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vendredi, 12 janvier 2018

L'Algérie célèbre le Nouvel An berbère 2968, férié pour la première fois

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L'Algérie célèbre le Nouvel An berbère 2968, férié pour la première fois

par AFP & http://www.h24info/ma
 

Protecting the Belt and Road Initiative From US-Led Terrorism: Will China Send Troops to Syria?

Protecting the Belt and Road Initiative From US-Led Terrorism: Will China Send Troops to Syria?

Ex: https://www.stratgic-culture.org

An interesting theme concerning Syria is the involvement of the People's Republic of China in the conflict. While China’s diplomatic and economic assistance has been constant, its military contribution to Syria is less known. It is important for China and Russia to contain and defeat the terrorist phenomenon in the Middle East, as well as to defang the strategists in the US deep state who are unceasing in their efforts to employ jihadism as a weapon to destabilize Eurasia’s integration projects.

The Jihad International, under the economic and strategic guidance of the United States, has recruited tens of thousands of terrorists over the years and sent them to Syria. Among these, a significant number come from the Uighur ethnic group, situated in the autonomous Chinese province of Xinjiang, particularly from the city of Kashgar, geographically located in the extreme west and close to the borders of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.

The employment of ethnic and religious minorities to destabilize the majority of a given population has been an ancient artifice repeatedly relied upon by great powers. We thus remember how radical Islam was used in Chechnya to strike the Russian Federation at its "soft underbelly" in the south-west of the country. Two wars and repeated terrorist attacks show the area has yet to be fully pacified. The Wahhabis, a Sunni (anti-) Islamic minority, have shown themselves to be the perfect spark to ignite the tensions between Shiites and Sunnis in the Middle Eastern region and beyond. The case of the Uighur Islamist extremists in Xinjiang is no exception, and the Chinese central government is well aware of the potential danger from an internal uprising or targeted sabotage in the region. Not surprisingly, there has been a tightening of security measures in the region, with exercises against terrorist attacks and riots carried out by police and paramilitary groups. Beijing does not underestimate the danger posed by populations susceptible to foreign manipulation.

While the economic support for Uyghur Islamist separatists more likely derives from Turkey than Saudi Arabia (for historical reasons), it is worth highlighting the highly proactive attitude of China in addressing the issue. As well as beefing up internal security and having a policy of zero tolerance towards such extremist ideologies, Beijing has since 2011 been contributing economically and diplomatically to the Syrian war against the jihadists.

Official estimates place about 5,000 Chinese Uyghur terrorists in Syria, and Beijing’s strategy has reflected the one already implemented in the Russian Federation. Rather than waiting for highly trained killers to return home, it is better to confront the danger in a foreign land, thereby gaining a strategic and tactical advantage over those financing and manipulating terror, which is to say the American deep state and its military and security apparatus.

Thus far, there has been a continuous support of the Syrian government coming from Beijing, both economic and diplomatic. However, rumour over the last few weeks has it that Chinese special forces and war veterans will be deployed to Syria to eliminate the Islamist threat breathing down on China’s western border.

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As always, when Beijing decides to move, it does so under the radar, with extreme caution, especially militarily. Chinese military strategists intend not only to act pre-emptively against internal destabilization, but to also respond asymmetrically to American involvement in the South China Sea and other areas lying within the China’s sphere of influence. The insertion of Chinese troops into the Middle East (albeit in limited numbers) would signal an epochal change in the region, a change that was instigated by the Saudi-Israeli-American trio in an effort to employ controlled chaos through Islamist terrorism but which is proving to be a chaos that they are incapable of controlling.

Preventing the spread of terrorism in Asia, and more generally in Eurasia, is understandably an important goal for Russia and China, especially in view of ambitious infrastructure projects like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Much of the success of this project will depend on how well the Chinese government and its partners (Pakistan, Afghanistan and Turkey in particular) will be able to prevent destabilization through the fanning of ethnic and religious tensions along the route of the BRI, such as in Pakistan.

China’s foray into Syria will involve a few special-forces units, namely: the Shenyang Military Region Special Forces Unit, known as the "Siberian Tigers"; and the Lanzhou Military Region Special Forces Unit, known as the "Night Tigers". These units will have responsibilities for advising, training and conducting reconnaissance. Similar to the Russian engagement in Syria, Chinese involvement will remain as hidden and limited as possible. The Chinese goal, unlike the Russian one, concerns the gaining of urban-warfare experience, in addition to hunting jihadists, and more generally, to test Chinese military readiness in war conditions, experience of which is lacking in Beijing's recent experience.

China’s involvement in Syria is less obvious than that of the Russian Federation. The strategic objectives of the Chinese vary greatly from that of the Russians, especially vis-a-vis the Russian ability to project forces a long way from home.

The Chinese and Russians are increasing their operational capabilities, both in terms of defending their territorial boundaries as well as in their ability to project their power as a result of increased naval and aerospace capabilities. Syria offers Beijing the perfect opportunity to include itself in the global fight against terrorism, thereby preventing possible terrorist insurgencies at home. Further, it serves to send a clear message to rivals like the United States who might have thoughts of using Islamic terrorists to destabilize China. Beijing is aware of the perverse employment of terrorism to advance geostrategic goals by its Western adversaries and has no intention of succumbing to waves of attacks or chaos coordinated by the Western powers. Prevention is better than cure, and Russia and China seem to have completely embraced this philosophy by deciding, in different ways, to assist allies like Syria, Egypt and Libya to fight terrorism.

In terms of diplomacy and economic aid, the Sino-Russian contribution could prove decisive in linking the Middle East and North Africa to major projects under development, such as the BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) and the Eurasian Union. We are still at the preliminary stage for the time being, even as 2018 could end up being the year that major conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region end, with the prospect of economic reconstruction being at the forefront.

Living as a migrant in China: Taxes, Not Integration

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Living as a migrant in China: Taxes, Not Integration

The cost-benefit analysis is all that counts

The idea is, apparently, that the immigrants who are hiding behind the veil of the right to asylum should learn the language, acquire German culture, celebrate the same festivals, learn the history of the country, possibly even talk about the German drinking culture and thereby finally become good, perhaps even better ‘Germans.’ At the same time, of course, they should retain as much of their own culture as possible and introduce it into the new emerging society. After all, Germany is being ‘enriched’ by this very fact, at least that’s what the social engineers in the unified parties, the brought-into-line editorial offices and the countless statist think tanks say.

Now, I am also – among other things – a refugee. More precisely, an economic refugee. I went to Asia about four years ago. I quit my employment, gave up my accommodation and, on the day of departure, duly deregistered my residence and myself from the Federal Republic of Germany. I had decided to take this step because I was fed up. I didn’t want to have to pay any more taxes for a corrupt regime that would use them to support torture prisons in foreign countries, protect criminal banks from bankruptcy, let bad criminals go sailing in the Caribbean for the purpose of resocialization, to finance left-wing thugs directly, and right-wing thugs indirectly through the ‘Verfassungsschutz’ Intelligence Agency. Furthermore, I didn’t want to keep paying into a pension system from which I would, at most, receive a bowl of soup, should I ever reach the mystical retirement age.

The fact that I ended up in China is due to love – in two ways. First of all, my love for Chinese cuisine and then – more importantly – the love for my wife, who is called ‘Little Happiness.’ I also owe to my Little Happiness my permanent residence permit in the Middle Kingdom. And the ‘permanent’ is relative and tied to the duration of our marriage. Should ‘Little Happiness’ one day no longer be mine, I could face expulsion.

dragon-dance-dragon-head.jpgSeen from these vantage points, I have a lot in common with immigrants coming to Germany. Like me, they’re looking for a better life. In contrast to me, however, they believe they can find that better life in Germany.

What also distinguishes us, is the way we were received. They were officially invited by the German federal government with the approval of the official opposition. The population – at least parts of it – gave them an enthusiastic reception with balloons, teddy bears and cakes at the train stations and did not hesitate to make the beds for the much-traveled young men. No one invited me, except my wife. My arrival at the airport was not acclaimed by anyone except my wife. Nobody makes my bed, not even my wife.

Above all, however, the Chinese state has a rather different attitude towards me than the German one towards its asylum seekers. The latter provides housing, pocket money and medical care for the newcomers. Teachers of German, psychologists and cultural advisors are there to ensure that the ‘new citizens’ are integrated as soon as possible. Nobody cared about my integration, and nobody is bothered by it. Yes, even the idea that (western) foreigners should integrate into China would seem quite strange to the Chinese. The fact that a foreigner could speak their language, which is not easy to learn, seems unimaginable to most of them. It is also almost impossible to delve into the subtleties of the almost 5,000 year-old culture, to understand the subtle hints and ambiguities, to raise the tea cup to a level commensurate with the status of the person opposite, or to comprehend, let alone to imitate correctly, the implicit cycle of celebrations and behaviors during the 14-day spring festival.

At least I speak Mandarin. After a fashion. But I can communicate and get along. I have some Chinese friends, am polite and friendly, but ‘integrated’ I am not. I will always be a foreigner.

Integration is therefore neither encouraged nor required. However, there were three things I was asked to do: First of all, in order to apply for my residence permit, I had to take an extensive health test, which of course I had to pay for out of my own pocket. An HIV, TBC or hepatitis C infection would have resulted in my being quarantined and subsequently deported – also at my own expense. At the same time as I received my residence permit, I was given a list of the facts that would inevitably lead to its repeal. Criminal acts of any kind were at the top of this list. Every criminal offence means deportation, but this may only be carried out after a corresponding period of imprisonment. Thirdly, not quite a week after the residence permit was issued, the tax collectors rang my doorbell. Though my small company is based in Hong Kong, and so the taxation of my income does not fall under the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic, the residence permit was implicitly accompanied by registration as a permanent resident of an apartment, and in China the tenants pay the taxes on the respective rental income of the landlord directly themselves.

Now I don’t want to promote the tax state here. But China’s approach seems more logical to me. The country considers the practical aspects of immigration: the possible consequences for the health system, internal security and tax revenue. The cost-benefit analysis is all that counts. This is more auspicious than the discussion of any kind of integration, which depends on the good will of at least two sides and is therefore, at the end of the day, hardly calculable.

Translated from eigentümlich frei, where the original article was published on 21st February 2016.

Reprinted from Equity and Freedom.

L’Homme de cour et le Chevalier

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L’Homme de cour et le Chevalier

Bernard Plouvier
Auteur, essayiste.

Ex: https://metamag.fr

« Tous les hommes sont idolâtres, les uns de l’honneur,
les autres de l’intérêt, la plupart de leur plaisir »
Balthazar Gracian.

2017 fut l’année de la macronisation, non pas seulement des médias, mais aussi des fantasmes de jeunes hommes et de jeunes femmes entrés depuis peu dans la vie active, fascinés, ébahis, époustouflés par la carrière de notre jeune président qui parvient, mois après mois, à occuper le devant de la scène, sans jamais se renouveler.

Il peut paraître amusant de réfléchir au clinquant et à l’éphémère, opposés à l’innovation et au durable… si l’on préfère : se pencher sur l’universel antagonisme du démagogue et de l’homme d’État. Le premier s’occupe de lui-même, de son image, de sa fortune, de sa gloire. Le second cherche à résoudre une crise de civilisation ou à entraîner une Nation ou un groupe de Nations dans une grande aventure.
Soyons honnêtes : le démagogue n’est dangereux que pour les finances d’un État. L’autre peut faire la grandeur d’une Nation, mais peut aussi la mener au désastre.

Il est évident à qui étudie l’histoire ou pour n’importe quel éthologue, que l’ensemble des sociétés animales, dont l’humaine n’est que la plus élaborée, est régie par des principes féodaux. Au sommet, règne un maître unique dans les sociétés durables et bien organisées. A contrario, toute association dominée par un groupe d’individus égaux en puissance s’écroule rapidement.

Mais, dans les deux cas, le ou les maîtres commande(nt) une ou plusieurs structures pyramidales, où œuvrent, s’agitent et intriguent les ducs, dotés d’une certaine autonomie de décision administrative (civile, militaire ou religieuse), dirigeant des barons, spécialisés dans un domaine, avec au-dessous d’eux des chefs d’équipe et ainsi de suite jusqu’au plus humble emploi, jusqu’à la plus triviale fonction… et le minus habens a encore la possibilité de faire sentir sa puissance à son conjoint, à ses enfants, voire à son chien.

La féodalité étant la règle de toutes les époques et de l’ensemble du règne animal, il peut paraître intéressant de différencier les deux types extrêmes de comportement entre lesquels évoluent la totalité des humains. Étant bien entendu, que toujours et partout, l’humanité moyenne virevolte entre les deux options opposées : celui qui se plie aux effets de mode et vénère le titulaire de la Potestas (la puissance), pour faire carrière ou pour participer à une éventuelle curée, & celui dont l’honneur est de servir une noble cause, sans jamais se renier. Et c’est là que commencent les ennuis pour tout le monde. Les bonnes questions sont, toujours et partout, de savoir ce que cachent les grands mots et de déterminer ce qu’est le devoir.

Certes, il n’est pas trente-six façons d’être honnête et de conserver son honneur : de ce côté-là les choses sont simples. Mais le devoir s’oppose parfois à ces deux notions fondamentales, d’où de très gros conflits entre le sens du devoir et la conscience éthique, chez l’individu, homme ou femme – le sexe ne faisant rien à l’affaire – que l’on peut qualifier de preux. L’enthousiasme du chevalier engagé dans une grande aventure, collective ou individuelle, peut l’amener à faire ce à quoi son éthique personnelle s’opposerait dans la vie privée. Pour la cause (politique, religieuse, scientifique), certains sont prêts à sacrifier les impératifs de leur surconscience, d’autres s’y refusent.

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En revanche, l’homme de cour fera siens les mensonges petits et gros, fera siennes les confusions sémantiques à propos de certains mots, trop souvent prostitués, comme ceux de Liberté, d’Égalité, de Démocratie, de Droit(s), de Solidarité, voire de Fraternité, aux acceptions extensibles selon l’intérêt des beaux parleurs… et il faut reconnaître que, via l’économie globale et la mondialisation de la vie culturelle, nous vivons une époque privilégiée dans les registres de la duperie et du trucage.

L’opposition entre l’homme de cour ou d’appareil et le chevalier est de toutes les époques et de toutes les races. Chacun est libre de suivre ou non son programme génétique qui le prédestine à être un ambitieux ou un idéaliste, c’est affaire de libre-arbitre (le choix) et de transcendance (la critique morale du choix).

Tous les hellénistes connaissent le vers d’Eschyle : « Quel mortel reste juste s’il ne craint rien ? » (tiré des Euménides et trop souvent cité hors contexte). L’homme, la femme (ou l’individu bizarre & indéfinissable) de cour craignent le renvoi, soit la mise à l’écart des sources de l’argent facilement gagné, de la participation au pouvoir sur autrui et de la notoriété. L’esprit religieux est (en principe) maintenu dans un chemin pas trop tortueux par la peur de l’enfer et l’espoir d’un paradis. Le chevalier n’a qu’une crainte : celle de déchoir à ses yeux et à ceux des êtres qu’il aime.
Que l’on soit chef ou suiveur, à quel que rang que ce soit, le dilemme reste le même : plier par opportunisme ou demeurer jusqu’au bout un être de devoir et de conviction. Il est plus aisé – c’est ce que la majorité des humains a compris depuis la nuit des temps -, de s’adapter à son époque, soit hurler tantôt avec les loups, tantôt avec les brebis, pour le plus grand bénéfice ou du chef de meute ou du berger.

Comme rien n’est simple dans ce sujet, on laissera le lecteur libre de choisir celle des phrases antagonistes contenues dans le livre bien connu du jésuite (!) Balthazar Gracian (Maximes – L’homme de cour), publié en 1647, ce qui prouve que de longue date l’on s’interroge sur ces notions : « Une heureuse fin couronne le tout, même si l’on a usé de faux moyens pour y arriver » versus : « Tout ce qui est bon ne triomphe pas obligatoirement ».

Pour l’heure, triomphent plus que jamais le monde des apparences et la richesse divinisée.

19:42 Publié dans Définitions | Lien permanent | Commentaires (0) | Tags : homme de cour, chevalier, chevalerie, définition | |  del.icio.us | | Digg! Digg |  Facebook