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Nuclear War

Ukraine, Diplomacy And War

When politicians in power are extremely unpopular, they generally turn to militarism and jingoism for a quick boost. Keir Starmer is now the darling of the U.K. media for his sabre-rattling over Ukraine and the prime minister is busily churning out tweets of military imagery. In doing so he is attempting to pose as in defiance of Donald Trump and capitalise on the U.S. president’s unpopularity in the U.K., even though he was just last week fawning over Trump in the White House and inviting him on an “unprecedented” second State visit. As ever, there is a great deal of smoke and mirrors here. The European leaders are going to come up with an alternative “peace plan” to present to Trump.

Remembering Nuclear Victims 71 Years After The Castle Bravo Test

Between 1946 and 1958 the U.S. detonated 67 nuclear weapons in the Marshall Islands. The blasts vaporized whole islands, carved craters into the shallow lagoons, and exiled hundreds of people from their homes. The Castle Bravo blast was the largest of all, sending particulate and gaseous fallout around the entire planet. We published this article on the 70th anniversary last year in LA Progressive. What was once called Castle Bravo Day is now called Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day – a day to remember the many people who have suffered untold pain, sickness, death and environmental damage resulting from the entire nuclear cycle.

The Pentagon Is Recruiting Elon Musk To Help Win A Nuclear War

Donald Trump has announced his intention to build a gigantic anti-ballistic missile system to counter Chinese and Russian nuclear weapons, and he is recruiting Elon Musk to help him. The Pentagon has long dreamed of constructing an American “Iron Dome.” The technology is couched in the defense language – i.e., to make America safe again. But like its Israeli counterpart, it would function as an offensive weapon, giving the United States the ability to launch nuclear attacks anywhere in the world without having to worry about the consequences of a similar response.

Scott Ritter Lobbies At The Capitol To Avert Nuclear War

Scott Ritter, the former U.S. Marine counterintelligence officer and chief U.N. weapons inspector joined forces with Medea Benjamin and Code Pink to lobby members of the U.S. Hose of Representatives to urgently act to head off what could be impending nuclear war with Russia. Ritter laid out the immediate peril the world faces, which is being dangerously ignored by most of the U.S. government and establishment media. That’s because U.S. intelligence services have foolishly concluded that Russia is bluffing, Ritter argued.

Congress Must Prevent Nuclear War

Congress can be somewhat intimidating to the uninitiated—a literal shining house on a hill, where the empowered elite gather in chambers to debate the finer points of issues that impact our daily lives. What is sometimes overlooked by the average citizen is that the vehicle of empowerment that allows these anointed lawmakers to take their seats in these chambers is themselves — every two years these representatives of the people must stand muster before their respective constituents and convince enough of them to cast a vote in their favor.

There’s No Upside To Trump

“Trump could surprise on the upside,” writes Edward Luce, who claims to know “what Trump most cares about.” Lacking intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the president-elect’s personal thoughts, us non-pundits are relegated to looking at other indicators. We can try to decipher Trump’s abysmal cabinet picks. “If Trump has nominated second-tier establishment types for powerful positions that is partly because so many of the more accomplished practitioners have migrated to the Democrats,” according to a London Review of Books commentator.

A History Of Humiliation

The humiliation of Russia began with the end of the Cold War that Kennedy had sought, but not on the terms he envisioned. Despite George H.W. Bush’s vow not to engage in triumphalism, that was in full swing once Clinton took power. Wall Street and U.S. corporate carpetbaggers swept into the former Soviet Union in the 1990s, eyed its enormous natural resources, asset-stripped the formerly state-owned industries, enriched themselves, gave rise to oligarchs and impoverished the Russian, Ukrainian and other former Soviet peoples. The humiliation intensified with the decision in the nineties to expand NATO eastward despite a promise made to the last Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev in exchange for reunifying Germany.

Media Urge Expansion Of Ukraine War; Nuclear Risk Be Damned

Ukraine has for months been asking the Biden administration for permission to use long-range US, British and French weapons to strike deeper in Russian territory, which would be a clear escalation in the war. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the move would cross a red line for him, and recently announced that he was loosening Russia’s nuclear doctrine for using nuclear weapons. Despite the risks of such escalation—and a lack of evidence that it would shift the war in Ukraine’s favor—Biden’s public reluctance to loosen his limits has been met in the war-hungry media primarily with derision.

Nuclear Annihilation Threatened By Revival Of Cold War And Red Scare

There had been a sense of waiting with bated breath in the wake of Russia's President Vladimir Putin recent announcement that he would lower the threshold for Russia's use of nuclear weapons, as the US and its NATO allies broadcasted their plans to ignore a repeated "red line" articulated by US President Biden not to provide arms to Ukraine which could be launched deep inside Russia. Britain is playing its usual provocative role by sending clear messages that it would welcome US approval to let Ukraine use its "Storm Shadow" long-range missiles. We just got a short breather, in light of this recently issued public US intelligence evaluation.

Life, Preempted

If you’re not thinking about the end of the world by now, you’re either braindead or stuck in some remote corner of the world, totally removed from access to news. Earlier this month we came closer to a nuclear conflict between the U.S. and Russia than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Today we are even closer. Most scenarios being bandied about in the Western mainstream media that involve a nuclear conflict between Russia and the United States have Russia initiating the exchange by using nuclear weapons against Ukraine in response to deteriorating military, economic, and/or political conditions brought on by the U.S. and NATO successfully leveraging Ukraine as a proxy to achieve the strategic defeat of Russia.

US Military Policy Stoking Risk Of Nuclear War On Korean Peninsula

U.S. politicians can’t stop talking about Kim Jong Un. The two major party conventions have come and gone, with both presidential candidates mentioning the North Korean leader by name. At the Republican National Convention (RNC), Donald Trump claimed Kim had endorsed him, adding, “He misses me.” Just weeks later at the Democratic National Convention (DNC), Kamala Harris alluded to her opponent’s claims, declaring before an enraptured audience that the “tyrant” Kim is “rooting for Trump.” Neither candidate told the truth. The North Korea’s state news agency was swift to respond to Trump back in June, clarifying the position of the government with characteristically pointed remarks: “No matter what administration takes office in the U.S., the political climate, which is confused by the infighting of the two parties, does not change and, accordingly, we do not care about this.”

US Navy Chief Unveils Plan To Be Ready For War With China By 2027

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the highest ranking officer in the US Navy, unveiled a plan on Wednesday to be ready for a war with China by 2027 as the US military is preparing for a direct fight with Beijing despite the risk of nuclear war. The plan lays out goals to be reached by 2027, including making 80% of the naval force ready for combat deployments on short notice. Franchetti told The Associated Press she wants to increase combat readiness so “if the nation calls us, we can push the ‘go’ button, and we can surge our forces to be able to meet the call.” Other goals include increasing recruitment, improving Navy infrastructure, removing delays in ship maintenance, and increasing the use of drones and other autonomous systems.

Ukraine War Turns Into Russian Roulette

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with U.S. President Joe Biden in the White House on Friday with the question of the use of long-range missiles by Ukraine to hit deep inside Russia on their agenda of conversation. But there were no announcements, nor was there any joint press conference. Starmer later told the media that the talks were “productive” but concentrated on “strategy” rather than a “particular step or tactic.” He did not signal any decision on allowing Kiev to fire long-range missiles into Russia. Starmer said no final decision had been taken on the Storm Shadow missiles and hinted that further developments may follow at the gathering of the U.N. General Assembly later this month. “We’ll obviously pick up again in UNGA in just a few days time with a wider group of individuals,” he said.

Russia Is Not Bluffing: To Avoid WWIII, The US Must Find A Diplomatic Offramp

Last week, the United States was considering Ukraine's request for long-range missiles that could strike more deeply into Russian territory. The Russian government made it clear that this would be viewed as a declaration of war and that it would respond with attacks on NATO countries, including the United States. Clearing the FOG speaks with Scott Ritter about the current state of the Ukraine proxy war against Russia. Ritter explained that had the United States not backed down, World War III could have started. Ritter also discusses the escalating attack on free speech and his new campaign, Operation Dawn, which will launch on September 28 in Kingston, New York.

On A Highway To Hell

An interesting thing happened on the road to Armageddon. In January 2017, then-Vice President Joe Biden, speaking at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, warned about the dangers inherent in expanding funding for, and by extension increasing the importance of, nuclear weapons. “If future budgets reverse the choices we’ve made, and pour additional money into a nuclear buildup,” said Biden — referring to Obama administration policies that included secured the New START Treaty limiting the size of the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals — “it hearkens back to the Cold War and will do nothing to increase the day-to-day security of the United States or our allies.”