Like Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS), Putin Derangement Syndrome (PDS) has two forms.
PDS and TDS, Types I and II
Type I: Those who believe [Trump/Putin] can do little or nothing wrong. People in this class are reverent and loyal to a fault. They believe in wild conspiracies if that’s what it takes to support their position. They make excuses or deny any mistakes their man makes.
Type II: Those who believe [Trump/Putin] can do little or nothing right. People in this class challenge anything [Trump/Putin] do whether it makes any sense or not.
Twice in the same day I have been accused of being extreme Right wing and extreme Left wing. I have been accused of being a Trump lover and having TDS. I coined the variants, I and II in response.
Today, it happened again with Putin. I made a statement that the US fomented this mess with Maidan Lane meddling and John McCain flying to Ukraine preaching entry of Ukraine in NATO.
Every time I make such statements, and I have made them repeatedly, I get accused of being a Putin Lover. And twice today I have been accused of being a Neocon simply for proposing Putin has made mistakes.
In response, I coined the term PDS.
US Meddling
I am sick of US meddling that nearly always backfires: Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq come immediately to mind. Going back much further, the CIA and UK sponsored a coup in Iran. Much of the Mideast mess stems from that.
There is no war the neocons don’t support. There is no US involvement that I do support unless the US is directly attacked. I would not have sent weapons to Ukraine. Oops, that makes me a Putin Lover.
Putin was not justified in blasting Ukraine with missiles. Oops, that makes me a neocon.
If you have not gotten the message, I do not support wars. The curious result is that I am simultaneously a neocon, a Putin lover, and a Volodymyr Zelenskyy lover.
Putin Deserves Zero Praise
As for Putin and his muscles, he is proving to be a very poor military commander. Russian missiles are now routinely, knocked down. And they are being aimed non-military targets at a time when he should be focused on attacking military targets. How stupid is that?
Those with PDS Type I defend Putin’s actions as if two wrongs make a right. They also concoct preposterous theories explaining the aborted coup by Wagner leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
It is delusional to believe Putin is winning anything from this. But those with PDS Type I can never accept their beloved can do anything wrong despite the fact he totally f’d up the invasion of Ukraine, is running out of missiles, and had resorted to cheap drones from Iran.
Putin underestimated the resolve of Kyiv. He underestimated US military support. Oops again. Such statements make me a neocon and/or a Volodymyr Zelenskyy lover.
No Winners
In my post yesterday, Prigozhin Aborts His Russian Coup 125 Miles Short of Moscow I stated ” I see no winners in this deal.”.
Today, the Wall Street Journal headline stated “Wagner’s Aborted Mutiny Leaves No Winners in Russia“
Someone with PDS Type I replied that “proves” I am wrong. His “proof” implies the WSJ is wrong about everything. Sorry, no one right or wrong all the time.
Knowing the Unknowable
Those with PDS Type I are now shouting, “See, I told you so”, when Prigozhin backed down.
I said there was a chance his coup would succeed. People do not understand words. There was a chance and a good one, IMO. I never defined the words “good chance” but I never said “odds on”. That it didn’t happen makes me no more wrong than suggesting a 3 or a 4 might happen in craps, but getting a 7 instead.
Ha ha. You said there was a chance of a 3 or a 4. You were wrong.
No one really knows what’s going on, including me, and you. Putin himself does not fully know what’s going on.
Of course, if you have PDS Type I, this is all planned and Putin knows what he is doing, despite the fact that he seriously f’d up the Ukraine invasion. Had he stopped in Donbas instead of being blasted back to Donbass he might have pulled the invasion off.
I don’t support dictators or those who start wars killing innocent civilians with missile barrages. But I understand why Putin invaded. The US had no business meddling in Ukraine. And the US knew full well Putin’s red lines.
These statements are “proof” that I simultaneously have PDS type I and PDS type II. What a hoot.
I’m actually quite happy with how the war is going in Ukraine and I believe the Ukraine military head when he says this will eventually end up in Moscow. The only guy that seems to have ever wanted the invasion of Ukraine is Putin himself. Eventually the Russian people will rise up, of course with the help of the Ukrainians and the West. This has been a long time coming and the only way this war should end in a negotiation is if Putin steps down and Russia has a democratic election. Otherwise, march towards Moscow until further notice. The march of true freedom and real democracy will never end because a freer economic system is the best one going for everyone.
Sorry Sir, but you really must be a shrill for untruth and non reality.
But that’s fine. Keep your opinion. You are a conscious being free to make your own choices.
When there appears to be no ability to agree and solutions are APPARENTLY impossible the only rational alternative is INTEGRATIVE ACTION. Wisdom is the superlative integrative mental discipline and grace as in love in action/systemic policy is its pinnacle concept. (Thats pinnacle NATURAL PHILOSOPHICAL concept, so please do not mistake me for some religious zealot.) Two of the major aspects of grace are loving action and unity. Self actualizing these is, again, the only rational alternative, and failure to integrate is simply self actualizing one or the other of the problematic duality under discussion.
Economics is participated in by everyone. Money DOES make the world go ’round, but its paradigm of Debt Only is monopolistic, dominating, economically unstable and hasn’t changed since at least the beginning of human civilization. Break up that monopoly with gracious policies at universally participated points in the economic process and you’ll be able make money and economics accomplish the GOOD.
A Wisdomics-Gracenomics is the integrative rational alternative economically, monetarily and geo-strategically.
So how many hours did this “COUP” last???
I made a prediction on the first thread on this “ADVENTURE”!!
Part of it didn’t happen though!!!
I just thought it was odd that Mish seems to have bought hook line sinker, the “WEST” propaganda on this “COUP”!
Since it seems that MISH was using the Marxist “NEW Definition” of what a “COUP” is!!!
If you have not gotten the message, I do not support wars.
Well, Mish: that’s a big problem since you’re living in an Empire fully invested in global wars of destabilization. The same major holding companies that have controlling interest in the war industries also hold major stakes in the MSM and big tech. Since the shareholders can buy a senator for $10K, it takes a mere $1 million to buy the Senate and guarantee laws written to enrich the stockholders by many billions.
I guarantee the United States is even weaker internally than Russia. Blackwater would be able to seize the I-95 corridor from NYC to DC and cause 100 Senators to flee for hillbilly country within six hours of a “Blackwater march” — and no collapsed bridge in Philly would present an obstacle. I mean, if the Capitol police opened the doors and guided painted hippies into Pelosi’s office, I could see the DOT filling in the collapsed bridge with their own wrecked Lexuses and Infinitis to allow passage to anyone holding a cocked gun.
So beware, Murica. TDS & PDS has made us one big fat morbidly obese menagerie of armchair cowards. I doubt that will change until the magnificent 100 are given a real sense of mortality.
The Plot to Seize Russia – https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/books/new-book-now-available-the-plot-to-seize-russia/
There is no way that Russia will ever back off. Basically they are the Terminator, and will keep coming no matter what arms the West gives Ukraine, how much Russia is bloodied, no matter how long it takes. The West will give up long before Russia will. So basically anyone who is for arming Ukraine is pro six figure deaths on both sides, with the outcome not being changed (just like all the deaths the US caused in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc., with absolutely no change in the outcome versus if we had done nothing).
Yeah Putin’s bad, but so are most world leaders. And it’s not like Ukraine is some bastion of democracy. People living under Ukrainian rule will live about the same under Russian rule (not even getting into most people in Eastern Ukraine consider themselves Russian and if we allowed “democracy”, the eastern oblasts would just vote themselves over to Russia and we’d wind the whole war down).
For the war mongers it is not about the people in the eastern oblasts, or we wouldn’t be in this war.
In the end I will watch billions go to a pointless war that again will end up the same if the West had done nothing, while our own country and society crumbles down the tubes.
Putin is leading Russia down a ‘suicidal path’
Times Radio interviews John Lough – Associate fellow for Russia and Eurasia, Chatham House;
183,062 views Jun 25, 2023 #TimesRadio
Former NATO first Alliance representative John Lough says Prigozhin’s mutiny shows the ‘deep irreparable cracks’ in Putin’s leadership.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa63e5zq774
If you listen to Ray McGovern on Judge Napolitano’s YouTube channel, you’ll learn a great deal.
“I am sick of US meddling that nearly always backfires: Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq come immediately to mind. Going back much further, the CIA and UK sponsored a coup in Iran. Much of the Mideast mess stems from that.”
——
You have two possible choices then. You can move to another country or you can run for political office and attempt to effect change.
Anything else will achieve nothing.
“War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothin’!” “War,” Edwin Starr, 1969 // Me, Army Viet Nam 1968. I lost five buddies to that Insanity. Angry, bitter? Now 76, mostly recovered from that. I believe War Mongers will receive their just due in the Beyond. // Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord (KJV, Rom 12:19). 🔦
“Someone with PDS Type I replied that “proves” I am wrong. His “proof” implies the WSJ is wrong about everything. Sorry, no one right or wrong all the time.”
Mish, I suspect a great majority of your readers are highly skeptical of anything the MSM says and rightly so. The MSM is largely a propaganda driven apparatus not to inform and let you make your own decisions but to drive narratives for you to believe.
I would suspect those that you criticize for being skeptical of MSM are more open to others opinion and less narrow minded than you make them out to be.
Collusion, collusion, collusion, collusion, collusion, collusion, collusion, collusion, collusion, collusion, collusion, collusion on and on and on and on and on an on and on and on and on and on.
I think I only have to mention one word for the reputability of the MSM.
Dont even have to mention 50 intelligence experts claiming someones laptop is Russian disinformation.
I think it’s almost impossible to write anything about this situation.
Everyone who writes on any aspect of it seems to be displaying which side they’re rooting for or against; and practically nobody can get on the ground and report anything credible about anything. Yes we have pretty maps, and breathless articles, and multimedia reportage that can easily be doctored or just cleverly edited in the old-fashioned way, and in the end, probably the best way to find out what is actually happeing is to not look at the details of the war itself, which can scarcely be verified, but at it’s effects beyond its periphery.
Do we see the Russian regime actually faltering? Do we see the “allies” actually thriving and perparing for a new Barbarossa (whoops, did I accidentally use the wrong metaphor?).
Most likely, what we see is a lot of stuff blown up; a lot of people displaced; a lot energy prices going up; a lot money mysteriously disappearing and possibly reappearing in places it shouldn’t in the west.
Most of all it all seems like that bit in Nineteen Eighty Four where Oceania had alwqays been at war with Eurasia, or was it Eastasia? It’s hard to keep up with all the cross-dressing flying saucer distractions whizzing around.
I understand we are crushing it with the sanctions.
Just not sure who is getting crushed.
Any ideas?
If you are in the US or Europe are you having any problems getting what you could get before the sanctions? I would say there are no supply problems of any size. If you were in Russia you couldn’t say that. Not even close.
Now that is total BS. My brother in law is there. One of my God Brothers is there. They send me photos and reports. They’re is absolutely no shortage of anything in Russia. Inflation is far less than in the US or Europe. Scott Ritter was just there for twenty days and he said the same.
I think you are there too! LOL
No Sir, I live in Thailand since 1985. I’ve never been to Russia. Actually I’ve only been in Thailand and India the past 8 years. Where are you? I’m 73 born in California in 1949. How about you?
Roman, Spanish, British empires had a lot of red lines. All went down rhe sink.
Ucraine has the right to choose its path. If Russia were a democracy, this war hadn’t started.
It is simply ludicrous to say that someone who points out WSJ is wrong about everything, has PDS Type this or that or whatever. One can make that argument without having to be a Putin fan.
Besides, on issues of wars and proxy wars, when has the WSJ been right?
There was a good article on the leadup and the start of the Ukraine war in the June issue of Harper’s Magazine. The United States missed a lot of opportunities to avoid the Ukraine war and did a few things that made the war more likely. That said I think that allowing Russia to roll into the Ukraine unchecked would also be a mistake. The Libertarian platform is simple and appealing however the idea of no response unless directly attacked allows a gradual consolidation of an opponent around the United States until it is too late to effectively respond even if attacked.
The answer is to be more effective and methodical in our international engagement. Whether we are capable of that is another question.
Good thing you didn’t live in Europe in the late 1930s then.
Most people will never realize why Putin felt provoked to invade. Russia does not want NATO missiles on their border. It’s just like how we responded during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the Soviet Union sent ballistic missiles to Cuba.
All this “DS” is an outgrowth of a much bigger problem. We are way to comfortable. So much so that we literally make up problems. Imagine the TikTok generation being conscripted into military service and forced into fighting a war that no one wants. That would cure DS real quick.
I just want the war to end. Don’t care who wins or loses.
I do care who wins or loses.
China is going to be the only winner.
As you imply, there is a national derangement syndrome, or better yet, metal hea;th crisis. In a DoD/Fed facility of 350 ppl, nearly half are on some sort of “balancer”. It’s pointless to address hardliners here or at work. Critical thinking, debate, respect for others opinions, is almost dead. Only feelings matter, feelings are facts; therefore ppl are no longer accountable for their idiocy (actions, words). And…you have to include the cyber warrior, the person who with all the body armor in front of them by way of a screen offers them general immunity and protection from actually having to face a real human with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to defeat them intellectually or physically. Ah, the old Einstein quote, cliché but true enough – “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.”
I am surprised how well my predications have come out .
Also, what makes you think that Prigozhin’s mutiny is over?
Who knows if it was a real mutiny or some psyop or something else? Inside Russia the people support Mr. Putin rather strongly.
It was real. Lots of Russian soldier tired of being cannon fodder fighting a losing war for land that is not theirs full of people that hate them.
If you live in Europe you don’t have the luxury of abstractedly contemplating war. Before Russia invaded Ukraine you could but the invasion changed everything almost overnight. The horrors of war are burned into European genes and when Russia invaded the reaction was not fear and subservience but righteous anger and the European nations acted in consequence. The war is far from over and the Russian elites are just beginning to understand that there is no winning this war and that Putin has put them in a no-win situation no matter what they do.
It sounds as though Europe wants nuclear holocaust then. Is that accurate? Maybe Europe should have honored the Minsk Agreement and not moved NATO to the Russian borders as was promised when the Soviet Union was dissolved?
One thing is certain. Russia is not going to let Ukraine continur to kill Russian people in those border oblasts, and they are not going to let Ukraine be part of NATO.
That’s what Putin and his minions keep saying. “If we don’t get what we want you will risk nuclear war.” as if Russia risks nothing. Does Russia want a nuclear holocaust that would destroy it? You invaded Ukraine and now you are crying unfair when they fight back. Pitiful.
From what I’ve learned from people like John Meardheimer and many others, that isn’t accurate at all. The Ukraine was never a independent place until the break up of the Soviet Union. Those Eastern oblasts are Russian speaking, Russian culture and religion. Ukraine government was killing them since 2014 when the US sponsored coup took over the Ukraine government. Why not get informed on the real history? Russia has not invaded Kiev and tried to take over Ukraine. This is about a small area which is Russian. It could have been settled long ago, but the American government and the UK government want war. Why? Both are financially bankrupt.
The only reason they didn’t invade Kiev is because they got slaughtered trying in their broke down old vehicles.
So it is our fault that Putin invaded? That argument flew the coop long ago. I think that the Ukraine people have proven that they are not part of Russia. Europe is full of countries that used to be part of one empire or another and Ukraine is no exception. John Mearsheimer is similar to Putin’s view that the world should be divided up into spheres of influence and that the people in the counties themselves don’t count for squat. Putin’s problem is that he read too much history and hadn’t realized that the world and the peoples in it have changed since the 19th century. The article Putin wrote in December 2021 on Ukraine could have been written by Nicolas II it is so far out of date.
Likewise Mish. Two things I have learned from having spent a couple decades in the military both enlisted and officer around the globe is that one; the media reports are seldom true but people eat it up. The second; never trust the US Government.
I knew when one of my Soldiers showed me this new thing called Myspace years ago for the first time this country was doomed. There was no way the Government was not going to seize control of it.
I was 100% correct but had no idea it was going to be far worse than I could have imagined. People are being psyop’d on a grand scale. Nothing can be done about it either. They are in their specific groups and will follow their groups to the bitter end. If you try to point out some critical information that does not line up with their group you are attacked. Best thing to do is stay away from them and let them follow their group off a cliff.
Thank you. You are totally correct.
Yep!
I think that the first and very important thing is to know exactly is happening. This can only be done by confronting multiple sources. The only sources of MSM media in the west are politicians or MODs of Ukraine, UK and USA. Hence it is necessary to look at other media, and see the differences. They are huge. So something is wrong somewhere. Probably on the two sides.
For the missiles: remember that Russia is supposed to run out of missiles since March 2022.
My brother is law is in Russia with his Russian wife. He is fairly fluent in Russian and he follows things very closely. He’s from London. He’s says nearly every word in the western media is BS.
The so-called “experts” are also very funny, as general David Petraeus, who accumulated failures, and is still an “expert”.
I’m in Russia right now. Just got to Moscow yesterday, riding south toward the city while Wagner was driving north to it. Not exactly a relaxing ride, I can tell you.
Your brother in law is partly correct: the western media is beyond BS, it is fake non-organic and thus useless BS. As for the Russian media, they scarcely said a word about what happened. It was impossible to learn a thing about the Wagner situation and in fact nobody wanted to talk about it. A sudden rush of nervous fear struck people who were ordinarily open-mouthed about politics and the war.
So, do as I do: believe NOTHING and wait to see who benefits. Then the truth will become known.
Thank you. I listened to Ray McGovern this morning. He explained that the gang of 8,leaders in the US Senate, House, Intelligence, we’re briefed on this last Wednesday, two days before it happened. Now, Biden said the US has nothing to do with it.
If you believe that, I’ll still the Brooklyn Bridge to you.
“I think that the first and very important thing is to know exactly is happening. This can only be done by confronting multiple sources. The only sources of MSM media in the west are politicians or MODs of Ukraine, UK and USA. Hence it is necessary to look at other media, and see the differences. They are huge.”
Well said
The US guaranteed Ukrainian sovereignty in exchange for Ukraine’s unilateral nuclear disarmament.
Russia invaded sovereign Ukraine
Any questions ??
This random statement baffles me. At best it is a fact taken out of context and does not actually address any substantive issues.
Question 1 – What year was the pronouncement made?
Question 2- When The United States paid ~$5 Billon dollars to overthrow the Ukrainian democratically elected government in 2014 how does that square with the statement, “The US guaranteed Ukrainian sovereignty in exchange for Ukraine’s unilateral nuclear disarmament”.
Question 3- Is the Ukraine country in 2023 a democratic country?
You did not answer the two simple questions in my post
Did the USA guarantee Ukrainian sovereignty?? The answer is yes
Did Vlad invade sovereign Ukraine ?? Again the answer is yes
I agree with the gist, but Mish, you are also making factual claims, which I invite you to backup with hard data and numbers.
1. He is running out of missiles
2. He underestimated US military support
3. Russian missiles are now routinely, knocked down
4. [Missiles] are being aimed non-military targets at a time when he should be focused on attacking military targets. How stupid is that?
[1] Since early March 2022 I have been reading that Russia is running out of missiles, but thousands of missiles later, they are still sending salvos with scores of missiles, almost daily the past month.
Please provide a break down of various commonly used missile types, their inventory at the start of the SMO, the run rate, and the replenishment rate.
[2] How much support did Putin gauge the US would provide and how do we know this. By how much did he underestimate current support levels?
[3] Russian missiles are now routinely intercepted. How are they intercepted? By their targets? How do we know anything about the numbers that are hitting their objectives and how many are being intercepted? No idea how anybody could have much reliable data on this.
[4] Missiles are aimed at non-military targets.
How do you know where they were aimed?
Some of the most iconic MSM items about apartment buildings feature BUK AD shrapnel visible on the pavement. Kiev has been flogging the story that the Russians have converted S300 interceptors to be ground to ground missiles, but that is simply to cover up the havoc they are themselves causing by injudicious use of faulty material. The challenge is to find a single example of a (non dual use civilian) non-military strike and evidence of deliberate targeting.
He either underestimated US support, Ukraine’s desire to defend itself or both. That is simply an obvious truth.
Russian missiles are routinely knocked down. Easy to show. Many reports like this. Many. Surprised you never bothered to look.
https://www.reuters.com/world/falling-debris-causes-fires-two-kyiv-sites-officials-2023-05-18/
#4 is obvious as well. Either that or Russia is piss poor at firing missiles hitting civilian targets.
#1 missiles: Forecast International – Russia Denies It Is Running Out of Missiles
https://dsm.forecastinternational.com/wordpress/2023/01/25/russia-denies-it-is-running-out-of-missiles/
The Ukrainian government points to Russia’s purchase of Iranian-made missiles and attack drones as support for its statement. Furthermore, Moscow has repurposed S-300 and S-400 air defense missiles to attack ground targets, which would not be necessary if sufficient PGMs were available.
Russian officials say that enough missiles are available to continue the war. These officials said Russia has thousands of missiles and the ability to produce even more.
Russia’s use of PGMs in Ukraine has been very heavy. Moscow had planned for a “short victorious war.” No matter what Moscow says, it is using its available missile stockpiles at a rate far greater than planned. Russia has long had difficulties maintaining annual missile production rates, and is facing a shortage of critical components.
The figures provided by Ukraine are probably too low, but those from Russia are definitely too high. Due to the Russo-Ukrainian War, many countries are rethinking the sufficient size of a missile stockpile to sustain a modern war. In addition, missile companies might not have the production capacity to meet this potentially higher-than-anticipated battlefield usage rate.
I agree with the original comment (I was going to make a similar post). Mish I also agree with 90% of what you write, but Russian/Ukraine claims do not add up.
Reuters is not a good source to link, but let’s forget media reporting and use common sense.
Ukraine claimed to have intercepted 6 out of 6 Russian hypersonic missiles in one of their claims that the media widely reported. Nobody today has that capability. Just how can this be trustworthy information? It’s as fanciful as the ghost of Kiev lie. Also plenty of evidence that weapons depot and electricity grid has been knocked out.
I would caution blindly believing any media coverage and apply common sense, you do this with economics and FED reporting, why not with Russia?
Ukraine is losing the war and that will continue. The only thing yet to be determined is how many on each side will die.
On the bright side, a lot of money will be made in the interim.
Maybe it’s a good time to start a missile company.
Both sides are spinning the data. But it’s probably safe to say the press in the West is probably worse.
It reminds me of the old Mark Twain quote. “If you don’t read the paper your uninformed. If you do read the paper you’re misinformed.”
For these grinding battles, artillery is the important component. And in this Russia has a massive advantage.
Also China is playing tit for tat with the US. They recently set up a spy facility in Cuba in responses to the US setting up one in Taiwan.
The Biden Administration is feckless. They’ll sexualize your kids, drive the economy into the dirt and then kill us all in a nuclear war.
You nailed it here. I grew up in California in the 1950s. The US was an amazing country. I can’t recognize it now.
Yes, it is very sad. I pray for the younger generation. They’ve been saddled with maasive debt and had their once bountiful country reduced to ruin.
Mish,
Here’s an article by Larry Johnson. He’s an ex-CIA analyst (their are some good ones like Philip Giraldi and Ray MacGovern). It’s highly informative about the supposed coup
https://sonar21.com/prigozhin-will-the-real-slim-shady-please-stand-up/
“Due to the Russo-Ukrainian War, many countries are rethinking the sufficient size of a missile stockpile to sustain a modern war. In addition, missile companies might not have the production capacity to meet this potentially higher-than-anticipated battlefield usage rate.”
Not to worry. I’m sure Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics will be more than happy to fulfill any necessary missiles. At a fair price too.
War is bad, attacking another sovereign country is very bad, but the problem here is the western governments complaining about idiot Putin has no moral high ground especially UK stealing Falkland Islands from Argentina.. don’t even get into what they stole from India and other countries around the world.
True. Even WW2 was full of moral contradictions. Like the “free western democracies” supporting the worst mass-murdering communist totalitarian dictator up to that point in history (Joseph Stalin) in order to defeat some other mass-murdering dictators (Hitler and Emperor Hirohito). And few people know that England and the Communist Soviet Union joined forces to invade NEUTRAL Iran in 1941. They only call this stuff “war crimes” when the losing side is on trial.
I don’t agree with MISH on everything, but I am proud of him for being openly anti-war.
Mish,
I both agree and disagree with much of what you say. I realize you have a thankless job especially when you wade into certain topics. I think most people here respect your opinion on topics. That why we try to persuade (sometime badly)
War is brutal. If you engage in it, expect brutality. That’s why it should be avoided at all cost. Especially with nuclear superpowers with hypersonic missiles. How many times has Joe Biden or his administration proposed a peace proposal for Ukraine? That speaks volumes. That is all you need to know.
PS. I don’t think calling Putin a brutal dictator serves any purpose. It’s just the name calling used by our government to vilify Putin and Russia. In Democracies you need to use mass media to vilify the “other ” so you can get a bunch of young people to go off and sacrifice themselves for some useless cause. In this case, it’s being used to keep money and weapons flowing to Ukraine to fight a proxy war. The corrupt politicians in Ukraine are getting rich while most of the young men in Ukraine are being sacrificed.
Not to beat this analogy to death, but, what do you think the US would do if Russia was placing nuclear capable missiles in Canada on the boarder with the US? As Col. MacGregor says, “this is an existential threat to Russia and they have no choice but to win this.” Thus, they aren’t going to play nice. This is serious. The question is why did Victoria Nuland and her ilk decide to do this and why did the brain dead Biden administration go along with it? This country has lost it’s way on multiple fronts.
You are correct, sir ! The “country” and its people have not lost their way as much as the members of the governing bodies of the country have sold out for personal gain. Corruption carry’s the day now to our detriment. Political parties and their leaders cannot change the direction of our decline. Only individuals can now band together to chart a new course. It’s a long shot for sure, but we have no choice anyway because collapse is imminent. If you don’t know your neighbors, now’s the time to meet them and forge friendships and determination to keep our society free by whatever means. Good luck to all!
Karl Brantz
Bad analogy.
US was not was placing nuclear capable missiles in Ukraine on the boarder with Ukraine.
No, because they hadn’t got Ukraine into NATO (yet). Nevertheless, the USA has got nukes placed in Europe close enough to wipe out Moscow in 10 minutes.
Two European countries have nuclear arsenals and could easily wipe out Moscow in about ten minutes too. You also forget that several countries in Europe could build nukes in a long weekend if they wanted to. That the US also has nukes there is in reality irrelevant. Russia always tries to puff itself up to being a superpower when it isn’t.
Well Russia is a super power in natural resources. Isn’t that what the west want?
It is not the only place on earth. Russia is only 10% of the wold’s landmass so without Russia 90% is still left. Russia has no monopolies.
Where are these nuclear mussels you speak of on the map?
Putin is a logical actor, protecting his oligarchy and money. Look we are not there to promote “democracy.” Democracy is a farce the way the US operates it. Basically we are an insurance business with an army. Every elected official is corrupt beyond belief and the media just squirrels investigative reporting away in the waste bin
It’s 5:15 am in Moscow right now, give it a few hours for the Russian trolls to start posting comments…
Meanwhile we can read about some potential profit opportunities in oil…
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/26/oil-prices-climb-after-russia-mutiny-stoke-fears-of-supply-disruption.html
The US equivalent of this action would be Eric Prince’s Academi planning and attack against the Biden administration. After over 2 years of the Biden Administration’s nonsense… (you fill in the blank) _______________________________________.
First, I appreciate Mish’s analysis.
On the matter of Ukraine, before Maidan there were things America did wrong regarding Ukraine and Russia; although someone has estimated that if we had abided by the 1990 “No moves east” assurance, then Poland and Slovakia and other East European nations would be in worse economic and political shape, and the current war would instead be attacking one of those nations instead of Ukraine.
Last, if any of you are fans of Noam Chomsky, or have America-Derangement-Syndrome type II, then you no doubt believe, like Alger Hiss, that after WWII America should have come home, demobilized, and not concerned ourselves with what happened in any other nation, except to oppose European efforts to keep their colonies. We had, and still have, unfinished business at home fighting a revolution to assure everyone the right to vote and to equal status and wealth and that no one is a billionaire
Add, 2nd ¶. At Maidan, there was a blurry line between supporting cum promoting Pres. Yanukovich’s overthrow, and opposing, pressuring Ukraine’s parliament and people that they can’t overthrow Yanukovish.
Russia/ Putin has shown no inclination for territorial expansion. The Minsk Accords which Putin helped negotiate supported the Donbas and other Russian speaking regions to be within Ukraine. In contrast, Angela Merkle has stated that the Minsk Accords were used to buy time to build up Ukraine’s military. Thus, treaties with the West mean nothing.
… especially when you break them.
Sounds like you have come to the same conclusion as me: Putin is a gangster, Zelensky is a gangster, Biden is a gangster and everyone is corrupt. Correct me if I am wrong.
In general, I don’t like any of them. I don’t like Biden or Trump either.
No matter who we vote for we seem to get more military spending and more wars.
War is America’s past-time, regardless of President.
US has participated in 105 wars in it’s short history, 4 of which are ongoing.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_involving_the_United_States
“In general, I don’t like any of them. I don’t like Biden or Trump either.
No matter who we vote for we seem to get more military spending and more wars.”
—–
Which should show you that the problem is systemic, rather than individual.
So how do you want to change the system?
I have an idea! Turn it over to AI’s ASAP.
None of these are saints. Are they supposed to be? That’s not possible in politics, is it?
That said, Mr Putin always seems to be pretty level-headed when I have heard him. The others just make no sense to me whatsoever.
That’s because Mr Putin signs your checks.
I have no idea who you are. But I’m an American, retired in SE Asia. I’ve never worked for anyone except my own business all my paycheck is none as I’ve been retired 25 years. How about you?
A vivid imagination you have.
Yeah sure , moron
“That said, Mr Putin always seems to be pretty level-headed when I have heard him. The others just make no sense to me whatsoever.”
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[roflol] Do you also believe what spews form the mouth of marketing people and actors on TV?
I don’t watch TV. Do you? Where I live the local TV is not in English and they pay no attention to the news from the USA.
However, I watch interviews on Rumble, YouTube etc. Putin’s interviews are open to all.
Biden can’t have any interviews because he can’t give us a sensible reply to anything!
You have been there for a long time and never bothered to learn the language???
How about CMPDS or Current Monetary Paradigm Derangement Syndrome? I’m sure most here immediately (and unconsciously) lump me in with socialism when I suggest that we integrate a new monetary paradigm of Gifting into the current Debt Only paradigm, despite the fact that it would end inflation forever, double everyone’s purchasing power while also greatly increasing demand for every profit making enterprise’s goods and services, enabling huge payroll, individual and corporate tax cuts there by resolving the (correct) right wing bitch about re-distributive taxation being socialist.
Most people are afflicted by life long acculturated biases and never get past them. Mish’s post above is an example of the correct intellectual process of integrating only the truths and/or likelihoods of opposite perspectives. Thats what the superlative intellectual discipline AKA Wisdom is all about and its why I titled my book Wisdomics-Gracenomics: The New Monetary Paradigm and Its Policies.
Most people seem to find it impossible to live in the grey area. This is the only place from which you can make unbiased opinions. People seem to be getting pushed to extremes on all matters. It was mentioned that this would happen in the book The Fourth Turning. Interesting to see it play out, as it has done many times in history. I’m not sure what the solution is. I think ‘interesting times’ will prevail.
Thanks
Good comment
Can this be true?
https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/narrative
Oddly enough the Democrats have become allies of NeoCon Republicans and are actively promoting corporate wars. It’s just sad that it’s so easy to pay off Congresspeople like AOC, Pelosi and so on. We are in Ukraine as it’s the biggest money laundering operation in Europe and we also do all our illegal unconstitutional nonsense there in secret labs and bases. Creating new bioweapons so big Pharma can make another 34 billion. Money laundering, child prostitution rings, credit card fraud, white slavery, drug trafficking for US intelligence agencies. Aren’t we the beacon on the hill now?
No one has unbiased opinions.
This is true. We all have our biases. It would have been more accurate to say that we should try to not let our biases take us to extremes and try to steel man the other sides viewpoint before coming to a conclusion.
Good morning from Jagannatha Puri, India. Jaya Jagannatha Swami!
You are totally right here Mish. I don’t always she with you, but here you hit it on the head.
According to the Veda, everyone born in the world has four defects:
1. Imperfect senses
2. Will make mistakes
3. Will be illusioned
4. Has the propensity to cheat
If you find someone without these, you’ll find someone who is not under the laws of material nature.
I think Putin is a zillion times smarter than Biden, but he has the four defects.
I lost all regard for Trump right after he took office and forgot the promises he’d made to us.
Thanks
Someone else replied that I am a Nazi censoring speech. Of course I deleted that. I do have limits.
Mish,
I hope you will add a commenter ignore button because some of us don’t want to read Russian troll propaganda. I know you just moved your site but there are plugins for WordPress than enable the feature. Here is one I found with a search.
https://wordpress.com/plugins/commenter-ignore-button
I find from Brussels funny.
Have not seen him for a while though.
His grammatically tortured predictions of imminent Russian victory never came to pass.
….I still read Mish once in a while these days, so not on a daily basis like before…. Who still gives a sh$t about debt driven economies and their fkcn interest rates these days, while the world is literally falling apart in all other aspects ….aspects that DO matter in other words….
Agreed. This new website still needs a lot of work to make it usable again.
Need support for block quote, like/dislike, ignore and put the new comment entry back on top for starters.
You are about as far from being a Nazi as anyone.
In the Gita, Krishna says one who is kind to all living entities, is most dear to me.
But, in the world, people have a skin disease. They think that the body is the self, although everyone says “My body”, not “I body”. Who am I?
Lets just shorten it to Trumputin.
Lol…I was thinking the same thing. It is very appropriate to lump Trump supporters in with Putin supporters as T/PDS Type I because both groups have a strong desire and need for a strong arm dictator father figure to make it through the day. No different than the zombies that follow cults without ever questioning their master.
Putin is terrified of the US and west when he should be terrified of China’s 1 billion people swooping in and taking over Russia’s land and resources.
Save a bookmark to this comment and we’ll check in a few years when Russia’s demographic problem leaves the country vulnerable to invasion by China.
China is in the back of the Russian people’s minds. I heard a joke years ago = “All quiet on the Finnish-Chinese border.”
Russian possession of Vladivostok and the Primoye region came about a bit unnaturally, and it will be curious whether Russians can keep it or the rest of ‘Greater China’ that China claims. Whose demographics and population decline will prevail?
Russia has a population less than 150 million and a negative population growth rate and on top of that an aging population. Ironically, Putin recruiting and sending young people to their deaths will only accelerate the decline.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Russia
Like any business, Russia is trying to “grow” by acquisition of new territories and people but it won’t help, the outcome is already baked in and it’s only a matter of time.
Just like Ukraine drafting 16+ year olds to join the Ukraine War against Russia..
Xi is already extending Silk Road infrastructure investment into ex Soviet bloc countries to the south
Perfect example of what mish was writing about. Well done.
There is a difference.
It’s possible in theory to have TDS and PDS of different types. But I suspect it would be rare.
It’s far more likely for someone to have one but not the other.
Hey, how about leaving this topic to people who actually KNOW their stuff??!!
Like former Indian Ambassador MK Bhadrakumar who wrote this article just as the Prigozhin revolt started and even as the neocons and Russiagaters were applauding the Wagner Group, and well BEFORE the eventual exiling of Prigozhin – https://www.indianpunchline.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-a-russian-oligarch/
In the Ukraine war you have on both sides some of the least reliable people and the highest amount of disinformation in any conflict I can remember. I have really no idea what is going on there except for a few things we know for sure.
1) Ordinary Russians and Ukrainians are suffering.
2) People all over the world are suffering due to the inflation caused by the shortages due to the loss of commerce with Russia/Ukraine – food, energy, fertilizer, etc.
3) Weapons manufacturers and other military contractors are doing great!
4) Politicians especially corrupt ones are having a field day.
Exactly. And with all 4 of these things happening, it’s considered a win by our leaders.
A win while they spend 1.5 to 2 Trillion annually that they don’t receive in revenue. Then blame inflation on the rate of interest!
And it never matters which party is in power. War and corruption continue.
We have a Uniparty. We need a third party that stands for reining in the military industrial complex, transparency in government, term limits, balanced budgets, and an end to lobbying, which is the root of all evil, in this country.
Mish, you must be making unbiased commentary if you are angering both the right and the left.
Thanks
I think you are a kameleon mr Mish….
Good call, Mish.
Suggesting that Everybody’s Losing is met with ridicule… how many lives later, still.
John Mearsheimer would agree with Mish on the Putin comments. The US State Dept screwed Russia over in the 90s after promising to not expand NATO and to not meddle in the dissolution of the USSR. The Bush 1 agreements were by Clinton, and we actually meddled in elections by propping up that drunk Yeltsin. Then we stabbed them in the back with NATO expansion. The neocons have wanted to take over Soviet industry for their corp buddies and Putin put a stop to that. They want the gas, minerals and oil. That’s oil.
All else is a big fat lie
You have done your homework. It is nice to hear someone who listens, reads and remembers. Has the USA honored their promises, there is no war now.
My entire life is one of the US in one war after another. Why?
Yes, they want the Russian resources that they were grabbing under Yeltsin.
Yes it’s crazy we have a generation of new voters who don’t give a crap about history. In 1988-89 we were happy to leave the USSR and Gorbachev to their own devices. James Baker and Bush and Reagan helped negotiate an easing of tensions and Perestroika. You could film movies in USSR like Gorky Park and Americans were actually welcomed. Then that ignoramus, Bill Clinton and his buddy Yeltsin, humiliated the Russians and stomped all over the carcass of Russia. US got spoiled being the only power left. Oh, and then we helped build up the real enemy. China. Our crappy corporations exported inflation and pollustion to China for $80 DVD players at Walmart and now we are here. The US is in ruins economically and waging war and misery around the globe as a proxy for Fortune 500. US is a POS. Hopefully we can elect Kennedy or a reasonable Republican to stop this belligerence.
Thank you very much for knowing history. Thank you for comprehending what these greed machines have done to our country. BTW, don’t forget the creature from Jekyl Island.
Matt Taibbi lived in post USSR in the 90s. He mentioned that he US actually, at some point, thought Putin was going to be helpful to their quest to cannibalize the post CCCP industries. Yeltsin was a mess. A drunk and womanizer.
When Putin decided that the industries would be better off run by his own stooges(not Shell oil, or Monsanto etc) thats when the US and NATO decided Putin was a problem. If we didn’t meddle in the Russian elections, we would be in this mess! We propped up Yeltsin like we propped up the Shah and look where we got from that mess.
THE permanent governing Administrative State in DC lead by the Senior Executive Service(90% Democrat) is the real power in DC–They write the laws and spend the money that their transient Congressional Lap dogs provide them– they are the self serving gang that causes Chaos in the world ( perpetual war) and in the USA via their Welfare system and Illegal immigration plans for their own benefit –Trump they fear as he refused to fully staff their agencies (children need jobs) and Tried to remove the SES with Schedule F from civil service protections– So he could fire them–
Thank you very much William. You know what’s really happening.