What’s really driving the Ukraine talks, and how close the world is to a wider conflict with Iran?
In this episode ex-CIA officer Larry Johnson and former UK diplomat Alastair Crooke examine the financial logic behind Ukraine negotiations, economic instability in the West, and the risks of escalation if political and military realities continue to be misread.
00:00:00 The Ukraine Peace Talks That Russia Can't Trust
00:05:06 $800 Billion Prize: Business of "Rebuilding" Ukraine
00:09:21 The Bigger Conflict Behind Ukraine: Multipolarity vs American Power
00:12:44 Russia Sends a Clear Message: Escalation Is Coming
00:19:03 Financial Turbulence In The West
00:21:22 Russia Is Done Trusting the West
00:31:20 Thinking That War With Iran Will Be Easy Is Fatal
00:37:53 How Politics Transformed to Marketing: Narrative Over Iran
00:45:26 China and Russia Step In To Back Iran
00:53:35 Iran Conflict Could End Trump's Presidency.
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Our boomer generation has been significantly affected by Asian traditions, whether authentic or vulgar appropriations that bear no relation to the stolen traditions of a mythologised country. For our purposes here, it matters little. What matters here is the content and character of the 'magical thinking' referred to by L Johnson and a great many others as you no doubt know.
The upshot of this consideration is to recognise how we Westerners resort to this .. .. lets say 'pop Platonism' with Karl Rove arm in arm with Oprah chanting 'mind over matter' as they walk down the asile of the Church of Prosperity.
Now this is not what you were alluding to when you spoke of a certain linearity of thinking, oblivious to context, to relations of every description, and quite simply, the wholeness of life and everything. The point I'm trying to make is that they go together. Otherwise, if it's Western then everything goes in pairs because we are a dualistic civilisation. The mechanistic materialism is the logical and necessary counterpart to this phoney transcendence.
This is perfect for this new fangled 'hybrid warfare' which really means that if the spook managed media repeats an approved talking point enough times, shouted from the rooftops and repeated endlessly, then somehow the Russians will stop grinding away at the front (and more, much more). The world will go your way if you believe ..... and keep believing ... no matter what. America, the home of the Protestant Ethic, salvation by faith alone, or worse. Still, a land of believers. And salesmanship (Trump is a true son of the soil).
So then we come to what I take to be the real problem. Faith is a noble virtue when walking the path of salvation. But when faith becomes 'secularised' it becomes ... salesmanship. It becomes something upside down. That is the state of our civilisation. If my reader has gotten this far I think you for your patience. Kevin Frost