Some Media Won't Tell You When The Saudis Snub Biden
Last week the Saudis publicly snubbed the Biden administration. Several outlet picked up on that.
- MBS head to head with Biden, US officials not invited to Davos - Oct 17, 2022 - Al Mayadeen
- US Officials Not Invited To Saudi Investment Forum: Organiser - Oct 17, 2022 - Barrons / AFP
- Saudi Arabia snubs US officials ahead of 'Davos in the Desert' - Oct 17, 2022 - Middle East Eye
- US officials not invited to Saudi's 'Davos in the Desert': organiser - Oct 18, 2022 - The New Arab
- US officials not invited to Saudi investment conference, says organiser - Oct 18, 2022 - Middle East Monitor
From the last one:
The CEO of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), the organiser of the "Davos of the Desert" Saudi investment conference said on Monday that US government officials will not be invited to attend the event at the end of this month. The reason, added Richard Attias, is so that the event does not turn into a "political platform".The decision not to invite US officials, unlike previous years, comes amid rising tension between Washington and Riyadh over the recent decision by the Saudi-led OPEC+ group to reduce oil output by 2 million barrels per day, starting in November.
...
"We are not inviting too many politicians," explained Attias, "because I realised that when you have political leaders on stage, the attention of the media, let's be very frank, is diverted to the political agenda, and we don't want the FII to become a political platform."However, in an earlier press conference, the initiative's CEO said that at least "12 ministers of economy and finance" will attend this year's programme, with the possibility of inviting heads of state. "We will know in a few days who are the heads of state who are 100 per cent sure to attend."
The snub is significant. While lots of top U.S. bankers will take part the Biden administration will be given no chance to influence the Saudi investment plans.
However, the Biden's administration main propaganda outlet, the New York Times, won't have any of that. It depicts the Saudi snub as one done by the uninvited the Biden administration. It is also lying about the Biden administration's response:
U.S. Executives Are Flocking to Saudi Davos in the Desert - Oct 24, 2022 - New York Times
Some top American business leaders area headed to the Saudi business conference. But Biden administration officials, angry over the kingdom’s stance on oil production and ties with Russia, are staying away.
LONDON — The Biden administration’s message to corporate America was clear: Consider the reputation of the countries you do business with.The remark came from the White House press secretary at a briefing last week, just as some top American executives were preparing to attend a major Saudi business conference, along with thousands of other investors, businesspeople and politicians.
The three-day gathering — the Future Investment Initiative, nicknamed Davos in the Desert — is set to open on Tuesday. But U.S. government officials will be notably absent, weeks after an intense and public trading of accusations between the U.S. and Saudi governments over an Oct. 5 production cut by the oil cartel OPEC Plus, co-led by Saudi Arabia and Russia.
...
Last week, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, reminded American companies to take into account “reputational concerns that can arise from public policy choices made by host countries” when making decisions about where to invest.Richard Attias, the organizer of the Saudi conference, made a point of telling reporters in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, last week that he had received so many requests from Americans to attend the event that his team had begun turning them down for lack of space.
At the same time, Mr. Biden’s plan for meting out the threatened consequences against Saudi Arabia has remained vague in the weeks since he delivered the warning.
That Attias, the organizer, explicitly said that the U.S. government was not invited is not mentioned in the NYT piece. Its readers are left to believe that it is the Biden administration that snubs Saudi Arabia instead of the other way around.
A White House briefing on October 18 mentions reputational concerns. But it does not do so as a message to the companies but as a general description of their behaviors:
Q Thanks very much. Sort of following up on that, are any Biden administration officials planning to go to the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, later this month?MS. JEAN-PIERRE: We don’t have anything to preview or announce at this time on any travel.
Q And do you think it’s appropriate for U.S. businesses to continue their engagement or investment in the Kingdom in light of what happened recently?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, as they do in every part of the world, American companies will make their own decisions about their presence and where to invest, taking into account a range of factors including legal constraints, the business environment, and reputational concerns that can arise from public policy choices made by host countries.
In a briefing on the October 20 spokesman John Kirby denied that the Biden administration is trying to influence the companies' decision. The NYT is lying when it claims otherwise.
Kirby's briefing had these passage referring Saudi Arabia.
Q Hey, John, what’s the status of the review of Saudi Arabia and the consequences for their oil output cut? What — I haven’t heard anything about this all week. What’s — what’s happening there?MR. KIRBY: Yeah, it’s ongoing, Steve, and it has been since the President made the decision that we’re going to do it.
Thus far, most of the process of reviewing the relationship and looking at options going forward is internal here to the national security team and inside the interagency. But we expect to be able to broaden that out to include members of Congress, you know, when they come back to town.
So we’re not going to rush this. I don’t have a timeline for you. I’m certainly not going to speak to ongoing deliberations. But I can assure you that that process of review has begun and we’re working it internally.
But again, we look forward to being able to have conversations with members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, quite frankly, at the earliest opportunity.
...
Q Just following up on the question about the Saudis, this Saudi-sponsored business conference next week that people call “Davos in the Desert,” I’m wondering if you’re asking or encouraging American companies not to attend as part of your reevaluation of the Saudi relationship. [..]MR. KIRBY: [..] No, we are not talking to U.S. companies in advising or discouraging them to not attend the “Davos in the Desert.” We are not — we are not doing that. These are decisions that, as private companies, they can make for themselves.
Kirby denies taking influence on companies or messaging something to them. Throughout the various White House briefings the non-invitation by the Saudis is not mentioned at all.
So again:
- The NYT is not reporting the Saudi snub but claims that it is the Biden administration that is tough on the Saudis, even as it is obviously not.
- The NYT is falsely claiming that the White House has discouraged U.S. companies from taking part even as Kirby had directly denied that.
It is another reminder that organs like the NYT are no longer news site but spin machine in the service of politics and politicians their owners like.
Posted by b on October 24, 2022 at 10:53 UTC | Permalink
"The NYT is falsely claiming that the White House has discouraged U.S. companies from taking part even as Kirby had directly denied that.
It is another reminder that organs like the NYT are no longer news site but spin machine in the service of politics and politicians their owners like."
I don't see why one would believe the White House directly over its once-removed propaganda arm. Given the whole trend of US government sanctions and intimidation policy I would take it for granted they are discouraging any kind of US-based participation, other than as spies and wreckers.
The propaganda differences just look like good cop-bad cop.
Posted by: Flying Dutchman | Oct 24 2022 11:46 utc | 2
Operation Mockingbird never ceased to exist. Desinformation and propaganda have been militarized in UK and USA. Each and every conflict we have witnessed the collusion between Pentagon and western media … Iraq War and WHIG group … the division ahead of and post 2016 presidential election made it clear. British MI6 Dodgy Steele dossier, PropOrNot (WaPo) and RussiaGate was really IntellGate.
Tragic as the Ukrainian Civil War is; it’s still just a sideshow to the main event. The main event is 87% of the world boycotting the Washington War Party.
The Saudis are a bellweather of this phenomenon. Watch the other key members of the 87% - PRC, Brazil, India, South Africa, Indonesia, Nigeria, all the ‚Stan’s, and Mexico. That’s the main event.
De-dollarization is happening, just a question of the pace.
Posted by: Exile | Oct 24 2022 12:19 utc | 4
Is this the same POS NY Times that wanted war against Spain after the sinking of the USS Maine (by the usual suspects).
Posted by: Viktor K | Oct 24 2022 12:32 utc | 5
Viktor K | Oct 24 2022 12:32 utc | 5
That was the New York Journal and Advertiser. Identity doesn't matter so much when class interests are afoot.
Posted by: sippy the shot glass | Oct 24 2022 12:39 utc | 6
Apart from everything else, I also truly admire b's ability to dissect the Western propaganda and lay out the lies in them. I wouldn't have the patience to read the NYT piece to the end.
Posted by: Steve | Oct 24 2022 13:22 utc | 7
Watching the impeachment of "Biden" is going to be such a pleasure.
Posted by: Bemildred | Oct 24 2022 14:09 utc | 8
there is long time speculation that Nixon was brought down by the intel agencies via Watergate. i guess the Times is more blatantly the pr arm of the democratic party, now.
Posted by: pretzelattack | Oct 24 2022 11:42 utc | 1
Aaron Good in his doctorate thesis turned into book, 'American Exception' is quite clear this is the case. Similarly, I believe the current political crisis involving Trump is a feud between the American nationalist rich and the American globalist rich.
Posted by: Tedder | Oct 24 2022 14:43 utc | 9
Wonder when+how KSA will publicly announce their Acceptance of CN¥ and possibly IN₹ for their Exports.
Safe to presume that what KSA do, OPEC+ Members will then do so at their own discretion. Once €UR and/or JPY are added to the List, we're bound to see the Buying+Holding of U$D/U$TreasuryBonds as National Currency Reserves and Corporates for commerce decrease rapidly.
Will it happen at a "Davos of the Desert"? At a Major OPEC+ Conference? At a SCO Invitational for KSA?
IMHO, this may happen sooner than we think...
Posted by: IronForge | Oct 24 2022 15:09 utc | 10
Thanks for the follow up on this snubbing of empire by SA
I think that this may be why MBS is not going to expose themselves to potential assassination by going to Algeria for a regional meeting
This is the end of the Petrodollar and markets are not yet responding because of manipulation but big boom coming soon
Posted by: psychohistorian | Oct 24 2022 15:13 utc | 11
Posted by: Bemildred | Oct 24 2022 14:09 utc | 8
Watching the impeachment of "Biden" is going to be such a pleasure.
Really? Better think again.. did you know either Biden impeached or died.. we will have an Indian President in the White House and another Indian PM in 10 Downing Street......
For the first time Indian's head of three Democracy... USA, UK and India.. and bet your life they all hates China...China, China
I did a searches few weeks ago... did you know some of the biggest companies or corporations in the USA... 6 CEO are Indians... IBM, Microsoft, Google, Cisco... can't remember the rest....
Posted by: JC | Oct 24 2022 15:17 utc | 12
Posted by: JC | Oct 24 2022 15:17 utc | 12
Biden hates China too. He is a spiteful fellow. But, this is the wrong thread for that.
Posted by: Bemildred | Oct 24 2022 15:23 utc | 13
thanks b..
changing the petro dollar for something else seems relevant here.. can it happen? how does it happen? is this the beginnings of it? having oil denominated in us$ certainly has favoured the us$...
we see how this is all about money.. if we learned anything about the kashoggi affair, it is that this is all about money and nothing to do with ethics or morals...
-----------------
@ JC | Oct 24 2022 15:17 utc | 12
interesting speculation... i know our local indian poster - anotym, or however you spell it) also hates china.. he is very consistent on that front.. i wish people could grow up and get beyond this small mindedness, but i realize that is asking a lot..
Posted by: james | Oct 24 2022 15:26 utc | 14
Exile @4--
Yes, you point out where the snub's news is directed. It's also a signal to BRICS and SCO people that the Sauds are very serious about becoming members. The backstabbing done by the Outlaw US Empire over the past decade is fresh in the minds of those who wonder how they'll be treated if they pursue their own interests. Now they don't need to look far for an example as Europe dismantles itself. If you missed Crooke's al-Mayadeen article, I highly suggest it, "Borrell's Exculpatory Plea: 'So Many Black Swans -- How Could We Have Seen Crisis Coming?'".
Posted by: Bemildred | Oct 24 2022 14:09 utc | 8
.... more
I hope Putin is not senile like Biden... Putin wanna put India and Brazil in United Nation security council as permanent members... with veto power..
Did you know I posted more than once? Most of Russia’s Far East, Siberia and included the Sakhalin Island and Okinawa belongs to China.. Included the island north of Japan... there were part and parcel: Manchuria/Mogul (dynasties)once ruled China...
Don't believe me? Do searches using DuckDuckGo... I first came across when in primary school.. I studied Chinese and still remembered Chinese Atlas or maps...
Posted by: JC | Oct 24 2022 15:44 utc | 16
it's shame the west has its collective head up "israel's" ass...if they were friendly with iran and iraq they could really f_ck with these apes. a few of those tiny kamikaze drones hitting wells? fun. arming the houthis to the teeth and turning yemen into a wahhabi vietnam? too fun. i've always been an antiwar bloke and such...but reducing riyadh to a smoking crater would make the world an objectively better place overnight. "just sayin'".
as with many, many issues (e.g. russia) the west's refusal (or lack of ability) to find alternatives to oil and other carbon energy sources over the past few decades (or centuries, even) caused this.
if you just think clearly and ignore scum right "derp clymut change is retardid!!!111!!" dumbassery it should occur to anyone with a functioning limbic system that it's 2022 and we still use dead dinosaurs to power our loud, dirty vehicles when the Great God Science should have come up with an alternative years and years and years ago. how embarrassing.
Posted by: the pair | Oct 24 2022 16:06 utc | 17
Posted by: james | Oct 24 2022 15:26 utc | 14
Thanks James... its not speculation but facts... do searches... what I posted... I started school just after WW2, dad put me in Chinese school manned by KMT or Taiwan's regime... In Chinese school we study... curriculum different from Anglo-Saxon... heavy concentration on math or arithmetic... (STEM) Chinese vowels.. Brushes, including an abacus.. or Chinese Computer no workbooks but a small writing block.. dunno how to describe it...
I remember that Indian An.... I don't hate Indian but understands they hates Chinese... appreciate mild criticism.. thanks again James..
Posted by: JC | Oct 24 2022 16:20 utc | 18
Thanks for this update, b. After reading all the links you provided, I find this disturbing. Contrary to the view that these Davos attendees (unlike the ones in Switzerland), are standing up to and sticking it to the Empire, I see this as an attempted coup on the USA, by the Empire. Canada and Mexico will not stand for that. All three countries may agree on nothing in North America except that one point.
Foreign Policy magazine has two articles up which interested me, one on the Saudis needing a reality check, and another on Mexico’s dying democracy, how authoritarian it is under AMLO. On the surface it could seem like the same old, same old, but I think there is another message in here. Strong consolidated state in Mexico, and “such arrogance, presumption, and deceit have shattered the trust the United States once placed in the Saudi regime.” Not a kingdom, a regime.
I thought one important message to the Saudis from the NYT article was this:
“Those business relationships will probably remain intact barring drastic changes in U.S. policy like severing diplomatic ties or imposing sanctions on the Saudis, which analysts see as unlikely.” So Biden is not really punishing the kingdom, is he?
Anyway, disturbing news! I look forward to learning who will attend from Canada and Mexico.
Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Oct 24 2022 16:43 utc | 19
Turkiye: ’We do not accept US threats, bullying against Saudi Arabia'
#Turkiye #EnergyHub 🇷🇺 🇹🇷 #TurkStream
Posted by: Tedder | Oct 24 2022 14:43 utc | 9
thanks for that reference, I had never heard of it. I'll look for it.
Posted by: pretzelattack | Oct 24 2022 17:46 utc | 22
American Exception: Hegemony and the Tripartite State | by Aaron Good May 2020 |
https://scholarshare.temple.edu/bitstream/handle/20.500.12613/539/TETDEDXGood-temple-0225E-13970.pdf?sequence=1
I would be flabbergasted ::: Tricky Dick Nixon ran the Deep State. His henchmen advisors to the White House directed the plumbers for the break-in DNC offices in Watergate. All were involved in the anti-Castro organization run by the CIA who handled Harvey Oswald. New Orleans, Mexico and Dallas. Bush Sr. was already CIA, see the failed overthrow Bay of Pigs invasion. Revenge of the mob for losing Cuba’s gambling paradise. The assassination of Robert Kennedy in June 1968 wasn’t random.
Posted by: Oui | Oct 24 2022 18:12 utc | 23
and JFK directed the CIA to kill Castro, and was likely even more of a warmonger than Nixon--remember his fake "missile gap?". The CIA always used locals to do assassinations because they were not competent themselves. they were and are good at funnelling money to people the US wanted to back, and propaganda. that's why the political kneecapping of Nixon is more plausible to me than the purported assassination of Deep State darling JFK, under which the Bay of Pigs invasion occurred, the numerous plots to kill Castro occurred, and the greatest single threat to civilization before the Biden administration occurred, the political posturing by the fake war hero to save his ass domestically, never mind the risk of nuclear war. He made sure his ass was covered by gettig Kruschev to agree to hush up the fact that the US backed down and agreed to withdraw the missiles from Turkey in a quid pro quo with the USSR, which he could have done in the first place and prevented the missile crisis from ever happening. RFK was just an earlier model of Bernie Sanders, there was too much domestic political opposition to Vietnam because middle class white kids were dying, so the opposition had to be coopted, and who better than the former ardent McCarthyite and red hunter Bobby?
it's not an accident that both Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama venerated Kennedy, he was their role model, just as it is no accident that the Clintons vacationed with the Kissingers, and Michelle Obama passes cookies to war criminal Bush Jr. the two parties are the two wings of the same bird.
there are ruthless power conflicts between the parties, and within the parties, just as there were and are ruthless power conflicts between other criminal organizations.
Posted by: pretzelattack | Oct 24 2022 18:40 utc | 24
No more "Clown Prince" talk over here at the bar. The 'winds' have changed and new editorial changes are in effect. spasiba.
Posted by: burnthisafterreading | Oct 24 2022 19:05 utc | 26
US killing popular Iran General Qasem Soleimani is good, Saudi kills WaPo's nobody Jamal Khashoggi bad.
Posted by: Don Bacon | Oct 24 2022 19:09 utc | 27
Aaron Good in his doctorate thesis turned into book, 'American Exception' is quite clear this is the case. Similarly, I believe the current political crisis involving Trump is a feud between the American nationalist rich and the American globalist rich.
Posted by: Tedder | Oct 24 2022 14:43 utc | 9
Or, perhaps a feud between national industrial capital and international finance capital.
Posted by: Ed Nelson | Oct 24 2022 19:26 utc | 28
@pretzelattack 24
"the greatest single threat to civilization before the Biden administration" was caused by Reagan, and the current mess is in many ways a replay of that.
Posted by: Hermit | Oct 24 2022 19:28 utc | 29
NYT is really biased. I think we've largely shifted to understanding this.
Posted by: GoFast | Oct 24 2022 19:55 utc | 30
Posted by: Hermit | Oct 24 2022 19:28 utc | 30
i'm no Reagan fan, this could be right. Reagan was another empty suit, who almost got assassinated, and with maximum hype. imo it was the Cuban Missile Crisis, you had the two superpowers in an armed standoff . the Atlantic probably buys into the Kennedy myth.
Posted by: pretzelattack | Oct 24 2022 20:04 utc | 31
At the same time, Mr. Biden’s plan for meting out the threatened consequences against Saudi Arabia has remained vague in the weeks since he delivered the warning.
Maybe he forgot?
Posted by: ZX | Oct 24 2022 20:33 utc | 32
There are still a few worthwhile articles in the NYT. You know the ones about recipes, celebrities, weddings and so forth. Anything relating to domestic politics or international affairs is suspect.
Posted by: Rob | Oct 24 2022 20:38 utc | 33
When will a journalist with some integrity ask any US high ranking official if it is not high time to hang up the blackmail cudgel (so miscalled sanctions)? Isn't the tipping point of such vicious and venomous malarkey coming to its fullness by now?
Isn't there any puppet left in Washington that realises once global saturation (of blackmail)is reached, the house of cards will likely disintegrate like clouds driven by the wind?
Posted by: Sam | Oct 24 2022 21:33 utc | 34
@9 Tedder.
I want to second and third and fourth your recommendation of Aaron Good.
He has a podcast and he also is on Ben Norton's youTube channel Multipolarista..
There are now 11 videos and each one is a gem.
Posted by: Fiji Refugee | Oct 24 2022 23:02 utc | 35
Posted by: JC | Oct 24 2022 15:17 utc | 12
I wish people would understand that impeachment is not conviction.
The US Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict, and the penalty for an impeached official upon conviction is removal from office.
First, the Republicans must retake the House of Representatives in the upcoming 2022 mid term elections. Second, the Republican controlled House must then vote to impeach Biden. Third, at the conclusion of the impeachment trial, 67 senators must vote to find Biden guilty.
The House will likely flip to the Republicans after the election but it is unlikely that they will vote to impeach Biden. But, if Biden is impeached there is no way that 67 Senators will vote to convict him. The vote will be strictly along party lines - all Republicans for and all Democrats against.
This has nothing to do with the impeachment process, but considering that the Democrats don't like Harris why would they vote to convict Biden? In his brain dead state he is easier to control.
Posted by: JK in Glendale | Oct 24 2022 23:05 utc | 36
Time for an unfortunate accident to happen to MBS, apparently.
Posted by: Biswapriya Purkayast | Oct 24 2022 23:31 utc | 37
Methinks Biden and by extension the WH is quickly becoming persona non grata in almost every capital in the world. Their threats and rants and accusations are continually falling on deaf ears these days. Nobody is afraid of DC anymore. I can't wait for the first real, ridiculing anti-biden hot mic moment to make the rounds....
Posted by: TheBigWhatever | Oct 24 2022 23:59 utc | 38
@ Biswapriya Purkayast | Oct 24 2022 23:31 utc | 38
i dig your cartoons...
Posted by: james | Oct 25 2022 0:02 utc | 39
JC@12:
Very refreshing to not hear that common refrain here, "it's all run by the Jews."
Posted by: morongobill | Oct 25 2022 0:22 utc | 40
“Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman mocks President Biden in private, making fun of the 79-year-old’s gaffes and questioning his mental acuity. He has told advisers he hasn’t been impressed with Biden & much preferred Donald Trump, sources say” - WSJ
[[But Saudi officials deny this^]]
>”Biden and Prince Mohammed tried to build a personal rapport during the president’s trip to Jeddah in July. But the president angered the royal by immediately raising human-rights allegations, including the 2018 death of Jamal Khashoggi.”
https://twitter.com/Faytuks/status/1584580376797671424
—- ———//
OSINT guy has a sense of humour:
“Since everyone is complaining about my tweets being lacking in context, I've tried my best this time.”
> Macron takes a photo with Meloni and returns home.
https://twitter.com/GDarkconrad/status/1584614059949035521
——-
And who’s doing the London- Washington dash today?
https://twitter.com/GDarkconrad/status/1584600967533629440?cxt=HHwWgMCoyeaL0f0rAAAA
~~~~~~
“Some people have been claiming that this video is old.
It’s not. And it shows the first (visually confirmed) destruction of a Finnish-delivered Sisu XA-185 APC.”
https://twitter.com/oryxspioenkop/status/1584582789240098816
—————
“Convoys of French military equipment entered Romania shortly before midnight.
1st convoy was composed of light infantry armoured vehicles, the 2nd of heavy infantry armoured vehicles and are intended to complement the technical means of the @NATO. BGFP deployed in Cincu.”
https://twitter.com/VasileDincu/status/1584416576429621248
————-
“France has hundreds of soldiers in Romania for months (500, I believe).
Below map is from end of June, to give you an idea:”
https://twitter.com/billon_benjamin/status/1584636530928541696
> France will send Leclerc MBTs to Romania next month.
————
Twitterverse very perturbed by Medvedev leather trench coat.
Guess while they study the coat for meaning….. they don’t have to analyse the tank factory going full production in background.
Exhibit:
https://twitter.com/mbk_center/status/1584561819787878401
But the same / similar tweet from many….
Posted by: Melaleuca | Oct 25 2022 0:47 utc | 41
Biswapriya Purkayast | Oct 24 2022 23:31 utc | 38
“……Time for an unfortunate accident to happen to MBS, apparently.”
There was an attempt to assassinate him in Las Vegas October 1, 2017.
There’s a reason that “mass casualty event” has been memory-holed.
You need to have been following the event in real time to know anything about it. There were photos of military clad “teams-of-six”, armed with Israeli Tavor weapons charging through hotel lobbies…. Doubt any can be easily found now….they were disappearing in real time even back then…
MBS will know who made the attempt….
[Revenge is a dish best served cold, it is said]
Posted by: Melaleuca | Oct 25 2022 0:57 utc | 42
"Foreign Policy magazine has two articles up which interested me, one on the Saudis needing a reality check, and another on Mexico’s dying democracy, how authoritarian it is under AMLO. On the surface it could seem like the same old, same old, but I think there is another message in here. Strong consolidated state in Mexico, and “such arrogance, presumption, and deceit have shattered the trust the United States once placed in the Saudi regime.” Not a kingdom, a regime."
Posted by: Bruised Northerner | Oct 24 2022 16:43 utc | 19
Yes, for FP it's the death of democracy when Mexicans elect a president who fully supports Mexico and its people, instead of yet another corrupt politico getting rich off narcos and oligarchs. LOL.
Small aside - I was much taken by Robert Michel's "Iron Law of Oligarchy." One could even say it underlies the entirety of today's decay and corruption of liberal democracies that we see all around us. It is actually very simple - for a democracy to function (as in, actually reflect the wishes or best interests of the people at large), the people's government must maintain power vastly exceeding any rival power center - banks, corporations, hereditary wealth, the military, etc. In this sense liberal democracies are a fraud, because they are so easy to subvert. May China, Russia, and now Mexico always be powerful enough to keep the people's interests at the fore. Purportedly Michel became a fascist. I would not go so far, but if your government is not more powerful than your oligarchs it is no democracy, no matter how many times you get to vote. Making government small enough to "strangle in a bathtub" is a surefire way to have oligarchs in control, not the people.
Posted by: TM | Oct 25 2022 1:42 utc | 43
@13
Biden doesn’t hate China.
He is in bed with China.
His son is.
Nearly every high ranking Democrat is/has been in bed with China.
Swalwell is literally in bed with China.
Feinstein has made millions with China.
One of the larger distinctions you’ll find in American politics,
Is that longtime pols in the US are hand in hand with China,
While Newcomers like Trump aren’t.
Posted by: Don T | Oct 25 2022 4:41 utc | 44
Richard Attias is the man who seduced Cecilia, the wife of the French president Nicolas Sarkozy, and got her to dump Nicolas mid-mandate. Unprecedented. He is a very shady operator.
Posted by: IdCov | Oct 25 2022 6:10 utc | 45
@ Don T | Oct 25 2022 4:41 utc | 45
“Trump = Russia” and “Biden = China”.
Sold to you.
Posted by: dfg | Oct 25 2022 11:14 utc | 46
@ JC - I would not get your panties in a twist over Indian PMs or CEO's
take a trip to India and tell me if you would want that mess writ large over the entire world because that is where we are headed
Russia = grotesquely corrupt
India = grotesquely corrupt
Saudi Arabia = grotesquely corrupt
Brazil = grotesquely corrupt
as bad as the west is (and it really needs to get its act together) they are much much worse
China is the only viable country
Posted by: abee | Oct 25 2022 11:24 utc | 47
I love how cutting oil production was the straw that broke the camel's back. Now U.S. Congress is gunning for the Saudis. We loved it when we sold them weapons to commit genocide in Yemen. They were doing God's work there.
But the U.S. boasts that unlike China, we respect sovereignty. Doesn't a country have the right to determine how much oil they produce?
Posted by: Christian Chuba | Oct 25 2022 13:19 utc | 48
Christian Chuba | Oct 25 2022 13:19 utc | 49
This is a petrodollar league game, Smokey. And tomorrow, the German nihilists come back and cut off your johnson.
Posted by: sippy the shot glass | Oct 25 2022 15:12 utc | 49
Great article, B.!
U.S. media is terrible and yet continuing to go downhill.
Let's talk about Prigozhin's alleged hard-right criticisms of Putin's war. What's wrong with the idea that that story was fed to U.S. intelligence by the FSB to give the U.S. the impression that Putin is under pressure to escalate? The idea here would be: don't push us (Russians) too hard, because long before we'll crumple we'll become much much worse. That's what I think anyway.
Posted by: GoFast | Oct 25 2022 15:18 utc | 50
@ GoFast | Oct 25 2022 15:18 utc | 51
you believe that shit? lolol...
Posted by: james | Oct 25 2022 15:39 utc | 51
#48 - abee; umm, compared to your scale, I wonder which hole you came up from? The USA is the most corrupt nation now, and your insinuations are weak to say the least. I had to guffaw at your post, so globalist is your fear. You named the BRICS as corrupt, but you are grotesquely wrong!
Posted by: Arcticman | Oct 25 2022 17:47 utc | 52
@ james
You asked if I "believe that shit?"
But, look at what I said " What's wrong with the idea that that story was fed to U.S. intelligence by the FSB...."
So, no. I don't believe the story. I am asking whether the story might have been invented by the Russians themselves.
Posted by: GoFast | Oct 25 2022 23:06 utc | 53
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I'm not sure when the Times was significantly different. they've been skating for decades on the Pentagon Papers, but how much of that was opposition to the establishment and how much was intra-establishment feuding. there is long time speculation that Nixon was brought down by the intel agencies via Watergate. i guess the Times is more blatantly the pr arm of the democratic party, now.
Posted by: pretzelattack | Oct 24 2022 11:42 utc | 1