WaPo Says the NED Does What the CIA Used to Do

But they’ve forgotten they said that

Patrick Armstrong

Russia has expelled the National Endowment for Democracy. This is a fully-funded-by-the-US-government entity that has the nerve, on its home page, to describe itself as a “private, nonprofit foundation” with a “nongovernmental character”. It has just been declared an undesirable organisation in Russia.

As to be expected, the Washington Post, in its role as Stern Defender of the Right, especially where Russia is concerned, fulminated a few days ago that “Vladimir Putin is suffocating his own nation”.

IN THE tumult and uncertainty that marked Russia after the Soviet Union imploded, when the state was weak and many institutions tottering, a vital lifeline was extended from the West. The U.S. government, as well as foundations and philanthropies, responded generously. The financier George Soros, through his Open Society Foundations, provided small grants that sustained many impoverished scientists. The MacArthur Foundation and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) were vital sources of support to civil society, education and human rights.

Now, President Vladimir Putin is forcing these organizations out of Russia, using law enforcement and a parliament that he controls. Mr. Putin’s larger target is to destroy civil society, that vital two-way link in any democracy between the rulers and the ruled. The latest move, announced Tuesday, is to declare the NED an “undesirable” organization under the terms of a law that Mr. Putin signed in May. The law bans groups from abroad who are deemed a “threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the Russian Federation, its defense capabilities and its national security.”

The charge against the NED is patently ridiculous. The NED’s grantees in Russia last year ran the gamut of civil society. They advocated transparency in public affairs, fought corruption and promoted human rights, freedom of information and freedom of association, among other things. All these activities make for a healthy democracy but are seen as threatening from the Kremlin’s ramparts.

The charge is “patently ridiculous” is it? Let’s step into the time machine provided by Mr Google and travel back to 1991 when the WaPo thought it had the future of Russia all figured out.

There we find – note the title – “Innocence Abroad: The New World of Spyless Coups” by David Ignatius. “Spyless coups” indeed. That sounds a bit like what the Russian MFA said, doesn’t it?

The analysis of concrete projects shows that most of them are aimed at destabilizing by various means the internal situation in countries that pursue an independent policy in accordance with their own national interests rather than on orders from Washington.

Anyway, back then, Ignatius positively gloried in the idea of “spyless coups”.

There’s an obvious lesson here for Gates, or whoever ends up heading the CIA. The old concept of covert action, which has gotten the agency into such trouble during the past 40 years, may be obsolete. Nowadays, sensible activities to support America’s friends abroad (or undermine its enemies) are probably best done openly. That includes paramilitary operations such as supporting freedom fighters, which can be managed overtly by the Pentagon. And it includes political-support operations for pro-democracy activists, which may be best left to the new network of overt operators…

“A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA,” agrees Weinstein. The biggest difference is that when such activities are done overtly, the flap potential is close to zero. Openness is its own protection.

Allen Weinstein is just one of many overt operatives who helped prepare the way for the political miracles of the past two years by sponsoring exchanges and other contacts with liberal reformers from the East. It’s worth naming a few more of them, to show the breadth of this movement for democracy: William Miller of the American Committee on U.S.-Soviet Relations; financier George Soros of the Soros Foundation; John Mroz of the Center for East-West Security Studies; John Baker of the Atlantic Council; and Harriett Crosby of the Institute for Soviet-American Relations. This has truly been a revolution by committee…

The sugar daddy of overt operations has been the National Endowment for Democracy, a quasi-private group headed by Carl Gershman that is funded by the U.S. Congress. Through the late 1980s, it did openly what had once been unspeakably covert – dispensing money to anti-communist forces behind the Iron Curtain.

Gershman, still doing business at the same stand, isn’t happy either: “the latest evidence that the regime of President Vladimir Putin faces a worsening crisis of political legitimacy” and so on.

QED, as they say; the NED is indeed busy overthrowing governments the USA doesn’t like (“undermining its enemies” – what could be plainer than that?).

Just as the Russians say.

I guess the Washington Post people don’t read their own paper.

Although I suppose that, for them, “friends” have “democracy” and “enemies” don’t. By definition.
 
Source: Russia Today 04-08-2015

Russian Cop Rams Car Into Oncoming Vehicle to Save Lives of 300 Children

Officer was accompanying a convoy of 300 children traveling back from a summer camp

SM Gibson

A story that’s a week old now but we just ran across and think it’s worthwhile because it’s more than just feel-good news about heroism and disaster averted.

There was a time when the same story could have taken place in the US, but with the growing divide between the police and populace there, we’re not so sure that’s all that likely anymore. Well in Russia it still does happen.

July 28, 2015 (ANTIMEDIA) - On Saturday, a caravan of 9 buses was traveling back from a children’s summer camp through the city of Abakan, the capital of the Khakassia Republic in southern Siberia when a cop—who is now being hailed as a hero—did the unthinkable.

Aleksandr Kosolapov, a Russian police officer, was accompanying the convoy of approximately 300 children when a reckless driver in the opposite lane began to veer into the path of the kids. As the onrushing Toyota Caldina, which was accelerating at a dangerously high speed, inched closer across the dividing line and ultimately into the wrong lane on the Abakan-Ak-Dovurak highway, Officer Kosolapov knew he had a decision to make—and he had to make it without hesitation.

Without regard for his own life, the 39-year-old man, who was entrusted to escort the busloads of children back home without injury, swerved his Ford Focus patrol car in-between the lead bus and the out-of-control vehicle. The calculated but devastating collision left both vehicles completely totaled and the officer with serious injuries.

‘The officer quickly assessed the situation and risking his own life, he managed to prevent a head-on collision,’ said Khakassian police. 

“As a result of the massive collision the patrol car was literally turned into a pile of metal. According to the experts, it’s a miracle the police officer is still alive.” 

Officer Kosolapov is now conscious and in stable condition.

As for the five passengers—one of whom was a 10-year-old boy—who were inside of the crashed Toyota; they all survived the wreck and miraculously sustained only minor injuries.

None of the children aboard the buses were harmed.

Authorities are now reviewing the incident and have opened a criminal case under article “Violation of a person driving a vehicle, traffic rules or operation of vehicles, resulting in the infliction of serious harm to human health,” against the careless driver.

Source: Russia Insider 03-08-2015

Six Nations to Compete in 'Masters of Air Defense' Battle at Army Games

Participants of the International Army Games 2015 will take aim at more than twenty aircraft and the live cruise missiles of mock aggressors at the Masters of Air Defense Battle-2015 contest on August 8-12.

Over a hundred troops from the six countries taking part in this year’s Army Games will compete at the Masters of Air Defense battle contest, which will be held in Russia’s Krasnodar region on a firing range near the town of Yeysk.

Squads from Russia, China, Pakistan, Venezuela, Belarus and Egypt will take part in the competition. All the teams, except the Chinese, will use Russian military equipment. The participants from China will deploy pieces of hardware produced in their homeland.

Every participating team will need to destroy two guided missiles using portable GPHR SAM weapons. Each of those targeted missiles is expected to be launched with an interval of approximately 6-7 seconds. The goal of every squad will be to detect the presence of a missile and eliminate it in less than 15 seconds. Guided missiles will be fired from a Strela 10 Russian air-defense missile system to simulate an enemy attack on the competing troops.

Moreover, troops will have to demonstrate their cross-country driving skills. Squads will ride 14.5 km (9 miles) in armored personnel carriers along routes crafted with artificial barriers.

As reported, more than 50 pieces of military equipment are expected to be used during the contest. The Russian commander of the air-defense team, Lieutenant General Alexander Leonov, said that none of Russia's cutting-edge military ammunition will be deployed.

“Our squad won’t put the most cutting-edge military technology into service at the contest. Instead, we will use larger-scale weapons, which are used on regular basis by the Russian Army; machines, which were tested in different conditions and are familiar to every troop. Neither the Verba, a man-portable SAM weapon nor the BTR-82 armored personnel carrier will be at the competition. There, we would rather deploy standard pieces like the man-portable Igla SAM weapon and the BTR-80 armored personnel carrier,” Leonov was quoted by Ria Novosti as telling Echo of Moscow.

The lieutenant general said that the event will be broadcasted on national TV along with other International Army Games 2015 contests. He also added that seating will be provided at the firing range for over 1,000 viewers.

Representatives from Iran, Vietnam, Myanmar and Turkmenistan will attend the event as observers, Leonov said. He expressed hope that next year these countries will participate in the contest and the International Army Games in general.

The International Army Games is a series of contests, conducted by the Russian Defense Ministry, which are set to be held in ten locations in Russia from August 1 through August 15. More than 2,000 troops from 17 countries are taking part in the games.

Source: Sputnik News 02-08-2015

Kiev’s refusal to patrol Shirokino together with DPR disrupts peace process — DPR envoy

Ukraine is trying to cling to existing disagreements in order to avoid doing anything, DPR people’s council deputy chairman and envoy to Contact Group Denis Pushilin says

MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. Kiev’s refusal to patrol the settlement of Shirokino jointly with the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) disrupts the Minsk agreements, DPR people’s council deputy chairman and envoy to Contact Group Denis Pushilin said on Friday.

"In fact, it leads to disruption of any agreements. Ukraine is trying to cling to existing disagreements in order to avoid doing anything," Donetsk News Agency quoted Pushilin as saying.

Shirokino remains one of hot spots at the contact line in Donbas. On June 16, DPR authorities evacuated all residents from the settlement. ON July 1, DPR unilaterally announced demilitarization and withdrew all troops and weaponry from their positions there. On July 4, OSCE SMM deputy head Alexander Hug confirmed the withdrawal of all DPR units from Shirokino. DPR claims that the Ukrainian forces still remain at their positions in the region.

During telephone talks on July 23, the leaders of the "Normandy Quartet" (Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine) proposed to OSCE and JCCC (Joint Center for Control and Coordination) to develop "a practical resolution" for withdrawing Ukrainian forces from Shirokino by August 3.

 

Weaponry withdrawal

On July 18, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics (DPR and LPR) announced their plans to unilaterally withdraw heavy weaponry from the contact line.

DPR announced last week that it completed the withdrawal of weaponry of less than 100mm caliber from the contact line, leaving tanks only in "hot spots" to the north of Donetsk and in Debaltsevе. LPR also completed the withdrawal of weaponry from the contact line, leaving tanks and armored vehicles only on positions near the Schastye settlement.

On July 21, the Contact Group on Ukrainian settlement reached an agreement on gradual withdrawal of weaponry of less than 100mm caliber by both sides.

Source: ITAR-TASS 01-08-2015