ICI MOSCOU. Le tournant

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ICI MOSCOU ! 9 Mai : commémoration sous conditions

La tenue des commémorations du 9 Mai se déroule dans un contexte tendu. Zelensky va-t-il en profiter pour faire mener

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ICI MOSCOU: Consolidation du nouvel ordre mondial

Une prolongation du cessez-le-feu a été acceptée in extremis. Que peut obtenir Donald Trump des négociations avec l’Iran ? Le

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L’Ukraine frappe Briansk avec des Storm Shadow, plusieurs morts

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Au cœur du tumulte, le silence administré

les démocraties libérales occidentales, et en particulier l’Union européenne, connaissent un glissement profond dans leur manière de gouverner l’expression politique. Ce glissement ne se manifeste ni par l’abolition formelle des libertés fondamentales ni par l’instauration assumée d’un régime autoritaire. Il se produit de manière subtile, plus sophistiquée et, par conséquent, plus effrayante : en remplaçant progressivement les procédures judiciaires publiques et les débats argumentés par des procédures administratives pour classer, restreindre et punir les discours perçus comme politiquement inacceptables.

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Slices of Life, #16

“People robbed of their past seem to make the most fervent picture takers, at home and abroad. “As humans, we’re born naked and will leave with nothing,” yet another monk speaks.”

with gratitude to Linh Dinh at Postcards from the End.

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Bill Gates, Primo Levi and Max Beckmann in Vietnam — Nov 13, 2025.

Just before 5AM, I got a call from Sơn, the NaLi Beach security guard. Come out, he urged. Sơn was sitting at a newly opened café just five yards from the disappeared Coffee Seven. I sat there once and hated it. Maybe tomorrow, I told him.

On the way to Ông Bầu, I noticed an old white guy in a “Good Morning Vietnam” T-shirt. On Thủ Khoa Huân, there’s a bar, Black Sheep, meant for them. Most Vietnamese don’t care to sit on high stools. In Macau six years ago, I hung out with an international bunch. At the bar, though, there were just me, a Chinese-American and an Indian who had spent decades in the States. We were the Americans. Others sat at tables.

Though other businesses on Thủ Khoa Huân have English names, they’re still designed for Vietnamese. Their names are telling. There’s Củi Warehouse, The Góc, Nomad Café and NBNB Bakery. It’s ultra cool to mix English with Vietnamese. A block away is Salt Water, where all those dressed up girls are snapping selfies.

In this week’s Tuổi Trẻ Cuối Tuần, a magazine aimed at the young and cosmopolitan, there’s an article by Willow Dương Liễu. Four of the seven global news pieces focus on the USA. “Salaam New York!” one screams. There’s also one on Bill Gates and AI. Sipping my second cappucino, I’m browsing this pretentious rag. (Kabu, as it’s called here, is found all over, and is even more ubiquitous in Cambodian cities.) On the back cover is some freak with a chest tattoo. He wears something like a crusader hood crossed with a keffiyeh. Words fail me.

Most curiously, there’s a translation of Primo Levi’s “Cena in Piedi.” First published in La Stampa on 1/22/77, it’s about a kangaroo at a dinner party. Of course, this springy beast feels very out-of-place until some chick comes by to stroke and caress him. Unfortunately, her hands never reach his tails and thigh. Is this kangaroo a Jew about to be sent to Auschwitz? It’s bad enough to be a minority anywhere.

To help Vietnamese readers understand, here’s the beginning of Levi’s accompanying bio, “Primo Levi (1919-1987), an Italian chemist and writer of Jewish ancestry, survived the genocidal Holocaust. He became famous through works about his camp experience.”

There’s also a reproduction of Max Beckmann’s Die Nacht, perhaps his most famous canvas. Unforgivably, it’s not attributed. Worse, this scene of sexual sadistic torture with a capped man who looks very much like Lenin is meant to suggest Nazi horrors. Painted in 1918-1919, Die Nacht depicts a Jew dominated Germany. The Weimar Republic lasted from late 1918 to 1933.

In the sports section, Mahathir Mohamad is quoted, “It’s a real shame that non Malaysians are representing Malaysia. Though we crave victories, we should do it correctly, without resorting to cheating or fraud.” Sounds like Hitler! At one hundred years old, Mohamad is just senile. Vietnam’s star striker is Nguyễn Xuân Sơn, a Brazilian who was born as Rafaelson Bezerra Fernandes. He’s even less kosher than Stephen Miller. At least Miller speaks English.

With another world war looming, consider this Levi passage, “Most of them weren’t monsters, idiotic lechers, or perverted dandies: they were functionaries of the State, more pedantic than brutal, effectively indifferent to the daily horror in which they lived, and which they appeared to get used to quickly, partly because, in agreeing to oversee the Lagers, they avoided being sent to ‘cover themselves with glory’ on the Russian front. In short, they weren’t elegant, stylized beasts but vulgar, cowardly little men.” (That’s from his “Movies and Swastikas,” as translated by Alessandra Bastagli and Francesco Bastagli.)

Levi is describing SS men who would rather terrorize helpless women, children and the old. Beats being maimed or killed at the frontline. ICE agents are exactly like that. All you vulgar, cowardly little men better sign up with ICE before you’re sent to a real war. There’s no higher calling than serving the most vulgar, littlest man ever.

On the way to Ông Bầu, some woman on a bicycle said, “Happy birthday, uncle!” so words got out. Before encoutering the West, Vietnamese paid no attention to birthdays, only deathdays, ngày dỗ. Even years after a relative’s death, this is solemnly remembered. In Stung Treng, Cambodia, I met a woman who would rush back to Vietnam each year for her parents’ deathdays.

I’m all for the primacy of deathdays. Its only drawback is you can’t celebrate yours with those closest to you, if you had any.

As a 12-year-old retard in 1976, I saw my first Beckmanns in New Orleans. In 2002, I caught his retrospective at Paris’ Centre Pompidou. His canvases aren’t just brutal but contemplative. They also employ age-old techniques like glazing. He’s a better draftsman than Otto Dix, and his colors are better tuned than Kirchner’s. The latter was aiming for something else. It was a frightful, hysterical era, and unspeakably tragic. Somehow, it got even worse.

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Give Us This Day Our Daily BeerLao! — Nov 13, 2025.

About two decades ago, Americans were introduced to customer service agents from India. Nearly all US companies adopted this cost saving solution. Calling your bank over some minor issue, you’d be greeted by “Rachel” or “Chase,” but with a distinctly Mumbai or Chennai accent. After ten minutes or so of frustration, many people simply gave up.

Now, there’s an AI anything to not help you out. They include doctors, psychiatrists, teachers, tutors and financial advisors. There must be AI priests. God, it’s proven, was the first Artificial Intelligence. Jesus being nailed to the cross was the first Deep Fake. It was a huge hit.

Living outside the US since 2018, I still have a US bank account. This is necessary for many practical reasons. Two days ago, I had to call Wells Fargo. Since its numbers for Vietnam didn’t work, I dialed the USA. As a cellphone adverse person, this was rather trying, but I managed to reach some guy who sounded reasonable enough. It was still a disaster.

Reached this morning to grade Wells Fargo’s service, I gave it a zero star out of ten, with this considered explanation:

Terrible customer service. Staying overseas, I was locked out of my account due to a wrong password entered. When I called the US to get this resolved, it couldn’t be done! The man online said his name was “Varney,” but would not give his last name. I doubt that’s his real name. He also gave me this as the number for my case, “k101192315.” He probably just made it up. That’s how much faith I have in Wells Fargo.

Soon as I get back to the States, I will cancel my account and switch to a more professional bank. I remember Wells Fargo being heavily fined a while back for fraud. Should have switched my bank then.

I actually signed up for Wachovia because it was in my Philly neighborhood. Wells Fargo bought it when it went bankrupt.

Before leaving for Kathmandu two weeks ago, I used Xoom, a PayPal linked service, to withdraw $1,400 from Wells Fargo. With a fee of $12.99, I paid $1,412.99. Though I had no problem receiving my money from a Vietnamese bank, I was alerted while in Kathmandu that Xoom never got $1,412.99 from Wells Fargo. Contacting PayPal immediately, I was told by an AI that everything was fine, but it wasn’t. Yesterday, I called Xoom to straighten this out, only to be told I needed to contact Wells Fargo. I’m not calling another Varney, man. Fuck it.

Given up on Xoom, I used Western Union to send money to myself. At Agribank on Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, the teller refused this transaction, however. Though I had my passport, Vietnam visa and Western Union’s code number, she said “LINH DINH” is not “LINH HOANG DINH,” as stated in my passport. Though everyone there could see she’s being preposterous, I had to walk away without losing my cool.

AI, Varneys and ditzy bank tellers are in our future. At least I’m not living in a land lorded over by moronic tyrants like Trump, Hegseth and Bessent.

At Ông Bầu, my BeerLao bottle from yesterday is displayed on a shelf. If only I could drink one or two a day for the rest of my life!

At the licker store yesterday, there was a poster for Budweiser. Buy many cans to possibly win one of ten grand prizes to next year’s World Cup. Nothing is said about securing a visa from Trump’s regime. It’s a time consuming and exasperating process for citizens of many countries. Once in, there’s no guarantee you won’t be harassed or even arrested by Trump’s goons. Knowing this, foreigners are increasingly shunning the USA. Worse than isolated, it’s becoming a pariah nation.

Bud is also dangling 200 consolation prizes. Free Bud for a year, it promises or, rather, threatens.

Eating much more sanely and walking barefoot on hard ground as much as possible have undoubtedly improved my liver and kidney. I don’t need doctors, real or AI, to tell me this. My body, especially my skin, says so. Having mostly abstained from alcohol over two years, I’m also ready to ease, ever so gently, back into BeerLao! Give us this day our daily BeerLao should be a universal prayer.

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Checking In With Troy Skaggs in Kokomo, Indiana — Nov 13, 2025.

In your group house, how many people are relying on government programs to get by? How many are working? In what jobs, for how much an hour?

-I’ve been in Kokomo since the beginning of August. After losing my VA pension while in South Bend, I couldn’t afford the room I was renting. I was in Kokomo last summer before returning to Michiana for tomato season and the winter. It’s a smaller, quieter place. No rainy day saver, I stayed a month in my folks’ basement before heading here.

I spent just over a month at the Kokomo Rescue Mission. It’s an evangelical Christian organization. I’ve been in a few others so knew what I was getting into. The Protestant work ethic goes hand in hand with salvation from sin. Six day work weeks in the kitchen and their warehouse weren’t conducive to seeking outside employment and services, but that’s how it works. I was there when Charlie Kirk was dubiously assassinated. The response at the Mission was to be expected. Prayers for Kirk, his family and this fallen life on Earth. A persecuted believers vs. the sick, sick world kind of vibe. It was hard to swallow. I always appreciate a warm meal, bunk and shower. They provided and I’m grateful for that.

I left the Mission on good terms with the understanding that the work schedule was just too much. I was accepted into the CAM (Coordinated Assistance Ministries) Center, a smaller men’s shelter. No prayers for Chuck or excessive work requirements, just guys playing video games and bullshitting all hours of the night. Patrick, a dorm mate, was a piece of work. He’d survived a drunken car/tree collision and had completed three back to back in-patient rehabs. When he asked if I was interested in smoking cocaine in the laundry room, his espoused philosophy of “radical acceptance” took on a new light. Birds of a feather flock together. I declined. Maybe that’s why he called me an asshole and a pussy on the day I moved out. Bill, in the bunk below me, just chuckled, “Hey, it’s Kokomo, man.” That made me smile.

I haven’t been able to attend to my health so the babesiosis I’d partially recovered from has returned. It’s a bitch and I’m running ragged.

I left the CAM center after signing a lease at Jackson Street Commons, a subsidized complex for military veterans. I was hesitant at first since requires some form of disability. Though I’ve had my go rounds with addiction, mental illness, physical sickness and existential uncertainty, I still like to consider myself an independent operator. Backing into the parking space Jackson Street Commons, my power steering blew.

Most of our residents are subsidized and aren’t working. Kokomo is doing better than some Indiana places thanks to Chrysler, but it’s still struggling. Most available jobs are in the service sector. That’s always a concern. We all know healthy economies don’t run on services alone. I’ve seen similar poverty in South Bend, but so far Kokomo’s a safer choice. Buttoned down factory towns can make for freak undercurrents. My buddy Steve calls it the 50-year-old wigger on a BMX phenomenon. I saw a dude a couple of blocks from here on a riding mower towing a trailer with two refrigerators and his wife on board. I always have to remember that there but for the grace of God go I. For all of my religious misgivings, I still believe that we’re all on Mr. Sky’s watch. It helps to keep that in mind. Part of me wants nothing more than to be a BMX dude. At this point, why not?

I’m in a one bedroom apartment on the third floor. The Veterans Service Officer got my pension reinstated, so I pay just over $400 a month, 30% of my pension. It’s a sliding scale, so no section eight. The unit is handicap accessible. From another resident, I learnt that at least one of my room’s previous occupants left in a body bag.

JSC houses a variety of veterans with a range of mental and physical issues. Of course, there have been many overdoses. Brandon next door has been here nearly a decade. He told me about two fatal OD’s within two weeks. That’s just the circle of life around here. I have some survivor’s guilt considering how I was able get housing in Kokomo within three months. Some of the guys at the Mission or CAM have been stuck there for months, even years.

I’m extremely fortunate. It’s a weird scene here, but it’s a scene. Time will tell. Just a few yards from my window is the flagpole. I can see the Stars and Bars, plus the POW/MIA flag right below it. A ways beyond is the Martin Luther King Memorial. I can just see the back of Doctor King’s concrete head.

The poor are often exhausted from overwork and worries. Still, they must socialize, so is there a bar nearby where you and those you know hang out? How much does it cost to drink there for a couple hours? In Kensington, a Philly neighborhood, I once sat next to an old woman who kept lifting an empty beer mug to her mouth. She couldn’t afford to buy another one. She did that regularly at Jack’s.

-I can’t really tell you about the bar scene here. I’m within walking distance of Tom Thumb Tavern, Elbow Room, The Hoosier Bar and The Handle Bar. I have seen a lot of activity at the Legion a few blocks away. I’m guessing these places are cheaper than in most American cities. Sadly, that isn’t saying much if alcohol prices have increased along with groceries and everything else. The Coterie, a downtown hipster place, does host some decent live music. On a summer night, you can sit anywhere downtown and listen to the bands. Most of these places are your basic, shabby working-class establishments. With plenty of bliss, torment and everything in between under the same roof, bars can be fascinating. I do like seeing folks coming and going. Due to my alcoholic history and present circumstances, I hesitate to enter bars by myself. I can have a pint or two of Guinness once or twice a year with a close friend who was born in Ireland, but that’s about the extent of it lately. My worst drinking days ended twelve years ago. I spent a lot of time in bars in my twenties. Some good times, but by the end of it all, I’d been to jail and accidentally set my car on fire outside Corby’s in South Bend. This was prior to the Army. I did a few rounds of bar hopping in Colorado Springs, but by then, I was a pretty solitary drinker.

I’m still in contact with Michelle from Philly. We got pretty close. She had some good bar stories. Miserable but tough, she’s still at the rooming house in South Bend. I think you have to be in places like Philadelphia, probably more so than the rural Midwest. Reading about the woman from Kensington says it all. It’s sad, but sometimes an empty mug is better than being alone.

It’s too depressing to drink alone. It should be social, with much talking and laughing. I know of a Vietnamese nail salon guy who would sit at his kitchen table to down many Buds, fall asleep and, often enough, piss in his pants. That’s his social life, pretty much, in East St. Louis. It’s too dangerous to walk outside. Finally, is Kokomo still solidly MAGA? Is no one doubting the greatest American ever and infallible one?

-The kind of despair and isolation you mention is something I still struggle with daily. I’ve made inroads, but it’s still a problem. Budweiser was my beer of choice at the end. Much like your East St. Louis acquaintance, I’d sit in front of the TV and drink myself into a stupor. Pissing myself became a common occurrence. I was pushing the boundaries of late stage alcoholism. Towards the end of 2013, things got pretty hairy after I got discharged from the Army and booted from the oil fields for excessive drinking. Not being unable to walk safely in your own neighborhood is one of the worst aspects of living in today’s USA. I see it everywhere, in myself and others. It’s a feeling of defeat. I try to fight it because it plays into the hysteria and isolation playbook.

Again, I’m pretty lucky. There are places and situations where getting out is easier said than done. Marijuana is my surrogate crutch right now. Like many Americans, I find it difficult to function without a buzz. It is what it is. That’s the problem. Alternatives exist, but immediate gratification is the easiest option for the worn and overworked. It’s the option that many choose. A vicious cycle.

I’d place Kokomo in the MAGA camp by a margin. In the Mission’s defense, they didn’t push politics too hard besides their veneration of St. Kirk. Since Evangelicals are captured by the MAGA cult, they didn’t need to. One guy on an adjacent bunk was always on his phone talking to his girlfriend about Trump and how he needs to reinstate the Insurrection Act, to take care of business. The TV at the CAM center was usually tuned to FOX News. Vince, one of the guys there, calls it trailer park conservatism. A Stockholm syndrome of sorts. I think the desire for political salvation crosses the political divide. Like the controlled asset stripping of this country, it’s a bi-partisan affair disguised as politics.

We’re in Team Red phase. This freaking joke is on all of us. I remember reading your take on Trump in 2016. You got it right, Linh. Most didn’t. I got fooled the first time around myself. I’ve never voted. I can’t t endorse more war, more debt and less freedom each time around. Still, I had my hopes. Ten years later, it’s easier to see.

What really saddens me is that, as deluded and unhinged as MAGA has become, it’s an obvious reaction to the rhetorical and physical abuse that conservatives and traditional values took at the hands of the Woke crowd. It was nasty. I’d be pissed, too, and that’s why anger and fear are such wonderful tools for political control.

Controlled we are and controlled we will be, I’m afraid. Woke, MAGA, same monster. I’ve tried to point it out, but for my own sanity, I now leave it alone. When we outsource our minds, bodies and communities to transnational interests, why be surprised at the state of things?

Good intentions and bad habits are a toxic combo. I’m a walking example. I’m a fan of Sade, the smooth jazz chanteuse, not the perverted Frenchman, yet a smooth operator I am not. Time to smoke a bowl and think about it all.

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Fearless — Nov 14, 2025.

Having told Sơn I would see him at his new spot, I went there just after 4AM to find it still closed. Across the street was one just opening up, so I’m there. It’s an entirely new universe. Tables and chairs are placed on the dark sidewalk. I’ve claimed someone’s regular seat, I’m sure. The guy sharing my tiny round table is listening to a Buddhist monk. Instructions on how to live is interspersed by a woman singing.

Tired of one monk, he switches to another. “Don’t be greedy, don’t steal, don’t lend money at exorbitant interest.” Then, “Get along with everybody, respect all religions.” Another woman, much older, sings.

The coffee here is not quite hot, and there are no frisky dogs. Coming from Bến Đình, Sơn on his motorbike will pass by, so should see me. At 4:22AM, that café is still closed. Now, my table mate is listening to a didactic woman. Religious or ethical instructions are his drug of choice. Five other men, all regulars and older than 50, must also be edified, if not enlightened. Nirvana is just a band whose lead singer shot himself in the head. The guy at the next table has suffered a stroke, it seems, for he has one of those three pronged canes I never saw half a century ago.

No one is talking.

This café’s owner is a squat woman with a dull face. She almost grunted when I showed up.

“As humans, we’re born naked and will leave with nothing,” yet another monk speaks.

At 4:35, I see light over there, so will head over. The owner’s daughter married an older Aussie. Let’s hear what she has to say.

That didn’t last long. After five minutes of sitting with Sơn plus another woman, Quý, we decided to vacate that joint. Its coffee wasn’t just bad, but dubious, and they refused to turn off the music. I’m at my third café, Anh Trần. Each cup here, very good, is served with a tin filter, and the tea is also fine. Across the street is a hotel, Hoàng Yến, built in the 70’s. Such buildings recall the Vũng Tàu of my childhood.

A white haired guy just praised a younger woman’s buttocks. “That’s like two chunks of silicone!”

“My ass is money!” she laughed back. Her cushy tushy looks real. Clearly, they know each other well enough.

A boastful man with a Hanoi accent, he’s lived in Germany and England, he tells me. He’s been all over. One hundred and seventy five countries, to be exact.

“How do you manage that?! There’s not enough time. Plus, there’s the paperwork.” A Vietnamese passport doesn’t open many doors.

Smirking, he adds, “I have two sons in the US, two in London and one in Australia. I see them whenever I want.”

“How can you afford to travel so much?”

“People give me money.”

“Who?”

“People.”

“What’s your business?”

“None. I have never worked. All my life, I’ve just enjoyed myself, and gotten into fights.”

Laughing, I turn to another man, “And he hasn’t been killed!”

“Now, I’ve hung up my sword. If I get pissed off, though, I will still fight.”

“Have you been jailed?”

“No.”

“You’re very lucky.”

“When I was 15, I survived bombs. My shelter was blown to bits. Other kids were killed. Chunks of flesh were dug out with bare hands. I survived.”

“In 1970?”

“72.” Executed with B-52’s, it’s Operation Linebacker. “Those bombs taught me to be fearless.”

Even now, not one out of a hundred Vietnamese knows what a linebacker is. The best Vietnamese-American athlete ever is Dat Nguyen, a middle linebacker for Texas A&M and Dallas Cowboys.

“You were lucky. You were spared.”

“I do whatever I want.”

“I just look.”

“I see your laptop. You’re filled with words, with knowledge. You think.”

“I just look. You do!”

“Everyone is different.” Turning to two other men, he remarks, “Look at his forehead. Flies would have trouble landing there!”

“I’ve done nothing. I only have my brain. The rest is paralyzed.” This drew laughs from the owner. She’s in her mid 60’s.

“Nearing that hole, I’ve slowed down,” continues the braggadocious. “Each man has three holes he must deal with. The hole from which he was born, his wife’s hole then the hole he’s tossed into.”

“Many people don’t even get that middle hole.”

“We’re not talking about freakish exceptions, but generally.”

Coming to Anh Trần, I didn’t expect any of this, obviously. Sơn and Quý left a while back. Since it opens at 4AM, this wouldn’t be a bad place to sit. Braggadocious has asked nothing about me. It’s fine.

He speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English comfortably, he claims. He can do whatever and go anywhere. Vietnamese gangsters across Europe are terrified of him. Even top cops don’t dare to mess with Braggadocious. Saigon whores can’t empty his pockets.

“They’re like sharks and alligators,” I say.

“They can’t bite me. I bite them!”

Though living with any braggart must be hell, there are those who adore bombastic boasters. So sad this constant need to prove you’re not worthless.

Shut up already about all your awards, prizes, ribbons, medals, books published, contests won, pussies or dicks “conquered,” world records, championships, countries visited, weird dishes eaten or famous hands shaken. Every winner finishes last! How’s that toothache or cancer treating you? Just be thankful you weren’t slapped around, nuked or neutered decades earlier! Everyone or his grandma could have been a contender! You’re making me sick! There’s no weight division too low for you.

At 8:20AM, I finish this at Ông Bầu. Soon, I must go to Saigon to get a five-year visa, meant for overseas Vietnamese. There’s an agency that can arrange this, I think. With that, I will only need to leave every six months, instead of three.

Interviewing Troy Skaggs about small town Indiana made me want to go there, but that would mean flying into O’Hare, a state away. There are so many steps and miles before I can sit inside Handle Bar or Tom Thumb. Close enough to that hole, I should just take it easy.

There’s a desolation peculiar to the USA. It’s especially striking in rural areas and suburbs. Car culture isn’t solely responsible. No other population is as leery of mingling. More than macho DeKooning, Kline or Pollock, Edward Hopper is the most representative American artist, for he’s best at isolating this desolation. In movies and music videos, the opposite appears. That’s the American con.

As for being fearless, I must mention Mo, Cà Phê Cà Pháo’s kitten. Yesterday, I saw him for the first time since returning from Kathmandu. There he was, sleeping on a cushioned chair.

“I’ve been away nearly a month, but he hasn’t gotten any bigger. He’s shrunk!”

This provoked much laughter, for it was a different cat. For a week, Mo disappeared. Whoever found him had replaced his collar, before Mo ran off again. Thanks to an online notice, he’s finally recovered on Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa, a good mile away.

Back home, he didn’t even open his eyes when touched. Strange voices couldn’t disturb his sleep. In his brief life, he’s been lost twice, hit by a motorbike and gotten so sick, he had to spend a week at the vet. Even when half conscious, he fears nothing.

“Amazing,” I marveled. “It’s as if nothing happened.”

Like a proud parent, his owner smiled.

Such quiet assurance Braggadocious has never known. Lowered into that hole, he’ll still be terrified of ridicule. With rotting ears, he’ll hear mocking laughter. At least he doesn’t need to print his name on every piece of clothing, building or plate.

The weakest men must screw the smallest bodies. Virginal, they can’t compare him to any other. Even then, he’s still terrified.

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Naked and Barefoot — Nov 18, 2025.

Three mornings at Anh Trần were enough. The Hanoian braggadocious wasn’t just tiresome but menacing. Bombastic boasters are often like that. People who admire them are like squirming worms, not necessarily with red hats. Though I have a high tolerance for all types, I must focus on my thoughts and writing. This morning, then, I began typing before 4AM while sitting outside Ông Bầu in the dark. From the house next door, a woman could be heard coughing several times.

Talking about Perfect Days, I forgot to mention Hirayama’s habit of never picking up his watch when leaving his flat. He only takes his keys and coins. Hirayama doesn’t just know exactly what he must do with his day, but how long each task should take. Neither impatient nor frantic, he’s serenely focused.

Eating lunch on the same park bench each day, Hirayama always takes photos of swaying leaves above him. Since it’s the same tree, Niko, his niece, asks, “Is that tree your friend?”

Though surprised by this question, Hirayama has to admit, “Yes, this is my tree friend.”

Hundreds of these leaf photos are kept in tin boxes. Those that don’t turn out well are thrown away. His film camera, an Olympus Stylus, is not just amateurish but old fashioned. It has no screen. Held so low, Hirayama can’t even look through its viewfinder. Only after each roll is developed does he know how many keepers there are.

Though Hirayama is admired for his zen like composure, there’s something neurotic about his picture taking, no? He takes hundreds of photos to not really look at them. Worse, he must document his enjoyment of komoberi. Defined at the end of the film as “the shimmering of light and shadows that is created by leaves swaying in the wind. It only exists once, at that moment.” All too human, Hirayama must capture and solidify such fleeting phenomena.

Like most of us, Hirayama is radically alone. Sure, he has a few friendly acquaintances at Asakusa Yakisoba Fukuchan, his noodle shop, and Beni no Akari Novu, an atmospheric old school bar whose owner can sing so soulfully, but he sleeps alone and has no deep conversations with anyone. Unable to confide his pains, fears and infinite sadness, Hirayama must stay calm. His most intimate and steadfast friend is a rustling tree.

Note that Hirayama always buys the same coffee drink from a vending machine just ouside his door. Why doesn’t he stock up on a bunch, thus save a few pennies? Always waking up alone, Hirayama needs this machine to give him, without fail, some sweetness before he’s thrust, again, towards an infinity of shitters. It’s also the only neighbor he has any meaningful intercourse with. We’re not introduced to any other.

It’s no accident Wenders made this film in Tokyo. At the end of WWII, its destruction by the U.S. Air Force was greater than in Nagasaki and roughly equal to what happened in Hiroshima. Much of what America failed to raze, the Japanese did, in their rush towards progress and economic recovery. Even Donald Richie, who loved Japan deeply and spent 65 years there, had to admit Tokyo was “unusually ugly.” This is because much of its past is gone.

Regarding the past, photography and the Japanese, Susan Sontag has this to say, “People robbed of their past seem to make the most fervent picture takers, at home and abroad. Everyone who lives in an industrialized society is obliged gradually to give up the past, but in certain countries, such as the United States and Japan, the break with the past has been particularly traumatic.” Bombers and bombed share this unspeakable loss.

Robbed of family and community, Hirayama can only cling to images no one, not even him, cares to look at much, plus songs he can’t fully understand. Hirayama tearing up over Nina Simone is mostly fiction. Only you and I cry for real.

Before I slink off somewhere to bawl, wail and gnash my remaining teeth, I must point out Hirayama’s appreciation for tiny shifts in the mundane is very Japanese. Check out Hiroshi Sugimoto’s photos of oceans across the globe, for example, or his images of abandoned theaters. In these gorgeous temples to mass hallucinations, the big screens are still lit up, but nothing is shown. We’ve seen it all so many times, we see nothing.

Wenders’ inclusion of bathhouse scenes evokes Japan’s disappearing past. It’s striking, and exotic, to see naked men sitting on low stools to soap and wash, then soak together in a hot pool. Relaxing in a common room, Hirayama is even seen fanning a dozing old man, a beautiful touch. Most foreigners may not realize these bathhouses were, not even a century ago, unisex.

Consider this 1927 passage by Akugatawa, “He had previously been quite unperturbed about undressing in Kōno’s presence when he entered the bath located next to the kitchen. Recently, however, he had not allowed himself even once to appear to her in such a state. He was now undoubtedly ashamed of his body, which resembled that of a plucked rooster.” A pioneer writer during an unsettling era, Akugatawa killed himself just a year later.

Such inclusion and exposure are gone. Contemporary men must be screened off from each other, if not masked. His isolation ever increases. Listening to cassettes and reading complicated books in silence, Hirayama is a dinosaur, if not freak.

Sitting in Ông Bầu, I’m feet away from Mr. Đại, painting from life. He’s inserting me, though, walking barefoot past the altar to the Goddess by the banyan tree. While painting, he’s singing a Phạm Duy song from 1971. At age 50, that great song writer, a poet, really, recalled a girl he fell in love with as a teenager. Like so much else, those sweet, gentle sentiments are lost.

---

Westminster, Vietnam To Begin With — Nov 25, 2025.

This morning, I woke up Hùng around 5AM to get his phone number. He was sleeping in his cyclo cab, of course. “I have a Westerner who will probably hire you. He’ll call you today or tomorrow.” Groggy, Hùng looked older than his age. He’s a most gentle man, or perhaps just thoroughly defeated. Before something went terribly wrong internally, Hùng was a falling down drunk. He’ll die without ever seeing his parents, siblings or hometown of Da Lat again.

“How’s business?”

“Bad.”

“Yet you won’t make that sign!” I had urged Hùng to clearly list his price for ½ an hour and an hour. “You’re so stubborn!”

I then bought two toothbrushes from a Circle K. Since it was so early, I didn’t feel too self-conscious about walking in barefoot. With Ông Bầu not open for an hour, I decided to go to Mrs. Hạnh. She’s the one married to an impotent American for six years.

Riding past me was a woman in cycling tights and listening to a Buddhist chant on her Bluetooth. Nam mô a di đà phật, she had to hear over and over. The idea of Buddhist chanting is to empty your mind of bullshit, I think, but this chick has turned it into bicycling muzak. On that street is an ex drug addict who always sits alone before dawn to listen to Eminem. People who can’t stand silence are lost to themselves and, thus, understanding of anything, from the most trivial upward.

Since Mrs. Hạnh and her husband were still setting up, I headed to Front Beach, where hundreds of people were exercising or jogging. I sat by two young women who chattered, giggled and laughed as they loosened their joints and got their blood flowing. Doing a forward thrust, they joked about diving onto the jagged rocks below. Lights flickered along the shoreline. Some people rubbed their belly in a circular motion as they walked quickly. I used a fingernail to groove into my flesh around my ankles and soles.

Finally sitting down at Mrs. Hạnh’s, I asked if she enjoyed her eight-day Singapore vacation so many years ago.

“Of course! I also have dozens of relatives overseas.” In Bolsa and Canada. Bolsa is a Vietnamese area in Westminster, CA. Its mayor is Chi Charlie Nguyen. All three council members are Vietnamese-Americans.

Whatever happened to the annexation of Greenland and Canada becoming the 51st state? I, for one, think Westminster and Santa Ana must be ceded to Vietnam immediately, with an additional city added yearly until at least a third of California belongs to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Its residents of all races will enjoy more freedom, including economic, than under President Trump, J.D. Vance or Gavin Newsom, guaranteed.

Twice, I’ve seen a young woman helping out at Mrs. Hạnh’s. She’s not her daughter but a 34-year-old homeless woman who sleeps nightly at Trưng Sisters Park. Trưng Sisters were warriors who fought against the Chinese two thousand years ago. Think Boudica times two.

As a girl, she was taken in by a noodle soup seller at Old Market, now demolished. As a pretty young woman, she started sleeping with Westerners, so her adoptive father kicked her out. He still brings her food, and she’s paid nearly $2 daily by Mrs. Hạnh, who also feeds her. It’s charity, more or less, since Mrs. Hạnh and her husband can do everything themselves.

“Where’s your puppy?”

“He’s big!” her husband answered. “He’s at home.”

“Why don’t you bring him here?”

“He causes too much trouble,” he smiled.

There was a tiny kitten in the grass. I picked him up and caressed the beast. He started purring. When I put him down, this cat rubbed his head against my foot.

“You know,” I said to Mrs. Hạnh, “a woman sleeping alone in a park in the US would be raped in no time. Homeless people there often cluster together for protection. A woman like that cannot sleep alone outside.”

“I wish I could sleep alone,” Mrs. Hạnh joked as her husband stood by her side.

I laughed hardest. He only smiled.

Now at Ông Bầu, I just ordered a second cappuccino. Mr. Đại is painting a nude from some photo he got off the internet. It’s totally pointless, but whatever. Wouldn’t some aging whore, at least, be willing to pose for him for phở money? To be exposed and stared at for an hour might be too much.

Checking my email, I see one from Max, whom I met in Albania. In his rented car, we went to Montenegro. On his first visit to Vietnam, Max is in Da Nang. I’m pretty sure Max is Syrian. He spends most of his time in London. Go to Hội An and Huế, I just told Max. Even a side trip into Laos would be fantastic. If you decide to come down here, I’ll show you around.

Near death, I have less energy to take photos, but yesterday, I did catch two lovelies outside The Góc. One, with her butt cheeks just peeking out, was taking photos of her friend in a mini skirt. Nothing exists unless it’s photographed.

Maybe 15 years ago, a woman told me this joke in Philly, “What looks like shit and feels great?”

“I don’t know,” I replied.

“A pussy!”

Now, we must ask, What looks great and feels like shit?

Come on, man, give me the punchline!

---

About Linh Dinh (@linhdinh):

‘Before being canceled, I was an anthologized poet and fairly prolific author, with my last book Postcards from the End of America. Now, I write about our increasingly sick world for a tiny audience on SubStack. Drifting overly much, I’m in Cambodia.

Born in Saigon, Vietnam in 1963, I lived mostly in the US from 1975 until 2018, but have returned to Vietnam. I’ve also lived in Italy, England and Germany. I’m the author of a non-fiction book, Postcards from the End of America (2017), a novel, Love Like Hate (2010), two books of stories, Fake House (2000) and Blood and Soap (2004), and six collections of poems, with a Collected Poems cancelled by Chax Press from external pressure. I’ve been anthologized in Best American Poetry 2000, 2004, 2007, Great American Prose Poems from Poe to the Present, Postmodern American Poetry: a Norton Anthology (vol. 2) and Flash Fiction International: Very Short Stories From Around the World, etc. I’m also editor of Night, Again: Contemporary Fiction from Vietnam (1996) and The Deluge: New Vietnamese Poetry (2013). My writing has been translated into Japanese, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Korean, Arabic, Icelandic, Serbian and Finnish, and I’ve been invited to read in Tokyo, London, Cambridge, Brighton, Paris, Berlin, Leipzig, Halle, Reykjavik, Toronto, Singapore and all over the US. I’ve also published widely in Vietnamese.’

AHH: Please support this wonderful writer on his Substack! Thanks

Candace Owens & Norman Finkelstein

Perfect for weekend watching, but do get a cuppa of something as it is a long video.

Candace:  “I sit down with Norman to discuss Israel, the holocaust, and his upcoming book, GAZA’S GRAVEDIGGERS An Inquiry into Corruption in High Places.”

Norm reviews his academic career, which he claims never existed, as he has not been accepted, not even as a substitute teacher.

They talk about the attitudes in the US changing regarding zionist-israel.

Professor Jiang: Secret History #6: The Psychology of Evil

What is mind control, and how does it work?

In his Wednesday, September 10, 2025 lecture to Beijing high school students, Professor Jiang explains how mind control techniques originated in ancient Egypt. Priests developed these techniques to control the Pharaoh, and they became embedded into Egyptian mythology.

Today, these ancient mind control techniques are still used.

These technologies can be vividly seen today and specifically as a starting point, today. Trump said that Netanyahu has gone too far in the war in Gaza, and as a result, Israel has lost much of its global support. “I’m going to bring all that support back,” he declared. That is a predictive escatology.

There is a psychological ‘mindwipe’ going on right now and any psychologist that is wondering what thesis to write for a doctorate, could pick this up.

Jian talks briefly about the technology of forgetting. This is what we see today. We have Trump out there, we have JD Vance out there and a stream of other work, that sets out to make us forget what Israel has done, and is still busy doing. They want to cancel the fact that we’ve been watching a holocaust, a killing field, a genocide being perpetrated on Palestinians. This is directly out of psychological trauma based work where one sets out to decrease the hurt and the anger from the trauma, in order to get the patient to be able to live with it without severe and lifelong problems. Be aware of what is happening. We even have Rubio that has joined the choir and this is what he says: Marco Rubio insists there can be no talk of Palestinian statehood until Gaza is run by “leaders who abandon hostility toward Israel and all security threats from the enclave are eliminated.”. So that is your carrot and stick. That is the mindwipe going on right now. If you do not abandon hostility to the killers, then they will further punish Palestine, in other words, you can be good to Palestine if you only forget. Just forget what they’ve done and are still doing and you will escape the punishment. Listen to Trump saying everyone will be treated fairly. That, my dear friends comes with a psychological price that I am not prepared to pay.

I really have not seen such a mass formation of a new reality take place so quickly. Perhaps Charlie Kirk was the forerunner, the practice run. One dead giveaway is the confusion that is being encouraged. Trump believes in his new mission because it is a mission of messianic fervor and he feel he is the bringer the good news to mankind. Just forget, don’t say ‘never again’. It is a messianic delusion and demands total submission.

And while we are here, one for my collegue and friend. Of course it for everyone as well and because we are vividly seeing how a predictive escatology is formed.

Iran Pivots East

After direct aggression of the messianic West on herself, Iran blocked US-controlled GPS and switched to the more advanced Chinese BeiDou. This is more than a technologic paradigm change..

Interview with Mohsen Rezaei, former IRGC Commander-in-Chief

Interview with Mohsen Rezaei, former IRGC Commander-in-Chief, on June 16, 2025, during the third day of the Iran-Israel War.

Translated by lecridespeuples for Resistance News Unfiltered: Resistance News Unfiltered

Mohsen Rezaei is an Iranian politician, military commander, and economist. He is best known for serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from 1981 to 1997. Appointed at the age of 27, he led the IRGC through the critical years of the Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988). Rezaei holds a PhD in economics and later transitioned into politics. He served for over two decades as Secretary of the Expediency Discernment Council, an advisory body to the Supreme Leader that plays a key role in Iran’s strategic decision-making. Rezaei is considered a prominent figure within Iran’s conservative and military-political circles. In 2021, he was appointed Vice President for Economic Affairs in the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi.

Source: Youtube (Part 1 & Part 2)

Journalist: Peace be upon you, and may the mercy and blessings of God be upon you. We thank you for being with us on this program.

Mohsen Rezaei: May God reward you with goodness. In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Allow me to begin with a few brief words addressed to our dear people.

First, I offer both congratulations and condolences: Congratulations on the great victories achieved by our noble people through the valor of their heroic sons in the armed forces. And condolences for the martyrdom of a number of senior commanders in our armed forces—for whom martyrdom was a long-cherished wish. I also extend my condolences to the innocent children, women, and men who were unjustly martyred.

On the other hand, I express my deepest thanks and appreciation to our honorable people, who, during this critical period, have stood firmly behind the armed forces, supporting them across all domains, and voicing their clear endorsement of the armed forces’ response through their presence in public demonstrations.

I especially thank His Eminence the Supreme Commander, who promptly issued the order for the armed forces to defend and respond. I am at your service. If you would like, we can begin by reviewing the background.

Journalist: Thank you very much. Yes. What is the history of our relationship with the Zionist entity? What have been the key moments in our confrontation with it so far? And in particular, what led to this latest round of escalation?

Mohsen Rezaei: Yes. As our people know well—especially analysts at home and abroad—since the triumph of the Revolution, we have been engaged in a continuous political confrontation with the Zionist entity. We have always believed that entering into a direct war with Israel would only be justified once the Islamic world stands united, when all Muslim countries come together as one to uproot this malignant tumor. Accordingly, we never believed it was right to go to war alone, without the support of other Islamic nations. Instead, we adopted a different strategy: to support the Palestinian people, standing by them when they are attacked, and when they fall unjustly as martyrs.

Even during the Israeli assault on Lebanon [in 1978 and 1982], we deployed a brigade—not to invade Palestinian land or to initiate a direct military confrontation with Israel, but to defend Lebanese territory. When the Syrian government asked us for assistance in the fight against ISIS, we answered the call, despite the fact that we were positioned very close to Haifa—only 50 to 60 kilometers away. Had we wanted to wage war on Israel at that time, we could have utterly destroyed both Tel Aviv and Haifa. But our conviction then, as now, was that Iran should not engage in a unilateral war with Israel.

Yet despite this restraint, it was Israel that initiated aggression against us. First, it attacked our consulate, resulting in the martyrdom of our dear brother, Mr. Zahdi. Then, when we responded, they assassinated Mr. Haniyeh inside Iran. And even after their repeated attacks following that, we halted True Promise 3 and opted for wisdom and self-restraint.

This demonstrates that from the very beginning of the Revolution until today—despite our slogans against Israel and our view of it as an occupying entity—we have consistently exercised restraint. However, over the past year or so, Israel has initiated a different kind of confrontation and engagement with us, culminating in recent days in what has become, in effect, a full-scale war.

Journalist: What is your assessment of Israel’s plan and objectives in this confrontation?

Mohsen Rezaei: In reality, Israel is implementing a multi-phase plan. The first phase was the assassination of our nuclear scientists. They had planned to carry out further assassinations of key figures inside Iran on the following Saturday, but our series of successive strikes thwarted their efforts. Nevertheless, they managed to target certain sites, including the Asalouyeh refinery. I will speak later about our proportional response to those attacks.

What we are facing today is an ongoing war, and it is expected to continue over the coming weeks. God willing, with another crushing defeat, they will be forced to retreat and withdraw.

Journalist: In your view, why did the United States approve Israel’s attack on the Islamic Republic?

Mohsen Rezaei: Some aspects of the American position—especially that of the Trump administration—remain unclear. However, what has become evident thus far is that Trump gave Netanyahu the green light to proceed with the attack. Statements made by Mr. Witkoff confirm this as well.

The reason is that, during the sixth round of negotiations, we were on the verge of presenting our plan. But before they had even reviewed its contents, they assumed we would insist on the issue of uranium enrichment, and so they told Israel: “You must act now.”

I believe the United States perceived us to be in a position of weakness, and believed that with a single blow, Israel could compel Iran to capitulate. Perhaps developments in Lebanon and Syria contributed to reinforcing this perception. However, what has become clear from this American escalation is that the Israeli attack had been premeditated—whether or not we entered into negotiations.

What is positive in all of this is that the political wisdom of the senior leadership—in particular, His Excellency the Supreme Leader’s decision to initiate negotiations—has exposed their true intentions to the world. Had we not entered into negotiations, they would have told the domestic public: “We wanted to reform the economy, and we aspired to attract $1 trillion in investments, but we were prevented from doing so.” Now, however, their cards have been laid bare. It is clear who seeks war—and who seeks peace.

They told the outside world that Iran was seeking to acquire the atomic bomb, and that this was the reason it refused to negotiate. But when the Leader of the Islamic Revolution demonstrated his far-sighted wisdom and said, “No, negotiate,” even if indirectly, the Iranian people came to understand that the true objective of the other side was to dismantle both the enrichment program and the missile program.

In fact, following those covert actions and in the wake of this military strike, it became clear that their ambitions extended beyond merely eliminating our missile and enrichment capabilities. They appeared to have further demands—namely, that in order to solidify their control over West Asia [the Middle East], they had to bring Iran into their fold. In their view, Iran must align itself with Israel and the United States so that they may dominate the region.

Journalist: Now, based on your experience during the eight years of the Holy Defense, how do you anticipate this confrontation will end?

Mohsen Rezaei: Let me begin by explaining when the idea of attacking Iran first took shape. About a month ago, amid the events unfolding in Gaza, I sensed—based on the shift in Israel’s behavior—that Gaza was merely the initial spark in a broader war that would eventually reach Iran. Roughly 25 days after Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, while Israel continued to bomb Gaza, its tanks had yet to enter. At that point, I foresaw the conflict expanding to Lebanon and Syria, before turning toward Iran—and possibly even extending, in a limited way, into Iraq. Why? Because Iran holds a position I describe as “the geography of the sword and the treasure.” It is akin to a strategic summit: when global powers ascend it, they wield a sword with which to settle scores with one another.

Consider the past two centuries. In earlier times, the British and the Tsars were vying for influence in Iran, and we were used as an instrument of reconciliation between them. Later, the Americans arrived and made our country a tool for accommodation with the Soviet Union. But since the victory of the Islamic Revolution, we have refused to let that sword fall into the hands of America—or anyone else. We have taken it up ourselves.

And as for why it is also a treasure: in addition to its vast mineral wealth, Iran grants whoever controls it command over the oil and gas of the north, the oil and gas of the south, and the country’s internal resources. That is why Iran is considered a global energy hub. To control Iran is to control the world’s energy supply.

Now that they have begun this new course of action, it is clear to me that the United States—driven by economic motives and seeking to settle its scores with China—is pushing this trajectory forward, from Gaza to Lebanon, then Syria, and ultimately Iran. In other words: why does Washington want Israel to launch the initial strike, only to intervene from behind? Because this is how it intends to impose the regimes it desires across the region—just as it did during the era of the Shah. Why? Because this is the path to salvaging its ailing economy.

I have written in two or three recent newspaper articles that the continuation of war is what guarantees the continued dominance of the U.S. dollar. At the same time, American intervention here would undermine China’s efforts to expand its meaningful presence in West Asia. In essence, over the next two decades, we risk being used once again—as a battleground for the settling of scores between America and China, only this time on Iranian soil. That is why this event, now unfolding, is of the utmost seriousness—for our people, our armed forces, and our government alike.

We must stand firm here. If not, we will once more be drawn into America’s conflicts with China and others—and we will never be able to progress or rise. Why? Because they do not want Iran for Iran’s sake, or for the sake of its people. They want it for entirely different purposes.

Journalist: Well then, in all seriousness—what is the future of this confrontation?

Mohsen Rezaei: We have no future without steadfastness, resistance, and decisive victory. It has been thirty-five years since the [Iran-Irak] war, and our country enjoys complete security and stability. Because we stood firm, resisted, and prevailed back then, we secured Iran’s national security for at least the next fifty years. That is why steadfastness is a duty, and defending our future is worth every sacrifice.

But if—God forbid—they succeed in their aims, Iran will face severe crises over the next ten to twenty years. This war is dangerous. I say it plainly: it is a dangerous war. Yet with God’s help, and through the sacrifices of our valiant armed forces, we will crush them once more on the soil of this homeland.

Journalist: Commander, what is your assessment of the balance of power between the two sides? What does Iran possess, and what does the Zionist entity possess?

Mohsen Rezaei: Look, we are still exercising restraint. That is, we have not yet employed all our capabilities. Why? Because we must win over global public opinion, and also the opinion of our own people.

Today, public sentiment is calling for retaliation—yes, it demands it. But it is also a trust, and we must act wisely. We have the capacity to carry out large-scale operations that would destabilize the entire region. And we may, in time, be compelled to move into new phases of confrontation.

Just as we began with the “True Promise,” you now see that we are using increasingly advanced weaponry—warheads with ever-greater destructive power. Just yesterday and today, we deployed missiles with warheads weighing one and a half tons. And we possess even more powerful ones, capable of causing massive devastation.

At the same time, we are closely observing the position of the Zionist entity’s backers. Will they step back or not? The wise figures in the U.S. and Europe must, as soon as possible, pull their leaders out from behind the Zionist entity.

If they do not, the battle will no longer be limited to arming Israel. Their aircraft—British, French, or American—will enter our skies and collide with our missiles. This would mark a more dangerous stage of war, and we are preparing for that. Yet we continue to strive never to be the ones who initiate—but we will be the ones who conclude.

In other words, if this support continues, the supporting parties may find themselves directly involved in the battle. I believe that is a very real possibility.

Journalist: And if that happens, do you believe the odds will be in our favor?

Mohsen Rezaei: Yes, absolutely. We have undisclosed tactics. We hold cards that have yet to be played. God willing, with His Help and Grace, we will continue to follow a policy of ambiguity—and we will catch them by surprise.

Journalist: Do you believe our armed forces have surprised the Zionist entity so far?

Mohsen Rezaei: Yes, yes! Just look at what the U.S. ambassador in Tel Aviv himself said: he said that during a single night, they had to take shelter in bunkers five times within a few hours! And their own statements say: “We have never seen a war like this in our history—on the soil of occupied Palestine. We never expected Iran to respond in this manner.”

And yet, we still have capabilities that remain unused. God willing, if they persist in their attacks, we will unveil them at the right moment.

Journalist: So, for now, we hold the upper hand.

Mohsen Rezaei: Yes—at this moment, we have the upper hand.

Journalist: We were discussing last night how the Zionist regime is deploying small drones to fly over Tehran and other areas.

Mohsen Rezaei: In fact, what happened yesterday and today was preceded by a breach two or three months ago: small drones were smuggled into the country—into forests, onto rooftops, even into Tehran itself. I urge the dear people of Tehran to check the roofs of their homes… They brought in various models of these drones and pre-positioned them. These are remotely activated aircraft, directed to strike specific targets.

However, according to the news I heard today, their supply of precision-guided bombs is very limited. They are now trying to manage the situation carefully to avoid depleting their ammunition. Their only real asset at this point is these so-called smart bombs.

That’s why they’ve had to resort to using these small aircraft—even though they’re still too afraid to send F-15s or other jets into Iranian airspace. They are compelled to launch their strikes from Iraqi airspace. At times, one, two, or even three F-35 aircraft enter and quickly exit our airspace.

Our armed defense forces, praise be to God, are solid and strong. We have managed the situation well so far, and the war is being conducted efficiently. There may come a time when we choose to cross the border—but that is another matter altogether. Since the outbreak of hostilities, however, we have proceeded step by step, with logic and deliberation.

Journalist: What do you mean by crossing the border?

Mohsen Rezaei: We may arrive at certain conclusions that necessitate specific actions.

Journalist: In any case, the tools you’ve mentioned—such as the small unmanned aerial vehicles deployed in various locations and activated remotely—must, by their very nature, be limited in capability. How could anyone imagine that with such limited resources, deep within a country of this vast expanse and this scale of missile arsenal, they would be able to sustain a confrontation?

Mohsen Rezaei: Our country, God willing, is spacious enough to contain twenty European nations. It is vast and sprawling. Therefore, the scale of the capabilities they are employing is extremely small—yes, very small. Much of it consists of spare parts assembled locally. That is, they conceal these components in vehicles, for example—just as they do in fuel and drug smuggling—since these are not large or obvious systems that can be directly targeted. Typically, some of these parts are transported to specific points, or remote areas like forests, and assembled on-site. From there, they’re moved in trucks or enclosed vehicles and installed elsewhere later.

Currently, the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization is cooperating with them. Inside Iran, there is collaboration between this organization and such groups. Some of their operatives, who have received payments in U.S. dollars, are actively participating in these transportation operations.

Journalist: Then there’s the issue of the leadership vacuum the Zionist entity sought to create by assassinating leaders of the Revolutionary Guard, followed by subsequent operations. But what we witnessed instead was the strength of our armed forces: leadership positions were filled within just three to four hours, and the command structure was swiftly and efficiently reorganized. What did the people witness afterward? How do you assess the Zionist entity’s belief that creating a leadership vacuum would weaken you?

Mohsen Rezaei: I believe Israel made a grave military miscalculation. They assumed Iran was similar to Hezbollah, even though they themselves have failed to dismantle Hezbollah. They should have learned from that experience.

Look at the leadership figures that have emerged within our armed forces. Major General Pakpour, for example, is an exceptionally strong field commander—courageous, with a remarkable operational vision.

Amir Hatami, who joined from the regular army, is a brave and seasoned officer. The same goes for Mr. Mousavi in the aerospace sector. And also for Mr. Mousavi who succeeded the martyred General Bagheri in the General Staff—he is a dedicated man, aligned with the resistance movement.

Though they come from the regular army, there is full coordination between them and the Revolutionary Guards. What the enemy did failed to create any structural void within the armed forces. In fact, it could be said that certain aspects have grown more effective, as recent events have shown.

That’s one point.

Secondly, we now have no fewer than ten additional layers of trained commanders and officers—some from the generation that fought in the war, and others who gained valuable field experience in later years, particularly in the fight against ISIS. Many of our forces who fought in Iraq and Syria against ISIS have, through those field experiences, become akin to senior war commanders like Hussein Kharrazi and Ahmad Kazemi—young, capable leaders fully prepared to command the armed forces.

It was a profound error on the part of the Israeli military not to recognize the deep hierarchical structure and the robust bench of ready leadership within our ranks. This internal architecture and the organizational evolution of the armed forces entirely compensated for any potential gaps. In my view, this challenge has already been overcome. And in the near future, our dear people will see that those who have stepped into the shoes of our fallen leaders will ensure that no imbalance or vacuum arises in the management of the armed forces.

The high command—led by His Eminence, the Commander—is fully acquainted with each of these leaders. They have been selected with care and discernment. I am absolutely confident that there will be no void in leadership.

Journalist: In light of the current circumstances and the wartime situation we are going through, what should we expect from the people? What is expected from the political factions? And what is expected from the government? Please explain each of these separately.

Mohsen Rezaei: First of all, I would like to extend my sincere thanks once again. Our enemies believed that by igniting a war and launching strikes on specific sites, the people would distance themselves from the regime, and that political factions would begin trading accusations, with each blaming the other for what had happened.

But what we witnessed was that even opponents of the Islamic Republic—whether abroad or within the ranks of the opposition—indeed, even some who had previously been interviewed, declared: “I’ve been imprisoned three times so far, but today it is about Iran, and for me, this is Iran, and I would gladly give my life for it.”

Once again, the Iranian people have shown that they are the same people who brought about the revolution on the 22nd of Bahman (February 11, 1979, victory of the Islamic Revolution), who stood by the system, stood by Iran, and defended its national independence.

I want to stress this: just as our heroic defense against the brutal Iraqi army gave us 35 years of security, today we must face this ordeal with all the strength we possess—patiently, calmly, and with confidence. War, after all, is filled with developments and turns of fate. We strike, and they strike. But the most important thing is that we manage the coming weeks with cohesion, solidarity, and unity—all factions and all segments of the nation, God willing—with patience and steadfastness, hand in hand.

The enemy has also staked a great deal on this front: the stronger our national unity, the deeper its despair and frustration. It will know that Iran’s doors are shut to it. The door to repeating the Qajar and Pahlavi eras has been firmly closed. The Iranian people have come to know themselves and are now striving toward progress. They do not seek enrichment for war, but for development. They seek independence to safeguard their security.

So, God willing, we will emerge victorious from this war, and Iran will enjoy security for the next fifty years. I want to point out that, historically, Iran has faced a war roughly every 35 years. Look: from 1320 to 1359 (1941 to 1980) in the solar Hijri calendar—nearly forty years passed—then a war erupted. And now, 35 years later, another war has broken out.

What matters is that we emerge from the depths of these wars with our heads held high.

After the Iran-Iraq War, we emerged with our dignity intact, and we built our strength. I say to you, the Iranian people—based on my deep familiarity with the Iranian mujahideen, both during the era of the Sacred Defense and today—we will come out of this war many times stronger than we were before these recent events. There is absolutely no doubt about that.

The hidden potential of our youth will rise to the occasion with pride, and they will deliver to you an Iran greater than it was before this war, God willing. But the condition is synergy. The condition is solidarity.

Journalist: Sardar, some believe that the difficult economic situation may have become too heavy a burden for the people, and that they might be exhausted and unable to remain patient. What is your view?

Mohsen Rezaei: Yes, I agree. We have suffered—and continue to suffer—in Iran from inflation, and we face real economic challenges. We have been under severe economic sanctions for more than ten or fifteen years.

But it is victory that opens all doors. These same Americans, after your victory, will come to us humbled, pleading to be allowed—just like others—to come and invest here.

So our victory in this war is the gateway to wealth, to production, to openness. All doors will be opened to us. This war we are fighting now is merely a bottleneck, or a pivotal turning point on the path to the summit. It is the final obstacle we must overcome.

And when we reach the summit of this climb, I promise you—through our victory in this war—the doors of investment, of production, and all avenues of prosperity will be opened to our people.

Therefore, I ask you, as a soldier of this homeland, and I ask all political factions within this great Iranian nation, to continue standing behind your sons in the armed forces—in the Revolutionary Guard, in the army, in the security forces, and in the Basij—just as you have supported them until now. God willing, we will all overcome this trial with our heads held high.

Journalist: Once again, the enemies have made a grave miscalculation. They sought to sow division within Iranian society, perhaps imagining that in the event of war, polarization would emerge—with some supporting and others opposing the stance toward the Zionist entity. But the moment events unfolded, unity prevailed. Everyone, regardless of political affiliation, stood as one. The enemy likely did not expect such swift formation of national cohesion and solidarity.

Mohsen Rezaei: Yes, they had heard about internal discontent—about inflation, soaring prices, and other domestic issues. But they failed to understand the Iranian people. They did not grasp that this nation is capable of offering up four or five of its sons in sacrifice for Iran. They were ignorant of the character of this nation. The Iranian people stand by their homeland, rally behind Islam, defend their revolution, and are prepared to make great sacrifices.

Indeed, they thought that if they targeted our leaders and nuclear scientists, people would pour into the streets shouting, “Stop the war! Surrender! Do whatever America demands!” Yet why are we, on our part, optimistic? Look: America says, “Come to the negotiating table,” while at the same time ordering Israel to launch attacks. What does this tell us?

It tells us they do not count on Israel’s success. They are keeping the door to negotiations open so that, should Israel be defeated, they don’t walk away empty-handed. In fact, this contradiction itself—the US calling for negotiations while Israel strikes—is a sign of despair. They expect no good to come of this war, nor do they anticipate surviving it unscathed.

As for us, we cannot afford such duplicity, under any circumstances. Their aim is to later say: “Very well, let’s declare a ceasefire, then negotiate.” But how long would that ceasefire last? If Israel intends to strike Iran again in a few months, or to resume acts of sabotage down the line, we cannot allow Iran to become another prolonged quagmire—like Syria, lasting a year, two, five, or more. We must decisively put an end to these aggressions—with firmness, resolve, and full dedication—relying on the popular support that has coalesced behind our armed forces, so that, God willing, security and stability may prevail in our country for many years to come.

Journalist: What role should the government play in this context?

Mohsen Rezaei: Thank God, the government is rising to the occasion and working in full coordination with the armed forces. Mr. Bazrpash (Minister of Roads and Urban Development) is in constant communication with the military, as is Mr. Araghchi (Foreign Minister).

Very constructive meetings took place before the incident, and follow-up meetings are now being held. Political officials, military leaders, and the armed forces all stand united, as one.

So far, Mr. Bazrpash has been following in the footsteps of the Leader of the Revolution without hesitation. He still possesses the same spirit of jihad he had in the 1970s. We call him a “Sacred Defense fighter,” for he was on the front lines during the war. This is the blessed approach he follows. Today, we are one hand: the Foreign Ministry, the government, and the armed forces. This very coordination is a tremendous blessing in the defense of Iran.

Journalist: I’d like to return to your phrase about “the sword and the treasure.” If this conflict ends in victory for the Islamic Republic of Iran and the sword remains in its hand, how will this more powerful sword alter the balance of power?

Mohsen Rezaei: Many equations will shift. A number of countries around us will seek sincere and friendly relations with us. In my view, Iran and its neighbors will come together in a union—somewhat resembling the European Union.

Eventually, we will adopt a unified currency. We will forge an alliance with all of our neighboring states. In fact, I envision the creation of a unified Islamic army—bringing together Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, the four major powers—along with other countries, to form a force capable of preventing foreign powers from imposing their hegemony upon us.

Naturally, we believe in the necessity of establishing economic and trade relations with all countries of the world, with the exception of Israel. We must strive to elevate the region, just as the Europeans and others have done.

All of this is possible if we unite, if we become brothers and allies. The key to this transformation is an Iranian victory.

On the day when we, God willing, deliver a harsh lesson to Israel in this war, you will see it for yourselves. Even over the past few days, look what has happened: most Arab states have reached out and declared their support for us. Pakistan has openly stated that if Israel drops a nuclear bomb, it will respond in kind.

Muslim sentiment across the region will be inflamed like never before. The stronger our positions become, and the greater our people’s support for their armed forces, the more we will be able to pass through this dangerous strait and reach the far shore—where an ocean of political, military, and economic progress awaits our nation, God willing.

Journalist: God willing. And what will become of the Zionist entity in that case?

Mohsen Rezaei: Look, our vision for the future of Palestine is based on the return of all Palestinians—Muslims, Christians, and Jews—to the land of Palestine, where a popular referendum will be held and they will draft their own constitution.

Ultimately, we still believe in the necessity of removing the Zionists from the occupied territories through a democratic process. The people must return, elect their own representatives, and write their Constitution themselves.

Once we unite with the Islamic countries, following the crushing defeat that Israel will suffer, I believe that most of the Zionists will leave voluntarily, and the occupied territories will be restored to the Palestinians without a single bullet being fired.

Everything depends on our ability to pass through this critical juncture, to reach that summit, and to bring the Islamic nations alongside us. We must establish a union of Islamic countries in the Persian Gulf region. Not a single Zionist will remain in occupied Palestine—they will all flee, and the land will return to its rightful Palestinian owners, without war.

Journalist: Ma’ariv newspaper itself, in the wake of the recent wave of attacks carried out by Operation True Promise, acknowledged last night that the Zionist entity has never in its history come under such intense missile fire. That’s a direct quote. The report continued: “Where is the prime minister? Where is he?” So, what is your assessment of the Prime minister’s current situation?

Mohsen Rezaei: Most likely, he is no longer in the occupied territories, but has relocated elsewhere. That alone reveals their intention to press on.

Let me stress this point: I am absolutely certain about the outcome of this battle. And I speak of this certainty with the same hope I expressed a moment ago—rooted in a careful analysis of the geopolitical realities in the region.

That said, I constantly remind myself and my brothers of the need to beware of arrogance. Yes, we are engaged in a difficult war—but the victory that lies ahead is ten times greater than the one we achieved in the imposed war. The scale and grandeur of this accomplishment demand our steadfastness on the battlefield, and the suppression of Israel, God willing.

Journalist: During the eight years of the Sacred Defense, what was achieved was considered a great accomplishment in itself. But now you’re saying that what we will achieve will surpass that many times over… Honestly, truly, could you explain the dimensions of this difference?

Mohsen Rezaei: I’ve already explained this. Today, we are in a position that combines the summit, the sword, and the treasure. I know these expressions were also used during the Sacred Defense, but just look at the difference.

Compare our capabilities today with what they were after the Sacred Defense. That victory brought us to where we are now in the development of missiles, drones, tanks, artillery—and even in the media. Our victory over Israel in this war will bring about a transformation in the geopolitical landscape of the region. After that, neither America nor Israel will be able to impose their hegemony on West Asia.

Their defeat here will mean their defeat across the whole of West Asia, and this loss will completely reshape regional dynamics in Iran’s favor. Starting the day after Israel’s defeat, all forms of intermediary, ambiguous relations—like those we have with countries such as the UAE, the Caucasus, or the Republic of Azerbaijan—will come to an end.

The kings and princes of the region will come to Iran and shake our hands in brotherhood—not because, God forbid, we harbor expansionist intentions, but because they will come to the conclusion that relying on Iran is better than being dependent on America or Israel. Iran is their sister, and Iran wants progress for them.

This is a true geopolitical shift. The region is witnessing a new realignment, while the world is moving toward a multipolar order—whereas America is striving to maintain a bipolar one. If we win here, a multipolar world will emerge. China will be a pole in itself, Russia will be another, and we—together with the Arab and Islamic countries—will form our own. Europe will also have its own pole.

In the next 200 to 300 years, the world will be governed by a five-pole system, not a bipolar one. And where does it all begin? With Israel’s defeat in this aggression against Iran. Here, with God’s help, the blessings of the Almighty, and under the guidance of our Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance), we will achieve victory. Doors will open for our nation that many never even imagined.

Yes, despite the economic difficulties, inflation, and the hardships you see, the entire scene will change. And although I repeat that the war is harsh and difficult, we must persevere—God willing.

My message is this: if we wage this war with cooperation, understanding, reason, creativity, and prudence—and without haste… Yes, I acknowledge there are voices calling for an escalation in operations and efforts, but this war must be managed wisely.

And it is indeed being managed wisely—from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to the field commanders, everyone is involved in steering this war. And this leadership, God willing, will lead to a decisive victory. We will all witness achievements that will be etched into the nation’s collective memory.

Journalist: And by that point, where will we stand in terms of technology and progress—particularly in the nuclear field?

Mohsen Rezaei: We will continue to refrain from pursuing a nuclear bomb. Naturally, we don’t know what the future holds, but we will remain committed to the fatwa of His Eminence, the Leader, and proceed accordingly. We must wait and see how events unfold, but for now, we have no intention of pursuing a nuclear weapon.

Journalist: In the realm of media—where it plays a central role in times of conflict—the situation today is following a familiar path. What is broadcast across various media networks, or circulated in cyberspace, often provokes concern among the public, particularly given the confusing blend of accurate and inaccurate information found online.

Some people tend to believe this information to be true. To date, we’ve seen a surge of reports about various public figures allegedly being targeted in airstrikes—whether inside Tehran or elsewhere—linked to operations conducted by our armed forces inside the occupied territories. Most of these reports are rife with rumors and conflicting narratives, some true, many false.

In such a context, managing the scene—especially the media file—and informing the public about the real nature of what is being reported becomes critically important. At the very least, we must work to ease people’s anxiety and tension. After all, this too is a form of warfare: the media operates on the battlefield.

Mohsen Rezaei: Look, Mr. Khosravi—these media outlets are tied to elites, political movements, and factions across the spectrum. As a soldier in the ranks of the Iranian people, I urgently call for serious discussions about the nature of this war and its broader consequences.

Why were the negotiations abandoned midway, and why was the path of war chosen instead? Why? Is the issue limited solely to the nuclear file? Or is the missile file also a target? And what comes next?

These questions must be analyzed thoroughly. If our elites can arrive at a unified strategic and interpretive understanding of the nature of this war, that consensus will influence all media outlets and political groups alike.

Our problem today is that some still cast doubt on the very possibility of Israel launching an attack on Iran. From our vantage point, this skepticism lingers because the depth of the issue has not yet been grasped.

They believe it is simply a matter of uranium enrichment. But if the true nature of this war were revealed—if it became clear what the other side is really after, and why they turned to war in the midst of ongoing negotiations, even as Iran was preparing to present its proposal—then the picture would be different.

What interest would Iran have in derailing the talks? Mr. Araghchi was scheduled to go on Sunday to present our negotiation plan. So it’s obvious: we were not the party that broke off the talks.

Journalist: Do you believe that even if we had—hypothetically—agreed to a complete halt in enrichment, war would still have broken out?

Mohsen Rezaei: Whether we had negotiated or not, they would have attacked us. No matter what form of enrichment we might have agreed to… even if we had accepted zero enrichment, it would have made no difference.

Enrichment stands as a barrier to the next stages. As we fighters say, it is a trench. This enrichment, in and of itself, is a form of resistance. It is the first trench that blocks the imposition of American and Zionist demands and dictates. We held this trench so they could not push deeper into Iran. Otherwise, the missile issue would have come next. And after that, they would have moved to restrict our movements from Iraq and other neighboring countries, and beyond. No form of communication would have been allowed.

They would have proceeded step by step. After Iran—yes, after Iran—they would have moved on to Iraq.
The Iraq issue is serious. They had already debated whether to start with Iraq or Iran. In the end, they decided: let’s hit Iran first—then Iraq will fall into our hands like ripe fruit, without dragging us into a quagmire of confrontation.

I can’t help but think: if our dear analysts and respected elites were to hold serious, reasoned debates—even within the national broadcasting authority itself (and I call on my dear brother Mr. Jebelli [Director‑General of IRIB, Iran’s state-run media organization] to open this door)—we could very easily reach a national consensus on the true nature of this war.

And if we defeat them—God Almighty willing—a vast horizon will open before Iran, in terms of its national security and national progress.

Journalist: Because some current analyses suggest that, anticipating Iran’s firm stance on enrichment—and its refusal to accept the principle of zero enrichment—they deliberately blew up the negotiating table and launched their aggression. Some people simply don’t see the full picture.

Mohsen Rezaei: Look, enrichment has two dimensions. One is that it is an industry—so why should we give it up? But more importantly, industrial enrichment represents a defensive trench that prevents the enemy from continuing its advance. And this aspect, unfortunately, is rarely given the attention it deserves.

Journalist: Is enrichment, in your view, a realistic objective?

Mohsen Rezaei: Yes, enrichment is a realistic necessity. If we do not possess it, we will eventually be forced to spend billions of dollars to import enriched materials—whether for medical purposes or to generate electricity. That much is true.

But more importantly, enrichment is a defensive stronghold that shields us from further demands. Had the issue been limited to enrichment alone, negotiations would have continued. So why did they resort to war?

The very fact that they launched a war proves that they are after more than just the cessation of enrichment. If enrichment were truly the only problem, we would have presented our proposal, entered into talks, and explored possible compromises. We might even have arrived at a third formula on a specific matter.

But where? They rejected the premise from the outset. And that, in itself, is clear evidence that they want more than just to halt enrichment. What they seek is the destruction of the defensive line that enrichment represents.

So even if we were to completely suspend enrichment—if we believed in it, accepted it, signed off on it—they would simply come forward with the next demand.

Journalist: So, do you believe that by agreeing to enter negotiations, the Islamic Republic of Iran effectively stripped the Americans of all the pretexts they had been using—yet they still returned to a premeditated scenario?

Mohsen Rezaei: Exactly. That is precisely what I have seen time and again. There is genuine wisdom in the measures taken by His Eminence the Leader.

I myself was among those who opposed the negotiations—not out of obstinacy, but because I recognized the gravity of the situation and took the prospect of war with the utmost seriousness. I used to say: even if we do negotiate, war is inevitable.

Several commanders were martyred—some of them, may God have mercy on them, I used to tell: war is a foregone conclusion. That is why I had doubts about the usefulness of negotiations. But today, I fully understand just how far-sighted and effective the wisdom of the Leader of the Revolution truly was. He saw through the situation. He exposed the enemy’s cards.

They have now proven that they never intended to negotiate on equal footing. With the war they started, they openly declared their true objectives. They laid bare their demands. And in doing so, they revealed their intentions.

Today, the unity of our people, the overwhelmingly positive response we’re seeing from global public opinion, the support of other nations for our front, and the solidarity between the people and our armed forces—these are all major gains.

It has turned into an ever-growing force. In other words, the wisdom of the Leader of the Revolution has produced a rising power in defense of Iran.

Journalist: Very well. We have about two minutes left. Would you like to offer any final thoughts as we conclude?

Mohsen Rezaei: Yes. Perhaps the best way for me to close is to say, from this very place: I hope to kiss the hand of His Eminence the Leader. And I ask that he assign me a field mission. You, who have donned your combat uniforms—may His Eminence assign me a mission on the front.

God willing, I will be present on the battlefield, shoulder to shoulder with my mujahideen brothers, on the front lines.

Journalist: Thank you very much.

New Parasites (non-Korean film)

Dmitry Medvedev (TG Channel)

The green intestinal tapeworm has slithered over to his masters in England, begging for another cash injection. But before that, he brazenly issued a modest little ultimatum – just 0.25% of each ally’s GDP for Kiev in 2026. Each one! Because apparently, anything less just won’t cut it.

However, herein lies a nuance, so to speak.

It seems the current US administration – already grappling with a new, dangerous war in the Middle East and the skyrocketing costs that come with it – is no longer willing to turn a blind eye to the Banderite parasites stealing the money that worm-infested old man Biden had so lavishly loaned to them. Even the early findings of the audit of the US financial and military assistance (or rather, the results of an O&P test) have shown that the professional intestinal parasites in the government of vanishing Ukraine have pocketed at least $12bn. They’re trembling right inside the gut now, claiming they don’t know how to account for the use of those funds.

And it only gets juicier.

The threadworms of Bankovaya Street can’t confirm the receipt by the Ukrainian armed forces of about 30% of all weapons and military equipment supplied by the US. I’ve already warned about these deadly presents falling into the hands of all kinds of criminals around the world, including international terrorist groups. This plain truth is finally beginning to dawn on the suppliers, who, until recently, were ardent supporters of aiding the parasitic Ukrainian democracy of pork and dwarf tapeworms.

And this is just the beginning. If the Americans continue with their audit, they’re sure to find out more interesting stuff. Which means the parasite-in-chief, together with his nest of roundworms and other helminths, are in for a congressional investigation. If that is the case, the Kiev parasites will come to their sorry end as they face their inevitable eradication by deworming.

America, say NO to the parasite worms (helminths)!

How to fact-check Techno-Feudalism?

There are auspicious signs on the other side of dystopia. And right here in Russia.

By Pepe Escobar at the Strategic Culture Foundation.

The Global Digital Forum last week in delightful Nizhny Novgorod represented a landmark in the quest for a more equitable media landscape across the whole Global South.

Pride of place was taken by a new ambitious association, the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN). The last session of the forum was focused essentially on how to fight all the toxic declinations imposed by the post-truth anti-cultural ambiance – as in fact-checking an avalanche of fake news coming in most cases from states and official institutions.

Guest of honor was superstar Russian Foreign Minister spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, relaxed, in great spirits, who went full Deng Xiaoping by urging everyone to “fight for the truth and seek out the facts”.

By a twist of fate, the timeline left me with only two minutes to somehow wrap up our quite enlightening discussion. So I went hardcore and quoted Nietzsche: “There are no facts, only interpretations”. Later on, I was surprised at how that had struck a nerve especially among African delegates.

The key point is that in the artificially fabricated post-truth environment, not only facts are only facts if we say so; most of all, only one interpretation is allowed – be it from the Empire of Chaos, whoever may be in power, or from a Kafkaesque mechanism such as the European Union (EU)/European Commission (EC).

If you deviate from the official interpretation, they will come after you. That has led, for instance, in Europe, to journalists/EU citizens being prevented even from traveling to their own nation-states, and having their accounts frozen, or EU citizens being prevented from covering a supposedly democratic election (in Romania), and immediately deported (outside of the EU).

A startling essay on Nietzsche amplifies the diagnostic of Europe’s current cultural suicide. Nietzsche was an “untimely” outsider, a steppenwolf, pledging allegiance to no one and nothing, silently grappling with “the flat exhaustion of bourgeois modernity”, and searching, in vain, for “silhouettes among shadows”.

Nietzsche, in the late 19^th century, was already a symbol of Resistance. Resistance as we see it today – from the Axis of Resistance in West Asia to Orthodox Christian military batallions fighting for the freedom of Novorossiya. No ceremony ever greeted Nitzsche: he was always alone. He shattered illusion after illusion as his solitude “became liturgy” and “his body turned into protest.” He impersonated “the ghost of nobility”. A species in extinction – indeed.

Tech visionaries want it all

That crystal clear Nietzsche intuition – arguably the best definition of truth in the history of philosophy – may be our guide in the labyrinth of post-truth where, to quote post-modernist masterpiece Twin Peaks, “the owls are not what they seem”.

Errol Musk, Elon’s father, showed up early this week in Moscow for the Future 2050 forum. Daddy Musk effusively showered praise on Russia as Ancient Rome 2.0 and Moscow itself as the “capital of the world”. Quite on point – in both cases.

But what really matters is why Daddy Musk is in Russia. That may align with a strategy of luring powerful sectors of Silicon Valley into doing business with Russia. Main actors/participants would be tech visionaries which used to be part of the notorious PayPal Mafia: Elon Musk and Peter Thiel.

That may pose a series of serious problems. Martin Armstrong has been instrumental in portraying this band of tech visionaries as a ubiquitous new oligarchy: active in social media, biotech, space, the surveillance industry, engineering policies and influencing monetary systems with their hardcore brand of venture capitalism, and not to mention shaping worldwide-interfering narratives.

The new tech elite shines brightly via the Trump-Musk love affair turned staged catfight. But its tentacles reach much further. J.D. Vance is Peter Thiel’s perfectly positioned candidate to become the next POTUS. Palantir, controlled by Thiel and totalitarian Alex Karp, have been awarded a massive contract to design a U.S. federally centralized database using very sophisticated AI models.

Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill is heavy on AI – including a 10-year moratorium during which any U.S. state and local government  cannot regulate AI. This will allow free reign for deepfakes and Big Tech doing whatever they feel like to manipulate unsuspecting consumers.

So that’s the key question. How to fact-check the tech elite? How to counterpunch multiple instances of techno-feudalism – when tech companies feed intel to governments, commit unlimited funds to political operations, and set up censorship platforms disguised as “democracy”, drenched in AI-generated fake news?

Go East, to Siberia, young man

At least there are auspicious signs on the other side of dystopia. And right here in Russia. This is a mesmerizing interview by Nora Hoppe and Tariq Marzbaan with legendary Prof. Sergey Karaganov, Honorary Chairman of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy (Russia’s leading public foreign policy organisation) and academic supervisor at the Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

Welcome to a magic carpet ride through the really deep origins of Russia’s heritage. Starting with the Scythians: “Now we are rediscovering within ourselves these roots that unites us with the peoples of Eurasia.”

All the way to Byzantium: “The Russian princes, who baptized Russia, chose Byzantium ― at that time the richest, the most developed and intellectually flourishing country in Central Eurasia, much more developed than Europe was (…) The Russian princes’ astute choice of Byzantium largely predetermined Russian culture, Russian architecture, and, of course, Russian religion, that is, our Orthodoxy.”

And then reaching Pax Mongolica: “The Mongol Empire left a deep mark on Russian history also, because it was multicultural and very tolerant religiously, and this is where I think (although there is no complete agreement amongst historians on this matter) the Russians ― the dominant people in the former Russian Empire and the USSR ― inherited their unique cultural, religious, and national openness.”

Karaganov forcefully proposes that everything positive about Pax Mongolica should be re-examined to “substantiate the unity of Eurasia.” And “we must rely just as much on the heritage of the Scythians, who were the forefathers of so many peoples in Greater Central Eurasia.”

This is the essence of a true multipolar Russia in action – leading to the fascinating concept of “Siberianization”: a “spiritual, cultural, political, and economic development of Russia in the eastern direction to the Urals and Siberia. The western direction of our policy and economic ties has bleak prospects.”

Karaganov, whose analyses are deeply appreciated by President Putin, is adamant: it all amounts to a “civilizational struggle against techno-barbarism and techno-paganism”, and “against dehumanization”. Against, essentially, techno-feudalism.

Siberianisation and the Pursuit of a New Civilisational Platform

A Third Interview with Prof. Sergey A. Karaganov

– Nora Hoppe and Tariq Marzbaan – Al Mayadeen English

Introduction

Following our first two interviews here and here, we wish to turn once again to esteemed luminary, political scientist and senior political advisor, Professor Sergey A. Karaganov* to discuss the topics of Russia’s historic civilisations, Siberia and the process of Siberianisation, and the essence of a New Civilisational Platform for the Russian Federation.

* * *

I. Russia’s historical civilisations

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: You mentioned in our last interview with you that Russia is the proud heir of two great civilisations – the Mongol and the Byzantine civilisations…

The Byzantine legacies…

What did Russia inherit from Byzantium beyond Orthodox Christianity, other than its influence on the arts and architecture?

PROFESSOR KARAGANOV: Let me begin by saying that if we want to get to the deep origins of the identity of Russia, the Russians and other peoples of the Russian Empire and the USSR, as well as very many other peoples of Eurasia, we must go back to the end of the first millennium BC and the beginning of the first millennium AD. At that time, the vast spaces from Mongolia to the Carpathians and beyond, and then toward Iran and even India to the forests of today’s Russia were roamed by Scythian tribes that left a significant cultural layer and a huge number of burial mounds. The Scythians were a very interesting people. Unfortunately, they did not leave literary texts, although they left a lot of household items testifying to their high culture. There is also the famous Scythian gold. These tribes, which made up a soft empire, laid the foundation for most of the peoples in Central Eurasia from Mongolia through Iran, Phoenicia, Byzantium, and Southern Russia, approximately to present-day Hungary. The Scythians spoke a language that apparently had Eastern Iranic roots. Now we are rediscovering within ourselves these roots that unite us with the peoples of Eurasia.

Many Russian literary works are devoted to the Scythians. The Scythian heritage and passionarity were vividly embodied in Russian culture and ideology.

For some time, at the beginning or the middle of the first millennium, the Scythians were replaced by the Huns, who lived in an area stretching from approximately present-day northern Italy to Ukraine. They left a smaller mark on our culture, although the Huns terrified the whole of Europe.

At the end of the 8^th and beginning of the 9^th centuries, Ancient Rus’ had to choose its religion. There were three options: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity in its Byzantine version. The Russian princes, who baptized Russia, chose Byzantium ― at that time the richest, the most developed and intellectually flourishing country in Central Eurasia, much more developed than Europe was. I believe it was much more developed than the Jewish or Muslim state associations. The Russian princes’ astute choice of Byzantium largely predetermined Russian culture, Russian architecture, and, of course, Russian religion, that is, our Orthodoxy. We remained faithful to Orthodoxy even after Christianity had split into Orthodoxy and Catholicism. So to some extent we are Old Believers in this sense and can even say that we are true Christians.

Byzantium gave us icon painting, architecture ― early pre-Mongol Russian architecture is magnificent ― and, if we compare it with European architecture of that time, I am talking about the beginning of the last millennium, it looks, of course, much more beautiful, more sophisticated. It reveals a very strong Byzantine influence.

It was at that time that the Russian writing system came from present-day Greece. Greek monks ― Byzantines ― had the strongest influence on the formation of basic Russian culture. Early Russia frequently fought with Byzantium but gained much more from it. Moreover, the so-called trade route from the Varangians to the Greeks, from Scandinavia to Byzantium, passed through Ancient Rus’, and it not only enriched the Russian lands but had the strongest influence on Russian culture.

The Mongol legacies…

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: The Mongol invasions of Asia are known to have been ruthless and devastating… And yet the PAX MONGOLICA that followed in territories under continued Mongol rule is said to have brought many beneficial developments, such as more extensive trade routes, increased cultural exchanges and scientific and technological developments, etc.

Moreover, the occupation of Eastern Europe by the Golden Horde even led to the unification of Russia: before Mongol rule, the Russian-speaking peoples of the region lived in scattered city-states, and in order to free themselves from the Mongol yoke, they had to unite. And the Silk Road flourished in this period.

But in mostly Western history books and in the general Western view today, the Mongols, the “Golden Horde” (only one of the many khanates of the Mongol Empire), “hordes” (which became a derogatory term for large groups) in general and often even the Tatars as a people (the origin of the designation “Tatar” being unclear, due to many different interpretations) are conflated and generally viewed as brutal and backward in all respects.

How would you describe the “encounter” of the Russians with the Mongols and later with the creation of the Golden Horde? How is the Mongol Empire seen today by most citizens of the Russian Federation today? Are there many divided views?

PROF. KARAGANOV: Until recently, the Russian interpretation of history was dominated by the Westernized view of the Mongol Empire. Modern Russian historiography began around the 18^th-19^th centuries and was very strongly influenced by Western culture, so everything that came from Asia was perceived negatively.

Until recently, this was the dominant narrative in Russian historical memory. Things began to change in recent decades. We are beginning to understand more and more that the Mongols did not only plunder Russia and delay its material development, but they also had a huge positive impact on Russia. Firstly, reliance on the Mongols allowed Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky, one of the most important heroes in Russian history, who reigned in the 13^th century, to defeat the Teutons. He chose the Mongols because they were religiously tolerant and more culturally open than the Teutonic Catholics. By that, he largely predetermined the course of Russia’s development. The Mongol Empire left a deep mark on Russian history also, because it was multicultural and very tolerant religiously, and this is where I think (although there is no complete agreement amongst historians on this matter) the Russians ― the dominant people in the former Russian Empire and the USSR ― inherited their unique cultural, religious, and national openness.

The Horde’s power was quite unique. Russia was its vassal, but the Horde did not interfere concretely in Russia’s internal affairs. Russia was a vassal but not a colony. The Mongols taxed, plundered, and delayed material development, but they did not delay cultural and spiritual development. Perhaps external pressure even spurred the development of core Russian culture around the Orthodox Church.

Nevertheless, there is still no complete agreement on this issue. Ethnic Russian nationalists reject our Mongolian roots in every possible way. So-called liberal Westerners, who would like Russia to align entirely with Europe, also reject this. As is often the case in history, and this is a historical irony, liberal Westerners and ultranationalists have closed their ranks in this regard. But the debate is on, and it greatly helps our spiritual development. I think that sooner or later we will come to a more balanced view of the Mongol period. So far, this period has mainly been described as “the struggle of the Russian people against the Mongols”.

In fact, the Russian national character was largely formed in their struggle against the Mongols, on the one hand, and against the Teutons and other potential invaders from the West, on the other. The Russian national character, the character of the warrior, was born in these struggles.

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: Can you describe the “vertical power” and the “global thinking” inherited from the Mongols? And what else did Russia inherit from the Mongols?

PROF. KARAGANOV: I think there will be a reassessment of our Mongolian heritage, as I said. All the more so, because we are now turning, finally, to the East, but we will talk about this a little later. We are beginning to understand that we may not even have become who we are without this Mongolian heritage, and the Mongols gave us the concept of vertical power that helped Russia become a huge country, a de facto empire.

The Mongols left us a unique system of roadways, when envoys were able to travel on constantly changing horses from what is now China to what is now Hungary in just a few months. This is a very fascinating period in history, and we are studying it now. One of the most interesting discoveries, which I personally made only recently, is that the great Russian ruler, Alexander Nevsky, the prince who defeated the Teutons and founded the Russian state in many spiritual ways, at some point in 1247-1248, travelled to the capital of the Mongol Empire, Karakorum, for a jarlig [a written imperial decree] in order to rule.

Alexander Nevsky and maybe – but we don’t know this for sure – his father were the first Russian Siberians. He crossed almost all of southern Siberia and then lived in Karakorum for several months. The most interesting thing is that the crown prince of the Mongol Empire, Kublai Khan, or Hubilai, as he is known in Europe through Marco Polo, was in Karakorum at that moment. At that time, he was only a contender for the throne of the great khan. A few years after their almost certain meeting and perhaps even after many conversations, he became a great khan, a unifier of China, and the founder of the Yuan dynasty. So we have common historical roots with China. Neither Russian nor Chinese historians have so far delved into this period of our history. But this is an interesting task to tackle in the future.

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: Can we perhaps utilise the positive aspects of the Pax Mongolica for a renaissance of Eurasia, for the BRICS, for a Multipolar World?

PROF. KARAGANOV: Apparently, our great capacity for complex thinking dates back to the time when Russia was part of the Mongol Empire, when it interacted with various peoples from China to present-day Eastern Europe via the Mongol Empire and before that via the common Scythian heritage, when the Russian princes travelled through almost all of Eurasia. It was our deepest root. this capacity for complex thinking was further developed from the 16^th century onwards, when Russians headed for Asia again. This time, they crossed the Ural Range and undertook the conquest and development of Siberia ― one of the most glorious episodes in Russian history, which ultimately established the greatness of Russia and its national character.

Naturally, we can and should utilise the positive aspects of the history of Pax Mongolica and the Mongol Empire, in order to substantiate the unity of Eurasia. And, as I said at the beginning of our interview, we must rely just as much on the heritage of the Scythians, who were the forefathers of so many peoples in Greater Central Eurasia.

Eurasia is living through a renaissance, and, of course, we must study our common history, which is much richer than it seemed until now, when we, both in Russia and in Asia, largely looked at the world through the eyes of Europeans. We read European books and considered Byzantium dirty and backward. We in Russia even had the term “vizantiyshchina,” which meant intrigue and inefficiency, even though Byzantium was much more developed than Western Europe was back then.

But the Mongol Empire and the Scythians unite us with Iran, with the Phoenicians, with the Mongols, and with North India. In fact, they were, firstly, the most powerful empire in the history of humankind, and secondly, they laid the foundation for Eurasia to become the centre of the world, which it was during the Mongol Empire that, incidentally, offered protection to the Silk Road stretching from China to the West.

I am not sure that the legacy of the Mongol Empire can and should be used to substantiate the development of BRICS. After all, BRICS is a global phenomenon. It includes countries in Latin America and Africa, but our Mongolian heritage is very appropriate for substantiating the development of the SCO as well as pan-Eurasian development and the security system that we are starting to build.

Pagan roots and legacies…

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: Before the Byzantines and Mongols came, the Rus‘ people were pagan (e.g. Prince Oleg the Wise, who laid the foundation for the state of Kievan Rus’) – thus Paganism is also a root of the Rus‘ Russian people (not to mention the root of non-Rus’ Russians)… Are there any positive “pagan legacies” for Russia today?

PROF. KARAGANOV: We have a huge number of national customs and holidays that connect us with the times when we were pagans. Many Christian, Orthodox holidays are directly related to holidays dating back to pagan times. In our country, if you look closely, you can obviously see pagan traditions often preserved in regions where Orthodoxy and even Islam formally prevail.

Moreover, in the last decades of the Soviet period and even now, the traditions of the “small peoples” [In the Russian Federation, “small peoples” (malye narody) refers to the 40 indigenous ethnic groups inhabiting the North, Siberia, and the Far East, particularly those with traditional lifestyles based on subsistence activities like fishing, reindeer herding, and hunting and local traditions receive wide support and have become much more popular. When traveling through the Urals and Siberia, I often met very dedicated, very educated, formally Orthodox people or even atheists, who nevertheless observe pagan holidays. But the most exciting and wonderful pagan holiday is Pancake Week in early spring when we eat pancakes with all sorts of salted vegetables, salted fish, sweets and honey. This is the funniest holiday in Russia, and it is observed not only by Orthodox Christians, although it coincides in part with the Orthodox calendar, but it is also celebrated by our Muslim and Jewish brothers. It is a nationwide feast. It is a little unhealthy, of course, today to eat so many pancakes with all sorts of pickled vegetables, but it’s great fun.

II. Siberia and Siberianisation

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: What is “Siberia” and how can it be defined today?

PROF. KARAGANOV: All over the world and, above all, in Europe, Siberia is associated with cold, vast spaces, uncomfortable life, and hard labour. Russia has a different attitude towards Siberia. In Russia, Siberia is also associated with cold – that’s true, even though Siberia is getting warmer: the zone of convenient agriculture is expanding there, and its climate is becoming milder. But, with regard to Russian identity and in Russian thinking, Siberia is mainly associated with boundless expanses and unlimited possibilities, but most importantly with freedom, volya. That’s Russian freedom ― freedom without borders, which we probably inherited from the Mongol Empire. For Russians, freedom means a movement towards vastitude, towards infinity, towards God.

The conquest and development of Siberia cannot be explained without God’s intervention. How could the Cossacks travel many thousands of kilometres from the Urals to Kamchatka in just 60 years? There is no explanation for this. They sought volya, something larger-than-life. They also sought, of course, “soft gold” ― furs ― but none of them became really rich. However Siberia formed and strengthened the best features of the Russian national character: perseverance, industriousness, collectivism, internationalism, courage, and the pursuit of freedom.

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: We know that Siberia is rich in many different kinds of resources and vast agricultural space, as well as a great mix of different peoples… so it already has a lot to give the rest of Russia.

Can you describe what else Siberia has to offer the rest of Russia – culturally, spiritually? Which city or cities do you believe will become the most active centres or future capitals of Siberia? And which cities would represent which activities?

PROF. KARAGANOV: Siberia is without a doubt a unique territory in terms of cultural, religious, and ethnic openness. In this sense, Siberia is, as some Russian writers say, the place where the best of the Russian character was brewed, that is, a combination of all the best and the strongest in it. Dozens of peoples and cultures co-existed in Siberia: Muslims, Buddhists, many pagans, and, of course, Orthodox Christians lived next to each other. For all of Russia and the whole world, Siberia should be an example of unique friendship amongst peoples, a unique alloy of different cultures ― South Asian, East Asian, Chinese, and European. It has everything.

My favourite memory of Siberia is when, a few years ago, I travelled to its first capital ― the city of Tobolsk, founded in the 17^th century. I was invited to attend a classical organ performance at a local Catholic church. It had been built by exiles who apparently lived in Tobolsk after the Polish uprisings had been crushed and a large number of Poles had been exiled to Siberia. By the way, the detained Swedes and French, captured by Alexander I and Kutuzov, also lived there. So in this church, built in the century before last, we were greeted by the local Armenian community that had organized this organ recital. So we took our seats. It is quite a traditional and very beautiful Catholic church.

A young man came out, he said that he was an Armenian and his father was a builder who had rebuilt this church 20 years earlier. It was then that this young man had decided to convert to Catholicism, although before that he had been an Orthodox believer. And then he sat down at the organ and started playing music by Bach, Mendelssohn, Handel, and Tchaikovsky. An Orthodox Armenian, who adopted Catholicism in the centre of Siberia, plays Bach and Handel for the Armenian community in a Polish church, and a group of visitors from Moscow… This is the essence of Siberia.

Siberia is also a unique ethnic “alloy.” When the Russians headed for Siberia, they, naturally, could not bring women with them at first and had to marry women from the local tribes. The only thing that was required of them was to baptize these women first. This is why the indigenous Siberians have both Turkic and Mongolian features inherited from the “small peoples” with whom the Russians intermarried. These “small peoples” still live and enjoy support in Siberia. Moreover, some of these peoples are growing in numbers, which is a unique experience for all humankind. Thus there can be no such thing as racism in Siberia or anywhere else in Russia. Instead there is multiculturalism, multiracialism, multi-religiousness, and incredible openness.

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: What does the process of “Siberianisation” entail? Do you believe the attitude toward this has changed over the past years?

PROF. KARAGANOV: In the late 1990s, realizing the need for Russia’s turn to the East at a time when it was completely focused on the West, I tried to organise a group of people from the Russian elite in order to substantiate a new strategy for the development of Siberia. We released several reports, but the idea didn’t take off. By the end of the 2000s, my young colleagues and I had started a new project, which was later called “The Eastern Turn.” Using economic calculations and historical studies, but primarily economic calculations, we demonstrated that a turn to the East, to Asia, was necessary, not just because the situation in the West would inevitably deteriorate – which I did not tell anyone back then as it was simply dangerous – but also because new markets were likely to open for Russia in the East and in the South. Fortunately, our calculations and reports – along with those of Sergei Shoigu, who is now our Security Council Secretary, and of his associates – were acted upon. And in the early 2010s, President Putin announced the first Eastern Turn, and so it began.

That Eastern Turn was partially successful. Suffice it to say that in 2009, European markets accounted for 56-58% of Russian trade turnover, and we were unilaterally dependent on them. By the beginning of the 2020s, their share had decreased to 35%, and Asia’s share had doubled. This helped us persevere though our confrontation with the West, which began in the early 2010s but escalated in 2022.

But now Russia is facing a much more ambitious task from my point of view ― the spiritual, cultural, political, and economic development of Russia in the eastern direction to the Urals and Siberia. The western direction of our policy and economic ties has bleak prospects.

Naturally, we would like to restore some of our economic ties with Europe, and we were not the ones who ruptured them… they were and are being broken by distraught European elites who seek total isolation and self-isolation in order to stir up military hysteria in their countries. They were broken by the Americans who wanted to make Europe even more dependent on them. This rupture does not benefit us, yet it has yielded some positive aspects: we have at last focused on ourselves and we are getting rid of the comprador elite, Western-centrism, and Westernism. However we should not only rid ourselves of such things, we should also move forward.

Our future depends on our “return home”, and Russia’s home since the 16^th-17^th centuries has been Siberia, of course. There would be no Russia as a great state and as a multinational unique nation without the development of Siberia. This is why we need to shift our efforts there now, especially as Siberia is becoming a much more pleasant place to live – due to climate change. There are new, fantastic opportunities opening up there for the development of agriculture. And Siberia’s mineral and water wealth are absolutely unique. This is why we are currently demonstrating and proving to ourselves that the many roots of both the Russian national character and of Russian history are in Siberia.

Thus, by returning to Siberia after our western journey – which Peter the Great embarked upon more than 300 years ago and which peaked in the 1990s, when part of our elite lost their minds and rushed headlong to Europe – we are balancing our spiritual, economic, and political orientation. This is what we call “Siberianization”.

But we are certainly not forsaking our European cultural roots. We appreciate them. Moreover, many of us believe that we remain true Europeans now that Europe is abandoning its traditional roots, Christianity, and moral values. We are becoming who we were and should be, the way the Lord made us; hence the tremendous efforts of our people who moved beyond the Urals and who built the Trans-Siberian Railway. We are becoming the northern Eurasian people who we have always been but at some point chose to forget. Thus Siberianization also means returning home, to our true selves.

One element in the process of the Siberianization of Russia is the creation of a third Russian capital, which is absolutely necessary. The first one is political and largely industrial ― that is Moscow; the second one ― St. Petersburg ― is cultural. But we need a third capital. Once we thought it should be in the Far East, but now everything looks much clearer ― it needs to be created in Central Siberia, with some of the ministries, departments, and the headquarters of major corporations who run operations in Siberia to be moved there. President Vladimir Putin has already taken relevant decisions in response to our initiative.

I will not try to determine where the new capital should be located. This is something for our economists and politicians to decide. From my point of view, it should not be in one of the large Siberian cities, which already attract a large number of people. It should be somewhere near a large city, a large communication and transport hub. We will decide. We are now preparing a special report in which we will compare the pros and cons of different regions and different locations for a new capital.

I think the best place is the Minusinsk Basin. It is a paradise where peaches and apricots grow, 600 km north of Krasnoyarsk. But this place is not very convenient in terms of transport. So we will have to think about it.

Needless to say, I really fell in love with the first capital of Siberia, the city of Tobolsk, which houses Siberia’s only Kremlin built in the 17^th century, very beautiful with magnificent cathedrals. Once a very rich city, it has partially lost its central role, unfortunately. It was a very important hub on the Northern Silk Road from China in the 17^th–19^th centuries. The Trans-Siberian Railway bypassed it. So for a century it lost its centrality. Plus, from my point of view, it is too close to the centre of Russia. Still, I would like a new capital to be even farther east. And yet, Tobolsk, with its unique beauty and history, is the most obvious place for a third capital. It may become that one day.

Tobolsk is rapidly reviving now due to a powerful industry, with various plants created there recently. The city is going through a renaissance. I often visit it, and we have launched a special a special event there: The Tobolsk Readings, on the Siberianization of Russia. The first readings took place in Tobolsk. Additional events will be held in other cities of Siberia and Central Russia, but they will still be called The Tobolsk Readings.

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: How can Russia free or protect itself more from Western influence and its insidious “soft power”? How can the eurocentrism of some of the Russian elites be overcome? Why do you think some fear or reject the Asian aspects of Russia?

PROF. KARAGANOV: This attitude is rapidly changing, it began to change in the decade before last, but the open confrontation with the West in 2022 provided the most powerful incentive. This is basically a war with the West in Ukraine, where the West is using the unfortunate and deceived Ukrainian people as cannon fodder.

Eurocentrism is rooted quite deeply in Russian consciousness, as well as in the minds of many other peoples around the world who were under the influence of Europe that dominated world history for 500 years and whose dominance began to shrink only a few decades ago. Now this process has intensified. We still have a lot of work to do to understand who we are and to restore our true Russian identity.

Russia is objectively freeing itself from harmful Western influences. As I have said before, one of the goals of the special military operation, of the war with the West in Ukraine, is our mental, political, and economic liberation from Western influence, which has become not only obsolete but also very harmful because, apart from neo-colonialism, racism, and everything that was previously connected with it, the West is now promoting post-human and anti-human values such as the LGBT agenda, ultra-feminism, the denial of history, transhumanism, and so on.

We need not completely abandon our European heritage ― after all, it gave us a lot, and we would not have become a country of great culture without European influence. It spawned 19^th century Russian literature ― an alloy of traditional Russian and high European culture. Pushkin, Dostoevsky, and Tolstoy would probably not have been born if there hadn’t been European influence. Europe gave us much and enriched us. But now we no longer need it. We acquired everything we could and even more than we needed.

I have already said and written more than once that we should have completed our European journey a century ago, before the First World War, in which we got embroiled in playing European games. We should have done it before Bolshevism and the bloody revolution, before we borrowed “vulgar Marxism” that had many very grave consequences for our country. Many in Russia are still, of course, afraid of Asianism. This might be a sign of backwardness and squalor of the mind. I speak and write about this without mincing words. In conversations with my friends and colleagues, I often hear them say that we do not understand Asia and we do not know Asia. I agree that many of us do not understand or know Asia, but if we see this as a merit, then it would be no different from a blind person being proud of his blindness. We must open our eyes and see that Asia is a cluster of great cultures and great civilizations that have given us so much to absorb.

For many years, other countries but also our own Westernizers cultivated here the fear of Asia, of the “Yellow Peril”. For example, they claimed until recently that almost three or even more million Chinese live in Russia. There are more than ten times fewer of them, maybe even too few. As I have said before, I wish we had more Chinese chefs in our restaurants.

Anti-Asian sentiment in Russia was purposefully kindled and stoked by the West and liberal westernized Russians. Fortunately, their time has passed, and many of them simply fled after the start of the war, and we cleared our country of this scum. But I repeat, while turning to Asia, the South, and the East, we must not forget our magnificent European roots. We must move towards the future, towards being what history intended us to be ― a great northern Eurasian power, a unifier and balancer of Greater Eurasia.

III. The Pursuit of a New Civilisational Platform

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: In your recent epic article “To Eurasia with Intellectual Freedom”, you describe the many aspects of Russia’s “Turn to the East”, and you also speak of Russia’s need for a spiritual rebirth and for its need to adopt a new, core identity – based on its rich and multifarious historical roots, as well as on its multifarious peoples, cultures, beliefs of today – in order to better unite all its peoples into a new harmonious future. You call the pursuit of this national identity Russia’s “Idea-Dream”. You have, for a while now, organised several study groups to come up with some ideas for a “New Civilisational Platform” for the Russian Federation… one that might even be of great inspiration for a “Civilisational Platform” for the Global Majority…

In that article, you wrote that “the economy should turn from the core and master of state strategy into a respected servant. People should become the ends rather than the means of development, the purpose of state policy and public life, and not just as individuals, but as citizens ready to work for a common cause.” Is a “preliminary” economic system being considered? Neoliberal capitalism has failed and was never a just system for the People… what could substitute it?

PROF. KARAGANOV: This is the most difficult question. It is clear that the neoliberal capitalist system has failed and is dragging us down and back. But the socialist model did not work very well either. We need to think about another civilizational platform that would use capitalist business practices but would at the same time be geared towards facilitating human development and protecting nature and what is known as the noosphere in Russian philosophical language, that is, the unity of man and nature.

But most importantly, I think that we in Russia, and maybe other people in the world, should focus on the development of the human being ― his intellectual, spiritual, and physical development ― not just as an individual, but as a person who serves the family, society, the country, the state, and God. First of all, we need to focus on self-improvement. This is embedded in almost all religions and all codes of ethics. We must take these ideas from the world’s spiritual and philosophical heritage and make them our top priority. This is a daunting task, but I think this should be the cornerstone of Russia’s new Idea-Dream – a Russian Citizen’s Code for himself, for his country, and the world. We are working on it, and we will implement it through concrete policies. But this must be mainly done through public discussion, of course, and then through education. This requires essentially another civilizational platform, although many elements of this civilizational platform were laid down by the best humanists and philosophers, and they lie at the heart of most religions.

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: You have often mentioned that there were positive aspects of the Soviet system… What aspects of the Soviet system would you like to see retained or re-instated in a new “Civilisational Platform”?

PROF. KARAGANOV: The Soviet system failed primarily because it was based on an inefficient economic policy that rejected private ownership and personal economic interest. Nevertheless, what distinguishes it from other totalitarian ideologies is that it had a strong humanist core. The creation of the Soviet socialist system rendered capitalism in the West and the rest of the world somewhat more humane, open and progressive for some time. There emerged a so-called “social capitalism” that allowed societies in many countries to make great headway in their development.

After the Soviet Union collapsed, due to its own reasons and geopolitical failures, we saw a rapid degradation of social systems around the world. What was good in the Soviet Union? Certainly its universal, free and excellent education system. We are now restoring it but with great difficulty. Fortunately, it works at the secondary school level, which is however supplemented with private schools, and we are working to provide more opportunities to people from poor families so that they can get the best higher education. The Unified State Exam system helps, but there is still a long way to go.

We also need a free healthcare system, or at least free basic healthcare. We are now creating something similar through different structures.

The only thing that should not be restored from Soviet times is, of course, its homogenization of thought. This is what destroyed the Soviet Union when communist homogenization of thought narrowed minds. Burdened with a so-called Marxist-Leninist philosophy and political economy, we really did not understand what was happening in our country and in the world. So, to a large extent, this was the reason why the Soviet Union collapsed. And, of course, in no case should we restore the ways in which the Soviet system was imposed. In fact, the early Bolsheviks were guided by outwardly humanist ideas, but they used brutal methods to install them, including mass repressions and collectivization, which was carried out in order to break the peasantry’s backbones in the first place.

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: How do you see the role and function of religion in Russia today?

PROF. KARAGANOV: I cannot say that Russia has completely overcome its anti-religious past that was imposed on it under the Soviet Union when the Bolsheviks tried to replace religious consciousness with their ideology – with “a new communist religion”, by officially promoting atheism and suppressing religious feelings and faith. They closed most of the churches – there were only a few remaining open in the whole country, and they executed hundreds of thousands of clergymen – Christian, Muslim, and Jewish. This happened in the early days of the Soviet Union.

The Bolsheviks only partially succeeded in their aim to destroy religious consciousness, because the main postulates of communist ideology were based on God’s commandments. But the fact that they destroyed faith caused us enormous moral damage, which we are just beginning to repair now…

I believe that we need to make a deliberate effort in order to restore our faiths – but not in an obligatory manner. Every person can and should believe as he pleases; what matters is that he should be a good human being, and I think man was created in order to serve his family, his community, his country, and the state, if it is Russia, humanity, and God – if he is a believer.

Faith in God also means faith in the best that the human has within. After all, God created us in His own image ― this is the basis of all religions. So by striving for God, we strive for the best version of ourselves, especially since all religions ― Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, and Judaism ― promote the best in man… that is: morality, virtue, honour, dignity, and love for one another. If a man strives for such things, then he is a “godly man”, even if he does not believe in God.

Now there is a slow but obvious revival of religion in Russia. Tens of thousands of Orthodox churches and thousands of mosques have been restored or built anew. The number of believers is growing.

So, Christianity and Orthodoxy are returning to Russia, but Russia has never been, will not be and cannot be solely Christian. And I do not think that Russia should become a solely Christian country. The more different faiths there are in it, the better. At the same time, we should clearly understand that the fundamental Russian faith is Orthodox Christianity, which united the people and the vast Empire, and it should be supported in the first place – but without ousting other denominations. I hope that Orthodox Christianity will increase its influence in Russia. I can already see that happening, and I am helping this process. But I believe that society and the state should encourage all religious denominations, or, in any case, all traditional religious denominations united in their service to people, the family, society, and the state.

Russia is a unique and outstanding fusion of different religions, different cultures, and different ethnic groups. This is its main strength and its main distinction from the vast majority of other countries.

This revival of faith is associated, among other things, with the spiritual revival of Russia, although I am not sure that Russia will become as religious a country as it was historically. After all, the communist past delivered a very strong blow, plus modern culture largely distracts from religious consciousness.

Today, religion in Russia is separated from the state. In the past, when the church was not separated from the state, it led to the weakening of this state – this was already obvious in the 19^th and the early 20^th centuries. But state policy indirectly facilitates the revival of all traditional faiths and helps churches. And the churches in return help the state and people in their spiritual, economic, and political revival.

I have a house in a remote village; next to it stands a church that we have recently restored, and I see now that this church has become a cultural centre for the development of the village. People gather around the church, hold events, organize children’s holidays, and collect parcels for soldiers fighting on the western front in Ukraine.

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: And what are the chances of Russia returning to a monarchy with a tsar at the head? And what would Russia look like if it were only Christian?

PROF. KARAGANOV: I don’t think that Russia will return to a monarchy, although many elements of the monarchy and enlightened authoritarianism are visibly present in the current Russian system of government.

Putin is an elected president, but people perceive him as an enlightened sovereign. We have monarchists, but I don’t think the monarchy can be restored.

What is quite clear though is, that for a country like Russia, traditional European democracy does not fit in. In Russia, there must be strong democratic elements, especially at the local level, and some electoral democracy in order to connect society and the authorities. But, at the very top, I think, there should be a system of transfer of power that would be legalized by popular vote, a nationwide referendum.

In such a complex and tough world we now live in and will live in, a constant change of leadership is prohibitively expensive, so it is better to ensure a “seamless” transition of power from one leader to another. But this, of course, is a difficult and challenging process, and we have just entered it. So far, this process has been successful: the transfer of power from Yeltsin to Putin and from Putin to Medvedev and back was extremely successful and ensured the stable development of the country.

Western-style modern democracy is obviously doomed. This system is only beneficial for very wealthy countries in very comfortable external circumstances. Russia will never live in very calm circumstances, and although its well-being is growing, it will never be too wealthy. We must know and remember that in hard times and dire circumstances ― this is history ― democracies always perish. Let me remind you that the Greek republics were replaced by despotism, the Roman one turned into an empire, the North Italian republics were taken over by monarchies, our Pskov and Novgorod Republics fell, the French Republic was replaced by an empire, German Weimar democracy got Hitler, with almost all European democracies surrendering to him, and only the enormous and unflinching determination of the Soviet Union and its willingness to make every sacrifice saved Europe from becoming a German colony and speaking German.

Nowadays democracies are once again going through hard times, as there is a global capitalism crisis, and contradictions are deepening. We see authoritarianism rising in many societies in its worst forms. But I do not advocate a restoration of the monarchy in Russia. Our own history and the history of other countries have proved that monarchies are not always an effective form of government; apparently their time has passed. On the other hand, an enlightened monarchy with a strong aristocracy is perhaps the most effective mode of governance, but we are unlikely to return to it again. So when someone asks me: “Do you want a return of the monarchy?” I say: “Yes, but only if I am the monarch.” This is a joke.

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: In a speech in June 2024 to an audience of soldiers fighting in the SMO, President V.V. Putin highlighted that: “We are a multicultural country, and a multi-religious one. […] That’s our strength that no one can beat! […] …no matter what ethnic group we belong to, we have been living on the same land for more than 1000 years!”

Nevertheless, we have read that there are some who dream of a Tsarist Russia and others dream of a Russia that is solely Christian (some people have been quoted as saying: “Russia only for the Russians” and “Russia only for Christ”)… and yet many Russians of “non-Rus’-Russian” origin sacrifice their lives or their own personal safety in the SMO for their motherland Russia. (Recent notable examples are: Commander Tamerlan A. Ilhamov of Bashkortostan, RT producer and journalist Magomed Buchaev of Dagestan, Officer Zakarya Aliyev from Dagestan and Corporal Andrey Grigoryev from Yakutia.) What greater demonstration of true patriotism exists than to be prepared to sacrifice one’s safety, one’s life for one’s motherland!

So, what can one do on a domestic national level for the non-Rus’ Russians (who may also not be of the Russian Orthodox faith or who may not even believe in a God) so that they could also be seen as full members of Russian society (as there are some who say “Russia only for the Russians” and “Russia only for Christ”)?

PROF. KARAGANOV: The special military operation has once again emphasized the unique unity of the Russian people. People of different faiths and different ethnic backgrounds are fighting there together. A new brotherhood is being born and strengthened there. True, there are ethnic Russian nationalists, but they are and should be the exception. And from my point of view, they are the greatest internal threat to our country. It is no coincidence that our opponents used to rely on pro-Western liberals before, but now they are going out of their way to exaggerate to incite ethnic Russian nationalism, also by playing up the migration problem. Migration is poorly managed in our country. This is a big problem that needs to be solved. However ethnic nationalism is not just a problem but a threat. Every person and the entire society must fight it. I think that those who say that “Russia only for the Russians” are enemies of our country. Those who say that Russians are only Christians are not enemies of Russia, they are simply deeply mistaken. I myself am an Orthodox Christian precisely because this religion unites most of my people. But I read the Koran, I read the Talmud, I read the holy books of other religions, and I believe that such openness, cultural and religious openness, is the best feature of the Russian people.

There was a Russian writer by the name of Yuri Tynyanov, who lived at the beginning of the last century. He was a wonderful writer, not very famous, but quite brilliant. And he coined a phrase, a definition of a Russian, that sounds I think amazingly interesting: “The Chancellor of the Russian Empire, Count and Baron Erich Maria Ivan Vasilyevich Nesselrode was born by a Jewish mother and a German father aboard a Spanish galleon en route from London to Lisbon.” Half-jokingly and half-seriously, I call it the best definition of a Russian.

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: Russia has over 193 ethnic groups nationwide, and these ethnic groups share a land, a language and the same modern history. Are there other binding elements amongst them?

PROF. KARAGANOV: I am very proud that my country is a kind of cosmos, an example for all humankind. It is unique, multi-religious, multi-cultural, and multi-ethnic, and yet it is united. It is united by common codes of ethics, common history, the Russian language and great Russian culture, of course, but without suppressing other cultures.

On the contrary, the cultures of the “small peoples” are supported in every possible way. In this sense, we do not want to impose our example on anyone, but it seems to me that we demonstrate to all humankind how different cultures, different ethnic groups, and different faiths can cohabitate in a single community.

I am happy to travel around our country, where there are Christian and Muslim communities, many unbelievers, and even pagans who are looked upon very positively, and many people, even Christians and Muslims, enjoy celebrating old pagan holidays together and observe old pagan customs.

Racism is alien to Russia due to its history. In this sense, it is unique among huge empires. This is also a wonderful feature of our country, which is why we can offer ourselves as an example but certainly without imposing ourselves on other countries and all humankind.

What matters is that we are Russians ― citizens of the old Rus’, the Russian Empire, the USSR, and today’s Russia. I frequently write that Russians are Great Russians – descendants of the peoples that lived in Central Russia Old Rus’; Russians are Ukrainians; Russians are Belarusians; Russians are Tatars; Russians are Kalmyks; Russians are Yakuts; Russians are Jews; Russian are Bashkirs; Russians are Armenians; etc. We are all Russians or Rossiyane [Россияне], which is difficult to translate into English. In any case, we are a single community ― this was predestined by history, and we have furthered ourselves this way. Under no circumstances should we lose this unique feature of our civilization ― cultural, religious, and ethnic openness. The great Dostoevsky said once that “Russians are probably the most open people in the world.”

HOPPE/ MARZBAAN: As we have seen throughout history and continue to see today, there exist peoples who live for something more than money, acquisitions, fame… for more than even their own personal survival… which cannot be said of the bulk of Western civilisation. Examples with regard to Russia: in the recent past are the Leningraders and Stalingraders during the German Siege… and presently, the people of Donetsk and the soldiers engaged in the Special Military Operation. Do you believe that what they have been fighting for is an essential component for a New Civilisational Platform? And what do you believe is the essential component or components for a New Civilisational Platform?

PROF. KARAGANOV: People in Leningrad and Stalingrad fought and died, and people are now fighting in Donbass and in Ukraine against the West to serve our family, community and country and to preserve the human in man.

This is a civilizational struggle against techno-barbarism and techno-paganism, against the new Nazism, against dehumanization.

I am proud to be a member of my fighting people. Russian culture and Russian civilization inherently imply that the highest goal of man is service. At some point, when we succumbed to Western civilization, this pushed us away from our essence and almost drove us to a tragedy. So I am glad that we are returning to our traditional values, including, of course, service to the family and society, love between a man and a woman, love for children, respect for the elderly, love for the Motherland, love for native nature, the pursuit of higher goals, service to the spirit… but not to Mammon. For all this, the Russian people need a strong state with a strong leader.

We are normal people, we want to live well, but we believe that the main goal of a person is to improve himself, to help others, to serve the best in himself and therefore the Divine – even if he or she does not believe in God.

This is a new civilizational platform, which is ultimately quite traditional… so there is no need to invent something “new”. One simply needs to preserve and develop one’s best qualities inherited from the history of humankind and reject all the worst things that are being propagated by modern civilization and present-day globalist liberal imperialism, which is devoid of ethical roots, which by definition destroys individuality, morality and ethics… and ultimately destroys man himself. And our planet Earth – by imposing a boundless growth of consumption.

This is why a civilizational platform means service to the people, but to a people who are ready to serve others and the world.

* * *

* Professor Sergey A. Karaganov – a luminary of the Russian Federation with a long, illustrious career, who continues to hold many posts, amongst them: Honorary Chairman of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy (Russia’s leading public foreign policy organisation) and academic supervisor of the Faculty of World Economics and World Politics of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow.

 

A Travelogue of Modern Iran: From the Caspian to the Persian Gulf

The full version, including what happened in Tehran on several fronts – IRGC, nanotechnology, academic debates – of the column originally published on Sputnik.

By Pepe Escobar at VKontakte.

ON THE ROAD IN IRAN – The International North South Transportation Corridor (INSTC) is one of the most crucial geoeconomic/infrastructure projects of the 21st century. It unites at its core three key BRICS nations – Russia, Iran and India – branching out to the Caucasus and Central Asia. When fully operational, the INSTC will offer a full trade/connectivity corridor sanctions-free, cheaper and faster than the Suez canal to a great deal of Eurasia. The geoeconomic consequences will be staggering.

To re-visit Iran in these times of geopolitical trouble, relentless “maximum pressure”, red lines on uranium enrichment and bombing threats could not be more pressing – and enlightening.

These have been only a few of the highlights of the past two weeks:

• A visit to the Iran Nanotechnology Innovation Council . Iran is a nanotechnology superpower, among the Top 5 in the world, exporting products in different domains – from health care to agriculture – to over 50 nations.

• A serious round table at Imam Sadiq University, open to PhD students in several disciplines, which started as an evaluation of Iran-US relations and then amplified to examine the twists and turns of the New Great Game in international relations, essentially pitting the declining but ever dangerous Empire of Chaos and the drive towards Eurasia integration.

• A visit to the IRGC Aerospace Museum – exhibiting several of Iran’s military breakthroughs, from generations of Shahed drones to Fatah missiles, where I posed to Brig Gen Ali Balali a key question on whether Operation True Promise 3 in response to Issrael, which has been postponed, will be eventually carried out. His nuanced answer was diplomatic but firm. As correctly translated from Farsi, he said, “General Hajizadeh stated that the operation will be carried out at the right time. Any other claims are just external noise. As we’ve demonstrated up to now, we have never retreated — not from our rights, and not from our red lines. I’m not in a position to say if TP3 is ready or not, for that the responsibility lies with those in charge, namely the General Staff of the Armed Forces, who will make that call. Whenever the time comes, they will notify us — and by ‘us’, I mean the Armed Forces & the Aerospace Division.”

• A serious Shi’ite theology discussion hosted by CEO of Press TV Ahmad Noroozi with master theologian Fareed Eftekhari – touching the abyss of Western spiritual nihilism; whether there can be a way out; and the search for Oneness intrinsic to sufism. That was complemented by another dinner discussion with serious Persian brainpower – in filmmaking, academia and once again Shi’te theology, via iconoclastic independent thinker Blake Archer Williams (his pen name), who actually provided the best definition of wilaya, without which is impossible to understand how the Islamic Republic of Iran works (don’t expect Western warmongers to make the effort).

In essence, Wilāya…can mean 1. regent, sovereign, lord and master; 2. patron, guardian, protector, custodian. Its plural form is awliā: those of God’s creatures who have spiritual affinity and propinquity to Him, inclusive of prophets and Imāms. The walīy is the divinely-appointed Divine Guide, Just Ruler, and Guardian-Sovereign (walīy al-amr) of the affairs of the community of true believers (the mu’minīn).

Williams explains how “Wilāya has a two-fold essence: the walīy is chosen by God because of his spiritual affinity and propinquity to Him. This preeminence gives the walīy’s soul a certain sacred luminosity (due to his sacral propinquity), which in turn draws people to him, as it responds to their need for guidance and to their appreciation of beauty and nobility of character. Thus, wilāya has a top-down function [being appointed by God due to his preeminence], and at the same time, has a bottom-up function (being drawn to and appointed by the people to lead them on their common sacred purpose of their self-surrender to God’s will (islām).” Both of these aspects (the theocratic and the democratic), as Williams stresses, must be present because, “paradoxically, wilāya is meritocratic and democratic at one and the same time.”

By then it was time to hit the road. And there was only one way to go: to explore the INSTC on the ground, from the Caspian Sea to the Persian Gulf and the Makran coast in Sistan-Baluchistan all the way to Iran-Pakistan border.

Total connectivity: highway, mosque, bazaar

By an auspicious turn of events, the old school reportage/investigation actually became the plot line of a documentary, produced in Iran, shot by an outstanding crew of 6, and to be broadcast in several parts of Eurasia, including Russia and China. Here we offer the broad strokes of our travel to the heart of the INSTC.

We started with a series of interviews in Tehran, with Central Asia analysts and most of all Mostafa Agham, the top expert of Behineh Tarabar Azhour, a transportation and logistics firm specialized in Eurasia railway corridors. These analyses offered contrasting points of view on where the INSTC should go next and what are its main challenges.

Travel along Iran’s main artery, from Tehran to Bandar Abbas, was a must – as it will conform the trans-Iran north-to-south highway axis of the corridor. That doubles of course as a cultural and spiritual pilgrimage, which in our case featured plenty of auspicious overtones.

We arrived at fabled Isfahan past sunset, which allowed us to visit the Masjed-e Shah – or “Royal” – mosque virtually undisturbed. The Royal mosque – one of the highlights of Islamic architecture – sits on the south side of the Naghsh-e square in Isfahan, one of the most extraordinary public squares in the history of art and architecture, rivaling, and arguably surpassing San Marco in Venice.

A visit to the Isfahan bazaar is also inevitable. I was looking for an old friend who sold nomad carpets – in the end, because of slow business, he relocated to Portugal – just to find his sort of heir, young, energetic, who apart from pointing me to a spectacular, rare tribal rug from northeast Iran close to the Afghan border, gave me a crash course on the effects of sanctions and the perpetual demonization of Iran in the West (“Turkey has 40 million tourists; we have two or three”). Isfahan’s neat and extremely organized bazaar offers quality handicrafts to rival Istanbul, but there’s essentially domestic tourism, sprinkled with a few foreigners mostly from Central and South Asia and some from China.

On the way back to Tehran we learned that, being a Tuesday, the revered Haram of Fatima Masumeh, the daughter of the 7th Imam Musa, in Qom was open all night. Nothing prepares the pilgrim for an arrival at nearly two in the morning to an apotheosis of gold and crystals in the heart of Qom, Iran’s second most sacred city after Mashhad. Only a few pilgrims paying their respects, some strolling around the shrine with their families or reading the Quran. A moment of quiet illumination.

Afterwards it was time to hit the Caspian, and the port of Bandar Anzali, the proverbial “international bridge” where, in theory, cargo ships from Astrakhan in the Russian Caspian, as well as other Caspian-bordering states will start arriving en masse via the INSTC. In Bandar Anzali, Iran essentially imports petrochemicals, construction materials, minerals, and iron products and exports grains (soybeans, corn, barley, wheat) and crude oil.

In Tehran, Mostafa Agham, the connectivity expert, had explained in detail that perhaps the multimodal drive of the INSTC across the Caspian may not be the best idea. The Russians prefer to build a railway bordering the western margins of the Caspian; and another possibility is to use a network of already functioning railways from southcentral Russia, across Kazakhstan all the way to Aktau, by the Caspian, and then connecting across Turkmenistan to Tehran.

It’s only via a close up on Bandar Anzali that one understands the Russian rationale. One of our cameramen, in delightful broken English, coined an instant hit: “Port no exist”. Translation: the infrastructure has not been upgraded in decades, which brings us to the devastating effects of sanctions, visible in several nodes of Iran.

That was extra evidence supporting the fact that China will have a lot of work to do as part of the 25-year strategic partnership with Iran, signed in early 2021: a comprehensive agreement between two civilization-states where energy-for-infrastructure is a central plank amidst scores of BRI-related projects.

Break to the border!

Bandar Abbas, in the Persian Gulf (italics mine), is a completely different story. That’s Iran’s main port, and a key node of the INSTC, to be connected to Mumbai and already connected to the big ports in eastern China. We had all the hard-to-get necessary permits to explore Shahid Rajae-i Special Economic Zone, crammed with containers from shipping firms such as West Asia Express and unloading scores of Chinese container cargoes. The uber-strategic Strait of Hormuz is only 39 km to the south. A few days after our visit, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian went straight to the point, referring to proverbial Trump threats: “Block our oil, and we’ll block the world’s energy.” Iran can do it – in a flash; were that to happen, the collapse of the global economy is guaranteed.

Additionally, port authorities explained that the recent explosion on Shahid Rajae-i – attributed to “negligence”, still under investigation and somewhat mired in controversy – was not in the port itself, but in a storage area 10 km away.

From the Persian Gulf we fly to the Sea of Oman – and infrastructure problems ride again: there are only two flights a week. We arrive at a minuscule military airport outside the future superstar of the INSTC: the port of Chabahar in Sistan-Baluchistan province. Baluchis are exceedingly cool, cousins to the ones on the other side of the border, in Pakistan. In bustling Chabahar, the lineaments of a boom town are quite visible.

A long walk in the port side by side with Alireza Jahan, a logistics expert and then a conversation with Mohammad Saeid Arbabi, the Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of the Chabahar Free Trade Zone could not be more enlightening.

Jahan explains how Chabahar is essential to Iran’s East Axis, serving over 20 million people not only in huge Sistan-Baluchistan but also three other Khorasan provinces, and further on to Kerman. So Chabahar is the port for an enormous hinterland, while its competitor, Gwadar in the Arabian Sea in Pakistan, only 80 km away or so, is virtually isolated.

Jahan also explains Indian investment. Tehran is investing heavily in the infrastructure and superstructure of Chabahar port, while India is investing in equipment: the Italian cranes around the port came from India. Arbabi, at the Free Trade Zone, expands on the international profile of Chabahar, which will be an absolutely key node not only for landlocked Afghanistan but also the Central Asian “stans”.

And that brings us to the local highway saga: Chabahar to Zahedan, in the Afghan border, 632 km, already an “acceptable road”, and with a companion railway to be built within the next three years, everything 100% financed by the Iranian government.

Progress at the port is steady – slowly but surely. For the moment Chabahar receives three ships from India a month and two ships from China, plus three from the Persian Gulf. The distance from Mumbai is only 4 days, and from Shanghai, 15 days. The potential for expansion is limitless.

From Chabahar, it’s on the road bliss along the spectacular, strategic, oil-drenched, semi-desert Makran coast, bordering the immaculate Sea of Oman all the way to the Arabian Sea. History looms large: this is where Alexander the Great lost as much as 75% of his army to dehydration and starvation when he was retreating across the desert to Macedonia after his tortuous two-year invasion of India.

Due to a concert of economic and ecological reasons, there have been plans for quite a while to relocate the capital, Tehran, to the Makran coast. Chabahar in this case would be the ideal candidate: free port, INSTC connectivity between Central Asia and the Indian Ocean.

India – which needs to step up its geoeconomic game – has noticed it. China as well. Even though China is not formally part of the INSTC, Chinese companies are bound to invest massively in Chabahar – the de facto key node for South Eurasia integration – as part of yet another vector of the Maritime Silk Road.

I had been trying for 20 years-plus to reach the Iran-Pakistan border, from either side. It was always an impossibility due to serious security reasons. I finally made it – by boat, thanks to teenage Commander Chabad, born in Chabahar, and his little brother and second-in-command.

As we sailed away from the small fishing port of Gwat, Iran was located around sunset and Pakistan ahead of us, to the left, in what the locals call “Pakistan beach”. No CIA and MI6; no instrumentalized Salafi-jihadis disguised as Baluchi nationalists; no sanctions; no maximum pressure; no bombing threats. Only the majesty of Nature, the silence and the beauty of the Sea of Oman embracing the Arabian Sea.

Emptying Gaza: Norman Finkelstein & Chris Hedges

Is it so that we have to start accepting that nothing will now save Gaza? This is a very disturbing presentation by Norm.

Israel, both materially and rhetorically, has made their intent to destroy the Palestinian people clear. One of the most renowned and courageous Middle East scholars, Norman Finkelstein, has assiduously documented the Palestinian plight for decades and he joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report. Finkelstein and Hedges assess the current state of the genocide in Palestine as well as how the media and the universities have all but abandonded their principles in servitude to the Zionist agenda.

April 14, 2025: Norman Finkelstein on Gaza Genocide

American political scientist and activist Norman Finkelstein, though the son of Polish Holocaust survivors, has never been afraid to speak his mind about Israel. At a February 2025 event sponsored by CAIR Florida (the Florida chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations), Finkelstein delivered fiery comments about Israel’s in-your-face brand of genocide:

“It’s absolutely mind-numbing. One genocidal statement after another genocidal statement after another genocidal statement after another, another, another, another! So here’s the thing: Israel, if you look at what they write in their newspapers, what they post on Facebook, what they tweet, what they say on public affairs radio and TV programs, they aren’t in the least hiding the fact that they’re committing genocide. They are proud of it. They are boasting about it. They relish it…. [A]cross the board, from one end of the political spectrum to the other, and from the top to the bottom, it’s a national project to for once and for all liquidate Gaza.”

Finkelstein has paid a professional price for his methodical deconstruction of the Israeli juggernaut, which began with his late 1980s Princeton doctoral dissertation on Zionism and subsequently continued in books like The Holocaust Industry (2000), Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict (2003), Method and Madness (2015), and Gaza (2021). Describing his academic career as having gone “up in flames,” Finkelstein wryly observed in a 2020 interview with Jed Macosko at AcademicInfluence.com that college administrators didn’t want to deal with the “Finkelstein albatross,” and he himself found it impossible to “play the academic game.”

At the Yale Political Union (YPU) in January of this year, at the close of an affirmative speech on the resolution “The state of Israel is responsible for genocide,” Finkelstein concluded, “Israel’s response is not disproportionate, I would argue it is proportionate to its goal of destroying the civilian population of Gaza.”

We salute Finkelstein’s steadfast commitment to speaking uncomfortable truths. As Catherine and John Titus have often discussed on Money & Markets, “Gaza is a method” that is coming for all of us unless we push back.

---

Ed Note: I am glad to see The Solari Report featuring Gaza and Norman Finkelstein as their ‘pushback’ for the week.

Ré-informer sur le bouleversement du monde

TROIS ANS DE GUERRE EN UKRAINE ET DE BOULEVERSEMENT DU MONDE PETIT BILAN D’UN COMBAT I)  Les imbéciles les menteurs et les salauds Les généraux de plateaux, sont les emblèmes de ce triptyque mais bien sûr ils ne sont pas les… Lire la suite →

Lecture : Avec le Christ dans les camps de Mao, Rose Hu Meiyu

Lutte contre l’immigration, opposition aux politiques corrompues et corruptrices, combat contre le wokisme et les tenants de la repentance, horreurs des mouvements d’extrême gauche et d’extrême centres… les lieux de lutte sont assurément nombreux pour notre jeunesse ! Mais quelle différence, dans cette énumération, avec celle de ceux qui nous précédèrent dans le combat national ! Quelle place subsiste encore de la question algérienne ? Entretient-on encore le souvenir des luttes pour l’Indochine ? Qu’en est-il du combat anti-communiste ? S’attaque-t-on toujours à la mémoire du général De Gaulle – faut-il, d’ailleurs une majuscule ou une minuscule à cette particule ? La majeure partie de la jeunesse militante est assez ignorante de ces combats d’hier…mais sont-ils vraiment d’hier ? Ne récoltons pas les fruits de ces défaites ? Aucune action, sans formation ! Il est bon de se replonger dans les grands événements du XXe siècle et de comprendre les enjeux qui existèrent. Il en est ainsi des horreurs du communisme… faut-il que nous soyons repliés sur nous-mêmes pour ne pas voir que des millions de personne souffrent toujours de ce régime ? Que si, en France, il ne représente plus une force politique proprement dite, il imprègne les mentalités de tout l’arc républicain ? Combien, dans nos milieux, par haine de l’Amérique – haine bien méritée -, tournent leur regards vers l’est, vers des pays comme la Chine… abominable régime. 

C’est pourquoi nous nous félicitons de la réédition, aux éditions Clovis, de ce livre de Rose Hu Meiyu, Avec le Christ dans les camps de Mao. Mes vingt-cinq années dans le goulag chinois .Que de pages d’histoire bouleversantes, loin de la France et pourtant si proches par leur esprit de sacrifices et d’abandon à la Providence. Que de pages qui nous plongent dans cet enfer qui paraît si loin de nous, mais en réalité qui peut nous surprendre si vite ! À voir les choses humainement, il y a des gens qui n’ont pas de chance dans la vie, la Providence semble les tirer toujours plus vers les affres de la vie. Ils naissent au mauvais endroit, au mauvais moment, et les éléments semblent se liguer pour les faire souffrir. Hu Meiyu fait partie de ces gens-là : elle avait une vingtaine d’années quand la Chine devint marxiste, sous la main cruelle de Mao-Tsé-Toung. Oui, le 16 mai 1966, Mao Zedong lançait la « Grande Révolution culturelle prolétarienne », plongeant le pays dans plusieurs années de chaos, dont le nombre de victimes est aujourd’hui estimé entre 1,7 et 2 millions de personnes. Et Hu était catholique – fraîchement baptisée, du nom de Rose –, au sein d’une famille aisée, donc suspecte aux yeux du parti communiste. Le mal n’ignore jamais le bien… c’est de cette manière que le bien se reconnaît si vite ! Elle connut arrestations, procès, condamnation, prison, camps de travaux forcés, accès impossible aux sacrements de l’Église. 

Ce sont exactement vingt-six années qu’elle a passées en détention, dans des conditions parfois inimaginables. Nous n’avons plus idée des atrocités qui furent commises par ces régimes… Ne mentionnons que l’exemple de l’École catholique du Sacré-Coeur ! Durant cet été 1966, le 24 août, l’école, qui fonctionne pour les enfants des diplomates étrangers en poste à Pékin, est attaquée par les Gardes rouges. Alors que tous les missionnaires étrangers ont été expulsés du pays entre 1950 et 1952, sept religieuses étrangères sont encore actives au sein de l’établissement au statut très particulier ; elles sont soumises à des « séances de lutte », l’une d’elles est frappée si violemment qu’elle perd presque un œil. Le lendemain, les religieuses chinoises sont condamnées à vingt de prison et les religieuses étrangères à l’expulsion. Le chemin de Pékin à Honkgong est parcouru dans des conditions épouvantables ; arrivée à Lowu, poste-frontière de la colonie britannique, l’une des religieuses, Sœur Molly O’Sullivan, tombe inconsciente ; les gardes la charge sur une charrette poussée par les autres religieuses. Sœur O’Sullivan meurt le lendemain, dans un hôpital de Hongkong. Est-ce que le désespoir saisit Rose ? Nullement ! Car l’espoir n’est que l’Espérance des imbéciles! Seuls de l’Espérance naît les prodiges de grâce : alors que des chrétiens faiblissent et se compromettent avec le pouvoir, d’autres, munis de la force d’en haut, acceptent cette croix, la portent le front haut, l’âme recueillie, et s’efforcent de monter le chemin du calvaire, donc de s’élever au lieu de descendre, saisissant, dans le malheur, l’occasion divine d’une ascension intérieure. Ils découvrent la joie dans la souffrance.

Non seulement un tel récit permettra aux jeunes générations de se rappeler ce qu’est le communisme… mais ils auront aussi un exemple spectaculaire de résistance aux persécutions ! Qu’est-ce qu’une mauvaise réputation, qu’est-ce que quelques horions, quelques insultes, quand ceux qui nous précédèrent subirent les camps de Mao ? Voici une source d’inspiration aussi bien religieuse que politique ! Sursum corda !

                                                                                                                                                              Staub Guillaume

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GUERRE EN UKRAINE VIDÉO N° 59

LES ÉCLAIRAGES DE VUDUDROIT GUERRE EN UKRAINE VIDÉO N° 59 Régis de Castelnau Hervé Carresse SOMMAIRE : Introduction Nous avons besoin de votre soutien ! Afin que l’algorithme YouTube nous « pousse » il faut mettre des pouces, s’abonner, partager.… Continue Reading →

GUERRE EN UKRAINE VIDÉO NUMÉRO N°18

« L’opération militaire spéciale » lancée par les Russes le 24 février dernier avec leur intervention en Ukraine se poursuit. Cet événement considérable à déclencher un processus historique majeur qui voit se dérouler une guerre hybride globale entre l’Occident et… Continue Reading →

Ukraine : la nécessaire re-information. Numéro spécial N°1

GUERRE EN UKRAINE : NUMÉRO SPÉCIAL N°1 -PREMIÈRE PARTIE. Nous avons souhaité remettre en perspective la guerre en Ukraine six mois après son début. Les médias occidentaux ont basculé dans une propagande parfois délirante, développé des narratifs ineptes, et mis… Continue Reading →

Instrumentalisation de la guerre en Ukraine. Vidéo N°6

Nous continuons avec Sylvain Ferreira le travail de ré information que nous avons entrepris. L’objectif poursuivi est précisément d’essayer d’être objectif. Pour sortir de la propagande délirante dont la France est le plus mauvais exemple. Sommaire : •            l’offensive politique… Continue Reading →