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♪ (intro music) ♪
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You're listening to The Corbett Report:
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CorbettReport.com
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(Prof. Tjeerd Andringa) All right, people:
welcome.
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Welcome to this fourth lecture
in a series on resources.
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Today we have a speaker
from Japan, James Corbett.
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James Corbett is well-known
among some circles,
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So I am actually a little bit interested
in who of you
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already knew James Corbett
and his work before: before this.
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OK, that is about... wow: that's
more than half, I would say.
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OK, so the other half basically
comes for the topic,
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instead of for James Corbett.
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So, for those people, I think it's useful
that I explain a little bit
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about what type of journalist
James Corbett is.
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What he does: he calls himself an
open source journalist,
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so basically he looks at all the available
information and then he synthesizes it.
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But you could also call that
open source intelligence.
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He is, basically, a one-man
intelligence agency
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who integrates information
from pretty much any source
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and then comes up with a narrative
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that is usually a story
that is very easy to understand.
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Well, not so easy to understand,
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but it helps you to understand
how the world might be working.
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So for me,
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and for, I think, for many other people,
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listening to his media
-- especially his podcasts --
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is extremely empowering.
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You learn things that you would
not normally learn
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from the regular, mainstream media.
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And that is kind of special,
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and for that reason
we have invited him tonight here.
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So I think I shouldn't talk too much,
and let James do the talking.
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James, please.
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(sustained applause, cheers)
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(distant voice) All right.
(laughter) All right.
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(James) OK. So, thank you very much.
Thank you very much.
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First of all, thank you, Tjeerd
for the lovely introduction,
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and thank you for
setting the ball in motion
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for me to come here to Groningen.
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I appreciate that.
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And let me also thank Studium Generale
and their Dutch hospitality
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that I've been shown so far on this trip.
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I very much appreciate it.
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And of course, lastly but not leastly,
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thank you to all of you
for showing up tonight.
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I really do appreciate you coming here
for this lecture.
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And as you can see, of course,
this is a lecture entitled:
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The Secret War:
Gladio and the Battle for Eurasia.
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So why don't we start by talking about
what we're going to talk about,
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namely: Central Asia is one of the regions
that we'll be talking about tonight.
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And Central Asia is a vast
expanse of the map
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whose defining characteristic is
its ability to defy characterization.
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Stretching from the shores
of the Caspian Sea on the west side
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to the border of China in the east,
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and from Iran and Pakistan’s doorstep
in the south
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to Russia’s in the north,
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it encompasses everything
from the snow-capped slopes
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of Victory Peak in Kyrgyzstan
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to the remarkable “Door to Hell”
in Turkmenistan’s Karakum Desert...
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-- which, if it is not on your list
of things to see before you die,
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you should put it on that list --
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to the sprawling grasslands
of the Kazakh Steppe.
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And settled by migrants from the Persian,
Turkic, Chinese and Slavic civilizations,
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its inhabitants speak Kyrgyz, Kazakh,
Russian, Tajik, Uzbek, Turkmen;
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and include Muslims, Christians,
Buddhists, Hindus and assorted others.
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The much smaller Caucasus region,
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is a narrow land bridge sandwiched between
the Black and Caspian seas,
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and is equally diverse.
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In fact, the region contains
over 50 ethnic groups
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and is home to three
local language families...
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-- which is something
that linguists still puzzle over
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and is very fascinating
in and of itself --
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...and there are several dozen languages
spoken in the region,
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from the obscure
Bohtan Neo-Aramaic tongue,
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which has less than 500 native speakers,
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to the more widely-spoken Azerbaijani
and Armenian languages.
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But despite the rich culture
and the history of the region,
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it is still completely off
the radar screens
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of most of the general public.
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“Tajikistan," “Abkhazia,"
and “Astrakhan Oblast"
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are hardly names to conjure by
in the popular imagination, after all.
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But the fact that those names
do not resonate with us
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is perhaps something that is
part of a grander strategy
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that we're going to talk about tonight.
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And those names that do resonate with us
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tend to be the names that we have seen
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in various media stories in the West.
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For example, Dagestan equates to
“The Boston Bombing"
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in the minds of most Americans,
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And Chechnya might be familiar
to Europeans
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as “that place that Russia
is at war with.”
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But just because these -stans,
and Oblasts,
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and autonomous republics
and autonomous regions in this area
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do not resonate with the general public,
for the most part,
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does not mean that they are not important
squares on the global chessboard.
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And just because they may not be
on the radar of the general public
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does not mean they are not on the radar
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of some of the most powerful players
in global geopolitics.
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And as evidence of that,
I present to you
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the United States-Azerbaijan
Chamber of Commerce,
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which sounds about as important
to global geopolitics
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as the Groningen Chamber of Commerce.
(laughter)
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But when you actually look at some of
the current and former advisors,
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directors, and board members
of this organization,
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you encounter some of the richest and most
powerful players in global geopolitics.
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For example, former Vice President
of the United States, Dick Cheney;
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James Baker III, a Bush family advisor,
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and his son, James Baker IV,
for those of you keeping track at home;
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Henry Kissinger, of course;
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Brent Scowcroft; Richard Armitage
of the US State Department,
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and perennial Washington insider
and former National Security Advisor,
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Zbigniew Brzezinski,
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along with many, many others
that are, I think, worth checking into.
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So, the question becomes:
What is it that these people...
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-- some of the most influential people
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in the field of global geopolitics
over the past 50 years --
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...know about this region
that the general public doesn’t?
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And I think there are
at least two answers to that question.
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The first answer is
the old real estate adage:
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"Location, location, location!"
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The region’s key location in the backyard
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of some of the key players and powers
of the Eurasian landmass,
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Russia and China foremost amongst them,
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has made it a geostrategic prize
stretching back thousands of years.
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Dominated at different times
and in varying degrees
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by Persian empires, Chinese dynasties,
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Mongol invaders and Soviet forces,
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the region has a rich history
of being acted upon
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and a relatively short history as
a geopolitical actor in its own right.
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Its position has long made it
a key transport route,
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00:08:06,539 --> 00:08:10,232
from the Han Dynasty’s Silk Road
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00:08:10,232 --> 00:08:12,938
connecting China to Persia
thousands of years ago
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to the current attempt by Xi Jinping
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to make a New Silk Road
of the 21st Century
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that includes connecting China
to Turkey and beyond,
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00:08:23,420 --> 00:08:25,805
straight through the heart
of this region.
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But more important even than
its location and strategic value
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are the region’s vast,
largely untapped resources.
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The oil and gas fields of the Caspian Sea
region are particularly sought-after,
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containing the third-largest reserves
of any fields on the planet.
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Azerbaijan in the Caucasus
and Kazakhstan in Central Asia
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both have direct access
to Caspian Sea oil,
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with Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
providing ample gas reserves.
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The dream of a Trans-Caspian pipeline
has been in the works for years now
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to transport Central Asian reserves
across the Southern Caucasus
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00:09:00,204 --> 00:09:02,133
and the so-called “BTC” pipeline
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00:09:02,133 --> 00:09:04,622
funneling the energy
through Azerbaijan and Georgia
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00:09:04,622 --> 00:09:06,881
to Turkey, and then off to Europe:
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00:09:06,881 --> 00:09:11,525
that has been equally prized as a way
for Europe to find an alternative
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to Russia’s increasingly-threatening
stranglehold over energy
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00:09:14,024 --> 00:09:16,112
known as Gazprom.
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The region also contains strategically
important deposits of uranium,
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as well as industrially useful minerals
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such as copper, manganese, tungsten,
zinc, et cetera.
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00:09:27,150 --> 00:09:30,381
And also gold: don't discount gold.
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Another equally important
-- although seldom acknowledged --
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resource in this region revolves
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around the extensive opium trade,
especially in Afghanistan.
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The Afghan opium trade is
estimated to bring in
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00:09:41,948 --> 00:09:46,324
as much as $200 billion annually,
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accounting for as much as 92%
of the world supply.
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As we shall see, control of this region
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involves domination of the
especially lucrative business
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and all of the attendant economic benefits
that result from from this connection.
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00:10:01,837 --> 00:10:04,452
The importance of a long-term
US presence in the region
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00:10:04,452 --> 00:10:08,586
to establish Western dominance
over this location and its resources
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is no secret.
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00:10:09,830 --> 00:10:11,491
In fact, it has been written about
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extensively and repeatedly,
time and again,
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by the think tanks that typically
serve as the mouthpiece
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00:10:18,725 --> 00:10:21,255
for NATO’s foreign policy interests.
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Case Exhibit Number One:
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Take, for example a 1992 analysis
of the region
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from RAND’s National Defense Research
Institute entitled,
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00:10:30,455 --> 00:10:33,004
Central Asia: The New Geopolitics,
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00:10:33,004 --> 00:10:35,582
which was written shortly after
the collapse of the Soviet Union
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while the newly-independent
republics of the region
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00:10:37,762 --> 00:10:42,394
were still orienting themselves to
their new geopolitical reality.
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00:10:42,394 --> 00:10:47,437
And it was penned by Graham Fuller,
a former CIA station chief in Kabul
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00:10:47,447 --> 00:10:49,867
whose name will come up again
later in our study:
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00:10:49,867 --> 00:10:53,404
so keep that face and that name in mind.
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He wrote: “It is primarily Central Asia’s
strategic geopolitical location
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00:10:58,843 --> 00:11:00,801
-- truly at the continent’s center --
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00:11:00,801 --> 00:11:04,502
and the broadly undesirable course
of events that could emerge
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00:11:04,502 --> 00:11:06,744
if the region were to drift
toward instability,
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00:11:06,744 --> 00:11:10,108
that constitute the primary American
interest (in the region).[…]
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00:11:10,638 --> 00:11:11,915
Thus, given the potential
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00:11:11,915 --> 00:11:16,442
for untoward developments in the region
for Western interests,
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00:11:16,442 --> 00:11:21,036
modest hands-on American influence
in the region is desirable.” .
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00:11:22,176 --> 00:11:23,800
Hmm
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00:11:23,800 --> 00:11:29,866
This “modest hands on American influence”
gained momentum, and by 2004,
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00:11:29,866 --> 00:11:33,353
we had an article published in the
Cambridge Review of International Affairs
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00:11:33,353 --> 00:11:37,963
called “The United States
and Central Asia: In the Steppes to Stay?”
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00:11:37,963 --> 00:11:41,572
Svante E. Cornell of the
Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
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00:11:41,572 --> 00:11:45,952
raising some of the key reasons for
increasing US involvement in the region:
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00:11:45,952 --> 00:11:49,496
“As US engagement in Central Asia
becomes more permanent,
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00:11:49,496 --> 00:11:52,753
it will increasingly become a factor
in both regional politics
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00:11:52,753 --> 00:11:56,553
and the domestic politics of
the several Central Asian countries.
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00:11:56,553 --> 00:11:58,513
That role raises a host of questions.
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00:11:58,513 --> 00:12:02,464
Chief among them is how regional powers
such as Russia and China
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00:12:02,464 --> 00:12:04,852
will react to the US presence.
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00:12:04,852 --> 00:12:06,685
A second concerns the implications
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00:12:06,685 --> 00:12:09,873
both for the political development
among the region’s states
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00:12:09,873 --> 00:12:12,922
and for the future of radical Islam.”
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00:12:16,172 --> 00:12:19,850
Also, in 2011, the Project 2049 Institute,
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00:12:19,850 --> 00:12:24,028
which includes Zbigniew Brzezinski’s
son on its Board of Directors,
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00:12:24,028 --> 00:12:25,785
published a document proclaiming
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00:12:25,785 --> 00:12:29,094
“An Agenda For the Future of
U.S. – Central Asia Relations”
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00:12:29,094 --> 00:12:31,618
which contains this interesting passage:
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00:12:31,618 --> 00:12:34,806
“U.S. policymakers have been careful
to avoid the metaphor
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00:12:34,806 --> 00:12:37,410
of a 'Great Game' in Central Asia.
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00:12:37,410 --> 00:12:39,810
Yet it has been often invoked by others,
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00:12:39,810 --> 00:12:44,890
not least by observers in Moscow, Beijing,
and other neighboring powers.
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00:12:44,890 --> 00:12:47,272
The U.S. must continue
to reject this metaphor,
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00:12:47,272 --> 00:12:49,584
for such notions are based
on flawed assumptions
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00:12:49,584 --> 00:12:53,920
and fraught with risks
for the United States."
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00:12:55,170 --> 00:12:56,642
Intereresting.
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00:12:57,462 --> 00:12:59,694
So what is this “Great Game”
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00:12:59,694 --> 00:13:03,989
that the think tanks
like the Project 2049 Institute
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00:13:03,989 --> 00:13:07,171
are so eager to avoid comparisons to?
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00:13:07,171 --> 00:13:09,795
The 'Great Game' refers
to the struggle for supremacy
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00:13:09,795 --> 00:13:13,822
between the British and the Russians
in the Central Asia region,
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00:13:13,822 --> 00:13:15,555
primarily in the 19th Century.
228
00:13:15,555 --> 00:13:16,844
The Game broadly took place
229
00:13:16,844 --> 00:13:20,250
from the signing of the
Russo-Persian Treaty of 1813
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00:13:20,250 --> 00:13:24,173
until the Anglo-Russian
convention of 1907,
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00:13:24,173 --> 00:13:26,938
but although the term was coined
in the early 19th century
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00:13:26,938 --> 00:13:29,215
it didn’t hit the popular imagination
233
00:13:29,215 --> 00:13:32,879
until Rudyard Kipling’s Kim
was published in 1901.
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00:13:33,756 --> 00:13:36,341
It was three years after that, in 1904,
235
00:13:36,341 --> 00:13:39,307
that The Geographical Journal
published an article
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00:13:39,307 --> 00:13:42,794
that articulated the reasons
these great powers
237
00:13:42,794 --> 00:13:45,893
were engaged in the struggle
for this piece of the globe.
238
00:13:46,443 --> 00:13:49,719
The article was called
“The Geographical Pivot of History,”
239
00:13:49,719 --> 00:13:55,125
and it was written by
Sir Halford John Mackinder PC,
240
00:13:55,125 --> 00:13:58,020
-- don't forget the PC.
"Privy Council:" very important! --
241
00:13:58,020 --> 00:14:00,221
the Director of the
London School of Economics
242
00:14:00,221 --> 00:14:02,207
that was founded by the Fabian Society
243
00:14:02,207 --> 00:14:04,800
and folded into the heart
of the British establishment
244
00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:06,611
in the University of London in 1900.
245
00:14:06,611 --> 00:14:08,155
And just as an example of that,
246
00:14:08,155 --> 00:14:10,797
the cornerstone of the Old Building
on Houghton Street
247
00:14:10,797 --> 00:14:14,223
was laid by King George V himself,
interestingly.
248
00:14:14,693 --> 00:14:18,257
Mackinder is considered the father
of the study of geopolitics,
249
00:14:18,257 --> 00:14:21,561
and The Geographical Pivot of History
is the document
250
00:14:21,561 --> 00:14:24,517
that is often said to be
the founding document of geopolitics,
251
00:14:24,517 --> 00:14:26,816
and constitutes the first formulation
252
00:14:26,816 --> 00:14:31,099
of what would come to be Mackinder's
"Heartland Theory."
253
00:14:31,099 --> 00:14:35,933
This theory states that the division of
what Mackinder called the “World Island”
254
00:14:35,933 --> 00:14:38,856
into inherently divided isolated areas
255
00:14:38,856 --> 00:14:42,872
was the principle by which we could
understand the evolution of history
256
00:14:42,872 --> 00:14:45,362
and the future of the world.
257
00:14:45,362 --> 00:14:48,021
Each of these areas had
its own part to play
258
00:14:48,021 --> 00:14:49,593
in the unfolding of that history,
259
00:14:49,593 --> 00:14:53,486
with the area he called the “Heartland”
of the central Eurasian landmass
260
00:14:53,486 --> 00:14:56,126
being the pivot point
from which a civilization
261
00:14:56,126 --> 00:14:59,225
could derive the geopolitical
and economic leverage
262
00:14:59,225 --> 00:15:02,079
with which to dominate
the world as a whole.
263
00:15:02,079 --> 00:15:03,630
This was summarized in a famous dictum
264
00:15:03,630 --> 00:15:06,940
from his 1919 work,
Democratic Ideals and Reality:
265
00:15:06,940 --> 00:15:10,166
“Who rules East Europe
commands the Heartland;
266
00:15:10,166 --> 00:15:13,147
Who rules the Heartland
commands the World-Island;
267
00:15:13,147 --> 00:15:16,561
Who rules the World-Island
commands the World.”
268
00:15:17,861 --> 00:15:21,026
Looking at the map of what Mackinder
had in mind for the Heartland,
269
00:15:21,026 --> 00:15:23,147
it’s apparent that the “heart”
of this Heartland
270
00:15:23,147 --> 00:15:25,933
is indeed the Central Asia-
Caucasus region.
271
00:15:25,933 --> 00:15:28,373
This is what Russia and Britain were
so intent
272
00:15:28,373 --> 00:15:29,952
on wresting from each other's control
273
00:15:29,952 --> 00:15:32,490
in the 19th century Great Game:
274
00:15:32,490 --> 00:15:34,634
control of the region from which
275
00:15:34,634 --> 00:15:37,976
the building of a world empire
would be possible.
276
00:15:37,976 --> 00:15:40,572
And this is why the Project 2049 Institute
277
00:15:40,572 --> 00:15:43,929
and the other mouthpieces
for the Establishment in the US,
278
00:15:43,929 --> 00:15:45,593
NATO, foreign policy interests,
279
00:15:45,593 --> 00:15:48,142
want to downplay this idea.
280
00:15:48,142 --> 00:15:52,071
They don’t under any circumstances
want you to think about the idea
281
00:15:52,071 --> 00:15:56,381
that the US and its NATO allies
are building regional domination
282
00:15:56,381 --> 00:16:01,023
in a part of the globe from which
they plan to project world dominance.
283
00:16:02,343 --> 00:16:03,843
But fast-forward to 1997.
284
00:16:03,843 --> 00:16:07,173
And in that year, our old friend
Zbigniew Brzezinski released his book,
285
00:16:07,173 --> 00:16:12,070
The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy
and its Geostrategic Imperatives:
286
00:16:12,210 --> 00:16:15,022
because, evidently,
Zbigniew Brzezinski was not so shy
287
00:16:15,022 --> 00:16:19,152
about proclaiming the quest
for world domination.
288
00:16:19,152 --> 00:16:22,221
He also did not mince his words
about the Eurasian Heartland
289
00:16:22,221 --> 00:16:26,458
and how important it is
to America's “global primacy":
290
00:16:26,788 --> 00:16:30,539
“For America,
the chief geopolitical prize is Eurasia.
291
00:16:30,539 --> 00:16:35,072
For half a millennium, world affairs were
dominated by Eurasian powers and peoples
292
00:16:35,072 --> 00:16:37,083
who fought with one another
for regional domination
293
00:16:37,083 --> 00:16:39,595
and reached out for global power.
294
00:16:39,595 --> 00:16:42,418
Now a non-Eurasian power
is preeminent in Eurasia
295
00:16:42,418 --> 00:16:45,641
-- and America’s global primacy
is directly dependent
296
00:16:45,641 --> 00:16:48,171
on how long and how effectively
297
00:16:48,171 --> 00:16:52,294
its preponderance
on the Eurasian continent is sustained."
298
00:16:54,623 --> 00:16:57,975
He goes on to refine
Mackinder’s “Heartland” notion
299
00:16:57,975 --> 00:17:02,389
down to a specific area that he calls
the Eurasian Balkans.
300
00:17:02,389 --> 00:17:06,213
And this area is precisely the
Central Asia-Caucasus region.
301
00:17:06,213 --> 00:17:10,070
He explains its importance thusly:
302
00:17:10,070 --> 00:17:11,264
“The Eurasian Balkans,
303
00:17:11,264 --> 00:17:14,084
astride the inevitably emerging
transportation network
304
00:17:14,084 --> 00:17:15,464
meant to link more directly
305
00:17:15,464 --> 00:17:19,108
Eurasia’s richest and most industrious
western and eastern extremities,
306
00:17:19,108 --> 00:17:21,768
are also geopolitically significant.
307
00:17:21,768 --> 00:17:23,574
Moreover, they are of importance
308
00:17:23,574 --> 00:17:26,523
from the standpoint of security
and historical ambitions
309
00:17:26,523 --> 00:17:29,617
to at least three of their most immediate
and more powerful neighbors,
310
00:17:29,617 --> 00:17:31,751
namely, Russia, Turkey, and Iran,
311
00:17:31,751 --> 00:17:36,348
with China also signaling an increasing
political interest in the region.
312
00:17:36,348 --> 00:17:38,950
But the Eurasian Balkans are
infinitely more important
313
00:17:38,950 --> 00:17:41,853
as a potential economic prize:
314
00:17:41,853 --> 00:17:44,580
an enormous concentration
of natural gas and oil reserves
315
00:17:44,580 --> 00:17:46,280
is located in the region,
316
00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:51,789
in addition to important minerals,
including gold."
317
00:17:51,789 --> 00:17:57,615
The use of the metaphor of the Balkans is
doubly evocative for students of history;
318
00:17:57,615 --> 00:18:00,126
it represents not only the strife
and ethnic conflict
319
00:18:00,126 --> 00:18:03,346
we saw in the “Balkanization”
of Yugoslavia
320
00:18:03,346 --> 00:18:04,980
at the end of the 20th century,
321
00:18:04,980 --> 00:18:08,311
but also the powder-keg of tensions
that ignited the First World War
322
00:18:08,311 --> 00:18:10,284
at the beginning of the 20th century.
323
00:18:11,210 --> 00:18:15,636
Subsequently, Brzezinski predicted that
the first great war of the 21st century
324
00:18:15,636 --> 00:18:18,047
would take place
in this Eurasian Balkans region,
325
00:18:18,047 --> 00:18:21,896
and lo and behold: four years after
The Grand Chessboard was published,
326
00:18:21,896 --> 00:18:25,764
the first great war of the 21st Century
was being waged in Afghanistan
327
00:18:25,764 --> 00:18:28,863
by the United States and its NATO allies.
328
00:18:28,863 --> 00:18:31,506
Meet the New Great Game,
same as the Old Great Game.
329
00:18:32,046 --> 00:18:34,855
This time, it's NATO against China, Russia,
330
00:18:34,855 --> 00:18:39,167
and what might loosely be termed
a "resistance bloc,"
331
00:18:39,167 --> 00:18:41,115
but the idea is almost the same:
332
00:18:41,295 --> 00:18:43,468
dominate Central Asia-Caucasus
333
00:18:43,468 --> 00:18:46,783
and use it as pivot point
to dominate the world.
334
00:18:48,074 --> 00:18:51,347
The Old and the New Great Game
are similar in many ways.
335
00:18:51,715 --> 00:18:54,000
The Old Great Game sprang
from the British fears
336
00:18:54,000 --> 00:18:56,812
that Russian incursion into Central Asia
would threaten
337
00:18:56,812 --> 00:19:02,109
to topple their hold over the crown jewel
of the British Empire: India.
338
00:19:02,109 --> 00:19:04,096
The New Great Game springs from the fear
339
00:19:04,096 --> 00:19:08,611
that Russian and/or Chinese dominance
over Central Asia and the Caucasus
340
00:19:08,611 --> 00:19:12,592
would prevent NATO from achieving
its goal of “full spectrum dominance.”
341
00:19:12,592 --> 00:19:17,110
The Old Great Game involved the
British invasion of Afghanistan in 1838
342
00:19:17,110 --> 00:19:19,490
in attempt to install a puppet regime.
343
00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:22,997
The New Great Game involved
the NATO invasion of Afghanistan in 2001
344
00:19:22,997 --> 00:19:25,385
in attempt to install a puppet regime.
345
00:19:25,385 --> 00:19:30,164
The Old Great Game relied heavily
on espionage, spycraft and subterfuge
346
00:19:30,164 --> 00:19:32,253
to undermine Russia’s sway
over the Heartland;
347
00:19:32,703 --> 00:19:38,121
and as we shall see, the New Great Game
also heavily relies on covert means
348
00:19:38,121 --> 00:19:42,440
to undermine Russian and Chinese
influence in the region.
349
00:19:45,534 --> 00:19:50,579
To understand the way that subterfuge is
being used in the New Great Game today,
350
00:19:50,579 --> 00:19:53,425
we must first understand
an important clandestine operation
351
00:19:53,425 --> 00:19:56,723
which is commonly known
as “Operation Gladio."
352
00:19:57,073 --> 00:20:00,525
In very brief and rough terms,
“Operation Gladio" was a NATO plan
353
00:20:00,525 --> 00:20:03,171
to use “stay-behind” paramilitary armies
354
00:20:03,171 --> 00:20:06,335
to counter a potential Soviet invasion
of Europe.
355
00:20:06,335 --> 00:20:08,681
Although this is the way
that “Operation Gladio”
356
00:20:08,681 --> 00:20:11,643
is commonly understood
amongst the general public,
357
00:20:11,643 --> 00:20:16,312
almost every piece of that description
is technically incorrect.
358
00:20:16,312 --> 00:20:20,076
Firstly “Operation Gladio” was not
a name for the overall program,
359
00:20:20,076 --> 00:20:23,049
which involved 12 NATO member nations
360
00:20:23,049 --> 00:20:26,897
-- Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany,
Greece, Italy, Luxembourg,
361
00:20:26,897 --> 00:20:30,344
The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal,
Spain and Turkey --
362
00:20:30,344 --> 00:20:32,044
and four neutral countries
363
00:20:32,044 --> 00:20:34,661
-- Austria, Finland, Sweden
and Switzerland --
364
00:20:35,381 --> 00:20:38,308
but the program Operation Gladio
referred specifically
365
00:20:38,308 --> 00:20:41,138
to its most famous incarnation in Italy.
366
00:20:41,698 --> 00:20:46,088
In Belgium the operation
was codenamed “SDRA-8.”
367
00:20:46,088 --> 00:20:48,715
Sweden had its “Projekt-26.”
368
00:20:48,715 --> 00:20:51,471
In Greece it was...
-- apologies to Greek speakers --
369
00:20:51,471 --> 00:20:55,603
"Lochos Oreinon Katadromon”
(Λόχος Ορεινών Καταδρομών)
370
00:20:55,603 --> 00:21:01,466
and here in the Netherlands
it was “GIIIC” later rebranded as “G7.”
371
00:21:01,466 --> 00:21:03,632
Thankfully, for those of us
who have problems
372
00:21:03,632 --> 00:21:06,316
saying "I" three times in a row.
373
00:21:06,316 --> 00:21:09,512
Secondly, the operation was not
inherently a NATO one.
374
00:21:09,512 --> 00:21:14,523
It was first coordinated in 1948
by a trans-Atlantic body based in France
375
00:21:14,523 --> 00:21:18,232
known as the “Western Union
Clandestine Committee.”
376
00:21:18,952 --> 00:21:21,082
After the creation of NATO in 1949
377
00:21:21,082 --> 00:21:22,985
the body was folded
into the organization’s
378
00:21:22,985 --> 00:21:27,370
Supreme Headquarters
Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE)
379
00:21:27,370 --> 00:21:32,881
and under the revised name of the
Clandestine Planning Committee.
380
00:21:33,331 --> 00:21:36,474
The plan’s origins stretch back,
arguably, even further,
381
00:21:36,474 --> 00:21:40,612
to the creation of MI6’s
“Section D” in Britain:
382
00:21:40,612 --> 00:21:44,394
a ramshackle group of recruits
from England’s North Sea coast
383
00:21:44,394 --> 00:21:48,769
that would commit sabotage
and guerrilla warfare
384
00:21:48,769 --> 00:21:52,522
in the event of a Nazi invasion
of the British Isles.
385
00:21:52,522 --> 00:21:56,132
The central role of the CIA’s
“Office of Policy Coordination”
386
00:21:56,132 --> 00:22:00,608
and Special Operations Branch of MI6
in establishing the operation,
387
00:22:00,608 --> 00:22:02,955
as well as the training
of stay-behind forces
388
00:22:02,955 --> 00:22:06,445
alongside British SAS units
at Fort Monckton
389
00:22:06,445 --> 00:22:11,466
and American Special Forces at
the infamous School of the Americas,
390
00:22:11,466 --> 00:22:13,797
needs also to be stressed.
391
00:22:14,297 --> 00:22:17,103
Thirdly, although the individual
stay-behind programs
392
00:22:17,103 --> 00:22:18,415
were organized in Europe,
393
00:22:18,415 --> 00:22:21,252
the scope of their operations
were not limited to Europe
394
00:22:21,732 --> 00:22:26,713
and strayed far from any supposed mandate
to prepare for a Soviet invasion.
395
00:22:26,713 --> 00:22:31,743
As we shall see, “Gladio” operations
included -- and include --
396
00:22:31,743 --> 00:22:33,905
everything from drug running
and money laundering
397
00:22:33,905 --> 00:22:37,392
to terror attacks
and political assassinations.
398
00:22:38,442 --> 00:22:39,996
I won't get into the specifics
399
00:22:39,996 --> 00:22:43,292
of how these stay-behind units operated
in the various countries
400
00:22:43,292 --> 00:22:46,030
or the various incidents
that they participated in.
401
00:22:46,030 --> 00:22:48,998
If any part of the “Gladio" story
is well-known,
402
00:22:48,998 --> 00:22:50,072
-- and I hope it is --
403
00:22:50,072 --> 00:22:53,187
but if any part is well known,
it is the operations in Europe
404
00:22:53,187 --> 00:22:56,871
and their role the events
of Italy’s “Years of Lead.”
405
00:22:56,871 --> 00:22:58,991
These topics have been covered
in great detail
406
00:22:58,991 --> 00:23:04,419
by very capable writers, filmmakers,
historians, researchers, documentarians...
407
00:23:04,419 --> 00:23:07,503
And I’ll refer you to some of the most
valuable English-language resources
408
00:23:07,503 --> 00:23:09,245
on the overall program,
409
00:23:09,245 --> 00:23:11,907
including Alan Francovich’s
groundbreaking documentary,
410
00:23:11,907 --> 00:23:14,779
-- that you can't really see very well
in that picture --
411
00:23:14,779 --> 00:23:17,716
Gladio: The Ring Masters;
412
00:23:17,716 --> 00:23:21,731
Daniele Ganser’s seminal work,
NATO’s Secret Armies;
413
00:23:21,731 --> 00:23:26,159
Richard Cottrell’s Gladio: NATO’s Dagger
at the Heart of Europe,
414
00:23:26,159 --> 00:23:33,017
and the various resources available
at sites like Operation-Gladio.net.
415
00:23:33,017 --> 00:23:35,049
What is important for our study today
416
00:23:35,049 --> 00:23:38,788
is the strategic doctrine employed
by Gladio operatives
417
00:23:38,788 --> 00:23:40,897
known as the “strategy of tension."
418
00:23:41,336 --> 00:23:45,556
This doctrine involves the creation,
encouragement or exacerbation
419
00:23:45,556 --> 00:23:50,453
of political, religious, ethnic
or other forms of conflict
420
00:23:50,453 --> 00:23:56,312
in order to incite fear in a population
and manipulate public opinion.
421
00:23:56,312 --> 00:23:58,649
An oft-cited example
of the strategy of tension
422
00:23:58,649 --> 00:24:00,644
are the “Years of Lead” in Italy
423
00:24:00,644 --> 00:24:03,486
that rocked that nation with
a wave of terrorist atrocities,
424
00:24:03,486 --> 00:24:06,924
from the 1969 bombing
of the Piazza Fontana
425
00:24:06,924 --> 00:24:09,447
to the Bologna railway station
bombing of 1980.
426
00:24:10,167 --> 00:24:13,071
The story of the links
between NATO Gladio operations
427
00:24:13,071 --> 00:24:14,802
and the various paramilitary groups
428
00:24:14,802 --> 00:24:19,115
whose bombings, kidnappings and
assassinations terrorized a nation
429
00:24:19,115 --> 00:24:24,300
is a fascinating one,
but far too detailed for today’s study.
430
00:24:24,300 --> 00:24:26,960
The takeaway point is that
the national psychosis
431
00:24:26,960 --> 00:24:29,422
caused by spectacular terror attacks
432
00:24:29,422 --> 00:24:32,656
can be used to turn public opinion
against certain groups
433
00:24:32,656 --> 00:24:37,178
and make actions that were formerly
politically inconceivable
434
00:24:37,178 --> 00:24:40,039
virtually inevitable.
435
00:24:40,039 --> 00:24:42,371
It isn't difficult to see how this strategy
436
00:24:42,371 --> 00:24:46,986
could be used in some form in a region
as linguistically, ethnically,
437
00:24:46,986 --> 00:24:50,313
culturally and religiously diverse
and divisive
438
00:24:50,313 --> 00:24:52,214
as Central Asia and the Caucasus.
439
00:24:52,224 --> 00:24:54,476
Indeed, as Brzezinski points out
440
00:24:54,476 --> 00:24:57,140
in regards to his
“Eurasian Balkans” concept:
441
00:24:57,660 --> 00:25:00,139
“Every one of
[the Eurasian Balkans] countries
442
00:25:00,139 --> 00:25:02,768
suffers from serious
internal difficulties,
443
00:25:02,768 --> 00:25:04,610
all of them have frontiers
444
00:25:04,610 --> 00:25:06,800
that are either the object
of claims by neighbors
445
00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,280
or are zones of ethnic resentment,
446
00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:11,486
few are nationally homogeneous,
447
00:25:11,486 --> 00:25:13,307
and some are already embroiled
448
00:25:13,307 --> 00:25:17,066
in territorial, ethnic,
or religious violence.”
449
00:25:17,776 --> 00:25:21,265
With regards to the Central Asia-Caucasus
region in particular,
450
00:25:21,265 --> 00:25:25,248
Gladio operations in Turkey
are of primary importance.
451
00:25:25,928 --> 00:25:28,575
Noting that the Turkish Gladio
operations
452
00:25:28,575 --> 00:25:30,965
relied on cooperation with
the nationalistic,
453
00:25:30,965 --> 00:25:34,914
racist, baldly expansionist
Pan-Turkism movement,
454
00:25:34,914 --> 00:25:37,364
Daniele Ganser describes
the Turkish secret army
455
00:25:37,364 --> 00:25:42,032
as “more violent than that of any other
stay-behind in Western Europe."
456
00:25:42,712 --> 00:25:45,107
He describes the origin
of the Turkish stay-behind,
457
00:25:45,107 --> 00:25:48,118
known as “Counter-Guerrilla,” thusly:
458
00:25:49,048 --> 00:25:52,442
“Under the headline
‘The Origins of “Gladio” in Turkey’
459
00:25:52,442 --> 00:25:54,427
the Paris-based Intelligence Newsletter
460
00:25:54,427 --> 00:25:56,604
reported in 1990
that they had obtained
461
00:25:56,604 --> 00:26:00,870
one of the recently declassified
original strategy documents
462
00:26:00,870 --> 00:26:04,908
engendering the Western European
"stay-behind" or "Gladio" network:
463
00:26:04,908 --> 00:26:07,171
US Army General Staff’s Top-Secret
464
00:26:07,171 --> 00:26:11,607
March 28, 1949
Overall Strategic Concepts.’
465
00:26:11,607 --> 00:26:17,884
In an adjoining document,
JSPC 891/6, section ‘Tab B,’
466
00:26:17,884 --> 00:26:20,196
a specific reference is made to Turkey
467
00:26:20,196 --> 00:26:22,125
highlighting how the Pan-Turkism movement
468
00:26:22,125 --> 00:26:25,541
could be exploited strategically
by the United States.
469
00:26:25,541 --> 00:26:27,643
Turkey, according to
the Pentagon document,
470
00:26:27,643 --> 00:26:31,000
is an ‘extremely favourable territory
for the establishment
471
00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:34,764
of both guerrilla units
and Secret Army Reserves.
472
00:26:34,764 --> 00:26:38,647
Politically the Turks are strongly
nationalistic and anti-Communistic,
473
00:26:38,647 --> 00:26:40,694
and the presence of the Red Army in Turks
474
00:26:40,694 --> 00:26:44,099
will cause national feeling to run high.’
475
00:26:44,099 --> 00:26:46,815
Intelligence Newsletter
thereafter correctly related
476
00:26:47,175 --> 00:26:49,984
that the Turkish secret army
called Counter-Guerrilla
477
00:26:49,984 --> 00:26:54,592
was run by the Special Warfare Department
and consisted of five branches:
478
00:26:54,592 --> 00:26:58,824
‘Training Group, including interrogation
and psychological warfare techniques;
479
00:26:58,824 --> 00:27:03,749
Special Unit, specialised since 1984
in anti-Kurd operations,
480
00:27:03,749 --> 00:27:06,574
Special Section, special operations
in Cyprus;
481
00:27:06,574 --> 00:27:09,158
Coordination Group, also called
the Third Bureau;
482
00:27:09,158 --> 00:27:12,290
and Administrative Section.’"
483
00:27:17,780 --> 00:27:20,392
The violent atrocities committed
by Counter-Guerrilla
484
00:27:20,392 --> 00:27:22,482
are beyond the scope
of this investigation,
485
00:27:22,482 --> 00:27:25,978
but they include a September 1955
‘false flag’ bombing
486
00:27:25,978 --> 00:27:28,425
of a key Turkish target in Greece
487
00:27:28,425 --> 00:27:30,986
which was blamed on the Greek police,
488
00:27:30,986 --> 00:27:35,007
participation in three military coups
against Turkey’s own government,
489
00:27:35,007 --> 00:27:39,561
the torture of political opponents
in the torture villa of Erenköy,
490
00:27:39,561 --> 00:27:42,813
and assorted robberies, assassinations,
kidnappings, sabotage,
491
00:27:42,813 --> 00:27:45,628
and other terrorist activities.
492
00:27:45,628 --> 00:27:47,812
In the vicious Turkish
nationalist movement,
493
00:27:47,812 --> 00:27:50,387
with its interest in uniting
all of the Turkish people
494
00:27:50,387 --> 00:27:52,817
into one Pan-Turkic nation,
495
00:27:52,817 --> 00:27:55,762
NATO found a convenient ally in its quest
496
00:27:55,762 --> 00:27:58,418
to counter Soviet influence
in the Caucasus region
497
00:27:58,418 --> 00:28:01,646
and to gain a toehold
in the Eurasian Balkans.
498
00:28:01,646 --> 00:28:04,884
In order to understand
how this alliance operated,
499
00:28:04,884 --> 00:28:08,166
let’s examine one particular person
who has been identified
500
00:28:08,166 --> 00:28:13,338
as one of the top Turkish
“Gladiators”: Abdullah Çatlı.
501
00:28:13,338 --> 00:28:17,223
Probably the single most famous
members of the Counter-Guerrilla,
502
00:28:17,223 --> 00:28:21,005
Abdullah Çatlı’s remarkable
and highly improbable career
503
00:28:21,005 --> 00:28:24,369
tells a story of assassinations,
terror attacks,
504
00:28:24,369 --> 00:28:26,778
drug running,
daring prison escapes
505
00:28:26,778 --> 00:28:29,930
and international intrigue
outrageous enough
506
00:28:29,930 --> 00:28:34,098
to make even the most imaginative
Hollywood script writer blush.
507
00:28:34,098 --> 00:28:37,385
Beginning as a petty street thug
with the nationalist movement,
508
00:28:37,385 --> 00:28:40,416
Çatlı rose through the ranks
to become a brutal enforcer
509
00:28:40,416 --> 00:28:43,498
for the dreaded Grey Wolves
“youth organization”
510
00:28:43,498 --> 00:28:46,615
connected to the Turkish Gladio movement.
511
00:28:46,615 --> 00:28:50,149
By 1978 he had become the second
in command of the organization
512
00:28:50,149 --> 00:28:52,484
and a top Counter-Guerrilla operative,
513
00:28:52,484 --> 00:28:55,447
implicated in multiple
high-profile assassinations,
514
00:28:55,447 --> 00:28:58,088
including the murder of Abdi İpekçi
515
00:28:58,088 --> 00:29:01,297
the country’s most well-known
newspaper editor.
516
00:29:01,297 --> 00:29:03,411
Forced underground
by his growing notoriety,
517
00:29:03,411 --> 00:29:06,420
Çatlı became an important
international Gladiator,
518
00:29:06,420 --> 00:29:10,553
participating in the 1981
assassination attempt of the Pope.
519
00:29:10,553 --> 00:29:15,644
He traveled with Italian Gladiator
Stefano Della Chiaie
520
00:29:15,644 --> 00:29:18,264
to Latin America and Miami in 1982
521
00:29:18,264 --> 00:29:20,751
and then headed to France
where he planned the bombing
522
00:29:20,751 --> 00:29:23,188
of the Armenian Genocide Memorial
at Alfortville,
523
00:29:23,188 --> 00:29:27,553
and the failed assassination attempt
against activist Ara Toranian.
524
00:29:28,123 --> 00:29:31,637
In 1984 it seemed that
the long arm of the law
525
00:29:31,637 --> 00:29:33,318
had finally caught up with him.
526
00:29:33,318 --> 00:29:36,957
Paid by his Turkish intelligence
handlers in heroin,
527
00:29:36,957 --> 00:29:39,596
Çatlı was arrested in Paris
for drug trafficking
528
00:29:39,596 --> 00:29:42,370
and sentenced to seven
years imprisonment.
529
00:29:42,370 --> 00:29:46,850
By 1988 he was sent to Switzerland,
where he also wanted for drug trafficking,
530
00:29:46,850 --> 00:29:51,090
but in March 1990 he was
sprung from prison
531
00:29:51,090 --> 00:29:56,296
in a nearly unbelievable prison break
that involved the use of a helicopter.
532
00:29:56,296 --> 00:30:01,674
Le Monde Diplomatique, in an explosive
report in 1998 on the Turkish Deep State,
533
00:30:01,674 --> 00:30:06,215
referred vaguely to the
“mysterious forces"
534
00:30:06,215 --> 00:30:07,822
who helped him to escape,
535
00:30:07,822 --> 00:30:11,075
but others have specifically identified
the escape helicopter
536
00:30:11,075 --> 00:30:14,420
as a NATO vehicle.
537
00:30:14,420 --> 00:30:15,422
In subsequent years,
538
00:30:15,422 --> 00:30:19,533
while still an international fugitive
on INTERPOL’s “Most Wanted" list
539
00:30:19,533 --> 00:30:23,302
and wanted by authorities of multiple
countries for a series of crimes,
540
00:30:23,302 --> 00:30:24,623
Çatlı returned to Turkey
541
00:30:24,623 --> 00:30:28,394
where he was recruited by the police
for “special missions"
542
00:30:28,394 --> 00:30:31,367
and entered and exited the United Kingdom
and the United States
543
00:30:31,367 --> 00:30:34,239
with complete impunity.
544
00:30:34,239 --> 00:30:40,344
This is the character profile
of an Operation Gladio gladiator.
545
00:30:40,344 --> 00:30:42,386
And I hope we can realize
that when we see
546
00:30:42,386 --> 00:30:46,067
this type of remarkable, amazing,
unbelievable career
547
00:30:46,067 --> 00:30:48,928
of someone who is consistently,
at every turn,
548
00:30:48,928 --> 00:30:51,469
able to evade every type
of police authority,
549
00:30:51,469 --> 00:30:53,232
every type of law of the land,
550
00:30:53,232 --> 00:30:56,461
every type of Constitutional rule
wherever he travels,
551
00:30:56,461 --> 00:30:58,883
and is always protected
and always busted out,
552
00:30:58,883 --> 00:31:01,581
I think we understand that there is
a Deep State
553
00:31:01,581 --> 00:31:04,507
that is working to lay the groundwork
554
00:31:04,507 --> 00:31:06,668
and to prepare the way
for someone like this.
555
00:31:06,668 --> 00:31:11,547
So, this is a confirmed Gladio operative
who had a really remarkable career.
556
00:31:11,547 --> 00:31:15,982
So keep that in mind as we proceed
with our analysis tonight.
557
00:31:16,812 --> 00:31:18,921
Returning to the question
of Gladio interference
558
00:31:18,921 --> 00:31:21,952
in the Central Asia-Caucasus
area of operations,
559
00:31:21,952 --> 00:31:26,814
one lowlight from Çatlı’s ignoble career
is particularly instructive.
560
00:31:26,814 --> 00:31:31,044
In 1995 Çatlı participated
in a planned coup attempt
561
00:31:31,044 --> 00:31:34,311
against Azerbaijani president
Helmar [sic: Heydar] Aliyev,
562
00:31:34,311 --> 00:31:37,269
the father of the country’s
current president.
563
00:31:37,269 --> 00:31:39,122
The planned assassination failed,
564
00:31:39,122 --> 00:31:42,053
but Çatlı, as usual,
was not caught or brought to justice
565
00:31:42,053 --> 00:31:44,837
for his participation in the scheme.
566
00:31:44,837 --> 00:31:48,876
But while the assassination itself
did not result in the death of Aliyev,
567
00:31:48,876 --> 00:31:53,413
it did have a desirable effect
for NATO’s designs on the South Caucasus.
568
00:31:53,413 --> 00:31:57,540
From that point on, Azerbaijan began
to leave the diplomatic orbit
569
00:31:57,540 --> 00:31:59,962
of its old Soviet-era Russian masters
570
00:31:59,962 --> 00:32:03,479
and has since become a staunchly
Western-oriented nation
571
00:32:03,479 --> 00:32:09,260
with an all-star roster of power players
on its US-Azerbaijani Chamber of Commerce
572
00:32:09,260 --> 00:32:13,553
and ongoing relations with Chevron,
Texaco, BP, Pennzoil,
573
00:32:13,553 --> 00:32:17,592
and every other major oil conglomerate
you can think of.
574
00:32:17,592 --> 00:32:19,772
In fact, the country has been
a NATO partner
575
00:32:19,772 --> 00:32:23,340
and prospective member of the alliance
for several years now,
576
00:32:23,340 --> 00:32:27,009
a potentially important NATO ally
right in Russia’s backyard,
577
00:32:27,009 --> 00:32:32,459
and one with access to the prized
Caspian oil and gas field reserves,
578
00:32:32,459 --> 00:32:36,604
and the pipelines that will help
to transport that out of there.
579
00:32:37,474 --> 00:32:41,483
But all careers, no matter how remarkable,
come to an end,
580
00:32:41,483 --> 00:32:44,159
and the end of Abdullah Çatlı’s career
581
00:32:44,159 --> 00:32:49,206
was, perhaps fittingly, almost as amazing
as his career itself.
582
00:32:49,206 --> 00:32:55,003
At approximately 7:25 PM
on the evening of November 3, 1996,
583
00:32:55,003 --> 00:32:58,154
a Mercedes 600 SEL crashed into a truck
584
00:32:58,154 --> 00:33:01,121
near the Northwestern Turkish
town of Susurluk,
585
00:33:01,121 --> 00:33:03,965
killing three of the four passengers.
586
00:33:03,965 --> 00:33:06,548
But this was no ordinary car crash.
587
00:33:06,548 --> 00:33:13,268
Among the dead: a senior police chief,
a former beauty queen, and Abdullah Çatlı.
588
00:33:13,268 --> 00:33:18,782
The survivor: a Turkish MP who came away
with a fractured skull and a broken leg.
589
00:33:19,442 --> 00:33:23,996
A 1998 LA Times report on the crash
described the scene this way:
590
00:33:24,376 --> 00:33:26,134
“Strewn amid the roadside wreckage
591
00:33:26,134 --> 00:33:30,353
was evidence of Çatlı’s collusion
with the Turkish secret service.
592
00:33:30,353 --> 00:33:33,754
Along with several handguns, silencers,
593
00:33:33,754 --> 00:33:38,238
a cache of narcotics and
a government-approved weapons permit,
594
00:33:38,238 --> 00:33:44,168
Çatlı was carrying six photo ID cards,
each with a different name,
595
00:33:44,168 --> 00:33:49,316
and special diplomatic credentials
issued by Turkish authorities."
596
00:33:49,836 --> 00:33:53,986
The importance of this car crash
to the course of Turkish politics
597
00:33:53,986 --> 00:33:56,722
is difficult to overstate.
598
00:33:56,722 --> 00:34:00,348
For many, it conclusively confirmed
the “deep state" connections
599
00:34:00,348 --> 00:34:03,926
between terrorists like Çatlı and
the upper reaches of government power
600
00:34:03,926 --> 00:34:06,846
that many had long believed existed.
601
00:34:06,846 --> 00:34:09,774
The resulting scandal led to a series
of investigations and reports,
602
00:34:09,774 --> 00:34:13,871
as well as arrests, convictions,
resignations, reforms,
603
00:34:13,871 --> 00:34:17,675
promotions, and the death
of several Susurluk investigators
604
00:34:17,675 --> 00:34:22,928
in car crashes that mysteriously resembled
the Susurluk crash itself.
605
00:34:23,528 --> 00:34:25,890
And according to at least one
FBI whistleblower,
606
00:34:25,890 --> 00:34:28,505
Susurluk marks the beginning
of a transition
607
00:34:28,505 --> 00:34:32,940
from the original Gladio operations
using ultranationalist operatives
608
00:34:32,940 --> 00:34:36,942
to a Gladio “Plan B”
involving Islamic terrorism
609
00:34:36,942 --> 00:34:40,235
as the conduit for
the strategy of tension.
610
00:34:41,020 --> 00:34:43,393
The whistleblower in question
is Sibel Edmonds,
611
00:34:43,393 --> 00:34:46,784
hired by the FBI to work as a translator
in the Washington Field Office
612
00:34:46,784 --> 00:34:48,897
in the wake of 9/11.
613
00:34:48,897 --> 00:34:50,930
She worked with agents
around the United States
614
00:34:50,930 --> 00:34:53,374
helping to translate
intercepted communications
615
00:34:53,374 --> 00:34:55,929
in a number of counterintelligence cases,
616
00:34:55,929 --> 00:34:59,319
including Agent Joel Roberts
in the Chicago Field Office
617
00:34:59,319 --> 00:35:03,744
whose targets included Abdullah Çatlı
and some of his Gladio associates.
618
00:35:04,212 --> 00:35:11,202
While there, one of the translators
she was working with was Jan Dickerson,
619
00:35:11,202 --> 00:35:13,841
who had worked for both
the American Turkish Council
620
00:35:13,841 --> 00:35:16,501
and the Assembly of Turkish
American Associations,
621
00:35:16,501 --> 00:35:20,025
organizations that the FBI
publicly confirmed
622
00:35:20,026 --> 00:35:23,900
were targets of FBI
counterintelligence operations.
623
00:35:23,900 --> 00:35:27,520
Her husband, Douglas Dickerson,
was a Major in the US Air Force
624
00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:31,154
who had served in Ankara
working on weapons procurement
625
00:35:31,154 --> 00:35:34,822
for the Pentagon in
the Central Asia region.
626
00:35:34,822 --> 00:35:39,467
In December 2001, the Dickersons
visited Edmonds and her husband
627
00:35:39,467 --> 00:35:42,268
at their home in Alexandria, Virginia,
628
00:35:42,268 --> 00:35:44,950
and attempted to recruit them
into a Turkish spying ring
629
00:35:44,950 --> 00:35:49,528
that had penetrated the FBI,
the Pentagon and the State Department.
630
00:35:49,528 --> 00:35:52,458
She refused, and her complaints
about the Dickersons
631
00:35:52,458 --> 00:35:54,509
and their involvement
with Turkish lobbying groups
632
00:35:54,509 --> 00:35:57,190
eventually led to her firing.
633
00:35:57,190 --> 00:35:59,635
After years of fighting this dismissal
634
00:35:59,635 --> 00:36:02,799
and attempting to go on record
with her knowledge,
635
00:36:02,799 --> 00:36:06,004
first through official FBI channels and
then through the court system,
636
00:36:06,004 --> 00:36:11,718
the FBI was eventually forced to admit
that her claims had “some basis in fact,"
637
00:36:11,718 --> 00:36:13,233
a judgment later bolstered
638
00:36:13,233 --> 00:36:15,455
by a Department of Justice
Inspector General report
639
00:36:15,455 --> 00:36:20,289
that concluded, "Many of Edmonds’s core
allegations relating to the co-workers
640
00:36:20,289 --> 00:36:26,172
were supported by either documentary
evidence or witnesses other than Edmonds"
641
00:36:26,172 --> 00:36:30,856
and noting that “the evidence clearly
corroborated Edmonds’s allegations"
642
00:36:30,856 --> 00:36:33,701
about Jan Dickerson’s work problems.
643
00:36:33,701 --> 00:36:36,291
Despite all of this, a little-known
evidentiary rule
644
00:36:36,291 --> 00:36:37,965
known as the “State Secrets Privilege"
645
00:36:37,965 --> 00:36:42,286
was invoked by the Justice Department
to remove her First Amendment rights
646
00:36:42,286 --> 00:36:46,444
and prevent her from going on record
about many of the specifics of her case.
647
00:36:46,444 --> 00:36:47,842
This led to her being labeled
648
00:36:47,842 --> 00:36:50,564
“the most gagged person
in American history"
649
00:36:50,564 --> 00:36:52,685
by the American Civil Liberties Union.
650
00:36:53,685 --> 00:36:57,400
Edmonds paints the story of
the FBI’s counterintelligence operations
651
00:36:57,400 --> 00:37:01,943
against a Gladio network that had contacts
and operatives in the United States
652
00:37:01,943 --> 00:37:04,925
but protection from powerful
Washington players
653
00:37:04,925 --> 00:37:08,436
like some of those on the board
of the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce
654
00:37:08,436 --> 00:37:10,883
and similar organizations.
655
00:37:10,883 --> 00:37:13,288
After the turning point at Susurluk,
656
00:37:13,288 --> 00:37:17,112
these operations started to focus
on Islamic terrorists and radicals,
657
00:37:17,112 --> 00:37:21,644
who presumably could equally well be used
to maintain a strategy of tension
658
00:37:21,644 --> 00:37:27,323
and help accomplish foreign policy goals
in Central Asia and the Caucasus region.
659
00:37:27,323 --> 00:37:30,500
Again, it's important to look at
some of the careers of some of those
660
00:37:30,500 --> 00:37:33,921
who have been identified as part
of this “Gladio B" plan,
661
00:37:34,601 --> 00:37:38,871
in order to better understand
whether or not they are, in fact,
662
00:37:38,871 --> 00:37:41,730
what has been claimed about them.
663
00:37:41,730 --> 00:37:45,277
However, we have to note that,
unlike in the case of Abdullah Çatlı,
664
00:37:45,277 --> 00:37:47,913
we have no official, independent
confirmations
665
00:37:47,913 --> 00:37:53,594
of the existence of the Gladio B operation
or its various operatives.
666
00:37:53,594 --> 00:37:56,213
Here we are relying on information
in the public record
667
00:37:56,213 --> 00:37:57,935
which corroborates Edmonds' claims
668
00:37:57,935 --> 00:38:00,330
and paints a vivid picture
of the intersection
669
00:38:00,330 --> 00:38:04,039
between Muslim extremists, drug runners,
terrorists and money launderers
670
00:38:04,039 --> 00:38:06,424
with the upper levels
of the US State Department,
671
00:38:06,424 --> 00:38:09,115
Pentagon and NATO.
672
00:38:09,115 --> 00:38:12,109
One such person is Fethullah Gülen,
a Turkish imam
673
00:38:12,109 --> 00:38:14,414
who fled political prosecution in Turkey
674
00:38:14,414 --> 00:38:18,517
for advocating that an Islamic state
replace the existing Turkish government.
675
00:38:19,097 --> 00:38:22,104
Interestingly, he fled
to the United States,
676
00:38:22,104 --> 00:38:24,268
eventually settling in Pennsylvania.
677
00:38:24,268 --> 00:38:28,222
He then set up an educational foundation,
the “Gülen Movement"
678
00:38:28,222 --> 00:38:31,661
and within four years
had opened up 350 madrasas
679
00:38:31,661 --> 00:38:34,356
in the Central Asia-Caucasus region.
680
00:38:34,356 --> 00:38:38,680
His network would go on to include
Islamic schools in over 140 countries,
681
00:38:38,680 --> 00:38:42,827
with an estimated net worth
of over $20 billion.
682
00:38:42,827 --> 00:38:46,795
In January 2001 a Turkish prosecutor,
683
00:38:46,795 --> 00:38:51,216
citing an Ankara University report whose
author was subsequently assassinated,
684
00:38:51,216 --> 00:38:55,049
claimed that “there is a link
between Gülen and the CIA"
685
00:38:55,049 --> 00:38:57,445
which included Agency help
in securing passports
686
00:38:57,445 --> 00:39:02,264
for the school’s English teachers
in the Central Asia-Caucasus region.
687
00:39:02,264 --> 00:39:07,736
This claim was bolstered by former Turkish
Intelligence Chief Osman Nuri Gündeş,
688
00:39:07,736 --> 00:39:12,041
whose memoirs revealed
that 130 of these “English teachers”
689
00:39:12,041 --> 00:39:14,615
-- in Kygyzstan and Uzbekistan alone --
690
00:39:14,615 --> 00:39:16,768
were actually CIA operatives,
691
00:39:16,768 --> 00:39:18,756
issued special diplomatic passports
692
00:39:18,756 --> 00:39:22,974
under a program codenamed
“Friendship Bridge."
693
00:39:24,404 --> 00:39:28,044
Interestingly, the Washington Post
attempted to deny the allegations
694
00:39:28,044 --> 00:39:31,093
by seeking comment from Graham Fuller,
695
00:39:31,093 --> 00:39:32,828
who you might remember
as the author
696
00:39:32,828 --> 00:39:37,448
of the Central Asia: The New Geopolitics
report that we referred to earlier.
697
00:39:37,448 --> 00:39:40,857
Fuller was a former CIA
Station Chief in Kabul
698
00:39:40,857 --> 00:39:45,527
who claimed that the idea of a
CIA-Gülen connection was “improbable”
699
00:39:45,527 --> 00:39:47,055
despite admitting he has,
700
00:39:47,055 --> 00:39:53,320
“absolutely no concrete personal knowledge
whatsoever about this." (laughs)
701
00:39:53,320 --> 00:39:56,710
Even more interestingly...
-- talk about non-denial denials!
702
00:39:57,430 --> 00:40:01,776
Even more interestingly, Fuller himself
wrote a letter of reference for Gülen
703
00:40:01,776 --> 00:40:04,367
that was used in Gülen’s
ongoing legal battle
704
00:40:04,367 --> 00:40:07,418
over his immigration status in the US.
705
00:40:08,068 --> 00:40:10,455
The remarkable rise of this imam
706
00:40:10,455 --> 00:40:13,427
with no particular background
or accomplishments
707
00:40:13,427 --> 00:40:14,427
to become the head
708
00:40:14,427 --> 00:40:16,694
of a multi-billion dollar
Islamic school network
709
00:40:16,694 --> 00:40:19,367
operated from a secret compound
in Pennsylvania
710
00:40:19,367 --> 00:40:21,540
that appears to be working with the CIA
711
00:40:21,540 --> 00:40:24,275
in the highly sensitive
Central Asia-Caucasus region
712
00:40:24,275 --> 00:40:28,210
appears to fit in line with what we know
about the “deep state” actors
713
00:40:28,210 --> 00:40:29,897
in this covert battle for influence
714
00:40:29,897 --> 00:40:34,146
in this highly prized square
of the chessboard.
715
00:40:34,766 --> 00:40:38,487
Another extremely interesting figure
is Yasin al-Qadi.
716
00:40:38,487 --> 00:40:40,945
He was an alleged financier
of Islamic terror
717
00:40:40,945 --> 00:40:43,366
that was the subject of
an intensive investigation
718
00:40:43,366 --> 00:40:46,315
by FBI Agent Robert Wright.
719
00:40:46,315 --> 00:40:49,545
Wright’s investigation,
codenamed “Vulgar Betrayal,”
720
00:40:49,545 --> 00:40:51,906
discovered evidence
that implicated Al-Qadi
721
00:40:51,906 --> 00:40:55,060
in a terrorist financing ring
centered in Chicago
722
00:40:55,060 --> 00:40:58,273
that linked to the 1998
African Embassy Bombings,
723
00:40:58,273 --> 00:41:01,232
but when he proposed
a criminal investigation,
724
00:41:01,232 --> 00:41:05,817
his supervisor flew into a rage,
yelling:
725
00:41:05,817 --> 00:41:08,126
“You will not open
criminal investigations!
726
00:41:08,126 --> 00:41:10,106
I forbid any of you!
727
00:41:10,106 --> 00:41:12,941
You will not open criminal investigations
728
00:41:12,941 --> 00:41:17,156
against any of these
intelligence subjects."
729
00:41:17,156 --> 00:41:20,652
Wright was taken off the Vulgar Betrayal
investigation one year later
730
00:41:20,652 --> 00:41:23,681
and the investigation itself
was shut down the following year.
731
00:41:23,681 --> 00:41:28,670
In 1999 and 2000, the UN
placed sanctions on al-Qadi
732
00:41:28,670 --> 00:41:31,983
who was identified
in UN Security Council resolutions
733
00:41:31,983 --> 00:41:35,610
as a suspected associate of al-Qaeda.
734
00:41:35,610 --> 00:41:39,375
At the same time, al-Qadi was also
a key investor
735
00:41:39,375 --> 00:41:41,088
in a company called Ptech,
736
00:41:41,088 --> 00:41:43,917
which marketed “enterprise
architecture software"
737
00:41:43,917 --> 00:41:46,589
designed to provide complete
"god’s-eye view"
738
00:41:46,589 --> 00:41:48,351
of an organization’s structure,
739
00:41:48,351 --> 00:41:51,310
from transactions, systems and processes
740
00:41:51,310 --> 00:41:55,232
to inventory, transactions and personnel.
741
00:41:55,232 --> 00:41:57,131
And Ptech’s client list included
742
00:41:57,131 --> 00:42:00,688
some of the most sensitive databases
in the United States,
743
00:42:00,688 --> 00:42:07,072
including the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency, DARPA, in the Pentagon;
744
00:42:07,072 --> 00:42:09,728
the FBI; the Secret Service;
the White House,
745
00:42:09,728 --> 00:42:11,532
the Navy, the Air Force,
746
00:42:11,532 --> 00:42:14,530
the FAA
-- the Federal Aviation Administration --
747
00:42:14,530 --> 00:42:16,945
and NATO.
748
00:42:16,945 --> 00:42:19,744
According to Ptech’s own business plan,
749
00:42:19,744 --> 00:42:23,393
the company had a contract
to work on modeling the FAA’s:
750
00:42:23,393 --> 00:42:26,058
“network management,
network security,
751
00:42:26,058 --> 00:42:28,810
configuration management,
fault management,
752
00:42:28,810 --> 00:42:31,194
performance management,
application administration,
753
00:42:31,194 --> 00:42:34,952
network accounting management,
and user help desk operations"
754
00:42:34,952 --> 00:42:41,354
that was operative on the morning of 9/11
-- and FAA's "failure."
755
00:42:41,884 --> 00:42:44,974
After 9/11, Ptech’s offices were raided,
756
00:42:44,974 --> 00:42:49,147
and the company’s CEO and CFO
were eventually indicted,
757
00:42:49,637 --> 00:42:53,615
and Yasin al-Qadi was placed
on a special terrorist finance watchlist
758
00:42:53,615 --> 00:42:56,887
by the US Treasury Department.
759
00:42:56,887 --> 00:43:00,073
Despite being watchlisted
by both the UN Security Council
760
00:43:00,073 --> 00:43:02,243
and US Treasury Department,
761
00:43:02,243 --> 00:43:06,865
al-Qadi continued to operate
internationally with an Albanian passport,
762
00:43:06,865 --> 00:43:08,981
spending time in Turkey.
763
00:43:08,981 --> 00:43:12,691
He has since been revealed
to have engaged in numerous meetings
764
00:43:12,691 --> 00:43:16,538
with then-Turkish Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
765
00:43:16,538 --> 00:43:18,482
and the Turkish Intelligence Chief,
766
00:43:18,482 --> 00:43:21,731
and earlier this year, the ex-Istanbul
police chief revealed
767
00:43:21,731 --> 00:43:25,365
that Erdoğan had helped al-Qadi
to enter the country several times
768
00:43:25,365 --> 00:43:27,538
despite being banned by the Cabinet.
769
00:43:28,218 --> 00:43:32,433
And for those who are wondering, yes:
this is actual surveillance footage
770
00:43:32,433 --> 00:43:35,010
of al-Qadi meeting with Erdoğan,
771
00:43:35,010 --> 00:43:38,916
the Prime Minister of Turkey at the time,
in 2012
772
00:43:42,116 --> 00:43:43,528
Another figure of importance
773
00:43:43,528 --> 00:43:46,191
whose name comes up
in connection with this investigation
774
00:43:46,191 --> 00:43:50,260
is Ayman Al-Zawahiri, formerly
Bin Laden’s right hand man
775
00:43:50,260 --> 00:43:53,496
and the current nominal leader
of the al-Qaeda organization.
776
00:43:54,316 --> 00:43:56,860
According to Edmonds,
he appeared as a figure
777
00:43:56,860 --> 00:44:00,653
in several FBI counterterrorism
investigations in the 1990s,
778
00:44:00,653 --> 00:44:06,345
turning up in Turkey, Albania,
Kosovo, and Azerbaijan.
779
00:44:06,345 --> 00:44:08,756
He traveled to the Balkans
in the mid 1990s,
780
00:44:08,756 --> 00:44:10,994
and that makes sense
given al-Qaeda involvement
781
00:44:10,994 --> 00:44:13,125
in the so-called Yugoslav Wars,
782
00:44:13,125 --> 00:44:15,752
but his involvement
in Turkey and Azerbaijan
783
00:44:15,752 --> 00:44:18,920
is of particular relevance to this study.
784
00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:24,488
Edmonds claims that he worked
with the Turkish arm of NATO
785
00:44:24,488 --> 00:44:27,039
and NATO itself during this period,
786
00:44:27,039 --> 00:44:30,286
meeting several times
with US military attachés
787
00:44:30,286 --> 00:44:35,823
in Baku, Azerbaijan,
in the 1997-1998 window.
788
00:44:37,293 --> 00:44:41,063
There are numerous such leads and clues
in this investigation
789
00:44:41,063 --> 00:44:44,914
that point to... oh, sorry. One more:
790
00:44:44,914 --> 00:44:47,186
Other tantalizing connections
present themselves
791
00:44:47,186 --> 00:44:49,211
in figures like Hüseyin Baybaşin,
792
00:44:49,831 --> 00:44:53,685
known as “Europe’s Pablo Escobar"
for his heroin operations
793
00:44:53,685 --> 00:44:56,699
smuggling heroin to the UK.
794
00:44:57,029 --> 00:45:00,496
After his imprisonment here
in The Netherlands for drug smuggling,
795
00:45:00,496 --> 00:45:04,107
he contacted Edmonds with details
about Turkish NATO involvement
796
00:45:04,107 --> 00:45:07,220
in the drug smuggling operations
he had been a part of.
797
00:45:07,220 --> 00:45:09,337
There are numerous such leads, connections
798
00:45:09,337 --> 00:45:10,922
and clues in this investigation
799
00:45:10,922 --> 00:45:16,116
that point to a deep tie
between NATO and US covert operations
800
00:45:16,116 --> 00:45:18,655
and this important area of the globe.
801
00:45:18,655 --> 00:45:21,567
But what does it all mean?
802
00:45:22,727 --> 00:45:27,037
It would be a satisfying conclusion
to this investigation
803
00:45:27,037 --> 00:45:30,023
to present to you definitive
proof, documents or testimony
804
00:45:30,023 --> 00:45:33,555
positively linking the increasingly deadly
terror attacks
805
00:45:33,555 --> 00:45:36,974
and incidents taking place
in the Central Asia-Caucasus region
806
00:45:36,974 --> 00:45:41,207
to a Gladio “Plan B" group
being directed by NATO and the Pentagon.
807
00:45:41,987 --> 00:45:44,465
Everything that we have seen today
has demonstrated that:
808
00:45:44,465 --> 00:45:49,304
A. There are vital strategic interests
for the US and its allies
809
00:45:49,304 --> 00:45:50,986
in the Central Asia-Caucasus region
810
00:45:50,986 --> 00:45:54,984
that make it a prime target
for covert operations;
811
00:45:54,984 --> 00:45:59,685
B. Such “strategy of tension” operations
have been conducted in the past
812
00:45:59,685 --> 00:46:04,998
by people we definitively know
were linked to NATO’s covert army; and
813
00:46:04,998 --> 00:46:07,558
C. That there are a number
of influential people
814
00:46:07,558 --> 00:46:09,834
operating in and around the region
815
00:46:09,834 --> 00:46:12,661
and in close cooperation
with the Turkish deep state,
816
00:46:12,661 --> 00:46:16,188
American intelligence,
the Pentagon, and NATO
817
00:46:16,188 --> 00:46:19,579
who seem to be involved with
ongoing operations today
818
00:46:19,579 --> 00:46:24,254
related to the fostering of
religious extremism in the region.
819
00:46:24,254 --> 00:46:28,590
As I say, it would be satisfying
to conclude definitively
820
00:46:28,590 --> 00:46:33,787
that A, B, or C persons
were connected to X, Y, or Z events,
821
00:46:33,787 --> 00:46:37,062
but obviously that isn't possible
at this time.
822
00:46:37,062 --> 00:46:39,571
The very nature of these
covert operations
823
00:46:39,571 --> 00:46:42,119
means that, without
some explosive new evidence
824
00:46:42,119 --> 00:46:45,094
or surprising new testimony
from other whistleblowers,
825
00:46:45,094 --> 00:46:48,010
it is unlikely that Gladio B
will be revealed
826
00:46:48,010 --> 00:46:51,376
in the way the original
Gladio operations were...
827
00:46:51,376 --> 00:46:57,164
-- another fascinating story that we could
get into; but it would take too much time.
828
00:46:57,874 --> 00:46:59,223
This does not mean, however,
829
00:46:59,223 --> 00:47:02,560
that we are completely powerless
to identify these operations
830
00:47:02,560 --> 00:47:04,803
or to counteract the psychological effects
831
00:47:04,803 --> 00:47:08,832
that they are aimed at producing
in the public.
832
00:47:08,832 --> 00:47:12,511
The characters, events and storyline
painted in this presentation
833
00:47:12,511 --> 00:47:15,067
are almost completely available
in the public record
834
00:47:15,067 --> 00:47:18,088
through news reports,
government investigations,
835
00:47:18,088 --> 00:47:20,188
think tank documents,
court filings,
836
00:47:20,188 --> 00:47:23,159
interviews, and
dozens of other sources.
837
00:47:23,159 --> 00:47:26,303
Those parts of the story that
cannot be independently verified,
838
00:47:26,303 --> 00:47:27,837
like some of Edmonds’ claims,
839
00:47:27,837 --> 00:47:31,607
can be corroborated by the sources
in the public record.
840
00:47:31,607 --> 00:47:34,260
The task of piecing these bits
of the puzzle together
841
00:47:34,260 --> 00:47:36,451
is a nearly overwhelming one,
842
00:47:36,451 --> 00:47:39,432
but it can be accomplished
by a concerted effort
843
00:47:39,762 --> 00:47:42,979
by an informed and motivated public.
844
00:47:42,979 --> 00:47:45,853
This is the principle
of “open source investigation"
845
00:47:45,853 --> 00:47:49,491
which I am attempting to further
with my work at CorbettReport.com.
846
00:47:49,491 --> 00:47:52,283
And next week this lecture will be
published to my website
847
00:47:52,283 --> 00:47:54,090
along with a hyperlinked transcript
848
00:47:54,090 --> 00:47:57,153
sourcing every single document
in this report
849
00:47:57,153 --> 00:48:00,243
and other evidence used
in the creation of this presentation.
850
00:48:00,913 --> 00:48:05,388
From that point, the public is encouraged
to use that source information
851
00:48:05,388 --> 00:48:08,323
to begin investigating
other aspects of this case
852
00:48:08,323 --> 00:48:11,006
and to see how this narrative
meshes or clashes
853
00:48:11,006 --> 00:48:14,077
with other pieces of evidence
in the public record.
854
00:48:14,077 --> 00:48:16,675
Members of the Corbett Report
community are, of course,
855
00:48:16,675 --> 00:48:18,872
invited to participate
in this investigation
856
00:48:18,872 --> 00:48:20,359
by logging on to the website
857
00:48:20,359 --> 00:48:24,171
and posting their own comments,
analysis, links and replies
858
00:48:24,195 --> 00:48:28,010
at the posting on CorbettReport.com.
859
00:48:28,010 --> 00:48:30,346
This task is critical because,
860
00:48:30,346 --> 00:48:34,537
in the quest to control the resources
of the Central Asia-Caucasus region,
861
00:48:34,537 --> 00:48:39,457
a strategy of tension is being employed.
862
00:48:39,457 --> 00:48:41,825
We see a nearly daily parade
of terror attacks
863
00:48:41,825 --> 00:48:44,962
in the Northern Caucasus region
on Russia’s doorstep
864
00:48:44,962 --> 00:48:48,685
and in the “New Silk Road” area
of Chinese interest.
865
00:48:48,685 --> 00:48:52,651
Just this month, the head of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization
866
00:48:52,651 --> 00:48:55,998
-- often seen as a counterbalance
organization to NATO --
867
00:48:55,998 --> 00:48:57,995
claimed that instability in the region
868
00:48:57,995 --> 00:49:00,445
was being deliberately
fostered by the West,
869
00:49:00,445 --> 00:49:03,591
citing a disproportionate increase
in US Embassy staff
870
00:49:03,591 --> 00:49:07,763
and influx of Western-backed NGOs
into the region.
871
00:49:07,763 --> 00:49:13,151
“The West crudely interferes in
the internal affairs of other governments,
872
00:49:13,151 --> 00:49:14,899
trying to manipulate public opinion,
873
00:49:14,899 --> 00:49:18,914
economically and financially affecting the
government and population," he said.
874
00:49:20,674 --> 00:49:22,861
If this is, indeed, the case,
875
00:49:22,861 --> 00:49:26,130
then one of the key ways
to counteract this effect
876
00:49:26,130 --> 00:49:28,280
is to simply retain our skepticism
877
00:49:28,280 --> 00:49:32,261
when it comes to spectacular
terror attacks in the region.
878
00:49:32,261 --> 00:49:35,119
With an increased awareness
of covert operations,
879
00:49:35,119 --> 00:49:36,371
false flag attacks,
880
00:49:36,371 --> 00:49:40,343
and other acknowledged instruments
of terror in the strategy of tension,
881
00:49:40,343 --> 00:49:43,298
we thereby disarm the effectiveness
of these tools.
882
00:49:44,028 --> 00:49:48,640
The psychological manipulation that
these geopolitical machinations rely on
883
00:49:48,640 --> 00:49:53,710
is only possible if the public
is kept in fear and ignorance,
884
00:49:53,710 --> 00:49:57,634
and the answer to that can only be
understanding and openness.
885
00:49:57,634 --> 00:49:58,600
And with that,
886
00:49:58,600 --> 00:50:01,603
I thank you for your time and attention
during this very detailed lecture,
887
00:50:01,603 --> 00:50:04,079
and I look forward to your questions.
Thank you very much.
888
00:50:04,079 --> 00:50:11,071
(applause)
889
00:50:14,307 --> 00:50:17,735
Hello, friends. James Corbett here,
back in the sunny climes of Western Japan.
890
00:50:17,735 --> 00:50:19,766
I hope you appreciated that presentation.
891
00:50:19,766 --> 00:50:21,936
That was the culmination
of what has, so far,
892
00:50:21,936 --> 00:50:25,878
been almost two years' worth
of investigation into Gladio B,
893
00:50:25,878 --> 00:50:29,759
going back to early last year,
when we, of course, conducted
894
00:50:29,759 --> 00:50:32,828
that original Gladio B interview series
with Sibel Edmonds.
895
00:50:32,828 --> 00:50:36,460
If you haven't checked out that series yet,
and if you are interested in Gladio B,
896
00:50:36,460 --> 00:50:38,887
of course, that interview series
is the gold mine
897
00:50:38,887 --> 00:50:41,079
of information that you should check out.
898
00:50:41,079 --> 00:50:44,650
And of course, the link will be in this video
so you can go check that out.
899
00:50:44,650 --> 00:50:47,749
And the transcript of that
has recently been provided
900
00:50:47,749 --> 00:50:50,777
by an anonymous Corbett Report user,
901
00:50:50,777 --> 00:50:53,977
so thanks to that person, we now have
the transcript of that series.
902
00:50:53,977 --> 00:50:56,486
An extremely valuable resource for those
903
00:50:56,486 --> 00:50:59,138
who are looking to get more
into this information.
904
00:50:59,138 --> 00:51:02,333
If you do realize how important
this information is,
905
00:51:02,333 --> 00:51:04,608
and if you do realize that,
906
00:51:04,608 --> 00:51:08,326
if this operation is
as it is being portrayed in this lecture,
907
00:51:08,326 --> 00:51:12,797
it really is one of the most important
geopolitical operations
908
00:51:12,797 --> 00:51:15,003
ongoing in the world today,
909
00:51:15,003 --> 00:51:19,668
then you might realize how uncomfortable
it is for me to be in the position
910
00:51:19,668 --> 00:51:24,661
of realizing that I am one of
only a handful of people in the world
911
00:51:24,661 --> 00:51:26,356
who has ever talked about this
912
00:51:26,356 --> 00:51:29,165
and who is investigating it
at the moment.
913
00:51:29,165 --> 00:51:31,444
So I certainly hope
that you'll do your part
914
00:51:31,444 --> 00:51:33,483
to help pitch in with that investigation.
915
00:51:33,483 --> 00:51:36,970
As I say, we do need more people
posting links, vetting sources,
916
00:51:36,970 --> 00:51:39,666
talking about this information,
analyzing it.
917
00:51:39,666 --> 00:51:42,764
Of course, if you're a Corbett Report
member, please sign in to the website
918
00:51:42,764 --> 00:51:45,291
and start leaving your comments
on this post.
919
00:51:45,291 --> 00:51:49,064
But also, in any way you can,
to help spread this information:
920
00:51:49,064 --> 00:51:51,203
of course, greatly appreciated.
921
00:51:51,203 --> 00:51:54,984
Because the more people who are
thinking about this, talking about this,
922
00:51:54,984 --> 00:51:56,713
the better it will be for everyone.
923
00:51:56,713 --> 00:52:00,061
Trust me: you don't want to leave it
in the hands of a few people.
924
00:52:00,061 --> 00:52:02,044
We want this information
to spread far and wide.
925
00:52:02,044 --> 00:52:05,551
So once again, please start
helping out with that
926
00:52:05,551 --> 00:52:08,326
in any way that you can help
spread this information.
927
00:52:08,326 --> 00:52:12,934
And once again, obviously,
this entire investigation
928
00:52:12,934 --> 00:52:15,799
and everything that I do
is brought to you by you guys.
929
00:52:15,799 --> 00:52:18,118
So I do appreciate your...
all of your support:
930
00:52:18,118 --> 00:52:20,088
whether that be moral support,
931
00:52:20,088 --> 00:52:23,055
whether that be the support
of helping to spread the information,
932
00:52:23,055 --> 00:52:26,141
whether that be monetary support
-- which of course, I also need.
933
00:52:26,141 --> 00:52:28,957
And on that note,
since it is December of 2014
934
00:52:28,957 --> 00:52:30,755
and we're approaching Christmas,
935
00:52:30,755 --> 00:52:34,721
for the month of December,
I am doing a 20%-off DVD discount
936
00:52:34,721 --> 00:52:37,947
for any DVD at the Corbett Report shop.
937
00:52:37,947 --> 00:52:40,641
Once again, you can go there
and take a look at all of the DVDs:
938
00:52:40,641 --> 00:52:42,980
the Data DVDs, the Video Archives,
939
00:52:42,980 --> 00:52:45,319
Last Word DVDs, Century of Enslavement:
940
00:52:45,319 --> 00:52:47,520
All DVDs 20% off.
941
00:52:47,520 --> 00:52:51,795
Just enter the coupon code "XMAS"
at checkout,
942
00:52:51,795 --> 00:52:54,146
and you'll get 20% off your DVD purchase.
943
00:52:54,146 --> 00:52:58,913
It makes it even cheaper and easier
for you guys to get these DVDs,
944
00:52:58,913 --> 00:53:02,135
give them out as gifts
or however you want to distribute them.
945
00:53:02,135 --> 00:53:04,579
And of course, you are free
to make copies of them
946
00:53:04,579 --> 00:53:06,900
and hand them out that way as well.
947
00:53:06,900 --> 00:53:09,945
And let's get this information out
to as many people as possible.
948
00:53:09,945 --> 00:53:11,893
Once again, I do thank you all
for your support,
949
00:53:11,893 --> 00:53:14,051
and if you did enjoy this presentation,
950
00:53:14,051 --> 00:53:17,892
I should note that there is going to be
a posting of the audio only:
951
00:53:17,892 --> 00:53:20,477
the Q&A after the presentation.
952
00:53:20,477 --> 00:53:22,716
I'll be posting the audio of that
up on the website
953
00:53:22,716 --> 00:53:23,845
in the next couple of days.
954
00:53:23,845 --> 00:53:25,274
I hope you'll stick around for that.
955
00:53:25,274 --> 00:53:27,181
Thank you again for all your support.,
956
00:53:27,181 --> 00:53:29,159
I'm looking forward to talking to you
again real soon.
957
00:53:29,159 --> 00:53:32,313
[Subtitled by: "Adjuvant"]
[CC-BY 4.0]