Student protests in support of Palestine have erupted at universities across the Americas and Europe, with actions ranging from tent camps and hall occupations to demands for academic boycotts and diplomatic actions against “Israel”.
Student protests have been escalating and expanding over the past few weeks in the Americas and across several European countries in support of occupied Palestine amid the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.
Dozens of pro-Palestinian students and activists in Mexico City set up tents in front of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), the country’s largest university, in solidarity with students protesting in the United States.
Students placed Palestinian flags over their protest camp and chanted slogans such as “Long live a free Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The protesters raised several demands, including that the Mexican government cut diplomatic and trade ties with “Israel”.
Protests at University of Lausanne, Switzerland
In Switzerland, dozens of pro-Palestinian students took control of the hall in the Géopolis building of the University of Lausanne (UNIL), demanding an academic boycott of Israeli institutions and an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the Keystone-ATS news agency reported.
Organizers said in a statement that the action “follows the example of mobilization on campuses in Canada, the United States and France.”
“Our action is spontaneous and has no leader or leader,” they said, explaining that, “The people occupying the university building refuse to be complicit in the colonial genocide perpetrated by the Israeli apartheid regime. We call on everyone to join us, and on members of other universities and colleges to mobilize too.”
France’s prestigious Sciences Po University said, in a message to the staff, that it would close its main campus in Paris for one day, Friday, May 3rd, after pro-Palestinian student protesters took control of new buildings on campus.
The university management requested that staff “continue to work from home.”
Moreover, a student body committee of pro-Palestinian students announced on Thursday a “peaceful sit-in” at Sciences Po, and that 6 students were starting a hunger strike “in solidarity with Palestinian victims.”
In a letter received by its employees on Thursday evening, the human resources department of the Institut des Sciences Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) said the buildings in the center of the French capital would remain closed on Friday, May 3rd.
In a scenario similar to the protests that have rocked several major universities in the United States, pro-Palestinian students at Sciences Po have organized several actions to protest the Israeli aggression on Gaza and the resulting humanitarian crisis in the besieged Palestinian enclave.
The Palestine Committee also demanded that the university administration “clearly condemn Israel’s practices” and “end any cooperation” with any institutions and entities accused of involvement in the systematic oppression of the Palestinian people.
Tensions continue at Columbia University
In the United States, tensions between Columbia University’s administration and students protesting “Israel’s” aggression against Gaza reached the point where dozens of New York police officers entered the campus to remove a protest camp and arrest protesters who had taken control of Hamilton Hall and renamed it the Hind Hall.
It was the second time in two weeks that the university administration called on the police to contain the protests and disperse protesters. The administration prevented students from entering their classrooms and threatened them with expulsion from the university. Police are now stationed on campus around the clock.
At the University of California-Berkeley, some 4,800 kilometers away, students have further continued to organize their demonstrations without any arrests or disruption of classes.
When the first World Social Forum was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 2001, it was meant as a counterpoint to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Davos was the world of the One Percent. Porto Alegre was the world of the rest of us. Today Kathmandu, the site of the Sixteenth World Social Forum, is the world of the rest of us.
The World Social Forum was meant to convey our resistance to global capitalism and its depredations. It was also meant to be an affirmation of solidarity of all people and networks struggling for social justice and peace. It was also an opportunity to get together to plan for the future, a future where, as the WSF slogan put it, another world is possible.
In his novel about lives entwined with the French Revolution, the novelist Charles Dickens said it was the best of times and the worst of times.
These days are certainly the worst of times. Climate catastrophe threatens the planet. Neoliberalism has failed resoundingly, but it remains even more entrenched as ideology and policy. We are witnessing the rise of fascism globally—indeed, just south of Nepal, we have seen fascism raise its ugly head in India. We are witnessing two genocides. One is taking place in Myanmar, where the military elite is desperately hanging on to power by indiscriminately killing all opposition, a task that is impossible since the resistance now controls 60 percent of the country. The greater genocide is taking place in Gaza, where already the Israelis have killed some 29,000 Palestinians, 70 percent of whom are women and children. Now they are poised to enter the city of Rafah, promising more slaughter, more sorrow.
I have not had a good night’s sleep since the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Indeed, one cannot enjoy one moment of personal happiness while massive carnage is taking place somewhere in the world. This ability to empathize with others’ sufferings is the basis of human solidarity. It stems from our common humanity.
We ask ourselves, why is Israel so committed to totally destroying the Palestinians as a people? We ask, why is the United States so committed to providing the weapons and ammunition to enable genocide? We ask, why is Europe, which once told us in the global South that it was the pinnacle of civilization, supporting barbarism?
Yes, this is the worst of times. But is it the best of times? That depends on each and every one of us. Are we willing to take on the great challenges of the times?
Are we willing to exert all efforts to save the planet from the climate catastrophe that global capitalism has created?
Will we continue to wage the political and ideological struggle to uproot and dismantle neoliberalism?
Are we willing to put our bodies on the line against the advance of fascism?
Are we going to give everything to the struggle to stop genocide in Gaza and elsewhere?
Let me end by quoting from an interview I made with Usamah Hamdan, the Hamas representative in Lebanon, that I did in Beirut in 2004. I asked him if he did not fear for his life given his being a high-profile leader of the organization. Here was his answer:
I am on two [assassination] lists, one with six names and another with 12 names. But I am living my own life normally. I eat breakfast with my children, I always try to do this because this is when I can talk to them and ask them about their day and their plans. I visit my friends and my friends visit me. I just recently went out with my children to swim in the sea. You just die once, and it can be from cancer, in a car accident, or by assassination. Given these choices, I prefer assassination.
The spirit reflected in Hamdan’s answer is, in my view, the reason why Palestinians, even in the face of genocide, will triumph in the end. Let us gather strength from that spirit. Palestine needs us. But we also need Palestine. And let us thank Palestine for leading the way, for lighting the way for the rest of the world.
Walden Bello, a columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus, is the author or co-author of 19 books, the latest of which are Capitalism’s Last Stand? (London: Zed, 2013) and State of Fragmentation: the Philippines in Transition (Quezon City: Focus on the Global South and FES, 2014).
Hezbollah considers the detainment of Resistance icon Suha Bechara an illegal act and a form of submission to the Israeli occupation entity.
Hezbollah denounced on Wednesday the Greek authorities’ detainment of Lebanese Resistance icon and freed prisoner, Suha Bechara.
In a statement, Hezbollah considered the detainment of Bechara an illegal act and a form of submission to the Israeli occupation entity.
The Lebanese Resistance party deemed the step as completely unacceptable and unjustified, stressing that it contradicts European laws that claim to protect human rights.
Hezbollah called on the Lebanese government to carry out its national and moral duties toward Bechara.
Elsewhere, it urged the Lebanese government to take appropriate steps and measures regarding the unacceptable behavior of the Greek authorities.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Lebanese Communist Party confirmed that Greek authorities briefly detained Suha Bechara, a Lebanese Resistance icon and liberated prisoner, on Tuesday night at Athens airport, during a transit on her way to Switzerland, where she is a citizen, Lebanese media reported.
Omar Al-Deeb, the head of the party’s political office, explained that Greek authorities told Bechara that she was considered a “persona non grata” and “poses a threat to Greek national security.”
The Lebanese news website L’Orient Today quoted Adnan Bechara, Suha’s brother, as saying, “We immediately contacted the Lebanese embassy in Greece, Swiss authorities, and lawyers. We have many friends who were keen on helping Suha get released.”
“Eventually they told us that they can’t allow her to leave directly to Geneva, Switzerland where she was heading because that would be a violation of the decision to not allow her into Greece, so she was sent back to Lebanon for a transit before flying back to Switzerland,” he pointed out.
“We will follow up on what happened to get to the bottom of who initiated this move. We want to know whether this is a mistake or whether it’s an attack on the left or on us personally. We have many friends within the European Union’s parliament, and many European politicians who are friends and we will not be silent,” he told L’Orient Today.
On its part, the Lebanese Communist Party denounced in a statement Bechara’s arrest as a “dangerous precedent which constitutes a flagrant attack against a Lebanese national heroine who contributed to achieving liberation and freedom for the Lebanese, and spent 10 years in captivity in the Khiam detention camp, which is famous for its inhumane torture practices that were documented by international organizations, including the International Red Cross,” as cited by Lebanese media.
The party also urged the “Greek government to arrest the Zionist officials who established the Khiam detention center and supervised the torture of Suha Bechara and thousands of Lebanese, instead of arresting patriots.”
Al-Moussawi takes Al-Ahed behind the scenes of a planned dinner at the Swiss Embassy
Starting from 1982, Hezbollah has enjoyed 40 years of success, development, and achievements. The military strenght of the resistance and its political performance inside Lebanon showcased a model that regional and international powers cannot ignore.
Today, representatives of different countries converge on Dahiyeh. They seek good relations with Hezbollah and don’t want them severed.
Maintaining close contact with the group seems to be an enduring policy on the part of ambassadors. This is highlighted by the gradual diplomatic movement towards the party.
In an interview with Al-Ahed News, Hezbollah’s head of foreign affairs, Sayyed Ammar Al-Moussawi, details the activities of representatives from different countries with respect to the resistance.
According to Al-Moussawi, there is no diplomatic rupture between other states and Hezbollah. Public and private communications are ongoing in all areas without exception.
Al-Moussawi explains that there is a solid understanding that meetings with the French are in the interest of the country, and hence the frequent visits of Ambassador Anne Grillo to Hezbollah.
He takes Al-Ahed behind-the-scenes of a planned dinner at the Swiss embassy, covering the entire affair, and even talking about how Saudi Arabia fired at him.
On the occasion of the signing of the maritime border delimitation document, Al-Moussawi reveals that many parties have recently been reaching out to Hezbollah, which underscores international concern over the prospects of an escalation into a military confrontation.
Touching on the Arab world, Al-Moussawi said the Saudi position does not extend to other Gulf states, as the Gulf position towards Lebanon is not accurately expressed by Riyadh.
This assessment is based on information the party received from more than one side. Therefore, it is a duty to welcome Lebanon’s brothers and friends, especially countries that act objectively and avoid maliciousness, dictates, and threats.
Below is the full transcript of the interview:
– Is there cause for optimism over the broader regional situation, or is the situation deteriorating, especially amid the ongoing Russian operation in Ukraine?
We can say that the severity of the crises at the regional level is receding. The focus is on the battle in Ukraine. The US and the West decided to prioritize the confrontation with Russia.
Therefore, there is a glimpse of an effort to freeze other crises, especially in the region. An observer can say that the scene in the region is not getting more complications, but rather crises are experiencing a decline in their severity.
– Do you think the successive events in Palestine – the commando operations and the internal “Israeli” conflict – indicate a progression of the resistance and its axis, the factions, and allies against the “Israelis”? How do you view the post-Knesset elections, and the prospects of Likud returning to the forefront?
The Palestinian cause remains the central cause and is experiencing an escalation. This is linked to the enemy’s development of methods of aggression and revenge on the one hand and the decision of the Palestinian resistance factions, as well as sectors of the Palestinian people, to respond to the threats through defiance and steadfastness on the other. This is what the West Bank is witnessing.
Regardless of who wins the “Israeli” elections, I do not think that there will be a change in how “Israel” deals with the Palestinian file, whether in the West Bank or the Gaza Strip.
Regardless of whether the next government in the entity is right or center, the “Israeli” position is the same at the level of rejecting Palestinian rights – starting with the issue of rejecting the two-state solution. This is separate from our view that all of Palestine should be returned to the Palestinian people.
Even the basic components in the Oslo Agreement or those advocated by the International Quartet are not on the agenda of the two competing political parties in the “Israeli” elections.
Addressing this file will be done in a security and military manner. Therefore, whether the elections result in the return of Likud to power or any other scenario, it will not change anything in how the enemy’s leaders behave.
The Americans will not exert pressure or seek solutions to the files related to the Palestinian cause.
– Turning to the files that are directly related to your mandate. How do you explain the continuous communication between Hezbollah and the Europeans despite the sanctions and its inclusion on the terror list?
The sanctions imposed by the European Union against Hezbollah, according to them, only affected the military wing, and they informed us of this at the time and that this issue will not affect political communication.
As for us, we told them that Hezbollah is one body and there is no distinction between a military wing and a political one. Communication still exists despite this classification, given that Hezbollah is a major component and player not only at the local level. Therefore, whoever boycotts Hezbollah is making a decision to shun part of the local and regional scene.
– Do you deal with representatives of Arab and other countries on a daily basis? How would you describe it?
Communication exists in all areas and files without exception. It’s not 100% normal, but there is no rupture or boycott.
Most of the representatives of these countries try not to publicize the meetings because they don’t want to be put on the spot.
We are aware that many of these countries are subject to American and “Israeli” pressure to cut off any form of communication with Hezbollah.
On the other hand, the French say publicly that they maintain constant contact with Hezbollah to cooperate on Lebanese issues, and that they care about Lebanon’s interest.
– Which of the European countries does not see anything wrong with declaring their communication with Hezbollah?
There is a good number of countries that do not see a problem with that, and there are some countries that prefer private communications, even on a political or diplomatic level.
Some countries suggest other types of communications that have a security dimension in an attempt to say that they do not talk to Hezbollah, but we reject this and insist that the communication be on a political or diplomatic level.
– If we stop at the most prominent recent developments at the diplomatic level in Lebanon, were you invited to the dinner at the Swiss embassy in Beirut? In what framework can it be placed? Why was it made to fail?
We were in the picture. We were asked to have a party representative and MP Ali Fayyad was chosen to attend the dinner that was scheduled.
This is not the first Swiss attempt. The Swiss government has previously directly sponsored or supported dialogue, whether in Beirut or Geneva. The dialogue was hosted by one of the civil society institutions there (the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue), but under the auspices of the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
They contacted us and we didn’t mind. We consider all opportunities for dialogue important and necessary, so we accepted.
Why was the dialogue made to fail? According to what we were told by the Swiss, in the process of preparing for this dialogue, they put everyone in the picture, including the Americans, the French, and the Saudis. They received encouragement from all parties, and that this dialogue is not a substitute for other courses or understandings.
However, according to what they told us, they were surprised by the process of thwarting this step and shooting at it, specifically by the Saudis.
– Is dinner canceled or postponed?
We do not have a final data, but Swiss officials have expressed their adherence to this step and that they will create a conducive atmosphere in the next stage.
– Regarding the movement of ambassadors, everyone noticed the activity of the Saudi ambassador today, which began with the start of the presidential election. How do you read this in comparison to the activities of the other ambassadors in Beirut?
Electing a president or other constitutional challenges must be conducted nationally by opening the doors of dialogue and understanding among the Lebanese.
There should be no form of foreign interference by some countries or their representatives, and if there is interference, it must be positive to urge the Lebanese to engage in dialogue and understanding.
There are negative roles, including the Saudi role, whose interference complicates and does not facilitate the presidential electoral process.
Throughout the last four electoral cycles, it became clear that some of the complexity is fueled by forces that are influenced by external messages that prevent them from progressing.
Neither side has the ability to impose its point of view. There are no majorities in Parliament, as we said earlier. The Lebanese need dialogue and to sit down together to devise solutions among themselves.
– What about the international rundown on electing a president that we are used to in Lebanon with all other entitlements?
So far, this rundown oscillates between passivity and lack of depth. It is still an informal rundown, not a serious one.
– The French Ambassador, Anne Grillo, recently visited the head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc, MP Muhammad Raad. What was the atmosphere like during this visit? What was its purpose? Are we facing a new stage in the relationship with the French, or is it a continuation of a previous course?
Communication is ongoing; two weeks before this visit, I met the French ambassador, and this dialogue complements that.
There is a kind of understanding to continue the dialogue for the benefit of the country. We always deal positively with all steps. But so far, there is no specific initiative.
The French are urging us to take advantage of the remaining time of President Michel Aoun’s term in an attempt to advance on the path of electing a president and avoiding a vacuum, and this is what we desire.
We are also in agreement with the French on the need for a full-fledged government in the event of a vacuum.
The French also moved on the mediation line with regard to the issue of demarcation of the maritime borders, and they expressed their support for reaching an understanding that preserves Lebanon’s rights.
– How can the movement of diplomats towards the party be described, especially recently with regard to the border negotiations? Have you received messages from countries regarding this issue and the confrontation with “Israel”?
There are many parties who were worried that things would escalate into a confrontation and that what they considered a “historic opportunity” would be lost.
In any case, we insist on saying what created this “opportunity” is the world and the West’s need for an alternative to Russian energy supplies, in addition to the decisive messages launched by the resistance under the notion: If Lebanon has no right to restore and extract its wealth, we will not allow others to happily extract their so-called wealth, and what we consider usurped Palestinian rights.
This is what created the “opportunity” for Lebanon, especially after 10 years have passed without any prospect of obtaining its rights, regardless of the decision of the Lebanese state and its officials to specify Lebanon’s rights.
The resistance said it does not interfere with the issue of to the borders. This is up to the state. We stand behind the state in supporting Lebanon’s position and preventing “Israel” and the Americans from undermining it.
– What is being said about communication with the Qataris, especially since Qatar has expressed its desire to participate in oil exploration operations in Lebanese waters and has launched a project and an employment platform for Lebanese in Qatar in cooperation with the Lebanese Ministry of Labor?
Every party can play a positive role in the interest of Lebanon, especially brothers and friends. We welcome them.
After the withdrawal of Russia’s Novatek, which was part of the international exploration consortium, there is talk of the Qatari company replacing it.
We do not have any objections to that, but the ceiling of all these matters is taking into account Lebanon’s interests and that the Lebanese treasury does not lose the expected revenues.
We welcome Lebanon’s brothers and friends, especially countries that act objectively and avoid maliciousness, dictates, and threats.
The Gulf position on Lebanon is not accurately expressed by Saudi Arabia. Many Gulf countries show solidarity with Saudi Arabia in their stance on Lebanon, but behind the scenes, they say that their real stance is not as it appears in public.
– Were you informed of this?
From more than one side.
– How would you describe Hezbollah’s relationship with Arab countries, including the Gulf states today?
Saudi Arabia, through its pressure on other countries, is trying to show a biased Arab or Gulf position towards the Lebanese and other files, but things are not like this.
Lebanon has an opportunity to deal with the Gulf states on the basis of bilateral interests, and Gulf states mustn’t be blindly led by Saudi desires.
– How is the relationship with Russia and China going?
The relationship is old, close, and good, and we communicate and consult on a regular basis and exchange views on all international and regional issues.
We believe in the need for Lebanon to diversify its options in terms of its relations, and this is its right.
The call to head East, launched by His Eminence the Secretary General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, came in this context. Of course, this will not be at the expense of Lebanon’s traditional relations, but it is with the aim of diversifying options and allowing Lebanon to explore available opportunities, especially at this stage in which it faces very great difficulties.
Today, we are witnessing a major change in the international balance of power. There are economies that are thriving and were not like this 20 years ago.
This becomes clear when we talk about groups such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization as a large economic grouping, China as the second largest economy in the world, and countries with huge reserves of wealth.
This tells the Lebanese that the interest of their country lies in diversifying cooperation in economic fields.
This is part of the responsibility of some Lebanese officials whose positions and performance are not in line with the true interests of Lebanon, which requires that it cooperate with everyone – east, west, north, and south, of course, with the exception of the Zionist enemy.
We have an opportunity today that must be seized, especially in light of the presence of attractive and easy offers for Lebanon. This does not imply closing the doors of traditional cooperation.
There is a constant complaint that Lebanon, through its relations with either Arab or European countries, has not been able to obtain the right of reciprocity, especially at the level of the economy.
Lebanon has always been in the position of the weakest party in economic agreements with these countries. We do not benefit from the principle of reciprocity.
Lebanon imports most of its needs from abroad, and when it wants to export its products, it encounters an obstacle of specifications, for example, and this is a front for the so-called protectionism policy (protecting the national product).
By the way, is it conceivable that Lebanon, the country of apples, imports apples from abroad?
The Middle East Eye reports there are no gold mines under Dubai’s sands with artisanal miners or children toiling away trying to strike gold. But there is the Dubai Gold Souk and refineries that vie with the largest global operations as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) strives to expand its position as a major gold hub.
In recent years, the UAE, with Dubai in particular, has established itself as one of the largest and fastest-growing marketplaces for the precious metal, with imports rising by 58 percent per annum to more than $27bn in 2018, according to data collated by the Observatory for Economic Complexity.
With no local gold to tap, unlike neighboring Saudi Arabia, the UAE has to import gold from wherever it can, whether it be legitimately, smuggled with no questions asked, sourced from conflict zones, or linked to organized crime.
Blood gold
The Sentry’s investigation (Sentry Investigations specialize in private and corporate investigations in the UK) found that 95 percent of gold officially exported from Central and East Africa, much of it mined in Sudan, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, ends up in the Emirates.
Gold has become so important to Dubai’s economy that it is the emirate’s highest value external trade item, ahead of mobile phones, jeweler, petroleum products and diamonds, according to Dubai Customs.
And it is the UAE’s largest export after oil, exporting $17.7bn in 2019. Gold’s importance has only increased as Dubai’s oil reserves have dwindled and the UAE has tried to diversify its economy.
The Swiss connection
Dubai is not the only gold player with dirt, and even blood, on its hands.
“It is not just Dubai, it’s also Switzerland. The Swiss get large quantities of gold from Dubai. The Swiss say they are not getting gold from certain countries [connected to conflict gold], but instead from Dubai, yet the gold in Dubai is coming from these countries. Dubai is complicit, but Swiss hands are equally dirty as they can’t cut Dubai from the market,” said Lakshmi Kumar, policy director, at Global Financial Integrity (GFI) in Washington DC.
Switzerland is the world’s largest refiner, while [more than half] of all gold goes through the country at some point, according to anti-corruption group Global Witness. Switzerland’s trade is tied to the UK, which imports around a third of all gold.
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RT Question: Gold has become such an important commodity for the UAE, that it is the largest export after oil, exporting $17.7bn in 2019. But there is the other side to this story. A report by the UK’s Home Office and Treasury earlier in December also named the UAE as a jurisdiction vulnerable to money laundering by criminal networks because of the ease with which gold and cash could be moved through the country. Is this the case?
PK Reply First, International Gold Laundering is a gigantic Human Rights abuse, foremost because laundered gold stems from many countries in Africa and South America where massive child labor is practiced. Children not only are put at tremendous risk working in the mines, in narrow rickety underground tunnels that could collapse anytime, and often do – but they are also poisoned on a daily basis by chemicals used in extracting gold ore from the rock, notably cyanide and mercury – and others.
Second, Gold laundering is an international crime, because it illegal and it is mostly run by mafia type organizations – where killing and other type of violence, plus sexual abuse of women – forced prostitution – is a daily occurrence.
There should be an international law – enforceable – issued by the UN – and enforced by the International Criminal Court against anything to do with gold laundering. Infractions should be punished. And countries involved in gold laundering should be held responsible – put on a black list for illegal financial transactions and for facilitating human rights abuses. — The United Arab Emirates — has no gold, so all of the $17.7 billion of their gold exports is being imported and “washed” by re-exporting it mainly through the UK into Switzerland and other gold refining places, like India. With a worldwide production of about 3,500 tons, there are times when Switzerland imports more gold than the annual world production, most of it coming from the UK, for further refining or re-refining, for “better or double laundering” – erasing the gold’s origins.
From the refinery in Switzerland, it goes mostly into the banking system or is re-exported as “clean” gold coming from Switzerland. And its origins are no longer traceable.
Worldwide about 70% of all gold is refined in Switzerland.
Gold mine production totaled 3,531 tons in 2019, 1% lower than in 2018. About 70% of all gold, worldwide is refined in Switzerland. So, it is very likely that the UK, receiving gold from United Arab Emirates, re-exports the gold to Switzerland, for re-refining, for further export to, for ex. India. – Coming from Switzerland it has the “label” of being clean. How long will this reputation still last?
Metalor is the world’s largest gold refinery – established in Switzerland. And they are absolutely secretive, do not say where they buy their gold from, because the Swiss Government does not require the origin when gold enters Switzerland.
Once it is refined – the origin can no longer be determined, because gold does not have a DNA.
RT Question The Sentry’s investigation found that 95 percent of gold officially exported from Central and East Africa, much of it mined in Sudan, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, ends up in the emirate, through what’s known as blood gold: gold obtained through brutal mining practices and illicit profits, including the use of children, how do you see this? —
PK Reply Yes, this is absolutely true.
As mentioned already before – much of the gold from Africa / Central Africa, Ghana and South America, notably Peru, is blood gold. Of course, it passes through many hands before it lands in a refinery in the UK, Switzerland or elsewhere, and therefore is almost untraceable.
But, the company that buys the gold, like Metalor, they know exactly where the gold is coming from, but, as mentioned before, since the Swiss government does not require the importing company to divulge the origin of the gold – the human rights abuses will never come to light, or better – to justice.
It is estimated that up to 30% of all gold refined in Switzerland is considered blood gold. Imagine the suffering, disease, and even death – or delayed death through slow reacting chemicals like cyanite and mercury.
However, if there is no international law – a law that is enforced – that puts the criminals to justice – and put countries that facilitate gold laundering on an international list – for the world to see – and hold them accountable, with for example financial sanctions, little will change.
Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he has worked for over 30 years on water and environment around the world. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for online journals and is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed; and co-author of Cynthia McKinney’s book “When China Sneezes: From the Coronavirus Lockdown to the Global Politico-Economic Crisis” (Clarity Press – November 1, 2020)
Peter Koenig is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization.
The SMI (Swiss Stock Market) index is presently about the same as one year ago. This means that the Swiss brokers did loose nothing in the year 2020. The feelings of the broad population however are completely different, most would say that 2020 was really a bad year. Moreover, the SMI sharply dropped twice in 2020, in the end of March and in the end of October. This corresponds to the first and the second wave of the pandemic in Switzerland. However, the SMI fall was much bigger in March while in reality, the second Corona-19 wave is much stronger. Rarely, the big discrepancy between the reality of the most rich and most mighty social class and the reality of the overwhelming majority of the population is so obvious and so easy to see.
The first wave of the pandemic was in March/April while the second started in October. Before the end of the year, about 5% of the Swiss population will be tested positive. 90% of them stem from the second wave. Statistically speaking, around 1.5% of the positive tested persons die because of the new coronavirus; the general excess mortality is almost at this level. Most of the persons who died due to Covid-19 were more than 70 years old. With respect to the data of the WHO (World Health Organization), Switzerland is one of the worst affected countries in the second wave; in very few countries, 5% of the population (or more) have been tested positive.
In spring (with respect to Switzerland), some estimations predicted that over 50% of the population will be infected and that 1% of the population will die. We are still very fare from these numbers. However, if there will be a third wave in the next months, then it is not excluded that these numbers were quite realistic. So, this is a very serious disease.
The worldwide course of the Covid-19 pandemic depends on the regions. The course in Switzerland with a first wave in spring and a much stronger wave in fall is typical for European countries (and also for Canada). On the other hand, South-East Asia and India for example had the most cases in August/September and, until now, there is no second wave. China has more or less no new cases since February. South Africa had a first wave in June/July and now, in December, a second wave seems to begin, but less strong than the first one (all indications from WHO).
Despite the fact that, in Switzerland, the second wave is much stronger than the first one, the authorities took less strong measures. While schools were closed between March 16 and summer, there remained open in fall. Most of small business were closed in spring, but not in fall. Domestic mobility remained high in fall. On the other hand, the wearing of masks is now quite general and is required. One cannot oversee that the reaction of the government and of the Swiss stock market were quite similar. This is juste an objective fact which I will neither comment nor judge.
Social distancing is still strong and so is the financial support for affected (small) business. The newest prognoses see a decrease of the GDP (gross domestic product) in 2020 of 3.3% and an increase of 3.0% in 2021. The unemployment rate was 2.3% in 2019 and is expected to be 3.2% in 2020 and 3.3% in 2021. However, the prognoses are very insecure, due essentially to the fact that the impact of vaccines in 2021 is not clear.
Switzerland is among the countries in Western Europe with the weakest restrictions (however without downplaying the pandemic). This is not so surprising since traditionally, the state is not so strong and the weight of the private sector is high. On the other hand, the Swiss prefer to be be good pupils in Western Europe and they will not risk too much confrontation. Nevertheless, Switzerland has not given in to the pressure coming from Germany and France to close ski resorts.
The vaccine question
Until now, Switzerland has received four demands for a Covid-19 vaccine registration, all coming from Western countries. It is very unlikely that Russian or Chinese vaccine producers will ask for admission in Switzerland; they have enough possible clients elsewhere. Of course, theoretically, Swiss companies could produce Russian or Chinese vaccines in collaboration with the developers, but this also is not to expect. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the vaccine question has been highly politicized in Switzerland and in other Western countries. Only Western developed and produced vaccines are advocated by the authorities and by the media (of course, US vaccines made in Taiwan would also be accepted). Vaccines developed and produced in Russia or China are ridiculed. Moreover, the fact is hidden that other countries such as India, Iran, South Korea, Vietnam, or Cuba are developing their own vaccines. This politicization of the vaccine question is the reason why I have decided to not getting vaccinated (even if I am 69 years old).
It is obvious that the leading class in Switzerland would like to vaccinate the whole population. This would be the easiest and cheapest way in order to bring Covid-19 under control. Their propaganda machine has already started. Of course, they benefit from the fact that getting vaccinated is a reasonable choice for a large part of the population.
Nevertheless, skepticism against Covid-19 vaccines is high in Switzerland, among the highest in the world if we can trust international surveys. This skepticism has some healthy reasons. The confidence that the big companies act for the good of the population has clearly decreased. There is pretty much of mistrust. Moreover, the confidence in sciences and technology has become weaker. Many have lost confidence that every new problem can be solved just by more technology; they rather think that the society as a whole has to get more sane.
This skepticism is violently attacked by the ruling class. The latter classify the skeptical people as anti-scientific, misinformed, conspiracists. I will not deny that such people exist. But these attacks of the ruling class are completely hypocritical. In fact, there are heir attacks against Russian or Chinese vaccines which are utterly anti-scientific and altogether a misinformation.
Having worked as a mathematician for decades, I know quite well the scientific milieu in Switzerland. While I think that my scientific spirit was always and is still high, I lost very much the respect for the Western scientific world. Most Western scientists are not very much interested in the search for truth, they are much more interested in their workplace and in their career. And the degree of independent thinking is rather low. Therefore, when this kind of people attack the population of not thinking enough, then this rather means that the thinking of the population is not servile enough.
I cannot judge by myself the scientific milieu in China or Russia or Iran. But as a whole, these societies are healthier than the Swiss society and because of that, I am confident that their scientific level and spirit is better than in Switzerland.
No bright future in sight
The crisis around the Covid-19 pandemic is a particular one. It is not, as a usual crisis, an escalation of existing conflicts. It is a problem which came from the outside. So, it s a kind of examination for each society.
Sweden’s king said yesterday that the country has failed in protecting the people from Covid-19. This has been interpreted by European media as a criticism of Sweden’s particular strategy in this pandemic. But I think that this interpretation is not justified. Much more probable is that Sweden’s king did not make a political statement, but deplored the too many deaths due to the pandemic in Sweden. In other words, he showed humility. Switzerland has no king. However, the number of deaths has a comparable size than in Sweden. But nobody in Switzerland has the courage and the humility to say that Switzerland has failed in protecting the people.
In spring, unity in Switzerland was quite big and the country managed to pass this first wave more or less without real problems. But now, the situation is quite different. The usual domestic conflicts came to the surface. The government is much more navigating than in spring. Consequently, people are more unsettled.
In my eyes, the main problem is ideological. Switzerland has no project, no aim. There is no collective engagement. There is no clear idea how Switzerland could build a more healthy society. Nearly all efforts have the objective to defend the status of Switzerland as a rich and stable country belonging to the West. This has even got stronger during this crisis. The media concentrate on Switzerland and neighboring countries. The situation with respect to the pandemic in countries in Asia, Africa, or Latin America is just ignored. Or is used for attacks against these countries. An exception is South Korea which was emphasized by Swiss media as a „better“ alternative to the „dictatorial“ China.
It is probable that, during the year 2021, Switzerland will be able to control the new coronavirus, mainly due to vaccines. Then the holiday trips abroad will restart in full force. But I would bet that the enthusiasm is somewhat gone. Even with this pandemic overcome, I cannot see a bright future for Switzerland.
PS: Even if it is not part of the theme, I cannot resist to comment the recent decision of the US authorities to label Switzerland and Vietnam as „currency manipulators“. Certainly, the US authorities have powerful computers for their sophisticated calculations. For the common mortals however, the question is quite simple. „Currency manipulation“ would mean that a country artificially devalue the currency in order to increase exports. In this regard, one observes that one year ago, one US dollar was exchanged for 0.98 Swiss franc. Now, one US dollar is worth 0.88 Swiss franc, hence a devaluation of about 10%. Hence, if one of USA/Switzerland is a „currency manipulator“, then it is clearly the USA.
Big-Pharma – guilty of lying, cheating, stealing, bribery, and a history of exposing the public to dangerous and even deadly drugs – is being given billions to develop a Covid-19 “vaccine.” Would you trust your health to these criminals?
May 1, 2020 (Tony Cartalucci – NEO) – Coronavirus Disease 2019 or “Covid-19” hysteria is sweeping the globe – with mass media-induced public panic paralyzing entire nations, gutting economies of billions as workplaces are shutdown and the public shuttered indoors all while exposed to 24 hour news cycles deliberately fanning the flames of fear.
The West’s healthcare industry is already profiting both monetarily and in terms of artificial credibility as a panicked public turn to it for answers and safety.
Waiting to cash in on offering “cures” and “vaccines” for a virus that is essentially a bad cold – is the immensely corrupt Western pharmaceutical industry in particular – notorious corporations like GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Novartis, Bayer, Merck, Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer, Lilly, and Gilead. All corporations – without exception – pursuing government-funded vaccines and therapies for Covid-19 are corporations guilty and repeatedly convicted in courts of law around the globe of crimes including falsifying research, safety, and efficacy studies, bribing researchers, doctors, regulators, and even law enforcement officials, and marketing drugs that were either entirely ineffective or even dangerous. Government funding from taxpayers across the Western World are being funneled into supposedly non-profit organizations like the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) which are in actuality fronts created and chaired by big-pharma to avoid investing their own money into costly research and development and simply profit from whatever emerges from state-funded research.
CEPI – for example – is receiving billions in government funds from various nations that will be used for R&D that results in products sold by and profited from big-pharma. Novartis – Plumbing the Depths of the Despicable A particularly shocking and appalling example comes from Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis – who is currently attempting to ram through approval of its drug Jakafi as a therapy for severe Covid-19 patients. A University of Pennsylvania team headed by Dr. Carl June and funded entirely by charity had developed a gene therapy that fully and permanently cured leukemia patients who had otherwise failed to respond to more traditional treatments like bone marrow transplants. During early trials in 2010-2012, one patient – a 6 year old named Emily Whitehead – was literally on her death bed before receiving the revolutionary gene therapy.
Today she is alive and well, in permanent remission. What is more astounding about the therapy is that it is administered only one time. That is because after administration the patient’s cells are rewired permanently to fight off cancer. Old cells pass the cancer-fighting information off to new cells as they divide and multiply. The therapy developed by Dr. June’s team is not only a one-time therapy, it is also incredibly cost effective. Under experimental conditions the procedure cost under 20,000 USD. Dr. June at a 2013 talk at The Society for Translational Oncology would state:
So the cost of goods, it’s interesting. The major cost here is gamma globulin. So the t-cells themselves, with us, for our in-house costs of an apheresis and so on is 15,000 dollars to manufacture the t-cells.
The charity that funded Dr. June’s team – Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) – would see its work sold off to Novartis, approved by the FDA in 2017 and marketed as Kymriah. What was noted by Dr. June himself as costing 15,000 USD to produce under experimental conditions was marked up by Novartis to an astronomical half-million dollars. The New York Times article that reported the drug’s cost never mentions the actual cost of the drug and instead defers to Novartis’ own explanation as to why the drug was so expensive. The NYT had previously reported on the therapy’s progress before its acquisition by Novartis, yet NYT writers failed to hold Novartis accountable or inform readers of the actual cost of the therapy and expose price gouging by Novartis. This helps illustrate the mass media’s role in enabling and covering up for big-pharma’s corruption.
Upon closer examination – and no thanks to publications like NYT – it turns out LLS was and still is in partnership with Novartis and while it denied Novartis had anything to do with the gene therapy funded by LLS and ultimately sold to Novartis – the glaring conflict of interest remains and fits in perfectly with the wider pharmaceutical industry’s track record of corruption, abuse, and placing profits before human life. The Novartis example is a microcosm of how the entire industry operates and indeed – precisely how it already is exploiting and profiting from Covid-19 hysteria where hard-working researchers have their work funded by shady “charities” only to be bought up by big-pharma and dangled over the heads of the desperate for movie-villain ransoms – all in cooperation with a complicit government and mass media. GSK: A Bribery Racket that Rings the Globe Another pharmaceutical corporation seeking to profit from Covid-19 is GlaxoSmithKline. What those who may be exposed to whatever products GSK markets in response to the virus should know is that GSK has been convicted on every inhabited continent of the planet for operating a global bribery racket aimed at doctors, researchers, regulators, politicians, and even law enforcement officials. GSK has been convicted in Asia. The New York Times in its article, “Drug Giant Faced a Reckoning as China Took Aim at Bribery,” would claim:
The Glaxo case, which resulted in record penalties of nearly $500 million and a string of guilty pleas by executives, upended the power dynamic in China, unveiling an increasingly assertive government determined to tighten its grip over multinationals. In the three years since the arrests, the Chinese government, under President Xi Jinping, has unleashed the full force of the country’s authoritarian system, as part of a broader agenda of economic nationalism.
The pharmaceutical group GlaxoSmithKline has been fined $3bn (£1.9bn) after admitting bribing doctors and encouraging the prescription of unsuitable antidepressants to children. Glaxo is also expected to admit failing to report safety problems with the diabetes drug Avandia in a district court in Boston on Thursday. The company encouraged sales reps in the US to mis-sell three drugs to doctors and lavished hospitality and kickbacks on those who agreed to write extra prescriptions, including trips to resorts in Bermuda, Jamaica and California.
GlaxoSmithKline, Britain’s largest drug company, has been accused of bribing doctors to prescribe their medicines in Europe. Doctors in Poland were allegedly paid to promote its asthma drug, Seretide, under the guise of funding for education programme, a former sales rep has claimed. Medics were also said to have been paid for lectures in the country which did not take place.
And this is only scratching the surface of GSK’s bribery racket and associated impropriety – saying nothing of the wider industry’s abuse and corruption. GSK is currently poised to develop and deploy a Covid-19 vaccine with Innovax. Will GSK’s history of bribery and corruption influence the development of a Covid-19 vaccine and its approval for public use?
There is already a convincing answer to that question. Big-Pharma Already Caught Faking Pandemics to Fill Their Coffers The last wave of hysteria regarding a pandemic came in the form of the 2009 H1N1 outbreak or the “swine flu.” If one vaguely remembers H1N1 and needs to look it up to refresh their memory – it’s probably because it was not the pandemic it was promoted as at the time by corrupt public health officials and a complicit mass media.
Among these corrupt public health officials were World Health Organization (WHO) “experts” who were in the pay of big-pharma and used their positions to declare the appearance of H1N1 as a “pandemic” justifying likewise paid-off governments to stockpile big-pharma medication for patients that never ended up needing them. The BBC in their article, “WHO swine flu experts ‘linked’ with drug companies,” would admit:
Key scientists behind World Health Organization advice on stockpiling of pandemic flu drugs had financial ties with companies which stood to profit, an investigation has found.
The British Medical Journal says the scientists had openly declared these interests in other publications yet WHO made no mention of the links.
The BBC mentions GSK by name, noting (emphasis added):
…three scientists involved in putting together the 2004 guidance had previously been paid by Roche or GSK for lecturing and consultancy work as well as being involved in research for the companies.
Roche – also mentioned – currently produces Covid-19 test kits and is obviously making massive profits by selling them amid sustained hysteria over the “pandemic.” It also profited when WHO officials it was paying off declared H1N1 a “pandemic” in 2009. It sold testing kits and anti-viral medication that made their way into entirely unnecessary government stockpiles. Reuters in a 2014 article titled, “Stockpiles of Roche Tamiflu drug are waste of money, review finds,” would note:
Researchers who have fought for years to get full data on Roche’s flu medicine Tamiflu said on Thursday that governments who stockpile it are wasting billions of dollars on a drug whose effectiveness is in doubt.
The article also noted:
Tamiflu sales hit almost $3 billion in 2009 – mostly due to its use in the H1N1 flu pandemic – but they have since declined.
Are we really going to allow these same corporations and the corrupt officials they are in league with among national and international bodies take the reins again amid Covid-19?
Serial Offenders Drive Covid-19 Hysteria The same WHO – in partnership with the same serial offenders among the pharmaceutical industry – are now leading the response to Covid-19 – and the same complicit mass media that enabled the corruption and abuse of both in the past is helping fuel Covid-19 hysteria today to hand over unprecedented profits and power to these same interests that have repeatedly proven themselves in the past to not only be untrustworthy but also obstacles to – rather than the underwriters of – human health. Soon, syringes will be filled with “vaccines” produced by this conglomerate of corruption and abuse, and the public told to roll up their sleeves and have themselves injected by substances created by literal criminals or else. Under the illusion of legitimacy, science, and medicine, people will be pressured to submit to big-pharma and their co-conspirators within regulatory bodies, advisory organizations, the government, and the media, and whatever it is they actually fill these syringes with – whether it protects the public from Covid-19 or not – and whether such a vaccine is truly necessary or not. While Covid-19 might be an actual pathogen, evidence suggests it does not warrant the overreaction we have seen worldwide. “Covid-19 hysteria” is – by far – having a much more devastating impact on humanity than the actual virus itself. Amid this hysteria, the biggest genuine threat to human health – a corrupt pharmaceutical industry and their partners in the government – are poised to expand both their profits at the expense of the public, and their power over the public. Tony Cartalucci, Bangkok-based geopolitical researcher and writer, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.
Since more than 125 years, Switzerland has a very interesting tradition of popular votes. There are three situations which lead to a popular vote:
a) (Small) changes of the constitution, proposed by the government and approved by the parliament.
b) (Small) changes of the constitution, proposed by a popular initiative, which needs to collect 100’000 signatures (not online!); actually, there are 5.44 millions who are entitled to vote so that 100’000 are about 1.84% of all.
c) New laws or changes of existing laws, proposed by the government and approved by the parliament, if there is a popular referendum, which needs 50’000 signatures.
In the last 10 years, there were 85 popular votes, with very diverse subjects, for example: social and economical questions; questions of immigration and asylum; questions of environment, energy, and nutrition; taxes; transport (roads, railways); medical questions; security and army. Of the 85 popular votes, 16 were of category a) (13 of them were approved in the vote), 46 of category b) (6 of them were approved, against the recommendation of the government), and 23 of category c) (in 16 cases, the proposal of the government and the parliament was approved). Hence, in 16 of the 85 votes, the government did not win. The participation was quite variable; usually, it is between 40% and 50%.
Please do not think that these votes are something like “people” against “elite” or “working class” against “monopoly capital”. Such votes do not exist in reality, at least not in Switzerland. Nearly each vote is the result of some divisions among the ruling classes. Each side tries to convince the population that it supports the real interests of the people while the other side defends only egoistic, particular interests. Of course, in most cases, there are huge differences concerning the financial resources of the two sides. Moreover, the press is in the hands of very few people (as usually in Western countries), which gives them a big advantage. Nevertheless, they are not omnipotent and it arrives that their money and their propaganda is not well targeted.
By the way, the results are usually not overwhelming clear. Only sometimes for subjects of category a) since in these cases, a popular vote is necessary even if there is no serious political opposition. Aside from such cases, there was only one popular vote in the last 10 years, where the losing side got less than 20%. The subject was a popular initiative of a small political party, which demanded a radical change of the tax system without being able to simply explain how the new tax system would work. They got only 8%. On the other hand, close results occur regularly.
Some examples of popular votes
Let me now discuss some examples. As in many other countries, the financing of the retirement is a problem in Switzerland, due to important changes in the age structure of the population. Generally speaking, I think that the Swiss population is quite aware of the problem. However, obviously, right wing parties and left wing parties greatly differ on the method how to solve this problem. In this situation, a quite creative idea emerged in the parliament. In 2017, the government had lost three popular votes, two concerning the retirement and one concerning tax relief for commercial enterprises. The first two were lost mainly due to the opposition of right wing parties while the third was opposed by left wing parties. So, the parliament proposed a combination of the two subjects, considering that both sides would have some advantages as well as disadvantages. This proposition was clearly accepted in a popular vote in 2019.
The immigration question has occupied the Swiss population since at least 50 years. In 2014, a popular initiative for the limitation of the immigration was accepted in a popular vote by 50,3% against 49,7%. This was almost a political sensation, which had some immediate consequences. Since the result was close and very unexpected, some people quite quickly proposed to repeat the popular vote. However, one must underline that these were rather amateurish people, politically speaking. No important political party, which was among the losers of the vote, gave support to this proposition and a second popular vote will not happen. On the other hand, popular initiatives are usually formulated quite generally and it is up to the parliament to elaborate the precise laws. In this case, the winners of the vote were not satisfied with the elaboration of the parliament.
Switzerland has the reputation of being a beautiful country and I shall not say the contrary. Protection of the environment has a long popular tradition in this country. In 2012, a popular initiative was accepted with 50.6% against 49.4%. It demanded the restriction of the construction of secondary residences, which was mainly a problem in the touristic regions of the Alps. This result also was a huge surprise. In this case, there were no demands for repeating the vote; however, again, the winners were not completely satisfied with the successive elaboration of the laws by the parliament.
In a popular vote in 2014, it was rejected that Switzerland buys new fighter jets. This also was an important defeat for the government. Many Swiss think that fighter jets are expensive prestige objects. Clearly, the subject is not closed and more popular votes will come. I wonder whether the recent experiences with Yemen and Saudi Arabia will have some influence.
My last example is from 2013 where a popular initiative – called fat cat initiative – was accepted with 68,0%. In the history of Switzerland, this was the highest score for a popular initiative which was not supported by the government. The subject turned around the excessive salaries of top managers. The vote was a kind of protest against the parallel world in Switzerland, formed by the top managers of big enterprises and their sponsors. Ordinary Swiss people have no access to this world, which functions in its own way. I would think that few people have the illusion that the acceptance of this popular initiative will change much. But it was a warning to this parallel world, indicating that the population is not completely defenceless against them.
In the light of the Swiss experiences, let me make some comments about the most famous popular vote in the world of the last years, namely the vote on Brexit of June 2016. Recall that the participation was 72.2% and the result was 51.9% to 48.1%. In the international press, this was characterized as a close vote. Moreover, prominent politicians, for example former prime minister Blair, almost immediately demanded a repetition of the vote, based among other things on online petitions. From my point of view, this all is nonsense. A difference of 3.8% cannot be judged as close, considering also the high participation and the fact that the British government was against Brexit. The actual prime minister Johnson may be what he is, but for me, his main argument – that one has to respect the popular vote on Brexit – is completely legitimate.
A government of national unity
The Swiss government consists of seven members, called federal council. In principle, each one has the same power; the president changes each year by a rotation principle. Federal councils are elected by the parliament. As a consequence of the system of popular votes, the Swiss government is a government of national unity, not by law, but by tradition. Important political forces are integrated in this way. In the last 80 years, there are three essential examples. Beginning in 1943, the worker and trade union movement was integrated and has – since 1959 – two members of the government. Since 1971, Swiss women are entitled to vote and now, a Swiss government without women is unthinkable (actually 3 of the 7 are women). In connexion with the problems of immigration, the Swiss party with the clearest position against exaggerated immigration became the most important party. As a consequence, this party has now 2 members of the government.
Again from a Swiss point of view, the political system in France is not effective. It systematically excludes large parts of the population, in particular the parties of Marine Le Pen and Jean-Luc Mélenchon. It is obvious for me that the protest movement of the “Gilets Jaunes” is a consequence of this exclusion, provoked by the political system.
The next elections for the Swiss parliament will be on 20 October 2019. In December 2019, the new parliament will elect or re-elect the 7 federal councils. Concerning the parliament elections, everybody expects important gains for the green and ecological parties. This will then raise the question whether one of the federal councils should be from an ecological party. Such questions are among the most discussed and most interesting in Swiss politics.
Generally speaking, the Swiss population is very content with the political system. Usually, the approval rating of the government is much higher in Switzerland than in other Western countries.
Relations with the European Union (EU)
Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but is surrounded by countries of the EU. Therefore, the relations with the EU are crucial. Some 25 years ago, the EU was quite popular in Switzerland. But this has very much changed. Today, it is merely seen as a necessary evil to have good relations with the EU. Paradoxically, the majority in Switzerland seems however to be opposed that other countries leave the EU.
Recently, the Swiss government has negotiated a new bundle of treatises with the EU. For the EU, the subject seems to be settled. However, in Switzerland, the result of the negotiations will have no chance in a popular vote (which necessarily will be held). The Swiss government is aware of this situation and looks for some improvements. I must say that I am looking forward to a confrontation between the Swiss population and the EU concerning these new treatises.
Why are there dissidents in Switzerland?
One cannot say that the Swiss political system is bad. As I said, the country is quite beautiful and, moreover, quite rich, modern, and open to the world. So, why are we not all happy? Why are there dissidents like me? Of course, I can only give my own explications. By the way, if you read “About the Saker” on this website, you will easily conclude that the Saker is a Swiss citizen, but not particularly happy about his experiences in Switzerland – to say the least.
From an abstract point of view, you can say that Switzerland is a typical Western country. Take as an example the fact that the “approval rating” in the Swiss population of countries like Russia, Iran, or Syria is very small. And since the case of the Occident in the world is utterly unfair, it is only logical that you become a dissident if you live in a Western country. Ok, this is a simple formula, which moreover is not wrong. However, in some sense, it completely misses the point. I claim that nobody becomes a dissident just by rational reflection. What really matter are life experience and a protracted confrontation with the society.
I would say that a dissident is somebody who expects nothing more from his or her country. Who no longer looks for being integrated. Not because of revenge, but because of he or she has tried hard for some reasonable time, but did not find any possible way. Accordingly, I completely lost my faith in Switzerland. I would not longer appreciate being identified with Switzerland. I owe nothing to this country. Ok, I admit that I was disappointed when Roger Federer lost the Wimbledon final despite having match points. And I would support Swiss football team (soccer, for Americans) against most other countries, including China and Russia (but not against Syria, Iran, or Venezuela). But this is more nostalgia, than anything else.
In fact, I consider Switzerland as a boring country. No positive dreams, no ideals, no engagement, no ideas, not even serious discussions. Only chilling defence of the achievements – which, in principle, is not wrong, but the problem is the “only”. And above all, an intolerable arrogance against all that is not glorifying Western hegemony.
“But you have the right of expressing all this criticism.” I hear this argument since 50 years. But only recently, I understood what is thoroughly wrong with it. It suggests that criticism is the aim. But no, I was not born for criticizing. Looking for critics was never my first reaction, except maybe very occasionally in my youth. Ok, I had my own ideas – but for constructive reasons. What I was looking for was the opportunity to contribute to the society as well as possible. But again and again, I was frustrated. The society did not at all care about my contributions. They wanted just my subordination to the existing order. So, finally, I lost interest and became a dissident. Obviously, this made me more calm and easy-going. And as the Saker says: “The deserts are filled with submarines.”
– التسوية صعبة بين أميركا وإيران إلى حد الاستحالة، ليس بسبب السقوف العالية للخطابات المتبادلة، أو الشروط المتقابلة، بل لأن القضايا الحقيقيّة للصراع يصعب إيجاد تسويات فيها تمنح الفريقين المتقابلين صفة رابح ورابح، وفي قلب هذه القضايا مستقبل «إسرائيل» وأمنها، وقد بلغ المأزق الذي تعيشه «إسرائيل» مدىً يجعلها عاجزة عن تحمل تبعات أي تسوية بالمطلق تضم طهران وواشنطن لا تلتزم فيها إيران بوقف دعمها لحركات المقاومة، وتمنح «إسرائيل» عناصر أمن واطمئنان تفتقدها، وهو ما قصده وزير خارجية عمان بعد لقائه برئيس حكومة الاحتلال بأن «إسرائيل» تحتاج أن نطمئنها إلى أمنها ومستقبلها. والقصد بالـ «نحن» ليس حكام الخليج، بل طهران، وفي هذا الشأن المسألة أكبر من التسوية مع إيران فقوى المقاومة في المنطقة نمت وكبرت وتعاظمت قدراتها وثقتها بنفسها وباتت تفرض معادلات قوة وردع يصعب بل يستحيل كسرها. وبنسبة لا تقل عن «إسرائيل» يعاني حكام الخليج من تداعيات سقوط مهابتهم أمام قوى محلية يتقدمها أنصار الله في اليمن، في معادلة تتصاعد وتكبر ويصعب فيها التراجع إلى الخلف.
– الحرب بالمقابل بين أميركا وإيران أكثر من صعبة بل هي مستحيلة، لأن القدرة الأميركية على إلحاق الأذى بإيران لا نقاش فيها، وبالمقابل القدرة التي تمتلكها إيران وقوى المقاومة على إلحاق الأذى بالقوات والمصالح الأميركية في المنطقة، وبـ«إسرائيل» وبدول الخليج أكبر من قدرة واشنطن وحلفائها في الخليج و«إسرائيل» على التحمل، ونتائج الحرب انفجار مؤشرات أسعار النفط، وإقفال الأبواب أمام إمكانية قطاف سياسي للحرب، التي تعلن إيران أنها لا تسعى إليها، وباتت واشنطن تعلم أن شروط خوضها غير متاحة، ويصعب توفيرها، سواء بحجم ما تحتاج من قوى عسكرية وقدرات مالية وتحضيرات لوجستية وسياسية، وزمن وخريطة طريق، وضمان عدم التوسّع والإصابة القاتلة من الضربة الأولى، ومنع استيلاد إيران لأول قنبلة نووية في ظل الحرب، ولذلك يتصدر المشهد بعد أول اختبار لأمن النفط، التمهيد للتراجع عن التهديد.
– بالتوازي فإن الحدّ الأدنى لأي تفاهم تقدر واشنطن على المجاهرة به، ولو لم يتضمّن ما يفيد «إسرائيل» وحكومات الخليج، يتّصل بالتفاهم النووي والبرنامج الصاروخي الإيراني، وهما أمران لا تستطيع إيران التراجع فيهما، لأن القبول بإعادة وضع التفاهم النووي على الطاولة يعني الاستعداد لإلغاء التفاهم الجديد من أي رئيس جديد للتفاوض من جديد على تفاهم جديد جديد، وتمسك إيران بالتفاهم سقفاً يعني سواها من دول كبرى وقعت على التفاهم ولا يسعها القبول برسالة واشنطن التي تقول إن لا قيمة لأي قوة في العالم ولا أي توقيع ولا أي قرار، وأن الرئيس الأميركي إمبراطور العالم الجديد يملك بشطحة قلمه العريض أن يحلّ مجلس الأمن والدول الدائمة العضوية، ويجعل القرارات الدولية أقل من قيمة الحبر الذي وقعت فيه، والقبول بوضع البرنامج الصاروخي الإيراني على طاولة التفاوض يعني أن إيران ستتقبل التفاوض والتفتيش على منشآتها العسكرية كأمر واقع يلغي كل قيمة لقدراتها العسكرية ومكانتها ومهابتها وصفتها الرادعة.
– بالمقابل لا تستطيع واشنطن العودة للتفاهم النووي كما كان واعتباره إطاراً صالحاً للتفاوض، من ضمن صيغة الخمسة زائداً واحداً، التي أنتجته، كما لا تستطيع واشنطن التراجع عن العقوبات تمهيداً للتفاوض. وهذه شروط الحد الأدنى التي يمكن لإيران قبولها، لذلك تتمّ الوساطات الجدية بكل جدية لمنع التصعيد أكثر مما تأمل هذه الوساطات فتح قنوات التفاوض للتمهيد للتفاهم، والتفاوض غير المباشر الذي تقوم به سويسرا واليابان، ويمكن أن تنضم إليهما روسيا، هو تمهيد لربط النزاع وليس لصناعة الاتفاقات، وبناء عليه وضع صيغة آمنة للتساكن تحت سقف النزاع، ووضع قواعد اشتباك سياسية ومالية وعسكرية تظلل هذا التساكن الطويل، ربما حتى نهاية ولاية الرئيس الأميركي العام المقبل، بل ربما حتى نهاية عمر التفاهم النووي العام 2025، وربط النزاع وقواعد الاشتباك لا بد أن تتضمنا تفاهمات تتصل بتدفق النفط والحد المقبول من الضغط لتطبيق العقوبات، ومحاولات تسويات في اليمن وفي سورية، على قاعدة اعتماد التغاضي حيث يصعب الحصول على التراضي.
A US official claimed Thursday that Iranian missiles loaded on small boats in the Gulf were among the “threats” that have triggered a beefed-up military deployment in the region.
“The missiles on civilian boats are a concern. What the military and the intelligence are concerned about is the intent,” the US official told AFP.
Washington fears an Iranian ‘attack’ against US personnel.
Iran, for its part, accused the US of being behind an “unacceptable” escalation after Washington sent its USS Abraham Lincoln carrier to the Gulf, citing “imminent” threats from Iran.
Meanwhile, Swiss President Ueli Maurer met with US President Donald Trump in the White House on Thursday in an attempt to ease tensions between the US and Iran.
When asked about a possible armed conflict with Iran, Trump said he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
Real revolutions are taking place not on squares, but in the quiet of offices, and that’s why nobody noticed the world revolution that took place on March 29th 2019. Only a small wave passed across the periphery of the information field, and the momentum faded away because the situation was described in terms unclear to the masses.
No “Freedom, equality, brotherhood”, “Motherland or death”, or “Power to Councils, peace to the people, bread to the hungry, factories to the worker, and land to the farmers” – none of these masterpieces of world populism were used. And that’s why what happened was understood in Russia by only a few people. And they made such comments that the masses either did not fully listen to them or did not read up to the end. Or they did listen to the end, but didn’t understand anything.
But they should’ve, because the world changed so cardinally that it is indeed time for Nathan Rothschild, having crumpled a hat in his hand, to climb onto an armoured Rolls-Royce [a joke referencing what Lenin did – ed], and to shout from on top of it to all the Universe: “Comrades! The world revolution, the need for which revolutionaries spoke about for a long time, came true!” [paraphrasing what Lenin said – ed] And he would be completely right. It’s just that the results of the revolution will be implemented slowly, and that’s why they are imperceptible for the population. But the effects, nevertheless, will be soon seen by absolutely everyone, up to the last cook who even doesn’t seek to learn to govern the state soon.
This revolution is called “Basel III”, and it was made by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Its essence is in the following: BIS runs the IMF, and this, in turn, runs the central banks of all countries. The body of such control is called BCBS – the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. It isn’t just some worthless US State Department or Congress of American senators. It’s not a stupid Pentagon, a little Department of the Treasury, which runs around like the CIA’s servant on standby, or a house of collective farmers with the name “White House”.
This isn’t even the banks of the US Federal Reserve, which govern all of this “wealth”. This is a Government of all of them combined. That real world Government that people in the world try not to speak about aloud.
BCBS is the Politburo of the world, whose Secretary General, according to rumours, is comrade Baruch, and the underground structure of the Central Committee is even more secret. It has many euphemisms, the most adequate of which is “Zurich gnomes”. This is what Swiss bankers are called. Not even owners of commercial banks, but namely those ordinary-looking men sitting in the Swiss city of Basel who Hitler – who tried to attach the whole world to the Third Reich, and who preserved neutrality with Switzerland during all the war – didn’t dare to attack. And, as is known, in Switzerland, besides Swiss rifleman, in reality there isn’t even an army. So who was the frenzied Fuhrer afraid of?
Nevertheless, the “recommendations” that were made by BCBS on March 29th 2019 were immediately, at the snap of the fingers, accepted for execution by all the central banks of the world. And our Russian Central Bank is not an exception. There is even the statement of the press service of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation posted on the official website of the Central Bank. It is called “Concerning the terms of implementation of Basel III”. The planned world revolution was in 2017 (magic of dates and digits or just a coincidence [a reference to 1917 – ed]?), but it has started only now.
Its essence is simple. In the world the system of exclusive dollar domination established in 1944 in Bretton Woods and reformed in 1976 in Jamaica, where gold was recognised as an equivalent of world money that became invalid, is being cancelled. The dollar indeed became world money, and gold became an ordinary exchange good, like metal or sugar traded in London on commodity exchanges. However, the weather was determined there by only three firms of the “Pool of London” that belong to an even smaller number of owners, but, nevertheless, it’s not gold, but oil that became the dollar filler.
We have lived in such a world ever since. Gold was considered as a reserve of the third category for all banks, from central to commercial ones, where the reserves were, first of all, in dollars and bonds of the US. The norms of Basel III demand an increase, first of all, in monetary reserves. This impeded the volumes of monetary resources of banks that could be used to carry out expansion, but it was a compulsory measure for saving the stability of a world banking system that showed to be insufficient in a crisis.
In Russia pseudo-patriots were very much indignant at this, demanding to reject Basel III, which they called a sign of “a lack of sovereignty”. In reality, this is a quite normal demand to observe international standards of bank security, which were becoming more rigid, but since we [Russians – ed] were not printing dollars, so of course it had an impact on us. And since the alternative is an exit from world financial communications into full isolation, so our authorities, of course, did not want to accept such nonsense that was even designated by pseudo-patriots as a “lack of sovereignty”. To call sovereignty – freedom, to put your head in the noose is, let’s agree, a strange interpretation of the term.
The Basel III decision meant that gold as a reserve of the third category was earlier estimated at 50% of its value on the balance sheets of world banks. At the same time, all owners of world money traded in gold not physically, but on paper, without the movement of real metal, the volume of which in the world wasn’t enough for real transactions. This was done in order to push down the price of gold, to keep it as low as possible. First of all, for the benefit of the dollar. After all, the dollar is tied to oil, which had to cost no less than the price of one gram of gold per barrel.
And now it was decided to place gold not in the third, but “just” in the first category. And it means that now it is possible to evaluate it not at 50, but at 100% of its value. This leads to the revaluation of the balance sheet total. And concerning Russia, it means that now we can quietly, on all legal grounds, pour nearly 3 trillion rubles into the economy. If to be precise, it is 2.95 trillion rubles or $45 billion at the exchange rate in addition to the current balance sheet total. The Central Bank of the Russian Federation can pour this money into our economy on all legal grounds. How it will happen in reality isn’t yet known. Haste here without calculating all the consequences is very dangerous. Although this emission is considered as noninflationary, actually everything is much more complicated.
During the next few months nothing will change in the world. The U-turn will be very slow. In the US the gold reserves officially total 8133.5 tons, but there is such a thing as a financial multiplier: for every gold dollar, the banks print 20-30 digital paper ones. I.e., the US can only officially receive $170 billion in addition, but taking into account the multiplier – $4.5 trillion. This explains why the Federal Reserve System holds back on increasing interests rates and so far maintains the course towards lowering the balance sheet total – they are cautious of a surge in hyperinflation.
But all the largest states and holders of gold will now revaluate their gold and foreign exchange reserves: Germany, Italy, France, Russia, China, and Switzerland – countries where the gold reserves exceed 1,000 tons. Notice that there is no mumpish Britain in this list. Its reserves are less than 1000 tons. Experts suspect that it is perhaps not a coincidence that the dates of Brexit and the date of Basel III coincide. The increased financial power of the leaders of Europe – Germany and France – is capable of completely concluding the dismantlement of Britain on the European continent. It was necessary to get out as soon as possible.
Thus, it seems that it is possible to congratulate us – the dollar era lasting from 1944 to 2019 has ended. Now gold is restored in its rights and is not an exchange metal, but world money on an equal basis with the dollar, euro, and British pound. Now gold will start to rise in price, and its price will rise from $1200-1400 per troy ounce up to $1800-2000 by this autumn. Now it is clear why Russia and China during all these years so persistently decanted its export income into the growth of gold reserves. There is now such a situation where nobody in the world will sell gold.
Injections of extra money will suffice for the world economy for 5-6 months. In the US this money can be used to pay off the astronomical debt. Perhaps this wasn’t Zurich’s last motive for making such a decision. But after all, the most important thing is an attempt to slip out from under the Tower of Pisa that is the falling dollar.
Since the dollar and oil are connected, the growth of the price of gold will directly affect the growth of the price of oil. Now a barrel costs as much as 1.627 grams of gold. A price growth will cause the world economy – where 85% of the money dollar supply turns into stock surrogates like shares, bonds, and treasuries – to cave in. The stock exchange will not be able to bundle together such an additional mass of money any more.
It will be good for oil industry workers – even, perhaps, best of all, but not for long. The economical crash because of expensive oil will become a crash for all oil industry workers too. It is precisely this that is the main reason why our rights for additional emissions can remain unused in full volume, although a gift in such a form will not be completely ignored. The May Decrees of Putin in the current context are being understood completely differently. Russia runs away from the oil-based economic model in all ways. Including by political reforms and changing the elites.
However, why is the decision of Basel a revolution? Because from the autumn the financial flood in the world economy will begin. It will entail the acceleration of Russia and China’s isolation from the dollar system and the crash of the economies that completely depend on the dollar – the vassal countries of the US. It will be worst of all for them. And this means that the reasons for increased distancing between the EU and the US will increase in number manyfold. A redrawing of the map of global unions awaits the world.
And the redrawing of these unions will be carried out not least by military methods. Or with their partial use, but in one way or another, reasoning involving force in the world will increase almost to the level of guaranteed war. “Almost” is our hope for rescue, because the US loses all main instruments of influence on this world. Except force.
But it’s not for this purpose that the “Zurich gnomes” created this world, so that the US is so simply turned into radioactive ashes. The US will be drenched with cold water like a broken down nuclear reactor, while the world has entered the zone of the most global transformations over the past few centuries. The revolution that so many waited for, were afraid of, and spoke so much about has started. Buckle up and don’t smoke, the captain and crew wish you a pleasant flight.
News of the largest bank of Switzerland, Credit Suisse freezing Russian assets of over $1 billion once again has proved that Vladimir Putin was correct. He after all warned businessmen to return their activities to Russian jurisdiction. The Kremlin is not responsible for all of those that didn’t listen. It looks like Donald Trump towards the end of his presidency will be presented with a Russian state medal. For what? It is for his actions which forces the return of capital to Russia.
Here’s fresh news on the topic. “The Swiss bank, Credit Suisse, freezes assets related to Russia that add up to around $5 billion to avoid being under US sanctions.” – says Reuters. “Credit Suisse, whenever it works, is cooperating with international regulators to ensure implementing sanctions, in this case, sanctions against Russia” – explained the representative of the bank.
By the way, two more Swiss banks, UBS and Julius Baer, also expressed their readiness to implement the American decision of sanctions against Russia. What’s true is that these banks refused to tell about whether they froze the assets of certain Russians or not. I’ll remind you that this news falls on our heads almost on a daily basis. For example, a few days earlier, representatives of the US Department of Treasury said that there were hits taken on assets of Viktor Vekselberg and Oleg Deripaska.
“Russian billionaire, Viktor Vekselberg lost $3 billion from the sanctions, his status decreased from $16.4 billion in April of this year to 13.5 billion dollars in July. This is said in the report of the US Deputy Secretary of Treasury, Sigal Mandelker, who spoke with him about it on the banking committee of Tuesday, August 21.
Vekselberg’s group “Renova”, due to restrictive measures was forced to separate with part of their assets in Switzerland and Italy. By getting caught under sanctions, billionaire Oleg Deripaska, according to estimates of the US Treasury, has lost about half of his fortune.”
Vekselberg’s group “Renova” denies that they lost money. Deripaska is just being quiet. However, independent from that, did they have enough time to put their money further away from the invisible hand of the US Treasury? It adds up to one thing. They’ll have to return their assets to Russian jurisdiction.
At least on the specially created offshore zones in the Kaliningrad region and straight. There’s simply no other options. If the US was able to even reach Switzerland, which was sometimes considered best for anonymous deposits, then why should they even consider other countries?
Now all Russian businessmen deal with the smart and wealthy people as before. And the same thing with the stupid and disagreeable poorer rich people. Because only a very stupid person can believe the possibility to agree with the Gopnik [lower class petty criminal] in possession of their wallet.
“You can take from this stash of my banknotes, but don’t touch that one over there, because I need it myself.” Negotiation won’t work. The Americans will take everything they can reach, this isn’t their first time. And coming up for a reason is actually the easiest thing to do.
Even our outstanding fabler [Ivan] Krylov talked about it: “You are indeed guilty for me being hungry.” The sanctions war of the US with the whole world is unwinding. That means their hunger with each day is only going to increase.
The Essential Saker II: Civilizational Choices and Geopolitics / The Russian challenge to the hegemony of the AngloZionist Empire
A few days ago, the Daily Mail opened one of their articles with these words: “The Swiss have put on one of the most bizarre opening ceremonies in history to mark the completion of the world’s longest tunnel.”[1]
Other media outlets said similar things.[2] The Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel took 17 years to build, and it cost $12 billion.[3] But what was so bizarre about the opening ceremony that prompted such a huge reaction?
Well, Women with underwear were simulating sex with each other, among other strange phenomena. The ceremony also featured a goat-man that dies and is resurrected. At one point, a topless woman decked as a bird hovered above actors.BuzzFeed itself called the entire ceremony “creepy” and “a bit weird.” Similarly,NBC News called it “bizarre.”[4]Russia Today reported:
“More than 600 actors reportedly took part in the show, which at one point, included a topless creepy-looking bird that hung over nine performers, representing the nine miners that lost their lives during the tunnel’s construction.”[5]
“The unbelievably strange Swiss ceremony was attended by a plethora of European leaders. Included among the guests were French President Francois Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and the President of Switzerland Johann Schneider-Ammann.”
People were obviously confused precisely because the tunnel itself has nothing to do with the bizarre ceremony at all. It was like connecting Marlboro cigarettes with cowboys. No one with an ounce of common sense believes that there is a connection between Marlboro cigarettes and cowboys. But cigarette companies always try to make this dubious connection in order to sell their products and suck naïve people in.
Obviously this was the case in the Switzerland’s Gotthard Base Tunnel. Dane Jasper of the BBC declared,
“The strangest opening ceremony for a piece of basic transport infrastructure ever.”[6]
Another individual responded:
“The opening ceremony show for the new Gotthard tunnel is embarrassing. As a Swiss citizen, I apologize.”
No one could provide a rational explanation for the ceremony because it is not part of the rational universe. Even the BBC admitted:
“we have tried to explain what is going on as far as possible. It was not always possible.”[7]
If you want a better explanation, then you will have to look at the lives of people like Aleister Crowley and Antorn Lavey and other black magicians, who practiced similar ceremonies in their magic rituals.[8] Prolific scholar Hugh B. Urban of Ohio State University would almost certainly place the Gotthard Base Tunnel ceremony in the pantheon of New Age and neo-pagan movements around the world.[9]
I would argue that all those neo-pagan movements are not compatible with practical reason for the very fact that they use sexual perversion to deconstruct the sexual order and to marshal a dark and diabolical ideology.[10] The Church of Scientology, a cult movement which has already trapped numerous celebrities and Hollywood stars,[11] is a classic example.[12]
More importantly, the fundamental purpose of those neo-pagan ideologies is to tear down signposts of order, beauty, and rationality in this wonderful universe. Those signposts are all around us. The world of history, science, philosophy, art, mathematics, etc. is enough to convince an astute observe that an “absolute reason,” as the German philosopher Friedrich Hegel puts it, is at work.
In addition, any rational person with some level of intellectual honesty can recognize these signpost. Hegel had a sophisticated way of articulating this point. This universe, he argues, “is not prey to chance and external, contingent causes, but is governed by providence.”
Hegel moves on to deconstruct the atheist or agnostic position by saying that “the world’s events are controlled by a providence, indeed by divine providence,” and this “divine providence is wisdom, coupled with infinite power, which realizes its ends, i.e., the absolute and rational design of the world…”[13]
Looking at all the evil and chaos in this world, obviously the average atheist would think that there cannot be an “infinite power, which realizes its ends.” But Hegel would respond by saying that this is why this “infinite power” is “cunning.” This “infinite power,” according to scholar Robert C. Tucker’s interpretation of Hegel, “fulfill its ulterior rational designs in an indirect and sly manner. It does so by calling into play the irrational element in human nature, the passions.”[14]
In other words, the “irrational element in human nature” will end up fulfilling the very goals of this “infinite power.” The carnal mind, of course, cannot understand how this “infinite power” will work out in the future because he is blind to higher or metaphysical realities.
The carnal mind simply lacks spiritual vision and insight because he limits himself only to the primitive idea that the material universe, as Karl Sagan propounded, “is all that is or was or ever will be.”[15] H. G. Wells was a classic representation of this idea. Having rejected Logos on irrational grounds, Wells proposed a metaphysical replacement—and his is a chaotic one:
“To a watcher in some remote entirely alien cosmos, if we may assume that impossibility, it might well seem that extinction is coming to man like a brutal thunderclap of Halt!…We may be spinning more and more swiftly into the vortex of extinction, but we do not apprehend as much…
“A harsh queerness is coming over things and rushes past what we have hitherto been wont to consider the definite limits of hard fact. Hard fact runs away from analysis and does not return.”[16]
Yet even this irrational and destructive prediction could not stop Wells from searching for an ultimate meaning to life’s most important questions: “The question ‘Is this All?’ has troubled countless unsatisfied minds throughout the ages, and—at the end of our tether, as it seems—here it is, still baffling but persistent.”[17] Why should it be “persistent” if it is a fact that the cosmos is all that is?
Suppose you walk the streets of Manhattan and come across a person who is constantly talking to himself although nobody is around. So you approach him and ask, “What’s going on, dude? Why are you talking to yourself?” He answers, “I am angry with my wife.”
Further into the conversation, however, you realize that the man never had a wife. You then ask, “How can you be angry with an imaginary wife?” If he responded with, “Life doesn’t seem fair,” would you be satisfied with such an answer? You would immediately think that the guy is at least out of touch with reality, if not psychologically disturbed.
In that sense, it is crazy to look for life’s meaning when you already stated that life does not have any meaning whatever.
Actress Shirley is another soul who is looking for “the cunning of reason” in the wrong places. After teaching reincarnation, transcendental meditation, solipsism, and a whole lot of new age beliefs in books and even in movies (particularly Out on a Limb), declares in her book The Camino: A Journey to the Spirit:
“Now as a senior citizen, I found myself experiencing not only anger, loneliness, and anxiety over what we might be headed for, but fear that we were now almost completely out of touch with what we were intended to be in the first place.”[18]
So far so good. But recognizing the problem and trying to find a workable solution are two different things. MacLaine never stops to think that she may need to drop her new-age philosophy of life altogether and start from ground zero, following the dictate of practical reason, which is the opposite of magic, the very thing that Maclaine has propounded for years. She states:
“I had seen so many channels and mediums over the past few years, I decided I would apply the same thing to show business. I simply put my conscious ego aside, got out of my own way, and channeled a character that we had created and I absolutely adored….This time I allowed the character to inhabit me…
“So my experience of channeling spiritual energy…had translated into practical film acting. Reel life and real life had emerged. And both were contributing to an ever-expanding reality for me.”[19]
Because she is spiritually and intellectual lost, MacLaine proposed:
“If we can make peace with our ancient emotions, I believe we will have the capacity to live up to our moral obligation to seek joy.”[20]
Ancient emotions? Nonsense! Rousseau, Kierkegaard, Hume, Voltaire, Russell, Camus, Sartre, and a host of other individuals have tried that method. It has never worked precisely because “ancient emotions” are not substitute for practical reason.
The problem is that people like MacClaine do not want to submit their desires to practical reason. As a result, they find themselves completely adrift. This was one reason why Bertrand Russell’s own daughter, Katherine Tait, abandoned Russell’s empty philosophy and eventually embraced Logos.[21] “When he wanted to attack religion,” Tait later recounted in a memoir, Russell “sought out its most egregious errors and held them up to ridicule, while avoiding serious discussion of the basic message.”[22]
This was actually the case when Russell debated a Jesuit priest, philosopher, and historian of philosophy by the name of Frederick Charles Copleston. During the heated debate, Copleston asked Russell the simple question: how do you, Russell, differentiate good things and bad things?
Russell, with all his sophisticated knowledge as a mathematician and philosopher, hammered the final nail in his own atheist coffin by saying, “By my feelings.”[23]Russell must have thanked goodness that he was not debating Immanuel Kant. But one could imagine Copleston saying, “The Lord hath delivered him into my hands.”
Russell obviously knew that he was not the only person in this universe to act on the basis feelings and not on practical reason. Stalin, Mao, Oh Chi Minh, have all followed this “feelings” principle in one way or another. So, the logic is pretty simple here: Russell was superficially a pacifist and was philosophically a Stalinist or Maoist.
This is another reason why his position was intellectually contradictory and existentially unlivable. Perhaps his “feelings” principle had something to do with sensual life. Russell recounted in his own autobiography:
“I went out bicycling one afternoon, and suddenly, as I was riding along a country road, I realised that I no longer loved Alys [his faithful wife]. I had no idea until this moment that my love for her was even lessening. The problem presented by this discovery was very grave. We had lived ever since our marriage in the closest possible intimacy.”[24]
Russell admitted throughout that there was no real reason for him to dump his lovely wife. But he could not submit his feelings or appetite to practical reason at all.
The moral of the story? You cannot reject practical reason and remain a morally and intellectually honest person. And those who reject practical reason (another word for wisdom) are actually heralding their own moral and spiritual death. As the book of Proverbs puts it, “But those who fail to find me harm themselves; all who hate me love death.”
[1] “A winged baby, semi-naked dancers and a man with a bird’s nest on his head: How Switzerland decided to mark opening of world’s longest rail tunnel,” Daily Mail, June 1, 2016.
[2] Matt Borkin, “Bizarre opening ceremony for Switzerland’s record-breaking railway tunnel featured goats and yodels,” National Post, June 1, 2016.
[3] “Swiss inaugurate world’s longest rail tunnel,” Toronto Sun, June 2, 2016.
[4] “Bizarre Stage Show Opens 35-Mile Rail Tunnel Under Swiss Alps,” NBC News, June 1, 2016.
[5] “Naked torsos & horned beasts: Swiss tunnel’s bizarre opening leaves viewers baffled,” Russia Today, June 2, 2016.
[7] “Switzerland tunnel: The oddest moments of the opening ceremony,” BBC, June 1, 2016.
[8] For scholarly studies on these issues, see Hugh B. Urban, Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2006); Henrik Bogdan and Martin P. Starr, ed., Aleister Crowley and Western Esotericism (New York: Oxford University Press, 2012); Nevill Drury, Stealing Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Modern Western Magic (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011); Lawrence Sutin, Do What Thou Wilt: A Life of Aleister Crowley (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000); Richard Kaczynski, Perdurabo: The Life of Aleister Crowley(Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 20020); Aleister Crowley, The Confessions of Aleister Crowley (New York: Penguin, 1989).
[9] Hugh B. Urban, New Age, Neopagan, and New Religious Movements: Alternative Spirituality in Contemporary America (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2015).
[10] For studies on these, see Hugh B. Urban and Wendy Doniger, The Economics of Ecstasy: Tantra, Secrecy and Power in Colonial Bengal (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001); Hugh B. Urban, Tantra: Sex, Secrecy, Politics, and Power in the Study of Religion (Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2003); The Power of Tantra: Religion, Sexuality and the Politics of South Asian Studies (New York: I. B. Taurus, 2009); David Gordon White, Kiss of the Yogini: “Tantric Sex” in its South Asian Contexts (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006).
[11] See Jenna Miscavige Hill and Lisa Pulitzer, Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape (New York: HarperCollins, 2013); Leah Remini and Rebecca Paley, Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology (New York: Random House, 2015); Tony Ortega, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper(London: Silvertail Books, 2015); Janet Reitman, Inside Scientology: The Story of America’s Most Secretive Religion (New York: Mariner Books, 2013); Andrew Morton, Tom Cruise: An Unauthorized Biography (New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2008).
[12] Hugh B. Urban, The Church of Scientology: A History of a New Religion(Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011); Russell Miller, Bare-Faced Messiah: The True Story of L. Ron Hubbard (New York: Penguin Books, 1988 and 2015); for related studies on L. Ron Hubbard, see Lawrence Wright, Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief (New York: Random House, 2013); Jon Atack, A Piece of Blue Sky: Scientology, Dianetics and L. Ron Hubbard Exposed (New York: Lyle Stuart Book, 1990).
[13] Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Lectures on the Philosophy of World History (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975 and 1998), 35.
[14] Robert C. Tucker, “The Cunning of Reason in Hegel and Marx,” The Review of Politics, Vol. 18, NO 3, July 1956: 269-295.
[15] Carl Sagan, Cosmos (New York: Ballantine Book, 1980 and 1013), xxii.
[16] H. G. Wells, Mind at The End of Its Tether and The Happy Turning: A Dream of Life (New York: Didier Publishers, 1946), 5-6.
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LATAKIA: We are not reporting here anything exclusive or new. It is now well known that Syria’s Special Forces are involved with Russia’s Speznaz in training for the rear-holding action which will start quite soon in the Waadi Al-Ghaab area to liberate the town of Jisr Al-Shughoor from the stink and disease of American-supported “moderate” mass murders belonging to Alqaeda and Jaysh Al-Fath. The project envisions hundreds of specialized airborne units landing north of Jisr Al-Shughoor to accomplish 2 things: the first is to prevent any reinforcements coming in from Idlib the provincial capital and, second, to interdict the expected attempt by the rats trapped inside the city from escaping. Our army is aware that almost all the terrorist cockroaches are foreigners and the standing order is to kill them all, especially the Chechens and Uighers, since Russia and China have a particular aversion to those two groups, respectively.
The training is taking place in an area to the west of the Jibaal Al-Zaawiha which resembles the sloping mountains leading down to a flat plain such as the one in Syria’s own Biqaa’ Valley, the Waadi Al-Ghaab. It is meant to reflect as accurately as possible the exact geography of the town. With so many summits and villages now reconquered by our army, the work toward liberating Idlib becomes even more urgent. Note that rockets have stopped falling on Latakia City, as reported to us by my wife’s relatives and our source in the city. It appears that with the exception of small roving bands of degenerates carrying TOW missile launchers, the area is being cleansed quite comprehensively.
Russian bombers and interceptors are the key to this strategy. By positioning satellites over the Turk-Syrian border and the RuAF flying 24/7 sorties in the area, all supply lines to Nusra/Alqaeda and Jaysh Al-Fath have been closed. The Turk Erdoghani criminals know that it is no longer advisable to drive in convoys with weapons and ammunition because the Russian bombers are all over watching their every move. This has freed the SAAF to go after terrorist barbarians inside the border which is producing very tangible results.
Harastaa-Marj-Al-Sultaan Axis: The SAA is advancing across the entire front here toward the Harastaa-Al-Qantara axis and Nawla. Scores of fortifications have been destroyed and many rodents dispatched:
Mahmoud Sirhaan (Leader of Nusra)
Ja’afar Mansoor
‘Afeef Al-Halabi
Ahmad Ghazaal ‘Izzeddeen Barkhash
Jibreel Sawwaaniyya
‘Alaa` Wafaa
Doumaa: The rat ‘Alloosh is feeling the shiny blade coming oh so close to his sweating beard. Artillery courtesy of the SAA blasted Jaysh Al-Islam position killing 3 rodents:
Baasil Al-Za’eem
‘Adnaan Al-Nakhkhaaz
Ahmada Shihaab
Hammooriyya: The PDC killed this mongrel:
Ziyaad Hassoon
Jawbar east of the Corniche: The SAA sniped a sniper and killed 4 rodents below him in the same building.
Daarayyaa: 5 vermin killed here:
Waleed Al-Qaadiri
“Umar” a/k/a “Abu Faarooq”
Another 3 were foreigners and could not be identified.
At the Four Seasons, 3 days ago, the SAA killed a leader of the Al-Ittihaad Al-Islami Li-Ajnaad Al-Shaam:
Ahmad Mahmoud
Al-Hajar Al-Aswad: Internecine conflicts between rival rodents led to the deaths of 11 litter mates with only these identified:
Muhammad Kashoora (Leader of Jaysh Al-Islam)
Muhammad Hamza (Leader of Liwaa` Shuhadaa` Al-Rasool)
Al-Dhumayr: Jaysh Al-Islam and Jaysh Tahreer Al-Shaam had it out over territory with no details available yet.
At Al-Qaryatayn, the ISIS cannibals invaded an area of checkpoints with a suicide driver directing his personal coffin straight at our soldiers. The truck was blown up by alert infantry reducing the smiling imbecile into so many atoms. Altogether, as the rats tried to escape the imminent disaster, the SAA and PDC destroyed 15 vehicles with a unique tactic newly developed to prevent escape.
Al-Sukhna: The SAAF destroyed a convoy of rat-loaded trucks on the Dayr El-Zor-Homs Highway.
SWITZERLAND: FABRICE WEISS AND TONY GRATREX SEND THIS INCREDIBLE INTERVIEW WITH RAT ‘ABDULLAH AL-MUHAYSINI WHO WILL BE BURNED TO DEATH SOON:
A high ranking member of the Islamic council of Switzerland went to Syria to shoot a documentary in the “rebel” occupied areas! They say they didn’t plan to meet Dr. Abd Allah al-Muhaysini (one of the Al Nusra and jaysh al fath leaders from KSA) , but they were lucky and he even gave them an exclusive interview! I haven’t watched it all yet, but the first 15 min (of 40) are ridiculous and interesting at the same time! He tells how they, thanks to Allah, managed to defeat the strong armies of Syria, Iran and Hezbollah in Idlib and says that this defeat is the reason why Russia is now supporting them! Really interesting is, that he explains why he actually came to Syria in 2013! He says that he intended to unite the rebel groups with Isis (and that he supported IS in Iraq until they got into conflict with the Rebels in Syria) ! Every FSA supporter that says that ISIS got created by President Assad should watch this!
In Switzerland this video is a big thing in the mainstream media and people are now asking the Swiss government to do something against the Islamic council of Switzerland, because they have connections to terrorists ( the Islamic council calls him a moderate leader that fights against extremists and Assad)!!
Swiss ambassador to Iran showed the cartoon of two doves defecating on Netanyahu’s head to a conference meeting of Swiss and Iranian business people.
Switzerland expressed regret on Friday after its ambassador to Iran displayed a cartoon depicting two doves defecating on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s head, at an event promoting Iranian business opportunities.
Ambassador Giulio Haas showed the image during a speech to hundreds of Swiss and Iranian business people at a Zurich hotel on Thursday
“Global Research”, “ICH”. Now that the much expected EU summit of today, 12 July, has been canceled, there is a gate for new opportunities opening.
Under the new austerity package for which Mr. Tsipras was about to sell out Greece, but which may still not have been sufficient for the greedy stranglehold of the troika, the current debt of 373 billion euro (180% of GDP) would be increased by another ‘rescue package’ (sic) of 53.5 billion euros from the troika – for three years – to a level of debt of about 427 billion € – or 206% of GDP; a debt indisputably impossible to repay – for generations to come. And we are not even talking of the accumulated interest for the entire debt weight – possibly in the tens of billions of euros per year.
Switzerland had for about 3 1/2 years (from 6 September 2011 to 15 January 2015) devalued its currency, the Swiss franc (CHF) on average by approximately 17% in order to be more competitive within the Eurozone. Not really a fair move – as Switzerland, though not a member of the Eurozone, has nevertheless bilateral agreements (resembling EU conditions) with virtually all member countries of the Eurozone. While Eurozone countries cannot devalue their currency – the euro – to adapt to competitiveness (for example Greece should have been in a position to do that), the Swiss have taken advantage vis-à-vis their EU partners. – Swiss exports did well thanks to the devaluation.
Germany on the other hand, with its aggressive export strategy has infringed in many ways on the competitiveness of other, poorer Eurozone nations, including Greece, and helped cause unemployment in these countries – which, belonging to the Eurozone, did not have the privilege of devaluing their currencies.
In the course of the 3 1/2 years when the Swiss franc was artificially devalued, the Swiss National Bank (central bank of Switzerland) had to buy billions of euros and accumulated at least 500 billion euros (official figure) probably more, in order to stabilize the Swiss franc at the ‘fixed’ rate of around CHF 1.20 / euro.
The 500+ billion euros are not really part of the mandatory reserves; they are rather like a ‘buffer’ – ready for intervention when the euro / CHF relation requires it.
As a gesture of good-will and solidarity vis-à-vis Greece, Switzerland could lend a large portion of these funds, say 350 to 400 billion CHF to Greece at a 0.5% – 1% interest, a rate similar to what a central bank should do as a lender of last resort. In this case, Switzerland, with sort of a Swiss Marshall Plan, could act like a friend of Greece, by establishing a revolving fund, for say, 5 to 10 years, to help revamp Greece’s economy, give it space to breathe again. This reconstruction fund would not be intended to reimburse the troika debt. It would rather provide Greece with an opportunity to renegotiate its heavy current troika debt with usurious interests from a position of strength, with an improving economy – aiming at writing the troika debt down to as close as possible to zero.
The Swiss fund might also help Greece to convert from the euro to the drachma. It would be a gesture and a fund of solidarity, especially since the Swiss government has closed her eyes when Swiss mega banks have gladly accepted billions from Greek oligarchs in their coffers, money transferred for tax evasion.
This operation has of course not been checked with the Swiss authorities. It is not clear what the Swiss reaction might be, especially since it might not conform to the EU intentions vis-à-vis Greece, not the kindest as we know, but it would unlikely infringe on international law. One country lending to another is legal, with many precedents to support such an operation.
Interestingly, Oskar Lafontaine, the former Chief of the German Left, said in an interview to Spiegel on-line, that the euro has failed, that it was doomed from the beginning since a common currency should have followed a political union of federal sovereign states – which was the vision of some, but never the intention behind the EU construct. Washington would never allow such an economic and potentially political force on the Old Continent. Lafontaine suggests to breaking up the Eurozone and going back to individual currencies under the former rules of the ‘snake’, meaning a band of an agreed margin between individual exchange rates.
The Tsipras government has already approached the Swiss government on the issue of tax evasion money, for which they received an unsatisfactory answer: no disclosure of names, instead a ‘forfeit’ amount to be ‘reimbursed’ to Greece. The same was proposed by Switzerland to Germany a couple of years ago, but Germany rejected, and now Switzerland has to divulge also names of German tax transgressors to the German fiscal authorities, same with France, same with the UK – and the same with the US – which started the process.
In a new attempt seeking cooperation with Switzerland, the Tsipras Government could propose the idea of a Swiss Marshall Plan, – a revolving fund to help finance specific socioeconomic and reconstruction projects. – At this point there is nothing to lose, but everything to gain – to re-gain, that is – taking back Greece’s autonomy and national sovereignty, without being exposed to the stranglehold of the troika.
Peter Koenig is an economist and geopolitical analyst. He is also a former World Bank staff and worked extensively around the world in the fields of environment and water resources. He writes regularly for Global Research, ICH, RT, Sputnik News, the Voice of Russia / Ria Novosti, TeleSur, The Vineyard of The Saker Blog, and other internet sites. He is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed – fiction based on facts and on 30 years of World Bank experience around the globe. He is also a co-author of The World Order and Revolution – Essays from the Resistance.
SWITZERLAND, Zurich — Ever since ISIS declared the formation of a Caliphate on June 29, 2014, there has never been a more well-armed, well-funded, or well-organized group of terrorists in the world. Consequently, who really created ISIS and for what purpose has remained a mystery—until now.
ISIS was, therefore, created by the Swiss CIA in order to terrorize the world with Weapons of Mass Destruction (MWD) so that information about Switzerland’s secret role as the progenitor of assassinations, terror attacks and wars would be lost in the aftermath of nuclear terror attacks and biological pandemics.
Consequently, the CIA is now in a race against time to destroy the world as we know with ISIS-related terror attacks in a last-ditch effort to hide the fact that the CIA is located in Switzerland, the eye of the storm which has been free of terror attacks and war for over 500-years.
The notion that Switzerland would create and fund a group of rouge terrorists to terrorize humanity by killing scores of people is not that farfetched considering Switzerland was home to Swiss Mercenaries who, historically speaking, were the CIA’s henchmen, just like ISIS terrorists are today.
When determining guilt in respect to ISIS, three aspects must first be established: a) motive, b) means, and c) opportunity. As evidenced, Switzerland has all three: motive—their cover has been blown; means—they are home to Swiss banks, namely the BIS; and opportunity—they harbor the one and only CIA.
1. ISIS is code word for the Syrian Rebels and vice versa
2. ISIS was created by the CIA in Switzerland
3. ISIS is named after Suisse, an official name of Switzerland
To the great disappointment, most popular and controversial French comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala is set to perform at Theatre deBeaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland on January 24, 2015 and in Val-de-Ruz the next day. The local Jewish groups have failed in their 8-month long campaign to get Dieudonne banned in Switzerland. He is already banned to perform in Britain, France and Canada since he was declared “Jew hater” by the Organized Jewry a decade ago.
The Jewish Daily Forward reported on January 23, 2015 that Swiss Jews would set-up stands with information about the dangers of Antisemitism outside venues hosting Dieudonne.
“Freedom of expression is an essential principal but which cannot be evoked to justify any discrimination,” said the announcement Thursday by CICAD, a Jewish watchdog group which monitors criticism of Holocaust and Israel.
Interestingly, these Jewish bigots defended the republication of anti-Islam cartoons by some pro-Israel Swiss papers which were originally created and published by Zionist Jew Flemming Rose, the cultural editor of Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
Two days after the much touted Millions’ rally by the Freedom of Speechhypocrites, in Paris lead by the French Jewish president Hollande, Dieudonne was arrested by Paris police for criticizing the rally.
Switzerland has a long history of close cooperation with the Zionist entity, but still it couldn’t escape from Israeli state terrorism and blackmail. In March 1998, five Israeli Mossad agents were arrested in an attempt to assassinate a Lebanese immigrant in an apartment in Bern suburb, allegedly linked to Islamic Resistance Hizbullah. However, under Israeli pressure, all of them were extradited to Israel within a few months of their arrests.
On July 15, 2013, the World Jewish Congress reported that “Swiss Banks’ Holocaust fund paid out 1.25 billion dollars” as result of a landmark 1998 deal between the World Jewish Congress and Swiss banks. The deal was accomplished with the help of US politicians and the American media against the Alpine confederation, which had included threats of economic boycott.
Austria-born Jew Holocaust historian Raul Hilberg called the deal Jewishblackmail. “I was nearly alarmed when I heard that the Swiss banks would pay 1.25 billion dollars,” he said in an interview published in the respected Swiss weekly Weltwoche (January 28, 1999). In the campaign against Switzerland, Hilberg went on, “the Jews have used a weapon that can only be described as blackmail (Erpressung).” At another point in the interview he said: “I cannot accept the thesis that the blackmail methods were the only way to deal with this issue.”
Listen below an interview Dieudonne gave to Iran’s Press TV in 2010.