Retail relies on the holiday season for the bulk of its revenue. In fact, a quarter of all retail spending in the US occurs in the last two months of the year. Numerous retailers have already downgraded their forecasts for the holiday season, and therefore, overall revenue estimates will go down. I reported that early indications of Halloween spending amid inflation were cause for concern. People were still willing to spend on the holiday, but everything cost significantly more, and availability was limited.
Two weeks ago, reports were coming in of hiring halts, but now mass layoffs are suddenly appearing in the news. Amazon plans to fire 10,000 employees this week alone. This is a steep mass layoff that represents 3% of corporate employees and 1% of the entire workforce. This is the largest layoff in the company’s history.
Other retailers have announced layoffs as well, and this is not limited to the US. E-commerce giant Alibaba also laid off nearly 10,000 workers this past August due to poor numbers. AliExpress eliminated 40% of its entire workforce and cited supply chain disruptions as the main culprit, as it was one of the most popular shopping apps in Russia.
Gap Inc. will eliminate 500 corporate roles in the US and Asia. Peloton parted ways with 500 people in October in its most recent round of layoffs. Shopify eliminated 10% of its staff in July and plans to make additional cuts. Nordstrom fired 200 employees from a warehouse distribution center. Wayfair eliminated 900 positions after a hiring freeze in May. Mass layoffs are becoming a common occurrence during a time when retailers usually hire additional staff.
The supply chain crisis is to blame. FedEx plans to furlough employees right before the busy Christmas season. Their revenue was up 21% last quarter, but shipments fell 5% in the same time period. Overall inflation and wage losses are a positive sign for the Fed but a complete disaster to individuals and their families. Expect sales as retailers attempt to eliminate outdated inventory to make room for delayed shipments.
Posted originally on the conservative tree house on July 16, 2022 | Sundance
Joe Biden is heading back from an embarrassing trip to Saudi Arabia and the middle east. Putting aside the fact that physically and mentally Biden looked weak, foolish, and generally incoherent, in an odd way he was appropriately representative of the current of U.S. influence on the global stage.
Before getting to detail, first it is important to emphasize a point that doesn’t get attention domestically. Democrats are exceptionally weak on all aspects of foreign policy, specifically because their modern ideology is based on hypocrisy of a stunning magnitude.
Domestically, the U.S. media protect democrats by spinning everything into the best light possible.
However, on the world stage the non-western leaders like Putin, Xi and MbS use that hypocrisy like geopolitical ammunition.
Examples… Domestically the U.S. media do not bring up the Joe Biden Afghanistan mess, the rise -and current legitimacy- of the terrorist Taliban; or the brutal mess Barack and Hillary created in Libya; or the unauthorized intervention into Syria that created ISIS; or the complete fubar that was an illegitimate invasion of Iraq; or Hillary’s insufferable “reset” in Russia; or their inability to deal with China’s proxy province of North Korea, because they pretend it’s not; or the current circus célebrè in Ukraine.
Each region, and there are many more, a typical example of how modern democrats are fundamentally weak on foreign policy. It is not just Joe Biden either; just about every leftist head of state within the alliance of “western democracies” are also pathetically impotent when it comes to influence on a global stage.
The U.K’s Boris Johnson, Canada’s Justin Trudeau, New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern and France’s Emmanuel Macron are collectively as pathetic as Biden when it comes to leadership and influence. Once they step out of their ‘liberal democracy‘ bubble, and head into a nation that doesn’t have state run media like CNN, MSNBC, The Washington Post, Politico and/or The New York Times, those leaders look like the pathetic fools they are.
Biden and the rest of the leftist heads of state decry “autocracy,” and wax philosophically about “western democratic values”, while standing atop two years of their authoritarian pandemic rules, regulations, mandates and unilateral fiats. Consider their chase for their beloved climate change energy policy and contrast it against their political pearl-clutching over the energy inflation they created.
Is it any surprise that Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez-Obrador want’s nothing to do with the other two knuckleheaded leaders of North America who are selling windmills while regulating traditional oil, coal and natural gas out of existence? At a certain point, a good neighbor has to look at the duct-taped landscaping and say this is ridiculous. I digress.
The point is that the so called “western values” are nothing more than high-minded think tank talking points. Nowhere in actual policy do you find western values exhibited in real world action. Biden wants to confront Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), or Chinese Chairman Xi Jinping over possible human rights abuses, while the same Joe Biden is locking up his political opposition under the justification of an insurrection? Wait, what?
Yeah, so we started a civil war in Libya and thousands of people are dying in the aftermath. So what? Biden is here to talk about the Khashoggi splinter your eye, not the Abu Ghraib plank in his. And, oh yeah, don’t you dare talk about Biden shutting down pipelines and his beloved Green New Deal, just give the U.S. more oil damn you, or something.
I remember well in 2016 when the U.S. media were saying Hillary Clinton was going to mop the floor with Donald Trump at a foreign policy debate. All Trump had to do was point out the stupid Clinton state dept hypocrisies and it looked like he just threw a bucket of water on the wicked witch. Hillary melted, and it was hilarious.
Fast forward four years later and another foreign policy matchup was scheduled between Joe Biden and Donald Trump. Do you remember what happened? If not, it wouldn’t be surprising, because THEY CANCELLED THE DEBATE. Why? …
…. Because Trump the peacemaker had just introduced the Abraham Accords. There was actual peace finally in the Middle east. The U.S. embassy in Israel was built in Jerusalem, without violence. The U.S. under Trump had a peaceful relationship and mutual understanding with North Korea and Kim Jong Un. North and South Korea were talking about reunification. ISIS was destroyed; there was no longer any issue with Syria, and Turkish PM Erdogan was both accountable and on a leash. There was no conflict with Russia; no expansion of NATO and every NATO country finally paying for their own defense. Yeah, go figure, THEY CANCELLED THE DEBATE.
Donald Trump had the upper hand in all of his foreign policy engagements, because Trump foreign policy was not inherently based on hypocrisy.
Joe Biden, not so much…
From MbS as interpreted: “We agree on many things, but we differ on a few others. Every country has its own culture and circumstances. I respect yours, you respect mine. Do not impose your culture on us. Do not impose your beliefs on us.” … “We agree we need to do more for climate change, but you guys are doing it wrong by favoring certain energy sources over others. The world needs energy security. We need all energy sources including oil & gas. We are doing our part on both fronts: climate change & energy security.” … “The stage of a country’s economic & social development must be considered in climate change negotiations.” … “We are increasing our production capacity to 13 million barrels per day (from 12 mb/d), but that is it. We cannot do more.” The message here is: You guys do your part and invest more if you want to avoid energy crises, recessions, and unemployment. Do NOT blame us!
(Via Wall Street Journal) – After his meeting with the crown prince, Mr. Biden said he felt confident that Saudi officials are supportive of increasing oil supply in the coming weeks. But Saudi officials tempered expectations, reiterating that the kingdom would do what is needed to balance the market if there is a shortage of supply.
Any action, Saudi officials said, would need to be coordinated with the rest of OPEC+, a coalition that includes the Saudi-led Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and a separate group of crude producers led by Russia. OPEC+’s current production agreement is expiring at the end of August, setting up some crucial decisions about output for the Saudis and Russians in the next month.
[…] Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said after the summit that there had been no discussion of military or technical cooperation with Israel.
Aside from the U.S. saying the Saudis would work to settle the war in Yemen, which it was already doing, the White House didn’t detail any specific human rights-related concessions that the kingdom agreed to during the meeting.
To the Saudis, the benefit of the visit was more immediately evident. From the moment Mr. Biden arrived at the gilded royal palace in this seaside city, Saudi officials enthusiastically held up the meeting as evidence of the crown prince’s renewed influence. State media promoted photos and videos of the two leaders together. Saudi newspapers later showcased images of the duo bumping fists and sitting together at a conference table. “All Weather Friends,” read one local headline.
“The fact that they’ve come and met means we can resolve these matters quicker and faster, because there’s a personal relationship, and the kingdom has historically had a personal relationship with the president of the United States,” said Princess Reema bint Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to Washington. “So, this isn’t a matter of turning the page. This is a matter of strengthening the relationship.”
Mr. Biden is the latest world leader to make the trip to see the 36-year-old crown prince after years of keeping him at arm’s length over the killing of Mr. Khashoggi. French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Saudi Arabia in December, and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made the trip in March. (read more)
The one thing the Biden administration does best is lie to our faces on a daily basis. From blaming Russia for our food shortages and gas prices to saying that “America is in a stronger economic position” than ever before, this administration can pretend America is doing fine, but we can all see the reality with our own two eyes.
While the Texas school shooting is a politician’s dream, for they suddenly can pretend to care and look authoritative, the real culprit here, I fear, has been the COVID-19 lockdowns. What government will not talk about is the statistics. Homicides increased by nearly 30 percent in 2020. Overall, violence and aggravated assaults have increased.
The homicide rates normally increase in the summer months. The real culprit may be the additional social interaction that happens when people spend more time outdoors during the summer months, NewsNation reports. There’s simply a greater number of interactions happening, which means there are also more opportunities for them to go awry.
Everywhere we look, homicides are up. In Chicago, 228 people have been killed this year alone. In Philadelphia, over 200 homicides have already taken place in 2022. Houston exceeded 100 homicides so far in 2022.
The National Library of Medicine reported a drastic increase in homicides post-lockdowns in Peru. Even CNN reported that a series of homicides took place during the first six months of 2021. In 22 cities, the number of murders increased by 16% or greater compared to the same period in 2020 and by 42% compared to the first six months of 2019.
So while the elites are listening to Klaus Schwab, who will probably become an evil villain for a future movie, there is ZERO understanding of human nature. The sharp rise in homicides is NOT because of guns; lockdowns have driven many to extreme behavior and stress. There was a man killed over an argument involving a parking spot. I have a friend who worked in an office in Philadelphia. The violence is so great and random that the staff no longer need to go into the office.
Monkeypox is less deadly than smallpox, with a mortality rate below 4 percent. Nevertheless, there are those in governments actually talking about lockdown 2.0. Johns Hopkins University reported, “Lockdowns in the U.S. and Europe had little or no impact in reducing deaths from COVID-19, according to a new analysis. The lockdowns during the early phase of the pandemic in 2020 reduced COVID-19 mortality by about 0.2%, said a broad review of multiple scientific studies. We find no evidence that lockdowns, school closures, border closures, and limiting gatherings have had a noticeable effect on COVID-19 mortality,” the researchers wrote.
I can say that I was tested for COVID-19 five times, and all were negative. I was still thrown into a COVID wing in the hospital, and when I explained I knew nobody with COVID, I was told that it did not matter. The nurses said it could travel in the air or I could have contracted it from pumping gas into my car. So I asked, “Do masks do not work?” They said, “Pretty much.” I asked why I needed TWO negative tests to be released. “Does one test not work?” They admitted that the tests were invalid. So after FIVE negative tests, they said, “OK, but we still think you had it.”
Another friend said his son in his early 20s is lost. Since the lockdowns, he stayed in his room, glued to social media. He will no longer have a conversation with his father. These lockdowns not only FAILED to work, but they appear to have caused significant damage psychologically to many, and the stress appears to have manifested in violence. It is time we face the fact that guns do not kill — people do. We need to respect what is taking place and stop the experiments for political power. Our computer’s forecast of a rise in civil unrest is manifesting before our very eyes.
For the third time, President Joe Biden has attempted to drag the United States into a war. Biden first made remarks about the Middle East and then claimed Putin needed to be removed from power. The White House brushed off those remarks, but this time he has angered America’s top trading partner. Biden, speaking for the entirety of the US, said that WE would defend Taiwan against military invasion.
A reporter asked, “You didn’t want to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily for obvious reasons. Are you willing to get involved militarily to defend Taiwan if it comes to that?” Since there was no teleprompter script for him to read, Biden simply replied, “Yes!”
“We agree with the One China policy. We signed on to it, and all the attendant agreements made from there, but the idea that it can be taken by force, just taken by force, is (just not) appropriate,” the president said. Basically, this statement is contradictory since Biden admittedly agreed to the One China policy. A White House officially quickly corrected his statement, “As the President said, our policy has not changed. He reiterated our One China policy and our commitment to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. He also reiterated our commitment under the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with the military means to defend itself,” the official said.
China expressed extreme anger at the president’s statements. Similar to the situation in Ukraine, China is worried that Biden’s obvious support will encourage separatist forces to move toward independence. “On issues concerning China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and other core interests, there is no room for compromise,” said Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry. “We urged the US side to earnestly follow the One China principle … be cautious in words and deeds on the Taiwan issue, and not send any wrong signal to pro-Taiwan independence and separatist forces — so it won’t cause serious damage to the situation across the Taiwan Strait and China-US relations.”
Before the White House corrected Joe, he doubled down on his statements and said China should look to Russian sanctions as a warning not to attack. “[W]hat signal does that send to China about the cost of attempting, attempting to take Taiwan by force?” the confused president said before claiming China was “flirting with danger.” These careless remarks threaten national security and have seriously harmed diplomatic relations. Biden is willing to show all his cards, even when he does not understand the game he is playing.
Posted originally on the conservative tree house on May 7, 2022 | Sundance
No, it’s not opposite day. This example is just another example of how the Ministry of Truth operates. Political violence is speech, unless actual speech is heard from their opposition; then, it becomes violence. War is peace. Water is dry, etc. George Orwell sighs. {Direct Rumble Link}
Knowing there is an increased likelihood of violence incited by far-left democrat activists and the White House, CNN moves their advance narrative engineering team into place to lay the blame for violence at the feet of their political opposition. With Roe -v- Wade potentially being overturned, Amish extremists are now going to lay siege to the peaceful assembly of ANTIFA in DC, or something equally stupid. WATCH:
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If the issues were not serious, this nonsense from CNN would be funny. Far left activists have been threatening the Supreme Court justices and the White House has been provoking their political allies to keep up the anger against the court. As a result, every sub-chapter of leftist political activism has been triggered to a state of rage and grievance. The rhetoric and hatred expressed toward the justices on the court has been extreme.
However, CNN redefines the mob by calling them “right-wing”, the exact opposite of who is making the threats.
Keep in mind, none of the previous ANTIFA or Black Lives Matter violence could take place without the expressed support from the FBI. If the FBI wanted to stop riots, political violence or the unlawful intimidation of federal judges, they could.
It would be very easy for the FBI to intercept the people making threats and arrest them for intimidation of federal judges. 18 U.S.C. § 1503 – Whoever . . . corruptly or by threats or force, or by any threatening letter or communication, influences, obstructs, or impedes, or endeavors to influence, obstruct, or impede, the due administration of justice, shall be (guilty of an offense).” The reason the FBI and DOJ are staying silent, is because the FBI and DOJ support the targeting of the Supreme Court. It really is that simple.
It should be alarming how the Executive Branch of the United States Government is openly targeting the Judicial Branch of the United States Government, but that point seems to be completely missed by everyone. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland standing aside while extremists in the democrat party attack supreme court justices only highlights how political the DOJ and FBI have become.
Last night, Fox News host Tucker Carlson drew attention to the media portrayal and the violent targeting now condoned by DHS, DOJ, FBI and the White House. {Direct Rumble Link} – WATCH:
Posted originally on the conservative tree house on March 10, 2022 | Sundance
Hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett was fined $25,000, ordered to pay $120,106 in restitution, given 30 months of felony probation and sentenced to spend the next 150 days in the Cook County jail – to begin immediately.
Smollett went bananas after he was asked by Cook County Judge James Linn if he had any questions, shouting “Your honor, I respect you, and I respect the jury, but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.” As deputies led him from the courtroom, Smollett shouted out again. “I am innocent,” he yelled, raising his first. “I could have said I am guilty a long time ago.” [AP Report HERE] WATCH:
Posted originally on the conservative tree House on February 3, 2022 | Sundance | 328 Comments
Senator Ray Lujan from New Mexico suffered a stroke recently. Thankfully, despite the seriousness of his medical situation, he is expected to make a recovery. However, he will likely miss all U.S. Senate work for at least a month. Lujan’s absence creates a significant issue for Senate Democrats in an upper chamber with a 50/50 split.
Lujan suffered the stroke last Thursday, on the same day Joe Biden announced the retirement of Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. The news of Senator Lujan’s major medical condition has been essentially quiet.
With Joe Biden expecting to nominate a Supreme Court justice very soon, the senator’s absence could be problematic.
However, not to worry, creepy Joe’s recent praise of Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham will likely assist.
WASHINGTON DC – […] While the 49-year-old New Mexico Democrat is expected to make a full recovery, no one knew when he would return to the evenly divided Senate, or what it means for the immediate agenda.
Luján’s unexpected medical condition comes at a moment when Senate Democrats simply don’t have any votes to spare to pass party priorities, including reviving their social spending bill and now confirming a Supreme Court justice. The latest news could leave Democrats reliant on Republican votes to move forward on nominees and other priorities.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tuesday evening that Democrats are “grateful” that Luján will make a “full recovery” and that he looks forward to his return to the Senate. He predicted that “the Senate will be able to carry forward with its business.”
Carlos Sanchez, Luján’s chief of staff, said that the senator checked himself into a hospital Thursday afternoon in Santa Fe after experiencing dizziness and fatigue. The senator later learned he had suffered a stroke and had to undergo decompressive surgery. (read more)
President Biden: "Mitch [McConnell], I don't want to hurt your reputation, but we really are friends, and that is not an epiphany we're having here at the moment. You've always done exactly what you've said, you're a man of your word. and you're a man of honor." pic.twitter.com/w9J0tDBO05
If you watch anything today, this is it. AP Journalist Matt Lee has been around for a long time. He’s the consistent person in the State Department briefing room who understands the deep state institutional games, and he knows how to spot narrative engineering.
Earlier today State Department Spokesman Ned Price said, “The United States has information that Russia is planning to stage fabricated attacks by Ukrainian military or intelligence forces as a pretext for a further invasion of Ukraine.”
Journalist Matt Lee then asked Ned Price what the declassified evidence was that the state dept was referring to. Price responded that he just gave it to the audience; meaning his word was the evidence. Matt Lee calls bullshit on Price, and things got really interesting. WATCH:
Folks, the intelligence state, the Fourth Branch of Government, is making it all up. Everything about this Russian looming attack narrative has been manufactured out of whole cloth by the Intelligence Community and Biden administration.
The statements and position by Ned Price are transparently absurd. Ridiculously so. Matt Lee calling the bluff on the U.S. State Department, and comparing them to Alex Jones conspiracy theorists, is peak insanity. No one trusts the U.S. government institutions any longer. Everyone knows the “intelligence state” makes stuff up to steer and control events. It’s a joke.
Russia is likely not doing anything, likely doesn’t even have a threatening posture, but yet, inside the DC bubble we are on the precipice of a thermonuclear war. We have passed through the looking glass, and now we are in bizarro world.
Posted originally on the conservative tree house on February 3, 2022 | Sundance | 133 Comments
According to the White House, 50 special forces operators attacked the leadership compound of Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, the ISIS replacement head for Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who was killed in 2019. According to the White House occupant, after a lengthy engagement with U.S. forces, al-Qurayshi killed himself the same way al-Baghdadi did, by exploding a bomb. There were no U.S. casualties.
(Via ABC) First responders reported that 13 people had been killed, including six children and four women. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said U.S. officials believe al-Qurayshi’s explosive killed himself, his wife, and three children. She added that U.S. officials were conducting an assessment to determine whether American action resulted in any civilian deaths. (more)
The White House background briefing on the strike IS HERE. The remarks by Joe Biden ARE HERE.
Sending 50 special operators for one building engagement is a little heavy; however, obviously the White House was petrified that something would go wrong, and the last thing Ron Klain wants would be another boondoggle to add to the pile of disasters this administration has created.
That said, rather than debate the mission, I would draw attention to the location and bigger picture. Northern Syria is part of the Muslim Brotherhood territory under the influence of Turkish President Recep Erdogan. ISIS, al-Qaeda, al-Nusra, and all extremist Islamic factions therein are all just various shades of authentic Islam as promoted by The Muslim Brotherhood.
Turkey is a member of NATO. Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi and all of the various offshoots of ISIS could not operate in Northern Syria without the assistance of Turkey. But we are not allowed to talk about that. Notice how none of the media ask the White House or Pentagon if we discussed the attack with Turkey in advance?
Background – Circa 2018
The announcement of The United States drawing down troop deployment from Northern Syria, with the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia sending in replacements to bolster the region, highlights a much larger backstory.
President Obama’s February ’09 Cairo speech began a sequence of events that led to what was called the “Arab Spring” – factually an extremist uprising. Bolstered by the resulting chaos, the Muslim Brotherhood rose to power in Egypt behind Mohammed Morsi.
However, a majority of the Egyptian people rejected President Morsi’s Sharia governance, and asked a well respected General Fattah al-Sisi to step in.
Accepting the request of a desperate people, Sisi removed Morsi, disbanded the Muslim Brotherhood and went on to win a landslide election in 2014.
The leadership of the Brotherhood fled to Qatar.
President Obama and his policy team were not happy with this outcome. Obama supported Morsi, not al-Sisi. Another person who was not happy was Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who also supported Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Undeterred, and understanding the need for urgency, Egyptian President al-Sisi then began a long process of confronting extremism. Sisi destroyed the Hamas terror tunnels on the border between Egypt and Israel; and, despite the anxiety expressed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Sisi brokered an interim peace agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Israelis.
Destroying the Hamas tunnels removed the physical terror influence of Iran. President al-Sisi then returned his focus back to Qatar and their support for the exiled leadership of the Brotherhood.
President al-Sisi formed a coalition against Qatar. This coalition included the UAE and Saudi Arabia who withdrew their ambassadors and isolated Qatar in the region. This was the beginning of what we now call, more broadly, the Arab coalition. The coalition initiated sanctions against Qatar until they stopped financing and harboring terror. Remember, this is late in 2014 and a lot is happening really fast.
Against growing pressure from Arab states, including the Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatar agreed to expel seven leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Again, reflecting his alignment with the Brotherhood, and with much more grand ambitions of a new Ottoman empire as his unspoken motive, Recep Erdogan provided the terror leaders a home in Turkey.
It is important to note timing (’13, ’14, ’15,) and the political alignments:
President Obama, Turkey (Erdogan), Qatar, the Palestinian Authority, and Iran, were aligned with favorable outlook toward the Muslim Brotherhood.
Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the Gulf Arab states were not favorable toward the Muslim Brotherhood.
In the background of this ideological conflict, Syria was in a state of civil war as a result of U.S. Obama policy carried out by Secretary Clinton/Leon Panetta and Secretary Kerry/John Brennan. Obama was aligned with Turkey, again Erdogan, who wants greater influence and has a vision of his new Ottoman empire.
As gatekeeper between Europe and the Middle East, Erdogan knows the value of his geography and the influence it provides him.
Erdogan also wants to absorb Northern Syria and is willing to enlist his Muslim Brotherhood allies toward his goals. However, Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE (team anti-Brotherhood) are against the expansion of Turkish influence.
Despite President Obama’s ongoing opposition, Egyptian President al-Sisi faced down Turkey over a U.N. Security Council seat and quietly defeated them. [In a secret ballot, Erdogan lost.] At the same time this was happening, expansive energy reserves via natural gas, were discovered to be much larger than initially thought off the coast of Israel.
♦Fast forward to the 2016 presidential election and outcome of a Donald Trump victory. With President Trump, the power dynamic shifts.
Hillary Clinton, recognizing the value of the financial benefit from Qatar, would have supported the Muslim Brotherhood; Donald Trump did not.
The Anti-Brotherhood, anti-extremism team now have an ally. The key voices are Egyptian President Fattah al-Sisi, Saudi Arabia King Salman, and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
President Trump supported the disposition and view of the Arab coalition (Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, GCC and ultimately Israel); President Trump was not supportive of the Pro-Brotherhood more extremist team (Turkey, Qatar, Palestinian Authority), and that becomes brutally obvious during the historic U.S-Gulf Arab Summit, when President Trump tells the audience to “drive out” the extremist voices.
Back to Syria. The Brotherhood is the political branch of multiple extremist groups. The bottom line is the Brotherhood supports radical Sunni extremism regardless of faction or fighting force. President Recep Erdogan of Turkey also favors the Brotherhood; and unfortunately, he leverages his position inside NATO with that favorability in mind.
Recep Erdogan wanted Northern Syria, and he wanted to eliminate any resistance toward his gaining Northern Syria – specifically, the Kurdish resistance.
Concerns over this key point was what drove a wedge between government policy advisers. Differences of opinion over this key point are what was driving opposition to Trump’s withdrawal position from Syria.
The Arab coalition, and Israel, oppose Erdogan. President Trump was undergoing a transition period for quite some time. Trump’s plan was essentially to draw down U.S. troops in Syria, and replace them with regional Arab coalition allies to bolster the Kurds. Many U.S. voices were concerned that Turkey (Erdogan) would attack this coalition and the Kurds, without the presence of U.S. troops.
Ultimately, this is where President Trump’s unique strategy became important.
President Trump was aware of the duplicitous and untrustworthy nature of President Erdogan; simultaneously Erdogan is in the NATO alliance. President Trump would obviously not allow fear of a NATO ally to drive U.S. policy, and he was right.
If you think about it, either: (A) Turkey needs to comply with group regional security and stability measures; or (B) Turkey needs to be kicked out of NATO, confronted and crushed.
Which option do you think President Trump was working on?
December 23, 2018:
December 24, 2018:
Knowing the economic approach that President Trump brought to solving these challenges, it was obvious Trump was positioning for option “A”, but in the background hoping for the opportunity to use option “B”, which would really get to the root of the problem.
This geopolitical dynamic also provided a clearer understanding of what motives Erdogan held when he was so aggressively antagonizing over the Kashoggi matter and trying to create a fracture in the relationship between President Trump and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MbS).
[…] We know that Jamal Khashoggi was never a journalist—at least, not in the usual sense of the word; he was a highly-partisan operative who worked with a handler to publish propaganda at the behest of the Emirate of Qatar. He was, in other words, an agent of influence. (read more)
Yes, that’s correct. Even the New York Times admitted Jamal Khashoggi was actually receiving his articles from the Qatar government explicitly to push an agenda favorable to their pro-Muslim Brotherhood views.
Now think about this. In the U.S. we know The Washington Post is essentially the print propaganda for the U.S. intelligence apparatus, and more specifically the CIA. Khashoggi was working at the Washington Post to write stories, approved by Qatar, favorable to the Muslim Brotherhood. The CIA Director was John Brennan – the former head of U.S. CIA Saudi office.
Notice how the pro-Brotherhood ideological gang is all connected around Khashoggi? Turkey, Qatar, CIA (Obama, Brennan) etc.
Oh, and one last thing. Remember that 2014/2015 massive natural gas reserve discovery off the coast of Israel?
Remember that?
Well, there was a 2018 development:
JERUSALEM (AP) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday said that Israel, Greece and Cyprus will sign an agreement early next year to build a pipeline to carry natural gas from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe, while the United States pledged its support for the ambitious project.
The $7 billion project, expected to take six or seven years to complete, promises to reshape the region as an energy provider and dent Russia’s dominance over the European energy market. It also could curtail Iranian ambitions to use Syria as a gateway to the eastern Mediterranean.
Speaking at a summit with the Greek and Cypriot leaders in southern Israel, Netanyahu said the three nations reaffirmed their commitment to the pipeline and discussed “important aspects” of the project. Italy is also a partner in the pipeline’s planning. Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades said the project is waiting for a green light from the European Union to move forward.
“We’re going to sign formally, officially, this agreement in a few months,” he said.
In another boost for the project, U.S. Ambassador David Friedman hailed the pipeline as integral to the “stability and prosperity of the Middle East and Europe,” and urged all countries in the region to ensure its success.
Washington is eyeing the east Mediterranean with renewed interest. In a meeting with the Greek foreign minister earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called the region “an important strategic frontier” for Washington, which is working to strengthen its relations with “democratic allies there like Greece and Cyprus and Israel.” (read more)
Do you know who was the original energy policy consultant; the person who constructed the obscure -at the time- policy paper plan to avoid an EU pipeline through Turkey; and who put all of these regional heads together that ultimately ended with this announced deal?
That would be the little known, generally invisible young energy adviser, who would eventually become the central figure in the “spygate” targeting, George Papadopoulos.
Yes, for those following the granules as they expose… that energy extraction strategy alone would have put Papadopoulos in opposition to the interests of President Obama, candidate Clinton, Turkey, Qatar and ultimately Iran and Russia.
Huh… Funny that.
It’s almost as if….. I digress.
FAST FORWARD TO 2019
December 16, 2019, the White House released a letter sent by President Trump to President Erdogan, of Turkey, dated October 9th.
The letter was sent two days after President Trump made the decision to pull 28 members of the U.S. military out of harm’s way; two days before President Trump outlined the sanctions against Turkey; and five days before President Trump initiated those sanctions through Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.
The warning was clear. President Trump was clear-eyed about the motives and intentions of the Turkish president, and Erdogan’s ideological alignment with political Islam via The Muslim Brotherhood.
One of the reasons this strategy is better than any military action, is simply because Turkey is a unique NATO ally, and the NATO alliance within Europe is insufferably incapable and unwilling to take action to defend their interests.
European NATO members wanted the benefits of a perpetual U.S. military presence. That EU outlook was simply beyond the limits of what President Trump was willing to do.
President Trump wanted to bring our troops home.
President Trump made it clear that any action by Turkey into Syria was unilateral. There will be no assistance by the U.S. on any aspect – including if Turkey was counter-attacked by Russia/Syria or organized Kurdish forces.
Essentially, Trump left Erdogan naked to a myriad of his enemies.
The U.S. part of the NATO shield is removed. The Europeans will not evoke the NATO defense treaty without the U.S. Heck, the EU is essentially spineless without the power of the U.S. military. Additionally, President Trump is calling out the duplicity of the entire situation by calling all of their bluffs. President Trump is calling out: NATO, weak EU ‘allies’ and Turkey.
In essence, the Trump White House approach was a major Gordian knot being cut. It is unlikely President Erdogan expected to have this framework made so public.
With Europe refusing to stand up to defend their own interests, President Trump removed U.S. forces from the untenable position of guarding all the big cat cages, ad infinitum, to keep the zoo status intact.
Instead, President Trump supported the Arab coalition and the GCC that has been assembling a military coalition to protect itself from the Muslim Brotherhood.
That, along with the strategic need to keep global oil prices low to offset any influence by Iran and Russia, is why President Trump was willing to support Saudi Arabia with more troops – while simultaneously withdrawing from Syria where the U.S. was having to stand alone to protect the interests of Europeans who will not protect themselves.
In one regional area, the U.S. would support and defend Israel, Egypt and Jordan. In the Southern region the U.S. will support the Gulf Cooperation Council (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain and Qatar).
Will political Islam likely have a resurgence in the region, and will Recep Erdogan rise as the head of the Ottoman Empire once again? The former is likely, the latter is unknown.
President Trump was correctly withdrawing U.S. troops from a position of adversarialism against a NATO member. Why should the U.S. protect the interests of allies who will not be standing up to protect themselves?
President Trump was correct.
President Trump used economic weapons against Turkey. And, in keeping with the economic doctrine, Europe was also in the crosshairs.
President Trump would use economic weapons, a new U.S-EU trade deal, against the EU for creating this mess and refusing to defend themselves.
President Trump would only use military weapons to protect allies that were: (A) willing to protect themselves, and (B) willing to pay for the support of the U.S. military protection.
It really was a commonsense doctrine. Help those who help themselves.
This was one of those weird “be careful what you wish for” scenarios for Turkish President Erdogan, because in his lust to recreate the Ottoman Empire ,he just might get removed. By isolating Erdogan on these issues, President Trump effectively left him naked to an alliance of his enemies
After President Trump talked to Kurdish General Mazloum Kobani Abdi, the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, President Trump then discussed the options available to President Erdogan. As a result of that conversation, Erdogan requested the U.S. mediate negotiations.
Erdogan’s request and acceptance happened immediately after President Trump signed an executive order [See Here] triggering the sanction authority of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as leverage against Turkey.
That’s how President Donald Trump was able to finally remove U.S. troops from Syria and get us out of the quagmire created by Washington DC foreign policy.
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This is a library of News Events not reported by the Main Stream Media documenting & connecting the dots on How the Obama Marxist Liberal agenda is destroying America
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