Russian containment is now the fallback position of a Western hegemony that set out to strangle and fragment the world's biggest country since 2014. A recent Foreign Policy report confirms that the "strategy" now is to hold back the coming multipolar world.
After sufficiently blaming everything about the Ukraine affair on Vladimir Putin's alleged insatiable lust for land and power, FP authors Michael Kimmage and Hanna Notte ultimately reveal that the West's multifaceted proxy war on Russia is not going well. Rather than ousting Russia's leader and giving the Russians a strategic defeat that would lead to a domestic breakdown, the Western elite have made the Russians more potent than ever.
The Washington Neocons have also managed to fragment NATO, disrupt European diplomacy, and bring their alliance to a tipping point. The quote below summarizes the Foreign Policy advisory on Russia, Putin, Ukraine, and the widening multipolarity gripping nations.
"The United States must harness its global influence to shorten the war, maximize support for Ukraine, and contain Russia."
A few months ago, there was no talk of simply "containing Russia." Let's recall that warmongers like Senator Lindsey Graham were on the attack, trying to fragment any alliance the rest of the world had with Russia and to do away with Putin for good. He told the Chinese, "If you jump on the Putin train, you're dumber than dirt." (POLITICO, Feb. 2023) The lunatic Graham does nothing but stomp around Washington like Yosemite Sam, proclaiming the U.S. must beat Putin. Meanwhile, the think tanks and deep analysis reveal this fantasy's crumbling.
More recently, in a meetup with Ukraine's Zelensky, a less enthusiastic Graham praised the Ukrainians for being willing to fight to the last man in this senseless war for the Russian steppe. But Graham is not alone in his backup posture; the Council of Foreign Relations has stepped back to containment policy, and The Economist says the West is struggling to counter Russia's military and economic successes.
Meanwhile, the Voice of America is announcing Norway is building a reindeer fence on the border with Russia. The deal there is, so far this year, 42 reindeer have crossed into Russia seeking better pastures and grazing land. Those animals grazing on Russian lands cost the Norwegians, who must pay Russia for the grazing rights. Next, we can expect a range war between the two countries akin to something from a Hollywood western flick. This is how ridiculous the whole West versus East circus has become.
Finally, Bloomberg published "Russia is the big winner from OPEC+ production cutbacks" a few days ago. The writing is on the wall for the U.S. and its allies, given that Saudi production exceeded Russia's by 500,000 barrels a day in February. Currently, the Saudis produce 250,000 barrels a day less than the Russians. And output looks set to stay there for a while. The price caps the Europeans seemed so proud of a few months ago look pitiful compared to the level of control OPEC, Russia, and the Iranians can exert on the market in the future. Russia and the Saudis are earning more by producing less due to price hikes because of supply and demand. It all comes down to who has the resources and the price they want customers to pay. Knowing this, predicting the West's failed sanctions bobble should have been easier.
Comically, TIME is sharing "What Europe Can Do Next to Re-Contain Russia" on social media to try and glean a few zombie converts from back in the Cold War days. Liam Byrne, the chair of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and IMF, says that the U.K. and European partners need to hurry up and develop this "re-containment" plan before it's too late. Seriously, these nincompoops are proposing breathing life back into the Truman Doctrine.
Next, they'll start constructing a wall between Poland and Western Ukraine (if the Russians decide to push that far). No, really. We are being teleported back to 1946 when American analyst George Keenan played the central role in developing the Marshall Plan. We are seeing world detente and U.S. strategies retrograde to the time of Tito in Yugoslavia, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Vietnam catastrophe. In short, a lot has stayed the same, only some names and some borders. For Russia's part, Putin sees this and is preparing his country for the coming confrontation. Where the "wall" gets built seems to be the critical point if you ask me.
Image credit: Berlin Wall section by Paul VanDerWerf CC 2.0
Another version of this report appeared at NEO
