Tag Archives: Politics

Policy, Politics, War and peace

Courting Armageddon vs. cultivating peace

A spat at the UN Security Council shows the contrast between two very different approaches to war and to peace

[Originally published on Alex Krainer’s Substack] On 26 October 2023 at the United Nations Security Council an interesting exchange between the representatives of Israel and China followed China’s vetoing of the latest US-sponsored UNSC Israel/Palestine resolution. Israel’s permanent representative to the UN, Gilad Erdan delivered an abrasive, undiplomatic reprimand: 

“To those who voted against this resolution I must say that your decision shocks me to my core. In Israel, we are fighting for our very survival. My elderly parents living in Ashkelon have spent the last 20 days running back and forth to their bomb shelters as rockets rained down on them, deliberately on them, on civilians. And you cannot condemn even these deliberate attacks on civilians perpetrated by terror organizations? If any of your countries endured a similar massacre, I am certain – certain, that you would act with much greater force than Israel. Much greater force!

Read more: Courting Armageddon vs. cultivating peace

There would be no question in your minds that such a barbaric slaughter requires a broad military operation against the terrorists who committed such inhumane atrocities to eradicate their terrorist capabilities in order to make sure that such atrocities can even happen again. How would Moscow react if terrorist death squads wiped out entire neighborhoods in Moscow? How would Beijing respond if a genocidal jihadis beheaded and murdered your babies? I will give you a moment to reflect on that thought. But I believe every person, not only here in this room, across the globe, whoever is watching this discussion, knows exactly how you would respond.”

China’s permanent representative Zhang Jun‘s response was very measured and diplomatic, but I will skip it here. You can see the whole exchange in the 4-min. YouTube clip below:

What I found more interesting was that if Mr. Erdan’s remarks were intended to justify Israel’s actions by suggesting that others would react with “much greater force,” they certainly missed their mark. 

How Russia responded to Ukraine’s “anti-terror operation” in 2014

We can contrast Israel’s rash and impulsive response to Hamas attacks to the way Russia responded to Ukraine’s 2014 “anti-terrorist operation” (ATO) against the Russian-speaking population in the south and in Donbass. Starting in late April that year, Ukraine’s regular troops, seeded with extremist elements from the Right Sector and other far-right paramilitary organizations descended with tanks, armored personnel carriers, heavy artillery, helicopters and aircraft on the Donbass and the cities of Slavyansk, Mariupol, Krasnoarmeisk, Kramatorsk, Donetsk, Lugansk and many smaller towns and villages. 

By saying that Ukraine’s troops were “seeded with extremists,” I mean that when the initial attempts at repression turned out ineffective because Ukraine’s regular troops weren’t keen on unleashing violence on their fellow citizens, the Kiev junta hastily dispatched two or three members of different neo-Nazi gangs to all the mobilized units to enforce the junta’s orders, steel the troops’ resolve, and stir the pot properly to provoke a reaction from Russia.

Kiev’s first “success” was a massacre of Russian speaking protesters in Odessa on 2 May 2014. In addition to the 46 people who were burnt alive in the Trade Unions building that day, another 90 men, women and children were killed. The mass casualty event was planned and orchestrated deliberately. The unofficial casualty count was as high as 200 people. But that was only the beginning: over the ensuing weeks, Kiev’s troops killed more than 2000 Russian speaking Ukrainians (as officially tallied up in mid-July 2014 by Kiev’s government). 

Giving peace every chance

Contrary to what Mr. Erdan suggested, Russia’s leadership did not react with “far greater force.” No Kremlin representative called Ukrainians “human animals” nor flattened any part of Kiev in anger. Instead, Vladimir Putin’s government called for peace. They maintained open lines of communications with Kiev and called for discussions with representatives of western powers. At Russia’s initiative, peace negotiations ensued with Geneva Accords, followed by Minsk I and Minsk II agreements. Russia’s government continued to work the diplomatic tack for 8 long years even as Kiev troops continued with daily shelling of towns and cities in the Donbass, killing a total of 14,000 people.

Before resorting to military means, the Kremlin proposed draft security agreements to the United States and NATO in December 2021. Even after the start of their “Special Military Operation” (SMO) in February 2022, the Russians continued to negotiate with Zelensky’s government in Kiev. Those negotiations very nearly yielded an agreement only a month into the military operation, but for the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson‘s intervention to make sure that peace didn’t break out in Ukraine. 

Selective brutality, no reactions in anger

And while western media have been uniformly hostile to Russia, condemning its operations in Ukraine as barbaric and brutal, Russian brutality has been selective and strictly limited. Russia also did not react in anger against Israel when it caused the downing of its military aircraft over Syria killing 15 Russian officers. It also did not retaliate when Turkish air force downed its aircraft, nor when Azerbaijani forces did the same only hours before the 2020 signing of a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia brokered by Russian diplomats. The peace deal was still signed in spite of someone’s attempt to derail it.

Russia also kept its cool when a passenger jet carrying 224 Russian tourists was shot down over Sinai desert in 2015 and when 9 of its diplomats were assassinated (or died suddenly and unexpectedly) around the world in quick succession, including its Ambassador in Ankara and its UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin. For the record, these unexpected deaths occurred before the pandemic.

Statesmen with nuclear weapons shouldn’t indulge in juvenile tantrums

In all, Mr. Erdan’s remarks at the UNSC yesterday reflect an emotionally charged moment and perhaps justifiable outrage. But at high levels in diplomacy and government, officials have a responsibility to guard against rash, reckless reactions that jeopardize peace and risk escalating hostilities. It is understandable that many people at such times thirst for vengeance and disregard risks and consequences. But statesmen should not succumb to the emotion of the moment.

This should have double weight on Israeli leadership today, since their actions risk precipitating a regional war that could easily escalate to an uncontrollable global conflict with unpredictable consequences. Indulging an emotional, impulsive pursuit of revenge by a government whose arsenal includes as many as 400 nuclear bombs is reckless and irresponsible in the extreme. It is high time for Israeli leadership to sober up and finally seek a constructive path to peace and stability in its region.

Alex Krainer – @NakedHedgie is the creator of I-System Trend Following and publisher of daily TrendCompass investor reports which cover over 200 financial and commodities markets. One-month test drive is always free of charge, no jumping through hoops to cancel. To start your trial subscription, drop us an email at TrendCompass@ISystem-TF.com

For US investors, we propose a trend-driven inflation/recession resilient portfolio covering a basket of 30+ financial and commodities markets. For more information, you can drop me a comment or an email to xela.reniark@gmail.com

Standard
History, Politics, Truth, War and peace

A history of conspiracies

In his address to the National Press Club yesterday (14 March), Sy Hersh shared a few important insights.

Yesterday evening, Seymour Hersh addressed the National Press Club in New York. The event was organized by the Committee for the Republic which kindly invited me to attend via Zoom. As expected, much of what Mr. Hersh covered was related to his latest story about the Nord Stream 2 attack including much minutia about the actual physical challenges in setting up the explosive charges to the pipelines. What Hersh laid out made the recent New York Times story about six pro-Ukrainian individuals with boxcutters a sailing yacht beyond ridiculous. The video, courtesy of the Committee for the Republic is below:

Continue reading →
Standard
History, Politics, War and peace

Escalation to World War III and the British establishment

UK’s leading establishment figures are gung-ho promoting World War III. What’s behind the agenda?

Last October I published an article titled “Britain’s secret diplomacy and European wars,” exploring the role of Britain in bringing about both of last century’s World Wars and contributing to the current escalation in Ukraine.

Continue reading →
Standard
Politics, War and peace

It’s done: realities of the hyper-transparent spy world

On Monday, 26 September 2022 someone blew up the Nord Stream pipeline system, built at Germany’s request, to deliver Natural Gas from Russia to Germany. For a number of reasons, some of which I articulated in the article, “Britain’s Secret Diplomacy and the European Wars,” I thought that Great Britain was probably the mastermind and one of the perpetrators behind the attacks. Again, not any legitimate British government organization, but some deep state networks within the British military and structures. I expressed this view in the podcast with Tom Luongo, published five days after the attacks.

This week, Russia’s Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Defence revealed that Britain’s (then) PM Liz Truss sent a message to the US State Secretary Antony Blinken, saying “It’s done.”

Continue reading →
Standard
Central banking, Eurasia, Great Reset, Monetary reform, Politics, Social development, War and peace

The real war: People vs. the Banks

Recessions, debt, energy crisis, inflation and wars… somehow it is all related, and it is related at a global level, impacting nearly all economies and markets. It all seems to be going rather badly for the “rules based global order,” or as some prefer to call it, “the empire of lies.”

Shock, after shock, after shock…

Last week, on Oct. 6, Kristalina Georgieva, IMF’s Managing Director gave a speech at the Georgetown University in Washington where she explained that the global economy, which was expected to recover strongly after the Covid 19 pandemic, experienced a “shock, after shock, after shock” instead, that it is now experiencing a “fundamental shift,” and that this shift could create a “dangerous new normal.” Georgieva thinks this can only be mitigated by “countries working together.”

We’re winning in Ukraine! Or maybe we’re not.

Continue reading →
Standard
Eurasia, History, Politics, War and peace

Britain’s secret diplomacy and the European wars

On Monday this week, Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau signed a diplomatic note and delivered it to the German Federal Foreign Office, formally demanding $1.3 trillion in war reparations for damages suffered by Poland during WW2. The sum – indubitably calculated by experts – represents a cool $15,500 per man, woman and child living in Germany today and over $34,000 per man, woman, and child living in Poland.

What’s going on? If you ever read E. D. Morel’s 1912 book, “Ten Years of Secret Diplomacy,” or more recent titles like Carroll Quigley‘s “Tragedy and Hope,” “The Secret Origins of the First World War” by Gerry Docherty and Jim Macgregor, or “Conjuring Hitler” by Guido Giacomo Preparata (in fact, many such titles have emerged over the last two decades), you may be familiar with the shockingly perfidious scheming of British secret diplomacy, perpetrated by a covert cabal within the ruling establishment. That secret diplomacy – kept secret primarily from the British people – has led to the last two world wars on the European continent. This was done deliberately and with premeditated intention to bring about both great wars.

Continue reading →
Standard
Great Reset, History, Liberty, Politics, Tyranny

Trump, China and the emerging reign of terror

Commenting about Nancy Pelosi‘s provocative recent visit to Taiwan in my last week’s article I questioned the point of provoking an unwinnable conflict against China:

But what could be the point of provoking China? Do American Congressmen, think tanks and sundry Admirals and Generals think they can defeat China? Obviously, they can’t possibly think that, they just spent 20 years trying to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan and failed. Even the Pentagon’s own war simulations came to the conclusion that their Pacific fleet would be destroyed in short order in a war against China. So the risks are clear. What benefits could possibly justify taking such risks?

The important bit to realize here is that the primary target of the war against China would not really be China. It would be the American people. The shiny new world war in the Pacific would deflect people’s attention from the metastasizing crises at home, redirect people’s anger at a foreign enemy and for the same high price also provide the ideal smokescreen for a radical crackdown on dissent against the racists, nazis, enemy sympathizers, deplorables, domestic extremists, insurrectionists and all other kinds of thought criminals. As James Madison warned us, “If tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy.”

Continue reading →
Standard
Liberty, Policy, Politics, Tyranny, War and peace

War on China: the real target are the American people

As I write these lines, the US House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi is apparently en route to Taiwan in what can only be described as a calculated, gratuitous provocation of China. The “normies” will surely protest that Pelosi has the right to visit other democratical nations, bla, bla, bla. For the record, Taiwan is part of China, not an independent nation – even according to the official US government position. But that nonsense is the same kind that was applied to Ukraine: she had the right to join any military alliance she wanted, it’s about freedom, democracy, our values, etc…

Western think tanks have been predicting a war with China war for many years now as though it were an inevitable outcome, a future set in stone. In September 2016, the Atlantic Council published a report predicting a world “marked by the breakdown of order, violent extremism and an era of perpetual war.” The designated enemies of course are Russia and China. Two years later, a bipartisan Congressional panel published a lengthy report “Providing for the Common Defense,” which argued that the USA needs to prepare for devastating wars against the two resurgent powers. Nowhere in this document is there any suggestion that such a war ought to be avoided, and apart for the brief four years of the Trump administration, the US leadership has consistently worked to build up tensions rather than diffuse them. Then, in February 2021 Admiral Charles Richard who heads US Strategic Command called on the nation’s military and civilian leaders to seek new ways to face threats by Russia and China, including the “real possibility” of nuclear conflict. Why? Because Moscow and Beijing have “begun to aggressively challenge international norms.”

One nation started 80% of all wars since 1946

Continue reading →
Standard
Central banking, Eurasia, History, Policy, Politics

The “Three Block” global agenda today and the role of finance (part 3 of 3)

This is part 3 of a 3-part series shedding light on the role of British secret diplomacy in the run-up to World War 2. This article looks at the role of finance in shaping the new global order, still based on the same three-block world agenda. Here are the links to Part 1, Part 2 and the 46 min. video report on YouTube, which covers all three parts.

The “three block” imperial agenda today

While Nazism was defeated in World War II at a massive cost in lives and treasure, the same structures of power that financed and empowered Hitler have retained their levers of power and are continuing to shape global geopolitics to this day. They have not given up on their vision of a “three block world”, which is perhaps most visibly represented by the Trilateral Commission, one of the most influential think tanks in the world. Founded in July 1973, the Trilateral Commission’s aim is to foster close cooperation between Japan, Western Europe and North America. But unlike in the 1930s, today the control of continental Europe is being pursued through the ostensibly democratic political institutions of the European Union rather than by conquest and brute military force.

Continue reading →
Standard
Eurasia, History, Politics, Tyranny, War and peace

Appeasement: the shocking truth about the 1938 Munich Agreement (part 1 of 3)

(Video report & 3-part article) With escalating tensions between Russia and the west, we keep hearing about Munich and about Appeasement that led to World War II. But the truth of those events has remained widely misunderstood. As one meme going around in the social media says, “If the news are fake, imagine how bad history is!” To avoid sleepwalking into another great war, it is essential that we understand what really happened in 1938. Prepare, it is nothing like they taught us in school.

Continue reading →
Standard