The cost of downgrading

Written on October 20th, 2016 in politics Comments Off

… journal of the change of world order #11 – Published on Voltairenet.org, by Thierry Meyssan, Oct 19, 2016.

Washington is attempting to hold to its positions without having to start a Third World War, but it looks like an impossible task. Moscow is offering the United States a safe exit in Syria and Yemen. But if they should choose this option, they would be obliged to abandon some of their allies.

Since the collapse of the cessation of hostilities agreement during Aïd, a rift has opened between the carefree atmosphere of Western societies and the gravity of Russian and Chinese societies … //

… By cutting the historic Silk Road in Syria, and then the new Silk Road in Ukraine, Washington inhibited the development of both China and Russia, forcing them to work together. The unexpected resistance of the Syrian people forced the United States to risk their world domination. The world, which had become unipolar in 1991 with «Desert Storm», is now on the point of returning to its bipolar state, and will perhaps even become multipolar later on.

In 1990-91, the change of world order had been imposed without war (the invasion of Iraq was not the cause, but the consequence), but at the cost of the interior collapse of the Soviet Union. The quality of life for the ex-Soviets diminished drastically – their society was profoundly disorganised, their national wealth was pillaged on the pretext of being privatised, and their life expectancy was reduced by more than 20 years. After having at first believed that this defeat was the fault of Sovietism, we know today that the fall of the USSR was also – perhaps especially – the fruit of economic sabotage by the CIA.

It is therefore not impossible to to attain a new balance of world power without a generalised confrontation. And in order to avoid a World War, the discussion between John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov has progressed from the battle of Aleppo to a general cease-fire for all of Syria and also Yemen. And in fact, we have seen the announcement of an 8-hour truce in Aleppo and a 72-hour truce in Yemen. The problem is that the United States can not retreat to equality with Russia from its uncontested first place – which they took by force and then used so poorly – without paying the price, either alone or with their allies.

Strangely, the five Arab states, Turkey and Iran, who had been invited to Lausanne by Kerry and Lavrov, left apparently satisfied by the meeting. Yet it was their future which was in question. None of them seem to think that heads had to fall, like those of the Warsaw Pact. In the present situation, it is possible to abstain from wiping out part of Humanity, but the importance of the US withdrawal will be measured by the number and importance of the allies they will have to sacrifice.

(full text).

same in french: Le prix de la rétrogradation – Journal du changement d’ordre mondial #11, dans Voltairenet.org, par Thierry Meyssan, Oct 18, 2016;

Links:

Is Postcapitalism On the Horizon? on The Bullet, Socialist Project’s E-Bulletin no 1317, by Andrew Jackson, Oct 19, 2016;

Up to 90% of rejected asylum seekers cannot be deported from Austria – Defense minister, on RT, Oct 19, 2016;

Derailing Neoliberalism, on Jacobin, by Tom Haines-Doran, Oct 19, 2016: workers at the United Kingdom’s privatized railways are on strike, highlighting Jeremy Corbyn’s calls for renationalization;

Trucking Firms Embrace Fuel Efficiency Strategies, not Alternative Fuels, on TRUCKS, by Tby yffany HSU, Oct 17, 2016;

ATRI Releases Findings On Fleet Fuel Economy and Fuel Usage, on PR Newswire, by American Transportation Research Institute, Oct 17, 2016;

Joseph Stiglitz proposes co-op models as an alternative to trickle-down economics, on Co-operative News, by Anca Voinea, Oct 12, 2016;

Building Socialism in Cuba, on Jacobin, by Samuel Farber, Oct 12, 2016: as pressure for economic liberalization grows, what would it take to turn Cuba into a socialist democracy?

Why Baby Boomers Are Getting Into the Gig Economy, on Money USnews, by Susan Johnston Taylor, Oct 12, 2016;

It gets to anarcho-capitalism pretty fast on Facebook, on The Jewish Libertarian, by Rafi Farber, October 12, 2016; (see also on en.wikipedia: Anarcho-capitalism; Anarcho-capitalism and minarchism; Minarchism);

Book Review: Work Life, Cities and Civic Workers, he Union Role in Building Better Cities, Author Jim Silver, on Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives CCPA, Sept 29, 2016;

… and this:

Dead Can Dance

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