Accepting Defeat?

In the first clip below the fold, Pepe discusses a French intellectual's new book. The writer suggest Trump's job in the first two years will be to help America (NATOstan) accept that Russia defeated us in Ukraine. Somehow I can't see Trump selling that notion. This week Alex Krainer asks (below) 'will the US continue it's bullying posture or act like a polite guest at the world table of equal nations?' I simply don't see that happening given US arrogance and false sense of superiority. In fact it seems just the opposite in the new found neo-colonial attitude of Trump to acquire Panama, Greenland, Canada, and the "Gulf of America". My guess is he will first target Venezuela and Nicaragua because their leadership continues to serve their peoples needs and not US corporate interests. All that and much more below the fold.

There's no doubt that the American empire is falling as the BRICS+ alignment grows and prospers. Pepe makes the case...

(25 min) Eurasia vs. NATO

Pepe has a more extended interview with Nima on the same topic...
Pepe Escobar: Eurasia Rises as NATO's Delusions Deepen (1 hour)

Pepe Escobar: Empire of Chaos, Reloaded

The Empire of Chaos is relentless. Lawfare, destabilizations, sanctions, kidnappings, color revolutions, false flags, annexations: 2025 will be the year of BRICS – plus BRICS partners – as choice targets under fire.
Inestimable Prof. Michael Hudson coined “chaos” as official US policy. That’s bipartisan – and it runs across all silos of the Deep State.
In the absence of long-term strategic vision, and amidst the progressive imperial expulsion from Eurasia, all that’s left for the Hegemon is to unleash chaos from West Asia to Europe and parts of Latin America – a concerted attempt to Divide and Rule BRICS and thwart their collective drive affirming sovereignty and the primacy of national interests.

Chaos, our stock and trade...

Trump is a puzzlement. As Joe Rogan said to him, "You say a bunch of crazy shit". Here he is this week posting a truth bomb from Jeffery Sachs...

Is this what he thinks? If so that's encouraging. If not, why did he post it? As I said he's a puzzling.

Alexander and Glenn spoke with Jeff this week... (1 hour)
Will Trump Deliver Peace? - Jeffrey Sachs, Alexander Mercouris & Glenn Diesen
My not going to hold my breath waiting for it.

Jeff also spoke with the Judge this week.
Does Trump Want Peace? (26 min)

While we're on Trump...
On Friday, Trump was sentenced in the ‘hush money’ case brought against him in New York. While the ruling means he will not face fines or jail time, Trump will be considered a felon under US law.
more here

Alex Krainer suggests the UK is at the heart of western insanity.

(48 min) plus... Russia Shatters Kursk Offensive - Israel's Strategic Defeat

Alex thinks Elon is onto the the UK support of forever wars.
Elon Musk Brands British PM ‘Evil’
SpaceX CEO and X owner Elon Musk has hammered Prime Minister of Britain Keir Starmer for his refusal to prosecute Pakistani gangs involved in the mass rape of underage British girls, calling the PM “evil” incarnate. ”Starmer is evil,” Musk wrote on his social platform on Wednesday morning, above a meme condemning Starmer for demanding an investigation into former Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s lockdown-breaching parties during the Covid-19 pandemic, but declining to prosecute “politically protected UK rape gangs.” Musk has spent much of the last two weeks drawing attention to the UK’s so-called “grooming gangs,” and to the police departments, politicians, and prosecutors who allegedly failed to protect children from them.
The gangs in question systematically raped and tortured tens of thousands of underage girls in towns across northern England over the last two decades, according to multiple government and media reports. Almost all of the perpetrators were Pakistani men, and the victims white British girls.

So what does the west do? They get out the knives for Elon...
France Calls For EU Action Against Elon Musk
France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has urged the EU executive branch to use existing legislation to crack down on outside interference. His comment to French media on Wednesday is related to US-based billionaire Elon Musk weighing in on European politics on his platform X (formerly Twitter). His words come a day after French President Emmanuel Macron slammed the owner of X for interfering in EU matters. He accused the world’s richest man of intervening directly in elections across the continent, including next month’s snap federal polls in Germany. “Either the European Commission applies with the greatest firmness the laws that we have to protect our unique space, or it does not, and then it should think about giving the capacity to do so back to EU member states,” Barrot said in an interview with France Inter radio, urging the lawmakers to “wake up.”
Asked whether the X platform could be banned in the bloc, the minister replied that a mechanism allowing the move “is laid out in our laws.” The foreign minister’s comments came ahead of a livestream conversation on X with the co-leader of the right-wing AfD (Alternative for Germany) party, Alice Weidel, scheduled for Thursday, where the South African-born tech mogul is set to participate as a host. On Monday, an EC spokesperson said the institution will investigate whether the conversation is in breach of the bloc’s social media rules. In December, Musk provoked major controversy by claiming in a post on X that “only the AfD can save Germany.” The statement was followed by an op-ed piece posted by the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag later that month, in which the entrepreneur defended the party against accusations of extremism and praised its economic policies.

Ukraine in Collapse...
The strategy pursued by the US in the Ukraine conflict risks provoking serious responses from Russia, Peter Kuznick, professor of history and director of the Nuclear Studies Institute at American University, has said. Kuznick earlier appeared on US journalist Tucker Carlson’s podcast show alongside director Oliver Stone (1.7 hrs). In an exclusive interview to RT on Saturday, he warned against assuming Russia’s red lines can be crossed without consequence. “Russia keeps drawing red lines, and the United States keeps crossing them” on the assumption that Russia is “bluffing” and that President Vladimir Putin “is not going to follow through on his threats,” Kuznick said.
He described this approach as a “fool’s game,” warning it could lead to severe repercussions. Kuznick criticized the belief that Russia will remain passive, calling it “insanity” and stressing that such assumptions gamble with global safety. In December, Putin accused the US of encouraging escalation by arming Kiev and pushing Russia to the “red line.” He claimed the West uses these provocations to instill fear in their populations. Reflecting on Donald Trump’s policies, Kuznick noted Trump “does not view Russia as an implacable enemy,” though his administration provided lethal aid to Ukraine in 2019 and increased sanctions on Russia. “I don’t see Trump as a friend of Russia. I don’t see him being in Putin’s pocket the way a lot of people in the West do. But I see him as willing to make deals,” he said.

Despite the fact Ukraine is losing badly on the battlefield...
- The new offensive in Kursk region stopped and now a Russian offensive there within 2-3km of the only supply road through Sudzha.
- Breakout across the Zherebrets River toward Lyman
- The last high ground/industrial zone of Chasov Yar being flanked from the north and south
- Toretsk now taken
- The highway between Pokrovsk and Kostyantynivka cut
- The highway between Pokrovsk and Zaporizhzhia in the process of being cut
- The highway between Pokrovsk and Dnipro within 5km of the front (i.e. dominated by Russian drones)
- Yet another pocket being created west of Kurakhove
- Velyka Novosilka how surrounded
The Russians are keeping the important game, not being distracted, changes the facts on the ground. The Ukrainian attacks are simply desperate attempts of a losing side with no real strategic impact.

None the less...
from the Duran -
Neocons demand Ukraine escalation. Trump signals talks with Putin (55 min)
Trump discusses Ukraine, NATO, and US sphere of influence. He signals talks with Putin, rejects escalation, and emphasizes America's interests. Trump's comments on Greenland, Panama Canal, and Canada suggest a shift towards traditional great power politics and away from globalism.

Trump Says He Is Setting Up a Meeting With Putin

The Kremlin appeared to confirm that a summit was being planned
On Friday, Trump was asked about potentially meeting Putin or Chinese President Xi Jinping. “To be determined,” the President-elect said, referring to a summit with Xi. He added, “But President Putin wants to meet. He’s said that even publicly, and we have to get that war over with. That’s a bloody mess.”

The Biden administration hasn't talked with Russia in over two years.

Larry C. Johnson: America's Strategic Collapse
It isn't just the US but more so the EU that is in collapse. We have met the terrorists, and they are us.

Don't worry we can cancel the results if we don't like them...

Remember Ursula threatening Meloni?

Senator (Col.) Richard Black agrees with Larry:
America's Critical Missteps

Gaza Genocide

I did this upon hearing of Biden’s 8 billion dollar weapons package to Israel and then showed it to Chris Hedges who was working on a column about the same thing, so we married them together. Dig it.
Mr. Fish

When news broke over the weekend that President Biden just approved an $8 billion deal for shipping weapons to Israel, a nameless official vowed that “we will continue to provide the capabilities necessary for Israel’s defense.” Following the reports last month from Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch concluding that Israeli actions in Gaza are genocide, Biden’s decision was a new low for his presidency. It’s logical to focus on Biden as an individual. His choices to keep sending huge quantities of weaponry to Israel have been pivotal and calamitous. But the presidential genocide and the active acquiescence of the vast majority of Congress are matched by the dominant media and overall politics of the United States.

Israel is BLIND & its Strategic Defeat Becomes Clearer with Time | Larry C. Johnson & Scott Ritter

(31 min)

The US Strategy That's Failing Spectacularly | Col. Larry Wilkerson

(33 min)

Syria may become a quagmire for both Israel and Türkiye...
Max Blumenthal : More Lies on Syria

(29 min)

Danny does a pretty good job summarizing the week's news...

(40 min) President Biden's Statements: The speaker critiques Biden's recent remarks on the Russia-Ukraine war, claiming they are detached from reality and reflect an unwillingness to acknowledge Ukraine's inability to prevail militarily. Biden emphasized unity among Western nations and pledged continued support for Ukraine.
Ukraine's Prospects: The speaker argues that Ukraine cannot win the war and faces inevitable defeat without a negotiated settlement. They criticize Western nations, particularly the Biden administration, for missed opportunities to prevent or end the war, resulting in significant loss of life and destruction.
Russia's Strategy: A former British citizen fighting for Russia claims the conflict is about defending ethnic Russians in Ukraine and resisting NATO's influence, not territorial conquest. The speaker asserts that Russia's actions align with its stated goals of securing specific regions in Ukraine, with no evidence of broader ambitions.
Sanctions and Negotiations: White House spokesperson John Kirby states that U.S. sanctions on Russia are not bargaining tools and there are no signs either side is ready to negotiate. The speaker views this as a failure of diplomacy, prolonging the war and increasing casualties.
Military Balance: The speaker argues that Russia has the military advantage and resources to achieve its objectives. They suggest Russia might aim to secure territory up to the Dnipro River, depending on Ukraine's resistance and international negotiations.
Historical Context: The speaker attributes the conflict's origins to Western intervention in Ukraine and policies since 2014, suggesting that the war was avoidable had different diplomatic approaches been taken.
The overall tone is critical of U.S. and Western policies, emphasizing the human and societal costs of the war on Ukraine while highlighting Russia's perceived strategic advantage.

I suspect the EU will come apart over its myopic obsession over Ukraine.

Here's an idea...
Filling the social cracks with art

Pretty cool!

Speaking of cool, we had some snow this weekend. Only about 2-3", but it is pretty. Should finally melt today. Join me in a walk toward the house...



And here's a look out the window as it was beginning to melt yesterday.

The cabbage, collards, kale, and broccoli are under snow covered row covers. Once it melts today, we'll replace with dry covers as another cold week descends upon us.

Here's hoping everyone is having a good weekend. Thanks for coming by today for the 420th WW. In our crowd, 4:20 refers to time to smoke dope. You know, "Hey, I think its 4:20".
The thread is open and so any and all topics are appropriate.