Guest Post by The Saker
An update about the blog
Major issue: the future of the blog
Last year I took three months off for health reasons. That was the time when the Internet was flooded by a Tsunami of nonsense about Bucha, Kharkov and other Russian “strategic defeats” and I knew that 3 months down the road, all that nonsense would peter out. And it did (see this interview of Colonel Maccgregor if you want details). As for me, I took my first break from blogging since 2007 and it was very beneficial to me as it allowed me to take care of some health issues I had neglected.
In the past I have indicated several times that should it come to a direct war between the USA and Russia I would shut down the blog because being a guest in the USA (I only have a “Green Card”) while my country of ethnic origin is at war with the USA puts me in an impossible position. Again, while I have lived a total of 26 years in the USA, and all my family has US passports by birth, I never requested a US passport (my only citizenship is Swiss) and that is why I think of myself as a guest of the USA. This places both moral and legal obligations upon me which I cannot and will not ignore.
True, we are not quite there YET, but with the German Foreign Minister declaring that the EU is at war with Russia, and knowing that the EU is just a colonial administration, we are very, very close to a fullscale war between the US and Russia. What is even worse is that I don’t see how such a war could be avoided. I explained that in my recent post here. Simply put, there is zero chance of the US/NATO/EU victory, which means that the US Neocons will be faced by a stark choice: defeat or go nuclear (and even that won’t yield a victory for the United West).
Putin tried everything in his power to avoid that outcome, but he was not dealing with rational actors – which is a key assumption of any theory of deterrence – and so it is the US Neocons forced this outcome on the entire planet.
What the US Neocons will eventually decide is impossible to predict: yes they are cowards, but they are hate-filled cowards. And I am not so sure about their self-preservation instincts simply because they are too ignorant and stupid to understand the danger.......more below
https://www.theburningplatform.com/2023/01/27/saker-sees-war-between-west-russia/
Pentagon
Telaviv is reportedly concerned that Trump could reach a deal with Tehran without ordering military strikes
A senior Israeli military delegation led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir made a secret visit to Washington over the weekend amid intensifying tensions over Iran’s nuclear and missile programs and a growing US military presence in the region.
According to Israeli and US media reports, Zamir met with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and other senior US defense officials at the Pentagon to present sensitive intelligence, discuss military options against Iran and attempt to shape ongoing diplomatic contacts between the Trump administration and Tehran.
The visit, which had not been publicly disclosed at the time, comes as Israel is growing increasingly concerned that US President Donald Trump could ultimately strike a deal with Iran focused narrowly on freezing uranium enrichment while leaving Tehran’s ballistic missile program largely intact and ...
Negotiations over the agreement between Kinshasa and Washington lack transparency and breach Congolese law, Corneille Nangaa has claimed
An agreement between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and the US on critical minerals is “deeply flawed and unconstitutional,” the leader of a rebel coalition in the Central African nation has told Reuters.
Corneille Nangaa, who leads the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), which includes the M23 force, said the deal was negotiated behind closed doors and breaches Congolese law.
The strategic partnership, part of the Washington Accord for Peace and Prosperity signed on December 4, is intended to expand US access to critical minerals in return for investment and security cooperation.
However, Nangaa told Reuters on Monday that “the opacity surrounding the negotiations” and “procedural flaws, particularly the violation of the constitution and the law,” undermine the agreement’s legitimacy.....more below
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Mercenaries behind the assault were backed by French President Emmanuel Macron and his Benin and Ivory Coast counterparts, the Sahel state’s leader has said
Niger’s transitional leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has accused France and neighboring Benin and Ivory Coast of sponsoring a “cowardly attack” on the main international airport in the Sahel state’s capital early on Thursday.
Gunfire and explosions were reported near Diori Hamani International Airport around midnight before officials said the situation had been brought under control.
Some aircraft were reportedly damaged, but no serious civilian injuries were reported. Niger’s national broadcaster said a French national was among the suspects killed in the clashes and aired footage showing several bodies on the ground.
Speaking on state television after visiting Air Base 101, next to the airport in Niamey, Gen. Tchiani named French President Emmanuel Macron, Benin’s Patrice Talon, and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara as ...
