Category: Russia

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Put the Pressure On… – The USA and the Selling of Weapons… “Money, Money, Money”…

Why would you try and negotiate properly…? As the present president Trump has already got them almost where he wants them: With threats and scare tactics regarding tariffs and weapon deliveries, especially to refuse proper negotiations with the opponent, Putin, he has pressured the NATO and the EU into practically crawling at his feet…including Ukraine.

It’s unbelievable, to think that a region like the EU – or, just as much the NATO – lets itself being blackmailed by someone like Trump into basically ‘jumping through hoops’ at his command…the ‘wonderful’ summit the other day with NATO leaders, him included was the perfect stage to ‘butter him up’.

Who knows, he will probably one day manage to do to the US what Putin is doing to Russia: Make it a dictatorship. The Supreme Court Justices already do his bidding as well…

What a spectacle…

When it’s so obvious that the US are just as dependent on others as others are on them…

What would he be without the NATO – or the EU – or Russia, especially?

Is that all?

Of course, it’s been put into so many words ever since mankind has started to use money instead of exchanging goods…

Contrary to the song’s (apparent) message above, I am proud enough to rather starve than to make myself depend on anyone rich… but, not everyone is the same.
Mr Trump apparently depends on his money to buy and bully himself the respect and attention he craves sooo much…

The song really is pure sarcasm, of course…

When you look at research at the time, and contacts in between, between Trump and Putin, that is – when you look at the articles of the New York Times – since sadly the Washington Post has been acquired already by Jeff Bezos, amazon founder, and is not dependable anymore – it seems rather obvious: The rich and wealthy (the oligarchs* behind people such as Putin) are starting to divide it between them: The oil, the gas – and ultimate profits, namely those by war and weapons.

One thing is true too: When you’ve bombed them back into the stone age you can waltz in later and again make money on repairs and rebuilding…

Who cares? I do. Still.

The Swedish pop group ABBA put it into these apt words in 1976, rather revealing, really…

* “oligarchy, government by the few, especially despotic power exercised by a small and privileged group for corrupt or selfish purposes. Oligarchies in which members of the ruling group are wealthy or exercise their power through their wealth are known as plutocracies.” (Encyclopaedia Britannica Online)

* Oligarch: “one of the people in an oligarchy (= a government or society controlled by a small group of very powerful people)” (Cambridge Dictionary Online)

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Negotiations are an Age-old Diplomatic Device – Looking at Maps: NATO and Elsewhere…

Image of two hands shaking, with a light projection of a map on them showing Ukraine and Near East clearly
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

When you negotiate it is vital to understand your opponent at the table, especially in politics, in diplomacy! All this is actually an age-old knowledge and even wisdom to use. To recall, even look it up, where necessary.

What is the logic of this war…? For over 11 years now, with a lot of public attention small step by small step a nation like the Ukraine is supposed to be conquered…? By a country like Russia…? Slowly? – Seriously?

When you look at the map of current member states below, the parts of the world that are not intended or even actual members, the first thing striking the eye of the beholder is the relation towards Russia of member states…

Would anyone stay dumb when there is a pretty obvious encroaching of powers – and a constant threat, right outside the door, as it were?

One more reason to take each other seriously at last! Not just behind the scenes, but in front of cameras too.

To let people suffer and kill them day after day, just for the obvious reason that some people rather stay greedy, and in power by selling weapons, forcing deals, in order to make more money after scaring people out of their wits… is just cruel; also a clear sign of priorities!

There are societies with more freedom and more peace on the inside than Russia at the moment, no doubt about it!

But war?

It’s wrong.

Whatever your colour, creed or conviction you are not supposed to either kill, torture or bother other people! Period!

War is not a destiny! It’s not an accident! And it’s not a chance occurrence on a rainy Sunday…!

Start thinking – and properly. Start getting counselling and stop this madness! It has gone on far too long!

Map of member and non-member states of NATO in different colours
Full screenshot taken at 2025-07-09 at 19-37-49 local time (UTC+1) on the NATO site itself.

Author’s Note:

    • “Device” can be used in several connotations, not to say meanings. One, according to Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries, is this:
      “a method that is used to produce a particular effect“
    • Not everyone will find my way to reason apparent. Not everyone can connect easily to my conviction that war is bad. Should be avoided. Look into history. Or try a recent German publication by an archeology professor of high standing: “Die Evolution der Gewalt“
    • Additionally, using the form of addressing people in a sort of letter personally, online (or in print in former times), is one particular genre – or type of text.
    • I am grateful that I live in a country where opinion is still free…
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The Deals: Politics and Business Rolled Into One – Ukraine for Gaza – Corruption on Large Scales

Image of two hands shaking in front of a digital network of lines
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

Be that Trump or Putin, they are about money, and more money – and their networks: They depend on the lobbyists behind them. They are not the only ones, but at the moment the most noticeable ones.

That’s why we see what we read and hear about: Trump has been best buddy to Putin at least ever since Trump’s first run for office. His family was actively maintaining contacts in Russia and with Putin. These facts have been proven. By newspapers such as the New York Times and the Washington Post.

Since then amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos has acquired the Washington Post and already he not only has reduced its staff: The quality and reliability of the content and the reporting has become rather superficial not to say doubtful.

Another dependent and buddy is Elon Musk, who at this very moment is firing thousands of US-government officials in the administration. A cover-up for the government funds he received for development. The Teslas failed and he would have to return billions of dollars and be bankrupt. This way: He just might be save…

The New York Times are a reliable source of information yet, but we can only hope that Trump as well as the several courts over there will let it stay that way. He certainly has done all he could – and had it done for him – to make sure that he practically cannot be drawn into court again. For none of his proven crimes.

In Europe we need to stay united, all those that are not yet compromised by money or power – but know what the true values of a democracy are:

Freedom, equality and fraternity.

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Syria Free – From Russia with ‘Love’ – The USA and the President-elect

Photo of vintage world map with small packages connected by string lines to indicate trade routes
Image licensed via Adobe CC

The historical examples are all there – one way or another, all over the place. Let’s all keep our fingers crossed and our heads clear – and our calm in the face of adversity: Putin and Trump are and have been for years:
Best buddies.

In a little over a month now Trump is going to take office. He’s prepared his way to dictatorship.

Once they unite all the countries still free will have to make an effort to stay free.
Why? He wouldn’t start war on half the world?
No, it would be even easier. Plain blackmail could do it, from both sides.
Gas from Russia, high taxes on goods, trade and military support denials as well as harsh negotiating on the side of the US.
You name it.

Be prepared! We need freedom of thought and opinion and press (!) as well as political or private calling.

What’s free in that sense?

Freedom of opinion, press, thought and way of life. The human rights.

Because even now the first signs are there on the horizon that traditionally free and independent media are wondering; starting to ‘count their words’, mind their ‘ps’ and ‘qs’, as it were.
There’s a documentary about that too: From 2017, when the president-elect in the US took office for the first time.

He was adverse and fighting the press whenever they reported the truth, no matter what, about him. Calling it fake news and condemning them. The Supreme Court Justices are made up of a majority of justices that stem from his followers, his ‘ranks’.

Only recently the charges against him were dropped on account of him being in office for the time when illegal Russian influence with his knowledge and consent veered votes towards him in 2017.

Free?

All those with huge amounts of money are more or less behind him. Which accounts for a constant, ongoing press campaign.

And anyone a little knowledgeable about the way of marketing knows that anything goes – as long as it is published.  The juicier, the more impact.

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War is Politics – War is Business – War Kills People – War ist NOT Heroism

image of nato members among all nations on a map
Map of NATO members taken from NATO website at 23-11-2024_16-55-31, UTC+1

The other day I was looking up a job offer and checking out the website of a company that is not only into technology – but also into war-relevant products.
They actually stated in so many words that the present world politics were beneficial to their business – and that they expected their revenue to rise accordingly.

Do we really need any more proof? Isn’t history full of the news that came later – sometimes 30 years or more later – to inform the general public of what was classified information at the time?
That weapons and military and their supplies are part of the machinery… war.

Let’s remember that still we as the population, the voices of each of the peoples of the world are the ones who can do it as a whole:

Let them know that we do not want to be turned into cannon fodder.

The map above is the one of the current member states of NATO, taken at the time of writing this article; the date given also above, including the original URL and time of today, the 23rd of November 2024.

When you look at it you may understand better what it might feel like to live in one of the white spaces; especially lands to the east of Europe.
Why I mention it?
Because negotiating becomes so much easier if you know how the people facing you feel. 

I am a German born and bred who was married to a Persian for more than a decade. I learned about humanism and enlightenment when I was still a girl.
My parents were careful to impress upon us all through childhood and adolescence to look closely and let our judgement not be clouded by advertisements – or propaganda.
And what is propaganda other than a sort of advertisement? 

The human rights declaration and the Buddhist concept “Avoid pain” are the basis I argue from.

Look into history and learn: War never ever was a necessity or a heroic deed or a defense of a religion: It always was the failure of politics to be patient and continue negotiating until a proper agreement with all concerned was reached. It was part of the system of greed that stampedes over everything – including bodies.
Such negotiations can take years, decades even.

But if you look into history again, you will find numerous examples – the European Thirty Years’ War not the least of all – that confirm this view.

The Thirty Years’ War raged in Europe for exactly 30 years. More than half of the population of all Europe was killed, whole regions laid bare of any people, laid waste for decades. The destruction was tragic.
Even more cruel and dreadful were the crimes committed in the period: Rape, plunder and murder all through the lands, and recorded carefully too made it something that was part of the common memory of the European survivors for ages.

Again: War is politics, war is business, war is no necessity, and no heroic march either. War kills people, and cruelly.

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War is Not an Option: War is Death

Buddhist monk walking rose petals barefoot
We can go there – if we really want it… Peace.

War is  wholesale murder.  Charlie Chaplin was not the first to point it out. He was not the last one either.
War is not a solution: War is the sign of failure to really try and find a solution.
War ist not heroism either: War is the ultimate cowardice in the face of – thoughts, life and difficulties.

Because: Anyone faced with the question at one time or another in the course of their lives if they were prepared to lose their own life for the sake of a cause – as long as they consider the cause to be ‘good’ – will come to the conclusion that as a fine human being you would have to.

But the point is: War is no ’cause’! War has a cause, not to say multiple causes. But they are never heroic, wonderful or sublime – whatever anyone tells you.

They are driven by interests, of lobbies, of industries, of companies, all those that will make money by selling things for those wars:
The weapons
The ‘units and kits’
The cars and vehicles
The ships
The phones and radio transmission devices
The food and shelter

All this makes a lot of selling to do. A lot of money, for those who provide the goods. The jobs…

Anything you want to sell needs marketing. That’s equally true of war: They will sell it by making it the only possible way out of a ‘fix’…presenting no alternatives anymore.
But that’s propaganda.

War is not a heavenly or sublime cause! Never was, never will be. War is about money. First and last.

 

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USA, Politics and Clearing up a Mess: The Trump Legacy

chessboard with pieces and hands moving one
In a democracy that is working – even if more or less – clearing up the mess of predecessors is a central part of the work.

The longer predecessors had time to mess it up, the longer the clearing can take. World politics these days are fraught with pain and fear, not altogether new, but at the time being, very central and basic again: Nuclear war?

Whom to blame?

The facts:

    • The two existing ‘superpowers’ – the Soviet Union/Russia and the US – have been constantly balancing their power and fighting all across the globe, including in diplomatic talks, since WWII.
    • The so-called ‘proxy wars’ in many countries in the past and present are signs of that.
    • Afghanistan is one of the most afflicted countries around the world, and has been for centuries:
        • In 18th and 19th century world politics, the wars between Britain and France and Russia partly were fought there; Afghanistan as ‘gate to India’ – a tool.
        • In the course of the 20th century numerous times, the Soviet Union and then Russia with the US fought there in proxy uprisings. Afghanistan a central region in several directions and seen as a gate yet again.
        • The civil war there raged for more than 30 years, leaving the country almost without any kind of infrastructure or healthy professions people could use to earn a living.
        • To leave it to self-destruct or leave it to those who would destroy it, would be bordering not only on the insane, but be basically a crime committed against its population whose majority is innocently suffering.
      • The USA under the Trump government terminated the INF-contracts that had been signed after, altogether, decades of negotiations in 1987 to finally end the Cold War after 40 years.
      • Trump had instated several supreme court justices of his own political believes.
        Let’s remember: In order to change the US-constitution the supreme court is crucial.
      • Trump had initiated the attack on the Capitol.
      • Putin and Trump were the best of political friends. The massive manipulation of elections from inside Russia in favour of Trump are proven without doubt.

These are some of the most important facts in regard to the situation we are facing now. Ukraine is, alas, one more country used as a proxy and recently put on the map again, because of that.

It pains me to write it – yet the only chance at peace we have – and ultimately survival, prevent a nuclear war, that is – is the reinstatement of contracts or agreements that make both of these ‘superpowers’ and their allies feel safe enough again.

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Talks and Decisions – Let Them Hear Our Voices

image showing swarm of birds at sea shore
Seagulls’ calls are impressive – Image courtesy unsplash.com – free license

Politics are no games; they are power plays and diplomatic arenas as well as sometimes ‘hunting’ grounds. If as voting individuals in a democracy we want to stay that, namely have a choice to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to some party’s politics – we need to stay put:

Bother the wrong choices – each and every day. Raise our voices additionally to voting, to stop them, whoever they are: In Brazil (Bolsonaro, recently lost 🙂 ) the US (the last but one president till 2021 and his followers) or Italy (sadly extreme right won this time; but Italy may change their government again soon) in China, Russia or the Ukraine, or any other place:
There are always those that hunger for more, more wealth, more power, more attention. And never have enough. And those that don’t.

Let reason and free thinking prevail – by keeping to be bothersome.

The voice of reason is the voice that can be heard in the United Nations’ Human Rights Declaration – and all who make it their task to remind those other ‘hungry’ ones of those rights.

Each day and any day: Let’s keep bothersome! Push them into the right direction by letting them hear our voices.

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The Language of War – Ukraine – Talking Peace

Image of two hands shaking in front of a world map

Talk peace! Now!

You, me, we: if we don’t do something against it – we are just as responsible as the perpetrators themselves. Peace is the order of the day – any day!

Remember: Behind all those diplomatic corps, ‘suits’ and all those wars are just people – each with their helpings of fear, vanity and pride.

War follows patterns: in its creation, starting points – and ends. The patterns of human behaviour can be found when looking at history. The war in the Ukraine and the aggression seen these days on all sides are not new – and they did not start yesterday – or the day before that.

Propaganda is the way in which people talk about something – or somebody. The principle, any time, being:
“It’s their fault. We are nice, we didn’t do a thing. If they do it that way, we’ll hit back.”

If we use the language of war, we should not be surprised to get an answer.

Stopping negotiations is just one of those steps known throughout history as being part of a war.

If we want peace, we have to talk peace – and negotiate. Negotiate again. And again. And again. And again. Until a satisfactory result is reached for all concerned.

The 17th century saw one of the most cruel wars in human history: The Thirty Years’ War. It took 5 years of negotiations to end it. The population throughout Europe was reduced to a 3rd of its previous number; whole regions where laid to waste. Hunger, starvation and sickness were present everywhere.

That one was a war of ‘conventional’ weapons. The next war we may not live through, any of us.

Talk peace! Now!

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Adam Smith in World Politics? – Diplomacy Beyond Popular Images

image of a world map and a compass
Diplomacy needs among other things these very basic skills: The ability to look beyond images, propaganda and popular opinion.

Politics of peace need them too.

The Western world in my eyes is blinded in their view of the world, politics and negotiations by something almost amounting to idealism:

It‘s about money, in any shape or form, we are about it – and everyone else is too.

This is perhaps the most tragic misconception that will endanger peace in all parts of the world again and again:

Indeed certain factions of the Christian religions in the backwater of the rise of civil society around the 13th / 14th centuries claimed, in principle:

Wealth is the sign of God‘s pleasure.

Ever since an ever larger part of the world – especially rooted in the beginnings of the US society with the first actual settlers on the Mayflower representing that idea – are exactly of that frame of mind:
Be wealthy and God is with you.

Most Eastern societies from Africa, over Russia all through Asia in one way or another – in principle that is – value the community and the dignity of the individual even more.

Dignity!

I have spent most of my adult life around all manner of extremely peaceful, knowledgeable and kind people from the Near, Middle and Far East.
I have studied Persian poems and literature and have met other people from around the globe.
I have had the privilege to call books my friends in childhood and adolescence and still do. I studied languages and culture at a prestigious university and earned my M.A. degree there.

The most tragic misunderstanding between the Western world – leaning towards Adam Smith‘s ideas of economy – and the Eastern world – leaning towards trade among dignified, respected and proud tradespeople is that:

Dignity

The European literature of certain times and people as well as later stereotypes about life in the Eastern world – or the ways and means of trade and politics – is practically steeped in this painful repetitive almost ridiculous contempt:
If you know about their ‚purse‘, you know about their interests. Anyone with a contempt for money is stupid.

This is not the real driving force of mankind: Indeed, wealth was always craved, if people had gone hungry or even starved; but dignity and respect in combination with extreme poverty can be thought of in the East – not so in the West.

In the Western world, respect and the consequential dignity of a person – or a nation – are closely related, if not tightly interwoven with their monetary means.

In most parts of the Eastern world this is not the case. Dignity is a fundamental possibility that can be envisioned easily with little or no money.

Among nations dignity is crucial. Treat them with respect, dignity and regard, let them safe face.

And remember this fine part of the Christian bible that actually was originally written in that Eastern culture:

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

(Matthew, 25:40)

Author’s Note (April 2022):

In view of the latest developments I’d like to enlarge on this, make it clearer yet. The question after motives and real reasons is not always easy to answer. But if we are really interested in successful negotiations we need to do that. Not always is the answer to ‘cui bono’? : ‘money only’ as stated above.
Usually the attributes associated with money, or more money are actually much more important:
Respect, attention and power in certain circles.
Bluntly put: If it was about taking the Ukraine, they would have taken it long ago.

The question “cui bono” needs to be researched and answered in all directions of cause or effect or impact. Basic human motivators.

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