Sanctions Starting To Hurt The Russian Economy

Russian President Vladimir Putin. © RIA Novosti. Aleksey Nikolskyi

Putin's Economic Model Showing Strain As Russia Is Cut Off From Global Finance -- Carol Matlack, Bloomberg Businessweek

Russia warned Ukraine today that it faces “grave” economic consequences, including potential new restrictions on trade, after President Petro Poroshenko signed a free-trade agreement with the European Union.

Such retaliation would certainly harm Ukraine, which sends about one-fourth of its exports to Russia. But the construction of new trade barriers only underscores the bunker mentality that underlies President Vladimir Putin’s management of Russia’s economy—and the increasing risk it poses to the country’s economic health.

In an eye-opening report today, Bloomberg News journalists in Moscow describe an economic system that’s increasingly run by the Kremlin, isolated from global markets, and starved for financing. Among the key points:

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My Comment: I concur with this analysis .... mind you .... the U.S. economic model is also facing challenges .... Mainstream Media Admits "The US Dollar's Domination Is Coming To An End" -- Zero Hedge

Ukraine Ceasefire About To Expire -- News Updates June 29, 2014

Ukraine, Europe Leaders Talk With Moscow Before Ceasefire Expires -- AFP

Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) - Ukraine's new president has enlisted support from the leaders of Germany and France for a call on Sunday to Vladimir Putin as a ceasefire deadline looms and after pro-Russian rebels released more European monitors.

President Petro Poroshenko is expected to be joined by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on the scheduled phone call to the Russian leader on the eve of the lifting of the ceasefire.

Sunday's teleconference is primarily meant to check on any visible shift in Moscow before the European Union and Washington consider unleashing biting sanctions against Russia's financial and defence sectors the following day.

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Ukraine Ceasefire About To Expire -- News Updates June 29, 2014

Fighting flares in eastern Ukraine despite extended ceasefire -- Reuters
Slavyansk residential districts ‘a mess’ after Kiev troops’ shelling, at least 3 killed (VIDEO) -- RT
Bloodshed mars Ukraine ceasefire -- Al Jazeera
Fighting threatens 72-hour Ukraine ceasefire -- Sydney Morning Herald/MCT
Ukrainian Soldiers Call for Lifting of Cease-Fire -- ABC News/AP
As shaky Ukraine ceasefire nears end, thousands flee into Russia -- National Post/The Telegraph

My Comment: This "ceasefire" is dead. Both sides have been regularly violating the terms of the truce since it started last week .... and they are showing no willingness to enter into any form of meaningful negotiations. Talking to Russia is also not going to help the situation on the ground .... many of the pro-Russian separatist rebel groups are pursuing their own agenda independent from Moscow .... and I will wager that they will not listen to Putin if he tells them to lay down their weapons and talk.

U.S. Forces In Bahrain Are Being Told To 'Respect' Ramadan When Off Base

US Personnel In Bahrain Prepare For Ramadan -- Stars and Stripes

MANAMA, Bahrain — U.S. personnel accustomed to drinking their coffee on the drive to work will have to put that habit on hold for about a month. It’s one of a few lifestyle changes Americans will have to make during the holy month of Ramadan.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. Officials expect Ramadan to begin at sunrise on Saturday, depending on when the new moon is sighted. The holy month lasts for approximately 30 days — until about July 28. For Muslims around the world, Ramadan is a month of fasting and devotion to God. Most Muslims fast from dawn to sunset, when families gather for Iftar — the meal that breaks the fast.

For the 8,200 U.S. personnel living here, and those serving throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility — including servicemembers, civilian personnel, contractors and family members — the month may require changing some daily routines.

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My Comment: This story is so revealing on where the U.S. military is going on religious matters ....

.... While not required to fast during Ramadan, in Bahrain, Americans can be fined or detained by local authorities for eating, drinking or smoking in public when off-base during daylight hours.

So .... Christianity is not permitted on U.S. bases because it "violates the separation of church and state rule" .... but one must respect Islamic rules during Ramadan. Am I the only one who sees a double standard here?

Iran Ready To Assist Iraq In The Same Way That It Is Helping Syria

A member of the Iraqi security forces opens fire during clashes with fighters from Sunni militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Ibrahim bin Ali village, west of Baghdad, June 24, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Ahmed Saad

Iran General Says Ready To Help Iraq Against Militants -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Iran is ready to help Iraq fight an armed revolt using the same methods it deployed against opposition forces in Syria, an Iranian general said, suggesting Tehran is offering to take a larger role in battling Sunni militias threatening Baghdad.

Iranian leaders to date have said they would help defend Shi'ite Muslim shrines in neighboring Iraq if necessary, but have also said Iraqis are capable of doing that job themselves.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamanei on June 22 also said he rejected intervention in Iraq by Washington or any other outside power against Sunni militants from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militia.

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Update: Iran 'ready to use Syria methods' in Iraq -- Al Jazeera

My Comment: Iran's involvement in Iraq is only going to exacerbate sectarian divisions and make the civil war into what ISIS has been claiming all along what what it is .... A Sunni - Shiite war. In the meantime .... Iraqi lawmakers are now facing a July 1 deadline to form a government to confront the crisis.

Is Man-Made Climate Change Destabilizing Iraq?

One of the most devastating droughts in decades hit Syria and Iraq in 2007-2008. Scientists have linked the drought to climate change. Courtesy of NASA

Hot Zone: Is Climate Change Destabilizing Iraq? -- Eric Holthaus, Slate

This winter was not a good one for farmers in the Fertile Crescent.

A punishing drought hit most of Syria and northern Iraq during what’s normally the wettest time of the year. In the mountains of eastern Turkey, which form the headwaters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, snow and rain were less than half of normal. The region has seen one of the worst droughts in decades.

Drought is becoming a fixture in the parched landscape, due to a drying trend of the Mediterranean and Middle East region fueled by global warming. The last major drought in this region (2006-2010) finished only a few years ago. When taken in combination with other complex drivers, increasing temperatures and drying of agricultural land is widely seen as assisting in the destabilization of Syria under the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Before civil war broke out there, farmers abandoned their desiccated fields and flooded the cities with protests. A series of U.N. reports released earlier this year found that global warming is already destabilizing nation states around the world, and Syria has been no exception.

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My Comment:  Iraq's problems are far more deeper than not having adequate rainfalls for the past few years. Sighhh ..... this is so typical of the global-warming fanatics in the main stream media trying to push their agenda .... while conveniently ignoring the fact that conflict in this region has been an ongoing affair for centuries (if not longer).

Is ISIS Military Successes On The Battlefield Pushing President Obama Toward An Alliance With Syria And Iran

Shi'ite volunteers run while securing the area from the predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), south of Baghdad, June 28, 2014. Photo by Reuters

New Alliances Bring Old Enemies Together As Isis Advances In Iraq -- Martin Chulov, The Observer/The Guardian

Iran, the US and even the Shia militias who fought the American invasion are turning uneasily to each other

The Syrian air force jets swooped in low over the Iraqi border, dropping two bombs before soaring back to Damascus. The insurgents beneath, caught unawares, were obliterated, but the several thousand more nearby had already got what they wanted – an 800km stretch of border with Iraq that gave them an open passage between both countries.

The attack on Tuesday night was praised by Iraq's embattled leader, Nouri al-Maliki, even if he did dispute which side of the border the Syrians hit and claimed no prior knowledge of it.

In Syria, too, news travelled quickly. There though, and elsewhere, the strike in the desert was seen not as a random act but as a move choreographed with allies – some of whom were not long ago foes – to deter a common threat.

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Update: Iraq crisis pushing Obama toward alliance with Syria and Iran -- Haaretz

My Comment: I can guarantee one thing about such an "alliance" .... the U.S. will be the junior partner.

Iraq Receives It's First Batch Of Russian Fighter Jets

A Sukhoi Su-24 jet fighter (Reuters / Shamil Zhumatov)

First Batch Of Russian Jets Arrives In Iraq -- RT

The first ten Russian Sukhoi (Su-24) fighter jets arrived in Iraq on Saturday, the country’s Defense Ministry said. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is hoping the jets will make a key difference in the fight against ISIS.

“The fighter jets landed today in the morning on different military airfields,” MP Abbas al-Bayati told Iraqi media.

The official spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, Mohammed al-Askari, also confirmed the information, Al Iraqiya TV channel reported.

The fighter jets will be stationed at an airbase located in the southern part of the country, PressTV reported, citing military sources.

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More News On The First Batch Of Russian Jets Arriving In Baghdad

Iraq crisis: Russian fighter jets arrive as Iraq military battles ISIS -- CNN
Iraq Says Russian Experts Have Arrived to Help Prepare Jets for Fighting -- New York Times
Iraq crisis: Russian fighter jets arrive to hold back Isis approach -- The Independent
Iraq receives Russian fighter jets -- AFP
Iraq receives Russian fighter jets to fight rebels -- BBC
First batch of 5 Russian jet fighters arrive in Iraq -- Xinhua
Russian jets arrive in Iraq as government pushes back -- Channel 4 News
Iraq takes delivery of Russian fighter jets -- Al Jazeera
Russia sends Sukhoi fighter jets to help Iraq counter extremists’ offensive -- Middle East Online

My Comment: I doubt that this delivery of a few jet fighters will make a difference in Iraq's civil war, but the optics on how this delivery is being played in the Middle East is very revealing. The U.S. is seen as being slow and hesitant in supporting their Iraqi allies (while giving conditions on what their support will be) .... and Russia is seen as rushing in and giving aid unconditionally. The ramifications of this perception .... whether it is right or wrong .... is going to be felt for a very long time.

Contradicting Claims From Baghdad, Tikrit Sunni Rebels 'Push Back Iraq Army'

BBC

Militants Repel Iraqi Forces’ Attempt To Recapture Tikrit -- Washington Post

BAGHDAD — Heavy shelling shook the militant stronghold of Tikrit on Sunday as Iraqi security forces attempted to recapture the town in an operation that marks a major test for the military as it tries to gain the upper hand against insurgents.

Ground forces backed by helicopter gunships launched a three-pronged pre-dawn attack Saturday, but residents and a tribal leader said militants from an al-Qaeda breakaway group had repelled the troops’ advance, rigging roads into Tikrit with explosives.

Residents said insurgents from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), who have been assisted by local anti-government groups, were still in control of the town center Sunday, despite state television claims that Iraqi forces had cleared Tikrit of militants.

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More News On The Battle For The Iraqi City Of Tikrit

Iraqi Forces Stalled in Push Against Militants, Say Officials -- Wall Street Journal
Iraqi forces reportedly pull back from Tikrit amid fierce fighting with ISIS militants -- FOX News
Fresh clashes over Tikrit -- BBC
Iraq battles Sunni militants as government tries to retake northern city of Tikrit -- AP
Tikrit battle continues as Iraq attempts to recapture town from ISIL -- Euronews
Iraq crisis: Iran pledges military help against Isis as battle for Tikrit escalates -- The Telegraph
Battle rages on for Iraq's Tikrit -- Deutsche Welle
Iraq strikes back with helicopter gunship attack on ISIS positions in Tikrit as Prime Minister Maliki says hundreds of soldiers have died in uprising -- Daily Mail

My Comment: The Iraq government has been claiming for the past two days that they have recaptured Tikrit .... but they have shown no footage of their troops in Tikrit. That in itself tells me that their offensive has either failed .... or they are now in a stalemate position.

Well Known Syrian Actress Killed At Home By A Motar Barrage

My Comment: Giving a face to the tragedy that is still ongoing in Syria.

Should Native Americans Be 'Affronted' If US Military Vehicles Are Given Names Like Apache, Comanche, Chinook, Lakota, Cheyenne and Kiowa?

Apache helicopter in flight. Wikipedia

Army Vets Blast PC Police For Attacking Apache, Chinook Helicopters As Racist -- Washingtion Times

Veterans aren’t happy with a recent op-ed by the Washington Post, which charged that the Apache, Comanche, Chinook, Lakota, Cheyenne and Kiowa military vehicles were a “greater symbolic injustice” than the NFL’s Washington Redskins’ name.

“Even if the NFL and Redskins brass come to their senses and rename the team, a greater symbolic injustice would continue to afflict Indians — an injustice perpetuated not by a football club but by our federal government,” Simon Waxman of the Boston Review wrote for the Post on Thursday.

He added that the helicopter names were “propaganda” that needed to end, because Native American life expectancy statistics indicate the “violence is ongoing, even if the guns are silent.”

Readers at the popular military news gathering website Doctrine Man reacted Friday.

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My Comment: I say that it respects their military traditions and history .... but that is just my opinion.