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BY ERICK SAN JUAN
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Sunday, January 15, 2017
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“BOTH leaders are polar opposites – a mensch in Moscow on the right side of history compared to a US menace in Washington waging war on humanity. [Mensch means a person of dignity and honor. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mensch].”
The foregoing paragraph was taken from the article of Stephen Lendman, referring to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and US outgoing president Barack Obama on the recent sanctions slapped on Russian diplomats in the US by Obama for the alleged cyber attacks on the recent US elections.
“What is the Obama regime up to?” This was the title Paul Craig Roberts’ article wherein he writes: “Obama has announced new sanctions on Russia based on unsubstantiated charges by the CIA that the Russian government influenced the outcome of the US presidential election with “malicious cyber enabled activities.”
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a report “related to the declaration of 35 Russian officials persona non grata for malicious cyber activity and harassment.”
The report was a description of “tools and infrastructure used by Russian intelligence services to compromise and exploit networks and infrastructure associated with the recent US election, as well as a range of US government, political and private sector entities.”
The “paper” does not provide any evidence that the tools and infrastructure were used to influence the outcome of the US presidential election. It is simply a description of what is said to be Russian capabilities.
Moreover, the said information started with this statement: “DISCLAIMER: This report is provided ‘as is’ for informational purposes only. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) does not provide any warranties of any kind regarding any information contained within.”
In other words, the report not only provides no evidence on the use of Russian tools and infrastructure to influence the US presidential election; the report also does not warrant the correctness of its description of Russian capabilities.
Thus the DHS report makes it completely clear that the Obama regime has no evidential basis for its allegations.
A top adviser of President-elect Donald Trump, former Central Intelligence Agency director James Woolsey, told CNN’s Jim Sciutto that determining who was behind the hacks is difficult but he believes the Russian and possibly others were involved.
What is going on here?
First, there is the question of the legality of the sanctions even if there were evidence. I am not certain, but I think that sanctions require the action of a body, such as the United Nations Security Council, and cannot legally be imposed unilaterally by one country.
Additionally, it is unclear why Obama is calling the expulsion of Russian diplomats “sanctions.” No other country has to do likewise. During the Cold War when diplomats were expelled for spying, it was not called “sanctions.” Sanctions imply more than unilateral or bilateral expulsions of diplomats.
Second, it is clear that Obama, the US intelligence agencies and the New York Times are fully aware that the allegation is false. It is also clear that if the intel agency actually believes the allegation, the intelligence agency is perceived as incompetent and cannot be believed on any subject.
Third, President Trump can rescind the sanctions in 21 days, a third reason that the sanctions are ridiculous.
So why are President Obama, the “Agency” and the New York Times making charges they know are false and for which they have not produced a shred of evidence?
One obvious answer is that the neoconized Obama regime is desperate to ruin US-Russian relations past the point that Trump can repair them. As the New York Times puts it, “Mr. Obama’s actions clearly create a problem for Mr. Trump.”
The question the New York Times says, is whether Trump “stands with his democratic allies on Capitol Hill or his authoritarian friend in the Kremlin.”
Although the exiting Obama has given the said sanctions, Russia did not retaliate – verbally.
“In response to Obama’s new sanctions, a same-day article quoted Sergey Lavrov, saying Russia “cannot leave unanswered insults of the kind, reciprocity is the law of diplomacy and foreign relations.”
He recommended Putin respond tit for tat while blasting Obama’s deplorable action. It seemed certain, but didn’t happen. Putin took the high ground, in stark contrast to his disgraceful US counterpart, issuing a statement, saying, “We regard the recent unfriendly steps taken by the outgoing US administration as provocative and aimed at further weakening the Russia-US relationship.”
“This runs contrary to the fundamental interests of both the Russian and American people. Considering the global security responsibilities of Russia and the United States, this is also damaging to international relations as a whole,” Putin added.
“As it proceeds from international practice, Russia has reasons to respond in kind. Although we have the right to retaliate, we will not resort to irresponsible ‘kitchen’ diplomacy but will plan our further steps to restore Russian-US relations based on the policies of the Trump Administration,” said Putin.
Actually, according to Joe Uchill of thehill.com, Russian Central Bank was hacked last December for $31 million. The Russian FSB and SVR RF, the external intelligence agencies, could make the blame game and say it was the American hackers and there’s a plan to destabilize Russian financial system.
But Putin resisted to react that way and said: “The diplomats who are returning to Russia will spend the New Year’s holidays with their families and friends. We will not create any problems for US diplomats. We will not expel anyone. We will not prevent their families and children from using their traditional leisure sites during the New Year’s holidays. Moreover, I invite all children of US diplomats accredited in Russia to the New Year and Christmas children’s parties in the Kremlin.” [The Russian Orthodox Church uses the old Julian calendar for religious holidays, which puts Christmas on January 7.]
Putin added: “It is regrettable that the Obama Administration is ending its term in this manner. Nevertheless, I offer my New Year greetings to President Obama and his family. My season’s greetings also to President-elect Donald Trump and the American people. I wish all of you happiness and prosperity.”
There might be more to Obama’s provocation than meets the eye. Will the Russia-US relations continue to be in such state of harsh diplomacy under the Trump administration?
Who will control the next administration’s foreign policy? The CFR, the neocons or the hidden hands of the globalists in order to start the programmed crisis and begin another global war?
Let’s be vigilant!/I
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