Will Both Sides Of The Atlantic Be In Play?

First, an admin note. We’re getting ready for my wife’s hip replacement mid month, so we have a variety of appointments and things to take care of. That entails adjusting my usual schedule for reading and writing and so forth.

First up, a reminder of what the overall Anglo-Zionist strategy for the war on Russia was. We’ve all discussed this, but it’s elegantly restated here. War was always part of the plan, and was years in the preparation:

Chebureki Man @CheburekiMan

The Slava Ukrainis don't understand that Kiev, under NATO's direction, spent years grooming the battlefield for war in eastern Ukraine, from 2014 onwards.

The intent was to shape the battlefield into the most efficient killing machine possible, arm the Ukrainians with a mountain of Western weapons, then provoke a Russian invasion by threatening the breakaway republics.

The Russian army was then supposed to get obliterated assaulting all the heavily defended and fortified positions which Ukraine had years to build, theoretically resulting in Putin's humiliating defeat.

That was US-NATO's basic plan for the "strategic defeat of Russia," turn eastern Ukraine into a giant woodchipper for the Russian army, draw it in, then have their proxy army mulch it.

But very little went according to plan, though the fortress cities have been a real challenge to defeat.

Even Stoltenberg admitted that NATO has been working in Ukraine ever since 2014.

12:31 PM · Sep 2, 2024

Because Russia declined to follow the Anglo-Zionist script—Neocons notoriously underestimate their targets—we’ve seen a constant escalation, involving provision of advanced NATO weapons to Ukraine, along with the personnel and ISR resources to deploy those weapons. Russia has, by and large, handled these weapons systems, learning and developing effective counters. The latest escalation being discussed would allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russia.

US ‘close’ to giving Kiev long-range missiles – Reuters

The US is “close” to approving the shipment of long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine despite repeated warnings from Moscow, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The weapons in question – Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSM) – could be integrated into US-designed F-16 fighter jets supplied to Kiev by its Western sponsors.

According to the news agency, the inclusion of JASSMs in a new weapons package for Kiev is expected to be made public this fall. Sources noted, however, that discussions on the missiles are ongoing and that a final decision has yet to be made. They also claimed that the actual delivery of the weapons could take “several months,” as the US authorities would need to work through the technical details of the step.

Developed by Lockheed Martin, JASSMs could enable Kiev’s army to strike targets some 300km inside the Russian border, or up to 500km for some longer-range and more exclusive versions.

…

For information, here’s what we’re talking about, from the JASSM Wikipedia page:

a low detection standoff air-launched cruise missile developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States Armed Forces.[7] It is a large, stealthy long-range weapon with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) armor piercing warhead.

Russia is not amused. The Russian warning was delivered by their ambassador in the Imperial City on the Potomac:

Moscow warns US about long-range strikes

If Western weapons are used deep inside Russia, the consequences will affect both sides of the Atlantic, the ambassador has said

The US will be directly impacted if its plans to further escalate the Ukraine conflict come to fruition, the Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, warned on Monday.

Antonov was commenting on the recent trip to the US by senior officials from Kiev, including Andrey Yermak, the chief of staff of Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. According to media reports, they presented the Americans with a list of targets in Russia that they want to attack with Western long-range weapons.

Kiev argues that the lack of permission by its weapons donors to conduct long-range strikes puts Ukrainian troops at a disadvantage on the front line. Moscow has warned that it would supply similar military capabilities to enemies of the West if these types of attacks ever happen. The potential escalation would not be limited to the European continent, Antonov warned.

"Washington's idea of pitting Europe against Russia through the Ukrainian crisis will not pass," he said. "The US will not be able to sit it out across the ocean if the current situation escalates into a global conflict."

Moscow considers the Ukraine conflict to be a US-led proxy war against Russia in which Ukrainian soldiers are used as "cannon fodder." No amount of military hardware donated to Kiev will allow it to prevail militarily, the ambassador said.

"The American 'Ukraine project' has brought destruction and entailed huge sacrifices of the Slavic people," Antonov added. "There is no doubt that Russia will cope with the new challenge to its security and the goals and objectives of the special military operation will be fully implemented."

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This represents a direct threat against CONUS targets, probably dictated by the nature of targets attacked with US weapons in Russia. On the other hand, Russia has many possibilities for asymmetric escalation—such as providing advanced weapons to Middle Eastern actors who could use such weapons against US targets.

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In political news …

Tom Luongo has a nice article about the German elections, in which he explains some of the ins and outs of the German electoral system and German politics:

Populism Trumps Merkelism in Saxony and Thuringia

My speculation. More German states will be holding elections in coming weeks. While all eyes have been on the Alternative for Germany (AfD), the Sahra Wagenknecht Party (BSW)—a new anti-establishment party—put in an excellent showing. At 15% in both Thuringia and Saxony the BSW crushed the Greens, Socialists, and Left. Wagenknecht is typically characterized as economically leftist and socially “conservative”. What that last part translates into is this: Wagenknecht wants out of NATO, out of the war on Russia, and wants to clamp down on criminal refugees. There are some who believe that Wagenknecht could continue her strong performance in more leftist states—certainly her showing in Saxony and Thuringia gives her credibility going into the next elections. Current politics in Germany are all about coalition building and freezing the AfD out of any role in a ruling coalition. Whether Wagenknecht would be willing to join a coalition with the AfD is the big question. Scholz is already calling on all parties to continue the freeze-out of the AfD. Given the the feckless character of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), it seems that call must have been obliquely directed at Wagenknecht.

At the end of his article, Luongo drops this interesting observation:

And if you think I’m over-reaching here in my conclusion, then this note about the EU importing more gas from Russia than the US for the first time since the start of the Ukraine war should make you think twice. Germany needs cheap energy to turn this corner, and who do you think is truly in charge of making that happen? And who do you think was behind them committing ritualistic suicide?

Concretely, Norway is far and away the biggest supplier of gas to the EU. US LNG is far and away the most expensive gas. Does Germany need cheap energy going forward? You betcha. Interesting dynamics shaping up.

In US politics …

I’m not actually a follower of James Kunstler, but I know many readers are. I also avoid reading just about anything about Kama Sutra. However, Kunstler makes an interesting observation today:

Is Kamala Very, Very Afraid?

You might wonder, as I do, whether Kamala Harris can even stay in the race until November 5. Based on her grim appearance in last week’s “interview” with Dana Bash, slumped at the table of a crummy Georgia café under poor lighting, her trademark cackle suppressed, she looked psychologically wilted. Don’t be surprised if late this week she “catches Covid” and asks to “postpone” the September 10 debate with Mr. Trump.

He goes on to describe Kama Sutra’s total inadequacy as a candidate. And it fits in with this from Breitbart:

Democrats Fear Harris Campaign Could Falter in Post-Labor Day Push
Breitbart ^ | 09/03/2024 | Wendell Husebø

Establishment Democrats remain concerned about preventing former President Donald Trump from completing the greatest political comeback in modern American history — even after President Joe Biden stepped aside for Vice President Kamala Harris.

The concern spotlights Harris’s lack of a post-convention bump and the September 10 presidential debate, which will force Harris to speak about her radical record and how she plans to address the nation’s decline.

National and swing state surveys show that Trump and Harris are statistically tied. In polling on specific issues, however, Trump holds a sizable lead, suggesting Harris’s so-called “honeymoon” stage was a sugar high.

(Excerpt) Read more at breitbart.com ...