David Goldman recently sat in on a conclave of the "best and the brightest" to discuss the state of the national security landscape. These individuals were 'former' members of the National Security State, but no doubt they are channeling the mindset of the folks in charge.
His report was not reassuring. It suggests that those who rule us might be many things, but they are without a doubt delusional.
My impression from this article is that Russia and the US are trying very hard to keep this conflict from getting out of either of their hands' control. The wild card for the US are it's allies who want the US to be directly fighting against the Russians. The wild card for the Russians are their own people who either want there men back home or want a much more violent and punishing conflict against the West. The wild card for both sides are "events" or "unknown unknowns."
On Crocus, a lot of the details so far in the public domain don't add up.
The operation doesn't fit standard IS patterns - payments and escape rather than martyrdom.
And the rather odd perps don't seem capable of having executed it without more sophisticated help than some guy with an old white French car.
But the strangest thing to me is Russian security taking an hour to arrive at the essentially unguarded venue, then traffic cops intercepting the Renault with unarmed terrorists hundreds of miles away 5 hours later.
Why would Budanov with or without CIA/Mi6 handlers have organized such a risky immediate retreat of the rather dumb paid non-martyrs toward a forested area of the Russian border where his Neonazi 'Freedom of Russia Legion' operates.
A spokesman for the FRL said almost immediately: Putin will blame us, but it was his false flag.
Budanov has screwed up escapes for his terrorists before, but if this was his operation he's even more clumsy than I thought. Why wouldn't he have helped real IS terrorists who'd delete most evidence by martyrdom, rather than use 4 amateurs (but with some training) who accepted only $5,000 and thought they'd be welcomed and helped onward by the FRL rather than disposed of on arrival in Ukraine to minimize risk for their employer?
IF it was a Russian set-up with a trail of evidence pointing to the FRL, that would fit a lot of strange details better than a half-baked GUR-FRL hit initially intended for the nationalist event at Crocus on 8 March, but postponed.
Its often claimed Putin staged large-scale terrorist attacks in the 90s as a casus belli against Chechnya.
But would he really be dumb enough to stage a false flag full of holes in order to extend the war in Ukraine - especially the flight to the FRL, which also for Budanov if he was in charge would surely have been seen as too dumb?
I just don't get it. It seems like some kind of double double bluff, with a lot of smoke and mirrors.
Good read. Regarding the Biden administation and the US media saying that they had previously warned Moscow about a possible terror attack, why would Russia believe anything the US has to say about preventing Russian deaths when thay are openly arming a foreign army to kill Russians? Not to mention it's like you warning the police that your business partner might be murdered and then when he turns up dead you're shocked that they consider you their prime suspect...
Since it will be difficult to prove whether the CIA or MI6 are connected with it, and even whether the Ukrainian secret service actually has anything to do with it, there is only the Indiez because di9e alleged assassins left for Ukraine. Does anyone really believe that the Ukrainians would have let them live. Of course, they would have tried to liquidate them in order to interrupt a possible chain of evidence. It is understandable if Putin wants the masterminds, but with all due respect, how does he or she want to act. his security services manage this, the assassins talked about the fact that they were contacted by phone via Telegram and no personal meetings took place. The only thing that is striking is that the Wertewesten referred to ISIS very quickly. Perhaps it was hoped that the assassins escaped undetected. The fact that the huge intelligence agencies are often cumbersome is not a novelty either.
Biden is acting like a child. Name calling and insults are provocative bluster. True leadership is a void in Biden's character. Resolving problems and issues requires respectful and intelligent communication of positions and goals. Efforts could be made that lead to resolution of the war, but Biden and his kind of rhetoric prevent a starting point. If he was a true and effective leader, Biden would make a call and have a face to face meeting with Putin to begin a process to end the war. Instead he is like a 12 year old bully picking on a 6 year old.
Compare Nordstream II and Crocus attacks...the US "knew" within the hour who done it and held press conferences within hrs...even less with Crocus. Two years on and "can't find out who did Norstream II". Dali takes out the bridge in Baltimore..literally next door to DC...and 24 hrs later its "maybe contaminated fuel".
What is not reported in the US but reported elsewhere is mind-boggling to contemplate. What's not reported here is that the 4 terrorists were inadequate with handling firearms, cried like children when caught, and identified they received their rudimentary training in a camp outside Istanbul. The Russian security services notified the Turks who raided the camp the same night. The following morning around 11 o'clock Mr. Zircon obliterate 2 SBU headquarters in Kiev and Odessa. The next day a NATO command HQ in Chasov Yar area was hit and a Polish Brigadier General and several US officers eliminated. The Russians know...
How will the Russians react? Probably with an escalation within the next month. as for the idea that not calling Putin president will delegitimize him is as ridiculous as declaring yourself victorious when the battle is not yet over
Dmitri Trenin said it very clearly recently. The West doesn't fear Russia and that's why the escalation continues.
According to him, Russia needs to declare a no flight zone in the Black sea and do nuclear tests again to show what's at stake here.
I agree with Trenin. Putin has been too soft. Too soft on Ukraine and on the West. Russians are very enduring and patient but one that's over, thing will escalate rather quickly.
Perhaps, Russia should start hitting energy and water supplies in Ukraine and cause a refugee flood towards Europe, which will then cause regime changes in Europe.
The time to place nice with the West ended yesterday. I don't think Putin has realized that, yet.
I appreciate the "realpolitik" assessment and it requires a complete suspension of all moral judgements to be able to view, with pragmatism, the situation now and the future dangers. However, NOT providing the correct weapons for Ukraine to win the war against an enemy who invaded, is a bit like paying protection money to keep a gangster at bay. Every year that passes since 1991 is further evidence that a peaceful Russian Federation is still a pipe dream and a de-centralized Russian confederation would be a big improvement. and less of a threat. Accepting the Russian invasion of Ukraine 10 years ago has lead to completely predictable outcomes. As has been said before, Biden has managed to design and execute the absolute optimal strategy for maximizing death and destruction in the Ukraine and making the future more unstable.
David Goldman recently sat in on a conclave of the "best and the brightest" to discuss the state of the national security landscape. These individuals were 'former' members of the National Security State, but no doubt they are channeling the mindset of the folks in charge.
His report was not reassuring. It suggests that those who rule us might be many things, but they are without a doubt delusional.
Read it here:
https://asiatimes.com/2024/03/america-has-no-ukraine-plan-b-except-more-war/
We are led, not by well-meaning children, but by full-blown sociopaths.
Anyway. V.V. Putin could cure cancer and Biden would bitch about all the doctors that he put out of work.
The inscriptions "Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin!" were posted on the walls of four capital cities, Washington, Berlin, London and Paris.
My impression from this article is that Russia and the US are trying very hard to keep this conflict from getting out of either of their hands' control. The wild card for the US are it's allies who want the US to be directly fighting against the Russians. The wild card for the Russians are their own people who either want there men back home or want a much more violent and punishing conflict against the West. The wild card for both sides are "events" or "unknown unknowns."
On Crocus, a lot of the details so far in the public domain don't add up.
The operation doesn't fit standard IS patterns - payments and escape rather than martyrdom.
And the rather odd perps don't seem capable of having executed it without more sophisticated help than some guy with an old white French car.
But the strangest thing to me is Russian security taking an hour to arrive at the essentially unguarded venue, then traffic cops intercepting the Renault with unarmed terrorists hundreds of miles away 5 hours later.
Why would Budanov with or without CIA/Mi6 handlers have organized such a risky immediate retreat of the rather dumb paid non-martyrs toward a forested area of the Russian border where his Neonazi 'Freedom of Russia Legion' operates.
A spokesman for the FRL said almost immediately: Putin will blame us, but it was his false flag.
Budanov has screwed up escapes for his terrorists before, but if this was his operation he's even more clumsy than I thought. Why wouldn't he have helped real IS terrorists who'd delete most evidence by martyrdom, rather than use 4 amateurs (but with some training) who accepted only $5,000 and thought they'd be welcomed and helped onward by the FRL rather than disposed of on arrival in Ukraine to minimize risk for their employer?
IF it was a Russian set-up with a trail of evidence pointing to the FRL, that would fit a lot of strange details better than a half-baked GUR-FRL hit initially intended for the nationalist event at Crocus on 8 March, but postponed.
Its often claimed Putin staged large-scale terrorist attacks in the 90s as a casus belli against Chechnya.
But would he really be dumb enough to stage a false flag full of holes in order to extend the war in Ukraine - especially the flight to the FRL, which also for Budanov if he was in charge would surely have been seen as too dumb?
I just don't get it. It seems like some kind of double double bluff, with a lot of smoke and mirrors.
Good read. Regarding the Biden administation and the US media saying that they had previously warned Moscow about a possible terror attack, why would Russia believe anything the US has to say about preventing Russian deaths when thay are openly arming a foreign army to kill Russians? Not to mention it's like you warning the police that your business partner might be murdered and then when he turns up dead you're shocked that they consider you their prime suspect...
Since it will be difficult to prove whether the CIA or MI6 are connected with it, and even whether the Ukrainian secret service actually has anything to do with it, there is only the Indiez because di9e alleged assassins left for Ukraine. Does anyone really believe that the Ukrainians would have let them live. Of course, they would have tried to liquidate them in order to interrupt a possible chain of evidence. It is understandable if Putin wants the masterminds, but with all due respect, how does he or she want to act. his security services manage this, the assassins talked about the fact that they were contacted by phone via Telegram and no personal meetings took place. The only thing that is striking is that the Wertewesten referred to ISIS very quickly. Perhaps it was hoped that the assassins escaped undetected. The fact that the huge intelligence agencies are often cumbersome is not a novelty either.
Biden is acting like a child. Name calling and insults are provocative bluster. True leadership is a void in Biden's character. Resolving problems and issues requires respectful and intelligent communication of positions and goals. Efforts could be made that lead to resolution of the war, but Biden and his kind of rhetoric prevent a starting point. If he was a true and effective leader, Biden would make a call and have a face to face meeting with Putin to begin a process to end the war. Instead he is like a 12 year old bully picking on a 6 year old.
Compare Nordstream II and Crocus attacks...the US "knew" within the hour who done it and held press conferences within hrs...even less with Crocus. Two years on and "can't find out who did Norstream II". Dali takes out the bridge in Baltimore..literally next door to DC...and 24 hrs later its "maybe contaminated fuel".
What is not reported in the US but reported elsewhere is mind-boggling to contemplate. What's not reported here is that the 4 terrorists were inadequate with handling firearms, cried like children when caught, and identified they received their rudimentary training in a camp outside Istanbul. The Russian security services notified the Turks who raided the camp the same night. The following morning around 11 o'clock Mr. Zircon obliterate 2 SBU headquarters in Kiev and Odessa. The next day a NATO command HQ in Chasov Yar area was hit and a Polish Brigadier General and several US officers eliminated. The Russians know...
Putin just destroyed the Key bridge. Tit for Tat. Occam’s razor. Seems obvious.
How will the Russians react? Probably with an escalation within the next month. as for the idea that not calling Putin president will delegitimize him is as ridiculous as declaring yourself victorious when the battle is not yet over
Dmitri Trenin said it very clearly recently. The West doesn't fear Russia and that's why the escalation continues.
According to him, Russia needs to declare a no flight zone in the Black sea and do nuclear tests again to show what's at stake here.
I agree with Trenin. Putin has been too soft. Too soft on Ukraine and on the West. Russians are very enduring and patient but one that's over, thing will escalate rather quickly.
Perhaps, Russia should start hitting energy and water supplies in Ukraine and cause a refugee flood towards Europe, which will then cause regime changes in Europe.
The time to place nice with the West ended yesterday. I don't think Putin has realized that, yet.
I appreciate the "realpolitik" assessment and it requires a complete suspension of all moral judgements to be able to view, with pragmatism, the situation now and the future dangers. However, NOT providing the correct weapons for Ukraine to win the war against an enemy who invaded, is a bit like paying protection money to keep a gangster at bay. Every year that passes since 1991 is further evidence that a peaceful Russian Federation is still a pipe dream and a de-centralized Russian confederation would be a big improvement. and less of a threat. Accepting the Russian invasion of Ukraine 10 years ago has lead to completely predictable outcomes. As has been said before, Biden has managed to design and execute the absolute optimal strategy for maximizing death and destruction in the Ukraine and making the future more unstable.