Author: VD

False Metrics, False Conclusions

As has been repeatedly pointed out by Owen and others, the more one lies, the more one loses the ability to recognize the truth even when it is staring one right in the face. The idea that China’s economy is collapsing, and therefore the Chinese Communist Party is on the verge of succumbing to a populist color revolution that will produce a neoliberal democratic government subservient to Clown World, has been floated persistently ever since Xi Jinping cancelled the planned “Jump to China” in 2015. A recent Washington Post article is only the latest example of this economic illiteracy:

Economists have started revising their predictions on when China might overtake the U.S. economically — and if it ever will. Despite Mr. Xi lifting the world’s most draconian covid-19 restrictions at the end of 2022, construction in China has slowed, manufacturing prices have declined and consumer spending has flattened. China’s stock market has lost $6 trillion in value in three years. A dozen cities and provinces have been told to halt construction of infrastructure projects — cutting into their main source of revenue.

The biggest economic threat has come from the slowdown in the property market. Building has slowed, and more than 50 major developers are either out of cash or have defaulted. Fears abound of insolvencies leaving millions of unfinished housing projects… China recorded a respectable 5.2 percent economic growth rate last year, but the real rate is lower when adjusted for falling prices. Rather than being an economic juggernaut, China seems likely to be entering a period of deflation, the sorts of conditions that led to Japan’s “lost decade.”

Xi is Taking China’s Economy, WASHINGTON POST, 21 February 2024

Translation into Sane Economics: China is doing exactly what the USA should have done back in 2008 or sooner. It is clearing the bad debt out of its economy, refusing to prop up bankrupt corporations, and preventing further malinvestment from taking place.

This isn’t merely feel-good propaganda for neoclowns in Washington, it’s economic illiteracy and evidence that the Washington Post can’t even get its neo-Samuelsonian economics right. Note that the real economic growth rate is not LOWER than 5.2 percent when adjusted for falling prices, it is HIGHER. Growth rates measure GDP, which are priced in currency. So when prices increase, the real GDP and the real growth rate are lower. When prices fall, the real GDP and the real growth rate are higher.

Remember, modern neo-Samuelsonian economics do not take debt into account, not even when the vast majority of the money supply is comprised of credit-money rather than gold or paper money. Which is why, in Clown World economics, borrowing and spending money that is created out of thin air counts as economic growth, and writing off bad debt counts as economic contraction.

Just as trade wars are GDP-beneficial for nations with trade deficits, deflation is real growth rate-beneficial for nations with credit money. Russia Today knows better too:

If there’s one thoroughly unoriginal strand of thought on China present in the mainstream media today, it is the idea that China’s economy has been wrecked, and that Xi Jinping’s policies are to blame. Such commentary, pushed by every major mainstream outlet on a weekly basis, frequently promotes a narrative of the “end” of China’s rise, often talks about “decline” and squarely places responsibility on Xi Jinping, who supposedly ended the dynamic of an open and prosperous China for increasingly centralized, authoritarian rule and a return to communist fundamentals.

Such an article was pushed this week by the editorial board of the Washington Post, in a piece titled “Xi is tanking China’s economy. That’s bad for the US”. The article was hardly original in its premise, stating the above argument pretty much word for word…

First, what is always, always ignored is that Xi Jinping deliberately set about changing the structure of China’s economy in order to end a growth boom based solely on real estate and debt. The newspapers love to waffle on about the “real estate crisis” and Evergrande, but can you imagine how big the problem would have been had previous policies been continued and China pushed for obscene 10% growth targets based on an explosion of debt? Xi Jinping ended this and initiated a process of deleveraging which deliberately slowed down China’s economic growth to around 6% when he came to power. Why? Because debt is not a sustainable mechanism and his policy has been literally to push the real estate industry into a managed recession, even if that has short-term repercussions.

Secondly, Xi Jinping’s policy has been to reinvent China’s economy to meet upcoming challenges by transforming it from a low end, export, real estate boom economy, into a high-end technological powerhouse. Instead of investing aimlessly in local government real estate booms, China has redirected state money to building up high-value industries including renewable energy, computing, semiconductors, automobiles, aviation, among other things. It is primarily this bid to become the global technological leader (by default of size) that has triggered the backlash from the US on an economic level and thus the bid to try and cripple China’s technological advance through export controls, which in fact show little evidence of working.

Xi isn’t destroying China’s economy – he’s changing it, RUSSIA TODAY, 26 February 2024

Just as everything looks like a nail to the man whose only tool is a hammer, the Neo-Samuelsonians of Clown World do not understand any economic policy that does not rely upon expanding the money supply and increasing GDP through the issuance of more debt. Which, of course, is why they neither see nor understand that China’s economy is neither contracting nor collapsing, it is rather being cleansed of bad debt and reconfigured into a more realistic economy capable of providing genuine economic growth as measured in production, real goods, and manufacturing capacity rather than in money, fake services, and ever-increasing credit.

China is not following the Japanese example; to the contrary, it is doing the precise opposite and refusing to prop up its zombie banks and overleveraged corporations. The fact that Xi Jinping has the wits and the courage to do what neither Ben Bernanke nor any US President has had the wisdom to do should not concern the neoclowns. It should absolutely terrify them, because it means that Clown World will have absolutely no chance whatsoever to even begin to make up its massive steel-production and manufacturing-capacity disadvantages vis-a-vis China.

Remember, the economists who are telling you that China’s economy is collapsing are the same economists who told you Western sanctions were going to cripple the Russian economy. Their axioms are incorrect, their metrics are false, and therefore, their conclusions are guaranteed to be wrong.

Unlike the USA, China is dumping its bad debt.

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The Great Bifurcation Widens

Both China and India are making it very clear that they will not stop doing business with Russia, and more importantly, that they are neither impressed nor dissuaded by the additional sanctions being imposed upon them by the EU, the UK, and the USA.

The EU last week agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia that for the first time targets Chinese and Indian companies accused of “supporting Moscow’s war efforts,” the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The measures of the EU, which will be its 13th package of sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s military operation against Ukraine, were followed by the UK and the US. Britain announced a new package of sanctions against Russia that includes three electronics companies in China, Reuters reported on Friday.

Then, the Biden administration announced on Friday more than 500 new sanctions against targets in Russia, which reportedly include measures against Russia’s main card payment system, financial and military institutions and entities outside of Russia…

When it comes to the Ukraine crisis, China’s position has always been consistent. China is not a party directly involved, and it did not choose to be a bystander or add fuel to the fire. China will continue to play a constructive role in bringing an early end to the conflict and restoring peace in Ukraine.

There is nothing to criticize regarding the pursuit of peace, and it is believed that this thinking is shared by many other emerging countries.

Fundamentally speaking, Western sanctions against Russia are actually illegal and unilateral actions, which have not been approved by the UN. The US and its European allies, regardless of how powerful they are, do not represent the entire international community. It makes no sense for them to escalate sanctions and exert pressure on other countries by targeting normal economic exchanges between Russia and other countries.

What Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said recently on the sidelines of the Munich conference may just show the view of all those who have not participated in Western sanctions against Russia.

Jaishankar said, “If I am smart enough to have multiple options, you should be admiring me.” He said that India should not be criticized for having multiple options and reaffirmed its stand and commitment to buying Russian oil.

The world is not ruled by the US and its European allies only. Their goal of containing Russia is their own business, and they have no right to demand other countries sacrifice their development opportunities to serve Western strategies. When it comes to how to deal with Russia, emerging economies should have the right to consider and choose from their own interests.

What has happened over the past two years has proved that unilateral sanctions and extreme pressure have not only done great harm to the global economy, but have also disrupted the international order the West has been trying to maintain.

Including Chinese, Indian firms in Russia sanctions unreasonable, GLOBAL TIMES, 25 February 2024

It’s going to be a difficult year for everyone in the West, and things are going to continue to get more difficult as the flow of free money continues to dwindle away to nothing and the ability of the Fed to export inflation to the rest of the world disappears as the majority of the global population exits Clown World’s economy.

But with these harder times comes opportunity, as those organizations that are not built on debt and have genuine success based on genuine customers will have the opportunity to grow steadily as their competitors continue to fail. Just to give one example, think about how many alternatives to this blog have vanished over time, while the traffic here is steady and offshoots such as Sigma Game are already averaging 7,500 views per day in its first month.

Just as success isn’t distributed evenly during credit bubbles, failure isn’t distributed evenly during economic contractions. The key is to focus ruthlessly on your core market, be persistent in your performance, and constantly strive to improve your quality while your competitors are cutting corners and trying to raise their margins to make up for their declining sales.

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The Age of Paradox

Simplicius observes the way technology has created a paradox that currently provides a significant advantage for the side with the ability to “be in the most places at once” rather than the traditional principle of “getting there first with the most”.

It is the age of paradox in warfare: where de rigueur total dispersion of forces appears to make high casualty densities obsolete, yet the entire length of the battlefield is overwatched by the most unprecedentedly powerful and accurate systems in history, like Iskanders, Kinzhals, Zircons, HIMARs, etc., which allow the carrying out of near-instantaneous kill-chains—from detection to transmit/distribution, to fire order within moments.

This is why the only way to fight and advance has come down to dispersing your strategic operations over the widest possible scale, so that the end goal becomes the totality of victory rather than specific operational objectives like: “Capture this area of cities.” Such a task requires the concentration of forces, from divisions, brigades, battalions, whose every staging action is monitored with almost total transparency by the enemy.

This ‘war of the future’ will be won by the most flexible, resilient, and adaptable force—the force which can pull punches, use feints, and reorientations all along the entire combat line in the most expedient manner. Russia is showing this today by utilizing a confounding rotation of active fronts to not only unbalance the AFU, but to stress their mobility and logistics to the extreme. When you have the advantage in logistical infrastructure and facility, you can ‘daze’ your opponent by conducting small operations across a scattered range of fronts, causing them great stress in trying to keep up.

In the Avdeevka battle, we saw Ukraine being forced to pull significant amounts of elite units from several fronts like Zaporozhye and Bakhmut to reinforce the crumbling Avdeevka lines. When that finished, Russia launched a Zaporozhye attack, overrunning depleted AFU positions there as a result, with AFU unable to reinstate reserves fast enough. The same goes for the Kupyansk and Kremennaya regions: reports spoke of AFU’s desperate troop pulls from Kupyansk to bolster defenses in northwest Bakhmut, where Russia has likewise started a series of attacks.

It’s like pricking a spinning drunk with a needle from every side—he hardly knows where he’s being hit, nor has time to orient himself correctly. Lacking logistical mobility—in the form of physical haulers like HETs, transports, etc.—Ukraine gets the worst of it in being forced to constantly run around plugging leaks in the flooding deck.

Taking into account everything I said above and in the rest of the paid article regarding Ukraine’s NATO ISR overmatch plus the prevalence of drones in general and how they’ve vastly limited maneuver warfare, we know that the only way to truly win is to stretch your enemy on every front and defeat him in detail while bringing to bear your greater logistical and economic resources…

The concluding point is that it’s not about capturing particular towns or regions, the real work being done is internally—the AFU is being gutted and hollowed out. This is why it’s so difficult for blinkered pro-UA observers to understand the true underlying dynamic of the conflict. They judge the war algorithmically: Russia has only captured a few kilometers so that means Russia is not succeeding. But they fail to take into account the intangibles, that the very moral and mechanical fiber of the AFU is coming apart at the seams.

It’s intriguing to note that the principle described by Simplicius appears to be a fractal one, as the BRICSIA alliance is observably stretching Clown World on every front, and, for the most part, defeating it in detail while bringing to bear its greater logistical and economic resources and exploiting Clown World’s logistical weaknesses in order to destroy the neo-liberal world order and win World War III without going nuclear.

We know Clown World is crumbling in every sense, militarily, economically, philosophically, spiritually, morally, and most of all, in morale terms. It is increasingly – and observably – desperate and insane. And it is more dangerous than ever because it, and all its servants, are correctly afraid, and so they are tightening their grip and lashing out on every side, in every polity Clown World controls. If its global ambitions weren’t so ambitious and its rule weren’t so illegitimate and unpopular, it would be cutting its losses and retreating to a defensible core, but it can’t because no such core exists.

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Big Tech Discovers Consequences

The servants of Clown World are going to find themselves in a lot of legal jeopardy in the coming years as they gradually discover that they don’t have the free pass to break the law with the BRICSIA nations that they have historically possessed in the skinsuit West:

Indian users took to X (formerly Twitter) to draw the government’s attention to Gemini’s response to a question on whether Modi is a “fascist.” The tool replied that the prime minister’s policies have been “characterized as fascist” by experts due to the BJP’s “Hindu nationalist ideology, crackdown on dissent, and its use of violence on religious minorities.”

In contrast, the tool adopted a milder tone when asked the same questions about former US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.

Reacting to the X post, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, India’s minister of state for electronic and information technology, claimed that Gemini violated the Information Technology Act and several provisions of the criminal code.

“These are direct violations of Rule 3(1)(b) of Intermediary Rules (IT rules) of the IT act and violations of several provisions of the Criminal code.“

“We’ve worked quickly to address this issue,” Google said in a statement amid the backlash, adding that Gemini is “built as a creativity and productivity tool” and may not “always be reliable.” In response, Chandrasekhar made it clear that invoking the ‘unreliability’ of AI models does not exempt tech platforms from the law. He also warned that India’s digital citizens are “not to be experimented on with unreliable platforms and algorithms.”

It’s a fascinating defense. “Sure, we openly and very publicly broke the law, but that’s okay because our tools are unreliable.” How is that any sort of legally-acceptable excuse? Russia and China have already demonstrated the way in which national sovereignty trumps corporate unaccountability, now it is time for the rest of the world to follow suit.

It would be good to see these multinational corporations being held to the same standards that young men posting memes on Twitter are held. If corporations are legal persons, why are they not held accountable to the law in precisely the same way as other people? The state can’t imprison a corporation, but the state could certainly imprison the executives responsible or revoke a corporation’s charter for the appropriate period of time.

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The Axis of Asymmetry

Pepe Escobar observes that Clown World is losing on every front to the unrestricted warfare being waged by the BRICSIA+ alliance:

The Axis of Asymmetry is in full swing. These are the state and non-state actors employing asymmetrical moves on the global chessboard to sideline the US-led western rules-based order. And its vanguard is the Yemeni resistance movement Ansarallah.

Ansarallah is absolutely relentless. They have downed a $30 million MQ-9 Reaper drone with just a $10k indigenous missile.

They are the first in the Global South ever to use anti-ship ballistic missiles against Israel-bound and/or -protecting commercial and US Navy ships.

For all practical purposes, Ansarallah is at war with no less than the US Navy.

Ansarallah has captured one of the US Navy’s ultra-sophisticated autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), the $1.3 million Remus 600, a torpedo-shaped underwater drone able to carry a massive payload of sensors.

Next stop: reverse engineering in Iran? The Global South eagerly awaits, ready to pay in currencies bypassing the US dollar.

All of the above – a maritime 21st-century remix of the Ho Chi Minh trail during the Vietnam War – spells out that the Hegemon may not even qualify as a paper tiger, but rather as a paper leech.

None of this should have come as a surprise to the strategists of Clown World, except they were so accustomed to lying that they no longer have the ability to ascertain the truth and their arrogance caused them to actually believe in their nonsensical rhetoric about being Special or Exceptional.

As events proceed, it is becoming abundantly clear that it is China that is winning WWIII, because the events closely follow the strategy laid out in Unrestricted Warfare by Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui in 1999. You cannot possibly understand anything about what is happening, or how systematic the undermining of every foundation of Clown World has been, without reading that book.

The Chinese strategy goes well beyond conventional military issues; that is the literal meaning of “unrestricted” in the title. And it is fundamentally asymmetric; Escobar doesn’t mention Qiao and Wang’s book in his article, but his use of the word strongly suggests that he is familiar with it. The two Chinese colonels defined the concept thusly:

ASYMMETRY—SEEK NODES OF ACTION IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION FROM THE CONTOURS OF THE BALANCE OF SYMMETRY

’Asymmetry’ “fei junheng” as a principle is an important fulcrum for tipping the normal rules in beyond-limits ideology. Its essential point is to follow the train of thought opposite to the balance of symmetry “junheng duicheng” and develop combat action on that line. From force disposition and employment, selection of the main combat axis and the center of gravity for the attack, all the way to the allocation of weapons, in all these things give two-way consideration to the effect of asymmetrical factors, and use asymmetry as a measure to accomplish the objective.

No matter whether it serves as a line of thought or as a principle guiding combat operations, asymmetry manifests itself to some extent in every aspect of warfare. Understanding and employing the principle of asymmetry correctly allows us always to find and exploit an enemy’s soft spots… This use of asymmetrical measures which create power for oneself and make the situation develop as you want it to, is often hugely effective. It often makes an adversary which uses conventional forces and conventional measures as its main combat strength look like a big elephant charging into a china shop. It is at a loss as to what to do, and unable to make use of the power it has.

So, it’s now clear that China is using its allies in Russia, Yemen, and elsewhere in much the same way that Russia was using the Donbass militias, Wagner, and the Chechens in Ukraine. Even Gaza may be a front, although whether it was created, anticipated, or was simply a fortuitous coincidence is impossible to know at this juncture. And this means we not only have not seen the main axis of the conflict, it almost certainly means we haven’t even begun to understand the full extent of the asymmetrical probings for more of Clown World’s soft spots or the consequences of the exploitation of those that are revealed.

Speaking of those soft spots and the exploitation thereof, Escobar makes a prediction that I have not previously seen.

The endgame: only a West Asian Special Military Operation, to the bitter end, will settle the Palestinian tragedy. A translation of what happens across the Slavic Axis of Resistance: “Those who refuse to negotiate with Lavrov, deal with Shoigu.”

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UATV ALERT

UATV will be down for the next two hours for maintenance. Please do not feel the need to alert anyone of the streaming service being down. This is scheduled maintenance. You will be informed when it is back up.

UPDATE: We’re back! Mostly. Some recently-published content is still being processed, so you may see a few broken links. These will be resolved in the next day or two.

The Revival of Swiss Neutrality

Switzerland’s futile attempt to host Ukrainian peace talks this summer is already dead prior to arrival thanks to the government’s foolish decision to try to take sides in the Russian-NATO war without being willing to admit that it is no longer a neutral party to the conflict.

Russia is unlikely to take part at the outset of a high-level Ukraine peace conference which neutral Switzerland plans to host in the coming months, Swiss President Viola Amherd was quoted as saying by a newspaper on Saturday. Amherd’s interview with the Neue Zuercher Zeitung daily was published a few hours after Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis told the United Nations that Bern aimed to hold the conference “by this summer” after the idea was floated in January.

When asked whether Switzerland had since received any more positive signals from Russia, Amherd told the newspaper: “Right now, it looks as though Russia will not take part in a first round of the conference.
“We’re in the process of starting off with a very broad alliance consisting of the BRICS countries, countries from the Arab world, as well as from the global south.”

China has already made it clear that it will not be participating either. And, if Switzerland is foolish enough to give into Clown World pressure and go along with the latest EU, UK, and US sanctions on China, it will soon find itself being regarded as a hostile nation by the two most important military powers on Earth, which would be an incredible achievement of total diplomatic incompetence given 500 years of successful neutrality that survived everything except living next door to Napoleon.

Fortunately, 91 percent of the Swiss citizenry favors a return to true and comprehensive neutrality, and signatures are being gathered for a constitutional referendum that would prevent the satanic globalists and corrupt would-be eurocrats in the government from further involving the nation in Clown World’s self-destructive schemes.

The current world situation dramatically demonstrates the need for a country like Switzerland to mediate between war and conflict parties and to provide a platform for negotiations. Nevertheless, certain domestic circles and also foreign diplomats are trying to put pressure on Switzerland to fully participate in sanctions against Russia and to allow arms deliveries, if not directly then at least indirectly. The narrative of these neutrality diluters is always the same: Switzerland’s neutrality is an outdated model and must be reconsidered or adapted or even ditched. In light of the emerging amalgamation of security policy and foreign policy of the EU and the European arm of NATO, the calls for a “relativization of neutrality“ in favor of a misconceived solidarity are getting louder and louder. These gravediggers of neutrality must be countered with the following:

  1. The perpetual, integral and armed neutrality is absolute and geared towards emergencies. It cannot be modified easily and at will on the basis of a current event. Thus, there is no such thing as “Putin neutrality” or the like. The perpetual, integral and armed neutrality guaranteed to us at the Congress of Vienna, also with Russia’s explicit approval, sends an unmistakable signal to other countries and our partners that we will reliably and fully adhere to our neutrality in the long – term and will – if necessary – defend it with our armed forces.
  2. The concept of neutrality is fundamentally directed towards wars. In a war, there are always attackers and defenders. It is therefore intellectually dishonest to relativize neutrality in relation to the Russia-Ukraine conflict or even to ditch it in order to position ourselves unilaterally against an aggressor. For a neutral state, the “good-evil” scheme is suspended, which enables it to offer its good offices. The fact that Putin claims Art. 51 of the UN Charter for himself in order to rush to help an ally is possibly covered by international law but certainly problematic, but nevertheless not unusual: China and the USA have also frequently drawn on this problematic article, the latter without there ever having been an outcry. In this context, especially in a neutral state like Switzerland, there should be careful consideration in order to avoid double standards.
  3. Our elites know well that neutrality is deeply rooted in the Swiss people. Therefore, they believe they have to operate in a hypocritical manner, propagating neutrality internally while acting in a partisan manner externally. For example, the Federal Council has recklessly offered hand to sanctions against Russia, such as the blocking of Russian bank accounts in Switzerland. This has done massive damage to both, our credibility and our business location: a large number of foreigners have withdrawn their capital from Switzerland and transferred it to other countries. It is certainly legitimate to discuss the value of neutrality. However, this should be done with the involvement of the sovereign, the Swiss people, namely at the ballot box.
  4. Our armed neutrality has effectively protected us from external aggressors, especially during World War II. It is not an outdated model, as some try to make us believe, but on the contrary an inspiring model for the future: based on credibility, continuity, predictability and reliability, we secure our prosperity and security, especially for our young generation. The Swiss People does not expect the Federal Council and our politicians to engage in power politics, but rather to protect our people and safeguard our prosperity. This is the very duty of the Federal Council: to integrate our neutrality policy into our foreign policy and to explain our neutrality in a comprehensible way in the foreign policy arena. In the area of good offices, in receiving a large number of refugees – as is currently the case from Ukraine – as well as comprehensive offers for negotiations, Switzerland is and will be able to make major contributions to global peacebuilding and peacekeeping. We must not easily give up this trump card!
Homage to Swiss Neutrality, PRO-SCHWEIZ

Pro-Schweiz has until May 8, 2024 to obtain the 100,000 signatures required to put the initiative on the ballot. (Note to the Bears: if you’re not a Swiss citizen, you can’t sign the petition, so don’t even think about it. Note to everyone else: yes, it is absolutely necessary to spell that out.) And although the media has been ludicrously describing the concept of constitutional neutrality as a “right-wing” objective, it has substantial support among the Left and Green parties as well.

The Federal Constitution is amended as follows:

Article 54a Swiss Neutrality

1. Switzerland is neutral. Its neutrality is perpetual and armed.

2. Switzerland does not join any military or defense alliance. An exception is made for cooperation with such alliances in the event of a direct military attack on Switzerland or in the case of actions preparing for such an attack.

3. Switzerland does not participate in military conflicts between third states and does not take non-military coercive measures against belligerent states. Exceptions are Switzerland’s obligations to the United Nations (UN) and measures to prevent the circumvention of non-military coercive measures by other states.

4. Switzerland uses its perpetual neutrality for the prevention and resolution of conflicts and is available as a mediator.

Call from Left and Green Supporters: Yes to the Neutrality Initiative!, SWISS STANDPOINT, 24 January 2024

Anyhow, people all around the world should hope that the failure of the 2024 peace summit will serve to remind the Swiss people of the way in which their historic commitment to neutrality will much better serve the world than their becoming a small and voiceless cog in the Clown World machine.

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A Bold Move

Since crossing the previous red lines have gone so well for NATO, the USA, and Europe over the last two years, Clown World has now decided to further antagonize both Russia and China. It’s certainly a bold move, anyhow. It’s not a smart one and it smacks of desperation. We’ll see how it works out for them…

ATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Ukraine has a right to use its Western-supplied weapons to defend itself against Russia, even if that includes striking targets within Russia’s borders.

“This is Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine, which is a blatant violation of international law,” Stoltenberg told Radio Liberty during an interview on Tuesday. “And according to international law, Ukraine has the right to self-defense. And it also includes strikes against legitimate military targets, Russian military targets outside of Ukraine. That’s international law, and of course, Ukraine has the right to do that to defend itself.”

A NATO official confirmed with Financial Times on Thursday that Stoltenberg meant that Kyiv’s right to self-defense included striking Russian military targets outside of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned against Ukraine using its Western-supplied equipment to launch attacks on Russian territory, saying that doing so could risk escalating the conflict. The warnings had originally made allies like the United States hold off on supplying Kyiv with long-range weapons capable of reaching Russia, but NATO allies have since given Ukraine such arms.

First, there is no “international law” and there never has been. It’s just a rhetorical phrase that is always applied to the enemies of Clown World and always ignored whenever it’s applied to the servants of Clown World.

Second, reality is reciprocal. Ukraine does have the right to defend itself. Ukraine does have the right to strike Russian military targets outside of Ukraine. But Russia has the right to defend itself too, and to defend itself by striking NATO military targets outside of Russia and Ukraine.

As we’ve repeatedly been shown since 2014, Russia is very, very patient and circumspect. It has no reason to strike back at NATO right away, because time, migration patterns, and economic pressure are on its side. This F-16 insanity is just a desperate attempt to bait Russia into giving the neoclowns in Washington an excuse to escalate from a losing proxy war to an all-out direct war that will permit it to declare martial law, mobilize the economy, and reinstitute the draft before China makes its move on Taiwan.

I doubt Putin and his generals will take the bait. Instead, they’ll just shoot down the F-16s and increase the pressure on Clown World in two or more fronts, beginning with Odessa.

Putin is reportedly on the brink of a new land grab to defy the West by possibly announcing soon that Russia is taking control of a breakaway Moldovan region. There is speculation that unofficial state Transnistria is poised to make an appeal to Putin to join Russia. The landlocked strip along the Dniester River is wedged between Moldova and Ukraine. Putin already has a ‘peacekeeping’ force of up to 2,000 troops in the territory which Russia says overwhelmingly wishes to be incorporated by Moscow. There are also likely thousands of Russian paramilitaries on the ground. A fear is Putin will use a speech at the Russian Federal Assembly on February 29 to green light annexation.

Hey, the USA is always supportive of democratic self-determination, right. But don’t be surprised if a new front is opened somewhere in Asia as well.

The European Union has placed tighter trade restrictions on Chinese companies that it claims are supporting Russia, the European Council said in a press release on Friday. The restrictions are part of a 13th round of sanctions imposed on Friday, a day before the second anniversary of Russia’s military operation against Ukraine.

But no worries. We are assured that in the event of war with China, Ukraine stands with the USA, and “Ukraine ready for war with China if US asks.” So the neoclowns have got that going for them, anyway, which is nice.

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Fake Success, Real Failure

Vice has filed for bankruptcy and its content management system was shut down yesterday:

Vice.com has stopped publishing new content and laid off several hundred employees, its CEO announced late on Thursday. The outlet once valued at billions of dollars had to be rescued from bankruptcy last year, by a consortium including George Soros.

The website is still available, but its content management system was shut down minutes before midnight, according to one employee. The VICE company will “transition to a studio model,” CEO Bruce Dixon said in a message sent to the staff, as part of “fundamental changes to our strategic vision.”

“We create and produce outstanding original content true to the Vice brand. However, it is no longer cost-effective for us to distribute our digital content the way we have done previously,” Dixon wrote. Going forward, Vice will partner with “established media companies” to distribute its digital content on their platforms instead.

Funded by major corporations and venture capital throughout the 2010s, Vice was valued at $5.7 billion in 2017.

It’s fascinating to compare the fragility of a large, massively-well funded operation like Vice with the antifragility of small, independent operations like UATV. While UATV can survive multiple hits that reduce its revenue to zero for as long as it takes to build the subscriber base back again… and again, the use of debt means that not even a bailout from George Soros is sufficient to keep a Clown World institution like Vice afloat.

Everything about Clown World is fake, pride, and short-lived.

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