The Dark Side of Brazil

Why Brazil Is A Disastrous Choice For The World Cup

Brazil-Living In The Past

I have mentioned Apartheid Brazil in a previous article-none of which you will ever find discussed on CNN, Fox nor any of the mainstream media, and how this country has been on the verge of racial warfare on a scale worse than that ever predicted (and which never happened) for South Africa.

Let me be clear for the record, South Africa is moving fast forward whereas Brazil

is stuck in a racial time warp-which will soon tear this racially fragmented and segregated country apart at it's very foundations.

Football violence is encouraged by the authorities and economically privileged White minority elite as a distraction from the deep underlying divisions in Brazilian society. This will not work forever-and soon the only recourse will be an even more brutalized suppression of the underclasses-the non-White majority (numbering at the last official census-before Gerrymandering abolished racial profiling on the grounds that racism no longer existed in Brazil-some 75% of the population of the whole country.) The World cup, FIFA, already knows, will result in many deaths but, for so long as an intensified police and para-military presence can confine the killings to 'locals' and protect foreign visitors then there are acceptable casualty numbers within a margin. To put it bluntly, the deaths of scores (if not considerably more) of locals (native Brazilians), should it unfortunately occur, as predicted, is unlikely to reach the mainstream media but the death of a single World Cup tourist will make world headlines-hence the priority will be to protect visiting tourists from abroad.

Let's be clear about this. We are talking about a country where ''35,000 disappearances reported since 2007 go uninvestigated and the culprits unpunished.''<sup>1

The Statistics</sup>

^{''Police abuse, including extrajudicial execution, is also a chronic problem. According to official data, Police were responsible for 372 killings in the state of Rio de Janeiro and 252 killings in the state of São Paulo in the first six months of 2011. Police often claim these are "resistance" killings that occur in confrontations with criminals. While many police killings undoubtedly result from legitimate use of force by police officers, many others do not, a fact documented by Human Rights Watch and other groups and recognized by Brazilian criminal justice officials. ''2}

Be in no doubt about what I am saying here:

Brazil, because of widespread economic injustice and mass disenfranchisement as a whole, is a very violent society. The Police react to this violence with more violence-which sparks revenge killings of the Police, family members and friends, and then even more violence and extra-judicial killings by the police-and the spiral of violence gets worse as both lawless (and no-so-lawless,organized) gangs and the authorities desperately struggle for control of 'no-go' areas-off limits to any but heavily armed police and paramilitary assault teams specially flown or brought in from out-of town-to 'retake' the Favelas in the name of the State.

Why don't you read about this Brazil in the mainstream U.S. And European media? Partly because the Brazilian authorities go to desperate lengths to prevent foreigners getting access to the truth. The segregated nature of the society means that Brazilian tourist minders can shield visiting overseas guests.   Partly also because of a conspiracy of silence by 'embedded' foreign media outlets operating from inside Brazil and anxious not to upset commercial overseas interests who think they are benefiting from this division.  If they had a modicum of commonsense, they would realize that, long term, the opposite is, at the very least, the case. 
Fatherland-The Real Face of Brazil

Do any of you recall the film 'Fatherland' starring Rutger Hauer, based in a fictitious Nazi Germany in April 1964? You may have some trouble finding it listed and getting hold of a copy.  However the point I want to make is that the careful chaperoning of foreign (U.S. and European) guests visiting the country by the tourist guides, specially selected, is reminiscent of the tourist guide on the bus at the start of the film.  This is what happens with each carefully cocooned new European tourist-to ensure that only the pleasant life in Brazil is experienced and in the hope that they will 'spread the good word' [for trade, investment and emigration] when returning to their home country. With South Africa under Apartheid, at least you knew what to expect.  With Brazil, propaganda and technologies of societal control have been re-defined and upgraded to leave the average tourist oblivious.
The Ethics of FIFA and The Beautiful Game

But is this ethically acceptable in the name of FIFA economic long-term objectives?; none of which will ever benefit impoverished Brazilians?;other than perhaps the street vendor selling Brazilian flags or footballs?(He is a street vendor because Brazil banks (all of them) do not lend capital to their impoverished 75% majority to start-up businesses.)  Yes I have no doubt that the Brazilian authorities will do their utmost to shield their foreign (mainly White European) guests from the realities of everyday Brazilian life for the majority of it's impoverished and racially segregated citizens (who compose at least 75% of Brazil's total population.)

But the question still remains as to whether it is acceptable for FIFA to throw money at countries it knows will little benefit mainstream (in this case impoverished) society as a whole?

I will not even mention in detail the demolition of whole communities throughout the country to make way for the World Cup.^{3,4,5,6,8
The World Cup has been used as the pretext to drive tens of thousands of slum dwellers out of their homes in Rio de Janeiro.} 
Are such acceptable prices to pay today (in the 21^st Century) so that we can all enjoy the game of football?
Benefit Concert-For The Poor

When the Circus leaves town the only people celebrating will not be the shattered communities and shattered lives of the powerless citizens but wealthy minorities,

having  already sealed the World Cup  re-development deals with partners at home and overseas for business, housing and sporting complexes,benefiting the rich and super rich -'the folks who live on the hill'-all again protected by armed security,para-military security and prison bars surrounding their ivory towers, from the starving masses living on 'the other side of the tracks';and all courtesy of FIFA.

 The World Cup Spirit-Is Not What You Drink⁷

So when you arrive in sunny Brazil, spare one single thought for the hidden country you will never see nor experience (and believe me, I strongly advise you not to venture into Favelas, just for the sake of experience!) Don't believe the propaganda that the impoverished are lazy and just would not want to run a business, and, by the way, before you depart for home, do remember that street vendor and his family you saw on a corner whose only experience of the World Cup will be the football or trinkets he or she has sold to you-all having been supplied at an inflationary cost-to ensure their eternal impoverishment.

Patrick Emek

¹ http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/03/brazil-rio-police-charged-death-missing-man

² http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-Brazil

³ http://www.panoramas.pitt.edu/content/maracana-community-resists-eviction-world-cup-brazil

⁴ http://www.graemegreen.org/Features/tabid/65/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/184/A-Kick-In-The-Favelas.aspx

⁵ https://nacla.org/sites/default/files/8-Barron.pdf

⁶ http://catcomm.org/category/cover/
^{7  ideal for sub-heading re-arranged from a line in  'Another Christmas Song' lyrics  by Jethro Tull  on the album            'Living In the Past' (1972)}
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdalBvgNAxI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VjPPuias1k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=928GexPP0Mg
^{8  http://www.gulf-times.com/us-latin%20america/182/details/373914/rio-accused-of-%E2%80%98social-cleansing%E2%80%99-of-slum-dwellers}

'''The Beautiful Game''
<sup>Let me apologize for not giving credit to the originator of the phrase' The Beautiful Game'.
 I have heard it spoken many times in my lifetime but failed to check it's origin-and mentioned it as a sub-heading when writing this article.  It is not precisely known when this phrase was first used but the person who gave it it's eternal prominence was the legendary Brazilian soccer master, Pelé:
''In 1977 the famous footballer Pelé named his autobiography 'My Life and the Beautiful Game'. The book's dedication reads "I dedicate this book to all the people who have made this great game the Beautiful Game."[7] The phrase has now entered the language as a colorful description for football and as such was used as part of the title for the 13-part series charting the history of the game: History of Football: The Beautiful Game.'' (WIKIPEDIA)

Patrick Emek,December 2013</sup>

On The Death Of Nelson Mandela, Former President of South Africa

 ''The most potent weapon in the hands of the 

     oppressor

is the mind of the oppressed ''(Steve Biko)

It's always difficult to know how to talk about a legend, someone I never had the opportunity to personally meet and,like many others,have only experienced through the pages of time and history.

What I was struck by was the enormous coverage of this momentous event in the West and it's virtual non-existence on, say, Russia Today television network. Russia Today is a TV network part-funded by the Russian government- in much the same way as the BBC, PBS and Voice of America television networks are by their respective governments. The difference,to explain to any Eastern European reader, who might be slightly perplexed by such massive media coverage of the death of a man-and a Black man at that, is that our own pluralistic societies, with all of their problems of religion, race, ethnicity, political and social divisions from Germany through the Atlantic to the Caribbean to the West coast of the United States and on into the Pacific region ending back in Africa, are all striving to create the dream of equality and justice for all which was epitomized by this very great man-as by example in his life and his contribution to the world as one single community. The inventor of the World Wide Web,Tim Berners-Lee and Bill Gates, both of whom have facilitated this communication you are now reading, have likewise made profound contributions in the service of mankind. The fact that a knife can be used to cut bread or kill someone is not the real issue here. The intent to provide a platform, which,as the Electronic Frontier Foundation might say, should remain completely open and uncensored by any government or private corporation, is the only real way that a true renaissance in a future electronic age will really flourish through the internet.

The Long Walk To Freedom

It's difficult for many Russians to understand because, as with Hitler, Stalin and all opaque totalitarian regimes masking as libertarians, their governments, through the media and branches of administration,

in public and private business, paint a picture of a society not as it is but as they wish it to be perceived and conformed to. This issue of the coverage of the death of Nelson Mandela is very dangerous to a society built on deception, rigidity of hierarchical structure,stratified caste and class systems with little social mobility and which functions on separation of the races, as a core theme of 'separate but equal'

echoing the days of Apartheid in South Africa or racial segregation in the United States.

Russian Coverage of Political Events In the United States

One can see this in Russia Today coverage of the Obama administration-where subtle (if not blatant) attempts are always made to portray The President's administration as incompetent and financially inept rather than explaining the deep philosophical political divisions in policy direction between the Republican and Democratic parties-and the hatred this has fueled-because of ignorance and absence of commonsense amongst squabbling politicians-all vying for a slice of media coverage to espouse their corporate or commercial-philosophical-driven ideologies, which are all working against the interests of the ordinary average man and woman-who just want to get on with life, a job, a safe,decent community,justice and fairness for all, having a home they can call their own, no healthcare (personal) bankruptcy worries for themselves, their families and a working future for each within his or her community.

Corporate Hijacking of The Political System in The West

These principles are hijacked both by corporate interests-as we saw in the Federal Government shutdown in the United states this year or, in totalitarian and fascist regimes, by the new nomenklatura, the political and new economic elites who perceive stability in terms of rigid societal stratification.

Both types of societies produce ruling elite classes. The difference lies in the fluidity of social mobility

between the elites-as both types of (societal) models have had different historical transformations.

Change in South Africa was inspired not just by the African National Congress but by open democratic support from millions of people living and organizing against Apartheid in South Africa in the Free World (as opposed to those individuals living behind the Iron Curtain- in Russia and the Warsaw Pact countries)

and in Communist China-where personal liberty to organize in support of the ANC was always illegal-unless it was State controlled.

Communism, it's Successor and Islama-Fascism

As with 'aid' from Saudi Arabia today to countries in need, the only purpose of Soviet aid was to promulgate communism (Saudi Arabia's only mission is to export it's brand of religious racism and Islamic-Fascism) as an ideology to be espoused by any future independent 'free' South Africa. Quite rightly Nelson Mandela was very quick to recognize such 'aid'

from Communist Russia s yet another form of enslavement-this time to Moscow-and, to the displeasure of Moscow, distanced himself from communism.

His State visit to the Russian Federation in 1999 was downgraded to that of a minor event and received virtual no coverage within the Federation-as the majority of rural Russian people still did not really know who he was or what he was doing visiting Russia. I have no doubt he could contrast his reception within the Russian federation with the rapturous and genuine receptions he received from

Cuba, to Libya, to Western Europe to the United states-where he was seen, not just as a statesman but as someone we would all, politically, with all our divisions, like to transcend and aspire to being.

This is impossible (in that they do not understand how) for totalitarian  fascist and neo-nationalist regimes to explain to their  populace the reasons for such profound coverage in the democratic world (as Karl Popper might define open societies)-so better just leave it as a minor passing event-which, other than an obligatory mention to further business friendship, the significance of Nelson Mandela's life and death is best quickly dispensed with. 

Libertarianism Stratification and Threats to National Unity-A Historical Perspective

I recently attended an evening event at a very prestigious international institution where I had the privilege for over 3 hours of listening to several renowned experts in ancient cultures and fine arts explain the purpose and significance of the antiquities and fine works of art. For one particular society, art was encouraged- up to a point where it began to take liberties beyond the pale-depicting scenes of intimacy between 'commoners' and other 'classes' in what were highly stratified societies-based on class and rank. At such points, the equivalent of the pornography Police intervened to arrest the artists-with a severe crackdown on the libertines who had strayed just a little too far and whose liberalism and bohemianism now threatened the very stratified fabric and existence of the society itself. One can see a similar process at work today in the Ukraine-one part desperately trying to break free and reform from the darkness of State-sponsored pogroms, anti -Semitism, ultra-nationalism and Racism-all inherited from Russia-and never properly dealt with under Communism-because they provided an ideal buffer to Poland, potential Polish expansionism (and now NATO) in the Western Ukraine after World War II.

The Long Walk To Freedom¹

The Jerusalem Post today reported that the EU’s Fundamental Rights Agency says it is dropping the definition of Anti-Semitism as it does no longer know how to define it;“We are not aware of any official definition [of anti-Semitism],” spokeswoman Blanca Tapia was quoted as saying by JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) ''According to Robert Singer, the CEO of the World Jewish Congress, without clearly defined parameters on what constitutes anti-Semitism “it will be difficult to combat this growing phenomenon in Europe. The shocking results of the survey about anti-Semitism in Europe, released last month by FRA, show that the EU needs urgently to address this matter.”''The decision to remove the definition is “inexplicable in light of [the FRA’s] own report, which only one month earlier noted record high levels of anti-Semitism across Europe,” the Israeli Jewish Congress stated.''²

So racism is alive and well-not just in the Ukraine but also at the heart of Europe.

The dream of one good man and the long long road to freedom is a walk² we are still traveling in the West-but at least the journey has started.

¹Justin Chadwick’s Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Directed by Justin Chadwick; written by William Nicholson; based on the autobiography “Long Walk to Freedom” by Nelson Mandela; director of photography, Lol Crawley; edited by Rick Russell; music by Alex Heffes; production design by Johnny Breedt; costumes by Diana Cilliers and Ruy Filipe; produced by Anant Singh and David M. Thompson; released by the Weinstein Company.

Running time: 2 hours 21 minutes.

WITH: Idris Elba (Nelson Mandela), Naomie Harris (Winnie Mandela), Tony Kgoroge (Walter Sisulu), Riaad Moosa (Ahmed Kathrada), Jamie Bartlett (James Gregory), Lindiwi Matshikiza (Zindzi Mandela), and Deon Lotz (Kobie Coetzee).

Opened last week in New York and Los Angeles

http://www.contactmusic.com/article/mandela-long-walk-to-freedom-south-africa-box-office_3975420

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/29/movies/mandela-long-walk-to-freedom-with-idris-elba.html?_r=0

2http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-News/Israel-urges-EU-human-rights-body-to-return-anti-Semitism-definition-to-website-334172

³http://www.safpi.org/news/article/2013/russia-south-africa-relations-beyond-revival

Nuclear Agreement With Iran Is There More To This Deal Than Meets The Eye? The Southern Caucasus-Iran-The Caspian Sea-and the Unintended Consequences To 'Peace In Our Time'

Nuclear Agreement With Iran

Is There More To This Deal Than Meets The Eye?

The Southern Caucasus-Iran-The Caspian Sea-and the Unintended Consequences To

'Peace In Our Time'

In a historic development,The European Union and The United States have reached agreement with Iran with regard to it's right to develop nuclear technology and enrich uranium.
Is this a historic mistake which the world will pay a very heavy penalty for or is it a step on the road towards permanent peace in the region and beyond?
What I want to do in this article is to look beyond the Middle East-into the next area of conflict-the Southern Caucasus and to show how this peace deal with Iran has, ironically, brought conflict in the Southern Caucasus one step closer-an unintended consequence of the historic peace.    Lets look at the players:
Nagorno-Karabakh
There is one particular conflict which is a real and immediate threat to international security-and this recent deal will 'free' Iran in the near future to intensify insurgency in this area.
We have seen both Shia and Sunni (Salafist) international brigades fighting alongside local volunteers in areas which are predominantly Shia by tradition.
The Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) War between Azerbaijan and Armenia-where Iran is seeking to extend it's influence-is a historical dispute, a resources conflict, and a desperate scramble by the superpowers to control the vast wealth of the Caspian Sea region.  Increased terrorism and conflicts are likely to become major flashpoints in this area in the near future Let me explain why.
Moving circular from West to North to South, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran  all border an area called the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea itself is a major transit route for oil and gas pipelines.
''The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) places the potential of the Caspian Sea at 48 billion bbls of oil and 292 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of natural gas.  Most of the offshore oil reserves lie in the northern part of the Caspian Sea while most of the offshore natural gas lies in the southern parts of the Caspian Sea.''
''The U.S. Geological Survey (USGC) also estimated that another 20 billion bbls of oil and 243 tcf of natural gas are undiscovered at this time. Most of these undiscovered reserves lie in the South Caspian area where territorial disputes between the countries bordering it have posed a significant barrier to exploration and growth.''¹
Chechnya and Dagestan
You may recall a very ferocious war in Chechnya - a Russian Province bordering Dagestan, another Russian Republic which itself adjoins the Caspian Sea (in that circular west area.) What was fueling this conflict was the prospect of breaking off Chechnya and Dagestan as independent countries so that they could negotiate access to the oil and gas reserves in parts of the Caspian Sea independent of Russia.
(While Chechnya does not border the Caspian, linked to a similar independent Dagestan, it could provide a vital safe transit corridor for oil and gas pipelines - reaching the safety of a NATO 'umbrella' in Georgia, then on out to the Mediterranean into the European Union, independent of the existing Turkish trans-Asia oil and gas 'corridor'.)
 Because of the vital strategic nature of this critical region for Russia, independence was unthinkable - hence proxy wars were (and are, to a lesser extent) still being fought over access and control of huge mineral resources in this area. So the nuclear 'deal' with Iran is, in my opinion, not just about nuclear weapons but is also about the future of the Caspian Sea region for the foreseeable future.
Giving Iran a measured  'free hand' to support insurgency groups in this region will most certainly alarm Moscow as the likelihood is that the U.S. will now provide logistical support more openly than ever to rebel groups in Chechnya - via Iran.  (Iran has also, historically, sought to extend it's influence north through Azerbaijan - the Baku oilfields - across the borders to Chechnya.)
So even though Azerbaijan is off limits to Iran - because of NATO presence - Chechnya and the disputed border area of  Nagorno-Karabakh to the North of Iran, between Armenia and Azerbaijan, will become major flashpoints of conflict in the very near future.
As we have seen in Lebanon, Syria and North Africa, no mercy will be shown to protecting Christian communities when it comes to choosing between them and vital strategic resources - by either side.
What you must bear in mind is that these are resources wars in huge oil, gas, gold, precious and rare earth mineral - rich regions -and not what the politicians and the general media (CNN, Fox,  MSNBC) will attempt to portray.   The conflicts are fueled in the knowledge that oil and gas in the Middle East is running out (maybe not tomorrow-but soon) and that the Caspian Sea, the Asian gateway to oil and gas wealth for the European Union and the United States, will be the new 'El Dorado' of tomorrow.

Russian Forces in Armenia-How Will They Respond To An Attack by Azerbaijan?
Armenia, with the tacit (unofficial) support of Russia, by military force, successfully gained control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other Azeri provinces twenty years ago. Armenia claims these provinces are historically part of Armenia - and that it is simply retaking lands which were unjustly separated during respective periods of Persian and Ottoman conquests. There are dialects of ancient Armenian spoken in all 7 provinces and, historically, Armenia's claim is justified.   In the world of realpolitik however, where oil and liquid gold are thicker than blood, it's claims have not been internationally recognized.
Some 20 years ago, when Armenia seized the 7 provinces from Azerbaijan, it had a well-funded, well-equipped and highly trained armed forces vastly superior to those of the Azeris.
Today the situation is radically different.   Huge oil, gas and mineral reserves and their economic development have made Azerbaijan a phenomenally wealthy country (at least for those in control.)
It's President, Ilham Aliyev,  is a strongman - not dissimilar to the late Colonel Gadhafi - and rules the country with an iron fist (in a velvet glove.)  With the support of NATO, Azerbaijan has modernized it's armed forces and is outspending Armenia on the purchase of defensive, and more notably, from the United States, weapons with offensive capabilities.
To counterbalance this, Russian military forces have been upgraded in Armenia as an imminent threat of war in Russian South Caucasus security area (the soft underbelly) looms closer.

“If Azerbaijan decides to restore jurisdiction over Nagorno-Karabakh by force the [Russian] military base may join in the armed conflict in accordance with the Russian Federation’s obligations within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO),” Ruzinsky ¹²
told the Russian Defense Ministry’s “Krasnaya Zvezda” newspaper in a recent interview.
(Colonel Andrey Ruzinsky is the Senior Commander of 102nd military base, Russian Armed Forces in Armenia.)  Defense Minister of Russia, Sergey Shoygu, said recently, at an urgently requested meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart, Zakir Hasanov, in Moscow, that the media misquoted  the interview given by the Commander of [Russian] 102 military base in Armenia,  to the [Russian] Military newspaper, Krasnaya Zvezda.   Shoygu said that the misquote was ''probably a mistake'' (!)

In the last few months, The Russian base in Armenia, which numbers between 4,000 and 5,000 soldiers, has been upgraded with modern weaponry, reportedly including Iskander-M tactical ballistic missiles.
Unconfirmed reports suggest that Russia has already deployed combat helicopters. The Russian Air Force unit in Armenia currently has 16 MiG-29 fighter jets.   [Deleted reference to Antonov An-225.
An-225 is not operated in Armenia but only used for logistical transport of civilian cargo worldwide.]

Freeing up Iran as a 'non-player' part of this anticipated conflict, is more critical to the long term economic, political and military security of the West than any misgivings the Israelis may have about doing deals with it's sworn enemy. When it comes to global politics, Israel is not a major player-if the issues do not specifically involve the interests and security of the Jewish State.   (Israel does have a modest international humanitarian program.)    Superpowers, on the other hand, have global responsibilities for world security which transcend emotional attachments to any one country.
So long as Iran does nothing irrational in rhetoric or actions - which is highly unlikely - the nuclear deal
with the West will provide the necessary breathing spaces for all involved.
As to 'fallout' unintended consequences for The South Caucasus-Armenia, Azerbaijan and the Caspian Sea region - the Road to Hell is usually paved with good intentions.


Patrick Emek
November 2013



1.http://www.valuewalk.com/2013/09/caspian-sea-asian-gateway-to-oil-wealth/
2.http://asbarez.com/115675/russian-troops-in-gyumri-will-retaliate-if-azerbaijan-attacks/
3.http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/topics_49111.htm
4.http://nisa.az/content/view/36/62/lang,en/
5.http://en.trend.az/news/politics/2189989.html
6.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Nagorno-Karabakh
7.http://www.maps-world.net/central-asia.htm
8.https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&channel=np&q=russia+chechnya&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x4051d57c9d13b971:0x7faadc5dead7e13b,Chechnya,+Russia&gl=uk&ei=sTmUUpO1Oc2ThQe94oHYDg&ved=0CKgBELYD
9.https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&channel=np&q=dagestan&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x
10.http://worldwideconflicts.wordpress.com/tag/shia/
11.http://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Behistun_Inscription.html
12(a)http://www.eurasianet.org/node/67712

12(b) http://www.redstar.ru/index.php/news-menu/v-armiyakh-sng/armenia/item/12045-yuzhnyj-forpost-rossii: Южный форпост России [Russia's Southern Flank]

12(b).''The military base is a mixed facility in permanent alert for immediate use . Its composition represents  major combat units and 17 units of comprehensive support . Such volume forces are at a high state of readiness  to successfully meet its mandated tasks. I should add that the fighting strength of the HDR feature in Armenia is antiaircraft missile battalion equipped air defense system " S-300B " anti-aircraft missile battalion armed with SAM which stands BUK -M1-2 , rocket artillery battery "Tornado" and the air base with a squadron of combat MiG-29 aircraft . The entire amount of forces and assets based in two dozen cantonments two garrisons.''

13(a). Aryan Armenians:
(Please note that the word 'Aryan' has been misappropriated by European civilization and used
for evil purposes.  It's origin is, in fact, Sanskrit (India).  Aryan (ārya) in ancient Sanskrit, it's native origin,
means 'one who does noble deeds'.)
The name 'Armenia' appears on ancient Persian Behistun rock inscription as 'Armina'.
In native Armenian it is also known as 'Hayk'.    Patrick Emek 2013 )

13(b). Historical Reference:
History to 114 AD:
The ancestors of the present Armenians (who call themselves Chaik'h, i.e. Pati-s, "Lords") may have settled in the country in the 8th century BC, when Sargon mentions a king of part of Armenia who bore the Aryan name Bagadatti (= Theodore). They came from Phrygia (Herod. vii.73), used the Phrygian dress and armor (Dion. of Halicarnassus; Eudoxius; Herod.) and spoke the same language (Herod. i.171). In the Bible they are called the "House of Togarmah" (Genesis 10:3; 1 Chronicles 1:6; Ezekiel 27:14; 38:6) and "Ashkenaz" (Genesis 10:3; 1 Chronicles 1:6; Jeremiah 51:27; the Assyrian Ashguza), as by their own writers of later times. Xenophon in the Cyropedia mentions a Median conquest of Armenia, Strabo their Median attire; yet Armenian girls could not understand Xenophon's Persian interpreter (Anab. iv.5). Three of the four Armenians mentioned by Darius have Aryan names. The Armenians joined the Median noble Fravartish in his revolt against Darius I (519 BC). Much of the consequent fighting took place in Armenia, which was with difficulty subdued (517). It formed part of Darius' thirteenth Nome, and afterward two satrapies (apparently Armenia Major and Minor). The government (of Armenia Major) was made hereditary in the family of Vidarna (Hydarnes) for helping to put down Fravartish. Xenophon's interesting description of the country and people and the severity of its winters is well known.
Herodotus tells of Armenians in skin and wicker-work coracles bringing wine, etc., to Babylon. Xenophon says they and the Chaldeans traded with India. Strabo mentions their caravan trade across central Asia. The satrap of Armenia had to present 20,000 young horses annually to the king of Persia at the great annual festival of Mithra. A large body of Armenian soldiers served in Xerxes' invasion of Greece. At the battle of Arbela (331 BC), 40,000 of their infantry and 7,000 cavalry took part. Armenia then became a portion of Alexander's empire, and later of that of Seleucus (301 BC), under a native satrap, Artavasdes. Armenia revolted after Antiochus' defeat at Magnesia (190 BC), and the Romans encouraged the two satraps to declare themselves kings. Artaxias, king of Armenia Major, used Hannibal's aid in fortifying his capital Artaxata (189 BC). Artaxias was overthrown by Antiochus Epiphanes in 165, but was restored on swearing allegiance. Civil confusion ensued. The nobles called in the Parthians under Mithridates I (150 BC), who became master of the whole Persian empire. He made his brother Valarsaces king of Armenia. Thus the Arsacide dynasty was established in that country and lasted till the fall of the Parthian empire (226 AD), the Armenian kings very generally recognizing the Parthian monarchs as their suzerains.
The greatest Armenian king was Tigranes I. (96-55 BC), a warrior who raised Armenia for a time to the foremost position in Asia. He humbled the Parthians, joined Mithridates VI in war with Rome, ruled Syria for over 14 years, built near Mardin as his capital Tigranocerta, and assumed the Assyrio-Persian title of "King of Kings." Lucullus defeated Tigranes and destroyed Tigranocerta in 69 BC. Tigranes surrendered to Pompey near Artaxata (66 BC), paid 6,000 talents, and retained only Armenia. Under him Greek art and literature flourished in the country. Armenia as a subjectally of Rome became a "buffer state" between the Roman and Parthian empires. Tigranes' son and successor Artevasdes joined in the Parthian invasion of Syria after Crassus' overthrow at Sinnaca 53 BC. He treacherously caused great loss to Antony's army in 36 BC. Antony carried him in chains to Egypt, where Cleopatra put him to death in 32 BC. After this, Armenia long remained subject to the Romans whenever not strong enough to join the Parthians, suffering much from intrigues and the jealousy of both powers. There is no proof of the later Armenian story that Armenia was subject to Abgarus, king of Edessa, in our Lord's time, and that the gospel was preached there by Thaddaeus, though the latter point is possible. In 66 AD, Tiridates, elder brother of the Parthian king Vologeses, having defeated the Romans under Paetus and established himself on the throne of Armenia, went by land to Rome and received investiture from Nero. Peace between Rome and Parthia ensued, and Armenia remained closely united to Parthia till Trajan's expedition in 114 AD.
_LITERATURE._
Spiegel, Altpers. Keilinschriften; Herodotus; Xenophon; Arrian; Tacitus; Velleius Patroculus; Livy; Polybius; Ammianus Marcellinus.
W. St. Clair Tisdall
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography Information
Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'ARMENIA'". "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". 1915.

 14.http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/the-road-to-hell-is-paved-with-good-intentions.html

                 The TransPacific Partnership (TPP) - New BRICS On The Block?

What Is The Trans-Pacific Partnership?

(And Why Have I Not Heard About It Before Now?)

The Partners:

*The United States*Australia*Canada*New Zealand*Japan*

*Mexico*Peru*Chile*Singapore*Malaysia*Vietnam*Brunei*

Global Transnational Trading Blocks Of The Future-TTIP*TPP*BRICS*

The first thing to state is where I have heard about it from.

I read about it in an excellent article by By Richard Chirgwin  published in an  investigative journal which, like myself, has only a handful of readers worldwide-probably mainly in the Anglo-Saxon world.  I say sadly because I believe that legislation of this international proportion will affect India,Africa,Asia to a profound extent that it is a tragedy we have few fellow-readers (and fellow-traveler participants for discussion)  in these regions-as yet.
It is a new trade agreement negotiated in total secrecy with an estimated 550-600 U.S. corporate lobbyists, completely anonymous, covertly working to bring TPP legislation into effect which will give transnational corporations an equal if not-preeminent footing superseding local (national) and even United Nations convention agreements and laws-effectively driving a coach and horses through disputed UN legislation and sidelining this organization in favor of partisan trade blocks,where legislation favoring major corporations can challenge Governments for loss (or anticipated) of revenues should member countries fail to protect the enshrined status of a corporate product or service.  This failure to protect can be very wide ranging from lack of stringent enforcement by government agencies and departments to simply failing to adequately 'police'
copyright and patent infringement on the internet by closing down or blocking servers and with huge fines as deterrents to internet providers or producers of any goods or services in any way deemed competitive, similar and objectionable even on grounds of suspected infringement of any aspect of  existing copyright by the transnational holder-thereby freezing all such products until a  TPP corporate-agreed (perhaps Government sub-contracted) body investigates and rules on the matter-with huge costs involved to would-be-innovators.

Secondly, this TPP agreement cannot be seen in isolation to new emerging trade blocks-such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (a rival to the TPP for economic and political influence in Asia and The South China Seas which specifically includes China and specifically excludes The United States) RCEP members will include the existing ASEAN member-countries plus

six (Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.) which have free-trade agreements with ASEAN.

The TPP is preceding the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership)-yet another regional trading block-this one between the US and the European Union.

(A further block exists in the oil and mineral-rich ' Muslim Stans' of Central Asia-Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, with China ,Russia, Europe the United States and Japan vying for control and influence.)

The objective of the 2 main blocks (TTIP and TPP) are to extend economic influence of member-countries in advance of BRICS (yet another economic trading block with Russia and India in the driving seats) coming into prominence in the near future. Of these 3 blocks, BRICS is likely to be the one with the highest growth potential as it will be incorporating countries in regions which have traditionally been underdeveloped but with vast mineral-rich potentials. Many countries in Africa may well,if invited, opt for BRICS membership or association rather than the legal shackles (and penalties) imposed by the other two blocks and which are likely to further hamper growth and development of fledgling industries and home-based companies servicing local markets in these underdeveloped countries.

What Is The TPP?

Rather than precise Richard Chirgwin's excellent article, I would just like to generally spread the news about what the TPP actually does, then pick up on specific issues close to my heart.

In essence the TPP is a set of business regulatory standards which it's members agree to enforce.

It specifically excludes India and China with the hope that they will eventually opt for inclusion when

bitter rivals are seen over time to be gaining an upper economic competitive advantage.

(I do not know whether they were initially invited but declined joining on the basis of the anti-competitive nature of TPP or they were just ignored.)

At this point, when joining at a future date, countries such as India and China will be opting to join a club as 'the poor relatives'-with little rights to amend and an obligation as signatories to accept legislation already agreed amongst initial TPP member countries.

But in actual effect many of these regulatory issues agreed amongst founder TPP-member countries are likely to affect the ability of, say an independent free-range non-GMO farmer in Nebraska or Idaho or an African or Asian farmer to bring a new herbal product to the local (national) and international market without undergoing such rigorous appraisal-not testing for public health & safety but bench-mark legal standards for copyright infringement set by the TPP member-nation's global multinational or transnational corporation, for the infringement, in any way, even by a small percentage,of existing copyright or patent,held by that (transnational corporation) existing TPP member-which more likely than not, some aspect of the product inevitably will. In other words, herbal medicine, a life-saving part of the developing world, will be ultimately virtually outlawed-unless it (the herb) is already under an umbrella transnational corporation-which will more likely already be headquartered in a TPP-member country. (Yes OK, it may be headquartered 'offshore' but in reality it's base is a TPP-member nation.)

Are you with me so far?;or has the matter become so complicated that I am already losing your interest? Don't worry, it's not you! It's just that this TPP draft regulatory framework is very complex and if you are not a widely-read individual (or a lawyer) it might just send you to sleep-whereas the opposite is very necessary for your survival beyond TPP!

Non-GMO Free-Range Produce (As An Alternative To Monsanto - Enshrined in TPP Legislation )

For example, if I am a Utah free-range (non-GMO) farmer - or indeed a similar farmer in India or Africa - and I grow a herb (most pharmaceuticals are herb-based, then synthesized to mask this origin, now today further genetically engineered to mask even further-and patented at all 3 stages to prevent others following-effectively destroying free-market enterprise innovation in the process) which I want to market,as,say, for example as a 'natural' mosquito/insect repellant, the first thing I will now have to do is submit it to rigorous testing-not under Federal Safety Regulations but under TPP regulations before sale and distribution in a TPP-member country. So TPP legislation will supercede national law. These oversights will be sub-contracted to the legal representatives of the global transnationals (TPP-member countries) whose only function will be to get this Utah farmer's product into a 'kangaroo' testing laboratory with the sole objective of finding some infringement for patent rights in one of the 3 stages of processing I have already mentioned above. Are you beginning to get the picture? So the ability to innovate is being concentrated in the hands of a very few highly technologically-developed countries-with a number of TPP Third-World/Developing countries, as clients, included as window dressing. Of course the objective is not initially the small farmer in Idaho, Alaska, Utah or Nebraska but to stymie the fast-developing innovative pharmaceutical and herbal product innovators in non-member countries such as India and China -which are eating into (existing) global transnational corporations dominance of the patent and copyright markets and against which they simply cannot compete with in price. (There are genuine issues of quality and safety with regard to 'cloned' (generic) products which should not be ignored but in a truly free-market world, inferior health products will tank in favor of superior quality and safer products-as they rightly should.)

So How Should I Respond To Trading Blocks I Have No influence Over? I am helpless!

The answer is to get local-go back to basics-but unlike the Taliban and Saudi Arabia-embrace modernity and opportunity offered by modern communications and the potential for community cooperatives infrastructures.

On a planet which, far from moving towards economic global unity, is defining itself through economic and military 'strength in numbers' competing trading and mutually exclusive blocks, the objective of the independent non-GMO-enslaved Nebraska or Rust Belt (independent) farmer should be to ensure the dissemination of support-infrastructures at local and regional levels so there are alternative local, non-GMO farmer market and available produce in all major towns and US cities. Given real free choice, most consumers would abandon factory-farmed chickens held in pens the size of your computer monitor by the tens and GMO produce in favor of healthier alternatives-if they were available at a cheaper price. Taking advantage of community-owned and community-shared or cooperative transport to ferry produce across the country will both keep the profits amongst member-producer-consumers and sideline the expensive alternatives.

So there are practical things which individuals can do to provide consumers with real alternatives to the global transnational blocks-at local community level.

What Percentage of World Trade Is Located Within Trade Blocks?

So legislation which is designed to divide the world into trading blocks whether encompassing

26% of the World's GDP and 20% of the World's Trade (The European Union) or emerging

60% of global GDP and 33% of world trade(the TPP) or

30% of GDP and 40% of world trade (RCEP)

and BRICS (25% of world GDP and 15% of world trade) can work for the benefit of local people-if they simply opt for more local and community-based produce(!); this means that local communities need to get back into the hot seat to produce locally sourced organic produce-and consumers will also have to sacrifice glossy-packaged and presented goods in favor of more basic labeling of produce.  Domestic Vegetable and Community Vegetable Gardens and EcoArks (my coinage or phrase for mixed vegetable,plant,goats and chicken free-range cultivation)  and allotments by independent farmers -either on a barter or a chargeable basis-are also options forward for town and city community farming projects.
In a world more polarized than ever, drifting further apart with formation blocks designed to curtail true free trade, one response at a local level could be an intensification of peer-to-peer
cooperative bartering and farming,peer-to-peer delivery of produce-from producer to consumer
leaving out the middlemen and chain supermarkets.  A myriad of services could be contemplated
utilizing peer-to-peer access and skills exchange for goods and services and vice versa.

There is not a single consumer produce in the world which could not be grown in some part of the United States-in a non-GMO environment for national consumption. What hinders such development are barriers inside the United States to the free-market-spreading of fear about any enterprises which enable groups of individuals to share equally all of the profits (as with cooperatives) are scare-mongered and legislated out of existence similar to the hysteria about 'socialized' medicine- thereby ensuring consumers never have a chance to examine alternatives to work and profit-sharing than those already existing for corporate America. Other barriers are inertia to change and the power of hundreds of years of consumer advertising. I am sure, as day follows night, that when Community America is up and running, Europe then the rest of the world will follow. To misquote The Reverend Dr Martin Luther King (but hopefully within the spirit he would graciously consent to approve) I can say that '' I've been to the top of the mountain and I have seen the non-GMO-legislated promised land!''...and we will all get there....together.....someday...

I had finished my article, but for the paragraph below, when I read a very moving article about the life of St. Patrick, who was taken into slavery as a young boy and, as the story or legend goes, herded goats on Sliabh Mish during enforced childhood captivity.  I was particularly struck by his last remark that "whatever situation you find yourself in today, even if it is not what you had planned, God can use you there to do something amazing."  (http://cliffmarshall.blogspot.co.uk/?expref=next-blog)

If you want to see how the forthcoming TPP will affect your ability to innovate-or indeed how copyright and patent legislation will be policed and enforced-be it with regard to internet activities, file sharing,selling goods and products via the internet please refer to the references below.  (You can assume that TPP 'rivals' will have similar policies in place!)

Patrick Emek November 2013

Update (02.11.2015)
 additional information has now provided greater detail to the TPP agreements.
Please reference this more recent addition first:
 https://www.eff.org/issues/tpp

Original References:

http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/The_EU_in_the_world_-_economy_and_finance

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R42344.pdf

http://www.americasquarterly.org/next-big-thing-trans-pacific-partnership

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/world/asia/southeast-asian-nations-announce-trade-bloc-to-rival-us-effort.html

https://wikileaks.org/tpp/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/11/13/wikileaks_posts_tpp_text/

The Jimmy Kimmel Affair

On a show recently hosted by ABC presenter,Jimmy Kimmel, a youngster was heard to say that one way to solve all of America's debt problems might be to kill all Chinese-in China.
The fact that this statement was made on a show well-known for political incorrectness - offending in joke -and was uttered by a humor-excited six-year old cut no ice with China. The backlash was inevitable-hundreds of people flooded the switchboards of ABC offices demanding Kimmel be fired. This was to be expected after such comments. The offensive remarks have now been edited out of the show. What was not expected was that all of the protesters are Chinese-not a single non-Chinese supporting the protests outside ABC's main studio in Los Angeles. If this had been any other ethnic group there would have been universal support in condemnation. Why then are the general public reluctant to get involved?  The answer may lie in the fact that the Chinese community itself does little to involve itself in the social, welfare, charitable life of multifaith and multiethnic (multiracial) America.  It is a highly insular group which focuses on the accumulation of financial wealth-a product of a society (China) where financial self-sufficiency (with no social welfare networks) is a priority for every citizen as the only recourse is impoverishment or reliance on handouts from contemptuous relatives (contemptuous about the fact that they have to support a 'weak' 'lazy' family member who has not had the foresight nor wisdom to provide for the future for himself or herself and his or her family.) So the cultural and mental divides between China and the U.S. are huge. Well-to-do Chinese, unlike their Anglo-Saxon,Jewish,Italian,Hispanic,Irish,African-American.German,Norwegian,Swedish counterparts see no need to support charitable causes-which most privately regard as 'welfare bums' or 'scroungers'. So there is a world of difference in how insular China and the other communities in the United States regard their responsibilities to those less fortunate financially, than themselves. It doesn't stop there. Our whole Judeo-Christian philosophy, in my opinion, is rooted in conscience and responsibility, not just for ourselves but in the mentoring through example of several tenets-some of which are those of giving,of guidance and the wish to be remembered as 'someone who did good' or tried to do good for those less fortunate, from whatever racial background, through some selfless bountiful acts which are all philosophically, part of the same holistic approach as to how the Judeo-Christian world perceives it's relationship to it's fellow man and woman and to the Creator. I believe such concepts have no place in Confucianism which essentially teaches that all foreigners (non-Chinese) are to be treated with suspicion,if not contempt, that China is special and the rest of the world, barbarians.  (That was why, incidentally, the Great Wall was built ,with the dead bones of the millions of slaves labored, who died  of exhaustion in the construction,ground into the mortar, so as to ensure no wastage. )   It should never be forgotten that some of the greatest atrocities in world history have taken place when one ethnic group has dehumanized another or others.  Confucianism has been one of the greatest driving forces in the perception of itself (ethnocentrically) and the rest of the world by China (certainly Han China) for centuries-in much the same way as The Holy Roman Empire held sway of all religious and philosophical directions throughout Christendom for centuries. It's not that the Chinese people don't give, but they cannot understand why 'giving' should be institutionalized-as it is 'non-productive'.  To selectively (and mutually exclusively) support the Chinese community in the United States is productive-because it is cost-effective and cost-efficient.  Let me just be clear,all patrons (wealthy individuals or donors) will be prejudiced towards supporting their own community (or ethnic group) first-but many do not do so to the total exclusion of all others,as a matter of  exclusive (ethnocentric) belief and policy.
Likewise individuals when asked to support a charitable cause may give exclusively to charities which, for example,provide services for the Armenian community-but you will find few to say it is wrong for their ethnic group, as individuals, to give to other similar worthy causes on grounds of culture, tradition and racial identity.  When you understand this frame of thought it becomes easier to appreciate why, other than the fact that the Chinese Embassy in Washington got (informally) involved and the issue has turned into a 'diplomatic incident', the general public are noticeably muted and lacking in luster to come out in their millions to support the call for Jimmy Kimmel's 'head on a platter'.  It was an unfortunate remark-but not by Jimmy Kimmel himself. It has now been edited out-as it should be.   Jokes about the Irish Famine (1845-48),The Holocaust of the Jews in Nazi Germany,Slavery of African Americans would receive similar treatment.
What it has done is highlight the cultural and ideological divide in perceptions between East and West and, I hope, something positive may be generated from the heated debates in the aftermath.
Probably both the Chinese community and ourselves ought to take hard looks in our respective mirrors. Neither should be entirely happy with what is reflected back.


Patrick Emek
November 2013

Egypt in Turmoil (Part I)

                                  Egypt in Turmoil (Part I)

      Kangaroo Court Tries Donkey,Hyenas and Jackals

                  For Crimes Against Humanity

 

  Once Upon A Time:
The Donkey's Tale

Once Upon A Time there was a Donkey.

He heard voices which told him to establish

a Kingdom where all the other creatures in the land thought

the same, looked the same, prayed to the same God and worshiped

him as the Supreme Donkey.

The voices told him that only when all the other creatures

were forced to worship the same God would there be peace and

happiness forever in the country.

In his vision, he saw a land of milk and honey.

In reality he was looking at recent piles of hot smoking horse manure and cow shit.

But he was a Donkey-and to him a pile of hot manure smelt like

roses and exquisite bunches in abundance.

He troddled the length and breadth of the country, preaching the good news and trying to persuade all the other creatures, big and small to buy into his vision.

They were all horrified when he took them to where the

apparition had first occurred.

All they could see were piles of decaying

horseshit and cow dung. When he pointed to the piles and said in

ecstasy 'cast your eyes on this wonderful future I have in store and planned for you!', they all ran and flew away as fast as their little and big legs could carry them-elephants, monkeys, leopards, gazelles, gorillas, crocodiles, alligators, tortoises,ants, camels, eagles, hawks.

Birds,Geese and Flamingos flew away in their millions. There was a stampede to get as far away from the smell as was possible. All departed, except the hyenas and jackals.

The Hyenas and Jackals are scavengers. They saw great promise in a land where the Grim Reaper would provide an abundance of pickings for both of them – and the Donkey could lead the way.

And so it came to pass that turmoil abounded the length and breadth

of the land-bird sanctuaries were destroyed, wells were poisoned,

elephants were ambushed by the Armies of thousands of hyenas.

Every creature in the land was hunted by the hyena Armies without mercy.

Even the King of the Jungle feared for the life of his family-so his fierce roar was no longer heard throughout the land.

The jackals and hyenas were delighted.

With the spoils provided, they had enough eyes and flesh to gouge out and eat upon for a long long time. Indeed so many carcasses were piling up they held a special meeting to brainstorm how they could preserve the precious raw meat so that it would not rot too quickly.

Donkey had a new vision.

In it the Divine Creator told him that he wanted

all the creatures in the land to live in paradise.

Donkey told the hyenas and jackals to devise a plan so that

all the creatures could live in paradise.

''Well dear Leader, they said, all we need do is continue with your beautiful plan and all the creatures in this land will for sure be living in paradise!''

Donkey was elated.

The King of The Jungle is not called 'King' for no reason.

After his initial shock, he mustered up the courage to call

a meeting of all the surviving frightened

creatures and animals

in the land to unite them against this madness of the Donkey.

In the meanwhile, the Jackals and Hyenas took the Donkey on an inspection of their trophies.

'See how our actions are bringing your visions closer!', they exclaimed.

The Donkey was delighted.

Where there were rivers of blood from decaying and trampled-to-death bodies

Donkey only saw flowing streams of clear aquamarine and turquoise waters.

Where their were gouged out eyes and body parts

Donkey saw sparkling diamonds and endless fields of blooming

and scented flowers.

Where animals, their young and even unborn children were ripped from mothers' wombs and torn apart by the fanatical blood-soaked teeth of

hyenas in a blood-lust frenzy, Donkey only

saw smiles of joy

and cries of pleasure and delight.

And Donkey proclaimed:

''This is a wonderful gift you are giving me!

The Day of my Kingdom draws closer!

I can see it! I can feel it!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

How Can I ever repay you?''

The Jackals and Hyenas thought carefully for a minute and then said softly:

''You need do nothing O wonderful Leader but

continue to inspire us with more of your visions

of the promised land to come!

For without your wisdom, vision and

guidance, this land of milk and honey will never

exist.''

Now I have started this story children, I am leaving the ending for all of you out there to finish for yourselves as you see fit.

The Rules are, you cannot alter anything to date and you must continue the story on the path of life it has taken to it's

inevitable, ultimate and final destination, wherever that might be.

Patrick Emek

November 2013

 

Michael  Shrimpton:Conspiracy Theorist or Harbinger?
'Spyhunter' (The Secret History of German Intelligence) by Michael Shrimpton, 2014
A draft of one of the most controversial intelligence books recently written popped through my mailbox several months ago.   It was from an old colleague, Michael Shrimpton.  Some will argue that it is not an intelligence book at all but a jumbled collection of conspiracy theories woven into faction.
Spyhunter is essentially about a fabled German spy network which was never dismantled after World War II, the DVD.   If I am to be really precise, we first talked about this book 3 years ago and, with Michael's agreement, I pulled a review just before it went to print.   What I don't want to do is to fall either into the conspiracist nor into the 'Whodunnit?' trap.  Conspiracists will agree with Michael's analysis - as it fits several other patterns they have already revealed.   The problem here is, just because you don't agree with conspiracists that doesn't mean that there is absolutely no truth in everything they allege (!)
Edward Heath,British Prime Minister

Firstly, Ted Heath made a lot of enemies when he took Britain into Europe.   Many in the Tory Party believed he had 'sold out' and this was unforgivable.  Indeed the argument about Europe and Britain's place in it rages on today within the rank and file membership so it continues to remain a highly divisive issue.

Gay Politicians and Statesmen -When It Was Illegal To be Gay
We know that several world statesmen are Gay, but this does not mean that they are child molesters or murderers - which Michael alleges of one in his book. The problem here is that you can say anything about anybody - if they are dead - they have no comeback!
Chairman Mao and Paedophile Rings
Secondly we know that Chairman Mao used paedophile rings, gays and lesbians to blackmail political opponents - but so too did (do) many other intelligence agencies I can think of throughout the world.
The Cambridge Soviet Spies & The DVD
Cambridge is again dug up as a nest of Gay recruits to MI6 - but I have been reading about this since at least 10 years before the time I knew Anthony Verrier (Through The Looking Glass,1983) - we both served on the Editorial Board of The European Review.   So again, what's new Michael? Anthony Verrier's contacts were highly reliable and none were 'cookies'.  Sadly in this area, when individuals think you have a contact source in intelligence, a lot of fruitcakes want to either attach you to fruit and nut causes - or rope you in as a committee member.  I recently had to extract myself from one such situation (where a 'tutti frutti' -  nutcase/mentally unbalanced individual - had ensconced on a committee with the sole purpose of compromising me) and that took almost one year!  So this matter of the reliability of sources is of utmost importance where 'smoke and mirrors' are involved.
Princess Diana - Murder or a Tragic Accident?
Michael's revelations about the death of Princess Diana are likewise controversial - but again, other than blaming the DVD, there is little new information here.   Of course if you are German, you will most likely be either incensed or indeed delighted to know that almost everything in the world for the past 1300 years, indeed even the origin of Islam itself (!) can be attributed to German Intelligence!
The Hidden Sexual Proclivities of World Politicians
The hidden sex life of world politicians is always titillating - and it's so sad that Michael did not 'go to town' on this matter-as there are a lot of' 'hetero' scandals out there which would have given such added 'spice' to a book which became bogged slightly down in 'kiddie sex' politicians - to the point of boring the reader.  I won't rewrite Michael's book-but there are heirs and spares (even to Royal thrones) whose true lineage is just as interesting and the the general public would go ape (!) to know about such matters.

Deja Vu?

Michael's book becomes a read, almost of, 'read it all before, heard it all before, seen it all before - so what's new?'  However, I must not be too critical because to weave an intelligence book of 800 pages requires a wonderful talent in itself.   I have kept my ear to the ground over the years so perhaps have heard more 'backtalk' than that which many people would ever encounter.   The revelations in Spyhunter will most certainly amaze and stupify a whole new generation
Faction Sells Better Than Reality
Several months ago I was at a low-key reception for a very senior politician.  I met with someone and afterwards we exchanged emails.   I said to him that these days people don't want hard facts and a dull analysis of politics or history, they want everything to be 'jazzed up' - sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll will always keep them (readers) awake.   No 'dry' book about politics and political events will ever sell today as well as one with politicians caught with their 'trousers down' or 'skirts up' and 'in the act'.  If you add brothel scenes and orgies, murder of gay lovers and everything else in the stable, you are probably guaranteed to make enough to retire on your first book!    Shrimpton covers the field quite well - so it would not at all surprise me if Spyhunter is a runaway success.
What I am absolutely sure of is that no 18-23 year-old university undergraduate will fall asleep whilst reading Spyhunter - as they most certainly will with the rest of the 'stuffy' prescribed literature!   And they may actually be motivated to take a real interest in history as a subject; hopefully with a very critical eye.

Markus Wolf and Inga Haag

Michael mentions Markus Wolf - one of the last of the Old World's foremost (and greatest) Cold War spymasters.   But for many years I knew Inga Haag, Britain's foremost spy in Admiral Canaris' Office during World War II.    She showed me a lot of unknown and unpublished material from the days of the Third Reich - all of which is now in the hands of her biographer, a confidant, whom I will not name.   Indeed I was sworn to never reveal where Inga lived - and I knew someone 2 doors away, a socialite, who was quite angry with me when I told her after Inga's death, whom she had been living beside for many years.   Inga would never call herself 'German'.    All her life she remained a 'Prussian'.    The frown on her face and a cursory glance at her watch when I was seconds late reminded me she was still keeping Prussian time - and I dared not repeat the offence twice!   I often felt like a puppy being scolded and on such occasions (yes, unfortunately, there was more than one!) even though Inga did not say a word, I felt like finding some dark place in the corner of the reception room to hide away until her irritation subsided and I could crawl back to the table some seconds whilst her attention was diverted to other matters.   Don't misunderstand me, if you knew Inga well, you knew where she lived.    And she had many friends.    It was not a state secret.   Most people not within her circle, knew little about her background.   We never agreed on how to tackle social issues and, politically, I think , that I was something of a disappointment to Inga, but we agreed to differ.   Inga was highly respected and she also carried one of the first issued NATO passports I ever saw.    So I knew of Markus Wolf, in passing conversation, with Inga at her home.   I had read about the legendary Markus Wolf but never imagined I would have the privilege of discussing with one who knew him.     It's not often you can call someone a legend in their own lifetime but Wolf fits this bill.    Markus knew of Inga from the 'old days' of the Third Reich.    If they ever met before the War it could not have been after 1933 and may have been at a social or societal function when they were both quite young, but I do not know this to be fact.   That not being the case, there were many opportunities in the closing days of World War II when both the Allies and The Soviet Union were vying with each other for top Nazis and Anti-Nazis - with something to offer - and prepared to jump ship in exchange for a new life and anonymity behind the Iron Curtain or in The United States. 
Inga was part of the plot to assassinate Hitler at the Wolf's Lair and only through careful pre-planning and a little bit of luck did she herself avoid the firing squad or the meat hook.  Claus von Stauffenberg and many other co-conspirators were not so fortunate.
 An excellent article by Jason Hiller:'Shaken, not Stirred: Markus Wolf's Involvement in the Guillaume Affair and the Evolution of Foreign Espionage in the Former DDR', published in 'Voces Novae', Chapman University Historical Review,Vol 3, No.1, 2012; may throw some light on where they could have encountered each other, given the difficult circumstances Wolf and his family found themselves in after the Nazis came to power.    I only met Markus Wolf once, in London, whilst chaperoning Inga (who was now in failing mental health, a shadow of her former wonderful sharp-minded self) to a small gathering at a private club off Pall Mall.    Michael was present at this gathering and I introduced him, for the first time, to Inga.   I studied a video on You Tube ('The Secret Vault') in which Michael describes an encounter with Markus Wolf where he addresses him with formal military rank title.   I had initially thought this was during or after a formal intelligence debriefing but Michael assures me this was not the case.   Michael's description of Mr Wolf's reaction was reminiscent to me of an extract from a classic war movie 'Where Eagles Dare' (Story and Screenplay by Alistair MacLean) and I suspect Mr Wolf, as first a former East German Officer and Gentleman (!) reacted exactly how the situation required.  'Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' (John le Carré, 1974) and 'The Puzzle Palace' ( James Bamford, 1982 ) are probably the nearest anyone might ever get to this frame of thinking where everything is just one great big puzzle waiting to be solved.   I grew up with German children as intimate friends for the better part of my childhood - the Braun Family as I recall - (I don't think any relation to Eva Braun - but I really don't know as they moved away when I was about 10 or 11 years of age) and who lived above a shop opposite Trinity College.  So I understand the mentality very well - just in case Michael will more likely say: 'ah yes but you know nothing about Jerry!' .   A further criticism is that Michael does not cover the best spy agencies in the world - those famed for their use of sex, drugs and everything else.   Michael might respond by saying 'well we wouldn't want to cover what the good guys and gals do!'; but that reduces your coverage to a very limited and narrow viewfinder making it impossible to paint a reliable picture of the contemporary world of espionage.   I suppose the subtitle 'The Secret History of German Intelligence' might preclude others - but, even if the DVD exist, they cannot operate in a vacuum.

NSA/CIA Military Satellite Diverted In Hunt For The DVD

As to Michael having the influence to divert an NSA /CIA satellite (watch 'The Secret Vault' on You Tube)  for look down elsewhere, all I can say is I doubt that without recommendation from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of the CIA, FBI, FDA ,the DEA, NSA or another Government Department or Agency or in preparation for a major covert operation, such an event can occur.    It's not an impossibility (reliable intelligence on the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden might be an occasion for such access/diversion request) but I would be very nervous if military satellites are indeed being diverted at the whims of private citizens (and non-U.S. nationals) to follow up their own free-range private intelligence operations or research.    Michael has told me that, because of the high grade nature of his contacts, it is never possible to compromise intelligence sources by revealing who and when it happened.   Only what, where and how events unfolded can be relayed.   As it stands therefore, we have to believe Michael in this matter on faith alone.  
In Central America, I once encountered a senior CIA operative, living in the safest place in town, and if someone had information which might have been useful, he did have the authority to make such a request, based on hard intelligence.   As it happened, I was not engaged in military intelligence harvesting and therefore had nothing to offer - but the point here is that maybe with the right contacts, something along the lines Michael describes just might be possible. 
The 'Execution' of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris

Quite rightly Michael has said that there is no first-hand account about this matter.  Intelligence Officers have not been unknown to make themselves invisible – forever after - and Canaris was one of the best.   If this were to be true, Soviet Intelligence (NKGB - possibly even involving the young Markus Wolf) or the OSS  and the CIA would have played no small part.  These 'ifs' are, however, speculation, as no hard evidence exists to suggest Canaris survived the failed plot.
Seal Team 6
I was hesitant whether to include anything about the fact that team  members which took out Bin Laden were killed when a Chinook crashed having been struck by Taliban fire while on another mission. I have my own theory, which, for security reasons, I will not elaborate.  What is more important is that many, including Michael Shrimpton, are convinced that the mission was betrayed.  Michael has very persuasive arguments as to why this was the case - and his revelations and conclusions are equally startling.

Madeleine McCann
Michael mentions the Madeleine McCann unsolved disappearance.  Good taste does not allow me to elaborate on his theories - which are also available at 'The Secret Vault' on You Tube, only to say that in our many discussions about aspects of Spyhunter (sometimes page by page or chapter by chapter) I did caution about the wisdom of such idle speculation, without any solid foundations nor evidence, knowing the hurt it will most likely cause her parents.   I have to say here I don't believe a word of Michael's theory - but many conspiracists will.    At the end of the day, it is his book and he is entitled to write it as he see's fit.
Spyhunter – Fact, Fiction, Faction or Conspiracist - Judge For Yourself
In conclusion, Spyhunter, when eventually released, will either be a monumental success or a monumental failure.    In a world of 'smoke and mirrors' you can say anything about anyone - no proof required - as sources can be deemed 'unattributable' - substituting for solid hard facts and evidence.    As to the historical relevance of Spyhunter; well, what exactly is history, if not a jumbled kaleidoscope of faction - spoils to the victor?

Spyhunter,The Secret History of German Intelligence, by Michael Shrimpton

additional references:
http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/VocesNovae/article/view/324 
http://www.pubbiz.com/page/content/000049


© Patrick Emek  2013