Now there is a shocker. George W. Bush’s Secretary of Defense, Bob Gates, and his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice are not satisfied with their responsibility for the U.S. debacle in Iraq and are doubling down by pleading in an op-ed to escalate the conflict with Russia. I am still mystified how such well educated people can be so stupid.
They wrote this opinion piece because they see the writing on the wall — i.e. Ukraine is losing and time is on the side of Russia. Gates and Rice repeat the lie that Putin is intent on conquering all of Ukraine and wants to re-constitute the Soviet Empire. Remember, these two are recognized in the United States as experts on all things Russia. Just a reminder that abject ignorance defines their expertise. Here is the salient part of their op-ed:
Absent another major Ukrainian breakthrough and success against Russian forces, Western pressures on Ukraine to negotiate a cease-fire will grow as months of military stalemate pass. Under current circumstances, any negotiated cease-fire would leave Russian forces in a strong position to resume their invasion whenever they are ready. That is unacceptable.
The only way to avoid such a scenario is for the United States and its allies to urgently provide Ukraine with a dramatic increase in military supplies and capability — sufficient to deter a renewed Russian offensive and to enable Ukraine to push back Russian forces in the east and south. Congress has provided enough money to pay for such reinforcement; what is needed now are decisions by the United States and its allies to provide the Ukrainians the additional military equipment they need — above all, mobile armor. The U.S. agreement Thursday to provide Bradley Fighting Vehicles is commendable, if overdue. Because there are serious logistical challenges associated with sending American Abrams heavy tanks, Germany and other allies should fill this need. NATO members also should provide the Ukrainians with longer-range missiles, advanced drones, significant ammunition stocks (including artillery shells), more reconnaissance and surveillance capability, and other equipment. These capabilities are needed in weeks, not months.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/07/condoleezza-rice-robert-gates-ukraine-repel-russia/
That’s right — they want more Cowbell. Just send more stuff to Ukraine and that will solve the problem:
Gates and Rice are pushing a “red herring” and ignoring reality. The West is not holding back on sending weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. Just the opposite. The United States and NATO have sent Ukraine an unprecedented amount of aid and it has not stopped the Russians. Moreover, the United States and NATO no longer have ample stocks of some key weapon systems and ammunition, especially artillery shells, to send to Ukraine. The military cupboard is bare.
But let us ignore reality and indulge the fantasy that NATO can magically find, “longer-range missiles, advanced drones, significant ammunition stocks (including artillery shells), and more reconnaissance and surveillance capability” to send to Ukraine. Who is going to operate those weapon systems? And the timeline for training Ukrainian troops to operate these systems with some measure of competence is counted in months at a minimum. What Gates and Rice propose is utter nonsense.
Multiple sources now are reporting that Ukraine is suffering catastrophic casualties as they desperately try to hold on the Bakhmut:
Russian forces have ground down their Ukrainian opponents in fierce fighting near Bakhmut/Artyomovsk, with an American mercenary commander recently acknowledging that Ukraine is suffering “extraordinarily high casualties” in that sector, and Ukraine’s ambassador to Canada, Vadim Pristaiko, describing his side’s casualties as “huge” and “indigestible.”
Kiev has publicly proclaimed that it plans a major offensive in the spring, but Rice and Gates wrote that Ukraine may have “weeks, not months” to stay in the fight.
https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/273331096/ukraine-running-out-of-time-former-us-officials
Hell even Ukraine’s cherubic President Zelensky acknowledges that, “the bloodiest battles are near Bakhmut (aka Artemovsk) and Soledar. The situation is very grave.”
I am posting the following map so that you can see the road network from Soledar to Bakhmut. It is only 12 to 15 miles depending on your route. It appears that all roads between Soledar and Bakhmut are under fire control by Russia. This means that Ukraine has no easy means to send reinforcements to Soledar.
There is a video of a couple of Ukrainian soldiers talking frankly about their precarious situation:
Ukrainian fighters from various locations in Soledar share their impressions after encountering the Wagner assault force.
“They broke through our defenses. It’s a pity we couldn’t stay longer. There was a heavy assault. We retreated. We are waiting for reinforcements.
In Soledar, fighting continues in the residential areas in the central and northern parts of the city.
The Wagner PMC assault squads, after advancing from the south and north, have taken up positions at Soledar Mine 1-3, as well as on Nosova Street.
While yesterday the Ukrainian propagandist Butusov reported that Soledar was 95% controlled by Ukrainians, by the evening, Arestovich admitted that the situation in the city is difficult, while leaving the city is not in the plans of Ukrainian forces either.
https://t.me/sonar_21/171
The truth is that Russia is methodically moving forward and Ukraine has been unable to mount a credible counter offense. As noted in the previous section, the Wagner Group is now controlling the entrances to 3 of the Salt mines in Soledar. And Wagner remains active on other fronts:
During the night, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed the enemy in the area of Yakovlevka and seized one of the lines. Advancement along the frontline amounted to 2.5km.
The Wagner PMCs continue their assault operations near Popasna.
As I noted in my previous piece, I believe there is something Ukraine is storing or hiding in the Salt mines that explains why they are willing to allow their army to be pulverized. It is the father of a deceased Azov deputy commander who reports that Ukrainian military leadership is failing the troops:
The father of Denis Dudnikov, deputy commander of the 1st battalion of the Azov regiment (banned in Russia) killed in Mariupol, said that the situation in the second line of defense near Bakhmut is dire, exacerbated by the flight of combatants and brigade commanders
In the northeastern section, RF fighters have dislodged combined units of AFU units from the village of Podgorodne, opening the way to encircle the Bakhmut garrison from the north, and have reached Krasnaya Gora. Artillery units are working tightly in the trenches of the Ukrainian soldiers, while assault units carry out their assigned tasks.
On the outskirts of Bakhmut, due to the onslaught of the bandits, the AFU is forced to pull in more reinforcements to hold several settlements.
https://t.me/sonar_21/175
Robert Gates and Condoleezza Rice got one thing right, Ukraine may only have weeks, not months, before it is overwhelmed.
The terrifying emptiness of the human, is the horror of Europe and the USA, which have rejected man. Ethics, morality, responsibility, care and respect are no longer present there, a terrifying abyss, which is supported, and that cannot be supported by God, God will not support and will not protect this idiotic evil that has become a law that has forbidden good. Reason was created to condemn what is unreasonable, when it fails, the tragedy of consciousness arises, which cannot be destroyed because it is the essence of the Universe. Europe and the USA cannot be supported by consciousness, because their actions are truly disgusting.
“Reason was created to condemn what is unreasonable … ”
Or, rather, Reason IS and and unReason, being a denial of what IS, is the road to what IS NOT. Which is why judgements based upon unReason lead to disintegration.
As a layman both in philosophy and in strategic affairs, it seems to me that the unReason of Western strategic thinking on Ukraine and Russia has paved the low road to the destruction of Ukraine and, perhaps, given time, the disintegration of the West itself.
In this impending doom, will The Empire go quietly into the night as the old Soviet Union did? Given the irrationality of its approach to the Ukraine question so far, what grounds do we have for hoping that The Empire will seize upon the reasonableness of cutting its losses?
We know the satanic reason for anything is the suffering of mankind.
The continuous flow of weapons in Ukraine may have two reasons.
The first is to overfill the IMC coffers with profits.
The second reason is in the hope that Russia will deplet its stores of weapons being the gas station they are, and the fear Angela didn’t punk Putin, but as it may turn out to be, Putin used the time since the Minsk Accords to build an appropriate arsenal and to test his weapons in Syria.
Gates and Rice are disgusting, degenerate members of the warpig club, and thus, are traitors and enemies of the republic!!!
Yes, I agree, but they are also war criminals.
For instigating an illegal war of aggression from which all other crimes stem: The lies, torture, mass murder, displacement of millions of refugees, massive destruction of civilian infrastructure, along with all the financial theft, fraud, and embezzlement.
The fact these two and many others have never been prosecuted is a testament to criminal nature of the US government.
Yes!
Absolutely right.
Gates and Rice should volunteer for service at the front. If they don’t volunteer, they should be conscripted, alongside the likes of Massaro and Kinzinger, and forcibly sent to the front anyway.
Excellent idea!
Well, they’re a bit long in the tooth for military service. Also, were you in their unit, would you want these people sharing your foxhole when there’s incoming?
Nice idea though. Perhaps all those who aspire to high office should do a tour or two in the first line of trenches. Maybe we’d have a few less wars.
How many members of the Duma are on the front lines?
How many members of the Rada?
How many members of Congress of both parties are still beating their chests in a Trump imitation?
There are various Duma members and their sons in the SMO
one of the Duma, Adam Delimkhanov, from Chechnya – at least he has been there during the operation in Mariupol, as commanding officer
As far as I know there are 4 current members of the Russian Duma who are fighting in the SMO:
1. Adam Delimkhanov
2. Vitaly Milonov
3. Victor Vodolatsky
4. Dmitry Sablin
That’s almost 1% of the entire Duma population. Can anyone tell me how many acting members of the US congress / senate ever went into the war that they declared (or shirking their responsibility allowed US presidents to declare)?!
Me thinking — 0! They cowards. Corrupt cowards. Whether they are “blue” or “red”, matters not.
There was Tulsi when she was in congress – I still hope she runs again…
When Winston Churchill was fired as First Lord of the Admiralty (Secretary for the Navy) during WWI, he immediately enlisted and went to the Western Front as an officer.
Whatever you might think about that bastard, you have to admire him for that.
..to the front and as Kadyrov put it, without boots on.
Yes, I volunteer Graham and McToad to enlist on behalf of the US government. Pelosi as a nurse.
I second that motion!
to understand gate and rice dispense with logic and reason because they are afflicted with the same zeal found in true believers seen during the days of the covid spectacle and even more so during the lionizing of the fraud anthony fauci and his vaccine.
why these people and their follower are immune to reality is because hatred of russia and russians in the west the same as covid and the vax has become a ….religion and for true believers their is never a limit to what they will support or permit in the name of their faith.
all that is missing …thus far….is burning apostates (those who use logic and fair play) at the stake on the white house lawn.
the russian know EXACTLY what they are dealing with in the western elites………religious zealots who brook zero negotiation. as a result they will annihilate ukraine one way or the other and all westerners who help them within that border. when its over ukraine for practical purpose will cease to exist
When Winston Churchill was fired as First Lord of the Admiralty (Secretary for the Navy) during WWI, following the Gallipoli disaster, he resigned from the government, enlisted in the army, and went to the Western Front as an officer.
Whatever you might think about the guy, you have to admire him for that.
I second that motion!
am beginning to wonder if blackrock is the real power behind the present administration in washington and does not want their planned future investments in the once unofficial 51st state of the union until russia went in threatened.
———————————————————————–
Warning ; there are some ethnic references in the podcast below referring to mainly very rich individuals.
https://www.radioalbion.com/2023/01/the-daily-nationalist-blackrock-in.html
Sven Longshanks and Dr Matthew Raphael Johnson discuss an opinion piece and future predictions on Larry Fink and Zelensky’s partnership.
Zelensky has announced that Blackrock will be helping to fund the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Blackrock is the world’s largest asset management and investment firm, with more cash than most countries GDP.
After fleecing the public purse from all western countries, Zelensky is moving on to the wealth of private investment firms.
With the corruption that Ukraine is known for, this will result in even more wealth for Ukraine’s already rich oligarchs while the Ukrainians starve.
Download
https://archive.radioalbion.com/DN/DN%20010523.mp3
——————————————————————————————————————
https://www.radioalbion.com/2022/09/the-orthodox-nationalist-ukraine-for.html
Dr Matthew Raphael Johnson contrasts the economic fortunes of Ukraine with the Russian controlled areas.
As most of Ukraine falls into Fourth World status, the July meeting of the Regime in Lugano, Switzerland decreed the painful future of the country. A harsh austerity program is being imposed on Ukraine from the Great Reset system. Everything the state owns is being sold off to western corporations, rendering Ukraine an “international zone,” very similar to Kosovo.
Under the cover of the 2014 revolution, Covid and the war, all of this is being rammed through the halls of power in the name of “democracy” and “transparency.” As all rights of labor have been repealed in western controlled areas, the Russian occupied areas are growing, with all debts canceled including past due bills and mortgages.
Social payments, pensions and basic infrastructure have been restored and the ruble used as the reserve currency, which automatically means that workers make three times what they made yesterday. So many Ukrainians are applying for Russian citizenship that Putin was forced to streamline and expedite the application process. The contrast between the Great Reset and Russian Social Nationalism has never been clearer.
Download
https://archive.radioalbion.com/TON/TON%20092122.mp3
Social nationalism? Of the Svoboda variety? Bite your tongue.
In simple terms, the bully who used to run amok for the last 30 years now has someone in the yard with a bigger stick. The bully seems incapable of accepting the new reality. The bully is crying himself to bed by telling himself and the world all sorts of crazy stories that have no connection to reality, wishing for all sorts of impossible stuff to happen. At this stage the bully is bewildered, mumbling crazy stuff and generally petulant/confused/incredulous/delusional/in disbelief etc. People are increasingly starting to worry about the bully and his irrational behavior but soon they will start to ignore him as it turns out the bully is a bully only on paper. The bully will eventually accept the new reality after a lot of huffing and puffing and maybe some lost breakfast money. It will not be easy but it will happen because, well, the bully is worn out, in debt up to his eyeballs, severely out of shape, in serious internal conflict and exposed as a fraud. By this point in time, he also might be a she, these days you just never know….
Brilliant, the icing on the cake was she, salty sally.
That was a great analogy.👍
Well put.
Only one problem. The bully has a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons. And the bully is completely crazy and unhinged. Not a good remedy.
Love it !
Like a six- year-old kid with squad automatic weapon and lots of ammo…
It is often stated by one side that Russia wants to occupy whole of Ukraine before it moves onto other East European countries. From the other side there is denial that Russia would go any further than four regions it currently partly controls, except maybe take Odessa. My view is that they would not want all of Ukraine as if nothing else it would be a huge financial burden to put back on its feet. Much of infrastructure has not been touched for last 30 years and is in dire need of investments.
How far will they go, one may ask. I would think that the more this drags on, the more likely they are to occupy all of Ukraine. I still don’t think they would hold onto some parts they may occupy but they may see no alternative but to do so and subsequently create a rump state with a constitution that suits its aims. That would be central and western Ukraine. It would then have to leave it but possibly maintain some bases to ensure compliance. I doubt they would want to reward Russophobe Poles after they contributed so much to support Ukraine and were very willing to kill Russians themselves. Perhaps Russians may do a deal with Poland and exchange Western Ukraine for a strip of land between Belarus and Kaliningrad.
Alternatively, if all of that rabid anti Russian populace was to leave for the welcoming West, then maybe it would just hang onto the land.
I don’t believe that Russia will take (or will take but wouldn’t want to keep) all of Ukraine. Never mind the “rest of Eastern Europe.” Russia wouldn’t want this headache. Russia would restore its historic/strategic Russian lands, where the ethnic Russians live since Russia won’t ever trust Ukraine to be in charge of the wellbeing of these people. Ukraine failed as a state, a recently created state (1991) since no state in its right mind pushes division and destruction of its own population. “The house divided would not stand” – the Bible.
What I find amusing is that the USA “cares” for Donbas to belong to Ukraine, the same Donbas which Ukrainian communists grabbed unlawfully in 1919, twisting Lenin’s arm for their support.
The USA didn’t even recognize the USSR till 1933 viewing the Bolsheviks’ regime as illegal, since they came to power in Russia via the coup in 1917.
Russia doesn’t want Western Ukraine, but probably would take it to prevent Poland from jumping in, and keep would only use it as a bargaining chip, not to “hold on to it.”
Russia would also probably let Ukraine have access to the Black Sea, but for the real concessions, Russia would want to get. There won’t be Minks III, whatever.
My opinion on Russia’s geographic goals:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/files/2013/12/ukraine-2010-election.jpg
Which is nearly identical to https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/Ukraine_Historical_Borders.svg/1920px-Ukraine_Historical_Borders.svg.png
Crank up your brain, no more Nyt, wapo, Forbes etc. just clean your….. with them. We came today through their beliefs which were self proven only. Come on accept the losses.
She had an oil tanker named after her when she sat on the board of Chevron Corporation. From which you can ascertain she had impeccable credentials to be a content and ethics free elite of the empire.
She resigned her board position when appointed by Bush the Minor to the National Security advisor gig.
Condoleezza Rice is currently the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business; the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution; and a professor of political science at Stanford University.
Nice work if you can get it.
These arse holes really suck.
Uber Russophobe Michael McFaul boasted on Twitter about making $1 million a year as a professor at Stanford after getting into a Twitter spat with someone.
There is an old saying that one should never attribute to malevolence that which can be explained by stupidity.
In the case of Gates, Bush and Rice, malevolence fills the bill perfectly.
Stupidity also works, so I suppose malevolence for wanting to expand the war and stupidity for thinking they will be able to affect the outcome.
And there’s the money also…
I think both Rice and Gates work for a MIC think tank.
The US MIC industry desires a long draw out conflict, if Ukraine collapses quickly it means the MIC’s paid off congress people will have a hard time justifying more money going to the defense industry for weapons to send to Ukraine.
Neither Gates, nor Rice are going to bite the hand feeding them. Of course those defense industry lobbyist and their operatives in the US government will find another conflict to start to justify more appropriations to keep the money flowing to them and funnel back into congressional coffers.
They’re all following the Merkel and Hollande mold, or vice versa: Half stupid, half liar.
The thing is that whether stupidity or malevolence is driving these people, they have never had to pay a price for their actions. Only if they are forced to pay the price for their actions will they change their tune.
Sorry America you need to ensure that these warmongers plus the Bidens, Clintons, Boltons, Nulands and thousands of others can’t disappear down some bomb shelters under the White House etc they need tying to a stake so they can watch the nukes rain down and see what they have done and the millions of innocents they have killed, they deserve to be in Hell but non of them believe in God, Heaven and Hell.
When their cities lie in dust, they will be nothing.
https://songmeanings.com/songs/view/66524/
I believed that Condoleeza Rice was Bill Clinton’s National Security Advisor and was never in GW Bush administration.
I stand to be corrected.
Cheers
You are wrong. She was National Security Advisor to Bush and then became Sec State
Garland Nixon described Gates and Rice as cultured and intellectual neocons. After they have murdered and destroyed the will spend a night at the opera. As opposed to knuckle dragger neocons like John Bolton and Victoria Nuland.
Bolton once insisted he was NOT a neocon but an independently-minded warmonger. Probably his aversion to being linked to any Jewish influence in that historically monumental and bizarre shift from Irving Krystal Trotskyiism and the 4th Internationale to Irving Krystal Neoconservatism.
One thing about Bolton, he’s never resorted to chameleonism. He’s always had his asinine character hanging on a sleeve for all to see.
They all bathe in blood and stack corpses as a status symbol in their socisl circles
Simon – “Cultural” like in Herr Goebbels’, “When I hear the word culture my hand is reaching for my revolver?”
The Big Oil/Whitehouse revolving door.
There’s no difference, the door is an illusion.
My mistake.
Thanks Larry.
“Now there is a shocker.”
Not really.
The window dressing is attempting to restrict the war to Ukraine and Russia, whilst the 3rd phase of the world war from 1914 onwards is the network of coercive world wide relations self-misrepresented as “The United States of America” against an increasing co-operation throughout the rest of the world to transcend coercive social relations.
“The United States of America” realise that no agreement will be reached and hence their attempted obfuscation/preparation of that:
“Absent another major Ukrainian breakthrough and success against Russian forces, Western pressures on Ukraine to negotiate a cease-fire will grow as months of military stalemate pass. Under current circumstances, any negotiated cease-fire would leave Russian forces in a strong position to resume their invasion whenever they are ready. That is unacceptable.”
It is not unacceptable; it is unachievable since agreements can no longer be made with themselves – a description and facilitator of coercive relations – whilst vectors of transcendence are not limited to things that go bang, or “defeat” their opponents since in such an instance things will go bang, as outlined in the notice of intent designated Presidential Decree of The Russian Federation Number 355 of 3rd June 2020 with relevant updates.
This was understood in skeleton by initially one person with facility to build the necessary team to co-operate in development and implentation in “The Soviet Union” in 1969, including that this would constitute the 3rd phase of the world-war starting in 1914, that “The Soviet Union” was unsustainable and hence needed to be transcended to face such challenges in 1968 ,after the invasion of Czecholslovakia and the premature mode change in the Tet offensive mandated by a Vietnamese “politician” to Mr. Giap, whilst “The United States of America” were approaching economic depression due in part to competition with Germany and more importantly Japan, and that despite “NATO” “The United States of America” was not a peer land power, but primarily an air and maritime power.
https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2023/01/about-angst.html
Mr. Martyanov and others start to understand limited details of the processes outlined above, but given their “specialisations” and facilities are likely unaware of details of the lateral processes and how they were facilitated, those in “The United States of America” who fucked up due to hubris and ineptitude knew even less since they saw themselves and continue to do so.
“About Angst.
Thanks to Thomas Malthaus providing link to Mr. Bhadrakumar’s piece, symptomatically called Biden’s existential angst in Ukraine. As is expected, Bhadrakumar’s piece revolves largely around the article in WaPo by Robert Gates and Condoleezza Rice titled Time Is Not on Ukraine’s Side. As is the case with many policy “pieces” in the United States it is written by people who fucked it up big time one way or another in their distinguished careers. Robert Gates, being a smart man, had his own delusions on the matters he was dealing with during his tenure as the head of CIA, Secretary of the State and SecDef. In the end, I remember his public speaking in 1996-97 (IIRC) at the Seattle’s Madison Mayflower Hotel conference where he didn’t understand that his threats to choke financially Yeltsin’s Russia were a highly desirable act for those forces in Russia which, in the end, came to power due to US and NATO criminal idea to gang-bang Serbia in 1999. ”
“US and NATO criminal idea to gang-bang Serbia in 1999.”
The gang-bang/rape was not restricted to Serbia, but both Austria and Germany were targets pour encourager les autres facilitated by factions in the “European Union”.
And George Bush was her husband. 8-). If anyone recalls that Freudian slip.
She had an oil tanker named after her when she sat on the board of Chevron Corporation. From which you can ascertain she had impeccable credentials to be a content and ethics free elite of the empire.
She resigned her board position when appointed by Bush the Minor to the National Security advisor gig.
Condoleezza Rice is currently the Denning Professor in Global Business and the Economy at the Stanford Graduate School of Business; the Thomas and Barbara Stephenson Senior Fellow on Public Policy at the Hoover Institution; and a professor of political science at Stanford University.
Nice work if you can get it.
These arse holes really suck.
Rice an elite? Well, of sorts I suppose. The moment I learned that she was named Condoleeza in some sordid attempt at transliterating Con Dolcezza (with sweetness), I though, well that’s interesting, must be ghetto chic or something.
Isn’t it incredible that this people ignore the fact that any further evidence that NATO is directly involved in the war would mean that Russia targets those bases in Germany and Italy and UK thereby not just destroying the military potential but also the political standing of EU and NATO as it currently stands ? Or is that what this neocon warmongering types are hoping to trigger? To destroy Europe permanently as a potential challenger ?
Isn’t it more incredible still, that the ruling class of these West European countries is actually and actively cooperating in that destruction …?
i dirigenti €uropei sono diventati capi di stato e dei loro governi ,dopo (e perchè) hanno accettato l’agenda e la politica estera neocon U$A.
senza l’OK a politica di Washigton sarebbero spariti dalla politica e/ dalla vita (come Aldo Moro)
Since Russia is playing a long game compared to the short game of the tapeworms running our countries, they will not needlessly escalate. Note how unfinished wars have left burdensome responsibilities to following generations. I believe most of their tactics right now are to stay far back from the downing man and position themselves for the long term. We saw how Germany became friends with it’s enemies after the war.
Russia shares a continent with western Europe and cannot afford vengeful or punitive attacks. They seem to be playing to come out on top morally after the air comes out of US money printing capabilities.
As soon as the US loses its ability to print money, its influence in Europe will be toast, and then Western Europe will be lining up to play ball with Russia. I believe Russia also knows how malicious and psychotic the ideas were about biological weapons, so they are being quite careful. Good on them. Ignore the idiots calling for slaughter. Most people who die are ill informed patsies. Killing them is just sadistic.
Both of these former Bush administration officials have gotten much older but certainly no wiser. Still living in their Iraqi invasion days, where they could bully the dilapidated Saddam’s Army weakened by several years of war with its neighbor. The situation is different now. Russia is not Iraq nor alone in its campaign against NATO. China, Iran plus many others, although might not openly show it, will be supporting Russia all the way to end of the world if necessary. The trio hold the keys to Asia-Pacific from the Strait of Malacca to the Persian Gulf and Bab el Mindab. These could be choked off at the time of their choosing bringing the current finance capitalism racket of the neocons to its knees within days. So the playing strategy Russia is conducting right now against a group of western proxies led by a cocaine addict d..ck swinger so-called president, isn’t all Russia capable of doing. The Russian Armed Forces will surely take Artemovsk-Soledar regions of the DPR with minimum effort and loss. It’s better for the Ukronazi regime hooligans pack their suitcases to return home in the west as soon as possible.
Both of these former Bush administration officials have gotten much older but certainly no wiser. Still living in their Iraqi invasion days, where they could bully the dilapidated Saddam’s Army weakened by several years of war with its neighbor. The situation is different now. Russia is not Iraq nor alone in its campaign against NATO. China, Iran plus many others, although might not openly show it, will be supporting Russia all the way to end of the world if necessary. The trio hold the keys in Atlantic- Asia-Pacific from the Strait of Malacca to the Persian Gulf and Bab el Mindab. These could be choked off at the time of their choosing bringing the current finance capitalism racket of the neocons to its knees within days. So the playing strategy Russia is conducting right now against a group of western proxies led by a cocaine addict d..ck swinger so-called president, isn’t all Russia capable of doing. The Russian Armed Forces will surely take Artemovsk-Soledar regions of the DPR with minimum effort and loss. It’s better for the Ukronazi regime hooligans pack their suitcases to return home in the west as soon as possible.
Condoleezza Rice, Bob Gates, Victoria Nuland, Henry Kissinger and a few others do keep bobbing up. They remind me of those turds that just will not flush.
Both of these former Bush administration officials have gotten much older but certainly no wiser. Still living in their Iraqi invasion days, where they could bully the dilapidated Saddam’s Army weakened by several years of war with its neighbor. The situation is different now. Russia is not Iraq nor alone in its campaign against NATO. China, Iran plus many others, although might not openly show it, will be supporting Russia all the way to end of the world if necessary. The trio hold the keys from the Strait of Malacca to the Persian Gulf and Bab el Mindab. These could be choked off at the time of their choosing bringing the current finance capitalism racket of the neocons to its knees within days. So the playing strategy Russia is conducting right now against a group of western proxies led by a cocaine addict d..ck swinger so-called president, isn’t all Russia capable of doing. The Russian Armed Forces will surely take Artemovsk-Soledar regions of the DPR with minimum effort and loss. It’s better for the Ukronazi regime hooligans pack their suitcases to return home in the west as soon as possible.
sorry for posting comment three times. It was caused by internet network problems.
” … Ukraine may only have weeks, not months, before it is overwhelmed.”
Indeed. At any moment, the Russian Army could show up and start using its firepower. Wouldn’t that be a helluva thing?
But why bother, right? If you can win a war, and fairly simply, against the most powerful conventional landforce in Europe by using a relatively small group of private proxie contractors, there is no need to bloody your military.
Is the Wagner Group the finest military outfit in the history of organized warfare? I think this goes without saying. Outnumbered hundreds, thousands, millions to one, it’s whippin’ not only Ukraine, but the combined forces of the Western world, all by itself.
I wonder if in the fevered dreams of Robert Gates and Condoleezza Rice, there is the sardonic voice of Coach Bill Belichik cutting through the fog, asking, “So, you’re down 46 to nothing at the half, and the other team has yet to play their first or … their second string. Do you have plan for these people, should the other team decide to put them in, or is your idea to lose by the most lopsided score in the history of organized football?”
I’ve pretty much stopped taking anything that comes out of the U.S seriously. Seeing an opinion piece from a U.S. outlet I get the same feeling as when I open up an email from a Nigerian prince. It’s just laughable and it goes immediately in the trash can. Not that our own European stooges are any better. But the U.S. has fallen so far in just a couple of decades. And Rice and Gates were among those who started the downfall. The Americans have really squandered everything, and now even attacking our energy infrastructure. People like Larry, Ritter and G. Nixon show that there are drops of sanity left, but I’m afraid it’s not enough. Even as an old “Atlanticist” I’d much rather preferred that Europe had cut its ties to the U.S. than to Russia.
For the USA, for Europe and the whole world there is only one chance for a safe future, the US empire must collapse. Apart from that, what useful things could the us people do with 800 billion dollars/year? It would be a start to a better future for the US as well.
Opinion pieces in the WaPo aren’t meant to sway the American public. The authors simply don’t give a shit if anyone outside the beltway reads what they write.
You’re not alone. Once in a while I’ll see what the MSM says on a particular issue of war and peace, just for laughs.
Then the laughs quickly turn to anger, and I need to take a quick walk around the park to cool off. By then, I’ve returned to the laughs but man, it’s a tiresome ritual.
” I am still mystified how such well educated people can be so stupid. ”
They are paid quite well to be that way….
At the risk of sounding like an election denier (which I am) this foreign born US citizen has finally figured out why no one on this planet could change the outcome of the 2020 elections: it is because this war had to take place, according to patriots (not) like Colonel, err… Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman, sir… who testified in DJT’s impeachment, that he was a danger to our democracy… translation, he was against this war. Therefore he had to be replaced by the decisions of the CIA, DNI, NSA, FBI and DOD, PERIOD!
The Democrats never cease to amaze (nor the Republicans).
The former’s calling for sending Bolsonaro back to Brazil because his right wing supporters have tried seizing gov’t. buildings in Brazil.
Yet, these same Democrats applauded during Parubiy’s visit, over his violent fascist takeover of gov’t buildings at Maidan. If anyone doubts Parubiy’s fascist bona fides, or that 10% of the population that follows in his footsteps, then slap yourself.
The hypocrisy of this loony tune government in Washington is the toxic gift that just keeps on giving.
Anyone have any sound suggestions where to emigrate to? I desperately need to detoxify.
At least this time they didn’t kill the President.
There was no good reason for Biden to run except his own ego and needing someone who could reliably get things in Ukraine kicked off. Most likely the plan was to do so in the HRC admin, but trump messed that up by getting elected. Also consider that Ukraine was Biden’s personal project as VP. He then promoted all the state people who’d worked on it with him.
Hal Duell: “turds that will not flush”. Spot on! Here’s my list of some of the major turds:
Victoria Nuland, her husband, Robert Kagan, his brother, Fred Kagan, Anthony Blinken, Lindsay Graham, Amy Klobuchar, John Bolton, Elliot Abrams, Mike Pompeo, Tom Cotton.
We’re stuck with the senators, but the warmonger bureaucrats should be shown the door.
You forgot Bill Gates & Fauci. The latest from Gates is such a non-starter in a real world where we don’t play God & consider unintended consequences…
“Rut Roh, USDA Approves First Vaccine for Honeybees”
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2023/01/08/rut-roh-usda-approves-first-vaccine-for-honeybees/
Everyone is considering the situation in the cities of Soledar and Bakhmut from the point of view of the presence of two opposing armies. But they forget that there are still civilians in the cities, mostly old people. The soldiers of the Wagner group are forced to organize the evacuation of the population under fire. Evacuation is very difficult, dangerous, in several stages. This is what the evacuated residents themselves say with tears in their eyes from the fear and hardships they have experienced.
You talk about the salt mines of Soledar and their possible secrets. Salt mines are of no value in comparison with the residents of the city, who cannot be completely taken to a safe place. Someone will still remain under fire.
This greatly complicates the task of the Russian army to capture cities.
None of the soldiers of the Russian army will take such a sin on their soul as killing civilians, old people and children.
Great comment. And it also must factor in with the decision to knock out electrical power during cold winter months. And perhaps it’s for this reason we haven’t seen a wholesale obliteration of power generation and supply in Ukraine?
Joe Grogan — I think you’re right. You can’t kill an entire country with cold and hunger. People without weapons must survive, no matter how Russophobic they are.
It’s not the salt mines, it’s what may be in there. The mines span 125 miles, over 200m depth, and are known to contain facilities and storage.
The big find would be a biolab with Covid origin ties, but even a cleaned biolab would be highly suspicious.
Dump the Zee
Bring in Hunter Biden and his dad.
Russians out, seal the boarder, fix the cities.
Jobs, jobs, jobs, good payin jobs.
Get the trains running on green windmill energy and on…. “timeish.”
Win the World Cup, all it takes is suitcases of money. And USA know who (!)
Meanwhile : Condi can play piano as Gates dances nude for inclusivity.
There is no plan, there is no hope, just Afghanistan2…..(Syria, Iraq, Vietnam)
The Salt mines? ….that’s where they keep spare parts for old Soviet tractors!
It’s all too much for the human unit, but you get that.
Two interesting articles:
1) The Soledar Salt Mines and the concentration of fighting in the Bakhmut area. This raises questions for the curious ; a) Do these mines have any strategic value to Ukraine, b) If so, how might the Russia approach the capture or neutalization of such, e.g is flooding an opotion and, c) If b, what would be the cost of losing them for Ukraine.
2) WaPo article: If the conflict in the Ukraine is considered to be a proxy war between the US (neocons) and China on the ground in Ukraine and via the world banking system ; the US using Nato & the Ukranians and China (providing silent support to the Russians & open support for BRIC), the potential outcomes become much clearer. A) Nato will not march in to Moscow, B) Russia will maintain its sovereignty, C) China has already reaped the gains: 1) an ally on its western flank, 2) a 3) supply of energy, 4) a supply of agricultural production (water/land productivity), & 4) a transfer of military technology, and D) Even if a negotiated settlement, i.e. no loss for Russia; there will be a strategic retreat for the US, which will be left with a hollowed out Ukraine, a hollowed out Europe, and a massive national debt with half a Congress demanding ‘austertiy’. Does this require a PHD to figure out?
“Now there is a shocker.”
Not really.
The window dressing is attempting to restrict the war to Ukraine and Russia, whilst the 3rd phase of the world war from 1914 onwards is the network of coercive world wide relations self-misrepresented as “The United States of America” and an increasing co-operation throughout the rest of the world to transcend coercive social relations.
They realise that no agreement will be reached and hence their attempted obfuscation/preparation of that:
“Absent another major Ukrainian breakthrough and success against Russian forces, Western pressures on Ukraine to negotiate a cease-fire will grow as months of military stalemate pass. Under current circumstances, any negotiated cease-fire would leave Russian forces in a strong position to resume their invasion whenever they are ready. That is unacceptable.”
It is not unacceptable; it is unachievable since agreements can no longer be made with themselves – a description and facilitator of coercive relations – whilst vectors of transcendence are not limited to things that go bang, or “defeat” their opponents since in such an instance things will go bang, as outlined in the notice of intent designated Presidential Decree of The Russian Federation Number 355 of 3rd June 2020 with relevant updates.
This was understood in skeleton by initially one person with facility to build the necessary team to co-operate in development and implentation in “The Soviet Union” in 1969, including that this would constitute the 3rd phase of the world-war starting in 1914, that “The Soviet Union” was unsustainable and hence needed to be transcended to face such challenges in 1968 ,after the invasion of Czecholslovakia and the premature mode change in the Tet offensive mandated by a Vietnamese “politician” to Mr. Giap, whilst “The United States of America” were approaching economic depression due in part to competition with Germany and more importantly Japan, and that despite “NATO” “The United States of America” was not a peer land power, but primarily an air and maritime power.
https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2023/01/about-angst.html
Mr. Martyanov and others start to understand limited details of the processes outlined above, but given their “specialisations” and facilities are likely unaware of details of the lateral processes and how they were facilitated, those in “The United States of America” who fucked up due to hubris and ineptitude knew even less since they saw themselves and continue to do so.
“About Angst.
Thanks to Thomas Malthaus providing link to Mr. Bhadrakumar’s piece, symptomatically called Biden’s existential angst in Ukraine. As is expected, Bhadrakumar’s piece revolves largely around the article in WaPo by Robert Gates and Condoleezza Rice titled Time Is Not on Ukraine’s Side. As is the case with many policy “pieces” in the United States it is written by people who fucked it up big time one way or another in their distinguished careers. Robert Gates, being a smart man, had his own delusions on the matters he was dealing with during his tenure as the head of CIA, Secretary of the State and SecDef. In the end, I remember his public speaking in 1996-97 (IIRC) at the Seattle’s Madison Mayflower Hotel conference where he didn’t understand that his threats to choke financially Yeltsin’s Russia were a highly desirable act for those forces in Russia which, in the end, came to power due to US and NATO criminal idea to gang-bang Serbia in 1999. “
“Now there is a shocker.”
Not really.
The window dressing is attempting to restrict the war to Ukraine and Russia, whilst the 3rd phase of the world war from 1914 onwards is the network of coercive world wide relations self-misrepresented as “The United States of America” against an increasing co-operation throughout the rest of the world to transcend coercive social relations.
“The United States of America” realise that no agreement will be reached and hence their attempted obfuscation/preparation of that:
“Absent another major Ukrainian breakthrough and success against Russian forces, Western pressures on Ukraine to negotiate a cease-fire will grow as months of military stalemate pass. Under current circumstances, any negotiated cease-fire would leave Russian forces in a strong position to resume their invasion whenever they are ready. That is unacceptable.”
It is not unacceptable; it is unachievable since agreements can no longer be made with themselves – a description and facilitator of coercive relations – whilst vectors of transcendence are not limited to things that go bang, or “defeat” their opponents since in such an instance things will go bang, as outlined in the notice of intent designated Presidential Decree of The Russian Federation Number 355 of 3rd June 2020 with relevant updates.
This was understood in skeleton by initially one person with facility to build the necessary team to co-operate in development and implentation in “The Soviet Union” in 1969, including that this would constitute the 3rd phase of the world-war starting in 1914, that “The Soviet Union” was unsustainable and hence needed to be transcended to face such challenges in 1968 ,after the invasion of Czecholslovakia and the premature mode change in the Tet offensive mandated by a Vietnamese “politician” to Mr. Giap, whilst “The United States of America” were approaching economic depression due in part to competition with Germany and more importantly Japan, and that despite “NATO” “The United States of America” was not a peer land power, but primarily an air and maritime power.
https://smoothiex12.blogspot.com/2023/01/about-angst.html
Mr. Martyanov and others start to understand limited details of the processes outlined above, but given their “specialisations” and facilities are likely unaware of details of the lateral processes and how they were facilitated, those in “The United States of America” who fucked up due to hubris and ineptitude knew even less since they saw themselves and continue to do so.
“About Angst.
Thanks to Thomas Malthaus providing link to Mr. Bhadrakumar’s piece, symptomatically called Biden’s existential angst in Ukraine. As is expected, Bhadrakumar’s piece revolves largely around the article in WaPo by Robert Gates and Condoleezza Rice titled Time Is Not on Ukraine’s Side. As is the case with many policy “pieces” in the United States it is written by people who fucked it up big time one way or another in their distinguished careers. Robert Gates, being a smart man, had his own delusions on the matters he was dealing with during his tenure as the head of CIA, Secretary of the State and SecDef. In the end, I remember his public speaking in 1996-97 (IIRC) at the Seattle’s Madison Mayflower Hotel conference where he didn’t understand that his threats to choke financially Yeltsin’s Russia were a highly desirable act for those forces in Russia which, in the end, came to power due to US and NATO criminal idea to gang-bang Serbia in 1999. ”
“US and NATO criminal idea to gang-bang Serbia in 1999.”
The gang-bang/rape was not restricted to Serbia, but both Austria and Germany were targets pour encourager les autres facilitated by factions in the “European Union”.
The biggest unknown for me is the fate of the rest of Ukraine, i.e. the part that will remain after the Russians take their part. Some future peace agreement will bring the demilitarization of the entire area of the former Ukraine and therefore will no longer be of interest to NATO.
My assessment is that everyone will quickly see that the western part of Ukraine is an economic bottomless pit. Then today’s biggest warmongers will come knocking on Putin’s door with a request “Would he take the whole of Ukraine under his control again”.
“The biggest unknown for me….”
As Mr. Rumsfeld observed there are unknown unknows, and in regard to “matters strategic” for you and others, they remain unknown unknows, despite you and others’ beliefs/illusions that they are known, thereby facilitating you and others’ useful foolery even if such is restricted to increasing the noise/signal ratio.
“Reason was created to condemn what is unreasonable … ”
Or, rather, Reason IS and and unReason, being a denial of what IS, is the road to what IS NOT. Which is why judgements based upon unReason lead to disintegration.
As a layman both in philosophy and in strategic affairs, it seems to me that the unReason of Western strategic thinking on Ukraine and Russia has paved the low road to the destruction of Ukraine and, perhaps, given time, the disintegration of the West itself.
In this impending doom, will The Empire go quietly into the night as the old Soviet Union did? Given the irrationality of its approach to the Ukraine question so far, what grounds do we have for hoping that The Empire will seize upon the reasonableness of cutting its losses?
What will come after the fall of Bakhmut? Any prediction? What about Kherson and Kharkov? What about Zaporozhye nuclear plant? Will these stories come up again?
The Ukraine is now full of mines. How to enter this country?
What about the state of electricity? How many cities have light?
To me, all is strange. All points are heavily discussed some time, and then completely forgotten.
There is an interesting documentation on Arte, a EU TV station about Stalingrad. Maybe you will find it on YouTube. To me, the war in the Ukraine seems to be almost like the war in Stalingrad. Fighting street for street, with trenches. Nothing changed the 70 years. Ok, drones. But that is all.
Larry: Why this old strategy? Why nothing new?
Good questions all.
For instance, if you Google, “what is the state of electricity in Kiev,” you will find no results after December 21st.
How can this be? One would think, if one happens to be a Big Picture thinker (which I most definately am not, I prefer to focus on irrelevant details, like how many artillery shells I have available, at all times, for my peashooters), that if this is truly a multi-polar war to hegomonic pain, that electricity would be an important topic, because the Russian Federation can win the kenetic aspect of this war of the worlds tomorrow, by turning out the lights in Ukraine.
But they are choosing not to, and that no one is bothering to question this remarkable grand strategic decision to not win the kenetic part of this mult-layered global conflict to the existential death, I find quite peculiar.
Even more peculiar to me, is that no one knows where the Russian Army is. Now I have seen satellite imagery of the Russian airbase at Engels after each of the three Ukraine attacks on it. Nothing to report (no real damage was done), other than the Russians, who like to park their bombers out in the open and in clusters, have decided to spread them out a little bit, but did so only after the second strike.
The point is, how is it that I can find out the exact location of every single Russian nuclear capable bomber in their active inventory, which I can, but I have no f*cking clue where the Russian Army is?
And I have been relentlessly searching for signs of it, since it last was seen in April! Lmao …
Rumor has it this army is real and it is big, in fact some are saying it might be the biggest land force in the world at the moment. That it is able to hide itself completely in the Age of the Satellite is either a military achievment for the ages, or a miracle on par with the creation of the Universe.
Thank you for the details. As I am an engineer, I also don’t care at all about moral, but rather how it works. Also as an engineer who works in the service, I know that complexity kills all projects only when you must make them work. Before, they are hailed from every manager.
Furthermore, my wife is from Volgograd=Stalingrad, so I know what Russians mean when they talk about war. But will this strategy work? Shooting around in urban areas? I would opt for attacking supply lines from above. Soldiers have to arrive in buses, food and ammunition to be carried, all this is not done in one hour.
Finally, as a radio amateur, I noticed more over the horizon radar on shortwave, but my can not tell where it is coming from.
So, I go to work again and hope for the best for the world and my four kids.
Neocons love to talk about their plans. They write lengthy papers, and give endless speeches outlining their plans. They like to draw maps of what the targeted regions will look like after regime changes. Their think tanks constantly trumpet their goals to the entire world.
Iran knew they were next, so they fixed Iraq accordingly. Hezbollah knew they were next so they piled into Syria.
The neocons have long anounced that china is next in line after Russia. So in the unlikely event Russia run out of missiles, they will have the workshop of the world at their disposal.
This is surely one of the reasons that all neocon adventures end in failure?
After the fall of Bakhmut, Russian troops will consolidate positions and bloom out, similar to what happend after the fall of Popasna. One group will go north towards Seversk, and flank AFU troops attacking Kremena. Another group will go south, and flank heavily fortified postions in New York area (and then onwards to Avdeevka). Main force will continue west towards Slaviansk and Kramatorsk, where the final stage of Battle for Donbass will happen. Some kind of attack would probably happen in the Izyum area, in order to facilitate encirclement of Slaviansk and Kramatorsk.
Kherson is on hold for foreseeable future.
Electrical system is kept on the edge. Nothing has changed there.
We will see.
But I doubt that the West will just watch how the Ukraine tumbles. The West will go closer to a full military involvement. As close to ww3 as possible.
I never suggested that West will just watch how the Ukraine tumbles. The relatively slow pace of the events at the frontline is caused by the West throwing everything but the kitchen sink at it. Few days ago I posted a link to $3 billion worth of stuff to be thrown into the grinder: https://sonar21.com/is-america-crumbling-from-within/#comment-106253 . Those things won’t change the outcome, but will protract the fighting for a while. In addition to that, Poland is being prepared to join the fray once the supply of “freedom lovin’ Ukrainians” runs out. Today I saw the news about Sweden reintroducing conscription for civilians. This is going to be a long ride.
I also agree about the West balancing close to the edge of WWIII, but taking care not to go over the edge. It seems to me that they test the waters by announcing sending stuff, in order to see Russian reactions. First there were talks about sending Patriots, and Russians didn’t object too much, and now they are sending them. There were talks about sending ATACMS before that, and Russians did object to those, which made US reluctant to send them. Current big thing are western IFV’s (Bradley etc.), and Russians are unfazed by those. The next thing are western made tanks. Russians aren’t objecting about those at all, so I expect some to be sent in the future (and end up in Kubinka Tank Museum).
It seems to me – that is really crazy about the story:
Putin was permanently accused of wanting to re-establish the USSR or the “Russian Empire” – which he did not want at all, what for – the Russian Federation is big enough and it has no problem at all with its periphery, if a reasonable, adequate relationship is possible.
But this was and is permanently disturbed or hindered by the “West”.
Now and thereby he is literally pushed to do exactly what he is accused of …
“Now and thereby he is literally pushed to do exactly what he is accused of …”
There is not nor ever will be a wish to re-establish the USSR or The Russian Empire because strategists were and continued to be informed from 1969 onwards by the question – “Do you think you are as stupid as your opponents?”
Like Dmitry Orlov once wrote, the US is committing suicide by reality denial. Whether it’s drinking the Kool-Aid in Jonestown or free martinis inside the Beltway, the pathology is the same. Rice and Gates have no excuse for promoting this horseshit other than the fact they are being paid to do it. If anyone was capable of demanding a realistic and accurate accounting of where things were going from people who actually know it would be them.
Or they could just join a couple of the better Telegram channels, read and listen to Andrei Martyanov or the Duran guys, or check out Larry’s blog. It makes me laugh to realise that there are ordinary Joes all round the world who are better informed or more willing to face reality than former government players of that level. Either they know and aren’t saying or they’re too stupid to be allowed to drive a car.
“Rice and Gates have no excuse”
They have what they believe is a strategy of obfuscation which they likely understand will enjoy a very short half-life.
“They have what they believe is a strategy of obfuscation which they likely understand will enjoy a very short half-life.”
Since
https://strategic-culture.org/news/2023/01/09/us-strategic-aim-break-and-dismember-russia-or-maintain-us-dollar-hegemony-or-muddled-both/
whilst some understand that the strategic aim of “The United States of America” is to dismember the world and rearrange it – the “strategy” of full spectrum dominance to facilitate the end of history – and why over 30 years later some offices are still laughing.
“I am still mystified how such well educated people can be so stupid.”
There’s a fella by the name of Andrei Martyanov who has some strong opinions re education and what passes for political leadership, who may shed some light on this mystery.
You omitted the Dynamic Duo’s prior stunning success in Afghanistan. They seem very generous with the German and other NATO member’s weaponry.
Still, they did get it right about the over-engineered, over-weight, gas-guzzling, unreliable clunker that is the Abrams, being unsuitable for Ukrainian deployment, though I hear it does excel at destroying bridges with its weight alone.
What Ukraine needs is a 21st century version of a Sherman, something that’s “good enough” and can be popped off a production line at the rate of Ford pickup trucks. Since that ain’t gonna happen, maybe it’s time for some piece talks.
One Angry Aussie – I don’t understand what kind of negotiations everyone is talking about. Who should negotiate with whom? About what?
Listen to what nonsense the adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Mikhail Podolyak, is talking today:
“Russia is already ready to flee the Crimea” — Podolyak.
“If we liberate the territory of Luhansk, Donetsk or Zaporizhia regions, then Crimea comes under total fire control of Ukraine. I don’t quite understand what the Russians will do there. They will understand that they have to run,” Podolyak said.
“Because Russia is already ready to flee. They just haven’t come out of a state of total intoxication yet. Then they will come out, look around and understand: either you run away or you die,” he added.
No negotiations are possible with these people. This is absurd.
Save your anger for OZ.
War with China.
Aussie 26 million people
Shanghai city 25 million people…35 million by 2035. Think about it Ocker.
26 million Aussie stuffed into Tasmania. Above it ….new China.
USA USA USA all the way to hell.
In the mean time, stay the hell off the app WhatsApp. Moral of the Story: If You Are In a War Zone Never Use WhatsApp:
https://abeldanger.blogspot.com/2023/01/moral-of-story-if-you-are-in-war-zone.html
Larry,
As the Russian offensive reaches maximum velocity and regional distribution and, in parallel, the Ukrainian, mercenary and NATO resistance crumbles,
where in the world will the National Security State/Deep State/NeoCons/NeoLiberals
start a parallel conflict to divert Russian focus, forces and potential?
(1) Does Israel start a full-scale invasion of Syria?
(2) Does Poland cross the border to Lvov?
(3) Do the Moldovans at the behest of NATO and in collaboration with Ukraine start ethnic cleaning in Transnistria?
Which friend of Russia can the United States beat up to add more insanity into the mix?
My vote is Israel, because, paraphrasing Abba Eban, “the Israelis never miss an opportunity to start shit, no matter the cost of human life or the ramification on the world”
They couldn’t take on Hezbollah in lebanon.
Brazil seems to be lighting off. But yeah I’m sure Netanyahoo would love to start bombing Iran.
“Like Dmitry Orlov once wrote, the US is committing suicide by reality denial”
I think the essential statement, the one that explains the mess in its totality was made by Karl Rove in the mid-00’s.
“We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality”.
Yup bozo you can create your own subjective reality for a while (based on hubris, misknowledge of the world outside, wars with non-peer armies, and money printing) till the objective Reality comes and kicks you in the ass.
The time has come Karl!
“I think the essential statement”
No the essential statements pre-dated Mr. Rove’s perorations/sermons.
They were :
The end of history
Full spectrum dominance
Which in tandem raised merriment in many offices and continue to do so 30 years later.
I would say hypersonic missiles, drone guns, Tirada 2S, SU-57 etc are a reality. Karl Rove is such a blow heart he believes his own BS is the truth. Underestimate your oppenent at your own peril.
Karl Rove, an early precursor to all the assholes to follow in his wake.
Lots of speculation but was never clear on whether Rove coached Saakashvili to go whole hog on his dawn blitzkrap attack on Tshkinval, killing a dozen Ru peacekeepers and a few hundred civilians, saying – “no worries bro, we’ve got your back.”
Should’ve guessed then that we’d be here today.
From a telegram channel: “Our source in the OP said that Zaluzhny suggested Zelensky not to burn reserves for the defense of Soledar, but to withdraw troops to the second line of defense.”
So now we have even more indications that there is nothing special down in the mines. Whoever claims that there is something hidden there should at least come up with some indicators why this is so. There may of course be something there, but until now I’ve seen nothing that suggests there is.
Has Colonel Mc Gregor been banned from youtube ?
Do you mean, you cannot watch the posted video?
Me the same, I cannot watch it from Spain.
(And I have tried tor brower, but the web page keeps asking me to answer where are the semaphores or the buses or the bicycles …)
His account has been closed !
If it’s the one below I just pulled it up from the US, no probs. Must be an EU thing. Try a VPN.
https://www.youtube.com/@DouglasAMacgregor
Still closed for me here in France, it’ s really strange… Thanks for the new link !
I can not see it too because “The uploader has not made this video available in your country”. It’s the SNL comedy sketch that originated the More Cowbell meme. Here’s Wikipedia article about it:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Cowbell
No need to use Tor for such things. Regular proxy or VPN would work (as long as the server is in USA, or some other suitable country), or even an alternative Youtube frontend like Invidious. Here are few links trough Invidious that work for me:
https://vid.puffyan.us/watch?v=cVsQLlk-T0s
https://inv.riverside.rocks/watch?v=cVsQLlk-T0s
https://invidious.sethforprivacy.com/watch?v=cVsQLlk-T0s
” Because there are serious logistical challenges associated with sending American Abrams heavy tanks, Germany and other allies should fill this need.”
Ho no ! We have “logistical issues” now… curious , we didn’t have those to send tanks to Iraq or Afghanistan.
Nor to sell some to Poland … you know Poland : the next 404 country … oops , the country next to 404 , sorry ; I slip tongue 🙂
Water; paper, if ordinary paper and salt insulate from gamma rays and neutrons.
A gigantic salt mine would be ideal for certain ACTIVITIES that are very difficult to detect with radiation detectors but very obvious.
In his famous poem, “Somebody Blew Up America”, the late poet laureate Amiri Baraka asked if “CONDOLEEZZA was a skeeza”
Why surprised? Gates/Rice are PAID SHILLS, whatever they are told, they would just regurgitate it accordingly…One of the main reasons why NO ONE gives a sh@t what MSM says along w/ the commentators they bring to the mic, it’s all one big lie/narrative for the sheep to simply swallow and never ask questions. That era is OVER. Republicans and Democrats have seen the light, these shills act in their own interests. Once “trust” is gone, you get very strange reactions in all things, very unpredictable. That’s the whole problem w/ people who tries to control the world or a people, once they are uncovered, they too act strangely to maintain the facade of control….Since 2016 w/ the Orange Golem and rejection of the chosen sociopath Hillary, the shadow brokers PANIC and activated all their cells within the intelligence agencies, esp within the BLUE States to double/triple down their narratives. But they really have ONE strategy: Socialize their losses via govt appropriations/spending to their cause, while privatizing the gains they get from it. Just look at that Crypto mess w/ BTX, they fund Ukraine, Ukraine likely turns around and contribute portion funding into this Crypto fraud, which then subsequently makes its way toward election funding for the Democrats, just one sneaky loop in my opinion…..corruption, corruption, and more corruption…these psychopaths/sociopaths don’t care about us at all, throw us all under the bus for all they care…
The appalling ignorance and/or mendacity of Gates and Rice is a metaphor for the current state of political desolation in the US. It’s sickening, so time for a bit of levity to lift our spirits. Here are two attempts I hope you all enjoy:
There’s currently a photo making the rounds on Twitter of a rack of tee shirts emblazoned with a Ukrainian flag and the logo “I stand with Ukraine.” The lot is marked “50% off,” thus indicating a decline in support for the Zelenskyy regime. I think I could improve on the message and bring the price back up to 100%. Just make it “I stand with Ukraine… but I always lie with Vickie Nuland.” I think the double entendre would be a real sales booster.
Then there’s this idea for another tee shirt aimed at the political savvy out there. “Anyone else notice every time we put a woman called Rice in government we all get screwed?” (Elders among you may be reminded of a Bob Newhart routine concerning the FBI’s Herb Philbrick and the TV series titled I Led Three Lives of six or seven decades ago.)
We know the satanic reason for anything is the suffering of mankind.
The continuous flow of weapons in Ukraine may have two reasons.
The first is to overfill the IMC coffers with profits.
The second reason is in the hope that Russia will deplet its stores of weapons being the gas station they are, and the fear Angela didn’t punk Putin, but as it may turn out to be, Putin used the time since the Minsk Accords to build an appropriate arsenal and to test his weapons in Syria.
“This means that Ukraine has no easy means to send reinforcements to Soledar”, there are other areas from which to send reinforcements, no?
“As I noted in my previous piece, I believe there is something Ukraine is storing or hiding in the Salt mines that explains why they are willing to allow their army to be pulverized”, two things here, if not there then where should they fight? The Ukrops can´t fight maneuver warfare since their force’s level of training and equipment won´t allow that and their only chance is the slog of Urban warfare.
Regarding what may or may not be hidden there, why wouldn´t they have moved it in almost a year then? Feels a bit like the WMD spiel on repeat to me, meaningless navel-gazing.
This Ukraine project is not going well it seems. Where is the ball going next? A win is needed. Way too many losses. What would galvanize the USA? I fear the next one could be ” Terror on the Border….The War on Cartels” First got to clean up some loose ends. Biden taking interest in the border now? Visit to Mexico City? Sinaloa troubles. Sorry to go off topic. Don’t freak out blog police. Just a prediction based on watching the shit show for 60 years.
Gates and Rice could be setting the stage or lining up the narrative for the inevitable Russian counteroffensive or not. They (the Biden regime and their globalist cabal) deploy these heralded experts to sell the “overwhelmed” excuse if things go badly, or they get to proclaim Ukraine is winning (again) if Russia doesn’t pull the trigger in short order. They’re covering both side of the same coin – heads, Ukraine lost due to overwhelming Russian force, or they’re victorious because they severely weakened Russia’s ability to mount a counteroffensive. It’s win-win position.
Smart thing to frustrate Russia and extend fighting it to withdraw and have Russia chasing nazis all over W Ukraine and Odessa. Plenty of Russian deaths and plenty of civilian victims for the media.
In the long run this would end up a media success for nato/US/MIC/Biden/Russia haters and most importantly for those fighting the US/China war to keep Europe cut off from the BRI.
But it seems Biden handlers aren’t prepared to accept 2 weeks bad PR up front.
Interest rates on money may be tiny compared to inflations nowadays, but the discount rate on bad news is gigantic. Apparently this government is thinking in terms of a shorter lifespan than, er, Biden has.
The same source in the Ukrainian presidential office now says that Zelensky has demanded that the defense of Soledar and Bakhmut be held until “a new offensive” starts. No matter the cost.
Every humiliating defeat must be overshadowed by a glorious offensive…
Artillery duels have started near Ugledar, so maybe that’s where the offensive is planned. Or this may be a faint and the offensive is coming in Zaporizhie or in the north instead. It doesn’t matter, the end result will be the same. Disaster for the poor ukie conscripts.
The only reason You are currently NOT locked down in Con-19 Martial Law with the Army patrolling Your City’s streets is, because the Demon Worshiper Deep State could make many human sacrifices in Ukraine – and the Evil Weapons Manufacturers can have massive profits from Ukrainian war.
Otherwise You would already have Greet Reset Lockdown with Digital Money, where the Banks would control Your life in complete dictatorship.
More examples that it is not a question of “globalist wokes”, right?
Again good job Larry….on target, on glidepath…..the rattlesnakes are eating their tails. CM (continue mission ).
“Because there are serious logistical challenges associated with sending American Abrams heavy tanks, Germany and other allies should fill this need. ”
Send American Abrams tanks from where exactly?
The salt mines along with rail transport could become a major logistical hub for Russia once they are cleared out.
There are about 1000 M1 Abrams tanks that where landed in Greece from southern United States ports several months ago. Where there is a section…there is Platoon…where there is a platoon there is a company…so on….based on that armour and possible unit configuration….there are 3 or 4 divisions sitting very close to the area of operations…. possibly in Romania but who knows
“Send American Abrams tanks from where exactly?”
I believe Iraq have some lying around.
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/2018/06/13/why-did-this-iraqi-army-brigade-swap-its-american-abrams-tanks-for-russian-ones/
https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/story/14444-American-firm-suspends-Abrams-tank-maintenance-in-Iraq,-threatens-final-withdrawal
“The salt mines along with rail transport could become a major logistical hub for Russia once they are cleared out.”
Yep. Russian logistics is railroad centered, and mines could store lots of ammo close to frontline and safe from HIMARS strikes.
The US has some old Buffs they can send along with ALCMs and SRAMs. That will keep those old Russian MiG-31s that seem to have found a new life busy for a while.
Rice and company… including Dubya should all be languishing in some prison somewhere for war crimes….The million or so dead Iraqis…. landscape poisoned by depleted uranium and the lives of American and allied troops pissed away for profit and Israeli regional interests. The lies and manipulation of the public narrative through media and government talking heads was nearly as ad nauseam as this Ukrainian fiasco. The constant but incremental escalation by the West is creeping normalcy….to get NATO troops on the ground and into direct confrontation which would involve eventually a declaration of war and suppression of dissent….these contrary to official narrative would surely be shut down as an example…then the collapsing economy would be diverted to a war Time economy and the contingency plans initiated and The Demoncrats would hold power indefinitely. Russian war doctrine is based on mass combined armies….deep penetrating armoured fists supported by mechanized infantry…supported by mass tube and rocket artillery….and there are hints of Tank Guards Armies in the line recently so the clock is ticking….but fighting in built up areas or Urban fighting is best done by light specially trained units…enter the Chechens and Wagner units. The Chechens excelled in street fighting in Grozny during both Chechen conflicts and Wagner prides itself on assault troops. Light mobile small units like German Stormtroopers of the first world war that carried out very effective offensive operations against allied defensive positions…they are being used effectively against Ukrainian defensive positions that eerily look like 1917. Also good bang for the buck… minimal logistical trail and supporting elements…plus the Psychological impact of this unit of “musicians” who are unstoppable because of all the press and snatched one of their own deserters from downtown Kiev and crushed his skull with a sledgehammer helps with fear and mystique. I also suspect that the true level if support is being held back from the Western public as not to scare them… recruiting for the military is hard enough right now….the obsolete junk is being sent to give the impression of a slow escalation
Due to the Swedish foreign minister, T. Billström, promising that Ukraine will receive the Bofors artillery gun Archer, from Sweden, not if – only when. There is about 48 pcs of Archer in Sweden, but that will be an escalation, maybe because of the new Right government,(2022) and Sweden as chairman in the EU this year. But this is message of how far Sweden will go, to fight and kill Russians, and maybe if Ukraine´s war effort is sustained, or is there a fatigue, in the support from EU/Nato ? But Archer seems like a Bofors “HIMARS”, due to precision and range, and easy operating, ” hit and run”. Maybe the Archers will serve Sweden as belligerent more than Ukraine ? So, what can go wrong ?
But what went wrong, already, when Sweden, a Nato-prospect, is still in the Turkish “sphere”, concerning the Nato-approval, and the Swedish support for the Kurds, in northern Syria, another problem, here Sweden doesn’t respect Syria´s soveregnity, no more than U.S. and Turkey, and the Kurds, but Sweden doesn’t care about that,
only Ukraine, but will now ship new ordnance to Turkey, (using them on the Kurds) and Ukraine. The usual European/EU mess. But if Syria and Turkey now negotiate about a deal, then Sweden will be squeezed, so better
talking about Ukraine.
“But Archer seems like a Bofors “HIMARS”,..”
Nope. Archer is in the class of Panzerhaubitze 2000 (which have been in use for a while).
Sweden “Neutrality” definition could be written as such : selling things to every parties in a war AT THE SAME PRICE.
Why change now ?
“I am still mystified how such well educated people can be so stupid”
That is due to a couple of confusions.
[C1]
Stupid is one thing. Evil is another and very different.
Leftoxenomorphs may appear stupid to normal and decent people but they are not stupid, they are evil.
All they do is geared to the destruction of human civilization so they can take over.
They can’t take fully over until humans are (a) drastically reduced in number and (b) totally ruined, defeated, confused, defenseless and hopeless and desperately looking for a way out of their misery that the leftoxenomorphs will then magnanimously offer to them: “worship us and we will give you orders and tell us what is what and you will own nothing and you will be happy”
It’s the leftoxenomorph’s “build back feudal” initiative.
This is pure feudalism by a sub-human species of poisonous maggot humanoids regressed out of humanity by their embrace of the evil of leftism.
[C2]
Leftoxenomorphism is a religion.
A messianic and aggressive religion of all things lefto-puke mixed together in a noxious body of evil notions that they push relentlessly and in a ratcheting manner and humans have very little defense against them because leftoxenomorphs know how to push human buttons and present humans with alternatives that sound familiar because leftoxenomorphs dominate the world of fantasy, mysticism, faith, magic, fairies’ dust and unicornian notions like veritable masters and human youth, mis-mal-dis-educated and indoctrinated and brainwashed and degenerated by a huge army of leftoxenomorph feminazi “teachers” falls for it hook, line and sinker and exits the mis-mal-dis-educational system to become leftoxenomorph preachers themselves and help push the leftoxenomorph juggernaut towards its objective of world conquest.
Leftoxenomorphs have our number.
Leftoxenomorphs know human faults and they take advantage of them.
And leftoxenomorphs know that human virtues can be weaponized against us in a moral jiu-jitsu that humans, after a long history of moral and religious indoctrination, are almost incapable of resisting.
Look at how leftoxenomorphs thrive under the protection of all the safety and the comfort of human civilization and tolerance while doing their worst to deprive humans of safety, of comfort and of any form of tolerance and civilization.
Study, if you haven’t, the leftoxenomorph notion of “repressive tolerance” set forth by the leftoxenomorph queen maggot Herbert Marcuse of the Frankfurt School nest and you’ll begin to understand what leftoxenomorphs are doing.
The “repressive tolerance” that leftoxenomorphs practice is exactly the model for most of what they do.
“Within leftoxenomorphism, anything and everything. Outside of leftoxenomorphism, nothing” and “you, lowly human, can enjoy all of the ‘free speech’ you want with the only condition that everything and anything you speak falls within toeing the line of the dogma of leftoxenomorphism and NOTHING outside of the dogma of leftoxenomorphism”
Anything outside of the religious dogma of leftoxenomorphism is “hate speech” and “violence” and should be squashed without mercy and it usually is.
Leftoxenomorphs have zero problems with grown pedophile leftoxenomorph males dressed in lingerie wanting to cavort with human children in the name of tolerance.
You try to bring human children up to be normal by providing them with normal and healthy role models and a normal and healthy and decent education and leftoxenomorphs will seethe with vitriolic rage and hatred that you have no “right” to do such a thing and that you are “hurting” those children.
Leftoxenomorphs don’t want human children to be brought up healthy, moral, normal and decent because healthy, moral, normal and decent humans will kill leftoxenomorphs like the poisonous cockroaches that they are when push comes to shove.
Humans have to always take into account (a) what we are dealing with, leftoxenomorphs, evil, anti-human, anti-decency and deeply feudal morally poisonous maggots in their worldview that puts them in charge a la medieval Dark Ages and a very reduced in numbers humanity enslaved and worshiping them as their serf class and that (b) everything leftoxenomorphs do, that may seem stupid, is not stupid but evil and geared to their main objective (a)
Leftoxenomorphs are in a religious war of world conquest against a humanity that is not even aware this is happening.
The Ukraine war is a delicious treat for leftoxenomorphism.
First is it helping them hide the enormous corruption of the bideT leftoxenomorph mafia that may end up pulverized beyond any possibility of investigation.
Second it’s making the West and Russia spend lives, kit and treasure and causing untold human misery all around in many a manner that favors the leftoxenomorph poisonous maggots without them having to risk life or limb. The attrition of human civilization is good for leftoxenomorphism.
Leftoxenomorphs do their evil by making humans, unknowingly, do their dirty work for them.
We have to give it leftoxenomorphs: they are masters at what they do.
And here is another notion to ponder on: leftoxenomorphism doesn’t have a central command. They have ideologues and queens and leaders but no central command.
They have one of their nests in the Davoser World Economic Forum and its accomplices, enablers, thugs, goons and orcs and another in the eurabian government and they have their various nests in Venezuerican academia and think tanks and corporation and in the d卐m☭nrat “party” and another nest in the “Bank for International Settlements” just to name a few.
But no central command.
Only one objective: feudal world conquest based on the religion of leftoxenomorphism.
Leftoxenomorphs may not know each other. Leftoxenomorphs if they know each other may not even like one another. But they know who they are like ants know others of their species and they know that they all work for one and the same goal.
If you think of a world wide, immensely powerful neo-nazi movement you won’t be far from the mark on leftoxenomorphism.
Like insects, like the poisonous sub-human maggots that they are, leftoxenomorphs have a modus operandi, an operative system and they create more leftoxenomorphs out of human youth by brainwashing and indoctrinating and imprinting unsuspecting kids into fanatical leftoxenomorphs and these new recruits don’t need commands.
They are leftoxenomorph poisonous maggots and will do what leftoxenomorphs poisonous maggots have to do to the benefit of leftoxenomorphism.
Leftoxenomorphs can be seen as a humanoid kind of fire-ants. No central command. But one operative system to rule them all and to destroy human civilization and take over the world for leftoxenomorphism until all and everything is under leftoxenomorph feudal rule.
I could go on at length on this subject but got to make this short enough.
Note from Zelensky: “The battle for Donbass continues….Thanks to the steadfastness of our soldiers there, in Soledar, we won extra time and additional forces for Ukraine.”
Seems like the Ukies will pull out of Soledar. So, sorry guys, there won’t be any Nazi safaris down in the salt mines.
OK I figured out why the Salt mines in Soledar are so important…that is where Hunter stashes all of his hookers and blow…I was just overthinking the whole thing.
To be fair Bob Gates, and Condoleezza Rice probably both have above average IQs and I don’t think they are ignorant…in fact I think they know exactly what they saying albeit factually incorrect at every level. Here’s my point…neocons/neolibs/globalists etc. figured out a long time ago that the media conditioned peasant masses are unable or unwilling to think critically (thought based on facts)…..rather, the peasants are far easier influenced through emotional argument…there is a whole psychology behind emotive based argument and it is quite powerful regardless of the truth or voracity of the underlying argument or statement.
So…when I read Gates and Rices’ comments I see a well thought out emotionally loaded statements/arguments intended to get an emotional response from politicians, peasants, the media etc…..
They know precisely what they are doing.
Anything could be in the salt mines. Or nothing special beyond material storage. I did some looking on Google Earth and couldn’t find more than two portals, but I also don’t know the underground layout relative to the surface (not always obvious with mines). If the look I did is reasonable, it’s easy enough to control them: block the portals and the emergency exit raises. The chances of the Ukrainians cutting new portals or raises is small, even though 200m is a really shallow mine.
I think they’ve fought for it mostly because it’s a major part of the Donbas line and even just a few days ago the main position wasn’t terribly threatened. But they also have to fight for it because it controls the northern supply route into Bahkmut, and just south of soledar there’s control of the main highway to Bahkmut from the west. If the junction near Krasna Gar falls, Bakhmut really only has one supply artery while being threatened from multiple directions.
I also assume that there’s real fear in Kiev about major losses of territory both domestically and internationally. The US press is still talking about “recent” Ukrainian victories. Not to mention the possibility of cascading failures along the primary Donbas line. It’s why Zaluzhny wanted to withdraw to the next line in good order but Zelensky put a lot of chips on holding Bakhmut. They didn’t do what the Russians did in Kherson and the cost could be very high.
according to the military summary- a brigade left solidar on orders from their commander. the russians are know in the middle of the city. he then talks about a ukraine offensive towards maripul which i take with a grain of salt. guess time will tell.
Ukraine. Military Summary And Analysis 09.01.2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vFCCJezu0s
for any of you that are being affected by this; my prayers are with you
https://www.zerohedge.com/weather/california-braces-another-barrage-atmospheric-rivers-biden-declares-emergency
regards,
ralph
Dear Condi, Putin does not want Soviet empire , he just wants Russian imperial empire. And guess what, many people I former reps will be glad to join back except power corrupt oligarchs “presidents”. Anyway, most people have dual citizenship with Russia and go back and force for work. Go Putin!!!!!
Re: Gates & Rice
High intelligence and stupidity are not mutually exclusive.
Rice and Gates realize that the gig is up if they lose in Ukraine. The empire has forced Europe to act contrary to its interests. I don’t know how much irrational Russophobia there is in Europe, but there are also a lot of Europeans who would like to eat, have a good job and live in warm houses. Rice and Gates know that NATO, and that means American hegemony, is doomed if Ukraine, that is the west, loses. As it is there is no good reason for Germany and France, among other countries, to sign on to this war at the expense of their economies. The destruction of the Nord stream pipelines must have enraged anyone who likes to be warm in the winter. Aside from Europe most of the world that used to obey the US is no longer doing so. When Ukraine loses, Europe, the last of the slaves, will throw off the yoke.
Gates and Rice were always stupid, as is anyone who thinks they can hold an empire by force. it is not so much revolution in the provinces you have to worry about as the cost of maintaining the garrison to prevent it. The United States was unbelievably rich in the fifties, and is impoverished today because of its empire. The wealth you can extract from a colony minus the cost of subduing it is far less than what you might have gotten from honest trade. Empires go broke. The wisest of them learn to rule by disturbing the indigenous power structure as little as possible, which means, of course, avoiding rule by force. But American barbarism is totally incapable of this.
Gates and Rice advocate an impossibility because they know that losing in Ukraine means it is finally over for them and their kind.
Okay NSFW comment. Condoleezza Rice’s most enduring moment for me was she fully realized that S&M pyschosexual dark room of the Bush administration when she visited Wiesbaden Army Airfield in Germany. She was dressed in a classic Dominatrix outfit. All in black and with knee high boots. Nobody wanted to say anything but a WaPo writer noticed:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2005/02/25/condoleezza-rices-commanding-clothes/e7dbedfe-4e60-4e37-a210-ed8733f29d0b/
“Rice’s coat and boots speak of sex and power — such a volatile combination, and one that in political circles rarely leads to anything but scandal. When looking at the image of Rice in Wiesbaden, the mind searches for ways to put it all into context. It turns to fiction, to caricature. To shadowy daydreams. Dominatrix! It is as though sex and power can only co-exist in a fantasy. When a woman combines them in the real world, stubborn stereotypes have her power devolving into a form that is purely sexual.”
I remember a picture which is now hidden in some archive where is inspecting German troops who are standing at very stiff attention. Oh man. The symbolism was so hot.
Now some context about that dark room. Bush in college was notorious for whipping the bare butts of frat initiates with a hot clothes hanger. Remember that one reporter attacking Bush critics at a news conference who turned out to be a gay prostitute advertising himself as the strict drill sergeant? And who made many unexplained visits to the White House. And thee ultimate dream of the Marquis de Sade himself the sexual torture house of Abu Ghraib.
As for Rice’s essay. Same old bland sadistic war mongering. Looking for the new Wonder Weapon to save the day.
That Gates and Rice op-ed seem to perfectly illustrate an assessment attributed to I.F. Stone:
“All governments lie, but disaster lies in wait for countries whose officials smoke the same hashish they give out.”
If a thing is left of Ukraine then Blackrock will own it through debt. This was just done. Long ago Zelensky sold 29% of that rich Ukranian farm land to a consortium of Monsanto (Gates), Cargill, and others. They would do what the farmers of India prevented them from doing there.
Wagner is doing the heavy lifting.
The value of the vast mines in Bakhmut, Soledar and in Luhansk maybe is economic and spiritual. There could be silver and gold, in addition to salt. Also, there is military value. Ukraine complains, but did they steal the area from the Russians in the first place? Heck, there may be Nazi gold.
Russia’s strategic goals, IMHO are to implement by force of arms what the West refused to agree to by negotiation. Namely the draft treaties of December 2021 that Moscow presented to Washington, NATO and the OSCE, and subsequently published for the world to read.
The draft treaties were in fact an ultimatum, Russia’s bottom line national security requirements, below which they would not move but the details of which left some room to maneuver. The drafts were rejected, rather undiplomatically by NATO & the OSCE, and somewhat more diplomatically by Washington.
At that point, war became inevitable. There was a point during Phase 1 where the Russians appeared willing to discuss a presumably interim deal presented by a Kiev reeling from the realization that they’d grabbed a tiger by the tail. BoJo dashed to Kiev to prevent it by promising Kiev that they’d get all the backing they need to defeat the Russians.
With that, Russia realized that it was in for the long haul. A temporary buffer state (Minsk 3, with teeth) was out, bringing the EU & NATO to their knees had become the only solution.
From that point on the Russians abandoned their traditional war doctrine and adopted an “economy of force” strategy. Since late Spring, the Russian forces have been managed to stay just ahead of whatever threat the Ukrainians presented. Destruction of any combat power being generated by the Ukrainians (et al), wherever they generated it while husbanding resources became the military task.
Bringing NATO and the EU to their knees through purely military means would involve massive use of firepower and result in massive destruction. Instead, the Russians began executing well-planned, coordinated political, financial and economic campaigns to complement their “economy of force” military strategy. Or rather, the military strategy underpinned the other campaigns.
The basic effect of the Russian Go-Slow strategy is that it hamstrung NATO by dangling the carrot of “Russian ineptitude/weakness” in front of NATO’s political wing, giving it the dose of hopium it needed to prevent NATO from getting directly involved. All it had to do was provide the Ukes with enough wunderwaffen, intelligence and brilliant military advice to carry the day. In actuality, it allowed the West’s political class to cover up the reality of NATO’s impotence and opened up the opportunity to hope that something would turn up.
Meanwhile, the political, financial and economic effects worked to expose the deep dependencies and fractures all across the West’s institutional structures. Everybody now sees the cracks, but nobody yet knows how to deal with them. Slowly but surely, maybe not this year but in the years to come these will open into chasms and the West will be forced to abandon the notion that [a] Russia is a threat to its well-being, and [b] that its elites have a perpetual claim to that special place at the top of the global pyramid that allows them to dictate terms to the rest of the world.
The West forgot Bismarck’s dictum as it so eagerly plundered Russia’s human and natural resources in the 1990s. Maybe it’ll come back to them now…
The Russians have finally come for their money, and their SMO has exposed the fact that the West as a whole has neither the finances to pay up nor the military capacity to repudiate the debt. Tough spot.
The problem will be solved slowly as Western nations peel away from the EU and NATO one by one to make their deals bilaterally.
HMS Terro — Excellent comprehensive analysis of Russia’s strategy.
Amen.
“Hell even Ukraine’s cherubic President Zelensky. . .”
Haha. Black humor approaching J. Swift. So dark it shines.
The Military Speculation Channel isn’t worth much of Soledar’s salt. For youtube videos I recommend looking at WeebUnionWU instead.
I remember that back in the day, Condy was sold as an ‘expert’ in Russia, a connoisseur of sorts; I remember that the American press presented her as an ‘advanced speaker of the Russian language’.
Those were the days of the early internet, it was kind of difficult of getting info from other primary sources in order to cross-check.
I remember that Condy was laughing her head off when Pres. Putin decided to reactivate the flights of long range strategic aviation. She said something like: ‘If Russia wants to fly again all those rusty outdated planes, they can do that. We don’t mind. It doesn’t mean any significant threat’. Welly well, time went by and the same planes now scare the sh*t outta those wise counselors.
Regarding the knowledge of Russian by Mrs. Rice, I remember that one Russian diplomat almost died of laughter when someone told him that she was an ‘expert’ in Russian. “her command of the Russian language is very elementary, basic, unintelligible’ He said.
What’s so bad about conquering all of Ukraine and restoring the Soviet Union?
“What’s so bad about conquering all of Ukraine and restoring the Soviet Union?”
By 1969 some understood that not only was “The Soviet Union” emulative of another network of coercive social relations misrepresented as “The United States of America”, but they were mutually supportive.
In addition some understood that neither “The Soviet Union” nor “The United States of America” were viable but that “The Soviet Union” had more potential vectors including internal ethnic nationalisms, to accelerate their non-viability faster than that of “The United States of America”, whilst the increasing non-viability of “The Soviet Union” would accelerate the non-viability of “The United States of America” whilst being not perceived in the early stages by “The United States of America” since they would likely “interpret” differential velocities as “evidence of them winning”, thereby encouraging them to engage in over-extended practices which would accelerate their transcendence thereby increasing incidences and velocities their roles as force multipliers, further facilitating their complicity in their own transcendence.
Consequently from 1969 onwards some have been active in transcending “The Soviet Union” and “The United States of America” through co-ordination of differential velocities, including but not limited to lubricating attempts at creating “nation states” from “Soviet Republics” but not limited to the internal near abroad, as an incomplete phase in lateral processes of externalising vectors facilitated by ethnic nationalism.
“War” is not restricted to things that go bang, and neither is geo-politics, although not all agree, particulary those whose purpose is the hoped for sustainability within acceptable linear tolerances of “The United States of America” – “the rules based order by order of rulers” in forms of coercive co-operation with their perceived “friends” not limited to “Ukrainian nationalists”, Mr. Francis Fukuyama, or Mr. Neill Ferguson, in hope of finding “prostitutes with hearts of gold” as some Johns believe exist in Las Vegas, despite Neil Young still searching for a heart of gold and getting old.
Two points
-1- Hasn’t the US / UK banker axis made it so that Russia now MUST take all Ukraine? If not they will be endlessly rearmed and harassed.
-2- Your YouTube channel blocks Brazil. You’re cutting off ex-pats living in Brazil that way you know. Bad choice since you’re not footing the bill for the server anyway!
“Who is going to operate those weapon systems?”
Already-trained US and NATO “Military Advisors” – count on it. They may talk about training in Poland or Romania or the UK or Germany or the US, but that is just a ruse. This is becoming a no-holds-barred world war that will go beyond Ukraine, and the potential for destruction is unlimited.