As much of the American public reflexively freaks out over Trump's sudden capitulation in it's proxy war against Russia, one must consider the options, as I have written before. The three choices are to capitulate, to drag the war on for an indefinite period of time, or to escalate.
The idea of escalating this war, with the intention of militarily driving the Russian army back to it's border, is terrifying. American's have been programed to believe that Vladimir Putin is an unhinged lunatic who intends to attacking the NATO military alliance as soon as he defeats Ukraine, despite mountains of evidence to the contrary.
Although we are supposed to believe Putin is an evil madman, when the subject of nuclear war arises, most American's discount that possibility, despite all the close calls over the past 80 years. Nuclear war is dismissed as something no rational person would initiate. Yet we are led to believe that Putin is not rational. Which is it? Since the Empire is comfortable provoking Putin, it would seem that the managers of Empire do believe he is a rational actor.
The American President clearly has no wish to engage in nuclear brinkmanship, all while engaging in some of the most extreme behavior over the course of his current term as well as during his last term in office. This man turned Elon Musk loose on his own people. Musk proceeded to eliminate the livelihood of millions of federal workers, without any regard to public safety (air traffic controllers, nuclear regulator workers) or public opinion (national parks). He has installed racist white men throughout the government. He is about to gut social safety nets, including Medicaid and Social Security. He is well on the way to bankrupting many family farms, and pushing children into poverty and hunger. He is about to allow Israel to begin anew the slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza.
During his first term, he threatened North Korea, saying in 2017, per NBC: “President Donald Trump, in his first address to the United Nations, derided Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s leader, as a “rocket man” on Tuesday as the president warned that he may be forced to "totally destroy" the rogue nation.
"If the righteous many do not confront the wicked few, then evil will triumph," Trump said, as he detailed the horrors of what he called the "depraved" North Korean regime..... He dropped a 2000 lb bomb to kill Iranian general in Iraq. More recently he said this about Gaza:
Which leader is more stable, more careful, less likely to initiate a nuclear war? On one hand, we have Putin who has methodically and carefully resisted NATO's expansion over 20 years. On the other hand we have a minimally educated narcissist who is prone to threatening extreme violence and who is comfortable rejected the advice of the people who work for him. Who is the madman?
Trump is about to join Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (aka: NutenYahoo) in the effort to kill or relocate every Palestinian still alive in Gaza, so it is not as if Trump is dripping with empathy.
The American Empire spent 5 BILLION dollars to achieve the 2014 Maiden revolution (aka: coup), according to Victoria Nuland. A conservative Wikipedia entry claims a cost of 300 to 350 BILLION dollars since the start of the war in 2022. Americans are feeling the effects via Musk's indiscriminate layoffs and in the inflation that Biden caused by his war of choice.
Fortunately for the world, President Trump has rejected most of the lessons that the American Empire has imparted upon it's citizens since the end of the cold war. Fortunately he is wise enough not to threaten a nuclear armed country in the way he threatened North Korea. Fortunately Trump is aware that the American Empire has been defeated in yet another proxy war. Rather than drag it out (Afghanistan lasted 19 years), Trump is ready to surrender now. Thank God for small favors.
For more information:
Jeffrey Sachs addresses the EU Parliament:
For more information:
Jeffrey Sachs addresses the EU Parliment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4c-YRPXDoM&t=271s
Jonathan Cook: several substack articles: https://substack.com/@jonathancook
John Mearsheimer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oysN5_n2gTY
Max Blumenthal on Judge Napolitano: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EL7a3uif65E
Max Blumental advocating for an end to war, one year ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq4643bsH8w