tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-355198522024-02-17T07:22:54.472-08:00The NeutralistWhy The Neutralist? The term Isolationist implies a narrow Fortress America outlook and is used as an epithet. The term Neutralist does not indicate someone hiding out from the world. No one calls the Swiss isolationists.
The Wilsonian world view is old, tired and wrong. Our interventions have been less and less successful and now the failure can no longer be covered up.Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.comBlogger425125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-13992416701696964612024-01-21T04:55:00.000-08:002024-01-21T04:55:00.013-08:00William Astore has a great article on the scam of citing "isolationism"<p> </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 10px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> At Antiwar.com and at his substack, Bracing Views, William Astore has a fine article<i>:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">That Old Canard of Isolationism:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><i><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">We can't have a president that focuses on domestic concerns!</span></i></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 10px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In it he goes over how we've got those bases everywhere, but if we retreat an inch, isolationism will see us curl up into our shell.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 10px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">One does wish he would have discussed neutralism and how it is not isolationism.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 10px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Anyway, read it<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2024/01/17/that-old-canard-of-isolationism/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">here</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">, or<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://bracingviews.substack.com/p/that-old-canard-of-isolationism" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(68, 68, 68); color: #444444; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">.</span></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-50662144633936822552023-10-19T06:58:00.000-07:002023-10-19T06:58:05.666-07:00The world order changes and continued Western or US hegemony is not on the cards<p> Moon of Alabama has a thoughtful argument as to the the diminishment of US influence due to the new conflict in the Levant:</p><h3 style="font-family: georgia, verdana, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.moonofalabama.org/2023/10/wests-pro-israel-position-accelerates-its-loss-of-power.html#more" target="_blank">West's Pro-Israel Position Accelerates Its Loss Of Power</a></h3><div>In the article, they quote extensively from a Naked Capitalism article:</div><div><br /></div><div><h1 class="entry-title single-post-title" style="background-color: white; color: #e86530; font-family: Optima, sans-serif; font-size: 22px; line-height: 27px; margin: 0px;"><a class="nc-orange" href="https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2023/10/biden-gets-zelensky-treatment-in-middle-east-as-israel-tries-to-escalate.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(232, 101, 48) !important; text-decoration: inherit;">Biden Gets Zelensky Treatment in Middle East as Israel Tries to Escalate</a></h1></div><div><br /></div><div>The gist is that no matter what we do, we can't put the humpty dumpty of world order back together again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now of course, here at the Neutralist, recognizing that in real terms that the games is up is always a reason to recognize we need to pursue a neutralist foreign policy.</div>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-11547184317220607372023-08-23T16:17:00.004-07:002023-08-23T16:17:43.610-07:00From Substack, our post on kicking the can down the road as foreign policy<p> </p><div class="post-header" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: Spectral, serif, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><h1 class="post-title unpublished" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); font-family: var(--font_family_headings, var(--font_family_headings_preset, "SF Compact Display", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol")); font-size: var(--font-size-32); font-weight: var(--font_weight_headings_preset, bold); line-height: var(--line-height-36); margin: 0px;">Getting a kick out of a can</h1><h3 class="subtitle" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: var(--print_secondary, var(--print_secondary_on_web_bg_color, var(--print_secondary, var(--color-secondary)))); font-family: var(--font_family_headings, var(--font_family_headings_preset, "SF Compact Display", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol")); font-size: var(--font-size-18); font-weight: 400; line-height: var(--line-height-24); margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: var(--size-12);">The eternal recurrence of doing the dumb thing forever</h3><div class="pencraft frontend-pencraft-Box-module__reset--VfQY8 frontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt frontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-direction-column--Rq7pk frontend-pencraft-Box-module__padding-bottom-16--KVxKv" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); 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--tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--color-primary-themed); font-family: var(--font-family-meta); font-size: 11px; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: unset; text-transform: uppercase;"><div class="profile-hover-card-target frontend-reader2-ProfileAndPublicationHoverCard-module__profileHoverCardTarget--Od_YL" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; display: inline-block;"><a class="pencraft frontend-pencraft-Box-module__reset--VfQY8 frontend-pencraft-Text-module__decoration-hover-underline--BEYAn frontend-pencraft-Text-module__reset--dW0zZ" href="https://substack.com/@thelonghillinstitute" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); margin: 0px; text-decoration-thickness: 0px; text-decoration: unset;">RICHARD MORCHOE</a></div></div><div class="pencraft frontend-pencraft-Box-module__reset--VfQY8 frontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt frontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-gap-4--zeW5_" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; column-gap: 4px; display: flex; row-gap: 4px; text-decoration: unset;"><div class="pencraft frontend-pencraft-Box-module__reset--VfQY8 frontend-pencraft-Text-module__size-11--k1e8b frontend-pencraft-Text-module__line-height-20--p0dP8 frontend-pencraft-Text-module__weight-medium--x7khA frontend-pencraft-Text-module__font-meta--U_nxy frontend-pencraft-Text-module__color-pub-secondary-text--OzRTa frontend-pencraft-Text-module__transform-uppercase--IDkUL frontend-pencraft-Text-module__reset--dW0zZ frontend-pencraft-Text-module__meta--jzHdd" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--color-secondary-themed); font-family: var(--font-family-meta); font-size: 11px; font-weight: 500; letter-spacing: 0.2px; line-height: 20px; margin: 0px; text-decoration: unset; text-transform: uppercase;">AUG 22, 2023</div></div></div></div></div><div class="pencraft frontend-pencraft-Box-module__flexGrow--mx4xz frontend-pencraft-Box-module__reset--VfQY8 frontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt frontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-justify-space-between--NvIcg frontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-align-center--rSd6h frontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-gap-16--TpblU frontend-pencraft-Box-module__padding-y-16--ohCEm frontend-pencraft-Box-module__border-top-detail-themed--e17yZ frontend-pencraft-Box-module__border-bottom-detail-themed--eVwFY post-ufi" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; align-items: center; border-bottom: 1px solid var(--color-detail-themed); border-top: 1px solid var(--color-detail-themed); column-gap: 16px; display: flex; flex: 1 1 1px; justify-content: space-between; padding-bottom: 16px; padding-top: 16px; row-gap: 16px; text-decoration: unset;"><div class="pencraft frontend-pencraft-Box-module__reset--VfQY8 frontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt frontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-gap-8--HFpIK" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; column-gap: 8px; display: flex; row-gap: 8px; text-decoration: unset;"><div class="like-button-container post-ufi-button style-button" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-user-select: none; align-items: center; background: 0px 0px; border-radius: calc(var(--size-40)*0.5); box-sizing: border-box; column-gap: var(--size-8); cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex: 0 0 auto; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; height: var(--size-40); min-width: var(--size-40); padding: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;"><a class="post-ufi-button style-button no-label with-border" role="button" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-user-select: none; align-items: center; background: 0px 0px; border-radius: calc(var(--size-40)*0.5); border: var(--border-default-themed); box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); column-gap: var(--size-8); cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex: 0 0 auto; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; height: 40px; justify-content: center; min-width: var(--size-40); padding: 0 var(--size-12); text-decoration: none; width: 40px;"><svg class="icon" fill="#000000" height="20" stroke-width="2" stroke="#000" style="height: 20px; width: 20px;" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g></g></svg></a></div><a class="post-ufi-button style-button post-ufi-comment-button no-label with-border" href="https://thelonghillinstitute.substack.com/p/getting-a-kick-out-of-a-can/comments" role="button" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-user-select: none; align-items: center; background: 0px 0px; border-radius: calc(var(--size-40)*0.5); border: var(--border-default-themed); box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); column-gap: var(--size-8); cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex: 0 0 auto; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; height: 40px; justify-content: center; min-width: var(--size-40); padding: 0 var(--size-12); text-decoration: none; width: 40px;"><svg class="icon" fill="#000000" height="20" stroke-width="2" stroke="#000" style="height: 20px; width: 20px;" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g></g></svg></a><a class="post-ufi-button style-button no-label with-border" role="button" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-user-select: none; align-items: center; background: 0px 0px; border-radius: calc(var(--size-40)*0.5); border: var(--border-default-themed); box-sizing: border-box; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); column-gap: var(--size-8); cursor: pointer; display: flex; flex: 0 0 auto; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; height: 40px; justify-content: center; min-width: var(--size-40); padding: 0 var(--size-12); text-decoration: none; width: 40px;"><svg class="icon" fill="none" height="20" stroke-width="2" stroke="#000" style="height: 20px; width: 20px;" viewbox="0 0 24 24" width="20" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g></g></svg></a></div><div class="pencraft frontend-pencraft-Box-module__reset--VfQY8 frontend-pencraft-Box-module__display-flex--ZqeZt frontend-pencraft-Box-module__flex-gap-8--HFpIK" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; column-gap: 8px; display: flex; row-gap: 8px; text-decoration: unset;"></div></div></div></div><div class="visibility-check" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: Spectral, serif, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><div class="" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: Spectral, serif, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 19px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><div class="available-content" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; display: flex;"><div class="body markup" dir="auto" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; margin-bottom: var(--size-16); width: 728px; word-break: break-word;"><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin-top: 0px;">Kick the can is an Americanism from an old children's game that literally was about kicking the can. Of Depression era provenance, it went out of fashion when enough prosperity returned that balls were affordable and preferable to tins left over from meal preparation.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Nevertheless, the term, kick the can lives on.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">According to a Merriam Webster online word history, "round the mid-1980s a new phrase began to be heard in the U.S. Congress. To “kick the can down the road” became, in the rhetoric of some lawmakers, a colorful and mildly critical new way of referring to putting off work on an issue for a later date."</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">That does sound like Congress.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Entering "the economy" and "kicking the can" on the Brave search engine returns many articles. The recent debt ceiling had its share and is an example of the cliché.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Kicking the can down the road may not be thought of in terms of foreign policy but it is something we have done before. We kicked the can down the road at the end of the Korean War and have been more or less doing that since.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">We did stop kicking it at the end of the Vietnam War only because we lost. If we had gotten a Korea like arrangement, we would still have troops and planes and bases and PXs all over the South. There would be brass on the border taking meetings ad infinitum with the officers of the North. We would forever be rebuilding the South. </p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">It would all have been a big kick the can down the road. The day of Vietnamese resolution would never arrive.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Alas, we don't have to think about it. It's as if we left no forwarding address and they disconnected the phone.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">So ended our ten year Southeast Asian Field Training exercise.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">We were kind of shy for a while after that, but Afghanistan was beckoning and we supplied enough that the Russians left, but nothing much was solved. Sort of a can kick.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Our temporary buddy, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and we made it our business for reasons other than Maggie Thatcher's chick shaming of Bush père ("Don't go wobbly, George").</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">That glorious victory took about 100 hours and led to… yup, we kicked the can. </p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Saddam was allowed to continue his regime. He suppressed the Shia in the south of the country. This was disgraceful on our part as US radio broadcast over Iraq during the war that the we supported the Shia uprising before abandoning them.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">No-fly zones were set up and the people were squeezed by sanctions, a contingent of soldiers remained in Saudi Arabia and the can remained in play.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">Can kicking had other bad results. Bin Laden would go to war over our </span><a href="https://fas.org/irp/world/para/docs/980223-fatwa.htm" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); text-decoration: underline;">“occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of places, the Arabian Peninsula.”</a><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>That would lead to planes taking down buildings in Manhattan and the US taking the wrong lesson and getting another can.</span></p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">On September 11, 2001, the planes roared into multiple targets and a couple of decades of meandering war began.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">We demanded Bin Laden be turned over. Scott Horton, in his book,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><em style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">Fool's Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></em><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">recounts how the Taliban tried to work with the US, but there was nothing for it but just to comply.</span></p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Thus, the war would come and Osama would not be found. The mission would then become "nation building." </p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">We spent the next two decades plus searching for something and never finding it.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">That proverbial light at the end of the tunnel was promised with surges and COIN (Counter Insurgency warfare) as the ticket.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">A momentary superstar, General David Petraeus, came to the fore. Petraeus was the man with a plan. He and his confreres "</span><a href="https://thelonghillinstitute.substack.com/p/review-of-fools-errand-time-to-end" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); text-decoration: underline;">promised Obama that with the plan they could have the Taliban sitting at the table, ready to concede to American terms within 18 months–by July 2011."</a></p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">It didn't work and, in the end, Petraeus would out himself as a clown when he and his amanuensis and mistress, Paula Broadwell, were caught sharing classified material, and he got a slap on the wrist. Dave is still seen pontificating on the media.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">It would be obvious to everyone that the project was a failure and we were going to stop kicking the can on this one as we had become the can.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Even to the reality challenged, it was obvious we would be leaving. </p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">So the Trump administration in February 2020 negotiated a</span><a href="https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Agreement-For-Bringing-Peace-to-Afghanistan-02.29.20.pdf" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>withdrawal agreement</a><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">with the Taliban that</span><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/03/05/around-the-halls-brookings-experts-discuss-the-implications-of-the-us-taliban-agreement/" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>excluded the Afghan government</a><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">, freed 5,000 imprisoned Taliban soldiers and set a date certain of May 1, 2021, for the final withdrawal.</span></p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">The Biden Administration delayed the agreed upon time, setting an August 1 date. In the end, it would not go smoothly.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">At this point, blame is irrelevant to the argument that can kicking is not a great policy, even if, as policy it is unofficial, as it always is.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Then there is the case of Iraq. Those were heady days. The world was faced with a madman who was building the big one. Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) became a mantra.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">In the runup, former National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice would intone, "We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud."</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Silly stuff and foolish. We went to war for it and the perpetrators, for the most part, did well enough out of it.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">The war did meander, but with the elections and civilian government the Iraqis were going to have some say in events, and after failing to agree on an acceptable status of forces agreement, The last US combat troops withdrew from Iraq on 18 December 2011.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Embassy staff, marine guards and contractors remained. A not inconsiderable amount that suggested the can kicking habit is hard to kick.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">We would come back to deal with the Islamic State and kinda stick around.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">On January 3, 202 the United States assassinated The Iranian General Qassim Soleimani of the Quds Force. Soleimani arguably had diplomatic immunity. It was hardly an act of genius on the part of the Trump Administration.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">According to<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://network.aljazeera.net/en/channels/aljazeera-english" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); text-decoration: underline;">Al Jazeera</a><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">, "Currently, the US has 2,500 soldiers in Iraq and 900 in Syria to help advise and assist local forces in combating ISIL, which in 2014 seized swathes of territory in both countries."</span></p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Those 900 in Syria are "keeping the oil" according to Trump. Looting would be a more appropriate term.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">There are other policies that continue with little other than the seeking of control. Libya, maybe more a NATO mess but a mess. </p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">We've been bugging Syria as mentioned above as the Middle East is welcoming them back into the family.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">There are countries we bother in South America. Venezuela may not be running an efficient state, but why do we sanction them? You will hear the reply about how un-democratic they are, but does anyone believe that is the reason?</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Bolivia was subject to a coup due to having a surfeit of Lithium.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Nicaragua, which the American left used to wax poetic about is now a pariah under the guy who was once thought to be worthy of canonization.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">And, what can you say about Cuba, holding on despite an eternal embargo?</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">More Cans</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Right now, there are two cans that are most on our radar. We are at proxy war with Russia, and are challenging China, mostly about Taiwan, and currently, les Chinois are lately about the evilest beings one could imagine all around.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">There is occasional talk of settling the Ukraine matter. It appears to be dawning on some, if not all, that things are not going as well as hoped.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">All of the suggestions that have appeared seem to have one thing in common.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">If you guessed kicking the can, well done.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">As most of them are from the west, that is understandable.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Most reports lately seem to include accounts of horrendous Ukrainian losses in men and material, yet suggestions for peace all seem to put forth that Russia give up land, pay reparations, maybe in return for Ukraine not getting into NATO. They don't seem to get that, at the least, Russia has not lost the war, and at best has done rather well.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">At least one has suggested peacekeepers which is deferring peace to a future time, i.e., kicking the can. </p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy suggested a deal with Russia to go after China. As to what has been going since the US/NATO drang nach osten that began after Russia left Germany, one could be forgiven for suspecting the Russians would not be jumping for joy.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">To put this in idiomatic grade B movie language, imagine Putin sits down with President Vivek and listens to the proposal and replies, "So let me get this straight, you pushed NATO east after saying you wouldn't. You engineered a coup in a border country and broke the Minsk agreements."</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">"You expect me to trust you?"</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">An agreement with us to go after another country, if successful could only mean the struggle would resume and is just can kicking.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Considering that the Ramaswamy plan is a non-starter, we shall still have our China can.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">The hysteria is ramping up, and is working. The noise, from mainstream news, Republicans and Democrats is that we are being confronted by Chinese aggression and must respond.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">We might ask why?</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5K0KLGPaUA" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); text-decoration: underline;">Are we completely innocent?</a></p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Maybe what we see as containment, they see as encirclement.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">The question for us is, do we have to be there? If we were to withdraw from Asia, would they continue to grow as a military power with the idea of sailing to the east and becoming the great hegemon?</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">No one has yet suggested that.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Is their current foreign policy and military posture a reaction to encirclement/containment, or is it expansionist, or a combination of both. Though there are occasional noises, conciliation does not really seem to be on the table.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">What is not arguable is that our long post-World War II can kicking has not worked out well in that we are on a treadmill, but it is a treadmill we just refuse to get off.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">The question is, is there infinite road to eternally move that can down?</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Now we are involved in Niger, the place made famous by Colin Powell's speech to the UN about "Yellow Cake" which was a less than truthful. We have 1,100 troops there and the word democracy is mentioned, but maybe more important in calculations are valuable natural resources such as coal, gold, iron ore, tin, phosphates, petroleum, molybdenum, salt, and gypsum. Did we mention yellow cake?</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Somewhere, someone in the Military Industrial Complex is audibly salivating at the thought of the money to be made out of the minerals and other materials.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">Reporter Seth Harp posted a picture on X and wrote:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://twitter.com/sethharpesq/status/1691999465861775547" rel="nofollow ugc noopener" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); text-decoration: underline;">"This is the US drone base in Niger. It cost $100 million to build. More than 1,000 American troops are stationed there. You did not vote for this. Neither did Nigeriens. You cannot change it. Neither can they. This is what the State Dept means when they</a></p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Quite so.</p><p style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_on_web_bg_color, var(--color-primary)); line-height: 1.6em; margin-bottom: 0px;">Maybe there is infinite road, or maybe the end of the road is a cliff and the can goes over and takes us with it.</p></div></div></div>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-37374203831735164532023-08-21T04:16:00.003-07:002023-08-21T04:16:41.247-07:00At Neutrality Studies, Pascal Lottaz speaks with Graham Fuller about the CIA and how it affects and doesn't affect policy<p> Around 46:35 Graham Fuller, speaking with Pascal Lottaz about how democracies can be more dangerous than other forms of government when it comes to foreign policy.</p><p>Not an argument for adopting an authoritarian form of government, but recognizing limitations.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VqmnLR_HGzg" width="320" youtube-src-id="VqmnLR_HGzg"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqmnLR_HGzg</p><p><br /></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-11838886403735279792023-05-25T04:01:00.001-07:002023-05-25T04:01:13.768-07:00John Mearsheimer lays out what has happened in Ukraine.<p> For those not paying attention, or mindlessly pro Uke, this is a corrective.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v-rHBRwdql8" width="320" youtube-src-id="v-rHBRwdql8"></iframe></div><br /><p></p><p>Watch and learn.</p><p><br /></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-8428444216248015872023-03-28T03:40:00.010-07:002023-03-28T03:44:49.836-07:00Worth checking out from a neutralist standpoint <p>
</p><p> This article was found at Liberation: Newspaper of the Party for Socialism and Liberation.<br /></p><p>Now, the neutralist blog is not socialist, but we share an anti-imperialist sentiment and this article is more than useful.<br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">Six war
mongering think tanks and the military contractors that fund them</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> </span><b></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 1;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">The Six are:<b></b></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style><p class="has-medium-font-size"><b>1 – Center for Strategic and International Studies</b></p><p class="has-medium-font-size"><b>2 – Center for a New American Security</b></p><p class="has-medium-font-size"><b>3 – Hudson Institute</b></p><p class="has-medium-font-size"><b>4 – Atlantic Council</b></p><p class="has-medium-font-size"><b>5 – International Institute for Strategic Studies</b></p><p class="has-medium-font-size"><b>6 – Australian Strategic Policy Institute</b></p><p class="has-medium-font-size"><b> </b></p><p class="has-medium-font-size"><b>There is a lot of the story behind the story at the website. We suggest a visit. </b></p><p class="has-medium-font-size"><b>Link <a href="https://www.liberationnews.org/six-war-mongering-think-tanks-and-the-military-contractors-that-fund-them/" target="_blank">here</a></b></p><h1 class="post-title entry-title"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></h1><h1 class="post-title entry-title"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></h1><h1 class="post-title entry-title"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></h1><p> </p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-22167499517881057412023-03-04T14:17:00.000-08:002023-03-04T14:17:01.961-08:00Dan Kovalik's The Plot To Scapegoat Russia - from the September, 2017 Sturbridge Times Magazine<p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>Human rights lawyer and law professor Dan Kovalik has written about events in the world with US fingerprints on events. Below is the review of his The Plot To Scapegoat Russia, but there is a more timely discussion at the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDr9MWLpDic"> Neutrality Studies Youtube</a>.</p><p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px;">Return of the Red Scare</span></p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">The Plot To Scapegoat Russia</span></p><p class="p2" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">By Dan Kovalik</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">Skyhorse Publishing</span><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">, 2017<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Paperback, 240 Pages</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">ISBN-10: </span><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">151073032X</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">ISBN-13: </span><span class="s2" style="background-color: white; font-kerning: none;">978-1510730328</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">List: $18.99 Amazon: $12.78</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Review by Richard Morchoe</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Dan Kovalik probably never thought that he would have written<i> The Plot To Scapegoat Russia </i>the way he did. Not that he believed the Central Intelligence Agency was beyond any skullduggery in promoting foreign adventures. Indeed, he has spent years observing the agency’s antics in Latin America.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Mr. Kovalik must be surprised by the fact that the only man we can pin our hopes on to stop the march to conflict, if not nuclear war is Donald Trump. Trump, being a reactionary plutocrat is the type of person Kovalik would normally have nothing but disdain for. </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">It can’t be anything he is too happy about. Dan Kovalik is an old-school lefty. He cut his teeth protesting U.S. involvement south of the border, traveling to Nicaragua in 1988 to oppose the Contras. There may a social program he’s against, but that is hard to imagine. The Trump agenda must gall him.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Except for one aspect.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Donald Trump was suggesting, in his campaign utterances, that it may not be a bad idea to actually try and get along with Russia. He suggested as well that maybe we did not have the solution to the Syrian imbroglio.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">In that one aspect at least, Donald stood head and shoulders above the competition. </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">How did we get to a point in history where a progressive activist could see Donald Trump as preferable to the Democrat’s standard bearer? It’s a long story and in no way travels a straight line.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">He spends much of the book discussing his activities in Latin America. Kovalik identifies with the Sandinistas and opposes United Fruit (i.e. Chiquita Brands International) Company and their pervasive and destructive influence in Guatemala going back to the 1954 coup. His account takes the side of the poor and indigenous peoples. At first, I thought his narrative dwelt a little bit too much on the past. It does become obvious that he sees U.S. policy as continuing from the past into the present and all cut from the same cloth.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">In his coverage of the Cold War between NATO and the Soviets he is also somewhat kind to the memory of the Eastern Bloc. Not that there is not sufficient blame to go around.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">When he does get to the subject of the book’s title, the author is on solid ground. His detail of the decline and fall of the Soviet Union and the role of people from the West in looting the corpse, as well as the continuing demonization of the Putin regime is worth the price of the book for the uninformed. That would be most Americans.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">On Page 132 he begins the story of how we started on the road to the new cold war and though he does not say it, the origins of 911. </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">“Another momentous and arguably disastrous, Cold War maneuver of the US was its support for the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, which at the time shared a 1000-mile-long border with the Soviet Union.”</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Without our support for what turned out to include many fanatical Islamic extremists, including Bin Laden, the Soviet Union would probably still have had a lot on its hands, but would have had been better able to manage any changes necessary.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Our support for the Mujahideen insured, like for us in Vietnam, that the Soviets could never defeat the enemy. It would be a slow bleed and would fatally weaken the U.S.S.R.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Things had to change and they did. The Reagan Administration and Mikhail Gorbachev came to a modus vivendi. On Page 111 the author quotes the LA Times,</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">“In early February 1990, US leaders made the Soviets an offer. According to transcripts of meetings in Moscow on Feb. 9th then- Secretary of State James Baker suggested that in exchange for cooperation, US could make ‘iron-clad guarantees’ that NATO would not expand “one inch eastward.” Less than a week later, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev agreed to begin reunification talks. No formal deal was struck, but from all the evidence, the quid pro quo was clear: Gorbachev acceded to Germany’s western alignment and the U.S. would limit NATO’s expansion.”</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Kovalik notes the promise was quickly broken and most of the old Warsaw Pact are now NATO members. The expansion continues with the U.S. trying to enlist former Soviet Republics. It is hard to argue that the world is better for NATO enlargement.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Chapter 7 CLINTON MEDDLES IN RUSSIA WITH DISASTROUS CONSEQUENCES gives an account of the machinations of Bill Clinton’s presidency as regards the Yeltsin regime. He did not do us proud. Yeltsin was essentially our stooge until he knew he could not continue. This led to Putin whose big sin is not being our patsy.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Chapter 11 THE US EXPANDS AS RUSSIA CONTRACTS: BROKEN PROMISES AND HUMILIATION explores the project to extend our influence at the expense of Russia. None of it is anything we can brag about, but the worst bit is our Ambassador Pyatt and Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland deciding the fate of the Ukrainian government after we had helped riot out an elected, if corrupt, president. The pair were recorded doing just that and the heavy-handed discussion is rightly attacked by Kovalik. He does not mention that the recording went “viral.” *</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Mr. Kovalik eventually reaches the reality show of the recent American election. The desire to blame the Russians for the inept campaign of Hillary Clinton is explored at length as are the commonsense pronouncements of The Donald. </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Suggesting that we not bug the Russkies and maybe overthrowing Syria was not a genius level idea appealed to a population that was tired of wars without result. The Putin is the devil campaign left something to be desired with many including an old socialist like the author.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Post-election, Trump has not lived up to his better nature. Kovalik notes on Page 170 that “it is never clear what Trump is truly thinking or intending.” This is true and whether it is a good strategy or evidence of a scattered mind is a matter for debate. Trump was quick in throwing some token bombs at a Syrian air base after a supposed chemical attack. </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Since the book has been published, the new president has not bombed North Korea. He worked out an agreement with Putin for a ceasefire in South West Syria that is holding and cannot make the neocons in or out of his government happy, so we live in hope.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">In his short book, Dan Kovalik covers a lot of ground. The continuing demonization of a nuclear power makes his book an important resource for anyone who wants to understand what is going on.</span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p3" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-indent: 48px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Some of the author’s views are a bit one sided. His favoritism of the now Soviet Ancien Regime can seem a bit overboard. It is at odds with your reviewer’s memory of the brutal repression of the 1956 Hungarian Uprising, and certainly the Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn. Still, his account of the anti-Russian hysteria is well sourced with ample footnotes. Unfortunately, with the media’s parroting of the hostile narrative, from NPR to The New York Times, do not expect him to get glowing reviews.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">*The recording is still extant and one can hear it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV9J6sxCs5k . After listening you may be forgiven for wondering if State recruits at clown colleges.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;"> </span></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-51659715652112735912023-03-04T11:02:00.000-08:002023-03-04T11:02:47.210-08:00Neutralist Studies - Carrying the banner for Neutralism in the great world<p><a href="https://neutralistassociationofthe.us/"> The Neutralist Association of the US</a> carries the flag for neutralism in the United States, albeit in a microscopic way.</p><p>Unbeknownst to us for a long time was the fact that there is an organization overseas that looks at neutralism in a more organized way. That organization is <a href="http://www.neutralitystudies.com" target="_blank">Neutrality Studies</a>.</p><p><strong><span style="color: #8d2424;">Neutrality Studies</span></strong> is an
international academic research project, for the study of neutrality as a
concept in international relations, sociology, international law,
diplomacy, political science, security, and history.</p><p>Associated with their website is the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/lottazp">Youtube Channe</a>l with many excellent videos.</p><p>Captained by Pascal Lottaz, it is worth your time to visit.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-87033133239572819952023-01-10T13:28:00.001-08:002023-01-10T13:28:17.477-08:00Read Kelley Beaucar Vlahos at Responsible Statecraft to understand how the big guy and girls think of you.
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background: white; color: #00255b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; letter-spacing: -.55pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The article, <a href="https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/01/06/what-foreign-policy-elites-really-think-about-you/" target="_blank"><i>What
foreign policy elites really think about you</i></a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, is a good
analysis of how you are thought off by your betters.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background: white; color: #00255b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; letter-spacing: -.55pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Actually, lumpen America
comes off better, and rightly so, as you read it, as I guess the lady intended,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="background: white; color: #00255b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; letter-spacing: -.55pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; color: #00255b; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; letter-spacing: -.55pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She notes, “</span><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These ham-fisted
approaches befit the neoconservatives who wield them, as they did the same in
the Global War on Terror, and to a great extent, worked to keep the Iraq War
going for almost a decade and the war in Afghanistan shambling on for a full 20
years.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In addition to the
destruction of two countries, <a href="https://www.brown.edu/news/2021-09-01/costsofwar"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #007bff; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">trillions of dollars</span></a>, a massive <a href="https://watson.brown.edu/costsofwar/files/cow/imce/papers/2020/Displacement_Vine%20et%20al_Costs%20of%20War%202020%2009%2008.pdf"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #007bff; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">refugee crisis</span></a>, a new generation of U.S. veterans <a href="https://www.disabledvets.com/common-disabilities-faced-by-iraq-and-afghanistan-war-veterans/"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #007bff; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">dependent on lifetime assistance</span></a>, and countless dead
and wounded, these “elites” are in great part responsible for the mistrust of
Washington that has eaten away at the culture and politics here to the core.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yet they are at it
again with the same know nothing arrogance. Is there no Talleyrand to inform
them “they learn nothing and forget nothing.”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">From neocons, these
have to be maybe the stupidest lines ever:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"In war, from a purely political perspective, it’s usually
safer for politicians to stay the course.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Perhaps this is why democracies’ track records of playing the
long game in armed conflicts is actually pretty good. From the ancient
Athenians during the Peloponnesian War on through to the present day,
democracies have not usually been the fickle, shrinking violets their
detractors make them out to be."</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maybe the authors, Gentile and Cohen, should look up the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Battle of
Aegospotami to get an idea of how Athenian tenacity worked out.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The neutralist
gets a couple of takeaways from Ms. Vlahos piece.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: 21.0pt; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.
<span style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The arrogance of the blob.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: 21.0pt; text-indent: -.25in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.
<span style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The second-rate level of thinking.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #131313; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
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{margin-bottom:0in;}</style></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-3079702859410559532022-12-22T11:13:00.001-08:002022-12-22T11:13:12.910-08:00Covert Action Magazine...Where have you been all my life<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px;">At <a href="http://Antiwar.com">Antiwar.com</a>, I noticed an article, </span><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://covertactionmagazine.com/2022/12/16/time-to-revive-the-1995-act-that-called-for-abolishing-the-cia/">Abolish the CIA John Kiriakou on the agency’s nefarious missions</a></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px;">. Clicking on the link, took one to his article at Covert Action Magazine.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">I had seen Covert Action Magazine articles before, but just read the piece and linked or moved on.</span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">This morning, even though having much to do, I spent too much time checking out the website. The great enemy of life is time and it would have been lovely to have spent the whole day at <b>CAM</b>, but I’ll be back.<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span class="s1" style="font-kerning: none;">Meanwhile, if so inclined, <b><a href="https://covertactionmagazine.com">Covert Action Magazine</a></b> the place to go.</span></p><p><br /><br /><br /></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-21804400116981078452022-12-21T02:59:00.005-08:002022-12-21T02:59:53.629-08:00Stephen Walt reflects on U.S. stupid<p> Harvard Professor Stephen M. Walt has a column at Foreign Policy with the title <a href="https://archive.vn/WDQmG#selection-1037.0-1045.211" target="_blank">The United States Couldn't Stop Being Stupid If It Wanted To.</a></p><p>There is a subtitle, For Washington, self-imposed restraint will always be a contradiction in terms.</p><p>Well, yes.</p><p>Just this little tidbit is worth it, </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeZgXoFXpXQ9bSF7YqCtJHPs4Nzude2lmgpwMVlJDuK9XCzIV-djOLDru50MFwEMCa9LBy-1gW_LCmpnjwC-zHLZ3YiDc8s0xD0dOPDU250EWFlpKi6XhxvcszSMpGApcPlJ5x4SGjOvb1BqXC5D2NXpu8xEUcjqrSptZbKbxueV3QOYc-gM0" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="214" data-original-width="936" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeZgXoFXpXQ9bSF7YqCtJHPs4Nzude2lmgpwMVlJDuK9XCzIV-djOLDru50MFwEMCa9LBy-1gW_LCmpnjwC-zHLZ3YiDc8s0xD0dOPDU250EWFlpKi6XhxvcszSMpGApcPlJ5x4SGjOvb1BqXC5D2NXpu8xEUcjqrSptZbKbxueV3QOYc-gM0=w684-h156" width="684" /></a></div>Remeber the Kuwaiti Incubator Hoax? Bought and paid for by a foreign government and abetted by a U.S. public relations firm.<p></p><p>Now, we wouldn't be posting this except, his article is an argument for attaining a neutralist ethos in foreign policy, even if he does not realize it.<br /><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-52143793818230810682022-12-09T06:27:00.002-08:002023-01-01T05:56:45.372-08:00The Yemen war is heartless, stupid, and cruel. Some congress members have a resolution to stop it.<p> Of late, Bernie Sanders has seemed to be a wholly owned subsidiary of the Democrat establishment.</p><p>So, it was a bit surprising when he, according to an Dave DeCamp antiwar.com <a href="https://news.antiwar.com/2022/12/08/house-lawmakers-urge-swift-passage-of-yemen-war-powers-resolution/">article</a> <a href="https://theintercept.com/2022/12/06/saudi-yemen-war-bernie-sanders/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #990000; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">told<span> </span><em style="box-sizing: inherit; font-style: italic;">The Intercept</em><span> </span>on Monday</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span> </span>that he could bring a Yemen War Powers Resolution to the floor of the Senate for a vote “hopefully next week.”</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Putting aside the silly use of "hopefully," it is a welcome development why Sen. Sanders is do it, we applaud him,</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Not sure if this is happening because the Saudis are dancing away from our relationship with them, but we hope it passes no matter the impetus. <br /></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> Dave put this also in the article:</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> Call 1-833-Stop-War to tell your senator to support the legislation, which would end US support for the Saudi war and blockade on Yemen</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> Great idea. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-9438799113513010162022-12-07T03:00:00.003-08:002022-12-07T03:00:36.513-08:00It is Time for Neutralism at antiwar.com<p> At antiwar.com neutralism gets noticed.</p><p> </p><p>Read the neutralist article at antiwar.com <br /></p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://original.antiwar.com/Richard_Morchoe/2022/12/05/it-is-time-for-neutralism/">It Is Time for Neutralism by Richard Morchoe Posted on December 06, 2022</a><br /></p><p><br /></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-77626934378220750652022-10-31T03:00:00.002-07:002022-10-31T03:00:20.617-07:00the Timid call for talks and retraction by House "Progressives" speaks volumes about "Our Democracy"<p>Actually, we all know the US is an oligarchy, but sometimes it just exposes itself and the incident can't be unseen. <br /></p><h1 class="post-title unpublished" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: var(--font_family_headings, var(--font_family_headings_preset, "SF Compact Display", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol")); font-size: var(--font-size-32); font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: var(--font_weight_headings_preset, bold); letter-spacing: normal; line-height: var(--line-height-36); margin: 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href=" https://thelonghillinstitute.substack.com/p/we-need-to-change-the-countries-name">We need to change the country's name from the United States to Oligarchia America</a></h1><p> </p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-60186843889883576842022-10-30T05:17:00.004-07:002022-10-30T05:30:48.385-07:00Jamie Raskin, war democrat.<p> Excellent discussion and exposure of Jamie Raskin's pro-war stance at the Grayzone. </p><p>It is par for the course. My own congressperson claims to be anti-war yet also supports intervention.</p><p>Worth listening to.</p><p></p><h1 class="style-scope ytd-watch-metadata" style="-webkit-box-orient: vertical; -webkit-line-clamp: 2; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #0f0f0f; display: -webkit-box; font-family: "YouTube Sans", Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 2rem; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 2.8rem; margin: 0px; max-height: 5.6rem; orphans: 2; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-overflow: ellipsis; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://youtu.be/3L51BppyE1w">Progressive Rep. Jamie Raskin shills for endless Ukraine war</a></h1><p> </p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-78749115913775028742022-08-25T01:45:00.000-07:002022-08-25T01:45:02.882-07:00George Will blathers about Putin with the worst of them<p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Wicked Shockah, George Will does not like Putin. Yeah, like you're going to lose a gig for going after the Russian leader. Remember how he got Iraq right? No, he was goofy then, he is goofy now.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">Anyway, linked below is my article on how silly the George Will WAPO column is. the man compares Mussolini and Putin. The comparison is ridiculous.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></p><p><a href="https://thelonghillinstitute.substack.com/p/george-will-speaks-ex-cathedra-at "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;">George Will speaks ex-cathedra at WAPO-Actually, he just mails it in. </span></a></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.03); caret-color: rgb(15, 20, 25); color: #0f1419; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: pre-wrap; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span> <br /></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-41754441935888184552022-08-11T04:23:00.000-07:002022-08-11T04:23:21.296-07:00Neutralism in another country has to deal with being out of favour with the cool kids
<p>In our substack, The Long Hill Institute, we have written a piece about how
neutralist policy is being subtly and not so subtly shunted aside in Ireland.</p>
<p>Neutrality had served Ireland well. Her youth would not be cast up to and
slaughtered in a war not their own in the 1940s.</p>
<p>Now, spurious arguments are being put forward why neutralism is passé.</p>
<p>We disagree.</p>
<p>The substack looks at a country not abandoning neutralism. Professor Pascal
Lottaz writes about Austria, which was able to free itself from foreign powers
via neutralism and is not throwing it over as Finland is.</p>
<p>There is also Pascal's YouTube interview with <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background: white; color: #1a1a1a;">Prof. Dr. Heinz
Gärtner about Austria and the value of credible neutralism.</span></span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background: white; color: #1a1a1a;">Read:<br /></span></span></p><h1 class="post-title long unpublished" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); color: #1a1a1a; font-family: var(--font_family_headings, var(--font_family_headings_preset, "SF Compact Display", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol")); font-size: 1.625em; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: var(--font_weight_headings_preset, bold); letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 40.13750076293945px; margin: 0.378em 0px 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://thelonghillinstitute.substack.com/p/irish-neutrality-if-it-aint-broke" target="_blank">Irish Neutrality - If it ain't broke, break it</a></h1><h1 class="post-title long unpublished" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); color: #1a1a1a; font-family: var(--font_family_headings, var(--font_family_headings_preset, "SF Compact Display", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol")); font-size: 1.625em; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: var(--font_weight_headings_preset, bold); letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 40.13750076293945px; margin: 0.378em 0px 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> </h1><h1 class="post-title long unpublished" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); color: #1a1a1a; font-family: var(--font_family_headings, var(--font_family_headings_preset, "SF Compact Display", -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol")); font-size: 1.625em; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: var(--font_weight_headings_preset, bold); letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 40.13750076293945px; margin: 0.378em 0px 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"> </h1><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); float: none; font-variant-caps: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background: white; color: #1a1a1a;"> </span></span></p>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-51604469607671074142022-08-08T03:28:00.010-07:002022-08-08T03:30:40.134-07:00The Compendium of Post-Soviet American Hegemonic Policy that Twitter does not want you to see.<p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Eric Zuesse has
written an article that lists </span><a href="https://orientalreview.org/2022/08/04/ten-truths-that-cant-be-published-under-the-u-s-regime/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">Ten Truths That Can’t Be Published Under The U.S. Regime. </span></a></p><a href="https://orientalreview.org/2022/08/04/ten-truths-that-cant-be-published-under-the-u-s-regime/" target="_blank">
</a><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://orientalreview.org/2022/08/04/ten-truths-that-cant-be-published-under-the-u-s-regime/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-ligatures: none;"> </span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt; mso-ligatures: none;">The
Neutralist tried to post it on Twitter and got this message:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">“We can’t
complete this request because this link has been identified by Twitter or our
partners as being potentially harmful.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></p><p>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Thus, they made the case for Mr. Zuesse.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">As to where the Regime begins and Twitter ends, we leave to others to study. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">We endorse the link.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span>
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{page:WordSection1;}</style></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-7414503559289863462022-05-20T05:05:00.002-07:002022-05-20T05:05:28.598-07:00War Democrats<p> <span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: -webkit-standard;"> There is still an antiwar left, It just isn't in the halls of Congress.</span></p><h1 class="post-title short unpublished" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); color: #1a1a1a; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 40px; font-weight: var(--font_weight_headings_preset, bold); line-height: 52px; margin: 0.378em 0px 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="https://thelonghillinstitute.substack.com/p/war-democrats?s=w." target="_blank">War Democrats</a></h1><h3 class="subtitle" style="--tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: var(--print_secondary, #666666); font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 20px; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.16em; margin: 8px 0px 0px; text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="https://thelonghillinstitute.substack.com/p/war-democrats?s=w." target="_blank">Or the anti-war hawks.</a></h3>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-22158310761629337032022-04-28T06:48:00.000-07:002022-04-28T06:48:08.220-07:00What was Madeline Albright like? Joe Lauria remembers.<p> </p><h1 class="entry-title" style="background-color: #edede3; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Cantata One", serif; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;">At Consortium News today we have:</h1><h1 class="entry-title" style="background-color: #edede3; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Cantata One", serif; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><br /></h1><h1 class="entry-title" style="background-color: #edede3; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Cantata One", serif; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><a href="https://consortiumnews.com/2022/04/28/the-madeleine-albright-i-knew/">The Madeleine Albright I Knew</a></h1><div><br /></div><div><strong style="background-color: #edede3; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18.6667px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: justify;">The<em style="box-sizing: border-box; overflow-wrap: break-word;"> Consortium News</em> editor-in-chief covered Madeleine Albright, who died on March 23, on a daily basis between 1993 and 1997 when she was the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Here are some of his recollections.</strong></div><div><strong style="background-color: #edede3; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18.6667px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: justify;"><br /></strong></div><div><strong style="background-color: #edede3; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 18.6667px; overflow-wrap: break-word; text-align: justify;">It's not a pretty picture.</strong></div>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-8722753121090963372022-04-27T02:11:00.001-07:002022-04-27T02:11:22.943-07:00Ron Paul-Common Sense on Ukraine - Another Racket of War<p> </p><p>Ron Paul's column this week at the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity is dead on:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2022/april/25/the-ukraine-war-is-a-racket/" target="_blank">The Ukraine War Is a Racket</a>.</p><p>The following paragraph tells you all you need to know.</p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 15px;">"One group of special interests profiting massively on the war is the US military-industrial complex. Raytheon CEO Greg Hayes recently told a meeting of shareholders that, “Everything that ‘s being shipped into Ukraine today, of course, is coming out of stockpiles, either at DOD or from our NATO allies, and that’s all great news. Eventually we’ll have to replenish it and we will see a benefit to the business.”</span></p><p><br /></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-26865747654484074992022-03-31T03:03:00.007-07:002022-03-31T03:03:40.620-07:00Remember when the press was celebrating the death of the Ruble? It's back 100%<p> Yup, read about it at <a href="https://mishtalk.com/economics/the-ruble-regains-100-of-its-loss-after-russia-invaded-ukraine-why">MishTalk</a>.</p><p>The Western Press may not always be wrong, but it is always propaganda.</p><p><br /></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-379884900500252422022-03-27T05:20:00.013-07:002022-03-27T05:22:52.608-07:00Avoiding Aegospotami<p> The Z Man has an interesting piece at Taki's Magazine <a href="The Last War for the Neocons">The Last War for the Neocons </a>. Since the <span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #212529; font-size: 16px;">Peloponnesian War, many have considered wars between two major powers as epic life and death struggles.</span></p><p><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif" style="color: #212529;"><span style="background-color: white;">The Ukrainian War is seen as this as no one with an above average IQ and some tether to reality sees it as anything but a war between the big Us and Them.</span></span></p><p>What I got out of Z's article, is what, for better or worse, I get out of most them. It wasn't worth it, and didn't have to happen.</p><p>As usual, projecting further, we could do ourselves a big favor and leave NATO and come home.</p><p>Aegospotami was the last battle of the Peloponnesian War.</p><h2 class="title" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #f47a79; font-family: Quattrocento, serif; font-size: 2rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 0.25em; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></h2>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-22997091950716332012022-03-12T12:47:00.004-08:002022-03-12T12:47:31.112-08:00We're Back<p> It has been almost a year since out last post and much has changed. </p><p>The suggestion of Mr. Lieven's post was not listened to and the war is on.</p><p>Clearly, the US media is unreliable, so we have added three links</p><p><a href="https://thegrayzone.com/">The Grayzone</a></p><p><a href="https://consortiumnews.com/">Consortium New</a></p><p><a href="https://gilbertdoctorow.com">Gilbert Doctorow</a></p><p>They are better information than NPRFOXMSNBCCNNCBSABCNBCNYTWAPO.</p><p>We hope to do better posting articles, in case anyone cares.</p><p>The Neutralist.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35519852.post-41234119408287335532021-03-24T04:53:00.001-07:002021-03-24T04:53:24.153-07:00We have no intention of fighting Russia so stop arming Ukraine for battle-Anatol Lieven<p> The title says it all. At the website of the Quincy Institute, <a href="https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2021/03/23/biden-needs-to-distance-the-us-from-any-future-military-solutions-in-ukraine/" target="_blank">Responsible Statecraft</a>, Anatol Lieven about the US poking the Bear to no purpose.</p><p>To quote the Professor:</p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "noto serif", serif; font-size: 16px;">"Simply put, the Georgia-Russia War of 2008 should teach us that to arm other countries for war with more powerful neighbors when you have no intention of fighting to save them is not only irresponsible, it is deeply immoral."</span></p><p>Post-Cold War American foreign policy has a lot of immorality about it and needs to stop.</p><p>Unfortunately, the Biden administration seems to be blundering in a lot of places.</p>Richard Morchoehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14884103775820347526noreply@blogger.com0