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US demands Ukraine be 'less risk-averse' - FT


RT
Sun, 20 Aug 2023 14:08 UTC
tankful
© Sergey Shestak/AFPUkrainian soldiers in Bakhmut
Officials in Washington want Kiev to concentrate its forces exclusively on the Southern front, the newspaper claims...

US officials are growing increasingly disappointed with the way Ukraine is conducting its counteroffensive and are skeptical about whether Kiev will be able to achieve any significant gains this year, the Financial Times has reported.

The British daily claimed that the US has been urging Ukraine to double down on its push in the Zaporozhye region instead of spreading its forces too thin along a lengthy frontline.

In its article on Sunday, the FT is alleging that rifts between the allies are beginning to grow, with a question mark now hanging over US President Joe Biden's ability to secure congressional approval for more defense assistance for Ukraine.

According to the report, Washington and Kiev had originally expected the counteroffensive to start in the spring and breach Russian defenses during the summer. The Ukrainian military was supposed to employ NATO's combined arms-maneuver tactics which its troops had been taught by its Western backers, the newspaper explained. However, amid initial setbacks, Kiev's forces reverted to older tactics - much to the displeasure of officials in Washington.

Despite small gains made by Ukrainian forces recently, ever more officials in the US capital are privately preparing for a "war of attrition that will last well into next year," the FT alleged.

Comment: Time is running out as commitments fade:
Ukraine is running out of options in its counteroffensive against Russian forces, as Kiev's time-window to gain advances is closing, the Washington Post has reported:
Kiev's advances remain isolated to a handful of villages, Russian troops are pushing forward in the north and a plan to train Ukrainian pilots on US-made F-16s is delayed.

Without more advanced weapons slated to bolster the front line or fully committing forces still being held in reserve, it is unlikely that Ukraine will be able to secure a breakthrough in the counteroffensive, according to analysts.

The inability to demonstrate decisive success on the battlefield [by Kiev forces] is stoking fears that the conflict is becoming a stalemate and international support could erode."
Calls for Washington to cut back on its military and financial aid to Ukraine "are expected to be amplified" in the wake of the US presidential election in 2024, it added.

Earlier this week, the Post also cited a classified US intelligence report, which suggested that "Ukraine's counteroffensive will fail to reach the key southeastern city of Melitopol," and that the aim of severing Russia's land bridge linking Donbass with Crimea in the southern province of Zaporozhye won't be achieved this year.


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Rocket

US doesn't have enough ballistic missiles for Ukraine - FT


RT
Sun, 20 Aug 2023 15:45 UTC
rocket
© John Hamilton/US Army/APUS Army live fire test of an early version of the Army Tactical Missile System at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico
The newspaper is also claiming that Washington is wary that such deliveries could lead to an uncontrolled escalation with Moscow...

The US is not in a position to supply Ukraine with tactical ballistic missiles in quantities that could help turn the tide in its counteroffensive, the Financial Times has reported. The British newspaper also cited several experts who question whether this type of weaponry could help Kiev achieve a major breakthrough at all.

In its article on Sunday, the FT, citing unnamed American officials, claimed that the US simply does not produce enough tactical ballistic missiles, those which Ukraine has been asking for, to make a significant difference on the battlefield.

In addition, according to the FT report, another consideration preventing the shipment of such projectiles is that such action could lead to a further escalation of the conflict with Russia.

Samuel Charap, a senior political scientist at Rand Corporation, told the media outlet that Ukraine's insistence on laying its hands on long-range missiles is misplaced. The expert stressed that rockets like these are "no magic wands" and are unlikely to solve the hurdles of minefields and entrenched Russian defenses that Kiev's forces are currently facing.

Comment: This is a case of supply versus demand with 'a big bottomless hole' in the middle.

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Attention

The rising rule of idiocracy in the West

Alex Krainer
Alex Krainer's TrendCompass / Substack
Mon, 21 Aug 2023 16:52 UTC
Erosion of leadership quality is systemic and pervasive.
Idiots in Charge

One facet of the Roman Empire's decline, as they taught us in school, was the decaying quality of its leadership, including weak and inept emperors at the top of the political hierarchy. Today we can appreciate that this deterioration was the result of a systemic process that promoted and empowered those who were loyal to the ruling establishment's agendas and purged those who dissented, often violently. Today also, the ruling establishments across western liberal democracies have important plans. These plans are in fact so important, that they must be implemented whether or not they make sense or not.

Zealotry over competence

To climb the ladders within the corporate and bureaucratic hierarchies charged with these important plans, individuals must show a certain zeal and loyalty over and above their ability or competence. Individuals who believe in things like vaccines, human-caused climate change, energy transition, lockdowns, smart cities, CBDCs, artificial meat, insect-based diets, LGBTQ+ ideology and rules-based global order are far more likely to advance in their careers than those who openly point out the many problems with these ideas. Here are a few examples:
  • Last year, the College of Psychologists of Ontario conducted an investigation of Dr. Jordan Peterson, a Canadian clinical psychiatrist and one of Canada's leading intellectuals over some of his public statements and Tweets. The College ordered him to complete a Specified Continuing Education or Remedial Program (SCERP) which is designed to address issues regarding professionalism in public statements.
  • In January 2020, the long-time columnist of Denver Post, Jon Caldera was sacked over the piece he wrote that month and in which he said that there were only two sexes (male and female).
  • In April 2023 in Norway, one Rianne Vogels, employee of a non-profit company Papillon which helps migrant young women was fired for tweeting that there are "only two genders."
  • On Friday, 22 January 2022, German Vice-Admiral Kay-Achim Schoenbach, speaking at an event organized by an Indian think tank in New Delhi suggested that the easiest, low-cost solution to the Ukraine crisis was to deal with Vladimir Putin with respect: "... it is easy to give him the respect he really demands - and probably also deserves." He also blundered to state that Crimea was "gone" and "will never come back - this is a fact." German Defence Ministry immediately distanced itself from the Admiral who was pressured into resigning.
  • In July this year, Dr. Mark Tykocinski, MD, resigned from his position as the President of Thomas Jefferson University and Interim Dean of the Sydney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia. Tykocinski erred by liking some tweets that called into question the validity and efficacy of Covid 19 vaccinations and called gender reassignment surgery "child mutilation."
The list of similar career shipwrecks is now very long, a sort of pandemic that's swept across the western world - the same "free world" that prides itself on its shared values, the foremost among which is freedom of expression. It would seem that we've reached the stage where doublethink has become part of our everyday normal: to save freedom of speech, it is necessary to destroy freedom of speech.
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Quenelle - Golden

'The big family': China supports expansion of BRICS


RT
Mon, 21 Aug 2023 09:41 UTC
Eurasia Leaders
© The CradleRussian media Speaking to RIA Novosti, diplomats stressed the openness and inclusivity of the group
Beijing wants to see new members join BRICS, Chinese diplomats have told Russia's RIA Novosti news agency. In recent months, more than a dozen countries have expressed an interest in joining the alliance of major emerging economies, currently comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.


Comment: It's even more than a dozen, because many more have 'informally' registered their interest: 40+ nations expressed interest to join BRICS - South Africa


On Monday, the Russian outlet quoted the Chinese Foreign Ministry's press office as saying: "China has always been convinced that BRICS is an open and inclusive mechanism, Beijing supports the process of BRICS expansion and welcomes the accession of more like-minded partners into the 'big family'."

The ministry pledged China's support for the efforts of South Africa in hosting the BRICS Summit from Tuesday through Thursday.
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Russian Flag

Medvedev: The Ukraine conflict 'could last for decades'


RT
Sun, 20 Aug 2023 21:43 UTC
Dmitry Medvedev
© Sputnik / Ilya PitalevDmitry Medvedev
The collective West is bound to end up defeated by Moscow, the ex-Russian president believes

The hostilities between Russia and Ukraine may end up dragging on for years or even decades, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned on Saturday.

For Russia, it is an "existential" conflict and a fight for its very existence, Medvedev, who is currently deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, wrote in a Telegram post. Russia must destroy and fully dismantle the Ukrainian state that is "terrorist in its essence," making sure "this filth" never re-emerges again, he stressed.
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Attention

Plan unfolding: Could THIS be why they impeached Ken Paxton?


revolver
Wed, 16 Aug 2023 00:00 UTC
Paxton
© ReformAustinFormer Texas AG Ken Paxton
The strongest, bravest, and best attorney general in the United States was benched by the regime. Loyal Trump adviser Stephen Miller just published a post arguing that a Republican Attorney General could indict Biden and Mayorkas for human trafficking. While he may be correct, as many have noted, the one individual with the courage to take such action, Texas AG Ken Paxton, has been sidelined. After members of his own party turned on him, Paxton was impeached on twenty counts, removing him from the game.

Here's what Stephen Miller said in his tweet:
Here are the responses from folks online:
I believe the Bush's are behind the Paxton impeachment."
All the AG's are watching what's happening to Paxton, and saying "No thanks."
"Ken Paxton would but has has an impeachment trial."
"I'm sure Biden already thought of that and that's why he had Paxton impeached."
"Republicans are cowards. The only guy with the balls to fight is getting impeached right now."
BideMayo
© Saul Loeb/Afp/Getty ImagesUS President Joe Biden • Homeland Security Secretary Alexander Mayorkas

Comment: According to their playbook, the Biden administration steamroller is just getting started.

See also:

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X

Germany will 'never' place troops in Ukraine - Scholz


RT
Sat, 19 Aug 2023 09:40 UTC
Oscholz
© Barbara Gindl/APA/AFPGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz
The chancellor says it is his aim to prevent a war with Russia amid talk of long-range missile deliveries to Kiev...

Germany will not get involved in the Ukraine conflict, but will continue to supply Kiev with weaponry, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said. The comment comes amid a public discussion on whether Berlin should supply long-range Taurus missiles to Kiev.

Speaking at an event organized by the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper on Friday, Scholz was asked whether there is a danger of Germany becoming "actively involved in the war." He replied by saying that it is his "aim to prevent this," and that this is why there are "no German soldiers in Ukraine and there won't be any."

The chancellor said, however, that Berlin will continue to supply Ukraine with weapons. He added that each decision in this respect has been taken cautiously and in coordination with allies. According to Scholz, the West does not want the conflict to develop into a "war between Russia and NATO."

Comment: Germany's question of allegiance? Ask Russia.
Most Germans are opposed to the idea of providing Kiev with long-range cruise missiles, which could potentially be used to strike deep into Russia, a poll by state pollster ARD-DeutschlandTrend released on Friday suggests.

Some 52% of respondents firmly opposed such deliveries, while only 36% backed them, and a further 12% did not have an opinion on the matter, the survey indicates.

Swedish-German Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles boast a range of about 500km and carry a massive 500kg warhead, which would make them a powerful long-range addition to Ukraine's arsenal if they were to be delivered.

Germany appears to remain deeply split in its stance on the Ukraine conflict, both geographically and politically, the poll suggests. Some 70% of those from eastern Germany firmly oppose providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles, while only 47% in western Germany are against doing so.

In terms of party allegiance, some 68% of Green Party supporters were in favor of delivering the missiles, while 56% of Free Democratic Party voters would support such a move. Those aligned with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, on the other hand, overwhelmingly rejected the idea, with 76% registering their opposition.

However, the new poll showed a significantly lower level of opposition to delivering Taurus missiles than a survey conducted earlier this month by the Forsa research institute on behalf of two German channels, RTL and n-tv. In that survey, a clear majority of 66% rejected the idea of sending long-range munitions to Ukraine.

Thus far, top German officials have appeared reluctant to send Taurus missiles, despite repeated requests from Ukraine. Last month, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he agreed with US President Joe Biden that Western-supplied weapons should not be used to attack Russian territory.

Early in August, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said such deliveries were "not our top priority right now," stating that concerns over supplying such "special range" weaponry were "obvious" and pointing out that Washington itself was also holding off on providing Kiev with longer-range munitions.

Unlike Germany and the US, however, the UK, also a leading supporter of Ukraine, has already provided Kiev with Storm Shadow cruise missiles, which have a range of over 250km. Last month, France also pledged to supply long-range SCALP missiles, which are effectively a localized version of the Storm Shadow, from its domestic stockpiles.


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Arrow Down

Ukraine likely to fail in key counteroffensive aim, says US intelligence

Roland Oliphant
Telegraph
Fri, 18 Aug 2023 02:25 UTC
gun and guys
© Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert/AvalonUkrainian soldiers prepare to clean the gun barrel of a Leopard 1 A5 main battle tank
Ukraine's counter-offensive will likely fail in its key objective to cut Russia's land bridge to Crimea this year, according to a US intelligence assessment briefed to members of Congress.

Instead, Ukraine's attack is expected to stop some way short of the key city of Melitopol, the Washington Post reported, citing anonymous officials familiar with the assessment.

The reported assessment, which The Telegraph could not immediately verify, could foreshadow mutual recriminations between members of the pro-Ukraine alliance over the offensive's slow progress.

Ukraine launched a long-planned counter-offensive in June. Its main objective was to reach the sea of Azov and sever Russia's land bridge to the annexed Black Sea Crimean peninsula.
guygun
© Ignacio Marin/Getty ImagesA Ukrainian soldier holds his position inside a trench
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NPC

Eight years of hurt: Canada's swelling disillusionment with Justin Trudeau

Daniel Johnson
The Telegraph
Sun, 20 Aug 2023 06:00 UTC
justin trudeau
© Sean Gallup/Getty Images EuropeTrudeau's premiership has been tarnished by accusations of hyprocrisy as well as lack of results.
Canadian prime minister swept to power on promises of a golden era of reform, but he has failed to deliver on so many counts.

Canadians have finally fallen out of love with Trudeau. The shine has come off a career that at times seemed to defy political gravity. Instead of Trudeaumania, the nation is suffering from Trudeau fatigue.

The Liberal prime minister's approval ratings have slumped below 30pc among voters aged 18 to 34, according to national polling group the Angus Reid Institute. This is the group whose enthusiasm helped get Trudeau elected in 2015, re-elected in 2019 and again - just about - in 2021.

Comment: See also:

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Folder

Jim Jordan subpoenas Citibank over alleged info sharing with FBI

Ryan King
New York Post
Thu, 17 Aug 2023 07:38 UTC
jOrdan
© Michael Brochstein/SOPA Images/ShutterstockSelect Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government Chairman Jim Jordan
Citibank was subpoenaed by a GOP-led congressional subcommittee Thursday over potential information sharing with the FBI.

The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) formally issued the subpoenas demanding documentation after deeming the bank's voluntary commitment insufficient.

"The Committee and Select Subcommittee have obtained evidence showing that at least one major financial institution provided the FBI with private financial data without legal process," Jordan wrote to Sunil Garg, CEO of Citibank North America in a subpoena cover letter.

The subpoena is demanding documents and communication pertinent to the subcommittee's probe of major banks sharing data with the bureau.

Jordan reiterated testimony he cited in a June 12 letter asking for voluntary cooperation, that alleged Bank of America provided the FBI "voluntarily and without any legal process" information about individuals who made transactions in the Washington, DC, area between Jan. 5-7, 2021.
"Given this concerning testimony, the Committee has written to other major financial institutions, including Citibank, to determine whether those entities were involved in similar conduct."
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