EDITORIAL
Aleppo Is Free
Dec. 12 (EIRNS)—Today, the Syrian Army officially declared victory over the terrorists in Aleppo. This comes after four years of terrorist occupation; but comes some 24 days after the Syrian government, with Russian backing, vowed to fully re-take the city. They acted against all the opposition perpetrated by London, Paris, Washington and Saudi Arabia, which backed “moderate” rebels on the ground, and conducted campaigns of lies and harassment at the United Nations in New York.
SANA, the Syrian government news agency this evening, is broadcasting video of President Bashar al-Assad congratulating Syrian troops at their positions in Aleppo. The victory for principle has come at the cost of terrible suffering and loss of life, but it has been well and surely won. People are celebrating.
We are called to thoughts of the necessity of a Marshall Plan for the region—the “Phoenix Project” for reconstruction of Syria and the entire region, as developed by Hussein Askary and Ulf Sandmark, and promoted by the Schiller Institute.
In the last week, in the midst of the final days of intense battle for Aleppo, China’s Special Envoy to Syria Xie Xiaoyan was in Damascus Dec. 8, for deliberations on humanitarian relief operations in Aleppo, as well as other plans for aid to the war-torn nation. Meantime, in New York, China stood alongside Russia, and other nations last week, to oppose the fraudulent resolutions on cease-fire and aid for Aleppo, proposed by the White House, London, Saudi, French axis, to attempt to keep Aleppo in strife.
In the United States itself, an hysteria campaign is being waged against Russia and President Putin, using the lies that Russian government hackers have interfered in the U.S. elections, and also favored Donald Trump. This follows last week’s media reports that the CIA has “secret” evidence that Russia is doing these criminal deeds, and has become a dangerous adversary. Putin is a strongman threat, and a war criminal in Syria, etc.
Briefed on the situation today, Lyndon LaRouche commissioned a chronology (see below) of this campaign of lies, going back to July 2016, when WikiLeaks released emails exposing how the Hillary Clinton campaign was colluding with the Democratic National Committee to favor Clinton, and deter Bernie Sanders. Then-DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz had to resign before the Democratic Convention. The Obama and Clinton crowd since that time—especially after losing the Presidential election—have attempted even more to divert attention from the popular rejection of their many crimes by fixating on a fraudulent demonization of Russia and Putin.
The way to understand this, LaRouche said, is that it’s a British fraud, an effort by the Queen to protect Obama and prevent the potential dumping of the London/Wall Street policies. The current U.S. mad-dog charges against Russia should be seen in this global context—the collapse of the failed U.S. system under Bush and Obama, and of the British Empire itself, as well as the breaks coming from Europe, and the breakthrough now in Aleppo. We are fighting for principle.
U.S. POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC
Chronology: The ‘Blame Russia’ Operation for Election Interference Is a British Fraud
Dec. 12 (EIRNS)—The current hysteria to blame Russia for hacking and interfering in U.S. elections is no civic vigilance, but a classic British fraud operation, for the Queen to protect her Obama and avert the dumping of his failed London/Wall Street policies. It should be seen in the widest international context, of the collapse of the U.S. economic and political system, as well as the potential breakaway from this collapse by populations around the world, from the Philippines, to Italy, to Bulgaria, to Moldova, to the United States, to the U.K. Brexit voters, and more.
The chronology below shows the beginnings of the fraud, with the July 2016 Clinton campaign charges against Russia, made after leaks showed that the Democratic National Committee was secretly acting in Hillary Clinton’s favor against Bernie Sanders, her principal opponent. Next, the Obama Administration itself jumped in to make accusations against Russia, as voters started lining up against Clinton. Then, after the electorate went for Trump, Obama formally called for an investigation of Russian involvement. Now there are calls for delaying the Electoral College vote altogether, and even for a re-election, plus denunciations of Russian President Vladimir Putin for hijacking the election.
Spring 2016:
June. The Democratic National Committee said that two hacker groups had invaded its IT systems. The assertion was then later made by the Hillary Clinton campaign and the Obama Administration that the hacking, and subsequent release of emails, was “consistent with” Russian tactics, while not denying the illegal activity that had been exposed by the release.
Summer 2016:
July. Before the Democratic Party Convention began, WikiLeaks posted some 20,000 emails from the DNC showing it was favoring Hillary Clinton, and prejudiced against her primary opponent Bernie Sanders, a breach of the party’s own rules of impartiality. The DNC Chair, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, was forced to resign just before the convention due to the exposure. Julian Assange, head of WikiLeaks, denied that Wiki hacked the emails, but said that they came from a leaker.
Autumn 2016:
Oct. 7. The Obama Administration formally accused Russia of conducting cyber attacks aimed at the elections. A statement was issued by James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence, and Jeh Johnson, Department of Homeland Security, saying that, “We believe, based on the scope and sensitivity of these efforts, that only Russia’s senior-most officials could have authorized these activities.” Such “belief,” and never evidence or proof, has remained the basis of all charges. The activities referred to were hacking attempts against state election systems. Clapper and Johnson, while not blaming the Russian government specifically, asserted that the patterns of “scanning and probing” could be traced in many cases to servers operated by a Russian company.
A careful review of the Clapper-Johnson statement, however, made clear that there was no unanimous consensus among the U.S. intelligence agencies that there was adequate proof to accuse the Russians of being behind the alleged hacking. In fact, by October, according to a Dec. 12, 2016 Washington Post account, quoting FBI officials, the Bureau had greatly scaled back its five-month long probe of Russian interference and ties to the Trump campaign, due to lack of sufficient evidence.
Oct. 8. The Russian Foreign Ministry responded that the hacking accusations lacked any proof, and were intended for the purpose of inciting “unprecedented anti-Russian hysteria.” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, on the ministry website, denounced the U.S. statements as “dirty tricks.”
November. During October through Nov. 6, WikiLeaks released several batches from a trove of over 50,000 emails, from the private email account of Clinton’s campaign manager John Podesta. Again, WikiLeaks spokesmen stated that they did not receive the documents from hackers, but obtained them from whistleblowers inside the United States.
Winter 2016:
Dec. 9. The Washington Post and New York Times reported that the CIA knows that Russia is behind hacking during the elections. Naming neither sources, nor facts, the Post wrote, “The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the Presidency … according to officials briefed on the matter.”
Britain’s Guardian reports the same line full blast. However, the Guardian itself quoted an expert debunking this. A Guardian article features a British diplomat and friend of Assange, who has met and knows the leaker of the DNC emails. Those who know the leaker know, says the diplomat, that the emails were leaked, not hacked, and the leaker is not Russian but American.
“…Assange has previously said the DNC leaks were not linked to Russia. A second senior official cited by the Washington Postconceded that intelligence agencies did not have specific proof that the Kremlin was directing the hackers, who were said to be one step removed from the Russian government.
“Craig Murray, the former U.K. ambassador to Uzbekistan, who is a close associate of Assange, called the CIA claims ‘bullshit,’ adding: ‘They are absolutely making it up.
“ ‘I know who leaked them,’ Murray said. ‘I’ve met the person who leaked them, and they are certainly not Russian, and it’s an insider. It’s a leak, not a hack; the two are different things.
“ ‘If what the CIA are saying is true, and the CIA’s statement refers to people who are known to be linked to the Russian state, they would have arrested someone if it was someone inside the United States.
“ ‘America has not been shy about arresting whistleblowers and it’s not been shy about extraditing hackers. They plainly have no knowledge whatsoever,’ said Murray.”
Dec. 9. Obama orders a review of Russia’s involvement in hacking to rig elections, going back to 2008.
Dec. 9. Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader, issued a statement, saying, “Any Administration should be deeply troubled by Russia’s attempt to tamper with our elections.”
Dec. 9. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), to CNN, “I’m going after Russia in every way we can go after Russia … they’re one of the most destabilizing influences on the world stage. I think they did interfere with our election, and I want Putin to personally pay a price.”
Dec. 10. Sen. Lindsey Graham issued a stream of tweets that Russia “is trying to break the backs of democracies—and democratic movements—all over the world.” He wrote, “Don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out what Russia is up to—they’re trying to undermine democracies all over the world.”
Dec. 10. Reporter Glenn Greenwald, on Intercept: “There is still no evidence for any of these (CIA) claims. What we have instead are assertions, disseminated by anonymous people, completely unaccompanied by any evidence, let alone proof…. Anonymous claims leaked to the newspapers about what the CIA believes do not constitute proof, and certainly do not constitute reliable evidence that substitutes for actual evidence that can be received. Have we not learned this lesson yet?”
Dec. 11. Four Senators issues a joint statement calling for an investigation of Russia’s involvement in election interference. Democrats Charles Schumer (NY) and Jack Reed (RI); and John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
Dec. 12. Ten electors in the Electoral College (from six states and the District of Columbia) released an open letter to the Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, asking for confirmation of whether Russia interfered in the 2016 elections, as a condition for the electors to formally cast ballots in the Electoral College when it meets Dec. 19 in respective states. This initiative is endorsed by the Hillary Clinton campaign. The electors’ letter says they, “require to know from the intelligence community whether there are ongoing investigations into ties between Donald Trump, his campaign or associates, and Russian government interference in the election, the scope of those investigations, how far those investigations may have reached, and who was involved in those investigations.” A leader of this ploy is Christine Pelosi, daughter of Nancy Pelosi.
Dec. 12. John Podesta, on behalf of defeated and conceded candidate Hillary Clinton’s “campaign” of which he was manager, requested that the CIA or “intelligence community” give a briefing to the Electors at the Electoral College meeting, before they cast their votes. Clearly aimed to have an official executive agency intervene to tamper with the Electors’ votes.
Politico: “ ‘The bipartisan electors’ letter raises very grave issues involving our national security,’ Podesta said in a statement Monday [Dec. 12]. ‘Electors have a solemn responsibility under the Constitution and we support their efforts to have their questions addressed.’ ”
The statement describes how “we” continually protested that the Russians were doing it, indicating Podesta is speaking here for Clinton’s campaign. “We now know that the CIA has determined Russia’s interference in our elections was for the purpose of electing Donald Trump. This should distress every American,” Podesta said.
The “bipartisan electors” refers to the 10 led by Nancy Pelosi’s daughter.
If done, this would be the most serious such executive interference in elections since Andrew Johnson requested that the Army help him convene a Congressional session including Southern slaveowner “Congressmen” whose entry Congress had rejected.
Election Recount Gambit Flops
Dec. 12 (EIRNS)—Presidential loser Hillary Clinton’s stab at reversing the results of the November elections through Green Party candidate Jill Stein’s operation for a recount in the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, concluded in ignominy today.
Wisconsin was the one state where a full recount was carried out. Eleven days later, the final tally was announced by the Wisconsin Election Commission on Monday afternoon, Dec. 12: The Racine Journal Times reported that Clinton did gain 706 votes from the recount, but Trump gained 837 votes, upping his lead by 131 votes; while AP reports a Trump gain of 162 votes. Stein added 66 more votes to her minuscule total. All for an estimated cost of $3.5 million.
Since the three-state recount operation was cooked up weeks after the election, Pennsylvania’s deadline for requesting a recount had already passed. Stein therefore filed a court suit requesting a Federal court in that state order a recount, on the grounds that voting machines had been “hacked.” By whom? Unnamed.
That suit was summarily dismissed today by Judge Paul Diamond, who concluded in his 31-page decision that “suspicion of a hacked Pennsylvania election borders on the irrational.” He wrote: “Most importantly, there is no credible evidence that any ‘hack’ occurred, and compelling evidence that Pennsylvania’s voting system was not in any way compromised.” Moreover Stein has no legal standing to request the suit, he ruled.
Furthermore, because of her “unexplained, highly prejudicial” delay in filing the lawsuit, “granting her later than last-minute request for relief … could well ensure that no Pennsylvania vote counts,” because, by law, all state vote tallies must be certified by Tuesday, Dec. 13.
“Such a result would be both outrageous and completely unnecessary; as I have found, suspicion of a hacked Pennsylvania election borders on the irrational,” Judge Diamond concluded.
As for the third state, Michigan, the recount was begun, but was halted by a Federal judge on Dec. 7, on grounds that Stein, who got 1% of Michigan’s vote, did not have standing to call for the recount, and had presented no evidence of fraud. Election officials reported that after counting 2.1 million ballots, give or take, Clinton—on whose behalf this operation was concocted—had gained a total of 102 votes, while the worst irregularities which were found occurred in Wayne County (Detroit), where Hillary Clinton won 66% of the vote, and Trump only 29%.
Himes Bill Issues Challenge to ‘Long War’ from Congress
Dec. 12 (EIRNS)—Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT) has introduced a bill that would rein in the Executive Branch’s ability to conduct “endless war,” putting additional powers in the hands of Congress, so as to fulfill their Constitutional mandate to be the ones to declare war. Titled the “Reclamation of War Powers Act,” the bill would most importantly allow Congress to withhold money from unauthorized military ventures of the Executive.
Specifically referencing Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, the bill would, “ensure that the collective judgment of both Congress and the President will apply,” when involving U.S. troops into a conflict. Additionally, the bill would require the Executive to issue a report within 48 hours of the request, with updates every 60 days, including the expected duration of the conflict, and the justification for military action.
Perhaps most importantly, the bill would rescind all “prior Authorizations for Use of Armed Forces” (AUMF), effective 180 days after the bill’s passage into law. Introduced into the Congress this last week of business, the bill has no chance of passage this session, but Himes told the Connecticut Mirror that he wanted to “throw down a marker,” and that he intends to re-introduce the bill next year, despite the “tortured” path in front of it.
STRATEGIC WAR DANGER
Flash! Syrian Army Declares Victory in Aleppo; Celebration in the Streets
Dec. 12 (EIRNS)—After four years of jihadi occupation, the Syrian Army has declared victory in east Aleppo, defeating the British-Obama-Saudi scheme to turn Syria into a terrorist-controlled wasteland. A late breaking story on Sputnik reports tonight, that only three residential blocks of Aleppo were still occupied by the jihadis. Twitter postings included with the Sputnik article report that “The people of Aleppo are celebrating the Syrian Army liberation of their city tonight after four years of occupation by ‘moderate’ rebels,” and “Joy and excitement of the people in Aleppo tonight as they celebrate the Syrian Army victory after four long years of battle.” Videos included in the postings show people pouring into the streets, car horns blasting and firing guns into the air in celebration. Syrian state television showed President Bashar al-Assad congratulating the troops on the front lines, the troops who made the victory possible, with the help of Russian air power and other support.
“Throughout the battle of Aleppo, government forces repeatedly urged civilians to leave the area, organizing humanitarian corridors to arrange the safe passage of those who wanted to escape furious street battles,” reports Sputnik. “However, terrorist groups fighting in Aleppo forcibly prevented civilians from leaving the area whilst using them as human shields.”
The Syrian Army, an army reconstructed by Russian training and new equipment from its nadir in the summer of 2015, began the final battle for east Aleppo on Nov. 20, with simultaneous assaults from different directions on the northern half of the jihadi-held pocket. Once the northern half of the pocket was cleared, new assaults were launched into the center of the city from the east and from the south, leading to the final collapse of jihadi resistance over the past two days.
THE NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC ORDER
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in Brazil: ‘We Are Responsible to History’—It’s Time To Organize!
Dec. 12 (EIRNS)—More than a few Wall Street and City of London financial vultures must have shuddered on Dec. 9 when former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner met in São Paulo, Brazil with former Brazilian Presidents Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff to evaluate the political fight taking place in Ibero-America today, and discuss what must be done to confront the neoliberal forces now governing Argentina and Brazil, and eyeing other nations in the region as well.
A target of unprecedented political and legal persecution in her own country, Fernández de Kirchner traveled to São Paulo to offer her support to Rousseff and Lula, both victims of the savage London-directed “Lava Jato” dragnet, but to also provide much needed leadership. She was warmly and enthusiastically welcomed by the two Brazilian leaders, and by the audience at the conference, “The Political Fight in Latin America Today,” sponsored by the Perseu Abramo Foundation, at which she was the guest speaker following Dilma Rousseff’s presentation. After meeting privately with Lula before the conference, the two held a joint press conference, recalling their many years of collaboration. Lula had worked especially closely with the late President Nestor Kirchner when he was head of state in 2003-2007 in Argentina,
Fernández’s conference message was straightforward: despite setbacks in their respective countries—the election of Argentina’s Mauricio Macri and imposition of Brazil’s unelected Michel Temer—this is not a time to be sad, but rather to organize. This is a constant theme in Fernández’s public appearances in Argentina as well, in which she emphasizes that people must take personal responsibility for their nation by organizing, and not waiting for a Messiah to save them.
In São Paulo, she underscored that “we have a responsibility to history…it’s necessary for us to sit down and think, to work and articulate, not just resist…. We must reflect on how to rebuild a new majority [and forge] a new political and social correlation of forces.” In this regard, she said, don’t rely on political parties, but rather, build a broad citizen front, able to “regroup all those who, because of confusion or anger” were “coopted or captured” by false promises.
Fernández pointed out that, at a moment when the world trend is moving away from neoliberalism, in South America, Brazil and Argentina are “going against the current.” But, she said, “I have great confidence in our ability to articulate, and to convince.” As she told Lula, “reality will impose itself.”
Trans-Siberian Railway Link to Japan’s Hokkaido Island Is On the Abe-Putin Summit Agenda
Dec. 12 (EIRNS)—Japan’s daily Asahi Shimbun reported today that in preparation for the Dec. 15-16 summit meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow has asked Japan to support extending the Trans-Siberian Railway to the Japanese island of Hokkaido.
“Russia is seeking Japan’s cooperation in technology and other fields, which will improve relations and could help move the two nations closer to settling a long-running territorial dispute. The plan to link the Russian island of Sakhalin with Hokkaido by a tunnel is a longstanding one,” Asahi Shimbun wrote. As it noted, the possibility of connecting Sakhalin with Hokkaido was included in the 18 priority projects announced by the Ministry for Development of the Russian Far East in October.
At the same time, another positive note has come out from Tokyo about the upcoming summit meeting. Kyodo reported today that the Japanese Prime Minister, during a meeting with former residents of “the Northern Territories,” (Japan’s term for the South Kuril Islands), said: “I would like to hold high-level talks (with Putin) meant to put an end to the territorial dispute.”
The ownership of four southern Kuril Islands remains disputed since after World War II, when the Kuril islands were handed over to the Soviet Union. Japan, however, has maintained its claim to the four southern islands of the string of Kuril Islands that leads to Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula in the north.
Thawing of Russia-Japan relations has been welcomed in Beijing where Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters today: “Russia and Japan are both important countries. We are glad when countries develop normal relations. We hope that these relations and cooperation will contribute to the stability, development and prosperity of the region.”
Abe and Putin are scheduled to meet first in Abe’s hometown constituency in Yamaguchi, and then in Tokyo the next day.
SCIENCE AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Gotthard Base Tunnel Has Begun Regular Service, While Deutsche Bahn Does Nothing
Dec. 12 (EIRNS)— Regular rail service through the Gotthard Base Tunnel, the world’s longest, began in Sunday carrying passengers from Zurich to Lugano under the Alps and cutting travel time by 30 minutes. Yet even the Germany government is complaining that Deutsche Bahn is doing nothing.
Although the tunnel was officially opened last June, it is only now that regular service has begun.
The tunnel is 57 km long and took 17 years to build, at a cost of over 12 billion Swiss francs. It surpasses Japan’s 53.9 km Seikan tunnel and the 50.5 km Channel Tunnel connecting Britain and France which are now in second and third place respectively.
“It’s Christmas,” rejoiced Andreas Meyer, the chief of the Swiss national rail service, SBB, after the journey was over.
Meanwhile in Germany, Deutsche Bahn is supposed to upgrade the German rail lines leading to the tunnel, but is doing nothing. Kay Scheller, president of the Federal Accounting Office of Germany, harshly criticized Deutsche Bahn, charging its management with having no interest in improving the railway infrastructure. “We have a critical view of the fact that every year, between €3-4 billion in taxpayers’ money is given to the railway company, without its infrastructure being essentially improved,” Scheller said in a syndicated newspaper interview. “Take the example of the rail bridges. Their status assessments are continuously worsening, at the same time, their average age continues increasing.”
In the last instance, Scheller meant his criticism to be addressed to the Federal government as the owner of Deutsche Bahn, and in particular to the Transport Ministry, which has basically axed all major investment projects, in obedience to Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble’s rigid budget-balancing policy.
OTHER
Poll Suppressed Showing Germans Trust Putin
Dec. 12 (EIRNS)—Russian Foreign Ministry Third European Department Director Sergey Nechayev told Sputnik that a poll, later suppressed, revealed that Germans trust Russian President Vladimir Putin. He said that when German TV channels conducted a live broadcast of Putin’s address to the Russian Parliament, and at the same time they were carrying out an opinion poll by phone which showed that 81% of respondents said they trusted Putin. Then the results were taken off the air.
“Such statistics do not correspond to the German mainstream,” Nechayev said. He said that a part of the German political establishment advocated “pure Russophobia” which was not shared by the rest of the population.
