Earlier this week, David Ignatius at the Washington Post published an interesting column ruing the decline of U.S. “influence” in the Middle East. His central theme is that U.S. “disengagement” from the region is allowing local actors to chart their own courses, and that many of them are now making bad decisions. In his view, the prospects for positive change in the region are receding and that we will all be worse off as a result.

Picture from Gus' collection of useless things...

Above is a 30/4/2017 loose advert for The Australian, a Murdoch media newspaper... In this advert, opinions are touted instead of facts because opinions are loaded rather than representing the truth.

In Kanbra, that dismal town

Where politicians go to shit-pledge

spew

The Trump administration’s sanctions on Venezuela have not just weakened the country’s economy but have deprived millions of viewpoints questioning the US policies, as Abby Martin’s show on TeleSUR shut down citing financial woes.

Trouble double triple poodle muddle oodle noodle — god was a fantasist...

boots

What this brochure does not tell you is that 90 per cent of these refugees have been created by the intervention of the USA in the affairs of a sovereign country. Bombs and gunfire have been the responsibility of the USA supporting "moderate" rebels, who at best were terrorists of Al Qaeda and at worst were terrorists of ISIS...

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Call it fatigue, call it frustration, but some of the best brains in the country are fed up.

Relations between the US and its European allies have been strained since Washington imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Europe and withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

et tu, duttonus

Senior ministers stand by Turnbull as Dutton plotters sharpen knives

Two of Malcolm Turnbull's most senior colleagues have publicly backed him in a show of support as he tries to fend off another move from his rival Peter Dutton.