VLODIMIR ZELENSKI IS THE GRETA THUNBERG OF GEOPOLITICS

11 February 2025

WHY VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY IS THE GRETA THUNBERG OF GEOPOLITICS

To many observers, Volodymyr Zelensky bears more than a passing resemblance to Greta Thunberg—not in appearance, but in the way both have become global symbols of moral urgency. Supporters see Thunberg as the unfiltered voice of climate activism, just as they view Zelensky as the embodiment of Ukrainian resilience in the face of Russian aggression. Both have exhibited characteristics that some associate with autism spectrum disorders: Greta Thunberg is open about her Asperger’s diagnosis, while a few commentators—rightly or wrongly—have speculated that Zelensky’s focused, intense communication style might stem from a similar place. Whether that speculation has any merit is debated; official statements do not confirm it, and he has never publicly admitted to being on the spectrum.

Critics, however, are far less enthusiastic. Unlike Thunberg, whose adversaries primarily complain about her youth or her uncompromising stance on fossil fuels, Zelensky has been thrust into a geopolitical maelstrom that he himself helped escalate. Some voices insist that, after Joe Biden, Zelensky bears the greatest responsibility for pushing the conflict with Russia instead of seeking compromise—effectively locking Ukraine into a prolonged and devastating war that have sent hundreds of thousands of citizens of Ukraine and the flower of its youth to an early grave. For these detractors, the once-rousing speeches and global fundraising tours are no more than a PR offensive distracting from the suffering on the ground of the Ukrainian people while enriching Zelinski and his coterie of perhaps the most corrupt oligarchy in the world.

Further, some say Zelensky, a former comedian and initially a likable political outsider, has lost international goodwill by aligning closely and so evidently, with American goals to preserve its hegemony., Europe's hatred of Russia dating from the times of Napoleon and Hitler, and NATO interests. His decisions have put Ukraine in the deepest peril, reshaping a conflict that might have been contained under a different leadership approach, one based on neutrality and respect the interests of russian speakers in what was a pluralistic country. Just as not everyone appreciates Thunberg’s impassioned calls to “panic,” the Ukrainian president’s dogged appeals for more money, arms and sanctions have sickened those who believe his strategy prolongs the crisis.

In the end, Zelensky’s role in Ukraine’s struggle echoes Thunberg’s climate activism: both wield a moral narrative that does inspire millions, yet also provokes fierce backlash from those Western minorities who read the independent press. Whether seen as heroic figure or polarising agitator, each has come to personify a cause driven by unwavering conviction, yes, but far from universally admired.

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TRUMP'S TARIFFS AND THE PRICE OF GOLD

11 February 2025

I feel the markets might have put in highs for the year.

Markets don't like tariffs, especially when they could be symmetrical.

Trump's just announced 25% on iron an aluminium, "to level up the playing field". 

It's the purchaser in the US who pays that tariff, so 

will suppliers eat the tariff i.e. lower their sale price?

No, they will get together and find a counter tariff or quota. 

Will the American companies buying iron and steel for their products, such as construction companies, "eat" their profit i e absorb the tariff?

Maybe they'll have to 

Or will they pass the profit on to end-users, the consumers, the americans who consume their products?

Quite possibly, and this would be inflationary.

Trump has explained his idea, that in the medium term at least, the companies producing abroad will onshore, 

but there's no "system test environment" in which to trial his ideas 

and in production, there are so many moving parts that one slip and everything could easily go belly up.

It is this uncertainty, added to 

- debt levels approaching and above one hundred percent of GDP that risk crashing the currency or the economy

- Growing threats of communitarianism, which means instead of integrating in a pluralist society, we have groups that are splitting and dogmatically taking positions against other groups, and 

- the extremely serious global geopolitical risks.

These are the three fundamental risks, to which we now add 

- a tariff war, 

that are driving the price of gold. 

I don't think that countries that are in a balance of payment surplus feel very confident putting their money into dollars any more.

They need to keep some dollars in a reserve account for foreign trade, which is still largely in dollars.

But a country like China is just going to put its trillion dollar profit from last year into its belt and road initiative (BRI) in the form of loans to participating countries.

And these surplus countries will just further stock up on gold.

And incidentally, they will drain the London bullion vaults, arrange for their goal to be repatriated, for fear that it's all paper, that it have disappeared!!!

"It's only when the tide goes out, as Warren Buffet said, that you see those who are swimming naked."

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GAZA - TRUMP'S REAL PLAN

11 February 2025

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEOM

Redevelop as Holiday Resort

Saudi and other arab countries have very large populations of unemployed young people who, even if you offer them a job, are not interested.

The Palestinians are a very smart population cut from the same semite stone as the jews. 

America and Israel having bombed the strip to ruins and continue into the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and Syria, have fundamentally disrupted Palestine, leaving it in gaping need of profound transformation.

Why not move the entire population to Neom, which is having tremendous development problems. They'd make a very smart middle and working slave class.

And honour the promise to move them back if they so wish after the strip has been redeveloped as a resort. Ha ha.

The Art of the Deal

From what I gather from Alastair Crooke, this is not how to read Trump's latest blinder.

It is all another example of Trump's shocking "art of the deal'. 

He began with retweeting that highly critical assessment from Jeffrey Sachs, humiliating and belittling Netanyahu. He continued the humiliation with that shock announcement Friday, without any prior discussion. 

He has said this is what America will do : take ownership of the land and redevelop it as a resort. He knows very well that it's completely impossible without international agreement. UN?... I dont think so.

But he will in effect offer Arab countries the option of

a fair redevelopment (whatever that means) of this uninhabitable building site, in exchange for joining the Abraham Accords.

The Art of the Deal. Very imaginative.

Note from Wiki article

"Despite historically antagonistic relations, Israel is speculated to have a major role in the development of NEOM, with some suggesting that Saudi Arabia could be expressing an interest in Israeli intellectual capability to this end. Israel is suggested to have also reciprocated this. In line with this, Saudi Arabia is said to hope to establish an economic partnership with Israel to promote economic development of Neom. In particular, analysts suggest that Saudi Arabia may be interested in improved economic relations with high-tech industries in Israel required for the technological vision of Neom. According to a report in an Israeli newspaper, there is supposedly evidence of coordination between Arab businessmen and diplomats in Tel Aviv, with companies in Israel said to be ready to secure billions of dollars worth of contracts. The Saudi Arabian government is also supposedly involved in such communications. As such, analysts have suggested Neom as a potential impetus for normalisation between Saudi and Israel."

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THE DISRUPTORS

8 February 2025

The disruptors. How the world really works: more developments in politics and economics.

Debt and destiny

Interesting youtube video that I found while updating my series" "How the world really works".

It also happens that Ramin Nakisa has made a video on debt death spiral.

1. European Elites and American Interests

European elites prioritise American interests, especially in areas like defense and foreign affairs, over those of their own citizens, leading to economic difficulties at home and ultimately to a situation where the public come to mistrust and even abhor their representatives.

2. French Government Bond Yields

In late 2024, French government bond yields briefly surpassed those of certain high-grade corporate bonds and even matched or exceeded Greek 10-year bond yields. The cause is concerns about France's fiscal health and political stability.

And so Macron proposes sending French troops into Ukraine, and when they get annihilated who is going to lend to a government at war with Russia and one that cannot control its own money? Macron is very lucky that this never happened in public at least, as otherwise French government yields would have gone through the roof in a runaway debt death spiral.

Western government debt is a Ponzi scheme where governments borrow new money in order to repay old maturing debt. Wars and sanctions and confiscations simply further expose governments to rising yield demands from the bond markets. The line on the government's budget for "payment of interest on national debt" rises to the top of the list, and after that, what next?:

Austerity & Fiscal Reforms, Debt Monetisation ie Printing money to pay off debt, Default / Restructuring, Bailouts from eg the IMF or EU.

And after that?

When peacemeal reform will no longer work, the disruptors step in.

3. Macron's Response to 2024 Election Results

Despite the 2024 European Parliament and French Legislative Elections favouring the left and right over Macron's centre, rather than resign, President Macron pushed for a minority centrist government. He appointed Michel Barnier as Prime Minister to lead this very much minority government. A move that was seen as sidelining the electoral gains of both left and right. 

The left - he had united tham against an imagined anti-republican front. 

The National Rally - the RN itself was labelled far right without justification. "Far" (far right or far left) means people or parties who reject democratic politics and take to the streets. 

Macron's first Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, a former EU wheel, attempted to redress the country's fiscal imbalance, but was defeated in the Assembly and resigned. Macron's second (and last) hope, François Bayrou, just scraped through with the same austerity budget last Wednesday.

4. Western Debt, Wars, and Governance

The West is experiencing an "end-of-Empire" scenario, characterised by high debt, ongoing external conflicts, and governance challenges at home. France exemplifies these issues. Europe, particularly Germany, is committing economic suicide in fact - why, for example, can't Germany turn on Nordstream 2?

5. Global Discontent with Elites

There's a growing public discontent with globalist elites across the Western world, driven by issues like electoral malpractice ( the subject of a recent post here on this blog), public debt, deficits, uncontrolled immigration, and ongoing murderous foreign conflicts.

These issues have produced increasingly radicalised support for populist movements and leaders, of left and right, who challenge the established order. Concerns over fiscal mismanagement, immigration policies and prolonged costly military engagements, have fueled public dissatisfaction, prompting calls for root and branch, systemic, political and economic reforms.

Overall, Western governments appear to their citizens to be wasteful, corrupt, unaccountable and thus ... vulnerable. In this unstable situation, bond markets will only ask for higher interest rate returns.

The dollar's cushion is that it is the world's reserve currency. Foreign chancellos need stores of u s dollars to facilitate trade, which is denominated, still largely in US dollars. but despite initial hopes, the euro is not a reserve currency, though it is part of DXY (U.S. Dollar Index - a measure of the U.S. dollar against a basket of major currencies).

6. UK Political Landscape and Nigel Farage

Disillusionment with traditional parties has led to a surge in support for disruptors. In the UK, Nigel Farage and his Reform Party are now top of the polls.

Never in modern history has a UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, sunk so low in the polls. The electorate is so totally cynical and alienated.

Unlike the Conservatives and Labour, Nigel Farage challenges the status quo, he is a disruptor. He reshapes debates on issues like Brexit, immigration, and national sovereignty. His populist, anti-establishment rhetoric contrasts strongly with the faded institutional, pragmatic, more technical approaches of the main parties.

7. Donald Trump's Approach to Global Issues

Despite being a controversial figure, Donald Trump acknowledges global problems and proposes solutions that resonate with the public, such as his recent plan for Gaza -  which, though horrendous, opens public debate on this longstanding issue. In my opinion, Trump clearly points the finger at Netanyahu and the zionists generally, for achieving absolutely nothing but death and destruction in all this time since 1948.

In his first two weeks back in office, President Donald Trump the disruptor, has prioritised several key issues:

Immigration and Border Security. The Pentagon is deploying thousands of active-duty soldiers to the southern border, and has begun deporting millions of illegal immigrants.

Trade Policy. To slay the twin dragons of balance of payments deficit and public debt, Trump signed executive orders imposing 25% tariffs on all goods from Mexico and Canada, (relaxed since imposition on 4 February following compliance) 10% on China.

Some tariffs are intended to correct the misbehaviour of governments sending immigrants and drugs illegally into the United States. While other tariffs are aimed at redressing a competitive imbalance and at encouraging foreign manufacturers to set up factories in the US.

Foreign Policy and International Relations. President Trump signed an executive order authorising sanctions against the ICC, citing its actions as "illegitimate and baseless" for targeting the U.S. and Israel. The sanctions include freezing assets and imposing travel bans on ICC staff and their families involved in investigating U.S. citizens and allies. This surely marks the end of the International Order set up after the last war.

On 20 January, America quit the Paris Accords on Climate Change, and the same day, the WHO. The withdrawal processes are expected to take one year, during which the U.S. will cease funding and collaboration. As the largest contributor, America's departure leaves both organisations in a financial tailspin.. 

Executive Authority and Legal Challenges. Indeed, Trump has issued numerous executive orders, including attempts to limit birthright citizenship and remove independent agency heads. These actions are creating major legal challenges to the Supreme Court. Trump's strategy for draining the swamp this time around is simply to sack all those he opposes or who opposed him during Biden's time in office, and put in place 4,000 top supporters into 4,000 top positions, as defined in "The Purple Book".

Education Policy. The administration has directed the federal Education Department to support state-level school choice programs, aiming to reduce the influence of unions on public schools. He has directed that all DEI programs be cancelled wherever found, that USAID be shut and that there are only two genders in the United States: male and female.

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HAS THE WORLD CHANGED SINCE 24 FEBRUARY 2022

6 February 2025

The Decline of the West,

by Oswald Spengler

SUMMARY

It might seem obvious, but it’s worth stating clearly: we’re entering—indeed, we’ve already entered—a completely new world. Consider the following points:

1. Western Preeminence Diminishing

Since 1492, the West has dominated the globe. After five centuries of unrivalled influence, that preeminence is now fading.

2. Conflict Returns to Europe

Europe is no longer at peace. We’re witnessing a renewed era of nations fighting within Europe—an upheaval few foresaw.

3. Superpower Confrontations

For the past 80 years, there has been no direct military confrontation between superpowers. Yet today, America is at war with Russia and seemingly heading toward conflict with China.

4. Cultural and Value Systems in Flux

Setting aside DEI as a possible short-lived phenomenon, we see our traditional Greco-Roman, Judeo-Christian, and Enlightenment heritage—emphasising individual rights, secular governance, and the rule of law—challenged by Islamic values, which are just as diverse and equally valid but derived from the Qur’an and Hadith, focusing on community, religious morality, and social justice.

5. Shifting Atlantic Alliance

For 80 years, Europe and America stood as equal partners in an Atlantic alliance. Now, Europe increasingly feels like a vassal to an American empire, reliant on a waning NATO umbrella. The bitter, decades-long (potentially centuries-long) rift with Russia leaves Europe dealing with a “cesspool” in Ukraine right on its doorstep.

6. Russia’s Pivot to Asia

Historically an Asiatic power that aspired to join Europe since the 18th century—echoed in Helsinki 1975, Gorbachev’s “common European home,” and Putin’s early attempts to partner with NATO and the EU—Russia now finds itself pushed out of Europe. Through what many see as the West’s own shortsightedness, Russia, with its abundant energy, food, and mineral resources, is driven into the arms of China, a formidable rival to the West. Where Russia might have become an enduring friend and economic partner, it is instead cast as an adversary.

7. Rise of Multipolar Power

It’s not that the West has simply lost power; rather, the rest of the world—once colonised or overshadowed—has caught up. Now we no longer hold a singularly dominant position; power is dispersed among many centres. Exploring how this came about and where it leads us is another grand story worth telling.

DETAIL

It might feel pretty obvious, but it still needs to be said and understood that we are entering - and are already in - a completely new world. Just consider the following.

The most obvious and topical is that the West has dominated the planet since 1492, but is now losing its preeminence after five hundred years.

Another enormous change is that we are now fighting each other in Europe, Europe is no longer at peace.

Furthermore, there have been 80 years with no military confrontation between superpowers, but now we have America at war with Russia and seeking conflict with China.

As to internal social cohesion and putting aside DEI which looks to be a passing phenomenon with the return to merit-based equality, our values drawn from Greek, Roman, Judeo-Christian, and Enlightenment legacies, promoting individual rights, secular governance, and the rule of law, are being challenged by Islamic values, similarly diverse, equally valid but different, originating from the Qur’an and Hadith, emphasising community, religious morality, and social justice.

Another big change. We've enjoyed 80 years of the Atlantic Alliance, but as where this started off with Europe and America as equal partners, we now feel we are vassals of an American empire and that the NATO umbrella and America's interest in Europe is on the wane, leaving us with a bitter relationship with Russia that will endure decades, and maybe centuries, huge economic consequences and the cesspool that is Ukraine bubbling away in our midst.

Another massive change is that Russia, which is an Asiatic power who wanted to belong to Europe since the 18th century and going right up to a Helsinki, 1975 and Gorbachev's "common European home", and Putin, who initially wanted Russia to join NATO and the EU but was rebuffed, has now, with its abundant supplies of energy, food and minerals, and entirely through the West's fault, been driven out of Europe and into the arms of China, a very serious competitor to the West, which includes Europe of course. Russia is now our adversary and our enemy, where once it could have been an eternal friend and economic partner. Instead of shutting down NATO after the cold war, it, NATO, found a new role, under american leadership, re badging the former pawns of the Soviet empire.

In sum, it's not so much that the West has lost its power, but more that the rest of the world that we colonised has caught up with us and is overtaking us, so that where once we were the pre-eminent power, there are now many centres of power.... How that came about and where the world is going is another great story worth the telling.

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THE FAILURE OF AMERICA TO DOMINATE THE WORLD ISLAND

6 February 2025

There's an awful lot of column inches written and hours talked on YouTube explaining why The West hates Russia and more particularly why The West chose confrontation and block politics after the cold war, over what's called 'indivisible security': the 1975 Helsinki Agreement and later a joint security architecture for a common European home, proposed by Gorbachov.

The best explanation goes to Mackinder, who characterised the World Island as being home to a struggle for survival and dominance between a land power and sea power. 

Mackinder's 1904 paper, "The Geographical Pivot of History" pretty much created geography and geopolitics as a new discipline. His Heartland Theory argues that whoever controls the "World Island" (which is Eurasia) controls global power, and that there's a history of struggle between sea powers (maritime empires) and land powers (continental empires).

There's academic lead-up for this in the form of writings by Thucydides, Clausewitz and Alfred Thayer Mahan ( love to read them one day).

If you look at any map of the world with Greenwich at the centre, there are the Americas on the left; Asia, Europe and Africa on the right; and huge Greenland stuck between the two.

So there's geography and history behind his theory, as well as previous academic work.

But you don't need Mackinder to tell you that - just from looking at a map, Russia is far and away the biggest country in Europe, well the biggest part of its population is in Europe and its stuffed with the richest resources in the world, food energy and minerals, stretching all the way east to Vladivostok.

Then there's The North European Plain that stretches roughly from northern France across Belgium, the Netherlands, northern Germany, Poland and into western Russia.... All the Russian army needs to do is put on its skis and skate down into Western Europe and then take over Central Europe.

(Not that this has happened - after the invasions by Napoleon and Hitler, Russia moved into Central Europe, 'strue, in a move aimed at security rather than invasion.)

Putin's original idea was that Russia should be absorbed into NATO and the EU. But instead, The West thought they had won the cold war and decided on NATO expansion, thinking it would be relatively easy to overcome a weakened Russia.

And the rest, as they say, is history....

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INNOVATION IN MODERN WARFARE

6 February 2025

Purpose of this Article

The purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth look at supply chain logistics in the context of military operations, specifically focusing on the battlefield in Ukraine.

It is part two - Part one described the American side of the organisation - the DoD, Pentagon and CIA - into which Ukraine's supply chain integrates.

It explains how new technologies are developed, tested, and integrated into the supply chain by design bureaux, which are specialised research and development organisations. The article also discusses the role of the CIA and the Pentagon in Ukraine's military logistics and how NATO's processes are integrated into Ukraine's innovation pipeline. 

The overall aim here is to highlight the importance of logistics in modern warfare and how it is reshaping battlefield tactics.

Supply Chain Logistics to the Front Line in Ukraine

This is a nerdy, waffly, and for most people, a sleep-inducing video, but don’t let that put you off as it’s actually an accurate and insightful look at how a design bureau develops new technologies and integrates them into the supply chain.

A design bureau is a specialised research and development organisation that creates, tests, and improves new technologies, mostly in the aerospace, military, or industrial engineering sectors, before they are deployedfor mass-production, and then continuously improved upon.

Frame of Reference for this Article

The frame of reference here is supply chain logistics, specifically on the battlefield. 

This is not about battlefield tactics - that’s a different subject entirely – it’s about getting equipment onto the battlefield for use by the military, aswhere “tactics” is about how the supplied material is used.

The video explains a systematic process of innovation in military logistics. The basic method is widely used in product development:

1. Incubators—small, specialised research teams—are given difficult challenges to solve. For example, “develop a drone navigation system that cannot be jammed by the enemy”, “improve fuel consumption by 15%”....

2. They conduct scientific research, use the findings to develop new technologies, and test prototypes or "MPVs" in real-world conditions.

3. Once a solution is proven effective, it is deployed into the supply chain, meaning it is scaled up and made widely available.

4. Feedback is constantly gathered, and the process is refined and improved over time in a process of “continuous improvement”.

"Minimum Viable Product" (MVP).

An MVP is a basic but functional version of a product or technology that is developed quickly, from basic requirements contained in a SoW Statement of Work, in order to test its core features in real-world conditions. 

The purpose of an MVP is to gather feedback, refine the design, and improve the economics, efficiency and effectiveness ("The Three E's") of the process, before deployment in full-scale production.

In the context of design bureaux and military logistics, an MVP could be an early version of a drone, missile system, or some AI-driven targeting software - something good enough to test but not yet finalised.

The video presents this well - although the delivery is a bit choppy, and the presenter mixes in ads for high-caffeine bubble gum (gotta make a living), still, the core idea is solid: a constant cycle of systematic innovation, deployment, and back to the bureau for improvement.

Why This Matters: The CIA, Pentagon, and Ukraine’s Supply Chain

This brings us to the role of the CIA and Pentagon in Ukraine’s military logistics. Some people suggest that the U.S. is directly helping Ukraine improve its battlefield logistics—this video gives us a way to understand how that actually works in practise, in the daily operations of the Pentagon and CIA.

1. NATO’s Integration of Ukraine’s Supply Chain

• The Pentagon and CIA supply expertise, training specialists in “train the trainer” role to improve Ukraine’s logistics at every level.

• This is a highly detailed process, similar to the work of companies like Bureau Veritas or Intertek, or processes like Six Sigma, in the corporate world - constantly improving efficiency to make production faster - better - cheaper.

• When Professor Mearsheimer talks about making Ukraine a “de facto member of  NATO”, this is what it means: Ukraine’s entire innovation pipeline, from R&D to battlefield deployment, is now deeply integrated into NATO's processes, organisation and funding. It is quite extraordinary the effect of that decision taken by NATO, under strong American prodding, in Bucharest back in 2008.

2. Why Can’t Russia Just Bomb These Drone Factories?

• Q; If Ukraine is churning out drones in huge quantities, why can’t Russia simply bomb the factories? A: Because there are no mass-production factories.

• The specific area of logistics we are discussing is drone manufacturing, but drone manufacturing not a centralised industrial process.

• Instead, it’s a distributed process, a high-tech but cottage-based industry:

o American Intertek or French Bureau Veritas supply Six Sigma-trained specialists to train Ukrainian trainers.

o The Ukrainian trainers then spread their knowledge to numerous small workshops - people literally building drones in their garages for their friends on the front lines.

o These drones, often made from cheap Chinese civilian imports, are turned into lethal battlefield weapons.

The Bottom Line

This isn’t traditional warfare where you hit a big industrial complex and cripple the enemy’s supply. 

It’s distributed, decentralised, and constantly evolving. It’s a system that NATO logistics experts have refined to the point where Ukraine is now fully integrated into NATO.

So that’s the real story here: how NATO is providing Ukraine with logistics to reshape modern warfare.

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, PENTAGON AND CIA

6 February 2025

READ ME FIRST

We are going to look at innovation in the supply chains that deliver equipment to the battlefields in Ukraine and how ukraine is in practice fully integrated into NATO. But first, we need to understand the difference between the Department of Defence, the Pentagon and the CIA.

Note on Organisational Responsibilities

The Pentagon is primarily responsible for overseeing Ukraine's battlefield supply chain logistics. There is a work programme called the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), under which the Department of Defense (DoD) provides training, equipment, and advisory support to enhance Ukraine's defense capabilities.

Additionally, the Army Materiel Command (AMC) has been delivering substantial military aid to Ukraine, for the efficient management of logistics and supply chains.

While the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) may offer intelligence support, the coordination and management of battlefield logistics falls under the DoD's jurisdiction.

The Department of Defense (DoD) and the Pentagon are closely related, but they are not the same thing:

1. The Department of Defense (DoD) is the governmental institution responsible for overseeing the U.S. military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and various intelligence and logistical agencies. It is headed by the Secretary of Defense, who reports directly to the President.

2. The Pentagon is the physical headquarters of the DoD, located in Arlington, Virginia. It is also commonly used as a metonym (a word that represents something larger) for the DoD itself. When people say “the Pentagon made a decision,” they usually mean that the Department of Defense, as an institution, made the decision.

How Does the CIA Fit Into This?

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) plays a different but complementary role to the Department of Defense (DoD) in Ukraine and other military conflicts. While the Pentagon (DoD) is responsible for battlefield logistics, military strategy, and direct support, the CIA operates in the realm of covert intelligence, special operations, and foreign influence.

The CIA’s Mission in Relation to Ukraine’s War Effort

The CIA’s overall mission is to:

1. Gather and analyse intelligence on foreign threats.

2. Conduct covert operations to support U.S. strategic objectives.

3. Influence foreign affairs through supposedly non-military means.

In Ukraine, the CIA is involved in:

1. Provide real-time intelligence on Russian troop movements, intercepted communications, and battlefield conditions.

2. Train Ukrainian special forces and intelligence operatives in sabotage, counterintelligence, and irregular warfare.

3. Coordinate drone and cyber warfare programs, ensuring Ukraine has advanced targeting intelligence to strike Russian positions.

4. Run covert logistics networks to help move weapons, equipment, and foreign fighters into Ukraine.

5. Advise on psychological operations (PsyOps) to counter Russian propaganda and maintain Western support.

How the CIA and the Pentagon Work Together

The CIA and the Pentagon (DoD) often collaborate but they do have distinct roles:

1. The Pentagon handles large-scale military operations and logistics.

2. The CIA focuses on intelligence gathering, covert missions, and asymmetric warfare.

For example, the Pentagon might supply Ukraine with HIMARS missiles, while the CIA provides real-time intelligence on Russian troop movements.

The CIA also operates in deniable or unofficial capacities, such as supporting partisan resistance movements in occupied Ukrainian territories, training Ukrainian intelligence services, and running covert drone warfare programs.

In Summary:

1. The DoD is the organisation.

2. The Pentagon is the building where the DoD operates and a shorthand way of referring to it.

3. The DoD (Pentagon) manages battlefield logistics, troop training, and weapons deliveries.

4. The CIA provides intelligence, covert training, special operations, and sabotage efforts behind enemy lines.

Both work together in an attempt to give Ukraine strategic, technological and intelligence superiority over Russia.

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RECENT CASES OF ELECTORAL MALPRACTICE

3 February 2025

Countries Considered Part of The West Where Democracy Has Been Contested or Undermined:

1. Romania

2. Pakistan

3. Venezuela

4. Moldova

5. Georgia

6. Abkhazia

7. South Korea

8. France

9. Germany

Has our democracy been hacked? The following countries have recently experienced electoral controversies, alleged external interference, or undemocratic power plays:

1. Romania

Issue: Presidential candidate Călin Georgescu won the first round decisively, but the results were annulled by a court citing "Russian interference on TikTok", with no evidence of Russian interference.

Concerns: Judicial interference in elections, use of "foreign influence" as a justification for nullifying results.

2. Pakistan

Issue: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was jailed and politically sidelined after he sought stronger ties with Russia and China.

Concerns: The judiciary and military’s role in removing opposition leaders, suppression of political alternatives.

3. Venezuela

Issue: The country's election was deemed "stolen" by Western powers despite a lack of solid evidence, continuing a long history of foreign intervention narratives.

Concerns: Western attempts to delegitimise election results in non-aligned states.

4. Moldova

Issue: Pro-Western President Maia Sandu was reportedly saved from defeat by diaspora votes from Western countries, while pro-Russian voters in Moscow were allegedly disenfranchised by not being given access to voting booths.

Concerns: Election manipulation via selective voting access, external "political engineering".

5. Georgia & Abkhazia

Issue: Massive Western NGO involvement allegedly worked to sway political outcomes, buy influence in the local media, use engineered protest movements to pressure the government.

Concerns: Use of Western-backed civil society organisations to influence domestic politics.

6. South Korea

Issue: President Yoon Suk Yeol allegedly orchestrated a sudden military coup, using armed forces to storm the parliament.

Concerns: Military intervention in politics, suppression of opposition.

7. France

Issue: President Macron refused to resign after his government collapsed, echoing previous no-confidence votes in other European leaders.

Concerns: Political instability, erosion of public trust in democratic governance.

8. Germany

Issue: Chancellor Scholz has faced growing popularity and thus legitimacy crises, with opposition parties gaining traction against the establishment.

Concerns: Loss of democratic legitimacy in traditional Western power structures.

Key Question: Is There a Pattern?

These cases suggest a growing perception that democracy is being selectively upheld or subverted when it serves geopolitical interests.

Allegations of judicial or external interference in elections appear to be increasing, particularly in regions of strategic importance to the West.

The larger question remains: Is democracy being hollowed out in favour of managed elections where outcomes align with geopolitical objectives? Is there an elite class in Europe separating itself from the interests of the peoples of Europe? And aligning with the interests of America? If so, we have bureaucrats at the wheel, operating processes for outcomes set by the USA. And where is democracy in this?

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AMERICA'S GEOPOLITICAL DILEMMA IN A MULTIPOLAR WORLD

America’s Geopolitical Dilemma in a Multipolar World

1 February 2025

https://youtu.be/v0uY3ZoDwYs?si=izG19Y0NgQ8T_3-W

The new American administration recognises the world us settling back into a multipolar order, where diplomacy and economic competition take centre stage over military confrontation. It is also very important to recognise that the the new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, acknowledges that Ukraine has lost the war.

The central concern for Washington’s foreign policy strategists is a long-standing one: preventing any single power—or coalition—from dominating Eurasia, the so-called “World Island” described by Sir Halford Mackinder.

For decades, U.S. policy has sought to maintain equilibrium in Eurasia between land power (Russia, China) and sea power (the Anglo-American alliance). The neoconservative approach has been to disrupt potential challengers before they become existential threats. 

One persistent fear has been a strategic partnership between Germany and Russia, which would merge German industrial strength with Russian resources—a combination that could undercut American influence in Europe and beyond.

How Will the U.S. Manage These Risks?

- Keeping Germany in Check:

The U.S. has long pressured Germany to distance itself from Russia. The sabotage of Nord Stream in 2022—though no one officially claimed responsibility—was widely interpreted as a message: European energy dependence on Russia is unacceptable.

Economic policies, sanctions, and security dependencies (via NATO) serve to keep Berlin aligned with Washington rather than pursuing independent strategic interests.

- Containing Russia and China:

The war in Ukraine has been a proxy battlefield for weakening Russia. While U.S. support has faltered in recent months, the underlying goal remains unchanged: to prevent Russia from becoming a dominant force in Europe.

In Asia, U.S. alliances with Japan, South Korea, and Australia counterbalance China, while economic pressure attempts to stifle Beijing’s technological and military growth.

Moral Contradictions in Foreign Policy:

The U.S. positions itself as a champion of sovereignty and international law in Europe, yet openly supports military interventions and occupations in the Middle East.

How does Washington justify backing Ukrainian nationalism while suppressing Palestinian statehood? How does it reconcile sanctioning Russian annexations while endorsing Israeli settlements? These contradictions weaken America's credibility in the eyes of the Global South and even among segments of its own electorate.

The Cost of Hypocrisy

This double standard has  seriously discredited America. Countries once aligned with the West now pursue greater autonomy, engaging with China’s Belt and Road Initiative or forming alternative economic blocs. 

Meanwhile, at home, the ideological excesses of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) and "woke" politics have created civil divisions, fueled in part by the need to maintain what is an increasingly fragile narrative.

The smothering of dissent—through media narratives, corporate policies, and social pressures—is an attempt to sustain a worldview that is hard to defend. Propaganda may hold for a while, but in a world where multipolarity is reasserting itself, even the most dominant empire cannot ignore reality forever.

When global power shifts, those who fail to adapt risk losing their grip entirely. Under Marco Rubio, it seems that America will adjust its strategy to engage with the new world on equal terms  The alterbative would be to continue down the path of resistance until the system it built after the last workd war collapses under its contradictions. So Rubio understands this.

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WHY UKRAINE'S MEDIA SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE

31 January 2025

Talk about soft power and how, at a detail level, it functions to progress american interests. 

We learn from Mercurious & others that for a long time, 90% of spending in the media space in Ukraine was coming from direct grants from the US State Department. 

Maybe ukraine is not a small country geographically, but in terms of population & GDP, it's small. Look how easily America buys up all Ukraine-media's column inches and turns them into one big advert for Russophobia.

The media literally speak with one voice, and have done so for a long time, pushing the anti-Russia hate speech; but according to the polls, this is not the voice of the mass of the people of Ukraine.

This op-ed program is a highly cynical black op. Where are American values of democracy and freedom in that? I wonder if the State Department under Rubio will continue this.

I know better than to trust the serpent words of the mass media and of government spokesman, but how about the 90% of the population of ordinary people going about their daily business in Ukraine? And what of the politicians back in Europe who read this dirt thinking it is the authentic voice of the Ukrainian people.? ... Remember, dirt written by the American state department as inspiration for the Ukrainian media, to be read by ordinary Ukrainian people and inevitably, a lead given to craven European media and read closely by politicians.

The whole operation is rotten to the core. How do the families of the million Ukrainians killed on the front lines feel towards those who persuaded their sons to to fight and die for what turns out to be a foreign cause? An operation that has ruined the economy. I'm destroyed the built infrastructure? A country that has now lost its young people and has no demographic future?

And all for a cause, membership of NATO, that we could see from the start, back in 2008, would be a catastrophic failure - and wrote about that from 2021 onwards - and America's greatest foreign policy disaster. A gamble on a strategy to weaken Russia that has no moral justification and no rational basis - they didn't even bother to look at the resources available to them : insufficient. A strategy handed down across generations of genociders.

Instead of blowing on the embers of a declining Empire in this way, what could have worked would have been to set goals and strategies for managing the Empire honestly and openly, configuring agreed security arrangements rather than going to war, making the home economy productive and efficient and debt-free, and help the people to love each other and unite, rather than all this delusional propaganda, DEI and woke divide and rule.

Well, that's my rant for the day. Now I want to tell a little story...

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