Mar 162022
 
 March 16, 2022  Posted by at 5:45 pm Finance Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,


John Atkinson Grimshaw A moonlit lane 1874

 

 

It’s almost slapstick that people call for Putin to be hauled before some international court for war crimes, but it’s true; they do. It tells you what you need to know about your media, and then some. Because, whether you know it or not, the last 4-5 America presidents have been responsible for the deaths of millions of people in Libya, Syria, Afghanistan etc etc. Just not in Ukraine. Wait, that’s probably not true either. The estimated 15,000 deaths in the Donbass over the past 8 years would likely never have happened without some US help.

And we just see it all as par for the course. The “peace” negotiations between Ukraine and Russia look hopeful, but are they? Russia has always been very clear in what it wants from Ukraine, and that goes back way longer than the start of the “special military operation” 3 weeks ago, or Maidan in 2014. It goes back at least to the fall of the Berlin wall, but it’s really much earlier than that. How about 1945, and then throw in Brzezinski, and Wolfowitz, and Kissinger, and why not Mackinder as well?

But don’t let’s make it a book. To simplify, stop at 1991, when Yeltsin became president of Russia, with an alleged 1000 CIA operatives in his Kremlin tow. The Americans thought they had it made. That the deal with Gorbachev, in which he OK’d German reunification on the condition that NATO boundaries would stop right there, no longer mattered. But in 2000 Yeltsin made Putin his successor. I like the notion that the west promoted Putin because they thought he would do exactly what they wanted. But I also like the more romantic version that Yeltsin installed Putin because he felt remorse over selling out his country, and thought Putin might correct that. Fast forward to the “peace” negotiations. What Russia wants is crystal clear. As Robert Barnes put it:

What we see today is they are discussing “neutrality”. But that can still mean different things. Apparently, Russia has suggested a Sweden or Austria status, but Ukraine doesn’t find that safe enough. The idea becomes that if you are truly neutral, why would you need an army? The world’s most neutral country ever, Switzerland still has “something”, as Swissinfo says: “The Swiss Army largely is a non-career militia. Switzerland has compulsory military service for male citizens, though this and indeed the role of the army altogether have recently been called into question.”

That seems close to what Russia would seek for Ukraine. But why can’t Ukraine decide its status for itself? Well, 1/ it was part of Russia for a very long time, 2/ a lot of Russians live in the country, 3/ Russia doesn’t want NATO on its welcoming mat, 4/ it has allowed US/NATO to use its territory for activities that Russia sees as threatening to itself. Like 30 biolabs. That sort of thing. Oh, and 5/ they share a border.

Both sides said today that the talks appear to go well, there’s room for compromise, and Zelensky said yesterday that Ukraine won’t join NATO. And then today he asks the US Congress (both chambers) for more guns and bombs and planes and also a no-fly-zone, though he knows, and everybody knows, that it would be an all-out war declaration, reaching far beyond the borders of Ukraine. And gets cheered for it. But how does he -and they- think that went down in Russia? How is that supposed to solve the problem, and to end the military operation? “We need your help to start WWII!”. This is Pearl Harbor and 9/11 combined! Applause, applause!

In that speech, he was also addressing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, of whom we had a clip earlier today, that really should also make you wonder: how do the Russians see this, or the Chinese? We have tons of clips from Joe Biden exhibiting very strange behavior, for everyone to see, and now this from the 2nd most powerful person in Washington?! At a moment in time when one -even mistaken- push of a button could unleash hell on earth, are you sure a couple of feeble octogenarians are the best people for the job?

 

 

Seriously, I know that Americans see this as normal behavior, but you should really ask yourself how the rest of the world sees it. How is Nancy Pelosi’s performance in that clip not something that would scare the heebees out of you, if you’re in Beijing or Moscow, or any capital city for that matter? To put a dark view on it: why would she care about the future? It’s not hers…

Zelensky is hailed as a hero, because he’s an easy on the eye person that’s ideal for the part, But that is the problem: Zelensky is an actor who plays a hero. What the situation needs is not Zelensky or Pelosi or god forbid Joe Biden (he’s flying to Europe next week). Or, you know, Jake Sullivan or Victoria Nuland.

What it needs is people like Lavrov, maybe Jimmy Carter, statesmen, there must be some sane people left in the US. We need people who genuinely seek peace, not trigger happy neocons and warmongers, on either side, on whatever side.

I think neutrality is possible, even if the Americans won’t like it and Zelensky is their puppet, simply because it’s by far the best, and quite likely the only solution. No Nukes is easy; that was never an option. So is No NATO, as Zelensky himself has already conceded. The crux may be No Nazis. Because Russia will want to make sure of that, before they even think of leaving. Theoretically, Ukraine can maintain an army (of sorts), but that would still be likely to have Azov et al elements.

The only acceptable way -to Moscow- would then be to install a court and drag all the “nazis” in front of it. But that would take a very long time, and the Russians would have to stay in the country for the duration. I wonder how they think that Gordian knot can be cut.

As for the news about Russian soldiers firing at people waiting in line for bread, or shooting at a convoy of people fleeing a city, or bombing a theater where 100s of people were sheltering, look we only get western news. And Russians are doing propaganda too, no doubt, but we can’t see that anymore after their news channels were banned over here. Don’t believe a word you hear or see, without solid proof. Indiscriminate targeting of civilians and children does not appear to be their MO. They could have flattened the entire country in just 3 days if it was.

 

 

 

We try to run the Automatic Earth on donations. Since ad revenue has collapsed, you are now not just a reader, but an integral part of the process that builds this site. Thank you for your support.

 

 

Support the Automatic Earth in virustime. Donate with Paypal, Bitcoin and Patreon.

 

Home Forums Neutrality

Viewing 24 posts - 1 through 24 (of 24 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #104328

    John Atkinson Grimshaw A moonlit lane 1874     It’s almost slapstick that people call for Putin to be hauled before some international court
    [See the full post at: Neutrality]

    #104330
    zerosum
    Participant

    Path to peace is not through death.

    Col. Doug Macgregor is a voice of reason, sees the path to peace.

    The USA and west think that Path through peace is with the death/defeat of Russia

    #104333
    John Day
    Participant

    Petro Yuan post with picture https://drjohnsblog.substack.com/p/petro-yuan?s=w

    The author of this article downplays the significance of Saudi oil being sold in Chinese Yuan/renminbi.
    Importantly, this non-dollar sales arrangement eliminates the foundation of the petro-dollar, which Nixon/Kissinger negotiated with Saudi Arabia after the US default from the Bretton Woods gold standard, after American gold was depleted to the point that it could not honor international demands for gold.
    In the past the American military has wrought death and destruction upon nations which have dared to sell oil for other currencies, countries such as Iraq and Libya. Iran has weathered American opprobrium for a long time now, and though under duress, has not capitulated.
    Iran is selling a lot of oil to the Chinese, but we don’t know the $US value of it.
    Saudi Arabia has poor relations with Iran, but can observe which way the wind is now blowing, and has good relations with Russia and China, the new guarantors of military and economic security in the changing “world order”.
    It is likely that the US will attack Saudi Arabia in some way for this, and China, in some way, but the options are much narrower now. All of the options for attacking Saudi Arabia and China will also degrade US military and-or financial power. The way the “American” decisions have been made recently makes me think that there is a cabal in power which is intentionally working against actual American national interests. It is possibly just hubris and very bad judgment, but it is rapidly degrading American status as a global power, while simultaneously setting up a particularly bad economic status for deeply indebted Americans after the fall of empire. How will America export enough to repay these vast debts when the dollar is no longer accepted at-face-value, but needs to be backed by valuable material exports like oil, wheat, soybeans and cotton? What will Americans eat, burn and wear?
    ​ ​War and oil is also the focus, along with the US dollar and sanctions, on the back of the headline that Saudi Arabia is in talks with China to sell oil for CNY.Obviously, this is a much larger deal than the $2.6 billion purported India-Russia oil deal floated Monday, and in line with present pace of escalation in this metacrisis. This time we are talking $56 billion in oil and related petro-chemical exports, and $27 billion in Saudi imports…
    https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/rabobank-petroyuan-news-suggests-china-preparing-us-sanctions​

    ​ ​The very conflict on Ukrainian soil also favors this type of measure, as there is a global trend towards multipolarization on several levels, including the economic and financial ones. China stands against the boycotts on Russia and elevates its partnership with Moscow in every way possible, which means that the West may soon also implement coercive measures against Beijing. So, Saudi Arabia takes advantage of the moment in order to enter a possible new market route, with prices in Yuan, serving the interests of China, its partner nations – including the entire BRI – and the BRICS. In this sense, de-dollarization seems just a natural consequence of the process of formation of a polycentric world, as it is being designed with the events in Eastern Europe…
    ​ ​Obviously, it is possible that Washington will re-establish good ties with Riyadh in the future, but stopping de-dollarization no longer seems an attainable goal.
    https://www.globalresearch.ca/beijing-riyadh-cooperation-advances-de-dollarization-process/5774326

    Oil Slides Under $100 After Russia Says Given “Written Guarantees” Ukraine Sanctions Won’t Impact Iran Nuclear Deal https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/russia-given-written-guarantees-us-ukraine-sanctions-wont-impact-iran-nuclear-deal

    #104337
    John Day
    Participant

    Will the suicidal-empire allow a peace treaty?​ ​The news out of Ukraine is coming extra fast and furious this morning, and barely minutes after Zelensky ended his videoconference before the US Congress in which he demanded for a no fly zone over Ukraine, the FT reports that Ukraine and Russia “have made significant progress on a tentative 15-point peace plan including a ceasefire and Russian withdrawal if Kyiv declares neutrality and accepts limits on its armed forces.”https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/russia-sparks-ceasefire-hope-after-kremlin-says-neutral-ukraine-army-could-be-compromise​

    Treaty disallowed, it appears. No neutrality for Ukraine.​And just like that stocks puke after just minutes following FT revealing that a “15-point peace plan including a ceasefire” was on the table amid Ukraine-Russia ceasefire talks, Kiev is said to be rejecting the proposal. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/russia-sparks-ceasefire-hope-after-kremlin-says-neutral-ukraine-army-could-be-compromise

    #104339
    John Day
    Participant

    Lots more at the blog . Saker links won’t post, yet again…

    #104340
    John Day
    Participant

    ​Pepe Escobar (gloating) has the story to expound upon the major rumor:​
    ​ ​The Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union and China just agreed to design the mechanism for an independent financial and monetary system that would bypass dollar transactions
    ​ ​On Friday, after a videoconference meeting, the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and China agreed to design the mechanism for an independent international monetary and financial system. The EAEU consists of Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Armenia, is establishing free trade deals with other Eurasian nations, and is progressively interconnecting with the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).​..
    ​ The Eurasian system will be based on “a new international currency,” most probably with the yuan as reference, calculated as an index of the national currencies of the participating countries, as well as commodity prices. The first draft will be already discussed by the end of the month…
    ​..​NATO nations amount to at best 15 percent of the world’s population. Russia won’t be forced to practice autarky because it does not need to: most of the world – as we’ve seen represented in the hefty non-sanctioning nation list – is ready to do business with Moscow.
    ​ ​Iran has shown how to do it. Persian Gulf traders confirmed to The Cradle that Iran is selling no less than 3 million barrels of oil a day even now, with no signed JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement, currently under negotiation in Vienna). Oil is relabeled, smuggled, and transferred from tankers in the dead of night.
    ​ ​Another example: the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), a huge refiner, just bought 3 million barrels of Russian Urals from trader Vitol for delivery in May. There are no sanctions on Russian oil – at least not yet.​..
    ..Russia and Iran are about to sign a very important agreement, which may likely be an equivalent of the Iran-China strategic partnership. The three main nodes of Eurasia integration are perfecting their interaction on the go, and sooner rather than later, may be utilizing a new, independent monetary and financial system.​..
    ​ ​Meanwhile, there’s a mystery to be solved: where is that frozen Russian gold?

    Say hello to Russian gold and Chinese petroyuan

    #104341
    John Day
    Participant

    Well, that piece posted…

    #104342
    Germ
    Participant

    Gonzalo Lira – on the ground:

    #104345
    zerosum
    Participant

    I was under the impression that we, USA, Canada, had to declare war before going to war.

    #104346
    Germ
    Participant

    17 year-old.

    “no history of heart problems, died after a sudden heart attack”

    https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/parents-want-answers-teen-son-23402058

    #104347
    upstateNYer
    Participant

    “Seriously, I know that Americans see this as normal behavior …”

    No, we don’t all see it that as normal behavior.

    “How is Nancy Pelosi’s performance in that clip not something that would scare the heebees out of you?”

    It does.

    “I think neutrality is possible, even if the Americans won’t like it.”

    Which Americans are we talking about?

    Lumping Americans into a group based on what insane political leaders and rabid Twitter & Faceplant followers espouse isn’t any different than lumping all citizens of other countries in with the actions of their leaders. And we don’t even want to get started on how some of the other country’s citizens would be judged based on their leaders’ actions.

    Just saying.

    #104348
    Archie
    Participant

    Exactly. What she said. China, Russia, someone needs to beat the shit out of these despicable idiots that are the US Government and it’s minions. I will not hold it against them, even if I survive.

    #104349
    upstateNYer
    Participant

    China IS beating the shit out of the US … YouTwitFace followers don’t realize it yet, and our demented leaders aren’t admitting it … but China’s manufacturing is closing down due to covid surge (sure, tell us another one) just to add a pinch of spice to those existing supply chain issues, and China is talking to Saudi Arabia about buying oil with its own currency.

    #104354
    Dr. D
    Participant

    You’re right about that:

    Zelensky: “We’re making great progress with a 15-point ceasefire that we hope will equitably end the conflict.”

    Also Zelensky: “Declare War!!! Attack Russia! Shoot down all the planes! Steal everything! Give us men, weapons, nukes!!! Bomb Moscow! Kill Putin!”

    This must be some new kind of diplomacy I haven’t heard of.

    #104355
    Archie
    Participant

    Robert Gore nails it in this article:

    Bonfire of the Governments, Part One

    It’s all going according to plan.

    #104357
    chooch
    Participant

    “[..] if Putin thinks he can invade Ukraine, impose his objectives, and then withdraw with the country pacified and compliant, he’s as deluded as American schemers have been with all their surgical strikes, covert operations, limited wars, and regime changes since World War II. Insurgencies are always messy regardless of who “wins.” Ukraine has become another theater for the uncontrollable chaos engulfing the world.”

    Thanks Archie, as I dig into this it gets more insane by the day. In the limit, I do not think there is any possibility of Russia taking Kyiv without significant loss of life. I am thinking what is the point nobody comes out the better.

    There is an aspect to this that If you speaks Ukrainian, it proves your Nazism. If you criticise policies of Moscow, you are 100% Nazi. If you resist its territorial expansion, no further proof is necessary – Nazi without any doubt. There is a labeling/demonization of the average Ukrainian playing out too.

    I came across this the other day (one of Zelensky’s advisors)

    Ukraine, it seems, drove the country head on into this hoping to draw the west in. It sounds as if Putin might be satisfied with simply wrecking Ukraine making it unattractive to NATO. Which means Putin could be looking for justification to simply nuke it.

    #104359
    V. Arnold
    Participant

    John Atkinson Grimshaw A moonlit lane 1874

    Wow! One can feel the rich atmosphere in this wonderful work…

    #104362
    Oroboros
    Participant

    #104363
    Archie
    Participant

    This analysis out of India is the way the less-propagandized world sees the Ukraine conflict.

    #104364
    Oroboros
    Participant

    The base in Western Ukraine which housed soy-boy mercenaries and NATO ‘advisors was completely destroyed several days ago but 30+ cruise missiles which hit the base early in the morning while most were still asleep. Witnesses said there were no sirens or alarms whatsoever.

    The 30+ cruise missiles were launch from Russian airspace over 300 kilometers from the targeted base.

    Because there were no warnings or heads up at the base, 200+ mercenaries were killed with probably 300-400 wounded.

    The lack of warning for the approaching 30+ cruise missiles, which had to traverse the entire length of the Ukraine, means NATO air defense could not see them coming for 300 kilometers due to gross incompetence of NATO or the Russians successfully jammed NATO radar

    The attack only 20 kilometers from the Poland border on a NATO ‘advisor’ base, wiping it out under the nose of NATO radar was a message for Russia and scared the crap out of the EU countries about how NATO couldn’t even detect dozens of cruise missiles approaching then detonating at their doorstep.

    The No Fly Zone fantasy died that morning along with all those mercenary soy-boys. RIP

    #104366
    VietnamVet
    Participant

    Since humans discovered agriculture that grows surplus food to feed standing armies, tribes and then nations have been killing, looting and capturing slaves from other tribes and nations. Nothing has changed in the last 10,000 years except a nuclear war now will destroy the earth for human habitation.

    The West poked and prodded the Russian Bear to destabilize it and to allow western corporations to profit from Russian resources until the Kremlin snapped and invaded with two strategic goals; demilitarize Ukraine and eliminate the Neo-Nazis. As long as the West supports ethnic Ukrainians fighting ethnic Russians; the Russian Ukraine war will go on until either WWIII blows up or the Western Empire collapses.

    The FED has just raised the interest rates to control inflation. This has been used in the past when the economy over heated. Usually costing workers there jobs. Except, today, inflation is due to shortages from the collapse of just-in-time logistics and the missing workers due to illness, isolation, and early deaths. The FED has made a bad situation worse. This is the third Chartreuse Swan. The first Black Swan is the pandemic itself and the building BA.2 variant surge at the same time the West is ending all mitigation measures. The second Red Swan is WWIII that is just in its initial stages.

    Western government is too old, corrupt, and believes its own propaganda. The West is simply incapable of dealing with one black swan event, let alone three.

    #104368
    Archie
    Participant

    Ukraine, it seems, drove the country head on into this hoping to draw the west in. It sounds as if Putin might be satisfied with simply wrecking Ukraine making it unattractive to NATO. Which means Putin could be looking for justification to simply nuke it.

    Point taken chooch, but it could be that Putin just means what he has been saying for years. Nothing more and nothing less. Of course circumstances may dictate tactical and strategic adjustments. But that doesn’t change the origins of the conflict. Check out Gonzalo Lira’s video over at the Saker. He and his family are in Kharkov and I think his analysis, especially as it relates to the missile attack that Oroborus references in a comment above, is the beginning of the end of NATO. Coupled with India making a trade deal with Russia; rupees for oil, and Saudi talking with China about a yuan for oil deal, the idiots and dottering fools in DC are freaking out over the existential threat to $ hegemony.

    All bets are off on how this will play out. The end result is a NWO of some kind.

    #104369
    Dr D Rich
    Participant

    The only nonsensical aspect of the Russo-Uke War is the fact non-participants targeted Billionaires…of the Russian variety. We”ve been led to believe the only true division among humans is economic. That the Billionaire Class represents some monolithic , untouchable voting bloc. That is there’s the all-powerful ultra-rich then the rest of us to be divided and conquered by race, ethnicity, religious preference, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation ad nauseam.

    Yet here we are attacking Oligarchs. I suppose because by inference they’re Russian but the rest of the billionaire class is still off-limits. Oh and I forgot to note TPTB tell us that Nazism of the Ukrainian variety is to be defended with filthy lucre and maybe blood but the Nazism as practiced in western Pennsylvania, the U S. Military and Putin’s Russian shall be wiped from the face of the earth.
    Of course, it’s of paramount importance to elucidate such a working example of insanity, Bateson’s Double Bind Theory of schizophrenia, as clearly as possible.

    Still I think the solution should be to annihilate Saudi Arabia in the interest of international justice, as an expression of solidarity with the dispossessed citizens of Yemen and as a message to our main trading partner, China. China sure as hell won’t defend Saudi Arabia.
    As it was in beginning is now and ever shall be world without end amen.

    #104423
    anticlimactic
    Participant

    WAR CRIMINALS

    In the past 20 years over 2 million civilians have died in the middle east, mainly due to the actions of the US and UK. Tens of millions more have had their lives harmed or destroyed.

    At the moment hundreds of thousands of Yemenis are facing death from starvation due to the actions of Saudi Arabia, but helped by the US and UK military.

    Of course the victims are to blame for not being white. The only whites it is okay to murder are those which are pro-Russian, such as Yugoslavia, Serbia and east Ukraine.

Viewing 24 posts - 1 through 24 (of 24 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.