AMERICAN DUPLICITY

As the world moves toward multipolarism, and the US hegemon tries its best to sabotage and sink this development, the media barely explain the topic, and the incredibly high stakes involved in the process. The Grayzone’s senior editor Ben Norton, who resides in Nicaragua, is now creating a separate channel to focus precisely on this immensely important transformation.

Massive lies, hypocrisy and cynicism characterise the Anglo-American history of dealings with Russia, and their way of doing foreign policy in general. Now as their plots unravel in Eastern Europe, it will be hard for the hardliners in Washington and London to keep the warmongering hysteria going. The Ukraine itself, says Mercouris, is denying the imminence of a Russian attack. And France’s Macron, with Germany’s support, is looking for a way to defuse the crisis. Meanwhile, the sheer brutishness and arrogance of US and UK maneuvers in Europe are clearly pushing Germany and France into an open break with London and Washington. 

Much is being made out of the threat of sanctions against Russia. But such threats won’t deter Moscow. For a start, even draconian sanctions have proved to be a weak coercive tool. Indeed, US sanctions had a poor coercive track record in North Korea, Cuba, Iran, Venezuela, Vietnam, etc. 

Russia is a big power. It has huge reserves, which currently stand at a record $638.2 billion — the fourth largest in the world. Russia’s credit position is good and it owns much of its debts. It has no critical need of US investors. Russia is in no desperate need to sell its currency. 

Having gone through four traumatic shocks previously in its 30-year post-cold war history, Russia knows how to absorb shocks. Therefore, while Russia may take a big hit and there could be currency volatility causing outflow of capital initially following the sanctions, its reserves give a big cushion. 

THE SAKER—The notion of a Russian ground operation to take Kiev is total, hallucinatory, nonsense. Ditto for the idiotic idea that Russia must invade in February before the frozen ground turns into dirt (Russian ground forces have no problems operating or fighting with dirt, snowmelts or any other natural phenomenon between -50C to +50C).  That is exactly the kind of crap McFaul always spews (with this uniquely paranoid eyes and freaked-out facial expression).  But the fact that McFaul is a drooling idiot does not mean that he does not have access to what is going on behind the scenes (Blinken is just as dumb, and he is in charge of the entire US diplomacy).

The following is an exclusive interview with Russian Duma deputy, Yevgeny Fyodorov, a high-ranking conservative, nationalistic lawmaker in President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia Party. He has been Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy of the State Duma and a member of the Advisory Council of the President of the Russian Federation. Below we discuss war with Ukraine, principles of sovereignty and geopolitics, the ongoing energy battle, the nuclear option, and the reestablishment of the Soviet sphere, all within the context of US ambition and Russian counter-strategy.