Bertrand Vayssière
Translated by Regan Kramer
Digital Encyclopedia of European History

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

Each part of what’s arguably Trump’s new three-phase strategy against Russia has its drawbacks.

Trump’s latest escalation against Russia took the form of imposing severe sanctions against its top two energy companies, canceling his planned meeting with Putin, and now declaring that they won’t meet again unless it’s to finalize a deal over Ukraine.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) wrote about the implications of his flip-flop here, insinuating that they presage an intensified US proxy war of attrition on Russia. The present piece will briefly explore what form this could take and its likelihood of success. The WSJ posits that...

“...The drone revolution…means that neither side is likely to make major territorial strides soon”, but left unsaid is that this is also due to continued NATO support for Ukraine, including the bloc’s purchase of US weapons at full price for transfer to there per the new scheme from last summer. Maintaining this de facto balance of drone and conventional forces, which is due to NATO’s indispensable support for Ukraine, is therefore the US’ top priority if wants to atrophy Russia’s strength with time.

Alexander Dugin
AGDchan (Telegram)

The end of humanity may be closer than we think.

Yesterday, with the push of a button, Elon Musk replaced the liberal-globalist Wikipedia (which took 25 years to create) with the neutral Grokipedia, and Jeff Bezos replaced 300,000 Amazon employees with Artificial Intelligence.

In addition, Musk has prepared an army of robots, and we can expect to see them on the battlefield as early as next spring.

Cyborgs and artificially modified animals are in development. Tomorrow, humans will be modified.

Both war and peace are undergoing rapid changes. Genetic research makes society an easy target for mass genocide, possibly with an ethnic component. Ethnic weapons have been created and can be used at any moment.

Mind control has reached unprecedented heights, with virtual reality replacing reality.

Liberalism was the last ideology to uphold the status quo, but it turned out to be completely nihilistic, destructive, and collapsed. It is useless to cling to it. It was largely responsible for creating this situation.

I believe that the convergence of threats could lead to total collapse not in decades, but in the coming years. According to statistical forecasts, collapse is much more likely than the continuation of existing trends in one form or another.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

It’s unrealistic to expect the US to maintain 500% tariffs on China and India for their purchase of Russian oil, which would also ruin its trade talks with them and derail the Ukrainian peace process.

Senator Lindsey Graham recently said that his bill to impose 500% tariffs on every country that imports Russian resources is “an economic bunker buster against China, India, and Russia”, yet for all his tough talk, the US is still reluctant to drop it.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump Administration is “quietly pressuring” the Senate to water down the legislation by “turn[ing] the word ‘shall’ into ‘may’ wherever it appears in the bill’s text, removing the mandatory nature of the prescribed reprimands”.

Their report was lent credence by Graham himself proposing an exemption for countries that aid Ukraine, thus averting an unprecedented US-EU trade war in the event that his bill passes into law. Trump’s remark to Politico in mid-June about how “sanctions cost us a lot of money” suggests that he’s not interested in going this route, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio later telling them that sanctions could derail the Ukrainian peace process, though he also didn’t rule them out in the future.

Moon of Alabama
Moon of Alabama (Blog)

One never know how serious Trump’s ‘leaked’ plans are. Their purpose often seem to be solely to increase pressure on opponents, to move things into a direction he likes. If that does not work the plans may just be discarded. Or may, just may, be carried out.

Venzuela is, as Politico points out, not known for drug trafficking. It does not have ‘cocaine facilities’. But it does have the largest oil reserves in the world. That has always made it a target for a U.S. regime-change operations.

But Venezuela is also a huge country double the size of Iraq with a mountainous and often densely wooded countryside. The U.S. military is unable to invade, occupy and control it.

Harold Turner
Hal Turner Show

As of this evening at 6:13 PM eastern US time, I can CONFIRM that hours ago, Russia formally began a call-up of their Reserve Army forces. At this hour, I do not yet know how many; but Russia has 1.5 Million in Reserve.

Things are happening very quickly now on many levels. I am guessing it's connected to the October 21 bombings conducted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

What is special about these bombings? Well the AFU were utilizing targeting data from and authorized by U.S. European Command (EUCOM), and carried out a strike using several “Storm Shadow/SCALP-EG” Air-Launched Cruise Missiles against the Bryansk Chemical Plant in Western Russia. One of the largest producers of gunpowder, explosives, and rocket fuel components for the Russian Armed Forces.

Monday’s strike against Russia, is one of the, if not the, first carried out by Ukraine since authority for supporting such attacks was recently transferred from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon to Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme NATO Allied Commander Europe, in early October.

Overall | With the US apparently cancelling a Summit Meeting between Trump and Putin in Budapest, and with targets deep inside Russia now being hit by Ukraine, things do not bode well for peace.

Evgeniya Chernova
topwar.ru

The foreign press is discussing Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent comments on the possible supply of Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine. Commenting on this scenario, President Putin said the following:

Now they are thinking. And they are thinking about what Russia's response might be.

The German press has drawn attention to Donald Trump's acknowledgment that Tomahawk strikes can only be carried out by the US military. This means that if Tomahawk missiles are delivered to Ukraine, the US will take direct responsibility for such strikes, no matter what they try to say later about “Ukrainian military personnel trained to use American weapons.” The US president has made it clear that the Pentagon has no intention of training anyone to operate Tomahawks. At least in the near future.

Accordingly, German experts believe that Russia's “stunning response” will target not only Ukraine, but also the United States, as a participant in the supply of weapons and strikes against Russia. Among the possible responses from Moscow, the “Iranian option” is being considered, when the Islamic Republic struck US military bases in the region several times, including military bases in Iraq. As we know, this did not lead to a nuclear response from the US.

Esha Krishnaswamy
Thomas Fazi's Blog (Substack)

Opposition leader Péter Magyar’s agenda is clear: to fully reconcile with Brussels, including adopting the euro and severing ties with Russia. This would amount to national suicide

When he first came to power in 1998, prime minister Viktor Orbán was hailed as a hero by the West, which included receiving the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom for his commitment to democracy. He oversaw Hungary’s entrance into NATO. He also enacted austerity measures for the West. But all of that changed when he was re-elected in 2010.

Viktor Orbán’s first rift with the powers-that-be in Brussels and Washington came with the cancellation of the Central European University, an educational institution funded by the legendary George Soros. Soros and his many non-profits have worked to undermine sovereignty and interfere in elections worldwide. They funded many political parties and news media in Ukraine before the horrific events of Maidan in 2014.

In 2017, the Hungarian parliament passed a law stating that for foreign universities to operate in Hungary, they must also be a qualified institution in their home country and offer similar degree programmes. Of course, the Central European University, which offered a plethora of non-degree programmes, has no counterpart in the United States.

Later, China’s Fudan University took over the project, further enraging the powers-that-be in the West. At this time, a plethora of hysterical articles calling Orbán “non-democratic” and “authoritarian” started being published in a variety of Western newspapers such as the New York Times and Politico.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

The West already turned Ukraine, Armenia, and Moldova into anti-Russian states while stirring trouble in its ties with Azerbaijan and eagerly eyeing Central Asian leader Kazakhstan so the loss of Belarus would practically complete Russia’s strategic encirclement.

The Guardian published a piece about the aims of the West’s incipient US-led rapprochement with Lukashenko, which amounts to an attempt to tempt him into rebalancing Belarus’ ties with Russia through closer cooperation with the West.

It was assessed here over the summer that he’s unlikely to split with Putin, especially not after the West tried to coup him half a decade ago and Russia since gave Belarus tactical nukes, which Lukashenko confirmed in early August’s interview with Time Magazine.

Nevertheless, while his intentions shouldn’t be doubted after he proved his loyalty to Russia throughout the course of the special operation and the associated pressure that the West placed upon Belarus, this doesn’t mean that the West still won’t try to mislead him into drifting closer towards its camp. To be sure, the “EU Defense Line” that’s being built along the bloc’s border with Belarus (and Russia) resembles a “new Berlin Wall” as his Foreign Minister described it, which could impede cooperation.

At the same time, however, the US could leverage the sway that it wields over Poland to offer Belarus security guarantees against the future aggression that Lukashenko fears from it.

Harold Turner
Hal Turner Show

Trump's demand to divide Donbass by halting combat at the present front line, is UNACCEPTABLE to Russia.

Repeatedly, Russian President Putin "named the conditions for the cessation of hostilities at the start of negotiations with Kyiv. "Ukrainian troops must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk, Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions."

Pres Vladimir Putin, in a telephone conversation with Donald Trump, called Russia's full control over the DPR a condition for ending the conflict, according to American media.

The idea of dividing Russia's historical regions has been repeatedly rejected by Moscow. So, in June of last year, at a meeting with the leadership of the Foreign Ministry, Putin named the conditions for the cessation of hostilities and the start of negotiations with Kyiv. Putin stressed:

💬 "Ukrainian troops must be completely withdrawn from the Donetsk, Lugansk People's Republics, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. Moreover, I draw your attention to the fact that it is from the entire territory of these regions within their administrative borders, which existed at the time of their entry into Ukraine."

💬 "As soon as Kiev declares that it is ready for such a decision, and begins the real withdrawal of troops from these regions, as well as officially notifies about the rejection of plans to join NATO, our side will immediately, literally at the same minute, be ordered to cease fire and start negotiations. I repeat: we will do this immediately. Naturally, at the same time, we guarantee the unhindered and safe withdrawal of Ukrainian units and formations."

Sonja van den Ende
Strategic Culture Foundation

Europe is losing its old values; the ancient Greeks would turn in their graves if they saw how “democracy” is practiced by the EU.

Europe is losing its old values; the ancient Greeks would turn in their graves if they saw how “democracy” is practiced by the current incompetent leaders of the EU and its member states. The fact is that members of the European Parliament are not elected directly by the people; only the national parliaments of the EU member states are—and even that is questionable due to the massive election fraud witnessed recently. The EU is staging coups d’état in the style of the “color revolutions” it learned from its mentor, the United States, as seen in Romania, for example. Similar attempts have also been made in Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, and, most recently, Moldova.

What the elites once called “democracy” has been entirely eroded; nothing of it remains today. Democracy literally means demos (people) and krateo (to rule)—translated, it is “the rule of the people.” Today, we are witnessing the loss of this very value, which the elites now exploit to justify their fascist actions.

I would compare this to the term “antisemitic,” a word Israel uses against its enemies, particularly the Arabs, or rather the Palestinians. Yet, all peoples in the Middle East are Semitic, including the Israelis themselves.^[*] Therefore, to insult their “brother peoples,” the Arabs, by labeling them “antisemitic” is completely devoid of context.

Returning to the European Union: the false flags, accusations, and ill-conceived plans are arriving in rapid succession. Many of these initiatives were, for all intents and purposes, already in motion. Consider, for instance, the absurd proposal to construct a “drone wall” against Russian threats. However, since 2022, new walls have already been under construction in the Baltic states, Finland, and Poland. The physical barriers are already in place, and the establishment of a complementary drone defense system is likely well advanced. According to the EU and NATO—and as stated by Ursula von der Leyen—it is projected to be completed by 2026.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

His arrogant and aggressive behavior towards Russia, India, and China is responsible for this.

The global systemic transition to multipolarity is nowadays proceeding along a different trajectory than before due to recent shifts in the international system. Up until this point, Trump 2.0 sought resource and military partnerships with Russia and India respectively that could decelerate China’s superpower rise, which would then make it the junior partner in any “G2”/“Chimerica” deal. His Eurasian balancing act has failed, however, due to his arrogant and aggressive approach towards all three countries.

Ties with Russia took a hit after the Anchorage Summit following increasingly concerning reports about US plans to support NATO troops in Ukraine, thus spooking Putin into abandoning his country’s own Eurasian balancing act by pivoting to China. This took the form of the legally binding deal that was just clinched for constructing the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline. The US’ envisaged resource-centric partnership with Russia, which aimed to entice concessions on Ukraine, is now much less likely.

As for India, ties worsened during its springtime clashes with Pakistan, which saw Trump favor Pakistan and even lie about India agreeing to an alleged US-mediated ceasefire. The US then hypocritically imposed punitive tariffs on India over its continued trade with Russia despite eschewing such for China and others. All the while, Trump viciously insulted India too. Concluding that he’s hellbent on derailing its rise as a Great Power, India swiftly patched up its problems with China and distanced itself from the US.

With Russia pivoting to China via Power of Siberia 2 amidst the Sino-Indo rapprochement, the resource and military means for decelerating China’s superpower rise through partnerships with them were neutralized, thus leading to any “G2”/“Chimerica” deal now being in China’s favor instead.

Larry C. Johnson
Sonar21

According to an article [archive.today] published in the British newspaper, The Guardian, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson received a $1 million dollars the year he left office from a man who had a strong financial incentive to keep the war going in Ukraine. According to The Guardian:

The documents proving Johnson’s shady connections to Harborne were hacked (aka purloined) by Distributed Denial of Secrets and can be found here. According to the documents, the relationship between Johnson and Harborne has quite a history.

Christopher Harborne (also known as Chakrit Sakunkrit in Thailand) is a Thai-based British businessman, technology investor, and major political donor. He is the largest single shareholder in QinetiQ, a UK defense firm supplying drones and robotics to Ukraine, and holds stakes in cryptocurrency ventures like Digifinex (parent of Bitfinex and Tether).

His relationship with Boris Johnson, former UK Prime Minister (2019–2022), is primarily that of a financial backer and personal associate, marked by a record £1 million donation and close collaboration post-Johnson’s resignation. This has fueled speculation about influence-peddling, especially regarding Ukraine policy, amid leaked Boris Files documents.

Martin Jay
Strategic Culture Foundation

Ursula von der Leyen’s political identity – and her vision of the role of the EU – are more and more in line with Nazi Germany.

Things are getting a bit out of hand in Brussels as the elite panic like never before. Now they’re talking about shooting down the Slovakian PM’s own plane. Just can’t make this shit up.

Previous disparaging comments about the past of European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and her grandparents’ role in the second world war might have seemed truculent by Russian commentators. And yet, as each month passes, we seem to be witnessing VDL’s political identity – and her vision of the role of the EU – more and more in line with Nazi Germany. The total annihilation of the free press in Brussels was not her doing, as she inherited the draconian system when she took office. But her efforts to broaden the silencing of journalists right across Europe is telling as it becomes even more an act of desperation to stamp out any free and feral reporting while her own team are pumping out these entirely fake narratives every day. The Russians are planning on invading Baltic states. Russia is the new threat to a democratic Europe. And the latest blag, EU is a bastion of peace and democracy “which doesn’t invade other countries”.

The lies and hypocrisy are at an all-time high and so it seems fitting that the draconian measures of arresting or detaining journalists, like Chay Bowes attempting to cover the Romanian elections, is understandable.

And yet there is no evidence at all to back up the preposterous claim that Moscow has eyes set on invading Baltic countries; there is also no evidence to back up the claim that Russia is the real threat to European democracy, which, in fact is being destroyed each day by the EU and its elites themselves. And as for the EU being this example of a peaceful trading bloc which doesn’t have any intention of attacking its own members… that might have been true. Until now.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

The “race of logistics” between Russia and NATO, which is presently unfolding in the context of their proxy war in Ukraine, will continue even after the conflict ends.

Britain, France, Germany, and Poland are usually the first countries to come to mind among those who discuss NATO’s "containment of Russia," but the Netherlands and Belgium are quickly becoming important too.

Rotterdam Port’s chief executive told the Financial Times in mid-summer that space will be reserved for ships carrying military supplies at NATO’s request and that one or more ships “would be docked at the quay for several weeks, four or five times a year.” This will also be coordinated with Antwerp Port. Rotterdam and Antwerp are Europe’s two largest ports so this isn’t an insignificant move.

Moreover, the Netherlands is a founding member of the “military Schengen” that was agreed to with Germany and Poland in early 2024 for facilitating the movement of troops and equipment. Therefore, these moves are very clearly meant to facilitate the movement of US troops and equipment to Russia’s borders in the event of a crisis, thus leading to the Netherlands and Belgium playing crucial roles in "containing" it.

Bryan Anthony Reo
New Eastern Outlook

US President Donald Trump stated that a decision to supply Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine has been practically made. However, he did not explain what this decision entails and emphasized that he does not seek to escalate the situation.

President Donald Trump has recently said,

President Trump is a smart and savvy businessman; he must refuse to be reckless or naïve. He has to know where the Kiev regime will send the Tomahawks, against targets deep inside Russia, probably against strategic/nuclear assets and civilian/political targets, in what would be a major escalation. This must not be allowed to happen. Trump should show the world he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize and resist and refuse this escalation no matter the pressure coming from his deep state advisers.

In classic and textbook Trump style, President Donald Trump has essentially made it clear he has decided to furnish Tomahawks to Ukraine, with the caveat he is concerned about where/how the Ukrainians will use the missiles.

Donald Trump, while very intelligent, is not exactly a classically educated intellectual; he is a businessman and a negotiator. He is savvy at making deals and understanding situations. If a real estate developer were to express interest in buying seemingly worthless swampland in Louisiana or Florida, it would stand to reason the developer has an angle and a plan to develop.

Leo Hohmann
LeoHohman.com

After first denying Ukraine's request for long-range Tomahawk missiles, President Trump now concedes he has 'sort of' changed his mind, with only a few details on targets left to be worked out.

President Trump said Monday he has “sort of made a decision” on sending long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine for use against Russia.

Tomahawks can strike targets deep inside Russia, including Moscow. As you can see from the above graphic, the Tomahawk missile has a range more than five times that of the previously most lethal U.S. weapon sent to Ukraine, the ATACMS. Going from ATACMS to Tomahawks is no small step in the escalation of this war.

Trump was asked about it by a reporter Monday and you can watch his response here. He said...

What Trump seems to be saying here is that he’s approved the transfer of Tomahawks to Ukraine, but he’s just working out the details about targets the Ukrainians will be allowed to hit with these low-flying cruise missiles.

It’s absolutely chilling that a president can so casually and nonchalantly announce such a major step toward war with a rival nuclear-armed superpower like Russia and nobody in Congress or the media even questions him about the potential ramifications of such a decision.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

The Czech elections are important because they represent the spread of the “Orban model” further across Central Europe, which provides the domestic basis for gradually reviving the Visegrad Group

Populist-nationalist politician Andrej Babis is poised to return to the premiership after his party’s victory in the latest elections. They lack a majority but are expected to build a coalition with some of the smaller parties that share their worldview.

This is a major development since Czechia has been under liberal-globalist control since Babis lost re-election in 2021, and although former high-level NATO official Petr Pavel is still president, the prime minister has more power. Here’s why his return is so important:

1. Czechia Might Soon Move To The Right On Socio-Cultural Issues

The coalition that he’s expected to build with smaller like-minded parties could push him closer to the right on socio-cultural issues due to their more hardline views. One of Reuters’ media platforms is very concerned about this scenario and warned that “Czech vote puts same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ rights in the balance”. According to their assessment, he might seek to draft his own version of Hungary’s anti-LGBT propaganda bill and/or enshrine two genders in the constitution like neighboring Slovakia just did.

2. It’ll Also Likely Implement A More Pragmatic Policy Towards Ukraine

The era of Czechia providing maximum political-military support for Ukraine might soon be over if Babis’ post-election comments are anything to go by. He declared that it’s not ready to join the EU and strongly suggested cutting off military-technical aid too. The latter could see Czechia disband the Western initiative that it leads for scouring the world for ammo for Ukraine or transferring control of it to NATO, either of which could lead to supply disruptions that weaken the front, according to the New York Times.

3. The “Orban Model” Could Therefore Prove Its Applicability In the Region

If Babis behaves as expected on the domestic and foreign policy fronts, then this would prove the applicability of the so-called “Orban model” in Central Europe. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico’s return to office in October 2023 saw him promptly following in his Hungarian counterpart’s footsteps, but some observers questioned whether this was really the start of a trend. All doubts would be dispelled if Babis did the same, which would confirm the relevance of this model to the region.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin
President of Russia (en.kremlin.ru)

Vladimir Putin took part in the plenary session of the 22nd annual meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club.

Research Director of the Foundation for Development and Support of the Valdai International Discussion Club Fyodor Lukyanov: Ladies and gentlemen, guests of the Valdai Club!

We are beginning the plenary session of the 22nd annual forum of the Valdai International Discussion Club. It is a great honour for me to invite President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to this stage.

Mr President, thank you very much for once again finding time to join us. The Valdai Club enjoys this great privilege of meeting with you for 23 consecutive years to discuss the most topical issues. I believe that no one else is that lucky.

The 22nd meeting of the Valdai Club, which took place over the past three days, was titled “The Polycentric World: Instructions for Use.” We are attempting to move from merely understanding and describing this new world to practical matters: that is, comprehending how to live in it, since it is not yet entirely clear.

We may consider ourselves advanced users, but we are still only users of this world. You, however, are at least a mechanic and perhaps even an engineer of this very polycentric world order, so we eagerly await some guidelines for use from you.

Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

It’s highly suspicious that Zelensky just claimed without any evidence that they were launched by Russian tankers and subsequently demanded that Europe close the straits to its shipping in response.

Unknown drones recently flew in close proximity to Danish and Norwegian airports, prompting speculation among some that they were Russia’s delayed hybrid retaliation against NATO for backing Ukraine’s drone flights in proximity to Russia’s own airports over the past few years. No evidence has emerged in support of that hypothesis, but Zelensky still dishonestly passed off such claims as fact during his speech at the latest Warsaw Security Forum.

According to him, “there is growing evidence that Russia may have used tankers in the Baltic Sea to launch drones – the drones that caused major disruption in Northern Europe. If tankers used by Russia are serving as drone platforms, then such tankers should not be free to operate in the Baltic. This is de facto Russia’s military activity against European countries, so Europe has the right to close straits and sea routes to protect itself.”

His proposal for NATO to close the Danish Staits to Russian shipping on this pretext, which would amount to an illegal blockade that could thus legitimize offensive action by Russia in self-defense, was predictable given Ukraine’s and some of its patrons’ interest in escalating the bloc’s tensions with Russia. In fact, it might even be the case that this was the false flag that Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service twice warned could soon be staged by the UK and Ukraine, albeit ultimately taking a different form.

They assessed that those two might orchestrate potentially forthcoming provocations in the Baltic that would then be blamed on Russia in order to justify cracking down on its sanctioned energy trade that the West dramatically describes as being conducted by a “shadow fleet” transiting through that sea. While no US ship was targeted with Ukrainian-transferred Soviet/Russian torpedoes nor were such mines fished out of the Baltic, Scandinavia’s Russian drone scare still arguably fulfills the same role.