I really didn’t think it would come to this—and it shouldn’t have. That war has come is a testament to the bankruptcy of our foreign policy establishment, and probably of its control by globalist ideologues seeking to impose their governance on the entire world. Obviously I can’t stay up to date on developments and write at the same time. However, here are two useful links to articles at Zerohedge that provide useful context.
Pax Britannica ended in 1914 when it became abundantly clear that Britain no longer had the ability to manage/control world events. Welcome to the end of Pax Americana!
I haven't had a chance to read through comments to see if this has been posted, but here's an interesting take by Steven Turley, video below. I don't think there's any question this is a throat punch to Schwab's 'vision', although there's also no question the global elites will double down.
"Today march 24th 2022 liberal globalism officially collapsed; you can mark your calendar on that one. The whole geopolitical project beginning in 1991 with the fall of the soviet union and Francis Fukuyama's neocon fantasy at the end of history where he envisioned that the entire world would
now turn to a global neoliberal order that has since culminated in an epidemic of wokeness...that vision died last night and Russian president Vladimir Putin killed it."
That said, I am curious as to what end state Putin desires. Based on his words, it seems clear the "de-Nazification" refers to removal of those who are not Russian approved from government. It also seems clear that Putin means to de-militarize Ukraine. That points to a "protectorate" situation. So will Ukraine be a democracy and independent in name only (but in reality a puppet of Russia)? Or does Russia go ahead and formally annex the Donbas? Or the whole country? I guess we shall see.
Yes, time to adjust the Reality Goggles yet again.
So after figuring that the Ukraine claxons were nothing more than a SPOTUS regime pr blitz to distract the public and burnish SPOTUS' tough guy image, we/ I discover that (1) Putin is not in any kind of league w the Regime/ Cartel (2) Putin actually cares about securing a buffer state around Mother Russia.
That said, still feel pretty vindicated. The Regime were playing a game to extract submission from Zelenko by baiting the Bear. Having succeeded, the Regime now makes it clear they'll leave Ukraine to its fate and hope they can leverage this Russian "atrocity " to maximum advantage here at home to rig more elections, enact more emergency powers, label more honest Americans as terrorists and Russian spies etc...
The biggest panic in dc right now is focused squarely on how and where to shift their massive money laundering operations formerly based in Ukraine.
I cant root for the Russians but i can respect their determination to secure their borders. Oh the contrast w our own government, current and ousted!
Thanks, especially for the maps that clarify matters enormously. The past/present Nazi areas all seem to be on the border with Poland, and lent credence to the late Steven Cohen, who was prescient in observing that post-Cold War NATO expansion would revive Russian nationalism.
This war should have never happened, and probably could have been avoided. But the die is cast once Putin takes the steps he has recently.
The real question in my mind is whether China has planned a Taiwan "peacekeeping" mission of its own in coordination with Russia. What Russia has done will push Europe to take their security more seriously now. A bolstered EU/US +other allied military capability will make it that much more difficult for China to act with impunity unless they act now.
China had to know of the full scale invasion Putin had in mind, certainly they did if we knew about it. So China would have to recognize the same dynamic I point out. What do you think they plan to do about it? I assume they assess how we react, and if they see an opportunity, they take Taiwan. And thus begins WWIII, even if initially we manage to contain it to just those two countries. If we pull that off, it will be a cold WWIII. If not, a lot of people will lose their lives in the coming wars.
Nor I. That said it’s still only weeks away from the onset of the rasputitsa season which would bog down armored formations/supply columns/advance units in a sea of mud. We’ll have to see how this plays out but it may just be a demonstration, I.e. Putin shaking out the pro-Russian areas of the Ukraine & not an all-out combined arms offensive to secure the whole of Ukraine. As said, this was totally preventable & is the totally the fault of the west, pushing NATO ever eastward seemingly for no other reason than to kick sand in Russia’s face.
On FNC General Jack Keane just now said this offensive is on three axes, which suggests the opposite of what I opine above; an offensive on that scale is far more than a “demonstration”; it is far more involved, requires advance planning, staging areas & large logistical support.
Time will tell but like you I kept looking for the power stations to be hit last night; that’s why I suggested this may be a “demonstration”.
Mark, thanks for including those historical maps in this post. I am a lifelong student of history, and I have known all along that Ukraine has only been an independent country since the fall of the USSR. Most accounts of Russian history start with Kiev, but that early Russian state was disrupted by the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century, and when the Russian state re-emerged, it was centered on Moscow. Rule by various Mongol/Tartar empires was followed by rule by Lithuania and Poland. In the 1600s, the Cossacks of Ukraine rebelled against Poland, and finally accepted the rule of the Russian Tsars to keep Poland out. The Cossacks went on to become an important part of the Russian military, and were involved in exploring and taking over Siberia and other areas that were absorbed into Russia.
The 'nazi' reference from Putin refers specifically to the Azov battalion. My understanding is there are ~ 60K of them.
https://www.risetopeace.org/2021/07/21/azov-battalion-guardian-angels-or-notorious-extremists/risetopece/
You know...the more I watch Joe Biden, the more I think he's an "aggressive passive".
Pax Britannica ended in 1914 when it became abundantly clear that Britain no longer had the ability to manage/control world events. Welcome to the end of Pax Americana!
I haven't had a chance to read through comments to see if this has been posted, but here's an interesting take by Steven Turley, video below. I don't think there's any question this is a throat punch to Schwab's 'vision', although there's also no question the global elites will double down.
"Today march 24th 2022 liberal globalism officially collapsed; you can mark your calendar on that one. The whole geopolitical project beginning in 1991 with the fall of the soviet union and Francis Fukuyama's neocon fantasy at the end of history where he envisioned that the entire world would
now turn to a global neoliberal order that has since culminated in an epidemic of wokeness...that vision died last night and Russian president Vladimir Putin killed it."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAXWAA5GnEI&t=107s
I was amazed how that linked Mearshimer essay (https://www.mearsheimer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Why-the-Ukraine-Crisis-Is.pdf) was published in 2014; everything in it could have been written today and still applies. The west bears primary responsibility for this mess for reasons well described by him.
That said, I am curious as to what end state Putin desires. Based on his words, it seems clear the "de-Nazification" refers to removal of those who are not Russian approved from government. It also seems clear that Putin means to de-militarize Ukraine. That points to a "protectorate" situation. So will Ukraine be a democracy and independent in name only (but in reality a puppet of Russia)? Or does Russia go ahead and formally annex the Donbas? Or the whole country? I guess we shall see.
https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/02/23/ann-coulter-stop-talking-about-ukraine-republicans/
Yes, time to adjust the Reality Goggles yet again.
So after figuring that the Ukraine claxons were nothing more than a SPOTUS regime pr blitz to distract the public and burnish SPOTUS' tough guy image, we/ I discover that (1) Putin is not in any kind of league w the Regime/ Cartel (2) Putin actually cares about securing a buffer state around Mother Russia.
That said, still feel pretty vindicated. The Regime were playing a game to extract submission from Zelenko by baiting the Bear. Having succeeded, the Regime now makes it clear they'll leave Ukraine to its fate and hope they can leverage this Russian "atrocity " to maximum advantage here at home to rig more elections, enact more emergency powers, label more honest Americans as terrorists and Russian spies etc...
The biggest panic in dc right now is focused squarely on how and where to shift their massive money laundering operations formerly based in Ukraine.
I cant root for the Russians but i can respect their determination to secure their borders. Oh the contrast w our own government, current and ousted!
Thanks, especially for the maps that clarify matters enormously. The past/present Nazi areas all seem to be on the border with Poland, and lent credence to the late Steven Cohen, who was prescient in observing that post-Cold War NATO expansion would revive Russian nationalism.
This war should have never happened, and probably could have been avoided. But the die is cast once Putin takes the steps he has recently.
The real question in my mind is whether China has planned a Taiwan "peacekeeping" mission of its own in coordination with Russia. What Russia has done will push Europe to take their security more seriously now. A bolstered EU/US +other allied military capability will make it that much more difficult for China to act with impunity unless they act now.
China had to know of the full scale invasion Putin had in mind, certainly they did if we knew about it. So China would have to recognize the same dynamic I point out. What do you think they plan to do about it? I assume they assess how we react, and if they see an opportunity, they take Taiwan. And thus begins WWIII, even if initially we manage to contain it to just those two countries. If we pull that off, it will be a cold WWIII. If not, a lot of people will lose their lives in the coming wars.
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/uk-pushing-kick-russia-out-swift-germany-says-no
The over the top hysteria on the US Left “to defend democracy” that Tucker captured about Ukraine last night is head scratching:
https://youtu.be/eHrv38It9_I
“I really didn’t think it would come to this-‘
Nor I. That said it’s still only weeks away from the onset of the rasputitsa season which would bog down armored formations/supply columns/advance units in a sea of mud. We’ll have to see how this plays out but it may just be a demonstration, I.e. Putin shaking out the pro-Russian areas of the Ukraine & not an all-out combined arms offensive to secure the whole of Ukraine. As said, this was totally preventable & is the totally the fault of the west, pushing NATO ever eastward seemingly for no other reason than to kick sand in Russia’s face.
On FNC General Jack Keane just now said this offensive is on three axes, which suggests the opposite of what I opine above; an offensive on that scale is far more than a “demonstration”; it is far more involved, requires advance planning, staging areas & large logistical support.
Time will tell but like you I kept looking for the power stations to be hit last night; that’s why I suggested this may be a “demonstration”.
Mark, thanks for including those historical maps in this post. I am a lifelong student of history, and I have known all along that Ukraine has only been an independent country since the fall of the USSR. Most accounts of Russian history start with Kiev, but that early Russian state was disrupted by the Mongol invasions of the thirteenth century, and when the Russian state re-emerged, it was centered on Moscow. Rule by various Mongol/Tartar empires was followed by rule by Lithuania and Poland. In the 1600s, the Cossacks of Ukraine rebelled against Poland, and finally accepted the rule of the Russian Tsars to keep Poland out. The Cossacks went on to become an important part of the Russian military, and were involved in exploring and taking over Siberia and other areas that were absorbed into Russia.
How'd impeaching Trump work out, Zelensky?
https://donsurber.blogspot.com/2022/02/howd-impeaching-trump-work-out-zelensky.html