War Requires More Unity than the United States can Muster by Paul Craig Roberts!
(2022-07-14 at 00:56:02 )

War Requires More Unity than the United States can Muster by Paul Craig Roberts!

This meeting of President Putin with the Russian State Duma Leaders of all the political parties on July 7 shows a solidarity that is obviously missing in the United States. "President Putin speaks"

The United States is riven with conflicting interests even to the point that one political party has weaponized the United States Department of Justice against the other and is attempting to demonize a former United States president as an insurrectionist who is falsely charged for organizing a coup in order to hold onto power.

Not only is there no political unity, or any basis for such, in the United States, but also the Democrats Identity Politics has destroyed the possibility of any societal unity. Neither is there any moral unity. On top of it all, respect for the United States Constitution and the separation of powers has declined to the point that agenda-driven power grabs have become common.

As I recently said, the United States is a geographical location, not a nation. We should keep in mind our riven state of being before we get ourselves in a war with a united country like Russia.

Ukraine Update # 11 by Paul Craig Roberts!

The Kremlin intended Russias intervention in Ukraine to be limited to Donbass. The purpose was to drive out the Ukrainian and neo-Nazi military forces that were occupying parts of the two independent republics and shelling the residents. Had Russia intervened eight years previously, the intervention could have been limited and quickly concluded. But the Kremlin, afflicted with hesitancy and false hopes for the Minsk Agreement, waited until Washington,D.C. had raised, armed and trained a Ukrainian army.

What the Kremlin needed was a quickly concluded operation that did not give the West time to get involved in the interest of a wider war in order to conduct more propaganda against Russia and in hope of draining Russia of manpower and military resources.

Widening of the war has occurred with NATO countries providing Ukraine with weapons, training, and now plans for a new one million man army equipped with the latest Western weapons to retake Donbass and Crimea.

The question before us is whether the Kremlin will again give way to hesitation, holding on to false hopes of negotiations, until Russia again creates a more difficult task for herself by waiting. Or has the Kremlin finally learned that hesitation does not pay?

We might find out in a few days when the Russian Federal Assembly convenes. If realism penetrates Russian false hopes of peace and mutual security, the prospect of knocking out Ukraine before Russia is confronted with a missile-launching-million-man-army will receive attention.

If Russia decides that the West has left her with no alternative to Ukraines conquest, the so far spared Ukrainian infrastructure, communication systems, and government offices will be destroyed. So will any NATO forces sent to intervene and possibly also the infrastructure and government offices of the intervening countries.

As I have stressed for years, it is Russias hesitancy in the face of provocations that has led to this dangerous situation. Washington,D.C. interprets the Kremlins toleration of insults and provocations as fear of conflict and regards Russias red lines as bluster.

The drawn-out conflict in Donbass has made the Russian military look to the West as much less effective than it is, which has encouraged the latest provocation of plans for a million man army and missiles capable of attacking Russian territory.

I do not see how the Kremlin can wait for this development before acting, but costly hesitancy so far has been the Kremlins practice.

As the Kremlin follows legalisms long abandoned in the West, little doubt Russia would declare war prior to attacking, thus further disadvantaging its military by giving up the element of surprise.

President Putin has said that the longer the conflict persists before it is resolved on Russias terms, the more stringent Russias terms will be. I will add to this that the longer the conflict persists before Russia uses sufficient force to terminate it, the greater the required force will be. If Russia awaits a million man army with long range missiles, the more likely a direct transition to nuclear weapons will be the case.

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