By Noel Monteiro for the Saker Blog
Many comments have been written about Russia’s proposals to Nato, for a new defense framework in the west of Russia, and the Saker website has done a very good job of portraying it all from the Russian viewpoint, including the whole series of comments on/about Russia’s unambiguous and bluntly hard-worded proposals. There is no doubt, that the meaning of the words used, can be read as an ultimatum to Nato, the military-economic arm of the Anglo-Zionist empire. But to my mind, there seems to be more going on.
NEAR ABROAD OF RUSSIA, CHINA, AND IRAN: Russia is part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, like China and Iran, which espouse the principle of multi-polarity, and so we must take a step back and try to discern what else is going on in the Near Abroad of these three states of the main island of Asia, and between the collective rimland West, as per Mackinder. The situation may appear complex, but then a very simple scenario emerges. First what happened on Dec 15, 2021.
RUSSIA: These are only some of the events being recounted, of which we, armchair analyst types, will never know everything, although the Russias know everything happening around their borders, as they should.
— Putin and Xi had a meeting at 11.20AM Moscow time, on Wednesday Dec 15 and some sort of a decision was finalised.
— Ultimatum Papers were handed to US Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried on the same Wednesday morning in another part of Moscow, but announced on Friday.
— Tehran Times newspaper published their Israel targetting map on Dec 15.
The situation on Russias western border has been destabilising for the last few months, with reports of chemical weapons being prepared by Ukraine to be used in Donbass; US weapons removed from Afghanistan and appearing in the Ukraine theatre; a build up of all types of military weapons, including nuclear, to bases in Italy, Romania, Poland, and Ukraine; provocations along Russia’s borders, with western aircraft flying straight at Russia’s border to provoke AD radars, so more could be learnt about air defences, really the electronic version of probing attacks; and in the Black Sea, an American battle management ship operational while a British destroyer, sailing off Crimea, played possum.
The HMS Defender was offered sacrifically to Russia for capture (or sinking), but Russia declined the gambit. In any event, it would have been small potatoes, or small change for Russia, which wanted to know what Nato was really brewing in Eurasia’s west.
From the Geographical context, the Ukraine-Black Sea region exists in close proximity to Russia, similar to Syria’s position in 2014, to southern Russia and Iran, as well as the Rzhev area in winter of 1941-42 to the Moscow region. In all three cases, these proximate regions are temporary collection and staging areas, for stockpile of troops and weapons to launch future proximate attacks. From the Russian standpoint, in Rzhev east of Moscow, to enable the German Wehrmacht to be able to launch future attacks on Moscow. In Syria 2014, the 80-nation western coalition to be able to stage attacks on Russia or Iran. And in the present day from western Ukraine, for the Nato coalition to also stage threats of attack on Russia. This is exactly how Russians view their developing situation, and their response to Nato has been naturally, no less blunt and harsh.
IRAN: On Dec 15, 2021, Iran’s Tehran Times English language newspaper put out a map graphic, showing tens or scores of target roundels in red color all over Israel. The main newspaper headline simply read “Just One Wrong Move!”. The graphic image message conveys much more than what words can say. The image appeared on Twitter.
The Tehran Times is an 8-page broadsheet, a small newspaper. It will not have a very large circulation in Iran because the national language is Farsi, not English. As print media in a country where English is not the first language, any simple Farsi language newspaper will have a circulation ten times more than any English language publication. This was the print newspaper situation in Pakistan too where I worked. Therefore my opinion is that the Tehran Times with its small English circulation has been used to pass a simple message to the collective west.
The words “Just One Wrong Move!” and the attendant map can be read as an ultimatum, or a declaration of war, to Israel, framed in simple graphic terms with four blunt words. Very unlike the long-winded, hard-worded message of the Russian proposals.
Units of messages or signals are dynamic things. Thus this headline communication traversing from Iran to the English language West, implicitly could be telling/informing, that we, Iran, are now policing Israel; or have moved on from dealing with Saudi Arabia and its war in Yemen, and our objective has shifted to minding the Israeli heartland itself; or it could mean that Saudi Arabia has thrown in the towel, to SCO, and the world must be informed accordingly; or that the conflict between proxies (USA) Saudi Arabia and (Iran) Yemen is now over, it has been won. Unless the West/Nato, using their own armies, would like to forcibly take over the Saudi oilfield network. The deeper question here is whether Dr. H. Kissinger’s financial mechanism to link the US dollar economy to Saudi oil production output, is still viable after the dollar was delinked from the Gold standard. Or does this Kissenger US dollar/Saudi oil output arrangement, hang on a knife-edge? This Iranian graphic may contain an economic dimension or warning.
In saying this I do not wish to cover Israel’s intentions and actions over Iran, already heavily covered in the western MSM.
CHINA: In the first week of October, a surprisingly emphatic news report in the Pakistan media announced, that a US submarine had been seriously damaged, not sunk, in the near abroad of the South China Sea, and had been sent packing. But nothing appeared in the MSM news for days, except for some propaganda shadow boxing about China wanting to invade Taiwan; China flying 150 aircraft and being warned by a Western armada to the east of Taiwan not to invade Taiwan.
“Oh!” I thought to myself. “There are several fleets gathered east of Taiwan. Why?”.
Then a Russian fleet left Vladivostok port and fired a missile from the Sea of Japan. Then some photos appeared of the damaged submarine on the Sub Brief YouTube channel. “Ahh-ha…. Military tensions rising east of Eurasia, reflects a mirror image of rising military tensions, recently west of Eurasia. But to what end? “
Then sudden news about a hypersonic missile gauntlet, thrown by China into the sea, in front of the accumulated western armada. The missile was reported to have landed “inaccurately” 40 miles from the nearest military ship. But here is the technical rub. It took less than 20 minutes from launch into space, to hypersonic glide splashdown from directly above the armada. Astoundingly fast. A new Chinese weapon was demonstrated for which no western defense existed. The armada could just watch and do nothing. But US navy FONOPs east of Eurasia are unstoppable.
In late November, riots against Chinese nationals, businesses, and interests erupted in the Solomon Islands, with, most peculiarly, video showing the rioters carrying Israeli flags. A Global Times editorial blamed Australia for fomenting the riots. Fijian and Australian military were sent to police the troubles. One month later Australian media reported China would send an ad-hoc police advisory group to help the island administration. The Solomon Islands finds itself now in the contested geopolitical influence area, between where the Eurasian grinding wheel, and the Western grinding wheel turn.
The most intense, interesting and numerous developments have been along the India-China-Pakistan border, where slowly and surely, in many small ways, India is being methodically tied down, as if into a small straitjacket. I can only write about a couple.
In mid-October, China and Bhutan agreed on a three-step roadmap, to settle their 400km common border issues. There had been 24 rounds of talks since 1984. Pakistan media reported that the deal permits China to station troops legally on its own territory, in a balcony position overlooking India’s Siliguri Corridor (The Chicken’s Neck area). In exchange, Bhutan gets a larger land area from China, attached to itself facing the relatively peaceful north, bordering China. India is now the only state left, not to have finalized a border agreement with China.
A Chinese BRI infrastructure and military buildup continue all along the northern border in Ladakh, Utarakhand, and Arunachal Pradesh, which keeps India subdued. India is peculiar. Too large that it cannot be ignored, nor can it be permitted to get away from Asia, to cause trouble further on, or make unreasonable demands, and, a careful watch must be kept over India as much as possible.
MACROECONOMIC BACKGROUND: This is a very short description of the current western economic situation and background, as described by Alastair Crooke. I would recommend you read his full article, to obtain a whiff of an idea of the rising fear and desperation, all over the western woke camp, against which real political events are unfolding. He says that the window of opportunity to accomplish “The Great Reset” economic program may be closing faster than anticipated or planned, and a visible panic contagion has begun to set, in Zone A.
I think the window of opportunity opened too late, as a result of the general mismanagement of all aspects of the Covid outbreak. But so too did the Inflation Ogre arrive unexpectedly early, and is marching in lockstep with the Reset. Did the lord money managers, churning out the money, not take inflation into consideration? Maybe not.
Populations all over the Western world have become restive. This special and particular smell of fear, the dry mouth, grows as it is beginning to become apparent that the various “transitions” planned under the garb of “The Great Reset”, may never come to fruition.
Outside in Zone B, the SCO states have now got wind of this fear contagion in the West. It is the kind of pit of the stomach fear, where, in the blink of an eye, the tables are turned, and the Nato predator now becomes the hunted. Maybe Russia realizes that this is the correct timing to clean up the Ukraine situation.
CONCLUSION: These messages and events seem to indicate a shift in the geopolitical dynamics, where previously the SCO states hunkered down in defensive consolidation posture in the previous 20 years. Now they are stirring towards a stronger pro-active defensive posture. Metaphorically we see China in Eurasia’s east, holding a strong forearm keeping at bay an untrustworthy India, Australia, and western navies. In the center of Eurasia, Iran, with its thousands of missiles, locks down and immobilizes the main western outpost of Israel. While to the west of Eurasia, we really can’t tell what Russia will do, or when. On the other hand, we may just see Russia delivering at the operational level, a delicately precise PIT maneuver, or a karate chop, to derail and despatch Nato felons and its Article 5. In Syria between September 2015 and June 2016, Russia in concert with other states similarly derailed an 80-state coalition, hell-bent on a path to Persia. Today, it is the Nato coalition that may unravel. I am deliberately understating the situation, as I know, it will not be all hunky-dory. The timing is just about right, and Russia feels it must make haste.
Here I have to pause and ask. Is this the Multi-Polarity Doctrine running in breathtaking dynamic operation, for all to witness?
Myself, I have a sneaking suspicion, (and I fear greatly) that this Russian ultimatum, will turn out, at the geopolitical financial level, to have delivered a crack shot PIT maneuver, with the correct timing, to completely unhinge the collective Western economy from its present state, even as the MSM orchestra, sings the Covid and Reset Symphony to us all in superb propaganda distraction.
References:
——PIT Manoeuvre Technique, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PIT_maneuver
——-Crooke, Alastair, Dec 1, 2021, Now or Never, The Great Transition Must Be Imposed.
Great analysis.
It’s about time for this PIT maneuver.
Thank you for this analysis. It will be interesting to see how the West’s increasing internal polarization’s will impact all of these scenarios. I for one have a fear of it being a wild card that may cause even more poor decisions to be made by the western elites. I do not know if they realized countries would become as internally polarized as they have.
Nice compilation! The only thing that seems missing from it is the significance of Iran’s unprecedented cruise missile / drone attack against the US / NATO Ayn al Assad air base in Iraq. This event followed after one orange man assassinated Soleimani and al Muhandis in a drone attack, days before. This is the only time, one SCO Member candidate attacked the USA / NATO forces without incurring any immediate consequences. SCO accepted Iranian full membership one and a half years later. Likewise, the assassination of Soleimani and al Muhandis was significant in that it caused the Shiite legislators of the Iraqi parliament to demand the end of USA / NATO Coalition forces from the country. This is the milestone when the policeman of the world, aka “the apprentice” received the pink slip that read: “You are fired!”
It also showed that Iran had entered the small club of militaries that can, in real conditions, precisely hit a target a long distance away
Yes, it seems that IRCG has mastered the hybrid drone / missile attacks that combines “the painting” of targets by small cross section radar signature drones with terrain hugging cruise missiles. Doing so doesn’t require a constellation of satellites that are also vulnerable to EWS jamming. Take a look at this:
https://youtu.be/lf6S0YKDtHU
……. that the meaning of the words used, can be read as an ultimatum to Nato,…..
Here is what a big stateman, president of power with 7500 nucleaar war heads says …… Sputnik, today
“I have already spoken about the ‘red lines’ that we believe must not be crossed. I want it to be clear to everyone, in our country, abroad and our partners – this is not even a border that we do not want anyone to cross. It’s about having nowhere to retreat. “They pushed us to such a line that, sorry for the inappropriate tone, we have nowhere else to go!” Putin told Russia 1 television”.
So until now there were no red lines, not to remain unclear :)). I remember hearing somewhere what Stalin once said ……. “when I w’ont be there anymore, they’ll strangle you like little kittens”. I don’t know is that a lie…..BUT……one can follow the situation chronologically.
Yep. A good outline of how The correlation of forces is changing — old Soviet hands will recognise соотношение сил
This is bogus reporting:
“reports of chemical weapons being prepared by Ukraine to be used in Donbass; US weapons removed from Afghanistan and appearing in the Ukraine theatre; a build up of all types of military weapons, including nuclear, to bases in Italy, Romania, Poland, and Ukraine;”
If nuclear weapons were in Ukraine, Ukraine would no longer exist.
Should have been written or edited so this inaccuracy, which I believe is just a poorly constructed sentence, does not exist as blatant bullshit.
When talking nukes here on the Vineyard, we must be very strict and not add sophomoric nonsense to the discussion.
Here are some facts:
How Many?
The United States and its NATO allies do not disclose exact figures for its European-deployed stockpiles. In 2021, it is estimated that there are 100 U.S.-owned nuclear weapons stored in five NATO member states across six bases: Kleine Brogel in Belgium, Büchel Air Base in Germany, Aviano and Ghedi Air Bases in Italy, Volkel Air Base in the Netherlands, and Incirlik in Turkey. The weapons are not armed or deployed on aircraft; they are instead kept in WS3 underground vaults in national airbases, and the Permissive Action Link (PAL) codes used to arm them remain in American hands. To be used, the bombs would be loaded onto dual-capable NATO-designated fighters. Each country is in the process of modernizing its nuclear- capable fighters to either the F-35A, the F-18 Super Hornet, or the Eurofighter Typhoon.
fpmag.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/NATO_NSNW_factsheet.pdf
“If nuclear weapons were in Ukraine, Ukraine would no longer exist. ”
Nukes are fully loaded in the Netherlands and this country still exists. Not to mention the military occupation of Norway with full consent of the Norwegians.
Prediction (by a friend)… The traitor Stoltenberg (Norway) will be replaced by the traitor Rutte (Netherlands)
Ukraine nazis pose a pathological threat. Add a nuclear weapon to these psychopaths and Russia would instantly destroy the threat.
Euro nations with US weapons cannot act on their own with US nukes. And they will be destroyed in the time it takes to reach them from Russia with hypersonic weapons if need be.
Most of the weapons are gravity bombs, requiring bombers to drop them. None of those planes will get close to Russia.
As for missiles, cruise missiles launched would be seen at 6 feet of elevation by Russian radars and satellites. The Russians would destroy the nations that launch them or order the launches.
The word traitor needs a descriptor. Psychopathic traitor fits the NATO cult much better.
No consent, only by Quislings.
Right now Zone A is in disarray, plagued w/divisive hatred. Anything which could unite Zone A might be a strategic blunder. Like not interrupting the infighting of an opponent. Of course provocations cannot be accepted ad infinitum, but it would seem that responses should be subtle enough so as not to provide a common enemy for Zone A. The sub’s hitting ‘an undersea mountain’ may have been such a response.
yes,
the Zone B ultimatum is either disband NATO and stop your war path and we give you some more time
to consolidate your finances,
or
we multi-polarize the petro dollar – petro ruble petro yuan will now become official and widespread thereby ultimately driving a stake thru Western economy’s heart AND military destroy “all your bases”
Yes, getting Saudi Arabia to price their oil in rubles or yuan would be a massive game-changer, and push the US dollar downhill faster. I tend to think Russia and China do not want a sudden fall in the US dollar, first because China does a great deal of trade that would be disrupted – and China doesn’t like disruption, secondly because China still owns trillions of dollars in US T-bills and third, because if the Deep State was shocked by a full collapse of the dollar, these crazy SOB’s might think about pushing the big red button and destroying the planet. Bot overall, nudging the dollar downward is a form of escalation that can be more-or-less well controlled, I have no idea whether the Saudis, really only MbS himself, could be persuaded. But either pushing de-dollarization, or my earlier thought of winning the “hearts and minds” of a significant fraction of the UkroNazis, would come as a great shock to the Empire, hitting where the Empire least expects it, and to which it is totally vulnerable. And, either of these strategies would be totally moral, defensible to any honest person, and to the people who will write the histories.
These are only some of the events being recounted, of which we, armchair analyst types, will never know everything, although the Russias know everything happening around their borders, as they should.
Exactly!!!!
Did the lord money managers, churning out the money, not take inflation into consideration?
But they are running neoliberal clap trap economics ! Inflation has never been a problem for 20 years with QE!
Over 50 years inflation targeting has been part and parcel of the whole neoliberal trend in macroeconomic policy. The essential thing underlying this, is to try to reduce the power of government and social forces that might exercise some power within the political economy—workers and peasants and others—and put the power primarily in the hands of those dominating in the markets.
This approach, really has contributed to enormous financial instability. Notice that this inflation targeting targets commodity inflation. But what about asset bubbles, that is, asset inflation? There’s no attempt to reduce asset bubbles like we had in subprime or in real estate bubbles in various countries. That is another kind of inflation that could have been targeted.
The Russian economy was nearly destroyed by this group!
On the target roundels in Israel –
Are those military targets? Is Iran effectively saying “we have the ability to wreck the IDF in a salvo attack”, or
Are they civilian targets? Is Iran effectively saying “we have achieved conventional means of strategic deterrence against Israel to counter Israel’s nuclear deterrent toward Iran”
A combination of both?
As intense as the situation is between USA/NATO/AZE and Russia right now, I can’t help but keep in the back of my head the situation between Iran and Israel, and between China and USA/Quad around Formosa. If any one of those ‘fronts’ busts open, the others might either act opportunistically or at least make it impossible for the west to focus on any one front. This is a major bind the west is in. It is struggling to divide and rule Eurasia, because Iran, Russia, and China are working together. The west has been ‘deterred’ and now feels like ‘the turd’. Indeed.
Of the two ‘fronts,’ China/Taiwan seems like an inevitability waiting for the right occasion.
The Iran front looks dangerous to me, because on paper Iran is nearing breakout and Israel feels like they have to act no to stop it from happening. Iran has said that if it’s nuclear facilities are attacked by Israel then Iran will react by striking all US bases in the region with missiles, as Israel will have only done that if green lighted by the USA.
So “Biden” is in a pickle: let Iran get away with a nuclear test on his watch to Israel’s existential chagrin, or attack/greenlight a strike on Iran and be the president who oversaw the CENTCOM and the 5th Fleet HQ being wiped out.. Who knows what might happen on this front?
The process of Iran’s nuclear development is not under Washington’s control, but it’s near completion is an “unacceptable” outcome from the western perspective. So the clock is ticking on this front in a way it is not ticking on the Ukraine/Russia front or the China/Taiwan front.
If one of them does come to shooting, my instinct tells me it will be the Iran-nuclear front that does. The time to attack a major BRI node and SCO member who – isn’t a nuclear power – is soon to end.
I don’t remember who exactly said it, but it was within a year or so ago, but Russia has claimed it “won’t let Iran get a nuclear weapon”. For these and other reasons, the Iranian front seems unstable and the most likely to go hot soon.
Yes, all those Bibi visits to Russia to coordinate and ask permissions as to what it can do and when to Iranian/Hezbollah/ Axis infrastructure in Syria. Like America, Russia can’t have its cake and eat it too. You’re either Iran’s / Shia’s ally or not. Remember, it’s the dual US citizens and their butt-hurt forefathers, like Blinken, Nuland, Kagan & Other scum who attack Russia’s security, daily.
If the Wahhabis are seeing through the leaves, their talks with Iran nurturing, then the West and their pet mongrel are in deep doo-doo.
Iran won’t do a nuclear test because Iran has no weapons program. Iran is enriching at a higher rate on a small scale for research purposes and as “due diligence” in case the leadership changes its mind – and perhaps more importantly, as a bargaining chip that they can dump once some agreement with the West is reached (which, unfortunately, will never happen – hence the “due diligence”.)
I agree, however, that the risk of an actual war between Iran and the US/Israel is much more likely than a war between Russia and the US/NATO. The latter know Russia has the military advantage in Europe in conventional terms and they are also aware that a nuclear war would result in the US and Europe ceasing to exist (even if Russia also ceased to exist.) So that isn’t in the cards. But a war with Iran, while enormously destructive to the Middle East and the world economy, isn’t an existential threat to the US in physical terms. And it would be very profitable to the military-industrial complex. So that war is definitely in the cards – provided that Israel can figure out how to defang Hezbollah in Lebanon, which is an existential threat to the Israeli economy if not physically to Israel itself. Hezbollah is in my view the primary reason we haven’t had an Iran war yet. The 2006 conflict was all about setting the stage for an Iran war, but Israel blew it and then the 2007 US intelligence community NIE on Iran blew the justification for Bush to start the war, as he himself admitted. So it’s been a stalemate every since.
2 things –
One, I’m almost certain in his 4 hour question-answer forum President Putin said in Russian, ‘Make Hay While The Sun Shines ‘, with the translator/translation slightly off, ‘The Ukrainians will be reduced to eating hay and the sun will never rise in Kiev. Easy mistake to make.
Two, You can take it to the Bank that Iranians/Persians ( and remember there are huge communities of them all over the globe, multi-millions in fact ) speak English as a 2nd language beautifully, unlike the Wahhabi gulfs (and the French. lol). When it comes to information then you can be certain the Iranians are as informed as Anyone.
Outside of Harrods in London, or some Military Academy here in Blighty England, US & France you’d be hard pressed to find a Saudi and his English, dirt, no, sand poor. That comes with importing everything and building nothing (exporting terrorism among Sudanese & other dumb jihadi-joes, they can do, well with Israel’s help ). So whether it’s UK, Germany, France, South America or Timbuktu, you find Iranians who are multi-lingual and keep abreast of that small 8 page broadsheet.
PS China, is it really a good idea to give KSA ballistic tech ? Unless of course it’s to deter the Americans, their former gracious benefactors.
Educated Iranians certainly speak English well but not the locals. They are however remarkably friendly and welcoming.
I don’t think Syria had anything to do with Russia. Iran, yes. My theory was that the Libya operation was a dry-run for Syria, and that Syria was intended to open up Hezbollah’s right flank to enable an Israeli invasion into the Bekaa Valley in concert with an attack on the southern front. But Russia’s intervention – for its own reasons – into Syria nixed that. Had the Syria operation worked to overthrow the Syrian government, Israel would have attacked Hezbollah in Lebanon. Had that operation worked (doubtful, but possible), the way forward for Israel and the US to attack Iran would have been open. Now Israel is faced with a considerably more powerful Hezbollah which Israel probably can not defeat without the direct military assistance of the US. And Israel can not afford an Iran war with Hezbollah’s missile arsenal in play – even more so than Iran’s missile arsenal, because most of Iran’s missile arsenal would be devoted to attacking US/NATO/Saudi targets closer to itself.
As an aside, I would caution those who “connect the dots” to be wary of connecting dots without direct evidence of the connection. As is said frequently, “Correlation does not imply causation.”
…….I don’t think Syria had anything to do with Russia……….
Of course there is. Leadership’s compromise with big business interests.
First of all … Gas from the Middle East wil not go to Europe, as it will soon not from Libya or Algeria. If the Germans put their people as close to power as they have — socialist Sreder, Kneissl(Georgtown university) – have nothing to worry about. As they sell gas, so will they electricity. And earn money through distributor firms they hold. For example, companies export it from the Czech Republic, and then the Czechs buy it more expensively from the Germans. It is the same with Serbia. And it will be the same for all the little sclaves states between Russia and Germany. Maybe not for Poland.
Secondly, they have opened two bases that control the southern wing of NATO, Mediteran. And with Kalingrad the whole of Central Europe.
……But Russia’s intervention – for its own reasons – into Syria nixed that……….
The Russians have no allies, they have an interest. Like the Anglo-Americans. But they are more refined. I will give you an example of their fraternal people. At least the services sell this to both people. The last sale of weapons to Serbs. I emphasize “sales”(like Americans sell their allies), it is in the interest of opening the south front when the time comes. For the russian elite sake primarly. Certainly not in order to open the question of Serbian national borders with Calibars behind Serbian backs. Long ago, the Russian leadership called the Serbs “a young snake” f.e. (Jastrebov – the ambassador of the Russian tsar) or later communists known nickname “hegemonists” because Serbs accepted white emigrants after the revolution. To this day, the same Jesuit-socialist and Anglo-zionist cadres influence the policy of the Russian leadership towards the Serbs.
If you assume that about a million Russians / russian Jews live in Israel, there is no chance that Russia will sell them. Like the Americans won’t. They play only the good and the bad cop looking their interest. With the socialist line in Russia, the story is a little bit different. You already know what Arafat means for them. It is also the same for the jud..eomasonic circles and Jesuit socialists international in Europe.
Regrettably, all those warning messages will be ignored – if history is any indication, the westerners’ mind set is such, that they tend to ignore everything that doesn’t fit in their world view.
Hmmm, this is an article published on RT this week. Just wondering what does it mean? https://www.rt.com/russia/544608-last-war-in-human-history/
Al Tanf is low hanging fruit to which painful pressure could be applied at minimal risk to Russia. The USA are in Syria illegally, and Al Tanf is not even in the Kurdish controlled area. It is supplied entirely through Iraq, which already asked the US forces to leave the country. Russia could “assist” Hezbollah to cut off Al Tanf, and impose a no fly zone over all of Syria.