by Eric S. Margolis
It’s contrived crisis, said now-former head of Germany’s navy, Vice-admiral Kay-Achim Schonbach.
Amid surging tensions over Ukraine, the head of Germany’s navy had the courage to voice Europe’s fears over this totally unnecessary, contrived crisis.
In a speech to an Indian think tank, Vice-admiral Kay-Achim Schonbach proposed the Western powers ‘respect’ Russian leader Vladimir Putin and accept that Crimea would remain in Moscow’s hands.
The German admiral’s remarks produced a major uproar in Washington and tut tuts in Europe where hatred of Russia has become a state fetish. Most aggrieved were the British and Americans who deeply fear an alliance or at least entente between Germany and Russia that might undermine US domination of the continent.
Germany, Europe’s leading military force and mainstay of NATO, has hollowed out its military power. Thanks to unqualified female defense ministers, Germany’s armed forces have degenerated into parade troops. Armor and aircraft, once hallmarks of German military power, have become feeble toys, lacking in munitions, spare parts and capable crews.
Polls show Germans have very little interest in confronting Russia. Memories of World War II are still raw. Today’s Germans live in a nation that was 50% destroyed by US and British bombing. Millions of Germans come from families driven out of eastern Europe.
There is not a lot of sympathy for Ukraine’s current government that was installed by a US-financed and stage-managed coup in 2013-2014. Germany’s US-dominated media and government support Washington’s hard line on Ukraine but many ordinary Germans and French don’t agree.
America’s media and politicians strongly support the military confrontation with Russia, a low-cost way of being loudly patriotic without actually doing anything serious.
Only Poland, the Baltic states and American neocons really hunger for war – provided it is waged by the US. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, a rising star among the pro-war neocons, is pushing the confrontation with Russia – yet another bureaucrat with no military experience.
Military men quickly understand the logistic and climactic problems of fighting in the Black Sea region, but not Washington’s desk warriors and their European satraps. The US has been unwise to provoke a confrontation with Russia in its backyard. Though Russia has lost much of its Soviet-era military power, it would be a mistake to underestimate its combat capabilities and overestimate those of NATO.
Remember, Napoleon (who was seriously defeated in Russia) prayed ‘oh Lord, if I must go to war, please make it against a coalition.’
Washington’s sofa samurais are playing with fire. The neocons’ latest effort to overthrow President Putin risks backfiring badly by drawing China into the fray and undermining US domination of the continent. Let’s say US-led NATO forces thrash the 106,000 Russian troops around Ukraine’s borders. What then? An advance on Moscow?
An assault on Crimea? Might Romania join the war to recover Moldova lost in WWII? Or tiny Finland? The Russians are unlikely to be quivering in their boots. Romanian troops, let’s recall, were defending the flank of Germany’s 6th Army at the Stalingrad disaster.
We are not going to see a rerun of the Great Northern War of the early 1700’s. What we are seeing is the re-birth of Russian power in its traditional sphere of influence. Admiral Schonbach is quite right. Russia will never relinquish Crimea any more than Germany would give over Hamburg or the US cede Baltimore to Cuban control.
Luckily for us, Russia is currently being run by hard men from the old KGB who are experienced and cautious. It is well that they are because Russia has thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at the US and its allies. No one in their right mind should contemplate a nuclear confrontation. Russia has repeatedly made clear that if backed into a corner, it may well use tactical nuclear weapons. China is coming around to the same thinking.
Beaten in Vietnam, Iraq and now Afghanistan, the US is seeking a cheap victory in Ukraine. But the northern rim of the Black Sea is not known for its low-hanging geopolitical fruit. And Russia always surprises.
Mr. Blinken, be cautious lest a hypersonic Russian missile comes flying through your office window.
Thank YOU…
In response to David B, the Russian directed energy weapon systems (radar) (60Ghz) would be part of that arsenal too.
Directed energy weapons are claimed to already be in use at this moment in time. People were reporting fires that burn trees from the top down in the USA and there were questions raised about how certain Ports ‘caught on fire’, and what about the Nuclear disaster in Japan a few years ago. Some say that was from a directed energy weapon too.
There are claims behind why that might be.
The war games have already started.
The threat is always there.
Which Country is playing with their dangerous weapons seems inconsequential.
Innocent people always get caught in the cross fire.
There will never be peace on earth, or goodwill towards man.
aapkoning: “If I scream the answers in various European countries, I will get jailed.”
When it is a gaolable crime to question and inquire into a historical narrative, you can be 100% certain that there is something very problematic with it. .
Since when does historical “truth” need to be so desperately protected by state legislation and criminal sanctions? Since the Spanish Inquisition? It was evil then and it is even more evil in the more “enlightened” era of today.
The criminal suppression of any search for truth, no matter how sensitive or sacrilegious the Inquisitors think it is, amounts to despotism and darkness. When it’s on a global level it amounts to global darkness.
Historically, darkness has usually not been a good place to be in.
Thank you daviddd2! A perfect summarisation. For Dummies but without condescension. Reckon you should print out and distribute flyers of that.
davidd2. How did Germany do it? They moved away from international finance and controlled their own currency. In doing so they were able to print money for infrastructure etc. and created 6 million jobs in 3 three and not in munitions.
Oswald Mosley wanted to do the same in England and was thrown in gaol.
We all should move away from international finance.
Lindbergh on the Federal Reserve by Charles E Lindbergh Sr. is a good read and as good as place as any to start.
I have a wealth of links available to your comments above. However, I do not know at this moment if this will pass by the moderator? I was born in Western Europe years ago and have had quite a few numbers of personal encounters that made me think, a lot and judged them myself, and while we all traveling into the future, more and more gets proven how very wrong the so-called history books are.
Just search (don’t use google) “Who put up the money to finance the wars?” The result will give the names. If I scream the answers in various European countries, I will get jailed. “Like who controls the finance worldwide today.”
Yes pity, but true…
D Johnston: You’re quite right about the brainwashing. Germany was devastated in WW1 and even additionally so by the Versailles Treaty in 1919. So much so that the post WW1 period brought mass hunger, starvation and despair to the German population.
Fast forward 20 years later to 1939, under the watchful eye of the British, the French and the Soviets, despite the Great Depression and the “economic war” declared against Germany by World Jewry in 1933, Germany recovered to the point where it became the most powerful nation in Europe. Its military industrial complex was second to none!
Given its particularly meagre natural resources, and even insufficient agricultural capacity to feed its people, one has to ask how a country so massively devastated could recover from its ashes and conquer most all of Europe in just 20 years! Despite paying off its massive reparations as per Versailles!
Somehow, history seems to have missed a few elephants in the room. Courtesy of people being sufficiently brainwashed and not being able to put two and two together.
“That’s why it will quickly go nuclear…..”
Any “nuclear” show will be quite localised and limited to the readily dispensible, primarily for effect and for rehashing the threat and fear of of global annihilation which will not happen. That’s a rehash of the Clayton’s Cold War era which gave us the UN and the Global Sheriff. This time it will give as an amalgam of the two in the form of a One World government.
Both the black hats and the white hats work for the same studio and appear in the same movie, directed and produced by one or the other of the major Hollywood studios. The white hats will of course win and the black hats will disappear into the hinterland, posing just enough of a threat for the white hats to keep us all in check and admiration for our protectors.
Hi daviddd2…Yeah that’s pretty much it in a nutshell. It never ceases to stagger me how brainwashed people have been over the decades by false rewritten history. And for those who might suspect?.. it’s often best just to go into denial.
Brian Johnston, Absolutely. Churchill deliberately sacrificed half the city of Coventry and around 600 inhabitant’s lives over the protection of the Enigma codes. Pure evil. That is a prime example of how far leader’s and government’s have always been prepared to go.
Thank you Editor.
kaiwanshou, The word ‘tosser’ which is British slang, also applies to people who perceive themselves to be omniscient and who are patronising, passive aggressive and condescending.
A very good and accurate summary of the situation. I do however disagree with one statement: “Though Russia has lost much of its Soviet-era military power”. Russia hasn’t lost its Soviet Era military power – it has transformed its military into a smaller, though modern, hard hitting, highly trained and motivated force. Its new weapons, especially hyper-sonic missiles and anti aircraft systems have no equivalent in the west. It has reformed the first guards tank army, reminiscent of the Soviet era but with modern hard hitting weaponry that nothing in NATO (short of nuclear) can possibly withstand. Moreover, its soldiers are not infected with WOKE crap. Most Russian casualties in the case of war will be those who die laughing at western soldiers dressed in skirts.
In a non nuclear conflict, NATO will sustain a humiliating and rapid defeat. No NATO force, with the possible exception of the Brits will stand a chance and they are a winnow.
That’s why it will quickly go nuclear…..
Margolis is a master of the classic British understatement. Most people who take off their rose coloured glasses know better than to designate Germany as the sole major culprit for WW2.
It takes quite a bit of gaslighting to convince a population that the victim is the aggressor. It takes even more mass psychological gaslighting to declare an invasion and a causus belli before it actually happens.
And if it doesn’t happen, then a false flag event will do! It’s been done regularly, usually by the global police who work hand in hand with the global criminals and the long standing protection racket… Vietnam, Laos, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yugoslavia, Libya, Syria, Iran, Georgia, Ukraine anyone? They all carry the same trademark stamp.
The same will apply in the case of Russia when the global money merchants pull the trigger again for a more global impact.
But first, we’ll need a serious global economic crash so the world populace can be plundered yet again and left with nothing but to start all over again. And be happy!
The MSM has, of course, completely censored the mass demonstrations in Ukraine against the Soviet build-up of troops both within and around Ukrainian borders.
Regardless of whether or not people support US, UK, NATO geopolitics, people are writing and commenting here about the nations of Central Europe: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary in ways that are frankly contemptuous of their right to exercise sovereignty in their own affairs. Isn’t that what the big Australian demonstration in Canberra was about last week-end.
It appears this writer is the world-acknowledged expert on Russian relations. He doesn’t need any links he is
the narrative. Ed
Germany did not start WWI nor WWII. they were deliberately instigated to take Germany down. As Churchill said WWII was not about destroying Nazism rather to take German markets. Germany had more modern factories and making higher quality goods than England. Prior to WWI Germany was planning to ship goods all round Europe by rail depriving England of world shipping control.
Now ‘they’ have a problem with Russia who is in the way of a grand Globalist design.
What is happening is not to dissimilar to WWI & WWII.
Now who do you suppose is the power behind this grand plan?
Margolis has been writing about the US provocations in this region and the Middle East for at least 15 years to my knowledge so he knows his stuff. In fact, his entire article is an understatement… that is, until the last sentence. Here he shows his full hand, referring to the 20 years more advanced missile technology that Putin can throw at America.
Casually wondering why he has departed from his usual timbre, I am indulging myself by speculating that Eric would actually enjoy watching Russia thrash the US. In this, he is joined by around 90% of the planet’s population, including me.
The cold reality is that US missiles are hopelessly archaic whereas Russia’s 25 Mach hypersonic scramjet superiority will annihilate the Pentagon. I just hope Putin understands that US military in Australia is an invasion and occupation and that we Territorians were never consulted.
Happily, the new missile base in Gulkula, Arnhem land, will not be ready until mid-year so we may not be obliterated as collateral damage. But, Ruski, by all means, guide a Vangard missile up Gunner’s arse. This is how you make friends and influence people, especially me.
Hi Hermann, Thanks for your illuminating summary… have learnt something.
“…or at least entente between Germany and Russia…” entente – is an international understanding providing for a common course of action.
“not Washington’s desk warriors and their European satraps…” satraps – (in the past) someone who governed a province (= political area) in ancient Persia.
“Polls show Germans have very little interest in confronting Russia” where are the linked polls???
“But the northern rim of the Black Sea is not known for its low-hanging geopolitical fruit.” Low Hanging Fruit is a term that describes any action that you can do quickly and easily to get to a solution.
Who is the article targeted to? People who are impressed by archaic words, contemporary expressions, literary obscurity; sorry to be so blunt, but the writer seems to be a tosser!
No Armistice for World War II ever was signed. That is because it inaugurated the permanent , world-wide Revolution of the Fourth ComIntern. All leaders were on board with this.
Exactly. Ed
Very few people are aware of the fact, that the German Reich never surrendered in 1945!.
And the Americans consistently refuse Germany’s right to sign the surrender treaty.
Many post-war German governments have asked to finalise the surrender terms, but the Washington clique refuses, as their military will then have to leave, and the extortion money will dry up.
What actually happened, was that Admiral Donitz signed the surrender of the German armed forces, but not the Reich.
The Government (Reich) did not surrender as its leaders died without appointing any successors.
This is probably Europe’s central underlying problem, so when this is resolved, Europe can finally move on. But Washington will not allow this to happen.
It fears Germany and Russia’s long standing desire to work together – German technology and Russian resources.
So the nonsense continues.
Thanks Peter Senior. Yes it’s been a false flag in the making as I’ve been saying for ages. As per usual their omnescience, arrogance and downright stupidity now in total overdrive.
Thankyou ED
Certainly this is a contrived event. It should be noted that the Russian the military is far superior to both the NATO and US military. Any enforced military action would be disastrous to both the Ukraine, the US, and the NATO partners. It is imperative that the US, British and French warmongers pull their heads in. They are acting like idiots at present.
Hi Editor. I apologise that this is unrelated, but apparently GiveSendGo have been hacked with a vile message and alleged disclosure of donor’s personal details. The article is on Gateway Pundit.