I have been re-reading portions of the war diaries and letters of General 'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell.
In an undated 1944 entry, Stilwell wrote the following about Chiang Kai-shek:
"I never heard Chiang K'ai-shek say a single thing that indicated gratitude to the President or to our country for the help we were extending to him. Invariably, when anything was promised, he would want more. Invariably, he would complain about the small amount of material that was being furnished..... He would complain that the Chinese had been fighting for six or seven years and yet we gave them practically nothing."
Chiang Kai-shek died in 1975. Zelensky was born in 1978. Is it possible that Chiang Kai-shek was reincarnated as Volodymyr Zelensky?
Source: Joseph W. Stilwell (edited by T. H. White), 1948, The Stilwell Papers, William Sloane Associates, Inc. NY, pages 315-316
Retired italian general Fabio Mini gave an intereting interview :
"Now to the situation on the ground. The Ukrainian counter-offensive has proved to be a failure, with an enormous cost in human lives (around 70,000 soldiers killed in three months). What scenarios are opening up? Are the parties close to negotiating? Will the Russians want to take advantage of the situation to launch an offensive before the onset of winter? Or will the strategy of wearing down Ukrainian men and forces continue?
A certain similarity between President Zelenskyy and The Generalisimo JiangJieShi has not escaped comparison.
As for the latter's Ivy League educated sister-in-law, SongAiLing, she and her sister SongMeiLing, they played The Administration and FDR like a fiddle.
Other members of The China Lobby included.
One other saw it and wrote - "Chiang Kai-shek and the Madame and their families, the Soong family and the Kungs, were all thieves, every last one of them, the Madame and him included" - President Harry Truman. Not an Ivy league man.
This applies to the Kyiv Administration.
___________
As to more immediate matters, President Zelenskyy is completely out of his depth, comes to his position with no experience for leadership of a state and one that was enticed into a war and thus serves to demonstrate, yet again, The Administration's capacity for backing wrong horses.
Russia wins this one, an outcome of shortsighted Washington Professionals to deliver outcomes diametrical to stated intentions. And so . . .
Narrative Collapse.
Only when the last American artillery shell has been fired in The Ukraine, only when the last Ukrainian soldier has been killed in The Ukraine and only when the last of Ukrainian state territory has been irretrievably lost from The Ukraine will The West finally realize that God Favours Russia . . .
Bryen, thanks for the update! What do you think of a very sudden shift in Ukraine's coverage in the Western media and somewhat a cooler reception in Washington? Is that a way to apply pressure on Zelensky to make him more manageable?
Also, there is a very significant uptick in Russian drone training, usage and confirmed hits (FPV, Lancets). A lot more artillery pieces are being taken out as Ukrainians lost and pulled back heavy armor vehicles...
The US 'titrates' support incrementally, with a goal of getting both sides to agree some trade of territory for some sort of 'peace' or lower intensity conflict...
...So they provide support to cut the land corridor, but Ukraine screws up, so they now provide ATACMS and other help to besiege Crimea without cutting the corridor (doubtless making it clear to Putin behind the scenes through Erdogan, Bennett and others that they have well defined limited goals, unlike Zelensky).
Ukrainians getting slaughtered all summer long might ask: why didn't you give us the new support (weapons, recon, intel, EW) 6 months ago?
I guess Milley, who openly suggested talks last November, has been carefully titrating support to get things to just that same point a year later?
I heard that a third of aid to Ukraine goes missing, and donors think Zelensky's main business associate from the good old Kolomoisky days, now his chief of staff, is mostly to blame?
UPDATE ON UKRAINE 09/26/2023
I have been re-reading portions of the war diaries and letters of General 'Vinegar Joe' Stilwell.
In an undated 1944 entry, Stilwell wrote the following about Chiang Kai-shek:
"I never heard Chiang K'ai-shek say a single thing that indicated gratitude to the President or to our country for the help we were extending to him. Invariably, when anything was promised, he would want more. Invariably, he would complain about the small amount of material that was being furnished..... He would complain that the Chinese had been fighting for six or seven years and yet we gave them practically nothing."
Chiang Kai-shek died in 1975. Zelensky was born in 1978. Is it possible that Chiang Kai-shek was reincarnated as Volodymyr Zelensky?
Source: Joseph W. Stilwell (edited by T. H. White), 1948, The Stilwell Papers, William Sloane Associates, Inc. NY, pages 315-316
Retired italian general Fabio Mini gave an intereting interview :
"Now to the situation on the ground. The Ukrainian counter-offensive has proved to be a failure, with an enormous cost in human lives (around 70,000 soldiers killed in three months). What scenarios are opening up? Are the parties close to negotiating? Will the Russians want to take advantage of the situation to launch an offensive before the onset of winter? Or will the strategy of wearing down Ukrainian men and forces continue?
The third."
https://volerelaluna.it/in-primo-piano/2023/09/19/lucraina-e-in-ginocchio-e-leuropa-alla-canna-del-gas-intervista-al-generale-mini/
An interesting line, Stephen . . .
"It is far from clear why Germans were manning the tank. Is this a pattern for the future?"
It is very clear why NATO members are operating in Washington's Ukrainian Proxy War.
This is also clear, as was said of Afghanistan.
Washington's Ukraina Grandioznaya Skhema - The Graveyard of This Empire.
https://les7eb.substack.com/p/washingtons-ukraina-grandioznaya
___________
A certain similarity between President Zelenskyy and The Generalisimo JiangJieShi has not escaped comparison.
As for the latter's Ivy League educated sister-in-law, SongAiLing, she and her sister SongMeiLing, they played The Administration and FDR like a fiddle.
Other members of The China Lobby included.
One other saw it and wrote - "Chiang Kai-shek and the Madame and their families, the Soong family and the Kungs, were all thieves, every last one of them, the Madame and him included" - President Harry Truman. Not an Ivy league man.
This applies to the Kyiv Administration.
___________
As to more immediate matters, President Zelenskyy is completely out of his depth, comes to his position with no experience for leadership of a state and one that was enticed into a war and thus serves to demonstrate, yet again, The Administration's capacity for backing wrong horses.
Russia wins this one, an outcome of shortsighted Washington Professionals to deliver outcomes diametrical to stated intentions. And so . . .
Narrative Collapse.
Only when the last American artillery shell has been fired in The Ukraine, only when the last Ukrainian soldier has been killed in The Ukraine and only when the last of Ukrainian state territory has been irretrievably lost from The Ukraine will The West finally realize that God Favours Russia . . .
https://les7eb.substack.com/p/ukraine-long-proxy-war-vi-god-favours
Bryen, thanks for the update! What do you think of a very sudden shift in Ukraine's coverage in the Western media and somewhat a cooler reception in Washington? Is that a way to apply pressure on Zelensky to make him more manageable?
Also, there is a very significant uptick in Russian drone training, usage and confirmed hits (FPV, Lancets). A lot more artillery pieces are being taken out as Ukrainians lost and pulled back heavy armor vehicles...
The US 'titrates' support incrementally, with a goal of getting both sides to agree some trade of territory for some sort of 'peace' or lower intensity conflict...
...So they provide support to cut the land corridor, but Ukraine screws up, so they now provide ATACMS and other help to besiege Crimea without cutting the corridor (doubtless making it clear to Putin behind the scenes through Erdogan, Bennett and others that they have well defined limited goals, unlike Zelensky).
Ukrainians getting slaughtered all summer long might ask: why didn't you give us the new support (weapons, recon, intel, EW) 6 months ago?
I guess Milley, who openly suggested talks last November, has been carefully titrating support to get things to just that same point a year later?
I heard that a third of aid to Ukraine goes missing, and donors think Zelensky's main business associate from the good old Kolomoisky days, now his chief of staff, is mostly to blame?