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Saudi Arabia gets a friend in need – Russia

Hattippin J for leaving the link to a video which will be embedded at the end of this post

AnonymousOctober 23, 2018 at 7:00 AM

Hi Penny!
There is a video with Bhadrakumar (from 5 days ago), who talks about the political and strategic consequences of the Khashoggi case:
https://youtu.be/kfgsYUiUEIg .

Absolutely worth viewing- about 20 minutes in length

But first an oped from MK Bhadrakumar- Very insightful. It included an interesting little video clip as well. It’s all here for your convenience. My suggestion, should you care to heed it, is read the piece entirely and watch both videos.

1- It appears MBS survived the reported assassination attempt.

2- It seems possible Russia is going to be a friend in need to Saudi Arabia.

3-Turkey’s role in all this? Yes, Turkey had plenty of reasons to apply pressure to Saudi Arabia.
a) Their role in supporting the PKK in Syria in partner ship with the US. Which led to destabilized Turkish borders.
b) The Saudi role in the Turkish coup attempt ( I knew Egypt was involved, but MKB's mention of Saudi Arabian involvement was a first for me, not shocking, but the first I'd heard of it)
c) Ensuring they didn’t get caught up in the fall out of the Khashoggi incident.
Now, I’m wondering if Turkey and Russia worked in tandem to pressure Saudi Arabia for other reasons as well?

Read on my friends, read on...........

Indian Punchline :Saudi Arabia gets a friend in need – Russia
October 22, 2018 by M. K. BHADRAKUMAR

It goes without saying that oil has been central to military power and economic life in modern history. Control of oil has been a key source of power and policy in the Cold War. There was even a top-secret US government plan to ravage the Middle East oil industry in the event of the former Soviet Union gaining control of it. The CIA called it the “denial policy”. It was hatched in 1948 during the Berlin Blockade – whereby, oil wells would be plugged, equipment and fuel stockpiles destroyed, refineries and pipelines disabled to ensure that the USSR never got hold of the Middle East’s oil resources.

An analyst has written, “The history of this top secret U.S. government plot is a tumultuous mix of Arab nationalism, Big Oil and the CIA on the most oil-rich chunk of real estate on earth. Fundamentally, it is a tale of the growing importance of Middle Eastern oil and the West’s early thirst to control it.”

Therefore, much dramatic irony laces the interview given by the Saudi Minister of Energy Khalid Al-Falih to the Russian news agency TASS at the present critical juncture when on the issue of the Jamal Khashoggi affair, the United States’ 70-year old alliance with Saudi Arabia hangs on the abyss.

When Russian President Vladimir Putin’s legacy is recorded in his country’s history, the breakthrough in the relations with Saudi Arabia will stand out as a personal achievement. Prompted by a gloomy backdrop of precipitous crash in oil prices to $20-30 per barrel in 2014 (compared to $100 just three years ago), Russia began tentative outreach to Saudi Arabia as to how to retrieve a seemingly hopeless situation that sharply reduced the income of the two energy superpowers from their oil exports. The game changer was a meeting in September 2016 in Hangzhou, China, when on the sidelines of the G20 Summit, Putin met the Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman (MBS, as is commonly known.)

That was in the final phase of the Barack Obama era. For Russia, 2016 was an extremely difficult year, coping with the western sanctions and a steep fall in income from oil exports.

Saudis also for the first time were feeling a “cash crunch”.

Putin worked on that congruence to rapidly build up a strategic partnership between Russia and Saudi Arabia, which has enabled the two superpowers to keep market prices stable. (The price of oil estimated in the Russian budget for the current year is around $53 per barrel, whereas oil is presently hovering around $80 per barrel.)

Meanwhile, the Russian-Saudi axis took the nature of an institutional forum known as OPEC+, which is expected to have a full-fledged secretariat soon alongside the OPEC secretariat in Vienna, to be headed by Russia. The two countries began by tentatively marking production level for oil producing countries at a six-month interval, but the Russian-Saudi axis has since acquired such traction already that they are contemplating a long-term, open-ended agreement to continuously, permanently finesse the supply and demand for oil to keep the prices stable and provide underpinning for growth of the world economy.

The Putin-MBS personal equation played a big part in al this. MBS has been a frequent visitor to Moscow and his last visit for the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2018 was the occasion when he met Putin and the Saudi and Russian thinking veered round to search for a framework for the long-term coordination in the oil market.

In effect, Saudi Arabia and Russia are assuming the leadership of the oil producing countries and helping them take consensus decisions. At the same time, Russian-Saudi bilateral energy cooperation has also made a solid beginning. The two countries have investment plans within the ambit of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF). Saudi Arabia is expected to take a big stake in the LNG project Yamal Phase 2 in the Russian Arctic with equity next only to Novatek. They are discussing swap deals in countries such as India. (Interestingly, Al-Falih sees good prospects for Russian companies’ involvement in Aramco’s ambitious downstream strategy.)

Without doubt, the TASS interview with Al-Falih has been timed to remind the international community that it will be catastrophic to isolate Saudi Arabia over the Khashoggi affair. (Incidentally, RDIF issued a statement on October 20 welcoming the “decisive actions” taken by the Saudi authorities on the Khashoggi case and pointedly affirming support for the Crown Prince’s flagship project known as Vision 2030.) The signals from Moscow so far have scrupulously avoided any criticism or censuring of Saudi Arabia, unlike the US and European countries.

The TASS interview and the publication of the full transcript obviously has the Kremlin’s approval. It conveys as explicitly as possible under the circumstances that Russia has no intentions whatsoever to turn its back on Saudi Arabia over the Khashoggi affair. One may say, Russia could even be a stakeholder in the preservation of the present Saudi leadership hierarchy. As I said in the beginning, “black gold” plays a big part in geopolitics – and history has not ended in Russia’s relations with the West.

I wrote in the context of the historic agreement between Putin and MBS at Hangzhou two years back (Pay heed to the butterfly effect of Putin-Salman oil deal in Hangzhou, September 7, 2016, Asia Times):

“An understanding between Russia and OPEC holds the potential to completely transform the geopolitical alignments in the Middle East. First and foremost, Russia aspires to replace the US from its 70-year old pivotal status as Saudi Arabia’s number one partner in energy. This shift cannot but impact petrodollar recycling, which has been historically a robust pillar of the western financial system… Washington faces the unpleasant prospect of a strategic retreat in the Middle East unless it can mobilize a determined comeback. But then, doubling down in the Middle East means taking the eye off the re-balance in Asia, which, in turn, will be fraught with long-term consequences.”

Just an afterthought: Can it be mere coincidence that the West is gunning for MBS today? All attention is on what happened to Jamal Khashoggi. But what really happened in the run-up to his ghastly murder in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul we may never get to know. Can it be comparable to the mistaken impression Saddam Hussein received that Washington would condone his occupation of Kuwait? There are no easy answers.

Recall me writing that the West was "gunning for MBS"?
For being a bit too independent.

I hadn't even considered all of what MKB is discussing in his oped

MKB continues:

The fact of the matter is that the Putin-MBS understanding has blossomed into a veritable alliance and it has great potential to redraw the battle lines between the West and Russia. Putin has made no bones that Russia is moving out of transactions in dollar currency. If Russia and Saudi Arabia at some point begin to trade in non-dollar currencies, it will be a fatal blow to the western banking system. (China has also been pressing Saudi Arabia for trading in yuan currency.)

On top of it all, Saudi Aramco’s IPO is pending. (Saudi Arabia believes that the capital market will value Aramco at some $2 trillion, making it the world’s most valuable publicly traded company.) The Saudi Minister disclosed in the TASS interview that the listing is expected in 2021 and hinted that New York Stock Exchange may not be in the Saudi consideration zone. He flagged that the listing has to be in a “friendly safe jurisdiction” – alluding to the likely claims in US courts for Saudi compensation to the families of victims in the 9/11 attacks.

Reports have appeared that preparations are under way for a visit by Putin to Saudi Arabia. All in all, what emerges is that Russia is standing up to be counted as a friend when Saudi Arabia needs it most. Surely, the Russian support provides much “strategic depth” to the Saudi regime at this juncture when it faces an existential crisis – especially MBS.


Posted by Penny at 9:49 AM 13 comments: Links to this post Labels: corporate abuse, forgotten history, general interest, globalisation, Iran, Israel, kurds, middle east, russia, Syria, Turkey, US


Idlib Agreement: Which Parties Want Success? Which Parties Want Failure?

Short list of who wants the agreement to succeed:

Short list of who wants the agreement to fail:

US Backed Terrorists Behind Idlib Attack

"The Arabic-language website of Sputnik news agency quoted retired Colonel Mar'ei Hamdan as saying on Monday that the terrorist groups in Idlib have close ties with a number of states which oppose stability in Syria, spearheaded by the US, and they persuade them to violate the ceasefire agreement in the weapons-free zone in the province.

"The US should be blamed for the troubled move of the political process to resolve the crisis in Syria," he added.

Meantime, Head of the Russian Reconciliation Center Vladimir Savchenko said that despite the ceasefire in Idlib, the terrorist groups still target the demilitarized zone in Idlib"

Mar’ei Hamdan is a Syrian


"Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an extremist group that controls roughly two thirds of Idlib province and counts former al-Qaeda-linked fighters in its ranks, has arrested 184 people since the beginning of September, according to a war monitor.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has announced a number of  operations in Idlib which it said was aimed at rooting out Isis sleeper cells and “collaborators” with the Syrian government. As far back as August, the group announced it had arrested 30 people who it said were attempting to reconcile with Damascus.

“Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is a smart military-political actor, whose history shows a consistent willingness to assert and preemptively protect itself from any existing or potential future threats,” said Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute.

“There’s a clear concern about security threats posed by reconciliation and the return of an Isis presence in Syria's northwest. Security operations that have resulted from both of those perceived threats have resulted in widespread arrest campaigns and military operations,” he added."

HTS is fighting ISIS? That’s what Charles Lister wants you to believe as he speaks admiringly about them "smart military- political actor" But not terrorists? Wonder why that is?
Oh, ya Charles Lister: Neo Con/Middle East Institute & Syria Expert?

"As Syria expert Charles Lister wrote earlier this year, “In fact, while rarely acknowledged explicitly in public, the vast majority of the Syrian insurgency has coordinated closely with Al Qaeda since mid-2012—and to great effect on the battlefield.”

There's that admiration for terrorists again!

Kurdish spin omitted:

"According to the agreement reached between Turkey and Russia on 27 September, the militia in Idlib had to withdraw their heavy weapons from a 15 to 20 kilometer wide buffer zone by 15 October. The Ankara regime continues to claim that the militias directly under its jurisdiction have complied with the agreement"

But HTS and AQ are not under Turkey’s jurisdiction:

The militia Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was founded by al-Nusra and controls most of the area, has announced that it will not withdraw, but continues to be overcast.

Deadline extended:

"Without an official statement, both states have extended the deadline and are now aiming for a summit in Istanbul on 27 October"

New summit after deadline

The Istanbul Summit will bring together French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Main topic of the meeting is Idlib. Macron and Merkel have confirmed their participation, but Macron announced at the same time that the summit meeting would take place only if no offensive had been started on Idlib until then.

Macron doesn’t want the Idlib agreement to succeed, which is why he’s set pre conditions for his participation- See opening list of parties wanting Idlib agreement to fail.
Syrian Army on the move?

Military maneuvers of the Syrian army

"Just over a week before the planned summit, an important general of the Syrian army arrived at the Abu Zuhur air base to the east of Idlib. General al-Hassan is commander of the Tigris units and has been ordered by the Syrian army to station in that region. Together with other military officers he has examined the eastern front line. According to Syrian media, the deferred offensive is meant to be prepared.

Meanwhile, the Syrian army has begun military maneuvers in the region. In addition, reconnaissance flights are reported over Idlib"

Turkey has made clear that if the thugs don’t move Syria and Russia will move them

“Turkey, in its last message, has warned the terrorists that have refused to leave demilitarized zone that if the Sochi Agreement collapses, the Syrian army and the Russian Air Force will force the terrorists to leave their last strongholds in the Northern and Northwestern Syria.”

Assassination of SDF/PKK/YPG leadership continues

One of the SDF commanders named Haji Dikiyeh was killed by unknown assailants in the town of Qamishli in Northeastern Hasaka.

According to the report, another member of the SDF forces was also severely wounded by unknown gunmen in Hasaka city's al-Nashwah district.

As the  SDF Kurds continue on with their forced recruitment of children:

Meantime, local sources in Hasaka province reported that the SDF has detained at least 30 young people in the villages of Kaskas Jabour and al-Zayanat near the town of al-Shadadi in Southern Hasaka and a number of others in the village of al-Qara in Western Hasaka.

While distrubuting expired foodstuffs and medicine to displaced Syrian residents

The sources said that a large number of refugees at the SDF-run Mabroukah camp in Northern Hasaka took part in a demonstration against severe shortage of food stuff, medicines and other vitally needed items in their camp.

The sources said that many similar protests have been suppressed by the SDF, adding that the SDF had been intentionally worsening the living conditions in the camps to force the refugees, especially young men, to join the militia.

They went on to say that the SDF had sent expired consignments of medicines and food stuff to the camp, which intoxicated a number children in Mabroukah.

The sources underscored that the entire SDF-run refugee camps in Deir Ezzur and Hasaka are suffering from shortage of sanitary services and acute shortage of food stuff.

I've written previously on the topic of the SDF run camps- Keeping the UN money and goodies for themselves- starving the very people they have displaced.

Kurdistan 24- Syrian government arrests Kurdish religious official in Hasakah

"In addition to holding a position in the local self-administration, he was the imam of the Badr Mosque in the Hilaliye neighborhood of the city of Qamishlo"

Wonder what he was preaching in the mosque? Murder? Mayhem? Abuse the civilians cause it's okay to do? Wouldn't doubt it.

"Talks between the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) and Damascus were halted after brief clashes broke out in Qamishli on Sept. 8 between the Kurds and Syrian government forces.

I think that's around the time Kurds ambushed and slaughtered a slew of SAA..

Updated October 23/18: Indeed, the talks were halted after the Kurds attacked SAA, while on routine patrol killing 11 of them in a brutal ambush.
Covered here

“Negotiations with Damascus did not stop because of US pressure but the limited path set by the regime, which was not enough to achieve any progress,” SDC spokesperson Amjad Othman said in a statement.

“The US is an important partner in the fight against terrorism, and its role will be significant in the future of any political solution,” he added"

Posted by Penny at 6:19 PM 1 comment: Links to this post Labels: France, Iran, Iraq, kurds, NATO, russia, state sponsored terrorism, Strategy of tension, Syria, Turkey, UN, US

Khashoggi "Body Double"? Or not? Fiance Fabrication

How to explain the fact that a man resembling Khashoggi was caught on CCTV after his alleged murder?

While at the same time the Saudi's say "we don't know where the body is"??

Claim a body double was used! Of course!

This news originates with CNN....

Below is the alleged body double of Khashoggi walking in Instanbul after we're all supposed to believe the real Khashoggi was killed "CCTV images have emerged showing a Saudi intelligence officer dressed in a fake beard and Jamal Khashoggi's clothes and glasses on the day the journalist disappeared"

Is this really a "Saudi intelligence" officer? How can one tell by that image?

How do they know it's a "fake beard"?

I have so much trouble with narratives such as this............

Was that Jamal Khashoggi outside of the embassy?
How do we know a the body double did not enter the embassy?
And the real Jamal Khashoggi was pictured walking down the street on CCTV after his alleged killing?
I'm sure not taking the always obfuscating media's word at face value!

Particularly when it's reported the Saudi's say... We don't know where the body is!

"Adel al-Jubeir told Fox News those responsible for “this huge and grave mistake” would be held accountable.

He insisted Saudi officials did not know the whereabouts of Mr Khashoggi’s remains."

The fiance? Whose tale I never believed..

Here's another change in her story from immediately after Jamal Khashoggi did not exit the embassy..


Cengiz, who was waiting outside the consulate when Khashoggi entered the building, had not previously accepted that he had died. Khashoggi had gone to the consulate on October 2 to conduct paperwork that would allow for the two of them to be married.

In the event that he did not emerge, Khashoggi had told Cengiz to call his friend Turan Kislakci, the head of the Turkish Arab Media Association.

I'll repeat:

BBC reporting October 7th/18- when everything should be fresh in the fiance's mind

Well, which was it? Erdogan adviser or the head of the Turkish Arab Media Association?
Who did she first call when Khashoggi  did not re-appear???

Notice that her earlier claim of Khashoggi telling her to call an adviser to Erdogan connects this incident in the mind of the readers immediately to the Turkish government?
Though the later reporting has her calling a media association when Khashoggi did not re- appear (allegedly) I tend to believe that she called the head of the media association to get the 'ball rolling'.

"I do not know if Jamal is inside. I want to know where Jamal is. Did they detain him? Did they kidnap him? Is he imprisoned?" the visibly tired Cengiz told CNN's Jomana Karadsheh outside the consulate, a day after his disappearance. At the time, she asked media outlets not to name her.

Why did she initially ask media outlets to not name her? Had she not been given her stage name? I don't know. But that's as possible as all the other claims were told to believe.

Recalling Khashoggi's son didn't even know who she was. And the family lawyer denounced her as well...........

Yet, another news article touching on the fiance being an unknown to the family

He clarified that the woman who is called “Khadijah” who is promoting herself as Jamal's fiancé, is not known by the family and she is not his fiancé. “We do not know her, we do not know from where she came and she is not connected to the family, and her statements and presence might be to push her own agenda,” he said.

Psychological operation. Through and through.

Posted by Penny at 8:06 AM 9 comments: Links to this post Labels: CIA, forgotten history, middle east, Syria, Turkey, US


Breaking: Saudi Arabia Confirms Khashoggi Dead After Consulate Melee

A few news items

From earlier this week:

But that could change! Or not. 

Go Away "Sir" Bob Geldof

And take Bono with you! 

Bob Geldoff- Venture Capitalist/Global Profiteer/ Enterprising Investor

Bob Geldof has a sales pitch for Africa

Agriculture. Agriculture is the growth area,” Geldof said.

Name calling Sir Bob?

A successful government overthrow needs weapons..

Geldof Denies Live Aid Money Used For Arms

BBC Report 




From earlier today: 

F. William Engdahl

Just part of his very informative article:


Flawed Data

Malthusian Maurice Strong Labels: Canada, forgotten history, general interest, global warming, globalisation, US
 Think about this? War is ..... Stop being Manipulated by the Elites Resource: Ukraine Military Marker How your brain works

Richard Restak Unshackle YOUR mind Open Minded Thinkers Sorting fact from fiction

1- Logical Fallacies/Propaganda Techniques explained

3-Logical Fallacies Explained Fave Websites@ Thought Provoking reading @ MK Ultra Documentaries Can't miss flicks @ Programmed to Kill -Dave McGowan- Highly Recomended Edward Bernays: Perception Management it is a Reality