Surviving Capitalism (Not) : The U.S.-Russia “phony war”: How Washington warmongers could bring us from stalemate to catastrophe

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

The U.S.-Russia “phony war”: How Washington warmongers could bring us from stalemate to catastrophe

Click here to access article by Patrick L. Smith from Salon.

I share nearly all of the views that Smith expresses in this perceptive article. His worried suspicions about a phony war being a prelude to catastrophe is especially worrisome to me as I see more and more indications that Empire directors are preparing for war. Just this morning I came across this view expressed by the head of the Donetsk People's Republic.

My most positive interpretation of these numerous preparations for war directly or indirectly against Russia is that they are designed as a means to provoke Russia into an expensive arms race which could weaken that country as the policy did in the 1980s under the Reagan administration. The worst interpretation is that our masters have decided to do another rerun of WWII in which they hope the Russian menace will be eliminated along with a resurrection of a failing domestic economy. Perhaps most worrisome of all is that there is domestic component of the ruling class made up of militarists, weapons contractors, and Zionists who are aggressively trying to get their hands on the steering wheel of foreign policy.

Also, Smith's other observations about NGOs operating in Russia and the MH-17 issues are very perceptive and on the mark.