Why? Would You Ask?

Very simple--embarrassment. 

MOSCOW, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Russia on Friday accused the United States of brazenly threatening it after a senior U.S. general said Washington had drawn up a plan in case it needed to destroy air defences in Russia's Kaliningrad exclave in Europe. U.S. General Jeffrey Harrigian said on Tuesday that "If we have to go in there to take down, for instance, the Kaliningrad IADS (Integrated Air Defense System), let there be no doubt we have a plan to go after that," the Breaking Defense magazine reported. Kaliningrad is a Russian region that lies on the Baltic Sea between EU members Lithuania and Poland. Moscow captured the region from Germany towards the end of World War Two. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticised the comments by Harrigian, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe, at her weekly briefing in Moscow. "Firstly we consider this a threat. Secondly, we consider such statements to be absolutely irresponsible," she said. Russia's Ministry of Defence rejected Harrigian's assertion and said the region was well defended."The region of Kaliningrad is reliably protected from any aggressive 'plans' developed in Europe by U.S. generals passing through," it said in a statement.

Actually, the response in Russia was much harsher than reported and included this:

Поставленные в Турцию зенитные ракетные системы С-400 способны «десакрализировать» американские истребители F-35, заявили в Минобороны России. Ведомство заявило, что Калининградская область надежно защищена от любой агрессии, подчеркнув, что возможности системы ПВО «хорошо известны всем натовским пилотам, приближавшимся к воздушным границам РФ на Балтике», передает РИА «Новости».«В полной мере это касается и «невидимых», только для американских налогоплательщиков и зарубежных покупателей, американских истребителей 5-го поколения. Трепет и волнение Пентагона по поводу вероятной десакрализации истребителей F-35 турецкими же расчетами ЗРС С-400 небезосновательны», – отметило ведомство. 

Translation: "S-400 systems delivered to Turkey are capable to desacralize  American fighters F-35 was stated in MoD of Russia. MoD stated, that Kaliningrad Region is reliably defended against any aggression and underscored that capabilities of Air Defense System there are known to NATO pilots approaching Russia's air border over Baltic Sea, RIA News reports. In full measure this also covers "invisible", primarily for American taxpayers and foreign buyers, US 5th generation aircraft. Pentagon's trembling and worries about possible "desacralization" of F-35 by Turkish combat teams operating S-400 are not without justification."

But why such a spike of militant rhetoric? Here is why:

courtesy of Ria.Ru

The area of oil refineries had a complete radar field with excellent overlap (redundancy) by: Patriot PAC-2, PAC-3 and Aegis. Not a single missile was launched at relatively slow (subsonic) and fairly conventional drones. Not a single one! OK, I get it, I am not politically correct and I never hid my contempt for Saudi military and their modern war skills or, rather, lack thereof. But there was a number of modern detection and AD systems in the area which failed to react!!! How could this be? Russia MoD was flat out unemotional when stated yesterday (in Russian): because they do not match declared capabilities. And in English, here.  Attack on Saudi oil facilities became a dramatic confirmation of this fact. I can wax technical whatever I want here, including discussing dead (blind) zones on elevation for Patriots with 7 degrees on elevation above horizon, or about the fact that sector aiming is still needed to be performed, as opposed to Russian S-series AD systems where missiles are launched vertically and then take "a ride on the beam" towards target.  

Is this whole affair an embarrassment? Of course it is, especially when such people like Mike Pompeo begin to come up with technically illiterate lame excuses thus rubbing salt into already badly wounded ego. Can he at least shut up for a minute? Now, we are all not kiddies here, we all understand that ramifications are much greater that even rising risks of war in the Gulf Region, albeit give DJT a credit where the credit is due--he at least holds his ground, for now, in terms of attacking Iran. No, I am talking about the mid to long term ramifications for American military technology and, as an inevitable result, further acceleration of a departure form already lost to a large degree position of only superpower. So it is not surprising at all that Saudi Prince called Moscow immediately after the attack. Evidently General Jeffry Harrigian could not control his frustration and spilled the beans in a sense of classic Sun Tzu: paraded his weakness. Recall this great quote from Senator Fulbright: 

“It is simply not necessary for us to go around forever proclaiming: ‘I am the greatest!’ The more one does this sort of thing, in fact, the more people doubt it….”   

The doubt has turned into a strong conviction globally now and this has all signs of an impending and recognizable complete collapse of the remnants of Pax Americana.

Paul Craig Roberts And I Talking.

If anyone is interested in my (later Saker will join in) and Dr. Roberts discussion which is ongoing now for several days you may check it out here: 

Dr. Roberts initially asked this, after reviewing my book: 

So, the questions for Andrei Martyanov, The Saker, and for Putin and the Russian government is: How long does turning your other cheek work? Do you turn your other cheek so long as to allow your opponent to neutralize your advantage in a confrontation? Do you turn your other cheek so long that you lose the support of the patriotic population for your failure to defend the country’s honor? Do you turn your other cheek so long that you are eventually forced into war or submission? Do you turn your other cheek so long that the result is nuclear war?

I replied in Russia As A Cat.

Russia knows where the Unites States is today and, when looking back at the last 5 years in world’s history, I see Russia as that proverbial cat finishing off the chicken, while those who are supposed to use the force cannot do so and speak loud and carry no stick. This chicken is Pax Americana. 

Now, deliberations are opened in Dr.Roberts' response column. 

 

                                 What Should Putin Do?  

In related news: that is what Putin does. Idlib Offensive commences.

Excellent Piece By Phil Giraldi.

Who I respect profoundly despite not always agreeing with him. But here is his piece from Strategic Culture Foundation which is very much worth reading and gets many things right, except one. This is where I disagree with him. 

One has to conclude that the United States has now become the ultimate angry imperial power, lashing out with the only thing that seems to work – its ability to interfere in and control financial markets – to punish nations that do not play by its rules. Given Washington’s diminishing clout worldwide, it is a situation that is unsustainable and which will ultimately only really punish the American people as the United States becomes more isolated and its imperial overreach bankrupts the nation. As America weakens, Russia, Turkey, Iran and all the other countries that have been steamrolled by Washington will likely seek revenge. To avoid that, a dramatic course correction by the US is needed, but, unfortunately, is unlikely to take place. 

Russia will not seek revenge on Americans, absolutely not. Not being vengeful is one of the features of Russians as people. Unless, of course, one seriously takes Anthony Beavor's Solzhenitsyn-scale, in terms of BS, claims of millions of German women raped by the Red Army. This British so called "historian" never heard of a brutal punishment including executions (IIRC, 800 soldier and officers were executed, around 4000 were court martialed for rape and sent to "GULAG") of Red Army personnel who did actually rape German women in 1945, one has to remember, paradoxically, Stalin's famous: Hitlers come and go but Germany and German people remain. Russian people have no beef with Americans (guess who were the largest contingent of tourists at the WC 2018 in Russia), they also do not hate the United States, but Russian nation DOES have issue with what today passes as an American power "elite" which is both dangerous and treasonous primarily to own people. 

But the end of US "power" is near, in fact we are in the initial stages of collapse of the edifice of what became known as Pax Americana. It is only accelerating and, I am sure, there are number of people in the whatever you want to call it--"establishment", Borg, Deep State, etc.--who may begin to fill a slight pinch from the unfolding situation. Somebody has to answer for the rise and support of ISIS, somebody has to answer for war crimes against too many nations to be listed here. After all, people like this:

have to understand that old Soviet/Russian post-Great Patriotic War slogan Nobody Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Forgotten, is not just about those fallen who fought for the motherland, but also about atrocities and those who committed them. Somebody, somewhere always keeps the score and somebody always has to answer. 

As per American state and government themselves--it is American people's task to save them and make them work, because, among those really important things about Russia's attitudes towards the United States one thing remains constant--Russia is keenly interested in the United States as peaceful, stable and prosperous nation. Why so--is a separate huge issue. Can the US become such? Some people think that the nature of current US political and economic systems completely precludes that, and these people may have a point, but at least today I personally still have to give some benefit of a doubt regarding Phil Giraldi's "unlikely" verdict, which automatically implies at least non-zero probability of positive outcome, since some healthy forces in the US do exist. If they lose (and I don't mean DJT) then, yes, the United States will be done not only as a locomotive of global "liberalism" but as a nation. There will be no coming back from the catastrophic implosion of a system. And here is my point: as I stated not for once in the last 4-5 years--Russia is not interested, neither is China, in America's catastrophic collapse, so instead of "revenge", most likely some arrangements are already being made for some sort of a "soft landing". Russia is run by the adults who are extremely well informed and aware of the world outside and they are too busy to be engaged into any kind of revenge on the US--they have a bigger fish to fry. As per this: 

Though Russian President Vladimir Putin has responded with restraint, avoiding a tit-for-tat, he is reported to be angry about the new move by the US government and now believes it to be an unreliable negotiating partner. Considering the friendly recent exchanges between Putin and Trump, the punishment of Russia has to be viewed as something of a surprise, suggesting that the president of the United States may not be in control of his own foreign policy.

I can only reiterate: current American political class is not treaty worthy, or non-agreement-capable, party and that is why this class is already doomed by the history.