So - Israel carries out a very limited attack on Iran and the Iranians are not really bothered about retaliating, such was the devastating nature of the attack. Let's hope it ends there.
Oh dear Joy - you have spoiled my opening rant! I've seen it described as a seaside resort but maybe this is wrong - but it is close to water. As for the EU result, I haven't seen any reports of Moldovans voting against the EU. I hope you are right. Regarding the Arundhati Roy quote, I wrote a song based on that a long time ago: a jiggy type ditty - 'The time is ripe for a Brave New World; she's whispering: on a quiet day I can hear her call; she's whispering, on a quiet day I can hear her call'. I share your wish about the S-400s - it's soul destroying/heartbreaking having to watch this.
As Moldavia foreign votes swayed the referendum, will the same thing happen in the US presidential election in 10 days? Lots of rumors and suspicious activities about this.
And if by some miracle Trump wins, what happens to the uk relationship?
2020 was an amazing dirty politics hit job by the Democrats and the establishment gop Allie’s (looking at you Bill Barr and Raffenberger) that succeeded. And unbelievable there are political prisoners from Jan 6, a deep state set up, that have not faced trial yet and new people are being charged.
You have just broken my record for comments on the Update - previous record was 40 comments but this week I have had 41. I love the term 'wet-noodle drop'. Cheers Kam
Food for thought. At end of piece author compares G20 with BRICS Declarations and finds little, if any, difference.
First there is bifurcation. Then there will be one big happy new world order or that order will comprise two seemingly separate blocs pursuing the same global agendas with different bloc 'characteristics'. (BRICS, after all, is a Goldman Sachs brainchild.)
Contemplating geopolitical developments along with the highly charged, manic-depressive US political drama has led me to develop an ad-hoc working philosophy about both philosophy and life in general which I call simply 'layers and levels' in the sense that everything is multi-faceted. So I think that the multipolar movement is real and substantive on many levels whilst on others it's a bit of a con. Both can be true at the same time. Same with US politics: on the one hand the whole thing is some sort of bizarre kayfabe-kabuki whilst on the other it is all too real affecting real peoples' lives and it is real people who vote although even with real people there is a heavy delusion quotient making them not quite real either at the same time.
Cheers Random. I agree with you about layers/levels but in what sense is BRICS a con? I'm not saying it isn't a con at some level but maybe you could explain. I think that BRICS is real in the sense that its members exist and they have ideas about cooperation, national sovereignty and so on. But this does not compare with the 'substance' it has in prospect or as potential. But it could flatter to deceive - so in that sense it could be a con. Being an optimist I am hoping it will develop into a force for good - but from the link you and Arthur sent, it doesn't appear very radical at the moment.
Thanks for this weeks update Rob, some really good stuff here.
I read on topwar.ru that Zelensky is doubling down on stupid and the 47th mechanised brigade was sent to Kursk from the Donbass to prolong the slaughter a bit longer.
Also on zero hedge commenters are saying that the CIA were behind the attack on Turkey/Erdogan when he was at BRICS conference via their proxy PKK. A sort of warning maybe?
We can be pretty sure Z is under the influence but it seems like a lot of our other great leaders are on some sort of feel good medication as well.
Every week the old world order seems to sink further into the abyss.
Cheers Anthony, I would not be surprised if the Brits and/or the CIA are behind it - as a warning maybe. For Zelensky, having his troops pushed out of Ukraine is worse than losing the Donbass at the moment. I hear that Kursk and Solidove are close to collapse - but positions labelled thus sometimes take weeks or months to be taken.
Towns like that e.g. Bakhmut used to turn into meatgrinders in 22/ 23 maybe, but now with half the defenders pulled into the Kursk vortex to defend tree lines and forests the Ukrainian towns are untenable.
Also operational encirclements around Selidovo and near Kurakhovo plus other areas I cannot see them holding out for more than 2-3 weeks.
I read a couple of articles on Ukraine pravda yesterday (on ukranisation of language and also on a right sector volunteer who was killed at Kursk)
One thing that strikes you is the chasm that has been created between what Ukraine is/was and the direction it is being pushed by the nationalists.
Selidovo looks done but I'm not sure about Kursk. I hear that Ukrainians can now be fined $83 for using the Russian language in any form. I don't think there's any other country in the world that has banned a language.
Yes, if only the general public did a bit of research away from MSM so they could see who they are dealing with-in the junta and it's comedian.
Kursk does look like it will go on a lot longer.
There are lots of forest tracts in the area and the UAF have built extensive defence lines and fire pockets around them. Plus those anti personnel mines are being set up everywhere.
Very slow progress to take them back and costly too especially when your own country has to be bombed in the process.
Still the onset of Autumn and into winter should reduce a lot of foliage cover and maybe the UAF will develop some logic and retreat before the area becomes too muddy with the rains.
Thanks for that Arthur - good to hear from you. I read the article which indicates much continuity with the past but a positive change of emphasis is evident. You know I don't believe in global warming but many BRICS countries do so it's no surprise that the carbon reduction stuff is in there. I don't trust the IMF or the WHO - so I am surprised that BRICS is not planning to replace them - but it's early days yet.
I have started reading through. Its always a pleasure to do so after a hard week in the office. Thanks for all the hard work. I think there's a typo re Abbas being a Hamas leader.
Thanks for that M - I did actually think he was a Hamas leader tbh - but I have changed it to Palestinian leader. Very diplomatic of you to call it a typo.
A few years ago Bibi said he wouldn't negotiate with terrorists so refused to negotiate with Hamas. Abbas stepped up and said im not Hamas you can negotiate with me. Bibi turned round and said i can't negotiate with you you don't represent all of the Palestinian people. Its a bit like the old story of Hamas refusing to recognise Israel. The Palestinians asked Israeli to define her international borders so they could negotiate their recognition. Israel refused to do so. Now we know why.
As for Trump being "human all too human" - well, that's my complaint about virtually everyone. But Trump does take it to the next level, as do the rest of the politicians in the US. :-)
And now I'm ticked off at Putin, who continues to 1) babble about the now totally dead "two-state solution", 2) refuses to even say the word "genocide", and 3) refuses to even say the word "Israel" in the same sentence as the problems of the Palestinians. Lavrov, too, is stuck on the "two-state solution."
Russia is so far behind on the actual situation that it's embarrassing. They may be sending systems to Iran and promising to back Iran in the upcoming war, but apparently can't comprehend that taking steps against Israel now would delay and possibly prevent a war with Iran. At one of the BRICS conferences, a Kazahkstan individual confronted Putin about this and said that Russian ships should be delivering aid to the Palestinians (and in my view weapons to Hezbollah, Yemen and Syria as well as Iran). He got it right. Putin fobbed him off. Pathetic.
I'm well aware that Russia has 1,300,000 citizens in Israel - but Putin needs to remember that if these people are Zionists (Pepe Escobar says Zionism is a big influence in Russia and some of them are oligarchs) then they are there on their own, having repudiated Russia. So if he wants peace in the Middle East, he's going to have to disown those people, Russian law or not.
Thanks Richard. I'm frustrated with many leaders, including Erdgogan, Guterres, Modi, Xi, Putin etc. because they can't DO anything to stop the killing. The global institutions such as the UN are impotent.
I did some research today on exactly what countries can do under the Genocide Convention. It turns out military action is NOT allowed without UNSC Resolutions authorizing it. And we know how useless that is. The only thing the Genocide Convention allows is arresting people for the crime of genocide - not actually stopping it. Which makes it less than useless. It's why Israel and the US - the US didn't even agree to sign it until 40 years after it was enacted - can thumb their noses at the ICJ and everyone else.
This is why Putin can't do anything at all, since he's a stickler for international law. Even supporting Gaza with aid would risk a military confrontation with Israel and the US and he's not willing to risk it without the UNSC approval.
So once again, it's up to the "outlaws" and "terrorists" - the Axis of Resistance - to do what nation states can't. This is why I've always believed "terrorism" was the only way to go in defeating the state. Complying with rules when the rules are set up to prevent change and protect the rule enablers is nothing to the purpose.
As I always say, one treats enemies as enemies. You kill anyone trying to kill you. It's not a threat - it's math.
It's the power of veto that stops the UNSC from working - the US simply vetoes anything it doesn't like even if the whole world wants it. Any reform should get rid of the veto imv.
Agreed. It should be replaced by a majority vote - perhaps requiring a very high percentage - as long as the Council is remade to include countries representing the bulk of the world's population from every region. Restricting it to the world's surviving WWII powers was a dumb idea - done of course to insure dominance of the West.
Putin DID ask the 900,000 Russians in Israel to leave. They have had their chance. To my this indicates that major strikes on Tel Aviv are in the pipeline. Russia is not in the habit of warring with parties that are not affecting them. However, by supplying Iran with S-400s they are helping prevent damage by the Israeli menace. I just wish that Lebanon also had them, to shoot down those bomb-dropping planes.
I agree Russia doesn't involve itself with external conflicts as a matter of course. However, this conflict most definitely affects them, both in terms of its access to the Mediterranean as well as the future of BRICS and Russia's relationship with China.
I do think Russia now views the collective West as an existential enemy and that the West needs to be taken down by any means short of nuclear war. Helping the Axis at this time would go far to doing that by driving the US out of the Middle east and removing its primary proxy, Israel. It would be a greater victory than defeating NATO in Ukraine (which was always going to happen anyway.)
And Russia wouldn't even have to commit any military forces directly to do it, in the manner it had to do in Syria (it was late there, too.)
So - Israel carries out a very limited attack on Iran and the Iranians are not really bothered about retaliating, such was the devastating nature of the attack. Let's hope it ends there.
Well lets hope so Rob.
I read on intel slava yesterday that the US was moving air refuelling planes towards Cyprus so it looked like Israel was up to something.
I should say that sources I've seen since are saying that Iran will attack at some point. So?
I just wish that Lebanon could receive some S-400s to stop the bombing.
BTW Kazan isn't anywhere near the sea. It is a fabulous city in Tartistan. Lennon and Nureyev came from there.
Our ABC news reported that over 50% of Moldovans voted NOT to join the EU. This was reported elsewhere as well.
BRICS participants were treated with respect, and given equal opportunity to speak, giving hope for a better future.
"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
― Arundhati Roy
I've edited the Update to exclude the word 'seaside' before Resort - so it now reads 'the resort at Kazan'. It is a resort.
Oh dear Joy - you have spoiled my opening rant! I've seen it described as a seaside resort but maybe this is wrong - but it is close to water. As for the EU result, I haven't seen any reports of Moldovans voting against the EU. I hope you are right. Regarding the Arundhati Roy quote, I wrote a song based on that a long time ago: a jiggy type ditty - 'The time is ripe for a Brave New World; she's whispering: on a quiet day I can hear her call; she's whispering, on a quiet day I can hear her call'. I share your wish about the S-400s - it's soul destroying/heartbreaking having to watch this.
Thank you so much
You are welcome.
As Moldavia foreign votes swayed the referendum, will the same thing happen in the US presidential election in 10 days? Lots of rumors and suspicious activities about this.
And if by some miracle Trump wins, what happens to the uk relationship?
And with those pro censorship in the Eu?
I'm not surprised there are rumours after 2020. I'd be surprised and suspicious if Trump doesn't win.
Miranda Devine said this in her interview with Tucker Carlson:
“We were all so naive in 2016”
This surprised me since her and Tucker are so knowledgeable on U.S. politics.
https://sashastone.substack.com/p/tucker-talks-with-miranda-devine?
2020 was an amazing dirty politics hit job by the Democrats and the establishment gop Allie’s (looking at you Bill Barr and Raffenberger) that succeeded. And unbelievable there are political prisoners from Jan 6, a deep state set up, that have not faced trial yet and new people are being charged.
Thanks Ray - I'll give it a watch.
The Israeli wet-noodle drop on Iran has all the hallmarks of a pre-arranged fight organized by the real owners in the backroom.
While it might be a headfake to lull Iran into incaution, I suspect Israel has had the big talk with its main killing partner.
You have just broken my record for comments on the Update - previous record was 40 comments but this week I have had 41. I love the term 'wet-noodle drop'. Cheers Kam
https://substack.com/home/post/p-150697930
Food for thought. At end of piece author compares G20 with BRICS Declarations and finds little, if any, difference.
First there is bifurcation. Then there will be one big happy new world order or that order will comprise two seemingly separate blocs pursuing the same global agendas with different bloc 'characteristics'. (BRICS, after all, is a Goldman Sachs brainchild.)
Good coverage as usual. Thanks.
Thanks for that Random. Arthur Brogard already provided the link. It's an interesting article and I may refer to it in the next Update.
Contemplating geopolitical developments along with the highly charged, manic-depressive US political drama has led me to develop an ad-hoc working philosophy about both philosophy and life in general which I call simply 'layers and levels' in the sense that everything is multi-faceted. So I think that the multipolar movement is real and substantive on many levels whilst on others it's a bit of a con. Both can be true at the same time. Same with US politics: on the one hand the whole thing is some sort of bizarre kayfabe-kabuki whilst on the other it is all too real affecting real peoples' lives and it is real people who vote although even with real people there is a heavy delusion quotient making them not quite real either at the same time.
And so it goes.
Cheers Random. I agree with you about layers/levels but in what sense is BRICS a con? I'm not saying it isn't a con at some level but maybe you could explain. I think that BRICS is real in the sense that its members exist and they have ideas about cooperation, national sovereignty and so on. But this does not compare with the 'substance' it has in prospect or as potential. But it could flatter to deceive - so in that sense it could be a con. Being an optimist I am hoping it will develop into a force for good - but from the link you and Arthur sent, it doesn't appear very radical at the moment.
Thanks for this weeks update Rob, some really good stuff here.
I read on topwar.ru that Zelensky is doubling down on stupid and the 47th mechanised brigade was sent to Kursk from the Donbass to prolong the slaughter a bit longer.
Also on zero hedge commenters are saying that the CIA were behind the attack on Turkey/Erdogan when he was at BRICS conference via their proxy PKK. A sort of warning maybe?
We can be pretty sure Z is under the influence but it seems like a lot of our other great leaders are on some sort of feel good medication as well.
Every week the old world order seems to sink further into the abyss.
Cheers Anthony, I would not be surprised if the Brits and/or the CIA are behind it - as a warning maybe. For Zelensky, having his troops pushed out of Ukraine is worse than losing the Donbass at the moment. I hear that Kursk and Solidove are close to collapse - but positions labelled thus sometimes take weeks or months to be taken.
I don't know.
Towns like that e.g. Bakhmut used to turn into meatgrinders in 22/ 23 maybe, but now with half the defenders pulled into the Kursk vortex to defend tree lines and forests the Ukrainian towns are untenable.
Also operational encirclements around Selidovo and near Kurakhovo plus other areas I cannot see them holding out for more than 2-3 weeks.
I read a couple of articles on Ukraine pravda yesterday (on ukranisation of language and also on a right sector volunteer who was killed at Kursk)
One thing that strikes you is the chasm that has been created between what Ukraine is/was and the direction it is being pushed by the nationalists.
Selidovo looks done but I'm not sure about Kursk. I hear that Ukrainians can now be fined $83 for using the Russian language in any form. I don't think there's any other country in the world that has banned a language.
Yes, if only the general public did a bit of research away from MSM so they could see who they are dealing with-in the junta and it's comedian.
Kursk does look like it will go on a lot longer.
There are lots of forest tracts in the area and the UAF have built extensive defence lines and fire pockets around them. Plus those anti personnel mines are being set up everywhere.
Very slow progress to take them back and costly too especially when your own country has to be bombed in the process.
Still the onset of Autumn and into winter should reduce a lot of foliage cover and maybe the UAF will develop some logic and retreat before the area becomes too muddy with the rains.
Thanks a lot Rob, excellent as usual.
Cheers Chris.
Edward's take on BRICS is interesting:
https://edwardslavsquat.substack.com/p/would-you-like-know-what-brics-just/comments
Thanks for that Arthur - good to hear from you. I read the article which indicates much continuity with the past but a positive change of emphasis is evident. You know I don't believe in global warming but many BRICS countries do so it's no surprise that the carbon reduction stuff is in there. I don't trust the IMF or the WHO - so I am surprised that BRICS is not planning to replace them - but it's early days yet.
I have started reading through. Its always a pleasure to do so after a hard week in the office. Thanks for all the hard work. I think there's a typo re Abbas being a Hamas leader.
Thanks for that M - I did actually think he was a Hamas leader tbh - but I have changed it to Palestinian leader. Very diplomatic of you to call it a typo.
A few years ago Bibi said he wouldn't negotiate with terrorists so refused to negotiate with Hamas. Abbas stepped up and said im not Hamas you can negotiate with me. Bibi turned round and said i can't negotiate with you you don't represent all of the Palestinian people. Its a bit like the old story of Hamas refusing to recognise Israel. The Palestinians asked Israeli to define her international borders so they could negotiate their recognition. Israel refused to do so. Now we know why.
Thanks M - I've not really been following the ME as closely as I used to.
I've had my first ever troll who I have banned - sorry if some found him entertaining.
You must be worrying someone. I thought Joy R nailed them well.
I don't even have 1000 subscribers so I don't think I am worrying anyone yet but its a good sign.
Another excellent recap, Rob.
As for Trump being "human all too human" - well, that's my complaint about virtually everyone. But Trump does take it to the next level, as do the rest of the politicians in the US. :-)
And now I'm ticked off at Putin, who continues to 1) babble about the now totally dead "two-state solution", 2) refuses to even say the word "genocide", and 3) refuses to even say the word "Israel" in the same sentence as the problems of the Palestinians. Lavrov, too, is stuck on the "two-state solution."
Russia is so far behind on the actual situation that it's embarrassing. They may be sending systems to Iran and promising to back Iran in the upcoming war, but apparently can't comprehend that taking steps against Israel now would delay and possibly prevent a war with Iran. At one of the BRICS conferences, a Kazahkstan individual confronted Putin about this and said that Russian ships should be delivering aid to the Palestinians (and in my view weapons to Hezbollah, Yemen and Syria as well as Iran). He got it right. Putin fobbed him off. Pathetic.
I'm well aware that Russia has 1,300,000 citizens in Israel - but Putin needs to remember that if these people are Zionists (Pepe Escobar says Zionism is a big influence in Russia and some of them are oligarchs) then they are there on their own, having repudiated Russia. So if he wants peace in the Middle East, he's going to have to disown those people, Russian law or not.
Thanks Richard. I'm frustrated with many leaders, including Erdgogan, Guterres, Modi, Xi, Putin etc. because they can't DO anything to stop the killing. The global institutions such as the UN are impotent.
I did some research today on exactly what countries can do under the Genocide Convention. It turns out military action is NOT allowed without UNSC Resolutions authorizing it. And we know how useless that is. The only thing the Genocide Convention allows is arresting people for the crime of genocide - not actually stopping it. Which makes it less than useless. It's why Israel and the US - the US didn't even agree to sign it until 40 years after it was enacted - can thumb their noses at the ICJ and everyone else.
This is why Putin can't do anything at all, since he's a stickler for international law. Even supporting Gaza with aid would risk a military confrontation with Israel and the US and he's not willing to risk it without the UNSC approval.
So once again, it's up to the "outlaws" and "terrorists" - the Axis of Resistance - to do what nation states can't. This is why I've always believed "terrorism" was the only way to go in defeating the state. Complying with rules when the rules are set up to prevent change and protect the rule enablers is nothing to the purpose.
As I always say, one treats enemies as enemies. You kill anyone trying to kill you. It's not a threat - it's math.
It's the power of veto that stops the UNSC from working - the US simply vetoes anything it doesn't like even if the whole world wants it. Any reform should get rid of the veto imv.
Agreed. It should be replaced by a majority vote - perhaps requiring a very high percentage - as long as the Council is remade to include countries representing the bulk of the world's population from every region. Restricting it to the world's surviving WWII powers was a dumb idea - done of course to insure dominance of the West.
Putin DID ask the 900,000 Russians in Israel to leave. They have had their chance. To my this indicates that major strikes on Tel Aviv are in the pipeline. Russia is not in the habit of warring with parties that are not affecting them. However, by supplying Iran with S-400s they are helping prevent damage by the Israeli menace. I just wish that Lebanon also had them, to shoot down those bomb-dropping planes.
I agree Russia doesn't involve itself with external conflicts as a matter of course. However, this conflict most definitely affects them, both in terms of its access to the Mediterranean as well as the future of BRICS and Russia's relationship with China.
I do think Russia now views the collective West as an existential enemy and that the West needs to be taken down by any means short of nuclear war. Helping the Axis at this time would go far to doing that by driving the US out of the Middle east and removing its primary proxy, Israel. It would be a greater victory than defeating NATO in Ukraine (which was always going to happen anyway.)
And Russia wouldn't even have to commit any military forces directly to do it, in the manner it had to do in Syria (it was late there, too.)
Too diplomatic. Could you try couching it in stronger terms? BTW What is a zigger?
Now this is definitely a contender for letter of the week…
LOL