Bold claim: Alex Krainer has just given the very best interview I’ve ever heard from him. He’s been researching Christian evangelicalism a bit, and Eschatology, just to study up on the fringe – a very large component of Israeli and US policy thought.

He also describes how population attitudes are generated, and why – something I’ve been pondering a lot lately – how easy, indeed, it seems to be to sway a large group of people into believing a certain thing. Krainer makes this clear, and cites history, and offers a huge clue with the story of the red ants and the black ants in the glass jar – coexisting harmoniously until the jar is violently shaken. And then the killing starts, along color lines of course.

Krainer gives his usual reasoned analysis of things, updated to the current moment, but also adds this extra material, the back-fill and discovery he’s playing with right now.

He’s speaking, for the first time, with someone new to me also, a gold bug but asking good questions –  if you like Krainer, or the topics mentioned above, I highly recommend this one:

That’s an astonishing article from Godfree Roberts  – thanks for the link.

This is the first geopolitical analysis I’ve read that includes the US domestic agenda as an intertwined trading-piece for the foreign policy – but I see it’s a quote from Vasily Kashin, and part of a Karl Sanchez treatment of the theme, over in his substack. Here’s the quote that caught my attention:

“The 47th President’s actions in the international arena must be almost entirely subordinated to the logic of the domestic political struggle”

Thus, the supposition from Kashin. Karl has a lot of the essay posted in his piece. I have much to read,and may return with summaries.

I don’t think it’s wise to dismiss Godfree’s article just because one doesn’t trust the US or its president. As I’ve said repeatedly, I do trust Russia to be able to enforce whatever arrangement it makes with the US, regardless of the degeneracy of the US.

And another astonishing claim, this seems to be direct from Godfree:

“..word is that Trump has agreed to withdraw U.S. troops to their 1989 NATO boundaries and leave historic troublemakers like Poland, the Baltics, Finland and the Balkans without a US military presence.”

I’ve seen zero collateral for that claim, but it could only come from thus-far secret talks, and they could be plausible. May it turn out to be real. That would be astonishing indeed.

I have no faith in the US or its president either, but I have great faith in the force of imperatives, and there are several that face the US, and some part of its ruling establishment, in which Russia and China can play a role.

~~

I’ll go do some reading…

EDIT – I do see that Karl’s article is from March 8, before the catastrophic blunder of Yemen, so there may be little forgiveness left by now…

That’s an unfortunate thumbnail, I hope he didn’t choose it deliberately (he does like to shock). But it’s actually from the UK, taken during a recent trip this English expat with 13 years in China took, going back to the old country. Needless to say, he was shocked, viscerally taken aback at the decay, and the fear on the streets.

Yes, AHH, the very first thing I thought about the drone attack was that it was the Brits. I hadn’t quite considered the sealift tanker the same way – would they be that bold? – but it would sure fit. The sealift supply component is the US Navy’s weakest link, if I recall Will Schryver correctly – and apart from its personnel, competence and other ships, of course 😉 Whoever did it chose well.

It’s important to know where the commas fall, and do not fall, in a person’s claims.

I listened closely, and in full context, it parses this way: she’s talking about the internal enemy of the US (Dems, Deep State, Soros, whatever) propagandizing the culture to accept suspending the Constitution and elections on the basis that we’re at war with Russia and China – in other words, grammatically, the war with Russia-China needs to be seen and heard as part of her hypothetical rationale.

She never said as a standalone statement that the US is at war with Russia and China. She’s using this concept, if anything, as an illustration of lies.

Didn’t see these linked yet: Garland with Joti Brar a day ago:

Doctorow is reporting what the Russians are seeing too. A lot of people are starting to realize there’s more substance in the Trump administration than was expected. Keep watching.

As to Rubio, let’s remember that in recent years no representative of the US has been able to contain himself to be respectful and tactful. I didn’t think he could pull it off and many are surprised.

Others have remarked at how precisely and disciplined Team Trump has acted, across all fields, domestic especially (with never a leak of what was coming, from one day to the next) but we’re seeing some of it in foreign affairs now too – think Munich.

As to China – it’s so obvious and always-hovering that I kind of think it won’t happen. Trump has to appease a lot of factions as he goes along the path, and he’s been doing that very well. Protective coloration – if you’re Trump, you must have learned the need for that.

Trump can afford to aim for China right up until it’s time to go there…and then I’ll bet that for some reason it won’t happen. And he’ll drop whatever alliance he had to make to get there, or he’ll stay in good grace with that faction and someone else gets blamed.

2 cents

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was confirmed today by the US Senate as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. HSS oversees CDC, NIH and FDA, among others.

And yes, this news really does belong in this thread – I can’t think of a more fitting place for it.

I had been holding my breath for this day. This is going to get interesting 🙂