A Ukraine Miscellany (IX): The Global Context and the Shadow of World War (Part I)

It's a point already made but one that bears re-stating – the larger story and context of the Ukraine War is moving well beyond the immediate setting of Eastern Europe and the Black Sea littoral. Its impact and ramifications are increasingly global and so are the consequences and dangers.

The spin regarding Russian gas shut-offs continues as Moscow is demonised for killing the supply – the actions woven into a narrative of Russian aggression and blackmail vis-à-vis Europe. Undoubtedly Moscow is lying regarding maintenance issues associated with Nordstream 1. That's simply a tactic in response to the recent proposal by the G7 for new price caps – a move that has the potential to backfire. But what is not explained is that it's Russia that is actually being blackmailed to meet its contractual obligations and deliver this gas at reduced prices – even while:

1. The EU (under the aegis of NATO) is waging a large-scale proxy war against Russia and,

2. Sanctions against Russia mean that payments in Euros are difficult if not impossible for it to process.

One again, the nature of NATO's aggressive posture toward Russia is revealed. Ukraine and Russia represent key resource hubs for not only the West but the entire world and in terms of geopolitics and the larger American strategy versus China, they and their control are essential. Ukraine is already in the Western column – a point made emphatic by the US-brokered coup in 2014. But Russia must be broken and subjugated and whether that means a subordinate government or its effective partition is yet to be seen. Either would please Washington at this point and this larger programme and agenda directed toward Moscow has been the goal of American policy since the early 1990's. The only time the focus was lost was during the height of the Bush administration's debacle in Iraq.

This targeting of Russia is not to excuse Putin's actions in any way, shape, or form. He is corrupt, evil, and rose to power on the dark wave of avarice and corruption that characterized the breakup and capitalisation of the USSR. But the slanted coverage of Western media outlets (and their international allies and affiliates), is not only disingenuous and misleading – it's nauseating.

Kyiv's narrative regarding the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is so ridiculous that many Western outlets have grown tepid in their assertions of Russian shelling – as it is Russia that is in control of the plant. Undoubtedly Russia has (in a most cynical and reckless manner) staged military hardware and artillery near the plant and has used it as a 'launch pad' for attacks. If Ukraine retaliates (which it has) the plant runs the risk of being hit and there are many different scenarios and possibilities in light of a direct or indirect hit that could lead to some kind of nuclear-radiation disaster.

Ukraine insists Russia is shelling the plant as part of a false flag operation and for several days outlets like the BBC simply ran the story and allowed these accusations to stand unchallenged. If anyone ever dares to suggest something like this with regard to the US or other Western powers, they are immediately dismissed and laughed off the stage, labeled as conspiracy theorists. But such conspiracies (no matter how absurd) are allowed to stand when the accusations are directed against nations like Russia and China.

Since then, the coverage has been muted. It was additionally difficult to make the Ukrainian argument when Russia was all but begging the IAEA to come to the plant and assess the state of affairs. The continued presence of the IAEA is the best hope for the situation even if Russia has sent signals that a permanent presence is not quite what they wanted. If the IAEA stays, then the Ukrainians dare not shell the plant and Russia dare not use its proximity for attacks. Let's hope for the sake of everyone the fighting moves away from the plant and Western media disinformation regarding this situation can be silenced.

It's also clear that Putin's allies are being targeted for assassination and in the case of some it must be assumed that the forces involved are receiving US help in terms of intelligence and targeting. It is likely that the actual assassins are Ukrainian intelligence or Special Forces agents but the larger story is as yet unknown – all the more as the complexity of this conflict continues to grow as more and more groups (like the Chechens for example) get involved. The US has already aided Ukraine with the assassination of Russian generals and in the sinking of Russian ships.

While there has been no official declaration of war from the White House or the Pentagon, the US speaks openly of a goal to weaken Russia, declares Moscow an enemy, and has (with its NATO members) now funneled billions of dollars of weapons into Ukraine. Those who deny that this is a proxy war and that NATO and the US are in a de facto state of war with Moscow are either deluded or deliberately deceptive.

Imagine the response by the US if it was discovered that China was helping Russia (by means of intelligence, logistics, and weaponry) to assassinate Ukrainian generals and the political allies of Zelenskiy? The fury would be boundless. And further, what if Russia or China were aiding the Taliban or the Iraqi Resistance to assassinate US generals in those theatres during those wars? What if they were giving these entities weapons to shoot down American aircraft? Can you imagine the rage and the rhetoric in the media and congress? It would be stated in unequivocal terms that these nations were at war with the US.

But when the US does these things, it's fine, there's nothing to see. It's normal, reasonable, responsible, and even humane behaviour.

In addition to its deceitful propaganda, the US is clearly engaged in a campaign of provocation. Not a few outlets and commentators have picked up on this. From sponsoring Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory and attacks within the Crimea itself, to the congressional and cabinet delegations to Taiwan, the US is in every case trying to 'push buttons' and cross red lines. It's an old trick but in this case the stakes are so very high. It's madness, but Washington is doing all it can to provoke Moscow into escalation – to intensify its attacks and give NATO the justification it wants and needs to take things up a level. The hope is to break the Russian system. This is also behind Zelenskiy's diatribes against the Russian citizenry. He ridiculously asserts that Russia is committing a 'genocide' in Ukraine and that Russian citizens who aren't protesting and resisting the war must be held accountable. Can you even imagine such an argument applied to the US or its allies in light of NATO's wars? Imagine if a bloc of nations sought to exclude US and UK citizens from international travel due to their unjustified invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan and the war crimes they committed there? Such an action would only generate rage and retaliation in the West and be dismissed as ridiculous.

But once again, the purpose to Zelenskiy's rhetoric (which is largely not his own) points to the overall goal – regime change in Moscow. The trap was laid and Putin walked into it – an otherwise savvy political career thrown to the flames.

And then we have witnessed continued hysteria and escalation on the part of NATO members in the Baltic territories and in places like Poland. They continue to wage a social campaign against all things Russian and are using this episode as a justification for militarization – something we're also seeing on a different level within Germany.

And yet at this point does anyone seriously fear a Russian invasion of the Baltics – an attack that would trigger Article V of NATO and open war with the most powerful military alliance on Earth?  Is Russian going to expand this war? They couldn't even get to Kyiv. Do you think they're going to make a move on Chisinau, Lublin, or Helsinki, let alone Tallinn, Vilnius, or Riga?

And this militarisation is spreading as we're now seeing NATO expand and NATO members such as Germany extend operations into the Indo-Pacific. The long debate in Washington over whether to deal with Russia or China first seems to have been resolved by a willingness to enflame both fronts at the same time. The Taiwan Crisis is a fire that's being fed not just by the US, but by its allies such as Australia, South Korea, and Japan – and increasingly Europe.

At this point in time the only European leader that seems to possess some sanity is France's Macron who continues to work behind the scenes talking to Putin in an attempt to find a peace – something the US clearly does not want. Boris Johnson doesn't want it either and it's eating him alive that he's now out of office. His dreams of being Winston Churchill are doomed. And yet the new Prime Minister Liz Truss has already spoken in deranged terms of her willingness to fight a nuclear war.

Germany is officially on board but restrained in its zeal. Berlin is quietly militarising and pursuing its own long term goals and agenda but clearly the long-time posture and programme of the SPD within Europe itself has been derailed. But Berlin's willingness to participate in the Indo-Pacific only testifies to the German Establishment's desire and willingness to expand the nation's footprint and assume a role of international leadership. The Left-wing credentials of the SPD are exposed as false – as is the case with so many Left-wing parties. Many were never really Left-wing to begin with and others succumb to the power and influence of money and status.

And don't forget – the power players in Europe and elsewhere are watching and waiting to see what happens in the US over the next two years. The US is in danger of an internal collapse and these nations are hedging their bets – nevertheless, the scope and pace of global militarization should concern everyone.

As the US continues to provoke China through political actions (some of which are stunts by individual politicians), and through military exercises (such as the recent episode with South Korea), Beijing is responding and continues on an almost daily basis to violate Taiwanese airspace in the Taiwan Strait and in every way the situation is becoming more and more tense.

Now we have congresswomen like Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee declaring China is part of the Axis of Evil – evoking Bush-era militarism. Clearly the corrupt Senator's visit was a political stunt and little more than a vehicle for her to posture and make even more absurd statements. The danger of the situation is also further evidenced by the slow but steady dismantling of the economic ties between Washington and Beijing – the networks established in the 1990's that made war all but impossible to imagine. Trump era sanctions, Chinese companies delisting from Wall Street, and now US moves to block hi-tech computer chip sales and AI technology to Beijing are accelerating this decoupling process and making the once unthinkable scenario of a war as something that can be seriously entertained. And yet it's complicated as the computer chip situation attests. Taiwan dominates the market and to further complicate matters, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) produces some of its chips within mainland China –and yet due to US demands, they will not be able to sell them there. This will not only affect the Chinese market (and we have yet to see Beijing's response) – it has already sent AMD and NVIDIA stocks plunging as uncertainty and instability now dominate. The proposed new plants in Arizona and Japan are still under construction. These were to help with the process of decoupling but things are moving too fast. All of this is just to say that decoupling the economies is not going to be easy and it will be painful on both ends.

With little to lose and in desperation for access to markets, Moscow has moved closer to North Korea and as Putin seeks to diffract NATO aggression directed at his country, it's likely that he will use and assist North Korea in its provocations.

Continue Reading Part 2