Transparent Bullshit  

2014_09_15
17:35

Obama renews overt military attacks in Iraq, extending them to Syria, to counter the newest threat to our security, ISIL.  Bullshit.

This will be used to relaunch regime change in Damascus.  US bombs will fall on Assad's forces, and the US will now, finally, overtly try to destroy his rule.  I think this is Obama's idea of being clever--under the cover of the latest escalation against Terrorism, fool us all by actually waging war on Damascus.  What Russia does in response (if anything) will be quite interesting.  How this blows back, on Israel or otherwise, will also be interesting.

The  ceasefire in Ukraine has lasted longer than I expected, but it was never widespread or comprehensive.  While most of the fighting did stop, and the lack of killing over the past week is welcome, battles continued and shelling of civilian residential districts in Donesk killed dozens.  The ceasefire, to a significant degree, is bullshit.

During this respite, the Kiev forces are concentrating, reorganizing and rearming.  I expect they will launch significant attacks very soon, trying to secure some military victories before winter comes.  This is a guess--there are so many factors in play.  I also assume such a possibility is in the forefront of planning by the Novorussia military.  As well as in the plans of Putin and Russia, in their defense against the continued advances of NATO/EU/USA in Ukraine and the rest of Europe.

Amid all the propaganda and lies, attempting to discern the internal politics of Kiev and of Russia is particularly challenging.  The role of wealthy oligarchs in both capitals is particularly opaque.  While the Kiev regime was installed by the US and the EU, the degree to which the Western powers are pulling the strings day to day may have significantly decreased, given the military failure and the US 'pivot' to Syria.  Or not, and the next round of military violence visited upon the Donbass in the East may be specifically directed by Washington.

When the fighting renews, I anticipate Russia will respond in kind, as they did this spring and summer.  The latest round of mindless sanctions against Russia will again damage European economies much more than the target, both directly and with the inevitable Russian retaliatory sanctions.

There are big forces in the American power structure that promote these moves toward more and more war.  The fact that the economy is dead and not getting better cries out for major war to distract us from the harsh reality.  The dogma of so many of those in power (including in Jerusalem) that any chaos in the Arab world is a positive factor drives many of these policy 'failures'.  The factions in the Arab world allied with Washington (Saudi Arabia and Qatar in particular) who have interests not aligned with American security much less with peace.

Yeah, attempting to discern the internal politics of Washington, New York, London and Jerusalem ain't exactly simple either.  Not all bullshit is transparent.