I usually try to drill down on one issue. Not today. There are several items that may not warrant a full article but merit your attention and commentary.
CHINA and UKRAINE — The western media completely missed the boat on last week’s phone call between Xi Jinping and Volodomyr Zelensky. The CNN commentary is a prime example of the misinterpretation of this call:
A long-awaited phone call between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday has received a tentative welcome in Washington and parts of Europe for its potential to increase dialogue toward resolving Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine.
It also marks the most concrete step made to date by China to take up the role of mediator that it has for months alluded to playing.
But the hour-long conversation, believed to be the first between the two leaders in the fourteen months since Russia invaded Ukraine, also comes with few tangible proposals for how China might help to bridge the devastating, war-torn divide between the two countries.
Let us start with some facts. Zelensky called Xi, not the other way around. And Zelensky reportedly did this without consulting Washington, which left the Biden foreign policy team fuming. More telling is that Xi did the conversation with a Russian translator. Got it? China supposedly could not find a single Chinese linguist who spoke Ukrainian. Are you buying that? I’m not. China, a nation skilled at diplomacy and the talent of sending powerful messages with subtle gestures, deliberately forced Zelensky to deal with Xi using the Russian language. While it is possible that the Chinese were just being kind to Zelensky, who is not a native Ukrainian speaker and his grasp of that language is awkward at best, it is more likely that China was reminding Ukraine that it is in a new partnership with Russia.
Xi Jinping, according to the Chinese readout, was very direct with Zelensky bywarning him not to support the U.S. policy towards Taiwan. If Ukraine fails to heed that warning, then China will treat Ukraine with the same disdain it reserves for the inept Biden Administration.
The West foolishly believes that Xi Jinping views Vladimir Putin as his personal organ grinder’s monkey — an insignificant, second class toy of no import. Wrong. Putin has defense technologies that Xi does not. The recent summit in Moscow between the Russian and Chinese leaders, not just Xi but his Foreign and Defense ministers as well, delivered a powerful message to the world — Xi came to Putin, not the other way around.
Saudi Arabia Accelerates its Break with Washington:
One of the other consequences of the summit between Putin and Xi Jinping is Saudi Arabia’s volte-face on foreign policy and total rejection of letting America call the shots in the Middle East. Looks like Joe Biden won’t be getting an invite to do a sword dance with the Saudis:
The Saudis, by words and deeds, have put the kibosh on the U.S. policy to isolate Iran and destroy any regime friendly to the Mullahs in Tehran. Here are two of the latest headlines:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks to establish formal relations with Hezbollah – Al Akhbar
Saudi Arabia, Iran to reopen embassies ‘within days’: Minister
Announcement comes after the two countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations during talks in China last month.
Establishing relations with Hezbollah, identified by America as one of the most virulent terrorist organizations in the world, is the Saudis sending Washington a stark message that it is no longer going to play the game of pitting Sunni against Shia muslims. This is one more piece of evidence that the Saudis are serious about forging a new relationship with Iran. The rapprochement between the Saudis and Iran also is bringing an end to the 8 year civil war in Yemen and opening the door for Syria’s Bashir Assad to be welcomed back into the Arab League. In short, the foundation of U.S. policy in the Middle East has been blown up.
The Anticipated Ukrainian Summer Blockbuster is Going to Be a Flop
The public relations build up for the long awaited Ukrainian counter-offensive to drive Russia out of the Donbas and Crimea reminds me of the Walt Disney Company hyping a the release of a woke Cinderella reboot, which features a transgender Princess and a LGBTQ Prince Charming. No amount of advertising and media campaign will take the stink off of that turd. The Times of London apparently has gotten a secret memo that the expected Ukrainian offensive may be lacking:
American intelligence does not believe in the success of a possible counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
Ukraine is unlikely to achieve major successes in the event of a counteroffensive, it is not ready for it, the Times newspaper writes, citing US intelligence data that previously got into the Internet.
“Leaked US intelligence assessments show that Ukraine (during the counteroffensive. – Editor’s note) is unlikely to achieve anything more than modest territorial gains from entrenched Russian troops,” the publication says.
The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal in early April stated that the counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine could begin in the summer. He later said that it would take place “in the near future.” The American media, in turn, wrote that the Ukrainian offensive was allegedly scheduled for April 30. One of the directions is called the Zaporozhye region in order to reach the coast of the Sea of Azov.
There is always the possibility, albeit remote, that this is a piece of propaganda designed to lull the Russians into complacency. Could it be that Ukraine and the West are playing dumb in the same way that Ronald Reagan, the Mastermind, was portrayed in this iconic Saturday Night Live sketch?
Nah. They are not that good or clever. We are dealing with a malevolent clown show — incompetents who are not entertaining. The failure of the Ukrainian counter offensive is going to exacerbate tensions in Europe. Poland already is sending up a warning flare:
The head of the General Staff of the Polish Army, Rajmund Andrzejczak, spoke about the dangerous situation with national security in Poland.
“We simply do not have ammunition. The industry is not only not ready to supply equipment to Ukraine, but also cannot replenish our own reserves, which are rapidly melting,” he admitted.
Poland’s allies do not understand the seriousness of the situation and are “under illusions,” which is “surprising and even shocking,” he added.
I totally agree with General Andrzejczak.
“Ukrainian coke-head Clown Prince Zelensky imagines his lemmings are re-fighting the 1853-1856 Crimean war, where Sir Colin Campbell’s 93rd Highlanders famously gave us the “thin red line” (nice painting, Robert Gibb) of gallant Scots slaughtering the Orthodox Christian hordes, where Lord Raglan’s Light Brigade famously charged the wrong Russian guns (nice poem, Lord Tennyson) and where Florence Nightingale (Fleet Street’s Lady with the Lamp) made a name for herself comforting the dying Tommies the Famine Queen doomed to death in Crimea.
Though Crimea is no stranger to bloodshed, all battles fought there seem to have been akin to those of Stalingrad on a bad day. When the Reds overran Crimea’s Whites in the Russian Civil War, they had a five to one advantage and they attacked from over the shallow marshes dividing Crimea from the rest of Russia, an option Zelensky’s lemmings do not have.
When Hitler’s Army Group South captured Crimea, they had the help of the Italian navy and Dora, the giant Schwerer Gustav railway gun. Although the Crimean peninsula witnessed some of the heaviest fighting of the entire Eastern Front during the eight months it took the Soviets to boot out Hitler’s Army Group South, that ferocious fighting and huge loss of life should still be a factor for Zelensky’s doomed Army Group South to ponder, even though they march not to Hitler’s drum, but to that of Zelensky’s own candy man.”
https://strategic-culture.org/news/2023/04/29/clown-prince-zelensky-charge-of-light-headed-brigade-into-crimea/
I like the reference to the “Famine Queen” Victoria. For readers who didn’t get it, it was during her reign as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland that up to 1.5 million Irish people died of starvation when their basic foodstuff the potato suffered from blight from 1846 to 49 and rotted in the ground. Over another million starving Irish people emigrated to America with thousands dying of disease on the 3 week voyage. The “famine” was caused by the absentee English landlords who forced their Irish tenants to pay exhorbitant rents under threat of eviction if they couldn’t. During the famine years Ireland had bumper crops of wheat that could have fed her people but it was exported from the country under military escort. And how did the English landlords get the land you may ask…the same way as the thieving murdering lying pirates that they are got their empire…by conquest and decimation of the native people in the 17th century.
Next week the new king of england is throwing a coronation bash and guess who is attending from the Irish side? The president, Michael D Higgins the Taoiseach Leo Vradkar and Michelle O’Neill vice president of Sinn Fein and first minister designate of the NI Assembly. Shame on her!! And get this king charlie the turd is about to sign royal assent to a law giving an amnesty to all british forces for crimes committed in Ireland during the so called “Troubles” 1969 – 1998 or as Irish Republicans call it the second phase of the War of Independence. Britain still occupies by force 20% of the island of Ireland and as a NATO member has the full support of all NATO members in the continued occupation. That makes NATO and their Ukraine nazis enemies of the Irish people
I just got a text from KARL, the German’s WW2 area 600mm tracked mortar saying
Dont forget to mention me, moy droog. I was at Sebastopol in ’42 as well
The much ballyhooed “Counteroffensive” aka Larry’s “Flop” cannot succeed.
A UAF “counteroffensive” cannot succeed. For it to stand even the slightest hope of even partial success it would require:
a.) at least 200,000 fully trained and equipped troops
b.) at least 1000 modern MBTs with fully trained crews
c.) about 1000 % more artillery support than the UAF currently has
d.) full multi-level air defense
e.) full BATTLEFIELD ISR
d.) EW on a par with the world’s leaders in this field— the Russians
e.) air superiority
Oh…and SUPRISE! –the essential element of all successful strategic offensives. Imagine if the Germans had known the “when” and “where” of the D-Day offensive.
The UAF has none of these things. In general, attacks intended to rapidly overwhelm fortified positions require numerical superiority in men & materiel — about 3 to 5 times that of the enemy. The Russians outnumber the Ukrainians now 3 to 1, with a huge advantage in materiel.
So…IF this attack takes place it will be the end of the UAF — and an “off ramp” for the US, which will forget the Ukraine just as it did Afghanistan.
The trouble is that the “off ramp” leads to another “on ramp”. China, Asia, Africa.
As I write here: https://julianmacfarlane.substack.com/p/the-off-ramp-from-ukraine
I agree, it cannot, and will not succeed. The article below, decidedly pro-Russian, covers a lot of reasoning as to why it will fail even if somehow the Ukrainians have managed to assemble twice as many forces as we believe, and even if they have some air capability:
https://strategic-culture.org/news/2023/04/30/last-offensive-of-kiev-regime/
Basically, Russia has decided that they’ll go to the wall on this if they have to, and have sufficient forces lined up and ready should this become the case.
The nation that invented the soap opera seems to have appropriated that culture in their military intelligence and approach to world politics.
It’s almost like they want to fail, and are incapable of any semblance of reality.
Russia has whittled down NATO’s capacity with a relatively small force, while keeping half a million or so troops at the ready in case it turns into a wider conflict. Not sure how that happens though, as NATO cannot arm their troops. Maybe they’ll do like the Palestinians and throw rocks. It’s like Russia wants NATO to be dumb enough to step in.
Meanwhile the rest of the world is starting to treat the US as irrelevant, and setting bout ignoring them. Not sure how that plays out, but somebody better get a plan together for on-shoring production capacity when the rest of the world quits even trying to sell stuff here.
Hi Mac.
Yes, Yes, and Yes! We here in the US need to reboot our industrial capacity before we’re waiting in line for food donations from the RF, etc. Unfortunately, given the current state of American education, from Kindergarten through College Seniors earning BS (pun intended) degrees in key sciences such as Gender Studies, I really don’t see how we can fix this in time. Even many engineering students graduating today couldn’t pass a class back in the time I went to school, let alone design something that works as intended. By the way, I get to see these latter-day geniuses every day at work. It’s worse than you think.
I see it every day. I graduated with my engineering in 1978, swapped industries a few times, traveled, designed systems that have been in service for decades.
These days as a consultant I help companies fill positions in engineering and maintenance and I guess I don’t have to tell you the sorry state of competency in today’s graduates.
The workforce in my business is ageing out and finding people capable of doing the work is getting near impossible. Finding people to train
I personally know engineers and maintenance managers working today well into their 70’s. The situation in industry is at panic levels- of those who know anything which isn’t many.
The trans beer company is in very dire straits this way
My constant refrain. What happens when the last old white man quits? The subject of hatred, scorn, and societal abuse. Who happens to be the reason the lights go on in the morning
What i always found hilarious was the movie “Idiocracy”
However, it is flawed. Exactly backwards. The premise has society falling apart because the supposedly high IQ millennial yuppies are not having kids and the rednecks are having too many.
The yuppies couldn’t reolace actively flapper or change their own oil in their car and may be barely aware that it is necessary. The rednecks van build houses, hunt, fish and farm. Society would do fine with the rednecks in charge, but look at what were dealing with the bright boys running things.
One client isn’t interested in any candidates under 50 years old.
I found a guy in California. His old boss offered him $40k more a year to stay & not to move to Florida.
“Its not worth it”. Is what he said
“Who is John Galt?”
Who is John Galt?
I have a feeling we’re going to find out in the very near future
I gave a third year mechanical engineering class my dad’s grade 8 math test. I gave them definitions of things like bushels, etc., and the highest mark out of over 100 students was 44%.
I always brace my neck reflexively when driving over a bridge.
Well math is racist, haven’t you heard Check?
Check your privilege Mac. 🤣🤣🤣
Yea, It was almost exactly 10 years ago when one of the most famous bridge failures occurred 30 miles from my house; https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=6984647d4c79e967JmltdHM9MTY4MjgxMjgwMCZpZ3VpZD0yNzdkOTMzNS1lZGU3LTYxZmYtMmQ0MC04MmNmZWM1ZDYwNTEmaW5zaWQ9NTIwMg&ptn=3&hsh=3&fclid=277d9335-ede7-61ff-2d40-82cfec5d6051&psq=i-5+bridge+collapse&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnL3dpa2kvSS01X1NrYWdpdF9SaXZlcl9CcmlkZ2VfY29sbGFwc2U&ntb=1
Mira el star ship que es un remedo de cohete y con cada explocion se dice que es un exito que deja un profundo aprendizaje.
Pareciera que a la ingenieria actual le sea dificil reproducir lo ya establecido.
Exactly, didn’t we already do all that space stuff in the 60s?
And why are we doing 1-mile test runs of high-speed trains when other countries already have 1000s of kilometers of high-speed railways in commercial operation?
The lefty purple hair mantra was “learn to code ”
Now that the tech industry is purging these useless lumps by the tens of thousands, I tell them “learn to weld”
And most of them can’t code very well.
The most popular languages nowadays are python, ruby and Javascript. Terribly inefficient languages, if the industry used C++, probably datacenters could be 1/10 of their current size.
But, the snowflakes can’t deal with a language that requires mental discipline like C++, heck, they can’t even do Java.
Conseguir un buen programador con carrera universitaria es muy dificil sobre todo en USA.
Conseguir uno en Cobol, (porque aun hay mucho software en cobol en el mundo) se ha vuelto imposible. los abuelos ya no quieren trabajar y a los jovenes se les hace imposible aprender eso. por supuesto C++ es mucho mejor.
Ingeniero que se respete debe conocer C++
Lol, no joke. If these lumps didn’t have have unlimited memory, storage and bandwidth they couldn’t function at all.
Also if we could rid ourselves of the abomination called MS Windows we could cut IT overhead by 90%
Somewhere I got the idea that the Russian Wunderwaffe are so good without advanced chips because the Russians can still code in machine and assembly, thus not needing the super chips to get super results; i.e. washing machine chips do just fine if you can do really good programming.
“Russians can still code in machine and assembly”
We used to run nuclear core simulations on a PDP11 with one 64k core memory module and still run several users playing chess. UNIX of course. Original the Dennis Ritchie C Language.
@MarkinPNW
It’s not just about programming, but system engineering, and the whole design philosophy.
I’m pretty shure that they are doing low-level programming in C (without the pluses). It’s close enough to assembly language, but much more practical.
Well at least the medical schools would never pander to the diversity hysteria.
Oh wait — look at this:
https://www.foxnews.com/media/woke-doctors-blast-corrupted-medical-schools-for-accepting-students-mcat-gpa-scores-insignificant
From one old fart to another:
I saw a bill in California to mandate all education standards would be state: counties and school districts would have no discretion or power. Author is the esteemed Dr. Corey Jackson.
The PHD is in social work, not even Sociology, heaven forbid Anthropo!ogy. Jackson is gay and is upset that gay/gender is not taught as deserving of special status. I bet Jackson has at best 12th grade math skills and cannot balance a checkbook.
He absolutely hates religion and morality.
He would fit in 1930’s Nazi party if he was not black.
For those who follow Doug MacGregor, here’s a really interesting compare and contrast with him today and about 4-5 yrs ago on an American Conservative panel, when he had Trump’s ear, was energetic, upbeat and thinking they had a shot at implementing the policies that ended up rallying the forces that eventually torpedoed them.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/MuV7tWkwy4oX/
Given today’s situation, the talking points seem out of another universe. Really fascinating to watch and to consider, “had they succeeded…….?”
the effect of the vac mandates on the canadian military has been devastating. i imagine it is the same in the other west countries as well.
Catherine Christensen: Canadian Military Decimated by V@cc!ne Mandates | NCI Red Deer DY1
https://www.bitchute.com/video/PpvRUury7AZX/
https://seed126.bitchute.com/jDjhDLiyNFD5/PpvRUury7AZX.mp4
regards,
ralph
Well math is racist, haven’t you heard Check?
Check your privilege Mac. 🤣🤣🤣
“Chronicle of a death foretold” would fit the description of Ukraine’s plight; dammed if they do; accursed if they don’t.
Can we find Sun Tzu anywhere in Ukraine’s military methods? Perhaps, if we expand the Chinese sage’s work to the point of silliness – which would be the modern version of the arte of war.
No but you can read the renowned aphorisms of Murika’s own master of military strateegery Joe T’zoo, whose heroic exploits as a Wilmington warrior-lifeguard fighting the dreaded Romanz and their Centurion Corn-Pop are the stuff of gaslight-media legend….
*The journey of 1000 gaffes begins with a single misstep.
*A journey greater than ten thousand miles begins by stepping off a cliff.
*Never trust a piano player who uses both hands to wave at the audience.
*You can always find a plan if you use a good teleprompter.
*To dismount with dignity. First take your foot out of the stirrup.
*When your enemy approaches, unexpectedly fall from your mount; and in the following confusion, boldly crawl away!
*Planning is a form of laziness.
*You cannot go to a 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts without having a slight Indian accent. I kid you not.
*I don’t shake hands with the air, the air shakes my hands.
*So the best way to get something done…If you ..If you hold near and dear to you that you.. uh… like to be able to uh…….. anyway.
*Know your enemy as I do, you will stumble, lose many midterms, shake many invisible hands.
*Become your own best enemy.
*Shake hands with the air! Your opponent will wonder at what person he’s not seeing!
*Always speak in garbled tongues. It is better to walk it back than to stride forward.
*Always greet effusively people who don’t exist. Your enemies will understand this as a sign of perspicacity: You see things that others do not.
*We planned and run the war, but Ze didn’t tell us that we fucked up. Shame on him!
*By doing almost everything, nothing is achieved.
*If your strategy is seen as failing against a first enemy, apply it against a stronger enemy to confirm it doesn’t work.
*Though a warrior may gain victory over a thousand Corn Pops, still greater is victory over thyself.
*Fervently believe your own disinformation.
*When climbing stairs, better to fall repeatedly and make yourself look weak. That way, people will never be able to tell how weak you actually are.
*If one can defeat himself he need not be defeated by another.
*When there is nothing left to do, you can cross your arms. There is no need to do it running.
*When you don’t know what you’re doing, neither does your enemy.
*Never look a gift horse in the mouth; sniffing the nether regions is my way or the high way. To Hunter go the spoils.
*When you have failed as a general, boldly become a ‘woman.’ Wars are won in the concubine’s bedchamber.
*I’ve said it before: self defeat can be defeated. But you have to defeat it yourself.
*The supreme art of war is to fight without winning.
*A great democratic leader delivers everything to his people but no less than 10% to the big guy.
*The government is 70 percent right 30 percent of the time.
*If you can’t grope and sniff young girls, you must lick the world.
These are culled from the good folks (barflies) over at Moon of Alabama, who’ve come up with quite a list of aphorisms taken from the most heavily used part of the
used Depends pile.
Very well written article and excellent analysis Larry.
I really appreciate that you brought in Saudi Arabia. I read another article where China was resuming building their military base in the UAE , it had stalled due to US pressure.
As for the much vaunted “counter offensive” …currently I agree with all your comments.
The only reservation I have is the possibility of Biden admin looking to widen & drag NATO members directly into war. With Defender23 exercise & the other (can’t remember name) , I can see US blindsiding EU NATO countries & forcing an EU war.
Nordstream was a good example that the US will drag NATO EU into any extreme situation via a “false flag” (recent “atomic sensors” placed?) or a “Russian” attack during “exercise”. Also, they mentioned this May “Ramstein” meeting of special importance, like they were going to make some kind of “NATO” announcement about Ukraine.
Overall, I agree that the “counter-offensive “ will be a boring dud. But I hold in reserve the possibility of desperation.
Agree. The way I phrase it is that when it is obvious that the Ukraine military is done for, the US will do something stupid which will prolong and escalate the conflict. Could be force Poland into Western Ukraine maybe along with US Marines. With the stupid, the options are limitless.
It makes perfect sense that Biden will do something to garner support for election next year. The task for the Obama technocrats(sic.) is to make sure nothing is perceived as fkup before then and keep Russians as evil as white people can be.
Russian disinformation, stolen 2016 election because of Putin will be constants. A strong Russian military action to 2024 US escalation could help Biden. Would a conventional missile attack on US in September 2024 help Biden? I believe Biden, the Obamaites are that evil. They don’ t think one of those missiles might have their name painted on with Russian adjectives.
“deliberately forced Zelensky to deal with Xi using the Russian language.”
Larry, Zelensky’s native language IS Russian.
Sorry, posted this before reading on. But I do think that it is absolutely normal that people talk in their native language to reduce the risk of misunderstandings due to the person not being able to express himself confidently in all the necessary details. For an important conversation at that level, you leave translation to professionals!
Make no mistake, the Ukrainians are conducting all of their warfare in Russian and all of their PR in Ukrainian & English.
And Larry is correct, Zelensky’s Ukrainian sounds forced (I know Russian up to a B1 or so level). I’ll give Z some credit for knowing multiple languages (languages are hard), but the whole Zelensky speaking Ukrainian thing is just a clown show – forced Ukrainian nationalism.
Larry knew that, as he noted. BTW: Larry’s native language isn’t Italian but the volte face (about face) was a nice touch.
I think you missed the not too subtle point Larry was making.
I think he gets Larry’s point. I think he disagrees with it. Given the situation, use of a Russian translator seems more common sense than sending a message.
Iirc, Z tried phoning Xi at least once before & Xi was “too busy” to pick up, nor did he return the call. That was the real message.
Good point, Callahan69, Z’s sister speaks only Russian, refuses to switch to Ukrainian, the Government proceedings, meetings, papers are in Russian, but if a teacher is heard speaking Russian, he or she may be dismissed, what a country to live in.
Increiblemente en USA sucede lo mismo con el Español.
the absurdity of the situation is that Zelè le Kokò has just issued a law that whoever uses the Russian language in ukr is guilty of treason and is sentenced!…
stupid kokò should condemn himself…
I’m sure everyone has seen elensky
(Ukraine banned the letter ‘Z’, remember?) and every presstitute in the West saying how he suffered having to hear and speak the language of the ‘oppressor’.
China would have provided whatever interpreter was necessary or requested.
Maybe an English one would have been more appropriate, eh?
This single episode encapsulated much of the Kafke-esqe ‘reality’ that has been created in the West.
And what will the Straussian’s do when their latest decades long effort to destroy Russia , once and for all, collapses?
If they were even remotely sane, I would not be so concerned.
But they’re not
Blessings
L
Stupid koko should grab the loot and run before everything at every level spirals out of control and he gets left holding the bag as the moron who bought into the NATO racket in the first place.
Larry knows that. You may have missed that Zelensky is purging Ukraine of everything Russian, including the language….hence the irony…Zelensky had to learn Ukrainian…Russian is his native language.
And how good is Mr. Zelensky’s Ukrainian…?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkDM32ZL1tI
Another long, but worth the time, piece from Simplicius the Thinker. This time on his belief the US is heading for civil war or secession.
https://open.substack.com/pub/simplicius76/p/on-secession-and-civil-war?r=216lz6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
“Kingdom of Saudi Arabia seeks to establish formal relations with *Hezbollah*” not Lebanon. There was such hope for Lebanon once but now only the tumor Hezbollah remains.
Hezbollah a “tumour”? Are you mad? Without Hezbollah Lebanon would not exist. The settler scum would have over run it and reoccupied it in 2006. And prior to that it was Hezbollah that made the jewish criminal scum run back to the Occupied stolen land.
“There was such hope for Lebanon once…”
No doubt you mean in the expansionist dreams of the Zionist and the Neocon Israel-firsters.
It would suit Xi to have Ukraine incorporated into the Belt and Road initiative.
Xi’s offer to Zelensky is that Ukraine partners with China and stiffs the USA and the EU for all that odious debt which has been forced on Ukraine. Ukraine has no future with that debt manacled to its ankles.
As the sales of Ukrainian assets,(land, resources, and businesses) were made under the duress of odious debt, they can be legally repudiated.
Russia is the only willing, able and reliable partner to guarantee Ukraine’s sovereignty and protect it from the depredations of the Poles,(among others, which includes the US Military acting as the leg breakers for US money lenders.)
Good points! But it begs the question: Does Washington understand that the Ukrainian War thwarts the BRI of China and that keeping this war going perpetually actually holds back China from (actually) saving Europe from its nihilistic globalist leadership? How completely inept is Washington about these points? There are now great doubts that the West can support this war indefinitely.
There are many signs of unimaginable stupidity of the White House and its cadre of idiots. One is telegraphing your intent to go to war with China years ahead. But it is difficult to second guess stupidity. Is this just posturing for the domestic media, or does the US actually believe it can “reindustrialize” enough to support a war against China in two years when it cannot support a war in Ukraine? And do not forget that the deindustrialization is also a Biden policy, and this is part of the process of failure of its own currency, a failure that will be highly destructive of its ability to achieve any stability domestically or economically. The “great reset” is a globalist response (a reality before the war) and given there is a strong globalist faction running Washington, policies generated to support this faction completely undermine the US ability to maintain or grow its empire. Just saying….
L. (The other Larry Johnson)
Sure, all the US would need to do would be to continue supporting Ukraine’s fascists in whatever Ukraine were to emerge and any BRI would be under constant sabotage and of course, we all know there’d be 0 hesitation for the US as it exists today, to do so.
The only deterrent to such action would be if the EU purged itself of US vassals in its own economic interests. Nothing I’d hold my breath over.
Back in the 70’s was what I think he meant.
Hezbollah. The pride of Lebanon. The prime force in the middle East Israel is afraid of. The ones who drove Israel out of South Lebanon in 2000 and defeated them masterfully in 2006. The most important bulwark of Lebanese sovereignty in the country.
“Larry, Zelensky’s native language IS Russian.”
LOL. You completely missed the significance. Completely. LOL (reprise).
I know that dummy. But the Chinese are talking to a “UKRAINIAN.”
Larry, thanks for the “revelation” that Xi used a Russian interpreter when talking to Zelensky. This appears to be another calculated insult by the Chinese. (The first being the long wait in the Zelensky request for an audience).
Larry, this was a response to the Callahan69 posting:
https://sonar21.com/a-weekend-wrap-up-china-ukraine-and-other-items-of-interest/#comment-129172
thanks.
Larry may have made the mistake of assuming his audience knew that Elensky spoke Russian and has just been learning Ukrainian since he came to power.
The problem could be with your assumptions.
Hi Larry, I agree with all the above and on the surface it appears that the Ukraine SMO will be decided in Russia’s favour. However, my gut feel is that something is wrong. I am starting to feel that the “counteroffensive” may take the form of either an ugly false flag or an attempted ‘coup’ by some oligarchs frustrated by not being able to carry on raping Russia and backed by Western subversive forces. I pray I am wrong but the US, UK and Nato will not let this conflict end. They want to destroy and dismember Russia, which will not happen without nuclear war. Thanks again for the analysis, reach down to the clown show in Oz as well. Cheers.
The most dangerous person to lie to is oneself.
The Empire of Lies, like the mythical serpent Uroboros, is in the process of swallowing itself whole by the tail.
Decoupling from the US crazy train is a very difficult task when the train is heading downhill at a rapidly ascending rate of knots.
European nations have tried putting the brakes on but they’re shot and now they know that they have to uncouple from the crashing train before it hits the bottom.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world moves on up the hill, relieved, but dreading the aftershock of the impending explosion.
Sorry bout the metaphor, but you get my drift.
Sorry Eoin, as an Irish European, as I suspect you are too, given your name, I haven’t seen any evidence of Europe seeking to apply the brakes or uncoupling from the runaway train. Quite the opposite, what with ever more sanctions and doubling down in Ukraine.
Even here in Ireland, most people think I’m crazy with respect to this conflict, all parroting the Nato line. Sad, considering we were once proud of our military neutrality. To hear our former prime minister, now minister for foreign affairs and deputy pm reiterate Nato propaganda is sickening. It suggests our Foreign Affairs ministry is in the grip of Neocon puppets. Sad for what was once one of about 2 truly elite arms of the state apparatus in terms of drawing the best and the brightest.
vero!
That is sad about Ireland, the original anti-imperialist. They always knew what the British Empire was about. And now they are colonised once again.
You are correct about the Irish populist support for NATO and it is sickening but not surprising when you consider how dumbed down the Irish people have become due to our MSM and state media.
European nations trying to put on the brakes would include Hungary, Serbia and to some extent France. The defence minister of Poland’s recent realisation is a step in the right direction. Very quickly, I believe, Europe will distance itself from the US. Ireland, as you know, is a complete vassal of the US. Yesterday, medtronic, a huge corporation, announced job losses in Ireland. We Irish are never getting off the train.
Reply to Razor and Eoin Clancy.
As another native Irish, albeit one who has spent decades hauling my arse around the world to scrape a not too bad living, regrettably I agree with both of you.
The Irish in Ireland are the ultimate conformists, and seriously intolerant of outspoken dissenters. The moment it became acceptable to dump the Catholic Church, the speed at which the self-praising so-called “rebels” adopted the new orthodoxy was astounding.
On all the major issues, climate change, Covid, transgenderism, etc, no dissent or boat rocking is tolerated.
There are no rebels in Ireland, they have all emigrated.
The powers that be want to bring Ireland into NATO. ROTFLMAO!!!!
What could Ireland contribute to NATO military power?
A fraction of 1% of NATO’s combined population, its GDP/GNP % somewhat higher due to the overvaluation of unproductive financial services that do not create wealth but merely churn and concentrate it for the benefit of non-Irish investors, the contribution of a fully mobilized Ireland on a par with Finland whose population is comparable would be less than the rounding error in any assessment of total NATO Military power. Ireland has a miniscule arms related industry. Just as in WW2 when it was neutral, Ireland is entirely dependent on foreign suppliers for all its defense needs. It would actually be a net drain on NATO.
NATO does not need the maximal military power that Ireland could generate, the push for NATO membership has other reasons.
As a NATO member, Ireland’s maximal military contribution would be insufficient to tip the balance and ensure defeat of any power strong enough to defeat NATO, and as a member, Ireland would be subject to any surrender terms.
As a non-NATO member, Ireland could reach a better accommodation with any power strong enough to defeat NATO.
For a thousand years, including WW2, the only country that presented an actual or real potential military threat to Ireland has been England. But England’s enemies are not Ireland’s.
It’s the MSM, pure and simple. The West is a brainwashed lot. I remember for a few years after 2014, I used to tell people that if I had editorial control of even one MS outlet, I’d have them thinking that Ukrainian behavior in dealing with the Donbass was nothing short of satanic, just by highlighting certain factual events and ignoring others. Turning the perceptions 180 degrees, in short.
Can’t say this enough: The rabble has been thoroughly brainwashed, short and sweet. In this case, the rabble consists of some fairly well and even highly educated people who actually are capable of brainwashing themselves based on deficient ideological constructs, which is the double shame of it all and why it is far more dangerous than all previous propaganda campaigns to my knowledge.
Razor as an Irish European I fully agree with everything that you have written which is scary.
What if there are no hills?
It’s an excellent metaphor. Having been somewhat in that position, decoupling is just step 1.
Step 2: you have to establish enough distance that the train doesn’t roll over you once it does hit bottom.
“Could it be that Ukraine and the West are playing dumb in the same way that Ronald Reagan, the Mastermind, was portrayed in [the] iconic Saturday Night Live sketch?”
No on both counts.
The first part about Ukraine cannot be believed. Like Ronald Reagan, Zelensky is an actor. However, the one thing Ronald Reagan would never have been was a cross-dressing, midget, a drug addicted, Nazi. You can only play against type in one direction. Being LGGBT+ and playing both sides does not make you a double agent.
The second part? My father, a black-hearted Protestant who married my mother, a devout Irish Roman Catholic, was a devout Republican. He firmly believed Richard Nixon would pull a rabbit out of is a** at the last moment and clear himself of the Watergate charges. Even as Nixon was boarding Marine One helicopter to begin his exile in San Clemente.”
Was “Deep Throat” there, on the White House Lawn waving goodby?
We are now hearing that Richard Nixon had discovered just how out of control and rogue the CIA was and was about to bring them to heal. Watergate was the result. Another CIA hit job. That was why there was Watergate. Richard Nixon had to go.
This is not just another con job, another put up. The people in charge really are this stupid. “They are not that good or clever. We are dealing with a malevolent clown show — incompetents who are not entertaining.”
The question is, will the CIA and the seventeen (17) secret national security agencies, really assassinate a country? Take out a whole country the way they took out two American presidents — JFK and (may have taken out) Richard Nixon? Ukraine is toast. They took out Germany. Taking out Nord Stream One and Two was like a head shot to Germany on an early Fall Day. And like JFK, we will never know who did it. They took out Europe.
But the takeout Russia and China? Both Russia and China know what’s coming (if they are not part of the plan). If Russia and China are not in on this, then all of it (including the Ukrainian Offensive), is just another con job. I kind of doubt that. Imagine if JFK had known what was going to happen if he went to Dallas.
Oh. Wait.
You may have added to your short summary, Mr. Johnson, that the Taiwan’s Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics estimated on Friday that the world’s 21st-largest economy shrank by 3.02 per cent from January through March, year on year, and by 6.37 per cent compared with the final three months of last year, the large dip in exports of electronics was to blame.
China, the world’s second-largest economy, grew her GDP by 4.5 per cent in the first quarter, beating expectations along its path to a post-Covid recovery whilst the GDP of the US, still the largest world’s economy, increased at an annual rate of 1.1 percent in the first quarter of 2023.
(Yes, I know the juggernaut origin is Hindu, not Chinese. Creative license)
The US thinking on Taiwan is so short-sighted, it boggles the mind.
I doubt it will take more than a few years for China to replicate Taiwan’s cutting edge chip mastery and then surpass it in a few years more.
It’s not as if the Chinese are running out of engineers as fast as the Russians are ‘running out of missiles’.
Russias “brutal war”.
I guess they are backwalkimg the “incompetent Russians are getting their asses handed to them by Ukraine” narrative.
Now the Russians are brutal. Thr big bad bear beating up on innocent and defenseless Ukraine.
mi piace! like!
Poor, defenseless Ukrainians. If only they could terrorize more civilians into saluting their fascist heroes.
It seems that in Poland the natives are growing restive about the number of Ukies, young males who somehow evaded press gangs dedicating their bodies to defend their beloved land, who are becoming notorious for petty & not so petty crime wave, esp drug dealing, as well as serious drunk driving and motor mayhem on the roads, the usual go-to habit of Slavs since the invention of the internal combustion engine.
Not just the US having trouble with securing their borders?
Since February 24, 2022 more than 11.3 million refugees from Ukraine have crossed the Polish border, with the largest number on March 6 – more than 142,000.
Citizens of Ukraine can travel free of charge in class 2 on TLK and IC national economy trains. The passage takes place based on a passport confirming Ukrainian citizenship. Travelers will receive a free ticket.
Actually, the Ukrainians refugeeing in Greek hotel rooms have just been given a “30-Days’ Notice” to vacate” the premises. Seems like the Greeks value their tourist season ahead of the demands the United States, who only knows one season — the one with endless war and endless warmongering.
Seems like the Greeks value their tourist season ahead of the demands the United States
US ambassador to Greece Pyatt will set them straight. I think he’s yet to nominate a new PM. Seems Nuland is busy with other matters currently and hasn’t got back to him.
When booking a hotel, can you specify ‘Ukrainian free’?
I know here in Upstate NY they have housed illegals at the local truck stop; this one an abandoned Days Inn. They even have little yellow school buses coming, going picking up all the kiddies for school. “Think of the children.”
I’ve had a belly-full of somebody else’s children. How about a balanced budget? How about closing the borders. How about deporting all these entitled “refugees”? How about showing the door to all these ungrateful “guests” — like Canadian Samantha Bee, Brit John Oliver, and South African Trevor Noah — who come to the United States and make an obscene living bad-mouthing the place.
Larry, thank you for the article. It revisits what you have been saying all along.
May I suggest the following? More people should be focusing on what will happen to United States internally. We already see that it is a dying empire in foreign relations. But internally, the elections are coming, media houses are starting to censor interviews with candidates to cut out things they don’t like (interview with Kennedy), we are only given the choice between an 82 year dementia patient and a worn-out corrupt businessman – a re-run of 4 years ago. I mean, what does it say when out of 340 million citizens, we cannot find someone fresh, younger than 76, in the middle etc. Banks are failing, we don’t make shit anymore and whatever we do is much more expensive than the same thing made somewhere else (and now often of lower quality), prisons are filling up, people are at each others’ throats…
America was about this idea: melting pot where nothing matters but economy. Live and let live, be a good human being, worship whomever you want. But it turns out that a country needs cohesion – around something – to survive. It turns out that when you abandon EVERYTHING traditional – all it ends up being is a bad experiment that cannot last?
Corrupt businessman? Speaking of swallowing DS hit jobs….
Please :). Don’t tell me now that poor Donnie is a naive, enthusiastic patriot who got taken by the “apparatus”. Should I send him some of my hard earned cash to help fix replace a pipe or some aging tile at Mar-A-Lago?
Anyway. This country, if it will survive (which is a big “if” judging by the look of things) needs fresh blood, someone the vast majority of people can rally behind, someone who is clean without a blemish and without a shadow of a doubt, someone right down the middle – pragmatic, principled, transparent, not to mention someone who is younger than Brezhnev was when he departed the USSR…
My question is – why are we still forced to choose between the two (seemingly binary opposite) non-choices (for the vast majority of the country – 1/2 will not vote for the choice of the other 1/2)? Can we really not find anyone else out of 340 million people?
American politics has evolved to one overriding condition:
Those who want to be president are the last people you’d want to be president and those who you’d want to be president, being president is the last thing on their minds.
And while the choices are pathetic, does it even matter? Pentagon ignoring direct orders of Trump. FBI ignores House and Senate dictates. DOJ does anything they want. The imbedded bureaucracy is in complete control and the election is meaningless. If you could get a good man thru the rigged election process he would be incapable of getting anything done. They aren’t even pretending anymore. It took America to invent a government worse than both fascism and communism. The Imperium of the GS15.
“Anyway. This country, if it will survive (which is a big “if” judging by the look of things) needs fresh blood, someone the vast majority of people can rally behind, someone who is clean without a blemish and without a shadow of a doubt, someone right down the middle – pragmatic, principled, transparent, not to mention someone who is younger than Brezhnev was when he departed the USSR…”
Putin already has a job, oh well.
Oddo–the only possible way to see “fresh blood” is to scrap the entire government and start over. Even if an outsider could manage to win the well managed election, the permanent bureaucratic cancer tumor will make sure he/she toes the line.
Why would anyone tell you “poor Donnie is a naive, enthusiastic patriot who got taken by the “apparatus”.”
He was, and is, a courageous person fighting almost alone against the uniparty in Congress, the deep state, the US Stasi, the entirety of the entrenched federal bureaucracy, big tech, the lyin’ mass media, and the real financial rulers of the US.
There are always Lenin’s “useful idiots” to denigrate and attack anyone fighting with some effectiveness against those rulers.
Russias “brutal war”.
I guess they are backwalkimg the “incompetent Russians are getting their asses handed to them by Ukraine” narrative.
Now the Russians are brutal. Thr big bad bear beating up on innocent and defenseless Ukraine.
The credulous American public finally clearing the fog? The scary part is the Biden Junta is run from behind the scenes, we really don’t know who is pulling the strings, or giving the orders.
They could literally do anything and escape direct blame by laying it all on the Emperor of Ice Cream.
Martin Armstrong things they want the real war so that the Dems can use that situation to stay in power.
They don’t care how many get killed, maimed or displaced.
Micheal Yon witnesses a million people massing on the border waiting for the end of Title 42 the vast majority are are young males.
The only sane voices in the media have been silenced.
And “We The People” are still waiting for the Orange Savior?
A clear case of the triumph of hope over experience, but as they say, “hope is NOT a strategy”
My hope, is if the neocons get their WW3, they get the Russian version.
We can do the mop up.
Richard Perle’s “Clean Break Plan” was to divide a conqueror the countries in the Middle East. Sow death and destruction across multiple countries all for the benefit of Israel. It is pure evil, causing untold of human suffering. A typical neocon plan. After 911 it didn’t take much for the neocons to manipulate the dim witted George W Bush into have the US implement “the plan” for Israel. The “Dancing Israelis” knew 911 portended good things for Israel.
I find it interesting how the neocons hold Jewish life so precious and goy life so cheap. Heck every major city in the US must have a holocaust museum (at US tax payer expense) honoring a piece of history we are not even allowed to question or investigate. Because as everyone knows, the best way for discovering the truth is to make it illegal to ask questions (as in most European countries and Canada). Besides it’s a very lucrative business that is used to extort money from countries and to shut up anyone who dares question the Israeli land grab and murder of Palestinians.
When you don’t learn the lessons of history you are doomed to repeat them. When you learn fake history you get endless neocon wars.
A random thought on the expected Great Ukrainian Offensive. Back in 2022. apparently Russia knew that Zelensky was planning to launch a vicious attack on the Donbas — and consequently Russia intervened in the Ukraine’s ongoing war immediately before Zelensky could attack, thereby throwing his plans out of whack.
It happened once. It could happen again. We (and the backers of Zelensky’s excellent adventure) may be surprised by a Russian offensive at the most inconvenient time.
” We (and the backers of Zelensky’s excellent adventure) may be surprised by a Russian offensive at the most inconvenient time.”
Don’t think so.
More likely the Russians plan to do exactly what the Soviet trained Iraqis did in the Iran-Iraq War in the 80’s.
1. Develop extensive fortifications.
2. Anticipate likely paths of attack
3. Create fall back positions and kill zones on likely paths of attack.
4. When the offensive starts, withdraw to fall back positions, sucker the fkers in, and kill them by the 10’s of thousands.
It seems likely that after a failed offensive, if casualties are sufficiently heavy, there could be little to stop a counter-offensive.
Epic. Upon seeing this I nstantly thought of you Larry. Three items you say? I liken it to being akin to the three rings of the greatest show on earth. On its last history tour. More Cowbell! More! (While they and their institutional order increasingly fade from relevency. A condition most appreciated, which can not take place quickly enough.)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_q_lBOtmwRT8NB3MoVW5oa6Tc4VNwZ3IyIgsxFkYeejgBSFGp6IbxBBpyZsNrsaOX0s0urrPBT2c-qyb-Jha35Dj7vyVdHg6GYfyyPLCHR7IovyGpPlhM_bZDxs6xC-T-8L96_k3hIZIcnAfGFNZpREQ2WSAKyJyDYmeEMyijUYDiFW9pouYlZZxW/s750/1%20(55).jpg
Terrific piece. As most readers are aware, the US emerged from WWII as the world’s dominant economic/military power. Over the last 5 decades, this position has been steadily eroded by the adoption of neoliberal economic policies- multiple tax cuts for the wealthy, financial deregulation, a declining manufacturing base and job-outsourcing to Mexico, China, and other low-wage platforms, privatization of public assets and spending astronomical amounts of taxpayer money on military debacles in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Yemen and most recently Ukraine. At the same time, the Russia-China-Iran coalition has achieved military/economic parity with the West. China’s diplomacy in West Asia, spearheading a rapprochement between KSA, Iran, and Syria, negotiations between KSA and Yemen to end the war, along with the recent meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is indicative of the increasing clout the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) has on the world stage. At the same time, the US is being increasingly marginalized- exhibit A being Chinese President Xi Jinping’s refusal to answer phone calls from Joe Biden. It should be noted that the alliance of Russia, KSA, China, and Iran closely links 4/10 of the top oil-producing nations. (See- Top 10 Oil-producing Countries (Updated 2023) By Melissa Pistilli Mar 23, 2023; https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/energy-investing/oil-and-gas-investing/top-oil-producing-countries). As you state- ‘the foundation of U.S. policy in the Middle East has been blown up.”
If it was Selensky who called Xi, this sounds like a little sign of hope to me.
Would meen that Selensky is trying to find a way out of the mess.
and that he realizes that the “counteroffensive” won´t help him
Just read that the tanks sent by Portugal and the artillery sent by the Italians are not battle ready. All of them. Even Germans are sorta hinting at that as they said their tanks are being taken out of storage. If the US tries something to directly involve a war with NATO, I would think that everybody except for Poland and Baltics would politely decline (the Nordics will give them a cheerleading Viking yell and nothing more). Or else it will take NATO at least two years with mass conscription to get numbers up and who knows how long to get the needed firepower.
The Russians will be enlisting those tanks into their new sub-orbital space program.
The Russians will probably have a prize for the highest altitude achieved by a flaming tank turret.
On that very thought, I’ve seen a video or two of AFUers themselves reaching suborbital heights, with or without their turrets.
Hey Larry, this sounds like good news for the good people of the USA/UK ! thier Governments…? not so much :-))
Its clear that the divide and rule trick is finished – the speed of the changes in the M.E is a clear acknowledgement that they are trying to tie this up before the USA can react with a colour revolution in Saudi or whatever. Maybe we can look forward to some peace and harmony in the world….
BTW, Poland is shaping up to be a big problem in the future. I reckon this country will be the USA/UK’s next wrecking ball in Europe. The Poles have form – look back to the 30s.
How come we never hear of “Leaked Russian intelligence assessments “?
The problematic identity of Ukraine as a nation state shows in the language struggles of its leaders. Only two of its presidents, Kravchuk and Yushchenko, were native Ukrainian speakers. All the others had varying faculty in the country’s official language. Victor Yanukovich, the president ousted in the 2014 coup, learned Ukrainian late and his poor command of the language was both, a source of resentment, and the subject of much derision, among Ukraine nationalists. Generally, the Ukrainian speakers of the East lack the idiomatic sayings of the West and speak with an eastern accent and turns of phrase that gives them away as native Russian speakers.
In the runoff election between Yanukovych and Timoshenko, he won Crimea and every oblast east of the Dnieper by margins of 60 to 90%, and she won every oblast west of the river by similar margins. The Dnieper is a real ethnic, cultural, and religious boundary, and it should be the basis of any settlement.
True re the Dnieper, however it is too close to Russian pre-SMO border. And abutting the borders of the four newly joined provinces, which is more dangerous.
They need to go further west and purge the land of Kiev fanatics. Most will voluntarily leave anyway.
There may need to be a military and population dead zone many hundreds of klms wide.
I do not think this is correct. Yanukovych won all the south, including Nikolaev, Odessa, and Dnipropetrovsk, which are either entirely or partially west of the Dnieper River, and Zakapattia was not strongly for either candidate, but leaned more to Yanukovych.
Tymoshenko had a majority in both Sumy and Chernihiv, oblasts on the east side of the Dnieper, though her majority was not as overwhelmingly strong as in the far western oblasts. In fact, many of the oblasts between the far west (Galicia) and southeast (Novorossiya) were more evenly split than you indicate.
However, in the 14 years between that election and now, no doubt the electorate has changed – partly due to heavy propaganda, and partly due to persecution, those favouring cooperation with Russia have decreased in number. Still, the split is as much or more north-south rather than just east-west.
Despite all the BS since February 2022 I just don’t say the West is pushing AFU annihilation because it’s already happening. Because on one item I agreed with Jak Devine this week on the Judge Napolitano show. The biggest victory that Ukraine could achieve on the battlefield would be to stop, to hold out against Russian forces. That should be seen as a great victory, such is the disproportion of military power in any part of the world. But for that, Ukraine should have reached a peace agreement early in April. Which we know today that the US did not allow. And US didn’t allow it, not because the US once thought that Ukraine could beat Russia.
This war was provoked to destabilize Russia and overthrow Putin only with sanctions, propaganda and the death of many Russians in battlefield. The US never thought that Ukraine could beat Russia. The problem is that US sanctions, propaganda and NATO failed to overthrow Putin and the war had to be continued at all costs until the last Ukrainian. Only a mad human been, like a psychopath like Nuland, would think that Ukraine is capable of beating 10-20% of Russia’s military power! Which in an all-out war would obliterate Kiev in a week! In short, what failed to maintain the unipolar world and the hegemony of the US dollar was strategy much more than any tactics on the battlefield.
Thank you Larry. I am much more relaxed now. Zelenksi made the call and the phone call was in Russian…. hahahahaha… No where can you find that in the MSM– I tried. Of course it is critically important! I remember the Chinese made a big deal of some arcane wording a Japanese PM used viewing it as insulting. The MSM wants us to believe Xi is stabbing Russia in the back. Orientals live and breath subtle shades of meaning.
Meanwhile lately Nuland looks full of energy and happy excitement. It does worry me a bit — does she know something?
Thank you Larry. I am much more relaxed now. Zelenksi made the call and the phone call was in Russian…. hahahahaha… No where can you find that in the MSM– I tried. Of course it is critically important! I remember the Chinese made a big deal of some arcane wording a Japanese PM used viewing it as insulting. The MSM wants us to believe Xi is stabbing Russia in the back. Orientals live and breath subtle shades of meaning and this is not subtle.
Meanwhile lately Nuland looks full of energy and happy excitement. It does worry me a bit — does she know something?
……… fire burn and cauldron bubble
Nuland looks full of energy and happy excitement. It does worry me a bit — does she know something?
I think you’d have to consult with her cauldron to get the answer.
I know you are all fans of Victoria “Fuck the Eu” Nuland, please enjoy:
https://jamesburrillangell.substack.com/p/strange-diplomacy-victoria-fck-the
Meanwhile – the financial portion of the war has more countries leaving the US $ hedgemony. Russia, China, India…and the Islamics…are all gold culture peoples.
Islamic banking is fundamentally different in direction and scope:
https://www.kib.iq/business-banking/islamic-financing/murabaha
Encourage you to look at the different types of Islamic loans….
The SWIFT systems is so huge… it will take time for it to unwind.
https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/escobar-xi-arabia-petroyuan-drive
Using the US $ sanctions against Russia….will probably be looked back historically in Russia…as the salvation of the nation.
I wish the US would sanction Canada 🙁
Larry, I was very much a Reaganite back in the day … an SNLite, not so much. I had never seen the ‘mastermind’ skit! Freakin’ hilarious. Thanks for sharing.
Zelensky has been on the phone with Macron. They’re now talking about a counter-offensive in May-June…
Another report is that:
“Zaluzhny insists on postponing the counteroffensive to the end of June, when the fields become dry and it will be possible to set fire to the grass, for a smoke screen, and the Dnieper will warm up, it will be more comfortable for Ukrainian militants to force it, according to Ukrainian sources. In addition, he expects during this time to “put the squeeze on” Washington with the supply of Abrams.”
Hopefully the Russians will have destroyed the bulk of the Ukrainians remaining air defense by then.
Imagine NATO member Turkiye withdrawing from NATO and joining a new alliance consisting of Russia, China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Muslim world. On Russian RT there appeared an article which analyses this possibility.
https://russian.rt.com/world/article/1142790-turciya-nato-vyhod-politika
“Political bargaining”: Turkey again started talking about the country’s withdrawal from NATO
The greatest threat to Turkey now comes from Western countries, including because of its attempts to draw the republic into a conflict with Russia “through Ukraine”, so Ankara needs to leave NATO. Retired Turkish Admiral Cem Gürdeniz made such a call. According to him, the republic should consider entering into a military alliance with the Russian Federation, China and India or establish military cooperation with these states. Analysts remind that this kind of ideas come from representatives of the Turkish establishment is not the first time, which was the result of the accumulated contradictions between Ankara and the West. However, experts doubt that Turkey, in the current realities, will break off relations with the bloc countries.
Turkey must leave the North Atlantic Alliance, since the greatest danger comes from Western countries, including in connection with their attempts to draw Ankara into a conflict with Moscow “through Ukraine”. This was stated by the Turkish admiral of the Navy, retired Cem Gurdeniz.
“Turkey needs to withdraw from NATO due to the events around the Ukrainian war and the US planning these days to settle accounts in the Pacific! We can face the threat as a fait accompli, they can drag Turkey into the conflict through Ukraine, ”the admiral said in an interview with Tele1 TV channel, his words are quoted by RIA Novosti.
According to the Turkish military, in the event of a hypothetical direct conflict between Russia and NATO, Ankara will be forced to close the straits for the Russian Federation, and the situation, he believes, may even reach the point of using tactical nuclear weapons.
“(Alliance Secretary General Jens. – RT ) Doesn’t Stoltenberg understand this? He knows everything, but he is an American puppet, so it says (about Ukraine’s imminent entry into NATO. – RT ),” Gürdeniz said.
Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he would not allow the West to drag his country into a war against Russia. The Turkish leader indicated that Ankara’s intention is to mediate between Russia and Ukraine in negotiations that would “eventually succeed.”
Gürdeniz, among other things, believes that Turkey should consider creating a military alliance with the Russian Federation, China and India or establish bilateral military cooperation with these countries. Another alternative for Ankara, according to the admiral, is the expansion of ties with the BRICS states. According to the general, the Turkish authorities need to implement an independent policy, balancing “between the Atlantic and Asia.”
As a threat from the North Atlantic Alliance, Gürdeniz also considers the attempts of the countries of the bloc to turn the Black Sea into a “lake of NATO”.
“The club of countries that took us into their alliance at one time with the phrase “the USSR is occupying you” is now doing everything possible to tear Turkey to pieces, push it to the sidelines and turn it into its satellite. Why do we stay in this organization?” the admiral asks.
According to the military, withdrawal from the North Atlantic Alliance is also necessary because the West is allegedly trying to create a separatist Kurdish state.
“How many thousands of people have died in the southeast of Turkey since 1984, how many problems Turkey has in other areas, but we do not receive any support from NATO or the EU. You don’t have to look far for an example: it’s enough to evaluate the EU reports, there are no better examples of how they contradict Turkey’s geopolitical interests, or it’s enough to read the reports on Turkey by the US Senate or Congress – you can immediately see who is our friend and who is our enemy,” he said. .
“Urgent and essential”
Recall that the idea of Turkey’s withdrawal from NATO is heard among the local establishment not for the first time. A similar initiative was made in late January by the Deputy Chairman of the Turkish Motherland Party, Etem Sancak. He did not rule out that Ankara could leave NATO in five to six months. The politician cited opinion polls, according to which 80% of Turkish residents consider the United States to be a country pursuing a hostile and destructive policy towards Ankara. He also noted that the North Atlantic Alliance is forcing the Turkish authorities to take a course towards leaving NATO, as it is trying to oppose Turkey to neighboring Greece.
Recall that in the fall of 2022, the EU considered Ankara’s threats against Athens unacceptable after Erdogan warned the Greek authorities about serious consequences in case of provocations by the military. Relations between the two countries have escalated against the background of a long-term dispute over sovereignty in the Aegean Sea.
Sancak called Turkey’s exit from NATO “urgent and obligatory” also because the alliance is trying to draw Ankara “into a funnel in the Middle East”, and also in connection with actions against the Koran in Europe.
At the end of January, a demonstration was held in the center of Stockholm with the participation of supporters of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). In addition, the leader of the Danish far-right Hard Deal party, Rasmus Paludan, held a rally near the Turkish embassy, which was accompanied by the burning of the Koran. Turkish authorities have strongly condemned the incident, describing it as a “heinous attack” on a holy book and an “anti-Islamic act” against Muslims under the guise of “freedom of expression”.
Kurds, Greece and Ukraine
Experts, for their part, state that quite a lot of contradictions have really accumulated between Ankara and the North Atlantic Alliance, which became a trigger for the ideas of Turkey’s withdrawal from NATO.
In addition, according to him, the actions of Western countries indicate their attitude against the incumbent Turkish leader and his possible re-election.
“The West is now fully and completely ready to work with the new president of Turkey in the person of a single candidate from the opposition, who is openly staked on and who is aimed at bringing the country closer to the United States and NATO,” Semibratov said.
In turn, the expert of the Institute of the Middle East Sergey Balmasov suggested that against the backdrop of the election race in Turkey, calls for withdrawal from NATO may become more frequent.
“Certain individuals in Turkish military-political circles may say this to help Erdogan get preferences from the alliance and prevent pressure on Turkey. Ankara is well aware that the United States and its allies in the bloc will use various methods aimed at removing the same Erdogan from power and pushing a pro-Western puppet figure to the presidency, ”the analyst said in a RT comment.
Balmasov also expressed confidence that the differences between Turkey and NATO countries are becoming more and more over time.
“But so far they are not deep enough to rapidly exit the block. So far, political bargaining is going on between Ankara and the West, led by the United States, and this once again shows that there are problems, and they are not resolved in any way. The tension definitely exists, and the question is how the parties will continue to maneuver, ”the expert emphasized.
Balmasov considers the Kurdish issue and Western opposition to Erdogan to be the key problems in relations between Turkey and NATO.
“The situation with the Kurds is perhaps the most worrying not only for Erdogan, but for all Turkish patriots, because by shaking the situation inside Turkey, they are trying, if not to ruin it, then seriously weaken it. Ankara sees the work of the special services of other NATO countries, which seem to be part of the same military bloc, but continue to actively drive this Kurdish wedge. As for the support of the opposition by the West in Turkey, this can also provoke the country’s estrangement from the rest of NATO members, ”the analyst argues.
In such a situation, experts do not exclude that Turkey will begin to actively build up ties with Russia and China.
From Semibratov’s point of view, regardless of the outcome of the elections, one should not expect any swift actions from Turkey regarding its membership in NATO.
“Unless something happens that significantly affects the situation, Turkey will remain in NATO in the foreseeable future. Suffice it to recall the same year 2016, when the Americans had a hand in organizing an attempted military coup in Turkey, and even then Erdogan did not go for it, although relations with the United States deteriorated significantly. However, not so much that the cooperation between Ankara and the alliance could be put an end to. But dissatisfaction with NATO’s attitude towards Turkey will grow,” the expert concluded.
could you keep your posts less verbose? i like to read but it is too long!
It’s a machine translation of a linked article.
Ronald Reagan was a criminal shithead — and it’s only due to the total collapse of all things human here in the USA that makes him seem as if he wasn’t. . .
You are entitled to your opinion, but I think it is a bit harsh. Reagan’s general instincts were sound. The problem as I see it, reflecting on that period, is that he preached smaller government but really did nothing on that front. I’ll leave the foreign policy of Reagan for another piece. Despite his strident anti-communist rhetoric, he did find a way to sit down and negotiate a good agreement with Gorbachev.
Don’t follow him much but interesting that Reagan’s hatchet man, David Stockman has turned into such a prolific dissident.
https://www.davidstockmanscontracorner.com/archives/
RR possibly semi-demented as well!!
By the way Cal Coolidge was a great president, made sure America tended to its own citizens instead of monkeying around
Sometimes you have to wonder if there is any chance at all America can be salvaged and if it can how?
Note what US “defense” (war) contractor is profitting the most off this proxy war on Russia in the following material.
The US Gangster State:
https://abeldanger.blogspot.com/2023/04/this-is-how-us-gangster-state-operates.html
Callahan, Larry knows that.
You didn’t understand why China used a Russian instead of a Ukrainian translator
https://t.me/sonar_21/2440
Just a side note.
From the caves of Soledar, Russian forces have presented video evidence of large caches of various weapons, mostly small arms… how much more wasn’t said.
Many people have suspected the cave system under Soledar & Bakhmut has stockpiles of supplies… and warm cots in safety… built over eight years from the start of the coup.
Could there be more finds like this in the Bakhmut cave system, however extensive it is.
That would explain two things, one, how these troops carry on with seemingly a tight noose (fire control of roads for over a month) and, two, why Kiev is desperate to hold it.
Ukraine doesn’t want the world to know from the first moment of the coup… they started building for war against Russia… fostered by the U. S. and Nato… a planned provocation.
Let’s hope we get out of this alive.
Larry (our host), it seems the New York Times & Washington Post have been putting out bread crumbs based on the Discord Leaks… revealing a more factual story, if incomplete.
Could the reason for this be… in this way, the government doesn’t have to answer to them directly… because… well… “the documents are ‘secrets’ illegally released… so, “We (the government) don’t have to answer to them… we don’t comment on illegal documents.”
No podium discourses on the failure of the Ukraine Project.
But a narrative climb down, none the less.
All this said, it does suggest a climb down strategy.
Maybe that’s the best that can be said about it.
“Poland’s allies do not understand the seriousness of the situation and are “under illusions,” which is “surprising and even shocking,” he added.”
It seems that some people in Poland are waking up.
Mnie trapi pytanie, dlaczego Żełeński tak szasta życiem młodych UKRAIŃCÓW, wysyłając ich na front do walki na śmierć ?
I am troubled by the question, why does Żelenski waste the lives of young Ukrainians so much, sending them to the front to fight to the death?
@James Connolly
I’m just reading about the British East India Company (EIC) in India (a corporation with an army). The Bengal Famine of the 1770 is uncannily similar to the Irish Potato Famine.
The EIC bought up a lot of the grain and made a bad situation worse; rampant profiteering off the lives of the poorest and most vulnerable (with a few honourable exceptions). Millions died.
Incidentally, pre British invasion and looting India had the 2nd largest GDP 25% in the world (after China). After 250 years of British rule it was 4%.