How The World At Large Sees Things.

The speed with which Washington deligitimizes the remnants of the West's institutions is astonishing. It also explains what REAL influence Russia and her SMO provide on the rest of the world. 

As part of the new payment system launched last year, Indonesian President Joko Widodo called on Wednesday for his country to abandon the use of foreign payment networks like MasterCard and Visa and encouraged the public to adopt credit cards made by domestic banks. At a local business gathering, Widodo emphasized that "everyone [in Indonesia] should be able to use" Indonesian-manufactured credit cards so that "we can be independent," as he explained that the aim is to avoid risking transactions in case of a geopolitical disruption that could economically affect the country. According to the president, the initiative "shows that Indonesia is following the pace of digital technology transformation in the economic sector." "Be very careful. We must remember the sanctions imposed by the US on Russia. Visa and Mastercard could be a problem," he warned. 

We need to check now if Indonesia has human rights abuses, enough "democracy", or has WMD, wink, wink. Though, after what NATO saw in 404 with Russia fighting there with one left hand, I doubt they have any desire to get into the nation with population of  270 million and do the Island Hopping. But here is just one of very many signs of a global tectonic shift in perception of the West and the obvious fact, which some of our friends pointed out on discussion board about Xi's visit, I believe (correct, please, if I am mistaken), that most of the global South views current situation as Russia standing alone against combined West. This, rather well established, fact also contradicts somewhat Ischenko's latest piece about the thrust of Chinese initiatives, because the image of Russia standing alone and the rest of the global South only now beginning to wake up is firmly imprinted in the public opinion around the globe. 

China's initiatives, as well as Xi's visit to Moscow, apart from obvious huge practical significance for both sides and, by extension, for BRICS, serves also a good ol' truism, attributed to JFK, that "victory has hundred fathers, while defeat is always an orphan". But here is where Ischenko makes a mistake, no matter the spin, one obvious fact cannot be obfuscated in SMO--these are Russian Armed Forces alone who face down NATO's proxy and very real actual forces and do it extremely well. Larry wrote about it yesterday (see the link to his blog), and while the eyes of media are concentrated on the slaughter of VSU and NATO's "volunteers" at Bakhmut, elsewhere Russian forces advance steadily and the new cauldron is forming around Avdeevka. 

As SMO demonstrated fully--the fact which many observers, including Ischenko fail to grasp--political-diplomatic dances are not substitution for the practical military results achieved by people who fight. Especially in the realities of the warfare of the 21st century. Quoting Den Xiaoping: "diplomacy is the extension of the war by other, peaceful means". There is NO issue here about who was first, the egg or the chicken; conflict, war decides issues, sorry to upset those who think otherwise. But here we get into the intricacies of the modern war and its realities which many political scientists fail to grasp and continue to apply beaten to death outdated cliches in the world which observes events in the real time. Below is the demonstration of the political "science" meeting warfare realities in SMO.

I can only go so far in explaining an abyss of a difference between Captain Lepic's report to higher command on August 31, 1914 about German columns making a surprise turn from Estre-St. Denis to Compiegne and 80 hours which passed before French started to react to it, and between 2023 ISR in SMO allowing real time operational planning, developing command decisions and obtaining targeting. Same abyss which separates events of August 31, 1914 from events of 2023 strategically and operationally, separates old views on geopolitics and diplomacy from geopolitical realities of our time. There is a reason many Russian civilian leaders are educated in the Academy of General Staff. The faster people understand that, the better will be their level of awareness and preparedness. And I mentioned only one profound difference among very many--a list too long to post here. In the end, recall this:

   

I wrote it on purpose and warned. Much of it came true.

Jason Beardsley As A Symptom.

You all remember my "review" of one of America's "experts" in Russiagate and KGB, Malcolm Nance. If not for this bullshitter being a malicious fraud, he would have been an excellent clown. Now, get the load of other "expert" on Fox.

Here are his "credentials".

Special Forces, Master Sergeant, US Army Washington DCSpecial Forces, Master Sergeant, US Army Washington DC US Army Special Operations Command and Joint Special OperationsUS Army Special Operations Command and Joint Special Operations 1995 - 2013 · 18 yrs1995 - 2013 · 18 yrs

After four years of service in the Navy, Jason joined the Army Special Operations Forces and moved into Joint Special Operations in 2005. During his military career, he achieved the rank of Master Sergeant E8. He is an FTC-qualified Intelligence Officer with combat experience. Jason became one of a select group of individuals trusted by the US Government to accomplish the most dangerous and covert tactical missions in support of US military action and the Global War on Terrorism, earning him two Bronze Stars. His accomplishments include the following: 

• Assembled and directed highly skilled teams, identified and secured critical resources, and adapted to differing cultural and political environments around the world.
• Developed a highly successful approach to working with all levels and agencies within U.S. and foreign governments.
• Coordinated joint intelligence and special operations joint missions between US forces/DoD and other federal agencies including Department of State, host nation governments and agencies, Allied Nation Forces and their agencies.
• Developed and executed plans to achieve strategic initiatives; established relationships with defense and intelligence groups of both the US and our partner nations; unified resources from disparate commands; and led combined forces in accomplishing multifaceted operations.
• Led task force operations involving planning and execution of SOF low-profile missions in hostile environments and remote locations.

Not surprisingly, the guy graduated Cleveland State University with degree... and you have guessed it--"communications", meaning NO real applicable education and no number of "courses" with fluffy titles containing such words as "operations", "special forces", "planning", "hostile environments" etc. can obscure the fact that the guy is still a master sergeant and, speaking of Putin, has zero understanding of what Russia's General Staff does and what GOU (Main Operational Directorate) is headed by, pay attention, General Sergei Rudskoi, who has under his command hundreds of senior officers most of who have post-graduate degrees in both military science (emphasis on C4ISR) and military-related engineering. They, headed by the Chief General Staff Valery Gerasimov (Mr. Beardsley better look him up), not Putin do the strategic and operational planning and do it 24/7. The fact this master sergeant, evidently, doesn't know. Yet, he is an "expert". I have news for him, he understands modern warfare even less than Putin.

I find it increasingly difficult to explain the abyss which separates intellectually and experience wise graduates of Russia's higher military learning officer academies and "experts" such as this Beardsely dude. I understand he did some tours as NCO in some foreign lands fighting third rate militaries. Many did this, I also was in hot spots in my life. But to be that ignorant on modern warfare, even for an NCO level, which in the US military is a shaky proposition operational level wise, unless those NCOs do auxiliary tasks in the staffs of regimental, brigade and up levels, such as doing inventory, preparing facilities etc. NO NCO ever planned anything on the level of serious tactical and operational-tactical formation because one needs a hell of a military-academic background and experience (and even this is not the guarantee from failure) to do so. With "experts" like this Berdsley guy, it is no wonder the US loses all its wars. 

Here is Larry Johnson, a former professional CIA and State Department analyst, a real deal, who has experience in such operational and strategic matters and this is how he comments on this whole 404 thing:

The destruction inflicted on the Ukrainians by Russia is vast. If Ukraine still had a viable air force they would be challenging Russian combat aircraft and carrying out airstrikes on Russian positions. I have seen no reports in Western media about such actions. In cities, such a Mariupol, that are besieged by Russian forces there has been no visible attempt to provide air support, artillery fire or reinforcements. The AZOV battalion left in an ever shrinking perimeter in Mariupol have no way out and are running out of ammunition and food. No soldier in the world survives long without ammo and chow.

Read the whole thing. This is how you do it--you deal with facts and you assess the validity (or reliability) of information before you turn it into assessment and provide input. Evidently Beardsley for all his "intelligence" background, most of it of a glorified grunt, never heard about it and that is why it is painful to listen to his sophomoric BS about "multi-axis" and Putin's "understanding of the warfare". I have some news for Mr. Beardsly, knowing how to use comm. equipment and shoot, doesn't make one a serious operations' officer, let alone a good level strategist capable of passing a sound judgement on any matter of modern warfare. Especially the way Russia does it--of that, Beardsly has zero understanding. But then again, if not for Tucker, it is a huge question if Douglas Macgregor would have ever appeared on Fox, they just don't like real professionals there.