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Aaron Maté

@aaronjmate

Feb 24

I did not think that Russia would invade Ukraine. The pushback from Kiev and other European allies to US warnings, coupled with the long history of Western intel deceptions, were the main reasons. I was wrong.

Russia’s attack is illegal.

It’s also exactly what US would have done had Russia done to Canada what US did to Ukraine: pledge hostile military alliance membership; back a coup; pour in weapons used to attack civilians; thwart diplomacy.

Except US would have done it years ago.

That doesn’t justify what Russia is doing, nothing can, but helps explain it. US has treated Ukraine as a “prize” in its bid to encircle & weaken Russia long after Cold War ended. I wish Russia pursued more diplomacy, but fact is they’re responding to a crisis they didn’t start.

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Aaron Maté

@aaronjmate

Feb 20

After weeks of US-generated war fever, European officials are finally fed up.

WashPost reports that "high-level European officials have expressed frustration that the United States had not shared the intelligence that led it to surmise Russia’s intentions with such certainty."

While Biden claims US intel has discovered that Russia plans to invade Ukraine, European officials "have not seen direct evidence."

“[W]e have no clear evidence ourselves that Putin has made up his mind and we have not seen anything that would suggest otherwise," one says.

EU officials say they've "been told little about [US] sources and methods... limiting their capacity to make independent decisions about how much weight to give statements from Biden that Putin has made a decision to attack."

If only US media had such independent standards.

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Aaron Maté

@aaronjmate

Feb 13

With US accusing Russia of plotting false flags in Ukraine, recall that US tacitly enabled false flags in Syria.

In 2013, "rebel" death squads used deadly sarin and blamed Assad. Obama knew it wasn't Assad, but concealed info. (lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v35/…) (thegrayzone.com/2021/07/26/syr…)

In 2017, "rebel" death squads staged a CW attack. According to Sy Hersh, US ignored its own intel to endorse claims of Syrian gov't guilt. US then bombed Syria, drawing wide bipartisan & media praise.
(dw.com/en/is-assad-to…)
(welt.de/politik/auslan…) (archive.is/vMNtk)

In 2018, as we all know, Syria was also falsely accused of a chemical attack in Douma.

We know this because leaks have revealed that the OPCW found no evidence of a chemical attack, but then censored and doctored reports to claim otherwise. thegrayzone.com/category/opcw-…

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Aaron Maté

@aaronjmate

Feb 12

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1492547820435517447

This NYT article has so many hilarious lines that I may have to update the article I published earlier today on US media subservience to Biden admin’s Russia war-mongering: mate.substack.com/p/stoking-war-…

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1492547820435517447

“In effect, the administration is warning the world of an urgent threat, not to make the case for a war but to try to prevent one.”

NYT just straight up parroting what Jake Sullivan said at the White House yesterday:

“For all the disclosures, the Biden administration has provided no evidence of the disinformation plots they say they have uncovered.”

Note to NYT: if a “disclosure” is “provided” with “no evidence,” then it’s not a disclosure. It’s propaganda.

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Aaron Maté

@aaronjmate

Feb 11

1/ As I've long argued (e.g. last week: realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/02/…), BlueAnon is a cult that blames Russia for US dysfunctions.

Well another major cult plank just got destroyed, from one of its main institutions: A new US intel report finds no ties between Russia & the far-right.

2/ Newly declassified report says US intel agencies "lack indications of Russian Government direct support – such as financing, material support. training, or guidance" to the global far-right.

3/ The best they can up with is that Russian-linked online activity "amplify politically divisive issues that probably contribute to RMVE radicalization and recruitment efforts worldwide." Just like every single other media "probably" does too.

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Aaron Maté

@aaronjmate

Feb 8

US-Russia agree to reduce UNSC meetings on Syria chemical weapons allegations. NATO states have used the meetings to promote false allegations against Syria laundered via OPCW.

Perhaps a recognition in DC that the dirty war is lost, & the exploitation of OPCW too embarrassing.

@columlynch

Russia invited "guests criticizing or providing alternative findings to those of the Hague-based chemical weapons watchdog."

@columlynch & @RobbieGramer omit who the guests include: OPCW vet Ian Henderson, who testified that his Syria probe was censored. thegrayzone.com/2020/02/11/new…

To understand the sadism of US policy toward Syria, check out what counts as a US "concession":

US agreed to exempt sanctions for "international charities and relief organizations" that "engage in... humanitarian activities that meet basic human needs" in Syria. How generous.

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