fahrenheit451:169

Well,we're all still here and breathing. WW3 has not begun yet.And that despite the very best unrelenting efforts to instigate the global conflagration by Washington's neocon imperialist warmongers.

There's a book,I re-read recently , " Europe's Last Summer " by David Fromkin,that brought to mind some uncomfortable parallels between today's intertwined crises and those that eventually culminated in the commencement of the Great War in 1914. For instance; an ultimatum whereby a smaller nation had to comply with a series of increasingly unacceptable demands made by a much larger regional neighbour or face the consequences. Saudi Arabia and its regional lackeys have threatened the continued existence of Qatar with just such a list,one that echoes the Austro-Hungarian Empire's behaviour toward Serbia in the wake of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo.

All the much larger Powers themselves are trapped in a myriad paradoxical stand offs amongst themselves,one of which has Turkey and Russia wanting to effectively de-escalate the Saudi's belligerence,whilst Israel welcomes the KSA pointing the finger of blame at Iran whom the KSA see as an Iranian shi'ite proxy,a situation acknowledged in part by the US but one wholly dependent on which day of the week and which Washington spokesman is making the pronouncements of the day.

The Arabian Gulf imbroglio centres on but is not exclusively about the Western backed KSA driven annihilation of the Yemen.That in turn is tangentially associated with the Iraq/Syria/ISIS/Shia/Sunni hydra headed slow motion epic conflagration.Wherein the US and its NATO lackeys are in clear breach of accepted International Law by even being inside Syria let alone arming,advising and lending air support to one of the participating combatant coalition of anti-Assad groups.

Turkey is conducting its own existential narrative vis a vis the Kurds,most of whom but not all are linked to the Ottoman nemesis the PKK,and who variously ally themselves with whichever Great Power,-the US,Russia and Germany happen to have weapons and munitions on special offer at the time.

And meanwhile, the EU and the US have separately renewed both their sets of economic sanctions against Russia.Again in violation of heretofore accepted international diplomatic and legal norms.

Here endeth the update.