The Peace Press — Saturday, January 21, 2023 edition

If you take all the war images that you see on TV about Ukraine and multiply those images by a factor of 100, that is what the United States of American Empire inflicts upon many nations of the world like in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen by Saudi Arabian proxy and in past wars like Vietnam and Korea. That is why our mainstream corporate media intentionally conceal those images from our eyes. They don’t want us to be upset or angry about our mass war crimes upon the nations of the world. We are only permitted to see the amplified images of our artificially-manufactured adversaries’ victims. But the reality is that we create far more victims than any other nation on Earth. The United States of American Empire is not a force for good.

In reality, the United States of American Empire is the most evil Empire (and I would the only Empire in the world today) and is the primary instigating cause of many devastating conflicts. The most current war it provoked is the war in Ukraine which was provoked by the United States of American Empire through its aggressive, Imperialist organization known as NATO which slowly surrounded Russia over time coupled with the 2014 U.S. invasion of Ukraine when we violated their territorial borders and sovereignty by overthrowing the democratically-elected government of Ukraine utilizing neo-Nazi forces in that effort and instigating a deadly Ukrainian East-West civil war against the ethnic Russian population of Eastern Ukraine resulting in thousands killed and millions of refugees emigrating to Russia for safety prior to 2022. Didn’t hear about that on corporate media, did you? American Imperialist propaganda by omission.

NATO, once considered a defensive alliance, is comprised of dozens of European nations and other nations to give it the fig-leaf appearance of international legitimacy but now engages in aggressive Imperialist wars such as Bosnia, Syria and Afghanistan, therefore it is no longer a defensive alliance but an aggressive, Imperialist organization devoted to perpetual war. It is no wonder that the Russians feel threatened by its expansion and encirclement around its borders especially given the long history of Western invasions of Russia. NATO is a tool primarily controlled by the United States of American Empire and serves as its hegemonic arm reigning over Europe. Without NATO, there would be no war in Ukraine. Without NATO, Russia, its immediate neighbors and other European nations would be getting along fine, cooperating and economically integrating and that fact alone would spell financial doom for the U.S. military-industrial-complex and the American Empire which both heavily depend on the profits-for-the-obscenely-wealthy cockroaches yielded from a policy of perpetual war and the perpetual creation of artificial threats, like Russia or China, for its very survival and existence.

But what humanity and the globe most need now is international cooperation and diplomacy and understanding and ongoing fluid communication. These possibilities now likely depend on, in part, being freed from the oppressive chains of the unipolar global American Empire and its dollar-based reserve currency system which is primarily geared to manipulating international events into profit-making perpetual war and global disharmony and destabilization. Our Empire does not bring peace to the world. No, we chiefly bring war, misery, suffering and oppression like almost every other Empire in history before it. The American Empire is not a force for good. Fortunately, our unipolar star is slowly falling and that is probably a good thing. International multipolarity is now slowly emerging. We are not exceptional. In fact, we are one amongst equals, at least, we should be that in this emerging multipolar world.

“If the logic that “there are no innocent Russians” because the Russian people have a moral obligation to overthrow their warmongering government were evenly applied, it would also apply to Americans. Even more so, really, since their government is vastly more warlike than Moscow.

Per the “there are no innocent Russians” argument, Americans should be banned from participating in international events. Americans should be kicked out of foreign universities. Cinemas should stop playing Hollywood movies. Hemingway should be banned from schools.

Putin would have to work very, very hard to catch up to the staggering body count of the US empire just in the 21st century. If Russians have a moral obligation to overthrow their government, then so do Americans. They have an obligation to topple the US empire, tear down the military-industrial complex, get rid of the false two-party system whose “two” parties support every war the empire architects call for, and create a peaceful country.

Either apply the logic of “there are no innocent Russians” equally to governments who do the exact same thing on a far greater scale, or admit that you’re just spewing imperialist regime change propaganda.”

https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/there-are-no-innocent-americans-notes?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=82124&post_id=97469676&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
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“In a new article titled “U.S. Warms to Helping Ukraine Target Crimea,” the New York Times reports that the Biden administration now believes Kyiv may need to launch an offensive on the territory that Moscow has considered a part of the Russian Federation since 2014, “even if such a move increases the risk of escalation.”

Citing unnamed US officials, The New York Times says “the Biden administration does not think that Ukraine can take Crimea militarily,” but that “Russia needs to believe that Crimea is at risk, in part to strengthen Ukraine’s position in any future negotiations.

It’s hard to imagine a full-scale assault on geostrategically crucial territory long considered a part of the Russian homeland not causing a major escalation. And as Antiwar’s Dave DeCamp notes, smaller attacks on Crimea have indeed seen significant escalations from Moscow, contrary to claims laid out in the NYT article:””

https://caitlinjohnstone.substack.com/p/us-may-help-ukraine-launch-an-offensive?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=82124&post_id=97613642&isFreemail=true&utm_medium=email
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“Since the twilight of the Cold War at the beginning of the 1990s, the United States has meddled militarily–or even waged outright wars–in numerous regions for a multitude of reasons. The roster is a lengthy one: Kuwait, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and, most recently, Ukraine.

Moreover, that list does not include Washington’s ongoing “drone wars” in Pakistan and other countries.”

https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/01/why-cant-america-accept-an-imperfect-world/
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“U.S. Imperialism is losing its grip on the world and responds to its weakening condition with massive campaigns of destabilization. Destabilization characterizes U.S. foreign policy today more than any other word. The purpose is to reverse the general dynamic of global affairs today in which U.S. influence and power shrinks in relative terms as the rest of the world develops.”

https://www.blackagendareport.com/ukraine-and-imperialisms-death-spiral
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“”We are carrying out NATO’s mission.” As Ukraine’s defense minister acknowledges the proxy war, NATO proxy warriors disregard the toll.”

https://mate.substack.com/p/natos-mission-leaves-ukraine-destroyed
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“Washington war machine gearing up to manufacture consent to dangerously expand US involvement in Russia-Ukraine conflict”

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-new-crimean-war/
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Kudos to Germany for not destroying any chance of eventual rapprochement with Russia. Kudos to Germany for demonstrating the foresight to see that sending tanks will not change the ultimate calculus of the war but will signal a potentially very serious escalation in NATO involvement.

“The problem presented by this decision for NATO as an alliance, and for the U.S., German and French governments in particular, is that they do not actually know what they want in Ukraine. They have pledged to help Ukraine win, but have not decided what “victory” means.”

https://responsiblestatecraft.org/2023/01/20/western-defense-chiefs-again-defer-on-tanks-to-ukraine/
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“U.S. foreign policy is a place where logic goes to die.

Antony Blinken, the U.S. Secretary of State, said yesterday that the quickest way to end the Russia-Ukraine War is “to give Ukraine a strong hand on the battlefield,” by which he meant more and more weaponry, including Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Patriot missile systems together with Challenger II tanks from Great Britain. Not surprisingly, then, the White House also hinted at yet another aid package for Ukraine, which may be announced “as soon as the end of this week.””

https://bracingviews.substack.com/p/whats-the-best-way-to-end-a-war
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Ukraine: Is the Hammer About to Fall?

“Here’s something you must understand. We were not given any opportunity to act differently.” Vladimir Putin

The plan to engage Russia militarily is a tacit admission that the United States can no longer maintain its global dominance through economic or political means alone.

https://www.veteranstoday.com/2023/01/18/696655/
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A step in the correct direction:

“Ahead of the meeting, Yellen said the communication was important so the US and China could show they could “prevent competition from becoming anything ever near conflict.””

https://news.antiwar.com/2023/01/18/us-china-vow-to-increase-communication-to-avoid-conflict-in-high-level-meeting/
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“Here’s the link to the excellent special Martin Luther King, Jr. issue of Peace and Planet News, put out by New York VFP.”

https://peaceandplanetnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/PPN7.pdf
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“Join us as we build a massive, unified response with peace-loving people around the world to say No to War in Ukraine; Yes to Negotiations and Peace. Sign up HERE to host a protest or street vigil during the Peace in Ukraine Coalition’s upcoming Weeks of Action in January!”

https://www.peaceinukraine.org/
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“And at the core of each of those two conflicts is a pair of competing international laws: one for the NATO conflict, one for the Donbas conflict. In each case, each law is legitimate; in each case, the US subscribed to one, and Russia subscribed to the other. To a great extent, as Richard Sakwa has argued, “[t]he tension between these two logics . . . contained the seeds of later conflicts.”

https://original.antiwar.com/Ted_Snider/2023/01/18/war-in-ukraine-when-international-laws-collide/
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“The struggle quickly turned into a proxy war between Russia and the West, with the Ukrainian people suffering the brutal effects of the assault. The war will shape Ukraine, Russia and the West for generations to come.”

https://prruk.org/the-march-of-folly-resumed-russia-ukraine-and-the-west/
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“The Ukrainian government should safeguard the right to conscientious objection to military service, including in wartime, fully complying with the European and international standards, amongst others the standards set by the European Court of Human Rights.”

https://www.pressenza.com/2023/01/ukraine-drop-all-charges-against-vitaly-alekseenko-immediately/
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“As many as three million Iraqis, Afghans, Pakistanis, Somalis, Libyans, Syrians, and Yemenis have been killed in these wars. Their countries have been completely destroyed. The famines in Somalia and Yemen are on Bush, Obama, and now on Trump as well….More than 37 million people have been internally and externally displaced by the wars, more than in any crisis since World War II.”
— Scott Horton

https://ciceroniansociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/PIETAS_2022_05_Scott_Horton_Enough_Already.pdf
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“CODEPINK’s Marcy Winograd, Chair of the US-based Peace in Ukraine Coalition, interviewed Yurii Sheliazhenko, Executive Secretary of the Ukrainian Pacifist Movement, about the war in Ukraine and military mobilization against the Russian invasion. Yurii lives in Kyiv, where he faces routine electricity shortages and daily air raid sirens that send people running to subway stations for shelter.”

https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/01/19/ukrainian-pacifist-movement-an-interview-with-yurii-sheliazhenko/
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Give peace a chance:

https://original.antiwar.com/Nan_Levinson/2023/01/19/give-peace-a-chance/
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“The criticism Harry has faced about his comments on Afghanistan is an opportunity to dig deeper and take on the dominant narratives in our society about war more broadly.”

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/prince-harry-in-afghanistan
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“Indeed, some of the most incendiary accusations leveled against Iran’s government by legacy media outlets, celebrities and Western leaders in the past months are simply fabrications, while others lack critical context that deadens their impact. And as we will see, few, if any, of the bogus reports and phony social media posts have been retracted or corrected by official fact-checkers.

The examples of regime change disinformation listed below represent a mere snapshot of the propaganda war launched against Iran since protests and violent anti-government riots erupted in September 2022. Taken together, however, they expose the near-total refusal of corporate media and social media fact-checkers to exercise even the most basic standards of integrity whenever Iran’s government is the subject.”

https://thegrayzone.com/2023/01/19/irans-unrest-fake-news/
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Xi Jinping has read Thucydides. Have the China hawks?

https://www.theamericanconservative.com/the-taiwanese-expedition/
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“What is lawful spying? The modern Supreme Court has made it clear that domestic spying is a “search” and the acquisition of data from a search is a “seizure” within the meaning of the Fourth Amendment. That amendment requires a warrant issued by a judge based on probable cause of crime presented under oath to the judge for a search or seizure to be lawful. The amendment also requires that all search warrants specifically describe the place to be searched and the person or thing to be seized.”

https://original.antiwar.com/andrew-p-napolitano/2023/01/18/the-fbi-and-personal-liberty/
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“”Ordinary people’s private financial records are being siphoned indiscriminately into a massive database, with access given to virtually any cop who wants it,” said the ACLU’s Nathan Freed Wessler.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/money-transfers-arizona-dhs-wyden
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“Guantanamo Is ​Who and What We Are as Americans

And we should be ashamed to our core.”

https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/guantanamo-shame-on-america
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“No intellectually honest person with any sense of normal human speech will ever claim that this interview was anything but scripted. And, I mean, of course it is. A CNN anchor asked a 7-year-old child for her opinions on who is responsible for a chemical weapons attack on Syria and repeatedly asked her for her perspective on the highly complex and multifaceted conflict in her country. The only way you’re going to get answers to those questions from a child that age is if you feed them to her. This shouldn’t be a controversial thing to say.

But even if you accept on faith the idea of a 7-year-old child conducting off-the-cuff military analysis and geopolitical punditry on cable television, it is evident from the video that that isn’t what’s happening. She not only speaks like someone with no acting experience reading from a script, she sounds like someone who is not fluent in English simply sounding out English words phonetically.”

https://consortiumnews.com/2023/01/19/caitlin-johnstone-a-psyop-operator/
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“The U.S. tyranny of monopoly capital has long preferred to deal with fascist governments abroad, specifically in the Global South. American oligarchs’ foreign fascist sycophants are so much more malleable than democratic representatives; they don’t even have to be told what to do because they know. It’s in their DNA. From murdering peasants to tossing leftists out of helicopters during flight, to privatizing anything in the public domain to stuffing their offshore bank accounts with cash, to financing death squads to doing the bidding, whatever it may be, of Washington bigwigs, foreign fascists all read from the same script, and nowhere is their chorus more uniform than in Latin America.”

https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/01/20/did-washington-boost-another-south-american-coup/
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“The adoption of commodity-backed currencies by the Global South could upend the US dollar’s dominance and level the playing field in international trade.”

https://thecradle.co/article-view/20532/global-south-gold-backed-currencies-to-replace-the-us-dollar
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Bills Proliferate to Criminalize Speech, Darren Beattie on Lex Fridman, & Brazil Fallout

https://rumble.com/v2619vq-bills-proliferate-to-criminalize-speech-darren-beattie-on-lex-and-brazil-fa.html
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“Ben & Jerry’s co-founder: Joe Biden stood up for press freedom as a candidate — but backtracked in the White House”

“Assange was indicted by the Trump administration in an aggressive, precedent-shattering move that was widely condemned by journalists and human rights groups. President Biden and Attorney General Merrick Garland have had almost two years to do the right thing and drop this dangerous prosecution.”

https://www.salon.com/2023/01/18/the-messenger-joe-bidens-disturbing-hypocrisy-on-julian-assange/
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“The long persecution of Julian Assange, the publisher of Wikileaks, is set to culminate in its final act — a trial in the United States this year.”

https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/the-chris-hedges-report-show-with-ae0?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
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“As long as the Biden administration continues to deploy tools like the Espionage Act to imprison those who dare to expose war crimes, no publisher and no journalist will be safe,” said one of the tribunal’s co-chairs.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/belmarsh-tribunal
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“Tribunal to hear evidence on Assange case from Noam Chomsky, Daniel Ellsberg, Jeremy Corbyn, Stefania Maurizi and more, 2 p.m. EST. “

https://consortiumnews.com/2023/01/20/watch-belmarsh-tribunal-on-assange/
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“Former British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told Consortium News the Australian prime minister should press the U.S. for Julian Assange’s liberty and he held out hope that popular action could end decades of neoliberal economic policies in the West.”

https://consortiumnews.com/2023/01/20/corbyn-tells-cn-australia-should-press-for-assange-release/