{
    "url": "https://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/sociopolitica2/sociopol_trump121.htm",
    "content": " \n \n\n\n\n \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\n\n\n\n\r\n\t\t\tby Mike Whitney\nJune 04, \r\n\t\t\t2022\r\n\t\t\tfrom \nUNZ Website\n\r\n\t\t\t \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tMichael Whitney is a renowned geopolitical and social \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tanalyst based in Washington State. \n\nHe \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tinitiated his career as an independent \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tcitizen-journalist in 2002 with a commitment to honest \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tjournalism, social justice and World peace.\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHe is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tGlobalization (CRG).\n\r\n\t\t\t \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\n\n\n\r\n\t\t\t \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\n\r\n\t\t\tLook at this above map of Ukraine.\n\nCan you see what's \r\n\t\t\t\tgoing on? \n \n\nThe Russians are \r\n\t\t\t\tcreating a buffer zone along their western perimeter.\n\r\n\t\t\t\tWhy are they doing that? \n \n\nWhat benefit do they \r\n\t\t\t\tderive from a buffer zone?\n\nWell, a buffer zone \r\n\t\t\tcreates a distance between \r\n\t\t\t\nRussia and Ukraine which Putin thinks is \r\n\t\t\tnecessary since Ukraine is threatening to join NATO. \n\nSo, he's \r\n\t\t\tcreating his own DMZ on his western flank.\n\nBut what does that prove?\n\nIt proves that we've \r\n\t\t\t\tbeen lied to from the very beginning. \n\nPutin was not planning to \r\n\t\t\treconstruct the Soviet Empire like the media told us. He did not \r\n\t\t\twant to seize the Capitol, Kiev, and he did not want to conquer the \r\n\t\t\tentire Ukrainian landmass. That was all baloney.\n\r\n\t\t\tWhat he wanted to do, is what he has done.\n\r\n\t\t\tDon't take my word for it, look at the map. You don't need \n\nCNN or \n\nRachel Maddow to tell you \r\n\t\t\twhat you can see with your own two eyes. \n\nThis is the reality \r\n\t\t\t\t'on the ground'.\n\r\n\t\t\t\tThis is a buffer zone.\n \n\nIt creates a distance \r\n\t\t\t\tbetween Russia and Ukraine, it protects the ethnic Russians in \r\n\t\t\t\tthe Donbass region, and it establishes a landbridge to Crimea \r\n\t\t\t\twhere Russia's vital deep-water port of Sevastopol is located.\n\nIn other words, it \r\n\t\t\tachieves what Putin wanted to achieve from the very \r\n\t\t\tbeginning, that is, \n\nenhanced security \r\n\t\t\t\talong his western border...\n\nWhat we are seeing is the \r\n\t\t\tbasic parameters of Russia's \"Special Military Operation\". Yes, many \r\n\t\t\tpeople will prefer to call it a \"war\", but the term is not nearly as \r\n\t\t\tprecise as \"Special Military Operation\".\n\r\n\t\t\tWhy?\n\r\n\t\t\tBecause \"Special Military Operation\" indicates that the main \r\n\t\t\tobjective is to save the lives of the ethnic Russians who had been \r\n\t\t\tunder constant bombardment for the last 8 years and, also, to create \r\n\t\t\ta security zone that prevents a hostile NATO army and its missile \r\n\t\t\tsystem from being deployed to Russia's border. \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\nThese are the goals of \r\n\t\t\tthe \"Special Military Operation\":\n\nto \"demiliterize\" and \r\n\t\t\t\t\"denazify\" the area under Russia's control...\n\nGet it?\n\r\n\t\t\tWill the \"Special Military Operation\" go beyond the Donbass to Kiev \r\n\t\t\tand cities in the west?\n\r\n\t\t\tProbably, not. \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\nGoing beyond the Donbass \r\n\t\t\twould likely involve a complete mobilization of men and resources \r\n\t\t\twhich has not yet taken place in Russia. By not mobilizing, Putin is \r\n\t\t\tsignaling to the west that he will limit his operation to the area \r\n\t\t\ton the map. (With some slight expansion...) \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\nPutin is indicating that \r\n\t\t\this main concern is security, and since his concerns were \r\n\t\t\tcasually brushed aside by \n\r\n\t\t\tBiden and Zelensky, he took matters into his \r\n\t\t\town hands. \n\nIn other words, he \r\n\t\t\t\timposed his own settlement...\n\nOkay, but if these are \r\n\t\t\tthe parameters of the Special Military Operation, then what are the \r\n\t\t\tchances of a wider war?\n\nThat depends on \r\n\t\t\t\tBiden...\n\nIf Washington continues \r\n\t\t\ton the path of escalation - by sending weapons systems that can \r\n\t\t\tstrike targets in Russia - then Putin will respond. \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\nWe should know that by \r\n\t\t\tnow. Putin is not going to back down no matter what. If Washington \r\n\t\t\twants to up-the-ante, then they should prepare for an equal \r\n\t\t\tresponse. That's the way it's going to work. \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\nFor now, the \"Special \r\n\t\t\tMilitary Operation\" is just a \"Special Military Operation\". But when \r\n\t\t\tit becomes a war, then all bets are off. \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\nThen we will see a full \r\n\t\t\tmobilization, a complete rupture in US-Russo relations, and a halt \r\n\t\t\tto all hydrocarbon flows from east to west.\n\nDo you think Europe \r\n\t\t\t\tand the United States are prepared for that? \n \n\nDo you think the EU \r\n\t\t\t\tcan replace the 25% of the oil and 40% of all the natural gas it \r\n\t\t\t\tpresently imports from Russia? \n \n\nDo you have a \r\n\t\t\t\twind-powered car that will get you to work on time or a factory \r\n\t\t\t\tthat will run on solar power? \n \n\nDo you have a plan \r\n\t\t\t\tfor heating your house with hydrogen or perhaps a battery from \r\n\t\t\t\tan old Prius?\n\nNo, you don't, and \r\n\t\t\tneither does Europe...\n\nEurope runs on fossil \r\n\t\t\t\tfuels. \n \n\nAmerica runs on \r\n\t\t\t\tfossil fuels \n \n\nAnd the more fossil \r\n\t\t\t\tfuel that is consumed, the more the economy grows. \n \n\nThe less fossil fuel \r\n\t\t\t\tis consumed, the more the economy shrinks. \n\nAre you prepared for life \r\n\t\t\tin a shrinking economy with high unemployment, skyrocketing \r\n\t\t\tinflation, unending recession, and deepening social malaise brought \r\n\t\t\ton by your government's misguided desire to \"stick it to Putin\"?\n\r\n\t\t\tThat's a bad choice, isn't it? Especially when a face-saving deal \r\n\t\t\tcan be made at anytime. \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\nIn fact, Biden could stop \r\n\t\t\tthe fighting tomorrow if he extended the hand of friendship to Putin \r\n\t\t\tand declared that, yes, Ukraine will accept neutrality till the end \r\n\t\t\tof time and NATO expansion will stop ASAP.\n\r\n\t\t\tThat's all it would take. \n\nJust extend the olive \r\n\t\t\t\tbranch and Putin will 'call off the dogs'. Guaranteed...\n\nThat's what this guy \r\n\t\t\twould have done. \n\nRemember him? \n\n \n\nRemember how bad \r\n\t\t\t\tthings were when Trump was in office and gas was 2 bucks a \r\n\t\t\t\tgallon, and everyone had a job, and there was no inflation, and \r\n\t\t\t\tviolent crime was under control?\n\nListen to what \n\nTrump had \r\n\t\t\tto say about Russia:\n\r\n\t\t\t \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\n\n\n\r\n\t\t\t \n\n\"Well, I hope we do \r\n\t\t\t\thave good relations with Russia. I say it loud and clear and \r\n\t\t\t\tI've been saying it for years. I think it's a good thing if we \r\n\t\t\t\thave a great relations with Russia. \n \n\nThat's very \r\n\t\t\t\timportant. \n \n\nAnd, I believe, some \r\n\t\t\t\tday that will happen. It's a big country, it's a nuclear \r\n\t\t\t\tcountry, it's a country we should get along with, and I think we \r\n\t\t\t\twill eventually get along with Russia.\"\n\nHe's right, isn't he?\r\n\t\t\t\n\r\n\t\t\t \n\nWe need to get along with \r\n\t\t\tRussia and put an end to the fighting before these morons drag us \r\n\t\t\tinto World War 3...\n\r\n\t\t\t \n\r\n\t\t\t \n\n\n\nReturn Home\n\n\n\nReturn to Trump\n\n\n\nReturn to Russia and The EU\n\n \r\n\t\t\t\n\n "
}