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.
On this long-awaited episode Christoph and I begin with a close look at the recent assassination of Russian politician Boris Nemtsov. We analyze this bizarre case and the myriad explanations given by the Russian government as to who was really behind it. Christoph and I discuss the links between Nemtsov’s alleged killers and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Christoph breaks down how this killing has exposed the deep divisions between the Federal Security Service (FSB) and Kadyrov and his cronies. We explore why the FSB has been behind all of the major news leaks relating to this case, and what this means for Kadyrov going forward. Before rounding out this segment, we also take a look at the 15-day disappearance of Putin and offer our own interpretations of what may have been going on.
In our second segment we turn once again to Georgian politics and dissect Mikheil Saakashvili’s latest attempts to bring about a Georgian Maidan. We discuss the pro-Saakashvili demonstrations that took place in Tiblisi recently and what they really mean going forward for Georgia and NATO. Christoph points out that while Saakashvili is still very useful for Washington, they have no desire to overthrow the government again. We also look at the recent scandal that developed when a government-funded group screened a graphic anti-Saakashvili documentary before school children.
For our third segment we turn once again to the Turkmen-Afghan border, where the violence and tension continues to rise. Christoph offers his analysis on several interesting new developments including: the murder of ethnic Turkmen by Afghan police, the continued incursions into Afghanistan by the Turkmen army, and the so-called threat of ISIS to Turkmenistan. We touch on how Turkmenistan is using the alleged threat of ISIS to clamp down on any and all dissent with in the nation. Later we question the validity of a report stating that Russian advisers and Uzbek troops are actually on the Turkmen-Afghan border. Lastly we update our listeners on the latest developments in Afghanistan itself. Christoph and I look at President Ashraf Ghani’s visit to the US where he pleaded yet again for Obama to order US troops to remain even longer. Christoph also updates us on the negotiations currently underway between the Taliban, China and Pakistan.
In our closing segment Christoph and I take a look at the latest shenanigans of journalist/freedom fighter/CIA agent/filmmaker Mathew VanDyke. We focus on VanDyke’s most recent business venture, Sons Of Liberty International, a “non-profit” military training firm which is building a Christian Army in Northern Iraq to fight ISIS.
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.