War is always hell, but even more so if you are ‘in charge’ of moving a multitude of chess pieces, all designed to work in your favour. by James Porteous
Photo: FILE – Ukrainian servicemen sit in a bus after they were evacuated from the besieged Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant (AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov, File)
20 May 2022 | James Porteous | Clipper Media News
by James Porteous
On the surface, it might appear that while the US continues to push its proxy war with Russia, they are also ‘softening’ their stance on past actions that also appear to have been created in an effort to destroy the US economy.
On 19 May 2022 The Guardian reported that Maduro glimpses political lifeline as US rethinks Venezuela policy.
The article says that “2022 appears to have heralded a new dawn for Washington-Caracas ties, as geopolitical shifts caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and political deadlock in the economically devastated South American country prompt a major policy rethink from members of Joe Biden’s administration – and offer Venezuela’s authoritarian leader a once improbable political lifeline.”
It continues: “On Tuesday, the US announced a gentle easing of the economic sanctions it has spent years using to push for political change in Venezuela – including against a nephew of its first lady – a move senior members of Maduro’s government celebrated.”
One might of course recall that the only reason the US has to gently ‘ease’ anything is due to the fact that they have spent an inordinate amount of time not only trying to remove their leader (U.S. Backs Efforts To Remove Maduro), but imposing ‘sanctions’ that have rendered the citizens of the country to a life of abject poverty. This in a country with the largest oil reserves in the world.
(This ‘US Backs’ notion is becoming more and more rampant, of course, as the US tries to change past mistakes without explaining these disasters.)
There is no mention of any of these details, of course. The change need only be made in the ‘optics’ of the situation and so does not require a full-scale admission of imposed starvation.
But of course, now the US needs oil. If only to feed its massive war machine.
And the early notion that the US would profit from providing oil to Europe quickly fell by the wayside, in part because it would cost too much to retrofit and ship, and also due to the fact that they probably realized that it was one thing to run out of virtually useless war toys, but quite another to send much-needed war machine oil to distant shores.
In the meantime, the US has solidly set its sight on expanding the proxy war imperatives.
On 19 May 2022, (Biden meets with heads of Finland, Sweden in show of support for NATO membership) Biden said the two countries have the ‘full backing’ of the US to issue membership cards at the earliest possible date.
(Again with the ‘full backing of something that they have orchestrated, much like the ‘full backing’ it is showing to get Ukrainian wheat out of storage. (U.S. backs U.N. push to get Ukraine grain back to global market). There is no mention as to whether the wheat in question would be used to feed Ukrainians but we are guessing that might be a secondary consideration.)
It does give one reason to pause, yes? Perhaps the entire reason for this proxy nightmare was meant to fast-track Finland and Sweden into NATO?
The US desperately wants more missile base real estate in the region, although Finland against hosting nuclear weapons, NATO military bases: PM.
‘A senior U.S. defense official said the Pentagon is having ongoing discussions with Sweden and Finland on their security needs to deter Russia as they move toward NATO membership.’ (NATO talks with Finland, and Sweden falter but will continue).
U.S. President Joe Biden voiced optimism on the matter Wednesday. “I think we’re going to be OK,” he said.
The long and short of it, one cannot help but wonder if this might be the start of the US Ukraine Glory Train being slowly pushed off its tracks.
The surrender of the 1700 soldiers has pretty much fallen off the front pages of the western media. It is understood that they would not be eager to talk about ‘their’ failure, but of course, it goes deeper than just the optics.
The future revelations from these prisoners of war might not show up on CNN, but reports of their actions outside and inside the ‘prison’ have been circulating for years, not just weeks.
If even a fraction of the suggested ‘indiscretions’ are revealed or are proven to be true during these trials, the US will have no choice but to declare ‘we never knew they were Nazis!’
The media will go along with this and the story will vanish, along with, perhaps, support for the war, but the more troubling conclusion remains: If, as it seems likely, the US, Germany, and Israel in particular, willingly entered into this mess, they must have done so with full knowledge of the neo-Nazi past.
And what the hell sort of bargain with the devil would that have entailed?
The expression ‘the devil you know’ can also be taken to mean that if you do something, knowing full well that you will have blood on your hands, there is no walking it back. Ever.
And if that is the case, we might also assume that the US, far from admitting to consorting with known Nazis, will instead use the ‘shocking news’ to ‘blackmail’ Ukraine so that the US might ‘blackmail’ them into turning over the bulk of Ukraine’s harvests, provide extended military access, sign up for Halliburton-style reconstruction (Halliburton Subsidiary Wins Follow-On Oil Contract In Iraq), constrictive IMF and World Bank ‘loans,’ and conversion of the ‘lend-lease’ equipment to actual loans.
It is early on, of course, but I do think most of the future narrative will rest on how the US chooses to ‘handle’ any future Nazi and/or war crime revelations.
One thing is for certain: The US cannot afford to push for war crime hearings against Russia without opening a torrent of Pandora’s boxes, each one potentially worse than the last.
So, watch the headlines and news reports in the west and take note of whether or not the 1700 story has any traction. The fact that the west insisted on saying they had been ‘evacuated’ rather than having surrendered was of course foreshadowing.
Today (20 May 2022) ‘President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was working to ensure “that the most influential international forces are informed and, as much as possible, involved in saving our troops.” (Ukrainian troops surrendering at Mariupol registered as POWs)
‘While Ukraine expressed hope for a prisoner exchange, Russian authorities have threatened to investigate some of the Azovstal fighters for war crimes and put them on trial, branding them “Nazis” and criminals.
‘The Azov Regiment’s far-right origins have been seized on by the Kremlin as part of an effort to cast Russia’s invasion as a battle against Nazi influence in Ukraine.
‘Also, more U.S. aid appeared to be on its way to Ukraine when the Senate overwhelmingly approved a $40 billion package of military and economic aid for the country and its allies. The House voted for it last week. President Joe Biden’s quick signature was certain.
“Help is on the way, really significant help. Help that could make sure that the Ukrainians are victorious,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.’
Bear in mind that the full Russian military budget for 2022 is expected to be $69 billion.
James Porteous | Clipper Media News
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