In our first episode of 2015, Christoph and I look at the most recent attack in the Chechen capital of Grozny. We focus on who may have been behind the hours-long gun battle that left nearly 30 people dead. First we consider the support that neo-nazis in the Ukrainian parliament have been lending to the Chechen militants, both in rhetoric and possibly in material support as well. We also speak about the recent capture of a high-ranking Chechen terrorist trying to enter into Crimea from Ukraine. We then move on to the role that Turkey is playing in protecting and using Chechen’s in Gladio B operations. Christoph breaks down his recent article in Boiling Frogs Post which details several interesting Gladio operatives discovered in Turkey in recent months and years. We talk about the recent capture of Ayman Al Zawahiri’s man in Libya, Abd al-Baset Azzouz, while he was staying in a resort town in Turkey. Christoph explains Azzouz’s connections with the recently deceased Abu Anas Al-Liby, and how Azzouz worked for NATO during the overthrow of Gaddafi. Christoph also examines the assassination of prominent Chechen Medet Onlu, and how this may have been the work of the Turkish government in an attempt to silence a critic of the “Jihadist highway to Syria” . We end this segment by discussing a recent article by Brookings president Strobe Talbott, in which he predicts that 2015 will be the start of the Third Chechen War, and how a “prediction” by a deep-state actor like Tablott is really an announcement.
Our second story focuses on the demise of the much-lauded Russian-led natural gas pipeline known as South Stream. We discuss how US and EU pressure on Eastern European nations led Russia to cancel construction of the pipeline into Europe, and to declare instead that it will rote this gas to Turkey. Christoph and I discuss how Turkey is gradually positioning itself to be a major energy broker in the world, and what this may mean, geo-politically speaking.
For our last story we move to Tajikistan and its security problem along the porous border they share with Afghanistan. We discuss the recent kidnappings of Tajik border guards by the Taliban, and how they underscore the massive security problem in Afghanistan. Christoph explains why Tajikistan represents a more serious problem than neighboring Turkmenistan, and examines the Russian and Chinese responses to it. Christoph also talks about plans to create a “Greater Badakhstan” out of Tajik and Afghan territory right on China’s border.
We finish of the episode by taking a look at the start of the Boston Bombing trial. We discuss the Tsarnaev family’s connections to the CIA, and how this trial may be part of a much larger narrative that has yet to play out. Christoph and I also share our predictions for possible developments in Central Asia and the Caucasus region in 2015.
On this edition of Porkins Great Game, Christoph Germann and I focus primarily on the conflicts brewing in the Caucasus region. First, though, we take a look at the new head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg. We explore how the media has crafted a particular image of the former Norwegian Prime Minster as an anti-war Russia-friendly NATO head. Christoph explains how this is merely a cosmetic change for the military alliance, pointing out the fact that the real power of the coalition lies with the Supreme Allied Commander, who is, of course, always an American. Then we move on to the recent suicide bombing in the Chechen capital of Grozny. We explore how significant that bombing is for the region. Grozny and Chechnya in general have seen a calm and stable security situation in the past several years, with neighboring Dagestan receiving the brunt of violence. Christoph goes into some of the peculiarities of the attack, and gives his opinion as to who might be behind it, and what this means in terms of the grand chess game. Later we discuss the unsigned treaty between Russia and breakaway nation Abkahzia, which would further integrate the former Gerorgian territory into Russia. We talk about the treaty itself and what it actually spells out: changing Abkazhia’s customs and tax regulations to that of the Eurasian Customs Union, giving Russia control over the armed forces during an emergency, and creating a joint military operations center. Christoph dispels the hype that NATO and Georgia have made over the treaty, essentially a projection of what NATO itself has done to Georgia. We finish the podcast by taking a look at the recent vehicular deaths of Christophe de Margerie and Serena Shim. We discuss the possibility that de Margerie’s death was planned by an outside actor, as well as what his death means for nations such as Russia which have long counted on Christophe de Margerie’s investment in oil and natural gas. As we close out with a look into the mysterious circumstances surrounding Serena Shim’s car “crash.” We point out the fact that Shim had told Press TV, the day before her death, that she had evidence of ISIS fighters entering Turkey via NGO trucks and that Turkish intelligence was looking for her. Christoph goes into detail about the role of the Turkish deep state in the Syrian conflict, and their continued use of NGO’s and aid organizations to ferry weapons and arms into Syria and other nations. We close out with a humorous look at CIA (and Gladio B) operative Graham Fuller’s futile attempts to change his public image by way of the Huffington Post.
Quick note: We now have a brand new logo for the show that was created by my sister and Porkins Policy Review contributor, Emma Redmond. If you want to check out more of her work please visit Red House.
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