Besides supplying incredible amounts of "lethal military aid" to Ukraine, isn't the US providing a lot of actual targeting data for Ukrainians using that aid?
I'm not sure what the limits of a "proxy war" are, but I wonder if the US is not pushing them. If so, that's very risky (if not reckless), because if you remove the "proxy" from "a proxy war with Russia", war with Russia is what's left.
Today's Putin address to the parliament highlights, among which no more mincing words about the West and the suspension of Russia's participation in the START.
Russia will not lose - that is out of the question. For the Russians (not "Putin") the fighting with Nazis is personal. That the global West is Nazi through and through only truly blind and stupid cannot see.
Blind and stupid and congenitally naive. I’m referencing Americans now. I don’t think all in the West are as thoroughly or successively propagandized. And I really don’t think Russians are the only nation in the European theater that won’t tolerate Nazis. It does appear that many European countries have white-supremacist minorities, but unlike the U.S. those minorities don’t permeate their religious and government institutions.
You are right about that. Every word of President Putins' the truth the Criminal Elite lie after lie. One of the most important things in his speeches (I think) is how he never goes to name calling or degradation the scum here do whenever they start their chest beating. He calmly states facts and as such I can see he doesn't need to go there or even acknowledge that filth. I must say though the people in this country just can't see the truth. You can show them the proof, facts or even video and they always go back to the lie. They (if they actually listen to him) say he is the one lying or spewing propaganda! I have given up hope. I can only wish Mr. Putin and his country the best luck in overcoming what is now sure to come as these psycho fucks are going for blood for sure.
No matter how obvious this is and how simple and well the arguments are presentet the majority of the masses, who have bought into the propaganda and justification of the imperialistic narrative, will never even consider the possibility that they have been fooled and lied to. And should they consider this possibility for a nano second, they will never ever admit that they were wrong, simply because it would be too painful. They would rather die happily ignorant (wilfully blind) than painfully aware.
I agree. If Russia and China’s response to the MIC and Byedone’s aggression brings down the ‘Murican Empire, they will be doing us all a favor. There will more peace in the world and I’ll get my country back. The security state and international corporations have totally destroyed my country and I want them DEFEATED! I know it will be hard on us, but I see it as my patriotic duty to support this leveling of our pride and profit!! And the reintroduction of People as the Power. Caitlin is THE most brilliant at setting this agenda, as is a woman at Black Agenda Report. With the ladies leading, we’ll get there as Pluto transits Aquarius.
If you mean Margaret Kimberley, she is literally "the" other op-ed writer I follow.
Nobody knows empire's means and ends half as well as America's African diaspora, and BAR is definitely the best of contemporary black intellectual writing.
I love Margaret and her take on u.s. and global politics/economy. Since you like Margaret you might like RBN Revolutionary Blackout Network, YouTube and Substack. I love the discussion among people that don't have a political agenda. Black Agenda Report didn't miss a beat when Glen Ford passed away. I miss him.
It was Jacqueline Luqman—man she is one fiery lefty! But I’ll also start reading Ms. Kimberley on your advise. We need precision and incision to bring this cancer on our country to heel.
China has millions of unwilling citizens who would rather not be part of the country, the Uighers in particular. During World War Two most of western China broke off and paid no heed to the Kuomintang. China conquered Tibet and continues to oppress the Tibetans. China is an empire.
Russia conquered Chechnya for its oil so Russia is an empire too, though on a small scale.
Yeah but don't look at that look over here! Unfortunately there are a ton of bobbing heads. Violation after violation of the constitution and all these people look the other way or buy the big lie that "it is in your best interest"! The other lie told to people who refuse to "Look Up" war is for protecting US interest! Bullshit! War is about keeping some rich piece of shit rich or to get richer while using the blood of the poor! It is meant to steal another country's resources when they don't allow their puppet to just turn them over! All this filth has committed the worse form of treason and need to be put in prison awaiting the Guillotine!
That's what always gets me. So many ... willing to die, and for what? And many who die as collateral damage. In the end, it's just for some rich psychopath's greed or neurotic insistence for control. That's the human tragedy in all this.
Ever hear Buffy St. Marie’s song the universal soldier. It is BRILL! The only thing she doesn’t cover is the connection between wars and abortion—can’t have abortion rights for women cuz we need cannon fodder for our effing wars!!!
I think with the right form of persuasion they might be made to do this! They are Sociopaths after all so we need to find the right push that gets them feeding on each other!
That's the thing isn't it! It's their business not ours so why should anyone die to protect their money. They should be the first to the front lines but not a damned one of these warmongering whores who beat their chest screaming for blood will ever have a literal drop of it on them only we the people get to pay that price!
The youth aren't protecting the elder's money. They're protecting the system that affords them the possibility to graduate into their positions as landed gentry.
When will the draft begin? Soon the u.s. will run out of Ukrainians and there is no hope to match China in troop numbers. I just don't see the end game. Several people I respect have been talking about Poland being move to the front lines as Poland not NATO. Doesn't that automatically bring China and nuclear weapons into the picture? Strange the u.s. acts as though each decision is without counter offensive. Has no one in CONgress/Exe. played chess before. Strange days.
It won’t. The masters of war know that a draft gets the country really engaged in the war and kick starts a peace movement. They may however start conscripting among the incarcerated and homeless. That would certainly be the corporate thing to do, and since we’re the Incorporated States of Amnesia…..well, you know.
Yes all that is true however, Ukraine has lost most of it's army. The West losing this war would be the end of u.s. hegemony. Shortly after the loss I see the u.s. dollar wasting away having failed in asset confiscation and sanctions. Will the u.s. force Poland to do the dirty deed? Will that NATO/Poland entrance into the war force the hand of Russia into bombing Warsaw? We live in very, very dangerous times or so I think.
Ending the draft was a strategy born of necessity, but that helped make the empire more lethal and undeterred by domestic nervousness and naïveté. More imperial, if you will. But to your other point, I don’t believe the U.S.has enough skin in its proxy war to learn a painful lesson. If Ukraine is left in the Stone Age, it only benefits western banks and the IMF. That is the empire’s perspective.
I take your point about what would have happened if Russia and China believed their futures are tied to u.s. economic health. I think once the u.s. (Me) used the dollar as a weapon that game is over. IF I was in this game of Risk, I would never allow the u.s. to return to Ukraine for any business, lending or purchase/confiscation of assets. The IMF and World Bank are asset theft organizations. I believe Russia now that Bakhmut has fallen which was the center of the Ukrainian defensive line, Russia will move quickly without resistance to the Dnipro river splitting Ukraine in half controlling some 70% of industrial capacity. This allows the Western part of Ukraine to go as a demilitarized buffer zone. The key that this will happend, when Russia takes control of the city of Dnipro? There is no way Russia or China would ever again enter into treaty with the u.s. Why would they after confessions that previous treaties were no more than delay to militarize Ukraine. Run to the Light.
I wouldn’t ascribe presumptions of innocence to either Russia or China, nation-states being amoral entities that see the world through lens that only display degrees of self-interest. So I think the operative posture is “never say never” when it comes to dealing with those that you know are liars.
I agree. I would not consider any country not acting in their self interest especially the u.s. I am not even sure there is a treaty signed by the u.s. that wasn't violated. I think that's what makes these wars Russia/China so dangerous now as opposed to decades ago. We shall see shortly.
Whoa Un, this is really good. I totally agree. It’s the old shock doctrine with drones: bomb somebody back to the stone page and then make bucks rebuilding them with IMF loans. More for me! But I was reading on Counterpunch how this whole neolib-con proxy war has backfired. That the ruble is stronger than it’s ever been, that the sanctions are mostly hurting Europe, that Russia’s trade surplus is up by 68% but our trade DEFICIT is up by 12% —that’s an 80 point swing, brought to us by the smartest guys in the room. Apparently 90% of the world is ignoring our sanctions and trading with Russia no matter what we say. So apparently, we’re losing our bully-boy strength the longer we stay in Uk. Maybe we won’t need a peace movement to get it stopped.
I think it is entirely possible that the unipolar neocon wet dream is more of a news click distraction than an actual messianic plan. Not saying I believe this, but it wouldn’t surprise me. The MIC is an institutional addict; it needs more influx of cash on a daily basis. This is a cynical take, but if the billionaires wanted to get blank checks upon blank checks, with virtually no resistance, what better way than convincing the world that you’re prepared to use nuclear weapons to achieve your goal of global hegemony? It leaves only a handful of geeky bookkeepers to follow the ballooning upward surge in “defense appropriations,” because manufactured crises on the ground convince onlookers that such budgetary excess is required!
It calls to mind Richard Nixon’s on-the-record remark that he would authorize dropping “A-Bombs” on the Vietnamese. He later said that he wanted America’s enemies to believe that it was a serious plan. Everybody who knew Nixon believed it was! Tricky Dick would be very much at home in today’s Washington, I imagine.
Biden wants a legacy as a "war president" and as someone who single handedly restored US world hegemony after the Trump "America Firsters".
Joe dreams that maybe, like the 19the century Monroe Doctrine for the Western Hemisphere, he'll be the legacy of the 21st Century "Biden Doctrine" for the whole world! Lunacy.
Every one of them want to be war presidents. They'd consider themselves utter failures if they didn't have at least one big war in their legacy. Only wimps want peace!
“I don’t accept anybody’s red lines.” This sentence and its corollary, which consists in setting red lines for other states, perfectly characterize American foreign policy: it is an imperial policy. What is even less to the credit of the United States is that this policy is based on lies, exploited in the most cynical way. Whether it is claiming that Russia is waging an "unprovoked" war or that the Chinese are "arming" Russia, when it is Washington that set up the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev that has been waging war on the people of the Donbass since 2014 and that is pouring billions of dollars worth of arms and ammunition into this criminal regime.
Seriously, how can these politicians look at themselves in the morning in the mirror without blushing? Do they have so little conscience and morals?
Having a conscience and morals does not mean being moralistic. It means to act according to one's conscience and morals and thus to forbid oneself what one's conscience and morals disapprove of. It is not variable geometry. On the other hand, I grant you that a moralist is often a hypocrite who preaches principles that he is the last to follow.
I grant you Biden is pretty cynical. But in what I say above, I'm thinking of people who think explicitly about their morals, that is, sets of rules which they got from somewhere. Now, if you look back in American history a few years, something like 95% of Americans supported the War in Vietnam at its (public) outset; they supported the invasion of Iraq; most White Americans opposed the Civil Rights movement, and Martin Luther King was the most hated man in America. If you asked them now about these things, almost all of them would say they were on the anti-war, anti-racism side, and they name superhighways through the slums for the Reverend King, since he is safely dead. It's pretty easy to twist things around. Morals seem to usually be something people use to prove other people are bad, and to signal their virtue.
I agree with both you and Thierry. I think the differences you have would be the difference between real, personal morality, ethics and virtue and the corrupt virtue signaling of the American middle class, who CANNOT, after all these years of struggle, see how WE are the problem WE have to change and no WE do not have the answers. The people we neglect and oppress for fun and profit have the answers but WE don’t want to hear them. It’s a class struggle and the know it all white middle class is oblivious to it.
That's exactly what Jimmy Dore has been saying. He's said that those on the Left who were opposed to Sunday's Rage Against War rally, because they didn't like some of the speakers, have been infiltrated by the FBI or CIA to create division in the Antiwar movement. The fact that Veterans for Peace, Code Pink, the DSA and others didn't support it had a lot to do with keeping the attendance down.
I also support Jimmy Dore, not because I agree with him 100% but because he is willing like Caitlin to say out loud with the truth is. Interesting times ahead if we live through them.
Or maybe people just had different opinions outside of being infiltrated or duped or whatever is supposed to have happened to them. As they say, "When the Left wants to form a firing squad, they stand in a circle."
Read Luqman’s analysis of this demo on Black Agenda Report for Feb 8th. There are wheels within wheels. And when Code Pink backs out, you KNOW a they’ve done their research.
They have quite literally committed crimes just to bring down the movement and make them out to be acts of the protestors. I have a "Redacted Tonight" episode where Lee shows a video where FBI/Police are caught breaking into a building so it could be ransacked making the protestors out to be the ones doing it!
They did this through out the 60’s to all anti-war events, they did it to Dr. King. They didn’t do it to the Feminist movement because they concluded that we were doing it to ourselves. How sad is that. This time we need some solidarity.
I agree, I am extreme left and I found Tucker Carlson episode very well done. I don't know his motives so I will leave that to others. At one point I thought Carlson would run for President 24. A Trump/Haley ticket would be unstoppable I believe. Interesting times politically ahead if we survive the radiation sickness and fallout cancer. I am almost willing to bet we see nuclear war before 24 election. Strange Days.
Trump/Haley would be total disaster. Haley is a first-class NEOCON who has supported every US aggression (just like her fellow S. Carolinian Lindsay Graham). And Trump set the stage for the current war against Russia by supplying Ukraine with billion in weapons, while Obama refused their requests.
If you look at overall, global American policy, it has been remarkably consistent since the time of the Atlantic Charter (1941), when the US inherited (or ripped off) the British Empire and its satellites and became the world's leading great power. It's not going to change if you elect Trump or Haley or DeSantis. Why would it?
So true, however, you do have to vote to show None Of The Above : ) I assume that a large fraction of none voters are none of the above? Voter apathy is far more interesting than Trump, Biden or any other candidate for any office I see today. Bernie I thought had a real chance at inspiring voter participation in a general election. Going door to door for Bernie in very Republican't districts was an eye opener.
Not necessarily. Consider what participating in elections does to validate the premise that competition is not only not a childish waste of time, effort, and material, but indeed a sound method of collective decision-making. Not showing up is the same as non-endorsement of the system. Those who are invested in that system will cry and moralize non-participation as apathy because they believe they and the system they husband are entitled to the enthusiastic and ongoing consent of the governed.
It is quite interesting to read up on some of the particular status games played by various tribal societies across time and the globe, and the kinds of societies that unfold from them. David Graeber's anthropological theory of value is an engaging survey of some of them.
Maybe you are not understanding what I said. I didn't say I would support or vote for that candidacy. I said I think they would win. I bet that Trump would win 1st election , won that bet, then bet the 20 election would be very , very close and won those bets from both Biden and Trump supporters. From people in the run now, I think Trump and Haley would win in a tight race. Haley from S.C. and a woman will draw enormous women's vote , both Republican't and Democan't. I doubt Trump would bring DeSantis. DeSantis would try to steal the stage. We shall see. I will be writing in my candidate as it stands now. Vote, you have to vote to show none of the above. A comedian friend Jim Earl was my write candidate : )
There are red lines of rhetoric and red lines of substantial fact. In realpolitik or international relations, threatening the security of a foreign state, especially its ruling class, is going to be a "red line" whether it is announced as such or not. Clearly, the weakening or fall of Russia would be extremely disadvantageous to China, that is, the US would be on China's back like the hungry tiger it is. Therefore, China will support Russia whether they say they are doing it or not. They would be crazy not to. In fact, I would be very surprised to learn that China has not been sending support to Russia already and to have big plans for increasing it should it seem advisable. The more the US threatens China, the greater that assistance will become.
What will be the trigger China's full on support of Russia's defense ? Another weapons shipment to Twain or another visit by CONgress/State of War Dept. ? We know there is a trigger what is it?
My impression of both Chinese martial arts and Chinese political strategy is that you don't let your adversary dictate your moves through threats and provocations.
So what is the ultimatum? If you arm Russia - we will...? The West and spokesperson Biden have no sense of the ridiculous: will they refuse cheap, manufactured China goods on which the population now depends? Or not sell their wheat to them? Line up some really good defamatory lies? That's an innovation. Ouch.
When “might makes right” becomes the unacknowledged, but vey obvious rationale of the bully, it is up to intellectuals, academics, journalists, AND the morality police, I.e., the cash-happy preachers to speak truth to power. Most of the voices speaking the truth have been coopted, silenced or marginalized. But not all of them!
I recently posted a link to what I think is an important book review by a conservative, Bruce Fein, who deconstructed a flowery, self-elevating call-to-arms by a neoliberal, staunch cheerleader for the U.S. empire.
“The gist of Kagan’s intellectually stimulating and imaginative argument goes something like this: Americans are endowed with a disproportionate percentage of angelic, altruistic DNA compared with non-chosen others. Uniquely among nations, the United States wishes to make other people happier, freer, and wealthier by fighting against corruption and tyranny abroad.”
Kagan is a godfather of the neoliberal regiment that includes Joe Biden and Anthony Blinken. Kagan writes the words that become the bases for policies that authorize politicians to implement those words through global acts of aggression and terror. Here’s a link to the full commentary by Fein:
He's President Victoria Nulands husband right? I remember seeing her handing out cookies in Kiew after pulling off the maidan purple polkadot revolution 2014. Her captured "fuck the EU" comment when deciding who should take over in Ukraine has really come to haunt us here in Europe. How prescient can a president be? Heat or eat - that's the question of the day for many - thanks Bob and Vicky!
"The gist of Kagan’s intellectually stimulating and imaginative argument goes something like this: Americans are endowed with a disproportionate percentage of angelic, altruistic DNA compared with non-chosen others. Uniquely among nations, the United States wishes to make other people happier, freer, and wealthier by fighting against corruption and tyranny abroad."
Well, that is definitely "imaginative", yo. Like, you'd have to be higher than a kite to believe it.
Robert Kagan has been lauded and highly rewarded for his tomes praising and justifying American power. It is pathetically banal, but I don’t think it can be ignored.
Sorry CC. Substack is shit when it refuses to note to whom replies are addressed. I was responding to Feral Finster who inferred something that I didn’t intend.
Intellectuals, academics, journalists, and the morality police exist to rationalize, enforce, conserve, and ultimately perpetuate the current order with as little change as possible. Those occupation holders ARE the bully's mind. Morality is bunk they made up to keep us out of the intelligentsia's "rightful" business of property preservation, limit us to "speaking truth to power" as if it fucking cared, and discourage us from defenestrating the lot of them.
(Bruce Fein was the Snowden family's lawyer for a minute. No judgment, just a footnote)
I think your blanket dismissal of successful professionals is too broad to be useful. People, no matter their station or position, can state the truth.
"Successful professionals" is of a piece with "unprovoked invasion" and "Russian propaganda", i.e. patent professional-managerial class propaganda. I suspect your notions of "usefulness" are particular to your class mission and your personal right to feel altruistic and superior in conserving capitalist relations, and to respect them would be, shall we say, unwarranted.
Anyway, there is no "truth", only slave theory and emotional manipulation.
No truth, no morality? No thanks. My comments here are to promote democratic process and social justice. I often agree with anarchist takes and perspectives, but I have never believed that anarchism is workable, or worth promoting.
Considering that it's the job of your class to produce morality, and that such morality is the means by which you fashion the system by which you parasitize the productive? No surprise.
In other words, you are exactly the PMC that Barbara Ehrenreich (may she rest in power) warned us about. Your definitions of utility can be dismissed as unhealthy self-interest projected.
Besides supplying incredible amounts of "lethal military aid" to Ukraine, isn't the US providing a lot of actual targeting data for Ukrainians using that aid?
I'm not sure what the limits of a "proxy war" are, but I wonder if the US is not pushing them. If so, that's very risky (if not reckless), because if you remove the "proxy" from "a proxy war with Russia", war with Russia is what's left.
Today's Putin address to the parliament highlights, among which no more mincing words about the West and the suspension of Russia's participation in the START.
https://www.rt.com/russia/571853-putin-federal-assembly-recap/
https://www.rt.com/russia/571841-new-start-treaty-explainer/
I still live this guy! This is actually good news as Russia is doing better not worse! Now this criminal filth here is really pissed!
Russia will not lose - that is out of the question. For the Russians (not "Putin") the fighting with Nazis is personal. That the global West is Nazi through and through only truly blind and stupid cannot see.
I have said this many times. We still have Nazis in our government!
Blind and stupid and congenitally naive. I’m referencing Americans now. I don’t think all in the West are as thoroughly or successively propagandized. And I really don’t think Russians are the only nation in the European theater that won’t tolerate Nazis. It does appear that many European countries have white-supremacist minorities, but unlike the U.S. those minorities don’t permeate their religious and government institutions.
You are right about that. Every word of President Putins' the truth the Criminal Elite lie after lie. One of the most important things in his speeches (I think) is how he never goes to name calling or degradation the scum here do whenever they start their chest beating. He calmly states facts and as such I can see he doesn't need to go there or even acknowledge that filth. I must say though the people in this country just can't see the truth. You can show them the proof, facts or even video and they always go back to the lie. They (if they actually listen to him) say he is the one lying or spewing propaganda! I have given up hope. I can only wish Mr. Putin and his country the best luck in overcoming what is now sure to come as these psycho fucks are going for blood for sure.
Two relevant events from the Russian Foreign Ministry today:
- the US ambassador called on and presented a demarche
- a statement issued regarding suspension of START
Both are up in Russian for now, but will likely appear within next few days in English. For the impatient a google translate can be attempted:
https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1855127/
https://mid.ru/ru/foreign_policy/news/1855184/
No matter how obvious this is and how simple and well the arguments are presentet the majority of the masses, who have bought into the propaganda and justification of the imperialistic narrative, will never even consider the possibility that they have been fooled and lied to. And should they consider this possibility for a nano second, they will never ever admit that they were wrong, simply because it would be too painful. They would rather die happily ignorant (wilfully blind) than painfully aware.
Fuck the Empire of Lies.
I agree. If Russia and China’s response to the MIC and Byedone’s aggression brings down the ‘Murican Empire, they will be doing us all a favor. There will more peace in the world and I’ll get my country back. The security state and international corporations have totally destroyed my country and I want them DEFEATED! I know it will be hard on us, but I see it as my patriotic duty to support this leveling of our pride and profit!! And the reintroduction of People as the Power. Caitlin is THE most brilliant at setting this agenda, as is a woman at Black Agenda Report. With the ladies leading, we’ll get there as Pluto transits Aquarius.
If you mean Margaret Kimberley, she is literally "the" other op-ed writer I follow.
Nobody knows empire's means and ends half as well as America's African diaspora, and BAR is definitely the best of contemporary black intellectual writing.
I love Margaret and her take on u.s. and global politics/economy. Since you like Margaret you might like RBN Revolutionary Blackout Network, YouTube and Substack. I love the discussion among people that don't have a political agenda. Black Agenda Report didn't miss a beat when Glen Ford passed away. I miss him.
Will definitely check out RBN, thanks for the tip!
It was Jacqueline Luqman—man she is one fiery lefty! But I’ll also start reading Ms. Kimberley on your advise. We need precision and incision to bring this cancer on our country to heel.
Bring this cancer on our country to heel. Sounds like the title of an article to me : ) Love to read it.
Nicely said : )
That is because, whatever Russia and China may be, they are not empires.
China has millions of unwilling citizens who would rather not be part of the country, the Uighers in particular. During World War Two most of western China broke off and paid no heed to the Kuomintang. China conquered Tibet and continues to oppress the Tibetans. China is an empire.
Russia conquered Chechnya for its oil so Russia is an empire too, though on a small scale.
Even taking the factual statements as granted (they aren't), that's not what an empire is.
Yeah but don't look at that look over here! Unfortunately there are a ton of bobbing heads. Violation after violation of the constitution and all these people look the other way or buy the big lie that "it is in your best interest"! The other lie told to people who refuse to "Look Up" war is for protecting US interest! Bullshit! War is about keeping some rich piece of shit rich or to get richer while using the blood of the poor! It is meant to steal another country's resources when they don't allow their puppet to just turn them over! All this filth has committed the worse form of treason and need to be put in prison awaiting the Guillotine!
That's what always gets me. So many ... willing to die, and for what? And many who die as collateral damage. In the end, it's just for some rich psychopath's greed or neurotic insistence for control. That's the human tragedy in all this.
Ever hear Buffy St. Marie’s song the universal soldier. It is BRILL! The only thing she doesn’t cover is the connection between wars and abortion—can’t have abortion rights for women cuz we need cannon fodder for our effing wars!!!
Cannon Fodder - the Children's Crusade.
What if these rich billionaire fucks had a war, and none of the 20 somethings showed up? What then?
Better yet, what if the 20-somethings showed up at the think-tankies' houses and destroyed the billionaires' intellectual war production capacity?
I think with the right form of persuasion they might be made to do this! They are Sociopaths after all so we need to find the right push that gets them feeding on each other!
That's the thing isn't it! It's their business not ours so why should anyone die to protect their money. They should be the first to the front lines but not a damned one of these warmongering whores who beat their chest screaming for blood will ever have a literal drop of it on them only we the people get to pay that price!
The youth aren't protecting the elder's money. They're protecting the system that affords them the possibility to graduate into their positions as landed gentry.
I think this true of the politicians also as they feed up the ladder.
When will the draft begin? Soon the u.s. will run out of Ukrainians and there is no hope to match China in troop numbers. I just don't see the end game. Several people I respect have been talking about Poland being move to the front lines as Poland not NATO. Doesn't that automatically bring China and nuclear weapons into the picture? Strange the u.s. acts as though each decision is without counter offensive. Has no one in CONgress/Exe. played chess before. Strange days.
It won’t. The masters of war know that a draft gets the country really engaged in the war and kick starts a peace movement. They may however start conscripting among the incarcerated and homeless. That would certainly be the corporate thing to do, and since we’re the Incorporated States of Amnesia…..well, you know.
Yes all that is true however, Ukraine has lost most of it's army. The West losing this war would be the end of u.s. hegemony. Shortly after the loss I see the u.s. dollar wasting away having failed in asset confiscation and sanctions. Will the u.s. force Poland to do the dirty deed? Will that NATO/Poland entrance into the war force the hand of Russia into bombing Warsaw? We live in very, very dangerous times or so I think.
Ending the draft was a strategy born of necessity, but that helped make the empire more lethal and undeterred by domestic nervousness and naïveté. More imperial, if you will. But to your other point, I don’t believe the U.S.has enough skin in its proxy war to learn a painful lesson. If Ukraine is left in the Stone Age, it only benefits western banks and the IMF. That is the empire’s perspective.
I take your point about what would have happened if Russia and China believed their futures are tied to u.s. economic health. I think once the u.s. (Me) used the dollar as a weapon that game is over. IF I was in this game of Risk, I would never allow the u.s. to return to Ukraine for any business, lending or purchase/confiscation of assets. The IMF and World Bank are asset theft organizations. I believe Russia now that Bakhmut has fallen which was the center of the Ukrainian defensive line, Russia will move quickly without resistance to the Dnipro river splitting Ukraine in half controlling some 70% of industrial capacity. This allows the Western part of Ukraine to go as a demilitarized buffer zone. The key that this will happend, when Russia takes control of the city of Dnipro? There is no way Russia or China would ever again enter into treaty with the u.s. Why would they after confessions that previous treaties were no more than delay to militarize Ukraine. Run to the Light.
I wouldn’t ascribe presumptions of innocence to either Russia or China, nation-states being amoral entities that see the world through lens that only display degrees of self-interest. So I think the operative posture is “never say never” when it comes to dealing with those that you know are liars.
I agree. I would not consider any country not acting in their self interest especially the u.s. I am not even sure there is a treaty signed by the u.s. that wasn't violated. I think that's what makes these wars Russia/China so dangerous now as opposed to decades ago. We shall see shortly.
Whoa Un, this is really good. I totally agree. It’s the old shock doctrine with drones: bomb somebody back to the stone page and then make bucks rebuilding them with IMF loans. More for me! But I was reading on Counterpunch how this whole neolib-con proxy war has backfired. That the ruble is stronger than it’s ever been, that the sanctions are mostly hurting Europe, that Russia’s trade surplus is up by 68% but our trade DEFICIT is up by 12% —that’s an 80 point swing, brought to us by the smartest guys in the room. Apparently 90% of the world is ignoring our sanctions and trading with Russia no matter what we say. So apparently, we’re losing our bully-boy strength the longer we stay in Uk. Maybe we won’t need a peace movement to get it stopped.
I think it is entirely possible that the unipolar neocon wet dream is more of a news click distraction than an actual messianic plan. Not saying I believe this, but it wouldn’t surprise me. The MIC is an institutional addict; it needs more influx of cash on a daily basis. This is a cynical take, but if the billionaires wanted to get blank checks upon blank checks, with virtually no resistance, what better way than convincing the world that you’re prepared to use nuclear weapons to achieve your goal of global hegemony? It leaves only a handful of geeky bookkeepers to follow the ballooning upward surge in “defense appropriations,” because manufactured crises on the ground convince onlookers that such budgetary excess is required!
It calls to mind Richard Nixon’s on-the-record remark that he would authorize dropping “A-Bombs” on the Vietnamese. He later said that he wanted America’s enemies to believe that it was a serious plan. Everybody who knew Nixon believed it was! Tricky Dick would be very much at home in today’s Washington, I imagine.
Exactly!
One of the first statements from Bided as President was his "America Is Back" imperial vision, see:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/02/04/remarks-by-president-biden-on-americas-place-in-the-world/
Biden wants a legacy as a "war president" and as someone who single handedly restored US world hegemony after the Trump "America Firsters".
Joe dreams that maybe, like the 19the century Monroe Doctrine for the Western Hemisphere, he'll be the legacy of the 21st Century "Biden Doctrine" for the whole world! Lunacy.
Every one of them want to be war presidents. They'd consider themselves utter failures if they didn't have at least one big war in their legacy. Only wimps want peace!
Great piece. Solid argument.
“I don’t accept anybody’s red lines.” This sentence and its corollary, which consists in setting red lines for other states, perfectly characterize American foreign policy: it is an imperial policy. What is even less to the credit of the United States is that this policy is based on lies, exploited in the most cynical way. Whether it is claiming that Russia is waging an "unprovoked" war or that the Chinese are "arming" Russia, when it is Washington that set up the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev that has been waging war on the people of the Donbass since 2014 and that is pouring billions of dollars worth of arms and ammunition into this criminal regime.
Seriously, how can these politicians look at themselves in the morning in the mirror without blushing? Do they have so little conscience and morals?
To those assholes, conscience and morals are for losers.
As we say in France : " C'est pas faux !"
How do you say ‘merika is a bunch of rich fools destined for the scrap heap in French? It will no doubt sound so much more elegant than in English. 🤓
Maybe : " Joe Biden ".
Hahahahahahahahaha., very good! 🙏🙂
😇
They have none. Hopefully it's getting much easier to see and believe it.
In any event, moralists are usually good at rationalizing their behavior into whatever their principles or beliefs deem moral and reasonable.
Having a conscience and morals does not mean being moralistic. It means to act according to one's conscience and morals and thus to forbid oneself what one's conscience and morals disapprove of. It is not variable geometry. On the other hand, I grant you that a moralist is often a hypocrite who preaches principles that he is the last to follow.
Biden is a moralist without conscience or morals.
I grant you Biden is pretty cynical. But in what I say above, I'm thinking of people who think explicitly about their morals, that is, sets of rules which they got from somewhere. Now, if you look back in American history a few years, something like 95% of Americans supported the War in Vietnam at its (public) outset; they supported the invasion of Iraq; most White Americans opposed the Civil Rights movement, and Martin Luther King was the most hated man in America. If you asked them now about these things, almost all of them would say they were on the anti-war, anti-racism side, and they name superhighways through the slums for the Reverend King, since he is safely dead. It's pretty easy to twist things around. Morals seem to usually be something people use to prove other people are bad, and to signal their virtue.
I agree with both you and Thierry. I think the differences you have would be the difference between real, personal morality, ethics and virtue and the corrupt virtue signaling of the American middle class, who CANNOT, after all these years of struggle, see how WE are the problem WE have to change and no WE do not have the answers. The people we neglect and oppress for fun and profit have the answers but WE don’t want to hear them. It’s a class struggle and the know it all white middle class is oblivious to it.
It might be interesting to study the virtue-signaling thing. It must go back to the Puritans.
Tucker Carlson gave an absolutely brilliant anti-war speech last night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSh_BgRAah0
I realize not everyone here is on the right, but I like Jimmy Dore, too, and he is on the left. Let the anti-war people unite.
That's exactly what Jimmy Dore has been saying. He's said that those on the Left who were opposed to Sunday's Rage Against War rally, because they didn't like some of the speakers, have been infiltrated by the FBI or CIA to create division in the Antiwar movement. The fact that Veterans for Peace, Code Pink, the DSA and others didn't support it had a lot to do with keeping the attendance down.
I also support Jimmy Dore, not because I agree with him 100% but because he is willing like Caitlin to say out loud with the truth is. Interesting times ahead if we live through them.
Or maybe people just had different opinions outside of being infiltrated or duped or whatever is supposed to have happened to them. As they say, "When the Left wants to form a firing squad, they stand in a circle."
Read Luqman’s analysis of this demo on Black Agenda Report for Feb 8th. There are wheels within wheels. And when Code Pink backs out, you KNOW a they’ve done their research.
They have quite literally committed crimes just to bring down the movement and make them out to be acts of the protestors. I have a "Redacted Tonight" episode where Lee shows a video where FBI/Police are caught breaking into a building so it could be ransacked making the protestors out to be the ones doing it!
They did this through out the 60’s to all anti-war events, they did it to Dr. King. They didn’t do it to the Feminist movement because they concluded that we were doing it to ourselves. How sad is that. This time we need some solidarity.
For certain!
I agree, I am extreme left and I found Tucker Carlson episode very well done. I don't know his motives so I will leave that to others. At one point I thought Carlson would run for President 24. A Trump/Haley ticket would be unstoppable I believe. Interesting times politically ahead if we survive the radiation sickness and fallout cancer. I am almost willing to bet we see nuclear war before 24 election. Strange Days.
Trump/Haley would be total disaster. Haley is a first-class NEOCON who has supported every US aggression (just like her fellow S. Carolinian Lindsay Graham). And Trump set the stage for the current war against Russia by supplying Ukraine with billion in weapons, while Obama refused their requests.
If you look at overall, global American policy, it has been remarkably consistent since the time of the Atlantic Charter (1941), when the US inherited (or ripped off) the British Empire and its satellites and became the world's leading great power. It's not going to change if you elect Trump or Haley or DeSantis. Why would it?
It's not going to change with an administration from either corporate-owned pro-war party.
So true, however, you do have to vote to show None Of The Above : ) I assume that a large fraction of none voters are none of the above? Voter apathy is far more interesting than Trump, Biden or any other candidate for any office I see today. Bernie I thought had a real chance at inspiring voter participation in a general election. Going door to door for Bernie in very Republican't districts was an eye opener.
Not necessarily. Consider what participating in elections does to validate the premise that competition is not only not a childish waste of time, effort, and material, but indeed a sound method of collective decision-making. Not showing up is the same as non-endorsement of the system. Those who are invested in that system will cry and moralize non-participation as apathy because they believe they and the system they husband are entitled to the enthusiastic and ongoing consent of the governed.
It is quite interesting to read up on some of the particular status games played by various tribal societies across time and the globe, and the kinds of societies that unfold from them. David Graeber's anthropological theory of value is an engaging survey of some of them.
Maybe you are not understanding what I said. I didn't say I would support or vote for that candidacy. I said I think they would win. I bet that Trump would win 1st election , won that bet, then bet the 20 election would be very , very close and won those bets from both Biden and Trump supporters. From people in the run now, I think Trump and Haley would win in a tight race. Haley from S.C. and a woman will draw enormous women's vote , both Republican't and Democan't. I doubt Trump would bring DeSantis. DeSantis would try to steal the stage. We shall see. I will be writing in my candidate as it stands now. Vote, you have to vote to show none of the above. A comedian friend Jim Earl was my write candidate : )
There are red lines of rhetoric and red lines of substantial fact. In realpolitik or international relations, threatening the security of a foreign state, especially its ruling class, is going to be a "red line" whether it is announced as such or not. Clearly, the weakening or fall of Russia would be extremely disadvantageous to China, that is, the US would be on China's back like the hungry tiger it is. Therefore, China will support Russia whether they say they are doing it or not. They would be crazy not to. In fact, I would be very surprised to learn that China has not been sending support to Russia already and to have big plans for increasing it should it seem advisable. The more the US threatens China, the greater that assistance will become.
What will be the trigger China's full on support of Russia's defense ? Another weapons shipment to Twain or another visit by CONgress/State of War Dept. ? We know there is a trigger what is it?
My impression of both Chinese martial arts and Chinese political strategy is that you don't let your adversary dictate your moves through threats and provocations.
“It is the US, not China, that has been pouring weapons into the battlefield"
Who knew??!
The behavior of the US is the behavior of a schoolyard bully.
Washington can set any idiot red lines it wants against China. Good luck trying to enforce them.
So what is the ultimatum? If you arm Russia - we will...? The West and spokesperson Biden have no sense of the ridiculous: will they refuse cheap, manufactured China goods on which the population now depends? Or not sell their wheat to them? Line up some really good defamatory lies? That's an innovation. Ouch.
…hold our breath until we turn blue
…stamp our feet and cry
…tell UN on you
Until these lunatics get slapped or in some cases punched in the face none of them will ever wake up. Its up to their relatives to do that job.
When “might makes right” becomes the unacknowledged, but vey obvious rationale of the bully, it is up to intellectuals, academics, journalists, AND the morality police, I.e., the cash-happy preachers to speak truth to power. Most of the voices speaking the truth have been coopted, silenced or marginalized. But not all of them!
I recently posted a link to what I think is an important book review by a conservative, Bruce Fein, who deconstructed a flowery, self-elevating call-to-arms by a neoliberal, staunch cheerleader for the U.S. empire.
“The gist of Kagan’s intellectually stimulating and imaginative argument goes something like this: Americans are endowed with a disproportionate percentage of angelic, altruistic DNA compared with non-chosen others. Uniquely among nations, the United States wishes to make other people happier, freer, and wealthier by fighting against corruption and tyranny abroad.”
Kagan is a godfather of the neoliberal regiment that includes Joe Biden and Anthony Blinken. Kagan writes the words that become the bases for policies that authorize politicians to implement those words through global acts of aggression and terror. Here’s a link to the full commentary by Fein:
https://consortiumnews.com/2023/02/10/the-calamity-of-americas-divine-mission/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=32b91ed8-54a5-4708-809c-f23fb608c353
He's President Victoria Nulands husband right? I remember seeing her handing out cookies in Kiew after pulling off the maidan purple polkadot revolution 2014. Her captured "fuck the EU" comment when deciding who should take over in Ukraine has really come to haunt us here in Europe. How prescient can a president be? Heat or eat - that's the question of the day for many - thanks Bob and Vicky!
Rise up throw the scum government out. Push for investigations in their collusion into the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline!
"The gist of Kagan’s intellectually stimulating and imaginative argument goes something like this: Americans are endowed with a disproportionate percentage of angelic, altruistic DNA compared with non-chosen others. Uniquely among nations, the United States wishes to make other people happier, freer, and wealthier by fighting against corruption and tyranny abroad."
Well, that is definitely "imaginative", yo. Like, you'd have to be higher than a kite to believe it.
I started laughing myself!
This Kagan dude is such a mendacious liar, he makes Squealer look like Diogenes by comparison.
A mendacious liar like a red ruby or wet water. One adjective too many.;)
Robert Kagan has been lauded and highly rewarded for his tomes praising and justifying American power. It is pathetically banal, but I don’t think it can be ignored.
Nowhere did I say that Kagan should be ignored.
Even if Kagan did believe his own words (I personally doubt it), such delusions can be dangerous.
This is infiltration at its best. Always make your enemy fight for you. Build up their ego all the while stabbing them in the back!
And nowhere did I say that you did. Feeling defensive?
No I was referring to Kagan's methods not your statement.
Sorry CC. Substack is shit when it refuses to note to whom replies are addressed. I was responding to Feral Finster who inferred something that I didn’t intend.
Also married to Nuland.
Intellectuals, academics, journalists, and the morality police exist to rationalize, enforce, conserve, and ultimately perpetuate the current order with as little change as possible. Those occupation holders ARE the bully's mind. Morality is bunk they made up to keep us out of the intelligentsia's "rightful" business of property preservation, limit us to "speaking truth to power" as if it fucking cared, and discourage us from defenestrating the lot of them.
(Bruce Fein was the Snowden family's lawyer for a minute. No judgment, just a footnote)
I think your blanket dismissal of successful professionals is too broad to be useful. People, no matter their station or position, can state the truth.
"“it is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it." -- Upton Sinclair
"Successful professionals" is of a piece with "unprovoked invasion" and "Russian propaganda", i.e. patent professional-managerial class propaganda. I suspect your notions of "usefulness" are particular to your class mission and your personal right to feel altruistic and superior in conserving capitalist relations, and to respect them would be, shall we say, unwarranted.
Anyway, there is no "truth", only slave theory and emotional manipulation.
No truth, no morality? No thanks. My comments here are to promote democratic process and social justice. I often agree with anarchist takes and perspectives, but I have never believed that anarchism is workable, or worth promoting.
Considering that it's the job of your class to produce morality, and that such morality is the means by which you fashion the system by which you parasitize the productive? No surprise.
In other words, you are exactly the PMC that Barbara Ehrenreich (may she rest in power) warned us about. Your definitions of utility can be dismissed as unhealthy self-interest projected.