It is beyond me to understand how Putin allows the wholesale slaughter of ethnic Russians in East Ukraine.
The video below shows an artillery shell whizzing by and slamming into what looks like a residential area of Donetsk. (H/T Zerohedge.)
(You can see the shell whiz by at around 1:37 in the video.)
Back in 1983 the United States sent the full force of its military to invade the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada on the trumped up reason that American students were in danger there after a coup.
Putin is clearly afraid of US reprisals. Maybe he fears more sanctions. Despite mainstream Western media and neocon propaganda and assertions to the contrary, he's been largely pacified.
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The US strategy is to draw Putin in. He has consistently resisted this as a trap for Russia. Russia doesn't want to embroil itself in a European war, with the US snapping at its flanks in former USSR republics, which is the US strategy to weaken and dismember Russia, finishing it forever as a great power, leaving only China for the US to deal with, surrounded by the US. The militaries have already gamed this and the game is now on.
But the second most powerful political force in Russia is also criticizing him on this score. Putin has to deal with this at home, too.
The Rebel Leader Who Makes Putin Look Cautious
Igor Strelkov’s Interview with Kolokol Rossii
What about Crimea? It was low hanging fruit that could be plucked before the West could react and the Crimeans were all for it themselves. Donbass is much, much more complex politically and militarily. It would involve Russia having to drive to the Dnieper in a couple of days and they occupying Eastern Ukraine. Way too costly and unstable. It would tie Russia down to Europe and open up a US attack from Central Asia.
None of this is secret. It's been discussed for some time in geopolitical and geostrategic circles and a lot of people are watching the moves an commenting on them, like Saker and J. Hawk, for instance.
Putin is playing on the Minsk Agreement entered into without the US and which the US has tried to subvert from day one. Russia is charging that the West is turning a blind eye to Ukrainian violations as well as war crimes. Not reported in the US media and unanswered by the US.
Instead, the US media is filled with bogus reporting about Russia that is not confirmed by evidence and even contradicted by Europeans who are alarmed about the prospect of wider war in Europe. They see this as the US pushing its interests at the expense of their own. This is why Merkel rounded up a posse (Hollande) and made an agreement with Putin without the US.
Putin knows that confronting NATO is not in Russia's interest if it can be avoided. He is playing a waiting game that some analysts view as modeled on the strategy Fabius Maximus recommended against Hannibal, which ended in the victory of Scipio Africanus.
See Donbass and the Second Punic War
Meanwhile, Ukraine is imploding all on its own, and Novorussia has built a first-class fighting force. Should it be attacked again, DPR leader Zarachenko has warned Ukraine president Poroshenko that he will lose more troops and more territory.
None of this is lost on China, of course, and the Chinese military just conducted a military exercise with the Russia military in the Med, sending a signal to NATO.
It's also necessary to realize how the US is using ISIS cynically against its principal targets, Russia, China, Iran and Syria. Just as the US used the Afghan "freedom fighters" who morphed into Al Qaeda against Russia during its disastrous occupation of Afghanistan. Zbig later explained that the subsequent blowback from Al Qaeda was worth the gain in neutralizing Russia and hastening the demise of the USSR. Same thinking in the case of ISIS.
Putin knows this, of course, and continues to pressure the US in joining Russia in opposing ISIS in Central Asia. No action on this has been forthcoming. Russia doesn't have the resources to fight effectively on two fronts, or many fronts, so pinning Russia down in Ukraine by provoking an invasion and occupation would leave Russia vulnerable in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Balkans were the US is stirring things up, creating instability with the aim of regime change.
This is all part of the new US strategy of "leading from behind" by getting others to do the actual fighting and providing only air support including drones, but no boots on the ground.
The US under the neocons has begun WWIII. This has been in the making for some time but the breakout has happened in earnest on Obama's watch, with HRC now waiting in the wings to make it her war so she can go down in history as the lady that conquered the world.
It's not only happening in Europe and Asia but also Latin America and Africa. The US now on the move and going for it.
"Russia doesn't have the resources to fight effectively on two fronts, or many fronts, so pinning Russia down in Ukraine by provoking an invasion and occupation would leave Russia vulnerable in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the Balkans were the US is stirring things up, creating instability with the aim of regime change."
Hehe. Looks like the Russians are screwed. The great game continues. I still don't understand why they didn't use the SWIFT sanction.
This is a hybrid war that is being conducted behind the scenes as it were. The US has to be careful not to alienate allies, and excluding Russia from SWIFT did not play well in Europe. The US tested the idea.
But If the US can provoke Russia to act "aggressively," then it can get the Europeans to sign on to harsher measures. That's what's happening in Ukraine, along with a propaganda barrage.
In addition, the US government needs to keep the US people in tow, too, as well as in the dark. So there's a domestic propaganda barrage, too, led by the NYT and WaPo, for instance.
Glenn Greenwald, The Spirit of Judy Miller is Alive and Well at the NYT, and It Does Great Damage
While the US doesn't need Russia or profit much from it, Europe does. So the US has to refrain from pissing off Europeans and weakening the NATO alliance. The US needs European troops, since the US is in no position to fight a land war in Asia. The American public could not be convinced of that short of egging Russia into using nuclear weapons and so far the US is not about to go there.
I don't think that the Russians are as screwed as the US would like to portray, with Russia being "isolated" and "not making anything."
What's happening is that the emerging world, led by BRICS, is facing off agains the developed world over the future global order.
This is what WWIII is about. It’s the final thrust of Western imperialism including some Asian vassal states aiming at "the end of history" in the dominance of a Western liberal order under oligarchic "democracy."
https://dartthrowingchimp.wordpress.com/2015/05/31/visualizing-strike-activity-in-china/
China is far more unstable than you would think it is. Labour strikes are increasing.
If the US can get rid of the deficit terrorists it can increase the military budget and defeat China and Russia.
The GOP need to get their act together and reintroduce Bush/Reaganomics of tax cuts and military spending. Mint the coin if necessary, abolish filibuster, court-packing, etc. I can see GOP victory in 2016 if they run on middle class tax cuts.
As to SWIFT, it is based in Belguim so can't the US use soft power to get the organisation to "voluntary" expel Russia, perhaps through some unofficial means. At least use it as a negotiation point or bluff. If Russia does not do X then sanction, but don't tell the EU.
One of the things needed to be done is financial shock and awe. For example, default selectively on Chinese owned treasuries, or replace selectively after full default. Should be easy to do with Sinophobia and deficit terrorist nonsense.
On the other hand, perhaps the US needs to make peace with China to isolate Russia. Worked for Nixon in the 1970s.
As to Europe, what is needed is Marshall Plan II. The US should probably crash its own economy to screw over the euro USD-zombies exports. This also forces expansionary fiscal policy. Euro breakup may force EU breakup and reduce power as a whole. Defaulting on European held USD assets can be done also
who's to blame here? why does anyone allow russian acts of aggression against ukraine citizens?
Putin is completely indefensible. He has nothing to stand on: no record supporting human rights, freedom, democracy, or transparency. The onus is on him to lead and set the example for others to follow.
https://dartthrowingchimp.wordpress.com/2015/05/31/visualizing-strike-activity-in-china/
About the author: For the 10 years before that, I worked for SAIC as research director for the U.S. Government-funded Political Instability Task Force.
SAIC is Science Applications International Corporation.
Leidos, previously known as Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC),[11] is an American defense company headquartered in Reston, Virginia, that provides scientific, engineering, systems integration, and technical services. Leidos works extensively with the United States Department of Defense (4th largest DoD contractor FY2012), the United States Department of Homeland Security, and the United States Intelligence Community, including the National Security Agency, as well as other U.S. government civil agencies and selected commercial markets. On September 27, 2013, SAIC changed its name to Leidos and spun off a $4 billion government services and information technology company, which retains the name Science Applications International Corporation.[7][8] Before the split, Leidos employed 39,600 employees and reported $11.17 billion in revenue and $525 million net income for its fiscal year ended January 31, 2013,[11] making it number 240[12] on the Fortune 500 list. In 2014, Leidos reported US$ 5.06 billion in revenue.[8] As of March 2015, the company currently has 19,000 employees.[9][13]….
They are bypassing Ukraine who cares about Ukraine anymore... It's a hell hole...
http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/europe/09/06/russia.new.pipeline/
From the wests perspective the only way the west gets paid back the $150b from Ukraine is via royalties on Russian gas moving thru Ukraine...
Here:
Putin said the launch of the Nord Stream means Ukraine is finally losing its exclusive status as a transit country for Russian gas to Europe.
"Any transit country has always the temptation to take advantage of its transit status," he said. "That exclusivity is now disappearing," he said.
There is nothing the U.S. Can do to thwart this... kiss the $150b lent to Ukraine goodbye.... Stand by for Ukraine foreclosure sales and more chaos
Putin said the launch of the Nord Stream
Nord Stream, which goes directly into Germany, is doubling its volume — with the cooperation of — Germany.
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