Global Events & Politics Überthread

[nsacpi]

The strange sound came at night: a crack like a marble striking the floor of the apartment above them.

Mark Lenzi and his wife had lightheadedness, sleep issues and headaches, and their children were waking up with bloody noses — symptoms they thought might be from the smog in Guangzhou, China, where Mr. Lenzi worked for the State Department. But air pollution could not explain his sudden memory loss, including forgetting names of work tools.

What began as strange sounds and symptoms among more than a dozen American officials and their family members in China in 2018 has turned into a diplomatic mystery spanning multiple countries and involving speculation about secret high-tech weapons and foreign attacks.

But the government’s treatment of the episodes has been radically different. The State Department, which oversaw the cases, has produced inconsistent assessments of patients and events, ignored outside medical diagnoses and withheld basic information from Congress, a New York Times investigation found.

In Cuba, the Trump administration withdrew most of its staff members from the embassy and issued a travel warning, saying U.S. diplomats had experienced “targeted attacks.” President Trump expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington and started an independent review, though Cuba denied any involvement.

The administration took a softer approach with China. In May 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was the C.I.A. director during the Cuba events, told lawmakers that the medical details of one American official who had fallen ill in China were “very similar and entirely consistent” with the syndrome in Cuba. The administration evacuated more than a dozen federal employees and some of their family members.

The State Department soon retreated, labeling what happened in China as “health incidents.” While the officers in Cuba were placed on administrative leave for rehabilitation, those in China initially had to use sick days and unpaid leave, some officers and their lawyers say. And the State Department did not open an investigation into what happened in China.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/u...gtype=Homepage

It is pretty clear that Cuba has nothing to do with these attacks. But they make a convenient scapegoat.

It is likely either Russia or China did this. But there is no "proof" at this point. The pattern of attacks and other circumstantial evidence points a bit more to Russia than China.

[Krgrecw]

The strange sound came at night: a crack like a marble striking the floor of the apartment above them.

Mark Lenzi and his wife had lightheadedness, sleep issues and headaches, and their children were waking up with bloody noses — symptoms they thought might be from the smog in Guangzhou, China, where Mr. Lenzi worked for the State Department. But air pollution could not explain his sudden memory loss, including forgetting names of work tools.

What began as strange sounds and symptoms among more than a dozen American officials and their family members in China in 2018 has turned into a diplomatic mystery spanning multiple countries and involving speculation about secret high-tech weapons and foreign attacks.

But the government’s treatment of the episodes has been radically different. The State Department, which oversaw the cases, has produced inconsistent assessments of patients and events, ignored outside medical diagnoses and withheld basic information from Congress, a New York Times investigation found.

In Cuba, the Trump administration withdrew most of its staff members from the embassy and issued a travel warning, saying U.S. diplomats had experienced “targeted attacks.” President Trump expelled 15 Cuban diplomats from Washington and started an independent review, though Cuba denied any involvement.

The administration took a softer approach with China. In May 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was the C.I.A. director during the Cuba events, told lawmakers that the medical details of one American official who had fallen ill in China were “very similar and entirely consistent” with the syndrome in Cuba. The administration evacuated more than a dozen federal employees and some of their family members.

The State Department soon retreated, labeling what happened in China as “health incidents.” While the officers in Cuba were placed on administrative leave for rehabilitation, those in China initially had to use sick days and unpaid leave, some officers and their lawyers say. And the State Department did not open an investigation into what happened in China.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/19/u...gtype=Homepage

It is pretty clear that Cuba has nothing to do with these attacks. But they make a convenient scapegoat.

It is likely either Russia or China did this. But there is no "proof" at this point. The pattern of attacks and other circumstantial evidence points a bit more to Russia than China.

If Russia was behind it, there would be more victims in different countries throughout Europe and ex-bloc countries. This was a concentrated attack against US citizens and only US citizens so far. China could also hide weaponry like this 1000x more Than Russia could. Russia is open enough that it would had leaked out if this was being used on its citizens and China could hide its use on its population and We would never know.

[nsacpi]

If Russia was behind it, there would be more victims in different countries throughout Europe and ex-bloc countries.

There is some additional stuff in the article:

The administration has said little about the events in China and played down the idea that a hostile power could be responsible. But similar episodes have been reported by senior C.I.A. officers who visited the agency’s stations overseas, according to three current and former officials and others familiar with the events.

That includes Moscow, where Marc Polymeropoulos, a C.I.A. officer who helped run clandestine operations in Russia and Europe, experienced what he believes was an attack in December 2017. Mr. Polymeropoulos, who was 48 at the time, suffered severe vertigo in his hotel room in Moscow and later developed debilitating migraine headaches that forced him to retire.

The cases involving C.I.A. officers, none of which have been publicly reported, are adding to suspicions that Russia carried out the attacks worldwide. Some senior Russia analysts in the C.I.A., officials at the State Department and outside scientists, as well as several of the victims, see Russia as the most likely culprit given its history with weapons that cause brain injuries and its interest in fracturing Washington’s relations with Beijing and Havana.

[nsacpi]

There have been similar attacks against Canadian diplomats and their families in Cuba.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/cub...er%20number%20

[Runnin]

The Pope has said gay people deserve civil unions. Will Catholics follow?

[57Brave]

There is/was always the thing before the thing:



US Plans for a Post-Ottoman Middle East, 1919.

[nsacpi]

There is/was always the thing before the thing:



US Plans for a Post-Ottoman Middle East, 1919.

need a better map...i want to see The Trucial States.

[cajunrevenge]

https://www.peoplesworld.org/article...-from-day-one/


More information about the CIA coup in Chile in the 70's that installed brutal dictator Pinochet. It was apparently the plan from day 1 of the Nixon administration because a socialist anti-American won a democratic election and they were worried it would spread to other countries. Kissinger told Congress the coup was need to preserve democracy. The memos show that was was a lie. It was never mentioned as a motive for the coup. **** like this is why we have no standing to prosecute foreign people who interfere in our Democracy. I know just about everyone involved here is dead by now but they should have all been extradited to serve life sentences in Chile. I dont care what side of the isle your on this **** should be unacceptable.

[Jaw]

https://www.peoplesworld.org/article...-from-day-one/


More information about the CIA coup in Chile in the 70's that installed brutal dictator Pinochet. It was apparently the plan from day 1 of the Nixon administration because a socialist anti-American won a democratic election and they were worried it would spread to other countries. Kissinger told Congress the coup was need to preserve democracy. The memos show that was was a lie. It was never mentioned as a motive for the coup. **** like this is why we have no standing to prosecute foreign people who interfere in our Democracy. I know just about everyone involved here is dead by now but they should have all been extradited to serve life sentences in Chile. I dont care what side of the isle your on this **** should be unacceptable.

It also makes you wonder if there would be well functioning socialist nations in South America had there not been interference.

[57Brave]

It also makes you wonder if there would be well functioning socialist nations in South America had there not been interference.

Middle East

[cajunrevenge]

https://www.courthousenews.com/repor...on-firm/?amp=1




Swiss encryption companies that sells devices to governments of many countries exposed as having. even bought and run by the CIA and German intelligence since the 70's.....

[thethe]

Trump administration has been nothing short of a masterpiece with foreign policy and specifically Iran. They show no signs of wanting to join the civilized world and are killing them one by one.

Brilliant.

[Jaw]

Best foreign policy since Reagan, no doubt.

[Krgrecw]

Trump administration has been nothing short of a masterpiece with foreign policy and specifically Iran. They show no signs of wanting to join the civilized world and are killing them one by one.

Brilliant.

Don’t worry Biden will be buddies with Iran soon.

[sturg33]

Best foreign policy since Reagan, no doubt.

There was a reason the press went out of their way to not make it a campaign topic.

Had to tackle those diversity training topics first and foremost

[57Brave]

Best foreign policy since Reagan, no doubt.

remind me how many went to prison over selling illegal arms to, who else, the Iranians.

we could go on all day

[57Brave]

I am unsure Trumps accomplishments.

Everytime I ask it is the same evasive gobbeldeeegook
No one seems to be able to put their finger on it

"well if you don't know" seems to win the day.
How about some MAGA give it another shot

[Tapate50]

He raised taxes on middle class. You seem to like paying more tax so you should be happy with that.

Less deductions, expenses, etc...

[thethe]

There was a reason the press went out of their way to not make it a campaign topic.

Had to tackle those diversity training topics first and foremost

Kind of amazing that foreign policy wasn’t a debate topic.

What an embarrassment how the media was in the bag for Biden

[Jaw]

I am unsure Trumps accomplishments.

Everytime I ask it is the same evasive gobbeldeeegook
No one seems to be able to put their finger on it

"well if you don't know" seems to win the day.
How about some MAGA give it another shot

Enacted protectionist tariffs
Incredible economic growth
Restored military readiness to highest point since Cold War
Eliminated bigoted Critical Race Theory trainings in federal government
Appointed 3 Constitutional literalists to Supreme Court
Remade GOP from a Chamber of Commerce party to a blue collar party
Exposed leftist partisans throughout bureaucracy and media
Drew out unprincipled Lincoln Project types of Republicans
Motivated highest voter turnout in a century
Drew higher share of minority vote than any Pub in decades
Lowered prescription prices more than ACA
Drastically reduced cost of diabetic supplies

I could get into the foreign policy stuff, the historic, never before seen Middle East peace deals, the complete reversal to deterring Chinese aggression instead of the previous administration's bowing to them, the strengthened ties with China's natural enemies, the lack of Russian aggression after it was plentiful during the previous administration, the increased defense spending of our NATO partners, our withdrawal from the terribly unfair Paris accord, the improvement over NAFTA. But there probably isn't much point in that.