Grotesque Propaganda

"All governments are run by liars and nothing they say should be believed." (I.F. Stone) 

Prior to the United States entry into World War I, a grotesque, fraudulent propaganda campaign was run depicting "the Hun" as vicious, sub-human brutes who raped nuns, crucified POWs and bayoneted babies. The American population at that time was generally pacifist and resistant to pro-war arguments. Hence, Germans were presented as the essence of evil which needed to be destroyed, not as an adversary to be dealt with rationally. Fear and hatred were stoked as rational argument was made irrelevant. Notice how this tactic leaves no room for resolving the conflict without going to war. One does not negotiate with the devil. Monstrous evil must be destroyed, hence, engaging in combat with the enemy is the foregone conclusion. In this way war was sold.

Following Hamas' October 7th incursion into Israel, uncorroborated stories surfaced and were reported as true about Hamas "terrorists" beheading babies, Hamas depicted as uniquely evil deserving of complete eradication. This grotesque piece of propaganda is yet another example of the use of demonization to create fear and hatred of Hamas and by extension all Palestinians. It is part of an intensive propaganda campaign to justify the mass murder and planned expulsion of the Palestinian refugees now confined to the Gaza open air prison. What is particularly grotesque about this is that the people being demonized are the relatively powerless victims of 75 years of Israeli brutality, mass-murder and ethnic cleansing, all of which were enabled, facilitated and encouraged by the United States. And once again this demonization propaganda is being used to prevent any possibility of conflict resolution short of Nakba 2.0. Notice also that the "threat" which these caged people pose to Israel does not even begin to stand up to scrutiny, hence, the resort to truly despicable demonization to justify mass murder and ethnic cleansing.

 “Even if not one bullet is fired at us. Even if the residents of Gaza who are not sons of Israel (Jewish) would be constantly offering us flowers… we would be obliged … to start a war to conquer Eretz Israel. …it needs to be conquered. This is our land. Our holy land. God has promised us this land.” (Israeli Rabbi Eliezer Kashtiel) 

It would be bad enough if this demonization of Israel's victims was confined to the right-wing crazies now controlling Israel's government, however, this demonization of Hamas and by extension all Palestinians is echoed throughout the West in an orchestrated totalitarian fashion. U.S. Government officials across the board have demonized Hamas actions and called for unconditional support for Israel's "defense." This is the language of war and mass murder against Gaza's Palestinian victims of 75 years of Israeli repression. Even phony peace candidate Robert Kennedy, Jr. asserts that "... the scale of these attacks means it is likely that Israel will need to wage a sustained military campaign to protect its citizens." This sounds like unequivocal support for Nakba 2.0 along with war against Lebanon (Hezbollah), Syria and Iran. 

Two things to keep in mind are that this level of orchestrated support indicates that this is an escalation of Global War I and that neocon Zionist irrationality now permeates American imperial  policy. This is no small point. The neocons claim to want to spread "democracy" to our Third World victims, however, this is "capitalist democracy", that is one dollar one vote, in other words corporate oligarchic rule. Yet, they seem to believe their own rhetoric and proceed to promote their policies with self-righteous zeal. They are impervious to rational argument, their worldview sanctified by the Holocaust and by Zionism's secularized version of the Classical Judaism of Eastern Europe. A medieval fundamentalist Judaism untouched by the enlightenment. A good versus evil worldview of never ending conflict. A worldview which sees the mass murder and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians as the "redemption" of the Land of Israel.

“These are the basic lines of the national government headed by me [Netanyahu]: The Jewish people have an exclusive and unquestionable right to all areas of the Land of Israel. The government will promote and develop settlement in all parts of the Land of Israel — in the Galilee, the Negev, the Golan, Judea and Samaria.” (Benjamin Netanyahu, January 2023) 

But this is about more than the unfolding U.S. supported mass murder and final ethnic cleansing of Gaza's Palestinians. This is about using Gaza as a pretext for attacking Lebanon, Syria and Iran. And here there is an extreme danger of events spiraling out of control and nuclear war ensuing. Israel is, at best, an extremely untrustworthy ally. If the warmongering Jewish State feels that it is in its interests to use nuclear weapons against Iran to achieve its objectives, it will likely do so regardless of what the U.S. wants. If that happens, it will mark the 5th and final stage of Global War I. We are in the 4th (Gaza) phase now which has the potential to escalate out of control. This whole end-of-era restructuring is being led by warmongering fundamentalists who view moderation as weakness. Rational imperialism, as bad as that is, is being replaced by ideologically driven irrational imperialism which is infinitely more dangerous.

"...We possess several hundred atomic warheads and rockets and can launch them at targets in all directions, perhaps even at Rome. Most European capitals are targets for our air force. Let me quote General Moshe Dayan: ‘Israel must be like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother.’ ... Our armed forces, however, are not the thirtieth strongest in the world, but rather the second or third. We have the capability to take the world down with us. And I can assure you that that will happen before Israel goes under.” (Martin van Creveld, Israeli historian, on or about 2002)

"If we just let our vision of the world go forth, and we embrace it entirely, and don't try to piece together clever diplomacy but just wage a total war, out children will sing great songs about us years from now." (Richard Perle, neocon intellectual)

Make no mistake, war mongering neocon Zionists have achieved effective control over imperial policies. Their twin goals are to use imperial power to remake the entire Middle East to Israel's liking and to influence the global restructuring now underway so as to ensure American (and by extension Zionist) imperial hegemony in the new world order. Their primary means for achieving this is through ongoing global warfare regardless of the risks involved. They are self-righteous, fundamentalist risk takers who view caution as a sign of weakness. Success will come to those who behave "like a mad dog, too dangerous to bother." I fear that we are headed towards the abyss, unable to halt the process.

Bye, Bye Bobby

 

It is jarring to see Robert F. Kennedy, Jr's stunning display of duplicity as a Presidential candidate. Someone who previously criticized American foreign militarism and correctly identified the neocons as driving America's murderous and destructive Ukraine policy now wholeheartedly supports neocon formulated Middle East policy which involves terrorist destabilization of Syria and Iran. Kennedy's justification for this is to regurgitate shop worn  Zionist talking points regarding Israel's Arab enemies. He even refers to Israel as America's Middle East unsinkable aircraft carrier failing to note that in the 1967 six day war the "aircraft carrier" attacked the USS Liberty electronic monitoring ship killing U.S. sailors and almost sinking the ship. The intentional nature of the attack was covered up and a bogus "fog of war" excuse put forth to protect our "ally" Israel. Without Israel, Kennedy claims, China could take over the Middle East. Furthermore, he now claims that Iran controls Venezuela and Hezbollah is in Venezuela, thereby joining the official imperial demonization of both Venezuela and Hezbollah. His campaign manager is his daughter-in-law who happens to be a former CIA covert operative. I can't say that Kennedy has betrayed his principles because that would imply that he has principles to betray. Under his do-gooder image, he is an imperialist to the very marrow of his bones and will always act accordingly. I can say,however, that he has betrayed Children's Health Defense with his ill conceived Presidential bid.

Global War I: The Gaza Phase

 

Just as Russia's provoked invasion of Ukraine signaled a new phase of the Empire's project to restructure the global political economy, does the Palestinian resistance's provoked military breakout of the Gaza open air prison signal a new, more dangerous escalation of the imperial project? I suspect so. I have concluded that the Hamas breakout of the Palestinian Gaza ghetto was to a significant degree permitted and possibly facilitated by Israel's elites as a pretext to engage in open warfare in the Middle East to achieve their long held objective to become the undisputed Middle East hegemon. This fits in nicely with the U.S. neocons goal of smashing Syria and Iran for Israel. This all is consistent with the warmongering neocon goal of non-stop war against Russia and China. 

Let us begin by noting that the atrocities attributed to Hamas (which Israel initially supported as a counter to the PLO) are similar to the atrocities which Israel and the Zionists have committed against the Palestinian people for 75 years so that the Zionists Jews could expel the native non-Jews from the land of Israel. The murderous ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian native population was integral to the creation of the Jewish state. Over 500 Palestinian villages were destroyed, the Palestinian natives driven out or murdered to permit the Zionist Jews to become the numerical majority in a Jewish state which encouraged Jewish immigration while preventing fleeing Palestinians terrorized by the massacres from returning. In 1982, Palestinian women, children, and old men living in Lebanon in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps were slaughtered by Israeli proxy Phalange terrorists forcing other Palestinian refugees to flee Lebanon. This occurred shortly after the indiscriminate Israeli bombing of Beirut killed over 20,000 civilians. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was involved in ongoing massacres of Palestinian refugees outside of Israel, Qibya being the best known. In spite of having documented terrorists as elected heads of state, Israel has suffered no consequences for its crimes, instead lauded as the only democracy in the Middle East, a consequence, primarily, of the power of the global Zionist network. Of course, Israel's actions are consistent with those of all of the Western Empires past and present, including the U.S. which has a long history of mass murder, torture and terror to achieve its imperial objectives.

So, after 75 years of Israeli mass murder and violence against Palestinians brushed aside, numerous UN resolutions condemning ongoing Israeli apartheid policies swept under the rug, the Western reaction to the Hamas jail break was one of uniform condemnation and support for the Jewish state of Israel. The massive knee-jerk support for likely Israeli mass murder of Gaza women and children along with Western Israeli flag waving indicates a planned orchestrated response to this so-called "surprise" action by Hamas. Even phony peace advocates such as Tulsi Gabbard and Robert Kennedy, Jr. have jumped on board this war time response which exhibits totalitarian uniformity. The U.S. has rushed additional bombs and other munitions to Israel so that the dominant military power in the Middle East can "defend itself." From who? The Gaza strip? This would be a joke if it wasn't so deadly serious. Supposedly, all of this military support is to discourage Israel's "enemies" from attacking Israel when Israel commits premeditated mass murder of the Palestinian refugees living in Gaza, the majority of whom are children. I think a more likely explanation is that the Hamas limited incursion was more-or-less allowed to happen as a pretext for this planned mass murder which, in turn, is a means to provoke a response from Hezbollah, Syria and Iran which can be used to justify massive U.S./Israel war against these very targets to achieve U.S./Israel undisputed Middle East hegemony. This will also be a new front in the war against Russia and China. The events in Gaza are intimately related to the neocon formulated game plan to engage in full spectrum warfare against any and all potential rivals for global dominance in the new world order currently being implemented. A restructured world of global totalitarian neofeudalism led by America under the guidance of the Zionist elite.

Oppenheimer, Continued

 

"There was never, from about two weeks from the time I took charge of this Project, any illusion on my part but that Russia was our enemy, and the Project was conducted on that basis." (General Leslie Groves, military commander of the Manhattan Project)

In the movie "Oppenheimer," when Colonel (soon promoted to General) Groves approached Oppenheimer, he told him that Nazi Germany was developing a super bomb and had a one year head start, to which Oppenheimer replied that they had an 18 month lead. A race to build an atom bomb before the Nazis! A retaliatory weapon to hold Hitler in check! This played well with many of the recruited scientists such as Joseph Rotblat a Polish-Jewish physicist who was terrified of the prospect of a Nazi atomic bomb. Later, as the project progressed, Groves entertained some of the top scientists involved informing them that Russia was the enemy. Joseph Rotblat attended one such dinner in the fall of 1944 and was shocked at hearing this. He also had found out that Nazi Germany had no active nuclear weapons development program. He felt that the development of nuclear weapons without a clear and present nuclear danger was wrong so he resigned from the Manhattan Project, the only scientist to do so. One can only wonder what would have happened if more scientists had resigned causing a delay sufficient to permit Japan to successfully surrender (they had been trying) prior to being nuked. Perhaps with no war as justification nuclear weapons would not have been developed. Or perhaps the imperial power seeking imperative would have been so great that future generations were destined to face the probability of nuclear annihilation in any event. And while many of the scientists joined the Manhattan project believing in the reality of the Nazi threat, when that threat proved false all of them except Rotblat continued to work to develop the atom bomb in spite of the obvious implications. Instead they cheered when the test detonation was successful. A job well done, a testament to their brilliance. After the war, Oppenheimer became a critic of the development and use of nuclear weapons after it was too late to have an impact. This amounted to little more than virtue signaling from someone who played a key role in setting the world on course for likely nuclear annihilation.

After the war, the U.S. essentially normalized the development and stockpiling of nuclear weapons by the U.S. military. This ongoing U.S. initiated arms race led to the rapid development of much more powerful weapons and delivery systems such that these weapons are now capable of killing all humans on planet Earth many times over mere minutes after a decision to launch is made. This is the predictable legacy of the Manhattan project and American imperial hubris. That we have escaped nuclear annihilation to date is nothing short of a miracle, multiple close calls narrowly averted. The first known incident occurred during the Cuban missile crisis when a Soviet submarine commander, cut off from Soviet command and control and thinking global war had begun, nonetheless, blocked an internal command decision to launch a nuclear torpedo. Had he not acted as he did, World War III may have ensued and none of us would be alive today. How long can humanity continue to dodge a bullet? Yet, instead of nuclear disarmament eliminating this threat to human survival, the U.S. has budgeted over a trillion dollars to modernize its nuclear arsenal. 

The essential problem is that we are ruled by power-seeking psychopaths who have an extremely narrow focus and little concern for those who suffer the consequences of imperial actions including, apparently, their own grandchildren. When the Soviet Union collapsed in the 1990s, this presented the world with a unique opportunity to end the arms race and eliminate nuclear weapons. Instead, the Clinton administration considered this an opportunity to destroy and balkanize Russia and to expand NATO eastward as a U.S. controlled imperial strike force. This financial conquest of Eastern Europe alongside NATO expansion may justifiably be viewed as phase one of Global War 1. The Russian economy was destroyed by the Harvard boys led by Jeffrey Sachs utilizing "shock therapy" with little regard as to the consequences for ordinary Russians as a result of these imperial machinations. Millions were thrown into poverty and life expectancy plummeted as the the U.S. restructured Russian society into a form of oligarchic gangster capitalism as a means to achieve long standing imperial geo-strategic objectives. The unexpected emergence of Vladimir Putin who stopped the worst of these excesses prevented complete imperial victory and caused Putin to become empire's number one enemy. 

By the time Barack Obama became President, virtually all of the Eastern European nations once part of the Warsaw Pact had been turned into imperial vassal states thanks to the financial conquest of the U.S. controlled World Bank and IMF, aided by the CIA, George Soros, and an army of Western NGOs. They were able to use the internet and social media which knows no borders and can be used to destabilize a vulnerable country for imperial conquest relying primarily on soft power. In 2013 the elected President of Ukraine committed an unpardonable sin by maintaining economic ties to Russia and resisting IMF conditionalities, totally unacceptable behavior for a vassal. Hence, the 2014 color revolution which brought about the direct control of Ukraine by the empire through NATO and U.S. sponsored neo-Nazis (Pravi Secktor and Svaboda primarily). These neo-Nazis were utilized to terrorize recalcitrant sectors of the population into compliance. Victoria Nuland, a warmongering neocon in the U.S. State Department oversaw the operation which specifically targeted ethnic Ukrainian Russians. These actions were consistent with the neocon "Project For a New American Century" which advocated smashing potential rivals for global hegemony. Nuland's husband was/is Robert Kagan a prominent neocon warmonger. The 2014 U.S. sponsored coup alongside the subordination of Ukraine's economy and military are phase two of Global War 1.

This neocon led imperial foreign policy was put on temporary hold due to the unexpected election of Donald Trump who, despite numerous other faults, wasn't a deranged warmonger like Nuland and the rest of Hillary Clinton's State Department. As a consequence, a Democratic Party, Deep State and media propaganda campaign was launched against Trump accusing him of being Putin's puppet engaged in some sort of treason by wanting to negotiate with Russia. It was the most groundless and scurrilous attack on a President that I have ever seen, another indication that the empire was/is committed to war with Russia and will not tolerate dissent. The election of Joe Biden brought Victoria Nuland and other neocons back to the State Department where the attack on Russia intensified. The assault on the ethnic Russian areas of the Donbas resulting in about 14,000 ethnic Ukrainian Russians killed by the NATO armed and de facto led Ukrainian military. Plans were made for an all out assault on the Donbas and Crimea by the NATO/Ukrainian army in the spring of 2022, however, these were preempted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. We are now in phase three of Global War 1.

The point which I am trying to make is that the U.S. government didn't need to develop and use the atomic bomb during World War 2. It did so because of the power-seeking geo-strategic advantage this weapon provided. Furthermore, it did so despite the threat such a weapon posed to the survival of the human species. Additionally, the U.S. pursued a nuclear arms race involving technological improvements which made these weapons far more deadly. This was done because this provided a short term geo-strategic advantage even though these new weapons systems increased the threat of nuclear annihilation. And when the Soviet Union collapsed, the U.S. ignored the opportunity to pursue nuclear disarmament and instead saw the opportunity to expand NATO and empire, the pursuit of power stronger than the desire to safeguard humanity's future. And here we should mention the rise of the warmongering Zionist neocons in the Democratic party. Make no mistake, the party of Roosevelt is long gone. So is more-or-less rational imperialism. In its stead we have the New Democrat party of Wall Street, war and empire, its foreign policy in the hands of Zionist neocons whose commitment to Israel and warmongering is ideological and absolute, rationality considered a sign of weakness. Their ideology a secularized version of pre-enlightenment religious fanaticism.  The neocons are not exclusively Ashkenazi. Limited numbers of non-Ashkenazi are welcome to participate if their commitment to Israel and warmongering is compatible. Dick Cheney and Hillary Clinton are two examples. And this aggressive warmongering is presented as liberal humanitarianism, the responsibility to protect, humanitarian intervention, bringing the blessings of democracy to the Third World (particularly the Middle East), etc. To this is added the self-righteous zeal and messianic fervor of secularized fundamentalism. 

The future looks bleak. Imperial foreign policy appears to be set by warmongering neocons whose influence is promoted and protected by Zionist fanaticism and ethnic solidarity. The Democratic party is now more-or-less owned by Ashkenazi Zionists who provide the bulk of political funding and set the policies which include unwavering support for Israel and generalized acceptance and support for the "Project for a New American Century" which advocates for massive and increased military spending, including nuclear, and the elimination of potential rivals for both the American led global empire and for Israel. The neocon influence permeates the media and the rest of the deep state. These people are risk takers who view caution and moderation as weakness. The NATO proxy war in Ukraine is a direct consequence of neocon promoted imperial expansion alongside the attempt to destroy the Russian Federation. Add to this the coming global climate crisis and the prospect for nuclear war appears increasingly likely. Lest anyone think that I am exaggerating neocon bellicosity, I close with a quote from notorious neocon Richard Perle:

"If we just let our vision of the world go forth, and we embrace it entirely, and don't try to piece together clever diplomacy but just wage a total war, out children will sing great songs about us years from now." (Richard Perle)

Mull that over as you contemplate humanity's future. 

Oppenheimer and the Empire of Doom

 

"I thought our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives." (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

We are living on borrowed time. The development of the atomic bomb by the U.S. ushered in the predictable creation of a nascent doomsday machine. While some of the scientists were encouraged to believe that the bomb was intended as a retaliatory weapon against a possible Nazi atomic bomb, the final work was completed after it became clear that Nazi Germany either abandoned or never had a serious nuclear program. The U.S. program was completed and two bombs assembled with the clear intent to use against two undamaged Japanese cities in what can only be described as monstrous war crimes and mass murder of civilians even as a defeated Japan was seeking to negotiate terms of surrender. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were put to the nuclear sword both to test these new weapons (one had a uranium core, the other plutonium), and to send a signal to the Russians that we had this new weapon and were sufficiently ruthless to use it even if not required to end the war. Please note that Eisenhower's opinion implicitly suggests that war crimes and mass-murder are acceptable if they "save American lives." 

To put Hiroshima and Nagasaki in perspective, it should be noted that neither Eisenhower nor other members of the top brass raised objections to the firebombing of Tokyo in March 1945 which killed a minimum of 100,000 defenseless civilians in yet another U.S. major war crime. This was followed by repeated firebombings of Tokyo and other Japanese cities in April and May in which hundreds of thousands of Japanese died hideous deaths even as the U.S. ignored Japanese attempts to enter surrender negotiations insisting instead upon unconditional surrender as a means to prolong the war to permit the completion and use of the atomic bombs. To the psychopathic rulers of empire, mass murder to achieve imperial objectives is somewhat routine. So the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki broke no new moral ground. What it did do was to develop nascent doomsday weapons which would predictably put the imperial decisions makers' children and grandchildren and all of humanity in severe danger. All empires rely upon mass murder, terror and torture to impose their will upon subject populations. The uniqueness of the of the atomic bomb was that it would eventually put the imperial leaders and their families in danger, a startling development indicating the degree to which those who lust for power exhibit extreme myopia as they pursue their objectives, the consequences of which are mostly ignored as distractions which interfere with their narrowly focused actions. These are not thoughtful people although they may be highly intelligent in the narrow sense of the term. If nuclear disarmament could have been achieved in 1945 by the U.S. simply not building and using the atomic bomb, what chance is there now in escaping eventual nuclear annihilation? 

To be perfectly clear, the current nuclear threat to the survival of humankind and to much of the natural world was created by the U.S. when it developed and used the atomic bombs during World War II, and to the subsequent nuclear arms race initiated and sustained by the U.S.. This was done by the so called liberal Roosevelt administration backed by the Democratic party. The Democratic Truman administration continued this policy of nuclear development along with the use of nuclear threats as a means of coercion in order to achieve imperial objectives. This was done despite the obvious implications for the threat to human survival posed by the advancement of these systems of unprecedented mass murder. This use of doomsday weapons as instruments of imperial power seeking was pursued despite the threat these weapons and their potential use posed to the American society itself. This policy and these actions can only be described as insane, the actions of sociopaths and psychopaths who have created an environment where human survival, including the elites and their children, is increasingly unlikely. What were they thinking? We have always known that they were capable of mass murder when it suited their purpose, but to put themselves and their descendants in such jeopardy is, I think, unprecedented. So those who exult in the "success" of Oppenheimer and the Manhattan project should reflect upon how this legacy will impact them and their loved ones.

Gore-y BS

 

“If we get to true net zero, astonishingly, global temperatures will stop going up with a lag time of as little as three to five years. They used to think that positive feedback loops would keep that process going. No, it will not! The temperatures will stop going up. The ice will continue melting and some other things will continue, but we can stop the increase of temperatures. Even better, if we stay at true net zero in as little as 30 years, half of all the human caused CO2 will come out of the atmosphere into the upper ocean and the trees and vegetation.” (Al Gore) https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/08/18/al-gore-vs-oil-rich-dubai-host-of-cop28/

The above comment was made at a recent TED talk in anticipation of the upcoming COP28, 11/30/23 - 12/12/23. According to Gore, "We have everything we need and proven deployment models to reduce emissions 50% by 2030. It will require (1) more solar and wind (2) more regenerative agriculture (3) more EVs (4) more charging stations (5) more energy storage (6) more green hydrogen (7) and more electrolyzers to produce it."

In my last two essays, I highlighted the irrational denial of global warming by many of those who are resisting the global restructuring of society and by those who have something to gain by their denial and/or are expressing a form of ideological solidarity with their reference group. In this essay, I am highlighting the other major group which while acknowledging the reality of global warming are greatly misrepresenting what can be done in order to push an agenda which will have little effect on actual global warming but will restructure society in such a way as to benefit the global elites. We have entered a period where ideology and opportunism shape the discourse.

Notice, please, that Gore has 7 solutions which he claims will enable us to halt and reverse the consequences of the massive and rapid increase in greenhouse gases caused by the burning of fossil fuels upon which our society is totally dependent. In the article by Robert Hunziker which I am quoting from, he notes that when these COP meetings began in 1995, the annual CO2 emissions were 21 gigatons and, despite pledges to reduce emissions, have increased every year and now are 36 gigatons per year. In short, the notion that we can get to true net zero carbon emissions anytime soon is absurd. No doubt Gore has studies which rely upon accounting gimmickry to say we can. If you have sufficient funding, you can always find "experts" to say what you want to hear. In the real world,however, it is not going to happen. Not even close.

When Gore talks about how rapidly global warming can be stopped and CO2 removed from the atmosphere, one can only wonder if he actually believes this. He references a non-per reviewed one page summary by a sycophant professor (the deniers have their "experts" too) which Gore misrepresents in any event. In my "Gloom and Doom" essay, I reviewed the natural rate of CO2 reduction during the previous cycles and determined that the current CO2 level would require 34,000 years to return to preindustrial levels if Mother Nature was consistent and actual glacier analysis was our guide (see http://www.co2 levels.org/ ). To propose that the natural environment will remove CO2 500 times faster than anytime during the past 800,000 years (half in 30 years) is an insult to the intelligence. And to suggest that the current level of CO2 of 420 ppm will not cause additional warming is totally irrational. Unless, of course, it is but a rational pretext to achieve certain objectives in regards to the elite agenda. 

So there you have it. The two primary camps and their followers. One denying the obvious reality of extreme global climate disruption, the other minimizing the consequences of climate disruption already baked in, along with wildly exaggerating the prospects for change in order to promote the elite agenda. Both are misrepresenting reality consistent with their group agenda. Both, in their own way, are part of the problem. So, yes, resist the elite agenda as best you can realizing that the global system cannot be meaningfully changed through populist activism. Instead, extricate yourself from the system as best you can. And keep in mind that we are entering a period of runaway global warming which will have major consequences, some of which will be catastrophic leading to chaos and social disintegration. And perhaps nuclear war which seems increasingly likely. This possibility is in no small measure a consequence of the U.S. development of the atomic bomb as an instrument of imperial domination and control. Think about that if you go to see the movie "Oppenheimer."

Gloom and Doom (rev 9/3/2023)

 

In my previous essay titled "He Who Pays the Piper," I discussed how the various individuals/groups spin their narrative to obtain funding regardless of empirical reality. My concluding example involved global warming. I pointed out that even a cursory examination of the available data indicated that this was not part of any natural cycle. Anthropogenic CO2 emissions are equivalent to 60 times volcanic CO2 emissions resulting in a rapid CO2 buildup of 136 ppm (284 ppm 1850 versus over 420 ppm current) which far exceeds the 98 ppm increase from the low (186 ppm) during the last ice age (21,500 years ago) to the preindustrial (1850) high of around 284 ppm. This equates to a 0.44 ppm/100 years rate of increase. In the previous essay, I used a different cycle to get a more robust rate of increase of 0.8 ppm/100 year rate of increase. The current rate of increase is 118 ppm/100 years and climbing, which means that we are accumulating CO2 148 times faster that the 0.8/100 year rate, and 268 times faster than the 0.44 ppm /100 years rate. Obviously, this is not a "natural" cycle rate of increase. (see http://www.co2 levels .org/ ) I also indicated that temperature data lagged behind the greenhouse gas buildup, therefore, the rate of increase was "only" 56 times that of the natural cycles, but increasing as the CO2 accumulation rapidly increases, worthless treaties notwithstanding. 

In the previous essay, I also indicated that real global warming is being used as a pretext to institute changes that are designed to enhance elite social control yet do little, if anything, to actually reduce carbon emissions. Barring nuclear war (a very real possibility), I predicted a 2 degree above preindustrial by 2050, increasing to 5 to 6 degrees C by the end of the century based upon current greenhouse gas levels and likely increases. For those that hope for some sort of rapid reduction in greenhouse gas levels, I have some bad news. While humans have the capability to rapidly increase greenhouse gas levels by burning fossil fuels, there does not exist nor is there likely to exist in the foreseeable future the ability to eliminate massive quantities of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Realistically, the best we can count on is the natural reduction of greenhouse gases which appears to take longer that the natural buildup of the gases during the climate cycles. This rate varies, however, the maximum from the last cycle appears to be about 0.5 ppm/100 years. If we assume that CO2 will continue to accumulate to at least 450 ppm, then the natural reduction to preindustrial 280 ppm will take at least 34,000 years minimum. We appear to be locked in to a global climate catastrophe caused, essentially, by elite power seeking without regard to the broader consequences of their actions. One would have thought that with massive fossil fuel consumption the consequences of emitting millions of years of sequestered carbon into the atmosphere in about 150 years would have been considered. Additionally, globalization is all about global social control and power at the expense of local autonomy and local survivability. Yet, the power-seeking psychopaths who rule us are much less concerned about the long term survivability of the species than in short term power dynamics. And while the global warming deniers claim that the elites are trying to frighten the populace into making ill advised changes (true enough), the reality is that the elites are promoting unrealistic hope for solving the climate crisis. Unfortunately, I have concluded that little can be done to mitigate the consequences of the current level of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and that little significant action to curb emissions will be undertaken in any event. The elite agenda appears to be to restructure global society in such a way as to safeguard elite interests in the new era.

Before I offer some concluding comments regarding the implications of all of this, I need to rant in regards to the complete lack of intellectual integrity of the anthropogenic global warming deniers. I became aware of websites such as the Corbett Report, Off Guardian and UK Column during the initial phase of the COVID- 19 psyops. They seemed at the time to be relative voices of sanity in a sea of MSM BS. Now that we have entered increased awareness of the consequences of climate change, they have all revealed themselves to be global warming deniers, primarily, I suspect, due to profound ideological bias. Off Guardian published an article on 8/8/2023 by Iain Davis which is all too typical of this contrarian garbage. Allow me to quote: "Noel Coward wrote the song “Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” advising people to avoid sweltering midday temperatures, in 1931. It went down well because it was funny and something people could relate to. Probably because the 1930s was the hottest decade of the 20th century." (Iain Davis) https://off-guardian.org/2023/08/08/the-infuriating-climate-alarm/

The 1930s was the hottest decade of the 20th century? Davis links to an article in Watts Up With That, a denier website, by author Professor Patick Michaels, a professional climate skeptic funded by the fossil fuel industry. The article indicated that the write up is 11 years old. Another quote: HEADLINE: "Newly found weather records show 1930's as being far worse than the present for extreme weather" ARTICLE: "Sure is hot out! And what better time for a paper to appear in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology describing the construction of the “all-time” records for various types of weather extremes for each of the 50 United States plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands." (Patrick Michaels) https://wattsupwiththat.com/2012/07/14/newly-found-weather-records-show-1930s-as-being-far-worse-than-the-present-for-extreme-weather/     

Putting aside the veracity of the article, note that Iain Davis has grossly misrepresented some sort of study dealing with "each of the 50 United States plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands." , implying that the 1930s were the hottest decade of the 20th century globally. The article was in response to reportage of extreme temperatures in Europe and Davis disingenuously ties the 1930s decade with a Noel Coward song implying how hot it was in England in the 1930s. This is a profoundly dishonest piece of anti-global warming propaganda. If we go to https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata_v4/GLB.Ts+dSST.txt , we can easily determine for ourselves that the 1930s had a temperature anomaly of (11.5) in 0.01 degrees celcius versus the base period of 1951-1980. In other words, 0.115 degrees C cooler than the average for 1951-1980. Hottest decade? Try 1990-1999, the last decade of the 20th century which saw an ever increasing temperature far in excess historical cycles. If we do, we'll see that the average anomaly for the decade was 38.5, or 0.385 degrees C warmer than baseline and 0.50 degrees C warmer than the 1930s. This equates to a 0.833 increase/100 years, about 28x the historical average. This is less than the 56x times non-anthropogenic  rate I show in my previous essay because we are dealing with an earlier time frame with less greenhouse gas buildup. Comparing 1990-1999 with 2010-2019, we get a 0.42 degree C increase over a scant 20 years which equates to 2.10 degrees/100, a whopping 70x versus historical. As I indicated previously, the sharp increase in greenhouse gas accumulation is far ahead of the theoretical equilibrium temperature and is causing increasingly rapid temperature increases. You don't have to be a scientist to see where this is heading, and you have to be an ideologue or desperate for funding to deny that it is happening. As previously noted, we have entered a transition period where ideology and opportunism shape the discourse, and where intellectual integrity seems a luxury. 

Let me conclude by noting that the high point of most previous natural cycles had a temperature anomaly exceeding our current one. That won't last for long. The current rate of temperature increase is so far in excess of previous cycles that the equilibrium temperature in regards to the greenhouse gas accumulation must be well above our current temperature. Since the growing greenhouse gas accumulation will be with us for a long time to come, we and future generations can look forward to rapidly rising temps for centuries to come. This rapid and sustained temperature increase following the natural increase at the end of the last ice age may result in the complete melting of all glaciers and sea ice. Humans have initiated a process which we are now more or less powerless to stop which will result in a totally new climate regime, one unable to support the conditions of civilized life, or possibly much of any life for that matter. We are headed for dark times with no obvious solution.

He Who Pays the Piper (rev 8/31/23)

 

The defining essence of capitalism is the monetization of power. In capitalism, money is power, economic power in fluid form, the primary instrument of social control. To rephrase an old aphorism, in capitalism he who pays the piper doesn't need to call the tune because he will be surrounded by pipers seeking to play what they think he wants to hear in hopes of securing payment. Rewarding the astute piper(s) provides a learning experience for the other pipers who then on their own volition modify their behavior to improve their chance of success. It is a very effective means of behavior modification and control which, nonetheless, is seen as voluntary and natural. Those who earn their living as pundits or other aspects of opinion shaping are particularly vulnerable to having their opinions and analyses influenced more by the desire to obtain funding than by empirical reality. Notice also that many of these pundits may never actually obtain the funding they strive for, hence, can honestly say that they have never been paid to say what they say.

This modification of opinions and analyses has been distressingly evident on the Left dissident punditry. Prior to Covid, many dissident left websites remained consistent in their analyses of events, the "Russiagate" psyops called out for what it was. With the advent of Covid as the start-point for the global restructuring now underway, such lefty dissident stalwarts as Counterpunch have gotten on board with what can only be described as official wartime propaganda. The current struggle for global dominance involves the full spectrum of hard and soft power which includes media fealty to the official narrative with little or no deviation acceptable. President Clinton's decision to turn NATO into an imperial out-of-area strike force and move into Eastern Europe in an attempt to subjugate Russia is shamelessly presented as more-or-less benign, Russia's invasion of Ukraine unprovoked and unjustified. No reference is made to the American initiated intense global power struggle now underway. This is consistent with the reality that Counterpunch's funding base shares certain biases with the funding base of the Democratic Party. No longer the Party of Roosevelt, the Democrats have become the party of Clinton, Soros, the CIA and Wall Street. 

We have entered a period of transition where society is being restructured from consumptive capitalism towards a form of totalitarian neofeudalism in which energy intensive consumer capitalism is abandoned in favor of debt servitude, mass surveillance and other forms of coercive social control. Not only is our current energy intensive society no longer viable, but we have greatly exceeded the limits of growth and carbon emissions such that disaster is inevitable, hence, global society is being restructured to provide the elites with greatly enhanced security and social control to protect the elites from the chaos which will occur from the rapidly approaching climate catastrophe, assuming no nuclear war.

Other formerly lefty websites such as Global Research have modified their content to appeal to those with a Libertarian ideology and now provide nonsensical analyses about global warming/climate change as a hoax. Below is a quote from F. William Engdahl which appeared on Global Research on 6/21/23 which is so ludicrous to make me wonder why the author risked ridicule to post it and Global Research published it. This isn't a call for censorship but an attempt to come to grips with why a lot of pundits and commentators appear to have lost their minds. I will resume my commentary following the quote.

"What is almost never said is that CO2 cannot soar up into the atmosphere from car exhaust or coal plants or other man made origins. Carbon dioxide is not carbon or soot. It is an invisible, odorless gas essential to plant photosynthesis and all life forms on earth, including us. CO2 has a molecular weight of just over 44 while air (mainly oxygen and nitrogen) has a molecular weight of only 29." (F. William Engdahl) https://www.globalresearch.ca/great-zero-carbon-criminal-conspiracy/5736707    

The Earth's atmosphere is layered like a lasagna, F. William? The surface an unbreathable mixture of CO2 and Argon? Next comes pure oxygen followed by nitrogen? How dumb is that? And how disingenuous to treat CO2 separately while treating the other atmospheric gases as homogeneous "air." Isn't it self-evident that normal atmospheric dynamics mix these various gases so that a roughly "normal" mixture is found from sea level to the highest mountain tops and beyond? The CO2 doesn't hug the ground which is why folks at sea level can safely breath and trees and plants receive adequate CO2 above the CO2 layer postulated by F. William Engdahl. There is no atmospheric layering below 100 km which is why CO2 measurements from the Mauna Loa observatory (11,141 ft. elevation) have increased dramatically. Now, I don't believe that F. William is that stupid, nor that Global Research is that stupid. Rather, I believe that they are pandering to their funding sources. They are playing the tune that their niche group wants to hear. We have entered  a transition period where ideology and opportunism shape the discourse. As such, we need to rely upon common sense to analyze what data is available.

I am now going to provide a common sense analysis of the reality of anthropogenic climate change. I will begin by noting that, all things considered, climatologists have done a poor job of explaining what is happening. I will continue by noting that the reason they call greenhouse gases "greenhouse gases" is because they trap radiated solar energy as heat. Full stop. The amount of heat they trap is proportional to their concentration. 420 ppm CO2 traps 48% more heat that 284 ppm CO2. Period. Except for water vapor, greenhouse gases are a relatively small but extremely important part of Earth's atmosphere, essential for plant growth and moderate climate. It has only been recently that anthrogrogenic carbon release has become an issue due primarily to the burning of fossil fuels. If we go the co2levels.org ( https://www.co2levels.org/ ) we will observe that for the last 1000 years, CO2 has been between 275 ppm and 284 ppm until around 1850 (preindustrial) when it began to increase at an accelerating rate now reaching over 420 ppm in June of 2023. In the upper left corner of the graph is a time icon which we can click to observe 800,000 years of history. CO2 has fairly regular ups and downs (I assume more or less corresponding to some sort of solar cycle). The absolute low was 172 ppm with an average low about 190 ppm. The high reading prior to 1850 was 290 ppm, with an average somewhere between 240 ppm and 280 ppm. It should be obvious to all that the current concentration of 420 ppm is far outside the range of the natural cycles and represents a jarring break with these natural cycles. 

To further demonstrate the unnaturalness of the situation along with a significant indication of potential catastrophe, let us look at the rate of change. The last full cycle began with a low of 190 ppm 138,200 years ago, with a high of 275 ppm 127,600 years ago for an increase of 85 ppm over 10,600 years (0.8 ppm/100 years). This is consistent with the other highs and lows over 800,000 years and indicates that the natural cycles occur slowly from a human perspective. For comparison, the 1000 year graph shows an increase from 304 ppm in 1923 to 422 ppm in 2023 (118 PPM/100 YEARS)with the rate increasing over time. This represents an increase 148 times faster than the natural buildup of CO2, hardly a continuation of the current formerly natural cycle. 

On the 800,000 years graph, click on the temperature icon in the upper left. You will observe a strong correlation between CO2 highs and lows with temperature highs and lows. Hopefully, we are all aware that, all things being equal, cold water absorbs more CO2 than warmer water, hence, a solar cycle which triggers a slight warming trend will result in slightly higher atmospheric CO2 which will amplify the effect causing yet more warming, etc., until the cycle reverses. What this suggests is that talking about a solar cycle as something distinct from greenhouse gas accumulation is nonsense. Greenhouse gases are an integral and essential part of the solar cycle. Furthermore, I have come to believe that greenhouse gases set in motion by the solar cycle provide the bulk of the warming attributed to the natural cycle. It is time to look at temperature over time. Scroll to the bottom of the CO2 graph and click on temperature record. The anamolies shown are for the 1951-1980 base period, not preindustrial.

The starting point for the last full cycle was about 141,000 years ago with a temperature anomalie of (2.72). There is a slight difference between the CO2 low point and the temperature low point, I assume do to other cyclical factors. Please note that the negative 2.72 anomalie is roughly 1.43 degrees C warmer than the (4.15) degree C anomalie at the start of our current cycle. This would seem to account for the relatively high 2.68 degree anomalie at 123,000 years, the highest in 800,000 years and well above our 1850 preindustrial reference point. Before one takes too much comfort in this high natural anomalie, one needs to take into account that the total temperature increase of 5.40 degrees C occurred over 18,000 years for an average of .03 degrees C per 100 years. 

Temperature data for our current industrial era can be found at  https://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata_v4/GLB.Ts+dSST.txt The data indicates that for the 50 year period beginning 1960/69 and ending 2010/19 there was .836 degree C increase  which equates to 1.672 degrees C per century, 56 times the non-anthropogenic rate and accelerating. Also, with melting glaciers and melting sea ice the planetary surface is absorbing more solar energy. Plus, warming waters are causing more methane emissions as we enter a period of positive feed back loops. Finally, the burning of fossil fuels also emits particulate matter which slightly reduces the solar radiation striking the planet tending somewhat to offset the CO2 buildup. Eliminating the burning of fossil fuels will also rapidly eliminate these aerosols resulting in a rapid increase in surface temperature of up to 1 degree C. The bottom line is that we have entered a period of accelerating climate chaos which will likely result in some form of environmental collapse. Climatologists have done a poor job in highlighting the rapid and accelerating nature of the change (in geological time frames) which would demonstrate that current warming is not part of any natural cycle and that the impact will be strongly influenced by the rapid rate of change which renders adaptive change problematic. In my opinion, we will pass the 2 degree C prior to 2050. Assuming no nuclear war, by the end of the 21st century, we could be at about 5 to 6 degrees C above preindustrial. This is much warmer than official estimates.

What about net carbon zero, won't that help? No, net carbon zero is a total fraud relying upon accounting gimmickry to pretend to offset fossil fuel emissions without any significant reduction in actual fossil fuel emissions. The looming climate catastrophe is being used to justify actions designed primarily to establish a form of totalitarian social control to protect the elites from the social chaos likely to follow. It is not surprising that the elites would use the unfolding climate crisis as a pretext for increasing social control as a means to protect themselves from the environmental consequences of elite policies. This is particularly true in view of the fact that at this stage of the game there is virtually nothing which can be done to effectively mitigate the catastrophic level of global warming already baked in. On the local level, however, individuals can adopt their own survival strategies. But not if they think global warming/climate change is a hoax. Volcanic CO2 emissions are part of the natural cycle. Current annual anthropogenic CO2 emissions are at least 60 times the average volcanic activity. If you think that anthropogenic CO2 emissions equivalent to a 60x increase in average volcanic activity is no big deal, what can I say? The era of massive fossil fuel burning is at an end and there is no going back. Yet, many (most?) pundits and other commentators have abandoned rational analyses of empirical reality in favor of pandering to funding sources. It is easy to believe what is convenient to believe and the need to obtain money to survive is a powerful motivator. People can convince themselves of all manner of nonsense when it suits them to do so. This is particularly true during periods of rapid change and chaos where power relations are in a state of flux. Add to this the inevitable confusion caused by the electronic dissemination of propaganda by the competing global factions. The end result is that empirical reality is pushed aside in a desperate attempt to align with those deemed likely to prevail in the current power struggle.

The US/NATO/Neocon War on Russia

 

"Today's warfare is financial in character. Creditors now achieve by financialization and privatization what armies used to seize by force." (Michael Hudson)

In our interdependent (by design) globalized world, most of the supposedly independent and sovereign nations are neither fully independent nor sovereign. The very concept is a somewhat anachronistic holdover from the pre-globalized era. Nowadays, trade and financial interdependencies along with debt obligations and electronic and social penetration have rendered national governments essentially vassals to a global system of interconnectivity and control. Advanced technology has enabled the US empire to transmogrify itself into the American led global empire of the global elites where finance capital directs corporate control linked through the internet. Governments essentially serve to administer their respective polities for the benefit of our global oligarchs and corporations. The proliferation of military alliances such as NATO serve to transfer control of national militaries over to the global empire. Military force is but one component of full spectrum dominance to be utilized as required to achieve imperial objectives. And since the US is a national security state which relies upon the military industrial complex both as a means of economic stimulation and as an instrument of de facto economic guidance and control, military spending continues to rise in spite of a lack of a credible military threat. The notion that Russia with its modest size economy is a military threat to Western Europe and the World is ludicrous, yet that is the propaganda narrative being used to justify imperial war mongering. Yet, Russia does possess a formidable nuclear capability which makes the US/NATO Ukrainian gambit dangerous to the point of insanity.

We are already in phase 3 of Global War 1 (WW III). Phase 1 occurred with the breakup of the Soviet Union which was seen by the West not as an opportunity for peace (we are a national security state, remember?), but as an opportunity to extend imperial power to the former USSR Eastern European vassal states. This was done with the use of the form of hybrid warfare known as color revolutions. Essentially, an army of Western NGOs with a corporate friendly agenda organized and subsidized youthful future leaders to advocate for the hidden corporate agenda even as the World Bank and IMF loaded these countries with debt and conditionalities. Western friendly politicians were then elected having benefited from sophisticated election campaigns relying upon Western financing as money power took control of these societies. Once in charge, these countries were persuaded to ask to join an expanding NATO thereby ceding control of their militaries to the empire. It should be further noted that many of these Eastern European countries had either joined with Nazi Germany in the attack on the USSR or had significant segments of their society which collaborated with the Nazis and were openly Russophobic. The net effect of all of this was that a growing military alliance hostile to Russia was advancing eastward toward Russia's border by taking control of countries through the use of hybrid warfare. Russia, at the time, was too weak to do anything about this situation which was in violation of previous Western (obviously duplicitous) commitments. 

Phase 2 of Global War 1 was the overthrow of the elected President of the Ukraine and replacing him with an imperial satrap. Toward the end of 2013, President Viktor Yanukovych defied the empire by negotiating a loan from Russia rather than the IMF with odious IMF conditionalities. The US then fomented a coup utlizing neo-Nazi terrorists to destabilize the regime causing the elected President to flee and be replaced by the US installed satrap. What little wiggle room the former Ukraine had as a Western supported vassal state disappeared as Uncle Sam tightened the leash on their puppet. At this point in time, Ukraine became a total US/European/NATO dependency, its existence enabled by foreign aid and loans, it's "sovereignty" non-existent. Make no mistake, after 2014 the Ukraine ceased to be a "sovereign" nation even loosely defined. Even though not an official NATO member, the Ukrainian military was de facto controlled by NATO which provided equipment, training and leadership. The IMF more or less runs the economy at the macro level. This was facilitated by the appointment of U.S. citizen Natalie Jaresko to the newly created position of Finance Minister which required the Ukrainian legislature granting her Ukrainian citizenship on the day she took office. Born in Illinois, she received a BS in accounting from De Paul University and an MPP from Harvard, impeccable credentials to perform as a rubber stamp for the global financial elite. Ukrainian civil society is inundated with over 41,000 non-profits, charities and NGOs, most Western supported and hewing to the Western narrative, effectively political cadres of the West. The CIA is actively involved, providing training and guidance to the neo-Nazis who infest the security services and discipline the population through terror. Any opposition to US/NATO control has been effectively eliminated or driven underground.

Phase 3 of Global War 1 began with the Russian "special military operation" to de-militarize and de-Nazify the Ukraine. This was a preemptive invasion to seize the military initiative prior to the likely planned US/NATO/Ukrainian full military assault on the unoccupied Donbass region of the Ukraine. It should be kept in mind that had Russia not invaded, US/NATO would have utilized their NATO trained and heavily armed Ukrainian proxy forces to launch a massive attack on the Donbass region of Ukraine held by ethnic Russian independence forces. This attack would have provoked an anticipated Russian military response. Phase 3 of Global War 1 would have occurred with or without Russia's preemptive attack. The two immediate objectives of this US/NATO planned aggression are to put an end to the Nordstream 2 pipeline project and German/Russian economic cooperation leading to the disastrous-for-empire Chinese/Russian/German economic integration now no longer possible, at least in the short to medium run. This elimination of potential competitors for global economic and military dominance has been a central feature of imperial planning at least since Brzezinski's "The Grand Chessboard" published in 1997 which morphed into the hyper militarized neocon Project for the New American Century in 2000. Make no mistake, US/NATO's anti-Russian aggression is the neocon version of the Grand Chessboard utilizing Ukraine's neo-Nazi infested NATO controlled military as a proxy force to engage and weaken Russia consistent with a 2019 Rand Report titled "Overextending and Unbalancing Russia." 

One of the more sinister aspects of phase 3 is the use of extreme sanctions ostensibly to hurt Russia economically but which will obviously impact Europe more severely and which will likely have global implications for both the Third World and IMF debt, and for China and its export dependent economy. The American led global empire is using the Ukraine conflict as a pretext to collapse the global economy in order to facilitate a "Great Reset" from our current consumer capitalist global economy to a totalitarian form of corporate neofeudalism relying upon control of wealth and functionality instead of land area. Rather than enticing people to buy things they don't need, the system will rely upon a form of debt peonage to force compliance. Most "professional" analysts seem blissfully unaware of the nature of globalized reality and of the effect of recent technological innovations (Computers, internet, cell phones, etc) on social organization and control. It is literally possible for the empire to organize and control a foreign society from afar on a realtime basis in similar fashion to globalized computer controlled manufacturing. This process is facilitated by massive propaganda along with literally tens of thousands of Western financed NGOs. One high ranking British military official recently noted that there is no longer a clear distinction between peace and war, rather there is a never ending continuum of conflict over a broad range of activity. Cyber warfare, for example. In this regard, it should be noted that these new sanctions can cause consequences and casualties far in excess of any battlefield casualties in the Ukraine; simply recall the 500,000 excess child deaths in Iraq caused by sanctions. Yet, there are environmental consequences to these new gas pipelines and the increased use of hydrocarbon fuel which they permit and encourage. Environmental consequences at odds with the fraudulent goal of net carbon zero. There is an underlying complexity to these events not readily perceived. 

In summary, anyone who views the Ukrainian conflict as an unprovoked Russian invasion of the "sovereign" state of Ukraine is seriously out of touch with reality. The rather more harsh reality is that the Ukrainian military conflict is the start of phase three of Global War 1 in which the empire utilizes all of the components of full spectrum dominance to destroy or otherwise neutralize Russia and China as potential competitors for global supremacy as we transition from global finance capitalism to a form of totalitarian neofeudalism. Perhaps the most significant part of the Ukrainian conflict are the economic/financial sanctions ostensibly to punish Russia, but actually intended to collapse the global political economy, a big topic beyond the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that neither Russia nor China has significant force projection capabilities and that China's supposed economic might is firmly rooted in the Western designed and maintained global financial and communication system upon which China is dependent. Look for secondary sanctions in which China is penalized for supporting Russia. What most folks don't seem to realize is that in a globalized world how little real independence there is and how difficult it is to break free from this globalized matrix of control. Make no mistake, it is Russia which is under attack soon to be followed by China, all of this propagandistically misrepresented by the Western media.

Final comment: I don't think that it is possible to fully grasp the insanity of the current situation without being aware of the war mongering ideology of the neocon cabal who appear to be guiding imperial policy at the moment and are using the Project for a New American Century as a de facto policy guide. Neocon war monger Victoria Nuland was the US Under Secretary of State during the 2014 Ukraine coup and was most responsible for its implementation. Hillary Clinton's defeat in 2016 interrupted the neocon game plan for Ukraine, however, with Biden's election, Victoria Nuland has returned to the State Department and the anti-Russian aggression and provocation dramatically increased. This led to the Russian special military operation which preempted the planned NATO assault on the Donbass utilizing Ukrainian troops. This planned assault would have forced Russia to respond in any event, which was the intent in order to cancel Nordstream 2 and to implement global sanctions which are designed to collapse the global economy as part of the World Economic Forum's "Great Reset." This whole Global War 1 scenario is reckless in the extreme. Yet, reckless and irrational (not to mention immoral) war mongering is the trademark of the neocon ideology which considers compromise and diplomacy as signs of weakness. Below is a quote from notorious neocon Richard Perle which succinctly captures the essence of the neocon philosophy which is now guiding imperial policy. As you read, please note the irrationality and intrinsic recklessness of this fundamentalist ideology which sees war as the answer to all of our problems and which downplays the possibility of blundering into nuclear war. 

"If we just let our vision of the world go forth, and we embrace it entirely, and don't try to piece together clever diplomacy but just wage a total war, out children will sing great songs about us years from now." (Richard Perle)

Global War, NATO and the Ukrainian Narrative

 

"It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis." (Harold Pinter) 

Shortly after World War II, the NATO military alliance was formed ostensibly as a defence against the military threat posed by the USSR. The alliance was basically the Western European nations (including the UK) plus Canada and the US. At the time, US planners were aware that the USSR had been devastated by the World War, suffering well over 20 million war deaths and massive economic destruction and, therefore, was incapable of attacking Western Europe and would remain so for decades. The real reason for NATO was to put the Western European militaries under effective US control as well as establishing an organizational basis for US involvement in the European political economy. Also to provide a justification for the ongoing US troop occupation of West Germany. The primary "threat" NATO faced was the potential political success of Leftist parties throughout Europe which posed a threat to US imperial plans. Six years later, Russia, along with the Eastern European countries formed the Warsaw Pact which functioned much like a Russian NATO. Arguably, the Warsaw pact did face a form of military threat insofar as the US/NATO utilized recruited Nazis such as Reinhard Gehlen to reactivate World War II Nazi sabotage networks throughout Eastern Europe in an attempt to weaken and destroy the USSR/Russia. 

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991 (with US assistance), the US provided "assistance" in "helping" Russia, the former Soviet Republics and Eastern European countries transition to capitalism. Under US supported Boris Yeltsin, Jeffrey Sachs and his Harvard colleagues implemented economic "shock therapy" to utterly destroy the old system to pave the way for implementation of a form of Third World capitalism involving the creation of corrupt oligarchs, massive looting of state assets, Western corporate control of much of the economy all leading to the immiseration of much of the population. Russian life expectancy plunged as the population decreased. Russia was a failed state heading for complete disintegration. Vladimir Putin succeeded Boris Yeltsin as President of Russia and surprised the West by re-nationalizing Russia's oil and gas industry and by getting rid of a few of the worst oligarchs. He was able to stanch Russia's slide into disaster and thus interfering with the empire's game plan consequently making him the West's number one enemy to be vilified at every opportunity. The Russian economy has mostly recovered over the last 20 years and is now mid-size, a little over half that of France. Russia's military has also rebounded and is surprisingly potent considering the relatively small economic support base, however, their military has limited global force projection.

The collapse of the Soviet Union along with the dismemberment of the Warsaw Pact ostensibly provided an opportunity for a demilitarization of the West as well since the pretext for NATO's existence no longer existed. However, since NATO was/is an integral part of US imperial power, the collapse of the USSR was seen as an opportunity to expand NATO and empire. President Clinton redefined NATO's mission by utilizing NATO as an imperial out of area strike force in the attack and dismemberment of the no longer useful Yugoslavia. Also, the "color revolution" form of hybrid warfare was used to impose Western oriented regimes on the Eastern European nations formerly allied with the USSR. This was followed by economic restructuring involving IMF debt and conditionalities. In essence, these nations were first destabilized then absorbed by empire, their economies shackled by debt and their political independence restricted by financial obligations and global trade agreements and treaties. They were then encouraged to join NATO which they did as NATO expanded eastward in violation of previous commitments. Imperial control and advanced weaponry thus moved towards Russia via the subjugation of former Warsaw Pack nations by means other than traditional military conquest. The notion that NATO is a defensive military alliance is preposterous. NATO is an imperial military strike force augmenting and under the control of the American military. The subjugation of Eastern Europe followed by the expansion of NATO represents the first stage of Global War I (World War III), Empire's aggressive and militaristic plan to eliminate potential rivals for imperial global hegemony.

Phase 2 of Global War 1 was the overthrow of the elected President of the Ukraine and replacing him with an imperial satrap. Toward the end of 2013, President Viktor Yanukovych needed to secure financing for his (predictably) corruption ridden economy (the inevitable consequence of the oligarchic capitalism instituted by the West). The IMF was prepared to provide $18 billion conditioned on severe austerity. Russia offered $15 billion with few strings attached. President Yanukovych chose the Russian loan forgetting, perhaps, that Ukraine was a vassal state and that his otherwise logical decision was not acceptable to empire. The Maidan US orchestrated insurrection soon followed and Yanukovych was deposed and replaced by US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland's personal choice of Arseniy Yatsenyuk as Prime Minister with Petro Poroshenko as President. With this overthrow of the elected government, the Ukraine went from being a vassal state with limited wiggle room to being a flat out satrapy controlled by empire. Although not a NATO member, NATO was brought in enmass to arm and train the Ukrainian military, with special attention given to the Russophobic neo-Nazi militias which were incorporated into the military while neo-Nazis and other far right nationalist extremists where integrated into the government even as moderates and Russian friendly officials were eliminated from the government. The military training included special ops forces from from the US and UK to teach sabotage, etc. The CIA established what appears to be a Phoenix type assassination and intimidation program. Numerous journalists and opposition leaders have been disappeared and/or tortured.

In 2019, Volodymyr Zelensky won the Ukrainian elections promising to bring peace to the Donbass region through negotiations. Once in office, however, the US supported far right and neo-Nazis called negotiations treasonous and threatened assassination of those who negotiated. Whether or not Zelensky was sincere at the time is a moot point as his position is now firmly opposed to any negotiations or any surrender of defeated Ukrainian forces. In short, Zelensky now completely supports the US/NATO provoked war against Russia. NATO continues to provide logistics, intelligence, mercenary fighters and high level leadership for the Ukrainian forces. The notion that the Ukraine was/is an independent state which has been attacked by an unprovoked , expansionist Russia is ludicrous. Yet, that is the message of a huge and hugely effective imperial propaganda effort. A propaganda system so effective that most citizens of empire do not comprehend the essential nature of the empire which, like all empires, is militaristic and brutal, consistently utilizing terror and torture, and fostering massive corruption. The Ukrainian conflict is basically US/NATO using the Ukrainians as NATO proxy forces to engage in a war against Russia to achieve imperial geostrategic objectives, one of which is to provide a pretext for sanctions designed to collapse the global economy to facilitate a Great Reset resulting in a totalitarian neofeudal global economy. Timing is critical. The window of opportunity is closing to implement the imperial agenda before Russia and China successfully de-dollarize and de facto establish a multipolar world thereby rendering American hegemony impossible. 

The post World War II history of  US policy seems relatively clear based upon the facts and their obvious conclusions. The US emerged from the war with immense power relative to vanquished foes and weakened rivals. The US then became a national security state in order to guide and stimulate the economy. War became America's primary business. The Korean War locked in massive military budgets during peacetime. The US occupied southern Korea utilizing Japanese collaborators to control the population. Thousands of Koreans were killed by US quislings prior to the start of the war. The war itself killed millions and totally destroyed the North. The US maintains an occupation force even now as part of its global empire of bases. In Vietnam, the US took over from France to scuttle elections and occupy the South. That war also resulted in millions of deaths. During this time, the US instigated a coup in Indonesia in which at least 500,000 members of the largest political party were murdered with the encouragement and logistical support of the CIA/State Department. Meanwhile, back in Vietnam the US instituted the Phoenix program of murder and terror. At the conclusion of that war, some of the CIA's Phoenix "professionals" were sent to Central America where they created and directed death squads for US friendly regimes as a means of social control. The same folks did essentially the same thing in Iraq as part of a divide and rule strategy. Since the 2014 US sponsored Ukrainian coup, the CIA has provided training and guidance to Ukrainian neo-Nazi death squads. What we have is a consistent pattern of mass-murder, terror, corruption, financial domination and economic exploitation as part of the imperial modus operandi. In Harold Pinter's words: "The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good."   

I am not overly concerned with why the majority of non-marginalized citizenry buy into official propaganda. Unless it effects them directly, most will simply go along to get along, believing most propaganda aimed at their interest group (Democrat, Republican, "liberal", "conservative", etc.). I am only slightly more interested in why the professional intelligentsia buys into this crappola. For example "progressives" and "liberals" are more accurately thought of as imperial progressives and imperial liberals. Their progressivism and liberalism expressed within the confines of the imperial narrative. They are an integral part of the imperial power structure and will adapt their positions to the changing reality in which they earn their living. The group which fascinates and perplexes me are the radical dissidents who seem fully aware of the nature and crimes of empire, yet seem to have been caught up in the official Ukrainian narrative. Is the Ukrainian propaganda so intense that these "radicals" are simply overwhelmed by the narrative? Going along with what everyone else "knows" to be true and self evident? Or have they succumbed to the power of propagandistic labeling? An "independent" Ukraine invaded by Russia, the ultimate crime of war? Not to excuse the empire for its history, of course, but how not to condemn Russia? Even if it means de facto support for US/NATO and the global empire? Even if the Ukraine is not really independent but a US/NATO/IMF controlled vassal state cum satrapy? Even if the Ukraine utilizes the CIA to implement Phoenix type death squads utilizing empowered neo-Nazis? Even if the NATO equiped and trained neo-Nazi infested  Ukrainian military was preparing an assault on the Donbass to provoke Russia into getting involved after the fact? And even if US/NATO's expansion reflects the implementation of the neocon Project for the New American Century? I have no answer to these questions, the logic of these radicals escapes me.

Final comment. Cui bono? Who gains from Russia's limited invasion of the Ukraine? Not Russia unless you consider preventing NATO from installing advanced missile systems on Russia's border something other than the elimination of an existential threat. Or, perhaps, the elimination of NATO equiped and trained neo-Nazis who have been attacking the Donbass for 8 years killing about 15,000 Russian speaking Ukrainians. A de facto NATO controlled military preparing a massive assault on the Donbass region. And who gains from the closing of the Nordstream 2 pipeline? From the elimination of the potential for improved Russian-German relations and trade along with the implications for geostrategic power? Of increased European defense spending and the invigoration and enlargement of NATO (Finland and Sweden)? Of draconian sanctions which will destroy the markets for Russian raw materials and Chinese manufactures? Sanctions which will provide the pretext for attacking Chinese overseas investment? It should be obvious that the Russia's military intervention in the Ukrainian vassal state is a (predictable) net loss for Russia and was likely viewed by the Russian leadership as the least bad alternative for dealing with continued US/NATO aggression. The empire, however, seems to have achieved multiple objectives and will continue this Global war for hegemony as we transition to a new era with a new political economy. Yet the question remains as to how it is possible for the imperial narrative to so completely and successfully misrepresent reality when so many contradictory facts are available?

The Power of the Narrative

 

In "The Logic of Irrationality," I wrote that something is logical if it is consistent with relevant assumptions, whereas, something is rational if it is consistent with observable reality. The main thrust of the essay was that group ideology may provide an irrational framework to evaluate facts and events which would cause logical conclusions to be irrational. I have come to realize, however, that "observable reality" presents a large problem when dealing with situations and events which we observe primarily through the media rather than through direct experience. When the "facts" presented are false and the narrative propagandistic, particularly when consistent with other official misrepresentations, a dishonest narrative can be seen as an honest depiction of reality, hence, a sound basis for decision making. The power of the narrative is that it takes facts or pseudo facts while omitting contradictory facts and weaves them together into a coherent and cohesive story which supports a desired conclusion which seems completely rational based upon the "observable reality" depicted in the narrative. Once the narrative is accepted and believed it forms the basis for evaluating competing facts and narratives. To a significant degree, those who control the narrative control society, at least at the follower level.

Ideology and social mythology are relatively enduring but mostly static foundational beliefs. Things such as America is a democracy which sacrifices blood and treasure to bring freedom to the less fortunate peoples of the world, a shining city on the hill, for example. Beliefs which form the very basis for evaluating reality and constructing narratives. Narratives are stories constructed from facts and observations consistent with ideology and social mythology. For the purpose of this discussion I am going to ignore mini narratives and focus on significant narratives such as concerning the conflict in the Ukraine, and on overarching narratives such as the depicting of the history of US wars and interventions. Since very few Americans have first hand knowledge of the Ukraine, virtually all of our information comes from the media. This is primarily the mainstream media along with mainstream controlled alternative media. At this point in time, true dissent within the media is practically non-existent as a massive propaganda campaign silences dissent and reinforces the official narrative: Russia as a resurgent, war mongering empire and Putin as the new Hitler, a ruthless dictator to be feared and destroyed. The US history of ongoing military interventions is not discussed except, perhaps, within the framework of the overarching narrative of the US as a force for good with a responsibility to protect. Nowhere in the official narrative will the real history of the US empire be discussed with its long history of mass murder and subjugation of weaker peoples in its pursuit of global hegemony. To those who turn a blind eye to the nature of the empire in which they live, such an analytical framework is virtually inconceivable. One consequence of all of this is that the empire is free to do what it wants without fear of public opinion as long as it can construct and sell a suitable narrative. Most of the citizenry go along to get along and are not the least interested in poking holes in an official narrative which makes them feel good about themselves even as it manipulates their manufactured fears. This is the power of the narrative as a tool for social control.

A critically important point is that although any objective analysis of actual US interventions would give the lie to the "shining city on the hill" mythology, how many people are aware of this history? Most Americans sense of US history is overwhelmingly shaped by the myth-history presented in the entertainment media. In fact, I believe that Hollywood is at least as influential at shaping opinions as the news media. Current propaganda is evaluated against historical patterns as depicted primarily in movies, TV, books, etc. This, in turn, is reinforced by vague recollections of news media propaganda from the past. James Bond and Jack Ryan are heroic good guys, the CIA our defense against the ruthless KGB. Our military brave defenders of democracy and freedom around the globe. Very few seem aware that these big budget war films (Top Gun, etc) require extensive military cooperation to be made. This, in turn, entails extensive military input into the script. Anti war movies are few and far between and usually occur at specific junctures. You will never see a Hollywood movie showing the routine massacre of civilians by the US military as occurred in Korea and Viet Nam and elsewhere. Or the use of CIA controlled death squads in Indonesia, Central America, Iraq and now Ukraine. Or the CIA involvement in international drug smuggling. Instead, you will see an emotionally engaging propagandistic misrepresentation of reality consistent with ideology, social mythology, and the long term overarching narrative. This will serve as a surrogate historical framework within which current "news" is evaluated for believability. Keep in mind that in our global empire, Hollywood and other aspects of US media have a global impact upon reality perception. A single nation such as Russia cannot compete, not even close. The bottom line is that most Americans are unaware of the essential nature of the empire in which they live, their worldview based upon a constructed fantasy. Let me mention one fact which is never mentioned which would better put Russian power in perspective. Russian GDP in 2021 was less than half that of Germany and only slightly more than half of France. Hardly the basis for imperial ambitions.

Through the power of the imperial narrative, ongoing US/NATO aggression against Russia has been successfully depicted in the West as unprovoked Russian aggression against the Ukraine. This provides the pretext for further anti-Russian aggression by US/NATO, the abandonment of the Nordstream 2 pipeline along with the potential for closer German-Russian economic cooperation, and, most significantly, the imposition of sanctions ostensibly against Russia for its invasion but which are the basis for a global economic war designed to collapse the global economy. These sanctions will effect Europe more than Russia resulting in the collapse of the European market which, along with the closing of the US market will severely impact the Chinese export oriented economy. I have seen no indication that either the Russians or Chinese fully appreciate what is happening. We are at the end of the hydrocarbon era which both the Russian and Chinese economies were designed to support: one exporting minerals the other manufactures. Those days are over and trade is being intentionally shut down via sanctions with Russia being blamed. The key to survival will be local autonomy, not massive trade with elaborate supply chains. And most of the Western citizenry haven't got a clue as to what is actually happening because they are surrounded by the most all-encompassing and effective propaganda system ever conceived. Also, few really want to know the ugly truth, preferring to go along to get along. Unfortunately, that won't be enough to protect most folks from the changes about to occur.

One thing continues to bother me. How can many members of the left punditry fail to see the obvious? While the propaganda has been unusually focused and misleading, nonetheless, enough facts slipped through to permit any reasonable person to connect the dots and see what is actually occurring. Mind you, I am not talking about the mass of the citizenry who go along to get along, I am talking about so-called left leaning commentators who should be at least minimally aware of reality. So, a brief history of non-controversial, generally known facts. Let us begin in 2014 when neocon war hawk under secretary of state Victoria Nuland was centrally involved in the overthrow of the elected and legitimate government of Ukraine, to be replaced by her handpicked successor. At that point, Ukraine ceased to be a sovereign nation and became a US/NATO vassal state. A failed state kept afloat by foreign aid and World Bank loans. The overthrow and consolidation was made possible by the disciplined ruthlessness and terror of the neo-Nazis who formed an integral and essential part of the imposed regime. The Maidan protests began peacefully but soon became violent in the well known tradition of imperial regime changes. The elected President fled and the neo-Nazi infested, US supported satrapy took over immediately instituting what can only be described as an anti-Russian pogrom. The Russian speaking southeast rebelled and attempted to break away in self defense. The Donbass succeeded, however, Odessa failed as neo-Nazis massacred protesters in the trade union building, setting it afire and officially murdering 49 people, with an unofficial count of over 100. The Donbass was attacked by the Ukrainian military, however they were essentially defeated and driven back with Russian logistical assistance. Negotiations took place resulting in the Minsk agreements where the government of Ukraine agreed (on paper at least) to stop their attacks and permit the Donbass region significant autonomy within Ukraine. The Crimea, however, which had historically been a part of Russia voted overwhelmingly to rejoin Russia. The Ukraine refused to implement the Minsk agreements and had the full backing of US/NATO in so doing.

When Donald Trump was unexpectedly elected President in 2016, the neocon proxy aggression against Russia had to adapt. Trump had indicated that he would seek to improve relations with Russia, an act of heresy for the Russophobic neocons and liberal interventionists. Perhaps the most significant aspect of this phase was the totally unprecedented and unprincipled attack on President Trump as an unpatriotic Manchurian candidate, put in  office by Moscow and controlled by Putin. An absolutely ludicrous ascertion. Arguably treasonous in its own right. While Trump had/has flaws too numerous to mention, he was not the war monger Hillary Clinton was/is. I have never seen anything like it. The Zionist controlled media, the Zionist controlled Democratic party and the Deep State were united in their efforts. Any initiative which would upset plans to attack and dismember Russia and/or eliminate Putin were treated as treasonous. Think about it. For four years the Zionist Democrats along with the Zionist media and the Deep State created a political environment where it was virtually impossible for the President of the United States to conduct negotiations aimed at conflict resolution and peace with Russia. Such was the neoconization of imperial foreign policy and the commitment to aggression against Russia. During this time, the neocons succeeded in using NATO to massively arm and train the neo-Nazi infested Ukrainian army, including the Azov Battalion. And once Biden was installed in the oval office, Victoria Nuland was brought back to oversea implementation of the neocon agenda and the inevitable war with Russia. And now liberal pundits who ignored imperial support for Ukrainian neo-Nazis and the 14,000 deaths in the Donbass caused by US/NATO/neo-Nazi aggression condemn Russia for violation of international law? International law which the empire tramples over on a daily basis? Negotiations? They haven't noticed how the empire has spurned negotiations for 8 years even as it has increased violence? It would appear that the so-called left is, in reality, an imperial left which is quite comfortable with the totalitarian direction we are headed and which they enthusiastically support.

"If we just let our vision of the world go forth, and we embrace it entirely, and don't try to piece together clever diplomacy but just wage a total war, out children will sing great songs about us years from now." (Richard Perle, notorious neocon)

Give me hegemony or give me death? This is the new "progressive" battle cry? Enthusiastic support for the neocon Project for a New American Century? For endless war? For risking nuclear war confident that our opponent will always back down if we remain resolute and uncompromising? We live in surreal times of "progressive" war fever. Where actual events are distorted by relentless propaganda into a grotesque misrepresentation of imperial power seeking. Where the logic of irrationality powers a war mongering imperial narrative whose end result is a form of collective insanity.

Global War

 

"If we just let our vision of the world go forth, and we embrace it entirely, and don't try to piece together clever diplomacy but just wage a total war, out children will sing great songs about us years from now." (Richard Perle, influential neocon)

We have entered the third phase of World War III. The first phase was President Clinton's use of NATO as an out of area strike force to attack and dismember Yugoslavia. Up until that point NATO was ostensibly a defensive alliance of Western European nations plus the US. As such, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact, NATO lost it justification and should have been dissolved. The reality, however, was that NATO was the organizational means by which the US controlled the Western European militaries and influenced their political economies to comport with imperial objectives. Clinton effectively redefined NATO's mission from a supposed defensive alliance to that of a US led imperial strike force. This was followed by a series of US fomented "color revolutions" in former Warsaw Block countries followed by NATO expansion eastward in violation of promises made to the USSR/Russia not to expand NATO eastward. Subsequently, the US used NATO to attack Libya and Syria. 

Phase two was the 2014 coup in the Ukraine turning the Ukraine into a neo-Nazi infested US/NATO vassal state, it's armed forces are armed and trained by US/NATO and culminating with the unrelenting military attack on the Russian speaking people in the Donbass region of Ukraine. Phase three is the Russia invasion of Ukraine to demilitarize and denazify this US/NATO vassal state, eliminating this existential threat to Russian security. Make no mistake, the current fighting represents an intensification of the empire's efforts to eliminate potential "threats" to imperial hegemony during the transition to a restructured global financial and production system (The Great Reset). The philosophy behind this increased imperial aggressiveness seems best articulated by those known as neocons. These are highly placed and influential militarists (Victoria Nuland, for example) who espouse ongoing warfare as necessary for US global hegemony in the 21st century. The dismemberment of Russia remains one of their goals. 

The notion that the American led empire seeks peace and justice anywhere is ludicrous. Imperialism is a vicious and brutal business usually characterized by ruthlessness and vindictiveness, the current empire no exception. Propagandistic appeals to international law, humanitarian intervention or the responsibility to protect in  order to camouflage naked aggression appeal only to those who wish to close their eyes to the ugly reality. The empire tramples on international law on a daily basis and has a long history of serial mass murder, hence, is in no position to posture as a champion of morality. The current Ukrainian conflict provoked by US/NATO utilizing Ukrainian proxy forces has already achieved significant imperial objectives. The Nordstream 2 gas pipeline which the empire adamantly opposed is now a dead issue along with the increased Russian/European cooperation and trade which would have logically followed. Instead, we have European vassal states subservient to US/NATO foreign policy diktats aligned against Russia in a form of hybrid war, a neocon's dream come true. Perhaps more significant are the draconian sanctions which will devastate Europe economically while contributing to the controlled demolition of the global economy as part of the global restructuring culminating in totalitarian neofeudalism. The plan is for the American led global empire to be the uncontested global hegemon. We are basically seeing the attempt to implement the neocon Project for a New American Century.

There will be no peace in the Ukraine, the Empire won't allow it. While the tank and artillery battles will come to an end, a US/NATO supported and directed "insurgency" will begin. Much like the US/NATO/Israel supported al Qaida offshoots committing destabilizing terror in the Middle East; Ukrainian, Polish and other neo-Nazis will engage in low level terror and destabilizng campaigns. This may lead to a full blown European war between US/NATO and Russia. As long as it can be contained and primarily involve Europe, it would be consistent with the neocon game plan. They are consummate warmongers. And this will be a global war including China. In my opinion, the export economy of China is more fragile than most realize and will be subject to attack. Sanctions will be used to restrict as much as possible those who align themselves with Russia. China's overseas investments, particularly in Africa, will be subject to seizure. Neither Russia nor China has significant long range force projection. Both are powerful regionally, however, neither can compete with the empire militarily on a global basis without resorting to nuclear weapons. Both know this. While China may appear to be an economic powerhouse, their economic might exists within the Western designed, maintained, administered and controlled global economic framework. Foreign investments can be frozen or seized and financial reserves made to dissappear. Russian and Chinese efforts to create an alternate to the imperial system are too little, too late. 

And then there are the biolabs in the Ukraine and around the globe encircling Russia and China and everyone else. Shortly after then 911 terror attacks, there were supposed terrorist originated biological attacks involving anthrax. Later it turned out that the anthrax had originated in a US biolab, however, at the time this provided the justification for a proliferation of US controlled biolabs globally, supposedly for defensive purposes. To preserve the illusion of peaceful intent, control was passed from the Pentagon to the NIH with Dr. Anthony Fauci in control of these "gain of function" projects. When a temporary halt to "gain of function" research was called in 2014, Dr. Fauci transferred this research to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the probable source of the COVID-19 outbreak. An associate of Dr. Fauci is Dr. Robert Kadlec, a bioweapons expert who believes that "Biological warfare's potential to create significant economic losses and consequent political instability, coupled with plausible deniability, exceeds the possibilities of any other human weapon." ("The Real Anthony Fauci," p381). The notion that the empire needs hundreds of biolabs worldwide to conduct what must be redundant research seems far fetched. More likely is that the global war we are now in will probably entail the use of highly infectious but only moderately lethal biological agents. Weapons of mass economic disruption. Russia and China are vulnerable to such an attack, the US is not. An attack which would be extremely difficult to prove conclusively, hence, deniable. Even to the extent of a lab origin versus zoonotic transfer.

The empire has instigated a global war in eastern Europe which will be extended to the entire planet. The sanctions already imposed will impact the entire global economy. Additionally, proxy forces will be employed to disrupt Chinese economic power so dependent upon trade and investment. Africa, South America, Asia, etc., will be subjected to anti-Chinese hybrid warfare. Syria will likely come under increased attack as a Russian ally. Israel may engage Iran in hybrid warfare. Cyber attacks may also proliferate. Biologic weaponry may also be used. Propaganda and domestic population control will be ubiquitous as global conditions deteriorate resulting in mass starvation and disease. We will likely enter a full scale global war for global hegemony stopping just short of nuclear war, if possible. The situation is dire, human survival uncertain. 

Apparently, the neocon game plan is to duplicate, to an extent, the outcome of World War II where the US emerged as the dominant great power after foes were destroyed and rivals weakened. There is a certain perverse logic to this as we are at the end of the hydrocarbon era and require global restructuring of the financial system and other aspects of the global political economy. The choice for the empire was to either maintain business as usual until the current global system collapsed into chaos in the near future (5 yr?, 10 yr?, 20 yr?) or to initiate a controlled demolition in order to maintain control and strongly influence the outcome in order to perpetuate Western elite rule, albeit under significantly changed circumstances.  One reason for the recent Western offshoring of manufacturing operations was/is to eliminate Western old style manufacturing operations to avoid the disruption when energy constraints make old style manufacturing societies obsolete. There is a method to what the uninformed view as madness. The current Ukraine conflict is but one phase of an elite initiated global war which is likely going to intensify and spread globally with the empire risking nuclear war and employing full spectrum dominance to smash any and all perceived threats to imperial elite plans for a new world order with them in charge. The seriousness of all of this is evident in the elite propaganda which is over the top war propaganda with a single purpose and where dissent equals treason. None of what I have written is even conceivable to those who go along to get along and whose world view is informed by the official narrative.