Critically Linking NATO'S War (49) June 24 2022
Discussion
Escalation to Escalate or De-Escalate?
These moments are incredibly tense. Perhaps the most extraordinary foolishness so far - and the competition for suicidal insanity is fierce - is Lithuania’s blockade of Kaliningrad, which might just mark the end of Lithuania and the other Baltic States either now or once the dust has settled on Ukraine. We could say it is tit-for-tat for Russia’s alleged blockade of Ukrainian ports, supposedly the cause of global food insecurity (which it isn’t - Western sanctions are the main culprit, and Ukraine supplies only one fifth of total global exports, far less than Russian itself, whose supplies are interrupted in divers ways by sanctions). But our mainstream media seem utterly incapable of providing clear answers to the most pressing questions, questions that in theory would be easy to answer. There is no WMM response to Putin’s careful explanation as to the situation, which he provided over a week ago: the Ukrainians mined their own ports, wisely or unwisely, for fear of Russian attack. Certainly it is the case that Turkey has indeed offered to de-mine them and, with Russia, to provide secure passage for Ukrainian ships. And on 21st Century News, I believe it was, I heard that the first such ship has already departed, as of a day ago. But WMM blather on about Putin’s blockade. If there is a reality to this then let them show us, let them prove it! The laziness and malignance of WMM is hard to exaggerate. A day or ago they were waxing lyrical over Ukraine’s attack, once again, on Snake Island on the mouth of the Danube, but failed to tell us, according to Mercouris, that the planned amphibious attack was cancelled after the air strike proved a failure.
As we saw yesterday, not only are the nuclear war experts (Daniel Ellsburg, particularly) warning us that the precipice grows nearer, with surplus passion to fuel the lunacy, but threats to use nuclear weapons, coming from supposedly responsible parties on all sides, grow more shrill. And there was the West, for well over a decade, vomiting a silly panic on behalf of devious Israel - ever more protective of its privileged access to the US Treasury - over the possibility that Iran, which did not then have, nor now has, nuclear weapons, might one day acquire one (against Israel’s 200), all salaciously sucked up by the ever-compliant, ever non-curious WMM.
Is Lithuania’s recklessness just strategic? Do we match it up against Zelenskiy’s dispatch of Ukrainian solders to certain death traps in the name of war theatricality (to look as pathetic as possible before the plate is passed around)? Or does it suggest something far darker namely, that the “adults in the room” are simply tired of existence, feel hopeless in front of their own incapacity to address the problems they themselves, in full consciousness, have created, including climate change, and find it more and more difficult even to examine themselves in the mirror? Even their immediate solutions to deal with the crisis: Germany, for example, to boost coal, to open up Nord Stream 2 to US LNG, (fulfilling the US wet dream of supplanting European dependency on Russia with even greater European dependency on the US?), not to mention the choice in favor of the overwhelming toxic debris of war, nuclear or otherwise, seem designed to accelerate climate change.
All for what? To save the regime of “democratic” Ukraine, the “democracy” of billionaire Kolomoisky who financed Zelenskiy’s (of Pandora Papers fame) Party of the People, the “democracy” that is not only founded on a US-financed and George Soros supported coup d’etat and the criminalization of the country’s then leading political party (Party of the Regions), but now in the last few days has decided to shut down the country’s remaining major opposition party.
Or is it to “weaken Russia?” Well, how is that one working out for you?
This is lunacy beyond lunacy. If we have to muster up some hope that we can solve the crisis and restore faith in the human species (unlikely, I know), we can interpret the current descent into madness as inevitable shrieks of pain and fury as the West realizes that Russia has in effect already won, that the West cannot even ensure a steady supply of ammunition for more than a few days let alone keep up a Thames-wide flow of state-of-the-art rocketry (while Ukraine’s Kuleba urges the West in effect to shift its collective Treasury to Kiev), and that, therefore, the West has decided that it wants to make life as difficult as possible for Russia (and, along the way, for everyone else of course)…..all so that Russia will be intimidated into a more amenable mood when it comes to negotiating at least a slither of face-saving balm.
Well, we will see, but at the moment Russia shows no interest in negotiation because there is nobody trustworthy or intelligent enough left that it can negotiate with, let alone Zelenskiy who is now playing a battle of knives with his own commanders and his own Intelligence service, the SBU (responsible for a lot of this mess, by the way, at least from the time of their fraternal relations with the Dutch Investigation Team and Bellingcat over the MH17 chimera in full-bloated collaboration with WMM). SBU’s generals preferred to retreat the Donbass rather than fight Zelenskiy’s “Alamo” style PR war - the great Zelenskiy Camouflage T-Shirt War performance. And were it possible for that negotiating table to manifest, is it any longer really just Russia at the far end - or in reality is it China, is it BRICS and perhaps is it all those voices of disquiet in the West, those that the shameless WMM try so desperately hard to make sure we cannot hear in place of their Paul Masons, Carole Cadwalladrs, Luke Hardings, Oliver Kamms and their coven?
Needless to say a Russian victory, if such a thing were possible, is a dubious contribution to the future happiness of the world. Although becoming furiously more modern, in many ways more beautiful - in some measure on the basis of fossil fuel wealth, but not only that - and vigorous in ways unknown to the majority on the Western fringes, living in the decaying infrastructures of overrated western urban paragons of the likes of Chicago and Philadelphia, Russia is itself as problematic as its Western counterparts. Not altogether in the same ways as the West, but certainly, a country of enormous disparities of income, disgraceful oligarchic power (albeit, unlike in the West, constrained by the political class), corruption, etc.. In short it is a deeply problematic super-capitalist State, duped by the West into aligning with basic neoliberal precepts. Sad compensation for the vacuum left behind by the great Communist experiment and Gorbachev’s soulful attempt to reform it. Nor would Russia hardly seem to be our best partner in tackling climate change. But a Russian victory would signal a future for a multi-polar world, a world of real competition in place of the moonshine monopolies, rotten mainstream media culture, and soulless western neoliberal capitalism. The price of the victory itself might just be enough to push us towards a new hegemonic, multi-polar coalition of leadership towards exciting new modes of existence and of co-existence, in the spirit of pioneer creativity, genuine fraternity, equality, humanitarianism and, yes, freedom.
1. BRICS
XIV BRICS Summit Beijing Declaration
BRICS developing global reserve currency – Putin
2. China
NATO Chief Says Alliance Will ‘Address’ China Security Concerns at Madrid Summit
Western sanctions are 'weaponizing' world economy, China's Xi Jinping says ahead of BRICS summit
Weaponizing the Global Economy
China Scales Down Car Exports to Russia – Kommersant
China scales down car exports to Russia
Chinese government seeks to head off outrage over human trafficking
The U.S. and China Haven’t Divorced Just Yet
Firms Warn of China Shipment Delays as U.S. Bans Xinjiang Imports
US Sanctions Cause China Shipment Delays
John Feffer, A Last Supper for Humanity?
3. Donbass
ALEXANDER MERCOURIS: DAY OF DISASTER FOR UKRAINE IN DONBASS, UK MILITARY THINK TANK CONFIRMS US UNABLE TO RE-ARM UKRAINE
Ukraine Running Low on Ammunition
Russian forces capture settlements near Lysychansk and Sievierodonetsk – as it happened
Zelenskyy wants to replace Ukraine’s top spy after security failures
Russian Army Has Lost Up to 4% of Soldiers in 4 Months of War – Report
Russia Says Nearly 2,000 Foreign Fighters Killed in Ukraine
0:05 / 55:49
"Eva Bartlett on The George Eliason Show - 21 June 2022"
THE NEW ATLAS: UKRAINE REVEALS “VICTORY PLAN” (US and EU to give up all their wealth)
Putin Strikes Odesa After Kyiv Hits Crimea Oil Rigs, Snake Island l Black Sea Escalation Imminent?
4. Economic Dimension
INTERVIEW: Nick Hudson on Economic Shock, Russian Sanctions and COVID Policies
Russia heads towards default as payment deadline looms
Russia Heads Towards Enforced Default
Germany looking at repurposing unused Nord Stream 2 pipeline for LNG use, report says
Using Nord Stream 2 to Boost US Oil Profits
Ukraine war hits global timber trade and adds to risks for forests
Food as Weapon of War
UKC News: Economic Armageddon, US-UK ‘Anti-Disinformation’ Racket
The Ukraine War’s Role in Exacerbating Global Food Insecurity
Ukraine Role in Food Insecurity
Biden Again Blames Putin For High Gas Prices as Russian Oil Sales Soar
RENTERS ARE BEING FLEECED WITH HUGE RENT HIKES AND EVICTIONS—AND IT’S ONLY GETTING WORSE
Germany Warns of Lehman-Like Contagion From Russian Gas Cuts
US Household Saving Rate Vanishes, Credit Card Debt Soars
Spain Demands EU Withdraw From Energy Treaty That Undermines Climate Action
US Oil Reserves Running Low – Bloomberg
What happens if Russia turns off Europe’s gas supply this winter?
Europe told to get ready now for Russia to turn off all gas exports to region
5. Empire
REVEALED: THE UK SUPPORTED THE COUP IN BOLIVIA TO GAIN ACCESS TO ITS ‘WHITE GOLD’
Senior Hizbullah Official Nabil Qaouq: The U.S. Is Collaborating With Israel To Keep Lebanon From Extracting Offshore Oil, Natural Gas; They Are Keeping Us On The Path To Economic Collapse
US and Israel Seize Lebanese Oil
6. Making Sense of the War
Russia May Win The War In Ukraine
Western Military Analysts, Including the CIA, Dazed and Confuse
Jacques Baud: “The goal is not to help Ukraine, but to fight Putin”
The causes and consequences of the Ukraine war A lecture by John J. Mearsheimer
Is a Military Conflict Between America and Russia in the Making?
The Geopolitics of the New Cold War
7. Media, Censorship and Propaganda
BRITISH “WATCHDOG” JOURNALISTS UNMASKED AS LAP DOGS FOR THE SECURITY STATE
America’s Lapdog Britain Moves to Extradite Julian Assange
British security state collaborator Paul Mason’s war on ‘rogue academics’ exposed
8. NATO and EU
Lithuania is living dangerously, angering China and Russia
European Union Grants Candidate Status to Ukraine and Moldova
Candidate Status for Ukraine and Moldova
Estonia’s PM says country would be ‘wiped from map’ under existing Nato plans
Estonia, Wiped from Map under NATO plan?
Lithuania President Wants Hike in Military Spending, More NATO Troops
More Money for Arms Manufacturers
Growing Rebel Divide in North Syria as Islamists Take Villages
NATO Chief Wants Finland, Sweden To Join Alliance Soon, But Can’t Guarantee It
Cannot Guarantee Finland, Sweden Access
9. Peace
DAVID PYNE: A PROPOSED PEACE PLAN TO END THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR
10. Russia, Domestic
St Petersburg International Economic Forum Plenary session
The President attended the plenary session of the 25th St Petersburg International Economic Forum.