If Iran delivers a serious blow to Israel, will that unite their people?
Iran has been under extreme sanctions, but not under military action like Yemen. And Yemen has not given up. Iranians showed courage when their people walked into Iraq's mine fields to take out the mines.
If Iranians conclude that the Zionists and the US actually are going to embark on military action to take their resources and destroy their culture, then the fight will be on the home front and this should energize them more than the drip, drip of more sanctions. .
I have been hearing for over a year that Iran has extensive military capabilities built up in anticipation of an attack by the US. If that is correct, and they executed III, they could attack infrastructure - energy, water, telecom, internet, and of course military installations. Since military offices are often in residential areas there would be collateral damage. Maybe they could repeat the drip, drip of the sanctions with a series of attacks: III.1, III.2, III.3.
A commentator recently made the claim that the only way the world and even in the US will be safe is if Zionism is completely defeated. The US and Zionists are betting that Iran won't hit back hard. Or maybe they think that Iran can't do it. Dangerous game.
maybe it is too soon to say crooke has cancelled posting at SC... it is possible he is taking a longer christmas-new year break, or he is hoping to capitalize off substack.. have to wait and see..
as for trump and war, the sad reality is the usa is not run just by the president... all these other paid lobbyists - i think they call them senators and congress people - are willing to be bought by the highest bidder.. terrible example of democracy, and much more like plutocracy as i see it.. so, trump is not all to blame if he is forced to continue on in this vein... he's a pompous ass regardless and a telling indictment of where the usa is at today..
as for iran - hard to know what is happening in iran, but it will not be beneficial if iran falls, as russia and china need iran to be a part of brics... i can't see them letting iran cave to usa's ongoing and bombastic warmongering... and i see erdogan has come out to say he is going to backstop hts, if the need arises, lol... life goes on!
"...but it will not be beneficial if iran falls, as russia and china need iran to be a part of brics.."
It's more than just BRICS, it is, for China at least, securing energy supplies. China and Iran have a contract for natural gas supply. I can't remember the amount, 50 billion and more.
It doesn't matter if Trump wants to stop the conflicts or to be made to continue them. I don't think you realise the size of the change in the people's opinions of all Western leaders by their citizens. I don't know if it's taken Musk they shout out the obvious on his X platform about Western leaders. Or if it was the spark the Western citizens have needed. But since the New Year there's been a huge change in the usual brain washed masses opinions. It's taken a long time & hardship for them to suddenly realise. These traitors do not act in their interests at all. Put it this way, if you were to go onto any street in a Western country today. Ask any random civilians their opinions of their rulers. You'd get a shock at not only not being satisfied with them. But the sheer hatred & contempt the civilians have for them. The media is working overtime printing none stop propaganda & lies. Which is just digging the hole deeper & deeper for themselves. The civilians have had enough.
Your comments on Ukraine are interesting, clearly the US establishment is trying to "Trump Proof" Project Ukraine and put in place legal, political and practical barriers to his abandonment of this initiative. No doubt Trump will lawyer up too, and pull some strings IF - big IF - he wants to call it a day on US support for this proxy war. I think his silence at present is him keeping his powder dry so he retains as mush freedom of action after 21st Jan. Nevertheless there are signs that the neo-cons will be able to continue the current policy, perhaps with less escalation. My bet though is that Mr T will pull a surprise on everyone and simply walk away, keep the sanctions in place, and leave the European members of NATO and the EU/UK to deal with a p*ssed off and well armed Russia.
May I ask what might occur if you changed the countries named in this paragraph to amerika?
"While the rhetoric of Iran's leaders is often focused on the evils of western ‘malevolent’ agendas, on the home front, Iran also faces mounting challenges. Inflation is soaring, the rial is in freefall, housing is increasingly unaffordable, and energy shortages have led to blackouts. Public frustration mounts as these issues are often blamed on governmental incompetence. Iranians are asking pressing questions – What about skyrocketing rents? Food prices? Heating during winter? How will eradicating the ‘roots of Zionism’ help with ‘bread-and-butter’ issues?"
The options to escape this nightmare without war is becoming more limited by the day. Crooke also said as much to Judge Nap. Where Putin/Xi/Pav are in accepting this is probably unknown
outside of their circle. Can the 3 hold on until Trump crashes the economies of the world w/his tariffs. It's either war or depression that await us and as of now I'd prefer war as I think when push
comes to shove the cowards of the empire of lies will blink.
If I'm Iran I attack now and get ready to do it again, the people of the empire don't want war
and that could be a key factor. Remember Trump ran on no more war and stopping the wars
God bless you Karl. I have a question, not entirely related to Alastair Crooke’s article and talk, but ‘provoked’ by his discussion. The questionis: how is it possible that Russia escaped a damage from the Western sanctions, but the sanctions destroyed Syria….and now I am hearing they are also really destroying Iran…..(as in Col. Wilkerson)? Although Wilkerson’s analysis of Iran is rather disturbing too, given the situation we are in. Here is one of the episodes that mentions Iran’s destruction via sanctions: https://youtu.be/mNLXMcg0Np4?si=TeFDPwUVaGQ_acjI
Ed gave a good answer. Iran's economy has greater diversity and thus greater resilience. Iran's been under sanctions since 1979 and has learned how to live with them whereas Syria was never able to gain some form of economic surplus. Plus, Iran's hydrocarbons needed to be allowed onto the global market lest the price rise too high for Western economies. Syria lacks that sort of leverage. Food sovereignty is another Iranian plus and Syrian minus. As with the USSR, the foreign exchange issue only relates to imports, so the desire for Western consumer goods is what drives most Iranian inflation. The most insidious problem as with the USSR is Western propaganda that drives consumerism. And lastly, there's the historical pride of being a civilization that mattered and still does. And as an end note, I'll add the impatience of youth, which is rather commonplace, that the propaganda worsens.
I have lost somehow the beginning of my reply…hopefully this is not going to be a repetition. Anyway, yes, Western consumerism (and I would add not just for the young ones) — it was also one of the reasons of embracing neoliberalism in the Eastern Europe after 1989. And it is still at the root of the current Russophobia. So depressing! How could this be eliminated? Is this soulless materialism going to keep the empire going?
I revisited a very important documentary film made in 2011 called "Four Horseman" and amongst many other issues it notes the big problem presented by "soulless materialism" for the world. IMO, the West is a lost cause in that regard, but the Global Majority can be taught its defects as they learn how to develop themselves. https://www.rossashcroft.com/four-horsemen-1
As far as "keeping the empire going," it's actually one of the bullets bringing it down as people go further into debt to get the things they've be made to believe they need. The film's 90 minutes long and well worth the time.
Yes. Good. Not perfect but very good. They should have read Philip Mirowski for an account of neoliberalism 😘. Anyway, one thing really bothers me — and it is everywhere — communism (as if it had existed) collapsed because of unproductive economy. No, as I keep repeating and as they actually also surreptitiously note, both systems were in trouble. Thanks to the naïveté of Gorbachev and Yeltsin, the Soviet Union was sold to the neoliberal West. I wonder when somebody finally takes up this side of events. Anyway, thank you again for the link!
I have been considering Iran vis a vis Syria and Iraq. One difference is the Ba'athists ran Syria and Iraq until they did not. The Ba'athists have been in decline for generations. Iran's version of a "party" is the Islamic Republic. I think a lot more staying power and organization from IRGC/Quds to Hizbollah.
The other difference is while Iran has subversives they are much smaller than the Syrian kind and not as connected to the US NGO system. MEK is darling of the neocons but relatively small terror group, sort of like present day Trotskyites wanting to oust Outin.
While the Baluchs are a separate issue in the far east Iran overlapping troubles with Pakistan.
Iraq is a failed state that US occupies but it has a large Shi'a population with experience working with IRGC/Quds pushing out ISIS. after ISIS the Shi'a militias should exist.
Iran's petroleum economy is growing with investment from Russia and China and overlapping with common fields in Iraq.
Iran is a target and if China and Russia do not draw a line the empire may be able to gut the Eurasian heartland.
We were all blindsided. Not many were aware of the inner rot within Assad's government and his gross mismanagement of the overall situation. Refusing the help of the only two nations that could do something to alter the situation was his undoing and is now the common judgement being made.
Trump may yet give sufficient contrast that some pundits might fleetingly consider the neocon Demoniacs as a better alternative. (thinking of Cenk Uygur ;). On a serious note - Iran is not in a good place to go to war but no sane country ever is. The problem for Iran is that if Iraq succumbs to ISIS/Kurd invasion it would be in the same sh!t as Russia was with Ukraine after 2014. This is not a good prospect imo and getting into action early might be the only option. It really is vital for Iran to drive the Kurds out of their borderlands lest they suffer intense Zionist provocation.
Equally Yemen exhibits exceptional courage against the hegemon and its ziocrazies and any defeat of Yemen without Iran engagement might be fatal for Iran. The USI are seriously pounding little Yemen these days but not without severe payback so I would punt that stoush turning into a full tilt war sooner rather than later.
Trump though is showing good derangement strategies with his talk of annexing Canada, Greenland and Panama. Certainly has generated maximum distraction from his teams absolute commitment to continuing genocide in Palestine.
Good recent article in The Cradle about Ansarallah. Also suggested are Escobar's and Krainer's chats with Nima yesterday. Then there was the Todd interview where he broached the reality that Trump would need to accept the Outlaw US Empire's defeat by Russia in Ukraine and that his main job will be to manage the Empire's further decline.
A thought experiment --- What would be the consequences of a serious Iranian attack on Israel?
One of the obvious consequences is that Zelensky's Ukraine would sink even lower on the list of Western (especially US) priorities. If the Russians were sufficiently Machiavellian, they would be encouraging Iran to unload on Israel.
Iran has a lot of problems, but heating in winter and housing doesn't seem to be one of them (talked about that when I was there quite a lot). A lot of houses under construction in and around all the big cities. Heating and fuel is cheap - very cheap. If this gentleman doesn't get the basics right (I suppose he is fluent in Farsi, but surely not native) he may be wrong in other points to.
"Furthermore, many analysts say Russia has yet to reach the Dnieper River, but that’s not at all correct as Russia abuts it in the Kherson and Zaporozhe regions." much appreciated Karl. I always wonder, whether or not these "many analysts" had ever a look at a map. Russian forces reached the Dniepr at day 1 of the SMO and never left.
Iran is important to both Russia and China. It's tough to imagine a stable central asian heartland with chaotic Syria and a fallen Iran feeding terror and subversion into the region. They can't afford to let Iran lose. It's tough to believe they don't have a unified game plan to ensure Iran's health and survival--militarily and economically. And though a successful TP III might neutralize Israel, I don't see how it results in a humiliated US lifting sanctions. Xi and Vlad have a lot on their plates. Just hope Iran is near the top of their menu.
How will eradicating the ‘roots of Zionism’ help with ‘bread-and-butter’ issues?
It is the same all over, democracy, theocracy, whatever.
I am not giving any thought to possible or even real Ukraine 'negotiations.' The Russians have little choice but to distrust anything and everything Western and slough it out, the hard way. It was not their original plan to take over all of Ukraine but they are not in a position to trust anyone.
Keeping their casualty rate low is the prudent path. I do not see the West, the Outlaw Empire included, losing interest in the debacle they created. Trump has little choice but to go long.
And, now, finished reading The Cradle article. Where is some good news! “Assad’s fall has emboldened Tehran’s enemies. Iran is perceived as vulnerable because it has lost a ‘central’ member of the Axis of Resistance, Hezbollah has been ‘sidelined’ yet adapting, and US regional partners Saudi Arabia and the UAE are currently pressuring Yemen’s de facto government in Sanaa.”
Hezbollah remains a strong force, while Hamas is still undefeated. The Zionists merely walked into a vacuum and called it victory without defeating anything--thus its falsity. Neither it for the Outlaw US Empire can defeat Ansarallah, and it continues to damage the Zionists. The Zionist economy is in tatters, and that amounts to a continually bleeding wound. IMO, a different tune will be heard at the end of 2025.
Watching Inside China Business on Youtube this morning, discussing the fate of legacy car makers and the state of the US market (all referenced sources) where consumers can't afford to purchase a new vehicle; 73% are deferring the purchase, and more than 50% will have to take on a second job or work longer hours. Then there's the problem with credit card defaults, etc, etc. How do you re-home industry when the consumer base is under massive debt load? All this is in the business press, and even the FED has been gathering data. I guess policy makers can just continue to live in la-la land.
The problem is to alter the direction, those making policy will need to renounce all they think they know, for what the know is Junk Economics. Another key: Keep Madison Avenue away from developing nations.
Of course they will, so will the potential consumers. The question is — how do you change the mindset of consumerism that is infecting the whole world.
"Crooke ended his publishing relationship with Strategic Culture" I think more like SC ended their relationship with Crooke. They have the stats; they get to read what he writes before publishing it. The substack stats back up what I and SC already knew about Crooke 'writings'. His substack will die soon enough. I do not think much of the ref'd Cradle article either. It's wishful thinking and desperation. Hopium.
On other matters, I see that Russia will not be able to stop their SMO get a peace in Ukraine or get a security deal with Nato or the US (without first defeating them militarily). And Iran is extremely vulnerable now and they know it. Why are you not reporting on the protests already happening there? Iran is ripe for toppling the regime by the US and Israel, the insurrectionists are in place, and that is exactly what has already started in earnest. I cannot predict the future, but I would not be surprised if they collapse entirely this year or at least end up in major turmoil like the beginnings of Syria's civil war with their heads under water. The axis of resistance is essentially dead. And Russia Putin Xi and China have some very critical decisions to make coming their way this year. Trump does not need to do anything about Ukraine or be in a hurry to 'fix it'.
That being said, 2025 is a year where anything unexpected could and actually will happen all year long, suddenly with intensity. I think it already is like that.
It's not about superior weapons, it's about production capacity and cost per unit. If the US uses a $1.5 million Tomahawk cruise missile to kill a group of Houthis with $2000 RPG-7's, then that's not really a victory if you scale this up to a larger conflict.
If Iran delivers a serious blow to Israel, will that unite their people?
Iran has been under extreme sanctions, but not under military action like Yemen. And Yemen has not given up. Iranians showed courage when their people walked into Iraq's mine fields to take out the mines.
If Iranians conclude that the Zionists and the US actually are going to embark on military action to take their resources and destroy their culture, then the fight will be on the home front and this should energize them more than the drip, drip of more sanctions. .
I have been hearing for over a year that Iran has extensive military capabilities built up in anticipation of an attack by the US. If that is correct, and they executed III, they could attack infrastructure - energy, water, telecom, internet, and of course military installations. Since military offices are often in residential areas there would be collateral damage. Maybe they could repeat the drip, drip of the sanctions with a series of attacks: III.1, III.2, III.3.
A commentator recently made the claim that the only way the world and even in the US will be safe is if Zionism is completely defeated. The US and Zionists are betting that Iran won't hit back hard. Or maybe they think that Iran can't do it. Dangerous game.
Yes, the Three Western Evils Must be Slain--Zionism, Nazism, Neoliberalism--along with all their hegemonic structures.
True that although he had not yet lost a piece of his ear , thru an act of God
maybe it is too soon to say crooke has cancelled posting at SC... it is possible he is taking a longer christmas-new year break, or he is hoping to capitalize off substack.. have to wait and see..
as for trump and war, the sad reality is the usa is not run just by the president... all these other paid lobbyists - i think they call them senators and congress people - are willing to be bought by the highest bidder.. terrible example of democracy, and much more like plutocracy as i see it.. so, trump is not all to blame if he is forced to continue on in this vein... he's a pompous ass regardless and a telling indictment of where the usa is at today..
as for iran - hard to know what is happening in iran, but it will not be beneficial if iran falls, as russia and china need iran to be a part of brics... i can't see them letting iran cave to usa's ongoing and bombastic warmongering... and i see erdogan has come out to say he is going to backstop hts, if the need arises, lol... life goes on!
"...but it will not be beneficial if iran falls, as russia and china need iran to be a part of brics.."
It's more than just BRICS, it is, for China at least, securing energy supplies. China and Iran have a contract for natural gas supply. I can't remember the amount, 50 billion and more.
It doesn't matter if Trump wants to stop the conflicts or to be made to continue them. I don't think you realise the size of the change in the people's opinions of all Western leaders by their citizens. I don't know if it's taken Musk they shout out the obvious on his X platform about Western leaders. Or if it was the spark the Western citizens have needed. But since the New Year there's been a huge change in the usual brain washed masses opinions. It's taken a long time & hardship for them to suddenly realise. These traitors do not act in their interests at all. Put it this way, if you were to go onto any street in a Western country today. Ask any random civilians their opinions of their rulers. You'd get a shock at not only not being satisfied with them. But the sheer hatred & contempt the civilians have for them. The media is working overtime printing none stop propaganda & lies. Which is just digging the hole deeper & deeper for themselves. The civilians have had enough.
I watched an interview on French TV with Emmanual Todd that was very provocative.
Your comments on Ukraine are interesting, clearly the US establishment is trying to "Trump Proof" Project Ukraine and put in place legal, political and practical barriers to his abandonment of this initiative. No doubt Trump will lawyer up too, and pull some strings IF - big IF - he wants to call it a day on US support for this proxy war. I think his silence at present is him keeping his powder dry so he retains as mush freedom of action after 21st Jan. Nevertheless there are signs that the neo-cons will be able to continue the current policy, perhaps with less escalation. My bet though is that Mr T will pull a surprise on everyone and simply walk away, keep the sanctions in place, and leave the European members of NATO and the EU/UK to deal with a p*ssed off and well armed Russia.
May I ask what might occur if you changed the countries named in this paragraph to amerika?
"While the rhetoric of Iran's leaders is often focused on the evils of western ‘malevolent’ agendas, on the home front, Iran also faces mounting challenges. Inflation is soaring, the rial is in freefall, housing is increasingly unaffordable, and energy shortages have led to blackouts. Public frustration mounts as these issues are often blamed on governmental incompetence. Iranians are asking pressing questions – What about skyrocketing rents? Food prices? Heating during winter? How will eradicating the ‘roots of Zionism’ help with ‘bread-and-butter’ issues?"
The options to escape this nightmare without war is becoming more limited by the day. Crooke also said as much to Judge Nap. Where Putin/Xi/Pav are in accepting this is probably unknown
outside of their circle. Can the 3 hold on until Trump crashes the economies of the world w/his tariffs. It's either war or depression that await us and as of now I'd prefer war as I think when push
comes to shove the cowards of the empire of lies will blink.
If I'm Iran I attack now and get ready to do it again, the people of the empire don't want war
and that could be a key factor. Remember Trump ran on no more war and stopping the wars
God bless you Karl. I have a question, not entirely related to Alastair Crooke’s article and talk, but ‘provoked’ by his discussion. The questionis: how is it possible that Russia escaped a damage from the Western sanctions, but the sanctions destroyed Syria….and now I am hearing they are also really destroying Iran…..(as in Col. Wilkerson)? Although Wilkerson’s analysis of Iran is rather disturbing too, given the situation we are in. Here is one of the episodes that mentions Iran’s destruction via sanctions: https://youtu.be/mNLXMcg0Np4?si=TeFDPwUVaGQ_acjI
Ed gave a good answer. Iran's economy has greater diversity and thus greater resilience. Iran's been under sanctions since 1979 and has learned how to live with them whereas Syria was never able to gain some form of economic surplus. Plus, Iran's hydrocarbons needed to be allowed onto the global market lest the price rise too high for Western economies. Syria lacks that sort of leverage. Food sovereignty is another Iranian plus and Syrian minus. As with the USSR, the foreign exchange issue only relates to imports, so the desire for Western consumer goods is what drives most Iranian inflation. The most insidious problem as with the USSR is Western propaganda that drives consumerism. And lastly, there's the historical pride of being a civilization that mattered and still does. And as an end note, I'll add the impatience of youth, which is rather commonplace, that the propaganda worsens.
I have lost somehow the beginning of my reply…hopefully this is not going to be a repetition. Anyway, yes, Western consumerism (and I would add not just for the young ones) — it was also one of the reasons of embracing neoliberalism in the Eastern Europe after 1989. And it is still at the root of the current Russophobia. So depressing! How could this be eliminated? Is this soulless materialism going to keep the empire going?
I revisited a very important documentary film made in 2011 called "Four Horseman" and amongst many other issues it notes the big problem presented by "soulless materialism" for the world. IMO, the West is a lost cause in that regard, but the Global Majority can be taught its defects as they learn how to develop themselves. https://www.rossashcroft.com/four-horsemen-1
As far as "keeping the empire going," it's actually one of the bullets bringing it down as people go further into debt to get the things they've be made to believe they need. The film's 90 minutes long and well worth the time.
THANK YOU for the link to Four Horsemen! It is really good. Maybe we should also reread John’s Revelation.
Thanks for watching it. Now you know of its importance and will feel good to share it with those you know.
Yes. Good. Not perfect but very good. They should have read Philip Mirowski for an account of neoliberalism 😘. Anyway, one thing really bothers me — and it is everywhere — communism (as if it had existed) collapsed because of unproductive economy. No, as I keep repeating and as they actually also surreptitiously note, both systems were in trouble. Thanks to the naïveté of Gorbachev and Yeltsin, the Soviet Union was sold to the neoliberal West. I wonder when somebody finally takes up this side of events. Anyway, thank you again for the link!
I have been considering Iran vis a vis Syria and Iraq. One difference is the Ba'athists ran Syria and Iraq until they did not. The Ba'athists have been in decline for generations. Iran's version of a "party" is the Islamic Republic. I think a lot more staying power and organization from IRGC/Quds to Hizbollah.
The other difference is while Iran has subversives they are much smaller than the Syrian kind and not as connected to the US NGO system. MEK is darling of the neocons but relatively small terror group, sort of like present day Trotskyites wanting to oust Outin.
While the Baluchs are a separate issue in the far east Iran overlapping troubles with Pakistan.
Iraq is a failed state that US occupies but it has a large Shi'a population with experience working with IRGC/Quds pushing out ISIS. after ISIS the Shi'a militias should exist.
Iran's petroleum economy is growing with investment from Russia and China and overlapping with common fields in Iraq.
Iran is a target and if China and Russia do not draw a line the empire may be able to gut the Eurasian heartland.
Thank you!
One thought about Alistair Crook. I followed him the weeks before Syria collapsed and he was blind sided.
He may be more negative about Iran's prospects because of his prediction for Syria.
Very few Americans see they are paying for an expanding empire. Watch what US does not what its press says.
We were all blindsided. Not many were aware of the inner rot within Assad's government and his gross mismanagement of the overall situation. Refusing the help of the only two nations that could do something to alter the situation was his undoing and is now the common judgement being made.
Trump may yet give sufficient contrast that some pundits might fleetingly consider the neocon Demoniacs as a better alternative. (thinking of Cenk Uygur ;). On a serious note - Iran is not in a good place to go to war but no sane country ever is. The problem for Iran is that if Iraq succumbs to ISIS/Kurd invasion it would be in the same sh!t as Russia was with Ukraine after 2014. This is not a good prospect imo and getting into action early might be the only option. It really is vital for Iran to drive the Kurds out of their borderlands lest they suffer intense Zionist provocation.
Equally Yemen exhibits exceptional courage against the hegemon and its ziocrazies and any defeat of Yemen without Iran engagement might be fatal for Iran. The USI are seriously pounding little Yemen these days but not without severe payback so I would punt that stoush turning into a full tilt war sooner rather than later.
Trump though is showing good derangement strategies with his talk of annexing Canada, Greenland and Panama. Certainly has generated maximum distraction from his teams absolute commitment to continuing genocide in Palestine.
Good recent article in The Cradle about Ansarallah. Also suggested are Escobar's and Krainer's chats with Nima yesterday. Then there was the Todd interview where he broached the reality that Trump would need to accept the Outlaw US Empire's defeat by Russia in Ukraine and that his main job will be to manage the Empire's further decline.
A thought experiment --- What would be the consequences of a serious Iranian attack on Israel?
One of the obvious consequences is that Zelensky's Ukraine would sink even lower on the list of Western (especially US) priorities. If the Russians were sufficiently Machiavellian, they would be encouraging Iran to unload on Israel.
Iran has a lot of problems, but heating in winter and housing doesn't seem to be one of them (talked about that when I was there quite a lot). A lot of houses under construction in and around all the big cities. Heating and fuel is cheap - very cheap. If this gentleman doesn't get the basics right (I suppose he is fluent in Farsi, but surely not native) he may be wrong in other points to.
"Furthermore, many analysts say Russia has yet to reach the Dnieper River, but that’s not at all correct as Russia abuts it in the Kherson and Zaporozhe regions." much appreciated Karl. I always wonder, whether or not these "many analysts" had ever a look at a map. Russian forces reached the Dniepr at day 1 of the SMO and never left.
Very good article, thank you! I only miss the role of Turkey in all of this.
Iran is important to both Russia and China. It's tough to imagine a stable central asian heartland with chaotic Syria and a fallen Iran feeding terror and subversion into the region. They can't afford to let Iran lose. It's tough to believe they don't have a unified game plan to ensure Iran's health and survival--militarily and economically. And though a successful TP III might neutralize Israel, I don't see how it results in a humiliated US lifting sanctions. Xi and Vlad have a lot on their plates. Just hope Iran is near the top of their menu.
One must learn to live with and ignore the sanctions at the same time. And to do that, one needs to work with one’s partner nations.
How will eradicating the ‘roots of Zionism’ help with ‘bread-and-butter’ issues?
It is the same all over, democracy, theocracy, whatever.
I am not giving any thought to possible or even real Ukraine 'negotiations.' The Russians have little choice but to distrust anything and everything Western and slough it out, the hard way. It was not their original plan to take over all of Ukraine but they are not in a position to trust anyone.
Keeping their casualty rate low is the prudent path. I do not see the West, the Outlaw Empire included, losing interest in the debacle they created. Trump has little choice but to go long.
And, now, finished reading The Cradle article. Where is some good news! “Assad’s fall has emboldened Tehran’s enemies. Iran is perceived as vulnerable because it has lost a ‘central’ member of the Axis of Resistance, Hezbollah has been ‘sidelined’ yet adapting, and US regional partners Saudi Arabia and the UAE are currently pressuring Yemen’s de facto government in Sanaa.”
Hezbollah remains a strong force, while Hamas is still undefeated. The Zionists merely walked into a vacuum and called it victory without defeating anything--thus its falsity. Neither it for the Outlaw US Empire can defeat Ansarallah, and it continues to damage the Zionists. The Zionist economy is in tatters, and that amounts to a continually bleeding wound. IMO, a different tune will be heard at the end of 2025.
Yes! I keep saying this to myself — but that damn consumerism, as we just exchanged notes! Thank you, Karl, keeping a bit of optimism in *my* soul!
Watching Inside China Business on Youtube this morning, discussing the fate of legacy car makers and the state of the US market (all referenced sources) where consumers can't afford to purchase a new vehicle; 73% are deferring the purchase, and more than 50% will have to take on a second job or work longer hours. Then there's the problem with credit card defaults, etc, etc. How do you re-home industry when the consumer base is under massive debt load? All this is in the business press, and even the FED has been gathering data. I guess policy makers can just continue to live in la-la land.
The problem is to alter the direction, those making policy will need to renounce all they think they know, for what the know is Junk Economics. Another key: Keep Madison Avenue away from developing nations.
"China Business" is a fabulous site!
Of course they will, so will the potential consumers. The question is — how do you change the mindset of consumerism that is infecting the whole world.
"Crooke ended his publishing relationship with Strategic Culture" I think more like SC ended their relationship with Crooke. They have the stats; they get to read what he writes before publishing it. The substack stats back up what I and SC already knew about Crooke 'writings'. His substack will die soon enough. I do not think much of the ref'd Cradle article either. It's wishful thinking and desperation. Hopium.
On other matters, I see that Russia will not be able to stop their SMO get a peace in Ukraine or get a security deal with Nato or the US (without first defeating them militarily). And Iran is extremely vulnerable now and they know it. Why are you not reporting on the protests already happening there? Iran is ripe for toppling the regime by the US and Israel, the insurrectionists are in place, and that is exactly what has already started in earnest. I cannot predict the future, but I would not be surprised if they collapse entirely this year or at least end up in major turmoil like the beginnings of Syria's civil war with their heads under water. The axis of resistance is essentially dead. And Russia Putin Xi and China have some very critical decisions to make coming their way this year. Trump does not need to do anything about Ukraine or be in a hurry to 'fix it'.
That being said, 2025 is a year where anything unexpected could and actually will happen all year long, suddenly with intensity. I think it already is like that.
It's not about superior weapons, it's about production capacity and cost per unit. If the US uses a $1.5 million Tomahawk cruise missile to kill a group of Houthis with $2000 RPG-7's, then that's not really a victory if you scale this up to a larger conflict.