One important theme in Doug Macgregor’s interview yesterday with Judge Nap—and this is one that I didn’t touch on—was fear. Macgregor, amid many other cogent observations, maintained that fear is the dominant emotion among the ruling elite of Europe. They may not be expressing it openly, he said, but they are deeply afraid. There are several reasons for that fear. One, of course, is the collapse of their dreams of looting Russia to keep their own boats afloat. With programmatic defeat in Ukraine looming, they fear payback from Russia. But they also fear their own subject populations, which are increasingly restive—and are turning to “populism”. The subject class are beginning to grok that their enemy isn’t somewhere far off—Ukraine? where’s that?—but very close to home.
Alastair Crooke today addresses some aspects of the same phenomenon:
His remarks are not totally confined to Europe, because the ruling elite in America are sensing the same trend. While much of the non-West world is gravitating toward the BRICS movement, the West is fracturing. Each country is beginning to look to its own interests, despite the brave talk of hanging together. Crooke’s final sentence sums it up:
Just to be plain: Events in Gaza and in Ukraine are unravelling long-standing political power control structures in the EU, in Europe and in the US. This is why there is panic and double-down.
Wait … Gaza? Yes. Two events that have the ruling classes freaking out involved elections in the UK and in the US. In the UK, George Galloway ran an independent campaign—the Workers Party—that focused almost exclusively on foreign policy. Meaning, opposition to the globalist wars in Ukraine and Palestine. And he won a “thumping” victory. That had little Rishi Sunak totally freaking—to the extent that he called an “emergency” press conference to decry the Galloway threat to “democracy”. That should be a clue that there’s money—and lots of it—in foreign policy. Far too much to have the little people messing things up.
Threat to “democracy” should resonate with American readers. The ruling class in the US is also in meltdown. The initial spark for the meltdown has, of course, been Trump. His resilience in the face of massively coordinated lawfare and attempts to keep him off the ballots—finally slapped down 9-0 by the SCOTUS—have led to prolonged rants against White folks (I’m channeling Barry, there):
The ruling class has become totally unhinged as they realize that the subject class is no longer listening to them. And to the extent that they are listening to them they’re rejecting the message.
And then came the Michigan primary, which challenged the very foundations of the American political order—the supremacy of the Israel Lobby. Crooke leads into that story by first quoting an American ex-pat who rants for the Daily Telegraph:
The same commentator (Janet Daley in the Telegraph) avers: “To bring this right up to date, we now have an entity called the Workers Party – a name that summons up traditional Left-wing dedication to the interests of working class people – winning a by-election in Rochdale by somehow conflating the Palestinian cause in Gaza with local working class needs”.
How dare ordinary people around the world unite in solidarity against their rulers!
Ouch! That is what hurts. Echoes here from the Michigan primary in the US, where a coalition of pro-Palestinian groups who had set a modest target of 10,000 ‘uncommitted’ votes — Trump’s margin of victory in Michigan in 2016 — to send a message to President Biden that voter frustration over the Gaza war could cost him dearly in the November election. In the event, however, the pro-Palestinian support blew past the 10,000 target and clocked in at nearly 101,400 votes.
Message sent — and as the electoral desperation in Democratic circles indicates, ‘message received’.
Which brings us back to Crooke’s first paragraph:
A leading Establishment newspaper in Europe says that “what is driving European politics at present – is fear”. The headlines ring out with apprehension: “Germany’s élites run scared, as Putin rains down death on Ukraine”. The British Prime Minister calls an emergency press conference to warns of ‘democracy at risk’ from ‘extremism’ on the eve of a by-election win by George Galloway, an articulate, if somewhat unruly, ‘thorn’ in the side of conventional politics (but hardly any ‘extremist’).
And as in Europe, so too in the US. It’s global.
Which brings us to Simplicius’ long sitrep on Israel. The basic thrust of the article—which, typically, covers a lot of ground—is that Israel’s ruling class is divided among those who are in denial about what’s going on in the rest of the world, and those who are starting to get it.
Simplicius covers a lot of what we’ve also been discussing, and I believe we’re on much the same page. Simplicius first recounts at length all the things that are going wrong for Israel, militarily as well as on the economic front. What has Netanyahu’s opponents really alarmed is that Netanyahu has no discernible exit strategy—continuing war is the only strategy, but Israel cannot support the current rate of casualties nor the economic damage and the further effects that flow from both aspects.
The realization that Netanyahu’s attempt at a self serving policy spells disaster for Israel is what is behind Benny Gantz’s trip to DC. Simplicius quotes a writer for Ha Eretz:
But continuing a low-level state of war for the foreseeable future – with vague targets that can never be realised – works well for him. It provides him with forceful soundbites promising ‘total victory’.
He finishes with:
Netanyahu’s rivals are aware of this terrible stalemate as well. A senior member of National Unity, the party led by Benny Gantz – who agreed at the start of the war to join an emergency coalition on a temporary basis – said this week: ‘This is an awful government with extreme ministers and a weak Prime Minister. We have to leave it. But we can’t leave it. If we’re not there, who will push for a hostage agreement? The public doesn’t want us to leave the government because they’re scared of the thought of Netanyahu and the far-right leading the country on their own.’
Gantz will be making a visit to meet Kamala Harris regarding the ceasefire—an unsanctioned trip that reportedly has Netanyahu furious, according to Mideast Eye:
A senior figure close to Netanyahu told Haaretz newspaper that the leader did not sanction the meeting.
"The prime minister made it clear to Gantz last night that he does not approve of his trip to Washington. Any official trip abroad by a minister that is not private but rather in an official capacity requires approval from the prime minister," the senior figure was quoted as saying.
Which leads to Elijah Magnier to sarcastically note:
Great news: Benny Gantz & Gadi Eisenkot, the 2 war cabinet ministers, r meeting with top officials in the #US. For the 1st time, it is not the US embassy that is responsible for a coup d'état, but Washington itself, which is directly involved in the change of power in #Israel.
Simplicius then turns to an extended discussion of the Houthi blockade of the Red Sea. But he returns to the fractured Israeli political scene and when he notes the unhinged Israeli attack on Russia. It’s indicative of an out of touch society that is consumed with its supposed chosenness and immunity from all civilized standards—as well as to payback:
As a postscript, Israel has shot itself in the foot by virtually declaring itself an enemy of Russia this week, after a provocative harangue by Israel’s unhinged UN Rep, Gilal Erdan:
This was followed by another Israeli lawmaker declaring that Israel will take a much more ‘aggressive’ stance against Russia, and will escalate to provide more kinds of military aid to Ukraine:
Business Insider was less coy:
This is further indication of Israel’s totally oblivious exceptionalism: they believe, even in the foundering position they’re in, that they retain impunity in lashing out in anger at Russia for its perceived support of Palestine. No one has informed Israel that hubris and mania mix like milk and alcohol. Israel little understands the existential danger it’s in, and just who they’re making an enemy of. With every recent blundering, buffoonish step, Israel has brought itself one step closer to the edge of the abyss.
To emphasize that point, Simplicius then quotes another Israeli writer, who cites a US diplomat who is aghast at how out of touch most Israelis are:
Mike S. Omer-Man @MikeOmerMan
There was a line in a Hebrew news article yesterday that I can't stop thinking about. US officials told @barakravid that in every conversation in recent weeks they've been warning Israel that it is responsible for the humanitarian disaster taking place in Gaza.
"The senior US official said he was dumbfounded by the response he got from the Israelis: 'They asked me, why is that our problem?' he said. 'I told them they don't understand the situation they're in."
The thing is, Israel has always challenged the US and the world to put their money where their mouth is, and Israel has almost always won that game of chicken.
The stakes are different now but my sense is that most Israelis don't get that either. At this point nothing but cutting off the cash and bombs and UN vetoes could even begin to impart upon them the levels of shock and disbelief and horror with which the world has been watching for months. Shock and disbelief and horror not only at what Israel is doing but at their own governments for allowing it to happen. For not stopping it.
The thing is, nothing will happen and no consequences will be wrought until one man, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., decides that enough is enough. That moment should have come months ago but its unacceptable tardiness only makes it more urgent that it happen today.
Let's be clear, we're long past the point of a ceasefire being enough. There needs to be an international protection force in Gaza — to protect Palestinians from Israel, to ensure they don't die of starvation, to allow the world to deliver critical aid, to make sure that Palestinians who have fled can return to their homes, and to make sure the Israeli army doesn't stay in Gaza, or ever come back.
That should be the new starting point for discussions of "the day after." And the day after must be tomorrow.
11:03 PM · Mar 1, 2024
Good article Mark. I just wonder how German pirate Sholz will react when he finds out that Taurus missiles are already in Ukraine (behind his back).
Everything looks like one big boiling pressure cooker. Europeans are out of their minds over lost bet/business in Ukraine. England’s “selected Globalist” lil skinny Indian Boy realized that his days are numbered. Israel is beyond of point of return and I think all eyes are on the good ole U.S.
If the revolution will start here (taking Trump out, canceling elections, false flag event etc) then it will roll all over the world, same way like the FAKE virus.
These “temporary ruling parasites” aka ruling elite will rather burn everything down than let people decide in elections. They are way worse than East European Communists!!!
Trump dodged A bullet in 2020. Can you imagine if he was the one in the White House defending Israel?