[this analysis was written for the Unz Review]
I lived most of my life in Europe and even though by the time I moved to the USA (2002) Europe was already in a very bad shape, what I see happening there now never ceases to amaze me. In fact, it makes me wonder if the Europeans or, more accurately, the European leaders have gone completely insane. Either that, or maybe they have some kind of death wish?
The first thing which absolutely amazes me is the fact that the EU leaders are acting as if this was still the 1980s when Europe still mattered and when the European continent was relatively prosperous. And even when EU leaders acknowledge the problems facing Europe today (crime, immigration, lockdowns, civil unrest, tensions with Russia, self-defeating sanctions under US pressure, etc.), they systematically deal with them (so to speak) by minimizing their actual and potential impact and consequences. And if nothing else matters, they use the riot police forces to “solve” the issue.
Then there is NATO which now seems to believe that mantric incantations and some really dumb military “for show” activities along the borders of Russia will terrify the Kremlin and turn Russians into Poles. Apparently, the entire analytical apparatus of NATO has never opened a history book. Either that, or they have decided to ignore the lessons of history, because “this time around” the Russians will definitely surrender.
To be fair, all the military operations along the Russian border bother the Russians only because they show that the “collective West” still hates and fears Russia. But in purely military terms, they are a joke.
Not so long ago the endless western provocations eventually got a reaction out of Russia: the Russians re-created of the First Guards Tank Army (FGTA). For most people, the concept of “Tank Army” means little. A “Guards Tank Army” even less. So rather than use any Russian sources (Putin’s never sleeping “hackers” and “agents”), let’s take a source which nobody can suspect of being pro-Russian: Wikipedia. Please check this Wikipedia entry for the history of the “First Guards Tank Army”. At the bottom of the article, there is a partial list of units and subunits composing this Army. Check it out:
- Army Headquarters (Odintsovo, Moscow Oblast)
- 60th Command Brigade (Selyatino village near Odintsovo, Moscow Oblast)
- 2nd Guards Motor Rifle ‘Tamanskaya’ Division (Kalininets, Moscow Oblast)
- 4th Guards Tank ‘Kantemirovskaya’ Division (Naro-Fominsk, Moscow Oblast)
- 6th Separate Tank ‘Częstochowa’ Brigade (Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast)
- 27th Separate Guards Motor Rifle ‘Sevastopol’ Brigade (Mosrentgen, Moscow City)
- 112th Guards Missile ‘Novorossiysk’ Brigade (Shuya, Ivanovo Oblast) (9K720 Iskander)
- 288th Artillery ‘Warsaw’ Brigade (Mulino, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast)
- 49th Missile Air Defence Brigade (Krasnyi Bor, Smolensk Oblast) (Buk-M2)
- 96th Separate ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance) Brigade (Sormovo, Nizhny Novgorod City)
- unknown Combat Engineer Regiment (in formation until the end of 2018) (unknown location in Moscow Oblast)
- 20th Separate NBC Defence Regiment (Tsentralny, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast)
- 69th Separate Logistics Brigade (Dzerzhinsk, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast)
No need to go into all the details, but let’s just say two things about this Tank Army: first, it has a lot more capabilities than “just” tanks and, second, this was the Army which really broke the back of the Nazi forces in WWII: it destroyed or captured 5,500 tanks, 491 self-propelled guns, 1,161 aircraft, 1,251 armored vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 4,794 guns of various calibers, 1,545 mortars, 5,797 machine guns, 31064 vehicles and other military equipment. The 1st Guards Tank Army fought its way from Kursk to Berlin, which stretched for three thousand kilometers (source).
By the way, the FGTA will also get the very newest and best Russian tanks (there is no point in deploying the Armata family of armored vehicles elsewhere but towards the western borders of Russia), and the two most famous tank divisions of modern Russia.
Furthermore, we need to understand that this Tank Army will not operate in isolation, but will be directly supported by the Western and Southern Military Districts , the Black and Baltic Sea Fleets (equipped with the newest Russian hypersonic missiles) and the Aerospace Forces. Even the powerful Northern Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla (!) could, if needed, provide support for central European operations thanks to the long reach of Russian missiles.
So what is the purpose of the FGTA? Think of it as a powerful armored “fist” whose main goal is to stop any enemy attack and then punch through its defenses. Russia also announced that she will double the size of her Airborne Forces (currently at 4 Airborne/Air Assault Divisions, 4 Air Assault Brigades, 1 Special Operations Brigade, with roughly 45’000+ soldiers). Besides these Airborne/Air Assault units, the Russian military can also make use of her Spetsnaz Forces (8 Spetsnaz Brigades and 1 Spetsnaz Regiment according to the IISS’s Military Balance 2020). True, only part of these units will go to the Western and Southern Military Districts, but that is already much more than what NATO could realistically hope to be able to cope with (for details, see here).
Here is a short video to give you a sense of how Russian Airborne Forces (all fully mechanized, unlike their western “equivalents”) are preparing for next generation wars:
Oh, and did I mention that the entire Russian nuclear triad has been modernized (or is currently in the process of modernization)?
Now comes the interesting question:
What kind of forces does NATO have which could deal with this kind of power?
On paper, a lot. In terms of raw numbers (what military analysts call “bean counts”), the West has much larger forces than the Russian ones.
But, in reality, very, very little, at least of military value.
What is NATO today? First, a coalition of small countries trying to find the courage to bark at the Russian bear the way dozens of chihuahuas would bark at a big brown bear. These small countries are what I call “prostitute states” – they don’t want sovereignty, freedom or dignity. All they want is for Uncle Shmuel to protect them when they bark and for the EU to give them tons of money as a reward for their prostitution to the collective West. They are apparently unaware that Uncle Shmuel is a world champion in destroying countries, but in terms of actually winning wars, Uncle Shmuel is one of the worst war losers in history (in that sense, the US and Russian militaries are polar opposites). They are also apparently unaware that the EU is broke and in a deep crisis. Besides, even the normally compliant Germans are now getting fed up spending billions of Euros on their clueless and hopeless eastern neighbors (and I don’t blame them!).
There are also more civilized countries in NATO, countries which used to have some very real military power and a history of winning and losing wars: Germany, the UK, France, etc – what Rumsfeld called “Old Europe”. They are all former imperial powers of their own, and they are much more aware of what it takes to win (or lose) a war.
Their problem, however, is that they are now true US protectorates/colonies, with no real foreign policy of their own. Their top leaders, political and military, are also prostitutes, just like “New Europe”, so while they have a wealth of historical experience to draw from, they cannot act on it because of the iron grip Uncle Shmuel has on their political throats. Even France, which used to have some real independence, under such leaders as de Gaulle and Mitterrand, now is just another voiceless and clueless protectorate.
Which leaves the USA. I won’t repeat it all here, but to sum it all up: there are only two segments of the US military forces which are still meaningfully combat capable: the nuclear triad and the US submarine forces (strategic and attack). Both use mostly old, even outdated, equipment, both waste absolutely fantastic sums of money, but both are still for real. The problem with such a lop-sided force is that while it can devastate any enemy, it can only do so at the cost of being devastated by the Russian counter-strikes. In other words, by the time the US SSN and SSBN are engaged against Russia, we will be dealing with a large-scale war (even more so if nukes are used, which they probably will, at least on the tactical level). Oh, and this too: no amount of subs and nukes can “protect” any part of Europe from a (entirely hypothetical) Russian attack (conventional or not). For that, you still need the one thing the US has the least of: combat capable “boots on the ground”.
Did you know that in the 1990s Russia almost had no defenses in the western direction? Nothing bigger than division/brigade sized forces. And they were all in very bad shape. And the Kremlin, under Eltsin, only wanted to further “reform” (i.e. “destroy”) the Russian military.
So what brought about such dramatic changes in the Russian force posture?
The EU/US/NATO war against the Serbian nation.
And the endless western threats, of course.
One could be excused for thinking that the collective West would have realized this mistake and that now they would try something smarter?
Nope!
They did exactly the same thing again, this time with the Kaliningrad enclave.
And they are now openly talking about “dealing with Russia from a position of force”!
Last time Germany tried that, it didn’t go too well, did it?
Let me summarize what recently happened: the Russians mostly deployed defensive systems in Kaliningrad: air defenses, early warning radars, signals intelligence, fighters, interceptors, electronic warfare units, etc. According to Russian sources, these systems had the ability to spy on much of northern Europe and were capable of simultaneously engaging 475 aerial targets (missiles, aircraft, etc.). Furthermore, these capabilities provided much needed support for the operations of the Baltic Sea Fleet.
Western analysts, always in search for some kind of buzzword or fancy sounding acronym, described that as “anti-access and area denial” aka A2/AD, and proceeded to use it as a justification for more money spending on completely unrealistic plans (see here for a good example). But that was not all, NATO commanders openly stated that they would “send” all sorts of “signals” to “deter” Russia. Again. And, so they did. They sent comparatively tiny forces to their 3B+PU (that is 3 Balts plus Poland and the Ukraine) protectorates where they played at all sorts of seriously sounding wargames.
Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, but NATO analysts apparently don’t know that. But what had to happen did happen: Russia has now announced that she will create a full Motor-Rifle Division inside the Kaliningrad enclave. And this division won’t be “sending” any “messages” to 3B+PU, NATO or anybody else. But they will train for real war, the kind of war which Russia always waged on her enemies when attacked. Bravo NATO! Now you are going to have to deal with a much more dangerous force than before, well done!
As for the Poles, they are now claiming that the entire “Fort Trump” plan, of which they were so proud of, was just a concept. Why? Because these losers are now terrified that the Biden team will remember how they backed Trump during the past four years (as did the rest of the 3B+PUs). This really is worth repeating: unlike those countries which heroically resisted the AngloZionist Empire (Korea, Vietnam, Cuba, etc), or those who at least did not volunteer to be occupied (Japan, Korea, Germany), the 3B+PU are the only countries actually willing to pay (while being mostly broke!) for the US military to occupy them. Just from that perspective, any Russian will immediately conclude that irrespective of their numbers on paper, these countries’ actual combat potential is close to zero (the Russians remember very well that all the many units composed of volunteers from many European countries occupied by Germany and who were fighting on the side of Germany during WWII were only good at massacring and terrorizing civilians, but when faced with the regular Red Army they *always* ran like hell).
Finally, if you think of NATO as a structure, then the US military is both its foundation and its cornerstone. With the US entering the worst crisis of its (admittedly short) history, it is completely unable to perform even its normal tasks, nevermind fighting the most powerful military force on the planet.
If the EU leaders had any kind of awareness of these realities, they could immediately embark on a series of steps to stop this insanity. Amongst these could be such “unthinkable” steps as:
- Declaring that Russia and/or Putin are not always responsible for all the evil and problems in the universe.
- Immediately begin to take small, but steady, confidence building measures, including resuming normal contacts between western and Russian militaries.
- Resuming economic collaboration with Russia, not because anybody has to like or approve of Putin, but simply to give the best possible conditions to the European industries.
- Stop parroting the idiocies à la Skripal/Navalnyi cooked up about Russia by the Anglos and tell them that they can fight their own (useless) propaganda wars if they like them so much.
- Getting together with the Russians and any mentally sane central European leaders to discuss what to do together to save the Ukraine from its current implosion (which will very negatively affect the EU, much more so than Russia).
- Define a list of policy issues in which Russia and the EU could work together, stuff like immigration, crime, terrorism, Takifirism, space, health crises, etc.
These are just a few, basic, suggestions. A real list could be several pages long and be much wider than the few options I listed. None of them require anything painful or crucial from Europe, just good old common sense.
But no, not only are EU leaders not making even small steps to return to sanity, they still think they can bully and threaten Russia into some kind of compliance. I wish somebody told them something as simple as “Russia ain’t Poland”, really.
At the core of it all, there is a cultural difference: Europeans (and nevermind their US bosses!) are not really afraid of war. That is why they are not really prepared for it at all. The Russians are very, very afraid of war, because they know and remember it. This is why the West is all threats and no action, while Russia is all actions and no threats. From the Russian point of view, the best way to avoid war is to really, really prepare for it. One could argue that 1000 years of Russian history were a never ending lesson in preparation for war, especially since most wars fought by Russia were existential.
As my friend Andrei Martyanov recently mentioned in his blog, “Russians also have a saying: once every century Europeans gather their forces and go to Russia to get the shit beaten out of them”. He is right. But last time around Russia lost 30+ millions of people in truly horrible battles. She also lost most of her economy. Then, in the 1990s, Russia almost completely disappeared as a country. As a result, there is this notion of “never again – enough is enough!” underlying most Russian actions today.
The US and Europe can only ignore this at the greatest possible risk for their own survival. Take it from Putin himself, who recently declared “as a citizen of Russia and the head of the Russian state I must ask myself: Why would we want a world without Russia?”
The Saker
Excellent and begs a question: when Putin mentions as-yet-unveiled systems based on “new physics,” what is her referring to?
Only the Russians know that answer. That’s what secrets are.
The Kalibrs were a secret, launching them from the small Caspian fleet was a secret. It wasn’t their warheads that mattered, it was the surprise tactic, range and accuracy.
What Putin has done is shock the enemies of Russia. So, we will know about the “new physics” weapons when they are used.
The US has lost its place in the world of physics, math and other hard sciences. They participate in assassinating scientists instead of developing scientists.
I posted on the Pepe Escobar article thread the leaps China made last week. They are not alone in passing the US in some science and technologies.
Russia is out front, but on technologies dual use or purely military, and so, they don’t publish their accomplishments. Understand that when the USSR went down, the brains of Russian scientists and designers were full of profoundly leading edge concepts. The Empire fell, but those Russians mostly stayed and kept working on some of those ideas. Putin came along and began to finance the prototypes and development of those weapons and systems. And more are coming from younger minds who populate the Russian MIC.
They understand, it is existential that Russia have whatever it takes to prevent a war and to end the existence of any nation that attacks.
There are a lot of claims of advanced technology from Russia but not much proof in the manufacturing sector of these advanced technologies. In the microelectronics field Russia is still behind by at least 20 years. They tried to make yota phone that used 65nm technology but that was old tech. I suppose that this type of technology is OK for satellite communication but it is not bleeding edge. We are now at 7nm node and the difference is huge.
China is a real threat to the west since it is competing with their 4G network, electric vehicles etc and providing competing solutions.
Advanced technology not equal microelectronics! Is microbiology advanced science? Hence 2 different Covid vaccines developed in Russia. Pharma? Russia is one of few with own production of insuline. Rocket science? Propulsion? Monocrystal turbofan blades? MOХ fueled fast breeder reactors?
And why Russia (and China too) should be threat to the west? West will burry itself happily and w/o problems, just sit back&relax…
Microbiology and materials science both these fields are very important however microelectronics is influencing all other fields and it separates advanced nations from the others. In my opinion.
Europe’s blindness, ignorance of history, I explain to my friends, is based on:
1. Pure stupid Racism against Russia and now China too.
2. The awareness that the neoliberal system is bankrupt beyond salvation, still kicking on monstrous fiat money creation and the idea that perhaps some state neo-fascism might give the system few more years of life.
Eventually people, real people, will say enough and stop this madness.
Cheers from France.
Mario Medjeral
Never trust the people to do anything, they are a rotten bunch.
@Boris Kazlov
Well, as far as I am aware, the Russophobic elites mentioned above – some of whom were not elected – have failed to represent the best interests of the civilians, hence the protests from e.g. the Gilets Jaunes in France.
After reading The Saker,s warning and the attached comments,
My first thought was the old proverb: The First casualty in an impending war is The Truth.
Here are my reasons:
In Addition to the current COVID scam and the Lock down in all western Nations,
The voter theft, threatening to start a civil war in America.
Weapons and unidentified Troops flown into the US.
New defensive deployments by Russia in Kaliningrad at the Baltic Sea.
Atlantic alliance attempt at the UN to send Russia out of Crimea, the Black sea and the sea of Azov.
Russia sending its Black sea Fleet to the AMAN 2021 exercise in Pakistan along with NATO forces.
Public threats by NATO Brass and EU Politicians against Russia and China.
Over the top Propaganda and lies broad-casted 24/7 by the media within all NATO Nations.
When being a soldier we were told the first clue to look for, before any future war would break out:
Wild Propaganda and Lies in our own media.
Gentlemen prepare to defend humanity, against the Globalist warmongers
“Putin came along…..”
Your timetable is out although understandable.
If memory serves that decision was implemented in 1984 (Russian/Soviet sense of humour) and protected with other areas of strategic interest, this protection was given additional emphasis from 1989 onwards (5 year plan – more Russian/Soviet sense of humour), whilst the Stavropolsky schmooser and associates were attempting to ban alcohol in the “Soviet Union” increasing the noise to signal ratio.
Some believe that what you get is what you see, whilst others sought to assure what you get is what you don’t see, because you “don’t get it”.
“If memory serves that decision was implemented in 1984 ….”
In any lateral system beginning and ends are constructs of choice – framing.
Some might suggest when the medal lover and his associates reached an agreement to let some people go for a consideration, that constituted an increase in “scientific investment” in “The United States of America”, “Israel” and other locations, plus arrangement/transit fees for Austria including Vienna Airport, which in addition to agreeing detente and other fiats in the 1970’s, in part facilitated ” that decision was implemented in 1984″ although not “made” in 1984.
Mr. Suslov, who tended to perceive processes, sometimes suggested from 1917 through 1954.
“The Empire fell, but those Russians mostly stayed and kept working on some of those ideas.”
whilst some who left facilitated micro-chip and other cybernetic developments, and others with a physics background after a modicum of experience, for various reasons, tended to come back.
I think Russia, the US and China all have secret weapons systems. The US, for example has a fleet of craft reverse-engineered from fallen UFO’s. What worries me about Saker’s analysis is that maybe precisely because the US has some technology nobody knows about it that it has lured them into a false sense of confidence that they could “win” a war with Russia, and thus might be more willing to start one.
I dunno. What troubles me about all of those UFO accounts – and I’ve seen, read, or heard of most of them – is that the aliens sought out only the Exceptional Nation (TM) to visit and hand over their spacecraft to. Why couldn’t they have visited Russia or China for instance, which have much greater land areas, so that they now have such technologies too. The Russians are certainly at least as capable as Americans to reverse engineer such craft. But oh, that’s right! It’s because the Russians and Chinese are evil! So evil that even ETs can sense it and avoid them accordingly! Yeah, right!
Maybe the “aliens” wanted to work with badguys. I don’t believe in aliens. Here’s why: with every phone now a camera ( my note 8 has 12mp), where is the expected flood of new images? Nowhere to be seen. As for technology, what was used in the WTC attacks? Nothing with which we are familiar. Hundreds of thousands of pounds of debris just blew away. How?
How?
Best question I have ever seen asked on this site, ever.
Ever since I first clued into the falling beams that disintergrated in mid air I have been asking myself what weapons system was being demonstrated publicly
Anonymous..”The US, for example has a fleet of craft reverse-engineered from fallen UFO’s”,,,, What makes you think the US is the “ONLY” country that has UFO based Tech??.. that is, if any exists in the first place. The Bluster huffed and puffed by the US and it’s poodles is breathtaking in sheer stupidity. Foolish Bullies get there ar*e handed back to them complete with defecation once they take a step to far. Nuff Said.
Dear KamNam,
I stopped believing in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny when I was about 8 years of age.
That was three years before Dr James Van Allen attended the ‘International Conference on Cosmic Radiation in Moscow on the 6th to the 11th of July 1959 to explain his discovery in regard to Fred Singer’s Magnetic belts theory, and at this time Sputnik 3 was still in orbit. James Van Allen may have discovered the Magnetic belts named after him, and he may have been made head of NASA, but Russia was still winning the ‘Space Race’!
Had the US gained control of such a craft, and reverse-engineered, then why don’t they have craft that can overcome the Van Allen Belts, and fly through space at the appropriate speeds necessary to travel the galaxies? Why aren’t those US officials who make such claims placed on the required medication for their ‘pork pies’? (BTW, the Chinese did something similar a few years ago when they captured a US UAV and the US demanded its return, When the Chinese came to hand the UAV back it was in pieces, The Chinese had dismantled and catalogued the entire vehicle.)
And then the US claimed to have landed on the moon in July 69, using computers and other means, but then stopped in the mid 70’s and have apparently ‘lost’ all that knowledge and knowhow. And Russia is still producing the space stations; ie Russia is still winning the space race.
And we all know something of ‘Operation Paperclip’ with Werner von Braun, but again there is a problem here as the US had von Braun since the late 40’s but van Allen was still using Rockoons for his experiments, so why weren’t von Braun’s rockets being built and utilised? In fact, if von Braun wasn’t working on rockets, then what other projects was he working on? What else had von Braun been working on in Germany besides rockets?
Are you aware that in about 1966, a UFO landed near a school in Westall an outer suburb of Melbourne, and it was witnessed by students and teachers at that school, and reported on by local media. But of course just over a year ago the youtube account of this event was removed’. A female student who actually touched this UFO was ‘arrested’ by police and was never seen by classmates again. Military personnel wearing JG’s arrived shortly after the landing swarming the area, and interestingly enough at that time the Australian military still wore the Khaki battledress, so who were those military in JG’s?
And. of my knowledge, the last known ‘aliens’ landing on Earth is an account mentioned in the Book of Genesis. And this raises the same question as in regard to the USA’s “moon-landings”; if they did it then why haven’t they done it now?
Within the Universe there would be an infinite number of planets and moons capable of supporting life as we know it, but there has never been in 15,000 years any evidence to demonstrate that ‘aliens’ have landed on this planet. Perhaps any ‘alien’ life would have exactly the same problems that we have in overcoming the limits created by our ‘Van Allen’ Belts.
And just recently an Israeli academic has initiated another fairy-tale of ‘aliens’ speaking to the chosen ones, which simply harks back to the 1950’s film; “The Day The Earth Stood Still”.
As an alien flying through space, would you land on this planet?
Time is endlessly non existant, aliens may have stopped off here 20 million years ago, checked out some large land mammals and decided they’d wait till a few bipods had evolved before comming back………….
And, since the aliens seems to have contacted ‘the choosen’ first, one presumes they are tribal, or claimed as such. More stollen land to settle them…………………
Cheers, M
“Are you aware that in about 1966, a UFO landed near a school in Westall an outer suburb of Melbourne, and it was witnessed by students and teachers at that school, and reported on by local media. But of course just over a year ago the youtube account of this event was removed’. A female student who actually touched this UFO was ‘arrested’ by police and was never seen by classmates again. Military personnel wearing JG’s arrived shortly after the landing swarming the area, and interestingly enough at that time the Australian military still wore the Khaki battledress, so who were those military in JG’s?”
I did not know this. Never heard of that. (My family are all from Melbourne, my family are mostly in teaching). Please post some more. Links please. I’d really like to read some more on this.
Anonymous
“The US, for example has a fleet of craft reverse-engineered from fallen UFO’s”. Now don’t tell me you believe that nonsense about UFO’s ? Where are all those reverse-engineered craft from UFO’s ? The F-35, for example, is inferior in performance to the old F-16 it is replacing. The only reverse-engineering the US has done pertains to German patents, as in 1945 it captured 1.400 German patents. For example, the B-2 stealth bomber is a 1940’s German patent. By the way, why does the US not possess anything which Russia has in the way of current military high tech ?
Perhaps by means of VRIL -> MKULTRA technology by extended consciousness.
Yes a stretch but seeing how we are formulating the hypothetical, why not.
GizaDeathStar’s Joseph P. Farrell are on board.
Fallen UFOs? I hope USA reversed engineered them, because if they fell they were probably not that good.
This thread is going far off topic. Please take it to the MFC if desired to continue, mod
May be it is even more advanced ECM than this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfHmuJukywA&t=11m
Saker,
Excellent! Powerfully persuasive, loaded with facts, not rhetoric.
A quick primer for the ignorant.
Powerful words for all who strive and work for Peace.
Larchmonter445
Yes, an excellent article. A few additional points:
What is NATO ? It is the Praetorian Guard of private bankers and corporations. When the Warsaw Pact collapsed, NATO should have been disbanded. It was, however, kept on, with private bankers and corporations going in for the kill, namely eyeing Russia and hoping for it’s dissipation. The country would be destabilized, after which NATO would march in to protect “human rights” and “democracy”, after which it would break the country up in the name of “democracy”. It never came to that. However, NATO is still in existence, making many Europeans very nervous indeed, not to mention all the money they need to spend on it.
As we all know, everything revolves around money. Russia and China are on the rise. The US has responded with sanctions, hoping to injure Russian and Chinese economies and finances. When it comes to Europe, the intent is to divert it towards the US and away from Russia, the demands for the termination of the Nord Stream – 2 gas pipeline being a prime example. And the result ? By the second half of 2016, EU countries lost more than 100 billion of euros in trade with Russia, bitterly resented.
At least one analyst has stated that it’s only a matter of time before a rift develops between the US and European elites. I think it’s inevitable. Europe is looking at the rise of Russia and China, while at the same time losing trade due to sanctions. Worse, Europeans are none too happy of a potential conflict between NATO and Russia. Two world wars have been fought in Europe, and there is no mood for World War Three. I don’t think Washington has grasped this fact.
“Russia ate my homework” is repeated as often as “China aggression “. “full spectrum dominance ” is left unexplained as soft and fuzzy. the other day we were graced with stories of israel and usa being chosen by aliens to speak for humanity extending space debt in exchange for people to probe in bizarre experiments that diminish the idea of intelligent beings. i mean they can travel across space and time but need to dissect people on secret mars bases to understand them? this is the level of our chosen ones. bless russia. mother russia. there is no mother usa. that mother would have child services come and take her kids away
Mother usa can be approximated to Casey Anthony.
Saker,
A near-peer war is now unlikely to happen. The destruction force of contemporary weapon systems is too devastating to even entertain any military action between large states. All NATO, Russian, Chinese, and India war talk is just that – talk. It is a systemized program for the elite of respective countries to profit from their military industrial complexes. The U.S. is the largest and the most developed program of all. NATO is now an organization that specializes in embezzlement of member countries, thus 2% mandate and a handful of rich men profit from this.
Russia has now redeveloped it’s military capabilities and is able to defend itself from any military risk. It is therefore, time to redirect the treasury to develop Russian logistic as well as small business infrastructure. Russia needs to become just as strong economically. Russian needs to develop, manufacture, and distribute products that the world wants to buy. With abundance of smart, entrepreneurial, and highly educated young people it can be done. The state should finance such ventures through similar program that China employs.
China is good example why Europe is not going along with the U.S. demonization of China. In reality the U.S. government began the “China bad” campaign due to the fact that the Washington elite realized the the U.S. is rapidly falling behind China in every sphere. However, talk is all it is. Everything is NOT on the table.
Once Russia achieves higher economic level, the “West” will have no choice but to reengage Russia as a peer state. Until then, the verbal attacks will continue.
Cheers,
Crazyczar
The AK-46 and Mig aircraft are the best selling in the world in their respective industry. The S-400 is the world leader in air defense. Russia has 39 civil nuclear reactors on export. China and the US have a combined 17. Yandex is the biggest tech company in Europe by market cap. Russia is the only country that can build a certifiable sanctions proof airliner. These are Russia’s strengths.
Russia is good at big projects. It is never going to out-China , China.
Paul,
Military hardware has limited markets and does not build the economy overall, just a sector. The passenger airplanes that Russia builds has almost no market outside of third world countries and only small orders. What I’m talking about is products like autos, clothes, furniture, tech equipment, etc. Yes, China and South Korea dominates this market but they also started making crappy cars and crappy merchandise.
I’m not suggesting going head to head with China but making quality products and developing brands that people recognize. Yandex is a great start. Expand it to the rest of the world like Google has. Design an electric or hydrogen automobile. The possibilities are endless.
It’s time Russia stops being a one trick pony. Value added goods expand the economy!
Cheers,
Crazyczar
What if the new economic paradigm is serving domestic and regional markets and not trying to be a one size fits all global(ist) solution? You’re basically asserting that Russia should follow in the footsteps of the U.S., when in fact, that whole mentality might be already headed for the dustbin of history. Might be entirely fitting as well if both China and Russia abandon North American markets altogether now that our production capability has all been dismantled and shipped overseas in the interests of investor profits. Then U.S. investors can put all their money in Chinese markets – China willing – and let their profits pile up to the moon, as they’ll have no domestic goods to spend any of it on.
The possibilities might be endless, but so are the costs and the inability to pass the test of time.
These are formable barriers that have reached the outer limits of explanation in some circles.
Rather than spend effortvtying its ecomy to someone elses Russia has chosen to develop its internal economy in responsecto the sanction that were placed upon it’s ability to import. Only a fool would the discern that those same sanction could not be targettedcat Russian exports.
They will grow their economy thru exports once the sanctioners have been relegated to histories septic tank.
– Have you heard about Kamaz? VAZ (Lada)?
– How about driver-less agricultural machines?
– Newly built neutron collider (first phase recently finished)
– Forefront in civil Nuclear reactor technology: VVER, Sodium-based and lead-cooled.
– 2020 the first place in shipbuilding in the world if I remember the data well (could be second).
– The only Nuclear icebreaker producer in the World.
– The new Leader-class icebreaker in production – even larger then the previous nuclear ones.
– Russian electrical and diesel locomotives. Wagons too. 2016 data search for the-9-most-powerful-locomotives-in-the-world
– 3 tram brands: Ust-Katav Vagon-Building Plant, Uraltransmash and PK Transportnye Sistemy
Trolleybus and Electrical buss brands
– Russia is (again after half a century that first experimental one was produced) constructing a floating mining plant (in Arctic)
– Mi-8/17 variants is produced in over 17.000 examples and sold world wide (60+ countries), recently produced new Arctic variant.
– In 2020 Russia started serial production of new aircraft engine PD-14 and is now tested on MC-21
PD-14 is the base for the whole range new engine family up to PD-35 which are now in pipeline.
– Until 2020 Russia imported almost all its aluminum ore and now is developing its own huge mine which will be source for number of other ores.
– Russia just decided to build a railway to the Indigo, the ice-free deep water port to be on Barents see which is projected to become one of the largest cities in the Arctic.
– Russia has adopted the law that after 2022 there will be basically total ban for timber/unprocessed wood export. Until then Russia is expanding its wood processing capacities and developing drone based forest surveillance grid with AI-based tree DB. Each tree has unique pattern signature which can be scanned from almost any part and with help of AI automatically looked up. There will be national DB with all trees that will have id with origin info and live tracking.
– Russia has already a range of electrical cars in production (many more in development): rbth.com/science-and-tech/332346-top-7-russian-electric-vehicles
– BBC on yandex driverless car already on streets of Moscow as commercial service http://www.bbc.com/news/ technology-51003224 There are already other project with driverless cars
And so on and so on.
Just because you don’t hear about something it doesn’t meant it is non-existent.
These are not directly consumer products but are indicating Russian technological developments in the broad range. Experts says the most demanding skilled work is jet engine construction. It takes in best case 7 put in average 10-11 years to develop one.
This: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEFbHN_LkMU is 2hr compilation of what was produced in Russia during the last 3 years. It is in Russian but you will get a gist of it.
Russia is picking up talented kids very early in the primary school and specially grooming for the jet engine carrier. This system is different from the most of the world but is also (proven to be) very effective.
The new family of 100% Russian developed civil jet engines is proof of Russian current know-how.
Very interesting and thanks for that link about russian achievements last 3 years.
That’s why I always say that Russia will not get involved in any wars in next 10 to 15 years because Russia has colossal plans and projects that will completely change Russia.
While the list you provided and the list of accomplishments in the video is impressive, most of the business development is geared toward the Russian consumer. Long-term effect of all these new business ventures will be positive. Unfortunately, today, majority of Russians will have a hard time affording benefits from most of these endeavors. Furthermore, outside of agrarian businesses and employment positions, most products that are produced by these ventures will have no direct effect on the lives of ordinary Russians. What these ventures will accomplish is to make Russia self sufficient – and that is a good thing long-term
All the new business have one thing in common – logistics. Unfortunately, most roads in Russia are still in disrepair and need to be reconstructed to be updated for the 21st century commerce. Small business is still suffering from bureaucracy and red tape and corruption. Need a fix for that.
Lastly, how many of the products these businesses produce will be purchased by the rest of the world? If the answer to this questions is greater than 50%, then ultimately, the Russian economy will flourish. Otherwise, Russia needs to produce products the rest of the world demands. Only then, Russia will be an economic power, like Germany. Only then, will the rest of the world treat Russian as a peer.
Cheers,
Crazyczar
Thank you, Saker. However, let us turn your reasoning on its head – America is nothing but a semi-conscious Golem full of fury but animated by European Russophobia (Papist + Jewish). America appears to be the boss of Europe simply because the German Euro Reich has achieved all of its aims without firing a shot and is happy to kowtow as long as the Americans do not try to curb EU’s expansionism.
Even the ever accommodating Lavrov has stated that Germany has now taken over as the main anti-Russian force in the West. The next task for the Russian and Slav patriots is to destroy the German Euro Reich and create a Slav-friendly Europe.
If I’m not mistaken arnt they part of the new 30 something countrys that are forming a new economic pact, including japan and south korea. This doesn’t appear to be anti Russian so much but does appear to be resisting the western axis.
Good point Anubis. Yes, Germany has achieved all its objectives in Europe thanks to the US. A Fourth Reich handed to them on a silver platter..quite astonishing how quickly and successfully this happened after the disasterous end of the Third Reich..
Not sure the Europeans can be saved from themselves…
You know, I marvel at the fact that 30 years after the greatest holocide in history, Germany has been accepted as a normal state and allowed to continue with its deadly strategy of Slav destruction. And people are so blind, bamboozled and deluded by the Vatican/German propaganda that all you need to do is mention a JEEEEW or the City of London and everybody is in lockstep.
Well, some of us have had enough. Germany will either retreat to its pre-1989 borders or will be dismantled as a unified state.
OT (The MFC is availabl for off-topic comments. Mod.)
Check out this side by side shot of the su 57 and YF-23. The YF-23 had better all around stealth than the F-22 because of its podded engine/pure blend wing design. And thats the exact same design philosophy used in the su 57. Yet some western pseudo analysts claim that the su 57 isn’t even stealth. Reality is its no less stealth than the F-35 and just as stealth as the F-22 from the front.
https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/6732f63f-d54f-4789-b4ea-de4e21332d96/dea2sog-7319ad57-5ddf-4e71-a603-e13529b4f47b.png/v1/fill/w_1091,h_527,q_80,strp/yf23su577_by_backspin321_dea2sog-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOiIsImlzcyI6InVybjphcHA6Iiwib2JqIjpbW3siaGVpZ2h0IjoiPD01MjciLCJwYXRoIjoiXC9mXC82NzMyZjYzZi1kNTRmLTQ3ODktYjRlYS1kZTRlMjEzMzJkOTZcL2RlYTJzb2ctNzMxOWFkNTctNWRkZi00ZTcxLWE2MDMtZTEzNTI5YjRmNDdiLnBuZyIsIndpZHRoIjoiPD0xMDkxIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmltYWdlLm9wZXJhdGlvbnMiXX0.zC–1JGgvOgqhz3Wm9X9p1LkWrXjvy9IihF5pyA7a9s
Please do not post off-topic stuff here!
And, low RCS is much more than shape, it includes the position of the engine and nacelles, control surfaces in motion, radar absorbing materials, and even mission profile. So there is no “one answer”. Furthermore, there is a HUGE difference between Russian and US design philosophies: the US put all their eggs into the “stealth basket” whereas Russians did not. The Su-57 is a much better “rounded” aircraft than any US “stealth” aircraft.
But, again, this is not the topic here, so let’s leave that for another day!
Thank you
If i can recall it correctly i think that Sergey Karaganov said in a interview to the German magazine Der Spiegel in 2016 That Russia will never again fight a war on it’s own territory. Let that sink in for a moment in the heads of all the Nato planers and the western political leadership. That’s a serious warning for all those intelligent enough to understand the gravity of the message.
Yes Daniel, that is correct my friend. President Putin did state during the introduction of Russia’s next Gen Weapons in March 2019, that any attack on Russia or her Allies will be met with a swift devastating response on the Aggressors where the attack came from and on the decision makers themselves.
“Yes Daniel, that is correct my friend. President Putin did state during the introduction of Russia’s next Gen Weapons in March 2019, that any attack on Russia or her Allies will be met with a swift devastating response on the Aggressors where the attack came from and on the decision makers themselves.”
The list of Russia’s allies is very small. Armenia is one of the few allies of Russia.
When Armenians were attacked, some here said “Russia owes Armenia nothing” while others said “Artsakh is not technically part of Armenia” and many other justifications were made for Russia not helping its ally. My favorite was “Turkey is too powerful” and “why should Russia make an enemy of Turkey?”
When I think of helping one’s allies, what comes to my mind is Iran helping Lebanon repel attacks by the Zionist regime in 1982, while Iran itself was fighting a war with Iraq. Or Iran helping Syria defeat ISIS, while under sanctions itself. Or helping the Yemenis defend their land against the Saudis. Or helping the Iraqis evict US troops.
Nobody said “the Israelis are too powerful” or “technically Yemen is part of the Arabian peninsula” or “Iran owes Syria nothing” or “why help the Iraqis who invaded our country?”
When was the last time Russia helped an ally? Russia has always been an aggressive imperialist power, with very few allies.
Even today, Russia has no formal alliance with Iran or China, because Russia does not want to have to help Iran or China in the case of a war. Russia sees Iran and China as rivals, just like all imperialist powers see everyone else as rivals.
Cheers
Well the Armenians didn’t help themselves, when they chose pro-Western stooge of primeminister back in 2018, who all but tried to cut ties with Russia. Why should Russia waste it’s time on an ungrateful little backwater like Armenia who exists as country thanks to Russia or said Russian imperialism. Plus it was Russia who in the end saved Armenia from full painful defeat from this year’s war. Despite the ungrateful idiot priminister of theirs, who never bothered to recognize Artsakh or itself come to it’s aid, seriously tone it down with the silly Russia bashing. If Armenia not only spat the face of Russia, but also didn’t want to fully commit in fully defending Artsakh, then why should Russia expend blood and treasure on ingrates like Armenia.
Iraq invaded Iran and fought for 8 years, killed hundreds of thousands of Iranians. Armenia elected a pro-Western government, and you claim that as justification for allowing an allied neighboring country to be invaded?
https://www.dw.com/en/russian-navy-to-join-nato-countries-in-drills-for-first-time-in-decade/a-55896301
Yes it is, one is not obligated to save those that hate you and that was what the Armenian Soros supported government is, why do you keep making cheap excuses for this in your long winded rants.
NATO surely is not great in terms of military but is great in propaganda and in regime change. Georgia and Ukraine, that had been for centuries linked to Russia, have now strongly anti-Russian governments. A regime change in Belarus would be in strategic terms a huge blow for Russia, much worst than Ukraine, as it is currently a sort of land bridge with the region of Kaliningrad. A pro-western Belarus, even if amputated of some eastern provinces, would widen of several miles the so called ‘Suwalki gap’, today considered a critical point by NATO, and I think it is currently the main aim of the Poles and the Lithuanians.
This would happen only if Russia would permit it, which is unlikely to happen. To believe that the ‘West’ can repeat successfully the revolution scenarios of the past (which ultimately failed) and that Russia is seething with ‘dekabrists’ and ‘youth following Dud, Navalni and all the other disgusting lowlifes’ is another proof of the European leaders insanity.
While Mr Putin and Mr Lavrov have seemingly dis-engaged from dialogue with their western partners, it might be timely to consider a new beginning with Asia as a whole; not just China.. That 1/4 of the world’s population is exempt & immune from Five Eyes propaganda is no small matter..
The recent RCEP economic pact of 15 Asian countries is a strong indication of a unified commitment to mutual progress. Even occupied Australia, Japan, and South Korea are on board, while the central Asian stans will soon follow; already incorporated into the BRI network..
The inclusion of Russia would surely work to everyone’s advantage..
Good summary!
The nato activities are truly mindless but seem transparent in that the intent is to constantly and continually crank up military spending, the major beneficiary being the war profiteers in the US MIC (congress, admin, press, think (sic) tanks, et al). The obscene payoffs obviously go to the intelligence (sic) establishment as well.
But, of course, the laughable multi-billion nato headquarters and the bloated bureaucracies must also be justified. It is probably small wonder that the Europeans are completely delusional; how else could they look at the huge bureaucracies, the huge spending budgets of brussels and then at the constant drumbeats of demands from the trump admin for moar military spending, moar, moar, moar. But at the end of the day, the europeam militaries really do not matter.
For all of that, they all need the Russian threat to be hyped without any rational thought.
You forgot something Saker, Russia has imploded two times in the last century with major help from the West. The West has, achieving their goals, triumphed those two times. Russia was never really “taken” by an enemy force except for the 13th century Mongol empire. It looked like Russia committed collective suicide in the 90s. The red empire was impossibly strong militarily, but self destructed by choice without a shot fired by NATO. It acted like a complimentary lady with low social responsibility. F, spit on these traitors, it’s hard to stay composed by the amorality and depravity, which destroyed Russia’s statehood. Truth be told, the population was also significantly disillusioned and ready for the taking.
From at least 2008, not by choice, Russia is forced to re-sovereignize against the opposition of its prostitute elite. God with them, as Russians say, but the degradation of the Russian population is very much advanced.
It’s an open question if they can reverse the liberal-satanist brainwashing of the population especially the young. Education, entertainment – culture as a whole – is existing in the Western ideological frame. Most Russians I know are sounding the alarm for decades now. Youtube, FB and all this vomit has become the foundation for the information system in Russia, esp. again for the youth.
Forget NATO, look at the propaganda system of the West, with its NGOs, media etc. which is the real threat for Russia, which almost won every real fight, but lost the psycho-historic-war two times with catastrophic consequences. Nothing will help you, if your youth is following Dud, Navalni and all the other disgusting lowlifes. If it comes to this, it will be Russia’s last blunder.
Illusion is the best deception, and the Russians are great at it.
No, they’re not. They don’t advertise much of anything and are not in the bizness of pretending – this is the anglo/am ericon mode of living.
Agreed, look at RT they use to do a half decent job in talking about Russia and having glimpse of Russia for non-Russians such as you and I. While there are some shows or documentaries that I watch from time to time, RT overall has degenerated in to Trash TV, to much cickbate Western style trash stories especially on their website. No regular shows on Russia itself, and alot less documentaries on Russia which I always found interesting.
Also their international reporting has gone down hill to, so much to the point that jokingly call it France Today, UK Today, Germany Today, or simply Eurotrash Today. Meaning instead of reporting as their namesake implies, 90% of their stories are meaningless and uninteresting fluff reporting from Paris, Berlin and London. Thankfully RT Spanish is closer to what RT was 5 or 10 years ago, which works for since I already know Spanish.
I really wish they would fire Margarita Symonyan, she is incompetent and Euro obsessed idiot who under her management RT not only stagnated but declined in quality of content. Maybe its an Armenian thing, since her last name sounds Armenian and she has the same rosy view of the West like priminster Pashinyan. I guess I’m going on rant so my apologies, its just that RT is good example of the Russian weakness in promoting itself as culture.
This comment is off-topic – any further will go to trash. Mod.
Thank you; I heartily agree. The RT website has become Russia’s answer to the Daily Mail. Gutter sniping. Being publicly supported the editors had an opportunity to put Russian journalism on the map. Instead they hire these cranky Brits to gossip on the front page. M. Symonyan has done a good job of fighting back against the formidable spook orchestrated campaign of malicious slander that Western journalism has become so I’m hesitant to run her down but even so Russia has let slip a golden opportunity to establish real, trustworthy, fact based and professional journalism in the wake of the abandonment of this territory by fallen angels like the Guardian. However maybe this discussion should proceed somewhere else or saved for another occasion, not sure.
Agreed, hopefully the Saker will write more articles on this topic and what I find the weakest aspect of Russia, its soft power ie media, brand names in domestic goods, international journalism, entertainment and cultural promotion. The potential in Russia is there, but it isn’t being used.
1. “Illusion is the best deception,and the Russians are great at it.”
2. “are not in the bizness of pretending ”
You appear to suggest that 2 disproves 1.
You appear to fail to understand that 2 facilitates 1.
In these like the opponents, you appear to emulate previous nachtingals – perhaps one of the disadvantages of OSS, CIC, SD and their progeny ?
Nope, it doesn’t excuse that RT can be much better then what it has declined in to or that Russia can do much better in showcasing itself in the media of the world and as culture. It clearly has the tools, the in intelligent people and the potential to do so.
“Nope, it doesn’t excuse that RT”
Thank you for the continuing resort to assumption, and confirmation of OlyaPola on December 14, 2020 · at 7:15 am EST/EDT.
As some realise co-operation shares “load”, but not necessarily purpose.
“major help from the West.”
Mr. Porter observed
How strange
the change
From major to minor.
whilst others facilitated the change from minor to “major”.
” It looked like”
Looking like was popular in the 1990’s, particularly when conflated with being like, since to some looking major was not deemed to be plausible belief,
since
In days of old
a glimpse of stocking
was looked on
as something shocking
but now “heaven knows”
anything goes.
Saker
Thank you for this very informative piece. But in the penultimate paragraph you say: “But last time around Russia lost 30+ millions of people in truly horrible battles”. Was it Russia or the Soviet Union as a whole that lost this number of people? My understanding is that it was the latter. For the Russian Soviet Republic the losses appear to have amounted to about 14 million. You have quoted such a high number for Russian deaths in at least one previous piece and my impression is that you are a stickler for the facts. So I must ask, is it deliberate on your part and, if so, why?
Also, your analysis raises what is for me an interesting question. Why does it seem that it is only the Russians who learned the lesson from WW2 and who have made the commitment to themselves ‘never again’ (with a relatively brief lapse of resolve on the part of their leaders during the Yeltsin years)? After all, as a percentage of their populations Belarus, Ukraine, Armenia, Lithuania and Latvia within the former Soviet Union during the war all lost as many or more than Russia (in the case of Belarus a mind numbing 25%).
Best wishes.
I simply consider that the entire Soviet Union was just Russia renamed, that’s all.
Those millions who died outside the RSFSR are just as much my people as those who died inside.
It’s really simple.
The Saker
To an outsider like me, the subtleties of Russians’ thinking about themselves as a people is sometimes difficult to grasp. But I understand what you say. So thank you.
It’s good for Russia and the world that these tiny EU countries behave like prostitutes, lock sovereignty and have no political decisions of their own. Much like a third world country subjected to the US. In a work scenario they would be easily defeated and their population will welcome the Russian troops and beg for freedom and ask for chocolate bars.
I can’t make out why that would be. Care to elaborate?
Je pense que la propagande la corruption et la conviction de superiorité permettent d expliquer en grande partie le comportement de l elite politique et militaire des pays occidentaux.
Quand vous etes sur d etre le meilleur vous n envisagez jamais la possibilite de vous tromper et de perdre. C est encore plus vrai lorsqu en meme temps vous diminuez systematiquement les capacites de votre adversaire declare. Je peux citer par exemple Mc Cain qui disait que la Russie est une vaste sation essence deguisee en pays.
Lorsque vous raisonnez de la sorte vous devenez arrogant menacant et trop confiant. Vous avez là un bon resume du comportement du monde occidental depuis 15-20 ans.
Mais il y a aussi un autre facteur a prendre en compte. Il y a quelques semaines j ai regarde une conference d un specialiste francais de la question militaire. La these qu il defend est que les pays européens ne savent plus penser la question militaire ou la guerre de maniere startegique. Pour eux l adversaire n est plus un pays (c est a dire un systeme complexe pensant et rationnel qui a des raisons objectives d etre comme il est et de faire ce qu il fait) mais un simple acteur deviant irrationnel et non cooperatif qu il est facile de faire tomber ou dont il est facile de changer le comportement.
Je ne dis pas que cette these est bonne mais je pense qu elle contient du vrai et qu elle permet d expliquer en partie ce qu on observe.
Lorsque la presidente de l UE declare que discuter avec Poutine et son gouvernement est devenu impossible elle montre que dans sa tete elle n affronte pas la Russie mais seulement quelques personnes. Si la Russie actuelle n existe que grace a la volonte de quelques individus il suffit de quelques sanctions et de quelques menaces pour faire en sorte que le systeme politique Russe tombe et qu un autre beaucoup plus compatible avec les plans occidentaux prenne sa place.
Les dirigents européens ne pensent pas affronter un pays un peuple une culture une armee etc ils pensent affronter des leaders hors sol dont ils n aiment pas la politique.
C est pour cette raison qu a chaque fois qu ils attaquent et que la Russie reagit en pays et systeme complexe les dirigents europeens semblent pris au depourvu et se retrouvent dans une situation qui est pire que l etat initial (comme pour Kaliningrad par exemple pour citer votre article). Les dirigents europeens ne savent pas contre qui ils se battent.
Je ne sais pas ce que vous en pensez mais personnellement je trouve qu avec cet angle de lecture la politique europeenne (et occidentale) devient beaucoup plus comprehensible. Cette politique n en reste pas moins folle et dangereuse.
Yandex translate. Mod:
I think that propaganda, corruption and the belief of superiority can largely explain the behavior of the political and military elite of Western countries.
When you are about to be the best you never consider the possibility of being wrong and losing. This is even more true when at the same time you systematically decrease the abilities of your opponent declare. I can quote for example Mc Cain who said that Russia is a vast country.
When you reason in this way you become arrogant and overconfident. You have here a good summary of the behavior of the Western world for 15-20 years.
But there is also another factor to consider. A few weeks ago I watched a lecture by a French specialist in the military question. The thesis he defends is that European countries no longer know how to think about the military issue or the war in a startegic way. For them the adversary is no longer a country (i.e. a complex thinking and rational system that has objective reasons to be as it is and to do what it does) but a simple irrational and uncooperative deviant actor that is easy to bring down or whose behavior is easy to change.
I’m not saying that this is good but I think it contains some truth and that it allows to explain in part what we observe.
When the EU president declares that talking with Putin and his government has become impossible she shows that in her head she is not confronting Russia but only a few people. If the present Russia exists only thanks to the will of a few individuals, then a few sanctions and threats are enough to make the Russian political system fall and another much more compatible with Western plans take its place.
European leaders do not think they will face a country, a people, a culture, an army, etc. they think they will face off-ground leaders whose politics they do not like.
It is for this reason that every time they attack and Russia reacts in countries and complex system the European leaders seem caught off guard and find themselves in a situation that is worse than the original state (as for Kaliningrad for example to quote your article). European leaders do not know who they are fighting against.
I do not know what you think of it but I personally find that with this angle of reading European (and Western) politics becomes much more understandable. However, this policy is crazy and dangerous.
Thanks for this comment.
I believe the French specialist is very correct. His analysis explains Europe’s behaviour perfectly.
Europe — and its overlord, the US — have forgotten, after a generation has passed since the Cold War, that war is a very complex thing, involving the interplay of complex systems and once started, the progression is essentially unpredictable. Just as your analyst says, reducing the adversary to simpletons is faulty, hubristic thinking. Like the tango, it takes two to wage war, but unlike the tango, neither party is quite sure what the other is going to do, or how it will react. I think the character of contemporary war has changed but the nature of war has remained essentially the same. Hence, fundamentally, the thinking behind war — that it is between two complex, rational actors as the specialist says — should not change.
I hold that wars serve political aims. For Nato Europe and its various politico-military entanglements around the world, the situation is further aggravated because the political aim is generated elsewhere, ie the US, and made even worse because the generator itself doesn’t know the aim.
We have on-going examples in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria. Hence it is amusing to see the US/Nato relearning how to fight unconventional or ‘small’ wars because they didn’t see it coming in those countries, and civilian/military think tanks even now churning out reams of paper discussing how to define ‘victory’ in such wars. In short, nobody knows what the desired outcome is, implying that nobody knew the political aim in the first place. To my mind it’s a case of the blind, US, leading the (wilfully) blind, Europe.
If one makes incredible fortunes by supplying war material, then it’s a win.
People’s lives matter little.
There’s always s America to which to run, it’s in the works as we speak.
oui, après quand tu mets Von der Leyen a coté de Shoigu coté “street credibility” comme dirait Papaicto, y’a pas photo :)
Google translation,MOD:
yes, after when you put Von der Leyen next to Shoigu on the “street credibility” side as Papaicto would say, there’s no picture :)
I am intrigued at the way Yandex translates the fatuous John McCain comment about Russia, which my schoolboy French tells me Laurent rendered correctly and Yandex didn’t. A failure of translation or indicative of censorship? If so who by? Or am I reading too much into it?
Same here. I wondered why the translation of McCain s comments failled so miserably. It s the only part of my statement which has been simply ingnored by yandex translates. Wired.
Phile,
En effet Yandex refuse de traduire entièrement cette formule. En tant que Français également je vous confirme que Laurent la cite correctement.
Cette découverte m’étonne aussi.
Trad google :
Indeed Yandex refuses to fully translate this formula. As a French person too, I can confirm that Laurent quotes her correctly.
This discovery also surprises me.
I think if you don’t include the spiritual aspect of what is going on in this world, you will not understand why things are happening, mainly without logic.
Why has the West dangerously attacked Russia the way it has? Why can’t Russia reason with the West? Quite simply, because the West is satanic, and the battle is essentially spiritual. Until the forces behind them are dealt with, the evil madness will continue, with ‘wars and rumours of wars’.
Look at how Trump was treated. Unprecedented and inexplicable, and it went on, and on, and on, just like demonic attacks can.
And look at covid-19, another evil spiritual plan to destroy humans, especially with the mRNA vaccine. Manipulation, control and oppression, wrapped in fear and lies.
@Ralph
Correct it’s a spiritual war Good v Evil. When one turns away from God, a demon is inserted within you and apathy sets in with the evil spirit…. Hatred, Jealousy, egotism, idolising to name a few, we see many wanting battle the war that ends wars.
CHRIST… do not concern yourselves as this will come to pass!
But once it begins in enerst, if one is not incinerated or butchered to death, radiation ( most painful death cancer ) with out hospitals or medication…. every human will regret they turned away from the Lord Almighty, this abomination unto him.
CHRIST… there will be a peace meal ( the Lord only talks of the middle east, as the holy bible starts and ends there as no where else matters because it involves everywhere ) 10yr war Syria but he goes on this is nothing compared to once the peacemeal breaks….. The true horrors will begin and every man in the four corners of this world will bend a knee and tremble in fear!!! Its the end of humanity, the world.
I can give one hope and one chance to the world as a witness CHRIST has visited me not once but two times in broad day light and that chance is for everyone to turn back through the grace of the Father to his Son Jesus Christ, repeants for there dsrkesk sins, invite Christ into your life and ask for his wisdom which will remove the demon within you and awaken you from your slumber and pray for this war Not to begin….. if most of the people do this, then Christ Jesus will intervene in his mysterious ways whom he is highly intelligent and most powerful will prevent the End!
Gods word…nothing wrong with what you stated, but what will every man achieve against ahrimanic deceptions? Possible incarnation of this westrn demon will manifest in materialism&intellect and lack of spirital forces..only then will J.Christ impulse in everyone of us become really important.. in short as R.Steiner once saw: Love and Wisdom in every dimension will prevail against this babylon…because power and intellect are domains of this world full of illusion, full of plastic, iphones, full of worthlees papers..
Lets remember Solženicin: border- line between good or evil goes tru every mans heart..nothing wrong with that our dear captain, we salute you!
Thanks… … but Europe has a death wish… that is the socalled leaders… and most people are in apathy…. sad but true…
Not logical, NATO and Russia together.Whats’ happening?
“The AMAN-2021 exercise will unite vessels of Pakistan’s and Russia’s navies, the US Navy, the UK’s Royal Navy, the Chinese Navy, Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force, the Turkish Naval Forces, the Philippines’ Navy, the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Sri Lanka Navy and the Indonesian Navy,” the Black Sea Fleet told reporters.
https://russiepolitics.blogspot.com/2020/12/de-lonu-lotan-lintensification-des.html?fbclid=IwAR38vg39sWarHkhY9TMwoqEStew_iSQUi2u8Q3eP-BsKOz5LGBCV1x-iquU
It is some members of NATO, Russia,other non-NATO members AND China.
That is huge difference to “NATO and Russia together”.
Re AMAN 2021,
Context: …annual bilateral exercises between Russia with India since 2003, (INDRA), with Pakistan since 2014, (Exercise Arabian Monsoon). /russian-naval-presence-in-indian-ocean/
Both exercises are longstanding, the AMAN ex doesn’t have a bloc mentality, hence Japan, China, Australia, UK and others are invited.
Similarly, Pakistan has been hosting AMAN drills biannually since 2007. Turkish, UK, US and Russian navies participated in the 2017 AMAN ex.
Surely, wondering whether the European leaders have gone completely insane, is tongue in cheek. They are definitely insane, dangerously insane.
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Entertaining the idea that attacking Russia, destabilizing it by revolutions, expecting to win ‘this time’, after the string of crushing defeats that punctuate the history of wars against it for centuries, is insanity.
Take Germany for example. Bismarck warned that attacking Russia would inevitably end in defeat. The Kaiser and his much vaunted generals dismissed his sane advise and end was his flight to escape his indictment as a war criminal. Hitler doubled down and escaped the gallows only because he busted himself.
Yes, they were not afraid of war. Listen to the military marches, to the songs of the Wehrmacht and you can believe that they were going for a stroll and a picnic in the park, to drink wine and pinch the bottoms of the girls. Russian songs were grave and sad, because they did not like war.
Yes, Russian songs can be grave and sad, for the reason you say. But some are so strong and full of hope. My favorite is “The Cliff”, a revolutionary song.
The song is beautiful. Their cause less. Hopefully it wont happen again.
Thanks for the article Saker. To try and explain the West’s’ insane actions and verbiage, is an impossible task imo. Especially, if you’re thinking rationally. Their words and actions are irrational. Their belief systems are irrational and without logic.
I live in the West.
Nothing my Government says (which is only a parody of its Master, the US!) concerning foreign policy, defence spending, planning and goal, is insane. It’s without logic, foresight, or with true defence of the nation in mind.
Watch this short comedy sketch from an Australian TV Show which, explains perfectly what I’m stating.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7034282/?ref_=ttep_ep7
We are presently trying to pick a fight with China. It’s madness!
The most constructive tool the Government has though is its media propaganda. They have that down well. In the last 12 months I’ve heard nothing but ‘China-hate’ from normal people, repeating the same inane simple voxpops and, it’s ALL because of the Media.
Why?? I have no idea what the intent is but, it’s certainly not in our country or people’s interest.
Then, when you factor in the Covid mania, mandatory vaccines, the push for The Great Reset, you have to wonder if the REAL intent of the ‘elite scoundrels’ is to rid the earth of 60-70% of the people presently living on this planet?
Start a War that they KNOW they will lose, sue for peace after their goal is reached, and those who are left, will become modern days slaves?
I wonder sometimes if I’m losing my mind watching the madness unfold almost daily now. I have to remind myself that I’m not, I am simply rational, hunger for honesty and, believe in truth.
At the risk of getting off the subject, there is one other important fact I think I understand.
Truth in this world, is becoming very hard to find. Jesus described the Holy Ghost as ‘the Spirit of Truth’. Well, that spirit is still alive and active on the earth but sadly, fewer people are imbued with it. They have failed to discover humility, bowed their knees and hearts to the Sovereign God, repented, and received that wonderful gift.
It is the only way I can make sense of it all.
Amen!
I also live in the UK and can confirm that the mass manipulation and brainwashing by the mass media here is disheartenimg.
Apologies for that link. It was incorrect. Here is the correct one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTCqXlDjx18
Excellent points Sommerset as well as the satirical video.
Wars, weapon sales and promises to extend or keep the ‘defensive’ US umbrella to those countries who believe the increasingly fragile US/Pentagon releases that they are threatened are becoming less. Also the previous superiority of the weapon systems is also in doubt (see the F35) so any consideration that this money will increase is very unlikely and that it will cease is seems inevitable.
Now think about the money … presently the US is sanctioning China and China is sanctioning Australia. Can and will the US assist Australia and if so how? Sell Australia 10 x F35 aircraft? Correct the trade inbalance with Australia whereas the US runs a positive balance.
This same senario will play out with most of the US ‘allies’ until they recognize the economic reality that their prosperity is more dependent on China than the US.
Riddle me this:
Who ownes the media?
Little Britain’s newest Royal Navy aircraft carrier, HMS Prince of Wales, is stuck in base as it continues to undergo repairs after suffering a major leak in an engine room. Toilets on America’s two newest aircraft carriers, USS Bush and USS Ford, clog frequently requiring regularly service with an acid that costs $400,000 per use. Apart from crappy plumbing, recent reports (e.g. “Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress”) focus on problems with the SLQ-32(V)6 shipboard electronic warfare system, the SPY-3 multi-function radar and the cooperative engagement capability including weapons elevators continuing to present problems. Then add the F-35 lemon. What a cluster-f_ck! The Russians and Chinese need do nothing to win this race of mid-20th century image-carrying combat-ready dinosaurs.
I read once that friendly fire had caused more fatalaties of US servicemen in Iraq than any other cause!
Or was it suicide?
That sounds logical enough, if only because the huge majority of people firing dangerous weapons were Americans.
Also the Afghans were smart enough to get under cover.
My father fought in WW2, and I remember him quoting a saying the troops had: “When the Germans shoot, the British duck. When the British shoot, the Germans duck. When the Americans shoot, everyone ducks”.
Except, apparently, some Americans.
Let’s not forget that when it comes to WW2 all units of all armies tent to highly exaggerate enemy losses they conflicted. And Soviet 1st Tank Army did not make exception at all. Highest exaggerations happened however in air war. There was a common rule that pilots had on average three times more air victory claims than real victories. Because the term “air victory” consists of two parts: “air” and “victory”. There was twice more “air” than victories. When it checking facts of ground attack aircraft pilots “destroying enemy combat armor” their over claiming was ridiculously high when hardly more than 3-5% of claims were true. Lack of fuel and spare parts “destroyed” tanks likely more than enemy fire.
In fact most people don’t understand how important role so called non-combat losses played in WW2. For instance VVS and USAAF lost 2-3 times more aircraft outside the battle than in combat missions. WW2 tanks were relatively easy to break down during road marches (T-34 was famous with this problem). What is also quite interesting is how field artillery played much more important role than fans of tanks and air power want to admit. The reason might be that field artillery (most hated and feared by grunts) was not “media sexy”.
I doubt has much changed since 1945. “Enemy losses are exaggerated, our losses downplayed” is likely the thumb rule today. What really has changed is that civilians are now the most likely the real cannon fodder not soldiers. That’s why all the combat soldier glory has sharply decreased.
Another excellent discussion full of facts, pertinent insights and sound judgements; thank you.
It’s the European political class that wants America in, Russia out, and Germany compliant with the demands of the North Atlanticists. And it has to be this way. If the Trumpean policy of disengagement with Nato were to somehow play out then France and Germany would have to step up to the plate and wield the big stick. So Poland, Hungary, Italy, Spain and the rest are going to go along with this, indefinitely? I can’t see it. The Americans initiated this post war Fourth Reich and now the elites that were brought into being as a consequence, the Bilderberg people, need the Americans to stay put otherwise the whole thing starts to devolve back to its elements. For the last 4 years they’ve had a taste of this and now we see how desperate many of them are to get everything ‘back to normal’. They’ve invested allot into this Fourth Reich Euro-unity program. The nation states have lost their sovereignty, their currencies, and many of their national industries to. Instead they get real estate bubbles. And look at the people, stunned, disoriented, hardly capable of focused attention. Going back is hard because so much of what used to be is now lost. The arrogant leaders have painted themselves into a corner. Like their cousins on the other side of the Atlantic, Europe is rapidly devolving into a condition of stasis, a gridlock of opposed forces. For each measure of support for the EU there is an equal and opposite force against. The sun sets in the west while it rises in the east. But in any event, it seems to me that this contrived ‘Russia’ the Europeans speak of is a projection proceeding from a leadership that is faced with the contradictory consequences of their own decisions. Real equilateral communications are of course highly desirable but this can only proceed from those who are masters of their own houses. Such qualifications do not apply to European leaders. The insulting barbs tossed off by these people towards Russia sound like they proceed from people who think highly of themselves. But we must know better. Real political adults do not resort to intemperate and idiotic language. President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov are both capable of being quite direct and pointed in their speech. But they never conduct themselves in an adolescent manner. They never lose their dignity or forget that they speak authoritatively for a proud civilisation. As they have no peers in Europe there’s no one to talk to. With these folks, everything that comes up on their teleprompters was scripted by public relations agencies. What’s the point?
But even so I don’t expect that Russian strategic aims are going to change much. The military strengthening measures ensure that the impulsive children don’t do anything ill considered but otherwise Moscow will remain on a steady course. Europeans are unafraid of war? They’ve experienced plenty of war and the horrors it entails, bombed cities and such even though they’ve been Americanised to the point of serious confusion. But still, there’s a level below the threshold of manipulated talk that people experience and the real reason they fear no war is because they have nothing to be afraid of. Somehow the reality of Russia gets through in spite of the heavy propaganda. As to strategic aims, I think it simply has to be to drive a wedge between Europe and it’s North Atlantic management so as to avoid a two front war. I take the view that it really is coming, irrational or not. My two bits. But again, thank you.
This is the antidot to rabid EUropean puddles:
https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/6389950.html
Non-Russian speakers that visit the link can use Yandex or Google Translator.
The link shows Soviet/Russian Marshals and Generals of WWII years after the fight. The demeanor, body language, physique of these warriors, giants of human race, fighters against evil of the then-NATO and EU tell everything – I do not want to fight, but if provoked I will raze you.
General Antonov
Chief Marshal of Armored Forces Babajanyan
Marshal Baghramyan
Marshal of the Signal Corps Belov
Marshal Birzyuzov
Marshal Budyonny
Marshal Vasilevsky
Air Chief Marshal Vershinin
Marshal Govorov
Marshal Golikov
General Gusakovsky
Marshal Eremenko
Air Marshal Efimov
Marshal Zhukov
Marshal Zakharov
Marshal of Artillery Kazakov
Marshal Konev
Marshal Malinovsky
Marshal Meretskov
Marshal of Artillery Mikhalkin
Marshal of the Armored Forces Poluboyarov
Aviation Marshal Silantyev
Air Marshal Skomorokhov
Marshal Sokolovsky
Marshal Tymoshenko
Marshal Tolbukhin
Marshal Ustinov
Marshal Rokossovsky
Marshal Chuikov
Marshal of the Engineering Troops Shestopalov
General Shtemenko
These Titans of the human race – magnificent in victory yet humble grandads in the time of peace will always remain in our hearts – to inspire and guide us.
“Fighters against evil of the then-NATO and EU”? Marko, via the Lend-Lease Act, the US provided around 93% of the Soviets’ produced railroad equipment, about 33% of their trucks, and 30% of their aircraft. When US General George Patton planned to finish off the Soviets, he got into a minor car “accident” and died.
Wouldn’t that make the Soviets more like the proxy army of the then-NATO and EU? Russia still has American Studebaker trucks with mounted Katyusha rocket launchers sitting in museums, reminiscent of the Toyota technicals current proxies are driving around while they pretend to fight NATO and the EU…
The Deep State banker gangsters getting the tsars and millions of other Russian Christians killed, then having the Soviets use Russia to fight on the banksters’ side is part of why they believe they can topple Christian Russia again.
I think your analysis would benefit from the understanding that Roosevelt, Hopkins, Wallace and others were once in a century exceptions. They treated the Soviets as equals and envisaged a peaceful post-war world. Patton, that closeted Russophobe was one of the first “flowers of evil” that presaged the Cold War. Even General Eisenhower who knew the score succumbed to the anti-Russian animus of the Catholic clergy and big business.
I don’t understand the rest but Russia will be called once again to destroy the evil that has been allowed to bubble in various cauldrons since 1945.
Anubis, US Major General Smedley Butler wrote “War is a Racket” in 1935. He wrote, “War is a racket… something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small ‘inside’ group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.”
What did Roosevelt, Hopkins, Wallace, etc. do about this? If anything, after Butler blew the whistle on the Business Plot against FDR, FDR left the corrupt plutocrats largely in place and got us into their rich-get-richer war anyway.
And yes, he got us into it. Butler sarcastically warned that “the Japanese, a proud people, of course will be pleased beyond expression to see the United States fleet so close to Nippon’s shores.” Again, this was in 1935, years before the war, but when Butler died in 1940, about four months later, the McCollum Memo was released giving more detailed explanations on how to move the US fleet closer to Japan to provoke an escalation. Compare this to the current aggressive military maneuvers against Russia, China, Iran, etc. Aren’t the people behind those provocations getting us into those conflicts?
That “peaceful post-war world” was meant to be the “War is Peace” world of George Orwell’s “1984” where “so long as [the corrupt super-states] remain in conflict they prop one another up,” meaning their never-ending “war” with each other is not dangerous to the states themselves, like “peace.” That’s what I meant with the rest: It was comparing the indefinite “War on Communism” with the indefinite “War on Terror.” As the Bolshevik Union would not exist without billions of dollars worth of American military aid, neither would the Mujaheddin and Al-CIA-da spin-offs.
Sorry, but history is clear. People try to justify Japan’s beastly conduct by the fact that they NEEEEEDED Lebensraum in China. Thanks but no thanks. If anybody behaved with such requisite cruelty, they should be slapped silly. Now the slapping was provided in abundance by the great General Zhukov as early as 1938. After Nanking and Unit 731, the Japanese deserve no pity, full stop. This does not preclude hating the Americans.
Second, Roosevelt was a target of constant Catholic plots (read Ken Leslie) and the (Protestant) patriot Butler (Irish name) did his best to expose these. Roosevelt of course depended on the Jewish and Catholic votes and did little to upset the seditious pro-fascist cabal led by Francis Spellman which was doing all in its power to weaken Roosevelt and bring America into Hitler’s orbit. As covered by KL, it was these Irish Catholics that sabotaged Henry Wallace and did away with Roosevelt’s legacy in a few years.
Anubis64, please point out where Poppadop mentions, let alone tries to justify, Imperial Japan’s actions. His/her comment was concerning the USA provoking Japan to a war.
Joey is correct, Anubis. Sorry if you thought I was trying to say Japan did nothing wrong, but much of that wrong is Federal Reserve Act US’s fault for escalating conflicts rather than defusing them. Putting out fires we help start is not heroic.
Besides, the US committed plenty of “beastly conduct:” Should we be “slapped silly”? Our civilians firebombed? Nuked? Look up Chicago Tribune journalist Walter Trohan: It took him 2 weeks after Japan was nuked to tell regular people that Japan was trying to surrender for over 7 months. Should the US receive even less pity than Japan? Or is lacking pity something which keep us in this mess in the first place?
Poppadop,
With al due respect, I would like ask the source for your numbers. But even accepting them as being (somewhat) accurate, please consider the attached for a more realistic analysis of the impact of American help” to the Soviets in defeating Germany and its allies.
Cheers, J-P
Oooops, forgot the link…
https://www.globalresearch.ca/roosevelts-world-war-ii-lend-lease-act-americas-war-economy-us-military-aid-to-the-soviet-union/5449160
Yes, J-P, those numbers came out of Albert Weeks’s “Russia’s Life-Saver: Lend-Lease Aid to the U.S.S.R. in World War II.”
And thanks for linking to Spitsyn’s article. It looks like his numbers largely focus on weapon systems like small arms, tanks, and artillery, while Weeks’s numbers focus more on logistical materiel. Trains, trucks, cargo aircraft, etc. are still vital, though. I mean, were the Soviets going to walk everything to Berlin…?
Going back to the current “messages” against Ex-Soviet Russia, insufficient logistical supply is one reason the banker gangsters have to believe they can topple Christian Russia again. Russia does not have the force projection to mount a global offensive like the banksters do, meaning if the banksters turtle their vassal countries to rebuild their war machines, Russia’s options to disrupt that would be more limited.
Davanjem medalje maršala Žukova ustaši F. Tuđmanu, Rusi su se sami posrali na sve svoje generale, na sve žrtve Drugog svetskog rata i na prijateljstvo sa Srpskim narodom.
Machine translation:
Handing over the medal of Marshal Zhukov, F. stands up. The aliens, the Russians, quarreled over all their generals, all the victims of world war II, and their friendship with the Serbian people.
On matters of comparative military strength I will defer to the Saker’s expertise. However is it a mistake to consider comparative military strength simply in the present? Assuming a protracted engagement such as WWI or 2, that is to say for emphasis a situation where a death blow was not initiated at the outset, then should any analysis not consider the ability of the “western” military industrial complex to resupply and mount a counter offensive, at considerable expense to the tax payer and future generations of course. Furthermore should we not consider a wider field of engagement and therefore the relative strengths in many areas encompassing full spectrum dominance aspired to by the US. And when does comparative strength as a deterrent not matter? perhaps when war is considered by its masters as a necessary and essential means to and end, not the end itself.
“Either that, or they have decided to ignore the lessons of history, because “this time around” the Russians will definitely surrender”.
The human capacity for rationalization should never be underestimated. No doubt they believe that “this time around” they will go about their subversion so subtly, so deviously, that the stupid Russians will never see it coming.
In accordance, perhaps, with that other good insight of Orwell’s:
“Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it”.
Which seems to be a sound diagnosis but an odd belief. After all, what conduces to wisdom more than intelligence? And there is reason to believe that Westerns have been getting steadily less intelligent for at least a century.
https://www.amazon.com/At-Our-Wits-End-Intelligent/dp/184540985X/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dutton+at+our+wits+end&qid=1607681717&s=books&sr=1-1
– George Orwell, review of ‘A Coat of Many Colours’, 1945.
Apologies – the Orwell attribution should follow the Orwell quote, a couple of paragraphs up.
“What is NATO today? First, a coalition of small countries trying to find the courage to bark at the Russian bear the way dozens of chihuahuas would bark at a big brown bear”.
That meme is a gift to a cartoonist. This one is my favourite:
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WCMtHOtPXkw/ViK0KA7c4VI/AAAAAAAABlE/38hYC833eG8/s640/CRgq-gcUkAEeq38.png
“…the 3B+PU are the only countries actually willing to pay (while being mostly broke!) for the US military to occupy them”.
Ah, that brings back one of the good old movies of the 1950s…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mouse_That_Roared_(film)
in which the (equally bankrupt) Duchy of Grand Fenwick is at a loss to make ends meet, when Prime Minister Count Mountjoy (Peter Sellers) devises a cunning plan: declare war on the USA, surrender, immediately… PROFIT!
Needless to say, as any seasoned general could have predicted, the plan goes off the rails when, quite unintentionally, Grand Fenwick wins the war…
“As a result, there is this notion of “never again – enough is enough!” underlying most Russian actions today”.
Exactly as with the Chinese.
For centuries they believed that their empire was the only one that mattered. They actively stamped out new weapons, and deemed soldiers the lowest of the low.
Then the despised Europeans and Americans – and then even the Americans’ disciples the japanese – burst in on them using precisely those weapons. For over a century China was under their feet.
Then Mao gave China back its independence, and while it remains essentially a peaceful culture, one can feel that they too have resolved “Never again!” They don’t want to conquer the West, but they won’t let the West conquer them either – or dictate to them.
Thanks for the article, Saker!
May I add that, aside the “prime grade American bullshit”, Americans have also given us a lot but never enough endlessly awesome entertainment that’s most useful to those unfit to breed so they can die alone in peace and joy instead of having to be sent to the battlefield. War and peace are just attempts at eugenics so let’s hope this progression will survive the nuclear age.
Loving Static-X or Family Guy doesn’t turn us into rodents or fifth-columnists, I should hope!
Thanks again, so much.
The basic monkey wrench that enters the Russian equation is the western leaders know that if they lose the moral ground and financial system, the only remaining option for them is to migrate to mars.
Ergo the push to learn everything they can now about the planet so even if the worst occurs, and they lose control of the Earth (which they inherited), they always have a logical way out. : > O
I’m not sure how much Sun Tsu the elites are familiar with, but their plan of demoralising the West will work – right up until the point where their tyranny fatally weakens Western society to the point where the Chinese will roll in with tanks, slaughter the elites and keep the spoils for themselves. As Sun Tsu says, if the enemy makes you an opportunity to completely take them out, you take it.
The biggest enemy of the Western elites is not necessarily the Western people (although there are some of us that would sorely love to see them swing from a lamp post for what they’ve done) – but rather, different elites. After all, we know how greedy these people can be – if I represented 2% of the people, owning more than 50% of this planet, I’d be pretty contented. But they’re not – they want it all – and this will be their undoing.
“NATO and the EU are sending a “message” to Russia. Again.”
That is a popular illusion, as Mr. Rove might hope/suggest to which others react, thereby obfuscating that – NATO and the EU are sending a “message” to their “own population” (possessive case not restricted to constructs of “political geography”) and anyone else who “hopefully” might listen “in passing” without reacting.
Broadcasting is a component of transmission not to be conflated with communication.
“Broadcasting is a component of transmission not to be conflated with communication.”
Love it!!
Stop the Empire’s war on Russia ?
Why?
We the people hold these truths to be self-evidentness ?
History may well decide someday that the smartest, certainly the most prescient, thing Stalin ever did was award the area around Königsberg to the RSFSR.
“the area around Königsberg to the RSFSR”
In 1992/93 in the times of the piano player Mr. Landsbergis there were offers to buy it fronted by Lithuania; financing being from other elsewheres (plural), placed in memory holes when Mr. Brazauskas won the election in May 1993.
Great article.
“These small countries are what I call “prostitute states” – they don’t want sovereignty, freedom or dignity. All they want is for Uncle Shmuel to protect them when they bark and for the EU to give them tons of money as a reward for their prostitution to the collective West. ”
This should be accompanying the names of all these statelets.
“From the Russian point of view, the best way to avoid war is to really, really prepare for it. One could argue that 1000 years of Russian history were a never ending lesson in preparation for war, especially since most wars fought by Russia were existential.”
Excellent point, Saker. From the American point of view… Well, we’ve never been in a war that was existential. We’ve always been the “chosen ones” who were tasked by God to displace, rape, and pillage indigenous people, not just in North America, but all over the world. That’s why we get along so well with Israel, because Manifest Destiny = Zionism. If we do end up in a war with Russia it will most certainly be existential, as nuclear war would be the end of humanity on the planet Earth, so we won’t have the chance, like Russia, to learn from history.
On the other hand, Tommy, “Israel” is just a “former” British oligarch colony like the US is. How well did the US get along with the “imperial homeland”? Weren’t the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, American Civil War (a balkanization attempt like what Syria is going through right now), etc. “existential”?
Admittedly, the US has since been recolonized and Russia has been decolonized (hence why Russia will not be receiving billions of dollars worth of American military aid in this new world war, unlike the last one) so the situations are different, but it is important to note that US history does not start with the Federal Reserve Act just like Russia history does not start with the “Great Patriotic War.”
Point taken. But, the USA is still a European settler nation just like Israel is. It all has to do with “chosenness”, the idea that somehow God has given them the right to displace indigenous people from their land and grab their resources. Manifest Destiny = Zionism, pure and simple. And, it gives both nations the right to exercise the Sampson Option, bring the whole house down with them when they face a real “existential” threat. That insane notion is nowhere to be found in Russian history so far as I know.
That makes sense, Tommy. But unlike “Israel,” the US did have strong enough rejection of the “European” banker gangster system, leading to the revolution in the first place. Even after the US got pressed back into the banksters around the Federal Reserve Act, Americans are still rejecting those systems, hence why it has been over a decade of these “messages” towards Ex-Soviet Russia, yet Americans are not convinced enough to restore its industry to “win” a major war.
As for Russia, wouldn’t the tsars and millions of other Christians killed by the Soviets count as the “displace[d] indigenous people?”
Your comments are always reasonable and appreciated. Religious wars, however, are different than wars to exterminate people of color and grab their land and resources, not that either is ever a “just” war. Again, Manifest Destiny = Zionism = racism, pure and simple.
Thank you, sir. Same to you.
However, Tommy, are “religious” and “grab their land and resources” wars really that different? Aren’t money, greed, lust for power, etc. foundations for their own “religions”? “Religions” which will be at odds with those of many Native Americans, Christians, etc…?
To quote a stand-up comic of the last century (Mel Blanc ? George Burns ?): “If you want to send a message, use Western Union.” Seriously, however:
My take is the deep, deep, deep state, where I spent 42 years as an employee or contractor, hopes that 45 years of unrelenting pressure on Russia will cause it to disintegrate in some way, as the 45 years of unrelenting pressure from 1946 to 1991 did the Soviet Union. Zbigniew Brzenski (however spelled), plus Margaret Thatcher, Madeline Albright, and Hillary (that monstrous regiment of women) all predicted or called for the disintegration of Russia in some manner or another.
Also, they seem to envisage some sort overwhelming non-nuclear pressure on Kaliningrad that might make Russia agree to neutralize it in some way without war: Their exercises around it are named Operation Anaconda; a recent naval confrontation outside it involved a NATO minelayer; for example. I could envisage over a period of time a complete closure of land access, followed by a shut-down of all air communications with NATO and allied states (Sweden) — not acts of war per se, followed by a closure of the Danish Straits for some contrived reason, ultimately followed by the declaration a complete naval blockade within a few weeks, unless Russia agreed to de-militarize Kaliningrad: Betting that Russia wouldn’t risk nuclear war for that alone.
more fundamentally it’s based on blind obedience/bribes and fearmongering they allow themselves to be subjected to by zio-mafia
this slavish behavior kicks in an amplifying loop of criminality and fearful obedience to perceived masters who use gaslighting as their modus operandi to manipulate the easiest sheeple to bribe in the world
the more cowardly they get (and the less self-respect they have) – the easier to manipulate they become in a downward spiral of abuse
The Empire isn’t afraid of War because it hasn’t had a Real War fought on its own territory since the Civil War. It’s always “We have to fight them over there so we don’t have to fight them over here” (as if that was ever really true). The MSM always is able to talk them into getting the Bogeyman before he Nukes us or gasses us and all the best and brightest go. It’s all voluntary now because the Conscripts eventually figure out it’s all lies and they realize they mainly have to kill Women, Children and old men along with the other Military because all of them are fighting to save their Country so they come to the inevitable conclusion that they have to go on Strike just like the workers at any Company to get better bennies. That happened 105 years and 363 days ago on “The Christmas Truce” at the Front in WWI when French and British grunts exchanged gifts and played a game of Football. The Pukes went berserk when they found out about it and Court Martialed the leaders. It finally happened on a large enough scale in the War on Vietnam 🇻🇳 so Milton Freedman came up with the plan for an “All Volunteer Military because they would be gullible enough to believe that they couldn’t go on Strike because they “Volunteered”. Consequently, a few still go on Strike but it’s not enough to stop the War and plenty of America’s Best and Brightest will get limbs blown off and/or killed, and some of them will run for Congress like Tammy Duckworth to make sure it can’t stop because if it does stop, our precious Soldiers will come home in Body Bags. We have to keep them there so they will stay Alive and not come home in a Body Bag.
This Concept of a General Strike by the conscripts that began in the Summer of 1967 when Vietnam Veterans Against the War was founded grew over the next 4-5 years until the Pentagon realized the War had to stop because NONCOM’s and Officers were getting Fragged with Grenades rolled into their tents and shot in the back in Fire Fights, nearly half the Troops were smoking Thai Sticks and some smaller percentage was addicted to Snorting nearly Pure Heroin and around 40,000 had gone AWOL or No-Showed for Induction and split to Canada. Tulsi Gabbard’s failure was due to her inability to get off her “Service” obsession and realize a General Strike by the Troops is the only way to end a War. Jimmy Dore had her on the day she dropped out of the race and interrogated her about why she was unable to end the War and why she dropped out. He was dumbfounded by her inability to explain herself. To his credit he told her he was very disappointed in her and why he was disappointed in her.
The only way to stop a War is for the Grunts, Airman and Sailors to go on Strike and otherwise Sabotage the War Machine.
NATO and the EU indeed send a message to Russia. But communication requires receiving as well as sending. NATO and the EU are as poorly prepared to receive constructive communication from Russia as they are to engage the bear in an all-out war.
Russia knows that the Empire will not hesitate to strike the moment the Empire convinces itself that the war will be winnable. And why not? To destroy Russia while wiping out great numbers of useless eaters is a satanic wet dream.
The Saker is right that Russia has no intention of fighting the next war over there. Russia is prepared to deliver the next global war to the Empire and faster than Amazon Prime.
“The Saker is right that Russia has no intention of fighting the next war over there.”
Probably of restricted vision is a more apt description, since like in ballroom dancing it takes two to tangle if one “partner” is not adept at tangoing:
If “war” necessarily comprises of things that go bang:
If NATO, the EU and others have intentions of “fighting war “over there” (where threre is undefined).
“Russia knows that the Empire will not hesitate to strike the moment the Empire convinces itself that the war will be winnable.”
Perhaps you think that Russia is synonymous with “the Saker” ?
” And why not?”
Perhaps an aversion to, and/or, a fear of doubt, attempting to bridge doubt by belief to attain “certainty” given “war” is complex?
Maybe the West is confident because it has mastered biotechnology as a weapon. Note the effectiveness of COVID in shutting down the global economy. This has never happened before. The spook agencies are ten years ahead of everyone else on the planet with respect to bio-warfare which has become their preferred method of warfare. Being 10 years ahead of everyone else also helps them with plausible deniability. People just don’t believe that that technology exists, so they are led to believe the false narratives, like 2 jets causing 3 huge building to collapse in a controlled demolition type manner.
As COVID demonstrates, it is hard to trace the source of disease, and they can manipulate the DNA to create many different kinds of maladies and design them to target very specific kinds of people. COVID has been used to defeat an outsider like Trump and install Communism in the U.S. They are destabilizing the U.S. just like they destabilized Europe by destroying the ME and causing the great migration to Europe from there. Top officials who are members of the deep state, do everything they can to stir up trouble between the foreigners and the original populations, like not enforcing laws against rape against the foreigners, but using Gestapo tactics against the original residents if they leave house arrest or don’t wear a mask outside or try to practice free speech.
They are designing GMO food so that the seeds stop replicating after a certain number of generations. That is why Russia has banned GMOs. When the crops stop replicating, the West will not resupply countries that do not succumb to their will. They are infecting the Ukraine with this GMO which they hope will spread to Russia.
” like 2 jets causing 3 huge building to collapse in a controlled demolition type manner.”
7 (seven) buildings were pulverized on that day.
Nick Kollerstrom, “Who did 9/11?” Pages 2-3. (Introduction)
—————————————
Please take off-topic discussion to the Moveable Feast Cafe.
The Moderator.
US Senate passes National Defense Authorization Act that includes sanctions on Russia & Turkey.
Sanctions to come on Turkey for the S400 and sanctions to come on nord stream 2.
Again trump is working for peace and stability LOL
Pressure on Russia and China will only increase. We have entered in completely unpredictable times. I am not hopeful for our collective future.
There is little doubt that short of all-out nuclear war, Russia, China and Iran, all together, can defeat everything that NATO and their supposed allies can throw at them. My concern is that increased military spending not be a replay of the Cold War, where the Soviet Union was defeated by the Politburo spending too much on defense, leaving too little left over for expanding the economy. I believe Russia’s leaders are being careful to not over-spend, but I still worry abut the seductiveness of too much military and having all the most recent upgrades. Maybe Russia and China should re-start DOSAAF as a less costly way to increase preparedness.
Why would they want a world without Russia?
So that they can rule the world?
Contrary to the propaganda peddled by media prostitutes of all political stripes for decades, the North American Terrorist Organization (or NATO) is *not* even really a military alliance per se, as this term is popularly understood.
Rather, NATO is a instrument for Anglo-American colonial control of Europe, though it is propagandized as an instrument for (don’t laugh) “defending Europe.”
As Thierry Meyssan explains,
“NATO has never been an “alliance” in the sense of a free association of partners aimed at strengthening their defense. On the contrary, from its foundation, all have been forced to accept and obey an eternal military command from the United States. In practice, NATO is a foreign legion at the service of the Anglo—Saxons: the Pentagon first, Whitehall second. This blatant violation of the principle of sovereignty set out in the UN Charter has forced NATO to practice biased rhetoric.
Its noble and beautiful rhetoric should not mask its rogue management {or true mission].
— During the Cold War, the Anglo—Saxons used a secret service of the Alliance to ensure that member states always accepted their command. They formed a stay—behind network, allegedly to resist a Soviet invasion. However, they used this network only to eliminate any desire for independence. They organized assassinations of leaders and provoked coups d’état among their partners. These facts are taught today in Anglo—Saxon military academies and have been studied in detail by many historians. [3]
— This system has continued since the end of the Cold War in another form. Each member state has been asked to authorize the Anglo—Saxons in writing to spy on them with the help of their own officials, as Edward Snowden revealed, and as we saw again last month in Denmark. . [4]
— Finally, the Anglo—Saxon military command does not hesitate to violate the statutes of the Alliance when it suits it. Thus, it was this command, and not the Atlantic Council which was opposed to it, who decided to bomb Libya and overthrow Muamar al—Gaddafi.”
NATO Puzzle
https://www.greanvillepost.com/2020/12/09/nato-puzzle/
In short, NATO is a massive Mafia-style protection racket–run by the mafia nation called the United States of America.
NATO is a russophobic biznyes racket. The Germans get to co-opt Europe and move to Russia’s borders while the Anglos protect them and ensure their own global supremacy.
Unfortunately, with the recent strengthening of our Mother Russia, some “Anglos” have woken up to the clever scheme by the Germans. Pay to play, said Trump. For this reason only Trump is toast. He will be replaced by a slimy Irish Jesuit who will double down on the “historical mission” of the Crusading Euro Reich. Nothing to do with Anglos, and everything to do with the (Un)Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation.
This time we’ll be ready to pound them into oblivion until the very idea of a German Europe is buried forever.
I don’t see how what you said makes Perfidious Albion any less perfidious. NATO was designed to ‘keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down’, recycled from Britain’s traditional policy to keep the continent divided and weak and prevent comity between continental powers.
Digby,
Please – how did Germany behave when allowed to assert its geopolitical goals? Thank God that the Anglos have kept them muzzled – although I would have preferred the Russians to have preserved the GDR.
Germany was given two chances to join Russia – both times it lashed out like a rabid beast killing, maiming, raping, burning and destroying everything Slav in its path. If I were to be asked, I would have dismantled Germany and its Euro-Reich into tiny little Gaus no larger than 5000 souls. They would never be allowed to raise their ugly head again.
Okay, whatever. My focus wasn’t on Germany, it was the Anglosphere. My point is, even if you set Germany out of the equation, the Five Eyes remain a force to be reckoned with (e.g. Operation Unthinkable).
More than ever before, the ideological Western sewage which is Russophobia and Sinophobia can be explained in full as per below:
Hatred of Russia and China (accompanied by fear) has become a reflex or instinct among Elites in serious decline since Russia and China out them as the mental and moral midgets that they are. It really is that simple. This sewage is passed on by the Ziomedia to the 99% of the EU and North America — its degree of success most pronounced where the citizenry feels it has a stake in continued imperialism. On this basis, the Anglo-American countries are a safe bet indeed. By contrast, its success in EU countries such as Poland and the Baltics (Ukraine too) is a matter of false consciousness amounting to a request to be raped and utterly destroyed.
”In fact, it makes me wonder if the Europeans or, more accurately, the European leaders have gone completely insane. Either that, or maybe they have some kind of death wish?”
I would, seriously, suggest the latter explanation — at least in Europe’s case. Neoliberalism is as close to a death wish that you can get: deliberate destruction of your productive-industrial and fiscal base replaced by stratospheric levels of totally unproductive indebtedness (public and/or private) and so-called financial ”industry”. Amusingly, neoliberalism itself quite accurately explains Europe’s degeneracy: Greed is good and the ultimate motivator of all human behaviour. So why shouldn’t the Euro-trash behave the way it does? Mind you, it applies beautifully to Europe’s past as well with all its centuries of colonial genocides, enslavement, and environmental destruction.
“the latter explanation ”
In lateral interaction unicausality, and consequently “one explanation”, is never an option to wise practitioners,
but a belief of likely will be spectators.
Many non-practitioners, and those who believe that they are practitioners based on holograms of their own projection, often resort to beliefs of sole agency and hence unicausality.
However some practitioners would suggest that on the bases of their “own self-interests”, some who are designated “elites” by themselves and others, in context of present perceived challenge, in emulation of their practices from 1943 until 1949 are pledging fealty and rent to social relations presently self-designated as “The United States of America”, which should not be conflated with, or restricted to, the geographic space lying south of Canada and north of Mexico plus Alaska and Hawaii, whilst understanding that change is a constant within which are included the variables of trajectory and velocity.
Come to think of it, I assumed the “death wish” part had something to do with the damage done to European businesses, and potentially the economy of the EU as a whole, as a result of US and EU sanctions towards Russia.
Yes, applied Russophobia does stand out at least as self-immolation; that’s quite obvious wherever you look: the EU, Ukraine, Armenia, etc. But what’s actually killing the entire execrable parasitic system isn’t Russophobia but neoliberalism for all the reasons I stated. On this basis, the Euro-trash comes across as high on a death wish, happily enjoying flagellation with Russophobia as a perverted frill, LOL.
as always a brilliant article, totally true and an important position statement on world affairs. Thank you Saker.
”What is NATO today? First, a coalition of small countries trying to find the courage to bark at the Russian bear the way dozens of chihuahuas would bark at a big brown bear. These small countries are what I call ’prostitute states’ – they don’t want sovereignty, freedom or dignity. All they want is for Uncle Shmuel to protect them when they bark and for the EU to give them tons of money as a reward for their prostitution to the collective West.”
And historically the employer of what used to be Nazi Germany’s Officer Corps. Truly genocidal Russophobes in fight for Western Democracy alongside their counterparts in the US, Britain, and France and their butchering of peoples in Africa and Asia. It took the downfall of the USSR to unleash the passions of war and genocide against peoples and countries in Europe.
NATO should be interpreted as Nazi American Terror Organization. Simple as that.
”To be fair, all the military operations along the Russian border bother the Russians only because they show that the ’collective West’ still hates and fears Russia. But in purely military terms, they are a joke.”
Absolutely correct. And as long as Belarus doesn’t fold in the West and China remains unshakeable by the imbecilic Wong showbusiness in the East, Russia can relax, possibly remembering the spirit of Imperial Germany’s Die Wacht am Rhein:
Machine translation:
Dear motherland, may be quiet
Dear motherland, may be quiet
Firmly and faithfully the guard,
Get out NATO pig!
Firmly and faithfully the guard
Get out NATO pig!
Good article, Mr. Saker. Very easy to follow, giving a down to earth view on the confusing developments nowadays. Once you look at things with realism, no matter how complicated they may seem, they really turn out simple. Truth is simple.
My conclusion based on your analysis, as far as Russian people are concerned, is that the best thing they can do is move on, build reasonable life for themselves, build homes, have children, have joy and meaning, grow and develop whatever they find good and useful, and not worry much, get stressed, get distracted, and lose precious energy and time on all those confused and toxic westerners or their local Russian minions. The Russian nation is protected and they have the conditions to develop their potential and talents in a good direction and build friendships with those that are willing to reciprocate and treat them with basic down to earth human respect. It’s good to seek relationships with those that are humble, simple, and normal, and not be much in communion with entitled, hateful, narcissistic, confused people with a superiority complex and a complex of power and control.
“From the Russian point of view, the best way to avoid war is to really, really prepare for it.”
That is essentially what the French thought after WWI, so they built the Maginot Line, etc., but, admittedly, that measure was not comparable to what the Russians have been doing for the last 20 years. I think I get the point, though — REALLY Mutual Assured Destruction, not just fake.
But IMO Russia needs to do more than build weapon systems and train their forces to a high level of proficiency in order to more certainly deter Western Aggression. I say this because the US Overlord of the Empire has a war-based economy that functions to a great degree on auto-pilot — nowadays, an auto-pilot that will, intentionally or, more importantly, “unintentionally”, lead to WWIII unless something really unexpected switches it off.
If Russia wants to send a strong, unmistakable message to Washington and Berlin (short of Mr. Putin and Mr. Lavrov pounding their shoes on the UNGA’s speaker’s podium), I suggest that Russia, without any prior communication with those western centers of insanity, conduct a full-scale evacuation of the populations of, say, Moscow and St. Petersburg, to thousands of pre-arranged, rural locations within Russia that have had bomb shelters built that can protect and support those millions for a couple of weeks. Of course this would require serious, expensive preparations and educations prior to the evacuations, but I think it would be, as Madelaine Albright said, “worth it”. The Russian authorities in those cities could tell their citizens that this exercise will be a kind of “Escape To The Country” for a couple of enjoyable weeks of “all you can eat” dining, drinking and dancing (maybe not in that order) — a real festive occasion for everyone involved. (Might be a good population-booster, too.)
No doubt these highly suspicious, mass-scale actions will be noticed by those nations obsessed with evil Russia. After all, this type of action might be a logical precursor to an obviously-well-justified preemptive first-strike by the Russian military forces on those nations who have been sanctioning and demonizing Russia for the last number of years. If the minds behind those prying Western eyes ask Russian authorities for an explanation, I’d suggest that the latter either completely ignore those requests, or simply say “mind your own business”.
If this is too expensive or difficult a strategy to deter Western Aggression, then Mr. Putin and Mr. Lavrov should go to the UNGA (if they’re still allowed to by the Evil Empire) and pound their shoes on the podium, etc. Of course the US MSM would have to broadcast these speeches for them to have some effect on the citizenry, which is far from certain nowadays, which is why I suggest the “evacuate major cities” strategy instead.
While I’m typing, IMO, in the near future the Evil Empire is going to be conducting some serious probing actions to see how rising Russia reacts. For example, IMO there’s good chance that the US is going to order Mr. Zelensky to advance his forces eastward across the present lines of demarcation to “establish Ukrainian sovereignty” right up to the Russian border. How will Russia react to this easward movement of “Ukrainian” military forces?
What will Russia do if the Turks decide to hand over their S-400 systems to the US of A?
What if a Skripal/Navalny false-flag event happens in the Borg Fatherland USA and it along with its Assimilated Empire once again blames Russia or China or, last but not least, Iran, and more and more sanctions or possibly outright naval blockades are placed on the “perpetrators”? How will Russia, etc. respond?
So, Ishka, if you were Russian, someone who might be familiar with the Soviet purges, the Gulag system, “trips” to Siberia, maybe the “Western” claim that Putin is trying to recreate the Soviet Union, etc., when the government basically says you’re being taken to a farm upstate, what’s the likelihood you would go? You were correct that educating people about the evacuation would be necessary, but how could that information simultaneously be hidden from the world elites?
Instead, why not educate everyone about what’s actually going on? That’s why the elites’ warmongering like the “Putin attacked Georgia” story, “Putin invaded Ukraine” story, “Putin made Trump president” story,” etc. have been failing and these provocation attempts the Saker wrote about are still going. Not enough people are falling for this, and Russian leaders and media outlets are major parts of that information war.
“………….but how could that information simultaneously be hidden from the world elites?”
Poppadop, every last detail of the evacuations should be spelled out to the “evacuees” – that it is an evacuation drill to see how quickly the populations of these large cities can be evacuated to, and safely housed in, rural locations for two weeks in the event of a “national emergency”.
But, again, absolutely nothing should be said about this internal matter to non-Russians – officially, unofficially or through back channels. Let the famous and not so famous members of the Russian fifth column feel free to tell their western allies what they think Putin’s no-doubt horrific REAL intention is. Let the US State Department’s geniuses struggle to figure it out. Via their satellites they will see millions of Russian big-city dwellers traveling to the countryside for some reason. “What’s the REAL reason for this expensive, very difficult effort?”, they will ask. Naturally, these people will come to conclude the very worst Russian government motivations, because that’s what they always do. And what would those worst-of-the-worst motivations be? Exactly what I previously described – life-saving preparations for a well-justified preemptive first strike by Russia on their western oppressors. IMO, they’ll shit their pants in fear of what Russia might do.
Nobody should be forced to participate. Those who don’t swallow the “official party line” and also question themselves the real reasons for the evacuation, can sit at home (and, presumably, wonder if they’ll be victims of a western retaliatory strike after Putin preemptively pushes the button) while those that trust their government enjoy their “Escape To The Country” for a couple of weeks of fun. Those that return from their vacation with their heads still attached will no doubt tell their non-believing, stay-at-home friends what a great time they had. Next year’s event will almost certainly attract more participants.
I’d suggest keeping this a summer-only event, at least for the first few years.
But maybe this admittedly difficult evacuation really IS “A Bridge Too Far” for modern-day Russians – that this potentially life-saving operation simply can not be done in this day and age, even in a REAL emergency. Well, so be it. I hope that the present measures the Saker describes will deter Wild-Western Aggression.
If “the West” has any hope of conquering Russia and China and Iran and North Korea and Venezuela, they’ve got to attack them before they get any stronger economically and militarily. IMO, we’ll soon find out if President Potato-Head’s controllers order those probing actions I previously mentioned, as well as how Russia responds.
I very much agree with you about the information war and Russia’s seeming success at it so far, but I think this success will only further enrage the western elite and drive them to increasingly insane, provocative acts.
By the recent election results, the Evil Empire has once again proven itself to be politically incapable of stopping its economically-necessary war machine. We both know what that means.
Best of luck.
Sorry, Ishka, but won’t “Russian fifth column” members or those connected to them also be among the “evacuees” who must be told everything? The Saker has written about the transparency of Russian leadership and media before: “Unlike their US American counterparts, the Russians are not engaging in policies which they cannot justify before their own public opinion or before the public opinion of the rest of the planet.”
/re-visiting-russian-counter-propaganda-methods/
Russia might be able to pull off such a plan if it had… I don’t know… North Korea-level transparency, but wouldn’t that create more problems than it solves long-term?
You are 100% correct that the banker gangsters running “the West” need an escalating attack soon, not later. However, hasn’t Russia, China, etc. been successful in not giving them one they can sell to people as a PNAC “new Pearl Harbor?” And if they false flag something like with 9/11, isn’t the information war such that it will probably backfire like the Syria chemical false flags?
But yes, good talk, mate. Please stay safe out there!
Popadop, as I wrote in my last comment, EVERYTHING will be spelled out to ALL evacuees, INCLUDING the famous and not so famous filth column (whoops!, that should be “fifth”, not filth). Even by TV broadcast within Russia. All of this is simply going to be a drill, an exercise, IN CASE of an emergency. Because this is EXACTLY what will be going on, this will be PERFECT transparency to Russians and SHOULD BE to the rest of the world.
But, again, NOTHING will be said to anyone in “the west” by ANYONE in the Russian government officially, not-officially, off-the-record, through back channels, etc. NO communication with “the west” about it.
To reiterate, YES, EVERYONE, THE ENTIRE WORLD is going to “know” what is PURPORTEDLY/SUPPOSEDLY happening. But the only people who “REALLY” know what the “REAL” motivation for all of this are the TOTALLY Evil Vladimir Putin and his gang of EVIL PEOPLE immediately surrounding him. These evil people ALWAYS have an evil ULTERIOR motive to everything they do, right? The usual suspects say this every single day of the week. Putin had the Skripals poisoned. Putin had Navalny poisoned. Putin meddled in the 2016 election. Putin hacked the DNC servers. Putin is sowing division in the US. Putin told BLM protesters to riot instead of protest. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Again, let the Fifth Column and their State Department allies, and the Russian domestic skeptics figure out Putin’s TRUE motivation for this huge exercise. It’s going to twist all of them into pretzels!
Poppadop, I can already tell from your comments that this thing is actully going to work! “The west” is going to shit themselves when there is no denial or confirmation from Mr. Putin, Mr. Peskov or Ms. Zakharova, etc. The latter’s only “repsonse” will be either silence or “mind your own business”, which is going to drive “the west” and their propaganda press crazy. I would not be a bit surprised if this lack of offical response caused those domestic and western lunatics to declare that this, let’s admit it, LONG-OVERDUE exercise is a “threat to the post-WWII international order”!
There is absolutely nothing that is going to deter pre-programmed Western Aggression against Russia, China, North Korea, etc., not even fantastic RT, Sputnik, Press TV or the other increasing number of great western alternative news sources. The US economy must LITERALLY have perpetual enemies and ever-expanding war expenditures to survive. Even with all of the US’s actions during the post-Soviet collapse right in front of their faces, I still don’t think that the Russian government or the Russian people fully appreciate just exactly WHAT the US really is. I do because I spent, essentially, the first 37 years of my life living there and have been watching it closely for the last 33. Sometimes short movie clips explain things best:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu0rP2VWLWw
The US and its allies no longer need to get the support of their citizenry. As the US’s “system” continues to crumble and the USD hegemony starts to weaken, while the Chinese, Russian, Iranian economies improve, I think that there is an increasing likelihood that the US will conduct a well-planned false flag and within literally minutes conduct a purported “retaliatory” strike against Russia, etc. with the hope of wiping out a major retaliatory strike. Here’s the argument that I believe is going on in the State Department TODAY:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXZF6DwKvCI
IMO, something MORE than creating a more-effective Maginot Line etc. will have to be done to deter US-led Western Aggression against those nations that it has not already absorbed. IMO, the TOTALLY UNEXPECTED emergency exercise should be an option for a variety of reasons that I hope I have now spelled out …
( ……….. except one. Do you think that “the West” would accept Mr. Putin’s rationale even if he WERE to announce it to the world and answer every single question that “the west” asked him, officially? I doubt it. I think they would resort to every means possible to get him to cancel the exercise, precisely because it would be taken, as usual, as “a provocation”.)
Have a good one, Poppadop.
I suspect that the COV-19 pandemic may be a cover for a bio attack on Russia & Eastern Europe by the western EU States so as to takeover its territory (after failing to do it by normal means in 1812 & 1941).
The same forces that funded both 1812 & 1941 (EU moneychangers) were not held to account last time at Nuremberg (when they should have been), hence the push east Mk3 is on the cards for this century.
Merkel and Macron cannot be trusted, as is demonstrated by their action against their own people over this pandemic scam.
Russia and EE must be alert for every possibility that could play out.
Navalny 2.0 campaign just launched:
Navalny’s lethal underpants – Murdoch Sunday Times now claims Novichok fired twice in one day and still failed. New story aimed by BND, MI6 at stopping Foreign Ministry normalisation talks. Warning – laughing may cause stroke.
https://archive.is/kRIex
An excellent article.
“…it makes me wonder if the Europeans or, more accurately, the European leaders have gone completely insane.”
I think not. They have simply their pants full. The CIA brings them to power and the same entity can remove them in many ways, beginning with the media they control to the regrettable accidents that can happen to them if a need arises.
“Bravo NATO! Now you are going to have to deal with a much more dangerous force than before, well done!”
I don’t think they care, Saker.They need the millitary tension with someone. Russia is much more convincing in that role than the Moslems. The reason? The trillion US$ that gets printed yearly to finance the millitary. This sum gets multiplied by the banks, and it is then the source of the fortune of the financial and speculative, intelligence and millitary elites there. The underwater part of these elites could be called the deep state, and what meets the eye, above water, you can call them any names you like. I ll do the same with both.
To quote Leonid Brezhnev in a meeting with Henry Kissinger in the 1970s: “The era of conventional weapons is over”. The USSR had the most powerful military in the world but that didn’t save it. The real danger to Russia is – and always has been – internal subversion, and this is an area where Uncle Schmuel leads the world. No amount of tanks or fighter planes will make a difference when they organise a color revolution in your country and your leaders don’t have the will to stand up to the “protesters”.
Look what happened in the USSR and later in Georgia and Ukraine. It won’t happen while Putin’s in charge but what happens when he goes? They succeeded in destroying Russia twice from the inside during the twentieth century, what makes you think they can’t do it again? Arguing about who has better military equipment is pointless – there’s never going to be a war between the US and Russia.
“…there’s never going to be a war between the US and Russia.”
Well, apart from ‘never’ being a very long period, I am afraid I share your concerns.
Everyone is happy in NATO because the closer they are to Russia’s borders, the higher the salary supplement. It’s not today as it was during Nazi Germany. Moving military hardware may mean something and maybe not much. A sign of an imminent attack is a change of kitchen and the free giving of many more boxes of cigarettes to military personnel.
“Everyone is happy in NATO because the closer they are to Russia’s borders, the higher the salary supplement.”
An illustration of win/win by default.
Russia was really unmasking the western doctrines “war on terror” at the 2007 “Munich Security Conference” the speech by Pres. Vladimir Putin and marked the seperation from the new “Rockefeller” centers and their career politiicians running the western countries from their institutionalised leaders (similar to fuhrer in classical national socialism) as opposed to former more or less democracies as the west was led by these Rothschild syndicates and Comittee of 300 concocted by the british empire or rather the new empire. Russia had enough of it licking her wounds from the Yeltsin era as well, the era of western corporate oligarchy using people in high places and the government. But it was the direct attack on Russia’s muslim populated republics that forced the issue, the war on terror was a false and corrupt one planned and carried out by the Western powers itself, and the proxy forces were directed at fighting Russia, and we saw recently in Armenia a modern stylished version of this as well prepared well by corruption of Armenia by the empire.
Russia clearly recognized at the above speech that she was the subject of a western deconstruction, which obviously has been under constant revision such as Ukraine being the most fundamental as a total takeover by a coup d’etat.
Russia thus parted ways formally with a strong emphasis on conventional warfare and military forces and their capabilities.
The Western powers are still engaging in their plans for a new century of the empire total power based on national socialism (totalitarian aligned systems of government) and uncoventional warfare.
So obviously taking orders from an empire now departing from Europe the plans for the future is destruction of Europe once more harmonising the empire’s plan of depopulation and mass genocide at all levels using the emergence of corporate national socialism the socalled world government.
There is no need for Russia to join this setup and thankfully they did not. Russia may laugh at NATO military power and would be right, some of the new equipment almost seems like a failure such as in airpower, the F-35 they sell to all the suckers in Europe.
But right now Russia is also not providing any alternative, a strong dissident voice internationally about this political direction towards catastrophy.
What “message” is the US trying to send Russia by its actions in Vladivostok and Yekaterinburg?:
https://tass.com/world/1237369
IMO, the US’s action could be a precursor to its doing something, at the very least, provocative.
The Protests & Navalny are the Biggest & most dangerous NATO top Secret operations to be launched against Russia since Yeltsin sold his soul to fill his & his partners pockets . Navalny is the chosen one by NATO to be the new “Yeltsin” & to finally destroy the only Superpower Nation that maintains & openly supports Christian Family values. The Americans & their Omnipotent Immensely powerful media will stop at nothing to see this through . Hopefully President Putin & the Russian people will be able to manage this Historic battle successfully & come out on top. God help us all ….