Newsletter,10/28/24
[Image from kremlin.ru, via Edward Slavsquat Substack]
An excellent analysis of the BRICS Summit of last week by Riley Waggaman. He uses the words of the Summit declaration to hang BRICS. It really pisses me off to see members of the Palestine/Lebanon… solidarity movement such as Justin Podur (Anti Empire Project) and Electronic Intifada, as well as people in “health freedom” ranks, push BRICS-Plus as if it’s an alternative to the current global power structure.
This seems like useful information if you are interested in BRICS. Edward Slavsquat, 10/25/24.
BRICS just wrapped up its 16th summit in Kazan. Probably you heard about this momentous event from meticulously researched independent media articles discussing how BRICS just delivered a DOUBLE DEATHBLOW to the globalists. This is very good news. Let us celebrate together by reading the BRICS’ Kazan Declaration, published on October 23. (English or Russian, compliments of the Kremlin’s official website.) Please, I beg you—read this Declaration and share it with all your friends. The Kazan Declaration is not just a massive victory for BRICS, it is a victory for all decent freedom-loving people on Earth. [Riley, master of sarcasm]
Here are a few highlights from this historic document:
BRICS supports “global governance” and “the central role of the United Nations in the international system”
• “[W]e reaffirm our commitment to multilateralism and upholding the international law, including the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations (UN) as its indispensable cornerstone, and the central role of the UN in the international system, in which sovereign states cooperate to maintain international peace and security, advance sustainable development, ensure the promotion and protection of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all as well as cooperation based on solidarity, mutual respect, justice and equality. We further emphasize the urgent need to achieve equitable and inclusive geographical representation in the staff composition of the Secretariat of the United Nations and other international organizations in a timely manner.”
• “We reiterate our commitment to improving global governance by promoting a more agile, effective, efficient, responsive, representative, legitimate, democratic and accountable international and multilateral system.”
BRICS supports the leading role of the IMF in global finance
• “We reaffirm our commitment to maintaining a strong and effective Global Financial Safety Net with a quota-based and adequately resourced IMF at its center.”
BRICS supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• “We stress the universal and inclusive nature of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, and that implementation should take into account different national circumstances, capacities and levels of development, whilst respecting national policies and priorities and in conformity with national legislation.”
BRICS supports public-private partnerships to help nations achieve their Sustainable Development Goals
• “We recognise that the use of blended finance is an effective way to mobilize private capital to finance infrastructure projects. We note the important role of multilateral development banks and development finance institutions, in particular national development banks, in institutionally scaling up the use of blended finance and other instruments, and thereby contributing to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in accordance with country-specific needs and priorities. To this end, we commend the work of the BRICS Public-Private Partnership and 17 Infrastructure Task Force and endorse its Technical Report on Infrastructure Projects Blended Finance.”
BRICS supports the reduction and removal of greenhouse gases to combat climate change [The problem is real, but the notions of reduction and removal are outright BS, the technology does not even exit. The goal of the Paris Agreement to limit the increase in the global average temp to 1.5 deg C has already been rendered moot]
• “We reiterate that the objectives, principles and provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), its Kyoto Protocol and its Paris Agreement, including its principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities (CBDR-RC) in the light of different national circumstances, must be honoured. We condemn unilateral measures introduced under the pretext of climate and environmental concerns and reiterate our commitment to enhancing coordination on these issues. We will strengthen cooperation on a whole range of solutions and technologies that contribute to the reduction and removal of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs). We also note the role of carbon sinks in absorbing GHGs and mitigating climate change, whilst also highlighting the importance of adaptation and stressing the need for the adequate provision of the means of implementation, namely financial resources, technology transfer and capacity building.”
• “We underscore the critical need for active climate adaptation projects, moving beyond research and forecasting to the implementation of practical solutions, advancing renewable energy, sustainable financing, low-emission technologies, and sustainable development investments, while highlighting the importance of collective action and international cooperation to address the adverse impacts of climate change and ensure inclusive, equitable climate initiatives.” [Green New Deal lies]
BRICS supports the creation of carbon markets [That idea is a despicable $cam]
• “We recognise the important role of carbon markets as one of the drivers of climate action, and encourage enhancing cooperation and sharing experiences in this field. We oppose unilateral measures introduced under the pretext of climate and environmental concerns and reiterate our commitment to enhancing coordination on these issues. We welcome the adoption of the MoU on the BRICS Carbon Markets Partnership as a platform dedicated to sharing knowledge, experiences and case studies of developing carbon markets and discussing the potential intra-BRICS cooperation on carbon markets to exchange views on potential cooperation under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement among the BRICS countries.”
BRICS supports the World Health Organization and its “central coordinating role” in strengthening “the international pandemic prevention, preparedness and response system”
• “We reiterate our support to the central coordinating role of the World Health Organization in the implementation of multilateral international efforts to protect public health from infectious diseases and epidemics and commit to reform and strengthen the international pandemic prevention, preparedness and response system. We recognise the fundamental role of primary health care as a key foundation for Universal Health Care and health system’s resilience, as well as on prevention and response to health emergencies. We welcome fostering closer ties among BRICS health institutions responsible for sanitary and epidemiological health and well-being, prevention, preparedness and response to epidemic prone communicable diseases and health impact following disasters and encourage further exploring opportunities for knowledge sharing, exchange of expertise and undertaking joint projects in the health sector.”
BRICS supports the development of safe & effective vaccines
• “We support the initiatives of the BRICS R&D Vaccine Center, further development of the BRICS Integrated Early Warning System for preventing mass infectious diseases risks and the operations of the BRICS TB Research Network. We welcome the outcomes of the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) HighLevel Meeting on AMR, committing to a clear set of targets and actions, including reducing the estimated 4.95 million human deaths associated with bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) annually by 10% by 2030. [SCAM!! No proof that any bacteria have ever been shown to be pathogens] We express concern about the growing threat of AMR to all sectors of the economy, in particular healthcare, and note the timeliness of holding the first BRICS Conference on AMR in May 2024.”
BRICS supports “digital transformation” using 5G and other "emerging technologies”
• “Recognising the importance of creating an enabling, inclusive, and secure digital economy and that digital connectivity is an essential prerequisite for digital transformation as well as social and economic growth, we emphasize the need to strengthen cooperation among BRICS countries. We also recognise that emerging technologies such as 5G, satellite systems, terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks, have the potential to catalyze the development of the digital economy. We acknowledge that resilient, safe, inclusive and interoperable digital public infrastructure has the potential to deliver services at scale and increase social and economic opportunities for all.”
And so on and so forth.
Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security vs Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet
The world is at a crossroads. There are two distinct visions for the future of humankind. You must choose one and then argue with strangers on the internet who are inadequately enthusiastic about your choice, which is perhaps the most meaningful and consequential choice you will ever make; your choice will literally change the trajectory of human history. So please choose wisely.
[From here on, Waggaman]
Let me be more specific. The theme of this year’s BRICS summit was “Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security”. I think we all understand why BRICS chose this theme—because it is very meaningful and profound. In sharp contrast, the G20 (which includes the USA and many other Unipolar Satanic West nations) will be meeting next month in Rio de Janeiro to discuss “Building a Just World and a Sustainable Planet”.
The contrast could not be more extreme. Like day and night.[Screen shot of and link to the blog entry from September 2023 about G20 and BRICS]
Let’s play a quick game. Which of these two statements is from BRICS’ Kazan Declaration?
• Statement A: “We reaffirm our support for the rules-based, open, transparent, fair, predictable, inclusive, equitable, non-discriminatory, consensus-based multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at its core, with special and differential treatment (S&DT) for developing countries, including Least Developed Countries and reject the unilateral trade restrictive measures that are inconsistent with WTO rules.”
• Statement B: “We express our support for actions aimed at reaffirming that a rules-based, non-discriminatory, fair, open, inclusive, equitable, sustainable and transparent multilateral trading system, with WTO at its core, is indispensable; {we support} policies that enable trade and investment to serve as an engine of growth and prosperity for all … Fostering a favourable trade and investment environment for all.”
Answer: Statement A is from BRICS’ Multipolar Sustainable Agenda 2030 Freedom Vision Declaration. Statement B is from the Second G20 Foreign Ministers’ Call to Action on Global Governance Reform, published exactly one month ago on September 25, 2024, and available on the website of the US State Department.
And yet …. these statements, issued by totally different Poles, are oddly similar. What could this possibly mean? It’s a mystery, but pro-Putin conservative Russian media has a scandalous hypothesis:[Screen shot, Katyushka] After combing through the Kazan Declaration, Katyusha concluded:
"It is obvious that the goals of the unification of the countries of this seemingly “alternative to the Atlanticist” bloc are declared to be practically the same as those in the UN declaration “Pact for the Future” recently adopted at the Future Summit in New York. Both the stated goals and the proposed image of the future BRICS association are the same, and everything is even written in the same globalist newspeak.
"That is, we have before us a sadly familiar model of globalization, only not for the countries of the Atlantic bloc and their satellites, but for Eurasia and the “global South”—including Africa, and South America. {BRICS} is a kind of subproject from the same curators—in any case, this is precisely what follows from the text of the Kazan Declaration."
Yeah, but … Zerohedge said that Putin was presented with a gimmick BRICS peso, and that I should be excited about that. I am excited. I am.
But I just thought that maybe you would like to know what BRICS said about BRICS when it met in Kazan.[Video]
My comment at the page.
Jeffrey Strahl, Lockdown Times, 10/25/24.
Riley, thanks for your astute analysis of the results of the US/NATO Summit. Oh, oops, i erred, this was actually the BRICS Summit. :-)
My blood boils when i see all the CRAP being posted by "freedom" folks on Facebook lauding the Kazan Summit. Sincerely, many thanks for adhering to BRICS reality, Riley!
And, BRICS has added new members, while rejecting others. The newly expanded BRICS will include Algeria, Belarus, Bolivia, Cuba, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Venezuela failed in its bid to join BRICS after Brazil vetoed its admission; Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said he would not accept the result of July’s election in which Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro claimed to narrowly win reelection. Nicaragua was also vetoed by Brazil. Argentina, long expected to join, has now withdrawn its “application."
And, US Presidential Elections (these are 50 state contests, after all) are one week from tomorrow,. A few days ago, What’s Left? talked with New York teacher and creator of Teachers For Choice Michael Kane, who last year appeared on the show to advocate for RFK Jr, whom a PAC Kane is working for supported. Now the PAC, Like Junior, is supporting Trump, as is Kane.
What’s Left? 10/26/24, an hour and 37 minutes.
"Michael Kane joins us to revisit our discussion about the RFK Jr. presidential race. We talk about our different thought and feelings about RFK Jr’s decision to ’suspend’ his campaign and endorse Trump. Check us out! One more thing, in order to get this episode on YouTube, we had to remove criticism one of us (Andy) had made of the covid shots. Normally, we would not do that but because we want the episode with Michael Kane to be heard on TY, we chose to remove the comment. It’s a slippery slope, we just walked but we wanted to be honest with you all about the choice we made.”
My comments. Thanks, Andy, Eduardo and Michael.
Excellent on your part, Eduardo, bringing up the entire border enforcement issue, its inherent link to digital surveillance, digital IDs,... And Wow, Andy, lots of good points. The "border security" matter, the Israel bio-surveillance state, the entire corrupt nature of the electoral system and its role in disempowering people, kettling us. And your bringing up Dr Malone telling us to forget Warp Speed, and the role of the celebrity doctors being pushed by RFK Jr, people who wanna keep us inside the same old narrative, like “alternative treatments” and “safe vaccines,” not questioning what really happened back in early 2020, whether there in fact was a "pandemic," or questioning "COVID," indeed the entirety of germ and contagion theories.
Mind blowing, how Michael reduced the Palestine (and now Lebanon) GENOCIDE to "an issue, to a "land dispute." Also, how he admitted he hasn't really studied the border enforcement matter, when this has been a CRUX of the Trump campaign, which he is backing. He did a lot of name dropping, equivocating, and asserting, avoiding answering the difficult questions he was posed with. Instead, he just asserted that more Republicans in office is good, that Robert Redfield can be trusted when he shifts his rhetoric,.... And he is still peddling illusions about Nicole Shanahan, who's a social impact investing queen, and pushing government via Blockchain, managed by AI, involving impact investing. That's the "ideal" that we're putting on the shelf for "realistic" policies? Count me out.
And today, i came across this on Facebook, from Whitney Webb, about the border matter, thanks to Andy.
Whitney Webb, 10/27/24.
Trump promoted national ID on Rogan - the next step to a total control grid. Along with vaccines, this is what the central bankers want and need to get complete control. Looks like the establishment factions have agreed that Trump is their man to lead patriots and conservatives into the digital concentration camp. The theory that you need a digital ID system to stop election fraud or secure border is absolutely not true. Ask the folks who ran these things before digital tech existed. Alas, Rogan agreed - he does not see the trap. Trump does - he is marketing it. [As is Kane]
And, in SW Asia, the IDF launched an attack on Iran Friday evening California time, sticking to military targets. The Zionist regime claims it disabled the Iranian military in a major way. The Islamic regime has rejected the claim, and maintains it has a right to retaliate. Meanwhile, as global attention is riveted on this front, the IDF is carrying out genocide/ethnic cleansing in Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza, particularly North Gaza.
Gaza ceasefire talks resume in Doha, but ‘no breakthrough’ expected. Israel’s Mossad spy chief and the CIA director are in Doha for talks in a bid to reach a ceasefire deal, but analysts say a breakthrough is unlikely. Osama Bin Javaid, 10/28/24.
Doha, Qatar – Israel’s Mossad spy chief and the CIA director have travelled to the Qatari capital, Doha, to attend the first high-level talks since ceasefire efforts aimed at ending the war in Gaza broke down in August. David Barnea and William Burns are expected to meet Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani to try to revive talks after the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar on October 16.
Families of captives taken from Israel to Gaza have also built pressure on the Israeli government to sign a deal to secure the release of their relatives. Nearly 100 captives still remain in Gaza as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rebuffed talks and escalated military operations. He has faced months of protests demanding a deal to bring back the captives. On Sunday, Israeli protesters interrupted him, shouting ‘”shame on you”, as he was speaking at a memorial for the victims of the October 7, 2023, attacks. At least 1,100 people were killed in the attacks led by Hamas.
The Qatari prime minister said his country has recently “re-engaged” with Hamas leaders in Doha since Sinwar was killed. Israel also killed the main Hamas negotiator Ismail Haniyeh in July while he was visiting Tehran. Truce talks have repeatedly stalled over more than one year of war, which has killed nearly 43,000 Palestinians. Hamas has been seeking a permanent ceasefire and wants the withdrawal of Israeli forces as part of any deal. But Netanyahu wants military control over parts of Gaza. “As long as Israel sticks to its definition of success, there will be no peaceful release of hostages,” said Sultan Barakat, a professor of public policy at Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University and an honorary professor at the University of York. “The careful calibration has sadly moved to avoiding the spread of a regional conflict as a result of the Israel and Iran confrontation and not to ending the genocide.”
On Sunday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said military operations alone are not sufficient to achieve the country’s war goals. “In carrying out our moral and ethical duty to return the hostages to their homes, painful compromises are required,” he said at a state ceremony to honour the soldiers killed in the conflict.
According to Israeli media, Barnea, the Mossad chief, is travelling with a commitment to “goodwill” but lacks a mandate regarding a change in the status of the Israeli takeover of the Philadelphi and Netzarim Corridors in Gaza. Netanyahu wants control of these two corridors – the Philadelphi on the border with Egypt and the Netzarim, which splits northern and southern Gaza.
Hamas sources said its demands are firm for a complete withdrawal of the Israeli military from the entire Gaza Strip, the release of Palestinian prisoners jailed in Israel, aid deliveries to all of Gaza and an end to the war. Luciano Zaccara, an adjunct associate professor at Georgetown University in Qatar, said he isn’t “optimistic about a breakthrough”. “Even though the Israeli delegation is here, they attacked Iran. So it seems they are not ready to make any concessions to any of their enemies. Israel has decided to push for a definitive military solution against Hamas,” he told Al Jazeera.
Egypt and Qatar have been mediating between Israel and Hamas, which led to the only breakthrough in November when a prisoner swap deal led to the release of about 100 Israeli captives in exchange for about 240 Palestinian prisoners. Analysts said they believe this round of talks most likely will result in a holding pattern just days before the US elections.
In addition to a much trumpeted plan unveiled by US President Joe Biden in May, another proposal that includes a temporary ceasefire and aid deliveries in exchange for releasing several Israeli captives in Gaza is also being discussed. Ronen Bar, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security service, already went to Cairo to discuss the proposal with Egyptian officials last week. Egypt on Sunday proposed a two-day ceasefire in Gaza that would entail an exchange of four Israeli captives for some Palestinian prisoners. President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said on Sunday that talks should resume within 10 days of implementing the temporary ceasefire to try to reach a permanent one.
The new head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, has already held a meeting with Hamas deputy chief Khalil al-Hayya in Cairo. Before the talks, there was already opposition from Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich. The far-right leaders have called temporary proposals as “a gift to Hamas while Israel is in a momentum”. But there are supporters of the proposal as the fighting has dragged on for more than a year and the pressure from the captives’ families is mounting.
Among the proponents of a deal to release some captives are Gallant, Transportation Minister Miri Regev, Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Deputy Prime Minister Yariv Levin. According to Hamas officials who have visited Moscow recently, if an agreement is reached, two Israeli captives who are dual Russian citizens would be among the first to be released. But all of it depends on Israel’s willingness to temporarily stop its assault.
The situation in Lebanon after Israeli incursions and bombardments is most likely to also come up, but separate talks are being held for ending that conflict. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met acting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati in London on Friday and called for the protection of civilian lives but stopped short of explicitly calling for a ceasefire. He has emphasised reaching understandings on the disarmament of Hezbollah. According to Israeli media, the head of the Mossad has already told the CIA boss this week that any ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah in Lebanon must also include a deal for the release of captives in Gaza.
Noureddine Miladi, professor of media and communication at Qatar University, said the current negotiations whether in Qatar or in Cairo are unlikely to lead to any tangible results. “In my opinion, it is mainly a PR exercise with no substantial results to alleviate the plight of the Palestinians or lead to the release of hostages,” he told Al Jazeera. “All of these exercises of talks-for-show are nonsense. Things on the ground are going in just one direction, a total control of Gaza by Israel and the establishment of settlements” in the Palestinian territory.
Ending this segment and this edition, this video is more than three years old, but has lots of useful historical info.
Zionism, Imperialism & Why the Arab Uprisings Failed - With Joseph Massad, Breakthrough News, 6/1/21.
"Joseph Massad, Professor of Modern Arab Politics and Intellectual History at Columbia University, joins Dispatches with Rania Khalek to help break down everything from Israel’s value as an outpost of US imperialism and why the Arab uprisings failed to the recent victory of Palestinian resistance forces and why it’s crucial to incorporate anti-imperialism in our understanding of the Zionist project.”
My comments. One of the best features is Massad’s discussion of Zionism’s roots in the era of the Protestant Reformation, when many of the emerging Protestant sects espoused a desire for an early arrival to the “Kingdom of God” and its requirements that Jews once again be in control of the Promised Land. This also dovetailed with their anti-Semtitim, [ i would prefer to say “Judeophobia”], as such a return would facilitate getting rid of Europe’s Jews. The Europeans did not see the espousal by European converts to Christianity of a religion first practiced in what is now Palestine in the first century for the common era, as meaning that Europeans were descended from the Jews of that region, yet somehow saw European converts to Judaism as being such descendants. European Jews largely rejected Zionism well into the 20th Century, preferring to either move to the US (or other European settler nations) or at least to Western Europe, or to stay where they were and pursue social change which would render them full citizens. Lord Balfour, Winston Churchill and the like were anti Semites who opposed Jewish immigration into the UK, who saw the possibility of “killing two birds with one stone” via channeling them instead to a new European settler state in SW Asia.
Also, kudos for the duplicitous role being played by US client states in the region, such as the UAE and Saudi, in facilitating the normalization of the Zionist regime.
Yes, America really IS an economic tyranny. Good point, Joseph Massad.