Just yesterday the U.S. reiterated its stance it is not seeking to promote a negotiated truce between Ukraine and Russia that could end their month long war. It also re-stated that the best help in can provide is to flood more weaponry into the war zone.
That is even dumber than the dumb US policy since 2008 of dangling NATO membership to Ukraine, supporting a coup to topple the Russian leaning elected Ukraine president, then arming and training the new ultra nationalist government to fight the civil war ignited by that US coup. Over 13,000 have been killed in the Donbass, mostly Russian speaking Ukrainians, in the 8 years since.
So while Russia’s war is illegal, immoral and criminal, dumb US policies played a major provocation. Poke the beehive long enough, the bees will eventually attack.
But once the war started, US policy got even dumber, if that was at all possible. Ukraine has no chance of prevailing militarily to drive out Russian forces. Based on their widely regarded poor performance, Russia will likely get bogged down in a Vietnam style insurgency that will bleed Russia endlessly.
Those are precisely conditions that make a negotiated settlement possible, and the 2 sides have been talking daily in Turkey brokered peace talks. But rather than praise Turkey’s efforts, the US and the rest of NATO prefer MALT (More Arms, Less Talk). That may weaken Russia in the long term, but in the short term it will pile up more dead Ukrainians and more demolished Ukraine buildings.
Dumb in Dumber in the movies was a comedy. US Dumb and Dumber in Ukraine is a tragedy.
Walt Zlotow became involved in antiwar activities upon entering University of Chicago in 1963. He is current president of the West Suburban Peace Coalition based in the Chicago western suburbs. He blogs daily on antiwar and other issues at www.heartlandprogressive.blogspot.com.
“Based on their widely regarded poor performance, Russia will likely get bogged down in a Vietnam style insurgency that will bleed Russia endlessly.”
This is what you get when “pundits” who have no clue write about military matters.
Anyone paying attention to the Ukraine war from outside the MSM box would know that nothing of the sort is taking place. Russia’s operation is moving as planned at the pace it needs to avoid unnecessary Ukrainian civilian and even soldiers’ deaths. If Russia wanted to, it could end this war in a few days and kill several hundred thousand people, just like the US would – and has in the past.
Also, as others here have mentioned, there is nothing “dumb” – except in terms of its impact on the future – about US policy. It is a deliberate policy intended to destroy Russia and Balkanize it as the US is trying to do with all of its enemies. And the US, with its customary disregard for so-called “human rights” (which actually don’t exist, but that’s another story) is willing to kill any number of people – including millions if that’s what it takes – to get its way.
But Russia has a political goal of a reunified, pro-Russian Ukraine. Whether that is achievable after the war ends is uncertain, but the approach Russia is taking is intended to make it so.
This political goal, however, will not be achieved with an “negotiated settlement” by Ukraine. Russia has requirements for Ukraine on the ground that the Ukraine regime – and the US – can not and will not – because of the US and Ukraine’s internal political problems – agree to. There are in fact no “negotiations”. Russia has presented surrender terms which it knows full well that Ukraine and the US can not accept. Russia is merely negotiating to try to get some sort of surrender so no more Russian soldiers and Ukrainian civilians need to die. Despite Russia’s recognition that his is futile, they are obliged to try.
Zlotow would be advised to stop reading CNN and start following Scott Ritter, The Saker, Moon of Alabama, and Andrei Martyanov – and me – on this subject. We have a much clearer view of the situation than he does.
True, though I’d add that it’s not “the US”, it’s Washington, or rather the establishment which emanates from the media boardrooms first of all and runs most of Washington. They hate the ordinary US as much as they hate conservative Russia.
This is one of the CRUCIAL problems, Conservative Russia is the cultural alternative. Shockingly, what is now called alternative — was the mainstream culture in US untill the woke agenda took over. The problem for the Western Reset agenda is — any real life example in a white country defying new normal is dangerous.
It would have been easy to ridicule backwards brown, black, yellow cultures as backwards. But if a white Christian culture finds common cause with the rest of mankind — we will end up looking like freaks.
Ah yes, repeat the media owners’ propaganda. Russia had a very wide front in the beginning, which led to some vehicles being encircled and captured, giving the media their valuable propaganda pics. After that, they have fronted their armies with surveillance, laser and drones.
Meanwhile the Ukrainian air defenses and, heh, “air force” have been all but obliterated, and Zelensky’s army hasn’t been able to push back. Anywhere. Kiev – sorry, “Kyiv” – is encircled, and the bulk of the Ukrainian army is encircled in the east. Ukraine’s radar is pretty much gone. Russia’s missiles reach everywhere. Zelensky has to force the old and the young to fight, when he isn’t banning opposition parties or the media.
The NYT, of all people, had some realistic info on the military facts recently, but of course it’s buried among all the other media propaganda.
Modern war is about missiles, not beloved guerrilla movies. “But Taliban!” They were hardcore, but suffered enormous casualties to U.S. missiles over the years. That won’t be the Ukrainians. Their leaders will give in to Russia’s demand that they stop letting the Azov Battalion massacre Donbass civilians with U.S. artillery, and that will be the end to the war.
Yes, what lasses for information here is appalling. Just check CNN headlines.
Today, Ukrainian military is paralized. Divided into segmments, and pinned down in surrounded cities.
Two days ago one of the surrounded battalions requested a permission to surrender. Kyev refused. They would rather starve their army than allowing them to surrender.
In Mariupol Aziv apparently mined good parti of the town. They do not care as the population is — Russian! This is why they would not let them go anywhere except to the West of the country. Russian population would not go back to another Nazi controlled territory — they wanted to go to Russian controlled territory. Azov said no. Did not let even Greek diplomat organize evacuation of Greeks.
Now that Russia controls good portion of Mariupol, Russian populace is finally allowed to go to Russian refugee centers.
And what makes your alleged information any more reliable than CNN?
I would say that the policy is not dumber but criminal.
The purpose of showering weapons on Ukraine, is to kill a few more Russians and diminish Russia’s standing in the world, regardless of the Ukrainian death toll. In addition, the longer the conflict lasts, the higher the chances of a catastrophic conflict.
When the Russians just proposed in the UN, humanitarian corridors, all the nations riding the tall horse of morality opposed, with the British the most outspoken.
The West does not give a hoot about Ukraine or Ukrainians. They have used them to get to Russia and Zelensky is part of it. When Cawthorn and Greene say that Zelensky is a thug, they are not far off.
This is a good analysis except that the US/NATO policy is not dumb. Anyone who believes the US wants peace in the Ukraine is dumb. The US deliberately provoked the war and is happy to see Russia stuck in an Afghanistan-like occupation and insurgency that will bleed Russia dry and remove Russia as a strategic player in the Middle East and Africa. Russia also isolated itself diplomatically. All this without NATO committing a single soldier. So why would the Neocons and Neoliberals want negotiations to succeed?
Russia isolated itself diolomatically? From whom?
Just the opposite is true — and that is the real problem facing US.
Vast manority of countries today has adopted Chinese 3-part position.
1.
As Ukraine is a proxy party in the war, it cannit be apportioned blame, so in Russian-Ukrainian war, China is neutral
2.
US and NATO are blamed directly for provoking conflict, by underming European security by forcing its way eastward; they lied by promising no eastward expansion.
3.
China does not recognize unilateral sanctions, only those imposed by UN SC. Any attempt to punish China, Chinese companies or individuals in cinfucting legitimate business will be strongly opposed.
Chinese position, adopted almost globally, has been reiterated in at least dozen of speaches, and articles, editorials and commrmentary in Globall Times -/ at least ones I have seen.
Most other countries simplify this for US by declaring themselves NEUTRAL (not blaming Russia). and declaring REJECTION of unilateral Western sanctions. All these countries — a vast majority — are continuing normal, friendly relatiinship. Just last week foreign ministers of Turkey, UAE and Iran visited Moscow. Every day, with no exception, more countries are making public statements to that effect. Last week, Malaysia and Vietnam.
US just got a taste of it in US SC. Russia proposed a resolution on humanutarian aid — now blocked by Nazi brigades “defending” the towns.
US worked very hard to have the non-permanent members vote AGAINST IT, because it does not condemn Russia. NOT A SINGLE ONE AGREED, but instead let US, UK and France know they all were going to ABSTAIN, as the three NATO countries would veto f they voted FOR.
With Russia AND China voting FOR, and a others ABSTAINING, US, UK and France avoided the humiliation by voting AGAINST — so, they ABSTAINED themselves! Abstained from voting AGAINST Russian resolution! This is what passive agressive resistance to NATO troika in
UN SC looks like.
Countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia are on Russia’s enemy list. They will be required to pay for Russian goods in roubles.
Mar 22, 2022 Donbass – Azov blew up the Mariupol theatre
While conducting a humanitarian mission near Sartana, we met a large number of people who had just fled Mariupol. Among these civilians was Nikolay, who agreed to tell us on camera what happened with the maternity hospital and the theatre in Mariupol, and how the fighters of the Azov regiment behaved with the inhabitants.
https://youtu.be/38BfGNRtxQ0
https://www.globalresearch.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/yemen-ukraine-media.jpg
So all those killings of undesirable Russian population by the openly, proudly revitalized, armed to teeth Nazis — is OK. Russia, however is ILLEGAL, IMMORAL and CRIMINAL!
So, the morality to protect people from OPEN, PROUD annihilation, is drfined by what? What nationality is entitled to protection in the author’s view?
I suppose genocid is genocid only when US defines it. Some ethnic groups can be therefore be exterminated. legally. As any action to stop it is illegal, immoral and — criminal! In autor’s view — very logical. Hi k
Other dumb things are just dumb because the venocide was too blatant and lacked finesse.
We needed the billionaire funded Buman Rights Watch
to declare those killings — purely defensive.