We’ve all become quite accustomed to how USA flagrantly violates international law, starting from interfering into other counties political process (Ukraine being one of the hundreds of Examples), through instigation of violence and military conflict, and to outright bombing and invasions, like in Korea, Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Iraq, Syria, and many many other countries turned by the USA into wastelands.

However, until recently, USA did so trying to cover is naked aggressiveness by a thin transparent layer of legality, and observed at least some semblance of following the international law.

Staring in December, with Obama’s departing expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats, and seizure of Russian diplomatic and private property, USA took a step towards behaving like an outlaw, and outright street robber. In her August the 1st article Russia-US 4D Wars: Putin expels 755 US Diplomats; New Sanctions and Nord Stream 2 War, Lada Ray describes what and how USA stole:

Obama also took away two Russian diplomatic resorts, where the children of diplomats could go to summer camp and where families went for R&R. One such resort was not far from Washington DC. In 1977, The Soviet government officially purchased the compound for $1.2 mln.

Usually, such diplomatic compounds would be swapped between countries, based on mutual agreement. For instance, there was an agreement between the USSR, inherited by Russia, and USA about mutual exchange of properties in each country, to be used for diplomats and their families as private resorts or other needs. If the US allotted a piece of such real estate to Russia (USSR) in the US, a comparable piece of real estate had to be allotted to the USA in Russia.

The problem is that the resort near Washington DC wasn’t even a part of the exchange deal. It was purchased for $1.2 mln fair and square, and was fully owned by Russia. Therefore, taking away that particular resort amounts to an illegal expropriation of private property by the US government, using threats and force. This never happened even at the height of the Cold War. And you still think the USSR was bad?

I already quoted several times before a saying “when we thought that we reached rock bottom, somebody knocked from below”. It happened yet again.

A few days ago USA shit down a Russian consulate in San Francisco, which in itself is fine. What is worse, is that they shut down, and lifted the diplomatic immunity from Russian Trade mission, searching it.

This is the destruction of the foundation of the international law that I wrote about – the undermining of the diplomatic norms, set by the Vienna Convention. This act opens up a Pandora’s box of boomerang actions, when any other country can now break into and search diplomatics premises, also those of the USA itself.

Here are some headlines of the events as they transpired, reported by RT:

US security services to search Russian consulate in San Francisco on Saturday – Moscow

Moscow hands in note of protest to US over plan to search trade mission in Washington

‘Occupation’ of Russian diplomatic properties in US ‘blunt act of hostility’ – Foreign Ministry

‘Illegal, meaningless clownery’: Russia condemns US searches of diplomatic property

The FBI has conducted searches at Russian diplomatic compounds in the US, which the Russian Foreign Ministry calls “meaningless clownery.” Russian diplomats have posted photo and video evidence of what they call a “travesty of justice.”

“I am watching the footage of the FBI searches of Russian foreign missions and I think that this is some kind of hellish clownery [which is] stupid, illegal [and] meaningless,” Zakharova wrote on her Facebook page.

“What for?! To show all the power of the American special services?” she said.
On their Facebook page, the Russian Foreign Ministry published what it called “video evidence of illegal actions by the US authorities.”

Calling the afternoon FBI searches conducted under the auspices of the US State Department in San Francisco, New York, and Washington an “invasion,” the ministry said that the “examination” of Russian diplomatic property constitutes a “violation of international law and their own legislation.”

Searches of the consulate in San Francisco and two auxiliary offices in Washington and New York began at 2:00 pm local time, after the US State Department ordered the foreign ministry on August 31 to vacate the premises by September 2.

The FBI arrived in at least two vehicles to search the San Francisco Consulate. The minute the deadline expired, agents entered the Russian-owned diplomatic property, which in 2016 alone issued more than 16,000 tourist visas to American citizens, according to the

Russian diplomatic property in America ‘inviolable’, Assange tells US

“If Russia’s missions are standard diplomatic properties then they are inviolable under the VDR [Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961] signed by the US,” Assange, who remains holed up in the Ecuador embassy in London, tweeted Saturday.

And finally, no Russia will not be taking it lying down, but…

Moscow will retaliate over consulate row, but not like deviant hooligan America – Russian deputy FM

“We shouldn’t try to be like them. We never say that any unfriendly or hostile action by America should be responded to with a counteraction that replicates the American line, which leads towards political and judicial lawlessness,” Sergey Ryabkov told journalists on Monday.

“We have never faced such long-reaching and thoroughly offensive violations of fundamental norms of international law before,” the diplomat said. “I would call what’s happening now state hooliganism.”

“Countries may have all sorts of opinions about each other’s policies, but they should stick to some rules, or rather proprieties. And there are big problems with that,” he said, adding that American behavior was “pretty much deviant, politically speaking.”

Very well put!

Lada Ray’s two analytical articles on the topic below are, as always, well-worth the read:

What next? US shuts down Russian San Francisco Consulate + two other diplomatic sites

USA turns into fascist Ukraine: FBI to search Russian Diplomatic Properties :

ADDED 9/2/17: BY INTERNATIONAL LAW US ACTIONS CONSTITUTE AN INVASION OF RUSSIAN TERRITORY!

US threatened to break down the door into Russian diplomatic mission in the absence of Russian officials there. Also US advised that they plan to search Russian trade mission in Washington DC. The threat to search Russian San Fran consulate was issued as the plane carrying new Russian ambassador to the US was about to land in Washington. Clear provocation and clear disregard for any international laws. According to international law US has no jurisdiction inside Russian embassy and consulates, therefore, this is construed as an invasion.

It is clear to me that US will continue escalating the situation, in an attempt to sabotage Russian presidential elections in March 2018, the preparation to which has already begun. The main goal is to try to distract Putin, as well as try to present him as a weak leader.

***WARNING! What is happening with Russian diplomatic properties is not a distraction, as some suggest — it is THE goal. Why? I’ll try to break id down in a few days for you, when time permits. Stay tuned!