I and others maintain that WWIII has already begun, without making a strong argument in support of the notion. I have suggested that in fact WWII never ended. The US shifted from the conflict with Germany to a conflict with Russia and shortly after, the USSR. James Rickards eloquently addresses the issue of establishing the beginning of wars in his article World War III: Has It Begun? He concludes by saying:
The Third World War is here. It may be at the 1937 stage [of WWII] rather than the 1941 stage. Let’s hope that status prevails. It likely will not.
Source: Daily Reckoning
We might include among the precursors of the war the economic warfare committed against Russia and the Russophobia that the government psy-operators have been conditioning their populations to for years. Include the ongoing cyber probing and attacks that both sides have been engaging in.
Douglas Macgregor has just published an article in The American Conservative titled This Time It’s Different. In it he outlines how the US is blindly moving into a war that it is not ready for.
Another Dangerous Escalation
It is reported that the US may supply depleted uranium munitions for the Bradley and Abrams fighting vehicles that they are shipping to the Ukraine: White House Refuses To Say If Ukraine Will Get Toxic Depleted Uranium Ammo. These munitions contain radioactive uranium and their use is known to cause cancer and birth defects in the areas of the Mideast where the US has used them.
The Russian response has been that such munitions will be treated as the equivalent of using a ‘dirty bomb’. (read: Russia says it will consider the deployment of German Leopard 2 tanks as the use of a nuclear ‘dirty bomb’ if they use shells containing uranium core and Russia Warns US Delivery of Depleted Uranium Arms to Ukraine Would Be Akin to Use of Nukes).
In short, if the US wants the war to go nuclear, start by using these weapons. A Russian response using a tactical nuke to take out the attacking vehicles would be appropriate. Whether or not such would be viewed as equitable, the Russians have made it clear that is the US wants to start a nuclear war, this is one way to do it.
Ukraine As a Country
Prior to 1991, Ukraine had never existed as a country. Certainly, Ukrainians as an ethnic group have existed for a millennium or more but the actual land that they have occupied has traded back and forth between stronger nations, notably Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. If they ever were recognized as inhabiting an area it has only been as a region of an enclosing country.
The article Ukraine as a ‘borderland’: a brief history of Ukraine’s place between Europe and Russia discusses Ukraine as a land on the borders of two greater powers, Poland and Russia which is the current case. A more appropriate interpretation of ‘borderland’ might be as an area internal to another country but on its border.
Crimea was acquired by Russia around 1750 (see the map below) from the Ottoman Empire. As the article notes, Crimea was transferred in an administrative transaction within the USSR from Russian administration to the administration of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, one of the several buffer regions set up witting the USSR on its western border after WWII.
The Washington Post published an article in 2015 titled: How Ukraine became Ukraine, in 7 maps. One has to be careful and not confuse the use of overlays of the current Ukraine on maps where the actual territory was of other nationality.
Finally, here is a time-lapse view of Europe over 1000+ years:
The American View of the Ukraine Conflict
One needs to go back at least to the ‘Wolfowitz doctrine’ to understand what the policy basis is for the US’s response to Russia in the Ukraine. The National Archives has a PDF copy of an early draft available to read (97 pages). Written in 1991, it was a strategy document for the design for the future of the US military in response to the dissolution of the USSR and the Warsaw Pact.
Essentially it is a justification of the existence of the American Empire and the means of its continuance into the future. The justification is heavy on the projection and preservation of ‘democracy’ around the world. It fails to note that the US has never been adverse to supporting dictatorial and autocratic regimes which support ‘American Interests’.
The term ‘American Interests’ I have seen over the years whenever Americans talk about their actions and intentions. But I have never seen it once defined. Apparently it means something like ‘whatever we want to do at this time in this situation’.
The key aspect of the doctrine is preventing the development of any regional hegemon that might endanger or prevent the pursuit of American Interests. I think in its current manifestation is the idea of ‘American Exceptionalism’.
At the time the doctrine was written, Russia was probably not viewed as a hegemonic threat, particularly with its economic collapse under a bunch of rapacious oligarchs. Over time, however, and particularly under Putin, any burgeoning American influence or control was eliminated. With its military and nuclear arsenal intact, although perhaps somewhat dilapidated, it was now clearly such a hegemonic threat. Hence the current need to destroy and dismember Russia as an effective modern democracy.
Ukraine is being used by the US and NATO as the means to accomplish this destruction of Russia for good. The bonus for the American Empire is that for the third time in a little over a century, Europe can also be reduced to second world status.
Current News and Views
From now on I will not separate NATO news from other news related to the war and the Ukraine since NATO is a primary belligerent in the war. The pace of relevant news items is picking up suggesting the pace of war may be also.
- Martin Armstrong has just called NATO the Greatest Threat to Civilization. I would argue that the American Empire is the greater threat. (20230130)
- If WW3 Breaks Out, Tanks Or Fighter Jets Won’t Matter: Kremlin. (20230129)
- Getting ready for war? WHO Updates Medicines List for Nuclear Emergencies. (20230128)
- Not Just Symbolism’: Canada Sending Four Battle Tanks to Ukraine, Says Defence Minister. (20230126)
- IMF Mulling Fresh $16 Billion Ukraine Aid Package. (20230126)
- Ukraine Pivots To F-16 Fighter Jets Hours After Securing Tanks. (20230126)
- Denmark Plans Mandatory Military Service For Women As NATO Deepens Ukraine Support. (20230125)
- Lockheed Says It’s Ready With F-16s If US and Allies Choose to Send Them to Ukraine. (20230124)
- Turkey Angrily Cancels Key NATO Talks With Sweden & Finland. (20230124)
- Pentagon to Increase Artillery Ammunition Production by 500% for Ukraine. (20230124)
- President Of The European People’s Party Tells EU To Embrace ‘War Economy’ To Help Further Fight Russia
- I found this old report from last year: Britain Head of Military Tells Troops Prepare for WWIII.
Articles In This Series
Refer to the series index in The WWIII Chronicles.
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