Black Flags Over Damascus

This moment reminds me of the US celebrating bin Laden and al Queda for ridding Afghanistan of the USSR. Later he declared war on the US. I suspect HTS and al Golani will play out in a similar manner. No matter, the nation state of Syria is no more. Of course it was a post world war (1946) creation itself, although Damascus is quite old. Many scholars believe that, among the ancient cities of the world, Damascus is perhaps the oldest continuously inhabited. Over the centuries, Damascus has been conqueror and conquered, wealthy and destitute, and capital of empire and small states. Sadly it's pluralistic culture is likely to be dissolved. (excellent article)

The former nation state of Syria has had many faces over time, once as part of the Persian Empire.

Several hundred years as part of the Roman Empire.

A long time as part of the Ottoman empire.

After the defeat of the Turks in WWI, it began it's evolution into a nation state.

Syria was finally created after WWII.

It's long and varied history has taken another turn.
Did you ever see Lawrence of Arabia? Full movie here. At the end of the film the Arabs find themselves unable to move beyond their tribal disagreements to control Damascus, aided by the Brits cutting off the city's water and electricity. Apparently not much has changed.

George Galloway also recalled the film in his monologue this week...
The Arab world is dead to me (18 min)
The new world isn't being born, the old world is not dying. With the destruction of Syria comes the death of Palestine. Gaza is done for. Netanyahu wins

Syrian born, Richard Medhurst, shares his opinion...

It's all about al-Qaeda. The map of Syria has been disfigured and redrawn. Head-chopping lunatics rule the asylum, says Richard Medhurst (15 min)

The Duran also discusses the situation...
Partitioning Syria. HTS is a shadow (16 min)
The video discusses the collapse of Syria, with foreign powers partitioning the country. It covers Israel's expansion, Turkey's actions, HTS's role, and the US involvement. The discussion also touches on Blinken's visit to Turkey and the uncertain future of Damascus.

Pepe Escobar: Syria in Ultimate Chaos

(65 min)

Pepe's recent article...
Death of a nation: Black Flags, massacres, land grabs as vultures feed on the carcass of Syria
The standard modus operandi of the Hegemon is always Divide and Rule. Cornered by the inexorable rise of the multi-nodal reality, they saw an opening for an imperial reboot, betting everything on establishing the “Greater Middle East” outlined still during the Cheney era.
The iron axis of Straussian neocons, Zio-cons and Old Testament psychos in Tel Aviv is no-holds-barred obsessed on destroying the Axis of Resistance, using their transnational network of bloody killers to extend chaos and sectarian civil war all across West Asia. Throughout this ideal scenario they dream of mortally hitting the head of the snake: Iran.
Sultan Erdogan, playing the role of useful patsy, has proclaimed:
A “bright period” for Syria has begun.
Indeed. A bright period for Black Flag head-choppers and Tel Aviv bombers and land grabbers – feeding on the carcass of Syria.

To Kill a Nation: Daniel McAdams on the American War on Syria (54 min)
We’re excited to welcome back Daniel McAdams, Executive Director of the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, to discuss the current situation in the Middle East. Together, we’ll examine the U.S. role in destabilizing nations throughout history, compare Syria’s plight to others, and explore what the future may hold for the country.

Max Blumenthal : Turkey Invades Syria.

(26 min)

Why Syria Fell So Fast/Now What Are We Looking At? Col Doug Macgregor (30 min)

Perhaps the most interesting hypothesis about the fall of Syria comes from Alex Krainer.

(30 min) He suggest it was a trap laid to ensnare NATOstan in a quagmire much like we did to the USSR in Afghanistan.
Did Russia Just Set a HUGE Trap in Syria? | Alex Krainer (48 min)

The idea that Syria and Ukraine are separate conflicts is mistaken to my mind. Ukrainian trainers and officers helped HTS in their rapid offensive. HTS is made up of foreign (mainly central Asian) jihadists. Plus CIA, MI6, Mossad, Turkey's MIT, were all knee deep in the invasion. Perhaps the idea was to distract Russia from Ukraine. If that was the plan, it failed. Russia continues it's unrelenting steady progress working toward the borders of all four new oblasts. Russia is currently holding all the cards and I don't see how the Ukraine army can withstand the massive onslaught for much longer.

Here's a nice summary of the conflict...
Has Russia 'Checkmated' the West With Oreshnik? Mike Maloney

(37 min) Today’s update exposes a critical and urgent threat that has been buried by mainstream media. For decades, global powers have taken steps that have destabilized international security, bringing us closer to the brink of World War III.
Discover:
Why the U.S. withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty changed the course of history.
The development of Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missile and its implications for global security.
How NATO’s expansion has escalated tensions with Russia.
The media’s role in suppressing essential information about these dangers.
What you can do to demand accountability and prevent further escalation.
The risks are real, and the stakes have never been higher. This is a conversation that must happen now.
Links to all referenced materials are right here.

The Duran had several clips this week updating the situation in Ukraine...
TRUMP wants end to project Ukraine, Zelensky panics (22 min)
ATACMS into Russia. Kursk cauldron KNOCKOUT to Ukraine (23 min)
Orban, project Ukraine and a return to diplomacy (24 min)

Trump Says No to ‘Foolish’ US Missile Attacks on Russia
President-elect Donald Trump accused the Biden administration of “escalating this war” in Ukraine and “making it worse” by allowing U.S. long-range ATACMS missiles to be fired from Ukraine deep into Russia. “I disagree very vehemently with sending missiles hundreds of miles into Russia,” Trump told Time magazine in an interview published on Thursday. He said: “Why are we doing that? We’re just escalating this war and making it worse. That should not have been allowed to be done. Now they’re doing not only missiles, but they’re doing other types of weapons. And I think that’s a very big mistake, very big mistake.”

The outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden is preparing a significant surge in weapons deliveries to Ukraine in the final weeks of his tenure, a senior official told CNN on Thursday.

Biden Aims to Go Out With a Bellicose Bang
Having failed thus far to ignite Nuclear Armageddon, what’s up next for the U.S. military industrial complex? I’ll tell you: New bases in Europe, 47 of them, to be exact, in Scandinavia in coming years. That’s Joe Biden’s legacy, a blood transfusion to NATO’s moribund carcass by adding Finland and Sweden and thereby ballooning the Empire’s global military footprint, a footprint of over 800 imperial foreign military bases already bankrupting us Welp, we’re gonna get 47 more, per journalist Patrick Hennigsen, and they’re gonna be near Russia. If you’re a Finn or a Swede, you might want to consider emigrating, since the pusillanimous NATO to which you now belong has set you up as a tripwire for the Atomic Apocalypse. That’s Biden’s legacy. Don’t think for a minute these bases make anyone safer. Quite the contrary. Besides being hugely provocative and thus endangering the local population, the bases’ U.S. soldiers are in harm’s way.

I want to recommend watching this almost 3 hour conversation between Joe Rogan and deep state investigator Mike Benz. Watch it in bites to take it all in over the next week. Seems like I took it in with five or more bites. For those who are interested in the depth of the blob, it is well worth your time. Mike Benz (2.7 hours)

Mike Benz is a former official with the U.S. Department of State and current Executive Director of the Foundation For Freedom Online, is a free speech watchdog organization dedicated to restoring the promise of a free and open Internet. www.foundationforfreedomonline.com

As Mearsheimer said this week there's no way Trump can clean house, the tentacles of the blob simply reach too far.
Prof. John Mearsheimer : "Russophobic " - Buzzword for MSM

Great quote from the comments below the clip...
Corrupted by wealth and power, your government is like a restaurant with only one dish. They've got a set of Republican waiters on one side and a set of Democratic waiters on the other side. But no matter which set of waiters brings you the dish, the legislative grub is all prepared in the same Wall Street kitchen. - Huey Long

Of course you can't go wrong with Ray, Larry, and the Judge with the weekly wrap...

(30 min)

As to South Korea, I would point you to soryang's comment yesterday...

The republic of South Korea has profound structural problems, economically, socially, and politically. This drift into authoritarianism, the suppression of a free press, the institutional corruption of the press on behalf of the five major chaebol monopolies, the oppression of labor unions, etc., is a perennial problem, that lends itself to the emergence of dictatorship. This still isn't over. The now acting president, the prime minister Han Duck-soo, is a suspect in Yoon's plot to overthrow the republic. How can he function as the chief executive?

Much more to read in his comment.

On the domestic front...

missed opportunities...

ABC To Pay Trump $15 Million For Defamation, Issue Apology

(60 sec)

RFK has TPTB wringing their hands....

Jesse Watters: "The MAHA movements go into food court. First of its kind lawsuits, accusing top food companies of designing addictive foods and drinks and marketing them to kids, causing chronic diseases. Coca-Cola, Kraft, Heinz, Nestle, just some of the major companies hit with the lawsuit."
"Big food's pushing back, saying the suit gives processed foods a bad rap. Quote, there is currently no agreed upon scientific definition of ultra-processed foods. Attempting to classify foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed or demonizing food by ignoring its full nutrient content misleads consumers and exacerbates health disparities."
"While big foods fighting in court, Trump and R.F.K. Jr. are ready to fight in the court of public opinion. There's just a month away from shaking up Washington and the entire food industry see a new hope with the incoming administration. I think a lot of our moms didn't necessarily just like run to the right. They felt abandoned by the left. And when the right said, hey, we're here for you on health freedom, they said, that's something that I can align with."
"Parents of all political stripes are worried about their kids' health and their husbands. And they're cheering on Trump and RFK Jr. Democrats are realizing that once again, the right is on the side of the people, and their voters are switching sides. But instead of playing ball and fighting for the greater good, the left is lying to you."
"Democrats in the media have been trying to take down each of Trump's cabinet picks for weeks. The New York Times ran a little hit piece on RFK and vaccines. Kennedy's lawyer has asked the FDA to revoke approval of the polio vaccine. The Times had so little to work with, they were forced to admit the truth."
"Just a few paragraphs down, writing this, Mr. Kennedy, president-elect Donald J. Trump's choice for health secretary has said that he does not want to take away access to any vaccines. We don't expect the media to let the truth get in the way of a good story."

RFK may have to be a recess appointment big food and big pharma are powerful.

Go to X for a quick read...or watch the 10 min clip.

But you better not question the science. Remember when Falsie said he WAS science?

Funny how TPTB turned that on its head.

Staying away from health providers may be the best strategy.

and the rest of the X post text...
"So he went and he did a study of the Amish... Following the national trends, there should have been about 2,000 autism cases. And they were able to find three."
"And all of them were children who had been adopted by the Amish after receiving their vaccines. Of the Amish in general, they could not find any."

No doubt RFK is going to have a steep hill to climb. I'm glad he's going to try.

Well, there's more news to discuss, but we'll have to do that in the comments below. The world, as always, is in a state of flux, but it feels like we're at the cusp of rapid changes. I hope you'll chime in with your thoughts, stories, and insights below. The Thread is open...