In this conversation Pearse and I took a few detours and rambled all over the place, but mostly talked about the concept of hyperreality – the condition of a consciousness that cannot distinguish between the real and the simulated. We show how Homeland does this but also consider the question of why: why would the CIA be interested in using this effect that shows like Homeland have on their audiences? What is the advantage for the CIA in hyperreality?
Continuing our review series of the 5th season of Homeland Pearse joined me to discuss the second episode. We dwelt on the coinciding of real news events and storylines and dialogue in Homeland, asking how the show manages to pull this off so consistently. This episode establishes that former CIA black operations officer John MacGaffin is still working on the show, and we expanded on many of the topics from episode 1 – Syria, ISIS, Laura Poitras, the Snowden affair – showing how each real life topic is an explicit inspiration for this fictional series. The conversation also touched on the concept of hyperreality which is as relevant to Homeland as it is to any other TV show out there. We wrap up by asking for more of your comments and predictions for this new season.
We begin this episode by discussing the recent “rebellion” in Tajikistan. Christoph and I break down who Deputy Defense Minister Abduhalim Nazardoza was and why he carried out a series of deadly attacks in the capital. Christoph explains how this is being exploited by Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in his unending battle to destroy Central Asia’s only Islamist party, the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT). We discuss the role that the IRPT played during Tajikistan’s brutal civil war during the 1990’s and ultimately what this means politically.
In our second story we return yet again to the ongoing violence and instability in Afghanistan. We begin with a quick update on the infighting between Mullah Mansoor and rival Taliban factions. Having gained the support of Mullah Omar’s family Mullah Mansoor continues to assert his power and dominance in the region. Christoph and I go in to detail about the recent capture of the northern city of Kunduz by the Taliban. Christoph explains the strategic value of this city and how this represents a massive blow to President Ghani’s regime. We also break down the deliberate bombing of a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders by US bombers.
For our third story we take a look at Russia and their campaign to battle terrorism both home and abroad. First we touch on Kadyrov’s efforts to dissuade young men from joining ISIS by humiliating them on national TV, and his offer to bring the fight directly to Syria. We also discuss Russia’s intervention in Syria. Christoph and I analyze what is going on in Syria, the reasons for Russia getting involved, and what could be in store for them in the future. We finish up the conversation by taking a look at the recent defection of US trained Syrian rebels, Division 30, to Al Nusra.
In honor of our favorite CIA television show, Homeland, Tom Secker and I have decided to cover every single episode with a separate podcast. We’ll be switching off hosting duties every other week.
In this inaugural episode, we take a brief look back to where all of our favorite characters left off at the end of season 4. Jumping ahead two and a half years, we see that Carrie has left the CIA, Saul has been promoted, and Quinn seems as crazy as ever. Tom and I discuss the new setting of this season, Berlin, and the implications of locating it in Western Europe. We also get into some of the major plot themes being laid out including: Edward Snowden, mass surveillance, ISIS and the threat of Islamic sleeper cells all over Europe. We break down how this season seems geared towards more of a niche audience immersed in the intelligence world, and round out this episode with our predictions for the rest of the season.
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.
On this episode we are joined by BFP contributors James Corbett and Christoph Germann for a discussion of the US Deep State’s role in creating ISIS, its evolution, and the possible end of Al Qaeda. The three of us explore the idea of “moderate” Al Qaeda members speaking out against ISIS, and their attempts to save the dying Al Qaeda brand. We also discuss how ISIS has changed the rules of terrorism by ushering in a new level of violence that is devoid of any real political ideology, touching on the notion that they are merely a place holder for some other new form of jihadi movement yet to emerge, and then finish off the conversation by looking at recent geopolitical developments in Central Asia and how these nations are dealing with the threat that ISIS presents.
*We would like to thank James Corbett and Tom Secker for all of their help with the editing of this podcast.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Tom and I are 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:
On this special thirtieth episode of Porkins Policy Radio we welcome back Sibel Edmonds and Tom Secker for a roundtable discussion of The Lone Gladio and Operation Gladio B. Tom starts us off by exploring some of the themes brought out in The Lone Gladio with respect to main character Greg McPhearson; will we ever see a “rogue agent” within the CIA take on the agency? How does the oft-used concept of “blow-back” fit in with the murder of Greg’s lover Mai? Sibel discusses in detail the problems with blow-back as they exist in popular discourse, and explains how unintended consequences of covert operations are almost always intended by those implementing them. Later we move on to the endgame scenario for Operation Gladio: Sibel explains how the “Pakistanization” of Turkey is in fact a goal of the Gladio Deep State network. Sibel talks about how beneficial it is to the Gladio operators to have a weak and divided Turkey. We discuss the new face of ISIS, Georgian-born jihadi Tarkhan Batirashvili and his striking similarity to one of Sibel’s characters in The Lone Gladio, Yousef Mohammad, as well as the real life story of Ayman al Zawahiri. Rounding out the conversation is Sibel’s analysis of the current geopolitical situation with Russia and NATO. Sibel goes into detail about the reality of Putin’s power, and gives her opinion as to why Russia has not been more confrontational towards the encroaching NATO presence in its own backyard.
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.
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.
I recently joined Guillermo Jimenez on De-Manufacturing Consent to discuss ISIS, Mathew VanDyke, Steven Sotloff, and a whole lot more. To listen to the full podcast become a member of Boiling Frogs Post here.
FYI, I myself am a member and can honestly say it is the best $50.00 a year you are likely to spend on real alternative media.
From Boiling Frogs Post:
On this edition of De-Manufacturing Consent: Guillermo is joined by Pearse Redmond, host of Porkins Policy Radio. Pearse breaks down the enigmatic character of Matthew Van Dyke, the former “journalist” turned freedom fighter in Libya, who Pearse refers to as the “CIA’s favorite mercenary.” We discuss his relationship with both James Foley and Steven Sotloff — journalists allegedly kidnapped, murdered, and beheaded by the Islamic State and used in propaganda videos — and the implications of their association with a deceitful, phony journalist, self-professed propagandist, and potential CIA asset.
We also discuss the ongoing fear mongering regarding ISIS, their supposed infiltration of Cuidad Juarez, Mexico, and their plot to sneak across the US border and use Mexican drug cartels to “take out a power grid” in the United States. We detail how such an outlandishly ridiculous story took shape and spread throughout the media, perfectly timed to coincide with the anniversary of 9/11, and how certain sectors of the “alternative media” are feeding into this latest round of fear-based propaganda.
Porkins Policy Review 