918 UPDATED - Jared & Ivanka persuaded Trump to attack Syria; Trump preparing to invade Syria & NKorea

UPDATED - Jared & Ivanka persuaded Trump to attack Syria; Trump
preparing to invade Syria & NKorea

Newsletter published on April 11, 2017

(1) Trump to ignite wars in Korea & Syria - Peter Myers, April 11, 2017
(2) Trump preparing ‘full-scale INVASION of Syria’: Shock claim from
military expert
(3) National Security Advisor McMaster planning 'Full-Scale War' in
Syria, 150,000 US troops
(4) Ivanka Trump’s distress had ‘significant influence’ on US air
strikes in Syria, diplomat suggests
(5) Alex Jones brands Jared and Ivanka ‘enemies of the republic’ after
Trump ally blames them for Syria strike
(6) How does US military power stack up against North Korea, China and
Russia?
(7) Trump deploys SEALs to attack North Korea, secure nukes and
eliminate Kim
(8) Blackwater founder Erik Prince admits ‘incidental’ Seychelles
meeting with Russian during Trump transition

(1) Trump to ignite wars in Korea & Syria - Peter Myers, April 11, 2017

The strike on Syria was made during Trump's dinner with Xi, showing the
connection between the Syria and Korea fronts.

North Korea's tests have been foolish, because they energise the hawks
in Japan to demand their own offensive capability - they now want the
ability to launch strikes, independently of US forces. But North Korea's
nukes are only defensive, designed to stave off a US attack by promising
to hit Soeul, thus making the price too high (see item 6). Too high for
anyone but Trump, that is.

Trump's case in Syria is based on acceptance of Fake News, and
suppression of reports showing that the 2013 Gas attack was a False
Flag. Since Putin is not going to buy that, and Trump is likely to
invade, we will see a clash of the superpowers. Russia, with its back
against the wall, will not accept defeat there. Thus nuclear war beckons.

Alex Jones has come out a champion. It seems that Jared Kushner is the
real President.

(2) Trump preparing ‘full-scale INVASION of Syria’: Shock claim from
military expert
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/604268/US-Syria-Donald-Trump-Cruise-Missile-Invasion-Chemical-Weapons-Russia-Iran-Iraq-War

DONALD Trump is paving the way for a full-scale invasion of Syria in a
bid to destroy Bashar al-Assad, a military expert has claimed

By Henry Holloway / Published 10th April 2017

US cruise missiles blitzed a Syrian airbase last week in a shocking move
which positioned President Trump against Russia and Iran.

Trump’s assault on Syrian counterpart Assad has been backed by Britain
and the West but has him on a collision course with Russian president
Vladimir Putin.

Military experts from Turkey fear the worst is yet to come and are
drawing comparisons with the preparations for the Iraq War in 2003.

The Syrian Chemical attack that pitted Trump against Putin: could this
be Cold War Two?Friday, 7th April 2017

The use of chemical weapons against civilians in Syria has sparked a
diplomatic incident, as Trump's airstrikes has him squaring up to the
Putin-supported Assad regime. Could this be the start of a new Cold War?

"The US is nurturing a plan of a full-scale intervention of Syria,"
warned Koray Gurbuz, from the Ankara-based Bilkent University.

He suggested the US’s goal in the war-torn nation is to install a
government more supportive of Washington in an "Iraqi scenario" to oust
Assad like now-executed dictator Saddam Hussein.

But Mr Gurbuz claimed further action to depose Assad could work in
favour of "terrorist groups" in the Middle East.

Trump took action after the world condemned an alleged chemical weapons
attack on civilians in Syria.

Assad is believed to have been behind the horrifying onslaught that
killed 80 people in Idlib.

Syrian Army chiefs have repeatedly denied the attack – but Trump said
there "can be no dispute" the dictator used "banned chemical weapons".

Mr Gurbuz accused Washington of "violating international law" with the
direct strike on Syria when speaking to Sputnik Turkey.

Russia has also blasted the US over the strike as it continues support
of al-Assad.

Putin and Iran have both threatened military retaliation if the US takes
anymore action in Syria.

Britain’s foreign secretary Boris Johnson said Syria could be hit again
by the US, despite the war talk from Russia and the Ayatollah.

Mr Johnson cancelled a trip to Moscow amid the tensions with Russia in a
move blasted by the Kremlin.

Meanwhile, tensions are raging in with North Korea over Kim Jong-un’s
nukes as the USS Carl Vinson strike group moves into the Korean Peninsula.

(3) National Security Advisor McMaster planning 'Full-Scale War' in
Syria, 150,000 US troops

http://russia-insider.com/en/breaking-trumps-national-security-adviser-wants-full-scale-war-syria/ri19516

Trump's National Security Advisor Planning 'Full-Scale War' in Syria

McMaster wants 150,000 boots on the ground in Syria, reports Mike Cernovich

April 9, 2017

According to independent journalist Mike Cernovich, National Security
Advisor H. R. McMaster is trying to get Trump to sign off on a plan that
would put 150,000 US troops on the ground in Syria.

According to Cernovich:

Current National Security Adviser Herbert Raymond H. R. McMaster is
manipulating intelligence reports given to President Donald Trump,
Cernovich Media can now report. McMaster is plotting how to sell a
massive ground war in Syria to President Trump with the help of
disgraced former CIA director and convicted criminal David Petraeus, who
mishandled classified information by sharing documents with his mistress.

As NSA, McMaste's job is to synthesize intellience reports from all
other agencies. President Trump is being given an inaccurate picture of
the situation in Syria, as McMaster is seeking to involve the U.S. in a
full scale war in Syria.

The McMaster-Petraeus plan calls for 150,000 American ground troops in
Syria.

It looks like "safe zones" (occupation for "humanitarian" reasons) are
off the table.

McMaster isn't even trying to disguise his real intentions, apparently.

"June 1st or sooner, boots on the ground." - Multiple sources today, on
Syria.

â?" Mike Cernovich ?Ÿ‡º?Ÿ‡¸ (@Cernovich)April 9, 2017

(4) Ivanka Trump’s distress had ‘significant influence’ on US air
strikes in Syria, diplomat suggests

http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/ivanka-trumps-distress-had-significant-influence-on-us-air-strikes-in-syria-diplomat-suggests/news-story/622ed8b9f06f21a541f015d49ae6b9ab

April 10, 20179:11pm

IVANKA Trump’s distress at seeing images of Syrian children struggling
to breath following the chemical attack at Khan Sheikoun played a strong
role in her father’s decision to launch US air strikes, a diplomat has
suggested.

UK ambassador to Washington Sir Kim Darroch told the UK Government the
President was "genuinely shaken" by images of children broadcast after
the deadly attack that killed up to 80 people in the Syrian town.

A diplomatic telegram to London following the decision to launch air
strikes pointed to a tweet from Ivanka saying she was "heartbroken and
outraged by the images coming out of Syria", The Sunday Times reports.

The cable said her worry was a "significant influence in the Oval
Office" and led to the "stronger than expected" reaction from leadership.

     Heartbroken and outraged by the images coming out of Syria
following the atrocious chemical attack yesterday.
     — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) April 5, 2017

     The times we are living in call for difficult decisions - Proud of
my father for refusing to accept these horrendous crimes against
humanity https://t.co/yV0oJuC9dE
     — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) April 7, 2017

On April 6, Mr Trump said "beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in
this very barbaric attack" in his speech announcing the strikes.

"No child of God should ever suffer such horror," he said.

The decision marked a rapid policy shift for the Trump administration
and reversed the President’s previous decision on entering Syria which
he said would be "very bad" for the US following an earlier chemical
weapons attack in 2013.

It also followed an interview given by Ivanka on April 5 in which she
told CBS’ This Morning she would continue her advocacy work but will
"weigh in with my father on the issues I feel strongly about."

Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner have become two of the President’s
closest and most trusted advisers following his inauguration.

Both have met foreign leaders and advised him on a huge range of
domestic and international issues.

Their children, Arabella and Joseph, even entertained the Chinese
President Xi Jinping and First Lady Peng Liyuan while they were staying
in Florida.

     Very proud of Arabella and Joseph for their performance in honor of
President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan's official visit to the US!
pic.twitter.com/fu3RIh26UO
     — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) April 7, 2017

Thank you President Xi Jinping and Madame Peng Liyuan for your visit to
the United States

     pic.twitter.com/VLvzyDMiiY
     — Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) April 9, 2017

Meanwhile a photo of President Trump’s National Security Team from the
moment the strikes were ordered shows Ivanka’s husband Jared Kushner on
the President’s right-hand side looking directly at him.

His closeness to the President has brought him into direct conflict with
joint chief of staff Steve Bannon, who has recently been dumped from Mr
Trump’s National Security Council and is shown towards the back of the
room in the picture of the critical moment.

     WH photo (ed for security): @potus receives briefing on #syria
military strike fr Nat Security team, inc @vp , SECDEF, CJCS via secure
VTC pic.twitter.com/aaCnR7xomR
     — Sean Spicer (@PressSec) April 7, 2017

On Thursday, the US ordered 59 Tomahawk missiles to strike the Syrian
airfield where government planes carrying chemical weapons are believed
to have taken off from.

(5) Alex Jones brands Jared and Ivanka ‘enemies of the republic’ after
Trump ally blames them for Syria strike

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/alex-jones-brands-jared-and-ivanka-enemies-of-the-republic-after-trump-ally-blames-them-for-syria-strike/

TRAVIS GETTYS

07 APR 2017 AT 14:56 ET

Alex Jones and Roger Stone blamed "President" Jared Kushner for the
Syrian airstrike ordered by his father-in-law, Donald Trump.

The InfoWars founder hosted the political dirty trickster — who’s under
investigation for possible ties to Russian intelligence — on his program
Friday to discuss the military action.

The conversation followed a conspiratorial trail that led from Syria
through the West Wing to the Upper West Side, and all the way to Silicon
Valley, and fell apart when Jones blamed Kushner and his wife, Ivanka
Trump, for every bad decision made so far by the president.

"It’s them, it’s them — it’s his daughter and son-in-law who are
literally enemies of the Republic!" Jones shouted.

At the start of the discussion, Stone suggested the chemical weapons
attack, which Trump used to justify the military action, might have been
staged as part of a conspiracy to draw the president into war in the
Middle East.

"What’s interesting to me is this push by the generals, which I believe
is aided by the president’s son-in-law (Kushner), to essentially shed
the non-interventionist position that he stuck to very closely in the
campaign and become George W. Bush," Stone said. "The people, if they
wanted a neocon, they would have elected Jeb (Bush)."

Jones blamed "President Kushner" for the torrent of media leaks from the
White House, which he described as a "jihad" to go after "hardcore
conservatives and patriots" like Steve Bannon for opposing the airstrike.

"I can absolutely certify that Steve Bannon was opposed to this
intervention in Syria, and he obviously lost an internal argument,"
Stone claimed.

He said the White House blamed the chief strategist for the failures of
the travel ban and the health care bill, which Stone claims was written
by former House Speaker John Boehner and foisted on Bannon by Kushner.

"Bannon’s a fighter, and I do think he will survive, but what we have to
figure out is whether his role is diminished," Stone said. "One obvious
problem is that he really hasn’t spent any capital to bring other
nationalists who supported Trump into the White House."

Bannon, in fact, has brought several of his employees at Breitbart News
— including an apparent member of a European Nazi group — to work for
him at the White House, although none of them is married to the
president’s eldest daughter.

"Unfortunately, Steve Bannon has not gone to bat for other nationalists,
and therefore he finds himself on the White House staff largely without
allies," Stone said. "My greatest concern, in all honesty, is watching
the Silicon Valley barons wine and dine Jared and Ivanka — the Google
people, the Facebook people — those who are seeking to choke InfoWars
and Stone Cold Truth and Breitbart News and Daily Caller."

Jones agreed Kushner and his wife appeared to be part of a broad
Democratic conspiracy to shut down right-wing sites — which he described
as guardians of the republic, and which the FBI is investigating for
possible ties to Russian agents.

"If there’s anyone on the planet who would understand this, it’s Steve
Bannon," Stone said. "I don’t think Jared understands that if these
censorship initiatives go forward, the chances of the president’s
re-election are zero."

Jones used a series of code words to warn his listeners that Kushner,
who is Jewish, was trying to undermine his father-in-law, the president.

"He is surrounded by weak, foppish, left-wing New York socialites,"
Jones said, and Stone picked up the thread.

"Meanwhile, we see Jared dining with the head of Google with one of the
toniest restaurants in Manhattan," Stone said. "This is more disturbing
to me than anything else because the future of the Trump administration
and his efforts to make America great again completely pivot off access
to the ‘net and the ability to rally the same people who elected him."

"I don’t think his motives are bad, I just think his political judgment
is not sound," Stones added.

(6) How does US military power stack up against North Korea, China and
Russia?

http://www.news.com.au/world/asia/how-does-us-military-power-stack-up-against-north-korea-china-and-russia/news-story/bd16adca452e9738adad3ffdca749f18

April 10, 20178:08pm

THE diversion of US warships to North Korea is a show of American
military power but how does the nation’s weapons capability stack up
against others and can it continue to maintain its superiority?

While America is undoubtedly the "top dog" when it comes to its
military, experts say North Korea could still land a massive blow
against the US.

"Most pundits think that whatever happens in Korea, if somebody hits the
button, the fighting would be very intense but brief and would lead to
massive devastation," Professor John Blaxland said.

Prof Blaxland is the acting head of the Strategic and Defence Studies
Centre at the Australian National University and says while the US has
superior weaponry, other countries such as North Korea, China and Russia
have massive stockpiles of weapons and trained military to counteract this.

According to the Global Firepower website, which collates publicly
available information about the military capability of different
countries, America is ranked number one in terms of its war-making
ability across land, sea and air.

"It has the most powerful military in the world without question," Prof
Blaxland said.

The US annual defence budget of $581 billion dwarfs China, which spends
$155 billion, Russia on $45 billion and North Korea on $7.5 billion.

But if you look at how many soldiers America has access to, it’s a
different story.

The US has an active military personnel of 1.4 million, and a reserve
army of 1.1 million.

When it comes to soldiers based on the North Korean border, the US only
has about 20,000 troops permanently stationed in South Korea, as well as
about 8000 air force personnel and other special forces. There were also
about 50,000 military personnel based in Japan.

Compare this to North Korea, which has 700,000 active soldiers, but a
whopping 4.5 million reserves.

Prof Blaxland said North Korea had also massed about 20,000 rockets and
missiles on the border with South Korea, and when you are playing a
numbers game, technology doesn’t always win.

"There’s a saying ‘quantity has a quality all of its own’," he said.

"North Korea has massed artillery and missile capability adjacent to the
demilitarised zone, close to Seoul, which puts it in range of a
population about the size of Australia — it’s pretty scary."

Prof Blaxland said US troops stationed in South Korea could probably
shoot down a large number of missiles but chances were, some would still
get through.

"It doesn’t matter how good your technology is, if they get a few rounds
off the ground, there will be mass casualties."

"The problem is the quantity, just the sheer mass," he said.
"(Especially) if you aren’t that concerned about how many people die in
the process, which Kim Jong-un isn’t."

It has been estimated that in this scenario North Korea could
potentially kill about 100,000 people.

So while North Korea may not ultimately win a war against America, it
could certainly ensure many people also go down with it.

This could also be a problem with any matchup between the US and China
or Russia.

All three countries have nuclear weapons but would not be motivated to
use them as any retaliation would likely annihilate them as well.

Prof Blaxland said the Russians had massive firepower capability
including ships, submarines and armed forces. Recently the Russians had
demonstrated in Ukraine that they had the ability to bombard a 1km
square area of land and "basically clean it out".

"That is a frightening prospect," he said.

He said China had put a lot of emphasis on its cyber technology, as well
as copying western technology. It had long range munitions that could
sink an aircraft carrier or knock down satellite systems the US relies
on heavily.

While there was no question the US had the most powerful and
technologically advanced military in the world, Prof Blaxland said no
matter how good an aircraft was, if it was overwhelmed by dozens of
enemy craft then "you’ll run out of ammo before they do".

Another issue is that the US’s forces are dispersed across the world,
with troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, as well as Europe, Latvia,
Australia, Korea, Japan, Guam and Hawaii.

"The US is incredibly powerful militarily but if it takes on more than
one big fight at a time, it’s probably biting off more than it can
chew," he said.

In the past, Prof Blaxland said America’s military was designed with the
capability to fight two and a half "major theatre wars" at the same, but
these days it is in a position where it could barely do one or maybe one
and a half.

"Bearing in mind that they are already tied down in Afghanistan, Iraq
and Syria, they are considerably constrained (to fight a major war)," he
said.

(7) Trump deploys SEALs to attack North Korea, secure nukes and
eliminate Kim
http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/North-Korea-US-duel-elevates-Asia-tension-to-new-heights

North Korea-US duel elevates Asia tension to new heights

Aircraft carrier cancels plans and heads to Korean Peninsula

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei deputy editor

Nikkei Asia Review

April 10, 2017 3:30 pm JST

TOKYO -- Amid rising tensions between the U.S. and North Korea, a U.S.
aircraft carrier-led strike group has altered plans and headed toward
the Korean Peninsula.

The USS Carl Vinson had just been in Busan, South Korea, in mid-March to
participate in Foal Eagle, an annual U.S.-South Korea exercise.
Afterward, the 6,000-crew warship moved to Singapore and was scheduled
to make a port visit to Australia.

Instead, Adm. Harry Harris, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command --
which oversees all U.S. forces in the Pacific -- instructed the Carl
Vinson Strike Group on April 8 to sail north once again.

It is the latest measure taken by the Donald Trump administration to
show the world, especially China, that the U.S. strategy toward North
Korea has changed. North Korea has recently repeatedly tested ballistic
missiles, threatening to test a intercontinental ballistic missile that
could reach the U.S. Trump is signaling that his administration is not
shy to use force to prevent such development.

A mobile naval base, capable of carrying 90 aircraft to the enemy, the
aircraft carrier is the Navy's most visible display of power.
Accompanying the Carl Vinson are the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile
destroyers USS Wayne E. Meyer and USS Michael Murphy, as well as the
Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain.

Going solo?

The move follows the first meeting between President Trump and his
Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, on April 6 and 7, during which they
failed to craft a concrete plan to address the North Korean nuclear and
missile threats. Trump told Xi that if China would not help it deal with
Pyongyang, the U.S. may act alone.

The Carl Vinson had been in the region in March, when U.S. and South
Korean forces conducted their annual exercise, Foal Eagle. That exercise
was also rich in symbolism, due to the presence of an unusual participant.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un must have known exactly what it meant
when he learned that the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team 6 arrived in South Korea
to join Foal Eagle in early March.

The Navy's Special Warfare Development Group, as it is officially
called, is the counterterrorism unit that killed Al Qaeda leader Osama
bin Laden in May 2011. Six years after that stunning and successful
operation, the Trump administration arranged for the SEAL team to take
part in the exercise for the first time, alongside the Army's Rangers,
Green Berets and Delta Force.

In the exercises, which ran to April, the SEALs trained to infiltrate
North Korea, sabotage key military facilities, secure nuclear weapons
and eliminate Kim. The key objectives of this year's event signal that
the U.S. policy toward North Korea has entered a new stage.

The new strategy is thought to have been influenced by high-profile
defector Thae Yong Ho, who predicted that Kim Jong Un will use nuclear
weapons against the U.S. unless he is "eliminated" first.

Thae, Pyongyang's former deputy ambassador to the U.K. and who defected
to South Korea in 2016, provided insights into Kim's thinking when he
described the North's development of intercontinental ballistic missiles
in a recent interview with NBC News. "Once he sees that there is any
kind of sign of a tank or an imminent threat from America, then he will
use his nuclear weapons with ICBMs," he said.

Kim responded with another ballistic missile launch on April 5.

Syria attack

The war games between the U.S. and North Korea have elevated tensions in
the Asia-Pacific region to new heights. It was against this backdrop
that Trump hosted Xi at his private resort in Florida.

While the two leaders were enjoying dinner on the first night, the U.S.
conducted military strikes in Syria, informing Xi of the operation only
toward the end of the meal.

Just hours before the Trump-Xi meeting, a top U.S. Navy official told
reporters in Tokyo that the strategy to deter North Korea's nuclear
program was not working, hinting that a new approach was in the making.

Adm. Scott Swift, the four-star commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet,
said: "Up to this point I think it is fair to say that economic and
diplomatic efforts have not supported the progress people have been
anticipating and looking forward to."

He went on to say that "200 ships, over 1,200 aircraft and 140,000
sailors" under his command, belonging to the 7th and 3rd Fleets, would
be combined and ready for the president's discretion as a contingency
measure.

After initially remaining silent on the matter, Pyongyang responded with
a Foreign Ministry statement on the evening of April 8. It called the
U.S. attack on the Syrian air force base "absolutely unpardonable" and
"an undisguised act of aggression against a sovereign state."

It also said: "Some forces are loudmouthed that the recent U.S. military
attack on Syria is an action of warning us, but we are not frightened by
it."

Spooked neighbors

The escalation is making other nations in the region nervous.

The Indonesian government expressed its displeasure over the "unilateral
actions" by the U.S. in launching a missile strike into Syria. "Military
actions, undertaken without prior authorization of the U.N. Security
Council, are not in line with international legal principles in the
peaceful settlement of disputes as stipulated in the U.N. Charter,"
Foreign Ministry spokesman Arramanatha Nasir told reporters on April 7.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, fresh from a stay at Trump's Florida
resort, said, "The government of Japan supports the determination of the
U.S. government that it will never allow the spread and use of chemical
weapons." But the statement fell short of expressing approval. "We
understand that the U.S. took the action to prevent further aggravation
of the situation," it said.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who has been under fire
domestically for cozying up to China and is under pressure to strengthen
ties with Washington, is finding it hard to come up with a response. "As
chair of ASEAN, Duterte will find it increasingly difficult to
coordinate with the U.S. and China," said Junya Ishii, senior analyst at
think tank Sumitomo Corp. Global Research.

(8) Blackwater founder Erik Prince admits ‘incidental’ Seychelles
meeting with Russian during Trump transition
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/blackwater-founder-erik-prince-admits-incidental-seychelles-meeting-with-russian-during-trump-transition/

DAVID EDWARDS

10 APR 2017 AT 11:07 ET

Erik Prince, the founder of the mercenary company Blackwater, admitted
that he met with an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin during
then-President-elect Donald Trump’s transition.

The Washington Post reported last week that Prince held a secret meeting
with a Putin confidant in the Seychelles islands "as part of an apparent
effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow
and President-elect Donald Trump."

"U.S. officials said the FBI has been scrutinizing the Seychelles
meeting as part of a broader probe of Russian interference in the 2016
U.S. election and alleged contacts between associates of Putin and
Trump," the Post noted.

In an interview with the Financial Times that was published on Monday,
Prince acknowledge that the meeting had occurred but insisted that it
was "incidental."

Prince admitted an "incidental" meeting but denied anything of
consequence was discussed, blaming "permanent seditious bureaucrats" in
the US intelligence community for leaking the information.

Prince also said that the business his current company, Frontier
Services Group, was doing with China did not include mercenary services.

But Peter Singer of the New America Foundation told the Financial Times
that "Machiavelli would be amused, but not surprised" at Prince’s
collaboration with the Chinese government.

"It is fascinating to see someone, who was so quick to wrap himself in
the flag whenever there was a controversy in the past, now go to work
for a US adversary." Singer said.