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. 

Irina Alksnis Hits It Out Of The Ballpark.

Notable Russian journalist Irina Alksnis wrote a wonderful metaphysical piece on the fate of superpowers. I don't have time to translate it all but, apart from really universal perspective on the existence of real superpowers, she delivers both moral and, in a sense, sympathetic response to the the fate of the United States. I highly recommend, even if using crude Google Translate which will most likely degrade a wonderful emotional message of this piece, to read it by Americans and others. I will translate just conclusion:

Однако чтобы услышать эти немудреные советы – и тем более последовать им – Соединенным Штатам надо остановиться, хотя бы на мгновение, и замолчать. Прекратить сотрясать воздух заявлениями, требованиями и угрозами, которые выглядят то странными, то откровенно смешными из-за все более явной неспособности сделать их реальностью.А вот именно этого они, похоже, сделать никак не могут. В результате продолжается бесконечная громкоговорящая карусель: Москва, Асад должен уйти! Русские, мы накажем вас за защиту Мадуро! Россия, мы обеспечим свободу мореходства в Керченском проливе!А самое обидное для американцев, что только Россия может их понять. Потому мы помним боль, стоящую за этими словами.

Translation: However, to hear this simple advice--not to mention  following it--the United States need to stop, at least for an instance, and silence themselves. To stop shaking air with statements, declarations, demands, and threats, which come across as either strange, or outright silly because of their obvious inability to ever become a reality. But it is precisely, it seems, what the US is not capable of doing. As a result--the continuation of never-ending declaratory carousel: Moscow, Assad must go! Russians, we will provide for freedom of navigation in Kerch Strait! Russians, we will punish you for support of Maduro. But the most insulting for Americans is that only Russia can understand them. Because we remember the pain behind those words. 

I always said--genuine superpowers move in their own world and they have their very own, unique, complexes and "disabilities" only other superpowers can understand, even when being enemies. Irina Alksnis completely and masterfully conveyed this in her article.