Bill Kristol, the neoconservative who played a pivotal role in the U.S. invasion of Iraq, makes it obvious why neocons provoked the Ukraine war and why they are loving every minute of it.
Bill Kristol in 2011. (Gage Skidmore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0)
By Caitlin Johnstone
CaitlinJohnstone.com.au
Listen to Tim Foley reading this article.
The Bill Kristol-led group “Republicans for Ukraine” has released a TV ad to help drum up GOP support for Washington’s proxy war against Russia, and it’s surprisingly honest about what this war is really about: advancing U.S. strategic interests using Ukrainians as sacrificial pawns.
Here’s a transcript:
“When America arms Ukraine, we get a lot for a little. Putin is an enemy of America. We’ve used 5% of our defense budget to arm Ukraine, and with it, they’ve destroyed 50% of Putin’s Army. We’ve done all this by sending weapons from storage, not our troops. The more Ukraine weakens Russia, the more it also weakens Russia’s closest ally, China. America needs to stand strong against our enemies, that’s why Republicans in Congress must continue to support Ukraine.”
“Republicans for Ukraine” was launched last month by “Defending Democracy Together,” another Kristol-led narrative management operation which is funded by oligarchs such as Pierre Omidyar.
Kristol, who as a neoconservative thought leader played a pivotal role in pushing for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, tweeted on Saturday that the ad “will air on the Sunday shows tomorrow in DC.”
One of the dumbest things the empire asks us to believe is that this war simultaneously (A) was completely unprovoked and (B) just coincidentally happens to massively advance the strategic interests of the government accused of provoking it.
From the moment Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 Westerners were aggressively hammered over and over and over again by the mass media with the uniform propaganda message that this was an “unprovoked invasion.”
But ever since then they’ve also been receiving these peculiar messages from U.S. empire managers and spinmeisters that this war is helping the United States crush its geopolitical enemies and advance its interests abroad.
This bizarre two-step occurs because the U.S.-centralized empire needs to convey two self-evidently contradictory messages to the public at all times:
- that the U.S. is an innocent little flower who just wants to help its good friends the Ukrainians protect their democracy from the murderous Russians who invaded solely because they are evil and hate freedom, and
- that it’s in the American interest to continue this war.
The second point is required because the message that the U.S. is merely an innocent passive witness to the violence in Ukraine necessarily causes certain political factions to ask, “Okay, so what are we doing there then? Why are we pouring all this money into something that has nothing to do with us?”
So another narrative is required to explain that backing this proxy war also just so happens to be a massive boon to U.S. strategic interests abroad while creating American jobs manufacturing weapons at home.
It doesn’t benefit normal Americans at home, but it absolutely does serve the interests of the globe-spanning empire that’s centralized around Washington. That’s why the empire deliberately provoked it.
Empire managers were openly discussing the ways a war in Ukraine would directly benefit the U.S. empire long before the invasion.
In 2019 a Pentagon-funded Rand Corporation paper titled “Extending Russia —Competing from Advantageous Ground” detailed how the empire can use proxy warfare, economic warfare and other Cold War tactics to push its longtime geopolitical foe to the brink without costing American lives or sparking a nuclear conflict.
The U.S. Army-commissioned paper mentioned Ukraine hundreds of times, and explicitly discussed how a war there could be used to promote sanctions against Moscow and attack Russia’s energy interests in Europe.
In December of 2021 John Deni of NATO propaganda firm The Atlantic Council authored a piece for The Wall Street Journal, “The Strategic Case for Risking War in Ukraine,” subtitled “An invasion would be a diplomatic, economic and military mistake for Putin. Let him make it if he must.”
Deni argued that “there are good strategic reasons for the West to stake out a hard-line approach” against Moscow and refuse to negotiate or back down over Ukraine, because if doing so provokes Russia to invade it would “forge an even stronger anti-Russian consensus across Europe,” “result in another round of more debilitating economic sanctions that would further weaken Russia’s economy” and “sap the strength and morale of Russia’s military while undercutting Mr. Putin’s domestic popularity and reducing Russia’s soft power globally.”
[Related: Biden Confirms Why the US Needed This War – Consortium News]
The minds on the inside of the empire were talking about how this war would benefit the U.S. before the invasion, and they’ve been talking about how much it benefits the U.S. ever since.
As The Washington Post’s David Ignatius put it this past July:
“these 18 months of war have been a strategic windfall, at relatively low cost (other than for the Ukrainians). The West’s most reckless antagonist has been rocked. NATO has grown much stronger with the additions of Sweden and Finland. Germany has weaned itself from dependence on Russian energy and, in many ways, rediscovered its sense of values. NATO squabbles make headlines, but overall, this has been a triumphal summer for the alliance.”
The managers of the empire are getting everything they want out of this war. In public they rend their garments and cry crocodile tears and call it a terrible criminal atrocity, but every now and then they look at the camera and flash it a quick Fleabag-style grin.
They knew exactly what they were doing when they provoked this war, and they know exactly what they’re doing by keeping it going.
And they’re loving every minute of it.
Caitlin Johnstone’s work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, following her on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, YouTube, or throwing some money into her tip jar on Ko-fi, Patreon or Paypal. If you want to read more you can buy her books. The best way to make sure you see the stuff she publishes is to subscribe to the mailing list at her website or on Substack, which will get you an email notification for everything she publishes. For more info on who she is, where she stands and what she’s trying to do with her platform, click here. All works are co-authored with her American husband Tim Foley.
This article is from CaitlinJohnstone.com.au and re-published with permission.
The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of Consortium News.
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Do our fearless neocon leaders ever take part in their wars personally? Carry a gun, get shot at, catch an STD at their favorite bar?
If the US is so democratic, how come elections never change anything? We always get another war, more poverty and homelessness. Vote Dem, vote Rep, nothing changes.
Agree that Putin tried for years, through many Presidential Administrations, to partner with the West. Russia demonstrated enormous patience in the face of hostile activity from NATO and the United States. But patience has a limit and here we are, involved in one of the most avoidable, unnecessary, and dumb wars in human history.
Why did this happen? At its core, it happened because at the time of the disintegration of the Soviet Union the United States Government made a decision that Russia was more “valuable” as an enemy than as an ally. Normal people don’t think that way, but politicians and Deep Staters do. For them, having an enemy is job security. About the only good to come out of this war so far is that almost all non western governments have seen the hypocrisy of this NATO/US led war and they are speaking out against it.
Enemies. America is always on the search for enemies. The war industry signs our paychecks, so get behind whatever war we tell you we must fight.
Fresh from last night’s Republican ‘debate.’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who earlier this year was widely criticized for dismissing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a “territorial dispute,” vowed Wednesday night that he would end the war, though he did not specify how he would do so.“It’s in our interest to end this war and that’s what I will do as president,” DeSantis said. “We are not going to have a blank check. We will not have U.S. troops and we’re gonna make the Europeans do what they need to do.
”DeSantis was immediately criticized by former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley — who told him the war has “never been a territorial dispute” — and by Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), who laid out a case for continuing to support Ukraine.“Ninety percent of the resources that we send over to Ukraine is guaranteed as a loan,” Scott said. “Our national vital interest is in degrading the Russian military. By degrading the Russian military, we actually keep our homeland safer … An attack on NATO territory would bring us and our troops in [to the war]. By degrading the Russian military, we reduce, if not eliminate, an attack on NATO territory.”
Tim Scott is a good guy and his life story is impressive, but man, that is some kind of twisted logic.
We are ‘safer’ when we force Russia and China, the other two great global military powers together?
Both nuclear armed and united in opposition against us?
That is what the deranged neocons are selling and would have us believe.
And the critics who mock DeSantis saying he would end the war but didn’t say how?
Stop sending arms and cash and it will end straight away.
DeSantis is the only candidate on either side who has served in the U.S. armed forces in a war zone.
“Defending Democracy Together” – DDT – what an appropriate set of initials…
Mr. Putin made a speech at the Munich Security Conference where the NATO warhawks still meet every year. This was IIRC, something like 2007, and it put ‘the west’ on notice that Russia was going to look out for its own interests. The address is important because it marked a distinct change in Russia’s attitude towards the west.
After Putin’ coalition won the election to replace the drunken western tool named Yeltsin, they pursued a policy of peace and deal making with ‘the west’. They promoted the idea of Russia as a part of Europe. They wanted deals with the Europeans. At one point, Putin proposed that Russia should become a member of NATO. Putin regularly used the word ‘partners’ when talking to and about the west.
‘The West’ laughed in the Russians face, and proceeded with their policy of lying, cheating and stealing. In other words, situation normal for the lords of Wall Street. ‘The West’, or at least ‘The Elites’ who run and control everything, are people who forgot about ‘honor’ a long time ago in the search for maximum profits and the joy of dying owning the most toys.
The Munich speech is remembered because that was when Putin warned that Russia had had enough. After that, Putin continued to use the word ‘partners’, but with increasing apparent sarcasm as the years progressed, NATO’s missiles crept closer and closer, and NATO overthrew the elected government in Kiev in the name of democracy. Somewhere along the way, even the references to ‘partners’ that dripped with sarcasm were gone.
Putin in his career has on several occasions been more than willing to make a deal with ‘the west’. But he has been unable to find a partner for peace.
The terms “neoconservative” and “neoliberal” fascinate me.
To me, they appear to be synonyms. I’m not at all sure I could state any real difference between the two.
On the other hand, I’ve noticed that ‘conservative’-leaning writers will tend to transition towards attacks on ‘neoliberals’ as an extension of their constant rhetoric against ‘liberals’. And of course, vice-versa. Then again, the terms usually are interchangeable, pretty much in all four directions near as I can tell in these modern times.
After each election, we can all get together and sing “meet the new boss, same as the old boss.” These days there is not even a radical change such as ‘the beards have all grown longer over night.’ Such radicalism would not be tolerated. But the hair styles do change a bit due to the election results. The old uncle joe look appears to be going out of style. But don’t expect the military budget to be cut to give pay raises to nurses or teachers.
“Putin is an enemy of the United States”
Putin may be many things but that statement is an outright lie.
When he discovered that 9/11 was being planned, his response was to warn the Bush administration in the hope that the tragedy could be prevented. Is that what an enemy of the Unites States would do?
The real enemies of the United States are those that deliberately allowed it to happen so that they would have an excuse to invade Afghanistan and Iraq.
“I’m telling you there’s an enemy that would like to attack America, Americans, again. There just is. That’s the reality of the world. And I wish him all the very best.” – George W. Bush, Washington, D.C.; January 12, 2009
The hypocrisy of the Biden Administations involvement in this war is slowly seeping into the minds of average Americans. From Day one my opinion was that our involvement in this war was zero % about helping the people of Ukraine and 100% about using Ukraine to harm Russia. As events unfold I’m more convinced than ever that that was a correct assessment. Until about 6 months ago expressing that opinion put an Americans health and many friendships at risk. Not so today.
I am horrified that our great nation has been reduced to using the people of the poorest and most corrupt country in Europe to shed massive amounts of their blood and guts only to “benefit” us. Two examples (among many) of hypocrisy and callous thinking are Lindsey Graham commenting with glee that our chosen proxy soldiers would fight until the last of them dies and Mitt Romney stating that the United States had made a great “investment” in supporting this war.
” From Day one my opinion was …”
I agree, as long as “Day One” is defined back during say ‘The Orange Revolution” or even back as far as being a part of the CIA’s campaign against the Soviet Union. Reving up ‘Ukrainian nationalism’ was a part of the CIA’s larger strategy against the Soviets.
Biden’s current underling, Victoria Nuland, is on record in late 2013 bragging that in total, over time, the USA had spent over $5 Billion in taxpayer’s money ‘destabilizing Ukraine’. Merkle and Hollande both admit that in 2014-15 during the Minsk negotiations, the goal was killing Russians.
I’m a believer in Karma. Karma will eventually come for Biden, Kristol, Nuland, Blinken, Sullivan, Graham, Romney, Stoltenberg, Truss, Hillary the C, Johnson, the Republicans candidates for POTUS, Macron, Sunak, Trudeau, and all the other cheerleaders for America and the EU sticking their nose into Ukranian / Russian business. Karma may even come for America and the world in its entirety but I hope not.
But I promise I will wait with bated breath, for the remainder of my life, to see Karma doled out to those above and all the other cheerleaders for this war.
I think that most people have probably heard of near death experiences (NDE’s).
One feature of such experiences which has been reported, and which I find very interesting in the context of Karma, and justice working itself out, is that of the life review, which focuses on the deeds a person has done throughout his or her life, the motives of the deeds, and the effects of the deeds on others. In fact it has been reported that one re-experiences one’s deeds not only from one’s own perspective but from the perspective of others whom one’s deeds have affected (both for good and for bad). (And actually not only one’s deeds but also one’s thoughts and words.)
Here is a youtube video about this, titled The Golden Rule Dramatically Illustrated, featuring NDE researcher Dr. Kenneth Ring.
In the video Dr. Ring gives an example of a man who was a rather big fellow and who had gotten into a fight with and punched out another man. This man later had a near-death experience as a result of an accident, and in that experience he had a life review in which he had to re-experience what he did, and he had to be in effect the man whom he had punched out, and to himself feel what the other man must have felt as a result of his blows.
Dr. Ring makes the point in his video that in the context of the near death experience the Golden Rule is “not just a precept for moral conduct but the way it works”, and one experiences this in a very forcible way in the life review.
hxxps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tiKsKy7lFw
“poorest and most corrupt ”
Interesting how those two seem to go together.
Remember, that at the time of the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Ukraine was regarded as a jewel and an industrial power of the regions of the Soviet Union. That’s one reason why the CIA was so interested in splitting it apart from Russia. They thought that separating Ukraine from Russia would horribly weaken Russia in their brilliant planning.
Now, after years of activities, the Lords of Wall Street have created one of the ‘poorest and most corrupt’ nations. Fascinating how the Lords of Wall Street have the opposite effect from King Midas. And that poverty and corruption always go together in their wake.
Pathological psychopaths, they are
We need to take a closer look at the NeoCons. Who are they? What are their consistently common objectives?
They appear in both Republican and Democratic administrations.
Anyone who hasn’t taken a closer look at these demons already is negligent.
Their job is to provide plausible empire narrative to mask the racket that is empire and war. They are a major part of the indispensable TT in MICIMATT, which is the operating power of the US state.
Being horrified by genocide is a western civilization cover story all the while being dedicated to it for profit motives as a form of speculative bubble economics we cannot live without.
There is something unusually repugnant about calling the Ukraine war an “investment.” It has cost the USA at least two million dollars per Russian soldier killed. I would like to think a better use for such money could be found.
Two million dollars of whose money? The money spent does not belong to those spending it. In fact the more they spend the more they profit. Hence the bottomless money pit for this and other wars.
I can imagine a late night party with Kristol and his ilk being entertained by Zelensky and his peeano.
Former New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan coined the phrase ‘defining deviancy down.’ Moynihan decided not to run for reelection in 2000 and was succeeded by Hillary Rodham Clinton. ‘By defining what is deviant, we are enabled to know what is not, and hence to live by shared standards.’ Moynihan coined the phrase “defining deviancy down” to describe the tendency of societies to respond to destructive behaviors by lowering standards for what is permissible. After all, ‘crime’ is a function of criminal law. If you have fewer laws, the result is less crime. More laws = more crime. With no law, there is no crime.
American Neocons, have advanced this practice to our present state of ‘defining atrocity down.’ We were once horrified by the evils of war and genocide. Now, some Neocons celebrate and promote those same atrocities. The war in Ukraine is a prime example. As we, the good people are on the side of Ukraine, killing thousands of Russians and allowing half a million Ukrainians to die is acceptable, as our ’cause is just.’
Members of the Third Reich were judged harshly at the post-war Nuremburg trials in 1948. Several of them received death sentences and were executed without delay. The film ‘Judgement in Nuremburg,’ released in 1961 depicts the American trial of Nazi war criminals and won numerous awards, including best screenplay. From the first time I saw the film as a High School student, I found it dripping with sanctimony. It was preachy, to a flaw. The thesis as I interpreted it, was that Germans were judged to have a character flaw in their understanding of justice, versus injustice. We Americans conversely, were uniformly superior in our ability to discern the two. Even in my youth, I had grasped that people are people everywhere. And that nothing about a national border alters that fact.
Yet there was the matter of the death camps. And the mass murders that occurred in them. The camps were particularly abhorrent. The soldiers who had liberated the camps had been horrified by the scenes they witnessed. The only way we could process that was to interpret that Americans were the good people while Germans were the bad people.
Only recently it has emerged that our great D-Day hero-Supreme leader and later President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as head of the American occupation of Germany in 1945, deliberately starved to death German prisoners of war in staggering numbers. Author James Bacque charges that “the victims undoubtedly number over 800,000, almost certainly over 900,000 and quite likely over a million. Eisenhower’s method, according to Mr. Bacque, was simple: he changed the designation of the prisoners from “Prisoners of War” (P.O.W.), required by the Geneva Convention to be fed the same rations as American G.I.’s, to “Disarmed Enemy Forces” (D.E.F.), which allowed him to cut their rations to starvation level. Mr. Bacque says the D.E.F. were also denied medical supplies and shelter. They died by the hundreds of thousands. Their deaths were covered up on Army records by listing them as “other losses” on charts showing weekly totals of prisoners on hand, numbers discharged and so forth. (Steven E. Ambrose, New York Times)
Ambrose, as Director of the Eisenhower Center at the University of New Orleans, is skeptical of Bacque’s research but no one has smeared Ambrose with anything akin to the term ‘holocaust denier.’ There remains, finally, the larger issue. It took a conference of experts to challenge Mr. Bacque’s charges. Individual scholars have hesitated to take him on because to do so required checking through his research — in effect, rewriting his book. Instead, many of them have said in their reviews in Britain, France, Germany and Canada that they cannot believe what Mr. Bacque says about Eisenhower is true, but they cannot disprove it.
Interesting info on Eisenhower’s DEF designation. It would seem easy enough to confirm that they actually created that category, and then that would be hard to spin and explain away..
Cowardly warmongers always love war. They have others fight and die, while they make a killing. At least during the Roman Empire, emperors often fought alongside the troops, these pathetic wastrels would promptly soil themselves at the first whiff of danger.
War is a racket (S. Butler)
“Cowardly warmongers always love war. They have others fight and die, while they make a killing.”
I guess that was an unintended pun Jonny. But it’s so apt and made me LOL.
Someone needs to remind those goddam fools that war (hot or cold) doesn’t fix global warming.
Indeed, the US Dept. of Defense reportedly has one of the largest carbon footprints on the planet. But these war-mongering sociopaths seem utterly indifferent to what awaits us.
Of course neocons love cold war – for them, it’s pure profit. And it’s even better when they can elevate cold war to hot war using proxies to avoid any personal risk. With hot war in someone else’s turf, you expend more weapons systems, munitions and fuel, all of which have to be replenished by the arms dealers at the expense of American taxpayers and their children and grandchildren for uncountable generations to come
In addition, for those evangelists among them, it is probably viewed as bringing them closer to Armageddon and the second coming of Christ who will save them all and send them to heaven.
“In addition, for those evangelists among them, it is probably viewed as bringing them closer to Armageddon and the second coming of Christ who will save them all and send them to heaven.”
Jesus had some words especially for such people who like to fancy themselves as being his followers and thus (as they think) automatically among those who will be sent to heaven:
“It must needs be that trials and tribulations will come, but woe to those by whom they come. It would be better for such to have a millstone wrung about their neck and be thrown into the sea …” (Luke 17:1-2)
Another approprite quote:
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Matthew 7:22-23
Note: I myself used to be a Christian but no longer am, for which I have my reasons. I detail this in the article linked to in my screen handle.
However I do find it fun to quote passages from the Bible, such as the above, against Christians who are particularly egregious or obnoxious, such as those who eagerly await the “Rapture” or the “Great Tribulation” or Armageddon.
I never thought the human race would devolve into insanity. I know better now. The only question now is–what next?
What next indeed Horatio. I insert a quote from Professor Stephen Hawking on AI:
“The genie is out of the bottle. We need to move forward on artificial intelligence development but we also need to be mindful of its very real dangers. I fear that AI may replace humans altogether. If people design computer viruses, someone will design AI that replicates itself. This will be a new form of life that will outperform humans.
From an interview with Wired, November 2017”
Already we are seeing the negative side of AI. My only hope is, that the remaining animals, insects, fish, trees, plants etc. manage to somehow survive whatever awaits mankind and its destructive behaviour. They are all innocent bystanders.
Are they loving every minute of it? I doubt it. Personally, I think US and EU leadership are very concerned, they don’t actually know what to do; they cannot strike a deal with Russia to end the war and they cannot win the war, no one would find himself between the devil and the deep blue sea, unless you are the devil.
The upcoming election are making things even more complicated, and they sure don’t want to show that Ukraine provoked war was a failure; more than a failure, since Russia is now actually becoming a real and growing treat to the west.
Russia (as well as US) are using the war in Ukraine to learn from each other, testing theirs and the enemy’s strategies and weapons; in that game Russia has an advantage over US as it is much more engaged, it is adapting quickly and beginning to feel it can really take the whole NATO.
Some analysts have stressed that Europe is not even close to be ready to fend off a Russian attack. That in term of weaponry; just the tip of the iceberg in a sea of delusions that will strike and sink the NATO transatlantic alliance boat. The problem for the west goes much deeper in terms of human capabilities, readiness, and war performance; french, Germans, Swedish cannot be compared to Ukrainians or Russians for that matter, in term of strength, psychological drives and advantage; a war with Russia would be a carnage and the end of Europe as we know it.
The German warmonger Baerbock recently said (“admitted”) that the weapons sent to Ukraine were obsolete; so then why they send them to Ukraine? because Germany enjoy seeing Ukrainians fields turning red from the blood of thousands of Ukrainians killed? enjoying seeing a river of tears running through it, tears from thousands of mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, friends, girlfriends, boyfriends who will never see their loved ones coming home, growing up, loving, smiling?
I don’t think so, Baerbock like others are trying to give some pitiful reasons why Russia is so successful, trying to reassure the population that Russia is still weak… if only they knew what lies ahead
What kind of monsters would love a situation like the one we are seeing in Ukraine? What kind of leaders our democracy produces?
They — “us and eu leadership” — are not concerned!
Unless you mean Concerned for their inflated bank accounts and Entitled lifestyles.
What we have are psychopaths and murderers in charge of government — not all of whom are elected.
m.i.c. & mediæ — as always — run the show.
Meanwhile, usa public is Entertained to Ignorance and extinction.
Disgusting
Let’s not blame neocons alone for this debacle, neolibs are just as much to blame – in fact we are all to blame for believing any of the rhetorical hogwash coming out of Washington DC, the MIC and the Mainstream Media. We are just a bunch of brain dead patsies at their beck and call…
Neoliberalism is an economic policy embraced by both major US parties. Neocons reside in both parties but many migrated to the Democratic Party from their home in the Bush administration after Trump came to power.
Shouldn’t neocons be called what they are: fascists. From Bolton to Biden, they all share the same ideology.
The original “neocons” are followers of Leo Strauss and were members of the Project for the New American Century. Nowadays, the term has become synonymous with mendacious, authoritarian, corrupt, elitist, cowardly warmonger. Fascist does not really cover it. In short, they are just a new flavor of sociopath advocates of mass murder and destruction.
Criminally insane is another term to describe them.
As noted, the term neoliberal is a discredited, right-wing economic ideology. Many political and economic terms are misunderstood and misused.
It goes back further. The original neocons came from the Democratic Party, led by Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson in the 1970s.
It is time for the US to experience a war on its own territory. Experience first hand what miseries war inflict – what miseries other nations have had to go through because of America’s never-ending wars to impose hegemony.
While in agreement with your sentiment, this commenter (& US Cit) questions what cost… “brother vs brother revisited”?… realistic actual military action on US soil would look like.
My belief: Not that Pretty!
That said… What else could return to sanity?
As Putin pointed out. Europe is shrinking, Russia is growing. The US is about to fall off the debt cliff. The neo-cons are arrogance and hubris writ large. The Ruble will be rubble and Russian society will collapse from our “sanctions from hell” didn’t happen and neither will this pipe dream. In the meantime, the Ukraine is being destroyed.
Kristol and other neocons love Ukis the way Jno Swift loved Irish babies: cooked and on a plate.
Neocons are not known for their love of Nazis. I presume they see Ukrainian deaths as a big plus.
In what way do neocons not love Nazis? They lust for ‘full spectrum dominance’ to use their own words- total domination of the entire world, from pole to pole. That is a Hitlerian wet dream. And, it is clear from their language that they care no more for the lives of Ukrainians, Russians, Iranians, Syrians, Yemenis, Cubans, Iraqis, Libyans and Venezuelans (among others) than the Nazis did for their chosen untermenchen. A better question than the one I started with would be, “in what way are neocons different than Nazis?” Because Jews and Gypsies aren’t on the above list? History never repeats itself, but the rhyming pattern here is pretty blatant.
The only difference I can note at this point is that “neocons” are not setting up concentration camps in an attempt to genocide one particular race of people. Other than that, I can’t think of anything else that make them much different. These war-profiteers are the scum of the Earth, and so is anyone else that willfully supports them while knowing what’s going on.
That means the neocon strategy is : because we have bankrupted the USA with endless war we can bankrupt Russia by making it do the same.
But what does that achieve? I find the argument that US military corporations are seeking more billions of dollars from the US taxpayer a more convincing reason for this war.
And it’s not cheap. The accountants view may be that it is only 5% of the US war budget but in reality it is a turning point for the world. I am sure future historians are going to say “Biden’s war” in Ukraine was the moment that triggered the decline of the western European world. Unless the USA can find someone (anyone will do because they will probably be assassinated) to turn this around it will only get worse from here.
I presume you will agree that historians’ penchant for choosing a “moment” is a bit silly. But I’m going to do it anyway. I’d vote for blowing up the Nordstreem pipeline, thus alienating Europe. Or maybe seizing Russian assets. That was the end of the dollar’s dominance. Who is going to put their money in a bank that will steal it whenever they feel like it? The Saudis joining BRICS was another big one. All and all their obviously grossly evil positions and acts have alienated all nations other than those propagandized or coerced into obedience.
What is interesting about the U.S. foisting its old military equipment onto Ukraine is that anything new we build will be of the same poor quality as the F-35 and will be intended for offensive purposes. Meanwhile, Russia and China focus on building DEFENSIVE weaponry, an idea that never occurs to the psychopaths in DC.
I have read reports by soldiers who served in Afghanistan. Though not connected, they agreed that their true function was to field test new models of armaments. They hated doing this because the stuff was dangerously unreliable. They further said that each new system was both more expensive and less capable than before.
The whole thing was a two trillion dollar scam.
Excellent as always, Caity.
And, really, what’s not to love for a true servant of the empire:
– Hundreds of billions for the true bosses of the MI Complex
– Russia separated from Europe for perhaps a long time
– Germany (especially) and western europe in general reduced and weakened and made more dependent on the US
– Old, useless crap moldering in NATO storage used up and to be replaced with spiffy shiny new toys at much higher expense
– etc.
That hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and Russians need to die to get this done means nothing to them. To quote a couple of past masters of empire:
“We have heard that half a million [Iraqi] children have died. I mean, that is more children than died in Hiroshima,” asked Leslie Stahl, “And, you know, is the price worth it?”
“I think that is a very hard choice,” Albright answered, “but the price, we think, the price is worth it.”
Brzezinski: “Regret what? That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Russians into the Afghan trap and you want me to regret it? …. What is most important to the history of the world? The Taliban or the collapse of the Soviet empire? Some stirred-up Moslems or the liberation of Central Europe and the end of the cold war?”
“We have heard that half a million [Iraqi] children have died. I mean, that is more children than died in Hiroshima,” asked Leslie Stahl, “And, you know, is the price worth it?”
“I think that is a very hard choice,” Albright answered, “but the price, we think, the price is worth it.”
The interesting thing to me is, just what was the result that was “worth it”? I looked into this once. Just what were those sanctions intended to accomplish? I couldn’t find a straight answer. I eventually concluded that the goal was to induce the Iraqis to overthrow Saddam. This didn’t work, so how were all those deaths “worth it”? I’ll fiendishly suggest that the payoff was in emotional satisfaction. If you doubt that anyone could be so evil, please refer to Hillary’s famous “We came, we saw, he died hahahaha,” the most appalling thing I ever heard from a public figure. Gloating over a man having been sodomized with a sword!
I suppose we should be grateful to Hillary for refuting the hypothesis that female leadership would lead to a better world.
Your suggestion of sadism makes a lot of sense to me as one purpose, but there was also a more “hard headed” purpose. The siege of Iraq (aka sanctions), together with the associated bombing, severely weakened the country, so that it would be unable to mount an effective resistance to the US invaders when they finally arrived.
I wish Leslie Stahl would have followed up with the simple question,’worth it to who?”