“Russia IS WIPING THEM OUT, THIS IS IT” in Exclusive Interview Douglas Macgregor is back on the show to talk about the war in Ukraine. Macgregor gives his assessment of where things stand on the ground. They talk about the astounding casualty numbers and the horrifying nature of the battle over Bakhmut. Macgregor then gives some predictions for the next stages of the war. They talk about the rising tension with China. They agree there is no need to go to war with China but discuss what may explain the sudden attention shift towards Beijing. Lastly, they talk about the effects of cronyism in the weapons industry and the probability of a nuclear war.
Douglas Macgregor: “Ukraine IS LOSING, THIS IS IT” in Exclusive Interview Douglas Macgregor is back on the show to talk about the war in Ukraine. Macgregor gives his assessment of where things stand on the ground. They talk about the astounding casualty numbers and the horrifying nature of the battle over Bakhmut. Macgregor then gives some predictions for the next stages of the war. They talk about the rising tension with China. They agree there is no need to go to war with China but discuss what may explain the sudden attention shift towards Beijing. Lastly, they talk about the effects of cronyism in the weapons industry and the probability of a nuclear war.
Premiered 13 hours ago
Discussed on the show: “This Time It’s Different” (The American Conservative) “Ukrainian soldiers in Bakhmut: ‘Our troops are not being protected’” (Kyiv Independent) Douglas Macgregor, Col. (ret.) is a senior fellow with The American Conservative, the former advisor to the Secretary of Defense in the Trump administration, a decorated combat veteran, and the author of five books.
Chinese President Xi Jinping with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Photo: Presidential Executive Office of Russia, via Wikimedia Commons)
– Ramzy Baroud is a journalist and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappé, is “Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak out”. Dr. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website iswww.ramzybaroud.net
The final exchange, caught on camera between visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian host and counterpart, Vladimir Putin, sums up the current geopolitical conflict, still in its nascent stages, between the United States and its Western allies on the one hand, and Russia, China and their allies, on the other.
Xi was leaving the Kremlin following a three-day visit that can only be described as historic. “Change is coming that hasn’t happened in 100 years and we are driving this change together,” Xi said while clasping Putin’s hand.
“I agree,” Putin replied while holding Xi’s arm. ‘Please take care, dear friend,” he added.
In no time, social media exploded by sharing that scene repeatedly. Corporate western media analysts went into overdrive, trying to understand what these few words meant.
“Is that part of the change that is coming, that they will drive together?” Ian Williamson raised the question in the Spectator. Though he did not offer a straight answer, he alluded to one: “It is a chilling prospect, for which the west needs to be prepared.”
Xi’s statement was, of course, uttered by design. It means that the Chinese-Russian strong ties, and possible future unity, are not an outcome of immediate geopolitical interests resulting from the Ukraine war, or a response to US provocations in Taiwan. Even before the Ukraine war commenced in February 2022, much evidence pointed to the fact that Russia and China’s goal was hardly temporary or impulsive. Indeed, it runs deep.
The very language of multipolarity has defined both countries’ discourse for years, a discourse that was mostly inspired by the two countries’ displeasure with US militarism from the Middle East to Southeast Asia; their frustration with Washington’s bullying tactics whenever a disagreement arises, be it in trade or border demarcations; the punitive language; the constant threats; the military expansion of NATO and much more.
One month before the war, I argued with my co-writer, Romana Rubeo, that both Russia and China might be at the cusp of some kind of unity. That conclusion was drawn based on a simple discourse analysis of the official language emanating from both capitals and the actual deepening of relations.
At the time, we wrote,
“Some kind of an alliance is already forming between China and Russia. The fact that the Chinese people are taking note of this and are supporting their government’s drive towards greater integration – political, economic and geostrategic – between Beijing and Moscow, indicates that the informal and potentially formal alliance is a long-term strategy for both nations”.
Even then, like other analysts, we did not expect that such a possibility could be realized so quickly. The Ukraine war, in itself, was not indicative that Moscow and Beijing will grow closer. Instead, it was Washington’s response, threatening and humiliating China, that did most of the work. The visit by then-US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan in August 2022 was a diplomatic disaster. It left Beijing with no alternative but to escalate and strengthen its ties with Russia, with the hope that the latter would fortify its naval presence in the Sea of Japan. In fact, this was the case.
But the “100 years” reference by Xi tells of a much bigger geopolitical story than any of us had expected. As Washington continues to pursue aggressive policies – with US President Joe Biden prioritizing Russia and his Republican foes prioritizing China as the main enemy of the US – the two Asian giants are now forced to merge into one unified political unit, with a common political discourse.
“We signed a statement on deepening the strategic partnership and bilateral ties which are entering a new era,” Xi said in his final statement.
This ‘no-limits friendship’ is more possible now than ever before, as neither country is constrained by ideological confines or competition. Moreover, they are both keen on ending the US global hegemony, not only in the Asia and Pacific region, but in Africa, the Middle East and, eventually, worldwide as well.
On the first day of Xi’s visit to Moscow, Russia’s President Putin issued a decree in which he has written off debts of African countries worth more than $20 billion. Moreover, he promised that Russia is “ready to supply the whole volume sent during the past time to African countries particularly requiring it, from Russia free of charge ..,” should Moscow decide “not to extend the (grain) deal in sixty days”.
For both countries, Africa is a major ally in the upcoming global conflict. The Middle East, too, is vital. The latest agreement, which normalized ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia is earth-shattering, not only because it ends seven years of animosity and conflict, but because the arbitrator was no other than China itself. Beijing is now a peace broker in the very Middle East which was dominated by failed US diplomacy for decades.
What this means for the Palestinians remains to be seen, as too many variables are still at work. But for these global shifts to serve Palestinian interests in any way, the current leadership, or a new leadership, would have to slowly break away from its reliance on western handouts and validation, and, with the support of Arab and African allies, adopt a different political strategy.
The US government, however, continues to read the situation entirely within the Russia-Ukraine war context. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded to Xi’s trip to Moscow by saying that “the world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war (in Ukraine) on its own terms.” It is rather strange, but also telling that the outright rejection of the potential call for a ceasefire was made by Washington, not Kyiv.
Xi’s visit, however, is truly historic from a geopolitical sense. It is comparable in scope and possible consequences to former US President Richard Nixon’s visit to Beijing, which contributed to the deterioration of ties between the Soviet Union and China under Chairman Mao Zedong.
The improved relationship between China and the US back then helped Washington further extend its global dominance, while putting the USSR on the defensive. The rest is history, one that was rife with geostrategic rivalry and divisions in Asia, thus, ultimately, the rise of the US as the uncontested power in that region.
Nixon’s visit to Beijing was described by then-Ambassador Nicholas Platt as “the week that changed the world”. Judging that statement from an American-centric view of the world, Platt was, in fact, correct in his assessment. The world, however, seems to be changing back. Though it took 51 years for that reversal to take place, the consequences are likely to be earth-shattering, to say the least.
Regions that have long been dominated by the US and its western allies, like the Middle East and Africa, are processing all of these changes and potential opportunities. If this geopolitical shift continues, the world will, once again, find itself divided into camps. While it is too early to determine, with any degree of certainty, the winners and losers of this new configuration, it is most certain that a US-western-dominated world is no longer possible.
The West has unleashed World War III, which is being waged by the Nazis in Ukraine in the format of a proxy war and by the hands of terrorists in Syria, but modern weapons, especially nuclear weapons, do not allow the confrontation to escalate into the traditional format of world war, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik.
“I believe that World War III is underway, but it differs in its form,” the Syrian president said. “What I mean is that world wars used to be conventional in the past. Armies of several states were fighting against each other.”
“This is also true when it comes to the current situation, but because of modern weaponry, especially nuclear, it is different from conventional war. That is why wars are now moving toward proxy wars,” he added.
Assad noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is now waging a war on behalf of the West, using “its army of Nazis.”
“The same goes for terrorists, they are the armies operating on behalf of the West in Syria and other regions,” the president continued.
Switching gears to the matter of the 2022 referendums held in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions and the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics, the Syrian president told Sputnik that Damascus fully recognizes the new borders of Russia.
“Of course. I am saying that these are Russian territories,” Assad said when asked whether Damascus recognizes Russia’s new borders. “And even if the war had not happened, this is historically Russian land.”
The president recalled that Syria recognized the regions before they officially became part of Russia.
“This issue has been clear to us from the very beginning, and we will not hesitate in our position. Syria’s position is clear and firm, at the same time. We are convinced regarding this matter not only for the sake of friendship with Russia but also because these territories are Russia’s territories,” Assad said.
He added that Syria’s position is based on historical facts.
“They [the regions] were handed over to Ukraine probably around 100 years ago, I believe, [it happened] under Lenin. But Russian people live there, and facts on the ground show that this is Russia’s land. We are convinced in this position,” the president said.
The people of Syria support Russia in conducting the special military operation in Ukraine, Assad emphasized.
“Certainly, the Syrian people are very enthusiastic about supporting Russia for a number of reasons. On the one hand, it is solidarity since the Russian Federation has supported the Syrians in the fight against terrorism; on the other hand, there is a more global view of this war … When the Russian Federation wins this war, as most Syrians wish, a new world, a safer and more peaceful world will emerge. This is the real perception of the Syrians of this war,” Assad said.
On Russian Military Bases in Syria
Russian military bases in Syria should have the most advanced weapons to ensure effective deterrence of threats, President Assad also said.
“The difference is in the quality of weapons, but the principle is the same. Of course, if you are to build [military] bases, the goal is not to make these bases weak militarily. The bases are supposed to be capable of having a deterrent or counterbalancing effect, these must be armed with the best weapons, it is natural and logical. Whether it would be hypersonic missiles or any other more advanced weapons now and, in the future, the principle is, of course, the same as I said,” Assad said when asked about the possible deployment of hypersonic missiles in Syria.
The Syrian President believes that Russia’s military presence in Syria should not be temporary or be related to fighting terrorism only.
“As for the political aspect, the issue of military bases should not be linked to the issue of combating terrorism. The fight against terrorism is today’s topic, but it is temporary. The Russian military presence in any country should not be based on anything temporary. We are talking about international balance, and the presence of Russia in Syria has a meaning related to the balance of power in the world as a country located on the Mediterranean Sea,” the president said.
“Superpowers today cannot defend themselves or play their role by staying within their own borders,” Assad said, adding that “they must go beyond them through regional allies around the world or through bases.”
On Economic Cooperation With Russia
Russia and Syria will sign an agreement on economic cooperation, which will cover several projects that will be evaluated and approved individually, in the coming weeks, the Syrian president added.
“Projects are being considered now, and the agreement will be signed later, in a few weeks, but this item [on the agenda] was left for consideration by each company and each project. Each project will be evaluated individually later. This is a part of the mechanism to monitor the projects and their success,” Assad said.
The president added that a joint Syrian-Russian commission has been discussing a number of projects during talks in Moscow over the past several days.
“Once the agreement is signed, these projects will be announced, after which all interested companies will be able to apply to participate in these projects,” the president said, adding that the actual cost of the projects will be known at that time.
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President al-Assad’s interview with the Russian agency Sputnik
As reported on March 12 by the Greek portal of political and military information Pronews, citing American sources, in the course of an operation to retaliate for a provocation in the Bryansk region, a Russian hypersonic missile “Dagger” struck at a joint Ukrainian-NATO command and communications center.
According to Pronews , “dozens of NATO officers” were killed in a “terrifying strike” by a Mach 12 missile. In all likelihood, we are talking about the defeat of the “shadow General Staff” of NATO in Ukraine. The secret underground bunker, built at a depth of 400 feet (120 meters), housed several NATO officers (retired) and advisers. In total, more than 300 people. To date, according to the portal, 40 people have been pulled out from under the rubble of the underground headquarters, but most of those who died under the rubble have not yet been found.
It is not known, the portal continues, exactly how many Western citizens and how many Ukrainians were killed as a result of the “Dagger” strike. “Most of them, ” according to Pronews, “are British and Poles, but there were also Americans and representatives of private companies that support communication and data transmission. In the coming days, it will be seen to what extent this will affect the conduct of Ukrainian and Western operations and attempts to stop the final phase of the Russian offensive on Bakhmut.
“This, ” says Pronews, “is the first such large-scale strike against the military personnel of NATO countries, and it is not known how the Western capitals will react to this, although in the event of a reaction, it would be like recognizing the active participation of military personnel in the war against Russia.”
According to the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov, the bases of attack drones have been destroyed, the transfer of reserves and rail transportation of foreign weapons have been disrupted, and production facilities for the repair of military equipment and the production of ammunition have been disabled.
According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Zaluzhny, on the consequences of the Russian strike on Ukrainian targets on the night of March 8-9, the Russian side fired 81 missiles, including Kh-47 Kinzhal, X-22, Kh-101 / Kh-555, as well as 8 Geranium UAVs. According to Zelensky, “it was a hard night”; as observers noted, while the president of Ukraine looked like a beaten dog.
The statements of Ukrainian officials say nothing about the defeat of the NATO bunker and the death of Western military personnel. However, information is circulating in Ukrainian publics that on March 9, a delegation of the General Staff of Ukraine visited the American embassy in Kiev, as it is supposed, in order to transfer the lists of the Americans who died during the strike.
“The use of hypersonic missiles has heightened U.S. anxiety and demonstrated that Russia has a hard-to-intercept nuclear-capable weapon,” the Washington Post said . The United States has not yet been able to develop its own missiles with similar characteristics, which makes Western countries even more vulnerable, the authors of the material concluded.
Kinzhal is the latest Russian system with hypersonic aeroballistic missiles carried by specially equipped MiG-31K interceptors. The missile has low radar visibility and high maneuverability and is designed to destroy land and sea targets. The Kinzhal complexes have been on experimental combat duty in the RF Armed Forces since December 2017. Officially, the first combat use of these missiles took place on March 18, 2022 during the SVO.
As Yuriy Ignat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force command, said, “we cannot yet counteract these missiles, they fly along a ballistic trajectory. We have no means against them . “
Tests last year of an American hypersonic missile in Hawaii ended in failure due to launch problems, Bloomberg reported , citing a statement by the US Department of Defense.
The Russian military launched a missile strike against Ukrainian infrastructure facilities with a wide variety of missiles and aerial drones, destroying NATO’s secret headquarters in Ukraine, WarFiles reports. According to Ukraine, the attacks were carried out with thousands:
X-47 Kinzhal (“Dagger”),
X-22,
X-101 / X-555,
UAV “Geran”.
In Ukraine, they immediately reported that 34 missiles were allegedly shot down, and eight “as a result of an organized response did not hit their targets.”
This is doubtful even for the Ukrainians themselves, who see the thousands flying through the windows. Citizens believe that the air defense “if they were able to shoot down something in the attempt, at most a couple of them.”
Ukrainian (and even American) air defense cannot shoot down the “Dagger” at an altitude of 20 km, and after the missile gains altitude, it falls at high speed on the target and nothing can be done about it.
“In fact, the attack hit control and planning centers in bunkers, as well as air defense/radar stations. Heavy losses of officers, including Americans, were recorded. It seems that NATO’s proxy “Shadow Staff” got quite a bit,” the authors of “Military Materials” write.
After that, according to the publication, representatives of the Ukrainian General Staff came to the US Embassy, most likely to transfer the lists of the dead.
It is also known about the hits on the IRIS and NASAMS air defense systems, which were powered by dummy missiles and were destroyed by the X-men flying after them. Almost immediately, public sites that posted this information were blocked.
The head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy, German Galushchenko, separately admitted that the missile attack damaged at least three thermal power plants. In fact, energy and military installations in up to 12 regions came under heavy fire.
UPROOTED PALESTINIANS: SALAM ALQUDS ALAYKUM 