We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Monday, August 8, 2016

Washington Slapdown: Turkey Turns to Moscow for Help

Click here to access article by Mike Whitney from CounterPunch.

Whitney draws from a number of recent analyses of the attempted coup against Erdogan's government in Turkey in order to support an argument that the coup attempt is having major effects on the US-led Empire's strategy for world domination. Although I resist inclinations to post speculative analyses, this one is very convincing as well as very significant in its implications for future global affairs and vital issues of war and peace.
On August 9, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Saint Petersburg  The two leaders will discuss political developments following the recent coup-attempt in Turkey, tourism, and the launching of Turkstream, the natural gas pipeline that will transform Turkey into southern Europe’s biggest energy hub.  They are also expected to explore options for ending the fighting in Syria. .... The meeting will end with the typical smiles and handshakes accompanied by a joint statement pledging to work together peacefully to resolve regional issues and to put an end to the proxy war that has left Syria in tatters.

All in all, the confab will seem like another public relations charade devoid of any larger meaning, but that’s certainly not the case.
Also on the same subject you might be interested in an article entitled "Why Washington is Terrified by the Prospects of the Upcoming Putin-Erdogan Meeting".