US Propaganda and Sanctions War on Russia
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)
Propaganda war on Russia rages daily, media scoundrels in the lead role, blasting hideous disinformation, fake news and Big Lies - acting as imperial press agents, journalistic ethics abandoned.
America was never beautiful. Today it’s ugly, tyrannical and ruthlessly dangerous - every sovereign independent country targeted for regime change, aggression and color revolutions its favored strategies, Russia, China and Iran its top targets.
Is catastrophic nuclear war just a matter of time? Will US cities be immolated in minutes if lunatics in Washington attack these countries, thinking they can win wars by using the full strength of America’s might?
Are we doomed because US neocon hardliners seek global hegemony? Washington’s bipartisan criminal class should scare everyone - their hostility toward Russia especially worrisome.
Last week, the State Department gave Congress a list of Russian companies, other entities and individuals targeted for tough sanctions - naming six intelligence agencies and 33 defense companies for starters, including aircraft manufacturers Sukhoi and Tupolev, as well as state-controlled weapons exporter Rosoboronexport.
Before imposing sanctions, the Trump administration is giving US and other companies and individuals time to cease doing business with targeted Russian enterprises.
Non-compliers will be sanctioned. According to State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, Tillerson signed off on this, and it is currently being held on Capitol Hill.”
“The department is currently informing Congress, key US industries and stakeholders, and our allies and partners.”
Sanctions are illegal when imposed by one nation against others. Security Council members alone may impose them legally.
New sanctions on Russian entities and individuals stem from legislation Trump signed in August - illegally targeting Russia, Iran and North Korea.
Moscow is targeted for its nonexistent “aggression” in Ukraine and nonexistent interference in last year’s US presidential election.
In fact, it’s targeted for its sovereign independence, along with foiling Washington’s imperial agenda in Syria, smashing its terrorist foot soldiers, aiding the country’s liberating struggle, reason enough for underhanded US retaliation.
Last summer’s sanctions legislation on Russia calls for targeting companies, other entities and individuals, engaging “in a significant transaction” with Russian defense and energy companies, as well as with state-owned assets and its intelligence agencies.
In response to the target list provided Congress, Senate Foreign Relations chairman Bob Corker called it “a good first step.”
Senate Armed Services Committee chairman John McCain and top committee undemocratic Dem Ben Cardin, in a joint statement, said:
“By issuing guidance for the implementation of the sanctions legislation, the administration is slowly but surely carrying out the law that Congress passed overwhelmingly this summer.”
"Congress will continue to conduct oversight of each step to ensure the administration is following both the letter and the spirit of the law.”
State Department guidance said “(w)henever possible, the United States intends to work with our allies and partners to help them identify and avoid engaging in potentially sanctionable activity while strengthening military capabilities used for cooperative defense efforts.”
Companies, other entities and individuals doing business with sanctioned Russian targets have a three-month grace period to end their dealings - expiring January 28.
According to Russia’s Valdai Club Fund director Dmitry Suslov, “(t)he published list affects future of Russia’s military-technical cooperation with foreign countries, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and others, as it contains the leading Russian companies in the industry, like Almaz-Antey, Splav, Rostec, MiG, Sukhoi, Tupolev.”
These “enterprises (play) the key role in design of Russian military equipment.”
“The problem here is the US sanctions are extra-territorial and the foreign companies, which develop cooperation with the enterprises on the list, may also find themselves under the US sanctions.”
“This…may shrink the(ir) military-technical cooperation with Russia.”
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blasted US sanctions against Russian enterprises, calling them “echoes of hostility” - while expressing the futile hope for “constructive ties.”
According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, “(t)he United States is not the center of the world. We will push ahead with our own development in cooperation with many partners around the globe.”
“If the Americans strip themselves of prospects for normal economic cooperation with us, it is their choice.”
“We will be able to devise methods and antidotes that will let us minimize the costs of such policies.”
Today, US hostility is expressed in unrelenting anti-Russia propaganda and illegal sanctions. Is nuclear war Washington’s next option? Humanity holds its breath to find out!
My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."
