A Maze of Myths

The first myth to dispel is the notion that America is the shining city on the hill. Sadly the US is anything but...we are war profiteers spreading death and destruction around the world, that is the US business model. Another of the many myths is the idea Putin is the antichrist when in fact He is an Orthodox Christian in a secular nation with many faiths. The last myth I want to address is the concept that there are "chosen people" more important to "God" than any other. That belief provides for smug superiority and empowers them to mass murder the "unwanted". All of these myths (and many others) lead to the many wars and conflicts around the world.

All these thoughts of myths came as a result of Alastair's conversation with the Judge this week.

(28 min) Alastair Crooke : Trump: The Self-Made Myth
Alastair Crooke:
Societies have found -- and continue to find -- meaning in life through war. James Hillman in his book, A Terrible Love of War, attempted to address blood-lust: an impulse so terrible, yet one that ignites a Mars-like fury that bonds men in battle. “I felt like a god”, says General Patton (in the eponymous film). The General walks the field after a battle. Churned earth, burned tanks, dead men. He takes up a dying officer, kisses him, surveys the havoc, and says: “I love it. God help me, I do love it so. I love it more than my life”.
Israel is doing this now -- seeking to find ‘meaning’ from its Biblical roots in the churned desolation it has visited on Gaza. Blood lust in Gaza has been awakened out from the ancient myths in the Torah by Messianic Nationalists. It is an impulse that is profoundly dangerous.
These dark psychic impulses, once awakened, easily replicate: Washington today enthuses over de-capitation strikes (Lebanon, Syria and Iran). Assassinations today find liberal justification. Model gold exploding pagers and cell phones are thought to be cool gifts for a President.
Other deep psychic impulses seem dangerously close to awakening too: One prominent member of Trump’s circle, Peter Thiel, is due to give a series of four lectures next month on the role of the Katechon as a somehow a bulwark against something far worse: the Antichrist. This no doubt will be a Biblical exploration, but clearly the ancient, but still potent, image of the Antichrist is in the air.
“Putin has been a constant de-stabilising force”, says Macron. “Russia has become a threat to many -- including us. It has to eat to survive. So, he’s a predator: a cannibal at our doorstep. I’m not saying that France will be attacked tomorrow, but this is a threat to Europeans. Let’s not be naïve”.
Well, there it is: the imagery evoked of ‘the beast’ at the door, the ‘cannibal needing to eat’, is very clear.
At Anchorage, Putin seemingly paid due attention to the psychology underlying Trump’s sudden request to meet. The Russians treated Trump in a very respectful, courteous and friendly fashion. Less noticed perhaps -- but psychologically crucial -- is that Trump seemed to recognise in Putin a fellow from the pantheon of putative ‘mythic leaders’. Apollonian perhaps, rather than Dionysus. Yet how striking unlike it was to Trump’s disdainful treatment of the Euros.
An awakening of these ancient Manichaean depths can be more potent, more dangerous -- even -- than the cold possession of nuclear weapons. Moscow perhaps understands this better than many might think.

Pepe continues the mythic conversation...
Pepe Escobar: Trump the Myth-Maker - Forever Wars Are Rewriting Geopolitics
(66 min)
Mythic Trump: the Incendiary Narcissus
By Pepe Escobar

Mythic Narcissus, depending on his mood while facing his reflection in the pool, may at any moment authorize Kiev hits on Moscow and St. Petersburg with long-range missiles.
Alastair Crooke’s remarkable analysis of Trump in the context of myth as geopolitics has left us with much to ponder. There’s no escape from Trump’s “extraordinary ability to dominate the discourse”, globally, as well as his capacity for “bending people to his will” – and thus wreak havoc on the geopolitical chessboard.
Alastair stresses how Trump is skillfully “using mythic imagery” – actually crude archetypes – to always impress his narrative. The only narrative.
Yet Trump may not be straight-up Dionysian, compared to Apollonian Putin; he’s more like a Narcissus Drowned (in a pool of his own making). And when it comes to pop iconography, he’s certainly not The Godfather of Soul James Brown; more like the Village People – which were themselves a parody.

As an aside, Pepe adds this...

The X post continues...
Looking forward to have this discussed at the Vladivostok forum next week.
The Weddell Sea is disputed by Argentina, Chile and the Brits.
Neither Russia or US recognize ANY Antarctic claims.

Demonizing Putin to prolong the war...
The EU and UK are desperate to keep the war going as their countries face economic and social disaster.
Von der Leyen Calls Putin A ‘Predator’
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has escalated her anti-Russia rhetoric, calling President Vladimir Putin a “predator” and reciting NATO’s familiar talking point about a looming Russian threat to justify the EU’s push for accelerated militarization. The remarks came on Friday in Riga, where the EC chief appeared alongside Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina at the start of what she described as a tour of the “EU’s frontline states”. The route includes Finland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland -all bordering Russia or Belarus- as well as Bulgaria and Romania. “Putin is a predator,” von der Leyen claimed, accusing his mysterious “proxies” of targeting European societies “for years with hybrid attacks, with cyberattacks.”
She went as far as to accuse Moscow of engaging in the “weaponization of migrants,” without providing specifics and omitting the bloc’s own controversial open-door policies, which have fueled internal backlash for over a decade. She argued that the alleged Russian threat warranted the EU’s rearmament plan. “So, as we strengthen Ukraine’s defence, we must also take greater responsibility for our own defence,” she said. In March, von der Leyen floated a plan to raise €800 billion ($934 billion) through debt and tax incentives to re-arm the EU. The European Council later approved a €150 billion borrowing mechanism to fund the initiative. Moscow has repeatedly condemned what it calls the West’s “reckless militarization,” while dismissing allegations of any intent to attack NATO or EU states as “nonsense.” Russian officials, including President Putin, have accused Western leaders of fearmongering to justify inflated military budgets and cover up economic failures.

The chaos within European governments and their financial struggles (12 min)

Zaluzhny waits as WEST money POURS into Ukraine (entire clip 36 min)

Most commentators in their various interviews this week discussed Ukraine/Russia/EU, Israel/Palestine/Iran, and/or the SCO meeting in China. There was some discussion of Venezuela. Here's some I found interesting...
Let's begin in Western Asia. Many are predicting an Israeli attack on Iran

AMB. Chas Freeman : When Israel Attacks Iran (25 min)

Mohammad Marandi: Iran Warns Israel NEW Missiles WIPE OUT Tel Aviv, Yemen & Gaza STRIKE IDF
(130 min) As the world asks whether Donald Trump is dead, geopolitical analyst Mohammad Marandi joins the show to break down the threat of imminent war on Iran from Israel and Washington reemerging and a new missile system Iran says will devastate Tel Aviv even worse than the 12-day war. Full updates on the fight back in Gaza and Yemen as Israel's expansionist wars outstretch a battered IDF.

Max Blumenthal : Trump’s Indifference to Journalist Murders.

(26 min)

We've discussed the European's irrational manufactured hatred of Russia, but not so much the Zionists irrational hatred of Palestinians.

(10 min full clip, but 5 min gives you the main idea)
Israeli leaders frequently present two different narratives — one softened for Western audiences in English and another that adopts a harsher, more vengeful stance in Hebrew media.
Jimmy points to Glenn Greenwald and Sam Husseini, who argue that calls for “revenge” are not just rhetoric but part of a broader strategy tied to the Greater Israel project and long-term occupation goals. He contrasts Israeli admissions in Hebrew of deliberately targeting hospitals and journalists with Western media headlines framing such attacks as “mistakes.” The segment frames Zionism as reliant on deception, with Jimmy pointing out Israel’s rank hypocrisy and brutality.

COL. Lawrence Wilkerson : Can Trump Restrain Netanyahu? (24 min)

Jeff discusses the tariffs on India, the Ukraine proxy war, and concludes with Israel.

(34 min) Prof. Jeffrey Sachs : A Very Dangerous Foreign Policy.
As to the tariffs...
After a federal appeals court ruled that Donald Trump does not have the authority to impose many of his tariffs, the president doubled down on his tariff policy and stated that especially ahead of Labor Day, American workers should be in support of that policy. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit asserted that most of Trump’s tariffs are outside of his power to impose under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, but did delay the impact of the ruling till mid-October, allowing time for appeal to the Supreme Court. Legal expert Mark Levin, cited by Trump, argued that Trump not only has the power to impose tariffs under the act, but also under the Constitution’s Article II, whereas the court did not have the jurisdiction to so rule.

Jeff also had a conversation with Glenn Diesen focused on the EU and the creation of hate.
Jeffrey Sachs: A New Path After Europe’s Foreign Policy Failure (30 min)
Professor Jeffrey Sachs discusses Europe's failed foreign policy in terms of subordination to the US and unnecessary hostility with Russia. Europe should learn the right lessons of history and rediscover diplomacy to pursue peace and national interests.
The article under discussion.

Europe On Path To War Economy
In Unterlüß, Lower Saxony, Europe’s largest ammunition factory began production yesterday. What started clandestinely is now being publicly scaled with full firepower: the European Union is building its own war economy.

The EU is “preparing for a long war” rather than seeking peace in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said. The European Commission has effectively acted as the “Ukrainian Commission,” prioritizing Kiev’s interests over those of its own member states, he said on X after a meeting of the bloc’s top diplomats in Denmark on Saturday. “At today’s EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Copenhagen it became clear that Brussels and most member states are preparing for a long war, not peace. They want to send tens of billions of euros to Ukraine for soldiers’ salaries, drones, weapons, and the operation of the Ukrainian state,” Szijjarto said. “There was huge pressure for the fast-tracked EU accession of Ukraine, new sanctions on Russian energy,” as well as to provide €6 billion ($7 billion) more to arm Ukraine, he added.

Larry Johnson and Nima discuss the Ukraine and Israel wars as well as the situation in Venezuela
Larry C. Johnson: Russia’s Deadly Response - Yemen to Hit Israel (60 min)
Paul Craig Roberts is on in the second hour.
Larry's article.

Prominent Ukrainian Fascist Shot Dead In Lviv

Why 3,350 New Bombs For Ukraine Will Not Make A Difference

the post continues: ...are deployed across the SOUTHCOM area of operations. Together, these vessels represent ~12% of the entire U.S. Navy currently at sea. A clear signal: the pressure campaign on Venezuela is accelerating.

We want that oil bad, actually it is Charles Koch who wants it bad since he financed the refineries in the US to process it. I bet this will be a topic at the SCO.

The intel round-up touches on many of these topics.

(31 min) INTEL Roundtable w/ Johnson & McGovern - Weekly Wrap, 29-August

Let move to the rising new cooperative world order...
Can Russia, India, and China Rewrite The Global Rules?
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s call to revive the Russia-India-China (RIC) format has sparked renewed debate over how trilateral diplomacy could help stabilize Asia. The Alaska summit may not have delivered immediate breakthroughs on conflict resolution, but it was nonetheless a watershed moment. Commentators noted that the meeting underscored Moscow’s role as a decisive actor whose influence cannot be erased by sanctions or diplomatic pressure. Yet for India, the significance of Alaska lies not just in Russia’s return to global high tables, but in what it signals for the larger multipolar landscape. A Russia more confident of its role in global negotiations is also a Russia that seeks to extend its engagement into Asia, creating opportunities for India to reinforce its own regional diplomacy.
Lavrov’s call for reviving RIC is part of this broader trend. By placing India alongside Russia and China, the format reopens a space where Asian powers can coordinate on selective issues. For Beijing, under pressure from escalating US tariffs, RIC provides a forum for coordination beyond the constraints of bilateral tensions. For Moscow, it illustrates that Asian partnerships are increasingly important to balancing global shifts. And for New Delhi, it creates diplomatic space to advance interests without committing to any single bloc. For New Delhi, Lavrov’s RIC revival call resonates but does not automatically translate into endorsement. India has consistently championed strategic autonomy, balancing partnerships such as the Quad and frameworks like the SCO and BRICS+

Pepe Escobar : BRICS vs. the West

(25 min)

SCO Unites to CRUSH NATO’s Pressure | Pepe Escobar with Nima
(a 25 min excerpt of the first clip at the intro with Pepe)

I hope everyone is having a nice Labor Day holiday weekend. Of course it is another myth of sorts. The internationally recognized Labor Day is recognized on May 1 in honor of the Haymarket Affair. In the US we changed the date so the Haymarket Labor Riot would not be remembered. None the less it is a good time to recognize your own and others labor. So, enjoy the holiday.

The thread is open so any and all thoughts are welcome!