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Russian wheat shipments to Venezuela beat US blockade

*(1) Russian wheat shipments to Venezuela beat US blockade *
*(2) & (3) CIA war on Venezuela **(4) Russia to Become Top Producer of GMO-free, Organic Food **(5) Venezuela is about sell its Oil for a basket of currencies - free from the $****(1) Russian wheat shipments to Venezuela beat US blockade***http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_77289.shtmlBolivarian Republic of VenezuelaFirst Russian shipment with 30 thousand tons of wheat flour arrived in Venezuela Printer friendly pageBy Oltima Noticias, trans. Axis of LogicSaturday, Sep 2, 2017Editor's Introduction:Defying sanctions imposed by the Trump regime, Russia is keeping its commitment in a standing trade deal with Venezuela to supply us with 60,000 tons of wheat each month. 30,000 tons has just arrived at Puerto Cabello yesterday and *a second shipment of 30,000 tons is already on its way*, "in the water," according to Venezuelan Vice President, Tarek El Aissami.People have been arriving every day at around 4 in the morning at a panader√≠a near my home to wait in line for their daily ration of bread at controlled prices, hot from the bakery at 8 or 9 a.m. Another line forms at about noon for bread coming out of the ovens at 5 pm. When all the bread available has been sold those still in line are turned away after waiting for hours. Each of the many panaderias here have had the same long bread lines every day.When this sad hardship for people began a couple years ago, I asked a good friend of mine, one of the owners, "What's going on? You've always had excellent fresh bread throughout the day, enough for everyone." Leaning over the counter he said in a low voice, "No tenemos el trigo." (We don't have wheat flour).Before the US war on the economy went full tilt, this panaderia used 180 kilos of wheat flour a day or about 1200 kilos a week. For more than a year now they have only been receiving 350 kilos a week when at least 700 kilos more are needed to satisfy demand.Long before the latest wave of ramped up US sanctions in the long war on the Venezuelan economy, the *US, Canada and Argentina's right wing Marcri regime stopped or cut short their exports of wheat flour* to us, just one small part of *Washington's quest to create artificial food shortages, hoping to cause an uprising* against the government of Nicolas Maduro. But Venezuelans are patient - and resilient. They are also politically astute. It's clear to me that Washington far underestimates both, them and their President.- Les Blough in Venezuela.Reported by Ultima Noticias, Caracas, September 1, 2017Grace Oria.-The first shipment of wheat flour, containing 30,000 tonnes from Russia, arrived in Puerto Cabello on Friday.Vice President Tarek El Aissami commented that this cargo represents the first "anti-lock added operation" to counter the economic sanctions imposed by the United States last August 25 to Venezuela."From this day forward, worldwide solidarity is with the people of Venezuela in the face of the infamous, insolent aggressions, and the alleged blockade by the North American empire under Trump. The people of Venezuela, with the world standing next to Venezuela, expresses its love and solidarity, "said El Aissami, accompanied by the head of the Great Mission Sovereign Supply and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez.He stressed that a second ship with wheat flour has already sailed from Russia, to complement this shipment bringing the total to 60 thousand tons shipped this month. El Aissami estimates that a total of 600 thousand tons of wheat flour will be received from Russia by December."It is in international waters, heading to Puerto Cabello, with 60 thousand tons of wheat flour, among other raw materials and Russia ensures a permanent supply to our Venezuelan people," said El Aissami.Padrino Lopez assured that it is important to remind the Venezuelan people that the Great Mission Sovereign Supply began to control the ports to avoid diversion of the raw material. "To control the mafias, the small groups, the subgroups, precisely to avoid the diversion of the raw material, the bachaquerismo* of the raw material", added Padrino L√≥pez.Source: Oltima NoticiasTranslated by Axis of Logic* A Venezuelan term for a system of selling products at exorbitant illegal prices by "bachequeros."*(2) CIA war on Venezuela***http://www.moonofalabama.org/2017/07/countdown-to-war-on-venezuela.htmlJuly 28, 2017Countdown To War On VenezuelaOn Sunday Venezuela will hold an general election of participants of a constitutional assembly. Half of the representatives will be elected from regular electoral districts. The other half will be elected from and by eight special constituencies like "workers", "farmers", "employers", etc. The second part may be unusual but is no less democratic than the U.S. system which gives voters in rural states more weight than city dwellers.The new assembly will formulate changes to the current constitution. Those changes will be decided on in another general vote. It is likely that the outcome will reinforce the favorite policies of a great majority of the people and of the social-democratic government under President Manduro.The more wealthy part of the population as well as the foreign lobbies and governments have tried to prevent or sabotage the upcoming election. The U.S. has used various economic pressure points against the Venezuelan government including economic warfare with ever increasing sanctions. The opposition has held violent street rallies, attacked government institutions and supporters and called for general strikes.But the NYT propaganda pictures of opposition rallies in the capitol Caracas show only small crowds of dozens to a few hundred of often violent youth. The opposition calls for general strikes have had little resonance as even the feverish anti-Maduro Washington Post has to concede:In the wealthier eastern half of the city, most businesses closed to support the strike called by the opposition, which is boycotting the vote and calling for its cancellation.The main highways of the capital city were largely closed down in the early morning, and reports surfaced of national police lobbing tear gas at strikers in the center. In the poorer neighborhoods in the west, the strike appeared less pronounced, with more businesses open and more people on the streets.(Translation of the WaPo propagandese: "Not even the rich opposition neighborhoods of the city closed down completely. Attempts by the opposition to block central roads were prevented by the police. In the poorer parts of the city the opposition call for a strike was simply ignored.") The opposition is only active within the richer strata of the population and only in a few big cities. The poor rural areas have gained under the social-democratic governments and continue to favor it.In an op-ed in yesterday's New York Times the "regime change" lobby of the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) laid out the steps towards an upcoming war in Venezuela:Since the plebiscite, Venezuela’s opposition has taken steps toward establishing a parallel government. This might remain a symbolic initiative. But if the opposition continues down this road, it will soon be looking for international recognition and funding, and will at least implicitly be asserting the parallel government’s claim to the legitimate monopoly on the use of force. After that it will seek what every government wants: weapons to defend itself. If it succeeds, Venezuela could plunge into a civil war that will make the current conflict seem like high school fisticuffs.(The WOLA was also involved in Hillary Clinton's coup in Honduras.)The CIA is quite open about the plans:In one of the clearest clues yet about Washington’s latest meddling in the politics of Latin America, CIA director Mike Pompeo said he was “hopeful that there can be a transition in Venezuela and we the CIA is doing its best to understand the dynamic there”.He added: “I was just down in Mexico City and in Bogota a week before last talking about this very issue, trying to help them understand the things they might do so that they can get a better outcome for their part of the world and our part of the world.”The piece notes:In Venezuela, [the U.S. government] has sought to weaken the elected governments of both Mr Maduro and his predecessor Hugo Chavez, who was briefly ousted in a 2002 coup. Some of the effort has been in distributing funds to opposition groups through organisations such as the National Endowment for Democracy, while some has been in the form of simple propaganda.In May 2016 unidentified US officials told reporters in a background briefing that Venezuela was descending into a deepening “crisis” that could end in violence.We can conclude that the upcoming violence in Venezuela is not a spontaneous action of the opposition but the implementation of a plan that has been around since at least May 2016. It is likely to follow the color revolution by force script the U.S. developed and implemented in several countries over the last decade. Weapon supply and mercenary support for the opposition will come in from and through the neighboring countries the CIA head visited.The vote to the constitutional assembly will proceed as planned. The opposition will attempt to sabotage it or, if that fails, proceed with violence. Weapons and tactical advice and support have likely already been provided through CIA channels.The Venezuelan government is supported by a far larger constituency than the U.S. aligned right-wing opposition. The military has shown no sign of disloyalty to the government. Unless there is some unforeseeable event any attempt to overthrow the government will fail.The U.S. can further hurt Venezuela by closing down oil imports from the country. But this will likely increase U.S. gas prices. It would create a some short term inconvenience for Venezuela, but oil is fungible and other customers will be available.To overthrow the Venezuelan government has been tried since the first election of a somewhat socialist government in 1999. The U.S. instigated coup in 2002 failed when the people and the military stood up against the blatant interference. The "regime change" methods have since changed with the added support of a militant "democratic opposition" fed from the outside. The use of that tool had negative outcomes in Libya and Ukraine and it failed in Syria. I am confident that the government of Venezuela has analyzed those cases and prepared its own plans to counter a similar attempt.The U.S. just ordered the relatives of its embassy employees out of the country. Such is only done when imminent action is expected.Posted by b on July 28, 2017 at 05:52 AM*(3) CIA war on Venezuela***http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2017/07/31/vene-j31.htmlElection of constituent assembly in Venezuela takes place amid intensified violence and US threatsBy Andrea Lobo31 July 2017President Nicolás Maduro and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) carried through the election of a 545-member constituent assembly yesterday by deploying 230,000 Bolivarian soldiers and militia reservists across the country amid widespread violence, the assassination of both the pro- and anti-government candidates, and increased threats from the US.Initial press reports show a low turnout, even in poorer neighborhoods less affected by protests that once were the PSUV government’s main base of support. A poll published by Datanálisis Friday showed that 75 percent of Venezuelans do not believe a new constitution is necessary, while over 80 percent oppose the Maduro administration.The chief goal of the elections is to isolate and potentially dissolve the *opposition-controlled congress*. According to the pro-Maduro National Electoral Commission, the constituent assembly will have “total power to change any existing constitution and create a new legal order.” Once the results are made public, the new legislative body will assemble in the first week of August.The prelude to Sunday’s vote involved four months of escalating efforts by the PSUV government and the *US-backed, right-wing Democratic Unity Roundtabl*e (MUD) to sideline each other and gain greater control over the state. The fight between the two sections of the Venezuelan bourgeoisie takes place in the face of immense social opposition among the working class and poor. Hunger, hyperinflation, and unemployment are widespread and most workers lack basic services. Both the PSUV and MUD fear a mass uprising that they will not be able to control.The broad opposition against the government notwithstanding, the MUD has not gained any consistent support outside of upper middle class and student sectors due to its nakedly pro-imperialist and pro-corporate program. Since it gained a majority in Congress in 2015, it has appealed to sectors of the armed forces as well as Washington to undermine the Maduro government.The MUD issued a call to boycott the elections, did not present any candidates, and called on its supporters to block streets and disrupt the vote. The Trump administration and other governments including Mexico, Colombia, and Panama have also announced that they will not recognize the assembly.*Hoping to install a government that will allow US corporations an unrestrained exploitation of Venezuela’s oil *resources, which already account for 10 percent of US oil imports, Vice President Mike Pence called the far-right MUD leader Leopoldo Lopez Friday to promise “strong and swift economic actions” if Sunday’s vote went ahead. Sections of the US foreign policy establishment are demanding the Trump administration impose sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports. European Union top diplomat Federica Mogherini called for “urgent measures” to restart dialogue with the opposition, warning that a Constituent Assembly could “polarize the conflict more and increase the danger of confrontation”.On Sunday morning, the *Venezuelan military launched a violent crackdown*, mostly in the MUD-controlled areas of the country. The day started with 20 percent of electoral centers “inaccessible” due to opposition blockades, but ended with less than 5 percent, as the armed forces violently cleared roadblocks and occupied buildings. The Maduro government gave the Bolivarian Armed Forces (FANB) operating control of the federal and municipal police starting on Thursday to oversee the electoral process and enforce a ban of “all meetings, public demonstrations, gatherings, and any act that can disrupt the elections.” Such measures and militarized deployments are aimed at intimidating all social opposition, including that of the working class, and disproves Maduro’s pledge that the constituent assembly will bring “peace and democracy.”PSUV Vice President Diosdado Cabello, who traveled across the country to campaign, is expected to be elected as the president of the Constituent Assembly. An ex-captain of the Army, Cabello is a loyal member of the military leadership that brought Chávez into power and became part of the boliburguesía (Bolivarian bourgeoisie) that enriched itself tremendously through outright corruption and the administration of oil and infrastructure contracts. Cabello has insisted on a hardline program of “liquidating the enemy” and strengthening the power of the military.The conflict between the two factions is reaching a breaking point. The opposition has sought to establish parallel governing structures, using the Congress to swear in a “shadow” 33-member Supreme Court in opposition to the Maduro government, which responded by arresting three of the magistrates. Moreover, the MUD mayor of the Iribarren municipality, Alfredo Ramos, was arrested Friday night by the Bolivarian Intelligence Agency SEBIN and sentenced by the Supreme Court to 15 months in jail after he allowed barricades to be set up in his jurisdiction.On Sunday morning, PSUV leaders announced a “victory” against the attempts to undermine the elections. However, given the continued tensions and censorship by the mass Venezuelan media, Vice President Tareck El Aissami insisted that “we need to continue isolating these sectors of the opposition who have precluded any public debate.” On Tuesday and Wednesday, a total of eight people died in clashes during a “48-hour general strike” supported by the MUD-aligned business chambers and trade unions. This was followed by “Takeover Venezuela” protests Friday and Saturday, limited to scattered roadblocks and described by the Spanish Público as there being “more photographers than those throwing rocks.”Saturday night, MUD constituent assembly candidate José Félix Pineda was shot and killed in his home, while the MUD claimed at least three died during Sunday’s protests, including the youth secretary of the opposition Democratic Action (AD) party, Ricardo Campos. If confirmed, this would bring the number of dead in the wave of protests since April to over 115.The reactionary character of the opposition was on display Monday in an interview on Venevisión where MUD leader Freddy Guevara was asked whether the current situation assimilated the 1958 Puntofijo pact in which the conflicting political parties representing the land oligarchy and the liberal bourgeoisie agreed to hold democratic elections. He replied: “There are some themes here that imply more the Chilean arrangement with what happened to Allende and Chile’s reconstruction afterwards.”Guevara was referring to the September 11, 1973 *coup organized by the CIA and military intelligence agencies* in connivance with sectors of the military led by Allende’s commander of the armed forces, Augusto Pinochet. The fascist dictatorship which arose in the aftermath of the coup tortured and murdered tens of thousands of workers and carried out sweeping social attacks to impose privatizations and other free-market policies.It is such a perspective that is in the mind of the ruling class sectors behind the MUD who are seeking to impose pro-imperialist policies under a US-backed, fascist dictatorship that quells all social opposition. On Saturday, Guevara announced: “Starting on Monday we will have new actions, tactics, and strategies to fit the new reality we will be living in.”“We must re-affirm that we are in the last moments of this dictatorship,” he continued. However, reflecting the cynical psychology that dominates the MUD, he added, “We are going to get them out without turning into what they are.”*(4) Russia to Become Top Producer of GMO-free, Organic Food***http://www.globalresearch.ca/gmo-free-russia-to-become-top-producer-of-organic-food/5603686http://axisoflogic.com/artman/publish/Article_77347.shtmlGMO Free: Russia to Become Top Producer of Organic FoodU.S. Media Silent as Putin Declares Russia GMO-FreeBy Eco News MediaGlobal Research, August 12, 2017Eco News Media 31 July 2017Most of you know that Russian President Putin has Russia saying "not yet" to GMOs and asserting their national focus on establishing themselves as the world's largest exporter of organic food, as well as providing their people with healthy non-GMO food.This wasn't just a spare of the moment decision either. It came about following years of analyzing the downside to using GMO foods and their overall effects on its consumers. Since there are no biotech industries that thrive there, Russia had no real dog in the fight, so to speak.Part of Russia's agricultural system includes small private rural "gardens" that provide produce to the country's overall welfare. It is estimated that around 40 percent of all vegetable and fruit crops come from that sector aloneAs part of Russia's drive to provide nothing but organic food for itself, as well as other nations in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, it is reported that the Kremlin has been awarding land free of charge to farmers or gardeners who pledge to produce only organic fruits and veggies.This was found in an article by Baxter Dmtry on Yournewswire.com.‚ÄòA report prepared by the Security Council (SCRF) circulating in the Kremlin today [Janurary 9, 2016] states that President Putin has issued orders that his people must be protected from GMO "food" and Western pharmaceuticals "at all costs."Dmtry's article has Putin concerned about the westernized business model of poisoning its people with GMOs, junk fast foods, and vaccines, all for personal gains.According to Dmtry's article, the Kremlin report includes this statement from Putin:"We as a species have the choice to continue to develop our bodies and brains in a healthy upward trajectory, or we can follow the Western example of recent decades and intentionally poison our population with genetically altered food, pharmaceuticals, vaccinations, and fast food that should be classified as a dangerous, addictive drug."It continues,"We must fight this. A physically and intellectually disabled population is not in our interests."According to Dimrty's recent article on the Kremlin report, Putin or someone involved with the report got fairly creative with this depiction of the average American as an "intensively vaccinated borderline autistic fat man slumped in front of a screen battling a high-fructose corn syrup comedown."The report states further that such tactics used by governments to subjugate their citizens are not only "dark/evil" but "counter-productive in the medium to long term." Of course, these tactics suit the depopulation agenda, culling the herd's "useless eaters" by controlling food and vaccinating everyone.Most Americans would prefer to think that Putin is just an off-key communist tyrant. It's easier to accept mainstream media infotainment, whilst maintaining their comforting illusions.And this seems to be the comfort zone of the populous: ignoring their own government's extreme corruption with its puppet at the head of internal corruption.A prior example of this is when Venezuela's Health Minister, under Hugo Chavez, removed Coca-Cola's Zero sugar soda from its market. Instead of understanding the health issues of drinking diet drinks which contain aspartame, among other toxic ingredients, the socialism vs capitalism card was played and that move was considered an attack against "free enterprise".There is still a minority that understands that Putin is a dedicated nationalist and a man of his word, and not necessarily communist or capitalist man he is made out to be. His concerns are certainly more elevated than his puppet counterparts, which are owned by the major corporations of the western world. The Russian Bear has been awakened and it wants to remain clean, green and healthy.*(5) Venezuela is about sell its Oil for a basket of currencies - free from the $***http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-09-08/venezuela-about-ditch-dollar-major-blow-us-heres-why-it-mattersVenezuela Is About To Ditch The Dollar In Major Blow To US: Here's Why It Mattersby Tyler DurdenSep 8, 2017 9:45 PMAuthored by Darius Shahtahmasebi via TheAntiMedia.org,Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Thursday that Venezuela will be looking to "free" itself from the U.S. dollar next week, Reuters reports. According to the outlet, Maduro will look to use the weakest of two official foreign exchange regimes (essentially the way Venezuela will manage its currency in relation to other currencies and the foreign exchange market), along with a basket of currencies.According to Reuters, Maduro was referring to Venezuela's current official exchange rate, known as DICOM, in which the dollar can be exchanged for 3,345 bolivars. At the strongest official rate, one dollar buys only 10 bolivars, which may be one of the reasons why Maduro wants to opt for some of the weaker exchange rates."Venezuela is going to implement a new system of international payments and will create *a basket of currencies to free us from the dollar*," Maduro said in a multi-hour address to a new legislative "superbody." He reportedly did not provide details of this new proposal.Maduro hinted that the South American country would look to using the yuan instead, among other currencies."If they pursue us with the dollar, we'll use the Russian ruble, the yuan, yen, the Indian rupee, the euro," Maduro also said.Venezuela sits on the world's largest oil reserves but has been undergoing a major crisis, with millions of people going hungry inside the country which has been plagued with rampant, increasing inflation. In that context, the recently established economic blockade by the Trump administration only adds to the suffering of ordinary Venezuelans rather than helping their plight.According to Reuters, a thousand dollars' worth of local currency obtained when Maduro came to power in 2013 is now be worth little over one dollar.A theory advanced in *William R. Clark's book Petrodollar Warfare* - and largely ignored by the mainstream media - essentially asserts that *Washington-led interventions in the Middle East and beyond are fueled by the direct effect on the U.S. dollar that can result if oil-exporting countries* opt to *sell oil in alternative currencies*. For example, in 2000, Iraq announced it would no longer use U.S. dollars to sell oil on the global market. It adopted the euro, instead.By February *2003*, the Guardian reported that *Iraq had netted a "handsome profit" after making this policy change*. Despite this, the *U.S. invaded* not long after *and immediately switched the sale of oil back to the U.S. dollar.*In Libya, Muammar *Gaddafi* was punished for a similar proposal to create a unified *African currency backed by gold, which would be used to buy and sell African oil*. Though it sounds like a ludicrous reason to overthrow a sovereign government and plunge the country into a humanitarian crisis, Hillary Clinton's leaked emails confirmed this was the main reason Gaddafi was overthrown. The *French were especially concerned by Gaddafi's proposal* and, unsurprisingly, became one of the war's main contributors. (It was a French Rafaele jet that struck Gaddafi's motorcade, ultimately leading to his death).*Iran has been using alternative currencies like the yuan for some time* now and shares a lucrative gas field with Qatar, which may ultimately be days away from doing the same. Both countries have been vilified on the international stage, particularly under the Trump administration.Nuclear giants China and Russia have been slowly but surely abandoning the U.S. dollar, as well, and the U.S. establishment has a long history of painting these two countries as hostile adversaries.Now Venezuela may ultimately join the bandwagon, all the while cozying up to Russia, as well (unsurprisingly, Venezuela and Iran were identified in William R. Clark's book as attracting particular geostrategic tensions with the United States). The CIA's admission that it intends to interfere inside Venezuela to exact a change of government - combined with Trump's recent threat of military intervention in Venezuela and Vice President Mike Pence's warning that the U.S. will not "stand by" and watch Venezuela deteriorate - all start to make a lot more sense when viewed through this geopolitical lens.What initially sounded like a conspiracy theory seems to be a more plausible reality as countries that begin dropping the U.S. dollar and opting for alternative currencies continuously - and without exception - end up targeted for regime change.If the U.S. steps up its involvement in Venezuela, the reasons why should be clear to those who have been paying attention.***This moves comes just days after The BRICS Summit where Putin unveiled his "fair multipolar world," which culminated, as Pepe Escobar explained, in the followingMeet the oil/yuan/gold triad It's when President Putin starts talking that the BRICS reveal their true bombshell. Geopolitically and geo-economically, Putin's emphasis is on a "fair multipolar world", and "against protectionism and new barriers in global trade." The message is straight to the point.The Syria game-changer - where Beijing silently but firmly supported Moscow - had to be evoked; "It was largely thanks to the efforts of Russia and other concerned countries that conditions have been created to improve the situation in Syria."On the Korean peninsula, it's clear how RC think in unison; "The situation is balancing on the brink of a large-scale conflict."Putin's judgment is as scathing as the - RC-proposed - possible solution is sound; "Putting pressure on Pyongyang to stop its nuclear missile program is misguided and futile. The region's problems should only be settled through a direct dialogue of all the parties concerned without any preconditions."Putin's - and Xi's - concept of multilateral order is clearly visible in the wide-ranging Xiamen Declaration, which proposes an "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" peace and national reconciliation process, "including the Moscow Format of consultations" and the "Heart of Asia-Istanbul process".That's code for an all-Asian (and not Western) Afghan solution brokered by the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), led by RC, and of which Afghanistan is an observer and future full member.And then, Putin delivers the clincher;"Russia shares the BRICS countries' concerns over the unfairness of the global financial and economic architecture, which does not give due regard to the growing weight of the emerging economies. We are ready to work together with our partners to promote international financial regulation reforms and to overcome the excessive domination of the limited number of reserve currencies." "To overcome the excessive domination of the limited number of reserve currencies" is the politest way of stating what the BRICS have been discussing for years now; how to bypass the US dollar, as well as the petrodollar.Beijing is ready to step up the game. Soon China will launch a crude oil futures contract priced in yuan and convertible into gold.This means that Russia - as well as Iran, the other key node of Eurasia integration - may bypass US sanctions by trading energy in their own currencies, or in yuan.Inbuilt in the move is a true Chinese win-win; the yuan will be fully convertible into gold on both the Shanghai and Hong Kong exchanges.The new triad of oil, yuan and gold is actually a win-win-win. No problem at all if energy providers prefer to be paid in physical gold instead of yuan. The key message is the US dollar being bypassed.RC - via the Russian Central Bank and the People's Bank of China - have been developing ruble-yuan swaps for quite a while now.Once that moves beyond the BRICS to aspiring "BRICS Plus" members and then all across the Global South, Washington's reaction is bound to be nuclear (hopefully, not literally).Washington's strategic doctrine rules RC should not be allowed by any means to be preponderant along the Eurasian landmass. Yet what the BRICS have in store geo-economically does not concern only Eurasia - but the whole Global South.Sections of the War Party in Washington bent on instrumentalizingIndia against China - or against RC - may be in for a rude awakening. As much as the BRICS may be currently facing varied waves of economic turmoil, the daring long-term road map, way beyond the Xiamen Declaration, is very much in place.-- Peter Myers*