The Ukraine military conflict’s latest narrative is NATO allies have initially committed to sending 59 battle tanks to Ukraine. The American-made Abram and Germany-made Leopard are the latest generations of battle tanks that could theoretically retake Ukrainian territory for Russian forces. The flat plains of eastern Ukraine are thought by strategists to be ideal for tank warfare. The estimated cost exceeds $600 million, excluding training, parts, and fuel costs.
Almost certainly, think tanks arm-twisted the Biden Administration into sending tanks to Ukraine, which will escalate the conflict but won’t win the war. So let’s peer behind the curtain to see two big pro-military think tanks formulating Biden Administration’s war strategies.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
Biden’s transition team consisted of eight out of 23 team members from pro-military think tanks. The most influential and dominant think tank is CSIS, placing four team members, including CSIS’s SVP Kathleen Hicks, who now serves as Deputy Secretary of Defense.
CSIS is a hawkish non-profit globalist think tank with its mission to provide strategic insights and policy solutions to influence political and bureaucrat decision-makers. It is ranked number four of the top worldwide think tanks by the University of Pennsylvania.
CSIS hosts frequent Washington D.C. program events with discussion panels pushing a jingoistic propaganda agenda. Many speakers are deep state actors like John Brennen, former Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency, and James Clapper, a former National Intelligent Director.
It receives a significant portion of its revenue through government grants and contracts. According to its latest 990 tax return had revenues of $45.5 million and net assets of $157.9 million. Henry Kissinger serves as trustee and counselor. Other notable trustees, to name a few, are former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and CIA Director Leon Panetta. It’s a deep state syndicate funded by US tax dollars to promote the military-industrial complex and formulate government policy.
CSIS funding also relies on private foundation grants and corporate donations. High-profile contributors are the Ford Foundation, the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, George Soros’s Open Society Foundation, and Silicon Valley Community Foundation. In addition, it would be essential to mention funding from war contractors such as General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon.
Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
Smaller but yet formidable is CNAS. Its Board of Directors comprises former Democratic administration henchmen. Jeh Johnson, the former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, and Michèle Flournoy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of WestExec Advisors, are prominent directors.
For those unfamiliar with WestExec Advisors, Politico called it “a government-in-waiting for the next administration.” It played an outsized role in the Biden transition team and placed WestExec Co-Founder and Managing Partner Antony Blinken as Secretary of State. As a result, WestExec is considered by some as the puppet masters of the Biden Administration.
According to its newest 990 tax return had revenues of $11.4 million and net assets of $12.5 million. So, like CSIS, it is funded from the same feeding trough.
Clear and Present Danger
CSIS and CNAS will continue to promote strategies for expanding the conflict rather than advocating diplomacy. For example, CSIS is now pushing equipment options to include more artillery. Will NATO F-16s be next?
My social media accounts are – YouTube, Twitter, and Linkedin.
And not one ounce of common sense to be found anywhere.
Common sense has nothing to do with it. They want to destroy Russia as it is the last vestige of normalcy. Then split it up and rob it of its resources. All in the name of climate change because Russia after China is the largest consumer of fossil fuels. Don’t quote me on that. But yeah, I think it’s all in the name of saving the world from cliamte change. Oh and by the way, another chicken farm just went boom…
What?
You throw the dice, and depending on the numbers, you say one thing or another?
“Russia as it is the last vestige of normalcy.”
Russia is “normal”?? Who says that? You? And you of course are “normal” (white, hetero .. homophobic, racist?).
Russia is not “normal”. Russia is Russia. Full of Russians. Russians who obeyed the tsars, then the politburo, and now Putin. That is “normal” in Russia.
“because Russia after China is the largest consumer of fossil fuels.”
You mix “consumer” with “producer”?
The second biggest consumer of fossil fuels I’d rather say is US. And per capita, the first, no doubt.
I’m glad that the climate change will affect everybody, including you.
Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed….
Instead of “normal” I would say different. You have two social models, our occidental system with wokeness. cancel culture, a priority given to LGBTQ where where we promote drag queen in schools or the sex change at an early age and a more traditional organization of society like we have in most of the countries in the world including Russia. As far as I am concerned, I think our model is broken and I prefer the more traditional one, if we protect the right of homosexuals and minorities. Emmanuel Todd explained very well in an article (see link below) this challenge with Russia including our weakness with education..
Quote from the article translation:
“He underlines the importance of skills and education: “The US is now twice as populated as Russia (2.2 times in student age groups). But in the US only 7% are studying engineering, while in Russia it is 25%. Which means that with 2.2 times fewer people studying, Russia trains 30% more engineers. The US fills the gap with foreign students, but they’re mainly Indians and even more Chinese. This is not safe and is already decreasing. It is a dilemma of the American economy: it can only face competition from China by importing skilled Chinese labor.”
On the ideological and cultural aspects of the war: “When we see the Russian Duma pass even more repressive legislation on ‘LGBT propaganda’, we feel superior. I can feel that as an ordinary Westerner. But from a geopolitical point of view, if we think in terms of oft power, it is a mistake. On 75% of the planet, the kinship organization was patrilineal and one can sense a strong understanding of Russian attitudes. For the collective non-West, Russia affirms a reassuring moral conservatism”
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/01/emmanuel-todd-on-the-third-world-war.html
100% bang on correct assessment. You’ll never convince the Western sheeple but who cares?
Vai-te foder, monte de merda, como diz o português.
is there any place (besides places like 4chan) where cretins who constantly whine about racism, heteronormativity, homophobia, etc every get any push back?
the minute the ‘ai’ on chatgpt is turned off or the comments arent filtered and you can hear what people really think and why it becomes clear that much of these targeted people deserve every ounce of crap they get and probably deserve a lot more.
at this point russia is far more normal than pedophiles, demons, child groomers and people multilating their private parts running an insane asylum with massive inflation.
the western empire aka zone a is dying.
Whatever weapons are provided to Ukraine with be burned up on the battlefield by Russia. Send it all, and there will be nothing left to threaten China and the rest of the world.
Doesn’t matter. More equipment sent and destroyed, more money for the MIC and investors. That’s the game, not diplomacy or peace, which never paid a quick dividend. These monkeys would kill their mother for another banana.
What happens when the equipment is destroyed faster than the MIC can crank up production?
Does the MIC simply pocket the money, hand Uncle Sam a ticket, and tell the ol’ Coot to sit in the corner until his number is called?
These Think Tanks can come up with Very Cunning Schemes – of that there can be no doubt – but if their masters can’t actually deliver the goods then sooner or later the entire scam collapses.
And when the entire scam collapses the standard of living for Americans will collapse with it. I look forward to this, even though it will affect me as well. The price I will pay is worth it to see all the useful idiots who cheered our government on finally pay a price for their callousness and stupidity about the damage done to innocent people in foreign countries.
Amen bro.
Se instalara una gran fundidora de metales para alimentar la industria en oriente. La fuente sera todo el material belico destruido de la Otan y de Ucrania. Cuanto metal puede salir de reciclar 7800 tanques mas los que se acumulen?
Tanks will have to put up or shut up.
Think tanks never have to do either.
Go to any country that is poor or in turmoil and you will find the parasites, pardon, NGOs. Their sole mission is to act as an extended hand of the western intelligence services. The “expats” run it and the chosen/susceptible locals are the 5th column.
Blackrock. Statestreet. Vanguard.
Follow that back to the European owners and controllers…. almost OSNIT level of research… pretty easy.
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/4d/b8/ca/4db8ca9135aafeed23c94ba9e189c1b2–royal-lineage-king-queen.jpg?b=t
Lokk at the bottom row in the illustration; you are looking at Vanguard. Gough Whitlam went up against them in 1975 when he tried to nationalize Rio Tinto, and look what happened to him.
See my response re the Kagan/Nuland org.
What about Institute for Study of War (ISW)? Victory Nuland’s family runs that place right? The Kagan family?
There’s a correlation somewhere, but I just can’t quite put my finger on it 😉
You ripped the covers off a section of the deep state. These are the enemies of freedom and democracy.
They will push for war while safely ensconced in their mahogany offices.
We need to remember who they are.
Remember? Why?
JG, Why would you not want to remember who our enemies are?
As soon as I’m done watching a video that contravenes the US government official narrative, YouTube automatically starts a video from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Attempted mind control. It probably works on 80% of people and pisses off the other 20%. With that ratio, they’ll keep doing it.
Start using the Brave browser. It really helps.
Thanks for the nice summary, Bob,
As if conflicts of interest are not for our leaders. And citibank picked Obama’s cabinet.
Checked the #3 thinktank, FGV Brazil , – it is education focused!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funda%C3%A7%C3%A3o_Getulio_Vargas
NGO’s and other fifth columns by far.
This is another reason they hated Trump, he knew about these Trojan Horses.
Get the UN out of the FUSA!
Think tanks or drunk tanks? These people are all high on their exceptionalist bullshit, with a huge chaser of hubris and a side order of indispensability. It’s not their job to see the world as it is and report back, but to create a narrative of the way they think it ought to be and write it up as a proposal.
The people who staff and fund them have never known a time when the US was not the dominant political, economic and military power on the planet and they are therefore unable to conceive of it being otherwise.
This completely distorts their worldview. No amount of failed military ventures into places of which they have zero understanding and no clear strategy of what they want to achieve when they get there can shake their implacable certainty in their own infallibility. And they never perform the most basic act that they should make mandatory, which is to challenge their own assumptions.
You just have to listen to some of the crap they put out in their endless forums and meetings to realise that these people can only survive in their echo chamber/bubble and that the only way to change their trajectory is for them to die off.
It’d be fine if they were only based in Ruritania and their sole purpose was to amuse the rest of us, but regrettably they’re not, and the rest of us have to face the consequence. Then of course hubris inevitably attracts nemesis to restore the balance. Who could that be knocking on their door?
“Think tanks or drunk tanks? ”
Far more humanity and intellect in drunk tanks.
CSIS received a $4.5 million PPP loan with $3.6 million plus interest forgiven. Unreal!
https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/center-for-strategic-and-international-studies-inc-8871457002
CNAS also had a PPP loan forgiven for $903K. Grifters!
https://projects.propublica.org/coronavirus/bailouts/loans/center-for-a-new-american-security-inc-5789827210
This, and other abominations like this, is the real reason that Our Government Bureaucrats claim that they can’t investigate the PPP loan program; too many fraudulent claims by actors like these would be revealed, and they can’t have that, can they. Can’t make a Freedom of Information Act request when they have sedulously avoided developing the relevant information in the first place.
Brandon will be shown riding an Abrams and firing a shotgun in the air.
Ol’ Tommy Cruise will give a thumbs up to the F-16’s as they fly over the 3Com Alpha Bits Tidy Bowl sportsball complex..
You’re with us or you’re against us.
Eat all of your freedom fries or the bad vodka man wins.
As seen on teevee, don’t try this at home, results may vary, consult your mechanic.
Brought to you by IG Farben.
Not to mention the weapons developer organizations and other sundry sordid “defense contractors”. Eisenhower was right!
I’ll leave this here without comment:
https://www.aei.org/op-eds/how-to-really-help-ukraine-beat-russia-weapons-factories/
I’d be embarrassed to be paid if I wrote that.
I should have seen this coming. The Abrams will never get to Ukraine unless the war drags for years. It might see service for whatever rump state exists after this phase of the conflict. The Biden Admin head faked sending Abrams to get Germany to commit to Leopards. Scholz thought it was clever to get the US to commit Abrams. So they did, with no intention of getting them there any time soon.
DOD is not pulling any Abrams out of service. They’ll have to start up production at the factory and make new ones without the DU armor. This could take more than a year, not counting training and logistics.
Germany f-ed up and trusted them.
Thank you Larry for putting names and faces to these (usually anonymous) string-pullers and for introducing us to this world.
Bob Bishop did the hard work.
>> Thank you Larry for putting names and faces to these (usually anonymous) string-pullers and for introducing us to this world.
Larry, can you redact my name – call me dreamerH or something – stupid to leave my real name!
” Will NATO F-16s be next? ”
Well yeah, if the Russian war aim is to demilitarize Nato, it needs to sucker the Americans into making an attempt to set a up a – euphemism warning!!! – no-fly zone over Ukraine.
Did the folks that are buying in to the new pro-Russian war narrative, that the go-slow approach is all about denuding the west of it’s conventional firepower, by eventually taking out, I don’t know, let’s be generous, 7.3% of its ground attack systems, really think it was going to discourage the Americans?
Who could give a shit about the ground in the first place?
We do one thing well when it comes to conventional war, at least we tell ourselves such, We Own the Sky!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbNP0FUItjI
Be careful what you wish Russian go-slowers, because your wish may be granted, a chance to actually demilitarize America where it counts.
And the only way for Russia to do that, is to engage in an all out air-battle over the skies of Ukraine with their American foe.
And hopefully we all know where that will lead?
One of the reasons I’m not a big fan of the go-slow approach, or the narrative that the Russians have all time in the world to win this existential uni-polar war to the petro-dollar death, because time is on their side.
Because you see, the Americans are pathological psychopaths, which renders them incapable of engaging in amicable international diplomacy like the rest of us, and that means therefore, they would never do anything so rash as to suicide us all, as they implode in and upon themselves.
Ok, at least that is a narrative quite unlike the other one I’m more famliar with, the one emanating from my side, that is two parts fantasy and three parts make believe.
Personally, I am on record, going back almost 15 years now on the internet, and further back than that in my local bars and pool halls, that the Russians need to stop this madness by actually drawing a red line somewhere in the universe and defending it.
Pounding the proxie forces of the enemy with artillery shells is not a war winning strategy at the multi-dimensional level my Russian friends. We will all be living in a much safer world if you would simply turn out the lights and/or launch some offensives tomorrow, and put a swift end to this Ukraine business.
The point is, once this UkoNazi regime is out of the picture, the scenario by which American and Russian conventional missiles* will be criss-crossing each other all over Eurasian steppe will be off the table, and that is a good thing.
*Conventional missiles, one can only hope, right? Because who can say what is conventional and what is not, until the payload of said missile detonates?
Max424,
You and I seem to be sharing a brain.
Great minds think alike Eric! ;–)
You know, I keep asking myself, how is it possible that nearly one year into this war, US Senate delagations can freely waltz into Kiev to attend state dinners with President Zelensky, while four oblasts in south, territory the Russians now call their own, are being blasted apart.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/bZVeeZkCBHak/
Particularly Donetzk and Luhansk. Sheesh, if one didn’t know better, one might suspect the goal of all sides in this neo-liberal war to the globalist pain, is to punish the people of the Donbas for stirring up so much trouble.
If I was on the Russian General Staff, I would to think I would have the courage to speak up, and advocate that we should fight this enemy on his territory, and not on ours.
For two reasons, one, we wouldn’t be making utter ruins out of Russian cities, towns, and villages, and two, the enemy will be more likely to surrender if we instead threaten to make utter ruins out of his cities, towns, and villages.
I’m pretty sure my voice would drown out however, for speaking such heresy.
The regime ruling Ukrainazia is, for all intents and purposes, already out of the picture. You’re watching Western blowhard pols already pull their horns in. That’s what all the tank and fighter jet bullshit is really all about. “We helped them but, hey, they just didn’t do their part and thus lost!” It’s smoke and mirrors.
“conventional missiles* will be criss-crossing each other all over Eurasian steppe ”
Why not all over North Pole and Canada?
I’m not really interested in those fireworks.
“Why not all over North Pole and Canada?”
Well, I believe any missile flying over those regions will be assumed to be nuclear and then said “fireworks” will undoubtedly begin. Also known as the Global Thermonuclear Exchange, the goal of said “fireworks” is called Overkill.
When I was 8, in 1968, I asked my father, “Dad, what is this Overkill that all the kids are talking about?”
And he said, “Son, Overkill is when you step on on a cockroach and kill it, but instead of moving on, you remain in place, and twist and crunch the insect into the pavement with the sole of you shoe, to ensure that all that is left of the hardiest of lifeforms is liquid goo.”
I believe it was Mr. Butler who wrote a book back in the 1930s titled: WAR IS RACKET.
And by all means one would do everything imaginable, and perhaps unimaginable to keep that racket going.
Without the dollar that is printed out of thin air to continue to fund the Racket then the Racket will crumble. It looks like that s what we are seeing.
Think tanks are a fifth column and a great deal more dangerous.
Looking at the constant failures think tank recommendations have produced, one must conclude that their failure is a feature of the system.
Tanks are designed with a heavily armored frontal arc, but modern missiles and drones can strike from above, the sides, or rear. It’s just not practical to armor the entire tank. Also, as much larger 120mm and 125mm tank guns appeared over the last few decades, the massive gun blast can knock out or even kill nearby infantrymen. The tank/infantry team from World War II is no more.
This problem can’t be solved by new tech as promised. Here is a detailed overview of the problem from 2017.
https://www.g2mil.com/Anti-armor.htm
In Ukraine as in Syria, Russian tankers have learned they can’t lead the way, lest they get blown up by cheap missiles. Let the UAVs find the enemy and use artillery to pound them, while they stay back to stay safe and provide long distance direct fire support. Here is video of this new tactic used in Ukraine, and note that no infantry are near the tanks with their big guns, but a mile in front.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/SCviYrwEFCXe/
As a tank enthusiast, I can confirm that tanks have been repeatedly proclaimed dead troughout their 100+ years of existence (ever since their first battle). It turned out that instead of dying, they have been constantly evolving. Even the article that you linked says that the tanks would be replaced with “a much smaller, simpler, heavily armored infantry support vehicle”. He proposed replacement of tank with something that still sounds like a tank.
Here’s a recent assault video that shows infantry next to a tank at 00:32 and 01:45. I don’t think they mind having a tank beside them.
https://www.bitchute.com/video/1Ve98xtmfMIr/
Non-profit! Mother Teresa ran a non-profit, I can just imagine these folks reaction if a leper stumbled into their lobby looking for a bowl of soup.
More straight talk/questions like this needs to be heard by more people:
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/01/29/exclusive-lt-col-daniel-davis-warns-nuclear-war-us-no-plan-ukraine-this-not-video-game/
Perhaps honesty is contagious:
https://www.foxnews.com/world/us-general-warns-british-army-no-longer-among-worlds-top-tier-fighting-forces-report
Nah. The truth is more likely that:
a) This US General told Wallace he needed to buy American tanks and American aircraft to bring the UK military back up to “Tier One”
b) This US General is already looking forward to his post-retirement seat on the Board of Directors of Rockwell, Lockheed Martin, and General Dynamics Land Systems.
After all, he would have earnt his seat in the latter by dint of performing his “duty” in the former.
True enough. On the other hand just because it’s a used car salesman telling you that your flivver is an outdated piece of crap doesn’t mean that your flivver isn’t an out dated piece of crap.
Larry, if I may. Scott Ritter has done two excellent pieces the last day or two. The first, relates to tanks his account of which turned up on Unz this morning. Excellence in analysis, from Scott’s personal experience in the combat realm. Here it is:
https://www.unz.com/article/truth-about-tanks-how-nato-lied-its-way-to-disaster-in-ukraine/
The second link below, to think tanks and crooked influence in war mongering from his experience for a decade and more working with Intel and the military and Tariq Aziz and the Iraqi government and with Saddam and Bush 1 and especially W. It’s heartfelt, it’s accurate and I remember how they shit on Ritter for his opinions back then. Then they framed him, nuff’ said. His account of all this is found here:
https://www.rt.com/news/570612-scott-ritter-iraq-war/
My interest? I get my medical care from VA Boston (asbestos in the lungs from my service aboard ships) and when I go to the various venues, I see the carnage from Iraq 15-20 years back. Guys with one, two legs, arms missing, worse stuff than that. The human cost of these wars is visible to anyone that passes through Bethesda where I used to live, through to here in New England, through any medical venue that involves Veterans. Pretty awful. Scott Ritter is a pretty substantial guy. He was right, throughout, about Iraq and he’s right about this shit here in Ukraine. So’s Larry, so’s Martyanov, so’s Colonel MacGregor, so are a dozen others . Ritter, he doesn’t get enough credit. But he oughtta, not that he would ever know or notice my opinion. And he should be listened to by the people that matter.
Anyway, I had my say. Tx, Larry!
LJ wrote:
“Almost certainly, think tanks arm-twisted the Biden Administration into sending tanks to Ukraine”
They weren’t the only ones arguing for that.
See a lead editorial at Washington Post on 1/21:
THE POST’S VIEW
Opinion Germany is refusing to send tanks to Ukraine. Biden cannot let this stand.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/01/21/germany-ukraine-leopard-tanks-biden/
Precisely four days after the Post/I> published that emphatic, strongly worded, editorial,
Biden did exactly what the Post called for:
https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3277910/biden-announces-abrams-tanks-to-be-delivered-to-ukraine/
In terms of the entitled question, I think there is only one way to find out: outfit all thirty one – count ’em, 31 – Abrams tanks with all the best equipment, paint them in Ukrainian camouflage, and then send them rumbling towards the general direction of Crimea.
Oh, yeah, and ensure each and every one of them is manned by a member of the Kagan family: surely there is more than 31 of those drooling-lipped neocon crazies running around Washington.
Just throw a net over them as they waddle up to the all-you-can-eat Buffet in the Pentagon, the White House, or the State Department. Shouldn’t take more than a day to bag the lot of ’em.
Mind you, squeezing them into the turrets might take some doing. Best to go heavy with the grease gun….
I think I misspoke Larry, you didn’t turn down the covers, you turned over the rock exposing the crawling vermin underneath.
This revolving door and monet laundromat has to end or we won’t survive.
A horror show double feature. Highly informative and concise. Thank you, Mr Bishop.
Tanks? Forgetaboutit! Same with F16’s…….. F35’s might even be worse… expose their vulnerabilities.
Think tanks…… NGO’S? Yeah, they’ve been doin’ that for about 30 to 40 years now….. and foreign policy has pretty much just produced chaos in country after country…. unless you figure that was the goal. and it might have been.
Syria might break that mold… heavy lifting done by Russia, and now maybe Ukraine. The old ‘Arab Spring’ concept might have run it’s course.
“No U.S. ground troops will move into Ukraine. It is ludicrous to think otherwise …” says MoonofAlabama, and I agree. The brass in the Pentagon may be all bought whores at this point, but they are still highly trained military personnel, who despite their avarice, are unlikely to have forgotten the kindergarten basics of ground warfare.
https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/01/size-matters-on-a-us-ground-intervention-in-ukraine-.html#more
Now the US doing something stupid in the skies over Ukraine is a different story. It’s not like we’re not buzzing all around the western and southern edges of this theater already.
https://preview.redd.it/map-tracking-nato-flights-v0-urz7ty2wf8u81.png?auto=webp&s=44806e3b8d9de870641be7495efddabfeabf8fe3
Never did trust the Air Force, for the simple reason I’m convinced they believe their own “We Command the Universe” rhetoric. They alone put us in a dominant postion, don’t you know, to win all the wars we’ve fought since ’45, and then it’s been up to the Army and Marines to either mop em up, or f+ck em up.
Well, if the undefeated Air Force wants to win this one, they ARE going to have to do it all by themselves. So good luck my winged archangels, it’ll all be on you, win or lose.
But remember, as the one S-400 said to all the other S-400s in its layered neighborhood, “Pride goeth before the fall.”