South Front – A Network of Geopolitical Power: Gas Pipelines of the European Continent

Natural gas has limited and expensive transport options. As a result, natural gas pipelines are constantly used as a tool of political pressure and bargaining. One of the most notable battlefields is the European continent, where Russia has exerted its influence through an intricate network of pipelines. This article presents information on fourteen European pipeline networks. 1. NORD STREAM Capacity: 55 billion …

War Refugees Trapped, Under Fire Trying to Enter Macedonia

Several thousand rain-soaked war refugees and asylum-seekers ran across Macedonia’s border from Greece Saturday as riot police chased them lobbing stun grenades, tear gas and beating them with batons. The violence came as Macedonia is cracking down on the flow of thousands of Syrian war refugees attempting to reach safety in western Europe by traveling through the Balkan region. In …

Lauren McCauley – Greece for Sale: First Wave of Privatization Begins with Airport Buyout

Germany’s approval of Greece’s third bailout of €86 billion on Wednesday marked what critics of austerity warn is a new phase in the ongoing economic crisis: the privatization of the country’s most valuable assets. Under the terms of this latest agreement, Greece’s Syriza government—backtracking on some of its key campaign promises—agreed to sell-off €50 billion in state property. In a …

Marjorie Cohen – From Japan to Vietnam, Radiation and Agent Orange Survivors Deserve Justice From the US

We have just marked anniversaries of the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the US government against the people of Japan and Vietnam. Seventy years ago, on August 6, 1945, the US military unleashed an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing at least 140,000 people. Three days later, the United States dropped a second bomb, on Nagasaki, which killed …

H.A. Feiveson – The Iran Deal Explained

One month ago in Vienna, the United States and five other countries (China, France, Germany, Russia, and the UK) along with a representative of the European Union, collectively known as the E3/EU+3, signed a nuclear agreement with Iran. The deal was immediately hailed as historic by both its supporters and its detractors. Yet very few of its supporters—or its detractors—know …

Merkel’s War on Germany’s Press and Parliament

In recent months, Germany’s government and intelligence agencies have gone after journalists and parliamentarians in an effort to keep classified information secret. Now, their efforts have resulted in a bona fide scandal for Berlin. By SPIEGEL Staff When former German Federal Prosecutor Harald Range greeted SPIEGEL journalists for an interview at the end of July, he seemed combative. The 67-year-old …

Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya – ANALYSIS: The Greek Bailout Paves The Way For The United States Of Europe

SAINT-JEROME, Quebec –— Modern Greek tragedy is at play, and so are illusions. The big myth is that Greece overspent and the Greek government was reckless with its budgets, ultimately indebting Athens. It is true that Greek officials tried to gain influence and political support through spending. It’s also true that they signed lucrative contracts with local businesses. Athens, however, …

Dmitry Rodionov – The ‘Ichkerization’ Crime Wave in Ukraine

‘Soon, citizens will agree to any power that will deliver them from the bandits.’ A girl was abducted last month by an unknown person on Independence [Maidan] Square in Kyiv on a Sunday evening. This was reported on the traffic police website: “Kiev. Girl kidnapped, Independence Square. A girl was forced into a car, which fled in the direction of …

Deirdre Fulton – Beppe: Nationalize Banks to Throw Off ‘Anti-Democratic Straitjacket’of Eurozone

Longtime critic of the Eurozone’s destructive commitment to austerity, Italian comedian-turned-political activist Beppe Grillo has launched what one news outlet called a “full-throated attack” on the single currency, saying his country should throw off that “anti-democratic straitjacket” by nationalizing its banks and taking a stronger stance against the demands of elite financial interests. Grillo, who the Guardian says “transformed Italian …

Der Spiegel – Is the Ugly German Back? Flames of Hate Haunt a Nation

It’s a Monday night in July and Samuel Osei is frightened to death. Two neo-Nazis have entered the concrete bloc apartment building where Osei is staying, on the edge of Greifswald, a city in eastern Germany. The two men are drunk and swearing. Osei, an asylum-seeker from Ghana, steps out on his balcony and tries to placate them. “I’m sorry,” …