"there don't seem to be any adults behind the wheel." Oh they're 21+ all right, but they're dispositionally inclined inclined to want to witness a big boom. As someone who worked for a few years as a science writer for two of the three nuclear weapons (NNSA) national labs, my conversations with nuclear physicists and engineers led me to the conclusion that their supercomputer modeling efforts in behalf of "stockpile stewardship" left them frustrated. Why? Because they were banned from actual testing of their adorable weapons, leaving some doubts that they'd perform to their intended homicidal level. At this and other levels of the nuclear weapons establishment, the sociopaths exert enormous pressure to sustain this madness of refurbishing plutonium triggers and other dastardly pursuits. This represents yet another huge danger to having an unelected "deep state" driving policy decisions in this arena of ongoing madness. Don't ever be deluded into thinking that sane folks are driving this policy. You don't demur from the standard nukes-are-wonderful-deterrents propaganda if you like your quite well-paying gig in that jungle.
For those keeping score at home, let's recall that Trump increased funding for nuclear weapons by 50% with overwhelming congressional support. The Biden administration is continuing this policy. There is currently no mainstream alternative candidate to the bidding of the deep state.
I read Matt Tiabbi on regulatory capture, money has captured the legislative process so completely that there is no difference between the conservatives and the liberals. Riff is right to point this out.
There appears to be Covid mandate backlash on the republican side which could be useful in countering the current authoritarianism of the democrats (only to be replaced by draconian anti-abortion laws; so much for any principal of bodily autonomy), but things like bloated military budgets, the dictates of Wall Street, and the unchecked influence of Israel and Saudi Arabia will sail on regardless.
While your point is not exactly false, it was Obama who committed $1T to the modernization of our nuclear weapons. I only object when just one party is blamed. It leads to stupid decisions on the part of semi-informed voters.
These days, are there any other kind? (Insert smile emoji)
I join you in eschewing partisanship, and made a point to include Biden's continuation of Trump's policies, as well as the very telling bipartisan support such actions receive from our democratic and republican congress. I do make it a point to highlight Trump's actions in furthering the interests of the deep state, however, as he is so often proffered as some sort of alternative to the foregoing malarkey. He is, in any meaningful way, decidedly not.
If the placement of troops is what determines a nation's threat level, then the world should be terrified by the United States indeed. Again, why is detente missing from our current conversations?
it's not on the "menu". They made clear from the get-go they won't discuss "detente". No NATO preclusions, etc etc. Other than that they're happy to meet the Russian side.
As a former cold war analyst I was deeply disturbed by how uninformed politically appointed leaders overseeing the intelligence community were. An interested amateur knew more about the world. Their militarism makes them into nincompoops.
I agree with a commenter of Moon of Alabama on this. The US would be satisfied to be able to say that Russia backed down on invading Ukraine. As another of its commenters said, people still believe that the US had the upper hand in the Cuban missile crisis, even though the USSR had what it really wanted, that is, the dismantling of missiles in Turkey and a promise not to invade Cuba.
Selling arms and whatever to Ukraine is a nice bonus and requesting more material from the military industrial complex under the pretext of a forthcoming war is the ultimate goal
Ukraine will re ignite the Balkans.....mark my words. The thugs in Ukraine government will side-sell many arms to the ukranian/balkan mob on the black market. the US excels at creating narco states. they have no quabbles dealing with them, for some reason.
Yes, but although the ageing Jupiter missiles were removed much to Turkey's chagrin they were replaced by Polaris missiles, which I believe are there to this day. So nothing changed. It seems the Soviets were more capable of compromise to avoid world nuclear war than the unhinged crackpots in Kennedy's 'Camelot'.
"McFaul later claimed that Biden was too focused on opposing China during his first year in office, causing the Russia situation to get out of control."
Gee, whatever happened with the post election prediction that Republicans would accuse Biden of being "controlled by China" just as Democrats accuse Trump of being in bed with the Russians? Caitlin is spot on in this article. Absent a provocation, Putin will be content to allow the Kiev regime to stew in its own juices until it collapses entirely. He may then help Novorossiya (coastal and eastern Ukraine) rebuild.
Putin has no interest in occupying the strongholds of neo-Nazism in western Ukraine, so he will ignore minor provocations and has no need to launch a false-flag provocation as some foreign policy pundits have predicted. Should Kiev invade the Donbass, the invading army will be trapped as in the Debaltsevo cauldron by Novorossiyan forces, then destroyed by long range Russian rocket and artillery. No need to invade.
A much greater threat to world peace is the NATO missile installations in Romania and Poland. These are ostensibly defensive installations to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles. However, they are capable of launching nuclear armed cruise missiles, so they are indeed an existential threat to Russia while Ukraine is not.
Also, Alexander Vindman is from Ukraine! We can't let a partisan to that conflict dictate to our perceptions whether or not war with a nuclear power is inevitable.
It's a very useful distraction, by governments seeking to escape the consequences of their "public health" policies, and a reason to increase surveillance and censorship. Using the Soviet term, it's "maskirovska" - the enemy being the population ruled by these governments...
Having to participate in the practice and planning of nuclear war was depressing to say the least. I remember at the end of a brief, the general asks about enemy moral. I told him they feel as any rational person, that there be a peaceful diplomatic solution.
BDS everyone and everything zionist every day, in every way you can. it's your human duty, and your responsibility for your own children and grandchildren.
I think it would be reasonable to mention that since retiring from the NSC, Vindman was awarded a staff position with Lawfare by way of a fellowship funded by the Pritzker Military Foundation, the "philanthropic" organization chaired by billionaire Jennifer Pritzker, whose family of billionaires has a long history of industrial production for the US military.
Finally subscribed to your Sub, Caity. Don't ask me why it took so long. As always, great analysis on the REALLY dangerous virus that is infecting our humanity.
Hmm, at the moment the staging areas are a little too far from the border, most tanks and fighting vehicles are parked, and there are none of them strapped on top of flatbed transporters. Additionally, there is no attempt at camouflaging said staging areas, and no discernable siting and works for artillery, whether for practice (180 degrees from direction of advance) or in preparation for an invasion.
"there don't seem to be any adults behind the wheel." Oh they're 21+ all right, but they're dispositionally inclined inclined to want to witness a big boom. As someone who worked for a few years as a science writer for two of the three nuclear weapons (NNSA) national labs, my conversations with nuclear physicists and engineers led me to the conclusion that their supercomputer modeling efforts in behalf of "stockpile stewardship" left them frustrated. Why? Because they were banned from actual testing of their adorable weapons, leaving some doubts that they'd perform to their intended homicidal level. At this and other levels of the nuclear weapons establishment, the sociopaths exert enormous pressure to sustain this madness of refurbishing plutonium triggers and other dastardly pursuits. This represents yet another huge danger to having an unelected "deep state" driving policy decisions in this arena of ongoing madness. Don't ever be deluded into thinking that sane folks are driving this policy. You don't demur from the standard nukes-are-wonderful-deterrents propaganda if you like your quite well-paying gig in that jungle.
For those keeping score at home, let's recall that Trump increased funding for nuclear weapons by 50% with overwhelming congressional support. The Biden administration is continuing this policy. There is currently no mainstream alternative candidate to the bidding of the deep state.
I read Matt Tiabbi on regulatory capture, money has captured the legislative process so completely that there is no difference between the conservatives and the liberals. Riff is right to point this out.
There appears to be Covid mandate backlash on the republican side which could be useful in countering the current authoritarianism of the democrats (only to be replaced by draconian anti-abortion laws; so much for any principal of bodily autonomy), but things like bloated military budgets, the dictates of Wall Street, and the unchecked influence of Israel and Saudi Arabia will sail on regardless.
While your point is not exactly false, it was Obama who committed $1T to the modernization of our nuclear weapons. I only object when just one party is blamed. It leads to stupid decisions on the part of semi-informed voters.
These days, are there any other kind? (Insert smile emoji)
I join you in eschewing partisanship, and made a point to include Biden's continuation of Trump's policies, as well as the very telling bipartisan support such actions receive from our democratic and republican congress. I do make it a point to highlight Trump's actions in furthering the interests of the deep state, however, as he is so often proffered as some sort of alternative to the foregoing malarkey. He is, in any meaningful way, decidedly not.
For a reason - https://www.fff.org/2020/12/11/the-national-security-establishment-is-in-charge/
Well paying jobs - amen - so much duplicity, we need our jobs and money so we look the other way.
If the placement of troops is what determines a nation's threat level, then the world should be terrified by the United States indeed. Again, why is detente missing from our current conversations?
it's not on the "menu". They made clear from the get-go they won't discuss "detente". No NATO preclusions, etc etc. Other than that they're happy to meet the Russian side.
As a former cold war analyst I was deeply disturbed by how uninformed politically appointed leaders overseeing the intelligence community were. An interested amateur knew more about the world. Their militarism makes them into nincompoops.
I agree with a commenter of Moon of Alabama on this. The US would be satisfied to be able to say that Russia backed down on invading Ukraine. As another of its commenters said, people still believe that the US had the upper hand in the Cuban missile crisis, even though the USSR had what it really wanted, that is, the dismantling of missiles in Turkey and a promise not to invade Cuba.
Selling arms and whatever to Ukraine is a nice bonus and requesting more material from the military industrial complex under the pretext of a forthcoming war is the ultimate goal
Ukraine will re ignite the Balkans.....mark my words. The thugs in Ukraine government will side-sell many arms to the ukranian/balkan mob on the black market. the US excels at creating narco states. they have no quabbles dealing with them, for some reason.
Ukraine is not in the Balkans. And creating a narco state out of Ukraine will not make it a NATO member
Yes, i have google maps too. Thinking a little broadly, if it's ok.
Yes, but although the ageing Jupiter missiles were removed much to Turkey's chagrin they were replaced by Polaris missiles, which I believe are there to this day. So nothing changed. It seems the Soviets were more capable of compromise to avoid world nuclear war than the unhinged crackpots in Kennedy's 'Camelot'.
Thank you
-- the SAME fat bastard who played key role in Russia-gate hoax
-- concocted by the SAME lying team
-- Obama-Biden-Hillary-Pelosi-Schumer-Schiff and the rest of DNC-CIA /FBI Co.
They will for sure try to prevent 2022 elections - as "illegal" - in order to stay in power.
do u think outcomes would be different if Orange were in the chair? (I don't).
We eill never know but -- he selected Pompeo and Bolton War-party vampires
"McFaul later claimed that Biden was too focused on opposing China during his first year in office, causing the Russia situation to get out of control."
Gee, whatever happened with the post election prediction that Republicans would accuse Biden of being "controlled by China" just as Democrats accuse Trump of being in bed with the Russians? Caitlin is spot on in this article. Absent a provocation, Putin will be content to allow the Kiev regime to stew in its own juices until it collapses entirely. He may then help Novorossiya (coastal and eastern Ukraine) rebuild.
Putin has no interest in occupying the strongholds of neo-Nazism in western Ukraine, so he will ignore minor provocations and has no need to launch a false-flag provocation as some foreign policy pundits have predicted. Should Kiev invade the Donbass, the invading army will be trapped as in the Debaltsevo cauldron by Novorossiyan forces, then destroyed by long range Russian rocket and artillery. No need to invade.
A much greater threat to world peace is the NATO missile installations in Romania and Poland. These are ostensibly defensive installations to intercept Iranian ballistic missiles. However, they are capable of launching nuclear armed cruise missiles, so they are indeed an existential threat to Russia while Ukraine is not.
Also, Alexander Vindman is from Ukraine! We can't let a partisan to that conflict dictate to our perceptions whether or not war with a nuclear power is inevitable.
Si l'enfer c'est installé dans nos vies (Covid), ils n'y manque que les flames !!
It's a very useful distraction, by governments seeking to escape the consequences of their "public health" policies, and a reason to increase surveillance and censorship. Using the Soviet term, it's "maskirovska" - the enemy being the population ruled by these governments...
There is another hidden dimension: Russia is not just negotiating items with the US, but also Israel is heavily involved in this calculus too:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/mks-demand-netanyahu-answer-questions-about-spurned-russia-syria-deal/
Having to participate in the practice and planning of nuclear war was depressing to say the least. I remember at the end of a brief, the general asks about enemy moral. I told him they feel as any rational person, that there be a peaceful diplomatic solution.
BDS everyone and everything zionist every day, in every way you can. it's your human duty, and your responsibility for your own children and grandchildren.
I think it would be reasonable to mention that since retiring from the NSC, Vindman was awarded a staff position with Lawfare by way of a fellowship funded by the Pritzker Military Foundation, the "philanthropic" organization chaired by billionaire Jennifer Pritzker, whose family of billionaires has a long history of industrial production for the US military.
Finally subscribed to your Sub, Caity. Don't ask me why it took so long. As always, great analysis on the REALLY dangerous virus that is infecting our humanity.
Hmm, at the moment the staging areas are a little too far from the border, most tanks and fighting vehicles are parked, and there are none of them strapped on top of flatbed transporters. Additionally, there is no attempt at camouflaging said staging areas, and no discernable siting and works for artillery, whether for practice (180 degrees from direction of advance) or in preparation for an invasion.
I am almost certain in my mind, yes pretty well sure that these paid blatherskites are very silly.