Noblesse Oblige.

Merriam-Webster gives this definition of Noblesse Oblige: 

the obligation of honorable, generous, and responsible behavior associated with high rank or birth.

This time, however, we apply this definition not to the particular person or persons, but to the nations. No, don't expect me to talk about past, we need to concentrate on the present and the future. I periodically hear and read such fantasies: can you imagine if the United States, China and Russia would cooperate, what a wonderful world would it be then. I am not against this fantasy and I understand its appeal but I am also a hard core realist (no, not in American sense of realism which is largely a misnomer for a "slightly less exceptionalist") and I understand that this state of the affairs is, for now at least, well, fantasy. This, however, should not relieve superpowers from having Noblesse Oblige and exercising it. How? Let's go back in history before the United States completely went off the rails and at least tried sometimes to exercise Noblesse Oblige.  Here is an account of the US military exercising it to the fullest in 2005. 

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Feb. 4 - The United States aircraft carrier that provided the base for dozens of daily helicopter flights carrying food and water to tsunami victims in Aceh left the area Friday, American officials said. The departure of the Abraham Lincoln, the centerpiece of the American effort in devastated Aceh, signaled the Indonesian government's desire to move from the delivery of emergency relief to plans for reconstruction of the devastated province.... The United States military's efforts included flying more than 2,800 relief missions and treating 2,200 patients, the American Embassy here said. In place of the aircraft carrier, an American naval hospital ship, the Mercy, arrived off Aceh on Friday, American officials said. The ship, which has about 1,000 hospital beds, headed for Aceh from San Diego soon after the tsunami struck.

This is how you do it, folks, and nobody has the right to forget that. This is how superpowers are supposed to behave in a global stress situations. Russians know this, they sent today a giant AN-124 Ruslan stuffed with medical supplies to the United States:

China was helping non-stop many others. Noblesse Oblige, folks. But how it relates to oil wars, you may ask? Well, here is the deal. Trump DID call Putin and they had a long conversation which dealt with issue like this, no it is not April Fool's joke, it is reality:

Whiting Petroleum filed for bankruptcy protection, while Saudi Arabia ignores President Donald Trump and moves ahead to push oil prices down further. Oil prices came under additional pressure Wednesday after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported domestic oil stockpiles soared by 13.8 million barrels, more than triple the estimate for an increase of 4 million. Gasoline stockpiles surged by 7.5 million barrels as demand dived 25% to the lowest level since 1993.

Says it all, and US shale oil industry is in deep-deep trouble, so much so that POTUS was forced to talk to Putin and.... he hasn't been ostracized for this call by even most vile DNC-controlled media, at least not yet. There is a reason why: Russia is a state actor which could be reasoned with, unlike is the case with MBS and Saudis, and here is this Noblesse Oblige point between the US and Russia, which doesn't exist between Saudis and Russia with US respectively. Russia understands that utter collapse of US economy, much of which is dependent today on shale oil, is NOT a blessing for Russia, especially when these were Russians who were indicating non-stop that they are interested in relatively soft-landing of the United States which would allow to avoid a huge economic mayhem globally. Unlike the United States, Russians know damn well what collapse of the superpower (USSR) looks and feels like. Russians also take account of US political class, much of which is simply totally corrupt, insane or both. So, Russians ARE NOT interested in the American implosion understanding consequences of that. This is both: understanding of the global trends and responsible behavior which, however emotionally would make sense for many in Russia, precludes burying the United States by annihilating its shale industry. Russians merely want to cut the US to size, not to kill the US, albeit for many this is a very desirable outcome. 

But Russia, again, offers new (in reality-old) rules--Noblesse Oblige--between superpowers. This was in plans before Covid-19 pandemic and was, not without justification, termed Yalta 2.0. Putin proposed this "Big Five" summit in Jerusalem at Holocaust Forum on January 23, 2020 (in Russian). Putin spoke about victors, not losers, for this summit. Of course, this summit is postponed today due to obvious reasons, but the agenda still stands--multipolar world with great powers (superpowers) taking responsibility for its normal and peaceful development. Recall now, that the US is a huge part of this "Big Five", Saudis, however, are not. The multipolar world is already here and American unipolar moment is over, but it doesn't mean that US economy should be deliberately crushed, especially by the shithole of a gas-station masquerading as a country. Yes, it is Saudi Arabia I am talking about. One just don't allow some medieval satrapy which produces only two things, oil (and even that due to someone's expertise and technology) and Islamic radicals, to shape the global outlook before big guns had a chance to settle it.  Nobody in their own mind ever proposed to cancel a pecking order geopolitically. Well, the United States tried, by proclaiming itself a hegemon, but that momentary lapse of reason was momentary in historic terms-some 20-30 years at best. The time of great powers is back with vengeance, Saudis, for some reason decided that they are the players here too. That goes way beyond the oil wars, that Saudi decision has metaphysical and geopolitical ramifications for the new world order--such ramifications are unacceptable.

So, that brings us to a conclusion that, judging by the events of the last 48 hours, US and Russia are negotiating something and Russia already stated today that she will not increase her oil output (in Russian), read this:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette spoke with his Russian counterpart Alexander Novak about the slump in global oil markets on Tuesday, and they agreed to hold future discussions involving other major world oil producers and consumers, the U.S. Energy Department said in a release. The call occurred a day after President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone conversation to have their top energy officials discuss the drop in global oil markets. The discussions between Washington and Moscow mark a new twist in global oil diplomacy since a failed deal earlier this month between the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia to cut production ignited a price war that sent oil prices tumbling. Brouillette and Novak "had a productive discussion on the current volatility in global oil markets," Energy Department spokeswoman Shaylyn Hynes said.

If I would be MBS, I would be shitting my pants the moment I read this news. It is one thing for Saudis to play nations against each-other, totally another--to piss off such dogs as US and Russia, who are now in negotiations on how to handle this shithole of a country which decided that she has the right to, pardon my French, fvck with big guns. I am sure, that both Russians and Americans now are pretty much on the same page in terms of possible, democratic "regime change" in Riyadh. Moreover, I am 100% positive that neither Moscow nor Washington want to deal with MBS at this stage. The guy is, obviously, insane and, frankly, down right stupid. You see, some contours of new world order of Big-2 (in reality 3, with China in the background) already in a process of helping it to emerge. This is superpowers' Noblesse Oblige to each-other. It is an exclusive club and it should remain such. This, plus, in the end, rephrasing the words of one American general about Russians during Detente of 1970s, when he was speaking about comparing Rooskies and Chinese: Russians are, of course, sons of bitches, but they are our sons of bitches--they, like us, like nice suits and good Whiskey. This applies completely in reverse in relations to the US. Especially once present American "elites" will be cleaned out and place disinfected by current events and tribulations they bring.   

We live in insane times, inside a geopolitical shift of unprecedented scale which, if we survive it, will be recorded in history as a final gasp of the liberalism and the ruin it brought upon the humanity. Some, in these times, lose their head and begin to behave irrationally, without calculating consequences for themselves and others. This is what Saudis did hoping for their bluff not to be called. It was called and now we have a rather unique situation, Russia and US cooperating. Hm, who would have thought. As per shale oil industry--it is for oil specialists to discuss if it will survive as such and if it will remain strictly for a domestic consumption. I do not want to go further in speculations on what would happen if Saudi Arabia ceases to exist as a state? Anything is possible in crazy times, including the emergence of some strange geopolitical configurations, especially when Noblesse Oblige is exercised.   

UPDATE: immediate follow-up. Here are some more details. 

For the member countries of OPEC+, mandatory cut in their oil output levels ended as of Wednesday, while the future of alliance between Moscow and Riyadh remains unclear. Russia and Saudi Arabia are currently not holding any talks regarding the oil market, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. He added that Putin has no plans to set up a phone call with Saudi leadership, adding the two countries can initiate a dialogue if necessary. 

Sergei Naryshkin's Speech.

Yes, yes, this very Sergei Naryshkin, the Director of SVR (Service of Foreign Intelligence) of Russia. His speech (in Russian) at Moscow International Security Conference on April 25, 2019 is rather remarkable. Here is the piece which speaks volumes:

Россия, пережившая за последние сто лет три опустошительные войны, не устает призывать других участников международного сообщества к совместному поиску решений накопившихся проблем. К сожалению, даже в тех сферах, где подобные переговоры ведутся, таких как борьба с терроризмом или информационная безопасность, западные партнеры продолжают держать в кармане зажатую фигу. Это не означает, конечно, что нам надо прервать всякие контакты, уйти в самоизоляцию или изолировать их. Диалог необходимо продолжать, хотя бы для того, чтобы не допустить окончательного распада действующей международной системы, которая все же обеспечивает стратегическую стабильность. В нынешней напряженной ситуации нужно идти по пути не разрушения, а укрепления глобальных и региональных форматов, попутно совершенствуя и трансформируя их в интересах мира и безопасности на всей планете. Если Западу во главе с США не хватает зрелости и мужества для того, чтобы двигаться в указанном направлении, остальным центрам силы придется проектировать глобальное будущее без него. На смену изжившему себя либеральному универсализму должен прийти новый миропорядок - справедливый и устойчивый. Его необходимо создавать на тех условиях и в тех формах, которые обеспечат совместное существование государств и региональных объединений с сохране¬нием за каждым из них права на самобытное развитие. Уверен, к этому процессу будут все активнее подтягиваться и те здравые силы в западных странах, которые осознают стоящие перед мировым сообществом риски и элементарно заинтересованы в самосохранении. Контуры грядущей миросистемы все еще покрыты туманом неопределенности. Будет ли она обеспечивать подлинное единство в многообразии или снова станет прикрытием для власти узкого клуба избранных, во многом зависит от нашей с вами работы.

Translation:  Russia, who survived three devastating wars in the last 100 years, tirelessly keeps calling on other members of international community for cooperative search for the solutions to accumulated problems. Sadly, even in those spheres where such negotiations are being conducted, such as fight against terrorism or informational security, the Western partners continue to keep their fingers crossed behind backs (in Russian--keeping fig in pocket). This, of course, doesn't mean that we should interrupt all contacts and isolate either them or ourselves. Dialog needs to be continued, even if to prevent a final disintegration of the present international system, which still provides for some strategic stability. In the present, tensions filled, situation one should follow the path not of destruction but of strengthening of global and regional formats, along the way perfecting and transforming those to the benefit of the world and security on the whole planet. If the West, headed by the United States, lacks maturity and courage for moving in this direction, other centers of power will have to design such global future without them. Instead of outdated liberal universalism, new world order--just and stable--should come. This order must be created under such conditions and in such formats, which will allow coexistence of states and regional formations, each of them having the right for own unique development. I am positive that healthy forces in the West interested in elementary self-preservation will gravitate towards this process, with those forces understanding risks which arise for the international community. Will this (new) system provide genuine unity in diversity or will again become merely a cover for the power of the club for few selected, to a large degree depends on yours and our work.  

It is a very interesting speech, which, considering who Naryshkin really is, his real weight, tells something of note. I would say decisions which made Russia turn on "Turbo" regime. It is especially remarkable when one considers that immediately after talking to Putin on the phone four days ago, Trump decided to raise tariffs on Chinese products. This attempt fizzled out--China remained unimpressed--and this means that there is a consensus between Russia and China on what to do both with the US and the West in general. It also means that the conditions for surrender are also mostly worked out--that is what Naryshkin articulated in his speech. But even more so was a direct informing of the combined West that Russia really doesn't need it anymore as she doesn't liberal model. I can already hear squealing of the pigs in Russia's liberal pigsty. As Meatloaf sang:

 Can't you hear the choir now?
Listen to the animals sing!
Can't you hear the slaughterhouse bells?
In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!
       In the land of the pigs the butcher is king!