Important Overlooked Info From SPIEF

Putin's somewhat cryptic language.

While reviewing the most recent This is China transcript, I was surprised to read what Zhang Weiwei said in his recollection of a statement made by President Putin related to the then ongoing 12-Day War:

Some people think that we need to do more, even military action. In fact, we have launched military operations against those who oppose our ideas and threaten Russia's security, most of whom are in the same group as those who provoked this conflict, but they are hiding behind them. What else do we have to do after all this? At the United Nations, we also support Iran. [My Emphasis]

Surprised because I didn’t recall that passage or any significant news coverage of what IMO was a very provocative statement. So, first I needed to see what was said in the official Russian transcript published by the Kremlin and then to run it by three different translation softwares to see if the cryptic nature of what Zhang said was correct. Here’s one translation:

Who says that we should have done more: what, more? To start some kind of military operations – is that so? We already have combat operations with those who we consider opponents of the ideas we defend and to be a threat to the Russian Federation. And these are basically the same forces – both in Iran, and in the Russian case – somewhere, far away, in the rear, behind their backs. But these are not even those who are on the line of contact.

Here’s another that’s clearer:

Who says that we should have done more: what is more? Start some kind of military operations, is that it? We are already engaged in military operations with those whom we consider to be opponents of the ideas we are defending, and those who pose a threat to the Russian Federation. Essentially, these are the same forces, both in Iran and in Russia, located in the background. But these are not even the ones on the front lines.

Russia and Iran share a common foe; some force located in the dark recesses out of the light and nowhere near the front lines directly engaged in combat. If I could produce a Venn Diagram, it would show the hidden actors—Zionist and Neocon think tanks and individuals, including prominent members of Collective Western governments, many of whom are billionaires. This knowing who your enemy is and more critical knowing about it/them is a key Sun Tzu saying the B at MoA invoked for today’s article:

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

Sun Tzu, Art of War, III.18

The main failure of the Collective West is they failed to understand and be guided by Sun Tzu’s maxim and thus have made a grand series of fatal strategic mistakes and continue to make them. There’s a series of old Southern US folk stories that’s part of a collection generically called Uncle Remus authored by Joel Chandler Harris beginning in 1881. One of the best known is the Tar Baby story, which the Urban Dictionary describes as follows:

A dummy made of tar, which cannot be struck without getting oneself hopelessly stuck to it--from the story "Mr. Rabbit and Mr. Fox" by Joe Harris, as told by his fictional narrator, Uncle Remus.

Tar baby has become shorthand for a situation better avoided than confronted.

There’re numerous things associated with the Outlaw US Empire where the tar baby is an appropriate description. The most pernicious IMO is the continuing need to remain #1, King of the Hill, having Primacy and Exceptionality over one and all. It’s what Trump says he wants to accomplish—America First via MAGA—and has invoked his Trade/Tariff War against the entire world—even those considered allies and part of the Collective West—which is a continuation of what he started during his first term. Of course, Biden had his own version just as Obama and Bush did before them. The goal of Primacy was established during WW2 and pursued ever since no matter what the consequences—killing US presidents, presidential candidates, social leaders, foreign governmental officials, UN Secretary Generals, destroying US domestic and international law, and oh so much more. And now we have the Neoliberal, Neocon and Zionist additions to the tar baby that have been stuck going on for decades.

IMO, Russia, China, Iran, and other nations see this gooey mess the Outlaw US Empire has created for itself and the world. IMO, the world is asking itself if it ought to try and apply a solvent to separate those factions or if they should just let them fly into the abyss they’ve created for themselves thinking that the impact at the bottom will allow some, maybe all, to break free or to die from the fall. Humpty Dumpty isn’t too far from being another good analogy. In his chat with Nima today, Pepe Escobar said the Trump shark was eaten by the bigger Deep State shark. And then there was the long discussion about EU/NATO’s 2030 war plans. All more of the same tar. BRICS already knows what it must do—stand tall and together, while continuing to build their own new institutions to bypass those all jammed up with tar.

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This week marks the second anniversary of the Geopolitical Gymnasium. In those two years, the Gym has compiled roughly 6,000 subscribers and followers and a small number of donations via paid subscriptions. I thank all that have contributed to this success. I’ll again be travelling back to Georgia as my Mother-in-Law faces triple bypass surgery a week from today, and my wife and I will be involved in post-op recovery therapy. I thus expect my writing frequency to be erratic until we settle into a routine. She’s a strong woman, but most readers will be aware that there’s considerable risk involved. Thanks to all in advance who wish her well!!

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