This week has been dominated by Russia’s offensive actions in North Kharkov which have gained more ground in a matter of days than the famous and failed Ukrainian offensive managed to achieve last summer: now all the gains made have been lost. It appears that Ukrainian defences in Kharkiv were inadequately constructed thus facilitating a relatively quick Russian advance towards Liptsky and Volchansk.
This appears to have sent panic waves across the Atlantic to America where Anthony Blinken was stirred into action and a Kiev meeting with Zelensky. There has been much speculation about what was said at this meeting but Blinken’s attempts at reassurance do not appear to have worked. Z is blaming the whole world for his predicament and demands two Patriot Systems to stem the Russian tide (only two Patriots?).
In the Middle East, the Israelis continue their genocide in Rafah but some say they are getting a bloody nose. The ICC and ICJ continue to be frustratingly ineffective in stopping the murder and starvation of Palestinians. Hezbollah continues to surprise the Israelis with the accuracy of its attacks while the Houthis are intensifying their assaults on shipping in the Red Sea.
In the US, Donald J is on trial yet again but his lawyers are doing a good job apparently. Sorry, but does anyone know of a politician who has been vilified as much as the Trump?
Back in Russia, Putin has conducted a reshuffle, including the appointment of economics and industrial expert, Andrey Belousov as Defence Minister. Shortly afterwards, the Russian President took half his cabinet to China where they met with Xi and his advisors to discuss economic cooperation aimed at avoiding Western sanctions - among other things. Some believe that the cooperation between the two countries is being taken to a whole new level.
Russian Issues
Putin Reshuffle
Putin has appointed Sergei Shoigu as Secretary of the Russian Security Council and relieved Patrushev of the post. Patrushev will now become a close adviser to the President. Andrey Belouslov was appointed Defence Secretary in place of Shoigu who will now be Putin’s deputy within the commission on the Military Industrial Complex. Belouslov has a background in economics and industrial production. Russia is planning to incorporate the growing military industrial complex into the economy as a whole and Belouslov’s experience fits him to this role. Sputnik has more on the story here. But some, including Tom Pfotzer (MoA - 64 - Ukraine thread 13th May), believe that Belouslov will contribute to an integration of Russian and Chinese industry: that’s why he has been appointed instead of Shoigu who doesn’t possess the industrial background for this venture.
Marat Khairullen also praised Belouslov for his involvement in resisting Western sanctions. He also pointed out that:
The Ministry of Defense is not the Army now... The army is the General Staff. The Ministry of Defense is the Army + military economy and industry.
The purely military component in the Ministry of Defense is now dealt with by the General Staff. The minister is a military economy, entry into the military-industrial complex, close interaction with it in the interests of the Ministry of Defense and reconfiguring the entire economy of the country for defense.
Referring to Belouslov, he observes:
And this person, with his influence, knowledge, opportunities and connections…will pump so much fresh air into the war economy that the Army will run this difficult marathon to victory. And this economy will not be fixated only on the needs of the army. Belousov's scale is to ensure and direct the energy of the growth of the military-industrial complex to the economy of the entire country, so that the defense industry does not stew in itself, but also has a load on "consumer goods", as they said at the congresses of the CPSU, so that it drags the development of all structural components of the country's economy and industry.
If you remember, Shoigu’s deputy, Timu Ivanov, was arrested in April on charges of bribery. You can read more at Pravda. General Yuri Kuznetsov, a senior figure in Russia’s Defence Ministry, was also arrested on suspicion of taking bribes, according to Sputnik.
‘Russian Cities Must be Liberated’ - Pushilin
Head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said in an interview that Russia should take back all ‘Russian’ cities, including Kharkov, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and Sumy. He also highlighted the possibility that the West could assassinate Zelensky. Z is in a difficult position really because the West can’t just ask him to leave at this point. It can’t say ‘leave it all behind and come to Florida’ - or wherever. So, those who feel he has become a liability and, at the same time, a perfect scapegoat, may be attracted to the assassination option.
Russia Outproducing the West
Ukraine has said that it needs at least 4.2 millions per year as an operational minimum.
Russian is Fighting Europe
The figures on the above chart show just how much Europe is involved is the Ukraine war.
The Immortal Regiment
The ‘Immortal Regiment’ is the name given to a tradition in which people whose relatives fought and died in the Great Patriotic war carry pictures of their loved ones on Victory Day marches and demonstrations. The Soviets lost 27 millions during the war so this is a fitting tribute that the West could learn from.
Resistance
Anyway, I have covered only a few stories of sabotage by resistance movements in Ukraine so it’s good to get another one. It appears that an anti-mobilisation ‘partisan’ group is operating in Sumy and has burned the car of a hated TCC employee. Yes, I know, it’s not great but I am thankful for small mercies. But I have also heard of female ‘partisans’ who have fended off attempts by the hateful TCC to take their men off to die. You can watch it here if you have Telegram or here if you haven’t.
Cats and Dogs Unite at the Front
Can’t imagine my hound doing something like this - good to see natural enemies becoming friends.
Ukraine Matters
It’s The Manpower - Stupid
For years, Western commentators on this war have been telling us that Russia will run out of missiles, shells, tanks or whatever. But I can’t remember them talking about Russia running out of men (though they may have done so) - since Russia’s eligible male population is far, far more numerous than that of Ukraine. Moreover, whereas not all Ukrainian men are in the country and not many are willing to fight, thousands of Russians volunteer to join the military every week. So the pool of recruits for Russia is increasing while that of Ukraine is decreasing.
And now it is becoming obvious that the Ukrainians are suffering enormous manpower shortages. This has been exposed by Russia’s latest offensive action in North Kharkov where they have been ‘testing the waters’, perhaps. Daniel Davis talks about it here. For some time, I have shared the view of many ‘experts’ that Russia has been attempting to stretch the Ukrainian forces in order to exploit their troop movements for weaknesses on various points of the front. So I agree with Davis who speculates that the build up of Russian forces in Sumy region could open up yet another front, thereby stretching the Ukrainian forces to an elastic band type breaking point.
This would force the Ukrainians into a game of robbing Peter to pay Paul that can be sustained for only so long. It appears that many troops are being transferred north from Chasov Yar. I think we may be witnessing the very beginnings of a collapse resulting from this.
Manpower is an area where the West can’t help the Ukrainians without risking further catastrophic escalation - though many Western leaders have contemplated doing so. But these leaders may know how dire the manpower situation is and are taking risks born of panic in suggesting that NATO, US or European troops get involved ‘on the ground’. But it’s all in vain: it’s too late: the manpower shortage cannot be fixed - not even by women.
Even Ukrainian General Kyrylo Budanov, agrees that stretching the Ukrainian forces in order to secure their collapse is precisely what the Russians are doing by invading in the north - and he believes that it is working - according to the NYT. It seem as if the Ukrainian reserves are close to being exhausted. The replacement rate of Ukrainian losses is a paltry 25% apparently. Budanov also pointed out that the money for building trenches/defences in the Kharkov and Sumy regions actually went to fictitious companies (no surprise there). The defences that even the once great Z thought existed were never built and the Ukrainian army is suffering in consequence.
One of the expert commentators, it may have been Colonel McGregor I think, said that we could witness an army collapse in the field during the conflict and recent developments suggest that this is more likely than it has ever been.
US Has Given NATO Responsibility for Ukraine
According to the Duran, the US is to hand over responsibility for supporting Ukraine to NATO. Think about that. The US is telling NATO to take this responsibility. Does this not show that the US controls NATO - otherwise, why should NATO accept this without protest. But it also allows the US to ‘pass the buck’ for the coming disaster to an organisation that many people believe to be independent of the US.
Habitual Western Idiot Stoltenberg (featured many time on this Update) has said that if Ukraine loses the war with Russia, there is no point in rebuilding the country. This reminds me of Hitler’s instruction to his architect/arms minister Albert Speer that he wanted Germany’s infrastructure to be destroyed so it could not be used by the enemy. The German people, Hitler said, have shown themselves to be inferior to the Slavic people, so do not deserve to survive. Therefore it is better that they are deprived of anything that could sustain them.
Do you see the similarities? Old Stolty is saying that the people of Ukraine matter only if they win.
In response, the reliably acerbic Maria Zakharova didn’t disappoint when she said: ‘The future of Ukraine is of interest only in this context [i.e. the context of the war]. The future of the Ukrainian people does not interest them at all’. This is so, so true. Fighting to the last Ukrainian - which has been the West’s mantra, was never going to benefit Ukrainians. And the West will probably come to hate Ukrainians because they will provide a constant reminder of its decadence, incompetence, impotence, insouciance and so on. No one likes to be reminded of things that highlight one’s own inadequacies. I believe that in the long run Ukrainians will forgive their Russian ‘brothers’ and castigate their Western manipulators. But that’s the optimist in me speaking. One thing I have learned from a fairly long existence is that goodness is not always rewarded and that evil sometimes prevails. Anyway, in the wise words of Doris Day’s Mum: ‘Que Sera, Sera, whatever will be will be’ - regardless of our wishes (google it).
German Deputies Want No Fly Zone
A number of German deputies, including the obligatory Green ‘warmonger’ want to create a 70 kilometre ‘safe zone’ in Ukraine with support from air defence systems in Romania, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, which would make it possible to shoot down Russian missiles and drones. As someone once said: ‘What could possibly go wrong?’.
The Once Great Z
Zelensky looks awful in the above photo but we can all get caught in an embarrassing posture by the camera. But I saw this on Telegram showing Z’s meeting with Blinken and it shows that he has deteriorated considerably. Had to share it. It’s also on X: https://twitter.com/i/status/1790385326545846476. In an interview following Blinken’s visit he said ‘It’s the whole world’s fault. The world gave Putin the opportunity to occupy our country, but now, right now, the world can help us’.
Mobilisation is Increasing Crime Rates
According to RADA MP Anna Skorokhod (pictured), Ukrainian men eligible for military service are committing crimes so that they can be sent to prison rather than being killed or maimed at the front. Someone from Slavyangrad summed up the situation as follows: ‘The people are looking for salvation in prison from Zelensky’s butchers’. While others are looking for salvation in Romania.
11,000 Flee to Romania
One Ukrainian source claims that since the SMO began, 11,000 men of military age have fled from Ukraine to Romania - sometimes swimming across water. Many die in the attempt.
Ukraine Needs Hundreds of Billions - Malyushka
This week, Ukraine’s Justice Minister, Denys Malyushka, made some astonishing demands of Ukraine’s donors when he said:
If we talk about Ukraine's needs and the needs of the war, military and non-military, then 3 billion euros is actually almost nothing - we need hundreds of billions to win the war.
Now if the representatives of these donors are betting men, I would be surprised that having seen their horse falling hurdle after hurdle, race after race, and now being fit for nowt but the knackers yard, they would gamble on Ukraine - unless they are having their arms twisted or their pockets filled. Have a guess as to what he needs to win this war? He needs to be Russia!
Ukraine A Corrupt S**thole - Cummings
Ex-Boris Johnson adviser and Brexit campaigner Dominic Cummings has done something that no major mainstream British politician has done: he’s told the truth about Ukraine. The UK and its allies, he said, were conned into supporting a ‘corrupt mafia state’ and entered a war of attrition against Russia and China. ‘We should never have got into this whole stupid situation’, he said - and described Ukraine as a ‘corrupt s***thole that doesn’t matter at all’. ‘‘This whole Ukrainian corrupt mafia state has basically conned us all and we’re all going to get f**ked as a consequence’’, he said. With regard to the West’s desire to teach Putin a lesson for invading Ukraine, he observed, according to RT:
The lesson we’ve taught Putin is that we’re a bunch of total f**king jokers. I mean, Putin already knew that before the war. But this has emphasized it and broadcast it to the entire world, what a bunch of clowns we are.
He castigated Boris Johnson, with whom he is no longer on speaking terms, for misrepresenting the conflict to parliament and acting out his Churchillian fantasies.
Who Won The War?
I think this shows how effective propaganda is in the media and education. I have known for decades that the USSR played by far the biggest part in defeating the Nazis because I read history. But when I was a child growing up in the 1950s we used to sing a rhyme: ‘We won the war in 1944’. This never made sense to me because the war ended in 1945. Perhaps we used 1944 instead because it rhymes. Of course, we Britons believed we had played the biggest role in defeating Hitler and the D-Day landings in 1944 were the start of that. It is as if children were saying that once the Brits had landed in Normandy (in 1944) Germany’s defeat was inevitable. So we thought that the invasion of France was decisive. I don’t remember any talk about Russians - or Americans for that matter. We talked about Italians because we had so many of their POWs imprisoned in Wales who settled here after the war. They brought us cafes, coffee and ice cream. My Mum was in the land army and worked with Italian POWs on Welsh farms. She is 97 and still reminisces about those times.
Ukrainian Terrorist Attacks (i.e. those that target civilians)
10th May
Many villages in Kursk region came under attack from shelling and drones overnight. Many drones were shot down or disabled by electronic means. There were no reported casualties and very little damage. The Ukrainians are using balloons with boxes attacked - presumably filled with explosives - but these were shot down. In Belgorod region, eight civilians were injured by shelling.
11th May
Belgorod region came under very intense rocket attack overnight which injured eight people. Explosive dropped from a drone hit a parked truck killing the driver and injuring his passenger. Another drone attack injured a woman in Tserkovny, according to Rybar. For those who don’t have Telegram you can read more in Sputnik. In Leninsky (DPR) the Ukrainians targeted a restaurant killing 5 and injuring 8.
12th May
In Belgorod, shelling caused ten stories of a residential building to collapse. A criminal case of terrorism has been opened by the Russians. Later reports revealed that 19 people died and 27 more were injured in the attack - which makes it one of the most bloody in recent weeks.
Kursk, the LPR and the DPR were all attacked killing at least twelve people in total and injuring sixty. Belgorod was attacked one more time late in the day.
13th May
Belgorod was attacked again overnight but there are no reports of casualties. Drones attacked a vehicle in Gushkovsky district of Kursk where one person was killed and another three injured. In the DPR two people walking towards the local market were killed by a shell that landed next to them.
13th/14th May
On the evening of the 13th, seven people were injured by shellfire in Belgorod which was attacked again on the morning of the 14th May when one individual was wounding. Some MLRS missiles were shot down in the region but others got through to cause damage to houses. The region also suffered drone attacks. Many districts of Kursk were also shelled overnight. The LPR was attacked with ATACMS killing three civilians while four were wounded by shelling in the DPR. On the 13th May, a train was derailed by Ukrainian drones in Volgograd causing a fire which was quickly extinguished.
14th/15th May
Many villages in Belgorod were attacked by artillery shells and drones overnight injuring two civilians and damaging vehicles and houses.
15th/16th May
The Ukrainians launched massive attacks on civilians overnight. In Belgorod, two civilians were injured by shelling in Shebekino. Elsewhere in Belgorod, drones attacked a car injuring three people while other cars were damaged by explosives dropped from drones - according to the Two Majors. In Kursk region, explosives were dropped from a drone onto construction workers injuring one of them. Many villages in Kursk were shelled and damage was caused to a house, a car and a lorry. Eight explosive devices were dropped from ‘copters’ on a number of villages including Tyotkino and Volfino but there were no casualties.
16th/17th May Overnight
Belgorod came under attack overnight. A kamikaze drone hit a car killing a mother and child while wounding the father. Kursk also came under attack from shelling and explosive devices dropped from drones but there was minimal damage and no casualties were reported. In the DPR, however, four were killed and three others injured by Ukrainian strikes. The village of Zernovo in Bryansk was shelled and one resident was killed.
The Sea War
13th May
In the morning, four Stormshadow type missiles and seven drones were shot down over Crimea.
14th/15th May
Baalbek (Belbek) and Sevastopol were attacked by 16 ATACMS missiles overnight, 13 of which were shot down.
15th/16th May Overnight
According to the Two Majors:
For the second night, the enemy attacked Crimea and Sevastopol with missiles. The Russian Defence Ministry reported that 5 ATACMS were shot down, and there were up to 12 explosions according to testimonies from the ground. One of them sounded in the area of the Belbek Military Airfield, the net got footage of a heavy fire. The night before, the said facility was also targeted by the enemy. Near the northwest coast of Crimea reported the fight against the enemy's unmanned boats.
Numerous unmanned boats were also spotted near Tarkhankut and Chornomorske: one of which was destroyed. Around 14.00 hours Moscow time 11 of these boats were located close to the Crimean peninsular and destroyed.
16th/17th May Overnight
Sevastopol was attacked overnight by at least 100 drones which damaged a substation. Two fighter aircraft were destroyed at Belbeck airfield - according to the Military Chronicle.
The Air War (Map)
Russian Missile/Drone Attacks
There were fewer reported attacks by the Russians this week.
11th May
Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk and Sumy all came under attack overnight causing damage to an air defence system and two Mi-24 helicopters.
12th May
Kharkov, Sumy and Mirgorod all came under attack on the 12th May.
16th/17th May
Kharkov, Chirnihiv, Sumy and Mirgorod were attacked overnight - according to Rybar.
It’s been a quiet week for the Russian Air War - maybe they are building for something big.
Ukrainian Missile/Drone Attacks
10th/11th May
Overnight, the Ukrainians hit an oil depot in the DPR killing four civilians and injuring another seven.
12th May
Ukrainian drones attacked an oil refinery in the Volgograd causing a fire that was quickly extinguished.
13th May
An oil depot in Krasnador was hit overnight causing a fire.
16th/17th May
Overnight, ten drones attacked oil refineries at Novorossiysk and Tuapse (Krasnador region) were attacked again causing fires.
The Ground War
Russian MoD Reports
w/e 26th April 8280 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 331.
w/e 3rd May 6665 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 283.
w/e 10th May 6460 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 237.
w/e 17th May 9565 Casualties killed and wounded: equipment losses 445.
Losses in both men and materiel have increased substantially this week as Russian offensive action increases.
The Fronts
Front Line Cats
North Kharkov
12th May
The Russian MoD provided this report of operations associated with the Kharkov offensive via the Two Majors:
Units of the North group of forces advanced into the depths of the enemy’s defenses and liberated the settlements of Gatishche, Krasnoye, Morokhovets and Oleynikovo in the Kharkov region. In the areas of the settlements of Degtyarnoye, Volchansk and Kazachya Lopan in the Kharkov region, they defeated the manpower and equipment of units of the 14th mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the 110th and 113th military defense brigades.
If you would like some analysis of Russia’s intentions in launching these attacks, which some say could be diversionary in nature, have a look at Willie OAM (22mins). Simplicius also believes that this attack is diversionary and/or a reconnaissance in force and provides a detailed account with lots of maps that can be accessed here.
I think that both Simplicius and OAM appreciate, as I do, that the Russians will not have a single plan but will be able to accommodate different situations as they arise and they will choose which one to take based on various factors. So, no one knows what the Russians will do because that will depend on what the Ukrainians do - and the Russians can’t be certain how the Ukrainians will respond so they must (and will) be flexible. Flexibility is so important in war - as you probably know. I am not going to repeat that old cliche that battle plans don’t survive the start of the battle - oops.
Some Ukrainians believe that the fact that defences have not been constructed accounts for the relative ease of the Russian advance. They suspect that money devoted to this has been stolen or that the Ukrainians consider cities to be a cheap form of fortification.
By May 14th, according to the Military Chronicle, the Russians had occupied the northern half of Volchansk having broken the Ukrainian defences and defeated the Kraken battalions sent to stop them. According to Weeb (10 mins) only 4,000 Russian troops have been involved in these offensive operations. Weeb also shows the poor state of Ukrainian defences in this area.
The Chronicle guys also reported on evacuations taking place in the Sumy region where, they believe, another Russian offensive will be launched. By the end of the week, Lukyantsy came under Russian control and fighting continued in Volchansk.
This is a Sitrep map for the 16th May:
It’s just a half hour’s drive in a south easterly direction from Vovchansk to Kupyansk. And an advance in this direction would send panic waves through the Ukrainian command because the flank of the whole Donbass front will have been exposed. Russia may be content to create a ‘buffer zone’ but will take advantage of other possibilities as they present themselves. I am not going to speculate.
By the end of the week, while the Russians entered Liptsy, the Ukrainians were starting to transfer border guards from the Lvov area to Kharkov - but this will weaken the border allowing more draft dodgers to enter Poland: 25,000 are reported to have entered Poland in just three days.
Zaporozhye - Rabotino
The village of Rabotino - or the area where Rabotino used to be - came under Russian control on May 15th - though some reports on the 16th May suggested that some houses in the north of the village were still under Ukrainian control. Fighting continues north west of Verbove.
Chasiv Yar
On May 11th, Denis Pushilin, head of the DPR, said that Russian troops are already in the city and that it will fall soon. Some say that this would cause the Ukrainian’s defences in the Donbass to collapse. But Ukraine’s ground forces commander Oleksandr Pavyluk has said that Chasov Yar is unimportant strategically. Where have we heard that before.
Krasnogorovka
On May 12th, the Ukrainians retreated from Krasnogorovka to avoid encirclement. In doing so, the Ukrainians abandoned a line they have held since 2014.
Avdeevka
The village of Umanskoye came under the control of the Russian army on May 15th.
Kherson
No changes in this boring Direction.
The Economic War
The Dollar Trick
On May 10th, Alexander Lukashenko (leader of Belarus) said publicly that by printing money the US is passing the inflation onto those countries that deal in the dollar. This is one reason why BRICS countries want to ditch the currency.
World Politics
Blinken to Kiev
This is Anthony Blinken visiting Kiev on the 14th May. I don’t think it is a coincidence that the visit came so shortly after the Russian offensive in Kharkov. It looks as if Blinken will be putting his arms around poor Z to reassure him that the West will continue to support him as he falls beneath the waves. According to RT (14th May) Blinken promised the delivery of new weapons that would be ‘game changers’ - sounds familiar.
Blinken met with Z, talked about the dire situation, then went for a Pizza in a restaurant adorned with Nazi regalia before performing a Neil Young song at a night club - while misunderstanding the message of the song. Bizarre indeed.
All this reminded me of that scene from ‘Downfall’ where Eva Braun is encouraging everyone to party in a drunken debauched orgy in the Reich Chancellery before a Russian artillery shell brings them scampering down to the earthly reality that is the bunker (where many of them will end their earthly existence). It’s a pity the Russians could not have done something similar on this occasion!
Blinken had the cheek to say that Putin is weaponising corruption in Ukraine - with a straight face - as you can see on Telegram here or on X. It seems that the most valued skill among Western politicians is the ability to lie convincingly. Our own excuse for a Prime Minister (unelected) said a year ago that the UK had cut off Russian gas (to stick it to Putin), yet just over a year later, he is bleating that the Russians have cut off our gas. Unbelievable!
Robert Fico - Assassination Attempt
Fico was shot three or four times in the chest and stomach by a would-be assassin who was apprehended. He was conscious when he arrived at hospital and reports on his condition vary. This report says that his condition has stabilised.
New Caledonia
I found this story fascinating because it shows how illogical the old Unipolar World Order was/is. Caledonia is a name some give to Scotland. So when I heard that the French were concerned about civil unrest in their colony of New Caledonia, I had to look at a map which told me that this place is east of Australia - yet this is still a French colony??? It’s a bit like the claim that the Falkland Islands belong to Britain - though they are thousands of miles away. This is the illogicality of Empire. You can read more here.
The emerging Multi-Polar World Order
Putin to China
Putin visited Xi this week. After the two leaders signed an agreement to strengthen their relationship, Putin announced that 90% of the trade between the two countries is conducted in rubles and the yuan. He also said:
Our cooperation in world affairs today is one of the main stabilizing factors internationally. Moscow and Beijing attach great importance to their partnership, a model of relations between neighboring countries.
Putin reminded the West that the Russian-Chinese relationship is not directed against anyone but is defending principles of justice and democracy in a Multi-Polar World.
Xi said that the relationship between Russia and China not only serves the interests of both countries but benefits peace and prosperity in the region and throughout the World.
According to Pravda, Putin took half his new cabinet with him, including Belousov the new Defence Minister who knows China well. It is thought that representative of both countries were discussing closer military cooperation and ways to avoid sanctions coming from the West. They also discussed their ‘strategic energy alliance’ according to RT and expressed their opposition to Military Blocs in the Pacific.
And as Putin departed Xi offered him a hug - the last thing the West wanted to see -https://x.com/i/status/1791233601582813306.
If you want some more discussion/analysis of the visit, b from the MoA provides it (Russia-China Reveal Their Global Agenda - 17th May 2024).
The World is Growing Up - Maybe
Some believe that BRICS+ and the emerging Multi-Polar World Order could represent a mature phase in human development. In its infancy, human history was characterised by struggles over scarce resources in which conflict between groups became the norm. Conquer or be conquered was the mantra of antiquity that has prevailed until now. Uneven world development permitted a long period of imperialism where stronger Western countries dominated poorer ‘Southern’ nations.
But the mantra of BRICS is live and let live and it represents a complete break with the imperialist ‘tradition’. Competition over scarce resources has reduced considerably in recent years and some believe that the US Empire may have been the last expression of that childishness which employs brute force to achieve superiority in trade. Naturally, the West will continue to throw its toys out of the pram and there is a risk that someone will get hurt. But after the Western infant has exhausted itself there will be no going back to the childish model of global interaction between states.
This is why we live in ‘interesting times’ and are privileged to do so. Liberalism, as it developed into a political tool rather than a political philosophy was distorted into its antithesis: liberalism became authoritarianism. But liberalism in the hands of progressives forces, such as BRICS+, challenges authoritarianism by promoting this ‘live and let live’ philosophy. According to this, each nation is independent and free to chose its own form of government, its moral code, its laws and its culture - without pressure from outsiders. Yes - I know, it’s a little Utopian but I believe it will happen.
Well that’s it for another eventful week. Many thanks for your views, subscriptions, likes, shares and comments. Best wishes - Rob
X (Twitter) Link: https://twitter.com/RobCampbel8640
Thanks for yet another great update Rob. Regarding the vilification of politicians I think no politician has been vilified more than Vladimir Putin at least in the West. It is stupid and really off the scale, even my mother sneers at Putin. Fuck! I had to remind her that he is elected to look after Russia, not the fragile egos and greed of the West. Xi Jinping, at least in Australia, comes next, but the Donald is up there.
For someone who grew up in Britain with how Britain and the US won WW2, it came as a surprise to find out how little they did in comparison to the USSR. This is perhaps best described by the wonderful commentator Tim Watkins and his website's post of 22 June 2019 [https://consciousnessofsheep.co.uk/2019/06/22/the-wwii-battle-you-probably-havent-heard-of/]. Just to say that on a per capita basis Canada provided so much more than the US and did not wait years before joining in to support Britain in either WW1 or WW2.
It is not the first time that US money printing has let to it exporting inflation. The money the US spent on fighting in Vietnam and SE Asia let to Nixon stopping convertibility between the US dollar and gold in 1971. This led to inflation especially, but not only, in Britain's major inflation which was blamed on the power of unions that let to the rise of Thatcher and neoliberalism.
The old expression of "What you sow, you shall reap" seems very appropriate. The UK and USA in particular and the West in general have consistently pushed Russia away when Russia wanted more involvement in 'The Western Club.' Now the complaint is the Russia has got to friendly with China. God what idiots we are, or at least our leaders. Finally, a British advisor comes out with the partial truth on the mafia state and all the people we are killing with our lies and deceit.
What would be nice is if all the other deaths and conflicts that result from deliberate US & UK policies around the world were made public, for instance the 1,000s killed by drones during Obama's time as president and by Israel in the wider Middle East which would show how duplicitous the Western ideals of freedom and democracy is demonstrated to the rest of the world and why they have turned away from us.