Geopolitics: Things Continue To Unravel On Neocon Watch
I’ll be honest—why not? One reason that I’ve been focusing on the globalist war against Russia, using Ukraine as a cannon fodder proxy, is because of the depressing nature of domestic politics. The other reason, of course, is the inherent importance of what looks like a major shift in the geopolitical balance. I won’t attempt to predict how it will all turn out, beyond the fairly obvious—that Europe’s stature in the world is due to be revised downward, perhaps in drastic fashion. The US, on the other hand, is different. The US has resources aplenty in just about any sector you care to name—agriculture, technology, energy, etc. There’s no reason that America won’t remain a major player in geopolitics, even if its hegemonic stature will probably change. The biggest threat to the US is the wokist ideology of the ruling class and the lack of spiritual substance in the normal class with which to counter the ruling class.
And that is where the geopolitical angle—”foreign policy”, if you will—could come into play. As things appear to be playing out, American society looks like its cruising for some significant shocks to American prestige and economic security—at least in the short term. Those shocks are coming from the geopolitical sphere. The question is, will those shocks lead Americans to demand more normal and more serious governance—and a lot less corruption? Only time will tell.
In the meantime, the network of global alliances that America set up over the years appears to be unraveling, even as the centrality of King Dollar for the world economy comes under fire. Obviously, the two go hand in hand. The reserve status of King Dollar gave the US enormous leverage in its dealings with other countries. However, the rise of Russia and China to something resembling their previous status has changed all that. But the Neocons and American Exceptionalists failed to understand that throwing US weight around as usual would lead to bad results—despite the lessons of Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and just about every other place we’ve waged war over the last several decades. Those lessons went unremarked, and the decision to wage all out economic war and proxy military war against Russia has very clearly turned out to be a bridge too far.
And our European allies are letting us know that. We’ve discussed all this previously, so I don’t want to rehash it. However, there is a good summary of the situation in Ted Snider’s article today:
In between the first and last paragraphs is a review of recent developments. I will only add that, if a publication with the pedigree of The Economist sees danger ahead, then it must be for real:
The war in Ukraine is stretching the NATO alliance. The pull is still gentle and the cracks still small. But the potentially endless duration of the war, the economic suffering it has caused in Europe and even disagreements over causes and solutions is stretching the alliance.
…
US led sanctions have deprived Europe of the Russian oil they depend on. That has left Europe optionless, save for asking the US for gas. But the US is charging its European customers four times what it is charging Americans. Macron called the gouging “not friendly.” Germany has implored the US to start showing “solidarity” by reducing the cost of badly needed gas. “America needs to realize,” a senior EU official said, “that public opinion is shifting in many EU countries.” He was referring both to Europe’s role in the war and its relationship with the US. The Economist recently remarked that "It is not just the continent’s prosperity that is at risk, the health of the transatlantic alliance is, too."
The war in Ukraine is testing and stretching the NATO alliance from Turkey to the US, from Brussels to Washington and from Eastern Europe to Western Europe.
But the really big picture comes into focus when we shift to the global stage, away from Europe. Turkey, of course, serves as a bit of a transition—it remains a crucially strategic member of NATO but is shifting ever more clearly into the emerging Eurasian orbit. Three of the largest Eurasian economies—Russia, China, and India—remain firmly aligned toward independence from King Dollar, and the subservient political, military, and cultural status that dependence on King Dollar brings. Other countries are now openly aligning with that core: Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Brazil (in turmoil after a controversial and possibly fraudulent election), Argentina, Algeria. The list goes on.
Yesterday we noted that Pakistan, formerly a key “ally” of the US, has entered into huge food and energy deals with Russia. That puts Pakistan in some sort of new relationship with its arch enemy and rival, India. Pakistan’s resumption of diplomatic ties with the Syrian government the US is still at war with is a signal that those deals with Russia are going to extend beyond food and energy.
We see a similar dynamic at work in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, formerly in lockstep with US policy in crucial ways, has cooled on its relationship with the US. Todays US announcement that all charges against MBS with regard to the Kashoggi killing have been dropped—yes, the US can be flexible!—is unlikely to change Saudi Arabia’s new direction. The Saudis have been mending fences with Iran, with diplomatic assistance from Russia, which now enjoys cordial relations with both countries. The Saudis had been part of the coalition to overthrow the Syrian government, a government supported by Iran. A signal of the changing dynamics at play came today:
The US presence in Syraq is beginning to look more tenuous, while Russia’s position is looking more secure. But, beyond that, Xi Jinping is today receiving the Red Carpet treatment in Riyadh. The Saudi realignment toward Eurasia is going to topple some other dominos.
One final note on the political disarray afflicting the collective West. Today the German government arrested 25 “coup plotters”—said by the German rulers to be followers of the “Q” ideology. I don’t know much about the details, but I’m reflexively inclined to agree with Alex Christoforou’s take that this may turn out to be the German version of the US’ J6 Insurrection hoax. A way to distract the public’s attention from everything that’s going wrong in Germany—formerly the linchpin country of the EU, but now US vassal Poland’s favorite punching bag. Put that together with the acrimonious relations between France and Italy, the UK government demanding that nurses virtue signal at a bemused Putin by dropping their wage increase demands (in a terrible economy), and any way you slice these things it looks like the Atlanticist alliance is on the ropes. The Zhou regime is under pressure all round the world, as Russia prepares for a winter offensive.
Thanks for this excellent update as to where the world is holding. You state "The biggest threat to the US is the wokist ideology of the ruling class and the lack of spiritual substance in the normal class with which to counter the ruling class." What has happened in the past few years is unprecedented, and old-timers like myself sadly can pledge allegiance to the flag and stand for the national anthem but have nothing but disrespect for our government. J6, indeed! After phony Russiagate Pelosi staged a Reichstag Fire to subvert any criticism of a stolen election and criminalize dissent. Jimmy Carter had his Presidency and may have made a mess of things, but his authority was unquestioned. Trump made things better for us, and the Office of the Presidency has been forever dishonored. By installing Biden they even made things much worse by installing someone clearly not up to the job. How do you counter the ruling class when they have corrupted our entire political process?
The US is a badly over-extended empire, and an increasingly ill-managed one, too. At some point, our blundering about the world is going to get punished harshly, our government's over-reaction will endanger all of us.