The Levant crisis.(Israel,SYRIA,Lebanon,etc)

[dnivas]

^ wow that was insane. Thanks for the great posts everyone.

[NRao]

Russia faces evacuating 80,000 nationals from Egypt

Around 80,000 Russians are stranded in Egypt after the Kremlin grounded all flights to the country following the crash of a Russian airliner in the Sinai Peninsula, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said on Saturday.

President Vladimir Putin ordered the flight suspension on Friday, a possible sign that Russia is attaching more credence to the theory that a bomb brought down the Russian passenger jet in Egypt a week ago, killing all 224 people on board.

“Today the number of tourists in Egypt was clarified, it is around 80,000,” RIA news agency quoted Dvorkovich as saying.

“The Egyptian military has taken control of the operation to put passengers on flights,” he added.

Russia will be wanting to avoid the chaotic scenes endured by thousands of British holidaymakers stuck in Red Sea resorts after Egypt slashed the number of flights it would allow to take them home.

Oleg Safonov, head of Russian state tourism agency Rostourism, said 1,200 Russian tourists had returned home and future flights would be leaving without hold luggage.

“A planned process to evacuate tourists will be executed,” Russian news agencies quoted Safonov as saying. “Planes will arrive empty and be boarded by those tourists who should return home on that date.”

The Russian Travel Industry Union said nearly all Russian tourists due to visit Egypt in the coming days had agreed to fly to Turkey instead.

“In the near future, flights which should have flown to Egypt are being redirected to Antalya,” the Interfax news agency quoted union spokeswoman Irina Turina as saying. “Practically all tourists have agreed with this.”

[Satya_anveshi]

Press Conf by the head of investigation team has just concluded so story may change shortly.
A321 Flight Recorder's Data Not Confirming On Board Terrorist Attack - Nov 07 2015

[Satya_anveshi]

US approach of regime change is based on removing the glue that holds (or can hold) Syria together. Once it is gone, partition is inevitable.

Syrian/Iranian/Russian approach is to first keep Assad alive and then make sovereignty/territorial integrity of Syria paramount so even if Assad is gone, partition can still be avoided.

That is why, Pt #1 of recently concluded Vienna (non) agreement goes in Syrian/Iranian/Russian favor.

Partitioning of Syria Hallmark of Washington's Neocolonial Strategy - Nov 05, 2015

[Austin]

receiving end of artillery shelling .. squealing is from cameraman

Oh Man thats terrible

[NRao]

Russian foreign ministry discusses flight suspension with Egypt envoy

[RoyG]

receiving end of artillery shelling .. squealing is from cameraman

Oh Man thats terrible

Why?

[UlanBatori]

So nothing here has ruled out impact with a stray drone, except that the pieces of the drone have not been identified.

[deejay]

I have seen quite a few videos of this Levant blood and gore. One particular video that caught my eye was this one below. It is a Peshmerga vs ISIS interaction. No bullets just words. Subtitles in English.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be2bTg9rHLo

[Satya_anveshi]

After Chalabi gone, Sr B admitting that his son was nincompoop turned mass murderer, now this.

Should we fit in the Russian plane crash in somewhere there?

xposting from Ind-Ru thread

RT news founder is dead.
Putin Associate Found Dead in DC Hotel
http://news.yahoo.com/putin-associate-f ... ories.html

RT and SputinikNews are doing yoemans job in providing an alternative (and better) perspective from that of western propaganda.

RT channel is the most viewed news channel on YouTube and that tells you where people are going to get better and different perspective to get their news.

Pretty much every major news channel in US has been discredited as presstitute media house.

--Added later - Same News from Tass--
Russia’s former mass media minister Mikhail Lesin dies at age on 57 - Nov 06 2015

MOSCOW, November 6. /TASS/. Russia’s former mass media minister and ex-CEO of Gazprom-Media Mikhail Lesin has died at the age of 57 on Friday.
Lesin was Russian minister for the mass media, television and mass communications in a period from July 1999 to February 2004. He left his post after the resignation of the Mikhail Kasyanov government and disbandment of the ministry.
In October 2013-December 2014, he was director general and chairman of the board of Gazprom-Media Holding.

[Satya_anveshi]

Posting here for its relevance to overall dynamic of this thread's topic
‘Underwater drone with explosives’ spotted near Baltic Nord Stream pipeline - Nov 07, 2015

[UlanBatori]

Let me save some work for our more excitable postors and officially register my and that Anyone would Accuse the CIA of sending underwater drones with explosives to attack the Nordic Pipeline.
The CIA does not operate drones further than 1000 m away from Langley. If u don't count their bow-tied Anal-ysts from Yale who are members of the Drones Club.

[Satya_anveshi]

TheJerusalemPost (jpost dot com) is reporting that ISIS has freed 37 Syrian Christians (and they were in good health ) as if that is supposed to mean they are good guys and other front page news item is that of Russia complicating Israeli affair.

Well people note their perspective of where they stand .

[habal]

Charlie Hebdo, satirical magazine owned by rothschild family (no less) makes fun of victims of russian plane crash.

[NRao]

F.B.I. to Help Russia Investigate Plane Crash in Egypt

[TSJones]

F.B.I. to Help Russia Investigate Plane Crash in Egypt

hmmm, how can this be ?

I thought Russia would attack US assets in the ME if terrorism was proven?

Maybe they will still attack the Saudis as some on this thread have urged. or maybe not.....

Perhaps the Russians are neck deep in a cauldron where there are no easy answers? Now that just could be so, eh?

[Austin]

Mi-28 and Mi-35 of Iraqi Army attacking ISIS

[chetak]

F.B.I. to Help Russia Investigate Plane Crash in Egypt

hmmm, how can this be ?

I thought Russia would attack US assets in the ME if terrorism was proven?

Maybe they will still attack the Saudis as some on this thread have urged. or maybe not.....

Perhaps the Russians are neck deep in a cauldron where there are no easy answers? Now that just could be so, eh?

the western goras are protecting the plane and their aviation market.

They NEED it to be a bomb that took down the airbus and not some structural failure. It's all psyops so far with absolutely no evidence for the goras to even raise the question of a bomb.

[habal]

what is this ?
“ [Russia’s] Ministry of Emergencies (EMERCOM) “special flight” was dispatched to Yemen’s capital of Sanaa where it landed successfully by using as cover one of the most powerful cyclones to hit this nation in its entire history.
Upon this EMERCOM “special flight” landing in Sanaa, this report says, the two CIA “assets” and their equipment, along with the Spetsnaz troops that captured them, then boarded the plane but were refused to be allowed to take off again by Saudi military aircraft who under Obama regime control are bombing this nation into utter and complete famine.
Within hours though, this report states, [Russian] Aerospace Forces “countermeasures” employed against the Saudis was successful thus allowing this EMERCOM “special flight” to depart from Sanaa and return safely to Federation airspace.’’
* * * * * * * *
http://yournewswire.com/russia-captures ... ane-crash/
and,
http://www.eutimes.net/2015/11/daring-r ... e-in-egypt

[Austin]

https://www.rt.com/usa/321194-carter-ru ... rld-order/

Terror elements like ISIL, of course, stand entirely opposed to our values. But other challenges are more complicated, and given their size and capabilities, potentially more damaging,” he said.

“Some actors appear intent on eroding these principles and undercutting the international order that helps enforce them… Of course, neither Russia nor China can overturn that order. But both present different challenges for it,” Carter said.

In Europe, Russia has been violating sovereignty in Ukraine and Georgia and actively trying to intimidate the Baltic states. Meanwhile, in Syria, Russia is throwing gasoline on an already dangerous fire, prolonging a civil war that fuels the very extremism Russia claims to oppose,” was the US Defense Secretary’s assessment of the role Russia has played in the two world regions.

[Y. Kanan]

I hate being right all the time. Since the early days of Russia's campaign I've been troubled by the apparent inaccuracy (and result ineffectiveness) of Russia's bombing and even more troubled by the heavy armor losses the SAA is suffering at the hands of US TOW missiles. This was part of the reason I've advocated for an IAF deployment of SU-30's and Mirage-2000's to bolster the air campaign. My observations were dismissed by most of the posters here, and I was even attacked for being a jihadist sympathizer for pointing out inconvenient truths.

As usual, my observations were spot on: the Syrian counteroffensives have failed miserably; SAA armor has been decimated by TOW's and Russian strikes aren't effective enough to dislodge the jihadists. The bad guys are winning, and our friends are losing. This is shaping up to be another humiliating defeat (along with Afghanistan and Iraq) for the people trying to stop Sunni Islam's seemingly unstoppable march across the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia and the subcontinent.

Like I've been saying all along, the US and it's Sunni allies must not be allowed to prevail against Syria and Iran. We beat them over there or we fight them at home. India needs to pick a f*cking side for once. Do we abandon the Russians, Iranians and Syrians or do we take a stand? Is our endless prostration and kowtowing to the Gulf Arabs and the Americans worth it?

[UlanBatori]

The Syrian 'civil' oil war has been going on for 4 years. The enemy is/was inside the suburbs of Damascus at least until end of September. The Syrian Army was on its very last legs. If this had been a boxing match the referee would have stopped it 2 years ago.

One month later, it is indeed shocking that the Russian intervention hasn't wiped out the enemy and ended the war - didn't WW2 end within one month of the US entering the war?

India could send in the IPKF-ISSY (Iraq-Syria-SaudiArabia-Yemen) and parachute 600 men into Raqqa like into Jaffna... with orders to "bring them back by the scruff of da neck" a la Kargil. Covered by a couple of Su-30MKIs to scare the Patriot batteries. Wonder why GOI hasn't doing this - can't Mr. Modi read BRF or WHAT?

Meanwhile, India 'vely vely carefully monitoring' the neighboring superpower where the ISIS is taking over/has taken over and Shariah reigns.

[UlanBatori]

F.B.I. to Help Russia Investigate Plane Crash in Egypt

hmmm, how can this be ?
I thought Russia would attack US assets in the ME if terrorism was proven?
Maybe they will still attack the Saudis as some on this thread have urged. or maybe not.....
Perhaps the Russians are neck deep in a cauldron where there are no easy answers? Now that just could be so, eh?

So FBI is IIRC, responsible for crimes crossing state borders inside the US. Not a lot of jurisdiction in Egypt. Why, the bomb on the airliner been traced to the US, one presumes? State of origin is DC or Virginia? Or did the terrorists cross the border into Maryland?

[TSJones]

So FBI is IIRC, responsible for crimes crossing state borders inside the US. Not a lot of jurisdiction in Egypt. Why, the bomb on the airliner been traced to the US, one presumes? State of origin is DC or Virginia? Or did the terrorists cross the border into Maryland?

the FBI investigates crimes all the world.

nice try but no cigar.....

[Satya_anveshi]

I had earlier commented on Brishit pronouncements on egyptian plane crash as "chor ki daadi me tinka"
If the Sinai crash was terrorism, its timing was perfect for the West - Nov 07 2015

A sketch by the late lamented US comedian Bill Hicks involved a US general at a press conference. “‘Iraq has incredible weapons. Incredible,’ the general said. ‘How do you know that?’ he was asked. “Oh, well, uh – we looked at the receipt.’”

In the aftermath of the Russian airplane crash in Egypt last week, Britain in particular has been quick to claim that the crash was the result of a “terrorist bomb,” presumably planted by Islamic State (previously ISIS/ISIL). So what is it that makes Cameron so sure that the terrorist group created by his Syria policy has the necessary training, equipment and wherewithal to carry out that attack? Did he look at the receipt?
What is clear is that if the plane was brought down by a bomb, and that bomb was planted by ISIS, it marks a major development for the group.

According to Raffaello Pantucci, of the Royal United Services Institute, an attack of this kind by ISIS would “herald an unseen level of sophistication in their bomb-making, as well as the ability to smuggle a device on board.”

But as well as a new technical feat, such an attack would represent an alarming change in tactics. The Times argued: “If the plane crash did turn out to be the work of an Islamic State affiliate in Sinai, it would mark a significant departure for the jihadist group, which had yet to launch a large-scale attack against civilians.”

So, if the plane was indeed brought down by an ISIS-in-Sinai bomb, either the group have suddenly been blessed with some amazing new technology, or they have suddenly decided to change tactics to mass killings of civilians. If the latter, isn’t it a little odd that, after more than a year of Western airstrikes apparently targeting them, ISIS have failed to launch such an attack against Western civilians – yet are able to respond within weeks to a campaign of Russian airstrikes which, according to the West, are not even aimed at them?

Either way, the crash couldn’t have been timed more perfectly from the point of view of Western geopolitics. After four years of setbacks, the West’s Syrian “regime change” (that euphemism for wholesale state destruction) operation now faces the prospect of imminent total defeat courtesy of Russia’s intervention. And options for how to salvage that operation are very limited indeed.

Full scale occupation is a non-starter; following Iraq and Afghanistan, both the US and British armies are now officially incapable of mounting such ventures. The Libya option – supporting death squads on the ground with NATO air cover – has always come up against Russian opposition, but has now been effectively rendered impossible. And relying on anti-government death squads alone is simply very unlikely to succeed, however many TOWs and manpads are feverishly thrown into the fire; after all, there are only so many terrorists and mercenaries who can be shipped in, and, as Mike Whitney put it, the world may have already reached “peak terrorist.”

{ When I looked at the video of outpouring of grief in a Russian village of the soldier who committed suicide in Syria, that lone casualty so far, I had a thought whether Western powers are sensing any new weakness of Russia....within days we had the plane incident ...}

Forcing Russia out – and turning US and British airpower openly and decisively against the Syrian state – has thus become a key objective for Western planners. But how to do it? What would turn Russians against the intervention? The Times wrote: “So far the war in Syria has been quite popular….[but] if it turns out that the war prompts terrorists to wreak vengeance on ordinary Russians by secreting explosives on planes, that gung-ho attitude could change.” Or at least, that is presumably what the Times hopes.

And downing the plane on Egyptian soil just before Sisi’s first state visit to Britain?

Egypt is at a historical crossroads. Having moved from the socialist camp into the West’s “orbit” during the Sadat era in the 1970s, Egypt’s leadership has become ever less willing to be dictated to by Washington and London: a process that began in the latter part of Mubarak’s rule, and has continued under Sisi. Along with Russia, Egypt has played a leading “spoiler role,” as Sukant Chandan puts it, in the West’s regime change operation in Syria – and has not been forgiven for it.

In addition, Mubarak’s government had been dragging its feet on the privatization and “structural adjustment” demanded by the IMF: and tourism was and is a major source of income helping to reduce the country’s dependence on the international banksters. But since last Saturday, all that is now in the balance; as the Financial Times commented, suspicions that the crash was caused by a bomb “are likely to prove disastrous to the country’s struggling tourism industry.”

Britain’s foreign secretary, Philip Hammond agreed. “Of course, this will have a huge negative impact on Egypt,” he announced matter-of-factly, following Britain’s decision to stop British flights to Egypt - seemingly without an ounce of regret. The likely massive loss of tourist income will force the Egyptians to go back to the IMF, who will, of course, demand their pound of flesh in the form of mass privatizations and “austerity.”

But it is not only Egypt’s economic dependency on the West that will be deepened by the crash – Britain, in particular, appears to be using the crash as leverage to re-insinuate itself into Egypt’s military and security apparatus. Firstly, British officials have been taking every opportunity to humiliate Egypt, trying to convince the world that Egypt is perilously unstable, and that only by outsourcing security to the West can it be safe again. When Sisi arrived in the country this week, noted the Times, “Britain openly contradicted the Egyptian leader and suggested that he was not in full control of the Sinai peninsula,” whilst an Egyptian official “commented that the dispatch of six officials to check the security arrangements at Sharm el-Sheikh airport was ‘like treating us as children.’”

Finally, of course, the British government has not missed the opportunity to use the tragedy to push for deeper British involvement in Syria. Michael Fallon, Britain’s Defence Secretary, has been spending the last two days explaining how the case for bombing Syria would be strengthened if it were proven the plane was brought down by ISIS. Quite how more deeply insinuating one of the death squads’ leading state backers into Syria would somehow reduce the power of the death squads is, of course, not explained; such is the nature of imperialism.

In a world, then, where Western power is in steep decline, terrorism is fast becoming one of the last few viable options for extending its hegemony and undermining the rising power of the global South. If this attack does turn out to have been conducted by ISIS, how kind it will have been of them to take it upon themselves to act as the vanguard of Western imperial interests. And how obliging of the hundreds of Western agents in the organization not to do anything to stop them.

[UlanBatori]

“herald an unseen level of sophistication in their bomb-making, as well as the ability to smuggle a device on board.”

I hear this garbage time and again.
The ability to corrupt a set of individuals is as old as Homo Sapiens Corruptus.
If these goat-lovers had the ability to make truck-bombs, tank-bombs, HumVee-Bombs, Toyota-Bombs, Paki-bombs, train-bombs, all detonated by remote control or using a sensor of something, how tough is it to make a suitcase-bomb or even a whole airline container packed with fuel oil and fertilizer with a pressure-activated detonator stuck into it?
Just because it goes on an airplane it has to be "sophisticated"? That's only if it has to be taken in by a (soosai) passenger and pass the pat-down and X-ray and all.

That's the stupid way. The probable ISIS way is so much simpler. In this case the passengers were all Apostate/Kuffar/Croosaders. But the airport was 400% run by the Relijjun of Biss and Honesty.

They just had to be sure that everyone from the airport cargo gate (or the airport fence patrol) to the actual loading crew and their supervisor and inspector on the plane, were induced by money, sex, or more likely sheer terror, to 'co-operate'. This is what they do best, after all. Maybe the usual inspector was suddenly missing and replaced by an eager subordinate.

[Satya_anveshi]

Agree that is a bit of curious part of that article. But after Russia took a decision to stop all planes to SeS, bringing empty planes to carry the remaining tourists back, it has already spoken on suspect ground staff.

[Satya_anveshi]

This is the level of trench digging that ISIS is doing for its logistics:

[UlanBatori]

*Biscuits International... (never mind; don't want ppl to start again).

[Satya_anveshi]

*BI... (never mind; don't want ppl to start again).

UB ji,

When did we start caring about such anti-intellectual/human rights elements

It takes zilch to adhere to prevailing narrative but it takes himalayan gonads (not to be confused with hernia) to propose alternative theories and keep isolating the best. At the very least, the lurking analysts, who are part of secondary audience for the postings here, can keep those in mind as they evaluate scenarios in future.

[Satya_anveshi]

How Does the Islamic State Fit Into America's Syria Master Plan? - Nov 08, 2015

Washington is an "arsonist" responsible for the ongoing Syrian crisis, Tony Cartalucci writes, stressing that Syria and Russia must attempt to expand their operation across Syrian territory faster than the Pentagon can spread "chaos" there.

Proceeding with his narrative, Cartalucci cited a Department of Intelligence Agency (DIA) report drafted in 2012 and published by Judicial Watch, a conservative, non-partisan educational foundation. The researcher stressed that the rise of the Islamic State could have been a part of a premeditated plan for the "deconstruction" of Syria.

{ This part is pretty much core of the issue as far as my reading of this situation goes }

The researcher suggested that Obama's "boots on the ground" in Syria could be involved in backing US-trained and armed terrorists in order to take and hold Syrian territories. By fragmentizing Syria, US strategists seek to destroy it as a functioning nation-state ruled by the Assad government. {same as above }
In order to undermine the plan, "Syria and Russia should seek the expansion of their coalition inside Syria, and in particular, in the regions the US seeks to carve out," Cartalucci noted.

Question is does public in US support such a plan that their govt is executing on their behalf? Who among the US intellectuals are speaking about this, what actions they are taking, and what results they are aiming/ achieving?

[Falijee]

Saudi King Books Entire Luxury Hotel In Turkey For G20 Summit

Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz has booked an entire luxury hotel in southern Turkey as part of the G20 Summit reportedly for a whopping $18 million.
Reports indicate that King Salman will be staying at Mardan Palace, which is known to be the most expensive luxury resort in Europe and the Mediterranean region. He is expected to check in at the hotel, which will remain closed for all other guests, a few days ahead of the G20 Summit, which will be held in Anatalya.

"Membership" in the Ummah Club (for Turkee) brings its own reward

The hotel is allegedly paying exclusive attention to all details throughout the compound, including the rooms the king will be staying in, including a red carpet as well as special training for hotel chefs and staff.
In addition to the G20, King Salman is also expected to discuss investments in Turkey. Security at the summit will be high according to Turkish officials, due to the attendance of US President Barack Obama, European Union leaders, Russian and Chinese leaders.

Of course, the King is also expected to thank Turkey, for providing, covert support to ISIS and future promises of "more investments" if Turkey decides to "openly" join the ranks of Islamic nations.

The king will be accompanied by nearly 1,000 people, according to reports. The king has a reputation for travelling with a huge entourage. Recently, for his three-night stay in the US capital, he booked the entire 222-room Four-seasons.

Turks should be well advised to keep their daughters, sisters and mothers out of sight, during the sojourn of the Saudi monarch,as the recent news reports from Europe and US indicate.

King Salman has previously been criticised for his ‘VIP taste’ during his visit to the Cote d’Azur in France, when a 1,000-person entourage holidayed on the French Riviera; however, they were forced to cut short their trip after a petition from some 150,000 residents over the closure of a public beach outside his villa.

" Public shaming " of these Royals seem to work in non-Ummah countries at least!

[Y. Kanan]

The Syrian 'civil' oil war has been going on for 4 years. The enemy is/was inside the suburbs of Damascus at least until end of September. The Syrian Army was on its very last legs. If this had been a boxing match the referee would have stopped it 2 years ago.

One month later, it is indeed shocking that the Russian intervention hasn't wiped out the enemy and ended the war - didn't WW2 end within one month of the US entering the war?

India could send in the IPKF-ISSY (Iraq-Syria-SaudiArabia-Yemen) and parachute 600 men into Raqqa like into Jaffna... with orders to "bring them back by the scruff of da neck" a la Kargil. Covered by a couple of Su-30MKIs to scare the Patriot batteries. Wonder why GOI hasn't doing this - can't Mr. Modi read BRF or WHAT?

Meanwhile, India 'vely vely carefully monitoring' the neighboring superpower where the ISIS is taking over/has taken over and Shariah reigns.

I'm not suggesting an IAF deployment would dramatically alter the military balance in Syria, but it would be a very important symbolic step, showing the world (and more importantly, the US and its allies) that Russia doesn't stand alone. It could result in China sending aircraft or naval forces as well. The morale effect on Syrian, Hezb and Iranian forces would be huge. Having all three nations stuck in the same struggle together, would also have the effect of binding us into a closer long-term relationship. This could ultimately result in China reigning in Pakistan or at the very least backing off from intervening militarily on their behalf next time they pick a fight with us.

It seems to me a mistake to simply leave Russia's a$$ hanging in the breeze, so to speak. Syria is a key stepping stone in a much larger US\Sunni grand plan to plunge the entire region into chaos (including India). Putin's intervention presents a fleeting opportunity to forge a powerful grand alliance against the US and its Sunni partners. If it fails, the idea of standing up to American designs will die along with it. So will any hope of a multi-polar world. It will all be downhill from there.

[Satya_anveshi]

Y. Kanan ji,

Do we have any example of our external engagement in combat zones other than airlifting our people out of Iraq (largest ever eviction of people from war effected zone) and Yemen?

Most states engaged in that theater have direct stakes involved. The only major states that is indirectly involved because its stake is also indirectly related is China. It(China) is only to keep Mid-East theater complicated before US draws attention to South East/Far East. Everyone else, I repeat, everyone else is involved because of direct stakes (of 100s of B$).

One can make a case for our oil import bill is highest spend item and #1 drainer of forex, our stake also runs into 100s of B$ over time.

Before India even contemplates engaging in this theater, it needs to take the following baby steps (which I have seen no signs of it doing):

- Educate public of what is going on in middle-east. The milder way, the medium way, and the brute no-spin way; Demonstrate that *we* effing understand what is going on so next time *before* someone preaches to us (say Obama), we can at least say..."come on you idiot...don't insult our intellect..don't we know how many you guys killed in Syria and Iraq..."
- Identify different counter balancing forces that can play a role should the middle-east situation comes to play in our home turf
- empower some of the ones on good side; give visible indications that bad guys are taken out so future possibility is weakened and investments in that direction are curtailed
- Even if staying neutral, say that we stand ready to help...right now, we don't even have observer status in the vienna talks (includes 20 nations) and we dream of security council veto carrying member which needs global conflict resolution expertise
- we can definitely offer rehabilitation mgmt efforts (affected and refugees) and get a foot in the door. If the stakes of the game is in trillions what type of banias are we to keep all aloof of this.
- Our total silence on ISIS atrocities including rapes, murder, genocide, selling kids and women for few dimes and all this despite constant attacks on our civilizational/cultural character needs to stop; Can't we educate present day Marathas/Sikhs/all hindus in general about what ISIS is doing to Kurda, Yezedis, shiites, is what our people have experienced too and how we must be proud of our ancestors that we still stand high as dharmics despite all that.
- are we drawing parallels to the destruction of cultural heritage in Syria/Iraq with our own. Hundreds of those (if not thousands) still exist in dilapidated form in our midst crying for the need to reconstruct and restore them to past glory.
- can we use the ISIS atrocities as parallel to blunt the cutting edge of the sword that is affecting us internally.
Not all of this needs to be done by govt unless there is no capability in civil society/NGO/think-tank to do it, which seems to be the case.

[member_29228]

To be brutally frank India does not have the resources, hardware or strategic military thought leadership to participate in a shoot out war out side of our borders.

It's different matter to do or be in peace police keeping.

At the current resource level even a war with TSP beyond 5 to 7!days is out of syllabus , thanks to 10 years of UPA regime and in general military politico establishment set up.

We have long ways to go before we can intervene in other parts of the world.

[chanakyaa]

[Satya_anveshi]

On Nov 03, 2015 there was following US senate hearing held:

Putin's Invasion of Ukraine and the Propaganda that Threatens Europe - - Nov 03, 2015

Most of that discussion was focused on RT.com and its propaganda ability. Below is RT's take of it.

On Nov 06, 57 year old rt.com ceo (and Putin's ex-media chief), Mikhail Lesin, died in Washington DC . I am sure people will advise us not to indulge in CT that he was called for senate hearing on friendly terms and got bumped off

US Senate committee spends two hours discussing 'Russian propaganda' threat < link to video>

[TSJones]

1. India-US relationship thread.

2. Understanding the US thread

3. Positive news of the US thread

and now
wait for it.....

4. The Levant crisis (Israel, Syria, Lebanon, etc) thread

[UlanBatori]

5. Afghanistan thread.
I assume v r thrilled to be able to count to 4. Or 5.

[Satya_anveshi]

I got the hint from TSJ and promptly posted the same in UkiBapzi thread