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The current open thread for other issues is here.

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Only for news & views directly related to the war in Ukraine.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

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Last weeks posts on Moon of Alabama:

Empire:

• March 25 – Deterrence By Savagery
  Related:
  – Patrick Lawrence: Imperium: Decline on the Way to Fall – Scheerpost
  – Lethal Restraint – An investigation documenting police use of force – AP
  – NATO’s Proxy War Against Russia Was Always in Essence Terrorism – SCF
  – Money Transfers Proof That Crocus 'Terrorists For Hire' Followed Orders From Ukraine – Sputnik

• March 26 – Baltimore Bridge Incident
  Related:
  – High Pressure Gas Pipeline Halts Salvage of MV Dali – GCaptain
  – NTSB B-Roll – Hazardous Material Investigators and Engineers Aboard the Cargo Ship Dali (video) – NTSB
  – Dali Timeline from Data Recorder in Striking Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, March 26, 2024 (video) – What is Going on With Shipping?

• March 26 – New York Times Misreports Gaza UNSC Resolution
• March 28 – A Rogue U.S. Against The Rest Of The World
  Related:
  – Liberal Finger-Wagging At Netanyahu Is A Phony, Cynical Charade – Caitlin Johnstone
  – The Plan Is To Turn Palestine Into A Historical Footnote So It's Too Late To Save It – Caitlin Johnstone
  – UK government lawyers say Israel is breaking international law, claims top Tory in leaked recording – Guardian

  – Like the establishment of Israel, the ‘Red Heifer’ is yet another forced prophecy – MEMO
  – Reasons of State: Memory politics, U-Boats, Iran & the German-Israeli relationship – Adam Tooze

• March 29 – Ukraine SitRep: Syrski's Interview – Mobilizing – De-Energization
  Related:
  – Serving a Lost Gamble – Tarik Cyril Amar
  – A Polish general dies deep in Ukraine – Asia Times
  – Zelensky changes stance on talks with Russia – RT
  – Giving ATACMS to Ukraine no longer as risky, says Joint Chiefs chairman – Defense One

  – France Saves Europe. – Aurelian
  – Macron Wants to Run Europe’s Foreign Policy. Not Everyone Agrees  – SCMP
  – Zelenskyy fires more aides in a reshuffle as Russia launches drones and missiles across Ukraine – AP

• March 31 – Let's Go For A Easter Walk

—
Other issues:

Cont. reading: The MoA Week In Review – OT 2024-093

Easter echoes the eons old human festivity to celebrate the arrival of spring. The dark and cold days of winter are gone. The bright time of fertility has come.

Today's fertility symbols of Easter, the egg and the hare, relate to the old Germanic fertility goddess Eostre (Ostara). Another related goddess is Ishtar, a Mesopotamian representation of love, who stepped down into the underworld of death but was revived. The Christian resurrection of Jesus is probably a transformation of this older tale.

When the Christian message spread from its eastern Mediterranean origin its incorporation of old local gods and fables helped to convert the multi-theistic societies to the new monotheistic believe. The gods of the pre-Christian religions were not completely discarded but their tales were transformed to support the message the Christian preachers were spreading.

It is finally spring, the darkness has vanished and this is my favored holiday.

Happy Easter

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Please join me, Johann van Goethe and Dr. Faust on our traditional Easter Walk:

Cont. reading: Let’s Go For A Easter Walk

General Syrski, the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian army has given an interview to a Ukrainian media platform.

His description of the war seems overly optimistic:

The situation at the front is really difficult. However, it cannot be any different at the front. Undoubtedly, every day requires maximum effort from our soldiers and officers. But we not only are on the defensive, but also move forward in different directions every day. Recently, the number of positions we have returned exceeds the number of lost positions. The enemy did not manage to advance significantly in strategic areas, and his territorial gains, if any, are of tactical importance. We are monitoring this situation.

The various people who map the front lines seem to disagree with him.

February 1 2024

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March 29 2024

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More Syrski:

Cont. reading: Ukraine SitRep: Syrski’s Interview – Mobilizing – De-Energization

Ted Snider asks:

Is America a Rogue Superpower?

“Unipolar” used to mean that the United States was, at least in theory, alone in leading the world. Now “unipolar” means that the United States is alone and isolated in opposition to the world.

Snider refers to the recent UN Security Council resolution 2728 which "demands" a ceasefire in Gaza and "demands" a release of hostages and "demands" the unhindered supply of food and other items to Gaza.

The U.S. has claimed, falsely, that the resolution is not binding.

As Snider writes:

On March 25, the U.S. went one step further and took a step toward becoming a rogue state who has supplanted international law with its rules-based order. International law is grounded in the charter system and the United Nations and is universally applicable. The rules-based order is composed of unwritten laws whose source, consent, and legitimacy are unknown. To the global majority, those unwritten laws have the appearance of being invoked when they benefit the U.S. and its partners and not being invoked when they don’t.

On March 25, the Security Council passed a resolution demanding “an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire.” The resolution was able to pass because the U.S. stood aside and let the other fourteen Security Council members pass it by abstaining instead of vetoing.

But in her explanation of the American abstention after the resolution passed, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield “surprisingly” said that “we fully support some of the critical objectives in this nonbinding resolution.”

Her claim that the Security Council resolution was nonbinding was not an off script, impromptu comment. It is the strategy of a country that enforces, not international law, but the U.S. led rules-based order.

Arnaud Bertrand has added a similar thought:

Since the beginning, it's been obvious that Gaza was in many ways a fight between International Law and the US's "rules-based order".

This whole episode around the UN resolution is a perfect illustration of this. There is no debate amongst international law scholars that resolutions by the UN Security Council that "demand" certain actions are binding (good explanation by a legal scholar here). In fact resolutions by the council ARE international law, article 25 of the UN Charter clearly states: "The Members of the United Nations agree to accept and carry out the decisions of the Security Council in accordance with the present Charter."

Yet the US now argues that the "rule" is in fact different: "It's a non-binding resolution, so there's no impact at all on Israel".

Where is this rule written, that somehow when the UNSC "demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire", it's non-binding and "there's no impact at all" on the warring party?

Nowhere, that's the beauty of the rules-based order: the rules are made-up in the moment to fit the interests of the U.S. and its henchmen, depending on the circumstances.

The big issue here is that the whole world, literally, disagrees with the U.S. claims.

Snider again:

All UN Security Council resolutions are legally binding and have the status of international law. That is why UN Secretary General António Guterres said, “This resolution must be implemented. Failure would be unforgivable.” UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq explained that, “All the resolutions of the Security Council are international law. They are as binding as international laws.”

Others responded the same way to the U.S. claim. On behalf of the ten elected members of the Security Council who drafted the resolution, Pedro Comissario, Mozambique’s envoy to the United Nations, said, “All United Nations Security Council resolutions are binding and mandatory.” He then added, “It is the hope of the 10 that the resolution adopted today will be implemented in good faith by all parties.”

The United Kingdom also did “not share” the U.S. claim, prompting their envoy to the UN to say, “we expect all Council resolutions to be implemented. This one is not any different. The demands in the resolution are absolutely clear.” China, too, did not share the U.S. evaluation. “China’s U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun said Security Council resolutions are binding.”

France too rejects the U.S. claim and insists that UNSC Res 2728 is absolutely binding and especially binding for Israel:

"A United Nation Security Council resolution is binding under international law. All concerned parties MUST implement it, especially Israel, to whom it is incumbent to apply this resolution."

Russia has said similar:

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that UN Security Council Resolution 2728 on Gaza, which calls for an immediate cease-fire and access for humanitarian aid, is binding for all sides, including Israel.
…
"The Russian side expects that the binding UN Security Council Resolution 2728 will contribute to de-escalating violence in Gaza, including preventing the Israeli operation in Rafah, freeing hostages, (and) increasing humanitarian assistance to civilians in the sector," it said.

Four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – including two major U.S. allies -, all of its non-permanent members and the UN Secretary General have explicitly said that UNSC Res 2728 is binding.

The U.S. (plus maybe a few of its minor proxies) is the only state which publicly disputes that.

Bertrand points out that this will have huge consequences:

Cont. reading: A Rogue U.S. Against The Rest Of The World

Only for news & views directly related to the war in Palestine.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

Only for news & views directly related to the war in Ukraine.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

News & views (not related to the wars in Ukraine and Palestine) …

To no ones surprise the very same New York Times which relied on lying witnesses to falsely claim that Hamas had raped Israeli women is also lying about a ceasefire resolution for Gaza that yesterday passed the United Nations Security Council.

U.N. Security Council Calls for Immediate Cease-Fire in Gaza as U.S. Abstains

The United Nations Security Council on Monday passed a resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip during the remaining weeks of Ramadan, breaking a five-month impasse during which the United States vetoed three calls for a halt to the fighting.

The resolution passed with 14 votes in favor and the United States abstaining, which U.S. officials said they did in part because the resolution did not condemn Hamas. In addition to a cease-fire, the resolution also called for the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” and the lifting of “all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance.”

UNSC resolutions are legally binding documents under international law. They therefore use a very specific language. If the UNSC 'calls upon' someone to do something it is the legal equivalent of asking 'pretty please'. It has no real consequences.

However, UNSC Resolution 2728 which passed yesterday on a 14 to 0 vote with the U.S. abstaining, does not 'call upon' Israel or Hamas to do this or that.

It demands them to do something:

The Security Council, …
…
1. Demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a lasting sustainable ceasefire, and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs, and further demands that the parties comply with their obligations under international law in relation to all persons they detain;

2. Emphasizes the urgent need to expand the flow of humanitarian assistance to and reinforce the protection of civilians in the entire Gaza Strip and reiterates its demand for the lifting of all barriers to the provision of humanitarian assistance at scale, in line with international humanitarian law as well as resolutions 2712 (2023) and 2720 (2023); …

Soon after the resolution passed the U.S. falsely claimed that it is not legally binding:

Cont. reading: New York Times Misreports Gaza UNSC Resolution

As someone who lives in a harbor city I can feel a bit of the hurt that people in Baltimore will have over this:

Rescue workers scramble to save dozens after colossal Baltimore Key Bridge collapsed in moments when container ship crashed into it sending cars into the river.

There is video of the bridge collapse and a current live stream of the situation. The ship, a large container carrier under the flag of Singapore, is leaving the harbor. About a minute before the impact it suddenly changes course towards on of the bridge pillars. It then seems to experience a total blackout followed by the impact on the bridge pillar. After the pillar is pushed aside the whole bridge comes down.

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It seems that there were technical difficulties on board. Probably a primary rudder machine failure followed by difficulties to activate the secondary.

Cont. reading: Baltimore Bridge Incident

“The West won the world not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion (to which few members of other civilizations were converted) but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence. Westerners often forget this fact; non-Westerners never do.”

― Samuel P. Huntington, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order (1996)

Western colonialism began in the fifteenth century and ended, with a few exceptions, in the mid of the 20th century. It was enabled by the development of technologies and fast population growth. The West then changed to a new model of ruling the world. It talked about human values and human rights and certain rules that would allegedly enable everyone to enjoy those.

The facade did not hold up well. The West, and especially the U.S., abused the 'rules based order' by circumventing international law whenever it did not fit its interests. It continued to apply 'organized violence' under dubious circumstances. The wars against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan and Iraq were supposed to demonstrate that the West would uphold whatever rules it claimed to exist. But the wars were lost and the U.S. had to retreat from them.

The war in Ukraine is only the latest but most obvious demonstration that the 'rules based order' no longer exists:

Cont. reading: Deterrence By Savagery

Only for news & views directly related to the war in Palestine.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

Only for news & views directly related to the war in Ukraine.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

Last weeks posts on Moon of Alabama:

• March 18 – Selling A Predicted Behavior As Protest?
• March 22 – Russia. Is. At. War.
• March 23 – Media Snippets Related To The Crocus City Hall Attack
  Related:
  – Former Pentagon official: "Many more body bags" needed to achieve regime change in Russia – Dan Cohen, Jan 23 2023
  – How Ukraine became the unlikely home for Isis leaders escaping the caliphate – Independent, Nov 21 2019
  – Terrorist Attack in Moscow — Who Did it? – Larry Johnson, Mar 22 2024

  – “Crocus City Hall” attack in Moscow suburb and other important Russian news – Gilbert Doctorow, Mar 23 2024
  – Update on the ‘Crocus City Hall’ massacre – Gilbert Doctorow, Mar 23 2024
  – Full-Spectrum Psyop: US Whips Up Fear of Russian Bugaboo to ‘Subjugate Europe’ – Gilbert Doctorow / Sputnik, Mar 23 2024

• March 19 – Ukraine's Demographics Again Dictate To End The Fight
  Related:
  – Victoria Nuland: Farewell to the queen of US foreign policy disasters – MEE, Mar 22 2024
  – Europe dangerously deluded on Ukraine’s lost war – Stephen Bryen / Asia Times, Mar 22 2024
    NATO can’t save Ukraine from defeat and Europe’s leaders fear what happens next when that day inevitably arrives
  – The Attritional Art of War: Lessons from the Russian War on Ukraine – RUSI

• March 21 – New York Times Readers Are The Least Informed Ones
  Related:
  – October 7 – Al Jazeera Investigations (video) – Al Jazeerah Mar 20 2024
  – War on Gaza: Al Jazeera tells the 7 October story that British media will not – Peter Oborne / MEE, Mar 22 2024

  – U.S. Doubles Down on Defunding UNRWA — Despite Flimsy Allegations – Intercept, Mar 22 2024
  – Budget deal slashes U.S. funding for Palestinians’ U.N. lifeline – Washington Post, Mar 23 2024
  – Israeli war of starvation in Gaza kills Israeli captive: Abu Obeida – Al Mayadeen, Mar 23 2024

—
Other issues:

Cont. reading: The MoA Week In Review – OT 2024-087

Terrorist attack in Crocus: over 60 deaths, more than 100 wounded

MOSCOW, March 23. /TASS/. Unidentified people have conducted a terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk in the Moscow Region. According to the latest figures, more than 60 people were killed, and another 100 were wounded.

Gunmen kill more than 60 in concert attack near Moscow, Islamic State claims responsibility

MOSCOW, March 22 (Reuters) – Camouflage-clad gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons at concertgoers near Moscow on Friday, killing at least 60 people and injuring 145 in an attack claimed by Islamic State militants. In the deadliest attack in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege, gunmen sprayed civilians with bullets just before Soviet-era rock group “Picnic” was to perform to a full house at the 6,200-seat the Crocus City Hall just west of the capital.
…
Islamic State, the militant group that once sought control over swathes of Iraq and Syria, claimed responsibility for the attack, the group’s Amaq agency said on Telegram.
…
The United States has intelligence confirming Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for the shooting, a U.S. official said on Friday. The official said Washington had warned Moscow in recent weeks of the possibility of an attack.

“We did warn the Russians appropriately,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity, without providing any additional details.

Russia has yet to say who it thinks is responsible.

Cont. reading: Media Snippets Related To The Crocus City Hall Attack

Due to a flurry of western support for Ukraine, now escalating to ground troop insertions, Russia had to move its special military operation in Ukraine into the bigger scope of a full fledged war.

Over the last month the Ukrainian military intelligence directorate GUR and its civilian secret service SBU have attempted to disturb the recent presidential election in Russia. They did this by:

1. sending forces, with U.S. made equipment (Bradleys), to attack Russian border villages in the direction of Belgorod (Belgograd),
2. by launching missiles from Czech Vampire (RM-70) multiple launch rocket systems towards Belgorod,
3. by launching somewhat successful drone strike against Russian oil refineries.

The election in Russia saw a record turnout. As expected President Putin did win by a very large margin. His legitimacy is a geopolitical reality:

If Nato expansion is about the perpetuation of US hegemony and de-dollarisation is about the burial of the western financial system that underpins that hegemony, Putin is playing a pivotal role in that historical process. If Putin remains in power till 2030 and fulfils even one half of the ambitious blueprint of social and economic programme for Russia that he outlined in his landmark speech at the Federal Assembly of the parliament, the global strategic balance will have shifted irrevocably and cemented a multipolar world order as the anchor sheet of 21st century politics.

The West knows it, the Russian people know it, the vast majority of nations realise it. That said, it must be understood as well that this is not only Putin’s victory personally but also a consolidation of Russian society around him. And that accounts for the last week’s election turning into such a high-stakes affair.

With the election out of the way Russia was free to hit back.

Moon of Alabama @MoonofA – 13:24 UTC · Mar 20, 2024

Ru Ministry of Defense claims 1725 Ukrainian casualties over the last day (650 in Belgograd direction alone)
https://function.mil.ru/news_page/…

Over the last six days the Russian MoD reports claimed no less than nine hits on the Czech Vampire systems which targeted Belgorod.

The Ukrainian incursion towards Belgorod has thus been defeated.

On Wednesday Jake Sullivan, the U.S. National Security Advisor, had visited Kiev. He was noticed for what he did not say:

Cont. reading: Russia. Is. At. War.

One presumes that readers of a media institution which calls itself the 'paper of record' would be informed about an important issue which  in other media has for month led the headlines of the day.

Here are a few examples of such headlines:

• Israel announces ‘total’ blockade on Gaza – Al Jazeerah, Oct 9 2023
• Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of blocking aid in violation of UN court order – Lancashire Telegraph, Feb 26 2024
• Israel’s blocking of aid creating ‘apocalyptic’ conditions in Gaza – Al Jazeerah, Mar 7 2024
• Israelis block aid from reaching Gaza … – Daily Mail, Mar 9 2024
• Israel 'blocking aid getting into Gaza', Tory foreign affairs committee chief claims, as food begins to run out – LBC, Mar 9 2024
• Israel Gaza war: EU says starvation being used as a weapon – BBC, Mar 13 2024
• War on Gaza: UK committee head calls out Israeli spokesperson over aid blocking claims – MEE, Mar 16 2024
• Top EU official says Israel provoking famine by blocking aid into Gaza – Radio Havanna, Mar 18 2024
• Oxfam says Israel 'deliberately' blocking aid to Gaza – Manila Bulletin, Mar 18 2024
• UN agency chief says Israel blocked him from entering Gaza – AFP / Yahoo, Mar 18 2024
• Oxfam accuses Israel of ‘deliberately’ blocking aid to famine-stalked Gaza – Al Jazeerah / MSN, Mar 19 2024
• EU's Borrell says Israel is provoking famine in Gaza – Reuters / MSN, Mar 19 2024
• Israel continues blocking aid to Gaza despite ICJ genocide ruling – Ekklesia, Mar 21 2024

Israeli ministers, OXFAM, HRW, the UN, the EU and various other international organizations and politicians say that Israel is blocking aid to Gaza.

Everyone knows this.

Everyone but readers of the New York Times who have yet to receive that information.

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Only for them can such a headline make sense:

• Why Isn’t More Aid Getting to Gazans? – New York Times, Mar 20 2024

The piece tries to obfuscate the naked fact that screams from every other media by claiming that "its complicate".

Why would anyone pay to read such dreck?

Only for news & views directly related to the war in Palestine.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.

Only for news & views directly related to the war in Ukraine.

The current open thread for other issues is here.

Please stick to the topic. Contribute facts. Do not attack other commentators.