Same-Same but Different

A new day with new news telling the same old story

[Image: President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi visits his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad in Damascus in early May 2023.]

Published: 2023-05-10

Updated 2023-05-12: Various stories have progressed. A note is added for each preceeded by [Update 05-12] and links to the added sources are provide.

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Do you want the good news up front or to conclude?

Given our times, lets start with a little light. The cross-party Australian "Bring Julian Assange Home Parliamentary Group" met with the USA's Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, daughter and last surviving child of the murdered USA President.

The delegation thanked the Ambassador for the opportunity to express their concerns. They emphasized that concern for Mr. Assange is widespread among political parties in Australia and is shared by both the Prime Minister and the Opposition leader as recently publicly expressed.

This was all diplo-speak for: "Cut it out. This shit has been going on too long".

Whether anything comes of this is another matter. It is nonetheless encouraging. Caroline's uncle, Democratic Primary contender, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has stated that "I’ll pardon brave truth-tellers like Julian Assange and investigate the corruption and crimes they exposed,".

From hereon in this article reads like yesterday's report, with fresh news telling us that nothing has fundamentally changed in the USA/NATO front while the rest of the world is maneuvering in these changing times. As for that maneuvering, that is currently happening in the Middle East/West Asia and we are fortunate to have two articles by excellent analysts on that topic just published. See references of M. K. Bhadrakumar (or M.K.B as I like to call him) and Pepe Escobar below.

US/UK continue belligerency in campaign of wishful thinking

Chief USA and UK diplomats, Blinkenlights and the rather ironically named James Cleverly, have informed the world that irrespective of what happens in Ukraine the "special relationship" nations will continue to pour weapons into to conflict by continuing to arm Ukraine. Cleverly displayed his acumen at their joint press event with:

We need to continue to support them, irrespective of whether this forthcoming offensive generates huge gains on the battlefield, because until this conflict is resolved and resolved properly, it is not over,

This echoes a point made on the recent CrossTalk episode cited in yesterday's article. If the Ukraine has any success, then its NATO backers will call for further support to press on. Should Ukraine fail, then the call will be for even more support because Ukraine needs it. You’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

But Blinkenlights and Clueless are not just talking the idiotic talk but also frog-marching the walk too. The USA has announced yet another pledge of military support for beleaguered Ukraine to the tune of 1.2 Billion USD and the UK is "moving closer" to sending long-range missiles to Ukraine, Dave DeCamp informs us.

[Update 05-12]: During the following two days the US said it was happy about this and then the UK confirmed it is doing this. The missiles are not the ground launched ATACMS which Ukraine wanted but Storm Shadow (range 250-300 Km) which are launched from fixed wing aeroplanes.

On yesterday's Judging Freedom interview by Judge Napolitano with Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, Davis stated the obvious when describing the likely result of any upcoming offensive. Russian forces are dug in behind extensive defensive positions, have more men, better logistics and more forces (airforce, air defense, stand off weaponry (artillery, missiles, etc.)). They are also well trained and motivated. The result, should the Ukrainians attack, will be very heavy casualties for them. It could even turn into a rout.

Quite apart from funneling tax-payer funds to arms manufacturers to maintain a proxy war which NATO is losing through and in Ukraine, is there a "war crime" for blindly sending tens of thousands of men to their deaths when there is almost no chance of victory and its not even a smaller diversion in a larger campaign? There is no military sense to this whatsoever, says Davis. I wholeheartedly agree.

Dunno who to blame, but it ain't good

Following the announcement yesterday of the "altercation" between a Russian Airforce fighter and a Polish equivalent representing NATO during which the Russian pilot fired a missile which was then deactivated or malfunctioned, NATO has decided to raise the alarm by putting its Air Forces on High Alert.

Colour me pink, but one should surely expect to meet fully armed fighter jets around an active conflict shouldn't one? The "High Alert" is just fluff.

None of this changes the fact that misunderstandings do happen, and that last thing anyone needs is for either a Russian or NATO pilot to be shot down and killed by the other. This is yet another reason to end this damn war. The history of the USA/NATO running interference against any peace efforts is extensive. It goes from not last March, but the one before, when Boris the Clown poo-poo'ed the peace proposal discussed in Istanbul which was close to agreement, to Blinkenlights' response to the Chinese proposal listing principles to begin a peace dialogue as a threat!

Still stoking tensions on the other side of the world

To move to the Asia-Pacific, the USA has cajoled the Philippines into joining in with naval patrols of the South China Sea. One can only presume they wont be joining the PLA's navy for a BBQ on one of those little reclaimed atolls that China has fitted out with surveillance equipment, a runway and perhaps a few missiles. This is a pity, because given some nice weather, they look like a lovely place for the three defence forces to cook up a feast and play some beach volleyball.

Further to the sou'west Papua New Guinea can expect a visit from Sleepy Joe, a first by a sitting USA President. Joe wont get much sleep as he slips into Port Moresby after a G7 meeting in Hiroshima, Japan and on his way to a "Quad" "summit" in Sydney, Australia. To further the naval theme I'd like to extend some advice to Papuan Prime Minister James Marape offered by Rebel Alliance Admiral Ackbar: Its a trap!

[Update 05-12]: Yep. It was. “Biden to Sign Military and Surveillance Agreements With Papua New Guinea”

If you've forgotten who or what "the Quad" is AP News produced a useful explainer a while back. A brief summary is that following the tsunami in Indonesia all the those years ago the group of USA, Australia, Japan and India was set up to facilitate humaniitarian aid operations. It now serves as yet another mouthpiece for USA regional threats.

If you've forgotten who or what the G7 is, its what remains of the G8 after they kicked out Russia who is still a member of BRICS which has more economic power than the G7.

No, Middle East. Peace is not an option!

To augment Sullivan's chat with the Saudis about some railway, elements of the US congress issued even more threats against Syria and Middle East countries generally. Dave DeCamp sums it all up rather nicely [emphasis is mine]:

The top Republican and Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee released a statement on Monday slamming Syria’s readmission into the Arab League and urging President Biden to use sanctions to prevent further normalization.

“Readmitting Assad to the Arab League is a grave strategic mistake that will embolden Assad, Russia, and Iran to continue butchering civilians and destabilizing the Middle East,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) said.

“The United States must fully enforce the Caesar Act and other sanctions to freeze normalization efforts with this war criminal,” the lawmakers added.

Somehow these two non-Arabic USA men think that they get to decide which countries are admitted, or re-admitted in this case, to the Arab League. Of course they don’t, and that is not the purpose of their rhetoric either.

They are no doubt aware that the vast majority of USA citizens couldn't give a hoot about this and probably don't even know what the Arab League is. They are signaling their loyalty to and compliance with the narrative agreed by the two political committees of the Uni-party. This rather sad state of affairs is, even more sadly, to be expected.

The Arab League, Russia and Iran gauge that, actually, peace is what people want

Meanwhile, Russia is not butchering anyone in the Middle East but furthering negotiations to reduce tensions. In particular, the foreign ministers from Syria and Turkey will meet for the first time in more than a decade when they are hosted in Moscow. This is somewhat of a diplomatic achievement for Russia as Turkey was, and perhaps still partly is, supporting insurgent forces in Syria.

To achieve the reclamation of all of Syria's sovereign territory, support for which was issued at a joint meeting in Amman, as reported last week, Syria needs to deal with three areas. In the northwest, in Idlib province, the radical insurgents remain on Syrian territory on the Turkish border. In the northeast USA occupying forces are aligned with Kurdish rebels and control the oil and wheat fields of Syria, and the major northern crossing into Iraq. In the southeast at Al Tanf, USA military forces occupy Syrian territory which controls the major southern crossing into Iraq, and Jordan, if my memory serves.

We can only hope that discussions between Turkey and Syria can assist in dealing with the first two of these occupied and/or rebellious regions.

The upcoming meeting is a component of the larger three-way discussion involving Iran which Russia has been facilitating, to find a solution to "the Kurdish problem".

Syria is already under the civilian-killing Caesar Sanctions from the USA and its leadership will likely ignore the bi-partisan sanction blustering from the Congress' House Foreign Affairs Committee narrative pushing acolytes.

Should you be curious about the implications of Syria's return to the Arab League I commend to you M.K.B's analysis. Mr. Mercouris even mentions Bhadrakumar while delivering his comments at The Duran (see Sources). There is a reason for this. Former Indian diplomat Bhadrakumar produces very good analysis. His writing is also a pleasure to read.

Interestingly, the article which last week suggested that the re-admission was going to happen also exclaimed that it was nice too see Egypt coming out of its shell and re-engaging more publicly in Arab diplomacy. The meeting which formalized Syria's re-admission was held in Cairo, on as M.K.B notes, the 80th anniversary of the Ba'ath Party whose core ideals were Arab nationalism and anti-imperialism. Some may recall the Ba'ath Party in connection with Saddam Hussein and the illegal USA invasion in 2003. The Party is older and wider than the past leader of Iraq.

Escobar straddles both or the West Asian and Russia/NATO developments in his most recent article for The Cradle. It is as informative and a pleasure to read as one has come to expect. He sees trouble ahead, which is hardly revelatory, but notes that even if the USA supported candidate in the upcoming Turkish presential election wins, USA gains are likely to be limited. Escobar references a recent Kissinger statement noting that with China involved a negotiation to end the bloodshed is likely before the end of the year. This aligns with Council on Foreign Relations’ President Richard Haas’ recent comments. The spin masters are going to have some work to massage this upcoming defeat into a victory to get, as Escobar labels him, “a senile president who is remote-controlled by a pack of polished-faced warmongers”, re-elected. As evidence of the pleasure of reading the article at The Cradle, that “risk of a rout” I noted above is expressed by Escobar thus:

The situation has devolved to the point where the much-hyped “Ukrainian counter-offensive” may actually be the prelude to a NATO humiliation that will make Afghanistan look like Disneyland in the Hindu Kush.

Postscript

To use a phrase popular among tourists in Thailand, same-same but different.

For the second day running we have the USA/NATO pursuing a failed policy in Ukraine which will result in the deaths of even more Ukrainians in a war they cannot win. Again, we have the USA furthering tensions in the Asia-Pacific. And, to complete the trifecta, the USA is continuing to threaten countries in the Middle East with economic sanctions and consequently losing even more influence.

I've given up on trying to understand the motivations of the USA/NATO and Ukraine behind the war in Ukraine. The best word I can find is Evil.

As for terms to describe the USA's continued efforts to gin up a war with China and continuing to attempt to destabilize the Middle East in the face of efforts by others to resolve disputes I'm currently settling on psychopathic and stupid.

Sources

Syria’s return to Arab League is a big deal, M. K. Bhadrakumar, Indianpunchline, 2023-05-08

Bold gambits on the West Asian chessboard, Pepe Escobar, The Cradle, 2023-05-09

Australian Lawmakers Urge US to Drop Case Against Assange, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-09

Australian MPs Meet US Envoy Caroline Kennedy on Assange, Joe Lauria, Consortium News, 2023-05-09

US, UK Vow to Keep Supporting Ukraine Regardless of Counteroffensive, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-09

US Announces $1.2 Billion in Long-Term Military Aid for Ukraine, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-09

Britain Moves Closer to Sending Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-08

• US Officials Happy the UK Is Preparing to Send Ukraine Long-Range Missiles, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-10

• UK Confirms It’s Supplying Ukraine With Long-Range Missiles, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-11

NATO Air Units on High Alert After Near Miss Between Russian and Polish Aircraft, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-08

Joint US-Philippine Patrols in South China Sea to Begin Later This Year, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-09

Biden to Become First President to Visit Papua New Guinea, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-09

• Biden to Sign Military and Surveillance Agreements With Papua New Guinea, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-10

Marape returns as Papua New Guinea prime minister after poll, staff, Reuters, 2022-08-09

James Marape, Wikipedia

EXPLAINER: What’s the 4-nation Quad, where did it come from?, Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller, Associated Press, 2022-05-24

House Hawks Urge Biden to Use Sanctions to Prevent Syria Normalization, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-09

US Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Combat Syria Normalization, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-11

Syrian, Turkish Foreign Ministers to Hold First Meeting in Over a Decade, Dave DeCamp, Antiwar, 2023-05-09

Syria officially welcomed back into Arab League, 'news desk', The Cradle, 2023-05-07

Ukraine Headed Into a Dark and Scary Place - Daniel Davis, Napolitano interviews Lt. Col. Daniel Davis, Judging Freedom, 2023-05-09

Syria returns to the Arab League, Christoforou and Mercouris, The Duran, 2023-05-08

Ukraine trapped in narratives as Russian military system gears up, Christoforou and Mercouris, The Duran, 2023-05-09

Culture

The Dead South - In Hell I'll Be In Good Company, The Dead South from their 2014 debut album Good Company, Devil Duck Records, uploaded to The Dead South's channel on 2016-08-08

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