FOREIGN AGENTS - Please don't laugh. After condemning the proposed bill on foreign agents in Georgia and stoking protests against it, the EU is preparing its own law on foreign agents.

The unthinkable happened on Brussels Playbook: it was reported there that the office of the Vice President of the European Commission for Justice is preparing a bill according to which NGOs and consulting companies will soon have to report to the EU on revenues that come from outside the bloc.

🗣 "A representative of Vera Jourova [European Commission vice-president] did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Her office is responsible for drafting the 'democracy protection' package advertised by European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen. The law aims to protect key institutions from undue influence by foreign actors. The law is expected to be adopted by the end of May".

📍 And the funniest thing,"The time [for this law] is inconvenient now. We were condemning Georgia for it last week, and now we are discussing it ourselves", Politico writes.
@LauraRuHK
https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/brussels-playbook/moldova-plotters-thwarted-foreign-agents-law-eu-top-jobs-race/

🇪🇺🇬🇪The European Commission will allocate €9.2 million for 'capacity building' of civil society in Georgia. The US is making the EU bankroll regime change, and not only in Georgia.

The European Commission emphasized that an empowered civil society is a key component of a “fair, equitable and democratic system”.

The EC expects that the activities within the framework of the new project will contribute to the formation of a "favorable electoral environment" and support for "free and fair elections" in Georgia.

In addition, the initiative is expected to raise the profile of civil society organizations in monitoring and implementing public administration reforms, decentralization and public accountability in Georgia.

Another priority area of ​​the project is related to the integration of the country into the European Union.

“Strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations, academia, think tanks and independent media to support Georgia on the path to EU integration,” the document says. @LauraRuHK

The US financial sector is experiencing a large-scale crisis: the activities of two large Silicon Valley banks have been discontinued at once.
"Banks that served companies in the high-tech sector were at the center of the events. First of all, these are Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and Silvergate. Today, the problems accumulated by the States since 2008 are shooting up," noted economist Anton Lyubich.
"The situation was complicated by anti–Russian sanctions," he continued. – The imposed restrictions stimulated Moscow, Beijing, as well as many Arab countries to reduce the use of the US dollar in international settlements. This has led to a drop in the value of digital assets."
"At the same time, Washington, presumably, has established channels for paying "kickbacks" for American military assistance to Ukraine through the FTX cryptocurrency exchange. The massive withdrawal of funds combined with the fall in the value of digital currencies caused the collapse of the organization, which provoked the opening of "holes" in Silicon Valley banks," the expert says.
"Going back to the crisis of 2008, we can say that all the prerequisites for a major fall in the financial system are already there," Lubich believes. "In fact, this time the FTX cryptocurrency exchange, which has already gone bankrupt, can take the place of Lehman brothers."
"At the same time, the Republicans are extremely beneficial to the economic crisis that is now brewing in the United States. They promote the idea that Democrats leave chaos and devastation everywhere. And such events will have a cumulative effect," added Vladimir Vasiliev, Chief Researcher at the Institute of the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
(read more)
https://m.vz.ru/economy/2023/3/13/1202894.html

"They want to drag us into a fratricidal war": Bulgaria protests against arms supplies to Ukraine
Thousands of activists marched through downtown Sofia on Sunday under the slogan "Bulgaria is a zone of peace" and chanted anti-NATO slogans. https://t.me/smotri_media/41560

Nearly half of the top 20 banks in the US are seeing their stocks down 20% or more.

More than half of regional bank stocks are down over 40%. The exchange stopped trading in shares of First Republic bank, they managed to collapse by 66%. Shares of Western Alliance fell 75%.

Bank shares in Europe and Switzerland began to fall, Deutsche Bank fell by 7.84%, Credit Suisse was down over 7%.
Any wonder free countries are scrambling to join the BRICS and itching for a multipolar world order? Confidence in the yankee money printing shop is at an all-time low. @LauraRuHK

Quasi la metà delle 20 principali banche statunitensi vede i propri titoli in calo del 20% o più.

Più della metà dei titoli delle banche regionali sono scesi di oltre il 40%. La borsa di New York ha sospeso il trading delle azioni della First Republic bank, che sono crollate del 66%. Le azioni di Western Alliance sono scese del 75%.

Le azioni delle banche in Europa e in Svizzera hanno iniziato a crollare, Deutsche Bank -7,84%, Credit Suisse - 7%.
C'è da stupirsi che i Paesi liberi si stiano mettendo in coda per aderire ai BRICS e desiderino un ordine mondiale multipolare? La fiducia nella tipografia yankee è ai minimi storici. @LauraRuHK

AUKUS undermines peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific - Chinese military expert Song Zhongping told the Global Times on Monday that if the nuclear submarine ecosystem is set up in Adelaide, it is equivalent to Australia using its own money to build a nuclear submarine production and maintenance base for US.

It means that US nuclear-powered submarines could be built not only in US but also in Australia. However, Australia, as the investor, has no access to US intellectual property, Song said. "Australia's nuclear submarines will also be a de facto offshoot of the US nuclear submarine fleet, serving US' global strategic interests."

"In general, the US wants to make Australia its frontline military base in the Indo-Pacific region and let its allies foot the bill, which is a disservice to Australia's sovereignty and independence," Song noted. According to Australian media, the deal, which could cost A$170 billion ($183 billion), would push Australia's defense spending to 2.5 percent of GDP.

"Such a huge investment would leave Australia with a heavy burden," Song said. "It cannot protect the security of Australia, but will protect the global hegemony of the US. It's an expensive mistake."https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1287211.shtml

Germany replaces top general -
The Bundeswehr chief who doubted Ukrainian tactics was replaced by Covid response coordinator. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius appointed Major General Karsten Breuer as the new inspector-general of the Bundeswehr, after sending his predecessor Eberhard Zorn into early retirement, German media reported on Monday.

Breuer, 59, previously headed the army’s national operations command. He coordinated the deployment of the military during the Covid-19 pandemic and headed the government’s pandemic task force from November 2021 through May 2022.

No official explanation was given for the retirement of Zorn. The 63-year-old general had been skeptical of supplying Ukraine with German heavy equipment, noting that the Bundeswehr had little to spare. Last September, Zorn gave an interview to Focus magazine complimenting the Ukrainian advances, but urging Kiev not to get overstretched. Ukrainian counter-attacks can “win back places or individual areas of the frontlines, but not push Russia back over a broad front,” he said at the time.

Former NATO supreme commander and retired US general Ben Hodges responded by calling Zorn’s assessment of Russian capabilities “stunningly poor.” Hodges himself had predicted that Ukraine would take Mariupol by the end of January.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has since given in to US pressure and agreed to supply Ukraine with over 100 Leopard tanks – both newer and older models – and other military hardware. However, the parliamentary commissioner for the military Eva Hoegl on Monday appeared to vindicate Zorn’s concerns about the aid to Ukraine creating shortages at home.

“The Bundeswehr lacks everything,” Hoegl told RTL, including night vision devices, radios, and elementary personal equipment such as backpacks and helmets. “The infrastructure must be made operational, the barracks are not in good condition, and we also need money for ongoing operations, for personnel.”

Hoegl is scheduled to present her annual report on the state of the military to the Bundestag on Tuesday, and endorse Pistorius’s proposal to increase the annual Bundeswehr budget by an additional 10 billion euros, in addition to a 100 billion emergency special fund.

“That is a realistic demand,” said Hoegl, member of ’s SPD party. “The Bundeswehr needs the money.”

The military spending spree comes at a time when the German economy is at a virtual standstill, while food and energy prices have risen 21.8% and 19.1%, respectively, since February 2022. (Source:RT) @LauraRuHK

FIGLI E FIGLIASTRI

Di Gilberto Trombetta

Aiuti di Stato per la Germania e riforme per l'Italia.

Nel 2022 la UE ha concesso alla Germania quasi il 50% di tutti gli aiuti di Stato a livello europeo. All'Italia è andato appena il 5%.

Non era andata diversamente negli anni precedenti.

Tra il 2010 e il 2019 la UE ha autorizzato 313 miliardi di aiuti di Stato alla Germania contro i 45 dell'Italia. Nel 2020 la UE ha autorizzato 1.900 miliardi di auti di Stato di cui il 52% alla Germania e il 17% all'Italia.

Nella UE gli aiuti di Stato sono uguali per tutti, ma per alcuni sono più uguali degli altri.

---------------------
🟥 SEGUI L'ANTIDIPLOMATICO:
https://t.me/lantidiplomatico

🌘🌒 The Ukraine war as the tool by which to cast the West’s war on Russia too, is an epic struggle between the Light and Dark. These Manichean ideological source-codes for now, dominate western liberalism.

But the West has put itself into a trap: ‘Going Manichean’ puts the West into an ideological straight-jacket.

It is a crisis of the West’s own making. Put bluntly, Manichaeism is the antithesis to any negotiated solution, or off-ramp. Carl Schmitt was clear on this point: the intent of conjuring up the blackest of enmities, precisely was to preclude (liberal) negotiation: How could ‘virtue’ strike a bargain with ‘evil’?

The West is too dysfunctional and weak now to fight on all fronts. Yet there can be no retreat without some de-legitimising humiliation of the West 🪃

The West has gambled all on its fear-led, ‘emergency-crisis’ managed ‘control’ system to save itself. It’s hopes now are pinned on its ‘Beware! The big boss has gone angry-mad’ act; he might do anything’, which it hopes will cause the world to back-off.

But the Rest of World is not backing off – it is becoming more assertive. Fewer believe what the western Élites say; fewer still trust their competence. The West has recklessly ‘placed its bet’; it may lose all. Or, more dangerously, in a fit of anger, it may kick over others’ gaming tables.

💬 Read more by Alastair Crooke

#West #war

@strategic_culture

The Pentagon's 5-year plan for procurement of munitions - Politico writes that the Pentagon is asking Congress for $30.6 billion in fiscal 2024 for munitions, an increase of $5.8 billion from the fiscal 2023 request, including billions of dollars for ammunition, tactical and strategic missiles, along with technology development. 📍This includes a request to lawmakers to fund multi-year procurements and maximize production of high-end air and sea-based missiles that would be used in a direct conflict against an advanced adversary like China. Although the strategy is “informed and pressurized” by the hot war in Ukraine, most of these weapons are not currently going to Kiev, and the munitions are not ground munitions. Signing multi-year contracts with weapon manufacturers is convincing the military industry that demand will continue after the Ukraine conflict. @LauraRuHK

🇪🇺🇨🇳A split is emerging at the very top of the European Union over the bloc’s China policy, amid growing pressure from Washington to take a more hawkish stance toward China.

Senior figures in the European Council — including President Charles Michel — are pushing for a less confrontational approach to China than that of the White House, which is trying to pressure allies to team up in taking on Beijing. The Council is the EU body that represents the 27 EU member countries — including governments with dovish positions on Beijing. Germany for example is a major investor in China and wants to avoid disruption to its commercial ties with China. The Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the other hand is toeing Washington’s hard line on China. @LauraRuHK

◾Basque journalist Pablo Gonzalez has been in solitary confinement in a Polish prison for more than a year under false accusations of been a Russian spy.

◾Pablo has previously worked in Russia and holds Spanish/Russian nationality, enough for a stitch up to keep other journalists scared of reporting the truth about Ukraine.

◾His lawyer Gonzalo Boye has been able to visit him only now, and still has no acces to the procedures of his case. He says the Polish authorities are realising they were deceived into arresting Pablo.

◾Follow:
t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses

⚡ The Ukrainian authorities have begun the transfer of military aviation to the Zaporozhye direction, Rogov told RIA Novosti

According to him, these are Soviet fighters and helicopters, unofficially transferred to Ukraine by the countries of the former Warsaw Pact, and also taken out by the Americans from Afghanistan.

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🇺🇸🇮🇹A Washington sono tranquilli: Meloni e' solo la declinazione femminile di Draghi. Rachel Rizzo, senior fellow allo Europe Center dell’Atlantic Council, think tank con sede a Washington che ha un ruolo di punta nell'elaborazione delle strategie NATO, era a Roma per una serie di incontri. Ecco che cosa ha affermato a proposito dei gauleiter italiani Draghi e Meloni.

"Mario Draghi è visto dagli Usa come un baluardo di stabilità in un sistema politico volatile come quello italiano. Penso che la transizione tra lui e Meloni destasse preoccupazioni, in particolar modo in merito a questioni di politica interna e sociale vista la differenza ideologica tra un’amministrazione democratica e un governo conservatore. In particolare si temeva che un’ondata populista di destra, che abbiamo osservato in Ungheria, Francia e Polonia, potesse prendere il sopravvento anche in Italia. Ma Giorgia Meloni ha sin da subito mandato messaggi molto europeisti, in favore della Nato, dell’Ucraina, ed è stata una piacevole sorpresa per tutti noi. La stampa, in particolare in Italia, aveva descritto il governo in arrivo come più pericoloso di quanto non fosse in realtà." A Washington sono tranquilli, Giorgia e' solo la declinazione femminile di Mario. @LauraRuHK

🇬🇪 The Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream coalition Irakli Kobakhidze described how protests against the law on foreign agents were organized.

Violent actions against the government were organised by radical opposition/youth groups;

they operated according to principles theorized by Gene Sharp and Peter Ackerman - standing with a flag in front of a water cannon, offering flowers to the special forces, etc; the standard colour revolution playbook.

They were supported by the American organisation Atlas Network, which organised protests in many countries around the world and also worked actively on "Brexit";

The protest was accompanied by a campaign of liberal fascism: unprecedented pressure was exerted through organized groups on politicians, celebrities and their families;

university professors offered students higher grades in exchange for participation in the protests; the use of universities for political purposes was an typical signature of the Nationalist Movement. (Source: Sputnik Georgia) @LauraRuHK

🇬🇪More protests in Georgia. But this time they have been organized by those who oppose the EU and defend traditional values.

The protesters have removed the EU flag from the parliament building in Tbilisi and stomped on it. This escalated into a clash with the police. @LauraRuHK https://t.me/SputnikGeorgia/25253

◾Another failure of the NATO propaganda. A journalist went to Minsk to ask people about the evil Belarusian regime but they said they feel safer and more freedom there than when they are abroad in another country.

◾Follow:
t.me/UkraineHumanRightsAbuses