Let’s Be Clear: If WW3 Happens It Will Be The Result Of Choices Made By The US Empire
https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/lets-be-clear-if-ww3-happens-it-will?publication_id=82124&isFreemail=true Caitlin Johnstone 8 Nov 22,
The commander of the US nuclear arsenal has stated unequivocally that the war in Ukraine is just a warmup exercise for a much larger conflict that’s already in the mail.
Antiwar’s Dave DeCamp reports:
The commander that oversees US nuclear forces delivered an ominous warning at a naval conference last week by calling the war in Ukraine a “warmup” for the “big one” that is to come.
“This Ukraine crisis that we’re in right now, this is just the warmup,” said Navy Adm. Charles Richard, the commander of US Strategic command. “The big one is coming. And it isn’t going to be very long before we’re going to get tested in ways that we haven’t been tested [in] a long time.”
Richard’s warning came after the US released its new Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), which reaffirms that the US doctrine allows for the first use of nuclear weapons. The review says that the purpose of the US nuclear arsenal is to “deter strategic attacks, assure allies and partners, and achieve US objectives if deterrence fails.”Not only does Richard appear to believe that a hot war between major world powers is a foregone conclusion, he has also previously stated that a nuclear war with Russia or China is now “a very real possibility.”
Again, this is not some armchair warrior opining from his desk at a corporate newspaper or DC think tank, this is the head of STRATCOM. Richard would be personally overseeing the very warfare he is talking about.
What I find most striking about remarks like these is how passive they always make it sound. Richard talks about “The Big One” like other people talk about California earthquakes, as though a hot war with China would be some kind of natural disaster that just happened out of nowhere.
This type of rhetoric is becoming more and more common. Describing an Atomic Age world war as something that would happen to the US empire, rather than the direct result of concrete A-or-B decisions made by the empire, is becoming its own genre of foreign policy punditry.
This passive, oopsy-poopsy narrative overlay that’s placed atop the US empire’s militarism is nothing new. Back in 2017 Fair.org’s Adam Johnson documented the way western media are always describing the United States as “stumbling” into wars and getting “sucked in” to military interventions, like a cheating spouse making up bad excuses after getting caught:
This framing serves to flatter two sensibilities: one right and one vaguely left. It satisfies the right-wing nationalist idea that America only goes to war because it’s compelled to by forces outside of its own control; the reluctant warrior, the gentle giant who will only attack when provoked to do so. But it also plays to a nominally liberal, hipster notion that the US military is actually incompetent and boobish, and is generally bad at war-making.
This is expressed most clearly in the idea that the US is “drawn into” war despite its otherwise unwarlike intentions. “Will US Be Drawn Further Into Syrian Civil War?” asked Fox News (4/7/17). “How America Could Stumble Into War With Iran,” disclosed The Atlantic (2/9/17), “What It Would Take to Pull the US Into a War in Asia,” speculated Quartz (4/29/17). “Trump could easily get us sucked into Afghanistan again,” Slate predicted (5/11/17). The US is “stumbling into a wider war” in Syria, the New York Times editorial board (5/2/15) warned. “A Flexing Contest in Syria May Trap the US in an Endless Conflict,” Vice News (6/19/17) added.
So let’s get real clear about this here and now: if there is a hot war between the US and a major power, it will not be because that war was “stumbled into”. It will not be like an earthquake or other natural disaster. It will not be something that happens to or is inflicted upon the US empire while it just passively stands there in Bambi-eyed innocence.
It will be the result of specific choices made by the managers of empire. It will be the result of the US choosing escalation over de-escalation, brinkmanship over detente — not just once but over and over again, while declining off-ramp after off-ramp. It will be the result of real material decisions made by real material people who live in real material houses while collecting real material paychecks to make the choices they are making.
Another thing that strikes me about comments like those made by Charles Richard is how freakish and insane it is that everyone doesn’t respond to them with, “Okay, well, then let’s change all of the things we are doing, because that’s the worst thing that can possibly happen.”
And make no mistake: that absolutely is an option. The option to turn away from the collision course with potentially the most horrific war of all time is available right now, and it will remain available for some time into the future. This isn’t 1939 when war is already upon us; if anything it’s more like the early 20th century precursors to World War I and all the stupid aggressions and entanglements which ultimately gave rise to both world wars.
One of the many ways our cultural fascination with World War II has made us stupid and crazy is that it has caused us to forget that it was the worst single event in human history. Even if a hot war with Russia and/or China didn’t go nuclear, it would still unleash unspeakable horrors upon this Earth which would reverberate throughout our collective consciousness for generations.
That horror should be turned away from. And the time to start turning is now.
Tale Of Two Broken Accords: Oslo And Minsk
Ukraine’s President Zelensky was elected on a platform promising to implement Minsk and end the death toll. Then the neo-Nazis enabled by the U.S. and NATO got to him. I suspect he was threatened with assasination unless he signed on to his country serving as the killing grounds for proxy war to weaken Russia.
https://went2thebridge.org/2022/11/07/tale-of-two-broken-accords-oslo-and-minsk/—
Many people understand that war is hell. That’s why they clamor for negotiated settlements that move belligerents back from the battlefield and set them on a path to reconciliation.
The Oslo Accords established a two-state solution to Israel’s violent occupation of Palestinian homelands and at the time was hailed as a major achievement.
Then came facts on the ground for the last several decades.
It would by now be virtually impossible to create a State of Palestine that was not hopelessly Balkanized into tiny, unconnected territories. At the time of Oslo, many expressed doubt and believed that only a truly democratic one-state solution could work. (Full disclosure: I’m in that camp.)
The insanely belligerent and corrupt Israeli PM Netanyahu has won the recent elections and stands poised to bring even more violence and suffering to the long-occupied Palestinians. And Israel is a nuclear weapons nation. With lots of nuclear threats and innuendoes being thrown around these days, it’s important to keep that in mind.
So we can expect to see a continuation of Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in blockaded Gaza
The Minsk II agreement established a game plan for resolving civil war in Ukraine.
Tens of thousands of civilians and combatants had been killed by missile strikes and more hands-on violence from militias operating freely in the Donbas border region with Russia following a 2014 CIA-sponsored coup in Kyiv. Years later, Ukraine’s President Zelensky was elected on a platform promising to implement Minsk and end the death toll. Then the neo-Nazis enabled by the U.S. and NATO got to him. I suspect he was threatened with assasination unless he signed on to his country serving as the killing grounds for proxy war to weaken Russia.
One wonders why nations sign on to accords and then immediately show no intention of fulfilling them?
It could be a stalling tactic to temporarily reduce international pressure to de-escalate.
Or it could be a case where those who signed on are ousted either by coup or elections, and succeeded by those with a lust for war.
Or maybe diplomatic efforts like accords are doomed in the face of the profit motive provided by modern industrialized killing?
Workers hold the key to stopping wars no matter what the motives of those waging them.
An international general strike would make wars literally impossible.
I pray we are seeing signs of this developing, especially in Europe where the economic impact of the war on Russia via Ukraine has been most intense. Certainly we are seeing signs of alarm from rulers enacting laws that actually criminalize gathering
Scientists now see the climate crisis as frightening
Why scientists are using the word scary over the climate crisis. The
former BBC environment analyst Roger Harrabin has spent his career talking
to scientists. Now they’re telling him they’re scared of what they’re
seeing.
Back in the 1980s, when climate research began to really take off,
scientists were desperate to retain their credibility as they unravelled
the potentially dire consequences of the “new” phenomenon of global
warming. Most journalists tiptoed round this topic because no one wanted to
lose their reputation by scaremongering. But as the science steadily became
overwhelming researchers pushed their conclusions in the face of
policymakers.
More and more scientists are now admitting publicly that they
are scared by the recent climate extremes, such as the floods in Pakistan
and west Africa, the droughts and heatwaves in Europe and east Africa, and
the rampant ice melt at the poles.
Guardian 7th Nov 2022
Campaigners seek early end to Chinese involvement at Bradwell nuclear project
https://www.nuclearpolicy.info/news/campaigners-seek-early-end-to-chinese-involvement-at-bradwell/ 7 Nov 22 Three campaign groups have written to influential parliamentarians asking them to seek an early end to plans by Chinese-state owned CGN to develop a new nuclear power plant at Bradwell in Essex.
In their letter to Conservative MPs, Alicia Kearns and Sir Iain Duncan Smith, the Nuclear Free Local Authorities, the Blackwater Against New Nuclear Group (BANNG), and the Bradwell B Action Network (BAN) have urged them ‘to make urgent representations to government to terminate CGN’s involvement at the Bradwell B site as soon as possible’.
Ms Kearns and Sir Iain are both prominent members of the China Research Group, whose stated position is that ‘Chinese involvement in our nuclear industry is now seen as an unacceptable national security risk’. The three campaign groups are opposed to any new nuclear projects at Bradwell as they believe the site does not meet any of the required national criteria to be suitable for the location of a power plant, however they have especial concerns about a Chinese-led project.
T
n their letter, they state that ‘the construction of a nuclear power plant by a Chinese-state owned entity, using Chinese-designed reactors that are not yet operational anywhere in the world, at a location relatively close to large urban populations, military installations, and other strategic assets and infrastructure, must represent a potentially substantial safety and security risk to the UK’.
Recent pronouncements by the Bradwell project team have contained mixed messages. In a circular to residents, they stated that boreholes dug on site to take soil samples would be filled in; that the site compound would soon be dismantled; and that a second phase of testing would be delayed beyond 2023. However, in a response to the media after the NFLA described this as ‘beating a retreat’, CGN insisted they are going to proceed with further feasibility studies.
This optimism seems ill-judged given the many statements by government ministers that they are hostile to Chinese investment in major British infrastructure projects, including at Sizewell C and Bradwell B. The government has enacted the National Security and Investment Act to allows ministers to restrict or prevent foreign investment in infrastructure projects that could compromise national security. Given the political backdrop, the three campaign groups cannot see how the British government could give the CGN-led Bradwell B development its endorsement
Professor Andrew Blowers OBE, Chair of BANNG, said: ‘For the past fourteen years, we have opposed any nuclear development on the grounds that the site is not in any way ‘potentially suitable’ for a new nuclear power station. We believe the Chinese project will be withdrawn owing to sustained local opposition and security concerns. We are asking politicians to confirm that this is the case.’
Councillor David Blackburn, Chair of the NFLA, added: ‘The Bradwell situation appears to be one in which life imitates art. The Bradwell B team are insisting, like the shopkeeper in the famous Monty Python parrot sketch, that their nuclear power project is ‘not dead, it’s merely resting’, whereas it is highly unlikely that it will ever go forward at a time when parliament believes the Chinese Government is not to be trusted. The NFLA believes it would be best if the government made plain that this is going nowhere to end the uncertainty for staff and the people in the communities surrounding the Bradwell B site.’
Revealed: US and UK fall billions short of ‘fair share’ of climate funding for developing countries.
The US, UK, Canada and Australia have fallen billions of dollars short of
their “fair share” of climate funding for developing countries,
analysis shows. The assessment, by Carbon Brief, compares the share of
international climate finance provided by rich countries with their share
of carbon emissions to date, a measure of their responsibility for the
climate crisis.
Rich countries pledged to provide US$100bn a year by 2020,
although this target has been missed. The US share of this, based on its
past emissions, would be $40bn yet it provided only $7.6bn in 2020, the
latest year for which data is available.
Australia and Canada gave only about a third of the funding indicated by the analysis, while the UK
supplied three-quarters but still fell $1.4bn short.
The issue of climate finance will be critical to progress at the Cop27 summit, which began on
Sunday in Egypt. Developing countries did little to cause the climate
emergency, making funding from rich countries vital to create the trust
needed for combined global action.
The rich countries accept vulnerable
countries face a “life or death situation” and need far more than
$100bn but delivery of the money has been contentious and slow. The $100bn
was intended to support the cutting of carbon emissions and work to adapt
communities to the increasingly extreme weather being driven by global
heating. However, a series of reports last week have laid bare how close
the planet is to climate catastrophe, with “no credible pathway [of
carbon cuts] to 1.5C in place”, the internationally agreed temperature
limit to avoid the worst of the climate crisis.
Guardian 7th Nov 2022
Photos: NATO conducts war game in Lithuania — Anti-bellum
NATONovember 7, 2022 Exercise Iron Wolf tests NATO troops in Lithuania Exercise Iron Wolf tested the ability of the Lithuanian Army’s Iron Wolf Brigade to carry out…operations and counter-attacks, together with Allied troops. The exercise involved more than 3,500 troops from nine NATO Allies, namely Belgium, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, the United […]
Photos: NATO conducts war game in Lithuania — Anti-bellum
Finland plans to continue using Russian nuclear fuel
- https://www.plenglish.com/news/2022/11/07/finland-plans-to-continue-using-russian-nuclear-fuel/ November 7, 2022, Alina Ramos Martin
We have an existing contract under which we work, Kattainen said.
The source specified that the fuel is supplied by TVEL, a subsidiary of the Russian nuclear energy corporation Rosatom.
The contract with the Russian supplier will remain in force until the expiring of the current licenses of the Loviisa nuclear power plant: that of the first reactor will expire in 2027, and the second one in 2030.
Most of the countries of the so-called old continent are going through a difficult situation with hydrocarbons, in general, after the outbreak of the war in Eastern Ukraine.
Finland’s OL3 nuclear reactor remains offline as probe continues
HELSINKI, Nov 7 (Reuters) – Investigation is still ongoing of cracks recently discovered in feedwater pumps at Finland’s Olkiluoto 3 (OL3) nuclear reactor, making it impossible to set a date for resumption of test production, operator Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) said on Monday. …….. (Subscribers only ) more https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/finlands-ol3-nuclear-reactor-remains-offline-probe-continues-2022-11-07/
Reporting by Essi Lehto, ediyting by Terje Solsvik
France’s Nuclear Power Problems Are Mounting
Oil Price, By ZeroHedge – Nov 07, 2022,
France’s nuclear troubles are mounting due primarily to routine maintenance of the country’s 56 aging reactors. A new update from French electric utility company Electricite de France SA, commonly known as EDF, said an outlook for nuclear power generation was slashed ahead of winter, causing chaos in energy markets.
EDF is the world’s largest owner of nuclear plants. It reported Friday that its fleet of nuclear reactors is expected to produce between 275 and 285 terawatt-hours of energy this year, down from the range of 280 and 300 terawatt-hours.
The reduced outlook comes amid a series of strikes at nuclear plants across the country that delayed planned maintenance work. Nuclear power generation has been sliding all year due to technical issues, and about half of the country’s 56 reactors are shuttered.
“The situation changed drastically this year, when France swung from being one of Europe’s largest exporters of electricity to a net importer because of issues with its reactors. The outages worried officials that France and the broader region might run short of electricity in the winter, when power demand in Europe peaks,” Bloomberg said. …………………………………………………………………………………https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Frances-Nuclear-Power-Problems-Are-Mounting.html
France’s Macron and UK’s Sunak agree on nuclear energy cooperation
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/frances-macron-uks-sunak-agree-nuclear-energy-cooperation-2022-11-07/ PARIS, Nov 7 (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron and Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Monday pledged “ambitious cooperation” in the field of nuclear energy to cope with the impact on energy supplies of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Reporting by Michel Rose; Writing by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Andrew Heavens
The two leaders met on the sidelines of climate talks in Egypt, their first meeting since Sunak became prime minister.
The French presidential palace also said Macron and Sunak wanted better coordination on migration.
Finland denies plans to deploy nuclear weapons in the country once it joins NATO
Daniel Stewart, 8 Nov 22. Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto has assured on Monday that Helsinki has no plans to allow the deployment of nuclear weapons on its territory once it joins NATO’s ranks, amid tensions over the war in Ukraine…………………..
he has applauded the efforts of French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to maintain a dialogue with Moscow. “This is solely aimed at stopping the killing. I think it is a worthwhile goal,” he concluded. https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/other/finland-denies-plans-to-deploy-nuclear-weapons-in-the-country-once-it-joins-nato/ar-AA13PjsO
As France’s aging nuclear reactors fail, France may block electricity exports to UK
France may block energy exports to UK as Macron’s ‘ancient’ nuclear
plants rust up. Power giant EDF will slash output following delays in vital
repairs to its fleet of nuclear reactors. The French may block electricity
exports to the UK this winter as a result, causing a fresh energy supply
crunch on these shores. It’s a frightening prospect as winter looms.
Express 5th Nov 2022
UK government denies reports that the Sizewell C nuclear project is in doubt
The UK government has denied plans for Sizewell C are currently under
review, reiterating its commitment in supporting the acceleration of the
nuclear industry. This is contrary to reports that emerged from the BBC in
which it was stated a “government official had disclosed that every major
project was under review including Sizewell C”.
It was reported that the
primary reason behind this was to cut costs as the UK enters the bleak
winter period amid the energy crisis. Dispelling these reports, a
government spokesperson told Current± that its position on the Sizewell C
project “has not changed” and it will continue to support the
development of the nuclear industry as a means to reach net zero.
Current 4th Nov 2022
https://www.current-news.co.uk/news/uk-government-squashes-claims-sizewell-c-is-under-review
Azov Nazi speaks to school kids across America
http://space4peace.blogspot.com/2022/11/azov-nazi-speaks-to-school-kids-across.html Bruce Gagnon, 7 Nov 22, I know this is hard to imagine – to believe. An Azov death squad member – a Nazi being paraded across the US to speak to school students. As we like to say – this takes the cake!
And to top it off he gets interviewed on MSNBC TV. The so-called ‘liberal’ channel.
This is how the minds of American youth are being contaminated with trash – filth – pure evil.
This is how fascism is being introduced to young people across our land.
This is a total disgrace.
This is being supported/organized by the neo-con run Democratic Party that a high percentage of American ‘peaceniks’ will be voting for on November 8.
Can we say that most Americans are blind and confused? Yes for sure.
This makes me sick.
Remember WW II Italian leader Benito Mussolini’s definition of fascism – the ‘wedding of corporations and government’.
This is what we have in the USA today.
Radioactive Waste Flasks to Share Arnside Viaduct with Walkers and Cyclists ?
Movers and Shakers including green minded and not so green minded folk are
pushing ahead with the plan to open the Arnside Viaduct to walkers and
cyclists. Whats wrong with that? Nothing apart from the fact that
radioactive waste travels this route to Sellafield on a regular basis.
Several flasks are sometimes taken across the viaduct at a time with at
least two deisel engines required just in case one breaks down as the load
is so very dangerous to the public ..and a target for goodness knows what.
Along with Nuclear Free Local Authorities and Close Capenhurst, Radiation
Free Lakeland recently put a series of questions to Direct Rail Services
who operate the nuclear waste trains on behalf of UK Government. The
replies have so far been unsatisfactory to say the least given that UK
Government is putting public money into ever increasing nuclear waste
flasks journeying to Sellafield alongside public access for walkers and
cyclists sharing the same route over the Arnside Viaduct.
Radiation Free Lakeland 6th Nov 2022
1 This Month
Tell Congress: Prevent Nuclear Catastrophe in Iran
Tell Congress: Prevent Nuclear Catastrophe in Iran
Read the Public Inquiry Report, the Commissioners’ report, Surrendering Australia: The AUKUS Deception is available to download for free at aukuspublicinquiry.com. Or just watch the replay of the National Press Club Luncheon.
19 November – Webinar – The Reality of Reprocessing
Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Time (US & Canada) / 2:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 PM UK / 8:00 PM CET
Register for the Zoom Event Here
Shut down the radiation-damaged Heysham nuclear reactors now
To see nuclear-related stories in greater depth and intensity – go to https://nuclearinformation.wordpress.com
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
Say No to NASA’s Reckless Nuclear Reactor on the Moon
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