War in North Korea?

I said some time ago (years actually) that the United States is facing two choices: war with China; or surrender of its position as global financial king. Two stark choices with no grey area. Why? That answer is a little more complicated.

Since the Berlin Wall fell in the 90's the Chinese have adopted a deliberate policy to out play the Americans at their own game - capitalism. Essentially, the Chinese are mimicking the path the US took to super power status. Firstly, they became very disciplined and kept their cost of production of goods and services to the bare bone, thereby capturing the lion's share of global manufacturing trade. Secondly, they stayed out of wars. Security for China became a gradual building of their military capabilities without the expense of fighting wars in the process. Thirdly, they became a lender to nations all over the world, thus spreading their political and economic influence to the point they are indispensable. Much like the early American policies of industrialization, free trade, open seas, and non-interventionism. Now China is what the US used to be, and the US has become what the British Empire was. We all know what happened to the Empire.

China's dominant financial position globally has allowed it to lead in the development of BRICS, Eurasia, and its own version of the IMF. In other words, the Chinese, along with Russia have turned the world economic, and therefore political, order on its head. The US is now attempting to pivot. US encouragement of Britain exiting the EU is a good example. The US is  desperately trying to  create a viable trading bloc to counter Eurasia/BRICS. It is apparent that their answer is a British Commonwealth 2.0 -  ie: US, Canada, Britain, Australia, etc. In a strange little clue, former Vice-President Biden, after making his final remarks on the make election loss, whispered "God save the Queen" as he walked from a still live mike. The truth is that no combination of countries can stand up to the resources, demographics, etc of the combined Eurasia/BRICS.

The US has had some successes putting dents in BRICS though. Most notably in South America. The pro-Russian leaderships in Brazil and Argentina have been replace by more western oriented leaders. Also, the President of South Africa is under intense pressure to resign, including resignation of his finance minister. So far that hasn't worked, and South Africa has a new finance minister. While these are victories for the US, and have somewhat stymied the Chinese/Russian momentum, they are no where near enough to hobble Eurasia.

The real dent in the Eurasian shield, however, must be made in China. That brings us North Korea - China's proverbial guard dog on its southern border. Trump has offered the Chinese a carrot and stick approach on North Korea. If the Chinese denuclearize North Korea the US will offer it better trade terms and not label it a currency manipulator.(which is closer to blackmail, because either you are a currency manipulator or you aren't) The Chinese, having just seen the stick approach offered to Russia in Syria, are taking the Americans seriously. They have a mutual defence pact with North Korea, as does Russia. An attack on one is an attack on all. That's why 150,000 Chinese troops have been moved to the border with North Korea. Russia has also stockpiled troops on its small border with North Korea. They are there to defend North Korea should it be required, and not to stem refugees as the western media has been playing it.

Meanwhile the Americans are moving a carrier strike group to the shores off North Korea. In addition, new intelligence has a total of two other aircraft carriers joining the group within the next ten days - about the time joint US/South Korean forces finish their massive annual war games. The US also has positioned massive air power at its various bases throughout the region.

The question is: Will all this result in war. The answer is yes. It is not a matter of North Koreas nuclear program, or Syria's "rabid dictator", or Russia's "meddling" in Europe, or China's "sea grab" in the South China Sea. No it's not any of these things. They are just stuff to spin to get the US people worked up and scared. The reason is Empire - either there will be one or their won't. The US simply cannot allow itself to lose at the economic game it set up. The only way to stop that is to create a world war that defeats China and Russia, but mostly China. After that, if there is a world left, the US will redraw the economic rules once again to keep them on top. While China and Russia stockpile gold, either to underpin their currencies or to pay for a major war, the US maintains the same course of ruinous debt, now even moving to strip the only real safeguards from their securities markets - a safeguard designed to stop a repeat of the Great Depression. So, if you've been thinking the world has been on its head, and kind of crazy the last while, well that's a reasonable interpretation of the chaos caused by the moves underway.

Nobody can say with certainty what will happen when the "Great American Armada" approaches North Korea. Traditionally, armadas haven't faired well in this kind of scenario. The North Koreans did give a bit of a hint though. During their massive military parade to honour the "Day of the Sun" the speaker stated North Korea will use its "own style" of nuclear war if necessary. One has to interpret that as an unconventional use of nuclear weapons. It may well be that the missiles and launching platforms paraded last weekend are a bit of a ruse. North Korea is well adept at deception. It may well be something far simpler, which the US may not be able to neutralize easily with their own missiles. Perhaps tunneling or submarines acting as delivery vehicles, rather than missiles. After all, how hard would it be for North Korea to retrofit some of its subs with a nuclear war head making them the delivery vehicles. A sub only has to get so close off shore to detonate itself and destroy an American city without launching a single missile. Ditto for the American Armada. A sub close by detonates and takes the works down. Three aircraft carriers is a real tempting target for them. So are we heading for war in North Korea, and elsewhere? The answer is yes. Unfortunately, the Americans are unable to accept the consequences of being economically outplayed, and are willing to take the whole house down with them. My sole hope is that technological superiority on one side or the other will prevent total waste being wrought over our planet.

The War Lust in the West

War lust. Blood lust. The fever for world-wide conflict has grown to epidemic proportions in the West, and it is very disturbing. The phrase "Lest We Forget" or "Never Again" is honoured every November 11 to mark the madness of war and the victims - generations of soldiers and civilians slaughtered. However, November 11, or Remembrance Day, now serves as some sort of show of support for our current troops rather than the mournful reminder it was meant to be. A reminder of loss - senseless loss.

What makes the current march to war even more difficult to watch is the inescapable fact that we are on the wrong side of the very values we claim to uphold. In Canada our government is supplying a massive amount of arms to Saudi Arabia, a country so draconian in its beliefs that it beheads people publicly for crimes as simple as believing in Christianity. Its dark and evil intentions only surpassed by the black coverings it insists the women of the country wear at all times.

Now our federal government, lead by the most immature and self-loving Prime Minister in recent memory, has decided we should sell arms to and train soldiers of Ukraine. A country that openly supports neo-Nazis and has several organized battalions of them serving on the front lines of a conflict with its own citizens in the republics of Donetsk and Lugansk (formerly Eastern Ukraine). The Ukrainian government has committed mass war crimes in Donetsk and Lugansk against its own citizens. It has shelled schools, hospitals and power stations. It has slaughtered thousands of civilians in cold blood - many elderly, women, and children. It has destroyed villages, towns, and shelled cities. The crime of Donetsk and Lugansk? They want autonomy. Their penalty? Death and destruction at the hands of their own government. Our indignant response? Give the Ukrainian government arms and troops.

In the most recent act of futile war lust, Canada is sending ships, troops and fighter aircraft to Latvia to deter "Russian Aggression". There is a serious problem with that reasoning though. Russia is not being aggressive militarily with its neighbors. If it were being aggressive its neighbors would have already ceased to exist. The Russian military is within its own borders. It is not massing on its border to invade any other country. The exact opposite can be said for us. We are massing troops and equipment on the Russian border as I write this post. We are committing the kind of provocations that have not been seen since Hitler massed forces on the Soviet Unions border in 1941. The point is we are, as hard as it is to admit, becoming the same animal that invaded the Soviet Union so many years ago. An invasion that cost the lives of 25,000,000 Soviet citizens, and which destroyed the entire country in a war of previously unknown horror. This is what now passes as civilized policy in a nation of "peace loving" citizenry.

As yet Canada has not become too active in the similar push happening with China, but the trend seems to show that will happen sooner than later. It may be true that China has pushed its claim to the South China Sea too aggressively considering its geography, but is that a reason to cause a thermal nuclear war, or any other kind of war?

The truth is quite obvious. The US is almost begging for a war with Russia and China. Its economy, and that of its western allies, has been in stagnation for years and now is turning negative as evidenced by the negative returns on government bonds and central bank interest rates. Russia, China, and allies in the BRICS are turning toward an insular Eurasian economy which will deny the US and its allies markets to export to. Even more importantly, these nations won't be trading in US dollars, but rather their own currencies backed by gold. The western countries essentially faced a decision: allow China to take over the lead of the world economic order or have a war to try and prevent it. It has become quite obvious they have chosen war. A war over economics. How fitting considering all the values we claim to hold true have really been supplanted by the dollars in our bank accounts. Canada selling arms to Saudi is a good example, but there are any others. The western countries have ceased to be entities based on this or that ideal, or language, or political system, or what have you. They are now nothing more than branches of the US government serving the interests of money. It is blatantly obvious, and unfortunately a dark stain on the memories and souls of those who served and died so selflessly in the name of their country in the two previous world wars.

You reap what you sow, and for the West that is going to be the kind of death and destruction that we haven't seen on our shores. Frankly, that is part of the problem. The Americas have not had the hell of total war unleashed on their populations and lands. It's lead to a type of arrogance and false sense of security when it comes to war and the spilling of an entire generation's blood. The kind of disassociation that comes with not seeing 75% of your country lying in rubble. The curse of the arrogant? The curse of the ignorant? They are doomed to bring that horror to their own shores, as well as others. They are sentenced to repeat history. It sickens me to watch events around the world unfold and the lustful march to war and all it entails. It sickens me to watch the stupidly macho prancing of our Prime Minister beating the drums of war while wearing the mask of "deterrence". If and when a war ever broke out with Russia, that Canadian "deterrent" would be slaughtered with in hours - as would the remainder of the NATO "deterrent" on Russia's border. A mere speed bump. Mere sacrificial lambs.

The warmongers never get enough blood. The question is whether we will offer it up to them. "Lest we Forget" the sacrifice of so many others before us. The biggest breach of faith with our war dead is to allow a new generation to be added to their ranks. It is unforgiveable.