Nuland's Appointment a Signal to Moscow

https://news.antiwar.com/2021/04/30/as-ukraine-simmers-victoria-nuland-is-now-highest-ranking-member-of-us-foreign-service/

Biden's appointment and promotion of Victoria Nuland sends a clear signal to all that his administration plans to aggressively pursue NATO expansionism and a policy of Russian roll-back and regime change. And, the fighting will be dirty. Nuland was point-man (as it were) on the Ukraine operation in 2014 that resulted in a Color-Revolution/Regime Change.

Washington is attempting to disentangle itself from decades of combat and proxy wars in the Middle East. The primary enemy on that front remains Iran and a US withdrawal will mark a victory for Tehran. The withdrawal is necessary because the US is planning to expand on two fronts – Eastern Europe and the Caucasus contra Russia, and the Asia-Pacific contra China.*

Given how badly things went in the Middle East, this move seems rather audacious but it's also a gamble – one that may make or break US power. When the dust settles, the US may be reduced to a second-tier or regional power. The empire is in decline and unless the US reasserts hegemony in Europe and Asia, then it's going to lose its place. The truth is the US has already lost. China is already winning in Asia. The only thing that would stop it is the taking down of the CCP. This can only be accomplished by massive internal revolution, invasion, or both. To be honest this scenario doesn't seem too likely. It might have ten years ago but not today.

The US has more of a chance in breaking Russia – a nation which in reality is already in the second-tier of nations but is able to hit outside its weight class due to its geography and the fact that it has a large nuclear arsenal. The US cannot militarily conquer Russia. Its hope there is to bring down the Putin regime. But even then, US power is not what it once was in Europe because of the European Union. The manufactured military crisis is being used to bolster Atlanticism and in particular NATO. But the people of Europe do not want a war – a war that will be fought on their soil, a war they will have to clean-up after. Dissent regarding US policy may break the alliance. This is a real threat and thus the propaganda machine is in high gear. The Nuland appointment plays a part in that. And we must look for trouble on the Ukrainian front – and possibly in Moldova, Georgia, the Baltic states, Belarus, and Poland. That's what she's there for. And you can be sure Moscow has taken note.

Both China and Russia want to keep the US in the meat-grinder that is the Middle East. This is why (in part) Russia and China both involved themselves in the Syrian conflict and why they will do so anywhere they can. It's as if they've borrowed from George W. Bush and his fight them over there so we don't have to fight them here strategy. In his case it was a lie and a cover for his collapsed narrative regarding Iraq. But in the case of Russia and China there's a logic to it – even if it's a brutal one.

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*The battle-lines the US is pressing are essentially the same as Nazi Germany's campaign against Russia and Imperial Japan's drive against China. And you can be sure this has been noticed in both Moscow and Beijing.