brigadier general Restituto Padilla said that ISIS fighters in Marawi city are now weaker than before and unable to defend their positions. “They were not able to protect their controlled area that’s why their strongholds are declining. If they remain strong, the government would not have pushed through their strongholds,” Padilla said. According to Gen. Padilla ISIS fighters are now mainly using IEDs to stop the advance of the AFP units in Malawi city. Moreover, Gen. Padilla stressed that the AFP is committed to liberating Marawi city as fast as possible. “We are trying to end this clashes at the soonest possible time because what we want is to totally liberate the city of Marawi so that its residents could go back to their normal lives,” said Padilla. In a related development 27 unidentified remains were discovered by the Philippine authorities in the Muslim cemetery in Marawi city. According to Philippine au...

By investigative historian  Eric Zuesse.  Who is the author, most recently, of   They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010 , and of    CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity .  This article was originally published by  Strategic Culture Foundation. Here’s a common example of authentically fake-news journalism, the type that’s pervasive in the U.S. — not something like «Saddam’s WMD», which changed history, but the ordinary everyday type of lies by the American press, being mixed-in with truths so as not to be 100% fictitious, but just enough truths so as to gild the lily of lies that all of the ‘news’media, right and left, glorify, in a bipartisan way, as ‘Truth’, which is the most normal type of American ‘news’-reporting of all — bipartisan, while still being extremely partisan against truth, which is carefully (and assiduously) hidden: On Wednesday, August 30 th , th...

FILE PHOTO An Israeli F-16 fighter jet © Amir Cohen / Reuters On September 7, the Israeli Air Force’s warplanes conducted a missile strike on an alleged “chemical weapons plant” in the town of Masyaf located west of Hama city in central Syria, pro-Israeli media reported. According to other sources, the missiles hit a medium-range ballistic missiles plant located in the area. Earlier this year, Israel repeatedly claimed that Iran was building missile plants in Syria. The Syrian Defense Ministry said the missile strike was made from the Lebanese airspace at 02:42 local time and hit a military facility in the area. 2 Syrian soldiers were killed as a result of the incident. So far, Israel has refused to comment on the reports to the media. An alleged photo from the scene: The Israeli missile strike took place amid an intense fighting between the Syrian Army and ISIS in the province of Deir Ezzor where government forces were aiming to liberate the provin...

Travelers who keep an eye on U.S. State Department warnings may know by now that the department has issued cautions for the Mexican states of Quintana Roo and Baja California Sur. The addition of those states to the government's periodic updates of travel dangers caused a significant stir, largely because they are the homes to two of Mexico's most popular resorts: Cancun and Cabo San Lucas. It is not surprising that these states were included in the warning, which was issued Aug. 22.  As Mexico's powerful drug cartels have splintered , a spiral of crime and violence has enveloped all parts of the country, to include its storied resorts. However, I believe that by understanding what drives the violence, and the types of the incidents that result, companies operating in Mexico and travelers to the country can avoid most of it. Cartel Balkanization and the Spread of Violence For well more than a decade, Stratfor has kept an eye on Mexico's powerful drug-traffi...