Weekly News Wrap-Up 9.13.13
By Greg Hunter’s USAWatchdog.com
Syria, once again, is the top story this week. We heard from both President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin. President Obama says an attack must be done to punish Syria for using chemical weapons. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Kerry tries to work out a deal to take control of Syria’s chemical weapons so an attack can be averted. Putin penned an op-ed piece in the New York Times that asked the U.S. not to attack because it will make matters worse and it would “spread the conflict far beyond Syria’s borders.” Putin also said the chemical weapons were used by the al-Qaeda rebels to draw the U.S. deeper into war. The White House says it was the Assad regime that used chemical weapons, and it is being helped by the terror group Hezbollah. This goes on and on, back and forth. The only good news to report is (for the time being) a U.S. attack is on hold. Some say Putin is playing Obama like a fiddle, and his foreign policy is “incompetent and schizophrenic.” Others say President Obama is making some brilliant moves. Whatever you call it, this situation is one of the most complicated and treacherous the country has ever faced. Any talk that a strike by the U.S. would be “targeted” or “limited” and would not provoke a wider war is nonsense. In my mind, any U.S. strike will kick off World War III. When Congress finally votes on Syria, that is what should be put clearly on the table.
Meanwhile, as the Syrian conflict plays out, Russia has announced it will be sending weapons such as sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles to Iran. Russia also wants to build Iran a new nuclear reactor. The U.S and Israel have want Iran to curtail its nuclear ambitions. This only further complicates a very complicated Middle East situation.
Back at home the U.S. Congress faces enormous economic challenges. Congress needs a budget, or spending resolution, to keep the government from shutting down. Some conservatives want to defund Obama care. After all, it is program the Congress and many other government agencies and unions are exempt from. Even the IRS doesn’t want it, and it will be responsible for enforcing the law. That said, Obama Care is set to fully kick into gear (warts and all) in 2014.
Then, there is the debt ceiling, and if it is not lifted, we could default on our massive debt. This all has to be done in the next few weeks. A slip-up could cause calamity in the markets. Make no mistake; the U.S. dollar is very vulnerable. We have a $17 trillion deficit and more than $200 trillion in commitments we will never be able to deliver. The world is trying to figure out a way to stop using it in trade. When this happens, Americans will suffer a loss in their standard of living that will be shocking.
Gold took another whacking at the end of this week. I called my friend, Gregory Mannarino of TradersChoice.net, to get his take. He says much of the the price drop can be attributed to people selling out of the ETF GLD, or paper gold; then, turning right around and buying physical metal at a reduced price. Mannarino says that COMEX has the lowest amount of gold for delivery on record. You got to ask yourself, why are so many of the rich gobbling up physical gold?
Finally, new documents released by the government show the NSA spy program grew out of control. This newspaper story from the AP says officials who were supposed to keep the spying on Americans in check “didn’t understand the system and didn’t understand what they were told.” This is a major vindication for NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, who now lives in Russia. All charges should be dropped or at least greatly reduced, and he should be allowed to return home. Join Greg Hunter as he gives his analysis in the Weekly News Wrap-Up.
Please Support Our Direct Sponsors Below
Who Support The Truth Tellers
About the Author
Greg Hunter
Greg is the producer and creator of USAWatchdog.com. The site’s slogan is “analyzing the news to give you a clear picture of what’s really going on.” The site will keep an eye on the government, your financial interests and cut through the media spin. USAWatchdog.com is neither Democrat nor Republican, Liberal or Conservative. Before creating and producing the site, Greg spent nearly 9 years as a network and investigative correspondent. He worked for ABC News and Good Morning America for nearly 6 years. Most recently, Greg worked for CNN for shows such as Paula Zahn Now, American Morning and various CNN business shows.
To us in Europe Obama looks like an idiot and Putin like a genius. How could bombing Syria punish anyone other than innocent civilians who don’t want the problem to be made worse. Europeans are 10 to 1 against the aggressive tactics of America. Many wonderful Muslim people live in Austria and they are not terrorists but are being marked as such by Obamas stupid actions. When will America learn that War does not bring peace, when will they learn that only those who cannot help themselves suffer in war. Yes so many people suffer under a bad dictator, what is Americas answer, “Kill them all”, that does not make sense!
It seems it always takes someone from another country to put the truth on how America Government is perceived. War does not bring peace and “using force” using Obamas words only hurts the innocent people that have suffered enough already. America’s politicians, like McCain,
ALWAYS think bombing is the answer. History keeps repeating itself, time and time again.
Dear Johann- please distinguish between America’s government and America’s people. Many American people feel much like you do, but they have no control over the actions of their government once they were put in power. The overwhelming majority in America doesn’t want war – and yet Obama, Kerry, and others in top level government are trying to force it to happen, or hoping it will happen. It makes me ill when I think about it.
greg
Maybe O. Can go to Qatar, bow low, tell them eventually we will get rid of assad, and they can give us an advance loan on a future war, so we can fund our budget for next year; kick the can down the road, and O. Can ”keep hope alive” w/ the Qataries/Saudies, and their LNG pipeline to Mediteranian via Syria. Change we can believe in, will not be what the sheeple thought they voted in.
Worst duped president ever.
Putin put him in check, just like Usa did to Britian over the suez canal after WW2, when we took superpower status away from them.
🙂
We just lost S. P. Status, Russia took it
finger on pulse usawd
Alols
Thank you Allen and Eric for your comments and support.
Greg
You did an outstanding job this week Greg. Both interviews with Jim Willie and Mike Maloney were fantastic. Thanks to you, Jim and Mike for sharing all this knowledge with us. It really helps us getting a clearer picture of the macro situation. As I already said before, we need more people like you to feed us with real news.
Greg do you think maybe a strike on Syria is more of an attempt to collapse our economy (whatever is left of it) more than a ploy to take down Assad’s government? A culmination of raising the debt ceiling another 1.3 Trillion, adding Obamacare…another Trillion, and then massive spending on a new war just might do the trick don’t you think. I really think there is more behind this than chemical weapons. It just doesn’t make any sense to get involved in another war with no clear objectives, or exit strategies especially at such a critical time in our nations economy. I tend to agree with Ann Brandtbart: that this has to do more with a Cloward and Piven strategy than anything else that we might think it is. Here’s her take if you want to listen.
http://youtu.be/18U9IIATZyM
As always: thanks Greg for your hard work, and refreshing reports.
Jerry,
Whether on purpose or accident war will crash the fragile financial system. Thank you for your comment and support.
Greg
“Trade wars, currency wars, world wars. When all else fails they take you to war”.
Gerald Celente
The following is satirical parody.
It seems that the doves are upon us asking the most militarily powerful nation in the world and civilizations only bastion of justice and peace to turn its head away from the most heinous crimes against humanity that the world has ever seen. We are bombarded by calls for peace by the uneducated who would overlook threats against humanity, our allies and our great and exceptional nation. We are the light of the world and it is GOD who calls us as an instrument of his justice to go out into the world and remove tyrants and barbarous dictators such as Mr. Assad. Make no mistake. Mr. Assad is a bad man and the great and exceptional military of the United States will pulverize all who stand against us for the good of justice and peace. Together, we will alone stand against the haters of freedom and denigrators of democracy once again and WE …. WILL …. PREVAIL !
We know that Assad has used his chemical arsenal against his own people and intelligence that we have recently received from our newly allied friends within AL QAEDA have proved this behind all doubt. We also know that he has secured large amounts of Uranium Yellow Cake in preparation for the manufacture of nuclear weapons to use against the United States. This of course presents a clear and present danger to the nation and the American people need to be assured that no threat to out national well being will be tolerated.
We need to remind Congress what is at stake. We need to be mindful of the fact that parts of our cruise missiles, our drones and most of our other weapons systems are MADE in every congressional district IN THE USA ! This is our strength ! Together, we can build our economy, and create and sustain good jobs for the citizens. We are exceptional ! We will stand against evil in the world and build a better civilization for all of us to live in. As always, we will be greeted as liberators, but we must act as soon as much of the Syrian Chemical weapons inventory can be secured by the Russians. We can then unleash our 7 million military personnel on a new mission of “LETS ROLL” into the middle east and let the world know what we are made of. We are the greatest nation the world has ever seen and WE WILL CONQUER !
Sanjay Kashkari,
This would be funnier if it was not so true to life. I think some people really think this but most Americans do not–thank goodness. Thank you for taking the time to put this together and posting it here.
Greg
Greg,
According to the news, British Parliament votes against possible military action in Syria.
Dr. Jim Willie said Russia called David Cameron to stop supporting America. Which one is correct?
Thank you
kl
I feel it is both; parliment did not want to do the missle strike, And Putin made a call to
Cameron, to discuss a large hike in NG prices, sugesting, possible shortages as well.
Alols
Greg, Obama will never strike Syria now, he’s been out played. I feel sorry for Secretary Kerry who has to deal with Obama’s ever changing mind set. What does this scenario mean for any curtailment of Iran now, I say its telling that the present Administration will not ever land a bomb on a nuclear site there and I’m sure Israel is scratching its head once again and feeling quite lonely in the region. Maybe its time that the U.S. stopped saber rattling and took care of some business here at home since the world has figured out that were not serious when we talk about red lines. My old pappy like many others of a great generation used to say “talks cheap” and you know what, it is.
Art Barnes,
I sincerely hope you are correct. If not, it’s WWIII.
Greg
One of the best summaries of the weekly news around.
Thanks Greg.
Louis
Louis,
This was really hard for me to boil down this week. Took hours to put it together. So many details, twists and turns. Thank you very much for your support and kind words.
Greg
I think the first casualty of WW3 will probably be our dollar, the second victim will probably be our power grid and the third will be what is left of our liberty………it would only get worse from there I’m guessing.
I’m so glad that we have a bunch of totally inept, degenerate scumbags habitually taking us right up to the brink of total disaster and then having the balls at the last minute to take on that heady, dire and ultimately superfluous and ridiculous air that they are prone to take as they oh so carefully debate, weigh and measure the options and steps they have to abate the great disaster unfolding before our very eyes.
I got to tell you, I have just about had enough of my government treating me like a complete and total moron and sitting around helplessly as I watch in plain sight a bunch of total idiots run circles around me. I am being robbed blind by the banks that run my government, I am having god only knows what done in my name as a US citizen to people overseas, I am having total garbage sold to me as food and toxic waste dumped into my water under the guise that it is good for my freaking teeth, and I am being set up to pay the price for the decades of shenanigans of a totally out of control miscreant run system of governance.
Greg,
As always direct, precise, and honest to god sincere professional journalism, i feel sorry for CNN losing a great journalist like you, but who knows things can be blessing in disguise, their loss is our gain.
I will lay out a possibility to put the argument in favor of Obama’s administration:
We all know that Saddam USED chemical weapons on the kurds in Iraq, i do not think that any one can argue otherwise, it has been proven, documented, any doubts about it is delusional.
well that begs the question where did those chemical weapons go?
We all know that Bush was slammed for lying, deceiving…..blah blah blah….well ….what if Bush was true, what if he was not lying, what if that possibility of smuggling those weapons to Syria is the mere reason that this regime in Syria has this enormous stockpile that some American intelligence says it is 1000 tons, French intelligence says it could be 700 to 800…tons.
a little bit of searching and here thank you google i found few articles, before i refer to them and put few quotes i would like to summarize this argument:
Saddam for FACT had chemical weapons and used them on the Kurds.
There no claim, no reference at all to any destruction of chemical weapons that took place in Iraq when Saddam was in power. So it is easy to conclude that what ever he used on the kurds remained in Iraq before the invasion.
There is no chemical weapons found in Iraq after the invasion!!!!!!
the question is :
Where the hell did those weapons go….evaporated?….I think not.
add to it the fact that chemical weapon stock pile, the largest in the region, is in the hands of Syrian regime.
Can that beg the question that those are the smuggled weapons from Saddam?
Now i go to the articles:
Link:
http://www.policymic.com/articles/62103/how-did-syria-get-chemical-weapons-did-they-come-from-our-old-friend-saddam
Quote:
Director of National Intelligence (DNI) James Clapper, who formerly headed the U.S. agency that processes and analyzes satellite imagery (the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency), claimed in an interview with the New York Times in October of 2003 that “satellite imagery showing a heavy flow of traffic from Iraq into Syria just before the American invasion in March” led him to believe that illegal weapons material had “unquestionably” been moved out of Iraq.
Another link from NewYork times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/29/world/the-struggle-for-iraq-weapons-search-iraqis-removed-arms-material-us-aide-says.html
Quote:
”I think people below the Saddam Hussein-and-his-sons level saw what was coming and decided the best thing to do was to destroy and disperse,” General Clapper, who leads the National Imagery and Mapping Agency, said at a breakfast with reporters.
I am not saying this is a fact, but a strong logic and a strong possibility that Bush DID NOT LIE THEN.
If for a slim chance this is true, can you Greg imagine the danger Obama is talking about, can you imagine the danger of the POSSIBILITY of a repeat to what happened in Iraq if no action is taken and those dangerous weapons fall in the wrong hands, while we here question the wisdom of the most brilliant politician i have seen so far and that is Obama and Kerry?
Mohammad,
Thank you for adding your perspective to this weeks post. You logic is sound, but no matter how noble, a strike on Syria will eventually lead to a global war. This is how it should be pitched. The talk of a “limited strike” is nonsense. We have been in Iraq for more than a decade. Ditto for Afghanistan. That said, your points are well made and well taken.
Greg
Kerry is going to Israel, lets see what their stand on it, i guess a push to war is in the cards!
Maybe Obama is hoping that by delaying the strike on Syria, Assad will have the chemical weapons moved to Iran, so he can have a reason to strike there too!
Mo, what planet are you from. Planet Sunni? Don’t you read? Saddam was a Sunni, why would he give a Shea the chem’s, when you guy’s want to send each other to paradise. Also, Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, sent chems into Syria, so the Sunni stooge’s, would mishandle them, which they did. He wants those pipelines thru Syria so bad he’s going for broke and the US., would be, the one broke, because Putins got the Sunburn missile’s. So forget about your dreams of taking down Iran. Russia’s the super power now and if Bandar sends out his terrorist’s, to the winter Olympic’s, Putin will bury one in a pigskin and your game will be over because no red blooded Muslim, Sunni or Shea wants to miss out on 77, virgin’s! PS, So lets stick it to em and build the Keystone pipeline! No more bowing to the house of Saud, they can find another bitch.
Hi,
Funny you should make this point. There is evidence that Assad is sending chem weapons back to Iraq. That is scary. We beat Saddam but had no plan to help the people. If Obama hits a chemical weapon stockpile it will likely kill more people than the last use did. I see no national security issue in Syria, as both sides hate us. As a matter of fact, I see a victory by the rebels as a victory by Al-Qaeda.
Mohammad,
Was the last part about Obama and Kery being premiere politician sarcasm? If not, please forgive me. I liked your analysis of the movement of Saddam’s Chemical munitions. Thorough and informative.
But maybe you are correct about them on second thought. Mr. Obama was elected and re-elected. I apologize. They are premier politicians.
Nice wrap-up Greg
Russians moves are nice ones, selling to Iran anti-ship systems and a reactor (if it is a type which can`t make plutonium, then it is fine) sending a signal which roughly says “if you start a problem in Middle East, you are a crazed lunatic with suicidal tendencies”. Put it simply the leadership MAY contain half-wits or crazed lunatics, but they definitely don’t have suicidal tendencies.
I think these moves of Russians are primarily against crazed Israeli warmongers with suicidal tendencies-see the last move of AIPAC.
On the debt ceiling the rest of the world simply stopping trust to fiat currencies like $ and €, so if something will happen in EU before the dept ceiling rise sessions (i.e. big bank or government will go belly up-watch Italy), IF not USA is doomed either way.
I’m telling it because if they rise the dept ceiling or remove it, then USA is doomed, if not USA will default on they own dept. So if Europe go belly up this farce about the USD and US T-bonds are safe heavens for investors will continue few years.
So the BRICS (and me) is expecting the € will go belly up-became worthless in this or the next month. So I expect the TPTB (the power that be) will burst EU before the dept ceiling sessions.
What do you think Greg?
Oracle 911,
There is plenty of sin to go around in the ME. In the next war, the entire world will suffer no matter what side you are on. Thank you for weighing in here!
Greg
Greg, ME is highly unstable region, no matter what, if there broke out a war (odds are quite high for that), then the rest of the world may plunge into a chaos, IF the world will plunge into a chaos, the war will broke out in ME after that.
So the real question is not “will be there a war?”, but “when will the war broke out?” and “will the war involve a superpower directly?”.
Oracle 911,
“When” is the question. Yes, you are spot-on here!!
Greg
No Oracle, i guess the euro is not going belly up soon.
A key to that?
UK,GERMANY are submitting to the financing entity of euro, and that is China. they backed off.
Well compare pre-March Cyprus banking system and EU-s banking system, the only difference is the size everything else is the same, both are rotted inside, the European bank leverage is 40-55:1 (credit-to-cash ratio).
If a major or rather big bank go belly up despite the safety-mechanisms (see the derivative, t-bill, wrong dept exposure and leverage), well then the bail ins comes, the economy vaporizes overnight and the € became worthless as in Argentina the peso in years 1999-2001.
Foot-note Spanish bank system is on verge of collapse: http://www.businessinsider.com/spanish-banking-system-collapse-2013-8
and Deutsche bank is not healthy either: http://www.examiner.com/article/banking-insider-deutsche-bank-danger-zone-and-will-go-belly-up
So UK and Germany, will be ABLE baking the € (it is not the question of will)?
Forgot to mention, Italy is on verge of political crisis, not dissimilar to one which have currently in Portugal or in Spain: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-08/will-berlusconi-be-responsible-another-european-crisis
So will the UK, Germany, Russia or China save EU?
I don’t think so, they may try, but they will definitively fail.
I knew many stupid people who were non-suicidal who accidentally killed themselves and/or others. Who’s to say that our government doesn’t kill themselves and take a bunch of us with them…all by accident.
Well good point, on the other hand the personal in US army is generally much more smarter then the half wits from congress, senate or White House: http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-13/military-times-survey-75-troops-oppose-strikes-syria
Did you read the article about how all most all of our generals are incompetent and promoted without merit? These are the guys advising the Obamachrist.
Good wrapup program Greg all in all a good week of programming.
All i will say about War is won’t be nuclear but it will destroy the old world order and financial system which is the main game anyway.
Have a nice weekend.
John,
I hope you are correct sir. Thank you for adding your comment and perspective.
Greg
john,
Could not verify the authenticity of this quote but it was repeated on different forums:
Einstein said: “I do not know how the Third World War will be fought, but I can tell you what they will use in the Fourth — rocks!”
Dear Greg,
Did you read Putin’s op-ed piece and see all the various responses to it? Menendez’s wanting to throw up (this is the guy using government money to fund his junkets out of the country to frolic with underage hookers). A friend forwarded Rand Paul’s response upholding “American exceptionalism” to which I responded:
“The US is running, funding, equipping and assigning Al Qaida to destroy secular governments that are NOT on a vampire central banking system.
“Just because were the biggest doesn’t give us the right to stomp on the other kids in the sandbox, particularly when there isn’t any logical reason for us to be there… and there is no threat to us whatsoever.
“Looting other countries is plain wrong. The US had boots on the ground in Libya a full month ahead of the announcement… the only threat that Qadaffi presented was that he had amassed thousands of tons of gold and was about to roll out the world’s only gold-backed currency, which certainly would have set Africa free. All that gold disappeared.
“Yeah, Putin came off preachy, but apart from the crap about the UN and its rule of law, I can’t exactly disagree with him.
“The US is that rich kid in school that always wanted to run everything and you couldn’t stand being around.”
Suzanne,
I read it and studied it and it is clearly a warning about world war. Everybody should read it for themselves.
Greg
Greg,
is it possible to have an interview with Gen Wesley Clark?, i know it is a long shot but there is a need to get the perspective of someone in the military of his caliber on the grave situation In Syria than can affect every one of us.
Tall order but I’ll try.
Greg
Of the military caliber of weasle clark…try a five year old 😉
PS there was a recent articles about the poor lead ship and out right incompetence of our generals
Greg,
I think all the warmongering is economic related.
The US warned Assad months ago that a gas attack from him would be grounds for invasion of his county and bringing him down. Dr. Assad, a physician is not stupid. Why would he order gas attacks knowing those imminent consequences? It doesn’t make sense. To me, It reeks of a setup providing justification for invasion
The East is rejecting the dollar and western humanitarians cannot stand the idea of Syrian religious conservatism denying Godless women and homosexuals, there rights to parade thongs, pack fudge, and impose their “religions”.
I think the US and it allies are provoking war. The west is economically backed into a corner and we know what animals do in those situations. As you know, if our currency fails most if not all job sectors are toast. Officials understand this therefore, they see the military industrial complex as the last best hope. It protects their butts, intimidates and justifies power grabs.
I see this situation as VERY serious. As I write this I am in the action mode of applying Gerald Celente’s “3 G’s”… “Gold, Guns and a Getaway plan.” I’m up here in Wisconsin packing up what I have for my home in East Texas. I am grateful for this lull in the lurch towards war hoping it will give me enough time (a few weeks) to get everything I have prepared up here down there. I hope I get situated before all hell breaks loose. 99% of Americans have no idea how rapidly life could change. What is possible now could be impossible later.
Greg, you have in my opinion the clearest voice on the net. There are many others beside you warning us of what is coming but yours is the clearest and most succinct. Thank you for your efforts to keep us informed.
I just wanted add. I’ve in the process relocating to Texas this entire year. What is happening now and overall state of the economy has got me a speeded up process.
I have no love for that totalitarian fascist in the whitehouse, but,
he deserves a little slack here. Mobilize forces, talk tuff, diplo full court press, congressional debates, man it looked real serious, and maybe it was all a ploy, who nows, but ..
US and Russia Reach Agreement on Plan to Rid Syria of Chemical Weapons
http://gma.yahoo.com/us-russia-reach-agreement-plan-rid-syria-chemical-130205001–abc-news-topstories.html
This is a great day for humanity.
Thank You Mr BHO. Thank You Mr Putin.
Thank You Mr Kerry. Thank You Mr. Lavrov
Derrick Michael Reid,
I am breathing a sigh if relief. World War III has been off off at least for a little while.
Greg
Yes indeed Greg a sigh of relief, i second Derrick’s thanks to the top world leaders.
Keep on the prayers they can do the trick!
Greg It seems like the children of lucifer have a firm grasp on the puppet strings.Watching your commentary all i could think of was how far the US has gone down the tube.Maybe its time to dump the dems and repubs alltogether.We came close with Preston Mannings reform party only to get screwwed out of it by the very same type of deluded fools holding DC hostage.I sure hope that good honest people like yourself survive. Not much of a comment, just a personal thought.Wake up America please!
2 JP Morgan whistleblowers have come forward with hard evidence that JP Morgan manipulates the gold and silver markets. This has exposed the fact that the big banks, the primary dealers, which are very closely related to the Federal Reserve, work in tandem to suppress the price of gold — all at the bidding of the government… http://www.gata.org/node/13011
Greg: I think I get the CIA strategy in Syria…to stop AL QAEDA, the USA needs a pretext to bomb the crap out of the rebels. What better way than to claim missiles went astray while attempting to displace, [by bombing], Assad…I would suggest that the CIA might hope that for every 1 missile strike on Assad assets, 5 strikes go “astray” to hit and devastate the Al Qaeda and destroy their growing belligerent attitude toward the hands that feeds them, [USA and Britain]. I continue to believe the rebels, the Al Qaeda, is much more dangerous than Assad…and much more unpredictable.
If only our gov’t was that smart
“Derrick Michael Reid,
I am breathing a sigh if relief. World War III has been off off at least for a little while.
Greg”
The latest is Obama now threatening Iran. Also the spin on his foreign policy mishaps regarding Syria is that he was moving in the right direction on removing of weapons of mass destruction out of the middle east. Iran is next on his mission. Also in his interview with George Stephanopoulos he said the economy is getting better with the deficit cut in half since he took over. Everything is going to be fine if the Republicans don’t challenge him in cutting the budget or with other reforms he wants. I can see why the little informed public swallows this stuff as it’s said so smooth.
Greg,
where do they take us from here?
Galaxy 500,
In broad terms, War and financial calamity are the dominate themes. It appears that Summers stepping away from the Fed job is going to be a near term positive. I don’t know how long it qwill last but print, print, print Ms. Yellen!!
Greg
One can not help but think that Larry thought about being the NEW Captain of the Titantic and decided not to.
Greg,
Could part of the deal struck with Russia be to step down Summers from heading the feds since he was the designer of the collapse of Russian economy in the 90’s?
http://www.cepr.net/index.php/blogs/beat-the-press/can-we-blame-larry-summers-for-the-collapse-of-russia
Also can we see Snowden given to US later on by that deal?