| View previous topic :: View next topic |
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
 |
|
For the first time China voted in favour of a UN resolution which calls Russia an aggressor over the situation in Ukraine and formerly Georgia.
The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe†The document refers to the “unprecedented challenges†facing Europe after Russian aggression against Ukraine, and before that against Georgia, and calls for “compensation†of the damage sustained by the victims of Moscow’s aggression. It also calls for "bringing to justice all those guilty of violating the norms of international law"
Several other countries such as Turkey, India, and Brazil, who would normally have been expected to abstain, also voted in favour.
It seems that Russia is becoming isolated.
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
|
It seems that Wiley is becoming isolated in the coils of UN bureaucratic procedures.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
|
|
|
Wiley is interested in realpolitik, nations that were remaining neutral whilst opting for cheaper energy and increased trade with Russia are now rethinking. Russia needs to sell gas and oil to these nations, so these other nations can therefore force energy prices down further and make their own foreign policy gains. If Russia wants them to support its Greater Russia foreign policy in Europe, why ever not? They are just being rational.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
|
I agree with you one hundred per cent. Russia is becoming less and less isolated.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
|
|
|
Why should India allow Russia to renege on its commitment to supply them with $10 billion dollars of armaments so they can pursue a war in Ukraine?
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
| Wiley is interested in realpolitik |
That's good but let's not forget the West isn't. The West is interested in, nay obsessed by, ethics. Hence
* if country A excludes women from something or other, A has to be excluded from help until they're all pushing up daisies, women not excluded.
* when country R invades country U, R has to be punished till the pips squeak and U has to be coddled till the cows come home. Even though R is important to the West and U isn't.
* if country C is observed by the West to be persecuting some of its citizens, world E has to turn into an incandescent ball because, it turned out, C was the key to preventing it.
But we all perished responsibly.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
|
|
| Wiley is interested in realpolitik |
| Mick Harper wrote: | | That's good but let's not forget the West isn't. The West is interested in, nay obsessed by, ethics. Hence |
It seems to Wiley that the West has tried all sorts of FP approaches from Trumpian realism to Merkel befriending. In fact they fell out over what to do. On reflection, the reality is that after about 2010 the Russians decided to expand its territory and only wanted to be a good ally if western nations like Germany bought their gas and oil, and turned a blind eye to what was going on both inside and on the outskirts of their borders. That is not unusual in energy rich countries. It's the way they act (Norway being a noble exception, perhaps because they are now so rich). But why shouldn't Germany and France now change direction and listen to the security concerns of their Eastern European partners? They have been proven right about Russia's intentions. Poland on its own has a GDP a third the size of Russia.
The important trading blocs are led by US, China, Europe (the first two throw their weight around, the last needs to learn).
Russia does not want to be a part of the US or Europe, I see nothing to convince me that they want to be part of the China bloc either. They are like Britain, they want to go it alone. We should let it happen to both them and us.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
| It seems to Wiley that the West has tried all sorts of FP approaches from Trumpian realism to Merkel befriending. In fact they fell out over what to do. |
This is to make the error that either of the two big guns of the west know what they are doing.
| On reflection, the reality is that after about 2010 the Russians decided to expand its territory and only wanted to be a good ally if western nations like Germany bought their gas and oil, and turned a blind eye to what was going on both inside and on the outskirts of their borders. |
This is to make the error that the big gun of the east knows what it is doing. All countries, apart from China, have foreign policies that consist of 'reactive opportunism'. All Great Powers, apart from the one heading towards the hegemonic position, are in this position. (Harper's Law.)
| That is not unusual in energy rich countries. |
Or Wiley's Law as it is known. We can anticipate a bogus list.
| It's the way they act (Norway being a noble exception, perhaps because they are now so rich). |
So no names apart from one that doesn't obey Wiley's Law.
| But why shouldn't Germany and France now change direction and listen to the security concerns of their Eastern European partners? They have been proven right about Russia's intentions. Poland on its own has a GDP a third the size of Russia. |
I tend to agree with this but let us see why they aren't...
| The important trading blocs are led by US, China, Europe (the first two throw their weight around, the last needs to learn). |
I hadn't noticed this on the trading level but it is undoubtedly true that Europe doesn't throw its weight around on the politico-military stage. (I think we have left Wiley's Law.)
| Russia does not want to be a part of the US or Europe, I see nothing to convince me that they want to be part of the China bloc either. They are like Britain, they want to go it alone. We should let it happen to both them and us. |
I tend to agree with this.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
1. If two drones hit the spires of the Kremlin in quick succession just before the Big Parade in Moscow, I think we can assume it's a symbolic act rather than an assassination attempt on Putin. When I say 'we' I don't include the people who the Russian propaganda department think they are addressing.
2. If I was President Zelensky I'd be claiming responsibility whoever was responsible. "Get a load of that, Russkis." Ukraine's going to be blamed anyway and is going to be retaliated against anyway, so why not claim any credit that's going?
3. In what sense is thousands of drones being fired on Ukrainian cities not 'terrorist acts' in the way that two fired on Moscow are?
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
|
On the other boot, for Zelensky to say in the Finnish parliament and, more importantly, for a Ukrainian spokesmen to tell Kirsty Wark in the Newsnight studio (unchallenged) that "Ukraine does not have the resources to start firing drones on Moscow" is so patently ridiculous that one can only conclude that Ukrainians really are Russians, just as Putin says they are.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
|
|
| Mick Harper wrote: | | 1. If two drones hit the spires of the Kremlin in quick succession |
There is very little we could do if it was the Palace of Westminster. Drone tech is rapidly evolving, you can't stop 'em all, with any sophisticated technology, even if we could afford to install said technology, e.g. Patriot missiles, to protect all high value targets. You can map in attack routes to your drone fleet that learn through game play in real time, on the basis of the air defence. Some will get through.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
|
|
So the message from Ukraine to Russia, if it was them, is something like "we can get through to high value targets any time we choose, without US help."
They can.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
It has long baffled me why terrorists haven't turned en masse to drones. You don't even need suicide bombers. You don't even have to be Palace of Westminster-accurate. A drone plopping down on Ben Gurion airport every now and again will paralyse Israel.
But then the IRA learned how to paralyse Britain -- by driving a fertiliser van into the City of London -- and promptly sued for peace, so what do I know?
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Mick Harper
Site Admin
In: London
|
|
|
|
It's hard to think of a better way to discourage readers than this
This article consists of a reply to an essay by Harald Wolf and Raul Zelik
and a separate polemic by Zelik against my support for Ukraine.
It’s long because it needs to be. |
It stands at the head of a medium.com article by the redoubtable Paul Mason, late of Newsnight
| The crisis in Die Linke Why the German left should stop opposing arms to Ukraine |
Die Linke is the rebadged Socialist Unity Party better known as the East German communist party. I suppose it is understandable that the comrades would oppose a policy inimical to their old masters in the Kremlin but quite why a decent Trotskyite like Paul is getting involved with a bunch of Stalinists is not so clear. On second thoughts it's probably a case of hanging together or being hanged separately.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Wile E. Coyote
In: Arizona
|
|
|
|
The left are pretty united on the issue of Ukraine.
They all believe that countering Fascism is a "good" thing and war is a "bad" thing, both are after all a result of a "very bad thing", capitalism.
It is clear the left must get on. It is just they don't.
Mason thinks the Russians are the real baddies "fascists" and weapons to Ukraine are a good thing, and those like Stop The War think the Ukrainians are the real "fascists" and weapons are a bad thing in general.
Still, you can't blame the self-proclaimed leftie leaders, if only the Eastern Europe proletariat had worked out that both Putin and Zelen were wrong uns, then we could have a general strike, and international revolution. This would be a much better and safer tool than the Patriot missiles from the much hated United States (fascists!) who are, when all is said and done, the only real enemy the left can always agree about.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
The Library Index 
FAQ 
Search
Register
Profile 
Log in to check your private messages 
Log in 
