|
How The U.S. Does ‘Diplomacy’
The U.S. doesn't do diplomacy. Every country has its own interests. But the U.S. and its pricks in the State Department insist that its interests must have priority over all others. Any country that disagrees with that will be called out on this or that issue or will even get sanctioned.
March 19 2022: President Xi Jinping Has a Video Call with US President Joe Biden
The two sides exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine.
President Biden expounded on the US position, and expressed readiness for communication with China to prevent the situation from exacerbating.
President Xi pointed out that China does not want to see the situation in Ukraine to come to this. China stands for peace and opposes war. This is embedded in China’s history and culture. China makes a conclusion independently based on the merits of each matter. China advocates upholding international law and universally recognized norms governing international relations. China adheres to the UN Charter and promotes the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. These are the major principles that underpin China’s approach to the Ukraine crisis.
March 21 2022: US announces new sanctions on Chinese officials over ‘repressive acts’
The State Department said it would impose visa restrictions on Chinese officials it said are believed to be responsible for “policies or actions aimed at repressing religious and spiritual practitioners, members of ethnic minority groups, dissidents, human rights defenders, journalists, labor organizers, civil society organizers, and peaceful protestors in China and beyond.”
April 11 2022: Ukraine dominates Modi-Biden talks
Mr. Modi, who spoke via videolink to Mr Biden, described the situation in Ukraine as “very worrying” and said he had spoken, several times, with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin and had not just urged peace, but also direct talks between them. India’s unwillingness to call out Russia by name for its attack on Ukraine has not gone down well in Washington, but U.S. officials have also said that they hoped countries that have relationships with Moscow might leverage them to bring about a resolution to the situation.
April 12 2022: US Monitoring "Rise In Human Rights Abuses" In India: Antony Blinken
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States was monitoring what he described as a rise in "human rights abuses" in India by some officials, in a rare direct rebuke by Washington of New Delhi.
"We regularly engage with our Indian partners on these shared values (of human rights) and to that end, we are monitoring some recent concerning developments in India including a rise in human rights abuses by some government, police and prison officials," Mr Blinken said on Monday in a joint press briefing with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
January 10 2022: Chas Freeman – Diplomacy as an Instrument of Statecraft: A Practicum
What distinguishes diplomats from courtiers, securocrats, and other bureaucrats in a national capital is a reliance on empathy: the ability to see the world through other eyes and to use this insight to induce others to see their interests the way the diplomat wants them to see them. It takes more than a diplomatic passport, position, or title to make someone a “diplomat.” Diplomacy, like other skilled work, requires knowhow gained through training, mentoring, on-the-job experience, and awareness of historical precedents. It is a calling and a role, not a job title.
Yet diplomacy remains at best a proto-profession in the United States, thanks to the uniquely American reliance on the political spoils system to staff even key national security functions. This makes diplomatic appointments to benefit appointees and their political parties rather than the country. It thereby enshrines amateurism and incompetence. As the New York Herald-Tribune put it in 1857, in the United States “diplomacy is the sewer through which flows the scum and refuse of the political puddle. A man not fit to stay at home is just the man to send abroad.” Only one thing has changed about this in the last 165 years. Female campaign donors and celebrities now compete with men for appointments to what they imagine are ambassadorial sinecures in plummy places abroad, leaving seedy and dangerous places to lifers.
Transcript of a POW video.
Hello everyone, it’s “Vladlen in the evening” and today I’ll give a quick sitrep on todays events around Mariupol. As they say, the evening is getting brighter. Last night there was an attempt to break through our lines in the direction of Volnovakha, check out the last video on that topic where I talk about it. Today there were similar attempts, so far not everyone has been liquidated. We’re rounding people up in forests, plains and fields. So far we’ve caught about 100 people, at least unofficially according to besonof (?) telegram channel. Some were *beep* (killed presumably) some were captured.
The enemy is attempting to break out in small groups, not only in organized formations but under some command, but also in groups of 5-6-10 people. Basically, it’s every man for himself. They’re trying to get out on civilian cars. Our position saw a Humvee or Hummer with medical signs on. The enemy quickly figured out where he was, started to turn around and made a run for it. We didn’t fire on it because it carried the tactical symbol “Z” so that’s what they’re doing — they’re using light transport, putting on white armbands, marking everything with “Z” to buy themselves enough time to break through. Doesn’t work every time, naturally — well, it almost never works, tbh.
They’re heading in the direction of Prebrezhnoy, Prebrezhnoy areas so to say. By the way, the port in Mariupol is ours in its entirety. Also, they’re heading in the direction of Volnovakha and some are trying to get in to their own guys at Azovstahl — one of those groups we happened to come across. They’re abandoning all of their gear, rpg’s, machineguns, rifles, and running with a light pack, trying to get into Azovstahl. Fighting continues at Azovstahl, every day we’re cleaning up the surrounding civilian sector around Azovstahl. Every day certain buildings are being cleaned up, already in the industrial sector that flows into Azovstahl. I have certain information that tomorrow there will be a corridor set up for POW, that is, there are talks taking place for the surrender of a large group of POW from the Ilyich factory. Everything there has collapsed (in terms of morale etc) and you could say we’re finished with the Ilyich factory. Maybe it’s a matter of 2-3 days.
In terms of Azovstahl, I won’t make any predictions. There we have ideologically motivated fighters from *bleep (Azov)* who understand that they’ll receive no mercy. So they’ll resist for a bit longer, though I wouldn’t exclude attempts on their part to break through. But they’re in a more difficult situation, because they’re on the left bank and they would need to get through the entire city or across the river, so there are few options. No more news from me and bla bla bla…
Sladkov Q: So, who’ll tell me. Was there any chemical agent used against any of you?
A: No.
Q: No seriously, I’d like to be sure for my own sake.
A: Nothing like that.
Q: That is, no headaches. No nausea. No sense of disorientation.
A: Negative.
Q: How’d you get caught?
A: Surrendered on our own initiative. (bullshit)
Q: Surrendered yourselves huh? Officers present? Which ones, show of hands. What’s your position?
A: Division chief of communication.
Q: Understood, next.
A: Zam-polit, Political officer. (Obsolete Soviet era position, basically division propaganda chief)
Q: Seriously? Such a position exists? Well what do you know, professional colleague. I also graduated from political academy, where did you train?
A: I… was trained individually.
Q: Fine. What’s the emotional state and why did you attempt a break through?
A: On orders by the brigade commander.
Q: Name of the commander.
A: Colonel Baranyuk.
Q: Could you introduce yourself, please.
A: Major Cherny. (Black)
Q: Alright, comrade major. What was the state of morale of the unit before the exit.
A: About a 3, roughly speaking. (Out of 10?)
Q: 3 huh? Ammunition, supplies, equipment, state of arms — give me your estimate.
A: Running out of almost everything.
Q: More officers? Nothing but privates left? Who are you?
A: Senior sergeant.
Q: Position?
A: Commander of REB. (Electronic warfare)
Q: Where did you train?
A: I haven’t received formal training, I was just transferred. (FFS)
Q: Fine, and what did you do in the army before transferring?
A: ZU operator. (AA)
Q: What sort of installation?
A: ZU-23-2. (auto-cannon)
Q: Shilka?
A: No.
Q: Fire on any aircraft?
A: No.
Q: How about ground targets?
A: Yes. But not me, I was transferred before then.
Q: Sure, I understand. Good. Drivers, mechanics? Show of hands. What’s your name?
A: Oleg.
Q: Surname?
A: Chupachup? Lol.
Q: Where from? Kirov or what?
A: Novoukrainka.
Q: Could you tell me please, what vehicle did you use to exit, was it fully fueled and…
A: *incomprehensible gibberish*
Q: *In Ukrainian* Could you please speak Russian?
A: I just stand on the driver’s post, I don’t know anything about the gear. (WTF?!?)
Q: And you?
A: Also driver.
Q: Wheeled vehicles?
A: In a Ural.
Q: Ural?
A: Ural that is non-combat capable.
Q: Understood, understood. Here’s a question; who surrendered on their own initiative and who was captured? Don’t just stay quiet…
A: On our own.
Q: I don’t get it. You weren’t coming out with your hands up, you were trying to break through our lines.
A – 2 voices simultaneously: No — That’s exactly how it was.
A: We came under fire.
Q: Ok, good. You ran the line, came under fire, then what?
A: We went on foot because the vehicles were damaged and there was no way to get through. And in the woods we got surrounded and we were forced to surrender.
Q: What’s your name?
A: Dmitry Gashov.
Q: Position?
A: Also electronic warfare.
Q: How many people made it here with you, alive, and how many perished?
A: I know of 3 dead for sure, 1 died came under artillery fire, second got shot and third died from shrapnel. My group definitely survived, 13-15 people. We had to surrender because we were surrounded.
Q: I don’t get it. Where were you heading?
A: We followed a lieutenant colonel, he was leading us, I didn’t know…
Q: Where were you heading? Berdyansk? Or someplace else?
A: I don’t know, I was just following the person who knew where to go.
Q: So you weren’t given any instructions at all?
A: We were just trying to get out of the line of fire.
Q: I see, disperse and retreat. I want to ask you, comrade political officer. How were people being prepared for the break-through?
A: An hour before the event, we told them to gather up, showed them the cars. Told people to get their things and get ready to go within a certain period of time.
Q: Ok. Did anyone refuse?
A: No, people sooner wanted to live and get out asap.
Q: But wtf didn’t you surrender? Had you surrendered, you could’ve been taken care of ages ago.
A: We had no information on the possibility of surrender. How and to whom. What that would mean. (Rare breed of idiocy, I’m starting to face-palm)
Q: What’s the main basic unit in this group? Err, this is all an electronic warfare unit?
A: Mumble.
Q: Oh, so he returned to HQ? How many people are left at HQ now?
A: No idea.
Q: What’s that supposed to mean? Apart from you guys, who else was at the HQ with you? You’re trying to tell me that only Electronic warfare guys were fighting from this position? At the factory?
A: There was nobody left. Everyone left.
Q: How’s that possible? Ok, so you Electronic warfare guys, the three of you, held that entire front all by yourselves.
A: Well no…
Q: So who did the fighting?
A: *mumble* Some unit.
Q: And they’re still there?
A: I suppose so.
Q: And who are they?
A: First battalion.
5 minutes discussion of trying to figure out Ukrainian command structure and misinformation.
Q: Ok, so basically you guys know fuck-all. Good. Are there any wounded? Name?
A: Andrey Gavrish.
Q: What sort of wound?
A: Shrapnel, went through.
Q: Did you get any aid?
A: Yes, your guys patched me up.
Q: Pain relief?
A: Don’t need it.
Q: Injections?
A: No, I asked them not to.
Q: Did they clean the wound?
A: They did, but it’s dirty again.
Q: Who else is wounded? Where were you wounded?
A: Ribs, shrapnel.
Q: Patched up? By whom?
A: Your guys. Got painkillers.
Q: What’d you get? Promydol?
A: No idea, but it doesn’t hurt anymore. They got the shrapnel out and after that it feels much better.
Q: Where from?
A: Khmelnich.
Some small talk.
Q: More wounded? What’s wrong?
A: Bullet.
Q: Injections?
A: Nah, just wrapped it up.
Q: Alright. You, could you introduce yourself?
A: Senior sergeant Ferinets Alexei.
Q: Head-wound?
A: No. It’s just a scratch.
Q: What kind of wound then?
A: I’m not wounded.
Q: Not wounded? Look at you, your face is all swollen, what’s that about?
A: Car accident.
Q: Position?
A: Driver.
Two more wounded guys, nothing of note. Hope it’s not too long of a post.
Posted by: Skiffer | Apr 12 2022 23:03 utc | 231
|
