/ world today news/ Evgeni Rushev’s interview with Stephen McMillan, given especially for world today news.
Stephen is a writer, researcher and geopolitical analyst. He is the editor of The Analyst Report, and his articles have been translated not only in world today news, but also in other Bulgarian media.
Evgeni Rushev: First, I want to thank you, Mr. McMillan, for taking the time to answer our questions. Let’s start with the war in Syria. Russia’s airstrikes have sparked outrage among Western leaders and the media. According to them, the Russian fighter jets struck the so-called “moderate” rebels trained by the CIA. Is the West afraid of Russian interference?
Stephen McMillan: Thank you Evgeny, it’s a pleasure to talk to you. Yes, it is true that Russia attacked CIA-trained, funded and armed Syrian rebels, but the Western media always forgets that the so-called Islamic State is one of the main groups that the West – in conjunction with Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel and Jordan has been funding, training and arming the overthrow of the secular Syrian government for years now. IS is a major part of the Syrian opposition, along with other terrorist groups such as al-Nusra (which is al-Qaeda in Syria). There are even pictures of US Senator John McCain with the Islamic State leader. Essentially, there are not and never have been moderate Syrian rebels, the vast majority of them are extremists. Each of the so-called “moderate” groups defected to the most extreme organizations – IS, Al-Nusra, etc. As former Defense Department intelligence chief Michael Flynn acknowledged in a recent interview, the Obama administration made a “conscious decision” to support the rise of IS. A declassified document from the same agency shows that forces supporting the Syrian opposition wanted to create a “Salafi region in eastern Syria” to isolate the Assad government. The only reason Western media and leaders demonize Russian airstrikes is because Moscow is bombing Western proxies, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Israel and Jordan. Russia foiled the West’s plan to overthrow Assad and divided the territory into warring countries in the form of mini-states. I support the strategic bombing of terrorist command centers, weapons depots, and IS strongholds as long as civilians are not injured or killed by the strikes. Russia is doing what the bogus US coalition did not: bombing key IS positions and other terrorist positions. The coalition did not seriously pursue IS because the US played a large role in creating this band of thugs and used them as a geopolitical weapon against the Assad government. I think Russian airstrikes will prove much more effective in stopping the rise of IS.
Evgeni Rushev: Another war is being fought not far from Syria – the one in Yemen. The strange thing is that no one is talking about her, especially in the big media. However, those familiar with the conflict say the coalition of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states is violating the rights of Yemen’s Shiite minority, which has been persecuted and killed, in a particularly brutal way. Why, then, are Western countries silent on this occasion?
Stephen McMillan: What is happening in Yemen is appalling. Unfortunately, Western countries are always silent about the vicious practices of their allies in the Middle East. One of the main reasons Britain is not “making a fuss” is because it is profiting from arms sales to Saudi Arabia, including the supply of high-tech weapons, as even the Island’s defense minister admits. The actions of the Saudis have caused the death and maiming of thousands of innocent Yemenis in just a few months. Hundreds of children were killed. However, most Western politicians are silent. It shows that if you are an ally of the West, you are above the law. Imagine if Iran or Syria had massacred hundreds of children in a neighboring country, NATO would have invaded the nation within hours. One of the reasons Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen and installed a government that would be a puppet on strings is the plan to build the Salman Canal through Yemen. According to Iranian media reports, the Saudis plan to build a waterway from the UAE-Qatar area through Saudi Arabia and Yemen to the Gulf of Aden so that Gulf countries can bypass the Iranian-controlled Strait of Hormuz when exporting their raw materials. However, Oman may be chosen instead of Yemen if the Saudis continue to be ineffective in replacing Yemen’s government.
Evgeni Rushev: One of the main struggles between the EU and Russia is the issue of gas supplies. In an article of yours not long ago, you spoke on this issue. What are the alternatives to the EU, from which country will it be most profitable to import?
Stephen McMillan: My personal opinion is that there is no urgent need for the EU to cut energy cooperation with Russia, but the Western elite want it as they want to reduce Russian influence over the EU. The reality is that the US and Russia are in the early stages of a war. The US is waging an economic, information and geostrategic war against Russia. Western powers want regime change in Moscow in the near future as Russia does not obey Western demands. Thus, in connection with plans to diversify energy supplies, certain non-governmental organizations suggest Azerbaijan as the most suitable country to help reduce dependence on Russian gas, but a wide range of countries will have a role. US Senator John McCain said that the US could supply gas to Ukraine for up to two years, but we have to wait and see if this actually happens. Norway will continue to play an important role in the supply of Western Europe in the future. Iran could become a major player after the nuclear deal is approved. Iran’s deputy oil minister, Ronedin Javadi, recently said that American energy companies are welcome on Iranian soil if sanctions are lifted. Personally, I am not sure if Iran will be the first choice of the West, as relations between Tehran and Washington remain strained due to disagreements on many issues – for example, Syria.
Evgeni Rushev: Jeremy Corbyn was elected Labor leader and instantly became the center of media attention. How do you rate his chances of becoming prime minister, or at least will he be able to bring about change in British politics?
Stephen McMillan: I have watched Corbyn’s rise up close in recent months. It’s very interesting and seems to be catching the attention of people all over the world. While I’m skeptical of most famous politicians, he seems sincere. I support many of his positions, especially in foreign policy. He questions NATO’s role in the world and is opposed to all these imperial foreign wars we’ve been seeing lately. I think there is grassroots support in many regions of Britain for the Prime Ministership, but the big problem is that the elite and the media despise him, which is a testament to his authenticity. Since the demonization of Russia, the British corporate and state media have spent a lot of time attacking it. Within the Labor Party itself, many people are part of the elite and are trying to oust Corbyn from the leadership post. I hope he endures as Britain is in desperate need of a leader who represents ordinary people.
Evgeni Rushev: What is the influence of the City of London in English politics? Can we equate it with the influence that Wall Street has over Washington?
Stephen McMillan: The influence of the City is great. The City of London and Wall Street are two of the most important power bases of the Western elite, and they control large parts of the world. London was the heart of the greatest empire the world has ever seen, and the city’s power is still colossal. If we review Professor Carroll Quigley’s book, he sheds light on the organization, structure and goals of the Western elite. In The Anglo-American Elite, he documents the history of one of the most prominent organizations in the world, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, or Chatham House. At Chatham House there is an outer circle and an inner circle, with the inner circle being the guiding force of the organisation. It is essentially a parallel British government, but it is a private organisation. A large number of large banks and multinational corporations are members of these groups, in addition to many government institutions – the European Commission and the Scottish Government. The American arm of Chatham House is the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), which has offices in New York and Washington. In a speech to the SVO a few years ago, Hillary Clinton admitted that the organization was telling her what to do (something I discuss in the article “The Global Economic Corporate Oligarchy”). There are many other affiliates of the same parallel private organizations, including the European arm with members such as Soros and the former foreign minister of Bulgaria – Georgi Pirinski, and the goal of these organizations is domination. That is why Russia stood in the way of Western imperialism and stopped the removal of Assad, which confuses Western geostrategy in the Middle East.
Evgeni Rushev: The Scottish independence referendum was a failure for some and a success for others. What is your position, should another referendum take place in the near future?
Stephen McMillan: I strongly support Scottish independence and voted YES last year. I’m not a big supporter of the Scottish National Party, but I do believe that an independent Scotland is more amenable to real change than if it stayed in the UK. The Union was forged over hundreds of years by blood, feuds and conquest, not by the peaceful coexistence of people. I support a free and united Ireland and a breakup of the United Kingdom. A second referendum is possible in the next decade because the spirit of independence is still alive in Scotland. I hope that if the country becomes independent in the next decade, we will leave NATO and the EU, because independence is actually self-reliance, that is, autonomy over one’s own affairs. The Swiss position in Europe is a good example of a model I would like to see in Scotland, and the Swiss are out of NATO and the EU.
Evgeni Rushev: The last question is related to the European Union. How do you see the future of the EU? What are the prospects: will we reach a federation, or will we see a breakaway of member states?
Stephen McMillan: The question of the future of the EU is very complex because it is complex and involves a range of people and nations whose interests are often different. I would like to see the countries outside the Union taking back their sovereignty. Many elements in the EU are completely undemocratic and they are, to a large extent, driven by bureaucrats and technocrats rather than the wishes of the European people. No one in Europe wants austerity measures, yet they are being imposed on the people by technocrats who are not directly elected. The Troika – ECB, EC and IMF imposes policies on the Greek people and many nations in Europe, but no European gives a direct vote on who should head these institutions. The Western elite will own the EU as long as they can, which is part of the desire for hegemony. Amalgamation of the EU with other regional blocs and countries has always been part of the West’s agenda, with corporate disadvantageous deals like TTIP. Negotiations for this type of deal are conducted in secret and the goal is to strengthen corporations, approaching a corporate-banking global governance. I hope TTIP and other similar deals are thwarted next year because they are the antithesis of democracy and freedom. The difficulty with the nations that would leave the EU is the European leadership that will isolate and subjugate these countries, so more countries leaving at the same time would be best. I hope the EU collapses one way or another. I love the people of Europe and the diversity and similarities of the countries and regions. I don’t want to see the EU break up, because I am happy to cooperate with European partners, but this union does not represent the wonderful people of Europe. Sovereign, autonomous, independent nations trading, communicating and being friendly with each other is the real Europe I want to see, where people’s interests and wishes are respected and represented.
Rushev: Thank you Mr McMillan.
Stephen McMillan: Thank you, Evgeny.
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