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Russia Or China - Washington's Conflict Over Who Is Public Enemy #1
Submitted by Michael Klare via TomDispatch.com,
America’s grand strategy, its long-term blueprint for advancing national interests and countering major adversaries, is in total disarray. Top officials lurch from crisis to crisis, improvising strategies as they go, but rarely pursuing a consistent set of policies. Some blame this indecisiveness on a lack of resolve at the White House, but the real reason lies deeper. It lurks in a disagreement among foreign policy elites over whether Russia or China constitutes America’s principal great-power adversary.
Knowing one’s enemy is usually considered the essence of strategic planning. During the Cold War, enemy number one was, of course, unquestioned: it was the Soviet Union, and everything Washington did was aimed at diminishing Moscow’s reach and power. When the USSR imploded and disappeared, all that was left to challenge U.S. dominance were a few “rogue states.” In the wake of 9/11, however, President Bush declared a “global war on terror,” envisioning a decades-long campaign against Islamic extremists and their allies everywhere on the planet. From then on, with every country said to be either with us or against us, the chaos set in. Invasions, occupations, raids, drone wars ensued -- all of it, in the end, disastrous -- while China used its economic clout to gain new influence abroad and Russia began to menace its neighbors.
Among Obama administration policymakers and their Republican opponents, the disarray in strategic thinking is striking. There is general agreement on the need to crush the Islamic State (ISIS), deny Iran the bomb, and give Israel all the weapons it wants, but not much else. There is certainly no agreement on how to allocate America’s strategic resources, including its military ones, even in relation to ISIS and Iran. Most crucially, there is no agreement on the question of whether a resurgent Russia or an ever more self-assured China should head Washington’s enemies list. Lacking such a consensus, it has become increasingly difficult to forge long-term strategic plans. And yet, while it is easy to decry the current lack of consensus on this point, there is no reason to assume that the anointment of a common enemy -- a new Soviet Union -- will make this country and the world any safer than it is today.
Choosing the Enemy
For some Washington strategists, including many prominent Republicans, Russia under the helm of Vladimir Putin represents the single most potent threat to America’s global interests, and so deserves the focus of U.S. attention. “Who can doubt that Russia will do what it pleases if its aggression goes unanswered?” Jeb Bush asserted on June 9th in Berlin during his first trip abroad as a potential presidential contender. In countering Putin, he noted, “our alliance [NATO], our solidarity, and our actions are essential if we want to preserve the fundamental principles of our international order, an order that free nations have sacrificed so much to build.”
For many in the Obama administration, however, it is not Russia but China that poses the greatest threat to American interests. They feel that its containment should take priority over other considerations. If the U.S. fails to enact a new trade pact with its Pacific allies, Obama declared in April, “China, the 800-pound gorilla in Asia, will create its own set of rules,” further enriching Chinese companies and reducing U.S. access “in the fastest-growing, most dynamic economic part of the world.”
In the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union, the military strategists of a seemingly all-powerful United States -- the unchallenged “hyperpower” of the immediate post-Cold War era -- imagined the country being capable of fighting full-scale conflicts on two (or even three fronts) at once. The shock of the twenty-first century in Washington has been the discovery that the U.S. is not all-powerful and that it can’t successfully take on two major adversaries simultaneously (if it ever could). It can, of course, take relatively modest steps to parry the initiatives of both Moscow and Beijing while also fighting ISIS and other localized threats, as the Obama administration is indeed attempting to do. However, it cannot also pursue a consistent, long-range strategy aimed at neutralizing a major adversary as in the Cold War. Hence a decision to focus on either Russia or China as enemy number one would have significant implications for U.S. policy and the general tenor of world affairs.
Choosing Russia as the primary enemy, for example, would inevitably result in a further buildup of NATO forces in Eastern Europe and the delivery of major weapons systems to Ukraine. The Obama administration has consistently opposed such deliveries, claiming that they would only inflame the ongoing conflict and sabotage peace talks. For those who view Russia as the greatest threat, however, such reluctance only encourages Putin to escalate his Ukrainian intervention and poses a long-term threat to U.S. interests. In light of Putin’s ruthlessness, said Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a major advocate of a Russia-centric posture, the president’s unwillingness to better arm the Ukrainians “is one of the most shameful and dishonorable acts I have seen in my life.”
On the other hand, choosing China as America’s principal adversary means a relatively restrained stance on the Ukrainian front coupled with a more vigorous response to Chinese claims and base building in the South China Sea. This was the message delivered to Chinese leaders by Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter in late May at U.S. Pacific Command headquarters in Honolulu. Claiming that Chinese efforts to establish bases in the South China Sea were “out of step” with international norms, he warned of military action in response to any Chinese efforts to impede U.S. operations in the region. “There should be... no mistake about this -- the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows.”
If you happen to be a Republican (other than Rand Paul) running for president, it’s easy enough to pursue an all-of-the-above strategy, calling for full-throttle campaigns against China, Russia, Iran, Syria, ISIS, and any other adversary that comes to mind. This, however, is rhetoric, not strategy. Eventually, one or another approach is likely to emerge as the winner and the course of history will be set.
The “Pivot” to Asia
The Obama administration’s fixation on the “800-pound gorilla” that is China came into focus sometime in 2010-2011. Plans were then being made for what was assumed to be the final withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and the winding down of the American military presence in Afghanistan. At the time, the administration’s top officials conducted a systematic review of America’s long-term strategic interests and came to a consensus that could be summed up in three points: Asia and the Pacific Ocean had become the key global theater of international competition; China had taken advantage of a U.S. preoccupation with Iraq and Afghanistan to bolster its presence there; and to remain the world’s number one power, the United States would have to prevent China from gaining more ground.
This posture, spelled out in a series of statements by President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and other top administration officials, was initially called the “pivot to Asia” and has since been relabeled a “rebalancing” to that region. Laying out the new strategy in 2011, Clinton noted, “The Asia-Pacific has become a key driver of global politics. Stretching from the Indian subcontinent to the western shores of the Americas... it boasts almost half of the world’s population [and] includes many of the key engines of the global economy.” As the U.S. withdrew from its wars in the Middle East, “one of the most important tasks of American statecraft over the next decade will therefore be to lock in substantially increased investment -- diplomatic, economic, strategic, and otherwise -- in the Asia-Pacific region.”
This strategy, administration officials claimed then and still insist, was never specifically aimed at containing the rise of China, but that, of course, was a diplomatic fig leaf on what was meant to be a full-scale challenge to a rising power. It was obvious that any strengthened American presence in the Pacific would indeed pose a direct challenge to Beijing’s regional aspirations. “My guidance is clear,” Obama told the Australian parliament that same November. “As we plan and budget for the future, we will allocate the resources necessary to maintain our strong military presence in this region. We will preserve our unique ability to project power and deter threats to peace.”
Implementation of the pivot, Obama and Clinton explained, would include support for or cooperation with a set of countries that ring China, including increased military aid to Japan and the Philippines, diplomatic outreach to Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and other nations in Beijing’s economic orbit, military overtures to India, and the conclusion of a major trade arrangement, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), that would conveniently include most countries in the region but exclude China.
Many in Washington have commented on how much more limited the administration’s actions in the Pacific have proven to be than the initial publicity suggested. Of course, Washington soon found itself re-embroiled in the Greater Middle East and shuttling many of its military resources back into that region, leaving less than expected available for a rebalancing to Asia. Still, the White House continues to pursue a strategic blueprint aimed at bolstering America’s encirclement of China. “No matter how many hotspots emerge elsewhere, we will continue to deepen our enduring commitment to this critical region,” National Security Adviser Susan Rice declared in November 2013.
For Obama and his top officials, despite the challenge of ISIS and of disintegrating states like Yemen and Libya wracked with extremist violence, China remains the sole adversary capable of taking over as the world’s top power. (Its economy already officially has.) To them, this translates into a simple message: China must be restrained through all means available. This does not mean, they claim, ignoring Russia and other potential foes. The White House has, for example, signaled that it will begin storing heavy weaponry, including tanks, in Eastern Europe for future use by any U.S. troops rotated into the region to counter Russian pressure against countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. And, of course, the Obama administration is continuing to up the ante against ISIS, most recently dispatching yet more U.S. military advisers to Iraq. They insist, however, that none of these concerns will deflect the administration from the primary task of containing China.
Countering the Resurgent Russian Bear
Not everyone in Washington shares this China-centric outlook. While most policymakers agree that China poses a potential long-term challenge to U.S. interests, an oppositional crew of them sees that threat as neither acute nor immediate. After all, China remains America’s second-leading trading partner (after Canada) and its largest supplier of imported goods. Many U.S. companies do extensive business in China, and so favor a cooperative relationship. Though the leadership in Beijing is clearly trying to secure what it sees as its interests in Asian waters, its focus remains primarily economic and its leaders seek to maintain friendly relations with the U.S., while regularly engaging in high-level diplomatic exchanges. Its president, Xi Jinping, is expected to visit Washington in September.
Vladimir Putin’s Russia, on the other hand, looks far more threatening to many U.S. strategists. Its annexation of Crimea and its ongoing support for separatist forces in eastern Ukraine are viewed as direct and visceral threats on the Eurasian mainland to what they see as a U.S.-dominated world order. President Putin, moreover, has made no secret of his contempt for the West and his determination to pursue Russian national interests wherever they might lead. For many who remember the Cold War era -- and that includes most senior U.S. policymakers -- this looks a lot like the menacing behavior of the former Soviet Union; for them, Russia appears to be posing an existential threat to the U.S. in a way that China does not.
Among those who are most representative of this dark, eerily familiar, and retrograde outlook is Senator McCain. Recently, offering an overview of the threats facing America and the West, he put Russia at the top of the list:
“In the heart of Europe, we see Russia emboldened by a significant modernization of its military, resurrecting old imperial ambitions, and intent on conquest once again. For the first time in seven decades on this continent, a sovereign nation has been invaded and its territory annexed by force. Worse still, from central Europe to the Caucuses, people sense Russia’s shadow looming larger, and in the darkness, liberal values, democratic sovereignty, and open economies are being undermined.”
For McCain and others who share his approach, there is no question about how the U.S. should respond: by bolstering NATO, providing major weapons systems to the Ukrainians, and countering Putin in every conceivable venue. In addition, like many Republicans, McCain favors increased production via hydro-fracking of domestic shale gas for export as liquefied natural gas to reduce the European Union’s reliance on Russian gas supplies.
McCain’s views are shared by many of the Republican candidates for president. Jeb Bush, for instance, described Putin as “a ruthless pragmatist who will push until someone pushes back.” Senator Ted Cruz, when asked on Fox News what he would do to counter Putin, typically replied, “One, we need vigorous sanctions… Two, we should immediately reinstate the antiballistic missile batteries in Eastern Europe that President Obama canceled in 2009 in an effort to appease Russia. And three, we need to open up the export of liquid natural gas, which will help liberate Ukraine and Eastern Europe.” Similar comments from other candidates and potential candidates are commonplace.
As the 2016 election season looms, expect the anti-Russian rhetoric to heat up. Many of the Republican candidates are likely to attack Hillary Clinton, the presumed Democratic candidate, for her role in the Obama administration’s 2009 “reset” of ties with Moscow, an attempted warming of relations that is now largely considered a failure. “She’s the one that literally brought the reset button to the Kremlin,” said former Texas Governor Rick Perry in April.
If any of the Republican candidates other than Paul prevails in 2016, anti-Russianism is likely to become the centerpiece of foreign policy with far-reaching consequences. “No leader abroad draws more Republican criticism than Putin does,” a conservative website noted in June. “The candidates’ message is clear: If any of them are elected president, U.S. relations with Russia will turn even more negative.”
The Long View
Whoever wins in 2016, what Yale historian Paul Kennedy has termed “imperial overstretch” will surely continue to be an overwhelming reality for Washington. Nonetheless, count on a greater focus of attention and resources on one of those two contenders for the top place on Washington’s enemies list. A Democratic victory spearheaded by Hillary Clinton is likely to result in a more effectively focused emphasis on China as the country’s greatest long-term threat, while a Republican victory would undoubtedly sanctify Russia as enemy number one.
For those of us residing outside Washington, this choice may appear to have few immediate consequences. The defense budget will rise in either case; troops will, as now, be shuttled desperately around the hot spots of the planet, and so on. Over the long run, however, don’t think for a second that the choice won’t matter.
A stepped-up drive to counter Russia will inevitably produce a grim, unpredictable Cold War-like atmosphere of suspicion, muscle-flexing, and periodic crises. More U.S. troops will be deployed to Europe; American nuclear weapons may return there; and saber rattling, nuclear or otherwise, will increase. (Note that Moscow recently announced a decision to add another 40 intercontinental ballistic missiles to its already impressive nuclear arsenal and recall Senator Cruz’s proposal for deploying U.S. anti-missile batteries in Eastern Europe.) For those of us who can remember the actual Cold War, this is hardly an appealing prospect.
A renewed focus on China would undoubtedly prove no less unnerving. It would involve the deployment of additional U.S. naval and air forces to the Pacific and an attendant risk of armed confrontation over China’s expanded military presence in the East and South China Seas. Cooperation on trade and the climate would be imperiled, along with the health of the global economy, while the flow of ideas and people between East and West would be further constricted. (In a sign of the times, China recently announced new curbs on the operations of foreign nongovernmental organizations.) Although that country possesses far fewer nuclear weapons than Russia, it is modernizing its arsenal and the risk of nuclear confrontation would undoubtedly increase as well.
In short, the options for American global policy, post-2016, might be characterized as either grim and chaotic or even grimmer, if more focused. Most of us will fare equally badly under either of those outcomes, though defense contractors and others in what President Dwight Eisenhower first dubbed the “military-industrial complex” will have a field day. Domestic needs like health, education, infrastructure, and the environment will suffer either way, while prospects for peace and climate stability will recede.
A country without a coherent plan for advancing its national interests is a sorry thing. Worse yet, however, as we may find out in the years to come, would be a country forever on the brink of crisis and conflict with a beleaguered, nuclear-armed rival.
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Looks like Russia and Germany are expanding the North Stream pipeline....aka North Stream 2 Ukraine is F'ed.
http://thesaker.is/gas-claws-of-putin/
The expansion of North Stream is also to make sure Turkey does not do anything to screw up their bonanza.
Poor Bulgaria and other parts of Europe keep thinking they will still get a pipeline. LOL! McCain and Nuland burned that bridge for ya.
Public enemy #1???????????
The President and that idiot Biden, the cabinet, the Senate and House of Representarives, SCOTUS, Mooooochelle, in no particular order
And the result of the strategic procrastination and poor tactical decision making has been to unite China and Russia and alienate much of Europe. Well done Guys......
Washington is public enemy #1
The scumbag, treasonous, sociopaths of the District of Criminals and their bankster overlords are enemy #1
"and Russia began to menace its neighbors."
stopped reading right there.
Russia and China both moving to gold money.
Both are enemies of paper money system of Obama's owners.
Today, I'm against China. But tomorrow I might be against Russia. It all just depends on my mood. Plus I enjoy boneless chicken with duck sauce.
If you replace the 3 arrows in the article's thumbnail with equally position and colored cocks, then suddenly the whole international situation becomes much clearer.
I guess he is trying to suck up to the foreign policy establishment. We all know Russia has done no such thing. The central point he makes is valid - the modus of US foreign policy is paranoid war-mongering. Surprise, this alienates allies and creates a lot of enemies. And that gets expensive. With the economy stuck in second gear and the handbrake on, the budget constraint looms.
Beyond ALL of which, why does The US always need enemies (Actually a rhetorical question in large part)? PCR was correct wehn he siad "Washington doesn't want partners, it wants Vassals". When it all starts to collapse as a result of US Bankruptcy, there is a vast pool of ill-well that will be left behind and will come back to bite. IMHO.
bingo pub, I don't know a single person who thinks that Russia or China is the #1 threat to our way of life, and the future of our families here in America.
Israel controls Washington, and the MIC, and the Media.
Public enemy #1 is our war criminal government... and their owners.
I guess the policy makers are too stupid to realize that both russia and china understand: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
China is going to take advantage of Russia. Being neighbors, China might be aggressive and it seems like Putin is strategically trying to set up boundaries with China, yet keep trade flowing and Russian energy stocks are listed on Exchanges in China.
I myself am not sure how EVERYTHING is "Made in China" or "Made in japan" when land and resources are not entirely abundant. Asia has workers and human capital, the commodiites have to come from somewhere and Russia will be eager to fill that demand. Japan and the rest of them imported raw materials from Australia - losing what exports the U.S. were supposed to send them, sans Dubya and that steel business. There seems to be more to the story as to why Asia would prefer to not deal with the U.S., unless it's an H1Visa jobs and subsidies for Visa students. Some have created businesses here, I know a few Koreans were success at starting thriving companies.
Anywho, China and Russia are mutual beneficiaries.
China and Russia are only nos 1 and 2 on a long, and steadily growing, list.
Most of the Middle East seems to be either already Washington's enemy, or turning that way. Iran, of course. Syria. Yemen. Afghanistan... and I wonder how all those utterly destroyed countries feel about their 'liberation' events over the past few years? How's the gratitude level in Libya and Iraq, toward Uncle Drone?
Then there are the various Eastern European states, which are showing a bit of an uppity attitude these days: Hungary, for example. Cyprus appears to have taken that whole bail-in thing personally, getting a tad chummy with Russia. Not to mention a growing restlessness in other allies, too. Germany has to be kept under a very close eye. Greece is turning into quite the wild card. Turkey is no longer a sure thing.
Gets a lot tougher holding onto that World Reserve Currency spot when your enemies list starts to look like well over half the planet.
To me it appears that the sole goal of our war criminal government is to make enemies with every other nation on earth.
Seems they're well on their way to it, too. Once Europe tells Obama/Nuland/Cameron to kiss their collective ass on self destructive policies it won't be too long before NATO starts being questioned. And once Saudi Arabia starts to question why Obama won't actually fight his subcontractor terrorists and lurches to BRIC support, the petrodollar will be immediately toast.
The carnage coming our way due to our war criminal government will not just be financial...there's a shit-world of retribution headed our way.
I used to love SciFi and Horror movies, but with reality on its head and the world being what it is. Who needs movies anymore
Saudi Arabia wants the US to fight ISIS more than the US? AFAICS the US position on ISIS is schizophrenic directly because Saudi Arabia's position on ISIS is schizophrenic.
The US dutifully plays along with Saudi Arabia's paranoia fueled destruction of any country Iran had some influence with ... ISIS was a direct result of that, now both of them are caught between not wanting to help Shiites and combating ISIS and don't know what to do.
If Russia and China - are enemies of America, why Washington is spying on leaders of Germany and France?
Sheesh!!!There's enough clowns down in DC-you'd think at least one of them could find themselves a mirror-and use it!!
Public enemy #1, Barack Hussien Obama.
I hate that SOB more than you I'll bet but he is just a stooge. As Ann refers to him; "The Manchurian Teleprompter".
Which kills the most of its own citizens? That would be a good start.
I'm pretty sure that the US Cops long list of summary "executions", random tortures (of cuffed prisoners) and sexual molestations of its population outdo near on the rest of the world combined...
Please, Christianity is DCs biggest enemy.
Your kidding..... right?
Not at all, every single one of them is a Lucie. The gay marriage ruling had absolutely nothing to do with marriage, and everything to do with attacking the Christian church. If you look in the Bible, a man travelling up another mans bunghole is heavily frowned upon. The homos know this so, emboldened by the laughable "supreme court", Bruce and Bruce or Lizzy and Lezzy will march into EVERY Christian church and demand to be married knowing full well it is blasphemous. Fireworks will ensue and mark these words: Christianity will be banned in the USSA before 2016.
Agree with some of it, but quibble with the details. First, the whole 'supreme court' (I refuse to capitalize that Obamanation) gay marriage decision happened at the same time as the Charleston thing and the fast track vote for the TPP, so it was a head-fake to keep us from concentrating on the biggest ticket item they are going to stick us with.
Second, it won't just be Christianity going down - note the focus on Islam and Israel as well. *ALL* religions will be thrown under the bus. They will probably pull some insane-ass shit like 'Project Blue Beam' or some such to shock and awe us, something 'out of this world'...here is where some think I am losing the plot, but all I have to say about that is this: from here on, the plot thickens. And they will use GMO cornstarch.
Yes, they are hitting us harder, faster, and more often now. The beatings will continue until the bamboozlement is satisfactory. However, Bruce and Bruce or Lizzy and Lezzie will not be marching into a mosque demanding to be married. That ain't gonna happen.
Absolutely agree on the Lizzie/Lucie thing. They are all Satanistic, child ritual-sacrificing bastards. Disagree that they aren't taking it up the butt, though...but probably right they won't be marrying. No need to. They can clone on demand.
(I disdain sarc tags.)
US has gone to shit.
US has 1st "negro*" president.
Coincidence?
*(Claims he is black, but is not)
The fact that Nuland has not been escorted out to pasture is an example of how in disarray the State Dept is. Sad shape.
The different gov agencies are competing for The Most Inept Award; also look at the VA.
Someone in Ukraine or the EU should have escorted her out the back of a barn and shown her what an old cow gets for retirement.
The fact that she's married to Robert Kagan, co-founder of PNAC, tells me everything I need to know about who controls US foreign policy, whether it's Republicans or Democrats.
Its not a choice sunshine.
Its Eurasia.
We have always been at war with Eurasia.
China and Russia will eventually fight over influence in the Stans, which Russia regards as its historical sphere, but which china has given increasing aid and cultivates soft power.
Recently Russia has sent more military to its borders in central asia, surprisingly where peope would have you believe there is the least need. Hard vs soft power displays will eventually become hard vs hard.
Nothing remotely like what you said will occur until after the US is rightfully in the shitter.
And unless you are han chinese ethnicity, you will rightfully be enslaved or run over by a tank in Tiananmen Square by that point. And even then, maybe still...
5 weeks 2 days
Let me guess, your previous pro-USSA troll account was suspended and you created another? I'm gonna assume you're another one of those paid-by-the-potato trolls.
What was your last handle?
Nah. We will find 1930s recoiless rifles like the people of Donbas and Lughansk found and we will blow those Han tanks into shit.
Just like those miners and farmers did in the DRP and LPR when the Azov nazis from the Kiev Junta showed up.
Here are two of those miners and farmers on tanks and BMPs donated by Ukrainian conscripts who refused to be cannon fodder for dual shit-i-Zens Yats and Porky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lY1f0tBHqE
Dumbest comment of the day goes to you.
Sounds like some ridiculous neocon fantasy
http://asia.nikkei.com/Politics-Economy/International-Relations/Russia-p...
You do know that's not a legitimate source don't you? LOL..
Edited: Not only that but the premise of their argument is clearly misconstructed for propaganda purposes. Did you read the article and think about what it is saying? C'mon you gotta do better than that for potatoes
LOL. Because you're on ZH so you are clearly picky only about mainstream news.
Are russian troop levels being increased in the Stans? DO you even care about the facts in your rush to delegitimise one source while on another site that is often also delegitimised a priori without listening to its facts?
You're no different from those you pretend to hate.
You are the one making new accounts and troling for potatoes every couple of weeks..
But aside from that. Russia moving troops in central Asia is not a new occurance; and if you need reasons perhaps they are a move for security due to western aggression? The west is terrorizing Russia and you think that Russia is going to move troops against China? I want some of what you are smoking.
You think Russian troop movements are all of a sudden an aggressive move against their ally, an ally whom they support in its growing influence including the new silk road?
Look at the source of the article. Now what benefit would a Japanese tabloid have in pitting China and Russia against each other?
Fuck you are dumb.
Reason is no match for Stupidity. As my grandma use to say; "Never argue with stupid people"
Yes...the mainstream Japanese media is as captured by the CIA (admittedly so since the war) as thje EU and American media. Nikkei simply released a press release from DC with Japanese flavor.
I realise this shatters the geopolitcal scenario that you were going to self-pleasure to this evening. I apologise, bro.
China and Russia are both ambitious nations that do not share center stage together easily.
You have a new account, and are trolling pro neocon nonsense from a Japanese tabloid, the main points of which are ridiculously fabricated. C'mon, we know what you are doing. Why even bother on this site? It took me about 2 minutes to both figure you out and destroy the propaganda you are trying to push. It's pathetic.
Thanks for bitch-slapping this asshole. But don't get your blood boiling, have fun with it.
You're almost on the verge of tears while contemplating that Russia and China are both big countries with out-szied ambitions and that they might not dovetail together tightly as allies. I find that marvellous when wierd people like you are so discomfitted.
Hardly. I'm laughing my ass off at how pitiful the American government is to allow a jackass like you to interface with the public. If you are any indication of the brain power in Washington, the US is fucked more than most people think.
You are the epitome of American foreign policy, stomping around like a rhino in mud while everyone laughs at you.
You do realize that with every passing post your IQ drops 25 points.
You are worth what they are paying you in... tungsten bars.
Douche...er...I mean Dude....
No, I mean Douche...that's some weak shit right there.
double
http://thesaker.is/gas-claws-of-putin/
Medvedev at 2:29 - there will be no gas transit through the Ukraine in the future even if the moon and Earth switch places.
LOL! Now roll the guilotines for the dual shitiZens in Kiev like Porky and Yats.
When does the shooting start?
China really is an enemy of the US. Russia is NOBODY'S enemy.
One cannot say with a certainty that they really KNOW Putin but, with a few exceptions like putting investigators of the Holocaust in prison at hard labor for three years, an obvious sop to the J-Tribe, he seems a reasonable leader on the world scene. Russia is doing NOTHING to the US and I might add despite genuine provocation.
Stay with Christ Russia and don't let the ZOG get you down.
In the minds of the lunatics in DC Russians not bending over completely as they try to rape and murder them is an offense in itself.
If Russians don't commit suicide then they are being offensive and "aggressive" in the minds of the DC terrorists.
Actually China isn't "anti" or "pro" U.S. China is "pro-China".
China and the U.S. has imbalances that screwed up the trade balance in the U.S. We can't put China on a pedistal even though Asians in context of politics are supposed to represent the "model minority". A model race or nationality will never exist.
China executes government officials who take bribes, in the U.S. they get rewarded. Asians assume that the best go to DC because they have to compete for government jobs academically over there.
There are major things that got lost in translation - some in either China or surrounding areas never imagined the concept of "intangible property". True story.
Has China overstepped their boundaries? YES.
Has China and the U.S. have mishaps? Look at CNOOC's proposed acquisition of Unical in 2003 when Chevron bribed Congress to block the sale of Unical to the CNOOC as a "national security concern" because it was cheaper for Chevron to buy off U.S. politicians than to increase their bid to compete with CNOOC to acquire Unical.
Look at Joop Bollen-South Dakota's republican who embezzled badly needed EB-5 monies from Chinese investor Visa hopefuls.
There are more shady things to come, and one will be Sino Pharmaceuticals who is partnered with Bristol Myers Squibb.
Anyways, China has to secure resources for 1.4 BILLION people.
The U.S. and China have relationships.
China's population is also very vast that many sketchy or misleading things can happen, like here in the U.S.. There are Chinese people I like a lot and others who piss me off. Just like everyone else in the U.S.
China has US Treasuries. If the U.S. actually perceieved China as an "enemy", why would they indebt us to China?
China does not hate the U.S., especially since the U.S. population were forced and robbed for the generosity of China's trade surplus, employee shortage and rapid econmic growth that we will never benefit from.
China is the scapegoat, the alibi. It's too easy to use racism as a red herring to distrace the dipshit American population from big issues, like the 98 million Americans who are no longer in the workforce.
McCarthyism is a distraction from garbage that's happening to people. You don't have to love everyone, I'm not insisting that you do. I'm just sorry you took the bait.
"China executes government officials who take bribes, in the U.S. they get rewarded."
Never been to China, I see.
Bribes are almost mandatory in many interactions with government. Xi used anti-corruption as a way to break Jiang's faction, which ignoring longstanding customs of rampant bribery elsewhere.
Corruption, incompetence, and cutting corners are exactly why you should use flooring from Lumber Liquidators and give your baby Chinese baby food. Since they are such an efficient, well-regulated and uncorrupt society.
"Bribes are almost mandatory in many interactions with government."
You mean like here in the US. Except here they call it campaign fund-raising and lobbying...all legal, huh?
So, did the government send you to China? It must be pretty embarrassing to go from an overseas assignment to flaming web sites. What did you do wrong or were you just reassigned when Clinton left?
I agree about Russia but you're wrong about China...unless you are just looking for someone to fight. If that's the case, you don't have to go to the other side of the world for a fight, you can start in Washington and Wall Street.
The whole "official narrative" stopped making sense a long time ago.
Right about when the PNAC revolutionary New Pearl Harbor soft coup occurred.
the british empire did the same thing to Germany 20 yrs prior to WW1.......Germany was demonized/targeted (and is targeted to this day)..........the british people were made to fear the Germans thru news organizations controlled by the TRIBE
http://worldsworstmassmurderer.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/britain-worlds-wo...
to understand how the american empire works, one must first understand how the british empire worked...........
"to understand how the american empire works, one must first understand how the british empire worked."
Indeed.
The USA Empire is created in the image of the British Empire.
The British Empire was created in the image of the Roman Empire.
The Roman Empire was created in the image of the Greek Empire.
The Greek Empire was created in the image of the Persian Empire.
The Persian Empire was created in the image of the Babylonian Empire.
The Babylonian Empire was created in the image of the Assyrian Empire.
The Assyrian Empire was created in the image of the Egyptian Empire.
Each Empire throughout history assimilates the "best practices" of controlling and enslaving its subjects from the Empire it conquered.
The illusion of freedom is kept alive by better and better propaganda with each succesive empire.
Predators learn from each other.
Prey get slaughtered, bled, eaten.
Prey never learn the scam, the morons!
"to understand how the american empire works, one must first understand how the british empire worked."
"Indeed."
Yeap.
"The USA Empire is created in the image of the British Empire."
And where is the British Empire now?
"The British Empire was created in the image of the Roman Empire."
And where is the Roman Empire now?
"The Roman Empire was created in the image of the Greek Empire."
And where is the Greek Empire now?
"The Greek Empire was created in the image of the Persian Empire."
And where is the Persian Empire now?
"The Persian Empire was created in the image of the Babylonian Empire."
And where is the Babylonian Empire now?
"The Babylonian Empire was created in the image of the Assyrian Empire."
And where is the Assyrian Empire now?
"The Assyrian Empire was created in the image of the Egyptian Empire."
And where is the Egyptian Empire now? And where are the Aztec, Inca, Mayan empires now?
"Each Empire throughout history assimilates the "best practices" of controlling and enslaving its subjects from the Empire it conquered."
And each of them crashes.
"The illusion of freedom is kept alive by better and better propaganda with each succesive empire."
And the idea of freedom dances on the ashes of fallen empires.
"Russia began to menace its neighbors."
Stopped there....
Agree. Article makes a very good point but its bizarre Russophobic hints made it worth a "3".
Maybe Tom-o is right. Maybe there is a struggle over who is Public Enemy #1. But he doesn't make his case, leaves many questions unaddressed and offers no motives for this supposed split. I found no analysis that went below the surface into what interests of these supposed factions of our ruling class were propelling this split. And no evidence that I would expect to see of the masters of the globalist project struggling to reconcile their different interests. As for the idea that Obama is really focusing on fighting ISIS that flies in the face of many lines of evidence including Hillary's Benghazi emails that the US was at least in on creating and arming it.
I almost stopped at "Russia began to menace its neighbors," but kept reading hopefully because I remember what I thought then was some pretty sharp analysis from Tomdispatch during the second Iraq War. When I read this ISIS mention I stopped reading and started skimming, "looking for color" in the gravel in my pan. I didn't find it.
But he no doubt is right that our rulers are scrambling to meet more challenges than they can handle.
The US government is searching for Public Enemy #1. The American people already know who their #1 enemy is.
Public Enemy # 1 and Terrorist Supporter = Wahington DC.
The Capital that admits to 'Torturing some folks', some were innocent and no one was brought to account.
Public Enemy #1 == USSA
Public Enemy #1 == neo-cons.
Public Enemy #1 == government.
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USSA, China, Russia are not adversaries.
They are three predators fighting over scraps of their prey.
Or they could be the progenitors of Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia.
Always hearing about how RT is dangerous propaganda .I read it every day and find it generally to be much more benign than most of the American media .
Just look in the mirror.
McCain:
Worse still, from central Europe to the Caucuses, people sense Russia’s shadow looming larger, and in the darkness, liberal values, democratic sovereignty, and open economies are being undermined.”
Fixed it:
Worse still, from Alabama to Alaska, people sense Washington, DC/Neocons and Neo Libs/Obola/PNAC/AIPAC/RINOs/Dems/Red Shields FED/SCrOTUS /Con-GresZ/MIC/Pentagram shadow looming larger, and in the darkness, liberal values, democratic sovereignty, and open economies are being undermined.”
As dragons go, the US govt is a hydra. It has at least five heads. One head demanded that Russia be barred from the SWIFT payment system. Then another looked and pleaded for Russia to stay in SWIFT. One head understands Comparative Advantage and is promoting trade with China, while another head sends warships to the south China sea -hoping to start a war. The fattest head demands "free trade" for the corporations, even though it will starve two other heads. And this is why even as we slam our own govt, we still call 911 when we are hurt or in danger: some heads are on our side, for now ;)
Which foreign enemy will we choose? The hydra head of war is almost too late. I am confident the economy will collapse from the greed of the fat head before either China or Russia take the bait. They don't need a war to hide their history. Only our facist heads need war, and its too late.
Great nations have never fallen to outside forces. They have always collapsed from within, hence defending the constitution from enemies foreign and domestic. When it does collapse be ready to support the leaders who do serve and protect the people. Otherwise the bad guys win by default.
A house divided cannot stand, and I think I see cracks in the ceiling...
If Washington is in search of the number one enemy they need nothing more than a mirror...
I was going to say China - but I like your answer better!
Russia is a military power with all the resources and land it needs. China is an economic power with the ability to dominate any market or industry of its choosing - and it needs to continually acquire resources. When the U.S. empire dies, China will take over.
Now I am satisfied!
The North Western Hemisphere's terrified!
Do not know where to run, do not know where to turn!
Well, they know in part.
But they do not want to take the plunge.
On one side there is Russia, a country with linguistically hegemonic army despite ethnically heteronomical (but much like Brazil and China).
On the other hand the technologically advanced guys with serious problems with regard to nationality and virility.
I believe that there is nothing to comment on the solution of IIIWW if it happens normally, without radioactivity.
hehe.
the russia focus is driven by the tribe. the 9/11 focus on the mid east lost south america(little jewish interest). the russia focus will lose china(little jewish interest). the foreign policy of the usa is transparent to everyone in the world except the usa and its jewish handlers. the usa cannot win a war with russia because of land mass. the usa cannot win a war against china because of the people mass.
the usa does much better with enemies like grenada.
the real enemy is israel. nuke israel for peace in the world....and make sure there is an international bankster convention scheduled at the same time.
http://thenewsdoctors.com/the-us-russia-economic-war-heats-up/
Only one mad Vlad but both Russia and China support Argentina's mythical Malvinas claim. Google: 'Argentina's Illegitimate Sovereignty Claims' to see the Malvinas myth debunked.
The only interest anyone has for the Malvinas/Falklands is 80 billion barrells or oil off the coast. This is a huge amount of oil but the ocean there is cold, rough and deep.
China goes to Africa and builds roads, goes to South America and builds The Nicaragua Canal.
The USSR and Russia had helped the Ukraine to create a prosperous region with advanced industries, which were able to build planes, aircraft carriers, ICBMs.
The USA only sends soldiers and weapons and money to buy weapons.
I don't know which policy will prevail.
The enemy is Israel and the Jews.
"American Interests" as cited by the article do not exist. There is nothing considered that has the best interests of America, pivot East, pivot West, pivot up or down it doesn't matter. The fools, Democrat or Republican, especially McCain have only the interests of their Khazarian Mafia masters in mind. The Republican field, continue to do Lucy and pull away the football as the Charlie Brown base piles on once again with their trust and money. None of the pub contenders have a clue what the base or country is feeling. They follow script written 30-40 years ago and presume everyone is on the same playbook page their on. Surprise muchachos! This is one former Republican that looks with hope that Vlad the Impaler Putin puts a stake up their asses and props them up around the Washington Monument for the simple minded of the former republic to gawk at.
Yes but fortunately Washington is becoming a close 2nd to being public enemy #1 to Washington.
Russia and China the new threats the US has made for itself.
Following Milton Friedman's ideas of maximizing profits and shareholder returns nearly all manufacturing was moved to China.
No consideration was given to China's lax attitude to intellectual property rights.
China was handed decades of product development knowledge and manufacturing expertise on a plate that once gave the US an advantage.
The same being true of all Western nations.
Western market reforms were imposed on Russia that bought chaos, created the oligarchs and left the majority with next to nothing.
The majority now had the Western freedom to do what they wanted but didn't have the money to do anything at all (even eat in a lot of cases).
The Russians had been shown the hollowness of Western freedoms if you have no money and the grass is no longer greener on the other side of the fence.
Putin bought an end to the chaos and restored order.
Putin now has approval ratings of over 80% something most Western leaders can only dream of.
The US trained the first extremist Muslim fighting forces to fight the Russians in Afghanistan (the Mujahideen)
I think you get the idea ......
The US is its own worst enemy.
The only problem with this piece is the ISIS is America's baby.
the author of the drivel is a brainless, zio loving cnut... end of.
It's called paranoia, and based on our insane efforts to retain full spectrum dominance, justified.
USA is the Whore of Babylon.
Prepare for your judgement.
Pardon me, - which ones are those? Only the ones that want to be menaced... in fact since the collapse of USSR the Russians have shown admirable restraint compared to USSA...