I recently posted an article by Jim Rickards, A VOICE ON THE RIGHT, explaining how the US and NATO — from an historical perspective — provoked Russia into attacking Ukraine.
Now, here’s Michael Hudson, A VOICE ON THE LEFT, making not only a similar argument but also one that is MUCH BOLDER in its indictment of the US’s overall strategy.
I’m taking NO POSITION on this as I’ve no idea a) if Hudson is correct or b) where he’s gotten his information. What I DO KNOW is that I see DIRTY SHIRTS everywhere.
The Dollar Devours the Euro
Hudson’s argument:
- “It is now clear that today’s escalation of the New Cold War was planned over a year ago, with serious strategy associated with America’s plan to block Nord Stream 2 as part of its aim of blocking Western Europe (‘NATO’) from seeking prosperity by mutual trade and investment with China and Russia.”
TUDOR PLACE: This is totally plausible as THE US DEFINITELY DOESN’T WANT EUROPE BUYING RUSSIAN GAS.
- “The U.S. strategy is to pry away China’s most likely economic allies, especially Russia, Central Asia, South Asia and East Asia. The question was, where to start the carve-up and isolation.”
- “Russia was seen as presenting the greatest opportunity to begin isolating, both from China and from the NATO Eurozone. A sequence of increasingly severe – and hopefully fatal – sanctions against Russia was drawn up to block NATO from trading with it. All that was needed to ignite the geopolitical earthquake was a casus belli.”
- “So the Russian-speaking Donetsk and Luhansk regions were shelled with increasing intensity, and when Russia still refrained from responding, plans reportedly were drawn up for a great showdown to commence in late February – beginning with a blitzkrieg Western Ukrainian attack organized by U.S. advisors and armed by NATO.”
TUDOR PLACE: HAVE THERE BEEN REPORTS OF ANY SUCH SHELLING ANYWHERE IN EITHER THE US OR EUROPEAN PRESS? Not to my knowledge. And if not, WHY NOT? Air-tight censorship as in PROPAGANDA BY OMISSION? Or the shelling NEVER OCCURRED? Forgive me if I HAVEN’T A CLUE.
- “Russia’s preemptive defense of the two Eastern Ukrainian provinces and its subsequent military destruction of the Ukrainian army, navy and air force over the past two months has been used as the excuse to start imposing the U.S.-designed sanctions program that we are seeing unfolding today.”
TUDOR PLACE: Has Russia ACTUALLY DESTROYED the Ukrainian army, navy and air force? If so, YOU’D NEVER KNOW IT LISTENING TO THE “LEFTIST” US PRESS — which in many ways has actually FLIPPED RIGHT. All you hear there is what DISARRAY Russian forces are in and how they’re actually being PUSHED BACK.
But then, JIM RICKARDS DID SAY THAT THE LYING ON BOTH SIDES IN THIS WAR HAS BEEN BREATHTAKING.
- “Western Europe has dutifully gone along whole-hog. Instead of buying Russian gas, oil and food grains, it will buy these from the United States, along with sharply increased arms imports.”
TUDOR PLACE: No ambiguity there. That’s what the US wants, and THAT’S what’s being reported.
- “NATO countries will purchase U.S. LNG – but they will need to spend billions of dollars building sufficient port capacity, which may take until perhaps 2024. (Good luck until then.)”
- “The question is, how will Europe balance its international payments with the United States? What does it have to export that the U.S. economy will accept as its own protectionist interests gain influence, now that global free trade is dying quickly?”
- “I could make a modest proposal . . . Since the eurozone has been created with monetary handcuffs limiting its ability to create money to spend into the economy beyond the limit of 3 percent of GDP, why not simply . . . adopt the U.S. dollar . . . ? That would give foreign investors security against currency depreciation in their rising trade with Europe and its export financing.”
- “For Europe, the alternative is that the dollar-cost of its foreign debt taken on to finance its widening trade deficit with the United States for oil, arms and food will explode.”
TUDOR PLACE: If you’re scoring on the basis of Hudson making his case that EUROPE IS ALREADY A US COLONY, HE JUST MADE IT. Do I agree that in fact the DOLLAR HAS NOW DEVOURED THE EURO? As they say on election night, TOO SOON TO CALL.
- “The full-blown version of the New Cold War triggered by the “Ukraine War” risks turning into the opening salvo of World War III, and is likely to last at least a decade, perhaps two, as the U.S. extends the fight between neoliberalism and socialism to encompass a worldwide conflict.”
- “I would not be surprised to see some African country become the “next Ukraine,” with U.S. proxy troops (there are still plenty of Wahabi advocates and mercenaries) fighting against the armies and populations of countries seeking to feed themselves with grain from Russian farms, and power their economies with oil or gas from Russian wells – not to speak of participating in China’s Belt and Road Initiative that was, after all, the trigger to America’s launching of its new war for global neoliberal hegemony.”
TUDOR PLACE: In other words, the US will keep CHIPPING AWAY at POTENTIAL BRIC/BRI PARTNERS in the hope that when the GLOBALIZED ECONOMY FINALLY BIFURCATES, it will be the Eurasian piece LEFT OUT IN THE COLD and not NATO, the US and various allies along the Eurasian periphery. That’s A LOT OF WAR, MUNITIONS, HUMAN LIVES AND NUCLEAR UNCERTAINTY. And is it a war THE WEST CAN WIN?
- “The world economy is being enflamed, and the United States has prepared for a military response and weaponization of its own oil and agricultural export trade, arms trade and demands for countries to choose which side of the New Iron Curtain they wish to join.”
- “But what is in this for Europe? Greek labor unions already are demonstrating against the sanctions being imposed. And in Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban has just won an election on what is basically an anti-EU and anti-U.S. worldview, starting with paying for Russian gas in rubles. How many other countries will break ranks – and how long will it take?”
- And what of the “Global South countries being squeezed – not merely as ‘collateral damage’ to the deep shortages and soaring prices for energy and food, but as the very objective of U.S. strategy as it inaugurates the great splitting of the world economy in two? India has already told U.S. diplomats that its economy is naturally connected with those of Russia and China. Pakistan finds the same calculus at work.”
TUDOR PLACE: GOOD QUESTIONS. In fact, the $64,000 ones.
- “From its planning stages, U.S. diplomatic strategists viewed the looming World War III as a war of economic systems. What side will countries choose: their own economic interest and social cohesion, or submission to local political leaders installed by U.S. meddling like the $5 billion that Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland bragged of having invested in Ukraine’s neo-Nazi parties eight years ago to initiate the fighting that has erupted into today’s war?”
- “The real problem is that by the time the world understands what is going on, the global fracture will already have enabled Russia, China and Eurasia to create a real non-neoliberal New World Order that does not need NATO countries and which has lost trust and hope for mutual economic gains with them.”
TUDOR PLACE: And this is what’s at stake, isn’t it.
In a BIFURCATED WORLD — one more BIPOLAR than MULTIPOLAR — with whom will ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE LIE? Mackinder’s EURASIAN WORLD ISLAND or the PERIPHERAL, ATLANTICIST WEST?
Hudson is betting on Eurasia, yet his concern is palpable that the US, NATO, West and greater West will NOT GO QUIETLY. In fact, there’s ZERO PROOF the WEST WON’T WIN. And that’s NOT A PREDICTION . . . just a REMINDER.
Tudor Place 