FULL DISCLOSURE: I am no longer associated with Sibel Edmond, or BoilingFrogs/Newsbud. I think she is a con-artist and a petty and vindictive individual. If you want to know more about why I broke off all ties with Sibel you can find out more here:
In this second episode of the new BFP Roundtable series Pearse Redmond, Sibel Edmonds and Tom Secker discuss the recent “revelation” from Putin regarding Gladio B operations in Chechnya. They start with the basic facts that Putin has laid out: intercepts obtained by the FSB show that US officials in Azerbaijan were supporting and backing Chechen rebels during the early 2000’s. The panel each breaks down the interesting timing of these revelations, which come as a series of shake-ups in and around Russia have threatened Putin’s grasp on power. Is this a threat from Putin to the West or a bone to throw to the hardcore nationalists within the Russian Federation? Later they move on to the question of who Putin is as a leader and how he has managed to let his nation become completely encircled by NATO. The group then moves on to how the geopolitical chessboard has been reoriented away from ideological battles into one based on identity and media control. They finish off by looking at how Russia Today fits into this new geopolitical landscape.
For this month’s episode Christoph and I start by taking a look at a very important aspect of Gladio B, the East Turkestan Project, and specifically the terrorist smuggling rings that are active in bringing Uyghurs to Turkey. We start by taking a look at the most recent example of this type of operation which was just discovered in Shanghai. Christoph breaks down how widespread these large and sophisticated human smuggling rings are. We also touch on how the ongoing battle between Erdogan and Gulen has affected the political debate about the Uyghur issue in Turkey. Christoph and I highlight this point by discussing the rare admission by World Uyghur Congress President Reba Kadir that there are in fact Turkish smugglers sending Uyghurs to Syria and Iraq, and the interesting response in the Islamist Turkish media calling Kadir an “infidel” and “American agent for sale.”
Next we move on to Azerbaijan and discuss the the most recent attempts by the South Caucus nation to crack down on foreign-funded media and NGO’s. This time we look at the recent closing of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) offices in Baku and the arrest and detention of RFE/RL journalists and staff. Christoph breaks down how this recent crackdown is being spun in the West as a geopolitical shift away from NATO and the West, and into the arms of big, bad, evil Russia. Christoph and I explain how even though the rhetoric of Azerbaijan may be hostile, behind the scenes, particularly with regard to NATO, everything is going splendidly. We finish out the segment by dissecting one aspect of the Azerbaijan issue that continues to flare up, the ongoing crisis in breakaway region Nagorno-Karabahk, and how this relates to Azerbaijan’s increased “anti-Western” actions.
In our next segment we move on to the other actor in the Nagorno-Karabahk region, the small South Caucus nation of Armenia. Christoph and I start by discussing Armenia’s recent entry into the Russian-led economic bloc, the Eurasian Economic Union. Christoph explains why Armenia chose to join the EEU despite Europe’s desires to the contrary. We discuss how Armenia is stuck in a difficult position when it comes to EEU, as Russia , which they depend on to militarily back up their de-facto control of Nagorno-Karabahk, is their sole protective ally in the world. Christoph relates how Armenia’s membership in the EEU has led to the closing of the National Democratic Institute, which signals a tacit defeat for the American Deep-State’s “democracy promotion” agenda. We finish out this section on Armenia by focusing on the recent brutal murder of a family of seven by a Russian solider in the city of Gyumri and how this complicates Russian-Armenian relations.
Closing out this episode of PGG Christoph and I update the listeners on the Tajik-Afghan border crisis and the pipeline politics of Russia and Ukraine. We also comment on the recent Charlie Hebdo killings by looking at it from a geopolitical perspective. Christoph and I discuss how bizarre it is – – casting the already dead Awlaki and the practically dead Zawahiri as the masterminds of the attack. I also give my take on the situation in Yemen and how the Houthi led takover of the nation might be part of a much larger plan to get former president Saleh back in power.
The wait is finally over: The new podcast series produced by Christoph Germann and me, Porkins Great Game, is now up and running! This new podcast will deal exclusively with Central Asia and the Caucus region, and will explore the various geopolitical machinations that compose the “New Great Game.” Porkins Great Game will be a monthly podcast and we really encourage you to be a part of this endeavor. So please follow us on Twitter, @PorkinsPolicy & @NewGreatGame, and feel free to email us with topic suggestions and news stories that pertain to the new great game. You can contact me by emailing porkinspolicy@gmail.com, and you can contact Christoph through the contact form on christophgermann.blogspot.com
On this month’s episode we take a look at the increasing violence in Xinjiang as well as the ISIS connection within the Uyghur separatist movement, and take a look at the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization conference in Tajikistan. We discuss the military buildup in NATO proxy-country Georgia as we consider the recent announcement to set up both a NATO training center and training camp for Syrian rebels. Rounding off the Georgia section, we take a look at probable intelligence operative and ISIS commander Tarkhan Batirashivili, offer an update on former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, an consider Sibel Edmonds’ new novel The Lone Gladio and how it pertains to Georgia. Later we examine some of the recent attempts by the government of Azerbaijan to crack down on the Gulenist movement with in the country. Christoph and I explore how the national oil and gas company of Azerbaijan, SOCAR, may be quietly reopening many of the Gulen-funded schools that were recently closed. We also touch upon the the claim that ISIS captured a SOCAR fuel tanker in Syria, and talk about the twentieth anniversary of the signing of the “Contract of the Century.” We conclude the podcast with an exploration of the ambush of Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd this summer in Paris. This story received almost no media coverage, despite the theft of over $300,000 and diplomatic documents from one of the prince’s cars. Abdul Aziz bin Fahd is of course a high-profile royal official who has been linked to terrorism in Syria, and to billionaire and former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
On today’s episode we spoke with independent analyst and researcher Christoph Germann. Christoph runs the invaluable blog, The New Great Game, which deals with Central Asia, the Caucus region as well as regional powers. We discuss the very troubling trend of knife and bomb attacks occurring in the Xinjiang region of China. Christoph explains what is at stake for China as well as the western powers when it comes to this oil-rich geo-strategic region. We also explore the situation in Azerbaijan. Christoph explains how CIA puppet Fethullah Gulen and his Islamic movement have entrenched themselves in the nation in much the same way as in Turkey. We round off the conversation by discussing Gladio B and how Azerbaijan has been used as a base of operations for NATO and there roving band of mujahedin fighters, both in the 90’s and now in Syria. Lots of information in this one, so please go to the show notes.
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