Brazil’s Lula in a Wilderness of Mirrors, UK Breaks Law on Nukes, Myanmar: Hidden Opposition Violence

Brazil’s Lula in a Wilderness of Mirrors

By Pepe Escobar, March 18 2021

A surprising Supreme Court decision that, while not definitive, restores Lula’s political rights has hit Brazil like a semiotic bomb and plunged the nation into a reality show being played in a wilderness of shattered mirrors.

UK Breaks Law on Nukes: Boris Johnson Announced a 40% Increase in Britain’s Nuclear Arsenal By Kate Hudson, March 18 2021 Yesterday Boris Johnson announced a 40% increase in Britain’s nuclear arsenal. Today the arsenal stands at around 200 nuclear warheads. Each is about 8 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb which killed over 200,000 people.

Myanmar: Hidden Opposition Violence By Brian Berletic, March 18 2021 As is common with US-backed color revolutions around the globe, the Western media will attempt to cover up opposition violence for as long as possible until shifting the narrative toward a “reluctant civil war” in which opposition groups were “given no choice” but to take up arms.

A Budget to Defend the American People, Not the Weapons Makers By Tristan Guyette, March 18 2021 Policymakers insist that they cannot afford to provide relief to millions of Americans struggling during a pandemic, cannot afford to provide universal health care, and cannot find funds for education. Despite this, the massive National Defense Authorization Act passes each year.

How the US Military Subverted the Afghan Peace Agreement to Prolong an Unpopular War By Gareth Porter, March 18 2021 Appointed in the final days of Trump’s presidency to remove all US troops from Afghanistan, Douglas Macgregor tells The Grayzone how military leadership undermined the withdrawal and pressured Trump to capitulate.

China Advances in South America By Lucas Leiroz de Almeida, March 18 2021 Washington’s gradual “negligence” in relation to the countries of the south of the American continent has opened up more and more space for the Chinese approach in the region.

“Russia-AgainGate”: Dead-End In US-Russia Relations? Putin “Must Pay A Price” for Election Meddling, Says Biden By Stephen Lendman, March 18 2021 Given their world’s largest thermonuclear arsenals, other super-weapons, and long-range delivery capabilities able to strike targets everywhere with precision accuracy, no bilateral relationship is more crucial to keep peaceful and cooperative.

India’s Cunning De-escalation after Setting Kashmir Alight By Tom Hussain, March 18 2021 Within the space of five years, they have meticulously manipulated the Kashmir dispute in ways which few if any people foresaw. Now they have managed to negotiate a de-escalation along both fronts in Kashmir set alight by their brinkmanship.

Palestinian Elections: Abbas Moves to Stamp Out Constructive, Strategic Change within Fatah By Rima Najjar, March 18 2021 The 85-year-old Abbas is trying to nip in the bud this homegrown challenge to Fatah’s autocratic grip on the West Bank, once again demonstrating how averse the PA’s structure is to a true national liberation project.

Vaccine Passports, “Medical Martial Law” and the Stockholm Syndrome By Jesse Smith, March 18 2021 Almost one year ago, former President Trump declared a national emergency and the White House announced a 15-day plan to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The upsurge in totalitarianism since these edicts were installed is mind-boggling.