[Image: SCO leaders. Image from the Tehran Times, linked in sources below.]
Published 2022-12-31
If you can handle it, play the song by Polyphia below while reading this article. Its the soundtrack.
Worthy Mentions
Russia's Special Military Operation in Ukraine would seem to stand out. However, this is really a 2014 or 2015 event with the US sponsored coup. The key political moment this year were interviews with Angela Merkel, then the German Chancellor, admitting that the Minsk Accords (versions 1 and 2) were a delaying tactic. Their purpose was not to resolve the conflict but to provide sufficient time for the USA and its allies to train and arm the Ukrainian military; creating conflict via diplomacy.
While on the Ukrainian conflict topic, another sequence of events are the failures of USA/NATO sanctions warfare against Russia. The EU has racked up 9 own goals. Not only have the sanctions impacted the issuing countries more so than the target, those countries have debased themselves. Public awareness of the use of national economies as weapons has become far more widespread. Having "outsourced" its manufacturing to Asia the USA is using the turmoil to lure German industry; legalized industrial theft.
Another "not quite 2022" topic is that of Julian Assange and his persecution. During a recently published interview (see Sources) Julian's father, John Shipton, explains how the authors of some of our most significant civil artifacts have undermined them during the ongoing persecution of his son. He cites the formation of the United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international law on the rights of asylum. Recall that Mr. Assange is imprisoned in a maximum security prison with convicted murders and terrorists. His singular, I repeat, singular crime is a bail violation. Even that is spurious. His bail violation is due to him applying for and receiving asylum from Ecuador. He has already served the extraordinarily long sentence of just under a year for that "crime". Yet still, this publisher of entirely reliable information sits in a prison denied his role as a father to his two sons and husband with his wife. The USA and UK have lost the last threads of their credibility; lawfare instead of justice.
Due to the USA denying access to participating in the "International" space station, China decided to build their own. This year saw the completion of the essential modules. The Chinese low earth orbiting Tiangong space station is populated and running the low gravity experiments in which their government have interest. The USA can just float along by itself.
[Image: by Shujianyang from Wikipedia.]
Potpurri
Other notable stories for 2022 include the constant provocation of China over Taiwan by the USA, with geriatric Pelosi leading the charge. The USA administration created the Orwellian and now defunct "Disinformation Governance Board". “Somebody” (wink) blew up three of the four Nordstream pipelines and the UK helped Ukraine damage the Kersk bridge. Small “cheap” drones saw their entry into modern warfare. Chinese president Xi obtained a 3rd term. Current German chancellor Scholz made a fool of himself but could never outperform the chaos displayed in Great Britain. USA president Biden is have difficulty knowing where he is or reading from his teleprompter. Unrest from the labor movement is sweeping the USA and the UK.
"Lula" was elected to the presidency of Brazil. Colombia have elected a progressive leader who gave to the UN a speech described by Vijay Prashad as captivating. Maduro is still in charge in Venzeula, and the USA had to negotiate with him to obtain access to the Venezuelan oil which will replace the Urals crude which they have barred themselves from purchasing. Africa and most of Asia, along with Latin America all declined to be involved on the USA/NATO sanctions war on Russia; nations are deciding not to subjugate themselves to the USA empire.
“Lula” spoke at campaign events of the creation of the Sur, an international currency to replace the USA dollar in Latin American bi-lateral trade. This red flag will enrage the USA bull.
The Event
The most significant geopolitical event of 2022 was the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's Heads of Government meeting in Samarkand, not the G20. There, Iran was given the blessing to join the organisation. Iran's parliament have recently passed the relevant laws which allow the membership. Its a done deal. China, Russia, Iran, India and Pakistan have all joined the central Asian ‘stans in a political, economic, cultural and security organization. Looking at a map will display the significance.
Meanwhile Russia, Iran and others are building the "north-south" trade corridor which links Russia via the Caspian sea to Iran and then southern Asia (read Pakistan and India). The multimodal corridor involves rail, road and shipping. It reduces transport time by around 3 weeks for goods rather than using the Suez canal. There shall be independent trade.
A key player is Kazakhstan. Early in the year Russia delivered 2 500 paratroopers within 24 hours of the start of a foreign coup attempt. Astana survived. The first Heads of Government meeting for the SCO was held in Kazakhstan two decades earlier. She is central.
The Obvious
The "Twitter Files" being released to selected journalists by the now Elon Musk owned Twitter display the level of collusion which we have all come to expect between the USA executive and "social media" platforms. Twitter like the rest are infested with “former” intelligence operatives. The released screenshots, for they are not files but images of files, highlight direct government intrusion into the 2020 USA election by suppressing the Hunter Biden laptop story. The suppression of opinion regarding policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic shows the same pattern. Move along. Nothing to see here.
Consortium News has been issued a “red flag” by the NATO and ex-intelligence community infested NewsGuard version of the Disinformation Governance Board. Independent media are largely bored by these repressive tactics. So too are we.
Seeing the Forest for the Trees
One a more positive note, a hundred million people have become parents with the birth of a first child. Our beautiful planet continues to rotate and obit around our friendly and dangerous star.
The fishes keep procreating. The birds are still singing. Trees still sway in the breeze. Our farmers are planting, tending to and reaping crops.
And Argentina won the World Cup!
Sources
Former German Chancellor Merkel admits the Minsk agreement was merely to buy time for Ukraine’s arms build-up, Peter Schwarz, World Socialist Website, 2022-12-21
1. Thread: THE TWITTER FILES, Matt Taibbi, Twitter, 2022-12-02
The number of former FBI employees who ‘flocked’ to Twitter is eye-popping, Chris Donaldson, Business and Politics Review, 2022-12-18
Iran officially joins SCO, Saeed Azimi, Tehran Times, 2022-09-17
Russia, Iran open a trade route heralding a bloc, M. K. Bhadrakumar, his website, 2022-12-28
Assange's Father John Shipton & Lee Camp: Saving Julian!, Lee Camp, Behind the Headlines, 2022-12-31
The Grayzone's end of year stream, Blumenthal, Maté and others, The Grayzone, 2022-12-30
Culture
Polyphia | G.O.A.T. (Official Music Video), uploaded 2018-05-24
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