Part . . .

. . . of the plan . . . now that he's helped make America 'great again' (meaning distracting us by encouraging squabbling about football players, civil war statues, transgender folks in the service etc.), Putin is getting on with what is important to him. . .



(from http://www.theweek.co.uk/89872/how-vladimir-putin-became-the-middle-east-s-power-broker)
". . . Vladimir Putin has staked his claim to be a Middle East power-broker after pushing world leaders to agree a lasting peace in Syria.

The Russian president hosted his Syrian counterpart and ally Bashar al-Assad in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday. The meeting with Assad, only the second time the Syrian leader has travelled abroad since the civil war started more than six years ago, “was apparently staged carefully to show off Putin’s claim to be the new power-broker in the Middle East”, says The Times.

SEE RELATED
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 Russian state-media says the Russian president will talk to international leaders with influence over the conflict, among them US President Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman and the leaders of Iran and Turkey in the next 48 hours.

Today, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, whose countries back opposing sides in the Syria conflict, will travel to Russia for a three-way meeting with Putin.

This is a remarkable turn-around for Assad, who has faced intense international pressure to stand down, and a triumph of diplomacy and military strength from Putin.

Russian forces, who began their invention in Syria two years, have been widely credited as turning the tide in Assad’s favour and to underscore their importance Assad praised military leaders in Sochi for “defending the territorial integrity of [his] country”. . ."


Company Man
©1995 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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Closed doors. . .

. . . no scruples. . .

(from http://truth-out.org/news/item/11792-the-israel-lobby-and-how-it-operates)
". . . Step One:  A lobbyist, in this case someone from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), approaches Congresspersons or Senators.  At some point in time that means every single one of them has been approached:  all 435 voting members of Congress and every one of the 100 voting members of the Senate.  Party affiliation is not an issue here.

Step Two:  The lobbyist offers to organize financial campaign assistance, positive media coverage, briefings on situations in the Middle East, trips to Israel, etc.

Step Three: All that is asked in return is that the recipient consistently vote in a pro-Israel way.  In other words, AIPAC wants the politician to surrender a part of his or her mind to them — that part that might exercise critical and considered judgment on issues pertaining to Israel.

Step Four: There are several unspoken, but publicly acknowledged, consequences of turning down this offer, or alternatively,  managing to get elected on your own and then voting the wrong way.

1. If you say no, the same offer will be made to your opponent both at the primary and general election levels.

2. If you are elected and vote against Israel,  AIPAC  will do all it can, sooner or later, to see you defeated. It has a good record of turning such people out of office.

Step Five:  If you sign up for this Faustian bargain and are elected, the lobby becomes your permanent partner.  It is a constant presence.  Its agents are always hovering about,   rating your performance, letting you know they are there.  Prove yourself reliable and they will underwrite you for life. . .

President Obama made this bargain as solidly as have most other politicians in Washington. . ."

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