Scott Horton Interviews Pepe Escobar
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Globetrotting journalist Pepe Escobar discusses his article “Syria and Turkey’s Phantom War;” Turkey’s violation of Syrian airspace in a purposeful, measured provocation and test of Syria’s defenses; the near-invocation of NATO Article 5 and a wider war (an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all); looking for ways to bypass the UN on Syria, since China and Russia won’t let an interventionist resolution pass the Security Council; grand plans for NATO expansion in the official “Assured Security, Dynamic Engagement” plan; counterrevolutions in the Middle East and South America, as the US looks to rebuild its portfolio of client states; and how Qatar has become the new superpower in the Middle East, surpassing even Saudi Arabia.
MP3 here. (39:25)
Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving Into Liquid War and Obama Does Globalistan.
An extreme traveler, Pepe’s nose for news has taken him to all parts of the globe. He was in Afghanistan and interviewed the military leader of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Masoud, a couple of weeks before his assassination. Two weeks before September 11, 2001, while Pepe was in the tribal areas of Pakistan, Asia Times Online published his prophetic piece, “Get Osama! Now! Or else …” Pepe was one of the first journalists to reach Kabul after the Taliban’s retreat, and more recently he has explored and reported from Iraq, Iran, Central Asia, US and China.
steve
July 1st, 2012 at 4:35 am
A Pepe Escobar Tour d'Force
El Tonno
July 1st, 2012 at 5:21 am
Aha! I first heard that actual artillery was being used in Pepe's article, which turned the "shot down in international airspace" immediately improbable. Now:
http://www.dp-news.com/en/detail.aspx?articleid=1…
SyriaTurkey- U.S. intelligence indicates that a Turkish warplane shot down by Syrian forces was most likely hit by shore-based antiaircraft guns while it was inside Syrian airspace, American officials said, a finding in tune with Syria's account and at odds with Turkey.
Damascus has said it shot down the plane with an antiaircraft battery with an effective range of about 1.5 miles.
But, A Turkish official said he wasn't aware of the American doubts, and reiterated the government's position that a Syrian missile downed the plane in international airspace.
John Ellis
July 1st, 2012 at 6:15 am
Pepe Escobar
“Turkey is wagging the dog NATO… Turkey the only nation anxious for war”
Turkey sent a war plane 12 miles inside the national borders of Syria as a provocation to start a war, and Syria did the only thing it could do to stop the war, shoot down the plane or be vulnerable to the bombing devastation of a Libya style no-fly zone. Pure stupidity are the actions of Turkey, for now it is losing all credibility — with the real international community.
R.C.
July 1st, 2012 at 11:29 am
I agree with Pepe that these Turkish excursions on Syria's border is being used to bait them so that article 5 can eventually be invoked. They can't go through the security council, so this is the only other way they can have their war.
The Russians (who Pepe didn't mention much) had better come through with those air defenses.
John Ellis
July 1st, 2012 at 1:46 pm
WHAT IF THIS HAPPENED?
(1) U.S. stopped building a missile shield around Russia.
(2) U.S. stopped sending troops and ships to encircle the China Sea.
(3) Russia and China did nothing while NATO bombed in place a most deadly no-fly zone over Syria.
Empire USA wants dominance over all of Middle-East oil, Russia and China want our military off it’s back, a three-Empire swap most perfect.
Ryan
July 1st, 2012 at 2:37 pm
its the Asia times but its atimes.com not asiatimes.com also as for MB, they have deep ties to the CIA and Mosaad. Remember Josie Hadas and the 92 WTC bombing which also involved the FBI stupidly falling back on the position "we decided to give them real explosives and then not show up to arrest them…" Mubarak was the US first choice, Egypt rebelled and this was a legit revolution unlike the manufactured ones n Libya or Syria. The MB is like Ber rabbit saying oh "don't throw me in the briar patch."
Ryan
July 1st, 2012 at 2:42 pm
93 wtc attack i mistyped. Also that is when Zack first stole the anthrax just months before, however since the whole thing was botched plan B never as executed. Ramzi Yousef who escaped until ISI caught him in 95 is the nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed the supposed mastermind of the 911 wtc attacks. http://www.rys2sense.com/anti-neocons/viewtopic.p… more
johnUK
July 1st, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Colour revolution machine was on the ground in Egypt stoking unrest and as predicted the Muslim Brotherhood would come to power with the big winner being Turkey to build them up as the regional super power who are the biggest benefactors of the Arab Spring.
Arab Spring, Turkish Harvest
http://www.fpif.org/articles/arab_spring_turkish_…
Egypt's generals eye Turkish model
http://news.yahoo.com/egypts-generals-eye-turkish…
johnUK
July 1st, 2012 at 7:47 pm
There is a conspiracy guy on the internet that claims Pepe Escobar is actually played by an actor Tony Greenberg who also allegedly plays other famous people. Lol! Pretty funny
http://youtu.be/nuyJrX9t9_0?t=5m28s
johnUK
July 1st, 2012 at 8:46 pm
US backs the Burmese regime? Where the hell do you get that logic from?
John Ellis
July 2nd, 2012 at 3:48 am
Mainstream media in Israel is pushing the propaganda that Turkey should blame everything on Russia, that it was a Russian missile fired by a Russian technician that shot down the Turkey war plane.
Funny that they would raise the issue, what with their war experts spanning the globe and being much in demand by dictators in places like Central and South America.
Tip
July 2nd, 2012 at 4:30 am
Wasn't that a hit? Sooner or later NATO's gonna get ya, sooner or later…
El Tonno
July 2nd, 2012 at 12:35 pm
Haaretz says it was a "Russian missile". HURRR!!
http://www.haaretz.com/news/middle-east/russian-s…
Russian technicians were involved in the taking down of the Turkish fighter jet by the Syrian military last week, the Sunday Times reported on Sunday.
Sourcing Middle Eastern diplomatic sources the Times reported that the decision to down the Turkish jet was intended to signal a warning to NATO to stay out of the conflict raging in Syria for over a year.
Russia supplied Syria with advanced anti-aircraft missile systems three years ago. It is believed that Russian specialists trained the Syrian forces to use them. According to diplomats that spoke with the Sunday Times some Russian specialists are still stationed at the missile battery control centers.
“We would not be surprised if these Russian experts, if they didn’t push the button, at least were beside the Syrian officers who did it,” an Israeli air force source told the British paper.
John Ellis
July 2nd, 2012 at 3:38 pm
VISION
The Western world, they use war as a means to reduce over population. So, as Syria has a population of 16.3 million, this civil war shall rage until Syrian population is below 15 million.
John Ellis
July 2nd, 2012 at 3:45 pm
Just look at Iraq, does it not now have over 1 million war widows? For when has war ever been anything but a repeat of bad history?
charliedontserf
July 3rd, 2012 at 9:22 am
Erdogan = Air-Dough-An
the "a" in "an" is the "a" in "han" – as is, Han Solo.
Charles
July 3rd, 2012 at 2:25 pm
In the interview I heard Pepe say that there are 5 strands of MB. One or two of them may be CIA assets.
Ryan
July 5th, 2012 at 6:40 am
that was not a color revolution that was 8 million people in the streets.
Regional and In… « YALLA SOURIYA
July 5th, 2012 at 5:14 pm
[...] Scott Horton Interviews Pepe Escobar and asks him to discuss the motives behind Turkey’s decision to fly a plane into Syrian waters. [...]
@JohnEllis02
July 6th, 2012 at 4:24 am
“Top Syrian General Defects to Turkey
Long-time Assad friend the biggest defection yet”
Above is the latest news from Syria, so what new insight does it give up? None, for military generals kill on command, are void of anything that resembles a conscience and will surely jump-ship the moment a CIA agent hands them a briefcase filled with unmarked $100 bills.
@JohnEllis02
July 8th, 2012 at 2:02 am
FICTION
Washington Post
"Violent Taliban Splinter Groups Opposed to Talks
Harbinger of Civil War After US Troops Leave"
FACT
Logical Taliban Stay One Group Opposed to Talks
Sign of Peace and Good Will After US Terrorists Leave
UNF
July 8th, 2012 at 6:24 am
Escobar sounds extremely giddy, like he's just done a dozen lines of coke off a few HK hookers before the interview starts. What exactly were the humourous point I missed, which caused him so much mirth?
Health and Fitness
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