Notes on The Heritage Foundation, Trump’s Son-in-Law, and Albania

Earlier, I had forgotten to mention that the Mujahedeen-e Khalq (MEK), an Iranian dissident group backed by the U.S. and Israel, is based in Albania. Additionally, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, is also attempting to develop a luxury resort on Sazan Island in Albania. Sibel Edmonds has been investigating the Kushner-Albanian connection on her Patreon, although I haven’t been following it closely. Seeing DeSmog’s revelation that the Heritage Foundation had attempted to influence the latest Albania election prompted me to think about it, but it slipped my mind when I made that post. It’s worth noting that Kushner has ties to both George Soros and Peter Thiel. As George Carlin famously said, “It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it.”

On a related note, since Sibel came up: Nima of Dialogue Works reported that Graham Fuller has died. Fuller was a key figure in the early establishment of “East Turkestan.” He authored a 1998 RAND report titled The Xinjiang Project, later revised in 2003 as The Xinjiang Problem, outlining the strategic value of the Xinjiang Autonomous Region in the broader effort to encircle China.

Washington’s “Second Coming” to Asia: Militants, Ports, and Pressure Points

Source

President Trump’s renewed focus on regaining the Bagram Air Base and developing Pakistan’s Pasni Port signals Washington’s attempt to reassert strategic influence in a region increasingly dominated by China, Russia, and Iran.

Washington’s “second coming” to Asia

Pakistan’s Pasni Port, located in Balochistan province, sits at the crossroads of strategic infrastructure and insurgent resistance. The Western-backed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), active in the region, has long targeted Chinese-financed projects. The BLA maintains ties with both the Pakistan Taliban and ISIS-K—a faction recently linked to recruiting Uygur militants. Separately, U.S. support for Uygur militants predates this trend, with allegations tracing back to the 1970s/1980s. Rep. Perry has claimed that ISIS-K received backing from USAID, adding another layer to the region’s militant entanglements. 

This only deepens my suspicion that recapturing Bagram Air Base could serve as a launchpad—not merely for tactical leverage, but to stir Uygur militant resistance against Beijing or pressure China with a second front in the event of a future Pacific conflict.

Sources:

BLA: U.S. Proxies in Balochistan document

ISIS-K & Uygur militants: ISIS has its sights set on a new potential ally—Uyghur jihadi groups

CIA & Uygur militants: US & TERRORISM IN XINJIANG

Uygur militants: *Xinjiang*

USAID & ISIS-K: Rep. Perry reveals what some of us already knew about USAID

Bagram Air Base: Why Does Trump Want U.S. Troops Back in Afghanistan?

Bonus: Chokepoints Are The Focus Of A New Cold War

RAND and SeaLight Part 3b: Four Ways China Is Growing Its Media Influence in Southeast Asia

05-10-2022: Four Ways China Is Growing Its Media Influence in Southeast Asia

China’s most straightforward method of media outreach is directly broadcasting or publishing its state media content in target ASEAN countries. Xinhua, China’s official state media agency, has print bureaus in every Southeast Asian country. TV news channels CCTV-4 and the English-language CGTN likewise operate in nearly every country in the region, while China Radio International airs multilingual content in Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and Myanmar. Xinhua is a ministry-level agency directly under the State Council, while the other media organizations all operate under the Chinese Communist Party Publicity Department. 

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