Oct 9, 2023·edited Oct 9, 2023Liked by Karl Sanchez
Just noticed the new title: 'Geopolitical Gymnasium'. !!
About the UN resolutions viz Two-State. We need much more detail than platitude. If history has shown us anything in Israel for decades now is that the two peoples do not fare well together. Furthermore, the configuration of the territories, with Palestine now being split into two surrounded, largely walled-off enclaves, belies the notion of the term 'State'. If there is to be a two state solution, then each State needs to have properly configured territory with one not impinging upon or surrounding the other - no more donuts, pretzels, question marks and other unworkable shapes! And perhaps best to have a wall between the two states to start with.
Is this what is being proposed, a substantive territorial re-ordering? If so, have never once read about it. If not, what is being proposed? More of the same, which clearly has not, does not and never will work?
As to your One State of Palestine, that is what seems eminently reasonable to me, but that means that all Jewish settlers should return to their countries of origin (or go to Birobidzhan, which might well become a very high-growth region soon). But I don't think anyone imagines that Israeli citizens or Zionist leadership will consent to such a solution (do they?).
The other obvious solution is for all Palestinians to resettle in nearby Arab nations letting Israelis have the whole thing to themselves and enjoy a single-race State which is their heart's desire, though they have zero collective experience in such a thing going back millenia (if indeed they are a continuous people as they claim).
So I appreciate Lavrov's elegant, sober, oh-so-reasonable statements, but there is nothing substantive there to work with. It sounds similar to Putin's oh-so-reasonable explanations of what went wrong in Ukraine ('they wouldn't honour any agreements) but meanwhile hundreds are dying day after day, month after month. Therefore, am not sure what his point really is other than to keep bashing the Americans, who he knows very well are controlled by a well organized Zionist faction, known as the neocons, who work hand in glove with all leadership organs in Israel proper and have nothing to do with the American people proper or their interests other than to seed Christianity with Zionist heresies going back to the infiltrated creation of Protestantism and more. https://tinyurl.com/yrbrqzht
Is he going to sit down with the neocons-cum-Israelis to help create a Two-State solution that Israelis will honor and Palestinians would trust them to? How? That would be a huge breakthrough. Or is this latest war - as it is being billed - a means to finally bring things to such a point that a Two Separate State solution with redrawn maps and two separate territories can finally be hammered out?
If we look at the historical context, Palestine is an Imperialist ploy by Zionists using religion as a canard to get what they want--Power. For Hebrews/Jews, the Torah says it all--why they were evicted and how they could return. Over time, many Hebrews became Christians and Moslems, although some remained Jewish. Regional demographics were massively disrupted by the actions of the racist, imperialist Vatican's Crusades--it's Vatican propaganda that created the rationale for hatred of Jews (and Moslems later) by Christians while editing out--Cancelling--the real reason for the adulation shown Jesus of Nazareth: Calling for the Jubilee Year and forgiving the debts of the poor majority. Fast forward to 1945 and Allied propaganda about the concentration camps and the genuine casualties--and aims--inflicted by the Germans on those they attacked. It's likely as many Slavs died in the camps as Jews, and a factor of 2-3 more times that number died in the territories the Nazi's invaded. Plan Ost was kept secret from Western publics for years and was never fully revealed to Russians until very recently. Plan Ost makes very clear the German target for a Holocaust was Slavs, not Jews. If the truth had been provided to the public before 1948, then it's unlikely Truman would have recognized the Zionist statelet which went against the UN Mandate. And 1948 is where part of the current problem began but would have been impossible without the previous historical context.
So, that all said and understood, what to do now? Do genocidal zealots get rewarded for their Anti-Human efforts or does great effort get applied to returning to the 1945 status quo? But first some more questions. Why are the Zionists so insistent on Palestinians having no political rights? Because the Palestinians have the demographic advantage as their numbers will soon if not already be greater and thus be in the majority. Why do Zionists fear Palestinian retribution? The answer ought to be obvious as they think Palestinians are immoral like them. Given what we've seen in South Africa, is it possible for the two to reconcile given enough time? That's very hard to answer as there were liberal, peace-minded Jews capable of living within Palestine who were kidnapped by the Zionist terrorists who essentially shaped events and IMO that dynamic lives on today as the zealot settlers prove.
IMO, Hamas's primary political goal is to force the Zionists to alter their policy by linking Gaza with the West Bank this making it possible to have a geographically connected Palestinian State, which would include all the Negev. (Recall Negev Bedouins are targeted by the zealots for extinction in their historic lands too.) Hamas units are already at the West Bank borders. Hebron is reported to now be involved. The Zionists can bomb Gaza all they want, but that won't stop the sort of political-military move now being made. IMO, Palestinians have waited more than long enough for the negotiated path that is continually blocked by the Outlaw US Empire and are now trying to create some new facts on the ground. How far it escalates is unknown as it's just now starting.
Oct 9, 2023·edited Oct 9, 2023Liked by Karl Sanchez
Very interesting comment. Thank you.
Yes, the anti-Slav business was the basic 'lebensraum' project. Somebody should write a book about Backlash. Starting in 1919, the Germans got screwed in Versailles whilst being blockaded with a million being starved to death. So much for honourable surrender. Then the Russians get taken over by hostile tribals pretending to represent the working classes etc. Millions die in ghastly fashion. Europe looks on aghast at the wholesale slaughter of the upper and middle classes of a civilized nation whose royal family is cousins to their own. Germany resists communist movements by becoming fascist and putting in charge a man able to rouse the rabble which their own leadership class couldn't do after failing them so badly at Versailles and after. And Adolf has to do something to redress the imbalance from Versailles which impoverished his people, chopped their natural territories (by language and history) and so decided to Head East. So the Slavs got it which meant lots of schtetl Jews too.
And Stalin, realizing that there was no way he could withstand a resurgent fascist anti-communist Germany with a population terrorized by ideological foreign tribals had to purge the tribals and revive nationalism, attempting to make two wrongs make a nation again instead of an internationalat. He prevailed over the fascists which included about a million non-German non-fascist volunteers convinced that the Red Terror would come to Europe if they didn't resist; maybe the whole Red Terror thing was a Big Lie as some now say (not!), but in any case it was widely believed and the sloppy way the sacrifice of those young men from all over Europe is now derided as 'Nazi' is sad. But history is full of such callous injustices.
In any case, another backlash to Versailles - during which the creation of Israel was the bride price Baruch et alia demanded in return for outfoxing the Germans - was the resultant anti-Jewish animus in Germany which led to all sorts of real and hyperbolized unpleasantness giving them a powerful narrative with which to justify, as a deeply victimized people, victimizing the Palestinians, the most innocent players in this whole sorry tale. So now Izzylandia has backlash: the whole world can see that when they finally do get their own country that they are incapable of running one without terrorizing their neighbours and locals; they have lost the moral high ground (which Russia of late has learned how to take and hold). Also, they can never know peace, nor ever achieve their deluded, Bible-thumping dream for Greater Israel cooked up by crazy scribes so long ago, no doubt writing in blood from their dripping foreskins. Not gonna happen.
What a mess!!! Backlash after backlash after backlash.
========================================
Well, that is promising if indeed the Palestinians can connect the two main territories and then get all the Negev (though I gather it's wasteland territory most of it). These squiggly shaped enclaves etc. are unacceptable.
I'm in the 'agreement-incapable' camp myself, but would love to proven wrong.
That said, maybe a deal has been done and maybe Israel has agreed to give up its Greater Israel project in return for a clearly delineated State, and maybe involvement in the new money system / cybersecurity for it or some such. So the multipolarists become the new Leaders, and Israel gets something they want. There are always deals in the mix, though we rarely get to see them. Or: maybe they finally force the Palestinians out and give them good lands in Jordan or where ever. I don't see it happening but...
Yes, it's old and we know what the result was, but IMO there're remain lessons to be learned from Keynes's "The Economic Consequences of the Peace", just as there are lessons to be learned about Bretton Woods and the unjust world it created.
I'm slowly and reluctantly surrendering into a philosophy that resembles the Yin Yang symbol with the two dots, i.e. there is yin within yang and yang within in, so also with Good and Evil, they are a symbiosis and there is good within evil and evil within good. That without evil good could not arouse itself to exist, and without good evil would have nothing to thwart. The two deserve each other! So also with individuals, so also with nations. I used to try to pin down the Good Guys versus the Bad Guys. I can't do it any more!
I think it a profoundly brilliant touch that at the climax of the grand story Lord of the Rings, Frodo succumbs to the demon of Self-Centered Power and claims the One Ring, and it is Gollum, the living wraith twisted into a demon devoured by the desire to possess it as well who finally is the Agent who destroys it, and in so doing saves his Age. Good within evil, evil within good. So I now regard all nations including historical, Germany, the Bolsheviks, the Nazis, the Banksters, the hippies, the FBI, Rpublicans, Democrats, you name it: all mixed. Partly thanks to you and MoA the past year I have finally lost the ability to perceive in black and whites.
I believe I've mentioned how it's possible for linear and circular historical theories to blend into one which explains the slow evolution of humans and why history so often seems to repeat itself. The old adage of two steps forward, one step back fits very well and again explains much. I was influenced by the idea proposed by the title of the Spaghetti Western Opus, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," as all within that movie could be classified as bad and ugly. I'd listen to the soundtrack and muse as the music told its own story.
Yourself and Karl seem to share an understanding of this European history that is very unknown to us, the masses.
While you both say such as: 'that being said' and are satisfied with it in fact to us it has not been said - only suggested, intimated, paraphrased, alluded to and so on.
Tantalising.
Could you not somehow put up a basic perhaps skeletal but nonetheless intelligible and comprehensible to us with our poor knowledge of history and politics etc, summary, 'overview', 'primer' of it all?
Let us in on it?
I think many of us would love to know. Really would.
One aspect replated to Europe is the fact that it's effectively Balkanized, meaning each nation is primarily populated by one ethnic group, and the question that begs is why that's so. Seeking that answer will answer many other aspects of Europe and its history. Then for perspective, other regional histories of the world should be compared to find commonalities and specific differences. Exploring all that is a very deep and long undertaking. Another way of viewing the spectacle is to change disciplines from history to anthropology, which in reality is history by another name and seen from a different perspective. Humanity's history is a vast puzzle with far more questions than answers.
well, I gave a nice long answer but it got eaten by the substack gremlin, so that's that. But I see that karlov has answered and he has a far greater knowledge of history than I, so....
Shame. But Substack certainly has gremlins. I have a substack which I used to occasionally post on. Went there one day and found I was denied further posting privileges on unspecified grounds (general grounds only 'we don't like') and without any avenue for recourse save fill in the form.
I filled in the form.
Waited weeks. (because I don't use much)
Eventually went back after hearing nothing and found my whole 'site' (?) blocked from public view, again on unspecified grounds, again only avenue the form.
I filled in the form.
Weeks ago now. I've heard nothing.
My conclusion is that I can never trust them again and as a platform for free speech they've got a few planks loose. Watch your step. All ye who 'publish' here. :)
All I can see is "never let a good crisis go to waste" combined, once again, with willfully ignoring warnings of said crisis developing, all the while drawing up plans and pre positioning neoliberal political assets to most effectively "not waste" it. It is like an institutional fingerprint, the same method worked so well before, the followers on of those who benefited last time run it again.
The question is how well that works out for those who allowed or covertly encouraged/deliberately triggered the scenario. It seems the USA and Israel are involved in ethnic cleansing right now and are not being effectively opposed by any outside interests.
Well, I don't put myself at Karl's encyclopedic, not to mention dedicated, level, but thanks for kind words. I did go down the revisionist history rabbit hole about twenty years ago and in so doing picked up a little bit here and there, but it is by no means complete. Of course since most mainstream historical narrative is heavily laced or complete fabrication it's always hard to tell really what went down about any major topic. The version of Russian history with backlash I gave for example would be heavily attacked by some people, indeed I doubt Karlof agrees with all of it, and ultimately it's very hard to tell.
For example: there are widespread accounts of the so-called Red Terror as part of the Russian communist experiment. Recent archival studies have revealed that many of those stories are false. However, other people of good faith maintain that the recent material is itself disinformation designed to whitewash history. Such arguments go on forever, like family feuds. Documentary proof can be (and often has been) faked, also photographic or cinematic evidence. After the war there were literally thousands of sworn affidavits about some of the camp atrocities nearly all of which have since been proven to be complete lies - because of places, dates, numbers and methods being impossible but many other stories which haven't been fully verified are still accepted. For example, people don't agree about whether or not Hitler let the English army go back via Dunkirk; and even those who do agree don't agree as to why he did. There is almost no important historical period or event about which there aren't substantive disagreements and therefore there is no official truth one can definitely point to as such, though many do.
That said, people who get into such things tend to form an opinion over time, partly because the mind wants to come to a conclusion and partly because one can only spend so much time on any given topic before life demands one move on.
Part of the reason there is now violence in Gaza, for example, is because there are dozens of different fiercely believed narratives about what went on in the past to bring us to this point in the present, who the people are to whom it is happening (on both sides), what their motivations and goals are and so on. No doubt there are disagreements among friends and family on the same side, not only antagonists. There is no consensus as to the nature of that reality or pretty much any reality. There is no consensus on what is happening in Ukraine right now. Most so-called 'historical truth' assumes a consensus that in fact doesn't exist. This is how propaganda works: it projects a clarity and certainty that tells the recipient that they are being told the truth about the nature of reality or whatever story is being told. And it is reassuring to feel that your feet are on terra firma - even if in fact it is hardly ever the case. This is why revolutions are rare; we would rather remain in a state of comfort security than deal with the continuous uncertainty and doubt that actual reality merits, always.
Generally, people glean what facts they can to form an opinion as best they can and once that bias begins to form, one tends to only notice facts with conform to that bias and thus that narrative bears fruit in further actions or opinions which interact with others and/or new data coming in. We all have this sense, I think, that the way we see things is the truth, but we really have very little way of knowing this for sure. We just do the best we can allowing for the fact that we all have certain predispositions, prejudices, blind areas, allegiances and so forth.
And of course some are partisans and study how to craft narrative to serve their purpose. So narratives with a very strong emotive thrust that hang together well are probably not to be trusted because reality is usually so fickle, variable and multi-faceted.
The Unz website has an American Pravda section with articles on many different controversial historical and political topics that tend to be overlooked or distorted in mainstream history and news coverage. He has also collected many books in digital, downloadable form. It's a good place to start if you are interested. But the whole thing is endless, so you might rather not!!
Hopefully Karlof can answer your query. I am sure he will have a deeper, and far more erudite, take!!
The establishment of a separate Palestinian state isn't going to work and everyone with a brain already knows that. Lavrov of course has to adhere to the "party line."
Only the establishment of a bi-national state with guaranteed civil rights for both Palestinians and Jews (and anyone else) can work. Except of course it can't work until Israel per se is overthrown and the Zionists are eliminated. Which isn't going to happen until the US is overthrown and the Zionists and neocons there are eliminated.
Fundamentally the entire issue is a waste of everyone's time since humans aren't capable of solving these sorts of problems due to their primate nature which makes any slight difference between one chimpanzee troop and the next the reason for conflict. Only the elimination of chimpanzee nature can fix that. That's what I will be discussing on my Substack in due time.
In the 'For What it's Worth' Dep't., here is an MoA comment [today; 'Unimperator'] from a credible individual:
"It's plausible to assume that you cannot take anything coming out of Israel at face value. There was already a circulated video of "Israeli children in cages", turned out to be Syrian children in cages some years ago.
Nevertheless, and regardless of whether this is Netanyahu invented false flag or not, they have gotten the war with the rest of the region they wanted. It will go to the end - victory or death.
Considering Nato performance in Ukraine and IDF "performance" so far, there is a decent chance results will not be what is expected in the zio-camp"
Extraordinary interview. Essential reading. Thanks for posting.
Just noticed the new title: 'Geopolitical Gymnasium'. !!
About the UN resolutions viz Two-State. We need much more detail than platitude. If history has shown us anything in Israel for decades now is that the two peoples do not fare well together. Furthermore, the configuration of the territories, with Palestine now being split into two surrounded, largely walled-off enclaves, belies the notion of the term 'State'. If there is to be a two state solution, then each State needs to have properly configured territory with one not impinging upon or surrounding the other - no more donuts, pretzels, question marks and other unworkable shapes! And perhaps best to have a wall between the two states to start with.
Is this what is being proposed, a substantive territorial re-ordering? If so, have never once read about it. If not, what is being proposed? More of the same, which clearly has not, does not and never will work?
As to your One State of Palestine, that is what seems eminently reasonable to me, but that means that all Jewish settlers should return to their countries of origin (or go to Birobidzhan, which might well become a very high-growth region soon). But I don't think anyone imagines that Israeli citizens or Zionist leadership will consent to such a solution (do they?).
The other obvious solution is for all Palestinians to resettle in nearby Arab nations letting Israelis have the whole thing to themselves and enjoy a single-race State which is their heart's desire, though they have zero collective experience in such a thing going back millenia (if indeed they are a continuous people as they claim).
So I appreciate Lavrov's elegant, sober, oh-so-reasonable statements, but there is nothing substantive there to work with. It sounds similar to Putin's oh-so-reasonable explanations of what went wrong in Ukraine ('they wouldn't honour any agreements) but meanwhile hundreds are dying day after day, month after month. Therefore, am not sure what his point really is other than to keep bashing the Americans, who he knows very well are controlled by a well organized Zionist faction, known as the neocons, who work hand in glove with all leadership organs in Israel proper and have nothing to do with the American people proper or their interests other than to seed Christianity with Zionist heresies going back to the infiltrated creation of Protestantism and more. https://tinyurl.com/yrbrqzht
Is he going to sit down with the neocons-cum-Israelis to help create a Two-State solution that Israelis will honor and Palestinians would trust them to? How? That would be a huge breakthrough. Or is this latest war - as it is being billed - a means to finally bring things to such a point that a Two Separate State solution with redrawn maps and two separate territories can finally be hammered out?
None of these issues are addressed.
If we look at the historical context, Palestine is an Imperialist ploy by Zionists using religion as a canard to get what they want--Power. For Hebrews/Jews, the Torah says it all--why they were evicted and how they could return. Over time, many Hebrews became Christians and Moslems, although some remained Jewish. Regional demographics were massively disrupted by the actions of the racist, imperialist Vatican's Crusades--it's Vatican propaganda that created the rationale for hatred of Jews (and Moslems later) by Christians while editing out--Cancelling--the real reason for the adulation shown Jesus of Nazareth: Calling for the Jubilee Year and forgiving the debts of the poor majority. Fast forward to 1945 and Allied propaganda about the concentration camps and the genuine casualties--and aims--inflicted by the Germans on those they attacked. It's likely as many Slavs died in the camps as Jews, and a factor of 2-3 more times that number died in the territories the Nazi's invaded. Plan Ost was kept secret from Western publics for years and was never fully revealed to Russians until very recently. Plan Ost makes very clear the German target for a Holocaust was Slavs, not Jews. If the truth had been provided to the public before 1948, then it's unlikely Truman would have recognized the Zionist statelet which went against the UN Mandate. And 1948 is where part of the current problem began but would have been impossible without the previous historical context.
So, that all said and understood, what to do now? Do genocidal zealots get rewarded for their Anti-Human efforts or does great effort get applied to returning to the 1945 status quo? But first some more questions. Why are the Zionists so insistent on Palestinians having no political rights? Because the Palestinians have the demographic advantage as their numbers will soon if not already be greater and thus be in the majority. Why do Zionists fear Palestinian retribution? The answer ought to be obvious as they think Palestinians are immoral like them. Given what we've seen in South Africa, is it possible for the two to reconcile given enough time? That's very hard to answer as there were liberal, peace-minded Jews capable of living within Palestine who were kidnapped by the Zionist terrorists who essentially shaped events and IMO that dynamic lives on today as the zealot settlers prove.
IMO, Hamas's primary political goal is to force the Zionists to alter their policy by linking Gaza with the West Bank this making it possible to have a geographically connected Palestinian State, which would include all the Negev. (Recall Negev Bedouins are targeted by the zealots for extinction in their historic lands too.) Hamas units are already at the West Bank borders. Hebron is reported to now be involved. The Zionists can bomb Gaza all they want, but that won't stop the sort of political-military move now being made. IMO, Palestinians have waited more than long enough for the negotiated path that is continually blocked by the Outlaw US Empire and are now trying to create some new facts on the ground. How far it escalates is unknown as it's just now starting.
Very interesting comment. Thank you.
Yes, the anti-Slav business was the basic 'lebensraum' project. Somebody should write a book about Backlash. Starting in 1919, the Germans got screwed in Versailles whilst being blockaded with a million being starved to death. So much for honourable surrender. Then the Russians get taken over by hostile tribals pretending to represent the working classes etc. Millions die in ghastly fashion. Europe looks on aghast at the wholesale slaughter of the upper and middle classes of a civilized nation whose royal family is cousins to their own. Germany resists communist movements by becoming fascist and putting in charge a man able to rouse the rabble which their own leadership class couldn't do after failing them so badly at Versailles and after. And Adolf has to do something to redress the imbalance from Versailles which impoverished his people, chopped their natural territories (by language and history) and so decided to Head East. So the Slavs got it which meant lots of schtetl Jews too.
And Stalin, realizing that there was no way he could withstand a resurgent fascist anti-communist Germany with a population terrorized by ideological foreign tribals had to purge the tribals and revive nationalism, attempting to make two wrongs make a nation again instead of an internationalat. He prevailed over the fascists which included about a million non-German non-fascist volunteers convinced that the Red Terror would come to Europe if they didn't resist; maybe the whole Red Terror thing was a Big Lie as some now say (not!), but in any case it was widely believed and the sloppy way the sacrifice of those young men from all over Europe is now derided as 'Nazi' is sad. But history is full of such callous injustices.
In any case, another backlash to Versailles - during which the creation of Israel was the bride price Baruch et alia demanded in return for outfoxing the Germans - was the resultant anti-Jewish animus in Germany which led to all sorts of real and hyperbolized unpleasantness giving them a powerful narrative with which to justify, as a deeply victimized people, victimizing the Palestinians, the most innocent players in this whole sorry tale. So now Izzylandia has backlash: the whole world can see that when they finally do get their own country that they are incapable of running one without terrorizing their neighbours and locals; they have lost the moral high ground (which Russia of late has learned how to take and hold). Also, they can never know peace, nor ever achieve their deluded, Bible-thumping dream for Greater Israel cooked up by crazy scribes so long ago, no doubt writing in blood from their dripping foreskins. Not gonna happen.
What a mess!!! Backlash after backlash after backlash.
========================================
Well, that is promising if indeed the Palestinians can connect the two main territories and then get all the Negev (though I gather it's wasteland territory most of it). These squiggly shaped enclaves etc. are unacceptable.
I'm in the 'agreement-incapable' camp myself, but would love to proven wrong.
That said, maybe a deal has been done and maybe Israel has agreed to give up its Greater Israel project in return for a clearly delineated State, and maybe involvement in the new money system / cybersecurity for it or some such. So the multipolarists become the new Leaders, and Israel gets something they want. There are always deals in the mix, though we rarely get to see them. Or: maybe they finally force the Palestinians out and give them good lands in Jordan or where ever. I don't see it happening but...
Yes, it's old and we know what the result was, but IMO there're remain lessons to be learned from Keynes's "The Economic Consequences of the Peace", just as there are lessons to be learned about Bretton Woods and the unjust world it created.
I'm slowly and reluctantly surrendering into a philosophy that resembles the Yin Yang symbol with the two dots, i.e. there is yin within yang and yang within in, so also with Good and Evil, they are a symbiosis and there is good within evil and evil within good. That without evil good could not arouse itself to exist, and without good evil would have nothing to thwart. The two deserve each other! So also with individuals, so also with nations. I used to try to pin down the Good Guys versus the Bad Guys. I can't do it any more!
I think it a profoundly brilliant touch that at the climax of the grand story Lord of the Rings, Frodo succumbs to the demon of Self-Centered Power and claims the One Ring, and it is Gollum, the living wraith twisted into a demon devoured by the desire to possess it as well who finally is the Agent who destroys it, and in so doing saves his Age. Good within evil, evil within good. So I now regard all nations including historical, Germany, the Bolsheviks, the Nazis, the Banksters, the hippies, the FBI, Rpublicans, Democrats, you name it: all mixed. Partly thanks to you and MoA the past year I have finally lost the ability to perceive in black and whites.
I believe I've mentioned how it's possible for linear and circular historical theories to blend into one which explains the slow evolution of humans and why history so often seems to repeat itself. The old adage of two steps forward, one step back fits very well and again explains much. I was influenced by the idea proposed by the title of the Spaghetti Western Opus, "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," as all within that movie could be classified as bad and ugly. I'd listen to the soundtrack and muse as the music told its own story.
Yourself and Karl seem to share an understanding of this European history that is very unknown to us, the masses.
While you both say such as: 'that being said' and are satisfied with it in fact to us it has not been said - only suggested, intimated, paraphrased, alluded to and so on.
Tantalising.
Could you not somehow put up a basic perhaps skeletal but nonetheless intelligible and comprehensible to us with our poor knowledge of history and politics etc, summary, 'overview', 'primer' of it all?
Let us in on it?
I think many of us would love to know. Really would.
One aspect replated to Europe is the fact that it's effectively Balkanized, meaning each nation is primarily populated by one ethnic group, and the question that begs is why that's so. Seeking that answer will answer many other aspects of Europe and its history. Then for perspective, other regional histories of the world should be compared to find commonalities and specific differences. Exploring all that is a very deep and long undertaking. Another way of viewing the spectacle is to change disciplines from history to anthropology, which in reality is history by another name and seen from a different perspective. Humanity's history is a vast puzzle with far more questions than answers.
well, I gave a nice long answer but it got eaten by the substack gremlin, so that's that. But I see that karlov has answered and he has a far greater knowledge of history than I, so....
Shame. But Substack certainly has gremlins. I have a substack which I used to occasionally post on. Went there one day and found I was denied further posting privileges on unspecified grounds (general grounds only 'we don't like') and without any avenue for recourse save fill in the form.
I filled in the form.
Waited weeks. (because I don't use much)
Eventually went back after hearing nothing and found my whole 'site' (?) blocked from public view, again on unspecified grounds, again only avenue the form.
I filled in the form.
Weeks ago now. I've heard nothing.
My conclusion is that I can never trust them again and as a platform for free speech they've got a few planks loose. Watch your step. All ye who 'publish' here. :)
Well, it showed up later as a comment lower down, so there you go...
All I can see is "never let a good crisis go to waste" combined, once again, with willfully ignoring warnings of said crisis developing, all the while drawing up plans and pre positioning neoliberal political assets to most effectively "not waste" it. It is like an institutional fingerprint, the same method worked so well before, the followers on of those who benefited last time run it again.
The question is how well that works out for those who allowed or covertly encouraged/deliberately triggered the scenario. It seems the USA and Israel are involved in ethnic cleansing right now and are not being effectively opposed by any outside interests.
Well, I don't put myself at Karl's encyclopedic, not to mention dedicated, level, but thanks for kind words. I did go down the revisionist history rabbit hole about twenty years ago and in so doing picked up a little bit here and there, but it is by no means complete. Of course since most mainstream historical narrative is heavily laced or complete fabrication it's always hard to tell really what went down about any major topic. The version of Russian history with backlash I gave for example would be heavily attacked by some people, indeed I doubt Karlof agrees with all of it, and ultimately it's very hard to tell.
For example: there are widespread accounts of the so-called Red Terror as part of the Russian communist experiment. Recent archival studies have revealed that many of those stories are false. However, other people of good faith maintain that the recent material is itself disinformation designed to whitewash history. Such arguments go on forever, like family feuds. Documentary proof can be (and often has been) faked, also photographic or cinematic evidence. After the war there were literally thousands of sworn affidavits about some of the camp atrocities nearly all of which have since been proven to be complete lies - because of places, dates, numbers and methods being impossible but many other stories which haven't been fully verified are still accepted. For example, people don't agree about whether or not Hitler let the English army go back via Dunkirk; and even those who do agree don't agree as to why he did. There is almost no important historical period or event about which there aren't substantive disagreements and therefore there is no official truth one can definitely point to as such, though many do.
That said, people who get into such things tend to form an opinion over time, partly because the mind wants to come to a conclusion and partly because one can only spend so much time on any given topic before life demands one move on.
Part of the reason there is now violence in Gaza, for example, is because there are dozens of different fiercely believed narratives about what went on in the past to bring us to this point in the present, who the people are to whom it is happening (on both sides), what their motivations and goals are and so on. No doubt there are disagreements among friends and family on the same side, not only antagonists. There is no consensus as to the nature of that reality or pretty much any reality. There is no consensus on what is happening in Ukraine right now. Most so-called 'historical truth' assumes a consensus that in fact doesn't exist. This is how propaganda works: it projects a clarity and certainty that tells the recipient that they are being told the truth about the nature of reality or whatever story is being told. And it is reassuring to feel that your feet are on terra firma - even if in fact it is hardly ever the case. This is why revolutions are rare; we would rather remain in a state of comfort security than deal with the continuous uncertainty and doubt that actual reality merits, always.
Generally, people glean what facts they can to form an opinion as best they can and once that bias begins to form, one tends to only notice facts with conform to that bias and thus that narrative bears fruit in further actions or opinions which interact with others and/or new data coming in. We all have this sense, I think, that the way we see things is the truth, but we really have very little way of knowing this for sure. We just do the best we can allowing for the fact that we all have certain predispositions, prejudices, blind areas, allegiances and so forth.
And of course some are partisans and study how to craft narrative to serve their purpose. So narratives with a very strong emotive thrust that hang together well are probably not to be trusted because reality is usually so fickle, variable and multi-faceted.
The Unz website has an American Pravda section with articles on many different controversial historical and political topics that tend to be overlooked or distorted in mainstream history and news coverage. He has also collected many books in digital, downloadable form. It's a good place to start if you are interested. But the whole thing is endless, so you might rather not!!
Hopefully Karlof can answer your query. I am sure he will have a deeper, and far more erudite, take!!
The establishment of a separate Palestinian state isn't going to work and everyone with a brain already knows that. Lavrov of course has to adhere to the "party line."
Only the establishment of a bi-national state with guaranteed civil rights for both Palestinians and Jews (and anyone else) can work. Except of course it can't work until Israel per se is overthrown and the Zionists are eliminated. Which isn't going to happen until the US is overthrown and the Zionists and neocons there are eliminated.
Fundamentally the entire issue is a waste of everyone's time since humans aren't capable of solving these sorts of problems due to their primate nature which makes any slight difference between one chimpanzee troop and the next the reason for conflict. Only the elimination of chimpanzee nature can fix that. That's what I will be discussing on my Substack in due time.
In the 'For What it's Worth' Dep't., here is an MoA comment [today; 'Unimperator'] from a credible individual:
"It's plausible to assume that you cannot take anything coming out of Israel at face value. There was already a circulated video of "Israeli children in cages", turned out to be Syrian children in cages some years ago.
Nevertheless, and regardless of whether this is Netanyahu invented false flag or not, they have gotten the war with the rest of the region they wanted. It will go to the end - victory or death.
Considering Nato performance in Ukraine and IDF "performance" so far, there is a decent chance results will not be what is expected in the zio-camp"