Yes, it’s another Crooke Monday with his SCF essay, his Al-Mayadeen column and chat with Judge Napolitano. The pace of events in West Asia seems to be quickening as the column published on the 18th was quickly overcome by what overtly looked like a very weak Zionist response against Iran that was then spiced by a sensational report by the credible Pepe Escobar about the Zionist attempt to use a nuke. Here’s the first announcement from
thanks karl... that is a lot to consider and ponder... it is a big tangled mess... no wonder many don't want to even look at it.. they know untangling it is going to take some serious work..
Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like the “infowars” have been ramped up in a deliberate effort at sensory overload- there’s just too much life-changing news even from my trusted sources to process and make sense of. To read analyst A. Korybko’s post vehemently disputing Pepe’s report of Russia’s downing of an Israeli F-35 carrying a nuke coupled with Karl’s deep dive into the history leading up to the present plus other events like an imminent planetary meltdown- to say it all ‘beggars belief’ is an understatement. Given our toxic info environment of ‘fake news’, ‘plausible deniability’ and ‘hasbara’ I think we now have to make room for “ plausible believability “ - whether it’s actually true or not matters less than how many ‘sensible people’ like you and me can be made to believe it- E. Bernays all over again I know but still……the stakes have never been higher (sigh). Hope things are ok with MoA and ‘b’ - haven’t even had the add’l time to visit the bar lately. My thoughts turn to a timeless classic by LA punk legends X - “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts”. Hang on to your‘marbles’ friends- a rough ride ahead I fear!
Reading tea leaves has always been fraught with problems. Events continue, however, Putin met with Azerbaijan's Aliyev yesterday and surely discussed many topics with Putin saying the following: "Absolutely Let's talk about the security situation in the region. There are a lot of issues here, they are very sensitive. We are with you in the material on each of them." Aliyev replied:
"As you noted, the agenda is quite extensive. There is also the transport component, we will discuss this today. International Draft the North-South transport corridor that unites our countries and our partners, is of global importance for the safety of cargo transportation and for the and the promotion of trade relations between many countries.
"Questions of regional security are constantly on the agenda of our meetings. And we are also happy with the way they are being resolved. Russia is a fundamental country in terms of regional security in the Caucasus and wide geography. And from the actions, the interactions between our nations, affect many countries. And we are focused on strengthening the measures trust, cooperation, mutual understanding and settlement of all issues in the spirit of interaction and mutual interests."
A bit boilerplate but important nevertheless. A small event to be sure; yet another move on the chessboard.
Agreed, a ‘minor’ move on the chessboard but Aliyev appears to be (imho) a ‘pretty sharp knife’ as the remarks you quoted indicate. Encouraging that Armenia relented on those contested municipalities (h/t A. Korybko, another ‘pretty sharp knife’). WW1 was brought on by the ‘minor’ assassination of Archduke Ferdinand - the development of the “north-south transport corridor” may just clear an under-appreciated
oops… logjam in international commerce especially if ramped up ahead of other planned trade routes. NATO members might do well to start ‘running for the exits’. The early birds get the worms!
Obviously 'Israel' would love to hit back at Iran and regain its ultimate terrorist status. A nuclear explosion at 50 km above ground could ionize the atmosphere over an area extending about 1400 km, as you can check by using grammer-school trigonometrics
1400 km = sqrt ( 4 x 50 km x 6000 km -earth radius- ); ..... please cross check it by your own experience when standing on the top of a mountain at 4 km elevation
where you may enjoy a sight of about 150 km in any direction
How would one transport a nuclear bomb to the required elevation above a sensitive area inside Iran? I'm sure there are dozen of people that have nothing else in mind.
MOA is closed for the time being, hopefully Bern will be OK soon and hopefully some of the always worth reading patrons like Bevin, OldHippie and many more will be showing up here, to keep the flame alive. Cheers Karl.
Thanks Paco. Yes, those named comment here, bevin especially. It appears Passover didn't bring a crisis this year, although Al-Aqsa was desecrated again.
Great post, thanks for your efforts her and at MoA. Now that MoA is temporarily unavailable it is especially important to have this place. I did learn quite a few things reading this in-depth post, so I will be coming back for more!
Thanks for your reply and confidence in my site. I don't have any problems accessing MoA, but b has announced he'll be offline for a medical procedure that I hope isn't too complicated. There's a lot happening today. Don't yet know what I'll write about.
I don't think The Chosen can share a secular state and need their own Jewish State for Jews. So either one is arranged, or they take it, or it is denied. The UN et alia lack enforcement. So Jews taking by force is only current viable option unless world order changes the equation. Such things take more time than Gazans have. I favour a new territorial configuration with Jews getting from Tel Aviv down to Eirot and the rest going to Palestine. Jewish State shaped like dagger still. They can open canal connecting Red Sea to Gaza port. Major BRI East-West hub.
Meanwhile, valuable perspective to add to the mix:
"What Freeman argues is that Iran's strike "changes all the rules of the game in the Middle-East". The biggest deal for him is that "the Saudis, the Emiratis and others informed the United States that they would not permit American operations against Iran from their territory and Iran warned those states that if they did, they would become targets. So in a sense, Iran has achieved the neutralization of American forces in the Persian gulf that it long sought. So from a tactical military point of view it was a 'nothing burger' - nobody was killed, nobody was damaged - [...] but from a strategic point of view, from a soft power point of view, it was a huge success. Iran accomplished its objective and it left Israel with an intolerable dilemma. Israel cannot continue to behave as though it can act with impunity.""
Yes, something must be done for Palestinians; whatever that is will require the application of force to make the Zionists comply. I agree 100% with the second paragraph's content, which is a point I mentioned after Iran's attack.
The inference is Iran's attack was far more devastating than admitted, and we now know the expenditure was at least double the $1.3 Billion initially cited.
I appreciate the plausibility of the F-35/nuke report by Pepe Escobar. He is not one to BS us and is consistently careful. I can imagine any F-35 in the air heading east over Jordan would be fair game for Russia (or even clandestine launchers in Iraq) anytime following the Iranian air strike. Even the rumor of a nuke based retaliation from Israel is a potent story let alone it annihilation. However it sure places the Jordan royal s and elite in the sights given its vast Palestinian diaspora and its vassal status to the USA and Israel.
I can almost hear the rumble of the tumbril.
Perhaps the Russians listen in to the Jordanian early warning sigint AND their own satellites of which there are many and increasing thes past months. Whatever the speculation IF the Pepe report is valid it signifies a dramatic transformation of the power alignments in the region with Iran achieving a sobering demonstration of capacity and Syria getting some secondary support whereby an F-35 from the predator state was downed.
The big issue in my mind is whether this results in an escalation of blow for blow every time Israel launches a fighter plane based attack on any shia ally of Syria. Simultaneously there will be consequences for the brazen games played by the Kurdish opportunist turds to the north of both Iraq and Syria. Maybe they will see the enormity of the threat now confronting them after all the years of comfortable cover provided by the UKUSAI colonial machinations.
I wonder if a Turkish heavyweight from Erdogan will meet with an Iran equivalent soon. For sure there is a recalculation underway in order to mitigate the eschatological gaming by the forces of armageddon.
Soleimani would be pleased with events in the last few days.
Agreed uncle. Al-Mayadeen reports Qatar being subjected to intense pressure by the usual suspects to get Hamas to alter its negotiating position. It's news reports are worth reading for that info. Also, there was the Passover storming of Al-Aqsa but no unusual desecrations. Protests within the Empire and elsewhere are escalating, many manned by Jews. Iran demands EU sanction the Zionists; not doing so is clear double standards. https://english.almayadeen.net/
There's also the call to expel the US from the UN under article six. The axis of resistance is giving the US too much leeway, but the Russian General Staff and Chinese are in a much better position to make assessments. It's clear that both the US and its satellites plus Israel will continue to escalate and overplay their hand - they can't stop seeing themselves as apex predators.
The old pattern was always everyone in the region trying to block their neighbor's overland transport. Implies another round of attempts to stir things up in Iraq? The rival route is Saudi-Jordan-Israel. Potential blocking move would be Kurdistan.
On the nuke, it's Clancy-like as I noted at MoA. But using MEK for the retaliation also raises numerous questions. But in reality those are the easy issues while the one big tough nut of the need to use force sits there in the open with no discussion. The world demands compliance, and it's clear the Zionists need to be forced to do so.
Now that b has suspended Moon of Alabama it is going to be very hard to keep track of events. It's also a terrible blow on a more personal level: there will be no more excellent insights from bevin, no more DownSouth, no more Cabe, no more William Gruff, no more wonderfully truthful and sardonic comments from PeterAU. Juliania's gentle voice will be gone. And so many others, too numerous to mention.
Not only has a crucial source of information and intellectual stimulation gone, there's also the feeling of having lost one's community. More than ever, I'm grateful for your work here, Karl, and I hope somehow a new forum will arise like a phoenix from the ashes.
Poor b: he has done so much to keep the flame alive. What terrible times.
Ouch, now I see what others meant as I just read his medical notice, not the comment threads. It would be very easy to establish a Moon of Alabama Two substack, but whoever takes that on will need to do it fulltime as close moderation will be needed to comply with substack guidelines.
Please let me know if I can help you to get such a project off the ground. I am sure there are others who would collaborate too. I think it would be a very important and immeasurably useful thing to do.
I personally don't have the time to operate two similar substacks. However, it's very easy for anyone to initiate a substack. How it would work within substack's rules with multiple contributors and moderators is unknown by me. It would be rather simple to create as each article becomes its own thread. For example, I create an article like this one and then I create two or more others as open threads with specific topics as b does. That method could be done by anyone and perhaps already is given the number of writers opening substacks--I haven't explored the substack universe at all, so I have no clue if a mirror MoA doesn't already exist.
I am here, for the little I can contribute on the 'eschatological' front. Holy Week for Orthodox Christians begins next week but I will not do more than note that fact as it only deepens the rift between the extremists and those who see the spiritual nature of faith in more subtle terms. Not all that is written (and followed) is Scripture, especially when genocide becomes so blatant. This is not and can never be the way of any faith. The subtleties of statecraft I leave to wiser heads, but I hope that the great faiths can unify in their call for peace and tolerance and humble acceptance of humanity's task to look after our common home, the earth we all love, and its children.
Nice to see you've subscribed! Russia has shown its possible for multiple faiths to get along and live harmoniously. The key is they aren't used as political tools or have similar aims themselves.
The big question for Pepe is how did Russia know to shoot down that specific F-35 at that particular time? Who informed Russia what the cargo was? If Israel didn't tell the US, was it an Israeli?
All valid questions, but Pepe's constrained by what his sources provide and he's in Brazil now well removed from his Russian, Iranian and Chinese sources. If the story's true, then it's logical a Russian mole is the informant. For me, the bigger question is when will force be used against the Zionists to begin the creation of the Palestinian State, which is both Russian and Chinese policy goals, and we should add BRICS+ and SCO policy goals.
Response to Karl Sanchez' "Crooke Remains in Moscow: Focuses on Zionism & Escobar's Nuke Report"
As for Pepe, I wouldn't doubt him. He and Larry were on Ania's "Through the eyes of" Youtube channel the other day and Pepe outlined the details of his report.
PEPE ESCOBAR and LARRY JOHNSON on the F-35/NUCLEAR BOMB/EMP OVER IRAN MYSTERY.
The question is whether the intel provided to him was or could be vetted by the source that gave it to him. It's also unclear what he refers to as a "great power" since he also said the source was not China. OTOH he also said that the original source was a great power but his INITIAL source was not China. So one could interpret that to mean he got his original tip from someone who got it from China. I would speculate that if anyone knew what was up, it would be China. If Russia shot down an Israeli plane armed with a nuke, China would have been informed by Russia. And I don't see China or Russia being involved in any disinformation campaign over such an issue. I DO see it likely that both would wish to keep such an incident under wraps to avoid an escalation of the situation.
It's possible that the Israeli strike on Iran was conducted by the M.E.K. using drones from Iraq or even inside Iran, as Professor Marandi has suggested in a recent interview with Glenn Diesen and Alexander Mercouris.
I wold also point out that Israel has close relations with the Kurds of northern Iraq. It's quite possible that Israel was able to launch drones from the Kurdish region in Iraq.
Another point on Russia being involved. I've been saying for some time that Russia is keenly aware of the situation around Israel, going back to the Syria civil war and perhaps further back. Russia is almost certainly well aware of everything Israel has, both through its satellite surveillance, its SIGINT in Syria, and undoubtedly Russian agents on the ground in Israel (which houses a large Russia Jewish population.)
I've also pointed out that Russia undoubtedly knows EXACTLY where Israel's nuclear weapons are stored. They wouldn't have entered the Syrian conflict without that background knowledge. I have suggested before that if Israel threatened to use nukes against the region that Russia would react. Russia could take out Israel's land-based nukes with hypersonic missiles - with conventional warheads, not nukes - from the Black Sea or the Russian fleet in the Med. The only remaining problem would be Israel's five Dolphin class German submarines reportedly with nuclear cruise missile capability. Indeed, I suggested that Israel's response to the Iran attack would involve the use of those submarines, which does not appear to have occurred as far as anyone knows to date.
So that Russia would respond to an Israeli attempt to carry a nuke towards Iran - whether for an EMP or not - and there is no evidence Russia would KNOW that it was for an EMP - is in my view highly likely.
The one part of the alleged plot that I tend to doubt is the EMP part. As I noted in a Twitter comment, I'm unaware that Israel has ever tested an EMP device and you don't conduct an attack of that nature without being fairly sure it will work. EMPs on that scale are NOT a "developed technology." Indeed, I've reviewed EMP technology in the past and the consensus from physicists is that it's not a sure thing by any means. Most of the evidence for its efficacy comes from random events that occurred back when the US was initially conducting its atomic tests. And the effective was sporadic and limited. Subsequently devices have been constructed with simulate nuclear EMP using electronic technology, so the phenomenon is better understood today. But that's not the same as developing a functional nuclear weapon EMP which has specific efficacy over a whole nation. There's no evidence I'm aware of that Israel has that capability, any more than there is evidence that North Korea does, despite all the hype about EMP being used by that country.
So at this junction all we can say about Pepe's report is that it is indeed plausible. And apparently that's all we will ever likely know about the incident. Scott Ritter has pointed out that the report leaves open the possibility of a nuke lying around in some country, the downed plane, etc. which he thinks could not be covered up. I would submit that however this was done it will be covered up effectively by all parties involved. Any aircraft parts will be removed, records altered to show it never existed, and any pieces of an nuke lying around recovered and buried. Even if there are leaks - well, there already has been. Without physical evidence no one will ever be able to say what actually happened.
However, as I noted in my previous piece, such an attack - if it occurred - mandates that Iran will further retaliate - unless, as I also noted, "Although Pepe does say that all parties have agreed to keep that incident under wraps. So perhaps that will modify the Iranian response. Because an appropriate Iranian response to such an attack would have to be massive - perhaps more massive than Iran is willing to commit to at this point."
Too bad you placed your comment here instead of on the "Pepe's Nuke" thread. As for the EMP, I agree that it's odd. My initial reaction was to recall "The Sum of All Fears" scenario forwarded by Clancy.
I share your concern- Germany has some pretty strict laws about antisemitism and hate speech. I’m sure b has had to keep a pretty tight leash with his moderation- a super-human task considering the free-wheeling nature of the bar! I pray he pulls through!
I too hope that, Karl, and I thank you for your above scrutiny of the facts as discussed at all levels. I would, however disagree that the present conflict is eschatological (sp?) any more than any extreme sect (such as those in Jonestown) cannot be eschatological in nature. My thesis remains that the true Israelis,, true to their prophetic faith, have made their way into the world at large and been accepted there in a continuance of that faith and these are not they any more than so-called Christians are, any more than those who saw the comet in years passed and thought they would be beamed up in its wake.. . They were not.
The problem is the Genocidalist Zionist public that demands death to Palestinians as that's the political reality within Occupied Palestine and their eschatological zealotry.
Elsewhere, Anti-Zionist protests are escalating, particularly within the Outlaw US Empire.
US Sunni play has always been tactical,using Al Qaeda and Daish is siding with the minor faction in mid East Islam, albeit wealthy and have economic dominance from hydrocarbon.
The Sunni faction with USUK could not deal with Houthi.
From Erdogan to MBS the smart play is toward Iran.
thanks karl... that is a lot to consider and ponder... it is a big tangled mess... no wonder many don't want to even look at it.. they know untangling it is going to take some serious work..
Maybe it’s just me, but it feels like the “infowars” have been ramped up in a deliberate effort at sensory overload- there’s just too much life-changing news even from my trusted sources to process and make sense of. To read analyst A. Korybko’s post vehemently disputing Pepe’s report of Russia’s downing of an Israeli F-35 carrying a nuke coupled with Karl’s deep dive into the history leading up to the present plus other events like an imminent planetary meltdown- to say it all ‘beggars belief’ is an understatement. Given our toxic info environment of ‘fake news’, ‘plausible deniability’ and ‘hasbara’ I think we now have to make room for “ plausible believability “ - whether it’s actually true or not matters less than how many ‘sensible people’ like you and me can be made to believe it- E. Bernays all over again I know but still……the stakes have never been higher (sigh). Hope things are ok with MoA and ‘b’ - haven’t even had the add’l time to visit the bar lately. My thoughts turn to a timeless classic by LA punk legends X - “I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts”. Hang on to your‘marbles’ friends- a rough ride ahead I fear!
Reading tea leaves has always been fraught with problems. Events continue, however, Putin met with Azerbaijan's Aliyev yesterday and surely discussed many topics with Putin saying the following: "Absolutely Let's talk about the security situation in the region. There are a lot of issues here, they are very sensitive. We are with you in the material on each of them." Aliyev replied:
"As you noted, the agenda is quite extensive. There is also the transport component, we will discuss this today. International Draft the North-South transport corridor that unites our countries and our partners, is of global importance for the safety of cargo transportation and for the and the promotion of trade relations between many countries.
"Questions of regional security are constantly on the agenda of our meetings. And we are also happy with the way they are being resolved. Russia is a fundamental country in terms of regional security in the Caucasus and wide geography. And from the actions, the interactions between our nations, affect many countries. And we are focused on strengthening the measures trust, cooperation, mutual understanding and settlement of all issues in the spirit of interaction and mutual interests."
A bit boilerplate but important nevertheless. A small event to be sure; yet another move on the chessboard.
Agreed, a ‘minor’ move on the chessboard but Aliyev appears to be (imho) a ‘pretty sharp knife’ as the remarks you quoted indicate. Encouraging that Armenia relented on those contested municipalities (h/t A. Korybko, another ‘pretty sharp knife’). WW1 was brought on by the ‘minor’ assassination of Archduke Ferdinand - the development of the “north-south transport corridor” may just clear an under-appreciated
oops… logjam in international commerce especially if ramped up ahead of other planned trade routes. NATO members might do well to start ‘running for the exits’. The early birds get the worms!
Obviously 'Israel' would love to hit back at Iran and regain its ultimate terrorist status. A nuclear explosion at 50 km above ground could ionize the atmosphere over an area extending about 1400 km, as you can check by using grammer-school trigonometrics
1400 km = sqrt ( 4 x 50 km x 6000 km -earth radius- ); ..... please cross check it by your own experience when standing on the top of a mountain at 4 km elevation
where you may enjoy a sight of about 150 km in any direction
How would one transport a nuclear bomb to the required elevation above a sensitive area inside Iran? I'm sure there are dozen of people that have nothing else in mind.
MOA is closed for the time being, hopefully Bern will be OK soon and hopefully some of the always worth reading patrons like Bevin, OldHippie and many more will be showing up here, to keep the flame alive. Cheers Karl.
Thanks Paco. Yes, those named comment here, bevin especially. It appears Passover didn't bring a crisis this year, although Al-Aqsa was desecrated again.
Great post, thanks for your efforts her and at MoA. Now that MoA is temporarily unavailable it is especially important to have this place. I did learn quite a few things reading this in-depth post, so I will be coming back for more!
Thanks for your reply and confidence in my site. I don't have any problems accessing MoA, but b has announced he'll be offline for a medical procedure that I hope isn't too complicated. There's a lot happening today. Don't yet know what I'll write about.
I don't think The Chosen can share a secular state and need their own Jewish State for Jews. So either one is arranged, or they take it, or it is denied. The UN et alia lack enforcement. So Jews taking by force is only current viable option unless world order changes the equation. Such things take more time than Gazans have. I favour a new territorial configuration with Jews getting from Tel Aviv down to Eirot and the rest going to Palestine. Jewish State shaped like dagger still. They can open canal connecting Red Sea to Gaza port. Major BRI East-West hub.
Meanwhile, valuable perspective to add to the mix:
"What Freeman argues is that Iran's strike "changes all the rules of the game in the Middle-East". The biggest deal for him is that "the Saudis, the Emiratis and others informed the United States that they would not permit American operations against Iran from their territory and Iran warned those states that if they did, they would become targets. So in a sense, Iran has achieved the neutralization of American forces in the Persian gulf that it long sought. So from a tactical military point of view it was a 'nothing burger' - nobody was killed, nobody was damaged - [...] but from a strategic point of view, from a soft power point of view, it was a huge success. Iran accomplished its objective and it left Israel with an intolerable dilemma. Israel cannot continue to behave as though it can act with impunity.""
https://twitter.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1782237759106887735
Yes, something must be done for Palestinians; whatever that is will require the application of force to make the Zionists comply. I agree 100% with the second paragraph's content, which is a point I mentioned after Iran's attack.
When you think they cant go worse
https://aje.io/r5vgc7?update=2854934
I read a similar report at Al-Mayadeen. I highly suggest Ted Postol's analysis of Iran's attack mirrored at Larry Johnson's site, https://sonar21.com/ted-postols-analysis-of-irans-missile-attack-on-israel/
The inference is Iran's attack was far more devastating than admitted, and we now know the expenditure was at least double the $1.3 Billion initially cited.
I appreciate the plausibility of the F-35/nuke report by Pepe Escobar. He is not one to BS us and is consistently careful. I can imagine any F-35 in the air heading east over Jordan would be fair game for Russia (or even clandestine launchers in Iraq) anytime following the Iranian air strike. Even the rumor of a nuke based retaliation from Israel is a potent story let alone it annihilation. However it sure places the Jordan royal s and elite in the sights given its vast Palestinian diaspora and its vassal status to the USA and Israel.
I can almost hear the rumble of the tumbril.
Perhaps the Russians listen in to the Jordanian early warning sigint AND their own satellites of which there are many and increasing thes past months. Whatever the speculation IF the Pepe report is valid it signifies a dramatic transformation of the power alignments in the region with Iran achieving a sobering demonstration of capacity and Syria getting some secondary support whereby an F-35 from the predator state was downed.
The big issue in my mind is whether this results in an escalation of blow for blow every time Israel launches a fighter plane based attack on any shia ally of Syria. Simultaneously there will be consequences for the brazen games played by the Kurdish opportunist turds to the north of both Iraq and Syria. Maybe they will see the enormity of the threat now confronting them after all the years of comfortable cover provided by the UKUSAI colonial machinations.
I wonder if a Turkish heavyweight from Erdogan will meet with an Iran equivalent soon. For sure there is a recalculation underway in order to mitigate the eschatological gaming by the forces of armageddon.
Soleimani would be pleased with events in the last few days.
Agreed uncle. Al-Mayadeen reports Qatar being subjected to intense pressure by the usual suspects to get Hamas to alter its negotiating position. It's news reports are worth reading for that info. Also, there was the Passover storming of Al-Aqsa but no unusual desecrations. Protests within the Empire and elsewhere are escalating, many manned by Jews. Iran demands EU sanction the Zionists; not doing so is clear double standards. https://english.almayadeen.net/
There's also the call to expel the US from the UN under article six. The axis of resistance is giving the US too much leeway, but the Russian General Staff and Chinese are in a much better position to make assessments. It's clear that both the US and its satellites plus Israel will continue to escalate and overplay their hand - they can't stop seeing themselves as apex predators.
Thanks Karl, so much happening.
Another item to add to the mix which is with significance (via someone at moa): https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-iraq-qatar-and-uae-sign-transportation-deal-would-connect-gulf-europe
The old pattern was always everyone in the region trying to block their neighbor's overland transport. Implies another round of attempts to stir things up in Iraq? The rival route is Saudi-Jordan-Israel. Potential blocking move would be Kurdistan.
I remain quite skeptical of the EMP story, FWIW.
On the nuke, it's Clancy-like as I noted at MoA. But using MEK for the retaliation also raises numerous questions. But in reality those are the easy issues while the one big tough nut of the need to use force sits there in the open with no discussion. The world demands compliance, and it's clear the Zionists need to be forced to do so.
Now that b has suspended Moon of Alabama it is going to be very hard to keep track of events. It's also a terrible blow on a more personal level: there will be no more excellent insights from bevin, no more DownSouth, no more Cabe, no more William Gruff, no more wonderfully truthful and sardonic comments from PeterAU. Juliania's gentle voice will be gone. And so many others, too numerous to mention.
Not only has a crucial source of information and intellectual stimulation gone, there's also the feeling of having lost one's community. More than ever, I'm grateful for your work here, Karl, and I hope somehow a new forum will arise like a phoenix from the ashes.
Poor b: he has done so much to keep the flame alive. What terrible times.
Ouch, now I see what others meant as I just read his medical notice, not the comment threads. It would be very easy to establish a Moon of Alabama Two substack, but whoever takes that on will need to do it fulltime as close moderation will be needed to comply with substack guidelines.
Please let me know if I can help you to get such a project off the ground. I am sure there are others who would collaborate too. I think it would be a very important and immeasurably useful thing to do.
I personally don't have the time to operate two similar substacks. However, it's very easy for anyone to initiate a substack. How it would work within substack's rules with multiple contributors and moderators is unknown by me. It would be rather simple to create as each article becomes its own thread. For example, I create an article like this one and then I create two or more others as open threads with specific topics as b does. That method could be done by anyone and perhaps already is given the number of writers opening substacks--I haven't explored the substack universe at all, so I have no clue if a mirror MoA doesn't already exist.
I am here, for the little I can contribute on the 'eschatological' front. Holy Week for Orthodox Christians begins next week but I will not do more than note that fact as it only deepens the rift between the extremists and those who see the spiritual nature of faith in more subtle terms. Not all that is written (and followed) is Scripture, especially when genocide becomes so blatant. This is not and can never be the way of any faith. The subtleties of statecraft I leave to wiser heads, but I hope that the great faiths can unify in their call for peace and tolerance and humble acceptance of humanity's task to look after our common home, the earth we all love, and its children.
Nice to see you've subscribed! Russia has shown its possible for multiple faiths to get along and live harmoniously. The key is they aren't used as political tools or have similar aims themselves.
The big question for Pepe is how did Russia know to shoot down that specific F-35 at that particular time? Who informed Russia what the cargo was? If Israel didn't tell the US, was it an Israeli?
All valid questions, but Pepe's constrained by what his sources provide and he's in Brazil now well removed from his Russian, Iranian and Chinese sources. If the story's true, then it's logical a Russian mole is the informant. For me, the bigger question is when will force be used against the Zionists to begin the creation of the Palestinian State, which is both Russian and Chinese policy goals, and we should add BRICS+ and SCO policy goals.
Millions of Russian Jews in Izzylandia.
Response to Karl Sanchez' "Crooke Remains in Moscow: Focuses on Zionism & Escobar's Nuke Report"
As for Pepe, I wouldn't doubt him. He and Larry were on Ania's "Through the eyes of" Youtube channel the other day and Pepe outlined the details of his report.
PEPE ESCOBAR and LARRY JOHNSON on the F-35/NUCLEAR BOMB/EMP OVER IRAN MYSTERY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEqFkpFUXyI
The question is whether the intel provided to him was or could be vetted by the source that gave it to him. It's also unclear what he refers to as a "great power" since he also said the source was not China. OTOH he also said that the original source was a great power but his INITIAL source was not China. So one could interpret that to mean he got his original tip from someone who got it from China. I would speculate that if anyone knew what was up, it would be China. If Russia shot down an Israeli plane armed with a nuke, China would have been informed by Russia. And I don't see China or Russia being involved in any disinformation campaign over such an issue. I DO see it likely that both would wish to keep such an incident under wraps to avoid an escalation of the situation.
It's possible that the Israeli strike on Iran was conducted by the M.E.K. using drones from Iraq or even inside Iran, as Professor Marandi has suggested in a recent interview with Glenn Diesen and Alexander Mercouris.
I wold also point out that Israel has close relations with the Kurds of northern Iraq. It's quite possible that Israel was able to launch drones from the Kurdish region in Iraq.
Another point on Russia being involved. I've been saying for some time that Russia is keenly aware of the situation around Israel, going back to the Syria civil war and perhaps further back. Russia is almost certainly well aware of everything Israel has, both through its satellite surveillance, its SIGINT in Syria, and undoubtedly Russian agents on the ground in Israel (which houses a large Russia Jewish population.)
I've also pointed out that Russia undoubtedly knows EXACTLY where Israel's nuclear weapons are stored. They wouldn't have entered the Syrian conflict without that background knowledge. I have suggested before that if Israel threatened to use nukes against the region that Russia would react. Russia could take out Israel's land-based nukes with hypersonic missiles - with conventional warheads, not nukes - from the Black Sea or the Russian fleet in the Med. The only remaining problem would be Israel's five Dolphin class German submarines reportedly with nuclear cruise missile capability. Indeed, I suggested that Israel's response to the Iran attack would involve the use of those submarines, which does not appear to have occurred as far as anyone knows to date.
So that Russia would respond to an Israeli attempt to carry a nuke towards Iran - whether for an EMP or not - and there is no evidence Russia would KNOW that it was for an EMP - is in my view highly likely.
The one part of the alleged plot that I tend to doubt is the EMP part. As I noted in a Twitter comment, I'm unaware that Israel has ever tested an EMP device and you don't conduct an attack of that nature without being fairly sure it will work. EMPs on that scale are NOT a "developed technology." Indeed, I've reviewed EMP technology in the past and the consensus from physicists is that it's not a sure thing by any means. Most of the evidence for its efficacy comes from random events that occurred back when the US was initially conducting its atomic tests. And the effective was sporadic and limited. Subsequently devices have been constructed with simulate nuclear EMP using electronic technology, so the phenomenon is better understood today. But that's not the same as developing a functional nuclear weapon EMP which has specific efficacy over a whole nation. There's no evidence I'm aware of that Israel has that capability, any more than there is evidence that North Korea does, despite all the hype about EMP being used by that country.
So at this junction all we can say about Pepe's report is that it is indeed plausible. And apparently that's all we will ever likely know about the incident. Scott Ritter has pointed out that the report leaves open the possibility of a nuke lying around in some country, the downed plane, etc. which he thinks could not be covered up. I would submit that however this was done it will be covered up effectively by all parties involved. Any aircraft parts will be removed, records altered to show it never existed, and any pieces of an nuke lying around recovered and buried. Even if there are leaks - well, there already has been. Without physical evidence no one will ever be able to say what actually happened.
However, as I noted in my previous piece, such an attack - if it occurred - mandates that Iran will further retaliate - unless, as I also noted, "Although Pepe does say that all parties have agreed to keep that incident under wraps. So perhaps that will modify the Iranian response. Because an appropriate Iranian response to such an attack would have to be massive - perhaps more massive than Iran is willing to commit to at this point."
We shall see in the coming days and weeks.
Too bad you placed your comment here instead of on the "Pepe's Nuke" thread. As for the EMP, I agree that it's odd. My initial reaction was to recall "The Sum of All Fears" scenario forwarded by Clancy.
Korybko criticizing Pepe is like a Jeep technician pointing out flaws in a BMW!
Yes, Koybko is rather sensitive, and I seldom read him anymore.
Comments shut at MoA...thank you karlof to exist!! We might get rid of a few bores as well.
I hope b's medical issue isn't political.
I share your concern- Germany has some pretty strict laws about antisemitism and hate speech. I’m sure b has had to keep a pretty tight leash with his moderation- a super-human task considering the free-wheeling nature of the bar! I pray he pulls through!
I wonder if there's more info at his X page?
I too hope that, Karl, and I thank you for your above scrutiny of the facts as discussed at all levels. I would, however disagree that the present conflict is eschatological (sp?) any more than any extreme sect (such as those in Jonestown) cannot be eschatological in nature. My thesis remains that the true Israelis,, true to their prophetic faith, have made their way into the world at large and been accepted there in a continuance of that faith and these are not they any more than so-called Christians are, any more than those who saw the comet in years passed and thought they would be beamed up in its wake.. . They were not.
Pepe's report is genue.
The highest strategic command is to de-escalate.
Zionists entity will cease to exist, when the dust settles.
The problem is the Genocidalist Zionist public that demands death to Palestinians as that's the political reality within Occupied Palestine and their eschatological zealotry.
Elsewhere, Anti-Zionist protests are escalating, particularly within the Outlaw US Empire.
The sheeple will follow their new Wolf.
"Reality " could change quickly.
US Sunni play has always been tactical,using Al Qaeda and Daish is siding with the minor faction in mid East Islam, albeit wealthy and have economic dominance from hydrocarbon.
The Sunni faction with USUK could not deal with Houthi.
From Erdogan to MBS the smart play is toward Iran.
Too much to digest. Thanks, Karl, exceptional as usual.
I don't have any understanding of how fragile the situation is at the moment.
The F-35 attack requires digestion, behind closed doors, and recalibration of strategy by the various participants.
More for MoA, but who is collecting the scraps of the F-35 and erasing its existence? US satellites must have caught all of the action.
Consider that Serbs shooting down the an F117 should have cooled US’ lust for stealth!
And with an old S200 IIRC