As an old man I've acquired a heightened sense of when someone is trying to blow smoke my ass, I got that warm feeling from The Duran fairly early on. I don't think there's a chance in hell they would ever let you on their show or have any public discourse with you, It would completely destroy their current gig. Just keep speaking the truth and have faith in the power of it, you'll eventually be heard.
Alex christophoru speaks Russian and lived in Russia. We chatted with him on vk a year ago, I sent him strelkov analysis and Marcos and he didn't give a fuck. Duran know the real situation but they are malicious or paid by the spooks
RT is bragging about how much more money Russian billionaires are making. "Russian businessmen saw their profits soar last year despite the pressure of Western sanctions." Should a government media outlet publish that rich people are getting richer, while men are getting crippled fighting at the front? And why are billionaires in Russia getting richer when the war is underfunded?
The Duran unbelievably never covered COVID. Mercouris is a disbarred lawyer who's made a new career for himself as a political pundit and is clearly very compromised. Having anything to do with them is just a complete waste of time imho.
I will post a link to you in the comments of every duran, ritter and macgregor YT vid I can pull up in the next half hour.
edit: I've posted quite a number. Most recently on judge napolitano. Now I think he's a good man looking for truth. If he happens to read my comment there's a chance he'll pick up. That would be good. Right now he simply swallows Ritter et al but you can tell he's still thinking, still looking...
The Judge is a pretty cagey old guy who doesn't always show his cards. He surely knows that Ritter has a long, ongoing beef with the government over putting him in prison for two years as a sex offender in a sting operation. Wikipedia has a pretty interesting write-up on Ritter's history. Ritter, like other whistleblowers, does have good cause to be plenty pissed off at the US government. But that may well color his analysis of the war, making him less than objective.
Sometimes it seems like the Duran, Macgregor, Ritter, et al are "controlled opposition" but actually I think they fear a Russian defeat as much as I do because it would mean unfettered NWO tyrrany, AI control and all the things the Satanists in the West/NATO want to pull off...
My impression is that both sides are just trying to eliminate as many humans as possible under the guise of war....humans that could prove troublesome in the coming new reality
They are just clowns that want to make name for themselves by pretending to be know it alls, but with a slight alternative viewpoint you dont hear in the MSM. Which isnt that hard to do since the west banned any pro Russian media like RT ect. I was listening to scott ritter last year ago and he made to many claims that turned out to be false. According to him the Russians should be on the Polish borders in western Ukraine by now. You see you need to control both sides of the narrative in order to keep up the threatre.
I hate that guy. When there is a multi-person interview he sighs continually and otherwise his speech pattern is broken and condescending. But I might watch him squirm if someone with a more rounded level of information were to be added to his clown routine.
The chris guy is more palatable, but I stopped listening to him more than a year ago. More drama than anything. But hey, that's what most of these so called conservative stimulated audience wants - more stimulation and less hard confronting information.
You are doing the right thing by running this blog.
Russian speaking or not, if someone wants to know the truth, they'll find it. I'm betting half the people who read you and comment here don't speak Russian.
I found it odd that at the start of the SVO Ritter, Macregor, the Duran and guys like them became popular as if on cue. I was drawn to them at the beginning, but the rose-colored glasses only stayed on for so long. After 6 months I started asking questions about the gains and direction of the war which led me to this blog. Since day one I believe Russia should have ended the conflict within the first few months. But that would be in a world without the massive corruption and oligarchs running the show.
I know several boomers who still try to hype me up on Ritter and Macgregor even after I question their reasoning. I just shake my head. It's easier for them to keep their heads in the sand.
I think y'all are being way to hard on The Duran. Considering that it's just two guys, I think they do a great job. Sure they make mistakes, who doesn't. Lighten up a little bit. At least they are trying to tell the truth as they see it. A lot of what they come up with I find very enlightening.
Anyone following The Duran understands the Russian point of view in attacking Ukraine. As to the progress of the war, with all due respect, if the Russians and in particular the Russian government doesn't take steps to get the truth for themselves, it's definitely going to be their asses in the most literal sense.
Christoforou founded 2 failed startups, Wadja and Blinkchat, before he became a geopolitical expert. He also grew up in Queens then lived in a shithole outside Tucson.
Somehow at around the same time about 5 years ago they both became commenters on RT. I have no idea how the fuck that happened. Then they collaborated and started a YouTube channel in which they shilled their coffee mugs and t shirts. Thanks to the war this partnership has evolved into a successful, if often retarded, alternative media enterprise.
Ritter has some obvious mental handicap or is a degenerate pervert as he has been arrested many times for underage online honeypots and went to prison following his last offense.
Napolitano is a homosexual, even on his Wikipedia page it mentions that he is single now since his partner died, probably of AIDS but that's just a guess on my part. Here is an interesting link about Napolitano.
Let's see, what can I tell you about myself? Well, I'm not a faggot, grifter or pedpohile/ex con for starters. I also have 3k followers on Gab while you have 8 followers since 2017 on Twitter. Now fuck off with the retarded comments, Wanda, and get your ass back in the kitchen
Thanks for the relocation recommendation but I have long since moved from the US for greener pastures to a country that does not worship the anus, the negro ot the chicken swinger . Furthermore, the only political donation I ever made in my life was to Pat Buchanan which kind of shits on your labeling of me as a commie. Lastly, calling me a faggot for calling out another faggot is a level of retardation that I didn't think was possible . Give my regards to your MAGA crew in the trailer park
You have got to be kidding! Napolitano a queer? He has been taking it up the ass all these years? I have heard everything now. Next Putin will be sodomizing bears.
"Another question that I have for these people is why they do not simply work for Russian state media? I mean, their talking points are identical to Russian state media. How anyone can call them an alternative media project then can only be explained by a complete misunderstanding of terms. Yes, Russian state media is an alternative to Western state media, but is it “alternative” in the sense that it presents a non-state-affiliated point of view?"
A perfect question which at this point is probabaly rhetorical. The way you need to view the word "alternative" is alternative to what? Alexander Mercouris and his buddy Alex Christoforou are amiable YouTubers with a nice size following who provide an "alternative" to Western MSM, but "not" an alternative to Russia's or China's state-run MSM.
NSA/Youtube is a very interesting "habitat" as within it dwells various nuanced propaganda channels attacking viewers from multiple directions.
The "two" Alexanders are targeting mainly the West, but also those who for the most part don't need a VPN to watch them. And like any good propagandist, or "limited hangout" you'd tend to agree with much of what they're saying as they interweave some accurate facts with misinformation but carefully omit key data.
I mean, who would not want to end needless imperialist wars, or reform a government rife with corruption. Two of their running themes.
However, that doesn't mean these guys are required to really spell out what they do want. That you'll need to intuit. Maybe, it's as simple as living a comfortable life within the "new" multipolar authoritarian technocracy.
But who can really know anyone's true intentions. Double agent, triple agent-- the Google/NSA fun house is a hall of mirrors. 😵💫
That being said, the same nuanced newspeak takes place by "US Youtubers" who are supposedly providing a Leftist or conservative point of view about America.
With this in mind, I'd say be slightly suspicious of any "political channels," still left standing (also standing right😁) as any Youtuber who truly threatens the "Global Empire" is quickly banished. Hence, carry a "sizeable sifter" as some of the stuff you'll be listening to is valid, but a lot of it is the usual agitprop cleverly packaged and marketed in a fresh, or maybe not so fresh way.
I would be wary of any Anglophone YouTubers in general, they all seem either naïve & apolitical or plainly brain-damaged with memes & anime. A country of Eloi living in perfect peace & prosperity, what else would one expect? America has no history & no politics - two things that are kind of crucial to understanding a... historical process.
Sure, sure Russia is fighting against the Great Satan, but it's an angelic view from space. The nitty-gritty details are unsightly. And then you add to that that Russia is a soulless, thrice post-apocalyptic country of cripples, half-wigger & half-Marxist, and it's a mess.
If the circumstances regarding the Ukraine conflict weren't so dismal it would be amusing listening to a multitude of propagandists going at their infowar.
Quite frankly, even conceding your report on the dismal state of the Russian military, I don't understand your tremendous anger at Marcouris.
I don't think anyone here disputes the truth of Alexander's reporting on the reasons for the Russian attack on Ukraine. Everyone who follows the Duran in the slightest understands the Russian attack was prompted by the aggression of the Ukraine government towards the Russian-speaking regions of Donbass and the moves of Ukraine towards de facto and de jure membership in NATO.
The real fury comes with The Duran reporting on the course and conduct of the war by the Russians. Let's say The Duran is in fact covering up for an incompetent and corrupt Russian military in dire danger of being overrun by the Ukraine army. The primary audience of the Duran are English speaking populations and Western Europe. If this audience thinks Russia is doing better than it actually is, it will be more motivated to get their governments to cut off support of the Ukraine war effort. I'm not saying I'm in favor of telling untruths. I'm looking at the effects.
On the other hand, if people in the Russian government or population are depending on the Duran as the primary source of their information on the progress of the war, they have bigger problems than the misleading information from the Duran on the war progress.
The term collective West is becoming a bit tiresome. The Duran duo should think about coming up with something a bit more fresh. 😁
The YouTube infowars simplistically coral followers into two groups. However, are there really two opposing enemies? Perhaps, it's just a bunch of crooks hassling over plunder and a bigger seat at the phony baloney multipolar table. If the SMO was really on the up and up then why is Russia suppling Ukraine with energy, why didn't Russia attack Ukraine's main infrastructure. And why didn't the Kremlin say anything when Finland joined NATO.
The US obliterated Iraq in a few hours. However, the Ukraine conflict is a protracted mess. The whole thing is a bit odd. It's unfortunate since hundreds of thousands are losing their lives and it's certainly not for denazifying Ukraine as Russia traded hundreds of Azov Battalion fellows for an oligarch.
Another very important issue-- why is Russia following the WEF's agenda and obediently becoming a biosecurity surveillance state. Both China and Russia are feverishly working on mRNA toxic technologies and all the other Fourth Industrial Revolution junk. It seems to me, that the rulers of Russia, US, and China are in agreement on how to repress their own citizenry and the Ukraine conflict is just being used to accelerate a planned economic restructuring which will just screw over the proles.
Loved your comment. All I was saying is that the Duran have a positive influence where they are really influential: to the English-speaking West and Western Europe. As to your points on the problems with Russia and Russian conduct of the war and its buy-in to the WEF. They are completely valid. And they have to be addressed by Russians. It doesn't really matter what Western critiques of internal Russian policy are. Except to say if someone is planning on moving to Russia as a reaction against the obviously globalist, anti-nationalist program of the Biden regime: think twice or three times before idealizing Russia uncritically.
"And they have to be addressed by Russians. It doesn't really matter what Western critiques of internal Russian policy are."
This is where we disagree. The Duran and other Western propagandists are painting an "idealized" image of China, Russia, and multipolarism while neglecting to mention that "global governance" via biosecurity surveillance and a central bank digital currency is underway, thereby giving a false sense of hope regarding the true picture of a future world which will actually be an authoritarian digitalized nightmare.
Well, I guess it had to come to this: everyone is at each others throats! Its a pity, but apparently, it is human nature. Why, for fucks sake, can we not coexist without tearing each other down? Why can´t we accept opposing views without demonizing those who dare to utter them?
For the record, I get much useful food for thought from sources like the Duran, Martyanov, Escobar, Ritter et al. Lira is one man I can´t endure for more than 5 minutes, but he has a right to say what he says.
On the other hand, I very much appreciate Slavsquat´s contributions and I just came across Rolo on my journey. But why in hell they all are at each other´s throats - I just can´t wrap my head around.
We are all adults, we don´t have to take Mercouris or Ritter as gospel truth. True, they have boxed themselves into a corner they will have a hard time escaping from if or when the shit hits the fan, contrary to their expectations. But so will Rolo and Strelkov, if things don´t turn out according to their gospel.
Thing is: we all don´t know at this point what is really happening. All writers, bloggers and analysts have something positive to contribute, but let´s not forget EVERYONE is pretty much tapping in the dark at this point. History will ultimately reveal what the hell is happening.
As much as time allows, I take it all in and form my own conclusions (which keep on changing).
I urge everyone to do so as well and stop the mudslinging.
Let me add my compliments to those who posted links to the Slavland Chronicles on the Duran comments so those interested, like myself, could follow this point of view and reporting stream.
🤬 Jaws should be excused for taking a permanent residence on the floor. Not to forget, whatever gen this warfare is when neatly codified, its major battlefield is our collective mind.
🗨 Yes, there is a “divide.” A great divide. A chasm. A schism. A gulf. An abyss. A gaping, yawning, unbridgeable fissure. A Grand Canyon-sized fault in the foundation of society. A rupture in the very fabric of reality. ~~CJ Hopkins
PS Whoish! Sports all the right phonetic undertones 🤣
Mercouris was disbarred years back as an attorney in London, so thread lightly with your - Mercouris is more or less an honest man..
Duran boys simply cater to their audience, which is mostly westerners disillusioned with the west. They want to hear about positive utopia and are happy to listen to Mercouris for one full hour talking in circles (obviously done for more ad-breaks). Utopia being the east with its anti LGBT stance and still christian. So the Duran provides - always positive light about Russia, never I mean NEVER discuss horrendous things going on in Russia - ESGs, CBDC, biosecurity, covid etc.
Since Prigozhin interview is not positive about Russia ---> Duran boys largely ignore it..
I won't pretend to be an expert on Mercouris past, I hardly remember my own:). Here's an extract from some law site about his case -
Alexander Mercouris was instructed by beautician Lorna Jamous in 2008 to sue Westminster City Council for compensation after her son was taken into care. Mercouris convinced her to reject a £5,000 settlement, but then told her the offer had been increased to £983,000. He subsequently forged a letter from Baroness Hale, now a Supreme Court Judge, stating that she was concerned the money had not been paid. He then claimed that his brother had stolen the money. And then he said that bogus police officers kidnapped him and brought him before the then Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, who offered him £50,000 to drop the case. Mercouris was reported to the Bar Standards Board and disbarred.
Seems like a wild west attorney whose gift of imagination did not serve him too well in Square Mile.
Thank you for that. I am very pleased to have it and very convinced by it.
As with Scott Ritter it has always worried me this condemning, abusing of them, this scurrilous usage of them.
Though I am done with them in the context of gaining information on the progress of the Ukraine conflict and all its relevant facts that is only because I don't see they contribute anything new.
Not because I think of them as in any way reprehensible characters.
And in fact I think Mercouris does offer some good new perspicacious information from time to time however it is not about the war it is about the doings of various politicians and Departments. Good, but not the area I'm looking for info on.
That people have suffered reverses and made errors in their lives and are now attempting to make new lives for themselves pursuing completely different careers is no case for condemnation. Rather something like the reverse: if you choose to condemn on that basis then it is you who are contemptible.
If they sound like the Russian media, they are probably paid for their services. If there is a real Ukrainian offensive and a lackluster response from Russia then this will become obvious. Prigozhin could also be depicting a distorted picture for the enemy. I guess we’ll soon find out.
It has long been clear to me that there's something very shonky about all the 'respected, established' commentators such as those you mention. They'd be the big three: Duran, Macgregor and Ritter.
Simply because of this simple thing:
It is a war of propaganda, first and foremost, right?
This is: lies and deception. Right?
That in fact is what the big three keep maintaining: that the msm narrative is a lie, is deception.
Sounds good thus far. BUT they never take to task, never mention, the biggest lie which of course is simply that we have a war of inexcusable unbridled aggression by Russia onto Ukraine.
Which propaganda line, of course, serves to convince the unthinking, unknowing masses that they are looking at a simple conflict of Massive Bully Russia against Tiny Hero Ukraine.
And they fund the war on that premise alone!
All is deception onward from that deception.
They think they 'support Ukraine' when of course they are supporting Kiev Ukraine murdering Donbas Ukraine.
They think Kiev is fighting Russians when mostly they fight a mixture and for a year they fought in the front lines almost entirely Donbas Ukrainians (with Russians manning artillery in the background).
And so on.
Readers here don't need it all spelled out for them I hope.
Now the point is that 'big three' never couch their language to reflect the reality, the truth.
They always: ALWAYS use the MSM and Kiev and Washington terminology.
It is always 'Ukraine v Russia' to them. It is always 'Ukrainians' fighting 'Russian aggression' and so on.
Get the point?
So when they highlight military deficiencies on the part of Kiev what is the upshot? A move, a tendency towards withdrawing support from the war? Some pleasure at the thought that maybe now it can proceed to an end?
No. It simply seems to be an argument for INCREASING support!
The thickheads in the street dimly perceiving the news interpret it as simply meaning Ukraine (their 'Ukraine' ) needs more.
Ritter and Macgregor especially overtly claiming to be preaching for abandoning the mess as misguided and hopeless, their 'cover story', IN FACT promote a story whereby the 'right thing' is to forever increase aid to Kiev!
I am totally convinced by that. I hope everyone is.
Ritter et al are not. I've written it enough times in their columns and they alter their behaviour not a bit.
So I have one other bone of contention with them.
They never, ever, call for moves towards peace. Never have and never do.
They do not count the cost. Except 'incidentally' when comparing numbers as part of the above.
But the overt lunacies of 'fighting to the last man' for the sake of the nation they never bring to light as strong arguments for stopping everything.
They do nothing - nothing - to promote peace in any way.
In fact.
When you stop, pull back, take a look at them, listen, hear, see what they say.
They are CIA assets whether by accident or design I do not know, but in effect for certain sure.
I am starting to consider the perspective that there is indeed some sort of Western intelligence agenda behind the disinfo. It is still murky in my mind though.
Every single broadcast Alexander makes, he calls for negotiating a peace with Ukraine, basically on Russian terms. Every single one. I see no evidence whatsoever, and I listen to their broadcasts regularly, to support your contention that The Duran is an intelligence asset with the unstated purpose of increasing support for the Ukraine war effort.
It has been quite a while since I looked at either of their videos. It certainly was not the case that they called for peace. Certainly not.
And what Mercouris at least ALWAYS did was couch the conflict in terms of 'Ukraine v Russia' - always referring to 'Russian' forces. All through 2022 when the trenches were manned almost exclusively by Donbas Ukrainian forces.
This, of course, reinforces in the mind of the casual viewer that incorrect view of the situation promulgated by the evil empire. That is is a Russian invasion of Ukraine. And the instinctive and natural, even, view of such people of such a situation is that it is right to back the invaded and the smaller party.
That the invaded were the Donbas Ukrainians and that they are the smaller party was a thing and is a thing still unkown to them.
Hence they did nothing to stem the flow of 'help' to Kiev.
Hence the video by default assisted the evil empire's view, narrative, propaganda, deception.
My contention was never that 'the duran is an intelligence asset with the unstated purpose of increasing support for the Ukrainian war effort'. If you read it that way I suggest you desist from reading such columns as these until you have completed a course in English comprehension at least and preferably also logical critical thinking and analysis.
I declare and illustrate that the presented material of the duran and mercouris, as with Ritter and Macgregor is such that in the end on the superficial level where the mass of the populace (and the entirety of the govt and MSM ) are it merely presents a picture of Ukraine losing badly and this will the more readily be interpreted by the masses as simply an obvious need for more support for 'Ukraine'. 'Ukraine' in quotes because, again, it really is 'Kiev Ukraine' though Biden, the US govt. the MSM and every lunatic reporter uses the word as though it meant all Ukrainians - despite the armed forces of 10 million of them desperately fighting off this 'support' with all they've got and with the help of the only friends they can find: the Russians.
If this is not clear to you I refer you to my earlier suggestion. I rather think we're done.
"They are CIA assets whether by accident or design I do not know, but in effect for certain sure."
"My contention was never that 'the duran is an intelligence asset with the unstated purpose of increasing support for the Ukrainian war effort'. If you read it that way I suggest you desist from reading such columns as these until you have completed a course in English comprehension at least and preferably also logical critical thinking and analysis."
Huh?
Your logic seems to be that "The Duran insufficiently emphasizes the bulk of the fighting on the Russian side was done by the Donbass militias. Because the Duran insufficiently emphasizes that the larger Ukraine attacked the smaller Donbass, it naturally follows that the West should support the smaller entity and therefore the West should support Ukraine against Russia." Note the quote is not a quote of yours, but a summary of your position as I am able to interpret it.
Consider the possibility that the Duran actually support the Russian objectives in keeping Ukraine out of NATO and in preventing the massacre of Russian speaking inhabitants of Donbass, even if it means implicitly supporting Russia against Ukraine.
I admit not EVERY video advocates negotiating a peace, but many of them do.
I'll repeat my point: as far as Americans and Europeans go, the influence of the Duran is hugely beneficial: it states and restates the ways in which Russia was pushed into war. As far as the actual conduct of the war and the effectiveness of the Russian military, the Duran can be totally wrong. But, that must be decided by Russians.
As an old man I've acquired a heightened sense of when someone is trying to blow smoke my ass, I got that warm feeling from The Duran fairly early on. I don't think there's a chance in hell they would ever let you on their show or have any public discourse with you, It would completely destroy their current gig. Just keep speaking the truth and have faith in the power of it, you'll eventually be heard.
Alex christophoru speaks Russian and lived in Russia. We chatted with him on vk a year ago, I sent him strelkov analysis and Marcos and he didn't give a fuck. Duran know the real situation but they are malicious or paid by the spooks
You can write to him on vk or if you want I can send him this link
Please do, I dont have a dedicated rolo account on there.
The link is sent. Shall I write Texas bentley so that he checks his email for your invite?
Just a bit on the naive side, sorry. If you don't agree with Strelkov's (also rather naive) analysis, you're malicious or a spook?
RT is bragging about how much more money Russian billionaires are making. "Russian businessmen saw their profits soar last year despite the pressure of Western sanctions." Should a government media outlet publish that rich people are getting richer, while men are getting crippled fighting at the front? And why are billionaires in Russia getting richer when the war is underfunded?
https://www.rt.com/business/575113-russian-billionaires-ranks-grow/
This is the real question.
The Duran unbelievably never covered COVID. Mercouris is a disbarred lawyer who's made a new career for himself as a political pundit and is clearly very compromised. Having anything to do with them is just a complete waste of time imho.
Can't be kicked off of youtube now can we? Need that grift
I will post a link to you in the comments of every duran, ritter and macgregor YT vid I can pull up in the next half hour.
edit: I've posted quite a number. Most recently on judge napolitano. Now I think he's a good man looking for truth. If he happens to read my comment there's a chance he'll pick up. That would be good. Right now he simply swallows Ritter et al but you can tell he's still thinking, still looking...
The Judge is a pretty cagey old guy who doesn't always show his cards. He surely knows that Ritter has a long, ongoing beef with the government over putting him in prison for two years as a sex offender in a sting operation. Wikipedia has a pretty interesting write-up on Ritter's history. Ritter, like other whistleblowers, does have good cause to be plenty pissed off at the US government. But that may well color his analysis of the war, making him less than objective.
I agree...the Judge is a fair man who just wants to expose how incredibly corrupt the US government is
Very good. I first saw something by Rolo two or three weeks ago when I saw a link to him. It may have been yours.
Don't forget Andre Martyanov. He is 5D to the core.
Sometimes it seems like the Duran, Macgregor, Ritter, et al are "controlled opposition" but actually I think they fear a Russian defeat as much as I do because it would mean unfettered NWO tyrrany, AI control and all the things the Satanists in the West/NATO want to pull off...
My impression is that both sides are just trying to eliminate as many humans as possible under the guise of war....humans that could prove troublesome in the coming new reality
They are just clowns that want to make name for themselves by pretending to be know it alls, but with a slight alternative viewpoint you dont hear in the MSM. Which isnt that hard to do since the west banned any pro Russian media like RT ect. I was listening to scott ritter last year ago and he made to many claims that turned out to be false. According to him the Russians should be on the Polish borders in western Ukraine by now. You see you need to control both sides of the narrative in order to keep up the threatre.
We all fear a Russian defeat. But the 1st step to victory is acknowledging truth.
I hate that guy. When there is a multi-person interview he sighs continually and otherwise his speech pattern is broken and condescending. But I might watch him squirm if someone with a more rounded level of information were to be added to his clown routine.
The chris guy is more palatable, but I stopped listening to him more than a year ago. More drama than anything. But hey, that's what most of these so called conservative stimulated audience wants - more stimulation and less hard confronting information.
You are doing the right thing by running this blog.
Russian speaking or not, if someone wants to know the truth, they'll find it. I'm betting half the people who read you and comment here don't speak Russian.
I found it odd that at the start of the SVO Ritter, Macregor, the Duran and guys like them became popular as if on cue. I was drawn to them at the beginning, but the rose-colored glasses only stayed on for so long. After 6 months I started asking questions about the gains and direction of the war which led me to this blog. Since day one I believe Russia should have ended the conflict within the first few months. But that would be in a world without the massive corruption and oligarchs running the show.
I know several boomers who still try to hype me up on Ritter and Macgregor even after I question their reasoning. I just shake my head. It's easier for them to keep their heads in the sand.
I think y'all are being way to hard on The Duran. Considering that it's just two guys, I think they do a great job. Sure they make mistakes, who doesn't. Lighten up a little bit. At least they are trying to tell the truth as they see it. A lot of what they come up with I find very enlightening.
Anyone following The Duran understands the Russian point of view in attacking Ukraine. As to the progress of the war, with all due respect, if the Russians and in particular the Russian government doesn't take steps to get the truth for themselves, it's definitely going to be their asses in the most literal sense.
Agree, Charles.
Mercouris is a disbarred lawyer
https://www.rollonfriday.com/news-content/barrister-turned-tv-pundit-who-was-disbarred-over-fake-kidnap-plot-sued
Christoforou founded 2 failed startups, Wadja and Blinkchat, before he became a geopolitical expert. He also grew up in Queens then lived in a shithole outside Tucson.
Somehow at around the same time about 5 years ago they both became commenters on RT. I have no idea how the fuck that happened. Then they collaborated and started a YouTube channel in which they shilled their coffee mugs and t shirts. Thanks to the war this partnership has evolved into a successful, if often retarded, alternative media enterprise.
Ritter has some obvious mental handicap or is a degenerate pervert as he has been arrested many times for underage online honeypots and went to prison following his last offense.
Napolitano is a homosexual, even on his Wikipedia page it mentions that he is single now since his partner died, probably of AIDS but that's just a guess on my part. Here is an interesting link about Napolitano.
https://nypost.com/2020/09/28/judge-andrew-napolitano-forced-nj-man-into-bdsm-games-lawsuit/
And what’s your point here , not looking UK Daily Mail from some
nobody , but excuse me , why don’t you tell us about yourself & we will see if you qualify to give us this trashy personal information.
Let's see, what can I tell you about myself? Well, I'm not a faggot, grifter or pedpohile/ex con for starters. I also have 3k followers on Gab while you have 8 followers since 2017 on Twitter. Now fuck off with the retarded comments, Wanda, and get your ass back in the kitchen
Pitiful dumb low IQ American shithead
Napolitano is married! . .
Wrong, retard! , unless you call living with his deceased fag boyfriend James Sheil "married"
Hehe! . . You commie steamer, Go live in Russia, faggott! . . ;- )
Thanks for the relocation recommendation but I have long since moved from the US for greener pastures to a country that does not worship the anus, the negro ot the chicken swinger . Furthermore, the only political donation I ever made in my life was to Pat Buchanan which kind of shits on your labeling of me as a commie. Lastly, calling me a faggot for calling out another faggot is a level of retardation that I didn't think was possible . Give my regards to your MAGA crew in the trailer park
Yeah, your good,. good for fuck all! . . (grin) . . P.S We don't have trailer parks in London! . . ;- )
You have got to be kidding! Napolitano a queer? He has been taking it up the ass all these years? I have heard everything now. Next Putin will be sodomizing bears.
I also never knew the judge was gay. Big if true
Ok , can we just forget the personal crap , it’s such an American distraction.
"Another question that I have for these people is why they do not simply work for Russian state media? I mean, their talking points are identical to Russian state media. How anyone can call them an alternative media project then can only be explained by a complete misunderstanding of terms. Yes, Russian state media is an alternative to Western state media, but is it “alternative” in the sense that it presents a non-state-affiliated point of view?"
A perfect question which at this point is probabaly rhetorical. The way you need to view the word "alternative" is alternative to what? Alexander Mercouris and his buddy Alex Christoforou are amiable YouTubers with a nice size following who provide an "alternative" to Western MSM, but "not" an alternative to Russia's or China's state-run MSM.
NSA/Youtube is a very interesting "habitat" as within it dwells various nuanced propaganda channels attacking viewers from multiple directions.
The "two" Alexanders are targeting mainly the West, but also those who for the most part don't need a VPN to watch them. And like any good propagandist, or "limited hangout" you'd tend to agree with much of what they're saying as they interweave some accurate facts with misinformation but carefully omit key data.
I mean, who would not want to end needless imperialist wars, or reform a government rife with corruption. Two of their running themes.
However, that doesn't mean these guys are required to really spell out what they do want. That you'll need to intuit. Maybe, it's as simple as living a comfortable life within the "new" multipolar authoritarian technocracy.
But who can really know anyone's true intentions. Double agent, triple agent-- the Google/NSA fun house is a hall of mirrors. 😵💫
That being said, the same nuanced newspeak takes place by "US Youtubers" who are supposedly providing a Leftist or conservative point of view about America.
With this in mind, I'd say be slightly suspicious of any "political channels," still left standing (also standing right😁) as any Youtuber who truly threatens the "Global Empire" is quickly banished. Hence, carry a "sizeable sifter" as some of the stuff you'll be listening to is valid, but a lot of it is the usual agitprop cleverly packaged and marketed in a fresh, or maybe not so fresh way.
I would be wary of any Anglophone YouTubers in general, they all seem either naïve & apolitical or plainly brain-damaged with memes & anime. A country of Eloi living in perfect peace & prosperity, what else would one expect? America has no history & no politics - two things that are kind of crucial to understanding a... historical process.
Sure, sure Russia is fighting against the Great Satan, but it's an angelic view from space. The nitty-gritty details are unsightly. And then you add to that that Russia is a soulless, thrice post-apocalyptic country of cripples, half-wigger & half-Marxist, and it's a mess.
If the circumstances regarding the Ukraine conflict weren't so dismal it would be amusing listening to a multitude of propagandists going at their infowar.
What is a half wigger ?
"a white person who tries to emulate or acquire cultural behaviour and tastes attributed to black people."
Half-wigger - Russian libtards emulating Amerikwa. Half-Marxists - nationalists in disguise (unless Trotskyites).
Quite frankly, even conceding your report on the dismal state of the Russian military, I don't understand your tremendous anger at Marcouris.
I don't think anyone here disputes the truth of Alexander's reporting on the reasons for the Russian attack on Ukraine. Everyone who follows the Duran in the slightest understands the Russian attack was prompted by the aggression of the Ukraine government towards the Russian-speaking regions of Donbass and the moves of Ukraine towards de facto and de jure membership in NATO.
The real fury comes with The Duran reporting on the course and conduct of the war by the Russians. Let's say The Duran is in fact covering up for an incompetent and corrupt Russian military in dire danger of being overrun by the Ukraine army. The primary audience of the Duran are English speaking populations and Western Europe. If this audience thinks Russia is doing better than it actually is, it will be more motivated to get their governments to cut off support of the Ukraine war effort. I'm not saying I'm in favor of telling untruths. I'm looking at the effects.
On the other hand, if people in the Russian government or population are depending on the Duran as the primary source of their information on the progress of the war, they have bigger problems than the misleading information from the Duran on the war progress.
The term collective West is becoming a bit tiresome. The Duran duo should think about coming up with something a bit more fresh. 😁
The YouTube infowars simplistically coral followers into two groups. However, are there really two opposing enemies? Perhaps, it's just a bunch of crooks hassling over plunder and a bigger seat at the phony baloney multipolar table. If the SMO was really on the up and up then why is Russia suppling Ukraine with energy, why didn't Russia attack Ukraine's main infrastructure. And why didn't the Kremlin say anything when Finland joined NATO.
The US obliterated Iraq in a few hours. However, the Ukraine conflict is a protracted mess. The whole thing is a bit odd. It's unfortunate since hundreds of thousands are losing their lives and it's certainly not for denazifying Ukraine as Russia traded hundreds of Azov Battalion fellows for an oligarch.
Another very important issue-- why is Russia following the WEF's agenda and obediently becoming a biosecurity surveillance state. Both China and Russia are feverishly working on mRNA toxic technologies and all the other Fourth Industrial Revolution junk. It seems to me, that the rulers of Russia, US, and China are in agreement on how to repress their own citizenry and the Ukraine conflict is just being used to accelerate a planned economic restructuring which will just screw over the proles.
Loved your comment. All I was saying is that the Duran have a positive influence where they are really influential: to the English-speaking West and Western Europe. As to your points on the problems with Russia and Russian conduct of the war and its buy-in to the WEF. They are completely valid. And they have to be addressed by Russians. It doesn't really matter what Western critiques of internal Russian policy are. Except to say if someone is planning on moving to Russia as a reaction against the obviously globalist, anti-nationalist program of the Biden regime: think twice or three times before idealizing Russia uncritically.
"And they have to be addressed by Russians. It doesn't really matter what Western critiques of internal Russian policy are."
This is where we disagree. The Duran and other Western propagandists are painting an "idealized" image of China, Russia, and multipolarism while neglecting to mention that "global governance" via biosecurity surveillance and a central bank digital currency is underway, thereby giving a false sense of hope regarding the true picture of a future world which will actually be an authoritarian digitalized nightmare.
Well, I guess it had to come to this: everyone is at each others throats! Its a pity, but apparently, it is human nature. Why, for fucks sake, can we not coexist without tearing each other down? Why can´t we accept opposing views without demonizing those who dare to utter them?
For the record, I get much useful food for thought from sources like the Duran, Martyanov, Escobar, Ritter et al. Lira is one man I can´t endure for more than 5 minutes, but he has a right to say what he says.
On the other hand, I very much appreciate Slavsquat´s contributions and I just came across Rolo on my journey. But why in hell they all are at each other´s throats - I just can´t wrap my head around.
We are all adults, we don´t have to take Mercouris or Ritter as gospel truth. True, they have boxed themselves into a corner they will have a hard time escaping from if or when the shit hits the fan, contrary to their expectations. But so will Rolo and Strelkov, if things don´t turn out according to their gospel.
Thing is: we all don´t know at this point what is really happening. All writers, bloggers and analysts have something positive to contribute, but let´s not forget EVERYONE is pretty much tapping in the dark at this point. History will ultimately reveal what the hell is happening.
As much as time allows, I take it all in and form my own conclusions (which keep on changing).
I urge everyone to do so as well and stop the mudslinging.
Let me add my compliments to those who posted links to the Slavland Chronicles on the Duran comments so those interested, like myself, could follow this point of view and reporting stream.
Completely agree with you , so off course & Rolo is not this kind of person to have this going on his blog , it’s so American, stupid .
🤬 Jaws should be excused for taking a permanent residence on the floor. Not to forget, whatever gen this warfare is when neatly codified, its major battlefield is our collective mind.
🗨 Yes, there is a “divide.” A great divide. A chasm. A schism. A gulf. An abyss. A gaping, yawning, unbridgeable fissure. A Grand Canyon-sized fault in the foundation of society. A rupture in the very fabric of reality. ~~CJ Hopkins
PS Whoish! Sports all the right phonetic undertones 🤣
WAT
Mercouris was disbarred years back as an attorney in London, so thread lightly with your - Mercouris is more or less an honest man..
Duran boys simply cater to their audience, which is mostly westerners disillusioned with the west. They want to hear about positive utopia and are happy to listen to Mercouris for one full hour talking in circles (obviously done for more ad-breaks). Utopia being the east with its anti LGBT stance and still christian. So the Duran provides - always positive light about Russia, never I mean NEVER discuss horrendous things going on in Russia - ESGs, CBDC, biosecurity, covid etc.
Since Prigozhin interview is not positive about Russia ---> Duran boys largely ignore it..
Wasn't Mercouris disbarred because he told the truth about something inconvenient for the City of London or something like that?
He seems to be in very poor health
I won't pretend to be an expert on Mercouris past, I hardly remember my own:). Here's an extract from some law site about his case -
Alexander Mercouris was instructed by beautician Lorna Jamous in 2008 to sue Westminster City Council for compensation after her son was taken into care. Mercouris convinced her to reject a £5,000 settlement, but then told her the offer had been increased to £983,000. He subsequently forged a letter from Baroness Hale, now a Supreme Court Judge, stating that she was concerned the money had not been paid. He then claimed that his brother had stolen the money. And then he said that bogus police officers kidnapped him and brought him before the then Lord Chief Justice, Lord Phillips, who offered him £50,000 to drop the case. Mercouris was reported to the Bar Standards Board and disbarred.
Seems like a wild west attorney whose gift of imagination did not serve him too well in Square Mile.
He also wrote about his depression that he says led to him being disbarred. https://medium.com/@alexandermercouris/my-battle-with-depression-how-misdiagnosis-and-medical-malpractice-almost-killed-me-c24c0d3673fc
Thank you for that. I am very pleased to have it and very convinced by it.
As with Scott Ritter it has always worried me this condemning, abusing of them, this scurrilous usage of them.
Though I am done with them in the context of gaining information on the progress of the Ukraine conflict and all its relevant facts that is only because I don't see they contribute anything new.
Not because I think of them as in any way reprehensible characters.
And in fact I think Mercouris does offer some good new perspicacious information from time to time however it is not about the war it is about the doings of various politicians and Departments. Good, but not the area I'm looking for info on.
That people have suffered reverses and made errors in their lives and are now attempting to make new lives for themselves pursuing completely different careers is no case for condemnation. Rather something like the reverse: if you choose to condemn on that basis then it is you who are contemptible.
Thanks
If they sound like the Russian media, they are probably paid for their services. If there is a real Ukrainian offensive and a lackluster response from Russia then this will become obvious. Prigozhin could also be depicting a distorted picture for the enemy. I guess we’ll soon find out.
It has long been clear to me that there's something very shonky about all the 'respected, established' commentators such as those you mention. They'd be the big three: Duran, Macgregor and Ritter.
Simply because of this simple thing:
It is a war of propaganda, first and foremost, right?
This is: lies and deception. Right?
That in fact is what the big three keep maintaining: that the msm narrative is a lie, is deception.
Sounds good thus far. BUT they never take to task, never mention, the biggest lie which of course is simply that we have a war of inexcusable unbridled aggression by Russia onto Ukraine.
Which propaganda line, of course, serves to convince the unthinking, unknowing masses that they are looking at a simple conflict of Massive Bully Russia against Tiny Hero Ukraine.
And they fund the war on that premise alone!
All is deception onward from that deception.
They think they 'support Ukraine' when of course they are supporting Kiev Ukraine murdering Donbas Ukraine.
They think Kiev is fighting Russians when mostly they fight a mixture and for a year they fought in the front lines almost entirely Donbas Ukrainians (with Russians manning artillery in the background).
And so on.
Readers here don't need it all spelled out for them I hope.
Now the point is that 'big three' never couch their language to reflect the reality, the truth.
They always: ALWAYS use the MSM and Kiev and Washington terminology.
It is always 'Ukraine v Russia' to them. It is always 'Ukrainians' fighting 'Russian aggression' and so on.
Get the point?
So when they highlight military deficiencies on the part of Kiev what is the upshot? A move, a tendency towards withdrawing support from the war? Some pleasure at the thought that maybe now it can proceed to an end?
No. It simply seems to be an argument for INCREASING support!
The thickheads in the street dimly perceiving the news interpret it as simply meaning Ukraine (their 'Ukraine' ) needs more.
Ritter and Macgregor especially overtly claiming to be preaching for abandoning the mess as misguided and hopeless, their 'cover story', IN FACT promote a story whereby the 'right thing' is to forever increase aid to Kiev!
I am totally convinced by that. I hope everyone is.
Ritter et al are not. I've written it enough times in their columns and they alter their behaviour not a bit.
So I have one other bone of contention with them.
They never, ever, call for moves towards peace. Never have and never do.
They do not count the cost. Except 'incidentally' when comparing numbers as part of the above.
But the overt lunacies of 'fighting to the last man' for the sake of the nation they never bring to light as strong arguments for stopping everything.
They do nothing - nothing - to promote peace in any way.
In fact.
When you stop, pull back, take a look at them, listen, hear, see what they say.
They are CIA assets whether by accident or design I do not know, but in effect for certain sure.
I am starting to consider the perspective that there is indeed some sort of Western intelligence agenda behind the disinfo. It is still murky in my mind though.
Every single broadcast Alexander makes, he calls for negotiating a peace with Ukraine, basically on Russian terms. Every single one. I see no evidence whatsoever, and I listen to their broadcasts regularly, to support your contention that The Duran is an intelligence asset with the unstated purpose of increasing support for the Ukraine war effort.
It has been quite a while since I looked at either of their videos. It certainly was not the case that they called for peace. Certainly not.
And what Mercouris at least ALWAYS did was couch the conflict in terms of 'Ukraine v Russia' - always referring to 'Russian' forces. All through 2022 when the trenches were manned almost exclusively by Donbas Ukrainian forces.
This, of course, reinforces in the mind of the casual viewer that incorrect view of the situation promulgated by the evil empire. That is is a Russian invasion of Ukraine. And the instinctive and natural, even, view of such people of such a situation is that it is right to back the invaded and the smaller party.
That the invaded were the Donbas Ukrainians and that they are the smaller party was a thing and is a thing still unkown to them.
Hence they did nothing to stem the flow of 'help' to Kiev.
Hence the video by default assisted the evil empire's view, narrative, propaganda, deception.
My contention was never that 'the duran is an intelligence asset with the unstated purpose of increasing support for the Ukrainian war effort'. If you read it that way I suggest you desist from reading such columns as these until you have completed a course in English comprehension at least and preferably also logical critical thinking and analysis.
I declare and illustrate that the presented material of the duran and mercouris, as with Ritter and Macgregor is such that in the end on the superficial level where the mass of the populace (and the entirety of the govt and MSM ) are it merely presents a picture of Ukraine losing badly and this will the more readily be interpreted by the masses as simply an obvious need for more support for 'Ukraine'. 'Ukraine' in quotes because, again, it really is 'Kiev Ukraine' though Biden, the US govt. the MSM and every lunatic reporter uses the word as though it meant all Ukrainians - despite the armed forces of 10 million of them desperately fighting off this 'support' with all they've got and with the help of the only friends they can find: the Russians.
If this is not clear to you I refer you to my earlier suggestion. I rather think we're done.
"They are CIA assets whether by accident or design I do not know, but in effect for certain sure."
"My contention was never that 'the duran is an intelligence asset with the unstated purpose of increasing support for the Ukrainian war effort'. If you read it that way I suggest you desist from reading such columns as these until you have completed a course in English comprehension at least and preferably also logical critical thinking and analysis."
Huh?
Your logic seems to be that "The Duran insufficiently emphasizes the bulk of the fighting on the Russian side was done by the Donbass militias. Because the Duran insufficiently emphasizes that the larger Ukraine attacked the smaller Donbass, it naturally follows that the West should support the smaller entity and therefore the West should support Ukraine against Russia." Note the quote is not a quote of yours, but a summary of your position as I am able to interpret it.
Consider the possibility that the Duran actually support the Russian objectives in keeping Ukraine out of NATO and in preventing the massacre of Russian speaking inhabitants of Donbass, even if it means implicitly supporting Russia against Ukraine.
This is one video in which Mercouris advocates making peace on Russia's terms: https://theduran.locals.com/post/4026063/russia-storms-last-bakhmut-positions-bombards-ukraine-us-seeks-frozen-conflict-west-prepares-f16s
I admit not EVERY video advocates negotiating a peace, but many of them do.
I'll repeat my point: as far as Americans and Europeans go, the influence of the Duran is hugely beneficial: it states and restates the ways in which Russia was pushed into war. As far as the actual conduct of the war and the effectiveness of the Russian military, the Duran can be totally wrong. But, that must be decided by Russians.
As best I can make out from your writing we disagree and I'm content to leave it at that.