Bad news for the U.S. military industrial complex, CIA, CNN, Congress warmongers, NATO Nazis
STRATEGIC CULTURE FOUNDATION
By Peter Korzun
12/26/2016
The
memo dated December 1 was obtained by Foreign Policy. It was written by Brian McKeon, the acting Undersecretary of Defense for Policy. The priorities were reportedly conveyed to him by Mira Ricardel, a co-leader of Trump’s Defense Department
transition team.
The memo focuses on the fight against the Islamic State, boosting the efficiency of defense policy, eliminating caps from the Budget Control Act, improving force strength, size, and readiness of the armed forces as well as working on a new cyber strategy.
Until now, Russia
has been listed as number one threat by US officials,
including Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper
emphasized that Russia was a special threat.
Evelyn Farkas, a former senior Pentagon official dealing with Russia,
told Foreign Policy that Defense Department officials "would be pretty concerned" to see Moscow missing from the list. The removal of Russia from the top threats’ list is in stark contrast with the stance of Council on Foreign Relations, which
believes that a potential Russia-NATO conflict is a top risk in 2017.
The Trump’s calls for better relations with Russia
have influenced public opinion in Moscow’s favor. He has recently dismissed the affirmations made by US intelligence community that Russia hacked into Democratic Party systems during the election.
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Obama warmongers, CIA, NSA, Congress lose their #1 bogeyman - and most likely a huge chunk of their funding |
The nomination of Rex Tillerson for the position of State Secretary is viewed as a sign of the president-elect’s intention to shift on Russia policy.
Actually, it makes no sense for Washington to view Moscow as a top threat when both countries face one common enemy - the Islamic State and the like.
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Gravy train of endless war coming to an end for Congress criminals |
The United States’
failure to cooperate with Moscow on Syria resulted in a
new format initiative launched by Russia, Turkey and Iran to address the issue. The group can be joined by other states, including the US. Donald Trump has stated that regime change in Syria would only cause more instability in the region. He believes that the Assad government
stems the spread of terrorism.
The president-elect has suggested putting an end to the support for Syrian rebels. With Islamic State (IS) pushed out of, the parties could define the zones of influence and mutual obligations till international negotiations produce results.
Mr. Trump supports the idea of joining together with Russia. He
said, "Wouldn't it be nice if we got together with Russia and knocked the hell out of ISIL (IS)?" President Bashar Assad said he was
ready to cooperate with the US president-elect. If so, how come Russia or Syria could be viewed as top threats to the US?
There are many burning issues waiting to be addressed. This is the time to launch meaningful talks to tackle the arms control agenda as the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (
New START) expires in February 2021 and the fate of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (
INF) treaty is not certain.
NATO’s
increased presence near its borders makes Russia take retaliatory measures. It increases the role of tactical nuclear forces in its military planning. Something should be done about the US-NATO ballistic missile defense (BMD)
plans in Europe. It’s time to break
the deadlock.
There are chances to turn the tide. A group of European nations led by Germany
has recently come up with a
proposal to start talks on a new Russia-NATO arms control agreement to comprise regional caps on armaments, transparency measures, rules covering new military technology such as drones, and the ability to control arms even in disputed territories. The US can play the key role to make this proposal bring concrete results. The Russian and US leaders could launch a joint initiative to organize a OSCE-sponsored conference.
With Ukraine set aside as a separate problem, arms control talks could become a venue for dialogue on other pressing issues to be tackled within the framework of OSCE and the NATO-Russia Council. The agenda could encompass regional conflicts and the global fight against IS. Donald Trump has said he is ready
to ally with Russia in the fight against the terrorist group. It could be a good start.
Libya
appears to be an issue of common concern. This is a promising area of Russia-US cooperation. Joining together to address
the problem of Afghanistan would also be a step in the right direction.
Lifting the anti-Russia sanctions would greatly enhance the prospects for success. As Politico
puts it, Donald Trump can do it with a stroke of a pen. And he promises to consider this possibility.
At the recent meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club, Russian President Vladimir Putin
said he hoped for improvement of Russia-US relationship after a new president takes office in Washington. According to him, Russia and the United States should "break out of this vicious circle" and proceed to a new level of relations. The Russian president would welcome new agreements with the US on issues of common interest.
The absence of Russia in the US president-elect’s threats list is a symbolic sign to indicate the advent of new thinking and new approaches. There is a fresh wind blowing. Prone to business-like approach, the president-elect is set to turn the tide because he is independently minded and not tied to the "establishment."
He has demonstrated the ability to stand up to pressure and do things his way. At last, there is a chance for both countries to set aside the differences and address the issues of common interest.
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