It appears the Trump administration is finally preparing to escalate the Venezuelan conflict once and for all, after Trump himself had told reporters that ‘ground strikes’ would begin ‘soon’ on Venezuelan soil.
No, it won't be, because Russia and China are too cowardly to do anything instead of using the golden opportunity to do a Ukraine on the US.
We could be having all US oil produciton in the Gulf of Mexico and all refineries along the coast going up in flames due to Geran strikes, all the US ships sunk with Russian anti-ship missiles, Miami abandoned due to constant drones strikes on the high-rises, Mar-A-Lago destroyed, etc. etc. etc.
If someone had the balls and the integrity to protect Russia by imposing costs on the US instead of trying to make a deal.
But the relevant people don't have the balls and the integrity.
There's enough technical ability available to create longer ranged Geran variants. There are already so many variants of them I wouldn't be surprised if one with long enough range already existed.
It's less than 2,000 km to Florida, they certainly can reach it.
You haven't seen it in Ukraine because Ukraine isn't that big, but some of the original Iranian variants have that capability. The Shahed 136 has always been listed with a range of 2,500 km.
But still aware that his two brain cells will never meet, never even see each other from afar. Two brain cells, a family inheritance, one passed down from his father, the other from his mother. One is the other, having probably given up their only one.
To perform a Ukraine on the US, first they must have the US engaged and committed. That way the willingness of the Venuzuelan people can be guaged to demonstrate their willingness to resist the aggressive actions. After which escalation can lead to whatever comes.
You are right, China and Russia will most probably be defeated as they are unable or unwilling to protect their interests.
In the both countries, there is a deep inferiority complex. Deep inside they want to serve the west in order to be allowed in the club, "to be loved by the west".
That is why Russians and Chinese elites force their children o learn piano etc.
Thousands of Chinese students from wealthy families are sent to western universities every year just for the status as China has universities every bit as good as any in the West. The billionaire oligarchy around XI and Putin don't want confrontation with the imperialist West they seek accomodation. This policy is a recipe for disaster and betrayal of the people in both countries.
In Cold War 1.0 the USSR and China, despite the many failings of the party elites, would not have let US imperialism act with the total impunity the way it is now. They fought the US to a standstill in both Korea and Vietnam , never mind numerous other proxy conflicts where they supported left governments under American threat.
This about the Chinese students is great truth. One op then explained me that they, the Chinese middle class do not trust CPC, but adore The West as they are afraid of the war. That was in 2007, maybe they are not so afraid now.
But there is one thing. The attack on Russia and China, the total annihilation of these countries and the genocide of the respective populations is quite thinkable in the West. They would like to do it, even if there would be no benefit. But for The West, killing of "blacks" or "brown people" or ant second rank nation is thinkable and desirable, even just for fun. No street
sweeper in Portugal, or a professor in Poland, or some manager in Sweden would complain as they do not complain about GAza.
They know that Russia or China would never dare to attack the west. Nobody would kill the own dark object of desires.
I was thinking this was a great Russian opportunity. wasted.
They had time to fly in some missile batteries and the like, and should have manned them with Russian crews (or PMC) so they would be effective.
However, I could easily see a case where soldiers turn on Maduro and then hand that equipment over to the Americans for a nice bounty. With little trust and no Russian military base I can see why they might have blinked and not bothered reinforcing them.
This would require audacity and proactiveness (is that even a word? whatever) which Russia has entirely lacked so far in Ukraine, which lies on its own borders.
100% correct make it worse than Vietnam which BTW would not have won without Russian support. As is, with Russia and China, sitting these conflicts out, USA will take out one BRICS at a time until entire house falls in and we left with the Zionist-American control of the world similar to 1991 again.
Don’t be a fool and buy onto the idea of the stinking EU ever whipping Ruasia, for the rogue Ukraine. Mighty Ruasia will take the declining, DOOMED EU A MIGHTY LESSON AS IN 1945 for Germany, Putin is stepping up for the Russians abused in the rogue Ukraine, the stinking CIA installed a fake government meant to whip up every thing, thanks to Victoria Newland U.S, WAR monger.and it has, over time.
Green Midget, you should change therapists. It's not that your current one is failing at sublimating your brain's soft mass, but he's going too far. If the therapy continues like this, you'll disappear from the forum in three weeks, having lost all ability to write. Why don't you stick to your mission: entertaining us without offering any personal reflections?
GM you offer no solution, all you offer is uncontrolled escalation. I believe there is a very high chance WWIII is coming but you seem to be glad to have both sides destroy each other ASAP with nukes.
possibly the reason for all those trips by Whitaker to moscow... cutting backroom deals with putin to scratch each others back. washington cuts Moscow some slack regards Ukraine while Moscow returns the favor by turning a blind eye vis a vis Venezuela. or, could be the case that latin america is too full of corruption, and fun loving party goers and to have built up over time capabilities to mount a resistance to its historic aggressor. after all, militarism, to a certain degree, has to be supported by underlying cultural values and requiring a certain social discipline to pull off. korea has it, yemenis have it, afganis have it, many muslim nations have it. would usa even dream of doing what they're doing if this was yemen or north korea ?! we all know the answer to that.
I dont think its about cowardly. But its more of a Dialectic. In the end they all eat, drink and molest little children together n some island while we, the little people are going deeper in the hole by day.
The United States is seriously preparing for a clash with our real enemy, China. Now the United States will put things in order in its backyard (as well as Russia in its own, with the countries of the xUSSR). After that, the two allied powers will finally be able to crush China.
Quit smoking that bad stuff or change medicine, it's not healthy stuff for sure.
China and Russia are joined by the hip, the combined west can't handle Ukraine, Iran and probably not even Venezuela.
To march against China, who is no ones enemy, except in degenerated western minds, will end in destroying the world or the west unconditional capitulation.
Many on our side don't realize that the kerfuffle about China is all govt/media-manufactured consent.
China took what was given them by western corporate interests to enhance their profits. And they built themselves into a formidable trading country. And now the US, in their usual rules-based order fashion, makes them out to be an enemy to do to them what they're trying to do to Russia, Iran, NK, Venezuela, etc.
We've been lied to about EVERYTHING else for our entire lifetimes - what are the chances they're telling the truth about China?
The world will regret allowing China to rise. China is not an enemy to anyone, because with its "friendship" it will defeat anyone. What will people do when their countries become completely bankrupt due to Chinese pressure?
That is why I believe that the United States and Russia are natural allies against China. Europe can be discounted, unfortunately.
China has risen to the top numerous times in history and never exhibited the psychopathic intent of the Western Empires of more recent times. Looking objectively we see those countries closely woven into Chinese supply chains are vastly outperforming the financialised G7. We only need to look at the massive amounts of infrastructure the Chinese are bankrolling globally to realise they really intend to raise all boats. Take Africa as a case in point. In the last few years the Chinese have bankrolled more infrastructure than all the West did over 2 centuries of colonial rule. You are blinded by ideology and understandably upset with the demise of the Western Empire.
I don't have any emotions about it. An analysis of the situation and nothing more. I don't have many years left to live, so I don't have any emotions about this topic. Moreover, the loss of the West doesn't bother me either, even though I was raised in a Christian culture. I think it would be very bad for all of humanity if China wins. First they will burn out everything on the periphery, then they will calm down.
Remind me exactly what did China do against the interests of the US? Oh, that's right, they refused to toe the line and challenged the imperial diktat. Sorry that hurt your feelings. Best to quit your publicly funded position and use your time tidying your own back yard (if you have one).
In 2015 they established capital controls making it difficult for foreigners to extract their capital and crash China's economy. They weren't supposed to do that. They were supposed to be the workhorse for the Western globalists and follow orders. They took away their stick to beat China with. Nationalism was supposed to die with Russia but China blocked the globalists in and now they are pissed off. India hasn't exactly played ball either. They really have a mess on their hands now. They can still blow up Lebanon and Gaza and possibly further take out their frustrations on Venezuela
It's hard for me to remind myself of what's going to happen in the future. Rather, the words "make a forecast" are more appropriate here.
My forecast is China as the pole of evil in the 21st century. The Rust Belt outside of China. And Africa + Australia in the form of a new colony of China.
Russia which has signed multiple decades long deals to sell LNG and Oil to China siding with the satanic pedophiles who run the West and has long sought to bring about the collapse of the Russian state so it can plunder Russia's natural resources?
As Col. Macgregor and Scott Ritter are so fond of reminding their audiences, most of our fellow Americans are ignorant of history and geopolitics. And all of their "knowledge" of warfare comes from playing video games.
It isn't going to happen. Russia and China are going to win. Mackinder's Heartland >>> the Pentagon's Island Chain Defense. The whole purpose of the Island chain defense was to starve China out. That doesn't happen with Russian resources flowing into China. Those Islands just become attrition points. In their own strategic planning documents they all insist on keeping Russia and China at odds and stoking disagreements between them. Instead they became so arrogant and full of themselves they pushed them together
The US Navy's retreat from the Red Sea was proof that the age of maritime powers using naval gunboat diplomacy to maintain global primacy, as codified by Rear Admiral Alfred Mahan, is rapidly coming to a close
Kissinger's setting the stage for Nixon's rapprochement with the PRC made sense at a time when following the Sino-Soviet border clashes... from a Zio-Anglo-American Empire's perspective it was the perfect moment to exploit that momentary schism.. But the ultimate goal of pitting the Russians and Chinese against each other was always going to be a fool's errand in the long run.
As Putin stated in his interview with Tucker Carson, you can't choose your neighbors anymore than you can choose your close relatives. All you can do is build and maintain good relations.
The notion that we in the West could have ever manipulated China and Russia into nuking each other for our benefit was, and is, delusional hubris.
Gerald Corr, who wrote a book about the Chinese military back in 1972, observed that China and Russia have their own unique history and are quite cognizant that third parties will attempt to pit them against each other but those who attempted it did so at their own peril.
There is no need to build illusions about the ease of the flow of resources from Russia to China. The vast land border has almost no transport links between the countries. A typical route for coal or oil from Russia to China is transportation to a seaport and then transportation by sea.
Russia is following the easiest path. She sold natural resources to England, sold resources to Europe, and now she's selling resources to China. This is not very easy money, but it is easier than building an independent economy. What difference does it make which country Russia will depend on as an exporter?
The next time they beat the war drums against China, you just answer back: "no Chinese communist party member ever put razor blades in my bread at the Walmart bakery"
"The next time they beat the war drums against China, you just answer back: "no Chinese communist party member ever put razor blades in my bread at the Walmart bakery""
Scientists at a major American university have proven that razor blades in bread add fiber to a diet and, coupled with Ozempic, provides a reasonable weight loss strategy for "plus-sized" Americans. If you notice blood in your stool, contact your doctor. Immediately.
At a pedestrian crossing yesterday, where the walker can push a button to stop traffic and safely cross, I noticed a sticker next to the button with this legend...
"Push this button to reset the world..." It's all starting to add up now...
I, unfortunately, tuned in to Trump blathering last night and am I the only one who thinks he had sampled the Green Goblin's white powder stash before going on stage? Agent Orange was really revved up.
Because China has the temerity to return to it's status as a great power; a position it occupied for most of the past 2,500 years.
Today's Chinese-Russian alliance would be like if Tang China and the Byzantine Empire had direct ties and jointly led the world order of their day in commerce and military partnership.
Ironically, America's Founder's would have petitioned to join BRICS. Their entire premise of "Trade, commerce and honest friendship with all. Entangling alliances with none" was based on their recognition of a multi-polar world.
The very notion of being the world's "sole superpower" enforcing a unipolar world order at gunpoint would have been both alien and sickening to them. John Qunicy Adam's predicted that if American mutated from a Constitutional Republic into an empire, "She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit."
What a tragedy that neither the politicians in the pockets of the Bankers and Lobbyists, or low info voters like Bob, has ever read the writings of our Founders. Probably a combination of a lack of interest and above their level of reading comprehension.
The great ancestors had a good understanding of how the real world worked. They certainly would not have allowed America to become an empire. But, we are here. And in our situation, saying to your enemies "sorry, let's forget everything and live peacefully" will not work. No one would believe that a wolf decided to become a vegetarian. Therefore, it is necessary to fight and do it better together with a strong ally who has similar interests. At least Russia is strong enough that it doesn't need to be defended. And she doesn't need America's resources - she has her own.
In the case of a confrontation with China, Russia is not on the side of the West, but on its own side. It is a simple coincidence that the interests of the United States and Russia coincide on the issue of China. And there are people in Russia who understand what its benefits are, I'm sure.
America, like any other country, is not an enemy for China, which can be defeated in battles and take tribute. It's much worse. For China, the rest of the world is a cup of sugary soda that needs to be sucked out through a straw and thrown in the trash. No cooperation is expected. And I don't think anyone in China has forgotten what the powerful powers did to him 200 years ago, so he won't miss his chance.
The ideal observation point to view modern jewish society is definitely from the outside, at least as much as is practically possible while maintaining a line of sight.
The way birth rates and inmigration into the USA are going, who is the backyard of whom will be open to discussion very soon in the Western hemisphere.
Better try to avoid a clash
with China because an American defeat would be very probable. China has a bigger and more united population and much bigger industrial output.
The small technological advantage of the USA is being lost very quickly. In some sectors China is already more advanced.
In the next 50 years,Russia will not support the USA against China. Clinton, Obama, Biden will be remembered in Russia.
Putin will be the last pro-Western Russian leader in many decades.
The birth rate is a problem in any developed country. China is already suffering from this too. The loss of technology is important. This is due to the loss of the market. Do you think China will bring our markets back to us? Every day makes China stronger and the rest of the world weaker. Needless to say, we just don't have a choice?
Yes, after Putin's departure, many in the West will remember him with sadness, as a missed opportunity.
It appears both Colombia and Brazil will join Venezuela against us. Seizing Carracas and air bases won't be a problem.
It's the occupation part that will be costly. Aside from Venezuelan guerrillas, we're also going to be facing tens of thousands of armed irregulars from Colombia, Brazil and other neighboring countries who will view this as another act of Yanqui Imperialism.
Between the Andean Mountains in the west and the lowland jungles, it's ideal terrain for a protracted guerrilla conflict of the sort we've historically been ill prepared for.
lol no. Just like with Syria and Iran, Russia and China will condemn the actions but actually helping their friend Ishrul. Just look at the trade among Russia and Ishrul or Russia and EU while your children are being murder everyday. Yeah, Stalin is long gone and all we have is this. Pathetic.
>Russia is ‘concerned’ with US Navy striking civilian boats and a probable land op
And it will remain concerned while the US carries out regime change, just as it remained concerned in Syria. Instead of using the opportunity to sink the US fleet under the fig leaf of its own proxy and restore at least some deterrence.
We know the Venezuelans are going to suffer, I fail to see why the Americans shouldn’t. Poor people are being sacrificed in the name of non escalation.
Direct military actions between nuclear superpowers should be avoided at al costs. This constant machismo on the part of Western powers is not an approach the Russia should be encouraged to take - they (the Russians) need to remain the adults in the room.
Russia is inflicting serious damage on Western powers, including the US, on several levels over time (militarily, economically and diplomatically. No need to change that.
I strongly agree with that. Nothing would please me more than to see the US getting a taste of its own medicine. And let's not underestimate the ability to Iran, Russia and China to enable such a thing in that part of the world. They have a significant and growing stake in Central and South America currently.
This 'stake' will be severely undermine if they stand by and do nothing while the US destroys Venezuela. It's clear many of you ignore what happened during Cold War 1.0 when the USSR and China under Mao fought the US to a standstill in Korea, Vietnam and gave active military support to many other nations under US threat such as Cuba
Both situations are completely different. The US can operate freely in Ukraine because Eastern European countries like Poland and Romania are working with them. Russia is far from Venezuela. The logistics would be impossible.
But the yanks states are using the power of their military power which relies on the nukes, to continue with the boot on our necks.. Once they know others are ready to do the same they might relent.. (from Johannesburg)
Sorry you are deluded. In Vietnam the USSR and China poured billions in military and economic aid to support the North. Both sent thousands of military advisers and China even sent thousands of ground troops into North Vietnam. Without this superpower support the North could not have won the war against the American invaders.
Like Afghanistan? How do you 'win' a war against a continual insurgency -- especially when the terrain is against you (desolate craggy mountains, or jungle as in Vietnam -- as would be the case in Venezuela)? Sure you can win each battle, but the battles never cease. How long do you want to play? I seem to recall reading the Vietnamese said they had been fighting for 600 years.... (no idea where I read that or even if it is true)
The North Vietnamese army did not win the war against the US. The famed Tet offensive was a military disaster for the North. It was a PR disaster for the US because the populace had been told nothing like that was possible. The US completely lost support at home for the war, so they folded their tents and left. (A certain Feral Feline would say that it never matters what the populace thinks, but there is a counter-example to that).
Of course, in the case of Venezuela it all depends on the amount of support the government actually as (see Syria).... Looking at Ireland, Scotland, US Native Americans, Mexico -- in each case the invaders were welcomed by some groups because they thought the invaders would help fight those running the place. And they did. Of course, the invaders didn't stop there....
"Sir no sir" is a good documentary that debunks the myth that it was lack of support at home that lost the Vietnam war. US veterans and soldiers turned against the war, with fragging and veterans organising protests in the US
People in all the countries the US has destroyed since 1991 have Moscow to blame for it, because late Soviet elites betrayed not only their own country, but the whole world too, and it was that act that enabled the US to go on a rampage around the world.
Who do you blame? The tiger that is running loose around the city mauling people or the people who unlocked its cage and let it loose?
Yes, that the Americans and the Europeans are ruthless gangsters who will go on a rampage against anyone who cannot resist them was always a given, because it is what had been going on for centuries already.
The USSR blocked a lot of that during the Cold War.
But then a certain faction of the late Soviet elites decided that it is better to become gangsters themselves, starting with robbing their own country, under the delusion that they will be accepted in the club if they betray the project.
The rest followed inevitably.
And it's still the same people in power in Russia, still driven by the same primary motivation.
To become yourself what you are fighting against makes no sense.
Russia has never had the goal to weaken or punish other nations, that's a western mindset.
So why should Russia turn to the same behavior as their adversaries?
This is what distinguish the man from the boys, man talk, boys slap each other.
And the west is on the level of not even children, they're degenerate people that in a healthy society would be put away because they are a danger for others and also to themself.
You totally ignore how in Cold War 1.0 both China and the USSR engaged in numerous proxy wars against US imperialism from Korea to Vietnam which ended up severely weakening the American empire. Under Putin the policy is one of accomodation with the West which merely encourages the aggression against Russia.
After my knowledge Korea was invaded by US and Indochina was a french colony that had to go to the US like the Philippines, so there is no proxy war here.
It was the working class of the socialist part of the world who helped the fellow working class men, not some rich oligarchs like the US and the EU is doing in Ukraine.
Don't compare apples with oranges, it's not going to work.
Of course it was a proxy war. In the Korean War Soviet red army pilots openly fought US air force combat planes while China lost 180,000 soldiers as its troops participated in the fighting on the side of the North. China deployed over 2 million men to fight on the side of the North. Go back to school. Your ingnorance is staggering
I'm not saying the POTUS 47 is, or ever will be, in any sense, a historical figure comparable to Elizabeth Tudor. But, DJT cannot be accused of deviating from the US's British roots. Queen Elizabeth I of England encouraged piracy, turning pirates into an instrument of foreign policy. This was due to the threat posed by the powerful Spanish Empire, and Elizabeth, lacking sufficient resources for an open war, supported privateering. Substitute BRICS for the Spanish Empire and the situation rhymes nicely.
BRiCS is an economic alliance not a military alliance. If Venezuela was a part of BRICS it would make no difference. A successful regime change in Venezuela would signal the irrelevance and impotence of the BRICS initiative.
Venuzuela is an example of nations that have an incentive to join BRICS. So if the US can launch an illegal unprovoked war of aggression against a sovereign country through piracy, blockades and interdiction of lawful trade between sovereign nations. Why would nations risk joining a block that would endanger their national security rather than offer protection?
I think it's a little early to make sweeping assertions. Let's see how this pans out. Perhaps Venezuela's stunning victory over US imperial overreach leads to a utopian future for South America. If Vietnam and ASEAN are anything to go by I wouldn't be counting the Orinoco crude just yet.
Another way of looking at the new NSS is it’s a localized variant of the Wolfowitz doctrine, which is now moot because, exactly as forecast by W, the USA now lacks the power - industry, money, logistics, manpower, and technology - for global application. Let’s see if Might can still beat Right closer to home against carefully chosen targets!😉
The in-breds on Pirate Rock have always been thieving, cut-throat killers at the service of their "betters". Take a gander at your Daily Flail, "filth of the highest quality in the prurient interest" and puke at the servility of the ignorant masses as they gobble up the rugurgitated nonsense dispensed by Britland "press". As for the BBC and its Orwellian manipulation of the toothless, back-street dwelling lumpen proles "nourished" as they are on tales of "royals" and the sex capades of their demented, horse-faced ruling pedovores, there is not a more ignorant and prejudiced collection of mutts on the planet, owned by a more disgusting kakistocracy than the bone gnawing and perfidious clowns of Pirate Rock.
World of Winston Smith... the ruling garbage are scared shitless of the last of the Brits with balls. Gotta love watching the Rock implode as the mohammadans and afreakans take the scraps not offshored by the inbred "gentry". Onward to total co££ap$€ of their fiat filth and bankster gulag. AinT karma just dandy!
Exactly the shower of filth running the evil EUSSR, Pirate Rock, and $lumville, USSA not to mention the subhuman demons that turned Palestine into the real hollow co$t that the aforementioned scum financed and abetted. They aint called caca for nothing like some other ignorant euro peons around here.
One may like the English or not, as one can have different sentiments for the Germans, the French or for any other nation, but your expression of hate of the peoples of the British Islands are quite remarkable.
Expressions of verbal violence and hate obscure the intellect and increase cortisol. Try to calm down.
You are right that the behaviour of the British political establishment has been rather reprehensible in many occasions, but this does not diminish the magnificent merits of British culture.
You might understand that you went too far, if you consider that your comment offended my Spanish sense of justice, as I am naturally devoid of any British patriotism.
After all, as Bismark said, the main problem with the English is that they would not let us like them.
"British islands" what nonsense are you chattering about? Y un espanol que hable de justicia..... estas completemente loco como sus amiguitos ingleses. Disculpe que no tengo el tiempo de buscar acentos para escribir correcto en cuanto a las reglas de un espanol ofendida jugando como un chiquitito ofendido. Lo que ustedes hicieron en "America" es igual de horible y brutal que sus amigos ingleses. Dos razas de piratas y matones. Otra "civilizacion" de rateros que hablan de moral....que chistoso. La hipocricia de las ladrones mas brutales de Europa, los gachupines y los ladrones de la isla Anglsaxon. Con razon estas ofendida de la realidad.
As for "expressions of verbal violence"... lech Mich am Arsch, as Bismarck himself would put it. Shove it already. And get back to your video games. But truly astounding blabbing about your "Spanish sense of justice"... Ask the people of Catalonia not to mention all the nations your pirates plundered and raped around the planet. You gachupines are even more hated and despised that the Brits where ever you set foot as you also robbed "your colonies" with your swords and crucified Jesus as you genocided the "natives". Suck it up buttercup coZ your history like the Brits sucks bigly. So "you might understand that you went too far" with your fake and tiresome faux offended airs and graces as you tried to disguise your insults with high toned moral bullshit.
You obviously goggled your AI as in artyfishel ignorance to come up with your revelations on Germanic ass licking. How about besame el culo? Should work with a "mostly Catalan" like yourself.
So the resident intellectual gimp who patrols "speech" in multiple languages is now triggered by lick mick am arsch.... go back to your hole you sanctimonius cretin. You have nothing more to blabber on your supposedly Spanish "sense of justice" obviously. Onward to Catalonia free of you windmill tilting clowns that plundered half the planet like your fellow brigands and thieves from ye olde Pirate Rock.
Meanwhile some classic Daily Flail filth on the debauchery of gachupin "nobility" as in "king" of the Spanish fascists and boot licking peasants like yourself... Any nation that produces the likes of the butcher Franco should keep a low profile in things outside their gone-to-seed backward. Now "vete a la chingada" as we say in mostly Latin America.
As with everything else that lasts for a while culture changes. For a country of significant size it also differs across its domain. So when one uses unqualified word "culture" I would assume that one means the main current and that is at the end of 2025 revolting. I used to live in the UK for a short while more than 25ya. I found the culture problematic already back then. It did "improve" with few engagements in the whole world of which Iraq war was the biggest but not the only problematic achievement. The current UK culture consists of rabid multiculturalism resulting in abominations like grooming gangs (in covering of which the current PM seems to have played a role). It has an obnoxious and oppressive justice system that selects particular per/victim configurations for special treatment and arrests people for silent praying and "evil tweets". They even arrest more people for "hate online" than the silly Germans. The original locals are pushed so much that they indeed start express views typical to what the current regime accuses them of which is also probably the only way they can galvanize supporters to fight against the government's policies. The stuff that one could appreciate is getting removed at the shocking pace and the acts of imperial grandeur that the current elites saw as problematic in previous regimes are pushed to the extreme in current policies. The support for the Ukrainian acts of terror on the high seas (recently in the Mediterranean seem to me very problematic for number of reason and I doubt if Ukraine did it on its own - probably using support of the UK special branches of the military. One can go further but I think you get my point. I really loved to live there for a while when I was younger. My kids asked me to go there for holidays but I refuse. I do not want to get arrested at the border for may evil tweets.
This is the British culture of now. Surely you can find bits which are of excellent quality that we all would envy. I still watch the British commedy and stand up on YT but this is all second level - the first one is in service of the new elites.
One hundred percent! A disgusting show of false democracy and false rule of law in the UK and Germany.
What has happened/ is happening to the Europeans?
Untergang des Abendlandes, for sure. But why? I am not fully convinced by the explanation that cultures live a determined period of time and then decay.
Societies are not biological beings subject to the process of getting old. China would have disappeared two millennia ago.
The Greco-Roman world did completely collapse.
Most probably the sheer number slaves and traders who were descentents of slaves diluted the founding culture of the State. With no leading culture came the destruction of unity and with it the legitimacy of the institutions could not set limits to the interests of groups. That is when different legions appointed their generals a emperors to be destroyed by other soldiers.
Trump's banking puppeteers need the Venezuelan ressources at collateral. The siege is an act of war and I am afraid Venezuela will be stabbed in the back by the duplicitous Brazilians and Colombians, who are the country's only way out.
As a Colombian, I would like to know how you expect Colombia and Brazil to stab Venezuela in the back? Yes, Colombia will not go to war with the US in support of Venezuela, unless the US threatens or attacks us.
Apparently Colombia and Brazil's governments are leftists and therefore supportive to Maduro, but my point is that behind that there are the old oligarchies looming for taking part in the Orinoco looting. A deal will be reached by which they can have a tiny share of the Venezuelan resources, and this has been negociated from long ago. A land blockade is garanteed but maybe Brazil will go further and land grab the Venezuelan rain forest.
Lula is a corrupt scumbag excon who is for sale to the highest bidder, and Maduro doesn't have nearly enough money to outbid Trump's Wall Street friends. Only the Chinese are capable of competing in that game. Petro is a leftist, and he is as corrupt as Lula. He is bought and paid for though by the Columbian cocaine cartels. They are not going to risk their business ventures coming to the aid of Maduro, who has been opposing them. No one is going to come to Venezuela's aid, and for good reason. They have alienated everyone in the Americas, even those who should be their allies, like Columbia.
Lol, last time I looked Columbia was a non-NATO major ally of the US and Venezuela was leading the anti-Imperial fight against US oil companies. "Should be allies", but in which alternate reality?
That is just silliness as superficial as the "domino theory" that led the U.S. into Vietnam. They are basically the same people, and Spain had to help draw the boundary between the two former colonies after they achieved their independence, because there is no significant difference in the population or even obvious national boundaries.
The border between the two nations has been a constant source of dispute as non governmental militias, paramilitary organizations, and narco-traffickers are constantly stirring up trouble between the two countries, attacking police and soldiers in one and then the other. They have worked together on this issue in the past, and have nearly come to blows over it at other times. Whatever the case, there used to be a lot of bilateral trade between the two before Maduro shut down the frontier completely. (No U.S. boogeyman to blame here. He "sanctioned" himself in total paranoia.)
Yeah sure, the friggin leftists always having paranoia.
They never ever got attacked, killed, kidnapped, their families put in prison, sanctioned or driven out into exile.
I see, it's ridiculous to think that the US is coming for you if you are left (in the true meaning of the political position), they would never do that- right?
Somoza, Papa Doc, Pinochet, those mass murderers, they never have had any paranoia - good folks, right?
Your statement overlooks the fact that South America's long history of poor relations with the US has left a permanent black mark on the continent. South Americans have found new strength in recent times, both economically and militarily. And never underestimate the accumulated resentment Latins have against the Empire over that history. Whilst they individually might be rivals and their oligarchs plot against each other, when it comes to US aggression, they might well display an overall uncommon alliance and resilience.
Not for Maduro. The patience for communism here is run out. The problem is that the CIA and its Wall Street backers come in and buy elections for their puppets. This goes on for a few decades, and people get tired of having foreign corporations come in and control everything. Then some communist or socialist agitator comes along (helped along in prior times by the Soviet Union) and declares that he is "for the people." He and his cronies "nationalize" assets (which really means just take control of them for the profit of the political class), and the people end up worse off and poorer than they were when the U.S. puppet was running the show. So, we are tired of both.
There is distrust of the U.S. in most of Latin America, but I don't think "hate" is the right word to express the general sentiment. Political opinions here are not so shallow or naive as to just express "hate" or "love." There is distrust of the U.S., especially the U.S. government, but that is always mingled with some respect for elements of the U.S. population and the hope that someday the U.S. will be a good and helpful neighbor. To date, that has not happened, and so long as the CIA and Wall Street runs the country, it won't, but hope lingers, even as distrust grows.
If any country is in hopes that someday the people of the US will find the means to overcome their oligarchs and become good and helpful neighbours, they wish in vain. The US population as a whole lives in their own isolated cocoon in which the only thing they really care about is the US economy and its ability to keep giving them jobs and their children a future. Most probably don't even know where South America is (OK, I'm being a bit facetious there) and couldn't care less. "Democracy" is nothing more than a fig leaf covering oligarchic power and control, a cleverly disguised weapon of mass control.
So with that in mind, you in South America should grow some balls, unite regardless of your political leanings, and resist the Empire at all costs - only then can you hope to find a measure of freedom and sanctuary from the Northern Storm.
A humorous aside to the 'not know where South America is'.... What South American country is due south of Tampa, Florida? Answer: None, that would be in the Pacific Ocean to the west of SA. I doubt one American in 100 would get that right. I didn't, when I first heard it. We flew to Buenos Ares last year with a change of plane in Fortaleza, Brazil. A very long flight -- we actually flew over halfway across the Atlantic!
So what? The ruling classes are the only ones who matter, and the Latin American rulers see themselves as basically Spaniards, Germans or Americans, and the masses as little better than livestock.
But that's only because you don't have oil. If the US thinks that it is advantageous for them to 'invade' Colombia, it will. It would be better if Colombia and Brasil come to the aid of their neighbor.
They don't have to. They can just keep their borders open and help trade go through. Wasn't China supposed to help finance a new railroad network between the coasts?
Stabbed in the back by Columbia? Who closed the border between the two countries and suspended all bilateral trade? Who let the border be overrun by narcotraffickers and paramilitary militias? Who threw out all of the Columbian embassy staff and seized the property of Columbian nationals? Who has threatened to arrest a former Columbian head of state? Maduro is a corrupt, petty dictator, and Venezuelans have been fleeing to every country in America for more than a decade.
If you want to oppose imperialism, that is fine, and I agree. But Maduro is a poor choice of leader to try to prop up. He is not going to find many (any?) allies in the Americas, even in Columbia and Brazil.
No, he is not. He is a patriot and won the elections hands down, despite the intoxication media campaign claiming the contrary. You are validating a new yankee massacre. Shame on you.
What's the matter with being a dictator? That in no way implies that he is evil. Sometimes governments need strong centralised power structures to protect themselves, especially if they are under constant and widespread attack from enemies like the US and its allies. Maduro and his predecessor, Chavez, have done wonders for the poorest of Venezuela, nationalising their oil and using the resulting revenues to provide housing, free education and medical care for the masses, and built trade relations with Russia, China and Iran giving them some measure of economic and military security. All governments have corruption and a certain cadre of evil people. We in the West need to be careful throwing stones from our glass houses, yes?
The fact that he destroyed their economy and has left the oil producing portion in shambles doesn't make him evil, but it doesn't make him a paragon of virtue, either.
Except that he hasn't destroyed the economy - America is doing that - and he hasn't left the oil producing portion in shambles - again, America has contributed to that (as well although apparently China is now stepping in to lend support).
The problem with the West, esp Americans, is that their country forces severe sanctions on a socialist-oriented economy and then attribute the resulting failings of that economy to socialism. And people like you grow up hating socialism and thinking that any country that wants to adopt such a system is crazy. My wife grew up in a socialist country (USSR) - she had free housing, free medical care, exceptional and free education, and full employment. Their streets were safe (and still are!) and they had a strong defense system to protect the country.
All this whilst enduring the intense economic warfare from the West. The only time they suffered was when the USSR collapsed, capitalism was installed and the Jewish oligarchs took over and partnered with America to rape the country.
Same with Cuba. Completely isolated and blockaded by America and then told they suffered because they were socialists.
Maduro has no friends here. None. He has alienated everyone, except hardcore Marxists like my brother-in-law, and there are very, very few of them any more in South America. Trump is just moving in now to stake a claim before Maduro's rotten house collapses, which it will do soon with or without a push from the U.S.
You sound like you are one of the disgruntled oligarchic castoffs from the previous power structure led by the USA, or perhaps one who used to profit from those oligarchs. Your people oppressed the masses, keeping them in dire poverty and shovelling all those oil revenues into your pockets. I suppose I would be bitter as well.
I have nothing to do with Venezuelan oil and never have. The only significant investments I have ever made were in gold, silver, and a Brazilian agricultural company. I run an academic editing and translating business in Argentina and build websites for tourist businesses.
No one has been lifted from poverty in Venezuela by communism. It went Ok the first couple of years under Chavez when he still had PDVSA revenues to pay off his cronies and ship a little money out to the pueblos, but after he fired all the engineers and technicians, replaced them with 3x as many incompetent cronies, all the oil money dried up, and poverty is worse than ever now.
I see. I guess that worse-than-ever poverty is why the people of the country just keep voting him into office by massive majorities - or is he holding a gun to their heads?
Sorry, you still sound like your eating sour grapes. Perhaps it is because you have a deep hatred of communism (or actually, socialism) and resent the Bolivarian success?
>Trump's banking puppeteers need the Venezuelan ressources at collateral
Correction -- the whole of the US needs Venezuela's resources, and not as a collaterla, but to burn them in order to keep the suburban dystopia going for a few more decades.
But that is not even the primary motivation for why this is being done now, it is a blocking pre-emptive move on Russia and China to exclude the possibility of land-based medium-range missiles being situated in close proximity to the CONUS.
You know, the kind of move Russia should have made itself two decades ago with respect to Ukraine, Poland and Romania, and in 2022 on Finland and Sweden. But didn't.
Becuse there are serious players and clowns here, and the Americans are serious players while Putin and his merry gang of oligarchs are not.
It is being done now because PDVSA has $60 billion in outstanding bonds in default, and some of the people who financed Trump's campaign bought those bonds for pennies on the dollar. Now the bond prices are shooting up with the hope of regime change, and these people are getting richer. That is all there is to it.
Hold your horses. It is increasingly likely that the "non serious merry gang of oligarchs" around Putin have proved quite a match for your serious American players.
That would be sad to see. The only way, imho, for larger South and smaller Latin American Nations to engage the new US' Monroe on Steroids doctrine is to form a united front against the reprehensible Bully to the north.
The Hyperion Tanker is currently sailing under the flag of Gambia according to vesselfinder dotcom (AIS contact 47 hours ago). Therefore, while it can carry Russian oil, it is not, de jure, a 'Russian' tanker. In any case, the outcome will be interesting.
No, the actions of a third party tanker registered in Gambia have zero to do with whether Russia is "serious" (whatever the heck that is supposed to mean...) about the blockade.
When Russia is serious (no quotes) about something it tears the shit out of it, like it's done the US and US stooges in Ukraine.
When it comes to Venezuela, Russia is not into being the world policeman. It's a tough world and Russia's not here to save the likes of Maduro from predators like the US. There are a very few, very rare cases where Russia genuinely allies with a country, for example, Belarus. But that's not remotely the situation with Venezuela.
Venezuela is Maduro's mess to deal with. If he didn't want to get his dick cut off by the US he should have been spending the last decade dealing with extreme corruption and stupidity in his own government and using his oil wealth to build strategic relationships with countries like China. Investing in something other than a totally Bolivarian-corrupt military would have been wise as well.
Unfortunately for Venezuela, Maduro isn't all that smart. He doesn't have the intelligence and steel that people like Putin have. So his country is going to end up being prey for the US. Who knows... sometimes out of such crucibles you get people like Ho Chi Minh who can stand up to the US. Maybe one day the American predation of Latin America will result in the rise to power of such a leader.
Interesting comment. I think you’re right, too many people seem to be caught with their pants down, Maduro included. And the Syrian guy too. You’ve got to caulk the seams and repair the roof at every available opportunity.
I agree. There has certainly been a word escalation. But it is one thing for the bully to pick on easy targets with no ability or readiness to hit back- quite another to take on forces that can and will hit back- luridly.
Of course this is not going to happen much as the sinking of the GF would be a sight to behold. TACO folks. Trump takes the talk right to edge every time, stares into the abyss and curiously is not made mad, presumably because there is a limit to the madness capable of descending on a very small mind.
After 4years of SMO, and the silly leader still hopes for diplomacy to work is someone either really lost in delusions or purposely taking the naive approach, mental quackery.
Killing your neighbour and committing genocide of nearly 2million Ukrainians isn't something to be boasting about as it only breeds more hatred and vengeance, embroiling endless killing among your brothers and sisters.
A shame the foolish leader still hopes for constant babbling with the devil with no positive outcome. Biblical speak, even the Christ took a strong and firm stance against evil. Never entertaining it.
NATO still expanding. No deterrence whatsoever. Couldn't even defend little Syria from a bunch of low life terrorists, had to bail and run to his glorious SMO.
>After 4years of SMO, and the silly leader still hopes for diplomacy to work is someone either really lost in delusions or purposely taking the naive approach, mental quackery.
Or someone doing controlled demolition
>Killing your neighbour and committing genocide of nearly 2million Ukrainians isn't something to be boasting about as it only breeds more hatred and vengeance, embroiling endless killing among your brothers and sisters.
Elderly Russian people lining up for bread while the snow is falling and there has been no power in the city for days. There has also been no power in the Russian city Odessa for five days now, in the middle of winter. Which has had practically zero military impact.
Meanwhile not a single member of the Ukrainian elite has been touched in any way. And there have been no extended power outages in Lvov
More afternoon TV soap opera from yesteryear. Still, it captures the attention which is more than you can say for the head boiling banality coming out of europe. Will it, won't it????
Hang onto your hats. Is europe going to commit financial suicide or not- deliberately I mean with identifiable individuals putting their own necks on what will become a criminal line???????
I am posting a comment I made elsewhere as a reply:
I have not bothered to explicate the true argument that blocks the utilisation of these assets as collateral for debt that needs to be rolled over and new paper written-which is what the europeans actually want to do. It is that no matter what those trying to do this say, as a matter of law you cannot pledge some one else's property to secure a debt of your making, without their consent. You can say that is what you are doing, issue all sorts of proclamations, and wave around emergency powers or whatever twattery you like, but it will amount to zero under the applicable laws. The banks have pointed this out to this nutty triumvirate of Starmer Macron and Mertz with that weird little woman tacked on like a tatty note sticking out of a wallet. They simply cannot do it. it is not a matter of political will. They can put themselves in all sorts of jeopardy trying though.
Major loss of US life just before Xmas! At any rate, major excited coverage of the losses! Does anyone really believe Trump is going here? At the very least he will wait until after the holidays and then.......
Nah, Christmas stories run and run especially if there is loss of US life and loud demands for more of it, revenge etc. Talk about get out of hand, or wot????
well..hopefully a huge portion of the British ( and other western countries ) population will not obey the draft. And Trump doing this to the good Venezuelans makes my blood boil. Where was that tanker going and the country receiving it should send war ships and make those America piglets - I don't like to insult pigs though - so I will call them Orc-lets to back down and fuck off
This obviously is the other target in the 'game'. More than 60 years of illegal, unilateral sanctions against Cuba are not enough.
The US leaders and probably it's population more and more as well are going the way of Israel, denying other people the right of living and prosperation.
Yes, that's exactly it. Empires always keep up the "civilised" appearance when things are rosey. Now the Chinese (and Russians) are eating the Emperor's lunch, the mask comes off and we're back to the bad old days off massive murder and pillage. The difference these days is the native Americans have some powerful allies, and a lot of gunpowder.
only orcs deny other people the right of living and prosperation. We'll see how many orcs there really are. At this point, those who are not against Me are with Me
England hasn't been chris since the 1530s and stopped bothering with protestantism in the 1850s. Superstitious mumbo jumbo is a minority interest whatever the version.
Meanwhile Venezuelagate Germany is fighting the import of Chinese electric cars doubling their assets, Macron at war with his farmers, killing all their cows to establish Mercosur, the import of Brazilian cattle at cheaper prices and less secure norms of sane and safe, plus his war against narcotraffic, Starmer squeezed between all these wars and from where or whom are they going to find the guts to mobilise their soldiers, when 90 or more percent of their population goes against them.
Let me interject Caleb Maupin's analysis. His anger with Brian Becker of the PSL is spot on. Becker is doing the same thing with A.N.S.W.E.R. as Indivisible is with its "No Kings" protests. Getting Americans to just hate Trump so the "Soros consortium" of Oligarchs can move in and move the "Adelson consortium" out. But remember Berletic's "continuity of agenda". Both groups are capitalists intent on destroying the American Middle Class and turning us all into neo-serfs. (Javier Milei is working on doing the same thing in Argentina)
So, Yes ICE will continue hiring thugs and when the US military is forced to retreat to the Western Hemisphere, the Army will be deployed across the nation completing the transition to a police state.
We know it is happening. Every "side" that we might take is already occupied by our real enemy -- The "Anglo-American Oligarchy/Deep State/Jewish Mob". China appears to stand alone against them. Yes, there are nations that are "fellow travelers" (Russia, Iran) but there are "fifth column" elements in each of these states which operate under the guise of being "pro-Democracy". Most Americans still believe the US is a "Democracy".
I'd move somewhere else if I thought it would survive the coming world war. Maybe Hong Kong?
Once the Gringo Empire folds, the imperial tools of violent oppression will be deployed in the US. Good for the rest of the world. Very bad for the average Gringo.
Most likely, the average Gringo will point his guns towards his neighbors. I see more likely that it will develop into a continent-wide gangland rather than an armed organized insurrection against the Federales.
Gringos mostly aren't meaningfully trained and such small arms aren't a serious threat anyhow vs. organized opposition with armor, crew served weapons, air support, drones, satellite visual and signals intelligence (plus all their lives worth of metadata already in the hands of Opfors for Palantir et alia to carry out targeting via AI tools).
Guns are mostly security blankets for some types of gringos.
It's gonna be ugly for sure. They average US citizen has no idea what's coming for them though. The decline will be like the war in Ukraine, slow at first and then one black swan and the collapse is 'suddenly' there.
To be fair, it's always one financial crisis from such a scenario.
Obviously, the system has a lot of staying power and while it always seems things are at the breaking point, there is always some trick that eventually keeps it going for a bit more.
That doesn't mean things are better than they seem to be. It means things are going to be a lot worse than people think, when it eventually goes under.
You are right that “the system” has shown repeatedly more staying power than expected. But pls do also take into consideration that the bag of tricks it has used for surviving up to now is getting smaller and smaller. The system’s ass was saved in 2008 bc of unlimited money printing, the government backstopping the financial system and China kickstarting a flatlining global trade. The plandemic allowed for another (less obvious) round of massive money printing. The stock market has had a very long bull run, but at the cost of the current market being only 5 or 6 behemoth megacorps that are all massively invested in the AI mania.
My guess is the current Gringo Empire managers look so aggressive and short termist bc they know they don’t have many options left…
The AI mania is just the latest tool to save the imperial ass. Cryptodollars, CBDCs and space datacenter crap are still untapped ass savers, so I reckon there's still a few years left in the system.
I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to cause some sort of a natural disaster to keep going (blow up Yellowstone level of crap) or yet another plandemic.
Also, there are drugs. Lots of them. One of the effects of a hypothetical Venezuela war could be worsening of the drug situation. And I'm not even slightly convinced that's not what they want to do.
It isn't capitalism. A few banks control 70 percent of the money. A few companies like Blackrock control most of the shares. And one like MSFT or Alphabet has gobbled up many thousands of companies.
Sadly, we (U.S.) never will because it has now become illegal to criticize Israel or anything related to jews. I mean that literally. Trump has signed E.O. and the Jew billionaires have been allowed to purchase almost all of Corporate Media. The U.S. by next year will rival the doomed EU regarding arrests / sanctions for speech and thought crimes.
Yes, it is nothing resembling capitalism. It is Fascism by definition of a few huge corp.'s operating with the full backing and support of the U.S. Govt. and it is not even hidden, it is right out in the open.
You do realized the US was building the "post-industrialized society," don't you? Where its managerial class will dominate and won't dirty their hands with "industries" outsourcing them to everywhere but here, take the cut and count money. That's not the "late stage capitalism," it's past the late stage capitalism.
"A convoluted backstory was concocted about how the tanker was tied to Venezuela’s “shadow fleet” with links to Hezbollah and Iran—if you can believe the absurdity:"
These US military lies go back at least as far as 1898 and the start of the Spanish-American War. At least McKinley sought Congressional approval, even though he really did not want a war. I believe it was his Secretary of the Navy who really wanted a war. Having one of his ships blown up was just the ticket. Ever since America has gone to war because of lies, even the two big ones.
He is speaking English. Q is slang for the Head of Tech Services at MI-6, popularized by the 007 Bond movie franchise.
"Blaise Metreweli, the first female head of MI6, has assumed the role of "C," the agency's publicly named chief, succeeding Richard Moore in October 2025. She previously served as the Director General of Technology and Innovation at MI6, a position commonly known as "Q," responsible for advancing the agency's technological capabilities and safeguarding the identities of spies worldwide."
I still say that Slow Horses, Kristen Scott Thomas, should have gotten the top job.
The attack was entirely predictable, and, even the attack was intimately unsuccessful, that it was able to get as far as it did represents yet another in a long string of Russian fuckups.
Look at the video. The drone hit the Pier and probably damaged the aft of a submarine to the left in the video. If it even is a sub there - hard to see.
You should have learned that Simplicius seldom report Russian losses.
The recent Kupyansk battle showed that Simplicius isn't keen on reporting Russian setbacks. It took many days to even.be mentioned, then we had no analysis of what actually happened. What did actually happen?
Yes. There were more balanced reporting back in 2022-2023 and sometimes critical against Russian methods. The simple fact that Russia now destroy the Railway infrastucture (which they bombed a lot the first month in 2022) instead of not continue doing it 2023-2024 is not commented by Simplicius. A grave mistake by Russia or a combination of abilities and priorities.
I think also Simplicius is tired of this and a bit agitated.
The language is more derogatory against Western leaders than before.
The fundamental question is: Is this a drug war or an oil war? It is mainly synthetic drugs that kill large numbers of Americans and Venezuelan production is behind Mexico easily. Mexico is supported by the Chinese with shipments of precursors. As far as cocaine production is concerned Colombia, Peru and Bolivia are the primary coca-growing areas. Venezuela is doing a level of transportation toward the Eastern USA and Europe but if Trump wants to stop drug trafficking he is starting a war at the wrong location.
As far as the outcome of the conflict: It depends generally on how US relations shape with Russia and China. If there is a major US involvement against Venezuela, both Russia and China can make bolder moves to achieve their regional goals if they really want to.
When historians look back on this war (if there are any left to look back?)
I expect some WWIII historians would judge the last war had been "hot" since 2014 by some measures, definitely any will see it as being "hot" by 2022.
This time around there won't be any continent (and few countries) spared, with the possible exception of Antarctica? I wouldn't count on Antarctica being left out either, it certainly has its own share of natural resources to be plundered.
Yes, that was my understanding also. It is true that the Venezuelans moved toward control of their oil fields in earlier decades but there were a series of agreements and compensations provided for US companies. The fact that Russia, Iran and Venezuela are placed under US military pressure at the same time by US tells the whole story.
Yes, this is about a) forcing those oil contracts to be settled in dollars and b) redirecting that oil from China to Europe, who for 'some' reason are short on energy at the moment
I'd say it's a piece they need to have in place before the Iran project can be restarted. The last time the Iranians were close to closing the Straits.
Unfortunately, because cronyism and ideology were more important than profits the engineers were fired (and/or left because of the conditions) as referenced by Aurorus Borealis above, the oil industry output has increased from 2700 Mbpd to around 900 Mbpd! (1984 ref...). There is a lot less money to go around....
I referenced the oil output because without money to toss around the masses get restless (ref Syria) and that can lead to enough instability that a small push could get things rolling. Of course the US would prefer to have a regime change, but that doesn't happen with a satisfied populace.
Aurorus may have put his finger on it, though, when he said that Venezuelan bonds were bought out for pennies on the dollar and with the prospect of regime change their value is rising rapidly. I would suspect an actual regime change would raise their values further. Access to the oil (which is still apparently in litigation for some oil companies following nationalization by my cursory look) would be icing on the cake, though.
I didn't say that it did. It is probably a factor, though to what extent nobody who isn't making the decisions really knows. There is certainly a political aspect to it as the US isn't too fond of having a socialist government in power, and as Aurorus brought up there is a lot of money to be made off the bonds. Things like this rarely have one cause. I think that saying it is for political control is too simplistic, except insofar as it may impact the other causes. So in some sense, yes it is all political, but maybe as much (or more) for practical reasons rather than ideological ones.
Trump: "It [the blockade] will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us."
It seems we are dealing with a shape shifting war here. Reasons range from drugs to ‘Oil, Land, and other Assets’, a fairly wide scale. The final goal is to exploit all oil reserves from there.
Why would Trump's goals contain some element of personal gain, at least financially? Feed his ego, surely. He'd like to be the one to save the country (in his eyes) and he thinks he has all the answers. He wants to be remembered as one of the great presidents. How history will remember him is very uncertain at this point. Of course, most history is written by the winners so it depends on what is left standing when the dust settles. He is a bull in a china shop, surely.
It was clear to me long time ago that oil is the major motivation. With oil huge amounts of money are moved internationally in a controllable manner while when you go after taxpayers and businesses there is an endless struggle with constant opposition – a political swamp. When oil prices are kept artificially high the steady profit for the upper crust is secured.
As far as world hegemony the US is clearly going down in that department and this process will increase with the end of the Ukraine war – if it will ever end. A rearrangement toward regional powers and nation states is the desirable outcome with an umbrella created by allied Western Nations uniting on Populist principles.
My main concern is the group of suicidal/homicidal maniacs hiding within the Western Deep State structures. These people have degraded mentally to the point where they are playing with human extermination on a planetary scale as a solution for their own security concerns. Of course this game originates from the most insane segments of the Neanderthal society where pragmatism and sanity gives way to the desires for ancient revenge politics.
Russia (while running under the Soviet emblem) was dealing with US world hegemony efforts during the Cold War and they will be unlikely to ever forget that. Yes, America wants to be the hegemonic power but for now that is out of reach. With the Russia/China/Iran/North Korea open alliance and endless other players expressed desire the dream is not realistic for the time. Had they hammered willing Russia into the West in the 1990s the map of geopolitics would look very different today.
Their Plan B is an overwhelming depopulation program but every time they start designing a way for a favorable outcome they realize it is not going to work. Problem is that some of them are unhinged enough to start the act regardless of the consequences. No golden, silver, diamond or iron dome will save the elite and the few ten thousand who will survive underground will be faced off with a lot larger, very angry group for revenge. After an all out nuclear + biological confrontation Asia will have the better chance to retain more people, maybe even enough to restart new societies on the short term.
This will be America’s undoing.
No, it won't be, because Russia and China are too cowardly to do anything instead of using the golden opportunity to do a Ukraine on the US.
We could be having all US oil produciton in the Gulf of Mexico and all refineries along the coast going up in flames due to Geran strikes, all the US ships sunk with Russian anti-ship missiles, Miami abandoned due to constant drones strikes on the high-rises, Mar-A-Lago destroyed, etc. etc. etc.
If someone had the balls and the integrity to protect Russia by imposing costs on the US instead of trying to make a deal.
But the relevant people don't have the balls and the integrity.
GM always tranfering the blame to the US rivals
A golden opportunity to do a Ukraine on the US…don’t underestimate women soldiers sent by Epstein, they can do a lot of damage.
They are already in place on Little St James island, awaiting Ghislaines order to go.
GM mysteriously asserting that Gerans can reach the US coastline.
There's enough technical ability available to create longer ranged Geran variants. There are already so many variants of them I wouldn't be surprised if one with long enough range already existed.
Sorry.
You are delusional.
Clearly, a variant of you is impossible
Sure, just bolt on some Airbus A320 fuel tanks. Whats so complicated?
It's less than 2,000 km to Florida, they certainly can reach it.
You haven't seen it in Ukraine because Ukraine isn't that big, but some of the original Iranian variants have that capability. The Shahed 136 has always been listed with a range of 2,500 km.
And then there are many options to come closer.
Well Alaska. The US might not even notice
But still aware that his two brain cells will never meet, never even see each other from afar. Two brain cells, a family inheritance, one passed down from his father, the other from his mother. One is the other, having probably given up their only one.
Weak cowards always resort to insults.
Yemen has launched missiles and drones against Israel which is about 1500 miles.
Venezuela to Miami is 1500 miles.
To perform a Ukraine on the US, first they must have the US engaged and committed. That way the willingness of the Venuzuelan people can be guaged to demonstrate their willingness to resist the aggressive actions. After which escalation can lead to whatever comes.
You are right, China and Russia will most probably be defeated as they are unable or unwilling to protect their interests.
In the both countries, there is a deep inferiority complex. Deep inside they want to serve the west in order to be allowed in the club, "to be loved by the west".
That is why Russians and Chinese elites force their children o learn piano etc.
I talked with some of them. They adore the west.
Thousands of Chinese students from wealthy families are sent to western universities every year just for the status as China has universities every bit as good as any in the West. The billionaire oligarchy around XI and Putin don't want confrontation with the imperialist West they seek accomodation. This policy is a recipe for disaster and betrayal of the people in both countries.
In Cold War 1.0 the USSR and China, despite the many failings of the party elites, would not have let US imperialism act with the total impunity the way it is now. They fought the US to a standstill in both Korea and Vietnam , never mind numerous other proxy conflicts where they supported left governments under American threat.
This about the Chinese students is great truth. One op then explained me that they, the Chinese middle class do not trust CPC, but adore The West as they are afraid of the war. That was in 2007, maybe they are not so afraid now.
But there is one thing. The attack on Russia and China, the total annihilation of these countries and the genocide of the respective populations is quite thinkable in the West. They would like to do it, even if there would be no benefit. But for The West, killing of "blacks" or "brown people" or ant second rank nation is thinkable and desirable, even just for fun. No street
sweeper in Portugal, or a professor in Poland, or some manager in Sweden would complain as they do not complain about GAza.
They know that Russia or China would never dare to attack the west. Nobody would kill the own dark object of desires.
They adore what the west used to be. We’re busy becoming what they used to be.
I was thinking this was a great Russian opportunity. wasted.
They had time to fly in some missile batteries and the like, and should have manned them with Russian crews (or PMC) so they would be effective.
However, I could easily see a case where soldiers turn on Maduro and then hand that equipment over to the Americans for a nice bounty. With little trust and no Russian military base I can see why they might have blinked and not bothered reinforcing them.
This would require audacity and proactiveness (is that even a word? whatever) which Russia has entirely lacked so far in Ukraine, which lies on its own borders.
To the last Venezuelan!
Troll time!!!
100% correct make it worse than Vietnam which BTW would not have won without Russian support. As is, with Russia and China, sitting these conflicts out, USA will take out one BRICS at a time until entire house falls in and we left with the Zionist-American control of the world similar to 1991 again.
Still, we have to consider that the Russians do not have a yen to destroy and do not seek war. That is not cowardice but rational behavior.
Don’t be a fool and buy onto the idea of the stinking EU ever whipping Ruasia, for the rogue Ukraine. Mighty Ruasia will take the declining, DOOMED EU A MIGHTY LESSON AS IN 1945 for Germany, Putin is stepping up for the Russians abused in the rogue Ukraine, the stinking CIA installed a fake government meant to whip up every thing, thanks to Victoria Newland U.S, WAR monger.and it has, over time.
Green Midget, you should change therapists. It's not that your current one is failing at sublimating your brain's soft mass, but he's going too far. If the therapy continues like this, you'll disappear from the forum in three weeks, having lost all ability to write. Why don't you stick to your mission: entertaining us without offering any personal reflections?
GM you offer no solution, all you offer is uncontrolled escalation. I believe there is a very high chance WWIII is coming but you seem to be glad to have both sides destroy each other ASAP with nukes.
possibly the reason for all those trips by Whitaker to moscow... cutting backroom deals with putin to scratch each others back. washington cuts Moscow some slack regards Ukraine while Moscow returns the favor by turning a blind eye vis a vis Venezuela. or, could be the case that latin america is too full of corruption, and fun loving party goers and to have built up over time capabilities to mount a resistance to its historic aggressor. after all, militarism, to a certain degree, has to be supported by underlying cultural values and requiring a certain social discipline to pull off. korea has it, yemenis have it, afganis have it, many muslim nations have it. would usa even dream of doing what they're doing if this was yemen or north korea ?! we all know the answer to that.
I dont think its about cowardly. But its more of a Dialectic. In the end they all eat, drink and molest little children together n some island while we, the little people are going deeper in the hole by day.
The United States is seriously preparing for a clash with our real enemy, China. Now the United States will put things in order in its backyard (as well as Russia in its own, with the countries of the xUSSR). After that, the two allied powers will finally be able to crush China.
Quit smoking that bad stuff or change medicine, it's not healthy stuff for sure.
China and Russia are joined by the hip, the combined west can't handle Ukraine, Iran and probably not even Venezuela.
To march against China, who is no ones enemy, except in degenerated western minds, will end in destroying the world or the west unconditional capitulation.
100%
Many on our side don't realize that the kerfuffle about China is all govt/media-manufactured consent.
China took what was given them by western corporate interests to enhance their profits. And they built themselves into a formidable trading country. And now the US, in their usual rules-based order fashion, makes them out to be an enemy to do to them what they're trying to do to Russia, Iran, NK, Venezuela, etc.
We've been lied to about EVERYTHING else for our entire lifetimes - what are the chances they're telling the truth about China?
The world will regret allowing China to rise. China is not an enemy to anyone, because with its "friendship" it will defeat anyone. What will people do when their countries become completely bankrupt due to Chinese pressure?
That is why I believe that the United States and Russia are natural allies against China. Europe can be discounted, unfortunately.
China has risen to the top numerous times in history and never exhibited the psychopathic intent of the Western Empires of more recent times. Looking objectively we see those countries closely woven into Chinese supply chains are vastly outperforming the financialised G7. We only need to look at the massive amounts of infrastructure the Chinese are bankrolling globally to realise they really intend to raise all boats. Take Africa as a case in point. In the last few years the Chinese have bankrolled more infrastructure than all the West did over 2 centuries of colonial rule. You are blinded by ideology and understandably upset with the demise of the Western Empire.
I don't have any emotions about it. An analysis of the situation and nothing more. I don't have many years left to live, so I don't have any emotions about this topic. Moreover, the loss of the West doesn't bother me either, even though I was raised in a Christian culture. I think it would be very bad for all of humanity if China wins. First they will burn out everything on the periphery, then they will calm down.
Remind me exactly what did China do against the interests of the US? Oh, that's right, they refused to toe the line and challenged the imperial diktat. Sorry that hurt your feelings. Best to quit your publicly funded position and use your time tidying your own back yard (if you have one).
In 2015 they established capital controls making it difficult for foreigners to extract their capital and crash China's economy. They weren't supposed to do that. They were supposed to be the workhorse for the Western globalists and follow orders. They took away their stick to beat China with. Nationalism was supposed to die with Russia but China blocked the globalists in and now they are pissed off. India hasn't exactly played ball either. They really have a mess on their hands now. They can still blow up Lebanon and Gaza and possibly further take out their frustrations on Venezuela
It's hard for me to remind myself of what's going to happen in the future. Rather, the words "make a forecast" are more appropriate here.
My forecast is China as the pole of evil in the 21st century. The Rust Belt outside of China. And Africa + Australia in the form of a new colony of China.
"It's hard for me to remind myself of what's going to happen in the future".
Bob, are you some kind of absent-minded time-traveller?
No one will believe the truth anyway, so I can pretend that I'm just an ordinary troll.
Russia crushing the China it has built two major pipelines to.
Makes sense I suppose
Russia which has signed multiple decades long deals to sell LNG and Oil to China siding with the satanic pedophiles who run the West and has long sought to bring about the collapse of the Russian state so it can plunder Russia's natural resources?
As Col. Macgregor and Scott Ritter are so fond of reminding their audiences, most of our fellow Americans are ignorant of history and geopolitics. And all of their "knowledge" of warfare comes from playing video games.
It isn't going to happen. Russia and China are going to win. Mackinder's Heartland >>> the Pentagon's Island Chain Defense. The whole purpose of the Island chain defense was to starve China out. That doesn't happen with Russian resources flowing into China. Those Islands just become attrition points. In their own strategic planning documents they all insist on keeping Russia and China at odds and stoking disagreements between them. Instead they became so arrogant and full of themselves they pushed them together
The US Navy's retreat from the Red Sea was proof that the age of maritime powers using naval gunboat diplomacy to maintain global primacy, as codified by Rear Admiral Alfred Mahan, is rapidly coming to a close
Kissinger's setting the stage for Nixon's rapprochement with the PRC made sense at a time when following the Sino-Soviet border clashes... from a Zio-Anglo-American Empire's perspective it was the perfect moment to exploit that momentary schism.. But the ultimate goal of pitting the Russians and Chinese against each other was always going to be a fool's errand in the long run.
As Putin stated in his interview with Tucker Carson, you can't choose your neighbors anymore than you can choose your close relatives. All you can do is build and maintain good relations.
The notion that we in the West could have ever manipulated China and Russia into nuking each other for our benefit was, and is, delusional hubris.
Gerald Corr, who wrote a book about the Chinese military back in 1972, observed that China and Russia have their own unique history and are quite cognizant that third parties will attempt to pit them against each other but those who attempted it did so at their own peril.
Time has proven him correct.
There is no need to build illusions about the ease of the flow of resources from Russia to China. The vast land border has almost no transport links between the countries. A typical route for coal or oil from Russia to China is transportation to a seaport and then transportation by sea.
Russia is following the easiest path. She sold natural resources to England, sold resources to Europe, and now she's selling resources to China. This is not very easy money, but it is easier than building an independent economy. What difference does it make which country Russia will depend on as an exporter?
You would love someone else to do the heavy lifting in a war against China wouldn't you Bob?
Not going to happen. Neither India nor Russia is going to be your vassal.
Remember this comment when China deprives you of the last opportunity to earn.
They will have to be quick, Bob. I'm only a couple of years from retirement. 👍
To be honest, I am more worried about AI than China.
You may still be able to use your retirement plan, but what about those who are younger?
Still more worried about AI mate.
Are you a trumptard or a bot ?
The next time they beat the war drums against China, you just answer back: "no Chinese communist party member ever put razor blades in my bread at the Walmart bakery"
https://t.me/warrenbalogh88/12921?single
"The next time they beat the war drums against China, you just answer back: "no Chinese communist party member ever put razor blades in my bread at the Walmart bakery""
Scientists at a major American university have proven that razor blades in bread add fiber to a diet and, coupled with Ozempic, provides a reasonable weight loss strategy for "plus-sized" Americans. If you notice blood in your stool, contact your doctor. Immediately.
Aliens love watching humans fight each otber.
At a pedestrian crossing yesterday, where the walker can push a button to stop traffic and safely cross, I noticed a sticker next to the button with this legend...
"Push this button to reset the world..." It's all starting to add up now...
I, unfortunately, tuned in to Trump blathering last night and am I the only one who thinks he had sampled the Green Goblin's white powder stash before going on stage? Agent Orange was really revved up.
He has dementia like Biden. Just not as bad yet. Biden seemed to handle the amphetamines better though tbh. 😂😂😂
Kudos to you, if you can still sit through the insane ramblings of this narcissistic megalomaniac.
You sad maga man time to take your medication.
Sounds like the zionized City dream.
Why is China the enemy of America bob ?
Because China has the temerity to return to it's status as a great power; a position it occupied for most of the past 2,500 years.
Today's Chinese-Russian alliance would be like if Tang China and the Byzantine Empire had direct ties and jointly led the world order of their day in commerce and military partnership.
Ironically, America's Founder's would have petitioned to join BRICS. Their entire premise of "Trade, commerce and honest friendship with all. Entangling alliances with none" was based on their recognition of a multi-polar world.
The very notion of being the world's "sole superpower" enforcing a unipolar world order at gunpoint would have been both alien and sickening to them. John Qunicy Adam's predicted that if American mutated from a Constitutional Republic into an empire, "She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit."
What a tragedy that neither the politicians in the pockets of the Bankers and Lobbyists, or low info voters like Bob, has ever read the writings of our Founders. Probably a combination of a lack of interest and above their level of reading comprehension.
The great ancestors had a good understanding of how the real world worked. They certainly would not have allowed America to become an empire. But, we are here. And in our situation, saying to your enemies "sorry, let's forget everything and live peacefully" will not work. No one would believe that a wolf decided to become a vegetarian. Therefore, it is necessary to fight and do it better together with a strong ally who has similar interests. At least Russia is strong enough that it doesn't need to be defended. And she doesn't need America's resources - she has her own.
And why should Russia side with the West that has insulted and threatened it for Centuries?
In the case of a confrontation with China, Russia is not on the side of the West, but on its own side. It is a simple coincidence that the interests of the United States and Russia coincide on the issue of China. And there are people in Russia who understand what its benefits are, I'm sure.
China took away their stick. They were supposed to be the globalists workhorse and just follow orders.
https://www.centralbanking.com/central-banks/currency/7860946/chinas-capital-controls-here-to-stay
America, like any other country, is not an enemy for China, which can be defeated in battles and take tribute. It's much worse. For China, the rest of the world is a cup of sugary soda that needs to be sucked out through a straw and thrown in the trash. No cooperation is expected. And I don't think anyone in China has forgotten what the powerful powers did to him 200 years ago, so he won't miss his chance.
The Jew is the world parasite- not China
15 million Jews versus 1,500 million Chinese. I wonder who's bigger?
Ah but Bob, Dhdh sees Jews EVERYWHERE!!I
Everybody he doesn't like is Jewish.
By his reckoning, there are billions of Jews. Everywhere he looks - Jews!
Are you a trumptard bob?
The Venezuela situation isn’t even really about oil. It’s about Venezuela not recognizing Israel as a state and having friendly ties with Iran.
Always remember Trump’s Law: Everything he does is for the Jews.
Satire? Quite amusing. Thanks!
The postmodern world is very funny. But it is advisable to observe it from the outside.
The ideal observation point to view modern jewish society is definitely from the outside, at least as much as is practically possible while maintaining a line of sight.
China is an Allied power. They are together to defeat a nazi resurgence in Europe and the US
The way birth rates and inmigration into the USA are going, who is the backyard of whom will be open to discussion very soon in the Western hemisphere.
Better try to avoid a clash
with China because an American defeat would be very probable. China has a bigger and more united population and much bigger industrial output.
The small technological advantage of the USA is being lost very quickly. In some sectors China is already more advanced.
In the next 50 years,Russia will not support the USA against China. Clinton, Obama, Biden will be remembered in Russia.
Putin will be the last pro-Western Russian leader in many decades.
The birth rate is a problem in any developed country. China is already suffering from this too. The loss of technology is important. This is due to the loss of the market. Do you think China will bring our markets back to us? Every day makes China stronger and the rest of the world weaker. Needless to say, we just don't have a choice?
Yes, after Putin's departure, many in the West will remember him with sadness, as a missed opportunity.
Lol
Lol
🙏
Hope so.
What makes you so sure? War is baked in the cake. Have the prices on US treasuries nosedived as a result?
It appears both Colombia and Brazil will join Venezuela against us. Seizing Carracas and air bases won't be a problem.
It's the occupation part that will be costly. Aside from Venezuelan guerrillas, we're also going to be facing tens of thousands of armed irregulars from Colombia, Brazil and other neighboring countries who will view this as another act of Yanqui Imperialism.
Between the Andean Mountains in the west and the lowland jungles, it's ideal terrain for a protracted guerrilla conflict of the sort we've historically been ill prepared for.
Zion don will not invade. Just embargo / decapitation strike. Russia and China need to run the gay blockade.
Didn't Venezuela provide Nazi oil through Spain and Switzerland in ww2? Guess the Nazi's resented them nationalizing their own oil.
The deep state flies such a wide range of flags in their pursuit of power and depravity.
Political figures are just a way to rally hatred and love in the cause of divide and conquer. Trump bobs on the strings or winds up like JFK.
Was there anything to Ritter's rant about the Oreshnik threat?
lol no. Just like with Syria and Iran, Russia and China will condemn the actions but actually helping their friend Ishrul. Just look at the trade among Russia and Ishrul or Russia and EU while your children are being murder everyday. Yeah, Stalin is long gone and all we have is this. Pathetic.
This was predicted in a 2014 novel. Substitute Venezuela for Tanzania and we might very well see Babylon come crashing down in 2026.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight%27s_Last_Gleaming_(novel)
>Russia is ‘concerned’ with US Navy striking civilian boats and a probable land op
And it will remain concerned while the US carries out regime change, just as it remained concerned in Syria. Instead of using the opportunity to sink the US fleet under the fig leaf of its own proxy and restore at least some deterrence.
We know the Venezuelans are going to suffer, I fail to see why the Americans shouldn’t. Poor people are being sacrificed in the name of non escalation.
"Should" has nothing to do with it.
If hard work and devotion to duty were rewarded, African market women would be the richest humans on the planet.
Indeed. Magnificent human beings are those women.
Direct military actions between nuclear superpowers should be avoided at al costs. This constant machismo on the part of Western powers is not an approach the Russia should be encouraged to take - they (the Russians) need to remain the adults in the room.
Russia is inflicting serious damage on Western powers, including the US, on several levels over time (militarily, economically and diplomatically. No need to change that.
Agreed. Though Russia has been quite successful at minimising Ukrainian civilian casualties with their strategy of precision strikes.
I strongly agree with that. Nothing would please me more than to see the US getting a taste of its own medicine. And let's not underestimate the ability to Iran, Russia and China to enable such a thing in that part of the world. They have a significant and growing stake in Central and South America currently.
This 'stake' will be severely undermine if they stand by and do nothing while the US destroys Venezuela. It's clear many of you ignore what happened during Cold War 1.0 when the USSR and China under Mao fought the US to a standstill in Korea, Vietnam and gave active military support to many other nations under US threat such as Cuba
As I said, that would require Russia to be proactive and audacious, which in turn would require a marked shift from Russian behavior during this war.
That would require an audacity and willingness to take risks which Russia has entirely lacked in this war.
Throughout this conflict, Russia has been consistently wrongfooted when the West and its proxies have not acted the way Russia expected them to.
Both situations are completely different. The US can operate freely in Ukraine because Eastern European countries like Poland and Romania are working with them. Russia is far from Venezuela. The logistics would be impossible.
But the yanks states are using the power of their military power which relies on the nukes, to continue with the boot on our necks.. Once they know others are ready to do the same they might relent.. (from Johannesburg)
The US is simply, like its President and his predecessor, drinking KoolAid, if he takes on Venezuela, he will have a new Vietnam as his legacy.
Sorry you are deluded. In Vietnam the USSR and China poured billions in military and economic aid to support the North. Both sent thousands of military advisers and China even sent thousands of ground troops into North Vietnam. Without this superpower support the North could not have won the war against the American invaders.
Like Afghanistan? How do you 'win' a war against a continual insurgency -- especially when the terrain is against you (desolate craggy mountains, or jungle as in Vietnam -- as would be the case in Venezuela)? Sure you can win each battle, but the battles never cease. How long do you want to play? I seem to recall reading the Vietnamese said they had been fighting for 600 years.... (no idea where I read that or even if it is true)
The North Vietnamese army did not win the war against the US. The famed Tet offensive was a military disaster for the North. It was a PR disaster for the US because the populace had been told nothing like that was possible. The US completely lost support at home for the war, so they folded their tents and left. (A certain Feral Feline would say that it never matters what the populace thinks, but there is a counter-example to that).
Of course, in the case of Venezuela it all depends on the amount of support the government actually as (see Syria).... Looking at Ireland, Scotland, US Native Americans, Mexico -- in each case the invaders were welcomed by some groups because they thought the invaders would help fight those running the place. And they did. Of course, the invaders didn't stop there....
"the populace had been told nothing like that was possible."
"A certain Feral Feline would say that it never matters what the populace thinks"
Seems clear that the populace is told and 'induced' to think useful thoughts.
Well, they try. It doesn't always work -- especially in the long run.
"Sir no sir" is a good documentary that debunks the myth that it was lack of support at home that lost the Vietnam war. US veterans and soldiers turned against the war, with fragging and veterans organising protests in the US
Blame it on Russia again GM
Yes, indeed, blame it on Russia.
People in all the countries the US has destroyed since 1991 have Moscow to blame for it, because late Soviet elites betrayed not only their own country, but the whole world too, and it was that act that enabled the US to go on a rampage around the world.
Who do you blame? The tiger that is running loose around the city mauling people or the people who unlocked its cage and let it loose?
Russia betrayed the whole world? Wow !
Yes, that the Americans and the Europeans are ruthless gangsters who will go on a rampage against anyone who cannot resist them was always a given, because it is what had been going on for centuries already.
The USSR blocked a lot of that during the Cold War.
But then a certain faction of the late Soviet elites decided that it is better to become gangsters themselves, starting with robbing their own country, under the delusion that they will be accepted in the club if they betray the project.
The rest followed inevitably.
And it's still the same people in power in Russia, still driven by the same primary motivation.
Your expression betrays your hatred for Russia. Your English is too good to be a Ukranian. You must be British then. 100%
Almost certainly MI6. Not based in UK, judging by the posting times.Far East somewhere.
Sure... 77th Brigade or 8th MISG (Army-USA)
Ukrainians are very talented and have, or had, a very good education system.
No English is too good for
a dedicated Ukrainian who decides to learn the language.
Mystery unsolved.
"the US to go on a rampage around the world". -- Those whom God wishes to destroy, he first deprives of reason.
Leave Russian people alone to figure out how to help the zionized and deranged collective west to fall apart completely.
Competing for the mental gymnastics prize? Looks like you've won it fair and square.
🏆
Troll gonna troll
To become yourself what you are fighting against makes no sense.
Russia has never had the goal to weaken or punish other nations, that's a western mindset.
So why should Russia turn to the same behavior as their adversaries?
This is what distinguish the man from the boys, man talk, boys slap each other.
And the west is on the level of not even children, they're degenerate people that in a healthy society would be put away because they are a danger for others and also to themself.
Well put
You totally ignore how in Cold War 1.0 both China and the USSR engaged in numerous proxy wars against US imperialism from Korea to Vietnam which ended up severely weakening the American empire. Under Putin the policy is one of accomodation with the West which merely encourages the aggression against Russia.
After my knowledge Korea was invaded by US and Indochina was a french colony that had to go to the US like the Philippines, so there is no proxy war here.
It was the working class of the socialist part of the world who helped the fellow working class men, not some rich oligarchs like the US and the EU is doing in Ukraine.
Don't compare apples with oranges, it's not going to work.
Of course it was a proxy war. In the Korean War Soviet red army pilots openly fought US air force combat planes while China lost 180,000 soldiers as its troops participated in the fighting on the side of the North. China deployed over 2 million men to fight on the side of the North. Go back to school. Your ingnorance is staggering
You don't get my meaning on the matter.
The intention to participate in those fights/wars were fundamentally different from the intention of the west 'helping' Ukraine now.
Insulting me doesn't make your point stronger but be my guest, educate me.
I always love to learn from the best.
To the last Venezuelan!
I'm not saying the POTUS 47 is, or ever will be, in any sense, a historical figure comparable to Elizabeth Tudor. But, DJT cannot be accused of deviating from the US's British roots. Queen Elizabeth I of England encouraged piracy, turning pirates into an instrument of foreign policy. This was due to the threat posed by the powerful Spanish Empire, and Elizabeth, lacking sufficient resources for an open war, supported privateering. Substitute BRICS for the Spanish Empire and the situation rhymes nicely.
Except there is no V in BRICS.
Venezuela were keen to be part of BRICS. Lula vetoed their membership.
BRiCS is an economic alliance not a military alliance. If Venezuela was a part of BRICS it would make no difference. A successful regime change in Venezuela would signal the irrelevance and impotence of the BRICS initiative.
First two statements spot on - but you might like to correct your third sentence which contradicts them?
Venuzuela is an example of nations that have an incentive to join BRICS. So if the US can launch an illegal unprovoked war of aggression against a sovereign country through piracy, blockades and interdiction of lawful trade between sovereign nations. Why would nations risk joining a block that would endanger their national security rather than offer protection?
I think it's a little early to make sweeping assertions. Let's see how this pans out. Perhaps Venezuela's stunning victory over US imperial overreach leads to a utopian future for South America. If Vietnam and ASEAN are anything to go by I wouldn't be counting the Orinoco crude just yet.
Many thanks for your clarifications. I concur.
Another way of looking at the new NSS is it’s a localized variant of the Wolfowitz doctrine, which is now moot because, exactly as forecast by W, the USA now lacks the power - industry, money, logistics, manpower, and technology - for global application. Let’s see if Might can still beat Right closer to home against carefully chosen targets!😉
BRICS is China, more than any other thing. Do not confuse impotence and the slow tempo of a nation with a long history and still longer patience.
The Chinese are shaping the battlefield, so that in the end no battle will be necessary.
Well said, but I prefer not to rely upon our glorious leader’s grasp of history. He’s probably taking advice.
The in-breds on Pirate Rock have always been thieving, cut-throat killers at the service of their "betters". Take a gander at your Daily Flail, "filth of the highest quality in the prurient interest" and puke at the servility of the ignorant masses as they gobble up the rugurgitated nonsense dispensed by Britland "press". As for the BBC and its Orwellian manipulation of the toothless, back-street dwelling lumpen proles "nourished" as they are on tales of "royals" and the sex capades of their demented, horse-faced ruling pedovores, there is not a more ignorant and prejudiced collection of mutts on the planet, owned by a more disgusting kakistocracy than the bone gnawing and perfidious clowns of Pirate Rock.
The Daily Flail....till you bleed!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/royals/index.html
Oh! so you don't like the British? Or am I misunderstanding your subtle rhetoric?
Who does apart from the ....brutish. Is there any war on the planet not caused by the mob from Pirate Rock or their $lumville spawn.
World of Winston Smith... the ruling garbage are scared shitless of the last of the Brits with balls. Gotta love watching the Rock implode as the mohammadans and afreakans take the scraps not offshored by the inbred "gentry". Onward to total co££ap$€ of their fiat filth and bankster gulag. AinT karma just dandy!
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/uk-man-jailed-18-months-two-tweets-viewed-just-33-times
A fine, subtle man of culture we have in this forum. Apparently, he is not precisely a fan of the British.
I had to look up 'kakistocracy', what an apt description of the piglets that 'rule' the West.
>Kakistocracy is government by the worst, least qualified, or most unscrupulous people.
Indeed.
Exactly the shower of filth running the evil EUSSR, Pirate Rock, and $lumville, USSA not to mention the subhuman demons that turned Palestine into the real hollow co$t that the aforementioned scum financed and abetted. They aint called caca for nothing like some other ignorant euro peons around here.
The doctor will see you now Mister Chiri. We hope you are comfortable in the padded room. No, we cannot remove the jacket at the moment.
One may like the English or not, as one can have different sentiments for the Germans, the French or for any other nation, but your expression of hate of the peoples of the British Islands are quite remarkable.
Expressions of verbal violence and hate obscure the intellect and increase cortisol. Try to calm down.
You are right that the behaviour of the British political establishment has been rather reprehensible in many occasions, but this does not diminish the magnificent merits of British culture.
You might understand that you went too far, if you consider that your comment offended my Spanish sense of justice, as I am naturally devoid of any British patriotism.
After all, as Bismark said, the main problem with the English is that they would not let us like them.
Unfortunate, but not a valid motive for hatred.
"British islands" what nonsense are you chattering about? Y un espanol que hable de justicia..... estas completemente loco como sus amiguitos ingleses. Disculpe que no tengo el tiempo de buscar acentos para escribir correcto en cuanto a las reglas de un espanol ofendida jugando como un chiquitito ofendido. Lo que ustedes hicieron en "America" es igual de horible y brutal que sus amigos ingleses. Dos razas de piratas y matones. Otra "civilizacion" de rateros que hablan de moral....que chistoso. La hipocricia de las ladrones mas brutales de Europa, los gachupines y los ladrones de la isla Anglsaxon. Con razon estas ofendida de la realidad.
As for "expressions of verbal violence"... lech Mich am Arsch, as Bismarck himself would put it. Shove it already. And get back to your video games. But truly astounding blabbing about your "Spanish sense of justice"... Ask the people of Catalonia not to mention all the nations your pirates plundered and raped around the planet. You gachupines are even more hated and despised that the Brits where ever you set foot as you also robbed "your colonies" with your swords and crucified Jesus as you genocided the "natives". Suck it up buttercup coZ your history like the Brits sucks bigly. So "you might understand that you went too far" with your fake and tiresome faux offended airs and graces as you tried to disguise your insults with high toned moral bullshit.
You are a complete ignorant and also someone with horrible manners.
I do not need to ask anything to the people of Catalonia, being mostly Catalan myself.
No need to further discuss anything with you. Mark Twain proved right once more.
You obviously goggled your AI as in artyfishel ignorance to come up with your revelations on Germanic ass licking. How about besame el culo? Should work with a "mostly Catalan" like yourself.
Not only very silly, but a cad, obviously.
By the way, ignorants believe that others must ask Google to know anything about anything.
By the way, if you enjoy being vulgar in German, you might consider that there is no such thing as "lech mich...".
"Leck" is the word that would describe your profound idea of an argument.
So the resident intellectual gimp who patrols "speech" in multiple languages is now triggered by lick mick am arsch.... go back to your hole you sanctimonius cretin. You have nothing more to blabber on your supposedly Spanish "sense of justice" obviously. Onward to Catalonia free of you windmill tilting clowns that plundered half the planet like your fellow brigands and thieves from ye olde Pirate Rock.
Meanwhile some classic Daily Flail filth on the debauchery of gachupin "nobility" as in "king" of the Spanish fascists and boot licking peasants like yourself... Any nation that produces the likes of the butcher Franco should keep a low profile in things outside their gone-to-seed backward. Now "vete a la chingada" as we say in mostly Latin America.
You have already proved what kind of person you are. Why try any further?
No, I would not kiss any part of your anatomy. Do not insist. Ask your girl or boyfriend according to your preferences.
About "chingada", I might say something spicy about the sons of some.
I will not as I prefer to let you the monopoly of uncouth behaviour in this forum.
As with everything else that lasts for a while culture changes. For a country of significant size it also differs across its domain. So when one uses unqualified word "culture" I would assume that one means the main current and that is at the end of 2025 revolting. I used to live in the UK for a short while more than 25ya. I found the culture problematic already back then. It did "improve" with few engagements in the whole world of which Iraq war was the biggest but not the only problematic achievement. The current UK culture consists of rabid multiculturalism resulting in abominations like grooming gangs (in covering of which the current PM seems to have played a role). It has an obnoxious and oppressive justice system that selects particular per/victim configurations for special treatment and arrests people for silent praying and "evil tweets". They even arrest more people for "hate online" than the silly Germans. The original locals are pushed so much that they indeed start express views typical to what the current regime accuses them of which is also probably the only way they can galvanize supporters to fight against the government's policies. The stuff that one could appreciate is getting removed at the shocking pace and the acts of imperial grandeur that the current elites saw as problematic in previous regimes are pushed to the extreme in current policies. The support for the Ukrainian acts of terror on the high seas (recently in the Mediterranean seem to me very problematic for number of reason and I doubt if Ukraine did it on its own - probably using support of the UK special branches of the military. One can go further but I think you get my point. I really loved to live there for a while when I was younger. My kids asked me to go there for holidays but I refuse. I do not want to get arrested at the border for may evil tweets.
This is the British culture of now. Surely you can find bits which are of excellent quality that we all would envy. I still watch the British commedy and stand up on YT but this is all second level - the first one is in service of the new elites.
One hundred percent! A disgusting show of false democracy and false rule of law in the UK and Germany.
What has happened/ is happening to the Europeans?
Untergang des Abendlandes, for sure. But why? I am not fully convinced by the explanation that cultures live a determined period of time and then decay.
Societies are not biological beings subject to the process of getting old. China would have disappeared two millennia ago.
The Greco-Roman world did completely collapse.
Most probably the sheer number slaves and traders who were descentents of slaves diluted the founding culture of the State. With no leading culture came the destruction of unity and with it the legitimacy of the institutions could not set limits to the interests of groups. That is when different legions appointed their generals a emperors to be destroyed by other soldiers.
Good luck with the Bunterepublik!
Bar a revolution we are all finished.
No-one in the UK believes the press or the government, and its very unlikely that they’d fight
enter the buccaneers. still in the Caribbean, as during the 17th century. plus ça change, it seems.
Trump's banking puppeteers need the Venezuelan ressources at collateral. The siege is an act of war and I am afraid Venezuela will be stabbed in the back by the duplicitous Brazilians and Colombians, who are the country's only way out.
As a Colombian, I would like to know how you expect Colombia and Brazil to stab Venezuela in the back? Yes, Colombia will not go to war with the US in support of Venezuela, unless the US threatens or attacks us.
Apparently Colombia and Brazil's governments are leftists and therefore supportive to Maduro, but my point is that behind that there are the old oligarchies looming for taking part in the Orinoco looting. A deal will be reached by which they can have a tiny share of the Venezuelan resources, and this has been negociated from long ago. A land blockade is garanteed but maybe Brazil will go further and land grab the Venezuelan rain forest.
...and land grab the Venezuelan rain forest. >??<
Like Russia will march through western Europe?
Makes no sense, at least not as long as Lula is President of Brazil.
I wouldnt trust Lula for a second. He was all in with the covid scam. Bought and paid.
Lula was installed by the CIA with some help from the Chinese, because they can both bribe him and his people to get whatever they want.
Sure, because you know that deep inside.
Lula is a corrupt scumbag excon who is for sale to the highest bidder, and Maduro doesn't have nearly enough money to outbid Trump's Wall Street friends. Only the Chinese are capable of competing in that game. Petro is a leftist, and he is as corrupt as Lula. He is bought and paid for though by the Columbian cocaine cartels. They are not going to risk their business ventures coming to the aid of Maduro, who has been opposing them. No one is going to come to Venezuela's aid, and for good reason. They have alienated everyone in the Americas, even those who should be their allies, like Columbia.
Lol, last time I looked Columbia was a non-NATO major ally of the US and Venezuela was leading the anti-Imperial fight against US oil companies. "Should be allies", but in which alternate reality?
That is just silliness as superficial as the "domino theory" that led the U.S. into Vietnam. They are basically the same people, and Spain had to help draw the boundary between the two former colonies after they achieved their independence, because there is no significant difference in the population or even obvious national boundaries.
The border between the two nations has been a constant source of dispute as non governmental militias, paramilitary organizations, and narco-traffickers are constantly stirring up trouble between the two countries, attacking police and soldiers in one and then the other. They have worked together on this issue in the past, and have nearly come to blows over it at other times. Whatever the case, there used to be a lot of bilateral trade between the two before Maduro shut down the frontier completely. (No U.S. boogeyman to blame here. He "sanctioned" himself in total paranoia.)
"They are basically the same people"
It's got little to do with the people though. More to do with political, realpolitik.
Yeah sure, the friggin leftists always having paranoia.
They never ever got attacked, killed, kidnapped, their families put in prison, sanctioned or driven out into exile.
I see, it's ridiculous to think that the US is coming for you if you are left (in the true meaning of the political position), they would never do that- right?
Somoza, Papa Doc, Pinochet, those mass murderers, they never have had any paranoia - good folks, right?
More to the point - the US has many pressure points over Colombia.
Your statement overlooks the fact that South America's long history of poor relations with the US has left a permanent black mark on the continent. South Americans have found new strength in recent times, both economically and militarily. And never underestimate the accumulated resentment Latins have against the Empire over that history. Whilst they individually might be rivals and their oligarchs plot against each other, when it comes to US aggression, they might well display an overall uncommon alliance and resilience.
You call +50 invations and chief of state decapitations "poor relations". Like Attila had a poor relation with Rome?
And Hitler had a falling out with the French and British.
I was being diplomatic...😉. Probably a poor choice of words?
Not for Maduro. The patience for communism here is run out. The problem is that the CIA and its Wall Street backers come in and buy elections for their puppets. This goes on for a few decades, and people get tired of having foreign corporations come in and control everything. Then some communist or socialist agitator comes along (helped along in prior times by the Soviet Union) and declares that he is "for the people." He and his cronies "nationalize" assets (which really means just take control of them for the profit of the political class), and the people end up worse off and poorer than they were when the U.S. puppet was running the show. So, we are tired of both.
There is distrust of the U.S. in most of Latin America, but I don't think "hate" is the right word to express the general sentiment. Political opinions here are not so shallow or naive as to just express "hate" or "love." There is distrust of the U.S., especially the U.S. government, but that is always mingled with some respect for elements of the U.S. population and the hope that someday the U.S. will be a good and helpful neighbor. To date, that has not happened, and so long as the CIA and Wall Street runs the country, it won't, but hope lingers, even as distrust grows.
If any country is in hopes that someday the people of the US will find the means to overcome their oligarchs and become good and helpful neighbours, they wish in vain. The US population as a whole lives in their own isolated cocoon in which the only thing they really care about is the US economy and its ability to keep giving them jobs and their children a future. Most probably don't even know where South America is (OK, I'm being a bit facetious there) and couldn't care less. "Democracy" is nothing more than a fig leaf covering oligarchic power and control, a cleverly disguised weapon of mass control.
So with that in mind, you in South America should grow some balls, unite regardless of your political leanings, and resist the Empire at all costs - only then can you hope to find a measure of freedom and sanctuary from the Northern Storm.
A humorous aside to the 'not know where South America is'.... What South American country is due south of Tampa, Florida? Answer: None, that would be in the Pacific Ocean to the west of SA. I doubt one American in 100 would get that right. I didn't, when I first heard it. We flew to Buenos Ares last year with a change of plane in Fortaleza, Brazil. A very long flight -- we actually flew over halfway across the Atlantic!
Maybe, then, South America counties should club together to buy enough US Senators to overturn the Monroe Doctrine?
Of course the Americans are not liked or trusted in Latin America. It doesn't matter as their orders are obeyed.
So what? The ruling classes are the only ones who matter, and the Latin American rulers see themselves as basically Spaniards, Germans or Americans, and the masses as little better than livestock.
But that's only because you don't have oil. If the US thinks that it is advantageous for them to 'invade' Colombia, it will. It would be better if Colombia and Brasil come to the aid of their neighbor.
They don't have to. They can just keep their borders open and help trade go through. Wasn't China supposed to help finance a new railroad network between the coasts?
Stabbed in the back by Columbia? Who closed the border between the two countries and suspended all bilateral trade? Who let the border be overrun by narcotraffickers and paramilitary militias? Who threw out all of the Columbian embassy staff and seized the property of Columbian nationals? Who has threatened to arrest a former Columbian head of state? Maduro is a corrupt, petty dictator, and Venezuelans have been fleeing to every country in America for more than a decade.
If you want to oppose imperialism, that is fine, and I agree. But Maduro is a poor choice of leader to try to prop up. He is not going to find many (any?) allies in the Americas, even in Columbia and Brazil.
Is Maduro a petty dictator? Like Gadafi was a dictador? Like Sadam Hussein was a dictador?
Yeah. Maduro is a dictator. Just because the U.S. doesn't like him doesn't make him a nice guy.
No, he is not. He is a patriot and won the elections hands down, despite the intoxication media campaign claiming the contrary. You are validating a new yankee massacre. Shame on you.
How many Venezuelan refugees are living in your town right now and how many have you talked to?
How many of them are criminals imported by the Biden administration?
Machiavelli said to beware of tales borne by exiles.
You mean like hordes of the illegals, whom you call "refugees?"
What's the matter with being a dictator? That in no way implies that he is evil. Sometimes governments need strong centralised power structures to protect themselves, especially if they are under constant and widespread attack from enemies like the US and its allies. Maduro and his predecessor, Chavez, have done wonders for the poorest of Venezuela, nationalising their oil and using the resulting revenues to provide housing, free education and medical care for the masses, and built trade relations with Russia, China and Iran giving them some measure of economic and military security. All governments have corruption and a certain cadre of evil people. We in the West need to be careful throwing stones from our glass houses, yes?
Precisamente
The fact that he destroyed their economy and has left the oil producing portion in shambles doesn't make him evil, but it doesn't make him a paragon of virtue, either.
Except that he hasn't destroyed the economy - America is doing that - and he hasn't left the oil producing portion in shambles - again, America has contributed to that (as well although apparently China is now stepping in to lend support).
The problem with the West, esp Americans, is that their country forces severe sanctions on a socialist-oriented economy and then attribute the resulting failings of that economy to socialism. And people like you grow up hating socialism and thinking that any country that wants to adopt such a system is crazy. My wife grew up in a socialist country (USSR) - she had free housing, free medical care, exceptional and free education, and full employment. Their streets were safe (and still are!) and they had a strong defense system to protect the country.
All this whilst enduring the intense economic warfare from the West. The only time they suffered was when the USSR collapsed, capitalism was installed and the Jewish oligarchs took over and partnered with America to rape the country.
Same with Cuba. Completely isolated and blockaded by America and then told they suffered because they were socialists.
Yes - but completely unlike MBS or Generalissimo al-Sisi, who are Steadfast Allies of the RBWO.
>But Maduro is a poor choice of leader to try to prop up
You don't prop up Maduro himself, you do it to put an end to US atrocities by imposing costs on the US.
Let them try to impose a blockade on the whole of South America if they feel like it.
Maduro has no friends here. None. He has alienated everyone, except hardcore Marxists like my brother-in-law, and there are very, very few of them any more in South America. Trump is just moving in now to stake a claim before Maduro's rotten house collapses, which it will do soon with or without a push from the U.S.
You sound like you are one of the disgruntled oligarchic castoffs from the previous power structure led by the USA, or perhaps one who used to profit from those oligarchs. Your people oppressed the masses, keeping them in dire poverty and shovelling all those oil revenues into your pockets. I suppose I would be bitter as well.
I have nothing to do with Venezuelan oil and never have. The only significant investments I have ever made were in gold, silver, and a Brazilian agricultural company. I run an academic editing and translating business in Argentina and build websites for tourist businesses.
No one has been lifted from poverty in Venezuela by communism. It went Ok the first couple of years under Chavez when he still had PDVSA revenues to pay off his cronies and ship a little money out to the pueblos, but after he fired all the engineers and technicians, replaced them with 3x as many incompetent cronies, all the oil money dried up, and poverty is worse than ever now.
I see. I guess that worse-than-ever poverty is why the people of the country just keep voting him into office by massive majorities - or is he holding a gun to their heads?
Sorry, you still sound like your eating sour grapes. Perhaps it is because you have a deep hatred of communism (or actually, socialism) and resent the Bolivarian success?
>Trump's banking puppeteers need the Venezuelan ressources at collateral
Correction -- the whole of the US needs Venezuela's resources, and not as a collaterla, but to burn them in order to keep the suburban dystopia going for a few more decades.
But that is not even the primary motivation for why this is being done now, it is a blocking pre-emptive move on Russia and China to exclude the possibility of land-based medium-range missiles being situated in close proximity to the CONUS.
You know, the kind of move Russia should have made itself two decades ago with respect to Ukraine, Poland and Romania, and in 2022 on Finland and Sweden. But didn't.
Becuse there are serious players and clowns here, and the Americans are serious players while Putin and his merry gang of oligarchs are not.
It is being done now because PDVSA has $60 billion in outstanding bonds in default, and some of the people who financed Trump's campaign bought those bonds for pennies on the dollar. Now the bond prices are shooting up with the hope of regime change, and these people are getting richer. That is all there is to it.
Hold your horses. It is increasingly likely that the "non serious merry gang of oligarchs" around Putin have proved quite a match for your serious American players.
That would be sad to see. The only way, imho, for larger South and smaller Latin American Nations to engage the new US' Monroe on Steroids doctrine is to form a united front against the reprehensible Bully to the north.
Russian tanker Hyperion approaching Venezuela. Guess we'll soon find out whether or not Trump is serious about the blockade.
The Hyperion Tanker is currently sailing under the flag of Gambia according to vesselfinder dotcom (AIS contact 47 hours ago). Therefore, while it can carry Russian oil, it is not, de jure, a 'Russian' tanker. In any case, the outcome will be interesting.
Not really, we’re going to find out whether the Russians are serious about the blockade.
No, the actions of a third party tanker registered in Gambia have zero to do with whether Russia is "serious" (whatever the heck that is supposed to mean...) about the blockade.
When Russia is serious (no quotes) about something it tears the shit out of it, like it's done the US and US stooges in Ukraine.
When it comes to Venezuela, Russia is not into being the world policeman. It's a tough world and Russia's not here to save the likes of Maduro from predators like the US. There are a very few, very rare cases where Russia genuinely allies with a country, for example, Belarus. But that's not remotely the situation with Venezuela.
Venezuela is Maduro's mess to deal with. If he didn't want to get his dick cut off by the US he should have been spending the last decade dealing with extreme corruption and stupidity in his own government and using his oil wealth to build strategic relationships with countries like China. Investing in something other than a totally Bolivarian-corrupt military would have been wise as well.
Unfortunately for Venezuela, Maduro isn't all that smart. He doesn't have the intelligence and steel that people like Putin have. So his country is going to end up being prey for the US. Who knows... sometimes out of such crucibles you get people like Ho Chi Minh who can stand up to the US. Maybe one day the American predation of Latin America will result in the rise to power of such a leader.
Interesting comment. I think you’re right, too many people seem to be caught with their pants down, Maduro included. And the Syrian guy too. You’ve got to caulk the seams and repair the roof at every available opportunity.
If it turns around...oh well.
I agree. There has certainly been a word escalation. But it is one thing for the bully to pick on easy targets with no ability or readiness to hit back- quite another to take on forces that can and will hit back- luridly.
Of course this is not going to happen much as the sinking of the GF would be a sight to behold. TACO folks. Trump takes the talk right to edge every time, stares into the abyss and curiously is not made mad, presumably because there is a limit to the madness capable of descending on a very small mind.
"luridly" - excellent choice!
😂and spot on with the small mind. Neil Innes song "How Sweet To Be An Idiot" also springs to mind.
:-)
After 4years of SMO, and the silly leader still hopes for diplomacy to work is someone either really lost in delusions or purposely taking the naive approach, mental quackery.
Killing your neighbour and committing genocide of nearly 2million Ukrainians isn't something to be boasting about as it only breeds more hatred and vengeance, embroiling endless killing among your brothers and sisters.
A shame the foolish leader still hopes for constant babbling with the devil with no positive outcome. Biblical speak, even the Christ took a strong and firm stance against evil. Never entertaining it.
NATO still expanding. No deterrence whatsoever. Couldn't even defend little Syria from a bunch of low life terrorists, had to bail and run to his glorious SMO.
The root cause is his own doing, not external.
A fool will always be a fool...
Civil war is always painful. Russian Russians, I hope, will stop killing Russians soon.
>After 4years of SMO, and the silly leader still hopes for diplomacy to work is someone either really lost in delusions or purposely taking the naive approach, mental quackery.
Or someone doing controlled demolition
>Killing your neighbour and committing genocide of nearly 2million Ukrainians isn't something to be boasting about as it only breeds more hatred and vengeance, embroiling endless killing among your brothers and sisters.
Yesterday in Chernigov:
https://t.me/Tatarinov_Rus/63399
Elderly Russian people lining up for bread while the snow is falling and there has been no power in the city for days. There has also been no power in the Russian city Odessa for five days now, in the middle of winter. Which has had practically zero military impact.
Meanwhile not a single member of the Ukrainian elite has been touched in any way. And there have been no extended power outages in Lvov
Putin's priorities on full display...
And you are the prime example of the phenomenon.
More afternoon TV soap opera from yesteryear. Still, it captures the attention which is more than you can say for the head boiling banality coming out of europe. Will it, won't it????
Hang onto your hats. Is europe going to commit financial suicide or not- deliberately I mean with identifiable individuals putting their own necks on what will become a criminal line???????
No.
VDL is. the one who will do it
I am posting a comment I made elsewhere as a reply:
I have not bothered to explicate the true argument that blocks the utilisation of these assets as collateral for debt that needs to be rolled over and new paper written-which is what the europeans actually want to do. It is that no matter what those trying to do this say, as a matter of law you cannot pledge some one else's property to secure a debt of your making, without their consent. You can say that is what you are doing, issue all sorts of proclamations, and wave around emergency powers or whatever twattery you like, but it will amount to zero under the applicable laws. The banks have pointed this out to this nutty triumvirate of Starmer Macron and Mertz with that weird little woman tacked on like a tatty note sticking out of a wallet. They simply cannot do it. it is not a matter of political will. They can put themselves in all sorts of jeopardy trying though.
Major loss of US life just before Xmas! At any rate, major excited coverage of the losses! Does anyone really believe Trump is going here? At the very least he will wait until after the holidays and then.......
Maybe they think if they do it now everybody will have forgotten about it come November 2026 elections.
Nah, Christmas stories run and run especially if there is loss of US life and loud demands for more of it, revenge etc. Talk about get out of hand, or wot????
....perhaps go for more holidays.
Okaaaay, how is this going to go? Let me tell you sum ... thin. This is what is going to happen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngiSiPAtlzY
Cheers Simplicius.
'The Hives'?! LOL good one!
Exactly!! Nobody says it better than the Hives. I wish you Happy Holidays Mary Lou!!
likewise :-))
well..hopefully a huge portion of the British ( and other western countries ) population will not obey the draft. And Trump doing this to the good Venezuelans makes my blood boil. Where was that tanker going and the country receiving it should send war ships and make those America piglets - I don't like to insult pigs though - so I will call them Orc-lets to back down and fuck off
The tanker was helping Cuba with oil.
This obviously is the other target in the 'game'. More than 60 years of illegal, unilateral sanctions against Cuba are not enough.
The US leaders and probably it's population more and more as well are going the way of Israel, denying other people the right of living and prosperation.
Yes, that's exactly it. Empires always keep up the "civilised" appearance when things are rosey. Now the Chinese (and Russians) are eating the Emperor's lunch, the mask comes off and we're back to the bad old days off massive murder and pillage. The difference these days is the native Americans have some powerful allies, and a lot of gunpowder.
only orcs deny other people the right of living and prosperation. We'll see how many orcs there really are. At this point, those who are not against Me are with Me
You're right.
Brits are largely moslems now.
Between 6-6.5% of the UK population is Muslim.
England hasn't been chris since the 1530s and stopped bothering with protestantism in the 1850s. Superstitious mumbo jumbo is a minority interest whatever the version.
Squeeth. We aren't remotely religious on the whole nowadays. A minority are, but they aren't really organised.
The state is willing to co-opt superstitious loonies and they seem willing to be used. Isis a-go-go.
" Superstitious mumbo jumbo "
Islam ?
"Religion".
So Islam.
Meanwhile Venezuelagate Germany is fighting the import of Chinese electric cars doubling their assets, Macron at war with his farmers, killing all their cows to establish Mercosur, the import of Brazilian cattle at cheaper prices and less secure norms of sane and safe, plus his war against narcotraffic, Starmer squeezed between all these wars and from where or whom are they going to find the guts to mobilise their soldiers, when 90 or more percent of their population goes against them.
You started a rather frightening exchange
Let me interject Caleb Maupin's analysis. His anger with Brian Becker of the PSL is spot on. Becker is doing the same thing with A.N.S.W.E.R. as Indivisible is with its "No Kings" protests. Getting Americans to just hate Trump so the "Soros consortium" of Oligarchs can move in and move the "Adelson consortium" out. But remember Berletic's "continuity of agenda". Both groups are capitalists intent on destroying the American Middle Class and turning us all into neo-serfs. (Javier Milei is working on doing the same thing in Argentina)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDh74o1KCm0
Followed by some George Carlin, who explained it years ago:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Ngv5AJdUdgE
A reminder that Louis DeJoy's mission to destroy the Post Office appears to be complete:
https://apnews.com/article/united-states-postal-service-usps-postmaster-dejoy-steps-down-9692807bf87a0283385d30c1b46e22c4
Now, mailing packages to the US mainland from the USVI requires listing what's in the package through the Zonas app and paying $2.50/package.
The sabotage will continue under Steiner a former director at Fed Ex. Chase would not send my new credit card using USPS, rather FexEd.
https://about.usps.com/who/leadership/officers/pmg-ceo.htm
So, Yes ICE will continue hiring thugs and when the US military is forced to retreat to the Western Hemisphere, the Army will be deployed across the nation completing the transition to a police state.
We know it is happening. Every "side" that we might take is already occupied by our real enemy -- The "Anglo-American Oligarchy/Deep State/Jewish Mob". China appears to stand alone against them. Yes, there are nations that are "fellow travelers" (Russia, Iran) but there are "fifth column" elements in each of these states which operate under the guise of being "pro-Democracy". Most Americans still believe the US is a "Democracy".
I'd move somewhere else if I thought it would survive the coming world war. Maybe Hong Kong?
The 'peace president' of the US does what he has to do.
If they can't solve their problems at home, they'll take you to war.
The only way to gain profits they would not be able to realize with peace economy.
The iron law of capitalism that profit must be made, no matter how, has Trump and the others in the corner.
Obviously there is no alternative to changing the system fundamentally.
Either Socialism is going to do it or Capitalism will eat up it's own societies by civil wars, terror and chaos = war at home.
At least the democracy charade is exposed as the scam that it is in the western hemisphere.
Once the Gringo Empire folds, the imperial tools of violent oppression will be deployed in the US. Good for the rest of the world. Very bad for the average Gringo.
Most likely, the average Gringo will point his guns towards his neighbors. I see more likely that it will develop into a continent-wide gangland rather than an armed organized insurrection against the Federales.
Sad, but true.
@Fledr Maus
Gringos mostly aren't meaningfully trained and such small arms aren't a serious threat anyhow vs. organized opposition with armor, crew served weapons, air support, drones, satellite visual and signals intelligence (plus all their lives worth of metadata already in the hands of Opfors for Palantir et alia to carry out targeting via AI tools).
Guns are mostly security blankets for some types of gringos.
It's gonna be ugly for sure. They average US citizen has no idea what's coming for them though. The decline will be like the war in Ukraine, slow at first and then one black swan and the collapse is 'suddenly' there.
In the US and Europe we are just one financial crisis away from such a scenario.
To be fair, it's always one financial crisis from such a scenario.
Obviously, the system has a lot of staying power and while it always seems things are at the breaking point, there is always some trick that eventually keeps it going for a bit more.
That doesn't mean things are better than they seem to be. It means things are going to be a lot worse than people think, when it eventually goes under.
You are right that “the system” has shown repeatedly more staying power than expected. But pls do also take into consideration that the bag of tricks it has used for surviving up to now is getting smaller and smaller. The system’s ass was saved in 2008 bc of unlimited money printing, the government backstopping the financial system and China kickstarting a flatlining global trade. The plandemic allowed for another (less obvious) round of massive money printing. The stock market has had a very long bull run, but at the cost of the current market being only 5 or 6 behemoth megacorps that are all massively invested in the AI mania.
My guess is the current Gringo Empire managers look so aggressive and short termist bc they know they don’t have many options left…
The AI mania is just the latest tool to save the imperial ass. Cryptodollars, CBDCs and space datacenter crap are still untapped ass savers, so I reckon there's still a few years left in the system.
I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to cause some sort of a natural disaster to keep going (blow up Yellowstone level of crap) or yet another plandemic.
Also, there are drugs. Lots of them. One of the effects of a hypothetical Venezuela war could be worsening of the drug situation. And I'm not even slightly convinced that's not what they want to do.
Sure we do. We already went through a round of it during the covid operation.
So only White Americans will be affected ?
I try to be inclusive with the “Gringo” term, so you can count black, brown, red, yellow, translucent Americanos in it.
It isn't capitalism. A few banks control 70 percent of the money. A few companies like Blackrock control most of the shares. And one like MSFT or Alphabet has gobbled up many thousands of companies.
Solve the Jew problem
Sadly, we (U.S.) never will because it has now become illegal to criticize Israel or anything related to jews. I mean that literally. Trump has signed E.O. and the Jew billionaires have been allowed to purchase almost all of Corporate Media. The U.S. by next year will rival the doomed EU regarding arrests / sanctions for speech and thought crimes.
Yes, it is nothing resembling capitalism. It is Fascism by definition of a few huge corp.'s operating with the full backing and support of the U.S. Govt. and it is not even hidden, it is right out in the open.
Fascism is the most violent, imperial and open dictatorship of capitalism.
Not Judaism ?
No sir, this exactly what late stage capitalism looks like.
You do realized the US was building the "post-industrialized society," don't you? Where its managerial class will dominate and won't dirty their hands with "industries" outsourcing them to everywhere but here, take the cut and count money. That's not the "late stage capitalism," it's past the late stage capitalism.
>>A few banks control 70 percent of the money. A few companies like Blackrock control most of the shares.<<
After every accepted economic theories this is the perfect definition of capitalism and a development predicted by Karl Marx almost two centuries ago.
The last stage is fascism, as we know.
the good old robber barons on steroids.
nice said!
or any other substance. "venezuelan fentanyl" or some such, who knows
Blackrock manages peoples money. It actually doesn't own it. They have so many assets under management they can make and break markets though
And that is just the natural result of a developed capitalism, oligopoly and eventually monopoly.
It’s the iron claw of debt
"A convoluted backstory was concocted about how the tanker was tied to Venezuela’s “shadow fleet” with links to Hezbollah and Iran—if you can believe the absurdity:"
These US military lies go back at least as far as 1898 and the start of the Spanish-American War. At least McKinley sought Congressional approval, even though he really did not want a war. I believe it was his Secretary of the Navy who really wanted a war. Having one of his ships blown up was just the ticket. Ever since America has gone to war because of lies, even the two big ones.
We're a treacherous bunch of assholes, aren't we.
Let me correct myself. I meant the Assistant Secretary of the Navy.
Now we finally understand what you meant.
@Carl R Williams
Don't forget William Randolph Hearst. He and his pals had a strong interest in starting their next nice, profitable war.
Never leave out the propaganda, oh, media, people. 👍
Of course the official pretext is 169% bullshit. It's a pretext, after all. Any stick to beat a dog.
What does anyone propose to do about it? Screaming "no fair!" isn't going to stop anyone.
No mention of the $400 million submarine supposedly taken out?
No damaged submarine according to the Duran and the Russian MOD. Fake success of the mighty Ukraine/MI6/CIA.
Ukraine/MI6/CIA not telling the truth? Surely you must be joking.
Look at the latest Q.
A demonstrable retard.
Speak English. I have no idea what you just said.
He is speaking English. Q is slang for the Head of Tech Services at MI-6, popularized by the 007 Bond movie franchise.
"Blaise Metreweli, the first female head of MI6, has assumed the role of "C," the agency's publicly named chief, succeeding Richard Moore in October 2025. She previously served as the Director General of Technology and Innovation at MI6, a position commonly known as "Q," responsible for advancing the agency's technological capabilities and safeguarding the identities of spies worldwide."
I still say that Slow Horses, Kristen Scott Thomas, should have gotten the top job.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38755032
I think Q is the batty professor/inventor that says things like "Now pay attention 007" and provides the bulletproof cars with machine guns and so on.
M is the head, I think.
Anyway, you are correct the new goon, whatever alphabetical number is an avatar of Uranian/Nazi heritage.
It's all a shitshow
Tim, isn't she C ? Afaik she used to be Q before promotion.
The attack was entirely predictable, and, even the attack was intimately unsuccessful, that it was able to get as far as it did represents yet another in a long string of Russian fuckups.
Look at the video. The drone hit the Pier and probably damaged the aft of a submarine to the left in the video. If it even is a sub there - hard to see.
You should have learned that Simplicius seldom report Russian losses.
The silhouette of the sub is visible from the aerial pics. It looked like a small explosion so as you say, probably some minor damage.
Yes, I'm aware that Simplicius seldom reports Russian losses. Seems like he used to be more balanced than he is now.
Or there are less Russian losses to report on? Look at mediazona, clear downward trend in overall Russian casualties
I understand there are less losses to report but it doesn't mean there are no losses to report. As I said I seem to remember more balance.
The recent Kupyansk battle showed that Simplicius isn't keen on reporting Russian setbacks. It took many days to even.be mentioned, then we had no analysis of what actually happened. What did actually happen?
Good question.
What setback? The PR stunt? You trolls are ridiculous
Yes. There were more balanced reporting back in 2022-2023 and sometimes critical against Russian methods. The simple fact that Russia now destroy the Railway infrastucture (which they bombed a lot the first month in 2022) instead of not continue doing it 2023-2024 is not commented by Simplicius. A grave mistake by Russia or a combination of abilities and priorities.
I think also Simplicius is tired of this and a bit agitated.
The language is more derogatory against Western leaders than before.
Yes, absolutely. It's almost like reading the tabloid newspapers now.
There used to be less NATO trolls. Unfortunately the comments are full of them now
No mention of the ghost of Kiev either
The fundamental question is: Is this a drug war or an oil war? It is mainly synthetic drugs that kill large numbers of Americans and Venezuelan production is behind Mexico easily. Mexico is supported by the Chinese with shipments of precursors. As far as cocaine production is concerned Colombia, Peru and Bolivia are the primary coca-growing areas. Venezuela is doing a level of transportation toward the Eastern USA and Europe but if Trump wants to stop drug trafficking he is starting a war at the wrong location.
As far as the outcome of the conflict: It depends generally on how US relations shape with Russia and China. If there is a major US involvement against Venezuela, both Russia and China can make bolder moves to achieve their regional goals if they really want to.
The possibility cannot be excluded and this is a major issue.
@Elena
When historians look back on this war (if there are any left to look back?)
I expect some WWIII historians would judge the last war had been "hot" since 2014 by some measures, definitely any will see it as being "hot" by 2022.
This time around there won't be any continent (and few countries) spared, with the possible exception of Antarctica? I wouldn't count on Antarctica being left out either, it certainly has its own share of natural resources to be plundered.
It was always the Oil.
Yes, that was my understanding also. It is true that the Venezuelans moved toward control of their oil fields in earlier decades but there were a series of agreements and compensations provided for US companies. The fact that Russia, Iran and Venezuela are placed under US military pressure at the same time by US tells the whole story.
It's all part of the war on BRICS. Just a potential new theatre.
Yes, this is about a) forcing those oil contracts to be settled in dollars and b) redirecting that oil from China to Europe, who for 'some' reason are short on energy at the moment
I'd say it's a piece they need to have in place before the Iran project can be restarted. The last time the Iranians were close to closing the Straits.
Keeping South and Central America in the IMF/World Bank framework and forcing China out
This CNN article also comes with information showing the Venezuelans as minor players compared to other nations in drug traficing.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/01/americas/trump-venezuela-maduro-drug-threat-analysis-intl-latam
"The fundamental question is: Is this a drug war or an oil war?"
Neither. Venezuela was happy to sell all the oil it could pump for dollars.
This is a war for political control. Nothing more.
Unfortunately, because cronyism and ideology were more important than profits the engineers were fired (and/or left because of the conditions) as referenced by Aurorus Borealis above, the oil industry output has increased from 2700 Mbpd to around 900 Mbpd! (1984 ref...). There is a lot less money to go around....
Even taking that as granted, that doesn't mean that this is an oil war.
I referenced the oil output because without money to toss around the masses get restless (ref Syria) and that can lead to enough instability that a small push could get things rolling. Of course the US would prefer to have a regime change, but that doesn't happen with a satisfied populace.
Aurorus may have put his finger on it, though, when he said that Venezuelan bonds were bought out for pennies on the dollar and with the prospect of regime change their value is rising rapidly. I would suspect an actual regime change would raise their values further. Access to the oil (which is still apparently in litigation for some oil companies following nationalization by my cursory look) would be icing on the cake, though.
That still doesn't make it an oil war.
I didn't say that it did. It is probably a factor, though to what extent nobody who isn't making the decisions really knows. There is certainly a political aspect to it as the US isn't too fond of having a socialist government in power, and as Aurorus brought up there is a lot of money to be made off the bonds. Things like this rarely have one cause. I think that saying it is for political control is too simplistic, except insofar as it may impact the other causes. So in some sense, yes it is all political, but maybe as much (or more) for practical reasons rather than ideological ones.
Trump: "It [the blockade] will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — Until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us."
It seems we are dealing with a shape shifting war here. Reasons range from drugs to ‘Oil, Land, and other Assets’, a fairly wide scale. The final goal is to exploit all oil reserves from there.
https://www.zerohedge.com/commodities/hunting-season-opens-18-sanctioned-tankers-venezuelan-crude?utm_source=daily_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=6678
Why would Trump's goals contain some element of personal gain, at least financially? Feed his ego, surely. He'd like to be the one to save the country (in his eyes) and he thinks he has all the answers. He wants to be remembered as one of the great presidents. How history will remember him is very uncertain at this point. Of course, most history is written by the winners so it depends on what is left standing when the dust settles. He is a bull in a china shop, surely.
It was clear to me long time ago that oil is the major motivation. With oil huge amounts of money are moved internationally in a controllable manner while when you go after taxpayers and businesses there is an endless struggle with constant opposition – a political swamp. When oil prices are kept artificially high the steady profit for the upper crust is secured.
As far as world hegemony the US is clearly going down in that department and this process will increase with the end of the Ukraine war – if it will ever end. A rearrangement toward regional powers and nation states is the desirable outcome with an umbrella created by allied Western Nations uniting on Populist principles.
My main concern is the group of suicidal/homicidal maniacs hiding within the Western Deep State structures. These people have degraded mentally to the point where they are playing with human extermination on a planetary scale as a solution for their own security concerns. Of course this game originates from the most insane segments of the Neanderthal society where pragmatism and sanity gives way to the desires for ancient revenge politics.
Russia (while running under the Soviet emblem) was dealing with US world hegemony efforts during the Cold War and they will be unlikely to ever forget that. Yes, America wants to be the hegemonic power but for now that is out of reach. With the Russia/China/Iran/North Korea open alliance and endless other players expressed desire the dream is not realistic for the time. Had they hammered willing Russia into the West in the 1990s the map of geopolitics would look very different today.
Their Plan B is an overwhelming depopulation program but every time they start designing a way for a favorable outcome they realize it is not going to work. Problem is that some of them are unhinged enough to start the act regardless of the consequences. No golden, silver, diamond or iron dome will save the elite and the few ten thousand who will survive underground will be faced off with a lot larger, very angry group for revenge. After an all out nuclear + biological confrontation Asia will have the better chance to retain more people, maybe even enough to restart new societies on the short term.