Thank you Oregonian, but sadly for me even just being the first to comment here is now a high point in my bland and boring life… Goes to show much, eh.
TBH I'd heard it was an American-originated saying. But maybe you're right.
The first European genocidal 'empire' was Rome, and it destroyed the continent. Leaving little echoes of it in its wake, like psychopath parents will leave behind badly damaged kids who copy the same behaviours that they were taught.
Britain is still ruled by the descendants, Class, and in many cases genetic, of the Norman invaders who too were tainted by the Roman Disease, and savagely invaded and brutalised the fremen of Britain in 1066, slaughtering over 60% of the entire population, who refused to give up easily on their rights, freedoms, and land-ownership.
The Aenglish were the first victims of the new British Empire. Then the Welsh, Scottish, Irish, before exploding on the World scene and eventually butchering potentially close to 200,000,000 souls during the global reign of terror - puts Stalin, and even Hitler, somewhat in the shade.
But the Americans are catching up fast, and their diligence should not be overlooked.
And the cult of global warming ensures that any attempts to move away from the financialised, debt-centred, services economy back to a productive one based on manufacturing, and hard work, is almost impossible now.
A socialist, green utopia, based on infinite debt, only works when supported by productive and resource rich nations that have been given free passes with regards to "green targets", and of course, completely subjugated.
The plan is there for everyone to read if anyone bothers to read it.
A big part of Russia is in Europe and vice versa. And if you look at the staggering speed of decay in the EU and NATO, well, lets see how long all this gets going. I stand by my view, that the West/NATO/EU are the Soviet Union 4.0, more and more corruption, economic decline, authoritarian policies, war, I would even argue the Soviet Union never was that bad of a political entity in comparison to the West right now.
I could never understand that statement: a big part of Russia is in Europe. A cliché that's never been fully challenged. Which part of this large part is in Europe? I would say a small part of Europe, is in Eurasia.
Russian European part is basically 1/2 of Europe by space and approximately 1/8 by people. So it is not that "Russia is part of Europe" it is "Europe does not exist without Russia". If one disconnects Russia form Europe, Europe definitely loses "continent" status and should become a subcontinent of Far West Asia with area about the same as Southeast Asia.
I’ll take that argument. It’s still possible in the west to ignore your government. Such was not possible in the USSR. Comply or die. But we’re getting there.
"Keeping Russia out of Europe" does not refer to geography, but to keeping the influence of Russia out, and influence of the US in. In this they have had spectacular success, they even managed to nullify all of Stalin's gains, that Russia paid for in blood.
Indeed the Russians got through communism in far better shape despite losing 27 million to Germany in WWII, than we in the west got through clown world capitalism, I wonder of many if us will die or lose family/children due to the evil vax's. I was once a free market capitalist, I don't get how any can still be that after covid...
it's what they pretend and what they like us to think. in fact we're seeing the final woes of the Iron Curtain coming down (started with the Berlin Wall, 1989).
The problem with that is that you have European countries with no history of colonization swamping themselves, handicapping themselves, with many millions of unassimilable migrants from Africa and Asia.
Sweden and Italy do not deserve the same fate as Perfidious Albion and her centuries of foreign colonization and interference.
Just like with Ireland, when they voted No the first time to join the EU-rinal, only to be forced to vote again as a No was unacceptable, they began another massive Yes campaign. Now Ireland/Dublin is unrecognizable.
How does a people that spent centuries fighting the English for independence literally turn around and passively hand their tiny nation over to massive numbers of resentful migrants?
I completely concur with your sentiment. I had the most wonderful time of my life living there in the nineties, where I resided for five years. As they say, I had the craic. I never felt so safe. Now it is like London where I am now, Sien Fein has betrayed the Irish people; it's a disgrace.
While Thompson was clearly a very bad actor, I suspect there is more to the story. The shooter was not a pro, but was obviously provided info on where Thompson would be exiting the hotel that day. In NYC (a place with near-total gun-control) the shooter was able to obtain a silenced pistol (silencers are likewise illegal in NY). He required two shots to dispatch Thompson (a pro would have done it in one). His picture was taken at least twice by the panopticon (pros know how to avoid this) and yet he's so far eluded a massive police hunt.
Thompson was involved in some kind of insider trading deal and being investigated. Others implicated in the deal include Pelosi, one of the absolute worst corrupt creatures in the entire swamp. I would not be at all surprised of Thompson had decided to turn state evidence and the FBI - a gang of murderous criminals operating under the color of law - arranged for the whole operation. By now the shooter may well be at the bottom of the ocean, or perhaps stored next door to Jimmy Hoffa....
Exactly. That's why/how he was able to disappear so fast and easy, as soon as the job was done, he was very likely Hoffa'd by the State actors behind it all.
“…a pro would have done it in one” I might beg to differ on that minor detail. A double tap is a prudent bit of insurance while a
quick second shot is no inconvenience when the shooter is already locked and loaded with his finger on the trigger. Granted, I’m not even an aspiring amateur assassin so…
1. Western cynicism and hypocrisy have long been apparent.
What does Russia or China or anyone else propose to do about it?
2. At risk of repeating myself, ignore Erdogan's touching rhetoric. Watch what he does and the deal he has assuredly made with Israel (and subject to US sponsorship). Apparently Russian Intel had no clue. I can wish otherwise all I want, but wishing doesn't make it so.
3. Syria shows that "big arrow" offensives are not in fact dead. Spin it how you like.
Concerning Romania- are there any protests, or did the populace get slapped in the face and meekly accept this?
I looked and the only protests I saw were of "pro Europeans" calling for the cancelation of unwanted election results. This, of course, reflects the bias of the MSM, which is why I am asking here.
The huge US base located there means uncle sam has to protect its' assets. there are also lots of ☦️ in romania and globalhomo has not been successful in conversion. the isis guy waving the 🏳️🌈 flag will do the same, probably call it 'hate speech' when ☦️don't comply.
> WENT ARMED TO PROTEST IN BUCHAREST FOR ANNULLED ELECTIONS
> Police in Romania aprehended several men that were going to Bucharest carrying weapons, machetees and knives, on suspicion they were intending to disrupt public peace and order, Romanian authorities reported today
I'm too lazy to translate the rest. Use Google translate. :) Basically, up to a thousand people all around Romania were protesting at what would be polling stations had the elections been held today.
I don't think normal, common people, who are not being funded or pushed or "inspired", leave their work or couch to go for protest. It's almost always the paid, organized protests.
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
6 years ago we got PEACEFUL protests in multiple cities that featured same number of people in the streets that the ones that toppled the communist regime . The result was that one law was postponed and one guy was moved to nother cozy job . Protests are useful only when you get serious and that's a slippery slope . We better wait to vote again .
The Romanians harbor the illusion that they will reaffirm their choice in the next election, and everything will go their way, so there is no need to protest in the streets. That "election" will not be what they hope it will be.
There will be a new "right-wing" candidate who will be even more radical than Georgescu, and will split the votes away, so the establishment candidate will win. And guess where the "radical newcomer" will be coming from.
Frederick Douglass had more direct experience of chattel slavery than most here.
"Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress."
That means they're doing this by the book. You don't start a revolution the first thing. First you play a game of back-and-forth with the govenment. Maybe the government relents. After all, if they elect this "wrong candidate" (forgot his name) the second time, **only then** does the game start.
Those revolutions require US support. :) Starting a revolution without external support (in fact, with the regime enjoying external support) is a whole another ballgame.
1. The people vote again and again give about the same percentage of votes to the candidates.
2. The people vote again and this right-wing guy receives less than 10% of the vote.
Can you really draw the same conclusions in both scenarios? ;) And do you have enough information today to predict which one of these two scenarios will happen, with over 99% accuracy?
The political landscape will change---not by accident---before the second election is allowed. Most likely a new candidate will suddenly appear on the scene that will steal Georgescu's program and half his votes, and this candidate will be given a LOT of media attention, negative attention of course, but he will be on everyone's lips, and half of Georgescu's voters will vote for him instead, and either that will make the establishment candidate win, or the new black horse will win, and will immediately betray everything he was pretending to have stood for. Oldest trick in the book, the Romans used it. It still works, remember Zemmour?
"3. Syria shows that "big arrow" offensives are not in fact dead. Spin it how you like."
When one force is willing to do battle, and the other is not, the outcome is inevitable.
I wouldn't call what HTS did an offensive, more like an unopposed military parade. What was revealed was that no one was willing to fight for the Assad government.
Sanctions crushed the economy, years of war has tired the people out, specially soldiers. Their pay is meagre, they're always being attacked from all sides. Allied forces are busy elsewhere. And the West has plenty of money to bribe commanders, clan leaders etc to make them defect. Plus there's enough corruption, which increases with poverty.
All of which could have been avoided if Russia, Iran and Syria had struck these forces whilst the iron was hot rather than backing off and letting their strength whither from continual opposition from these forces.
Syria wasn't strong enough to go against Tutkey on its own. And neither Russia, nor Iran wanted a war with Turkey, they still don't. Turkey has a very strategic location. It controls Black Sea entrance and it borders Iran. It's geo-politocs 101. They had to make a deal with Turkey despite knowing it'll renege...because it can and still the other party will have to deal with it. Russia, Iran are still saying they'll work with Turkey and other gulf states to resolve this crisis. Turkey has lots of important cards and it knows how to play them.
As a result of Russia's hesitance to confront Turkiye, they will likely lose their Mediterranean port, the ISIS monster will take over Syria, Hezbollah will be cut off and the Israelis will be strengthened. Russia has far more influence over Turkiye than Turkiye has over Russia - and Turkiye knows it. Erdogan must surely be inwardly smiling at this.
Ukraine wasn't strong enough to go against Russia on its own. But it did, and while it is losing, it took three years of fighting, not three days of shitting pants and running.
I think you might have it there, with the bribery. It was the same in Iraq - loads of generals got sweet Swiss bank accounts filled with cash. Strangely enough, they didn't fight to save the regime when Uncle Sam turned up.
A devastated economy, widespread corruption, years of war, poor pay and incompetent officers. . . no, I am not describing Syria. It's Ukraine. And yet, these street-caught, untrained, poorly equipped middle-aged Hohol civilians fight and die like lions, so that the most professional army in the world must struggle for every meter of advance, and every rural settlement taken is hailed as a victory.
While the professional standing army of Syria runs so fast from a terrorist rabble, they drop not just their Russian and Iranian armaments, but literally their shoes. And the pursuing terrorist rabble can barely keep up. Fuck Syria.
Ukraine still has access to all the resources it needs and a pipeline through which money, weapons, intelligence, everything flows. Syria wasn't preparing for war and its allies weren't preparing it either. Ukrainians are starting to give up in 3 years, Syrians were totally spent in 13 years.
It seems the decision was already made to give up, either by Assad or his allies.
The resources and money don't matter squat to the grunt with a Kalashnikov who is holding out in the trenches. The Ukies are brave against a pro army, the Syrians are pant-shitters against bandit rabble, that's the bottom line.
Ukraine wasn't quite the incompetent you describe, they had been fighting a war for 8 years with NATO training and I'd bet, CIA/MI6 serepticious arms, there are videos of the Canadian military training the Azov Nazis.
Assad's Tiger forces had become quite proficient and battle-hardened, being sent to all hot spots and prevailing. What happened to them? Where did they go? We hear nothing of them. Did they just melt away with low wages and shrinking morale issues?
Russia and Iran were called in to help Assad defend against the hoards. Well, what kind of help is it when all defeated terrorists are allowed to move to Idlib and fester there like some kind of cancer fed by the multi-tongued neo-Ottoman snake to the North?
And the US - why didn't Iran and Russia assist Assad in removing the relatively small US presence in eastern Syria, where they took over the oil fields critical to Syria's economic health and allowing for proper wages for the Syrian military? Shouldn't they have at least offered serious challenge to them?
And what about the Syrian agricultural areas where the US and its Kurdish allies took over - critical to the food supply of the Syrian people?
And why didn't Russia and Iran provide Assad with an effective air defence system that would have challenged the Israeli war planes. Did they really think that it would work to Assad's favour to prevent israel from continually destroying Syrian and Iranian capabilities in the country? Did they really believe that anything good would come of such restraint? Surely Russia and Iran left the Syrian people critically hobbled by not striking when the iron was hot, and allowing these cancers to grow and spread over the last few years.
Where did Russia and Iran think all this was leading? Did they really think that a prolonged ceasefire would eventually work in their favour as the country was starved of its food and economic resources and their military withered? As with the Minsk Agreements, so with the Astana agreement. You can't trust snakes and scorpions - they will act according to their nature, whatever the say and agree to do. FFS - even a nobody like me knows this.
Where was Russia and Iran when Syria needed them? Now, Russia will likely lose its only Mediterranean port, and Iran will lose its ability to supply Hezbollah. And Hezbollah will be severely weakened to the point that Israel will be able to effectively take over Lebanon, continue to rape Gaza and kill off its people unmolested. And the Syrian people will fall into the hands of ISIS monsters. Does this sound like 3D chess on the part of Russia and Iran to anyone? It damn sure doesn't to me!
Someone might say that Russia and Iran acted to prevent a wider war. Really? Is that what happened? Does anyone today think that a wider war is being avoided by allowing Israel, Turkiye and the US to take over the ME without a fight?
Sometimes war just can't be prevented, and that is when you need to strike first and strike hard. Instead, the ME is now falling into the hands of monsters as resistance melts away and quietly slink away licking their wounds. As you can tell, I am truly disappointed in Russia and Iran. I had hoped for so much more. I am convinced that if Israel and America had been shown real resistance, it would be they who would be slinking away quietly into a dark corner to avoid all out war, not the good people of West Asia.
It is quite difficult to unravel the diplomatic activity of the last 10 years regarding Syria, since we don't know what deals were/are struck. The most striking part of this is that Israel can fly into other countries and bomb whatever they feel like without repercussions.
What baffles me is that diplomacy is still the preferred tool, which clearly doesn't work with rogue nations like the US and Israel who have only contempt for international law and agreements. Ukraine is a very clear example of this.
It is very frustrating to watch the Greater Israel Project rear its ugly head again - this time completely out in the open, masks off.
One can only hope that the gloves come off. Poor Syrians who just want to do their daily thing and make a living and look after their kids.
The gloves have come off - unfortunately, it is the gloves of the US, Israel and Turkiye. They no longer see a need to hide behind the facade of 'protecting democracy'. This will inevitable lead to war.
I agree. I'm hoping Iran would change their attitude, not that it would help in the immediate future. Geographically both Iran and Russia are very far away from Syria.
Don’t forget China. China could have launched the reconstruction & stabilization of Syrias economy using only a tiny fraction of their cash reserve but also stood for years doing basically nothing.
Perhaps you can haplessly claim to be his inspiration. I don't recall his level and accuracy being foreshadowed by your mini-rants. Cassandra? Closer to chicken-little.
Well said. Simplicius may well just dismiss you as a doomer for your honest and realistic appraisal of the collapse of the Assad regime.
When the head ch jihadis had been pushed back to idlib province the Russians, Iranians and their allies should have pushed onto to destroy the jihadi cancer. Instead in the face of western criticism they backed off and allowed the cancer to fester and stage a come back. How stupid.
I get criticised for pointing the many mistakes of the kremlin and the Iranian regime who are constantly reactive to the actions of the West instead of trying to initiate action which would allow them to shape the geopolitical and military landscape.
Keep on being passive and defensively responded ING to the actions of the imperialist West is a recipe for disaster. History reveals this to be the case time and again.
The same applies to China which has done nothing to help Syria and stands by and does nothing while Iran has been attacked on multiple fronts.
You have to give the US credit that it will take action to protect its critical allies.
This 100%. Many people have been waiting for Russia to rescue the global south from Western hegemony since 2022, but now it seems Russia lacks the courage to succeed and we may as well give up resistance and bend the knee to the West. Russia is too corrupt to lead the global south, and its oligarchs are unwilling to sacrifice their lifestyle for the sake of destitute people in Africa, ME, etc.
The only way Russia could have led a successful revolution against the Western world order was by annihilating Ukrainian traitors by the millions, dropping nuclear weapons on Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk etc. to show seriousness. However, the leadership of Russia is too influenced by Western propaganda and threats, to do what needs to be done. They don't even have the courage to hit back at 900 US soldiers in Syria, who killed hundreds of Wagner men in 2018.
The only countries benefitting from Russian restraint are economic parasites like China and India, who are happy to freeload cheap Russian resources while continuing to tie their economies with the West. The Russia strategy since 2022 is going nowhere but backwards, and it is only a matter of time before the West re-establishes the global dominance it held from 1815-1914 and 1990-2008.
I am tired of failing Russian leadership. Russian propaganda promises us a multipolar future but the reality looks very different. I see a hyper-aggressive West effectively re-asserting itself while Russia is slowly weakened and the vaunted Chinese "giant" is completely MIA. If Russia won't do what is necessary to liberate the global south from Western hegemony, better that we global south citizens grovel in fealty to our once and future Western overlords while we can still get a decent deal.
I've never had any hopes that China or Russia would do anything to help the global South free itself from the domination of Western imperialism. As in the post WWII period only the people themselves can free their countries. China and the kremlin don't give a damn about the impoverished masses of the global South they are merely pawns on the global chessboard to further their interests.
The Russian and Chinese leaders are just not upto the task of confronting the threat posed to the world by American imperialism.
They will back down time and again because all they want is peaceful coexistence which is never going to happen but they are too blinded by their class interests to see this.
Completely true. The problem is that the West can never offer anything to the global South but to the tiny elites in each country who make sure that their interests are protected. They can't even take care of their golden billion anymore. All wealth is going straight to the top. If you are not born as a Jew, then poor luck. Better luck next time. P.S. I agree about Russia and I am afraid that they play their role exactly as the West planned, they don’t care if all Ukrainians die. But they do care if the Russian army is overstretched and exhausted.
What happened was Syria ran out of money, the army was demobilized, and no one else could foot the bill. The only lesson? Mobilize and crush the enemy. Embrace war, and see it through until the end. Accept no diplomacy, cease fire, or freeze of the conflict.
Besides assuming facts not in evidence, why does the SAA not hire officers not amenable to bribes? And what happened since the last outbreak of major fighting to make Syrian officers suddenly bribable?
You cannot offer bribes on this scale and not have intelligence be aware of it. All it takes is for one officer to report the attempt to the right office.
The Syrian military was being paid $7 a week. The rebels paid them $400 to lay down their arms. Syria became so poor and the mundane corruption by individuals in the military became so bad since the end of the last round of fighting that there was nothing left to fight for. These payments were rearranged prior to this offensive. This is the story according Alastair Crooke and a few other sources.
The previous comments addressed this issue. "why does the SAA not hire officers not amenable to bribes? And what happened since the last outbreak of major fighting to make Syrian officers suddenly bribable?" "You cannot offer bribes on this scale and not have intelligence be aware of it. All it takes is for one officer to report the attempt to the right office."
This young man provides an excellent explanation of the " Collapse of The Syrian Army," incorporating some valuable footage. It is certainly worth watching.
The Complete Collapse of The Syrian Army Explained
I tend to think Syria was carved up Picot-Sykes style. The army was told to flee, there is more to the picture here. Everybody won, except the SAA, and they got to stay alive, so maybe everybody did win. Wins-win-win-win-wins are not by chance, there was some design to the whole thing.
I promise HTS has no EW. The SAA has given up everything without a fight. There is no "proof of maneuver warfare" anywhere to be found, you're only proving that a war in which you don't actually have to fight very hard is easily won, which I don't think we didn't know.
I mean again the Turks. And in Armenia the Armenians fought back, Azeris if you Nagorno Kabarak if you like, yet maneuver happened. This is contrast to Ukraine, and in context of those saying maneuver is dead. It was stalled into the West’s ultimate nightmare of WW1 the Western Front, it has mercifully become unstuck and free. A quick review of the Ukrainian situation from both sides may illuminate the matter, if one (you) isn’t blinded by emotion.
Your other points are valid, very clearly Assad had lost critical support within Syria as witnessed by his best troops withdrawn south with a known push by “HTS” coming, with Hizbollah ground troops gone, with Russia pre-occupied in Ukraine.
Of course there are other considerations and I don’t dismiss them, a balance not reciprocated by you.
Let’s “pray” for peace, or at least a sufficient pause to disengage.
Prayer being a wise transfer of the irrational to the invisible and all wise when one (you) can’t be rational.
4. The west will tell the rest of the world that “Russia and Iran can’t save you, so you’d better collaborate with us…or you’ll get the Syrian treatment!”
On point 3. The SAA isn't remotely as well equipped as the UA. Big Arrow assaults may be achievable against weak militaries, but not those that have fortified positions, fire support and first class ISR.
Re Syria - part of what it looks like is the SAA was bought out or coopted in some way. part is they were unprepared for infiltration. If you look at how RF contained the Kursk incursion - they had to and did counter the infiltration element - which apparently advances together with the wave of refugees that coincides with each day's step in this pattern. This meant deployed a lot of manpower in the apparent rear and thoroughly searching for infiltrators (under guise of evacuating citizens). UA learned to do the same by the way.
Definitely Turkey and Israel cooperating here, and they'll try to split the land. It's a painful blow. It was already evident that Trump admin will help Israel fully annex West Bank, and destruction of Lebanon and extermination of Gaza is now likely to proceed unchecked, which is pretty awful.
What's Russia doing about it, is currently fighting a tremendously violent war, comparable to Iran-Iraq. What's China doing about it? They're enjoying the benefits, while the clock runs down on the remaining US tech advantage. Though IMO China is more than ready in terms of strength to take action. Pakistan should probably be their first priority, if it comes to the Muslim world. It's quite ripe to kick out American compradors, if the organization can be achieved.
Iran, if they have any sense, will develop nuclear weapons ASAP as a result of this event.
Great question, I'm sure a lot of people would like to know the answer. Perhaps the explanation is that Bashar Assad did not have the personality of his father. Perhaps it's just a kind of pragmatism (eg also seen in Afghanistan) that seems more out of place to us from a Western perspective.
Bashar Assad was tough as nails for a decade. I doubt he is at fault. But yes, there is something to the cultural "pragmatism" that you describe. But it's still a stinky, contemptible attitude, however you dress it up in oriental exoticity.
Also, if this was a local cultural thing, how come the Palestinians, or the Lebanese, or the Kurds have the balls that the Syrians so conspicuously lack?
Well it's unclear whether they were offered the same. I suspect attempts were made, so I think there must be versions of "leadership and culture" that are good and ones that are so-so. Kurds also sold out hard btw, and they were in no position to do anything else. Yemen didn't, Iran didn't, so I get what you're saying.
Russian army here and there also had moments when commanders inexplicably dropped the ball (timed together with jamming of comms and infiltration, that's the recipe for Kupyansk, Kursk, etc). They had the overall organizational ability to recover quickly tho - especially now with practice. This is what I'm reading between the lines from some some of the Iran side's take of whom to blame (all with a grain of salt so far - social media is full of provocateurs). But basically, they saw it all coming, but the SAA as an organization (ie social organism, more than just a leader and an org chart) was not up to the required actions to stop this hybrid attack pattern that was already established.
I do not subscribe to the version some say, that "Arab armies can't fight". It's more place-and-time specific than that. But there are definitely some orgs that stick together under even very hard pressure, and some that don't
I am far from saying that Arab armies can't fight. I am full of admiration for the grit of Hamas or the Houthis. It's the Shitty Arse Army in particular that I find contemptible. Hama and Homs were very defensible, even against overwhelming numbers.
To match the intelligent TC interview Of Sergie Lavrov
« I was once at a garden party in Amioun, my tiny ancestral village. A fellow was speaking the Levantine "dialect" with a slight but strange accent. I figured out the next day that he was the Russian Ambassador »
Don't feel sorry for the EU-- they knew exactly what they were getting into. Can't afford all those wonderful social programs unless big Papa US funds it wilth low interest eurodollars. Also remember the 1948 Marshall plan no tariff schedule re: Europe to the US which has incredibly benefitted Europe (done to help them build up manufacturing after the war amongst other things). BUT Europe tariffs US goods in return- WTF. These long time benefits will be severely restricted by Trump. Powell has already been squeezing Christine La Guarde with non-zero interest rates. And European debt-- not just French but UK and Spain, etc etc. is on the precipice. It's going to make the Greek default look like childs play. The free ride from the US both militarily and economically is done. About frigging time.
- you have a continent (half a billion people) that would go through drop in standards of living.
- such drop would be fairly quick, drastic in scope, and feel very sudden (not even a single generation, may be less than a decade)
- this would be VERY disorienting , confusing, and then frustrating for people in the EU
what would you do with all these people who would be very angry and quick to blame everyone, anyone they could see ?? on russian side they fear that 'EU powers' would simply zombify them and send them to die as cannon fodder 'on the eastern front' (to save 'Ukrainian democracy' ,etc). Not to win anything but simply to clear 'extra people' , make them die against Russian wall to make breathing space. on EU side, how do you keep order and social stability as this starts to happen? What do you tell your population other than we f'ed up?? The gravy train is over, it will get (much) harder. your products are not competitive, your debts are very high, you are losing your identity (a quarter of 'english' population is not longer English now and instead is 'multi-cultural'??), you lost our faith and turn to satanic rainbow sects, etc.
As an American, I see this in our future as well if we do not learn the lesson of EU...
I thought so too, now I think the wealth is so big, it will last at least take 20-30 years till it evaporates. Lot of fat to burn off, so to speak.
Well for the US, I think you have more natural resources, more social mobility and also a lot of wealth. We will see, but the outlook is not a good one for the EU, but maybe I am wrong about that, we can just wait and see.
Both are getting binned regardless, and both have no social mobility and both are corrupt to the core. The General Public in the UK tried to leave and did only for their masters to viciously teach them a lesson and prevent the chosen course of action taken legally by the people through 'Democracy'.
What will happen next will be the event of a centaury or millennium.
Define fairly quick. It will be negotiated. This noblesse oblige thing takes from your countryman , Americans-- thats ok? And then it's ok for European govts to demand non- European citizens to bow to their censorship regulations, their agricultural regulations? Remember this is self inflicted-- they happily cut off their inexpensive energy supply
Understand that Europe like my country Canada heavily regulates ALL aspects of life-- which is a huge cost -- govt expansion , loss of freedom. No surprise that our Truckers and Europes Farmers have been in protest for years. Wake up.
I don't see it in the US future-- Trump and his choices for cabinet etc. positions are very very very well aware of the costs, issues and of recent SCOTUS decisions that have limited the insane regulatory admin state that is growing to become the EU. The EU is light years ahead of where the US is, but yes if uncorrected the US would become the EU with most jobs being govt jobs. Not a good world.
The EU is an US-project to begin with and the Marshall plan wasn't out of generousity. It was to build up a scheme against communism.
There never was a time that the US has paid for anything without own interest. The opposite is true - the US has lurked on other nations since it came into existence, be it qualified people, stolen technology, foreign money and it still managed to get bankrupt and delusional - it just takes a few more people to realize that the emperor wears no cloth really.
Of course the Marshall plan was not long term out of generosity. Speak to an International Economist and they will tell you of the rich tariff protection that Europe has vis a vis the US and other countries, but given we are talking Marshall Plan -- The US.
So you are saying that the wonderful generous social programs, the development of the German car etc industries, are not good? Sounds a bit victimy to me. Also you forget another factor the military insurance -- NATO (we in Canada have it huge), MIC arrangements, protection to all of Europe and more Yes the MIC gets huge benefits and the Europeans up until now seemed ok with that (payoffs?, some side MIC industries?), No one forced them.
I love seeing African nations throw off the yoke of their imperial overloads in Europe, maybe Europeans should take a lesson from them and develop their own industries besides govt and tourism.
I get your frustration but I smell a little bit anger here directed at the wrong direction.
Sticking to the facts tells me that, for example in the case of Germany, they pay for the US troops, the US basises, the US has extraterritorial jurisdiction and they of coopted the german leaders or even groomed them over in the US and with the "Atlanticbrücke", German Marshal Fonds and other ways to just name the "young leader program" of the WEF.
So all german politic 'elite' is joint at the hip to the US and Canada and at least the rest of the '5 Eyes'.
No one is going to protect Europe, who on this earth still buys that BS?
Europe is planned to be the battleground against Russia, so the US & Canada can benefit and consolidate their bankrupt system at the expense of bombed european cities, killed civilians & soldiers.
No one gives a flying F as Europe burns again and that's why we dont want you here, or your weapons because you are making us a target - less than the US but your Trudeau is the posterboy of the western corporate fachism and hiding behind the USA.
Projecting? "Sticking to the facts"? LOL! The US and Canada benefit? How-- and what the hell is Germany doing poking the Bear?
The anger is yours not mine. quote "No one gives a flying F as Europe burns again and that's why we dont want you here, or your weapons because you are making us a target - less than the US but your Trudeau is the posterboy of the western corporate fachism and hiding behind the USA."
Uh huh🙄 -- what Merkel did by screwing Putin with Minsk 1 And 2 is that the US or Canada's fault? Take a look at yourGreens or Scholz -inept ridiculous leaders. Take some responsibility. Now I understand why Trump wants to stop the bankrolling. Time for Germany to grow up.
(West)Germany is a colony of the US since 1945 and since 1990 the whole of Germany. Nothing but really nothing happens in Germany before it is approved by the USA and if someone ever even only tried in the past, like Schröder or Merkel, they got an 'invitation' to Washington DC and after that things were straighten out again with them.
Are you aware of the 'Kanzlerakte'?
Every chancellor of Germany has to fly to the USA after election and sign this document - there is non whatsoever souveranity of the BRD.
All our leaders come from the (Atlantikbrücke, German Marshal Fonds and the young leader program of the WEF).
There is not one without ties to the USA, be it study in the USA or through the countless USA-Germany thinktanks or other 'brotherhoods').
That's true for France, and the UK as well, we are the lapdogs of the Empire, so nothing with - Take up some responsibility - as you said. That would need a revolution, a bloody one.
It looks like we’ve arrived @ the ‘No Rules’ stage of defending democracy—Joe mulls preemptive pardons for Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney, Dr. Fauci & General Miller before leaving office. These preemptive pardons will protect people who have yet to be *accused* of anything.
“For my friends, everything. For my enemies, the law”—General Oscar Benavides, Peru
CS Great to quote Benavides takes great understanding, a largely forgotten hero of the SA right, from one of Lima's latifunda families, they said of themselves that their family and their estates were so great they never had the chance to meet an outsider
How much gunfire at local outdoor shooting ranges can you hear on weekends? It is AFTER deer season but the volume is increasing here. And none of my neighbors will talk about it with me when I bring it up, I wasn't born here.
From the link, had you bothered to read it: "for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974."
So you're now a legal expert and know federal pardon jurisprudence better than the Solicitor General? And you're also the Supreme Court, except you're not burdened by the whole "cases and controversies" rule?
I recall the hypocritical statement made by Biden, "No one is above the law," which is ironic considering he should be imprisoned for corruption with his son.
The pardon was really for Joe so he couldn't be implicated if his son was brought up on charges. Especially over all that murky dealing with Ukraine and China. 10% for the big guy essentially never happened now.
Yes, agree with everything. But let's not leave out the Western elites' splendid COVID planscamdemic--world genocide, with their own populations taking the brunt of the hit. KILLING THEIR OWN PEOPLE WILLY-NILLY to cut down on social service spending, health care for the chronically ill, and old-age pensions. And they expect the populations they are savaging and driving into penury to buy their shit and keep their stock market quotations up--WTF!!!!!!
COVID was not 'western' it was fully global, no exceptions. The 5 national leaders who tried to opt out all met sad fates, most obviously in Tanzania and Haiti. The safe and effective juice was mass produced in China, shipped out in drums, repackaged into vials without any analysis (revealed by Pfizer QC whistleblower Melissa McAttee). The BRICS nations were every bit as involved as the west.
There is a very likely chance that the first strain in China during Dec-2019 was far more virulent than the one that went global, and was a major cause of the draconian China lockdown; Chinese official stats had a fatality rate of 7% for the first two weeks of Jan 2020; the strain known as COVID 19 was sequenced after that, previous genomic uploads were removed and deleted.
No world genocide LOL, I know Covid shocked people into a new reality but alas, 80 000 000 additional souls last year on top of the 8000 000 000 already there.
Do the calculations to put your emotions to rest. In reality, if you wanted to make a dent, and you killed a million a day (which is a lot, I promise the news will reach you) it would take 3 months to kill one year's worth of extra critters.
It would take 21 years@1million/day to rid the earth of humans.
So, rest assured, your fear is just fear, exactly the way they like you to be. Fearful. That's why Covid worked so well, FEAR.
I'd be more scared of mycotoxins in my food, fungus/mould is everywhere...and it can be put in your food, which you need to eat, unlike a vaccine.
The whole COVID thing was orchestrated by, or at least taken full advantage of by the global banks.
Leading up to 2019 the financial system was in total shambles. They were essentially stuck in a global liquidity trap that started in 1999, and had already caused a massive problem in 2008 when they tried unsuccessfully to lever themselves out of it.
By 2019 we had infinite QE, NIRP, ZIRP. No way out.
In 2020 the global economy was essentially paused and then reset. In 2021, 20 trillion dollars worth of debt was monetised leading to a global inflation event that allowed the cessation and complete reversal of QE, and a leap in global interest rates from 0 to 5% in a just few months. This is amazing considering that QE is essentially paying the banks to keep them from raising interest rates!
This was called "COVID Stimulus".
1/5th, or 20% of Global GDP worth of money was just magicked into the global money supply.
If my theory is correct then as soon as we end up in the same position, by perhaps 2030, but it depends on when they start cutting interest rates, then another pandemic will be rolled out to repeat the same solution.
President Yoon, SK’s hugely unpopular president, whose poll ratings before his declaration of martial law on 4 Dec hovered between 15-17%, stands @ the center of political chaos, pressured even to send Taurus missiles & other weapons to Ukraine.
During Joe’s time in the White House, Yoon has subordinated SK’s national interests to neocons in the White House, a bond which includes forging a security alliance w/ Japan, aimed @ thwarting China. Japan’s occupation of SK from 1910-1945 was horrendously brutal, a period for which Japan never accepted responsibility, so strengthening ties between Seoul & Tokyo is non-neutral to say the least & controversial to say the most.
Yoon’s tenure as president has had a peculiar Ukraine tie-in. By law, SK cannot send weapons to conflict zones. Although they did pony-up 155mm shells, they did so on the down-low through a roundabout arrangement: shipping the shells to Sweden, in order to circumvent the constitutional legalities, who then transferred the shells Ukraine—a clever way to turn the weapons spigot on & keep it flowing toward Ukraine. Yermak visited Seoul in mid-November, a couple weeks before Yoon declared martial law. Soon after Yermak’s visit, Yoon began loudly condemning the presence of NK troops in Ukraine, agitating outrage among a growing rabble-rousing crowd of hegemon-adjacent allies determined to escalate matters in Ukraine.
Since the entirety of SK society staunchly opposed the transfer of arms to a war zone, Yoon was left w/ no other recourse, in order to hustle the weapons to Ukraine, but to declare martial law in an effort to deligitamize the parliament and dissolve the constitution. It was 2.m. in Seoul when Yoon declared martial law: the hour of 'late-night whisperers.'
Parts of the SK military were quite keen on backing Yoon & shipping weapons to Ukraine. SK’s troops, a force consisting of 500,000 combat-ready fighters and an additional reserve force of 3.1mn, are under the command of the U.S. Pentagon.
Note: just as ordinary Americans were not aware of the degree to which Israel interests dictated U.S. policy, both foreign & domestic, until the dramatic aftermath of 7 October & all its ramifications, ordinary Americans do not Connect The Dots of U.S. military bases in SK and the extent to which the country itself is neither independent of U.S. interests nor autonomous. The labels—north, south—don’t hold a lot of currency among Koreans on the peninsula, regardless of their latitude: they see Korea as one. The one who profits from keeping them divided, however, the one who commands armed forces in the area beneath the 36th Parallel, cares about the labels.
K-Pop Korea, under occupation by a foreign military since 1952, is little more than a colony of the hegemon.
The U.S. engaged in such indiscriminate bombing during the 'Korean War' that there was no care in distinguishing *north* Korean casualties from *south* Korean casualties.
A population suffering wanton disregard to this extent does not soon recover, if ever.
Koreans below the 36th Parallel have lived dysfunctionally under subjugation since then.
It is not difficult to comprehend a 'failure to thrive' among the populace.
In 2007, I ran for mayor of SF killafornia against Gruesome Gavin Gruesome Newsom, child killer .
He won, I lost my Grasshopper taxi business forevermore, ScKamala Harris put me in jail, solitary isolation.
demoRats.
Why do they pretend to have any democracy is so folks can root for the sports team colours they are told to root for, blue and yellow golden state ScKamala ukrainians have posted new flags less faded
If I ever needed confirmation that Biden just might be the AntiChrist, now I've got it ("diversity-friendly rebranded ISI/Aq sponsored by NATO member Turkey)
Meat-Waves of DPRK women have turned the tide in Kursk for Putin—!!
The WSJ on 5 December announced Yermak’s visit to D.C. for a sit-down w/ Keith Kellogg, Mike Waltz & JD Vance and summed things up like this: “With the help of roughly 10,000 North Korean soldiers, Russian troops have retaken roughly half of the territory that Ukraine seized in Russia’s Kursk region. But Moscow hasn’t achieved a breakthrough in Ukraine’s east which is occupied by Kiev’s military…. “ Prior to this meeting, Kellogg sat for an interview in which he said that Russia is expanding the war in Ukraine by involving North Korean troops in the combat zone. He mentioned, too, Iran’s supplying of drones and China’s shipping of dual-use equipment.
It is obvious that North Korean troops are not fighting in the combat zone and are in fact nowhere near Ukraine—but acting as if they *are* is rhetorically useful in the run-up to more formal negotiations w/ Russia. Kellogg would not parrot a West-obeisant Talking Point, which is a lie, if it were not rhetorically useful for his purposes. Score bonus points, too, if VVP is using *female* soldiers from North Korea as cannon fodder. Judging from the many state-captured media outlets that have boosted this trope, the West must broadly believe that ‘proving’ North Korean troops are in Ukraine gains them a measure of leverage when negotiations commence. Note that the West does not have to ‘prove’ that the troops are there—merely asserting it is proof enough.
No deal, the West says, unless it is on *our* terms. *Our* terms include making concessions based on bluster & our crazy-ass imaginings.
At some critical point doesn’t Kellogg, et al, whoever they may be—JD? Waltz? others?—have to state, “Listen, there’s no evidence of North Korean troops in Ukraine, so we cannot base negotiations on such claims.” If the negotiations were to proceed from sober & verifiable realities, it is not as if sacred cows would be gored. It is not as if Yellow Brick Road contrivances, dreamed up by the CIA-infested media, accord the West a chit or an advantage.
When you win a big war in the real world, you hand the defeated adversary a document & say, “Sign there,” after which “And give me back my pen,” is assumed.
BTW: Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov sat for an interview w/ CNN on 4 December: his interlocutor did not spout bogus tropes, like about DPRK troops, though he did go ‘Sudetenland’ toward the end of the interview: invoking Sudetenland was an attempt to corner Ryabkov into a gotcha question. Everybody in the West knows there’s only freedom or there’s Sudetenland. Ryabkov, nimble, disallowed the gotcha. Hey, CNN: No Flying Monkeys are coming to save you.
- to be consistent with the America is Superior & still makes the Rules majority
But if he then seriously tries to make a deal, he will have raised expectations of many US constituencies, making it that much more difficult he/Trump can sell as (at least) not capitulation. At the same time, spouting timetables for future NATO entry, and ignoring Russian interests will likely aggravate the Russians, even more, stiffening their resolve and willingness to fight on until the 18 year olds being dragooned and sent to the front will be from NATO countries, not Ukraine's.
"BTW: Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov sat for an interview w/ CNN on 4 December"
I saw that interview. At the close of the same, the Russian was asked "if it (SMO) was worth it?" This stupid question after Ryabkov explained during the interview that the Ukraine business was "existential" for the Russians. You know..."borders" etc have consequences. Yeah...the U$ proxy war was "necessary" only if the Russians wanted to continue to have a country.
Another name for the shadowy globalist cabal is Finance Capitalism and US/global business interests. That's the structure that frames it all, the sea in which the predatory fish swim. The bankers, the financiers, the Blackrocks, and the enormous institutional investors are the sharks in that sea--and so are the Republicans, the Democrats, the Trumps and the Bidens. When the dominance of private capital is seriously threatened (read Russia and the remaining Communist/socialist block led by China)the mask comes off and faux democracy is replaced by fascism and private capital is protected. That's how the game is played. And incidentally, RIP Syria. A serious blow to the geopolitical interests of a decent multi-polar world. The correlation of forces (Factors: the devastation of Lebanon, the weakening of Hezbollah, Russia tied up in Ukraine, and Iran coming late to the party. No Assad victory is possible without Russian air power, no matter what IRGC and Hez could contribute) has delivered an important victory to Israel and The Empire. And for those interested in justice, Palestinian babies will be served for breakfast to celebrate. Not a happy day.
I agree and would add the assassinations of Solemani, Nasrallah and Hezbollah leadership had a significant impact on the Axis--for all the Axis' admirable dedication, depth, organization and resolve. Had Solemani, Raisi and Nasrallah lived on I think it would have been a whole other ball game. But of course, we'll never know. There have been fundamental economic forces at work for quite a while tearing down Syria which needed to be addressed in order to preserve Assad's state. He was strangled. This is one case where sanctions worked.
But one cannot deny one other factor. If you compare the force-mobilized geriatric cases in Ukraine, fighting tooth and nail for every square meter against the world's best (and in a bad cause, too), to the Scaredy Ass Army in Syria, the contrast couldn't be more stark. It is hard to believe we are looking at the same species.
First, for the first time.
Well done! Once, I was second...so close...
Thank you Oregonian, but sadly for me even just being the first to comment here is now a high point in my bland and boring life… Goes to show much, eh.
Congrats, you are gay!
As the Russians advance and assert their clear warning,
The people of Ukraine prepare for the mourning!
Putin made it clear how to avoid this calamity:
No NATO, no Nazis, & Ukraine neutrality!
Would that be so bad when compared with today?
With their country demolished and a trillion to repay?
Recall the true purpose to keep NATO around:
"Keep the Russians out, the US in, the Germans down!"
"'Cui bono?", Smedley would suggest that you ask.
Only fools cannot see what's behind NATOs mask!
They have succeeded in keeping Russia outta Europe
LOL LOL LOL-- whatever that means
America in, Germany down, and Russia out. >_<
The Americans want out, the Germans can’t get down any further and the Russians don’t want in
Ah the UK imperialist slogan. Not all imperialists are American. The British have been at it far longer than
Why don’t they start with England instead? 🤣
TBH I'd heard it was an American-originated saying. But maybe you're right.
The first European genocidal 'empire' was Rome, and it destroyed the continent. Leaving little echoes of it in its wake, like psychopath parents will leave behind badly damaged kids who copy the same behaviours that they were taught.
Britain is still ruled by the descendants, Class, and in many cases genetic, of the Norman invaders who too were tainted by the Roman Disease, and savagely invaded and brutalised the fremen of Britain in 1066, slaughtering over 60% of the entire population, who refused to give up easily on their rights, freedoms, and land-ownership.
The Aenglish were the first victims of the new British Empire. Then the Welsh, Scottish, Irish, before exploding on the World scene and eventually butchering potentially close to 200,000,000 souls during the global reign of terror - puts Stalin, and even Hitler, somewhat in the shade.
But the Americans are catching up fast, and their diligence should not be overlooked.
It won't matter. America has NO industry and a trashy, ghettoized population. America is finished as a power. Just a matter of time.
We have an air hockey table!
Artifice. How long can Ape-Ax bleed the American Monkey?
And the cult of global warming ensures that any attempts to move away from the financialised, debt-centred, services economy back to a productive one based on manufacturing, and hard work, is almost impossible now.
A socialist, green utopia, based on infinite debt, only works when supported by productive and resource rich nations that have been given free passes with regards to "green targets", and of course, completely subjugated.
The plan is there for everyone to read if anyone bothers to read it.
A big part of Russia is in Europe and vice versa. And if you look at the staggering speed of decay in the EU and NATO, well, lets see how long all this gets going. I stand by my view, that the West/NATO/EU are the Soviet Union 4.0, more and more corruption, economic decline, authoritarian policies, war, I would even argue the Soviet Union never was that bad of a political entity in comparison to the West right now.
I could never understand that statement: a big part of Russia is in Europe. A cliché that's never been fully challenged. Which part of this large part is in Europe? I would say a small part of Europe, is in Eurasia.
Russian European part is basically 1/2 of Europe by space and approximately 1/8 by people. So it is not that "Russia is part of Europe" it is "Europe does not exist without Russia". If one disconnects Russia form Europe, Europe definitely loses "continent" status and should become a subcontinent of Far West Asia with area about the same as Southeast Asia.
I’ll take that argument. It’s still possible in the west to ignore your government. Such was not possible in the USSR. Comply or die. But we’re getting there.
"Keeping Russia out of Europe" does not refer to geography, but to keeping the influence of Russia out, and influence of the US in. In this they have had spectacular success, they even managed to nullify all of Stalin's gains, that Russia paid for in blood.
There's no such thing as Europe, it's a politically created entity. A part of Asia and the whole concept is a scam.
Indeed the Russians got through communism in far better shape despite losing 27 million to Germany in WWII, than we in the west got through clown world capitalism, I wonder of many if us will die or lose family/children due to the evil vax's. I was once a free market capitalist, I don't get how any can still be that after covid...
it's what they pretend and what they like us to think. in fact we're seeing the final woes of the Iron Curtain coming down (started with the Berlin Wall, 1989).
A great success—now their future capitol will be Vladivostok instead!
Europe is a goddamn sewer. It's no longer worth being "involved with".
Europe?
A few ancient Europeans keeping the seats warm for the avenging hordes of the Colonies.
The problem with that is that you have European countries with no history of colonization swamping themselves, handicapping themselves, with many millions of unassimilable migrants from Africa and Asia.
Sweden and Italy do not deserve the same fate as Perfidious Albion and her centuries of foreign colonization and interference.
Per Tucker interview: Russia folded and cooperated with the US and Israel and "saved the universe." for Blackrock and Netanyahu.
Well done!
"Democracy doesn't work when the majority are too deluded to make the right decision!"
"Oh, you didn't give us the result we wanted? The voting will be redone until our puppet gets in."
Every single Western politician deserves to go the way of Brian Thompson.
Just like with Ireland, when they voted No the first time to join the EU-rinal, only to be forced to vote again as a No was unacceptable, they began another massive Yes campaign. Now Ireland/Dublin is unrecognizable.
The Irish are a particularly sad case.
How does a people that spent centuries fighting the English for independence literally turn around and passively hand their tiny nation over to massive numbers of resentful migrants?
What is wrong with these people?
I completely concur with your sentiment. I had the most wonderful time of my life living there in the nineties, where I resided for five years. As they say, I had the craic. I never felt so safe. Now it is like London where I am now, Sien Fein has betrayed the Irish people; it's a disgrace.
I'm confused?? Are you talking about Northern Ireland, it Ireland itself?
The Brian Thompson incident is going to greatly increase the demand for competent private security professionals among business executives.
They will be able to pay far more, with less risk, than politicians and militaries looking for mercenary contractors.
Silver lining from that cloud.
The Thompson Hit may be Opening Day of Oligarch Hunting Season!🥳🤣
While Thompson was clearly a very bad actor, I suspect there is more to the story. The shooter was not a pro, but was obviously provided info on where Thompson would be exiting the hotel that day. In NYC (a place with near-total gun-control) the shooter was able to obtain a silenced pistol (silencers are likewise illegal in NY). He required two shots to dispatch Thompson (a pro would have done it in one). His picture was taken at least twice by the panopticon (pros know how to avoid this) and yet he's so far eluded a massive police hunt.
Thompson was involved in some kind of insider trading deal and being investigated. Others implicated in the deal include Pelosi, one of the absolute worst corrupt creatures in the entire swamp. I would not be at all surprised of Thompson had decided to turn state evidence and the FBI - a gang of murderous criminals operating under the color of law - arranged for the whole operation. By now the shooter may well be at the bottom of the ocean, or perhaps stored next door to Jimmy Hoffa....
Exactly. That's why/how he was able to disappear so fast and easy, as soon as the job was done, he was very likely Hoffa'd by the State actors behind it all.
“…a pro would have done it in one” I might beg to differ on that minor detail. A double tap is a prudent bit of insurance while a
quick second shot is no inconvenience when the shooter is already locked and loaded with his finger on the trigger. Granted, I’m not even an aspiring amateur assassin so…
100% agree. Thompson was set up. The bullet casing inscriptions are a red herring.
Definitely a red herring, and a comically overindulgent one at that.
100% 🪦
We’re ALL MAD as HELL and wish them all god speed to hell
1. Western cynicism and hypocrisy have long been apparent.
What does Russia or China or anyone else propose to do about it?
2. At risk of repeating myself, ignore Erdogan's touching rhetoric. Watch what he does and the deal he has assuredly made with Israel (and subject to US sponsorship). Apparently Russian Intel had no clue. I can wish otherwise all I want, but wishing doesn't make it so.
3. Syria shows that "big arrow" offensives are not in fact dead. Spin it how you like.
Bravo beautifully spoken and well observed
Concerning Romania- are there any protests, or did the populace get slapped in the face and meekly accept this?
I looked and the only protests I saw were of "pro Europeans" calling for the cancelation of unwanted election results. This, of course, reflects the bias of the MSM, which is why I am asking here.
Serbian media report no protests. Then again, those media are populated by Globohomo so don't take what they report too seriously.
The huge US base located there means uncle sam has to protect its' assets. there are also lots of ☦️ in romania and globalhomo has not been successful in conversion. the isis guy waving the 🏳️🌈 flag will do the same, probably call it 'hate speech' when ☦️don't comply.
Update: they do. Report on small scale protests: https://www.b92.net/info/svet/84147/noruzani-krenuli-u-bukurest-protest-zbog-ponistenih-izbora/vest
> WENT ARMED TO PROTEST IN BUCHAREST FOR ANNULLED ELECTIONS
> Police in Romania aprehended several men that were going to Bucharest carrying weapons, machetees and knives, on suspicion they were intending to disrupt public peace and order, Romanian authorities reported today
I'm too lazy to translate the rest. Use Google translate. :) Basically, up to a thousand people all around Romania were protesting at what would be polling stations had the elections been held today.
I don't think normal, common people, who are not being funded or pushed or "inspired", leave their work or couch to go for protest. It's almost always the paid, organized protests.
Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
Frederick Douglass
True.
6 years ago we got PEACEFUL protests in multiple cities that featured same number of people in the streets that the ones that toppled the communist regime . The result was that one law was postponed and one guy was moved to nother cozy job . Protests are useful only when you get serious and that's a slippery slope . We better wait to vote again .
"We better wait to vote again ." What does that mean?
The Romanians harbor the illusion that they will reaffirm their choice in the next election, and everything will go their way, so there is no need to protest in the streets. That "election" will not be what they hope it will be.
There will be a new "right-wing" candidate who will be even more radical than Georgescu, and will split the votes away, so the establishment candidate will win. And guess where the "radical newcomer" will be coming from.
Frederick Douglass had more direct experience of chattel slavery than most here.
"Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress."
Frederick Douglass
Europeans like being slaves.
There is always some proportion of people who would rather be told what to do than decide from themselves.
Nah we don't, we're not Americans.
That means they're doing this by the book. You don't start a revolution the first thing. First you play a game of back-and-forth with the govenment. Maybe the government relents. After all, if they elect this "wrong candidate" (forgot his name) the second time, **only then** does the game start.
Sounds like cope. Certainly not the recipe for the various (successful) US sponsored color revolutions.
Those revolutions require US support. :) Starting a revolution without external support (in fact, with the regime enjoying external support) is a whole another ballgame.
But hey, you'll soon enough get a chance to try your ideas in practice, *probably*. Maybe then you'll decide to take it slow and play by the book. https://barsoom.substack.com/p/what-happens-when-the-regime-steals
In other words nothing. Romanians lost their democracy and meekly accepted this.
Too early for that. First they need to rerun the elections. Only then will we able to draw some conclusions.
Lol, keep telling yourself that
Okay, analyse the following two scenarios for me:
1. The people vote again and again give about the same percentage of votes to the candidates.
2. The people vote again and this right-wing guy receives less than 10% of the vote.
Can you really draw the same conclusions in both scenarios? ;) And do you have enough information today to predict which one of these two scenarios will happen, with over 99% accuracy?
Remember how the "revote" went in Ukraine in 2005? The voters got the message.
The political landscape will change---not by accident---before the second election is allowed. Most likely a new candidate will suddenly appear on the scene that will steal Georgescu's program and half his votes, and this candidate will be given a LOT of media attention, negative attention of course, but he will be on everyone's lips, and half of Georgescu's voters will vote for him instead, and either that will make the establishment candidate win, or the new black horse will win, and will immediately betray everything he was pretending to have stood for. Oldest trick in the book, the Romans used it. It still works, remember Zemmour?
"3. Syria shows that "big arrow" offensives are not in fact dead. Spin it how you like."
When one force is willing to do battle, and the other is not, the outcome is inevitable.
I wouldn't call what HTS did an offensive, more like an unopposed military parade. What was revealed was that no one was willing to fight for the Assad government.
Which in turn raises the question of what happened since the last big spasm of combat in Syria.
Putin killed off Wagner, the only real force willing to fight.
Possibly, but I don't expect that the last chapter has been written yet...
Sanctions crushed the economy, years of war has tired the people out, specially soldiers. Their pay is meagre, they're always being attacked from all sides. Allied forces are busy elsewhere. And the West has plenty of money to bribe commanders, clan leaders etc to make them defect. Plus there's enough corruption, which increases with poverty.
All of which could have been avoided if Russia, Iran and Syria had struck these forces whilst the iron was hot rather than backing off and letting their strength whither from continual opposition from these forces.
Syria wasn't strong enough to go against Tutkey on its own. And neither Russia, nor Iran wanted a war with Turkey, they still don't. Turkey has a very strategic location. It controls Black Sea entrance and it borders Iran. It's geo-politocs 101. They had to make a deal with Turkey despite knowing it'll renege...because it can and still the other party will have to deal with it. Russia, Iran are still saying they'll work with Turkey and other gulf states to resolve this crisis. Turkey has lots of important cards and it knows how to play them.
As a result of Russia's hesitance to confront Turkiye, they will likely lose their Mediterranean port, the ISIS monster will take over Syria, Hezbollah will be cut off and the Israelis will be strengthened. Russia has far more influence over Turkiye than Turkiye has over Russia - and Turkiye knows it. Erdogan must surely be inwardly smiling at this.
Ukraine wasn't strong enough to go against Russia on its own. But it did, and while it is losing, it took three years of fighting, not three days of shitting pants and running.
@ Victor indeed, Idlib should have been cleared out, as well as the uninvited US contingent.
I think you might have it there, with the bribery. It was the same in Iraq - loads of generals got sweet Swiss bank accounts filled with cash. Strangely enough, they didn't fight to save the regime when Uncle Sam turned up.
Bribery on that scale cannot go undetected by counterintelligence, no matter how incompetent.
A devastated economy, widespread corruption, years of war, poor pay and incompetent officers. . . no, I am not describing Syria. It's Ukraine. And yet, these street-caught, untrained, poorly equipped middle-aged Hohol civilians fight and die like lions, so that the most professional army in the world must struggle for every meter of advance, and every rural settlement taken is hailed as a victory.
While the professional standing army of Syria runs so fast from a terrorist rabble, they drop not just their Russian and Iranian armaments, but literally their shoes. And the pursuing terrorist rabble can barely keep up. Fuck Syria.
Ukraine still has access to all the resources it needs and a pipeline through which money, weapons, intelligence, everything flows. Syria wasn't preparing for war and its allies weren't preparing it either. Ukrainians are starting to give up in 3 years, Syrians were totally spent in 13 years.
It seems the decision was already made to give up, either by Assad or his allies.
The resources and money don't matter squat to the grunt with a Kalashnikov who is holding out in the trenches. The Ukies are brave against a pro army, the Syrians are pant-shitters against bandit rabble, that's the bottom line.
Ukraine wasn't quite the incompetent you describe, they had been fighting a war for 8 years with NATO training and I'd bet, CIA/MI6 serepticious arms, there are videos of the Canadian military training the Azov Nazis.
Sanctions didn't crush Yemen... there's more to it than that
Assad's Tiger forces had become quite proficient and battle-hardened, being sent to all hot spots and prevailing. What happened to them? Where did they go? We hear nothing of them. Did they just melt away with low wages and shrinking morale issues?
Russia and Iran were called in to help Assad defend against the hoards. Well, what kind of help is it when all defeated terrorists are allowed to move to Idlib and fester there like some kind of cancer fed by the multi-tongued neo-Ottoman snake to the North?
And the US - why didn't Iran and Russia assist Assad in removing the relatively small US presence in eastern Syria, where they took over the oil fields critical to Syria's economic health and allowing for proper wages for the Syrian military? Shouldn't they have at least offered serious challenge to them?
And what about the Syrian agricultural areas where the US and its Kurdish allies took over - critical to the food supply of the Syrian people?
And why didn't Russia and Iran provide Assad with an effective air defence system that would have challenged the Israeli war planes. Did they really think that it would work to Assad's favour to prevent israel from continually destroying Syrian and Iranian capabilities in the country? Did they really believe that anything good would come of such restraint? Surely Russia and Iran left the Syrian people critically hobbled by not striking when the iron was hot, and allowing these cancers to grow and spread over the last few years.
Where did Russia and Iran think all this was leading? Did they really think that a prolonged ceasefire would eventually work in their favour as the country was starved of its food and economic resources and their military withered? As with the Minsk Agreements, so with the Astana agreement. You can't trust snakes and scorpions - they will act according to their nature, whatever the say and agree to do. FFS - even a nobody like me knows this.
Where was Russia and Iran when Syria needed them? Now, Russia will likely lose its only Mediterranean port, and Iran will lose its ability to supply Hezbollah. And Hezbollah will be severely weakened to the point that Israel will be able to effectively take over Lebanon, continue to rape Gaza and kill off its people unmolested. And the Syrian people will fall into the hands of ISIS monsters. Does this sound like 3D chess on the part of Russia and Iran to anyone? It damn sure doesn't to me!
Someone might say that Russia and Iran acted to prevent a wider war. Really? Is that what happened? Does anyone today think that a wider war is being avoided by allowing Israel, Turkiye and the US to take over the ME without a fight?
Sometimes war just can't be prevented, and that is when you need to strike first and strike hard. Instead, the ME is now falling into the hands of monsters as resistance melts away and quietly slink away licking their wounds. As you can tell, I am truly disappointed in Russia and Iran. I had hoped for so much more. I am convinced that if Israel and America had been shown real resistance, it would be they who would be slinking away quietly into a dark corner to avoid all out war, not the good people of West Asia.
It is quite difficult to unravel the diplomatic activity of the last 10 years regarding Syria, since we don't know what deals were/are struck. The most striking part of this is that Israel can fly into other countries and bomb whatever they feel like without repercussions.
What baffles me is that diplomacy is still the preferred tool, which clearly doesn't work with rogue nations like the US and Israel who have only contempt for international law and agreements. Ukraine is a very clear example of this.
It is very frustrating to watch the Greater Israel Project rear its ugly head again - this time completely out in the open, masks off.
One can only hope that the gloves come off. Poor Syrians who just want to do their daily thing and make a living and look after their kids.
The gloves have come off - unfortunately, it is the gloves of the US, Israel and Turkiye. They no longer see a need to hide behind the facade of 'protecting democracy'. This will inevitable lead to war.
I agree. I'm hoping Iran would change their attitude, not that it would help in the immediate future. Geographically both Iran and Russia are very far away from Syria.
ISIS version 2, what a pity.
Don’t forget China. China could have launched the reconstruction & stabilization of Syrias economy using only a tiny fraction of their cash reserve but also stood for years doing basically nothing.
I have been saying something like this for a long time now, and been called all sorts of names for my troubles.
I feel like Cassandra.
You are beautiful
Ay caramba, U again !
Perhaps you can haplessly claim to be his inspiration. I don't recall his level and accuracy being foreshadowed by your mini-rants. Cassandra? Closer to chicken-little.
...his eloquence & level of accuracy...
Well said. Simplicius may well just dismiss you as a doomer for your honest and realistic appraisal of the collapse of the Assad regime.
When the head ch jihadis had been pushed back to idlib province the Russians, Iranians and their allies should have pushed onto to destroy the jihadi cancer. Instead in the face of western criticism they backed off and allowed the cancer to fester and stage a come back. How stupid.
I get criticised for pointing the many mistakes of the kremlin and the Iranian regime who are constantly reactive to the actions of the West instead of trying to initiate action which would allow them to shape the geopolitical and military landscape.
Keep on being passive and defensively responded ING to the actions of the imperialist West is a recipe for disaster. History reveals this to be the case time and again.
The same applies to China which has done nothing to help Syria and stands by and does nothing while Iran has been attacked on multiple fronts.
You have to give the US credit that it will take action to protect its critical allies.
This 100%. Many people have been waiting for Russia to rescue the global south from Western hegemony since 2022, but now it seems Russia lacks the courage to succeed and we may as well give up resistance and bend the knee to the West. Russia is too corrupt to lead the global south, and its oligarchs are unwilling to sacrifice their lifestyle for the sake of destitute people in Africa, ME, etc.
The only way Russia could have led a successful revolution against the Western world order was by annihilating Ukrainian traitors by the millions, dropping nuclear weapons on Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk etc. to show seriousness. However, the leadership of Russia is too influenced by Western propaganda and threats, to do what needs to be done. They don't even have the courage to hit back at 900 US soldiers in Syria, who killed hundreds of Wagner men in 2018.
The only countries benefitting from Russian restraint are economic parasites like China and India, who are happy to freeload cheap Russian resources while continuing to tie their economies with the West. The Russia strategy since 2022 is going nowhere but backwards, and it is only a matter of time before the West re-establishes the global dominance it held from 1815-1914 and 1990-2008.
I am tired of failing Russian leadership. Russian propaganda promises us a multipolar future but the reality looks very different. I see a hyper-aggressive West effectively re-asserting itself while Russia is slowly weakened and the vaunted Chinese "giant" is completely MIA. If Russia won't do what is necessary to liberate the global south from Western hegemony, better that we global south citizens grovel in fealty to our once and future Western overlords while we can still get a decent deal.
I've never had any hopes that China or Russia would do anything to help the global South free itself from the domination of Western imperialism. As in the post WWII period only the people themselves can free their countries. China and the kremlin don't give a damn about the impoverished masses of the global South they are merely pawns on the global chessboard to further their interests.
The Russian and Chinese leaders are just not upto the task of confronting the threat posed to the world by American imperialism.
They will back down time and again because all they want is peaceful coexistence which is never going to happen but they are too blinded by their class interests to see this.
Exactly. Its class struggle while we talk some multi-polar fairytales.
Completely true. The problem is that the West can never offer anything to the global South but to the tiny elites in each country who make sure that their interests are protected. They can't even take care of their golden billion anymore. All wealth is going straight to the top. If you are not born as a Jew, then poor luck. Better luck next time. P.S. I agree about Russia and I am afraid that they play their role exactly as the West planned, they don’t care if all Ukrainians die. But they do care if the Russian army is overstretched and exhausted.
What happened was Syria ran out of money, the army was demobilized, and no one else could foot the bill. The only lesson? Mobilize and crush the enemy. Embrace war, and see it through until the end. Accept no diplomacy, cease fire, or freeze of the conflict.
No1 (China ?) else WOULD foot the bill.
Perhaps suitcases of US dollars were deployed to encourage Syrian officers to stand down their troops?
Besides assuming facts not in evidence, why does the SAA not hire officers not amenable to bribes? And what happened since the last outbreak of major fighting to make Syrian officers suddenly bribable?
You cannot offer bribes on this scale and not have intelligence be aware of it. All it takes is for one officer to report the attempt to the right office.
The Syrian military was being paid $7 a week. The rebels paid them $400 to lay down their arms. Syria became so poor and the mundane corruption by individuals in the military became so bad since the end of the last round of fighting that there was nothing left to fight for. These payments were rearranged prior to this offensive. This is the story according Alastair Crooke and a few other sources.
The previous comments addressed this issue. "why does the SAA not hire officers not amenable to bribes? And what happened since the last outbreak of major fighting to make Syrian officers suddenly bribable?" "You cannot offer bribes on this scale and not have intelligence be aware of it. All it takes is for one officer to report the attempt to the right office."
This was all prearranged, including the interview with Tucker. Russia folded. BRICS is dead. Long live Netanyahu the Genocider.
There is nothing quite as boring as someone who says, no matter what happens, that it was all planned to go that way.
Was this comment "pre-arranged" too, as was my morning-shat ?
This young man provides an excellent explanation of the " Collapse of The Syrian Army," incorporating some valuable footage. It is certainly worth watching.
The Complete Collapse of The Syrian Army Explained
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kwFt6z3gaI
Perhaps some of his copium is valid. It still doesn't explain why the attack came as such a surprise, to Russians, of all people. Where was the KGB?
disclaimer: Yes, I know it's the FSB now. But KGB has that certain cachet, the je ne sais quoi ;-)
Watch again. More than a few anticipated this.
I tend to think Syria was carved up Picot-Sykes style. The army was told to flee, there is more to the picture here. Everybody won, except the SAA, and they got to stay alive, so maybe everybody did win. Wins-win-win-win-wins are not by chance, there was some design to the whole thing.
Yes the Ottomans, er HTS seem to have bought back maneuver warfare. In fairness they have been on the cutting edge of the new Drone/EW environment.
Then go and do likewise.
Hopefully we will learn.
EW seems to be key to drone operations.
I promise HTS has no EW. The SAA has given up everything without a fight. There is no "proof of maneuver warfare" anywhere to be found, you're only proving that a war in which you don't actually have to fight very hard is easily won, which I don't think we didn't know.
I mean the Turks
Maneuver warfare didn't disappear for HTS to bring back. Cutting edge of... - whatever.
I mean the Turks
Worth reading a couples of times for Simplicius followers!
Yes, big arrow offensives are easy when your enemy doesn't fight back at all. Care to explain how anything has changed?
I mean again the Turks. And in Armenia the Armenians fought back, Azeris if you Nagorno Kabarak if you like, yet maneuver happened. This is contrast to Ukraine, and in context of those saying maneuver is dead. It was stalled into the West’s ultimate nightmare of WW1 the Western Front, it has mercifully become unstuck and free. A quick review of the Ukrainian situation from both sides may illuminate the matter, if one (you) isn’t blinded by emotion.
Your other points are valid, very clearly Assad had lost critical support within Syria as witnessed by his best troops withdrawn south with a known push by “HTS” coming, with Hizbollah ground troops gone, with Russia pre-occupied in Ukraine.
Of course there are other considerations and I don’t dismiss them, a balance not reciprocated by you.
Let’s “pray” for peace, or at least a sufficient pause to disengage.
Prayer being a wise transfer of the irrational to the invisible and all wise when one (you) can’t be rational.
Amen.
Add this:
4. The west will tell the rest of the world that “Russia and Iran can’t save you, so you’d better collaborate with us…or you’ll get the Syrian treatment!”
Found on internet, FWIW.
& only a cowardly fool would believe that simplistic threat.
Only when there is no resistance.
On point 3. The SAA isn't remotely as well equipped as the UA. Big Arrow assaults may be achievable against weak militaries, but not those that have fortified positions, fire support and first class ISR.
The Russian military is a lot better equipped than the HTS.
Re Syria - part of what it looks like is the SAA was bought out or coopted in some way. part is they were unprepared for infiltration. If you look at how RF contained the Kursk incursion - they had to and did counter the infiltration element - which apparently advances together with the wave of refugees that coincides with each day's step in this pattern. This meant deployed a lot of manpower in the apparent rear and thoroughly searching for infiltrators (under guise of evacuating citizens). UA learned to do the same by the way.
Definitely Turkey and Israel cooperating here, and they'll try to split the land. It's a painful blow. It was already evident that Trump admin will help Israel fully annex West Bank, and destruction of Lebanon and extermination of Gaza is now likely to proceed unchecked, which is pretty awful.
What's Russia doing about it, is currently fighting a tremendously violent war, comparable to Iran-Iraq. What's China doing about it? They're enjoying the benefits, while the clock runs down on the remaining US tech advantage. Though IMO China is more than ready in terms of strength to take action. Pakistan should probably be their first priority, if it comes to the Muslim world. It's quite ripe to kick out American compradors, if the organization can be achieved.
Iran, if they have any sense, will develop nuclear weapons ASAP as a result of this event.
Ok, so why does the SAA appoint so many bribable commanders? What happened since the last flareupnin fighting?
Frankly "they were bribed!" sounds like cope.
Great question, I'm sure a lot of people would like to know the answer. Perhaps the explanation is that Bashar Assad did not have the personality of his father. Perhaps it's just a kind of pragmatism (eg also seen in Afghanistan) that seems more out of place to us from a Western perspective.
Bashar Assad was tough as nails for a decade. I doubt he is at fault. But yes, there is something to the cultural "pragmatism" that you describe. But it's still a stinky, contemptible attitude, however you dress it up in oriental exoticity.
Also, if this was a local cultural thing, how come the Palestinians, or the Lebanese, or the Kurds have the balls that the Syrians so conspicuously lack?
Well it's unclear whether they were offered the same. I suspect attempts were made, so I think there must be versions of "leadership and culture" that are good and ones that are so-so. Kurds also sold out hard btw, and they were in no position to do anything else. Yemen didn't, Iran didn't, so I get what you're saying.
Russian army here and there also had moments when commanders inexplicably dropped the ball (timed together with jamming of comms and infiltration, that's the recipe for Kupyansk, Kursk, etc). They had the overall organizational ability to recover quickly tho - especially now with practice. This is what I'm reading between the lines from some some of the Iran side's take of whom to blame (all with a grain of salt so far - social media is full of provocateurs). But basically, they saw it all coming, but the SAA as an organization (ie social organism, more than just a leader and an org chart) was not up to the required actions to stop this hybrid attack pattern that was already established.
I do not subscribe to the version some say, that "Arab armies can't fight". It's more place-and-time specific than that. But there are definitely some orgs that stick together under even very hard pressure, and some that don't
I am far from saying that Arab armies can't fight. I am full of admiration for the grit of Hamas or the Houthis. It's the Shitty Arse Army in particular that I find contemptible. Hama and Homs were very defensible, even against overwhelming numbers.
“Upon what meat doth this our Caesar feed that he has grown so great?”
https://x.com/ZelenskyyUa/status/1865451236482310227
If Zelya keeps going to church, he will become the new pope.
2024 Diplomacy Russian Style
To match the intelligent TC interview Of Sergie Lavrov
« I was once at a garden party in Amioun, my tiny ancestral village. A fellow was speaking the Levantine "dialect" with a slight but strange accent. I figured out the next day that he was the Russian Ambassador »
NN Taleb
https://nitter.poast.org/nntaleb
pathetic, we are turning into what we (west) always claim to be better of. and I feel sorry for EU, truly becoming 'prison of nations'.
Don't feel sorry for the EU-- they knew exactly what they were getting into. Can't afford all those wonderful social programs unless big Papa US funds it wilth low interest eurodollars. Also remember the 1948 Marshall plan no tariff schedule re: Europe to the US which has incredibly benefitted Europe (done to help them build up manufacturing after the war amongst other things). BUT Europe tariffs US goods in return- WTF. These long time benefits will be severely restricted by Trump. Powell has already been squeezing Christine La Guarde with non-zero interest rates. And European debt-- not just French but UK and Spain, etc etc. is on the precipice. It's going to make the Greek default look like childs play. The free ride from the US both militarily and economically is done. About frigging time.
what I fear is that
- you have a continent (half a billion people) that would go through drop in standards of living.
- such drop would be fairly quick, drastic in scope, and feel very sudden (not even a single generation, may be less than a decade)
- this would be VERY disorienting , confusing, and then frustrating for people in the EU
what would you do with all these people who would be very angry and quick to blame everyone, anyone they could see ?? on russian side they fear that 'EU powers' would simply zombify them and send them to die as cannon fodder 'on the eastern front' (to save 'Ukrainian democracy' ,etc). Not to win anything but simply to clear 'extra people' , make them die against Russian wall to make breathing space. on EU side, how do you keep order and social stability as this starts to happen? What do you tell your population other than we f'ed up?? The gravy train is over, it will get (much) harder. your products are not competitive, your debts are very high, you are losing your identity (a quarter of 'english' population is not longer English now and instead is 'multi-cultural'??), you lost our faith and turn to satanic rainbow sects, etc.
As an American, I see this in our future as well if we do not learn the lesson of EU...
I thought so too, now I think the wealth is so big, it will last at least take 20-30 years till it evaporates. Lot of fat to burn off, so to speak.
Well for the US, I think you have more natural resources, more social mobility and also a lot of wealth. We will see, but the outlook is not a good one for the EU, but maybe I am wrong about that, we can just wait and see.
Both are getting binned regardless, and both have no social mobility and both are corrupt to the core. The General Public in the UK tried to leave and did only for their masters to viciously teach them a lesson and prevent the chosen course of action taken legally by the people through 'Democracy'.
What will happen next will be the event of a centaury or millennium.
100%
Add in the fact that the third world imports are dependent on government largess and hate their host nations and you've got a real party.
Define fairly quick. It will be negotiated. This noblesse oblige thing takes from your countryman , Americans-- thats ok? And then it's ok for European govts to demand non- European citizens to bow to their censorship regulations, their agricultural regulations? Remember this is self inflicted-- they happily cut off their inexpensive energy supply
Understand that Europe like my country Canada heavily regulates ALL aspects of life-- which is a huge cost -- govt expansion , loss of freedom. No surprise that our Truckers and Europes Farmers have been in protest for years. Wake up.
I don't see it in the US future-- Trump and his choices for cabinet etc. positions are very very very well aware of the costs, issues and of recent SCOTUS decisions that have limited the insane regulatory admin state that is growing to become the EU. The EU is light years ahead of where the US is, but yes if uncorrected the US would become the EU with most jobs being govt jobs. Not a good world.
Hope you're right.
The EU is an US-project to begin with and the Marshall plan wasn't out of generousity. It was to build up a scheme against communism.
There never was a time that the US has paid for anything without own interest. The opposite is true - the US has lurked on other nations since it came into existence, be it qualified people, stolen technology, foreign money and it still managed to get bankrupt and delusional - it just takes a few more people to realize that the emperor wears no cloth really.
Of course the Marshall plan was not long term out of generosity. Speak to an International Economist and they will tell you of the rich tariff protection that Europe has vis a vis the US and other countries, but given we are talking Marshall Plan -- The US.
So you are saying that the wonderful generous social programs, the development of the German car etc industries, are not good? Sounds a bit victimy to me. Also you forget another factor the military insurance -- NATO (we in Canada have it huge), MIC arrangements, protection to all of Europe and more Yes the MIC gets huge benefits and the Europeans up until now seemed ok with that (payoffs?, some side MIC industries?), No one forced them.
I love seeing African nations throw off the yoke of their imperial overloads in Europe, maybe Europeans should take a lesson from them and develop their own industries besides govt and tourism.
Thanks for your reply, Carol!
I get your frustration but I smell a little bit anger here directed at the wrong direction.
Sticking to the facts tells me that, for example in the case of Germany, they pay for the US troops, the US basises, the US has extraterritorial jurisdiction and they of coopted the german leaders or even groomed them over in the US and with the "Atlanticbrücke", German Marshal Fonds and other ways to just name the "young leader program" of the WEF.
So all german politic 'elite' is joint at the hip to the US and Canada and at least the rest of the '5 Eyes'.
No one is going to protect Europe, who on this earth still buys that BS?
Europe is planned to be the battleground against Russia, so the US & Canada can benefit and consolidate their bankrupt system at the expense of bombed european cities, killed civilians & soldiers.
No one gives a flying F as Europe burns again and that's why we dont want you here, or your weapons because you are making us a target - less than the US but your Trudeau is the posterboy of the western corporate fachism and hiding behind the USA.
Projecting? "Sticking to the facts"? LOL! The US and Canada benefit? How-- and what the hell is Germany doing poking the Bear?
The anger is yours not mine. quote "No one gives a flying F as Europe burns again and that's why we dont want you here, or your weapons because you are making us a target - less than the US but your Trudeau is the posterboy of the western corporate fachism and hiding behind the USA."
Uh huh🙄 -- what Merkel did by screwing Putin with Minsk 1 And 2 is that the US or Canada's fault? Take a look at yourGreens or Scholz -inept ridiculous leaders. Take some responsibility. Now I understand why Trump wants to stop the bankrolling. Time for Germany to grow up.
Dear Carol,
(West)Germany is a colony of the US since 1945 and since 1990 the whole of Germany. Nothing but really nothing happens in Germany before it is approved by the USA and if someone ever even only tried in the past, like Schröder or Merkel, they got an 'invitation' to Washington DC and after that things were straighten out again with them.
Are you aware of the 'Kanzlerakte'?
Every chancellor of Germany has to fly to the USA after election and sign this document - there is non whatsoever souveranity of the BRD.
All our leaders come from the (Atlantikbrücke, German Marshal Fonds and the young leader program of the WEF).
There is not one without ties to the USA, be it study in the USA or through the countless USA-Germany thinktanks or other 'brotherhoods').
That's true for France, and the UK as well, we are the lapdogs of the Empire, so nothing with - Take up some responsibility - as you said. That would need a revolution, a bloody one.
It looks like we’ve arrived @ the ‘No Rules’ stage of defending democracy—Joe mulls preemptive pardons for Adam Schiff, Liz Cheney, Dr. Fauci & General Miller before leaving office. These preemptive pardons will protect people who have yet to be *accused* of anything.
“For my friends, everything. For my enemies, the law”—General Oscar Benavides, Peru
CS Great to quote Benavides takes great understanding, a largely forgotten hero of the SA right, from one of Lima's latifunda families, they said of themselves that their family and their estates were so great they never had the chance to meet an outsider
Yes, what does anyone propose to do about it?
United Health Care
Would exactly do you mean?
@Feral Finster
How much gunfire at local outdoor shooting ranges can you hear on weekends? It is AFTER deer season but the volume is increasing here. And none of my neighbors will talk about it with me when I bring it up, I wasn't born here.
The locals think Trump will fix everything..lol.
No, we don't; at least, not all of us.
I was referring to prevailing opinion in my locality.
Ah! Many here as well, although not all.
😂😂😂 better marry one of the locals quick!!
@the long warred
Um, I'm not in the market.
If I WERE, around here the odds might be good- but the goods on offer are definitely ODD.
Join the gun club.
This isn’t a secret sir,
The “gun club”
Nudge nudge wink wink
Wear MAGA shit
Never mind your beliefs
They’ll feel you out
You’re 2d amendment cold dead fingers etc
https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx14JvFim7i0TgElWY0ALlcAv9IwVEon4s?si=lzzEAmLBhbmHs4gf
@the long warred
I wouldn't join any movement that would have ME, their standards would be far too low.
ODD + “gun club” = good
Lead us from the front, wise 1 !
Preemptive pardons don't exist except in Joe's befuddled mind. You can't be pardoned from a crime you haven't been charged with or convicted of.
Logic would dictate that, but after watching internal US politics from afar, nothing can surprise me now.
Not true. Nixon was pardoned , although never formally charged with a.crime.
Pardon for what? That’s what a pardon IS...
Can be for anything, including unspecified crimes.
https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/proclamation-4311-granting-pardon-richard-nixon
What was he pardoned from?
From the link, had you bothered to read it: "for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in during the period from January 20, 1969 through August 9, 1974."
Go get a legal dictionary...see “pardon”. Whatever Nixon got was blatantly unlawful.
So you're now a legal expert and know federal pardon jurisprudence better than the Solicitor General? And you're also the Supreme Court, except you're not burdened by the whole "cases and controversies" rule?
I recall the hypocritical statement made by Biden, "No one is above the law," which is ironic considering he should be imprisoned for corruption with his son.
The pardon was really for Joe so he couldn't be implicated if his son was brought up on charges. Especially over all that murky dealing with Ukraine and China. 10% for the big guy essentially never happened now.
Good observation, Biden's malfeasance advisers covering every angle.
Yes, agree with everything. But let's not leave out the Western elites' splendid COVID planscamdemic--world genocide, with their own populations taking the brunt of the hit. KILLING THEIR OWN PEOPLE WILLY-NILLY to cut down on social service spending, health care for the chronically ill, and old-age pensions. And they expect the populations they are savaging and driving into penury to buy their shit and keep their stock market quotations up--WTF!!!!!!
COVID was not 'western' it was fully global, no exceptions. The 5 national leaders who tried to opt out all met sad fates, most obviously in Tanzania and Haiti. The safe and effective juice was mass produced in China, shipped out in drums, repackaged into vials without any analysis (revealed by Pfizer QC whistleblower Melissa McAttee). The BRICS nations were every bit as involved as the west.
Well said. People like to skip the fact that the Chinese lockdowns were some of the most draconian in the world.
There is a very likely chance that the first strain in China during Dec-2019 was far more virulent than the one that went global, and was a major cause of the draconian China lockdown; Chinese official stats had a fatality rate of 7% for the first two weeks of Jan 2020; the strain known as COVID 19 was sequenced after that, previous genomic uploads were removed and deleted.
Interesting. But some of the most draconian Chinese lockdowns occurred after the rest of the world had moved on, in 2022.
Your assumption is completely false and I can prove it by simply pointing at Belarus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COVID-19_pandemic_in_Belarus
BTW, it has been documented that the mRNA poison that was saved for the "western world" is developed and patented by the US military /DARPA. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4495566
Moderna history ?
Moderna is to DARPA what Crypto AG is to the CIA...
DRC is experience a strange new disease, the WHO is on it's way. 3 weeks ago CDC announced...it's making it's way to mainstream....
https://www.wired.com/story/drc-mysterious-respiratory-disease-children-who-africa/
Off topic, but seriously.
No world genocide LOL, I know Covid shocked people into a new reality but alas, 80 000 000 additional souls last year on top of the 8000 000 000 already there.
Do the calculations to put your emotions to rest. In reality, if you wanted to make a dent, and you killed a million a day (which is a lot, I promise the news will reach you) it would take 3 months to kill one year's worth of extra critters.
It would take 21 years@1million/day to rid the earth of humans.
So, rest assured, your fear is just fear, exactly the way they like you to be. Fearful. That's why Covid worked so well, FEAR.
I'd be more scared of mycotoxins in my food, fungus/mould is everywhere...and it can be put in your food, which you need to eat, unlike a vaccine.
Life goes on. Even the Malthusian death cult can’t stop it!
OR humans breed like a monkey-virus while the host environment and other species (except viruses) die-off.
The whole COVID thing was orchestrated by, or at least taken full advantage of by the global banks.
Leading up to 2019 the financial system was in total shambles. They were essentially stuck in a global liquidity trap that started in 1999, and had already caused a massive problem in 2008 when they tried unsuccessfully to lever themselves out of it.
By 2019 we had infinite QE, NIRP, ZIRP. No way out.
In 2020 the global economy was essentially paused and then reset. In 2021, 20 trillion dollars worth of debt was monetised leading to a global inflation event that allowed the cessation and complete reversal of QE, and a leap in global interest rates from 0 to 5% in a just few months. This is amazing considering that QE is essentially paying the banks to keep them from raising interest rates!
This was called "COVID Stimulus".
1/5th, or 20% of Global GDP worth of money was just magicked into the global money supply.
If my theory is correct then as soon as we end up in the same position, by perhaps 2030, but it depends on when they start cutting interest rates, then another pandemic will be rolled out to repeat the same solution.
President Yoon, SK’s hugely unpopular president, whose poll ratings before his declaration of martial law on 4 Dec hovered between 15-17%, stands @ the center of political chaos, pressured even to send Taurus missiles & other weapons to Ukraine.
During Joe’s time in the White House, Yoon has subordinated SK’s national interests to neocons in the White House, a bond which includes forging a security alliance w/ Japan, aimed @ thwarting China. Japan’s occupation of SK from 1910-1945 was horrendously brutal, a period for which Japan never accepted responsibility, so strengthening ties between Seoul & Tokyo is non-neutral to say the least & controversial to say the most.
Yoon’s tenure as president has had a peculiar Ukraine tie-in. By law, SK cannot send weapons to conflict zones. Although they did pony-up 155mm shells, they did so on the down-low through a roundabout arrangement: shipping the shells to Sweden, in order to circumvent the constitutional legalities, who then transferred the shells Ukraine—a clever way to turn the weapons spigot on & keep it flowing toward Ukraine. Yermak visited Seoul in mid-November, a couple weeks before Yoon declared martial law. Soon after Yermak’s visit, Yoon began loudly condemning the presence of NK troops in Ukraine, agitating outrage among a growing rabble-rousing crowd of hegemon-adjacent allies determined to escalate matters in Ukraine.
Since the entirety of SK society staunchly opposed the transfer of arms to a war zone, Yoon was left w/ no other recourse, in order to hustle the weapons to Ukraine, but to declare martial law in an effort to deligitamize the parliament and dissolve the constitution. It was 2.m. in Seoul when Yoon declared martial law: the hour of 'late-night whisperers.'
Parts of the SK military were quite keen on backing Yoon & shipping weapons to Ukraine. SK’s troops, a force consisting of 500,000 combat-ready fighters and an additional reserve force of 3.1mn, are under the command of the U.S. Pentagon.
Note: just as ordinary Americans were not aware of the degree to which Israel interests dictated U.S. policy, both foreign & domestic, until the dramatic aftermath of 7 October & all its ramifications, ordinary Americans do not Connect The Dots of U.S. military bases in SK and the extent to which the country itself is neither independent of U.S. interests nor autonomous. The labels—north, south—don’t hold a lot of currency among Koreans on the peninsula, regardless of their latitude: they see Korea as one. The one who profits from keeping them divided, however, the one who commands armed forces in the area beneath the 36th Parallel, cares about the labels.
K-Pop Korea, under occupation by a foreign military since 1952, is little more than a colony of the hegemon.
A very unhealthy colony - apart from 4B, fertility rate in Seoul is down to .40
Imminent extinction
The U.S. engaged in such indiscriminate bombing during the 'Korean War' that there was no care in distinguishing *north* Korean casualties from *south* Korean casualties.
A population suffering wanton disregard to this extent does not soon recover, if ever.
Koreans below the 36th Parallel have lived dysfunctionally under subjugation since then.
It is not difficult to comprehend a 'failure to thrive' among the populace.
The SK have long held the suspicion that the NK are & have been in the 'right '
Every parcel of 'traditional' Korean life and custom is seen as surviving in the North to it's loss in the south
The 'oppostion' between the two is fostered by the evil God Mother
People I know from beneath the 36th Parallel speak w/ warm fondness of their relatives north of the 36th.
They are melting to be one
All the bullshit about 1 million NK soldiers in Russia was created by KCIA which is a bastard child of CIA.
Well, it seems that the proposal to impeach Yoon failed, doubtless with US nudging from behind the scenes.
It doesn't matter whether Yoon is popular or not, whether is reckless, a puppet, etc.. all granted.
The only question is whether his orders are obeyed.
They will not be obeyed Fertility rate .40 in Seoul = nobody left very soon
Orders? "YOU WILL form a k-pop band OR worship k-pop ! You will be absorbed by Anime !"
The leeches in the U.S. Congress have an approval rating of 16%.
So what, as long as the laws they pass are obeyed.
Except that the Japanese occupation was not horrendous.
731
In 2007, I ran for mayor of SF killafornia against Gruesome Gavin Gruesome Newsom, child killer .
He won, I lost my Grasshopper taxi business forevermore, ScKamala Harris put me in jail, solitary isolation.
demoRats.
Why do they pretend to have any democracy is so folks can root for the sports team colours they are told to root for, blue and yellow golden state ScKamala ukrainians have posted new flags less faded
Sad story you tell us everyday - start resisting stop complaining
No one complaining made it to the promised land...just sayin'
enough with the slave mythology
debt is slavery and people do it willingly. it's not a myth.
If I ever needed confirmation that Biden just might be the AntiChrist, now I've got it ("diversity-friendly rebranded ISI/Aq sponsored by NATO member Turkey)
And the US, and the UK and Israel
Meat-Waves of DPRK women have turned the tide in Kursk for Putin—!!
The WSJ on 5 December announced Yermak’s visit to D.C. for a sit-down w/ Keith Kellogg, Mike Waltz & JD Vance and summed things up like this: “With the help of roughly 10,000 North Korean soldiers, Russian troops have retaken roughly half of the territory that Ukraine seized in Russia’s Kursk region. But Moscow hasn’t achieved a breakthrough in Ukraine’s east which is occupied by Kiev’s military…. “ Prior to this meeting, Kellogg sat for an interview in which he said that Russia is expanding the war in Ukraine by involving North Korean troops in the combat zone. He mentioned, too, Iran’s supplying of drones and China’s shipping of dual-use equipment.
It is obvious that North Korean troops are not fighting in the combat zone and are in fact nowhere near Ukraine—but acting as if they *are* is rhetorically useful in the run-up to more formal negotiations w/ Russia. Kellogg would not parrot a West-obeisant Talking Point, which is a lie, if it were not rhetorically useful for his purposes. Score bonus points, too, if VVP is using *female* soldiers from North Korea as cannon fodder. Judging from the many state-captured media outlets that have boosted this trope, the West must broadly believe that ‘proving’ North Korean troops are in Ukraine gains them a measure of leverage when negotiations commence. Note that the West does not have to ‘prove’ that the troops are there—merely asserting it is proof enough.
No deal, the West says, unless it is on *our* terms. *Our* terms include making concessions based on bluster & our crazy-ass imaginings.
At some critical point doesn’t Kellogg, et al, whoever they may be—JD? Waltz? others?—have to state, “Listen, there’s no evidence of North Korean troops in Ukraine, so we cannot base negotiations on such claims.” If the negotiations were to proceed from sober & verifiable realities, it is not as if sacred cows would be gored. It is not as if Yellow Brick Road contrivances, dreamed up by the CIA-infested media, accord the West a chit or an advantage.
When you win a big war in the real world, you hand the defeated adversary a document & say, “Sign there,” after which “And give me back my pen,” is assumed.
BTW: Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov sat for an interview w/ CNN on 4 December: his interlocutor did not spout bogus tropes, like about DPRK troops, though he did go ‘Sudetenland’ toward the end of the interview: invoking Sudetenland was an attempt to corner Ryabkov into a gotcha question. Everybody in the West knows there’s only freedom or there’s Sudetenland. Ryabkov, nimble, disallowed the gotcha. Hey, CNN: No Flying Monkeys are coming to save you.
Kellogg et al may be spouting BS
- to play to the rubes (RINOS & DUMOS) at home
- believe it himself, or
- to be consistent with the America is Superior & still makes the Rules majority
But if he then seriously tries to make a deal, he will have raised expectations of many US constituencies, making it that much more difficult he/Trump can sell as (at least) not capitulation. At the same time, spouting timetables for future NATO entry, and ignoring Russian interests will likely aggravate the Russians, even more, stiffening their resolve and willingness to fight on until the 18 year olds being dragooned and sent to the front will be from NATO countries, not Ukraine's.
"BTW: Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov sat for an interview w/ CNN on 4 December"
I saw that interview. At the close of the same, the Russian was asked "if it (SMO) was worth it?" This stupid question after Ryabkov explained during the interview that the Ukraine business was "existential" for the Russians. You know..."borders" etc have consequences. Yeah...the U$ proxy war was "necessary" only if the Russians wanted to continue to have a country.
Right.
What part of "existential" does the CNN simp not understand--?
Another name for the shadowy globalist cabal is Finance Capitalism and US/global business interests. That's the structure that frames it all, the sea in which the predatory fish swim. The bankers, the financiers, the Blackrocks, and the enormous institutional investors are the sharks in that sea--and so are the Republicans, the Democrats, the Trumps and the Bidens. When the dominance of private capital is seriously threatened (read Russia and the remaining Communist/socialist block led by China)the mask comes off and faux democracy is replaced by fascism and private capital is protected. That's how the game is played. And incidentally, RIP Syria. A serious blow to the geopolitical interests of a decent multi-polar world. The correlation of forces (Factors: the devastation of Lebanon, the weakening of Hezbollah, Russia tied up in Ukraine, and Iran coming late to the party. No Assad victory is possible without Russian air power, no matter what IRGC and Hez could contribute) has delivered an important victory to Israel and The Empire. And for those interested in justice, Palestinian babies will be served for breakfast to celebrate. Not a happy day.
Don't you mean the UK/City of London? Uh this article is about Europe not the US
What, the comment wasn't relevant, it's all part of the same show.
Operation Lockstep...Rockefeller, Bildenberg, go further back...Medicis, Rothschilds....
https://unbekoming.substack.com/p/operation-lock-step
Not really
I am sure the Gauls were fond to say "This is Gallia Togata, not Italia," too.
City of London is a financial reference not a geographical one. To learn more Alex Krainers column " All roads lead to London" would be a good start
I would only replace one small part of your comment:
“Iran coming late to the party” —> “Iran’s strategic resolve thrown into disarray by the assassination of Ebrahim Raisi”.
I agree and would add the assassinations of Solemani, Nasrallah and Hezbollah leadership had a significant impact on the Axis--for all the Axis' admirable dedication, depth, organization and resolve. Had Solemani, Raisi and Nasrallah lived on I think it would have been a whole other ball game. But of course, we'll never know. There have been fundamental economic forces at work for quite a while tearing down Syria which needed to be addressed in order to preserve Assad's state. He was strangled. This is one case where sanctions worked.
But one cannot deny one other factor. If you compare the force-mobilized geriatric cases in Ukraine, fighting tooth and nail for every square meter against the world's best (and in a bad cause, too), to the Scaredy Ass Army in Syria, the contrast couldn't be more stark. It is hard to believe we are looking at the same species.
The redeemed terrorist folk hero archetype goes back to Nelson Mandela, and a century earlier, John Brown.
much much further back than that Robin Hood etc
Saul of Tarsus comes to mind
King David spent a decade in the wilderness with his bandits before becoming the King.
Saul of Tarsus was a hit man fir the Establishment who defected. He does not fit this archetype.
Faranji
There is a common word though out Africa, much of Eastern Europe, Arabia and Asia for foreigners
It is falangi or close variants of
What gave a common name to a certain people through out such a huge part of the world
The Crusades
https://www.nybooks.com/online/2011/05/25/when-youre-strange/?srsltid=AfmBOooJbMgFZEGTVmXAjlRDdpoVaIwjp9A4YG6g6i7wXl2FEe2yW09w
https://archive.is/espqu