Drumbeats category archive
War and Mongers of War 0
It was two decades ago that U. S. started the Great and Patriotic War for a Lie in Iraq. I remember standing outside in the smoking area at work. It was the same spot where we had stood and looked up at empty skies in the days following September 11. Though we were just a few miles east of Philadelphia International Airport under one of the approach routes, there were no planes for days . . . .
I was chatting with my boss (who was, by the way, one of the best bosses I ever had). He was opining that “Iraq will be sorry that we have a Texan for president.”
My response was simply, “Dave, I have a bad feeling out this.”
I take no comfort in my qualms having been justified.
That moment came to mind because of something my old friend Noz wrote yesterday about the run up to the Great and Patriotic War for a Lie in Iraq. Here’s a bit of his post:
War and Mongers of War 0
Der Spiegel has a fascination interview with historian Timothy Snyder focusing on Vladimir Putin’s Russia and its war on Ukraine. It goes into a depth not seen in most U. S. reporting.
Here’s a tiny little excerpt from Snyder’s remarks:
The Atomic Boob 0
Farron points out that, thanks to John Kelly, we narrowly escaped death by stupid.
But stupid remains a menace.
Putin on the Fritz 0
Sergei Guriev, in an article at The Japan Times, argues that the future does not seem bright for Vladimir Putin.
Follow the link for his reasoning.
Aside:
I fear that Guriev’s faith that others might learn from Putin’s mistakes (enumerated at the link) disregards the lessons of history. If history teaches us one thing, it is that humankind (especially succeeding generations) seems incapable of learning from history.
Unmitigated Gall 0
Plus a textbook example of psychological projection.
Putin on the Ritz 0
David talks with Jack Barsky, ex-KGB spy, about Putin’s motivations for invading Ukraine. I found that it helps puts events in Ukraine in some historical context.
Putin on the Fritz 0
Afterthought:
Me, I think Putin sees himself more as Peter than as Joe.
I also think he expected the people of Ukraine to welcome him, not to resist him.
He was wrong on both counts.
Potempkin Pillages 0
Der Spiegel offers a long and detailed analysis of what’s currently happening as regards the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
I commend it to your attention.
All That Was Old Is New Again 0
Der Spiegel interviews British historian Antony Beevor about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
It is a fascinating read. Beevor sees many echoes of Russia’s imperial past (and echoes of previous military miscalculations) in what is happening right now. Here’s one exchange:
Beevor: Putin’s distorted mindset, obsessed with the triumphant war against Nazism, has turned everything inside out. Isn’t it a great propaganda task to liberate the enemy of Nazism? Putin and his ideologues grotesquely depict the Ukrainians as born-again Nazis who need to be eliminated and re-educated, as the utterly manic article in RIA Novosti by Timofei Sergeitsev describes. The role of liberator from Nazism did indeed give the Red Army the idea that it could behave as it wanted both personally and politically. It was a notion of superiority. Rights of conquest meant not only imposing a Soviet regime on neighboring states. It also involved the comprehensive looting of the country as a form of reparation, and the idea that what Ilya Ehrenburg called “the blonde witch” – German women and girls – should pay for their menfolk’s crimes in the Russian motherland.
Psychopaths on the War Paths 0
Does this remind you of anyone in the news?
Supply Change 0
Ukraine is a major exporter of grain.
Der Spiegel takes an in-depth look at the implications of Putin’s war for the world’s food supply. It is disquieting.
A snippet:
Now that a significant share of this supply has vanished from the tightly woven global market, it has created a shockwave that can be felt in many areas of the world . . . .
Russian Impulses 0
The Arizona Republic’s E. J. Montini tries to remember, just what was the word for providing aid and comfort to an enemy?
Russian Impulses 0
At the Arizona Republic, E. J. Montini comments on the Republicans who are supporting Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine. A snippet:
I bet he would if they were Democrats.
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*A reference to Congresswoman Liz Cheney’s characterizing the Republicans who voted against sanctions against Russia as the “Putin wing” of the Republican Party.
The Lies of the Land 0
Behavioral economist Lionel Page explores how propaganda works. A tiny little snippet from a very long article:
In a related vein, Badtux argues that, strictly defined, propaganda may be slanted and manipulative, yes, but it may not necessarily be false.
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*Hence the success of Fox News.
