what is in store for the transatlantic alliance and much much more on this edition of crossfire. cross talking some global trends i'm joined by my guest here in moscow marc sloboda he's an international affairs and security analyst we also have dimitri bobbitt she's a political analyst we spoke nick international and in cyprus we cross to alex cruciform he's the director and writer for the duran dot com are a gentleman cross talk rules in effect that means you can jump in anytime you want i always appreciate alex let me go to you first then in cyprus interesting trend going on we have european leaders speaking out about a future without the united states in terms of the security arrangements specifically nato and with the impending sanctions visa vi the iran situation some europeans were thinking out of the box for jayne's for example we have president mccrone of france talking about aggressive isolationism what's your take go ahead.

no chance that they'll be able to do anything without the united states i think it's all talk by opinion i think that you're up to. two owned by the united states and to me this is just this is all about trump you know these these leaders about crowd america these guys these neo liberals what's been left of the obama crew so to speak they just don't like trump they don't like to deal with trump they don't like his rhetoric and so you know they've got a little bit of trouble arrangement syndrome in europe but i don't think there's any chance in the near to medium term that europe can do much without the united states i think we saw that with younger i think you are went to washington and he pretty much capitulated to whatever trump wanted yeah but mark i mean i agree with alex broadly speaking but there are very specific things like energy. where the

germans and the austrians the italians etc were going to go down their own path when it comes to energy security they cannot rely upon an outside power here this is the brass tacks of it all you know european leaders can say yeah we'll spend more money on nato but they probably won't do ok so there are important rhetorical areas but there are certain policy areas that are very real yeah i agree with alex i think that what we're hearing right now is a lot of impotent whining and hand-wringing coming from the e.u. leaders it is personal every other week they're begging the united states to resume the mantle of global military germany and the transatlantic leadership as they don't have to do they don't have but they intend to wait trump out they think they can wait him out whether it's another year through years however many years they think they can wait him out they're going to continue of course with nord stream the germans are not going to back down to that project has gone ahead too far and

their energy security is a risk there is going to be no e.u. army that's a lot of hot air they can't even if it was a question when it comes to north yeah when it sanctions when it comes the nordstrom is there as the tested and i think they do not expect that to be carried through sanctions on e.u. companies when it comes to we run that they're having to deal with right now this blocking statue in from one thousand nine hundred six with cuba that reviving they know very well it will have no effect whatsoever of the big european majors told tall mayors. alliance. danielle steel they're already pulling out and they're going to replace it and i could be that we could get russia and china russia and i they're going to replace it is this really all i mean when we look at how the european leaders are reacting to trump because i would agree with you but it really at the center of this i guess is the the. the climate

accord and importantly the iran deal is they see the united states is not a partner that they can trust because they can the u.s. can change its mind it can pull out of internationally agreed treaties and agreements i agree with the market. you know basically the respond point where i agreed that you will not do anything serious to help iran i mean the european commission has just earmarked eighteen million dollars in support over a unicorn and then you were mending like you need to meet here now maybe a lot of small private enterprises huge amount of money right. so i don't expect it to be to be a significant all of the north stream to i kind of a little disagree i think it will always be under threat because you need one of the european companies has already said it would pull out of the project if the united states indeed impose sanctions on any european companies participating in it

in general i think if you take a broader look at all basically ultra liberalism is that the european union that ideology can make alliances with extremists nationalists they made an alliance with the nationalists in ukraine they met in the lines with the nationalists in point now they're called in with them when the nationalism is directed outwards not and i think is largely. yes they're making alliances with nationalists who acted against russia against china against big countries which are acted in not hostile but which are their outre liberal ideology start again and then we can make and i want to as with american national just to my mind neoconservatives the so-called neo cons they are american nationalists and basically you can make an alliance with them again struck me let's say with the you know that's why there was no criticism all of the u.s. sanctions against russia from the e.u. that criticism of the iranian sanctions but no group of them over russia's if you wrap up this point here alex to me but again. we were in broad agreement here

doesn't it just end up being empty rhetoric i mean it is just as egg on his face because you can say one thing they can talk about developing a european wide us with system but if they don't do it if they don't that's why but if they don't do it where's the credibility where's the credibility alex. doesn't have much credibility at this point and i think when e.u. leaders are talking about moving away from the u.s. i think you're exactly right but i don't think there's much to it and i think even an even more important point is that inside the e.u. they can't reach much consensus so while you can have a motto on it or merkel saying one thing you have other countries that are opposed to north stream are opposed to france and germany policies within the e.u. and that also stretches to mike gratian and other issues so the e.u. just just cannot act as a single unit to muster the strength to move away from the u.s. again because they can't even talk among themselves and with some mark. please put into perspective what is going on surrounding syria right now because depending on

who you listen to beyond and i don't i'm not talking about the mainstream media as i don't talk about it very much but there seems like a lot of rumblings going on right now go ahead ok so we're heading to a major watershed moment a flashpoint in the syrian conflict which is something we've been talking about the on the show for for well over a year now which is this is this province bordering turkey in the northwest of syria it's a mountainous area that is almost entirely under their control of h.g.'s height to head off which even the u.s. state department recognizes is out or jihadist groups of various sundry alliances that are always fighting amongst each other under the umbrella of all who sues are and the they've they've all recognized the syrian army has as finished the fight in the south and they're now moving to retake good live. supplied from turkey turkey

basically hoped to turn it into another area of turkish occupation and its proxy rule it hasn't worked so the syrian military or russian forces are marshalling their ready this storm this will be the largest battle of the syrian conflict so far there are somewhere between seventy and one hundred thousand jihadists under arms and in the a number of people that are close to the situation you're dreaming see this as a proxy confrontation because we there are reports that elements of the u.s. navy are moving closer in to the onto the coast of syria that the defense department denies that but at the same time says that they're prepared for any things like kind of want to have it both ways but is this a proxy attentional confrontation here i think it's something war basically what we can see in the next few days is a false flag chemical attack in syria which was the russian the ministry of defense

that really russian and russian minister of the kind of defense have been griping about during the last four or five days it got no traction in europe no objection in the united states pentagon said that we will strike if we if if chemical attack i think i think may happen it may come from the rebels and the white star operate in activity on that so this is the first danger that it's not only the u.s. ships operate in that two big russian military vessels have crossed the straight with. russian naval girls. in so the there will be more calming and this is becoming more and more dangerous situation but there is also another point that i would like to stress the russian foreign minister raised i think a very important issue there are documents in the u.n. security council which basically foot bit european and american air. nice to

economically how those areas of syria which are on the government control well. now to our side here a document entitled parameters and principles of u.n. assistance drawn by the direct oath but it took a fair us jeffrey but it could affect us over united nations jeffrey feltman this is a really cruel because when you're upset us we didn't destroy syria russia destroyed syria you know i read it in prophet trying to get mine of sightings that putin wants us to pay for something he destroyed this is just a lie this is who says there are bad well we're going to do that's very orwellian we can have another or william story in the second part of the program it's about john john mccain let me go to alex and finish up here owns on syria because it does look to me that this is some kind of final temped by the western powers to make a statement to be we still have mattis believe or not the defense secretary talking about a future without assad i thought we got beyond that point but no they keep going

back to that same point go ahead alex yeah they just they just can't let it go and i agree with mark in the meeting and to the point of going back on europe it's not only the united states that is making claims that they're ready to attack syria you have france and you have the u.k. jumping on board and saying that if there is a chemical weapon strike something that everyone in alternative media is screaming about for us to zero hedge everyone is saying that there is going to be a chemical weapons false flag the mainstream media is not reporting any of it but if there is yeah and if there is that you can france have also said that they will get involved well they found so it'll have to jump in here we're going to a short break and after that short break we'll continue our discussion on some global trends staying with our team.

and i'm not going to get out how can i better not out of the dug out of the not out of the mug shot of the money the day of the tonight at examiner. this was a good time to. try to move. on now mom. not that i want to get my body not why not. why x. chanting in the hall people we believe most of the o.p.'s. lot of my kids i don't want them up with johnny what are the other moment i want to tell them about how do it all accusers are there a lot of them on the way could not be old enough put out the pink i don't want to

put out a look at my work party without all the other brother. most people think just stand out in this business you need to be the first one on top of the story or the person with the loudest voice or the biggest raid in truth to stand down the news business you just need as the right questions and demand the right answer. questions. you know it's really.

i came back to the community. of people we are based on the you know the road. ok ask me about it or bible god or chant. the way. she. says you want to do it that was all that. but if you don't. know we're going to. cause i'm not topping the my life. i see around have to die. welcome back across like we're all things are considered i'm peter we're discussing

some global trends. but let me go back to alex and cyprus here aleksey when i few days ago i had a long conversation about what's going on in south africa and then lo and behold again our conversation was about the. reported murder of white farmers. the seizure of land without compensation and how the south african government is dealing with it grappling with it politically and internationally and then a number of sources particularly tucker carlson over at fox news talked about a few other people well known you tubers you and i talked about it and lo and behold the south african government seems to be pulling back your thoughts. yeah they they are taking notice and you noted in our discussion peter that it's the p.r. part that the south african government is very worried about and president trying

to tweak it brought a lot of attention to what's going on in south africa it's a very complicated issue but what we're seeing now is south africa trying to explain how the how the land expropriation what other people are calling theft is going to take place and in their comments they're saying that they're not to be taking all the land from farmers they are going to leave the land that is owned by zulu tribe members intact and then they're just going to be moving on other land they're about to take a very big piece of property with the first land seizure from a guy named yohann steenkamp and the funny thing about his lead is that he bought it twenty years ago at all after the massacre of governments right after apartheid sacked after apartheid they're not going to compensate him whatsoever and he said that he will defend he will defend his lead well so i think they really heating up so much for the rule of law thoughts on this mark. it's a complicated issue to say seventy two percent of farmland in south africa is owned

by whites and they are ninety percent of the population the land restitution act was originally in the acted to restore land that had been seized from black farmers during the decades long rule by the a part of the u.s. and u.k. backed apartheid regime it seems there have been some excesses towards that and a lot of it is has actually happened a lot of it has simply been political rhetoric from within some of the more extremist members of the african national congress and that is what maybe has been walk back more than anything else trump has blown this all out of proportion in an attempt to rally his the white nationalist part of his base meanwhile. or maybe speaking out for the rule of law mark i think that goes a bit too far but i think well there is no way that there are so many people that if we just lost exactly and you need to have a conversation about that you can't it's not what how do you start it's complicated

demon well i would like to point some of our attention to the police and told the european union to vote because when the land seizures where underway in zimbabwe it could point and the e.u. who created mugabe there was a lot of those about it in the media no there is bad anything and what is very important talking about human rights violations you know africa david cameron when he wasn't polish several years ago suggest that stopping any economic aid to those african countries which do not recognize single sex marriage which is a cruel decision because a lot of african countries all mostly him and again africa doesn't have to be on the same standard with the u.k. you know you can't jump to a condor three hundred years but came out and did it he enforced it i don't know thirty. me and i would go america there at the same time tour in africa right now and they don't even mention it they just see that they you know there's

a maid is very proud of the zero point seven or their budget for help to the developing countries huge amount of money right and then i want to talking about quality a lot of africa and they don't respond to questions the african union was against. the what's up but what's your message not doing some of the whole mantra is that you accept western values and you accept. a western tradition when it comes to racism being anti-racist the rule of law eccentric cetera that's the reason why do they don't want to talk about it ok because all these issues in south africa are in play and as mark said it's complicated as well i would say that you have to be a part of a fashionable minority whites insult their anonymous minority but they're not fashionable hell they're not victims enough for liberals to care about this is a big topic i'm going to stay on and alex i want to go back to you talking about

human rights i'm reading a title. from the from the the washington post by a woman a woman named jennifer rubin the human rights community lost a champion. who is she talking about oh there's a picture of john mccain your thoughts a picture of john mccain standing next to all like chant of bach the neo nazi leader of you who form the social nationalist party and then went on to form some abode and one is one of the three big leaders that mccain who even the ones going mainstream media grudgingly admit is a neo nazi alex jump and a picture is worth a thousand words and i think. it's ridiculous to see everyone left and right from hillary clinton to john lewis to bernie sanders. cause you know cortez raising job mccain as as a peacemaker as

a man of peace. i do people have people for god in libya syria ukraine iraq bob bomb iran i mean it's it's comical at this point you know it's you know the demon is you know john mccain was an exemplar of of american foreign interventions military interventions around the world and the interesting thing is that just about every single intervention john mccain supported and it up in failure and misery what you have is you don't you don't see that in the washington post just don't see in the voting polls you see also david ignatius who is praising mccain for being against climate change and he quotes of mccain a sane voice thing i can do is still sell my soul to the devil i won't do it even forty publican each well you know because i don't back that statement out of thousands of people killed in vietnam and i can never be pent up for that and he

did not sell his soul to the devil now i think there is a very interesting story about that i think we should all thank mccain for not inviting mr. mark has just mentioned down who called for at the exit is jewels in their great mccain didn't ask him to carry his question but he asks caro moves up a prominent liberal activist who suggested putting all the reach businessman even on the portrait regime under sanctions in the united states and europe he will be carrying mccain's coffin on mccain's personal way to teach and i saw that it's like about twenty people you know how can they carry all of that i thought it would be the poli way when i have it i have it for you ok so. who thought the son of the. bin ladin mentor had this to say twitter

he paid tribute to mccain and said that his death is very suspicious cummings right now no i don't consider it the honorable stance he has taken towards the revolution of al-qaeda in syria. yes funeral for several months really and as we all know that donald trump isn't going to go there all right i want to change gears i want to talk about north korea. we've heard from media reports that a belligerent letter came from north korea to the state department about what motives and and questions the administration may have about pursuing this peace process here well it's a very sketchy media reports and interprete ing it seems to be a bit murky as well go ahead alex. yeah the media letter was interpreted by reuters who kicked it off by calling it belligerent and i was in their title they have

since retracted the word belligerent from their title because the real contents came out and it was anything but belligerent basically north korea was just asking the trumpet ministration we have three points that we agreed upon what's going on with these three points how are we moving forward and so this was this was a really poor attempt to frame the narrative that north korea was threatening the united states. and mark it's as if the media and the left don't want a peace process to be put into place and i guess the deep state is that want to lose all those contracts that it's had for decades pouring money into the korean peninsula yeah i think part of this is simply because this is seen as trump's admissions go off and even bucking his own administration that at this point the democrats have called so far in bed with the neo cons that you can't even tell recently even on which side of the bed at this point but what north korea asked is

simply we've agreed on three points following the singapore statement and the power that cooperation between north korea and south korea that we start improving relations we signed a priest three d. finally ending the north korean or decades later then we start talking about didn't it glitter as ation of the peninsula the whole putting the whole peninsula and then you know this is predictable the trump administration wants to drop this because you know again i saw this is trump's initiative that his own his own neo con administration wasn't behind but what's important going forward is how south korea and moony reaction to this do they madison announced that u.s. military drills will wreak amendes on the peninsula is south korea going to play along that's what i want to know the westward. just polluted she said that the united states ran out of the twenty eighth you know and this was. the one from kim

jong known from. the vice chairman of north korea and that there's been a different and the us america saw us south korean military exercises every year on the korean peninsula and right we've kind of thousands of troops with the most sophisticated weapons test that you know weapons that can destroy pyongyang on the in several minutes this is not but he didn't just to let the from here but i think what's really until going to finish on this point you i think what's really interesting what we've said on this program from the very beginning really it's what's at the what's most important here is how the two koreas engage each other keep your eye on that that's all the time we have many thanks to my guests here in moscow and in cyprus this is the end of our broadcast segments stay with us for the extended version on our you tube channel see you next time and remember cross talk groups.

it was you know provision out of my pocket i wanted to. ask but i. owe. your so you'll know i lost his boss because i just got the. resources you know . any. better but that's honest. so i says you know you're not. you know just i mean my most important i'm already but i've spent a lot of the media and eat. it up as i might say i mean

i just don't get it i'm getting letters but those were the. one of the. just. my family fussing about my just but that's already yes equestrian in the thought of getting out there calling you seem to mean to. me just got to go he. gave americans a lot of new job opportunities i needed to come up here to make some money like me twenty five thousand dollars as a teacher or i could make fifty thousand dollars

a year with trucks so i chose to drive trucks people who rushed to a small town in north dakota was an unemployment rate of zero percent like gold rush is very very similar to a gold rush but this beautiful story ended with pollution and devastation a lot of people have left here i don't know too many people here and slowdowns for much the last two shots not laid off the american dream is changing that's not what it used to be. it's a tie. reality. ten

days ahead of sweden's general election flares at a rally where a parliamentary candidate claims he was attacked by a migrant. nobel committee says the prime minister should keep price despite a un report on the mass killing of the country's branded minority. information on the murder of russian journalists in the central african republic had serious security lapses in the preparation of the trip. and the people in white declaring war on the yellow ribbons in the spanish city.