03-12-2018, 10:16 PM
*** 13-Mar-18 World View -- Britain threatens Russia with retaliation over nerve gas poisoning of Skripal
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Britain threatens Russia with retaliation over nerve gas poisoning of Skripal
****
![[Image: g180312b.jpg]](http://Media.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g180312b.jpg)
Vladimir Putin smirks when a BBC reporter asks him whether Russia poisoned Sergei Skripal
On Sunday, March 4, a policeman in Salisbury, England, found 66 year
old Sergei Skripal and his 33 year old daughter Yulia unconscious on a
bench. They were both hospitalized, and are still in critical
condition. The policeman who found them has also been hospitalized,
and is in serious condition.
Skripal was a Russian former double agent who had been released
from Russian jail to the West in a prisoner exchange. He had
lived a quiet life in Salisbury, though not under an assumed name.
With all three people -- Skripal, his daughter, and the policeman
-- all hospitalized, it was suspected that Russia had attacked them,
and a full investigation was ordered.
Russia has a history of attacking disloyal former agents on foreign
soil. In 2007, two Russian assassins put polonium into Alexander
Litvinenko’s tea, resulting in a long, painful death.
On Monday, Britain's prime minister Theresa May announced
that the investigation was ongoing, but based on the information
available so far, it was "highly likely" that Skripal had been
poisoned by Russians, using a deadly nerve agent
called Novichok that was developed in Russia.
The following are excerpts from May's speech:
<QUOTE>"But as a nation that believes in justice and the rule
of law, it is essential that we proceed in the right way – led not
by speculation but by the evidence.
That is why we have given the police the space and time to carry
out their investigation properly. ...
That investigation continues and we must allow the police to
continue with their work. ...
It is now clear that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned
with a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia.
This is part of a group of nerve agents known as ‘Novichok’.
Based on the positive identification of this chemical agent by
world-leading experts at the Defense Science and Technology
Laboratory at Porton Down; our knowledge that Russia has
previously produced this agent and would still be capable of doing
so; Russia’s record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations;
and our assessment that Russia views some defectors as legitimate
targets for assassinations; the Government has concluded that it
is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against
Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
Mr Speaker, there are therefore only two plausible explanations
for what happened in Salisbury on the 4 of March.
Either this was a direct act by the Russian State against our
country.
Or the Russian government lost control of this potentially
catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into
the hands of others."<END QUOTE>
It's believed that this concept of "only two plausible explanations"
was a carefully crafted phrase to allow Britain to demand that the
Russians select from these two choices, either of which implies
Russian guilt.
Britain has demanded that the Russian embassy respond by Tuesday
evening, and explain which of the two possibilities it is,
and how Novichok could have been deployed in Salisbury.
May said that when Litvinenko was killed, Britain expelled Russian
diplomats and took other steps.
It's particularly shocking to the British public that the
investigation found traces of the nerve agent Novichok in the pizza
restaurant where Skripal and his daughter had been eating, indicating
that assassins had put the general public in danger.
The British people appear to be furious at the Russians for conducting
chemical warfare on British soil, and it's certain that there will be
retaliation. Measures being discussed include expelling more
diplomats, freezing more assets of Russian oligarchs, and applying
more sanctions. Another recommendation is to ban the station Russia
Today from being broadcast in Britain. Russia Today used to be a
decent news station, but has turned into just a fairly worthless propaganda arm for the Kremlin.
However this unfolds, relations between Britain and Russia is going to
become increasingly hostile. Mirror (London) and Guardian (London) and Reuters
****
**** Russia reacts with massive disinformation campaign
****
At this point we have to provide a brief list of all the lies that
Russian officials have told in recent years.
Russia lied about invading east Ukraine when it had Russian troops in
east Ukraine. Russia lied about invading Crimea, and Putin said
Russia had no intention of annexing Crimea, but then annexed Crimea a
few days later and gave medals to the military officers who had
invaded Crimea. Later, in a televised interview, Putin bragged that
he had ordered the invasion and annexation of Crimea weeks before it
occurred, and then lied about it. Russia lied about shooting down the
MH17 passenger plane with a Russian Buk missile, even though the
Russian commander in Ukraine initially bragged about shooting it down
in a tweet.
For Syria, Russia lied about Syria's president al-Bashar Assad's use
of Sarin gas on his own people, Russia lied about the purpose of its
military intervention into Syria as being to attack the so-called
Islamic State (IS or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh).
Even worse, Russia hired hundreds of paid internet trolls to attack
and harass people like me who write about what Russia is actually
doing, and to post thousands of disinformation comments online.
In the case of shooting down the MH17 passenger plane, Russian media
and trolls went into full-on troll mode, making one ridiculous claim
after another: Russian commander Strelkov's tweet had never occurred;
the US had shot down MH17 to embarrass Russia; the airplane was struck
by a meteor; no living people were aboard the plane as it flew on
autopilot from Amsterdam, where it had been pre-loaded with "rotting
corpses."
The point is that everything the Russians say has zero value. It's of
no more use than any pieces of total garbage.
So with all that in mind, we're about to see another massive
disinformation campaign by Russian trolls. There are reports that
this campaign has already begun. Here's what we're hearing already,
led by Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:
The picture at the beginning of this article is of Vladimir Putin was
visiting Russia's National Grain Center, responding to a question from
a BBC reporter about whether Russia was responsible for poisoning
Skripal. He responded with a mocking answer:
<QUOTE>"We're dealing with agriculture here you see, to
create conditions for people's lives. And you talk to me about
some tragedies. First, get to the bottom of it there, and then
we'll discuss this."<END QUOTE>
Putin was able to respond with a smirk because he knows that Russia
will get away with the attack on Skripal. Canadian Broadcasting
****
**** Skripal was attacked with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by Russia
****
The military-grade nerve agent Novichok has been identified as what was
used to poison Skripal, his daughter, and the policeman who found
them. As far as is known, nobody knows how to make Novichok
except the Russians.
Novichok means "newcomer" in Russian. Novichok agents were developed
in the 1980s as a new weapon in the waning days of the Cold
War. Novichok chemicals were designed to evade equipment carried by
NATO troops. NPR
Related Articles
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Britain, Salisbury, Russia, Sergei Skripal,
Alexander Litvinenko, Theresa May, Novichok,
Russia Today, Maria Zakharova
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Britain threatens Russia with retaliation over nerve gas poisoning of Skripal
- Russia reacts with massive disinformation campaign
- Skripal was attacked with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by Russia
****
**** Britain threatens Russia with retaliation over nerve gas poisoning of Skripal
****
Vladimir Putin smirks when a BBC reporter asks him whether Russia poisoned Sergei Skripal
On Sunday, March 4, a policeman in Salisbury, England, found 66 year
old Sergei Skripal and his 33 year old daughter Yulia unconscious on a
bench. They were both hospitalized, and are still in critical
condition. The policeman who found them has also been hospitalized,
and is in serious condition.
Skripal was a Russian former double agent who had been released
from Russian jail to the West in a prisoner exchange. He had
lived a quiet life in Salisbury, though not under an assumed name.
With all three people -- Skripal, his daughter, and the policeman
-- all hospitalized, it was suspected that Russia had attacked them,
and a full investigation was ordered.
Russia has a history of attacking disloyal former agents on foreign
soil. In 2007, two Russian assassins put polonium into Alexander
Litvinenko’s tea, resulting in a long, painful death.
On Monday, Britain's prime minister Theresa May announced
that the investigation was ongoing, but based on the information
available so far, it was "highly likely" that Skripal had been
poisoned by Russians, using a deadly nerve agent
called Novichok that was developed in Russia.
The following are excerpts from May's speech:
<QUOTE>"But as a nation that believes in justice and the rule
of law, it is essential that we proceed in the right way – led not
by speculation but by the evidence.
That is why we have given the police the space and time to carry
out their investigation properly. ...
That investigation continues and we must allow the police to
continue with their work. ...
It is now clear that Mr Skripal and his daughter were poisoned
with a military-grade nerve agent of a type developed by Russia.
This is part of a group of nerve agents known as ‘Novichok’.
Based on the positive identification of this chemical agent by
world-leading experts at the Defense Science and Technology
Laboratory at Porton Down; our knowledge that Russia has
previously produced this agent and would still be capable of doing
so; Russia’s record of conducting state-sponsored assassinations;
and our assessment that Russia views some defectors as legitimate
targets for assassinations; the Government has concluded that it
is highly likely that Russia was responsible for the act against
Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
Mr Speaker, there are therefore only two plausible explanations
for what happened in Salisbury on the 4 of March.
Either this was a direct act by the Russian State against our
country.
Or the Russian government lost control of this potentially
catastrophically damaging nerve agent and allowed it to get into
the hands of others."<END QUOTE>
It's believed that this concept of "only two plausible explanations"
was a carefully crafted phrase to allow Britain to demand that the
Russians select from these two choices, either of which implies
Russian guilt.
Britain has demanded that the Russian embassy respond by Tuesday
evening, and explain which of the two possibilities it is,
and how Novichok could have been deployed in Salisbury.
May said that when Litvinenko was killed, Britain expelled Russian
diplomats and took other steps.
It's particularly shocking to the British public that the
investigation found traces of the nerve agent Novichok in the pizza
restaurant where Skripal and his daughter had been eating, indicating
that assassins had put the general public in danger.
The British people appear to be furious at the Russians for conducting
chemical warfare on British soil, and it's certain that there will be
retaliation. Measures being discussed include expelling more
diplomats, freezing more assets of Russian oligarchs, and applying
more sanctions. Another recommendation is to ban the station Russia
Today from being broadcast in Britain. Russia Today used to be a
decent news station, but has turned into just a fairly worthless propaganda arm for the Kremlin.
However this unfolds, relations between Britain and Russia is going to
become increasingly hostile. Mirror (London) and Guardian (London) and Reuters
****
**** Russia reacts with massive disinformation campaign
****
At this point we have to provide a brief list of all the lies that
Russian officials have told in recent years.
Russia lied about invading east Ukraine when it had Russian troops in
east Ukraine. Russia lied about invading Crimea, and Putin said
Russia had no intention of annexing Crimea, but then annexed Crimea a
few days later and gave medals to the military officers who had
invaded Crimea. Later, in a televised interview, Putin bragged that
he had ordered the invasion and annexation of Crimea weeks before it
occurred, and then lied about it. Russia lied about shooting down the
MH17 passenger plane with a Russian Buk missile, even though the
Russian commander in Ukraine initially bragged about shooting it down
in a tweet.
For Syria, Russia lied about Syria's president al-Bashar Assad's use
of Sarin gas on his own people, Russia lied about the purpose of its
military intervention into Syria as being to attack the so-called
Islamic State (IS or ISIS or ISIL or Daesh).
Even worse, Russia hired hundreds of paid internet trolls to attack
and harass people like me who write about what Russia is actually
doing, and to post thousands of disinformation comments online.
In the case of shooting down the MH17 passenger plane, Russian media
and trolls went into full-on troll mode, making one ridiculous claim
after another: Russian commander Strelkov's tweet had never occurred;
the US had shot down MH17 to embarrass Russia; the airplane was struck
by a meteor; no living people were aboard the plane as it flew on
autopilot from Amsterdam, where it had been pre-loaded with "rotting
corpses."
The point is that everything the Russians say has zero value. It's of
no more use than any pieces of total garbage.
So with all that in mind, we're about to see another massive
disinformation campaign by Russian trolls. There are reports that
this campaign has already begun. Here's what we're hearing already,
led by Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:
- This is a circus show in the British parliament.
- Skripal was killed by the British government to embarrass
Russia.
- Theresa May's evidence was a "fairy tale"
- The incident was made up as part of a much bigger NATO plot to
whip up international anger against Russia.
- The poisoning could be part of a Western plot to justify a boycott
of the FIFA World Cup tournament, coming to Russia in three
months.
The picture at the beginning of this article is of Vladimir Putin was
visiting Russia's National Grain Center, responding to a question from
a BBC reporter about whether Russia was responsible for poisoning
Skripal. He responded with a mocking answer:
<QUOTE>"We're dealing with agriculture here you see, to
create conditions for people's lives. And you talk to me about
some tragedies. First, get to the bottom of it there, and then
we'll discuss this."<END QUOTE>
Putin was able to respond with a smirk because he knows that Russia
will get away with the attack on Skripal. Canadian Broadcasting
****
**** Skripal was attacked with Novichok, a military-grade nerve agent developed by Russia
****
The military-grade nerve agent Novichok has been identified as what was
used to poison Skripal, his daughter, and the policeman who found
them. As far as is known, nobody knows how to make Novichok
except the Russians.
Novichok means "newcomer" in Russian. Novichok agents were developed
in the 1980s as a new weapon in the waning days of the Cold
War. Novichok chemicals were designed to evade equipment carried by
NATO troops. NPR
Related Articles
- Special prosecutor Robert Mueller issues farcical indictment of Russian trolls (19-Feb-2018)
- Russia uses an army of trolls on social media (15-Aug-2014)
- Dutch report confirms that Russian missile shot down airliner over Ukraine (14-Oct-2015)
- Vladimir Putin brags about how he lied about Russia's invasion of Crimea (10-Mar-2015)
- Russia's Putin confirms that he'll appoint Medvedev to be prime minister (16-Dec-2011)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Britain, Salisbury, Russia, Sergei Skripal,
Alexander Litvinenko, Theresa May, Novichok,
Russia Today, Maria Zakharova
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
