This month Associate Professor at Stockholm University Isa Blumi joined me to update the listeners on the dire situation in Yemen. We started off with the ongoing siege of Al Hudaydah. We then moved on to a discussion of the recent media coverage the war in the west. Isa talked about a recent AP article which documented Saudi and Emirati support for Al Qaeda. Isa pointed out how the article fails to mention Qatar’s involvement in Yemen and the political implications behind this omission. We also touched on the abhorrent coverage the recent school bus bombing by Democracy Now. Later we shifted gears for a discussion of Turkey’s role in the region. We talked about the recent elections and economic problems in Turkey. We also touched on the status of the Gulen Movement, NATO-Turkish operations in Syria, and what Erdogan’s next geopolitical will be.
Christoph and I are back! After a long hiatus we have returned with a jam packed episode. In the first segment we discuss the bizarre “bomb plot” to attack the recent MEK Summit in Paris. Then we explore the allegations that this was orchestrated by the Iranian government and the bogus claims by the West and Israel about a network of sleeper cells across Europe. We then turn to a discussion about those swept up in the investigation–including an Iranian diplomat from Austria.
In the second segment Christoph and I break down the recent NATO summit in Brussels. We focus mainly on how this impacts Germany. Trump demanded that NATO countries devote 4% GDP to NATO, also stated that Germany is too close with Russia.
For the third segment we continue discussing Germany. We talk about the rise of the Gulen movement. Christoph explains how this has manifested after the failed coup in Turkey. We also touch on the whereabouts a several key plotters of the coup who are allegedly being protected in Berlin.
In our final segment we take a in-depth look at the recent election in Turkey. We discuss how Erdogan and his coalition partners with in the ultra-nationalist MHP swept the country. The rise of the ultra-nationalism within the Turkey may have a dangerous impact. We discuss MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli’s recent calls for the release of two prominent ultra-nationalist mob bosses, as well as the founder of the Grey Wolves taking a seat in parliament. We finish this segment by touching on recent joint operations between Turkey and U.S. in Northern Syria.
We close out with our traditional “weird terrorism” section. I talk about the return of Afghanistan’s Vice President, Abdul Rashid Dostum, from self imposed exile in Turkey, which resulted from assault and rape charges. Christoph shares an interesting interview of a former U.S. Army sniper who fought alongside the KLA in the 90’s on behalf of a foreign defense ministry.
On this months episode Christoph and I take an in-depth look at the recent “Four Day War” between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the Nagorno Karabhak region. We discuss the causes for this latest outbreak of violence, and the various regional and global actors involved. Christoph also breaks down the history of this long-forgotten, frozen conflict.
In our second segment we look into a variety of spy-games being played between Turkey and Russia. We begin with the recent reversal by the FSB that Turkey was involved in the downing of a Russian passenger plane in Egypt and what this may mean. Christoph and I discuss the political situation within NATO. We focus on NATO’s hesitancy to get further entrenched in a military situation with Russia, and how NATO members are responding to this .
Next we discuss the recent interview that the reclusive Fethullah Gulen gave to a Russian newspaper, in which she attacks Turkey for shooting down a Russian fighter jet near the Syrian border. Christoph and I both offer our theories and analysis as to why Gulen is speaking now, and what it means that he is speaking out against Erdogan.
Next we discuss the recent arrest of Grey Wolf fighter Alparslan Celik. Faithful listeners will remember that Celik was the “Turkmen” rebel leader that took credit for the killing of a Russian pilot Oleg Peshkov. Then we turn to the recent arrest of two Russian spies by the MIT in Turkey for their role in the murder of Chechen militant Abdulvakhid Edelgireyev. We finish off this section by taking a look at the rising influence of Grey Wolves inside Germany, using the recent clashes between Grey Wolves and PKK supporters in the city of Aschaffenburg as an example.
For our weird terrorism section Christoph and I give a final farewell to our favorite Georgian Jihadi, Tarkhan Batirashvili aka Omar al-Shishani. We talk about the Pentagon operation that killed him, and why this time they may actually be speaking the truth. We also take a closer look at the Panama Papers and the telltale signs that this was a CIA operation.
This month Christoph and I recorded a special Newsbud related episode of PGG. We focus mainly on Turkey’s increased intervention into the Syrian War. We discuss Christoph’s recent article in Boiling Frogs Post analyzing this very issue. We begin with the increased Russian airstrikes and how this has completely changed the course of the war. Christoph and I touch on how this is being interpreted by NATO and the US. We next move on to Turkey’s reliance on Syrian Turkmen militants to fight their proxy battle. Christoph and I update the listeners on the Grey Wolf “Turkmen” leader Alparslan Çelik, and his recent appearance in Turkey for the funeral of a high level MHP official. We also touch on the shift of the MHP towards a more Islamist friendly political stance. Christoph and I also provide our analysis on the recent statements by the FSB that the Grey Wolves may have been working with ISIS to bring down the Russian Airbus of the Sinai Peninsula. Later we talk about an important article former NSA agent John Schindler, in which he attempts to dismiss these claims and the existence of Operation Gladio. We also explore the possibility of a Turkish ground invasion of Syria and the further Pakistanization of the country.
Christoph and I also talk about our participation in Newsbud and how this will further expand the podcast. Christoph and I talk about the new cold war and the good vs. evil media landscape. We also discuss the importance of objective in depth geopolitical reporting. We talk about the launch of our Kickstarter campaign that begins this Sunday February 14th, and why fans of Porkins Great Game should donate.
On this especially jam-packed episode, we being in Kyrgyzstan where the US Deep State continues to poke and prod the Central Asian nation. We start off by looking at a recent video leaked to Kyrgyz media which shows protest organizer Nurbek Toktakunov meeting with noted “color revolution” expert and Charge d’Affaires of Kyrgyzstan, Richard Miles. We also discuss the other bizarre events going on in Kyrgyzstan the past few months, including a series of mysterious messages posted on social media in the south talking about an Islamic takeover, and the supposed ISIS attack in Bishkek. Later we discuss how these events and the State Department’s giving a human rights award to Azimjon Askarov resulted in the Kyrgyz government’s renunciation of the 1993 Bilateral Agreement with the United States. Christoph and I explain what this means for both nations and why this is a significant development for both countries.
For our second story we move to Xinjiang, and discuss the recent “Ramadan Ban” that continues to be bandied about every single year by usual suspects. Christoph and I break down the reality of China’s so-called ban, and how this has been being used by Turkey in an unprecedented propaganda campaign. We explore not only how the ruling Erdogan government has used anti-Chinese rhetoric, but how the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) has also contributed to the anti-Chinese Uyghur movement. We chronicle the latest actions by the MHP and their youth wing the Greywolves in organizing violent protests against not just the Chinese government, but Chinese people and businesses in Turkey. We talk about the attack on a local Chinese restaurant, where a Uyghur man thought to be Chinese was beaten, the assault on Korean tourists, the attempted lynching of a random Asian tourist and the assault on the Thai consulate. The latter incident brings us to another part of this story, the “Passports for Uyghurs” affair that we have previously discussed on the podcast. Christoph and I get into much more detail about this whole operation and how it works throughout South East Asia.
For our final story, we move to another location and situation that we have discussed many times before — Afghanistan, and the continuing political developments there. We begin by updating listeners on some previously discussed issues. Christoph and I explore the recent Taliban peace talks in Pakistan, which were declared to be a breakthrough by all parties involved. We also look at the deteriorating security situation in the North in areas such as Faryab province. As Christoph explains, the situation has gotten so bad that warlord-turned-vice-president Abdul Rashid Dostum has teamed up with Governor Atta Noor to take the fight directly to the militants in the north. Later we move on to the most significant development in nation, the official confirmation that Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar has been dead for two years. We look at why his death is being announced now, while the peace talks are actually progressing. We also dissect the insane several days that followed the confirmation of Mullah Omar death. We look at the election of the new Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor, and how this has fractured the Taliban into different factions. We also focus on the high-profile Taliban leaders, including Mullah Omar’s son Yacub, who are not supporting Mansoor’s ascent to power. We then touch on the other high profile “death” of Hussain Haqqani, and how ISIS is slowly but surely filling the void.
We close with our “weird terrorism” segment, in which we discuss how the US-trained Syrian militia, Division 30, has refused to fight Al Nusra, and take a look at the state of the “moderate rebels.”
This episode is especially long, with a ton of information, so please do go through the show notes. I have also included news clips and still images in the video version. Let me know what you think, and whether you would like to see more of this in the future.
Porkins Policy Review 