Wikileaks Outs George Soros Email to Hillary Clinton Directing US State Department's 2011 Intervention in Albania

August 11th, 2016

Wikileaks Outs George Soros Email to Hillary Clinton Directing US State Department's 2011 Intervention in Albania

Posted by: Barry
Published on August 11th, 2016 @ 07:51:00 pm , using 1024 words,

Posted in The S-Files, New World Order, Politics, news, Culture War, Culture War

An email from George Soros to SecState Hillary Clinton, from 2011,  seems to prove the contention that Hillary Clinton is nothing more than a globalist puppet of foreign interventionists...

CRN Politics
By Barry Secrest

Wikileaks has released a telling 2011 email from Globalist George Soros directing Secretary of State, at the time, Hillary Clinton, to stage an intervention in Albania due to violence between the Albanian government and riotous protestors.

In 2011 and at the time of the upheaval in Albania, the Albanian government was in the process of soliciting the EU for membership status in the Eurozone, which has been an ongoing project for George Soros in the establishment of his global New World Order.
In effect, the rioting and protests in the streets of Albania were not beneficial to Soros' goal of building the EU consortium across Europe, especially with predominantly Islamist nations, such as Albania.
In the letter, Soros, who has funded millions towards Clinton's campaign, stated the following, as published in the American Mirror:

 “Dear Hillary, 

“A serious situation has arisen in Albania which needs urgent attention at senior levels of the US government. You may know that an opposition demonstration in Tirana on Friday resulted in the deaths of three people and the destruction of property. 

“There are serious concerns about further unrest connected to a counter-demonstration to be organized by the governing party on Wednesday and a follow-up event by the opposition two days later to memorialize the victims. 

“The prospect of tens of thousands of people entering the streets in an already inflamed political environment bodes ill for the return of public order and the country’s fragile democratic process.”

Soros urges the then-Secretary of State to get the international community involved and pressure the Prime Minister to “forestall further demonstrations” and “tone down public pronouncements” as well appointing a senior European official to act as the mediator.

The left-wing billionaire also gave Clinton a list of potential nominees to appoint as mediator: Carl Bildt, Martti Ahtisaari, and Miroslav Lajcak.

The e-mail was sent from Soros’ aide to Richard Verma, then the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs who forwarded it to several of Clinton’s top aides including Huma Abedin, Jacob Sullivan, and Philip Gordon. Sullivan forwarded it to Clinton.

Just three days after Clinton received the e-mail from Soros the EU ended up sending Soros’ suggested nominee Lajcak to mediate the civil unrest, the BBC reported."

But, while Soros seemed interested enough to quell the unrest in Albania, and return social order by intervening via protege' Hillary Clinton and her US State Department, Soros was simultaneously setting the table tor social unrest in the US, to eventually achieve the exact opposite effect he was seeking in Albania.

According to the Washington Times, Soros, who is Hillary Clinton's founding donor, in addition to Barack Obama, actually helped financed the deadly Ferguson protests which turned into riots:

"There’s a solitary man at the financial center of the Ferguson protest movement. No, it’s not victim Michael Brown or Officer Darren Wilson. It’s not even the Rev. Al Sharpton, despite his ubiquitous campaign on TV and the streets.

Rather, it’s liberal billionaire George Soros, who has built a business empire that dominates across the ocean in Europe while forging a political machine powered by nonprofit foundations that impacts American politics and policy, not unlike what he did with MoveOn.org.

Mr. Soros spurred the Ferguson protest movement through years of funding and mobilizing groups across the U.S., according to interviews with key players and financial records reviewed by The Washington Times.

In all, Mr. Soros gave at least $33 million in one year to support already-established groups that emboldened the grass-roots, on-the-ground activists in Ferguson, according to the most recent tax filings of his nonprofit Open Society Foundations."

Soros, pushing hard for his US candidate, Hillary Clinton,  to win in 2016,  more recently funded a series of ongoing US protests, with some turning violent, against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. 

George Soros donates $8 million to boost Hillary - POLITICO

According to the New York Times, Soros is funding as much as $ 15 Million dollars in order to spark an immigrant and Latino uprising against the US anti-establishment political movement, in the US, as led by Donald Trump:

"The billionaire George Soros and other liberal donors will bankroll a new $15 million campaign to mobilize Latinos and other immigrants this fall, hoping to channel outrage at the political rhetoric of Donald J. Trump and other Republicans into a surge of votes for Democratic candidates in November. 

Strategists involved said the new spending would be the largest Democratic voter-turnout effort ever devoted exclusively to Latino and immigrant voters."

As news spread far and wide in the US, of Hillary Clinton supporter George Soros' involvement in the US protests, some of which eventually turned into riots and one Black Lives Matter protest even resulting in the mass deaths of police officers, in Texas, Soros has,  at least for a time, quelled his riotous protest activities, which some legal experts have contended as being nothing if not, sedition. 
Moreover, many political experts have simultaneously likened the actions of Hillary Clinton to being as those of one under the control of a puppet master, and the Wikileaks letter from Soros to Clinton seems to have now proven the political opposition's contentions.
Their characterizations of Hillary Clinton as being under the direction of anti-American George Soros, and many others across the globe who have donated lavishly to Clinton, seem to have now been well beyond proved.

According to Donald Trump, Clinton resides deeply in the pockets of foreign interventionists into America. 
In a speech delivered on 6/22/16 ,on Hillary Clinton and her global handlers, in part, Trump stated the following:

"She ran the State Department like her own personal hedge fund – doing favors for oppressive regimes, and many others, in exchange for cash. 

Together, she and Bill made $153 million giving speeches to lobbyists, CEOs, and foreign governments in the years since 2001.

 They totally own her, and that will never change. 

We got here because we switched from a policy of Americanism – focusing on what’s good for America’s middle class – to a policy of globalism, focusing on how to make money for large corporations who can move their wealth and workers to foreign countries all to the detriment of the American worker and the American economy. 

We reward companies for offshoring, and we punish companies for doing business in America and keeping our workers employed. 

This is not a rising tide that lifts all boats. 

This is a wave of globalization that wipes out our middle class and our jobs."

Once again, it seems, Donald Trump has been proven correct.

Bomba Megaton: Donald Trump accuses Obama of being 'founder of ISIL'

White House hopeful accuses Hillary Clinton of also bearing blame for foundation of ISIL, which was formed in Iraq.

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Trump has taken flak over allegations he called for the assassination of Hillary Clinton [EPA]

Donald Trump accused President Barack Obama on Wednesday of founding the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS) that is wreaking havoc from the Middle East to European cities.
A moment later, on another topic, he emphasised the president's full legal name: Barack Hussein Obama.
"In many respects, you know, they honor President Obama," Trump said during a raucous campaign rally outside Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "He is the founder of ISIS."
He repeated the allegation three times.
"He's the founder of ISIS, okay?" he added. "He's the founder. He founded ISIS."
Trump has long blamed Obama and his former foreign minister Hillary Clinton for pursuing Middle East policies that created a power vacuum in Iraq that was exploited by ISIL.
He has sharply criticised Obama for announcing he would pull US troops out of Iraq, a decision that many Obama critics say created the kind of instability in which groups like ISIL thrive.
The White House declined to comment on Trump's accusation.
The former property mogul and reality TV star went on to criticise Clinton, his Democratic party rival for the presidency.
"And I would say, the co-founder would be crooked Hillary Clinton," he said.

OPINION: Immigrants and Donald Trump - It's a complicated story

The Republican presidential nominee has in the past accused Clinton of "founding" the group.

Assassination allegations

ISIL began as Iraq's local affiliate of al-Qaeda and has carried out massive attacks against Iraq's Shia Muslim majority, fueling tensions with al-Qaeda's central leadership.
The local group's then-leader, Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, was killed in 2006 in a US air strike but is still seen as its founder.
Trump's accusation - and his pointed use of the president's middle name, Hussein - echoed previous instances where he has questioned Obama's loyalties.

READ MORE: US election 2016 - Third parties are voiceless

In June, when a gunman who claimed allegiance to ISIL killed 49 people in a Florida nightclub, Trump seemed to suggest Obama was sympathetic to the group when he said Obama "doesn't get it, or he gets it better than anybody understands”.
In the past, Trump has also falsely suggested Obama is a Muslim or was born in Kenya, where Obama's father was from.

Trump under fire for veiled threat against Clinton

Trump lobbed the allegation halfway through his rally at a sports arena, where riled-up supporters shouted obscenities about Clinton and shouted "lock her up”.
He also railed against the fact that the Orlando shooter's father, Seddique Mateen, was spotted in the crowd behind Clinton during a Monday rally in Florida, saying: "Of course he likes Hillary Clinton."
Trump has been criticised over the past week for comments he made suggesting gun rights advocates could stop Clinton from becoming president and picking new, anti-gun Supreme Court judges, by using their second amendment rights, which allow them to bear arms.
"Hillary wants to essentially abolish the Second Amendment," Trump told a rally in North Carolina.
"If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do folks," Trump said. "Although the Second Amendment people - maybe there is, I don't know."
Trump's campaign spokesman later denied allegations that the comments were advocating for Clinton to be assassinated.

Source: Agencies

International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach stopped by the Weightlifting venue at ‪#‎Rio2016‬. He got a lesson from none other than 3x Olympic Champion & USA Weightlifting Technical Director Pyrros Dimas!

Erdogan travels to Russia to reset relations

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets his Russian counterpart in St Petersburg after months of diplomatic crisis

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is hosting Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in their first meeting since Turkey shot down a Russian fighter jet last November, sparking a deep diplomatic crisis.
Erdogan's visit to Putin's hometown of St Petersburg on Tuesday is also his first foreign trip since a failed coup attempt last month that sparked a purge of alleged coup supporters in the military, judiciary, civil service and education sector, and cast a shadow over Turkey's relations with the West.
"Your visit today, despite a very difficult situation regarding domestic politics, indicates that we all want to restart dialogue and restore relations between Russia and Turkey," Putin said as the two met.
Erdogan said that Turkey was entering a "very different period" in relations with Russia, and that solidarity between the two countries would help the resolution of regional problems.
Erdogan also thanked his Russian counterpart for a telephone call after the failed coup attempt on July 15, saying it "brought our people great happiness".
The shooting down of the Russian jet by a Turkish F-16 over the Syrian border last November saw a furious Putin slap economic sanctions on Turkey and launch a blistering war of words with Erdogan that seemed to irrevocably damage burgeoning ties.
"When the Turkish military shot down a Russian fighter jet that it said strayed from Syrian into Turkish airspace last November, Moscow's retaliation was swift," Al Jazeera's Bernard Smith, reporting from Istanbul, said.

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OPINION: Why Turkey is mending ties with old foes

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"Tourist charter flights to Turkey stopped, Russian visitor numbers fell by 87 percent. Turkey's exports to Russia, including food, fell by more than half to $730m in the first six months of this year."
But, in a reversal in late June, Putin accepted a personal expression of regret over the incident from Erdogan as an apology, immediately rolled back a ban on the sale of package holidays to Turkey and signalled Moscow would end measures against food imports and construction firms from the country.
Now, following the failed coup attempt, analysts say ties between the two could deepen - with Erdogan publicly making it clear he feels let down by the United States and the European Union.

READ MORE - Erdogan to West: 'Mind your own business'

"The Russian President was much quicker in his condemnation of the attempted coup than many of Turkey's Western allies and they've [the Western allies] also expressed alarm at the extent of the post-coup crackdown," said Al Jazeera's Smith. "Vladimir Putin hasn't got involved."

Syria is high on the agenda during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Russia  [Ivan Sekretarev/Reuters]

Syria is expected to be high on the agenda during the visit. Moscow's military support for Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has been credited for helping to keep him in power.
Turkey, though, wants him gone.
"Currently Turkey cannot enter Syria, it cannot do anything in Syria because the Russian forces are there," Erhan Ersan, a Russian affairs specialist at Istanbul's Marmara University, told Al Jazeera.
"In order to solve that, they need to bring their positions closer to Russia. If you hear the messages coming from President Erdogan he's actually open to that. He wants to build a new framework of relations based on Syria with Russia as well."

READ MORE: 'Which parts of Syria should be bombed?'

The head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition welcomed the meeting.

Speaking at a press conference in Istanbul on Monday, Anas al-Abda said Erdogan’s visit could be a "positive step" for finding a solution to a ruinous war that has killed hundreds of thousands. 

“We consider the Turkish president as a key ally of the Syrian people," al-Abda told Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. "He has a chance to propose ideas and initiatives to Russians and to explain them the current situation in Syria." 

Tsar v Sultan: The media war between Russia and Turkey - The Listening Post

Source: Al Jazera

WILL MEDIA APOLOGIZE TO TRUMP?

 

Mother of Crying Baby at Rally Speaks Out, Defends Trump

Kristinn Taylor 

Aug 6th, 2016

 

The mother of the crying baby that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump joked about at an Ashburn, Virginia campaign rally on Tuesday has spoken out disputing the media and Clinton campaign’s smear job against Trump over the incident.

Trump starts rally in Ashburn, Virginia by saying he needs bigger arenas
“Trump just said he “doesn’t throw babies out” of his rallies…Let’s review the record.”
Devan Ebert first wrote an open letter to Trump on Facebook that went viral (the original appears to have been made private). Ebert then spoke to the Washington Post in an email interview that was published Saturday afternoon that largely tracked with the viral Facebook post.
Glenn Kessler, the ‘fact-checker’ for the Post who interviewed Ebert, gave Trump the ‘Geppetto Checkmark’ for being truthful when he said he did not throw the baby out of the rally.
The news media jumped ugly on Trump over his lighthearted remarks about the crying baby and made no effort to ascertain the facts of the situation. As Kessler points out, a Toronto Star reporter named Daniel Dale wrote about the incident that day and noted the woman stepped out on her own and returned to her seat later with the baby quieted by a pacifier.

…The baby was one row in front of me, three or four rows from the stage, at Trump’s event at a high school in Ashburn, Va. When it began to cry, Trump said, “Don’t worry about that baby, I love babies. I love babies. I hear that baby crying, I like it. I like it. What a baby, what a beautiful baby. Don’t worry, don’t worry. The mom’s running around — don’t worry about it.”
People applauded. One minute later, though, the baby began to cry again. This time, the mother quickly decided to take the baby out of the room. Trump, looking in our direction, appeared to notice that she was on her way to the exit.
And then he said, “Actually, I was only kidding. You can get the baby out of here. That’s all right. Don’t worry. I think she really believed me that I love having a baby crying while I’m speaking?” He cupped his hand over his eyes to watch her leave. “That’s OK, people don’t understand. That’s OK.”
A joke? Possibly. An insensitive, heartless, ordinary-person-embarrassing remark? Possibly. Trump’s tone is eternally hard to read. But, to my eyes, it certainly was not an ejection — it was an unusually barbed endorsement of the mother’s own decision to depart.
One other salient fact is missing from all the pieces on babygate. Mom and baby, very much not kicked out, came back to their seat a bit later.
The baby was sucking a pacifier, silent.”

That was published the day of the incident. The media piled on Trump as a cold, mean, woman-hating, baby-hating man. And the media wonders why Trump holds them in such contempt.
Ebert’s Facebook post in what appears to be the closest version to the original was found by ace Free Republic researcher MaggieF in a Facebook post on August 3 by Rik Bayse. (Paragraphs added.)

Please share… From lady at Trump rally when baby began to cry…
From Devan Cierra Ebert to Donald J Trump…
Hello, this message is for Donald J. Trump.
I was the mother in his rally on Tuesday, August 2nd, in Ashburn, VA, with the baby who started to cry. I would just like him to know personally that I, by no means felt I was ever “kicked out” of his rally. I excused myself and my child when he awoke from his nap and began to cry. It was only because I had to grab my child’s belongings and then make my way out of the aisle I was seated in that I wasn’t out of there sooner.
I realize Mr. Trump doesn’t know me personally, but for those that do, know that I am the first one to excuse myself and my child when he begins to cry because I personally believe it’s rude to disturb anyone else’s ability to hear what they came to see. I’ve left movies, violin recitals, and other events if I felt my child was disturbing others. It is the considerate thing to do.
I stood right outside the doors of the auditorium continuing to watch and listen to what Mr. Trump had to say. In fact, the police that were right outside in the same hallway with me, treated me with so much respect it was incredible. They were so kind and made me feel welcomed to stand with them. One officer commended me on my bravery to bring my child to Mr. Trump’s rally.
I fully support Mr. Trump. I thought he responded very graciously to my child crying and he made a lighthearted moment out of what I usually consider to be stressful. I actually was out of the auditorium before he even made his follow up comment about my child and even then, when I was informed of his comment, I laughed. I understand he says things jokingly, and I understand no one wants to speak over or struggle to listen over a crying baby.
I am in no way offended and I again reiterate, Mr. Trump NEVER kicked me or my child out of the Briar Woods High School, Trump rally. And for the record, while my child and I stood outside of the auditorium, my eleven year old stepdaughter and my Grandmother sat inside the auditorium and continued to support and listen to everything Mr. Trump had to say. We all were so excited to be able to see Mr. Trump so close to home. I didn’t have a babysitter to watch my kids and honestly, to me it was a historical moment that I am happy that my kids were there for.
I apologize for the trouble this has caused Mr.Trump. The media has severely blown this out of proportion and made it out to be something that it wasn’t and is clearly using this as political gain for the Democratic party. I hope this message sheds light to what really happened.
Thank you for your time. Best of luck! You have our vote. Trump 2016

Ebert’s comments to the Washington Post are similar to the Facebook statement.

Dale’s account is confirmed by the mother herself — Virginia resident Devan Ebert. (She spoke on the condition that we not report her town.)
“The media did in fact blow this entire situation out of proportion,” she wrote in an email. “I’m not looking to make it into anything bigger. All I’m hoping is that Trump personally is aware that I am in agreement with him and stand by the fact that I was never kicked out of the rally.”
She said that she decided to leave the auditorium on her own because “it’s the considerate thing to do for others around, trying to listen or for those presenting,” adding that “it was blatantly obvious he was joking.” She said she stood with the police officers outside the auditorium, who were very kind to her, and then returned to her seat once her child had calmed down.
“I had a wonderful time and I appreciate Trump’s graciousness during a time that is usually considered stressful,” she said. “His comic relief was a breath of fresh air.””

Probably the most hysterical smear of Trump was written by Julie Scharper and published by the Baltimore Sun the day after the ‘baby incident’ with the headline, “Trump banished the baby, humiliated the mother.”

I imagine this mother waited a long time to get into the Trump rally. She probably brought her baby because she hoped Mr. Trump would kiss her baby, pose for a photo. I’m sure she was horrified when the baby started crying, but hoped the usual tricks would calm him. I’m sure she didn’t want to leave and lose her place. I’m sure she took Mr. Trump at his word when he said, “Don’t worry.”
Instead, Mr. Trump humiliated this mother in front of the crowd. He belittled her for taking him at his word. “I think she really believed me,” he said. Strange words for someone who punctuates his speeches with, “Believe me.”
It’s a bully’s game, manipulative and mean. Lie and then taunt someone for trusting you. If Mr. Trump would sum up his campaign in a few words, perhaps they would be, “I think they really believed me.”

Will the media apologize to Trump?

It's Tirana Tony! Just weeks after the trauma of the Chilcot Inquiry Blair grins in the sun with Albania's PM as if he hasn't a care in the world

• Tony Blair was photographed next to Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama
• It comes just weeks after he told of his regret over mistakes of the Iraq war
• The pair are understood to have been in Dhermi, a village in the south 

By Mail on Sunday Reporter

Published: 23:15 GMT, 6 August 2016  

Barely a month ago, he looked gaunt and emotional as he told of his regret at a London press conference over mistakes made after his decision to invade Iraq.

But last week, Tony Blair cut a very different figure. Wearing an open-necked shirt, designer sunglasses and statement gold cross necklace, he posed for a photo in a sun-drenched corner of southern Europe, looking as though the trauma of the Chilcot Inquiry was a long way behind him.

The former Prime Minister's trip – to Albania – came to light when the country's socialist premier Edi Rama posted the picture of the pair on Facebook. They are understood to have been in Dhermi, a village in the south, where Mr Rama was on holiday.

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Tony Blair (right) was photographed sat next to the Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama

But Mr Blair, 63, was spotted arriving in the area earlier last week in what is understood to be a military helicopter, landing – according to local reports – in a stadium in Himare, about 130 miles south of the capital Tirana.

Mr Blair has long-standing links to the country, having been named three years ago as an adviser to Mr Rama. His wife Cherie has also acted as a lawyer for the Albanian government. 

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A spokeswoman for Mr Rama said Mr Blair had been making a 'short and private visit'. She added: 'Mr Blair has never been paid for anything from the Albanian government.'

Mr Blair's office said he was there for a short, private visit. 

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But Mr Blair, 63, was spotted arriving in the area earlier last week in what is understood to be a military helicopter

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Trump Tied With Clinton in 'Cooked' Pro-Hillary Poll Despite Media Assault

© REUTERS/ Scott Audette (L), Javier Galeano (R)

Politics

22:00 06.08.2016(updated 00:50 07.08.2016) Get short URL

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The Republican nominee polled within the margin of error in the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll despite a feud with the family of a slain soldier and the media fabrication that Donald Trump is a secret Russian agent.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton’s post-convention bounce has evaporated with her lead over rival Donald Trump faltering to less than 3 percentage points, a statistical tie, in the latest Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll down from nearly eight points on Monday. The online poll, conducted from July 31-Aug. 4 consisted of 1,154 likely voters with a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

© Photo: Rex Features

Poll: 13% of Americans Favor Meteor Smashing into Earth Over Clinton, Trump

The poor performance for Clinton in the latest survey comes as Reuters polling has been blasted in recent days by experienced political operatives who claimed that the firm tampered with and "cooked" their own tracking poll to manufacture a sudden surge for Hillary Clinton by removing the option of "neither" forcing voters to select between one of the two flawed candidates.
This is believed to create a bias because many of the respondents who would have said neither ultimately will likely not show up to vote in November. Democratic political pollster Pat Caddell called the change part of a "jihad" by the mainstream media against the off-color Republican nominee.
“They made a switch, as much as nine points, in their results from the beginning of last week, the 25th and 26th,” said Caddell at the time. "This is a crisis of democracy, what the press is now doing."

© Sputnik/ Sergey Guneev

They’re With Her: US Media Uses Putin, Russia to Label Trump a Traitor

Whether or not the poll results are "cooked" to present Hillary in a more favorable light, the move seems to be backfiring with the results of the pro-Clinton poll showing that the media’s bid to coronate the candidate not named Trump as anything but certain.
The results of the latest survey are somewhat surprising given that Donald Trump has been repeatedly lambasted over the last week after a Clinton campaign conspiracy theory that the Republican nominee is in league with the Russians turned into a full-blown media obsession with even a former CIA chief saying on Friday calling Donald Trump an agent of Vladimir Putin.
Trump has also failed to navigate criticism lodged against his candidacy by the family of deceased war hero Humayun Khan who saved several hundred lives when he stepped in front of a Jihadist vehicle preventing them from breaching a military base. Trump called the attacks by the soldier’s father, Khizr Khan a "vicious attack" and kept the media narrative spinning against him when he questioned whether the soldier’s mother was prohibited from speaking under Islamic law.

© AP Photo/ Lionel Bonaventure, Pool

‘So Stupid, My God!’: Paris Mayor Slams Donald Trump

The candidate also alienated Republican Party leaders in the past week refusing on Monday to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan saying "I’m just not there yet" quoting back the Congressman’s words about Trump several months earlier in an act of spite. He also said that he was uncomfortable endorsing US Senator John McCain saying that his record on veteran’s issues has been abysmal. These actions against his party’s establishment seem to have played favorably with the electorate, however.
Trump may have successfully played both developed his anti-establishment brand by his mockery of Paul Ryan and criticism of John McCain earlier this week while maintaining support from Party leaders open by relenting and offering a half-hearted endorsement

George Tenet: Ο Ελληνας αρχιπράκτορας της CIA έγινε «μυστικός» τραπεζίτης

Νέα καριέρα για τον πρώην διευθυντή της μυστικής υπηρεσίας των ΗΠΑ

Ο πρώην διευθυντής της αμερικανικής μυστικής υπηρεσίας δουλεύει στην πιο «μυστική» τράπεζα του κόσμου – Η νέα του καριέρα στην Allen & Co, το αόρατο πλην πανίσχυρο χρηματοπιστωτικό ίδρυμα της 5ης Λεωφόρου στο Μανχάταν, που δεν έχει ούτε εταιρική ιστοσελίδα.
Ο Τζορτζ Τένετ δεν θα περάσει σίγουρα στην ιστορία της CIA ως ένας από τους καλύτερους διευθυντές της κεντρικής υπηρεσίας πληροφοριών των ΗΠΑ. Για πολλούς όμως πράκτορες που υπηρέτησαν υπό τις διαταγές του ήταν ένας διευθυντής που κατάφερε να αναγεννήσει τη CIA, να την εκσυγχρονίσει και να αναβαθμίσει τα τμήματά της.
Ωστόσο, η αποτυχία των πρακτόρων της να προλάβουν και να αποτρέψουν τις επιθέσεις της 11ης Σεπτεμβρίου είναι αυτό που θα τον στοιχειώνει για πάντα, σύμφωνα με πρώην αξιωματούχους και άριστους γνώστες του σκοτεινού κόσμου των μυστικών υπηρεσιών. Μόνο που αυτά δεν φαίνεται να απασχολούν πλέον τον ομογενή με καταγωγή από την Χειμάρρα της Βορείου Ηπείρου, ο οποίος ακολουθεί μια εντελώς διαφορετική πορεία, αυτή του τραπεζίτη. Μια πορεία όμως που χαρακτηρίζεται από μυστικοπάθεια, αφού η επενδυτική τράπεζα Allen & Co είναι ίσως το πιο «μυστικό» χρηματοπιστωτικό ίδρυμα του κόσμου.
Δεν διαθέτει εταιρική ιστοσελίδα, δεν προβαίνει σε ανακοινώσεις ή στην έκδοση δελτίων Τύπου για τις δραστηριότητές της, ενώ η φήμη της ως του πιο «απόρρητου» και απρόσιτου επικοινωνιακά χρηματοπιστωτικού ιδρύματος στον κόσμο έχει γεννήσει ακόμη και αστικούς μύθους.
Κοινωνικός μεν, απολύτως εχέμυθος δε
Οπως ήταν αναμενόμενο, η έλευση του πρώην διευθυντή της CIA Τζορτζ Τένετ στη θέση του διευθύνοντος συμβούλου παρέμεινε επτασφράγιστο μυστικό για τουλάχιστον δύο χρόνια από τη στιγμή, καθώς τοποθετήθηκε σε αυτή τη θέση. Για πολλούς ήταν ο κατάλληλος άνθρωπος στην κατάλληλη θέση ειδικά από τη στιγμή που λόγω της θητείας του σε μία από τις πλέον νευραλγικές θέσεις των μυστικών υπηρεσιών των ΗΠΑ ήξερε πολύ καλά να κάνει ένα πράγμα: να κρατάει το στόμα του κλειστό, όπως και οι υπόλοιποι 135 υπάλληλοι της συγκεκριμένης τράπεζας, η οποία διαθέτει στο πορτφόλιο των πελατών της εταιρείες-κολοσσούς και δισεκατομμυριούχους των μίντια και της βιομηχανίας.
Πολλοί απ’ αυτούς είχαν γνωρίσει τον πρώην πανίσχυρο διευθυντή της CIA, τον μοναδικό μαζί με τον Αλεν Ντάλες με τόσο μακρόχρονη θητεία σε αυτή τη θέση, ο οποίος εκτός υπηρεσίας ήταν άλλος άνθρωπος και σαφώς πιο κοινωνικός. Οταν εγκατέλειψε τη CIA, στην ατζέντα του είχε κρατήσει επαφές με δυνατά ονόματα, ανάμεσά τους και δύο πλανητάρχες, οι οποίοι τον εκτιμούσαν παρά τα λάθη στα οποία υπέπεσε. Ολα αυτά διερευνήθηκαν ενδελεχώς από τον Χέρμπερτ Αλεν τζούνιορ, τον ισχυρό άνδρα αυτής της boutique investment bank, ο οποίος τον προσέλαβε αρχικά ως μέλος του διοικητικού συμβουλίου. Σύμφωνα με πληροφορίες, ο ομογενής από τη Χειμάρρα υπέγραψε συμβόλαιο εχεμύθειας το οποίο τον δεσμεύει να μην αποκαλύψει ποτέ οτιδήποτε έχει να κάνει με το αντικείμενο εργασίας του στη συγκεκριμένη τράπεζα, η οποία ειδικεύεται στις υψηλού επιπέδου διασυνδέσεις μεταξύ επενδυτών, top στελεχών της βιομηχανίας των ΜΜΕ και ισχυρών broker.
Ινκόγκνιτο και διακριτικός 
Σχεδόν καθημερινά, ο Τένετ περνάει την είσοδο των γραφείων της Allen & Co στο νούμερο 711 της 5ης Λεωφόρου στο Μανχάταν συνήθως μόνος του, αφού οι εποχές που είχε προσωπική ασφάλεια ως διευθυντής της CIA έχουν παρέλθει. Το πρόγραμμά του περιλαμβάνει πληθώρα ραντεβού εντός και εκτός γραφείων, επαγγελματικά δείπνα και ταξίδια εκτός Νέας Υόρκης, οπότε η παρουσία του κρίνεται απαραίτητη. Παρόλο που του ζητήθηκε πολλές φορές να δώσει μια συνέντευξη για τη καινούρια του ζωή, αρνήθηκε ευγενικά μεν αλλά κατηγορηματικά, έχοντας εισπράξει αρκετή πικρία από τον τρόπο που τον αντιμετώπισαν τα ΜΜΕ των ΗΠΑ μετά την αποχώρησή του από την ενεργό δράση.

Ο τέως Πρόεδρος Μπους βραβεύει τον αρχηγό της CIA, Γεώργιο Τένετ

ΤΟ ΔΕΞΙ ΧΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΤΖΟΡΤΖ ΜΠΟΥΣ
Μίλησε μόνο τρεις ή τέσσερις φορές όταν έβγαλε το αυτοβιογραφικό βιβλίο του «At the center of the storm: My years in the CIA», για το οποίο δέχτηκε σκληρή κριτική. Διέψευδε, τότε, κατηγορηματικά ότι η Κεντρική Υπηρεσία Πληροφοριών της χώρας βασάνισε με διάφορες μεθόδους (εικονικό πνιγμό, ηλεκτροσόκ) Αραβες υπόπτους για τρομοκρατία σε μυστικές φυλακές ανά τον κόσμο. Ηταν η εποχή των περίφημων πτήσεων με τα αεροσκάφη της CIA, που μετέφεραν κρατούμενους σε διάφορες μυστικές τοποθεσίες στην Ευρώπη, προτού σταλούν στο στρατόπεδο X-Ray στο Γκουαντάναμο της Κούβας.
Δυστυχώς για τον ίδιο η επιβεβαίωση για όλα τα παραπάνω ήρθε στις 9 Δεκεμβρίου του 2014, όταν η επιτροπή της Γερουσίας που ερευνούσε τις καταγγελίες για τις απαγωγές, την κράτηση και τις μεθόδους ανάκρισης υπόπτων για τρομοκρατία από τη CIA έδωσε στη δημοσιότητα την έκθεσή της.

Οκτώβριος 2000: Μαζί με την τότε ΥΠΕΞ των ΗΠΑ Μαντλίν Ολμπράιτ στην κρίσιμη συνάντηση με τον Παλαιστίνιο ηγέτη Γιάσερ Αραφάτ, στο σπίτι του Αμερικανού πρέσβη στο Παρίσι.

Μάρτιος 2003: Στο Οβάλ Γραφείο με τον πλανητάρχη και τον αιμοδιψή αντιπρόεδρο της κυβέρνησης Ντικ Τσέινι.

Μια έκθεση που επιβεβαίωνε όλα όσα αρνούνταν κατηγορηματικά ο Ελληνας πρώην διευθυντής της πανίσχυρης μυστικής υπηρεσίας, που αρνήθηκε κατηγορηματικά να κάνει οποιοδήποτε σχόλιο. Επέλεξε να αποστείλει στα ΜΜΕ μια γραπτή δήλωση στην οποία έλεγε πόσο λυπόταν για τη δημοσιοποίηση της έκθεσης, «η οποία προκαλεί ζημιά στην εθνική ασφάλεια των ΗΠΑ, αλλά και στους άντρες και τις γυναίκες της CIA». Υπεραμύνθηκε των χειρισμών του, είπε ότι το πρόγραμμα κατευθυνόταν από τον πρόεδρο Μπους, ότι όλοι όσοι έπρεπε να γνωρίζουν γνώριζαν και μετά από όλα αυτά επέστρεψε στη συνήθη καθημερινότητά του και τις νέες επαγγελματικές του ευθύνες στην πιο μικρή αλλά και πιο «μυστική» τράπεζα της Αμερικής.
Αλεν, όπως λέμε Μπίλντερμπεργκ 
Κάθε καλοκαίρι, συνήθως στις αρχές Ιουλίου, το μικρό ειδυλλιακό θέρετρο του Σαν Βάλεϊ στο Αϊνταχο γίνεται για λίγες μέρες το επίκεντρο του επιχειρηματικού κόσμου των ΗΠΑ. Μεγιστάνες του Τύπου, πανίσχυροι επιχειρηματίες και CEOs σε εταιρείες-κολοσσούς, σχεδόν όλοι τους δισεκατομμυριούχοι δίνουν ηχηρό «παρών» στο ετήσιο συνέδριο της Allen & CO.
Μιας τράπεζας που επικοινωνιακά τουλάχιστον λειτουργεί όπως η περίφημη λέσχη Μπίλντερμπεργκ, σε ό,τι έχει να κάνει με τις επενδυτικές της κινήσεις εδώ και δεκαετίες.
Ιδρύθηκε το 1922 από τον Τσαρλς Ρόμπερτ Αλεν τον νεότερο, δίπλα στον οποίο τάχθηκαν σύντομα και τα άλλα δύο αδέρφια του, Χέρμπερτ και Χάρολντ. Από την πρώτη στιγμή η μυστικοπάθεια γύρω από τις δραστηριότητές της και η απόλυτη εχεμύθεια απέναντι στους πελάτες της δημιούργησε τον μύθο που τη συνοδεύει μέχρι σήμερα. Ανθρωποι του χώρου τη χαρακτηρίζουν ως μια boutique investment bank η οποία ειδικεύεται σε επενδυτικές κινήσεις στον χώρο των ΜΜΕ και του Entertainment στις ΗΠΑ. Οταν το 1973 αγόρασε ένα ποσοστό της κινηματογραφικής εταιρείας Columbia, αρκετοί απόρησαν με τη κίνηση αυτή. Εννέα χρόνια αργότερα, όταν η εταιρεία αγοράστηκε από την Coca-Cola, η Allen & Co αποκόμισε ένα πολύ μεγάλο κέρδος -το ποσό δεν έγινε ποτέ γνωστό-, ενώ ο ιδιοκτήτης της Χέρμπερτ Αλεν τζούνιορ κέρδισε μια θέση στο συμβούλιο της εταιρείας που διακινεί το πιο δημοφιλές αναψυκτικό στον κόσμο. Εκτοτε συνεργάστηκε στενά και ήταν παρούσα σε deals δισεκατομμυρίων δολαρίων, ενώ στο πελατολόγιό της φιγουράρουν η Google, το Facebook και ο μιντιακός κολοσσός News Corporation. Κανένα από τα deals -συγχωνεύσεις, εξαγορές εταιρειών- που πραγματοποιεί δεν δημοσιοποιείται στον Τύπο. Αξίζει ιδιαιτέρως να σημειωθεί ότι η τράπεζα δεν διαθέτει καν εταιρικό site και ότι φυσικά τα δελτία Τύπου είναι έννοια άγνωστη για τα στελέχη της. Στη δημοσιότητα έρχεται μόνο μία φορά τον χρόνο, όταν λαμβάνει χώρα το ετήσιο συνέδριό της στο Σαν Βάλεϊ. Είναι η εποχή που δεκάδες lear jets προσγειώνονται στο αεροδρόμιο του μικρού θερέτρου και η μοναδική φορά που οι φωτογράφοι έχουν την ευκαιρία να φωτογραφίσουν τους πανίσχυρους δισεκατομμυριούχους πελάτες της. Ανάμεσά τους συγκαταλέγονται ο πολύς Μουχτάρ Κεντ, CEO της Coca-Cola, o Αυστραλός μεγιστάνας του Τύπου Ρούπερτ Μέρντοκ, ο Μάικλ Μπλούμπεργκ, ο Μαρκ Ζάκερμπεργκ του Facebook, ο εκ των κορυφαίων κινηματογραφικών παραγωγών του Χόλιγουντ Μπράιαν Γκρέι­ζερ και ο Τζον Γουίλιαμ Χένρι, ιδιοκτήτης της Boston Globe και της Λίβερπουλ.
Οπως χαρακτηριστικά σχολιάζουν οικονομικοί συντάκτες, πρόκειται ίσως για την απόλυτη ίσως συνάθροιση τόσο ισχυρών ονομάτων του επιχειρείν από μια μικρή τράπεζα με πελατολόγιο που θα ζήλευε ακόμη και η Goldman Sachs.

Albania, the justice reform

Flickr - Clyde Robinson

The justice reform, approved on July 21^st, amends as many as 45 articles of the Albanian Constitution. Citizens, however, still know little about it

04/08/2016 -  Tsai Mali

Late on July 21^st, after 18 months of negotiations, accusations, and counter-accusations between the majority and the opposition, the Albanian Parliament passed the law to reform the judicial system with 140 votes in favour and none against. This first concrete result in strengthening the rule of law and progress in the country's European path was reached by mutual agreement and applauded from all sides. However, in a country where the adoption of legislation does not always correspond to its implementation, the political consensus around a decision does not always correspond to a real desire to undermine the status quo.

Changes in the Constitution

The recently adopted bill, drafted by an ad hoc commission that was established in November 2014 and gathered until a few minutes before the final approval, intervenes in depth on the Albanian Constitution, changing as many as 45 articles.

Before delving into the intricacies of the amendments, it may be useful to briefly recall the previous constitutional reforms in the young Albanian democracy. After a failed referendum in 1994, when 53% of voters rejected a Constitution project by President Sali Berisha, Albanians voted "yes" to the constitutional text proposed in October 1998 by the Socialists of Fatos Nano. Since then, all changes in the Constitution have been adopted by the Parliament, with no referendum.

In 2007, a political stalemate imposed the revision of the electoral law and the composition of the Central Election Commission, the main electoral management body, which made space for two other members from smaller parties.

More substantial amendments were made in 2008, decided in early-morning talks between then Premier Sali Berisha and opposition leader Edi Rama, in spite of criticism by most independent experts and the hunger strike going on inside the Parliament by Ilir Meta (leader of the Socialist Movement for Integration, today President of Parliament). Those changes paved the way for an electoral law that favoured the two main parties and undermined the role of the President in favour of the Prime Minister.

At the time, Rama was preparing for the first political elections as secretary of the Socialist Party – relying on the success at the administrative elections, he planned to lead the country in a few months. But the centre-right coalition gathered a few more votes and Berisha was able to compose a fragile parliamentary majority thanks to the four seats of Meta's party, relegating Rama to four years more in the opposition. Four years later, in 2013, mindful of the number one lesson of Albanian politics (no government without Meta!), Rama invited Meta to join the centre-left coalition and finally got the leadership of the country.

In 2012, constitutional amendments limited the immunity of deputies, prosecutors, and judges. The law was passed at the end of October, just in view of the "progress report" of the European Commission, with the customary international enthusiasm for this bipartisan result. To date, however, it is difficult to determine when such measures have allowed or facilitated investigations or convictions of state officials.

In general, in recent years, political parties have always managed to reach an agreement and collect the 2/3 of the parliamentary votes needed to amend the Constitution. These changes have not, however, helped mitigate the climate of daily conflict that characterises Albanian politics, nor to produce organic, efficient laws.

What changes in the judicial system

This reform and the new Constitution aim to redefine especially the judiciary and the prosecution system, stop the rampant corruption in the field of justice, and break the bonds of judges and prosecutors with politics and crime. Changes to the appointment mechanisms for officials have virtually monopolised the debate between the majority and the opposition – the agreement on this delicate point has been reached through a complicated, almost inscrutable, mechanism.

The main changes include the establishment of the Supreme Judicial Council and the Supreme Prosecution Council, two structures located at the apex of justice and prosecution systems to ensure their efficiency and independence. A court and a special prosecutor for the fight against corruption and organised crime, the main weakness of the Albanian state, will also be established.

Much debate has been raised by the so-called "vetting" process, the verification of the credentials of those who apply for the posts envisaged by the new judicial system. All judges, prosecutors, and senior officials will be subjected to a detailed examination of credentials – resumè, professionalism, patrimony, and possible links with crime – by two other new institutions, the Independent Commission of Qualifications and the Board of Appeals. Both will be supported by the Monitoring International Operation, a EU-managed commission with experts in the justice system of member countries, with at least 15 years of experience.

What proved divisive a few days before the vote was precisely the role of the latter. Initially designed to ensure impartiality (certainly not a foregone conclusion in a climate of absolute mistrust between majority and opposition), the Operation was also meant to be tasked with assessing the credentials of the Independent Commissioners of Qualifications, to ensure the absolute integrity of those who would evaluate their colleagues. But the opposition saw this as a violation of the sovereignty of the country, thus denying the necessary votes for approval. With an intervention in extremis, the EU suggested that the Operation may have only a monitoring and advisory role, its opinion not binding. The formula proved attractive and the reform was passed.

Difficult negotiations and international actors at the forefront

As with any legislative reform process in the country, Albanian politics has been torn, unable to or disinterested in finding a common solution. The agreement was facilitated by the international actors, with the US and the European Union at the forefront. The whole process was followed at every stage by assistance missions EURALIUS (Brussels) and Opdat (Washington), the European Parliament, the Council of Europe through the Venice Commission, and the diplomatic missions in Tirana.

The US and EU ambassadors in Tirana personally followed the work of the committees, held countless meetings with the leaders of the respective parties, made proposals, and suggested concrete solutions to any dispute, leaving aside any diplomatic practice. A few days before the vote, US Ambassador Donald Lu said that the reform was being intentionally obstructed by "corrupt judges and prosecutors, politicians, and criminals", threatening "serious consequences" for Albanian deputies. A text message sent on the day of the vote summoned the opposition lawmakers to appear the next day at the US Embassy in Tirana to take vision of the consequences the American state would adopt towards them in case of voting against the reform.

During the difficult negotiations, the centre-right opposition repeatedly abandoned and boycotted the works of the ad hoc committee, chaired by the majority, to the point that negotiations, especially in the final phases, turned into private, informal, extra-parliamentary tables, in a very non-transparent process, in which no details and arguments emerged, but only allegations and threats or, alternatively, a sterile press conference rhetoric. Even the final proposal on which the parties reached an agreement was put on the table by the EU a few hours before the vote, asking MPs to vote constitutional changes that normally should have been discussed and explained to legislators and the public.

Towards the opening of negotiations with the EU?

In June 2014, the European Council gave the green light to grant Albania the status of candidate country for accession to the European Union. To continue in the path of integration, Brussels encouraged Albania to step up efforts for the reforms (with emphasis on the rule of law and the fight against organised crime), urging a constructive dialogue between majority and opposition and emphasising a systematic approach the reforms – the well-known mechanism of "track record", intended to monitor the implementation of legislative measures.

In the aftermath of the vote last July 21^st, in congratulating the country for approval, the international community insisted on the process of implementation. "It is important that the reform is implemented immediately, so that Albanian people are served by a judicial system based on European standards", stressed EU High Representative for Foreign Policy Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn.

The formal approval of the amendments is indeed only the first step towards effective reform of the Albanian justice system, notoriously inefficient and corrupt. The reform process requires the drafting of approximately 40 new laws related to the judicial system, of which only seven are ready and awaiting approval. With the closing of the parliamentary session for the first semester, many laws and amendments will slip to September, unlike the delicate drafting process, which will continue and will require time and good will.

Before the law

The numerous appeals for the approval of a judicial reform, by Albanian and international politicians, often assumed that citizens wanted it. Polls commissioned by the United States revealed that 91% of the Albanians was in favour of judicial reform. In the last week before the closure, several demonstrations urged a vote in favour of the reform – however, none of the people questioned by journalists from TV Klan on the actual content of the new constitutional text could answer. The draft law is undoubtedly difficult to interpret for the public, both for the technical nature of the provisions and the lack of transparency that accompanied the process.

In the short story "Before the Law", Franz Kafka tells the anecdote of a farmer who looks at the door of the law, open but guarded by a watchman, that denies access. After years spent waiting in vain, the guardian confessed the man, now aged and dying, that the door was only there for him and that he was going to close it. In the parable, the truth, the right of access to the law, are denied by an incomprehensible ban. It is the law that validates the lie, that exists to exclude, to keep out the citizens. A door open and still insurmountable – a law that just exists, inscrutable, without prescribing anything.

On July 21^st, Albania virtually adopted a new Constitution and is now preparing to change much of the state's legislative bulk. Albanian citizens have so far watched the umpteenth reckless struggle between majority and opposition to snare the right to appoint officials and recorded the triumphal declarations and smug smiles of all the country's leaders at the end of vote.

The absolute unanimity achieved in Parliament is not just consensus and has little to do with democracy. These are the figures of a regime, the result of international pressures and signs of a political class that ignores the will of the people and responds only to intimidation, while the Albanian citizens remain outside the door of the law, awaiting justice.

Patriarch Kirill’s congratulations to Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania on the anniversary of his enthronement

Source: DECR

admin | 03 August 2016

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia congratulated His Beatitude Archbishop Anastasios of Tirana and All Albania on the anniversary of his enthronement. Below is the full text of the message:

Archbishop Anastasios

Your Beatitude,
Beloved in the Lord Brother and Concelebrant:
I cordially congratulate you on another anniversary of your enthronement.
May Christ the Savior Who has installed you at the helm of the church boat preserve you in good health and peace and may He multiply the days and years of your life.
I prayerfully wish Your Beatitude physical strength, many blessings from God and His generous help in your further service at the high and important post of Primate of the Albanian Orthodox Church.
With brotherly love in the Lord,
+ KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA

Albania’s Long Road to Reform

08/03/2016 04:02 am ET | Updated 13 hours ago

Fred Abrahams Associate Director, Program, Human Rights Watch

After 18 months of debate and delay, advocates for reform in Albania released a collective cheer in late July when parliament approved constitutional amendments that pave the way for meaningful changes to the judiciary. The government and opposition, long at each other’s throats, seemingly cast their differences aside for the good of the state.

On paper, the amendments and legal changes they allow are steps in the right direction for a country where criminals, politicians and criminal-politicians have long influenced the courts. The proposed vetting of judges and prosecutors and reviewing of their finances should help shield the judiciary from corruption and organized crime.

In practice, however, the impact of the reform remains in question because, rather than having grown from within, foreign governments unabashedly imposed the changes from abroad. International experts helped craft the package and the U.S. and European Union shepherded it through approval. The vetting will include reviews by an international committee.

The EU made passage of the package a requirement for Albania to begin accession talks with Brussels. The outspoken US ambassador threatened “grave and long-term” consequences for political leaders who blocked the reform.

Parliament’s unanimous vote for the amendments reveals the power of Western capitals and not the enlightened solidarity of Albania’s political leaders. Despite overwhelming popular support for reform, the political elite will largely suffer from, and therefore resist, changes that challenge nepotism, cronyism and back-room deals.

The international focus on institutions over individuals offered a welcome change for post-Communist Albania; the US and EU learned that bolstering one or another political force contributes to Albania’s unhealthy tradition of the all-powerful state. But the arm-twisting means that sustained attention to corruption is needed for the reform to have teeth.

That means holding Prime Minister Edi Rama’s feet to the fire, challenging him to make anti-corruption more than a mantra. This is especially important after the US and EU forcefully challenged last-minute efforts by the opposition to block the reform.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama © Reuters

Rama has repeatedly argued that the system in Albania, and not the people, is to blame. The laws of that system are slowly changing so will he push Albanians to also change? Amending laws is easier than ensuring their enforcement. Vetting and financial reviews alone won’t alter a political culture infused with the nectar of opportunistic rule.

The internationally-mandated constitutional amendments, hopefully followed by new laws, set the stage for positive change. But they also show how far Albania has to go.

Fred Abrahams is the author of Modern Albania: From Dictatorship to Democracy (NYU Press, 2015)

Follow Fred Abrahams on Twitter: www.twitter.com/fredabrahams

Riyadh, Qatar and Turkey 'Responsible for Downing Russian Helicopter in Syria'

 

© Photo: http://www.russianhelicopters.aero/

Middle East

21:59 01.08.2016(updated 22:16 01.08.2016) Get short URL

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A Russian Mi-8 helicopter was shot down in northwestern Syria on Monday killing all five Russian servicemen on board. In an interview with Sputnik, Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos, Editor of Politics First Magazine, put the blame on an alliance of terrorist groups called the Army of Conquest and its suppliers.

“I have no doubt about that. They have in their possession advanced weapons. We are talking about tanks, other armored vehicles, antitank weapons and antiaircraft missiles. The question is who has supplied them with these antiaircraft missiles?” he continued, adding that they could have apparently been supplied by Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Qatar.”
“Therefore, they are responsible for the downing of Russia’s Mi-8 helicopter, which was on a humanitarian mission in Syria, and for the death of all five Russian servicemen on board,” Marcus Papadopoulos continued.
Dr. Papadopoulos said that the Army of Conquest formed at the beginning of 2015 and after its formation it scored a major  battlefield victory when it captured Idlib city in the north of Syria and the rest of the province.

“Its political and financial backers are Saudi Arabia and Turkey and even though Ankara may now be reconsidering its policy of supporting Islamist terrorist groups, Turkey is the major supporter of the Army of Conquest responsible for numerous atrocities in Aleppo with their artillery bombardment of civilians,” he noted.

When asked that whether the downing of the Russian helicopter and the death of its crew will lead to the Army of Conquest losing its foreign sponsors or becoming officially recognized as a terrorist group, Dr. Papadopoulos said that “there is little chance of that happening because the Americans are supporting numerous other Islamist terrorist groups in Syria."

© Sputnik/ Said Tsarnaev

Russian Mi-8 Transport Helicopter Downed in Syria, Five People Confirmed Dead

He said that when in 2013 Daesh started to make its move in Syria there was no condemnation from the American government. It was only toward the end of that year when Daesh reemerged in Iraq and started posing a direct threat to the Western-backed Iraqi government that the Americans finally acted. Prior to that, they were only too happy to see Daesh advancing in Syria, capturing Syrian territories and committing atrocities.

"So there is no chance of the US listing the Army of Contest as a terrorist group,” Dr. Papadopoulos noted.

The downing of the Russian helicopter came shortly after Daesh posted a video where it called for waging a jihad against Russia.

© REUTERS/ Ammar Abdullah

Redefining Moderation: US-Backed Syrian Rebels Shoot Down Russian Helicopter, Abuse Crew Bodies

When asked whether these two things could be connected somehow, Dr. Papadopoulos said that after Russia launched its antiterrorist campaign in Syria that actually turned the table in that conflict, it is now seen by Daesh, al-Nusra Front, the Army of  Conquest and others as one of their main enemies. Answering a question about the terrorists disseminating video accounts of their atrocities, Dr. Panadopoulos said that such photos and videos must be banned and that there should be censorship.

“I don’t really care what people in the West say about censorship being not in line with Western values of democracy and freedom of expression. There has to be a line drawn somewhere, that pictures of atrocities, beheadings, of bodies being dragged behind trucks should be prohibited on social media.”

“This would deprive the terrorists of a very important channel of recruitment. We have to fight them on the battlefield and we should also beat them on social media by banning their pages on Facebook and preventing them from uploading their appalling photos and videos,” Dr. Marcus Papadopoulos emphasized.
The downing of the Mi-8 has become the deadliest episode for the Russian military since it started bombing terrorist-held territories in Syria in September 2015.

West's Recognition of Kosovo 'Thanks to Albania's Washington Lobbyists'

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14:59 29.07.2016(updated 15:06 29.07.2016) Get short URL

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The Kosovo region owes recognition of its 2008 "declaration of independence" to Albania's long-practised skill at lobbying US politicians, Nenad Vasic, researcher at the Belgrade-based Institute for International Politics and Economics, told Sputnik Serbia.

© AP Photo/ Visar Kryeziu

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Albanian and Kosovan politicians have successfully pursued their policy objectives thanks to close links to US lobbyists, Nenad Vasic, researcher at the Belgrade-based Institute for International Politics and Economics told Sputnik Serbia. On Tuesday Politico reported that in 2012, current Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was involved in a scheme to pay $80,000 to the Obama Victory Fund prior to that year's US presidential election. In return for the donation, Rama was allowed to attend an Obama fundraiser in San Francisco.
In Albanian parliamentary elections in June 2013 Rama used a photo taken with Obama at the fundraiser with to suggest the US President supported his election.
Vasic told Sputnik that the episode is demonstrative of Albanian politicians' successful habit of US lobbying to achieve their aims, and that Kosovan Albanian politicians also use the corrupt system to their advantage.

"It is important to note that it was in 1999 that Kosovan representatives first openly employed a US lobbying firm. Today, they have a contract for representation that has been renewed three times, and it is in force until 2017," Vasic said.

The researcher said that the connections between US lobbyists and Albanian politics can be traced back to the late 19th century, but the engagement deepened in the late 1980s, when a delegation of top US politicians made a visit to the former Yugoslavia, including Kosovo.
Among the delegation was former US Senator and1996 Republican Presidential candidate Bob Dole. Vasic says that in the 1990's Dole was one of the main figures in the pro-Albania lobby, and brought Albania's policy objectives to the attention of President Bill Clinton.
"That's when the issue of human rights for ethnic Albanians in Kosovo officially began to be the agenda in the US Congress. Later it was internationalized via different media and lobbying campaigns and resulted in Albanians constantly enhancing their international position and authority, and in particular the authority of the main pro-Albanian figures – Dole, DioGuardi and Lanatosh, who were later joined by Joe Biden and Elliott Engel," Vasic says.

"Thanks to them, the US Congress passed a lot of resolutions against the former Yugoslavia. Lobbyists are very important in Washington, especially those who are from an ethnic community campaigning for nationalist issues, or even secessionist movements, which were exploited in the 1990s and later when Kosovan Albanians announced Kosovan independence."

Kosovo's assembly unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, a decision which was criticized by many in the international community. Serbia has vowed never to recognize Kosovan independence, and Russia and China also support Serbia's continued sovereignty over the region.

© AP Photo/ Boris Grdanoski

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The other three members of the UN Security Council, the US, UK and France, responded to the declaration by recognizing Kosovan independence. Last year Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama laid bare Tirana's long-term foreign policy objectives, when he claimed that Kosovo would one day be part of Albania.
"The unification of the Albanians of Albania and Kosovo… is inevitable and unquestionable," Rama said in an interview on Kosovo television in April.
Belgrade responded by calling on Albania to "stop banging the war drums" in the region, and "devote itself fully to respecting its international and good-neighborly obligations."

"I ask Albanian leaders to stop inciting instability in the region," said Serbian Prime Minister Alexander Vucic, adding that Albania and Kosovo would "never unite." 

© AP Photo/ Militant website via AP

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Nenad Vasic told Sputnik that the Albanian government is not the only one of Serbia's neighbors to use the US lobbying system to its advantage. He says that since the 1990s, Serbia has remained the only ex-Yugoslav country not to employ a US-based PR firm to lobby on its behalf. According to Vasic, US public relations firm Ruder Finn has been employed by the Croatian and Bosnian governments to influence political and media analysis of events in the Balkans, with the Croatian government apparently paying the company more than $100,000 per month to push its agenda in Washington.
Vasic cited an analysis by German researchers of 157 contracts agreed by 40 US public relations firms to represent parties to conflicts in the former Yugoslavia between 1991 and 2002. According to the study, 90 percent of the contracts were commissioned by opponents to the survival of the Yugoslav state.