February
10, 2018
Russian
President places flowers at memorial in Stalingrad, Feb. 2018
The
swamp, which Trump promised to drain, turned out to be a quagmire. Some swamp
creatures have emerged returning to lofty perches, while other remnants of the
imperial governing class of America are slowly and inexorably swallowed.
For
a year we have seen one after another swamp creature disappear into the
quagmire now consuming members of both the Trump team and members of the
opposition. As victims’ flounder deeper in political and legal peril only
bubbles remain as they squirm and sink from view.
But
the American people, accustomed to consuming current events mainly through
television programming, need to have both comforting and frightening images, so
that their worldview is only minimally disturbed.
Comforting
– in order to convince the public that American politicians they admire are
pure as lambs, devoted day and night to tirelessly caring for their welfare.
And, able to protect the country from terrible enemies – real or imagined.
Frightening
– in order to justify the monstrous expenditure on armaments, fueling wars that
are increasingly perceived as permanent, and fought against enemies now shown
as fake.
The
machinery needed to manufacture propaganda has been in place for centuries, but
the tools have never been better. False flag attacks turned public
attention in 1895 to Spanish imperialism in Cuba, in 1915 to German aggression
in Europe, and in 1941 to Japanese threats in the Pacific. Without these
pivotal events Americans would have likely been content to sit out the Spanish
American War, and two World Wars of the 20th century.
What
has changed now is that shocking single events are not alone sufficient to lure
the exceptional nation into launching campaigns against enemies of
freedom. With 9/11, as the new Pearl Harbor so eloquently predicted by
PNAC, Americans have been bombarded by persistent propaganda about
“terrorists,” all from the Muslim world. This fake narrative has been
used to systematically strip Americans of privacy, promote religious bigotry
against Islam, and justify mass killing of innocent people throughout the
world. All based on lies.
Americans
began to realize our government, or rouge elements inside it, created the very
enemies our politicians and military label “terrorists.” It began with
Yugoslavia, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan and spread to Syria where now the defeated
US proxy army is surrounded with their US soldier comrades confined and unable
to operate freely.
Having
lost Syria and with little hope of exerting influence in the Middle East for
generations ahead, propaganda attacks are turning from Islamic terrorists to
more dangerous and menacing targets.
According
to a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, 74% of Americans are still convinced
Islamic terrorists pose a real threat, but are now told Russia is meddling in
our elections after they invaded Ukraine and stole Crimea. According to
the Pew survey, the number two threat cited by respondents, was that 71% of
Americans are alarmed by cyberattacks from other countries.
Like
media messages in the last century, daily broadcast propaganda disguised as
breaking news lays groundwork for war on Russia. Hybrid warfare already
includes sanctions, cyber measures, and positioning troops at Russian
frontiers. Hyper warfare takes the form of electronic surveillance in the
Black Sea or other waters, countered by Russian disruption of NATO operations.
What
could be more terrible than the Russian threat in this game? And what can be
more comforting for the supporters of the party that lost the last election,
than the sensational finding about the interference by Russians in the holiest
of American democratic sacraments – our elections?
Since
the horror called “the Russians are coming” has been going on for more than 70
years, we see now a particularly acute attack of paranoia of the American
political machine.
It’s
time to remind those generals and politicians who may soon face a straitjacket,
that Russia does not need to interfere in the elections in the US.
Russians, you see, have no illusions about the values and
strategic priorities of the two leading parties of the United States.
There
are also no illusions about the possibility for these parties to continue their
political future because neither has a clue about policies needed to get
America back on track – and actually great again. Whoever won the election, in
the situation in which the country is today, an urgent search for the enemy is
a matter of concern.
Undoubtedly,
Trump gave more hope for warming relations with other countries, since his
baggage was not burdened by a mysterious uranium deal, or by thousands of
urgently erased e-mails, nor by a grim history with the death of the US
ambassador to Libya.
In
big politics, Trump was as pure as a virgin. He looked more peaceful, because
he did not, as Clinton did, promise to wipe Russia off the face of the earth in
pre-election speeches.
However,
Trump’s inexperience in geopolitical processes, the driving force of the modern
world, and his visible loneliness in the environment of predatory Washington
insiders, led to a palpable aggravation of all significant areas of
cooperation. Even simple mutual understanding between the two powers on
Embassy property, travel visas, and sports and cultural exchanges became too
difficult to resolve.
If
you compare what happened during the Second World War, that is, historical
parallels, they provide food for thought. Wall Street, disappointed in the
failure of Trotsky, who lost the war with Stalin, created a new monster –
Hitler, whose main goal was to destroy the USSR and Stalin. Those were times
when Roosevelt and Stalin met, had long talks, united their efforts and won
together.
ISIS,
created to plunge the Middle East into chaos, was created by heirs of the same
empire that gave the world Hitler. Russia, which survived a lot of suffering
from various revanchists, intervened in the Syrian war to kill the evil hydra
in the bud.
Recently,
on February 2, 2018, Russia celebrated the day of the great victory in the
battle for Stalingrad. With a military parade and salutes descendants of the
greatest Russian generation paid tribute to their hero’s.
This
battle was a turning point in the sacred war of Russians for their freedom and
homeland. The memory of that battle is necessary not only for the Russians, but
for those who today plan to teach Russians a lesson for their disobedience, the
courage to follow their own path.
Seventy-five
years ago, the Battle for Stalingrad ended with complete victory of the Red
Army. Over 200 days and nights more than 2 million soldiers died. This was the
most massive and bloody battle in the history of wars. The biblical Armageddon
was a skirmish by comparison.
The
main motto of the battle was the order No. 227 of the Supreme
Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin, “Not a step back!” Stalingrad was attacked by
the German 6th Army under the leadership of General Paulus. The main strike
force was the 4th Panzer Army. August 23, 1942 was the first bombing of the
city which resulted in the death of 40,000 civilians. This is more than in any
city during the war, until Dresden in 1945 where the US Air Force and the
British RAF firebombing killed over 80,000 civilians.
For
a month, 50,000 bombs were dropped on the city. The total power of all the
bombs dropped by the Germans at Stalingrad was equivalent to the power of five
nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
September
13, 1942, the first attack on the city began with Paulus’s army twice as large
as Russian defenders, especially his superiority of tanks at 6 times the
Soviets.
By
October 6, 1942, 5 of the 7 districts of Stalingrad were captured by the
Germans as Soviet troops retreated to within 200 meters of the Volga River. The
shore of the Volga was critical to Soviet defenses as the river allowed
resupply of critical supplies.
“For
us beyond the Volga there is no land!” – the words of a Russian sniper became
the call to heroic defense. Soviet soldiers stood to death as they defended
every house and every street. The now iconic Pavlov’s house was designated as a
citadel on the field map of Paulus. It became a stronghold, an ordinary
four-story residential building, because the real heroes defended it. After the
war, the house was the very first rebuilt, and the mill of Gerhardt, the
building next door, was left untouched as a memory of that war.
By
early November, the strength of the Paulus army was depleted. Forces for the
attack were no more. The Germans went on the defense.
On
November 30, 1942, the Germans were surrounded. The Soviet Army “Ring” plan was
entrusted to the troops of the Don Front, under leadership by General
Rokossovsky.
Soviet
soldiers had trapped fully 330,000 German soliders inside a ring. Still, the
German army had 4,000 artillery guns, and 300 tanks.
On
January 10, the Don Front launched an offensive, squeezing the ring from all
sides. Hitler forbade Paulus to capitulate. Instead, wishing to support the
spirit of the army, Hitler awarded Paulus the title of Field Marshal. A lover
of Veuve Clicquot Champagne, Paulus managed to celebrate his appointment. But,
later the same day, January 31, 1943, Paulus surrendered with his staff.
On February 2, 1943, General Rokossovsky reports to Stalin on the final victory
in the Battle for Stalingrad.
The
losses of the Wehrmacht amounted to 1.5 million people, the Soviet Army lost
643,800 people. Civilians were partially evacuated, but several tens of
thousands remained in the city to continue working in workshops at the tank
plant, and in preparing ammunition. Often people worked directly on the
battlefield. All houses in the city were destroyed by bombs and artillery, so
people lived in basements and in underground infrastructure. It was an
unthinkable act of mass heroism.
The
archives preserved the memory of the glorious days of the joint struggle
against fascism of the USSR, the USA, and European allies. President Roosevelt
sent Stalin a telegram of congratulations.
On
behalf of the British people, Churchill presented Stalin an engraved sword once
belonging to King George V.
At
the Tehran Conference November 29, 1943, Churchill handed Stalin the sword of
King George V as a sign of the British admiration of the courage shown by the
defenders of Stalingrad. The inscription on the blade: “To the residents of
Stalingrad, whose hearts are strong as steel”
What
has happened over the years, that now NATO views Russia in the sight of its
missiles, fighters, and frigates? Russia sacrificed its empire-the USSR, in
order to enter the fraternity of democratic countries, gave practically all the
territory the Red Army secured as a buffer, allowed the unification of East and
West Germany, withdrew its troops from East Germany, and dissolved the Warsaw
Pact – all without a single shot.
But
what she has received? The terrible tragedy of the 90s, the agony of the
plundered country, the transformation of the native sister Ukraine into the
rotting ulcer of resurgent fascism, a dense ring of NATO troops around the
borders of Russia.
What
do generals and politicians hope for in the planned war against Russia? That the
Russians are weak in spirit now? They have no desire to protect their land and
freedom? If they looked at the social networks and saw what the Russians are
writing about the Battle for Stalingrad, perhaps this would have somewhat
sobered their violent heads.
Memories
of grandfathers, what they had to experience at the front during those 200 days
and nights, the memories of older men about childhood, when they lived in the
villages occupied by the fascists. It is interesting that in these
memories there is no hatred of the invaders, there is only surprise that there
can be such inhumanity in people as Germans displayed in their assault on
Russians.
Pride,
for Russian people, capable of such an act of bravery. I think all the NATO
generals and politicians who decide strategic tasks need to visit the city of
Stalingrad (now Volgograd), see the mill of Gerhardt, visit the Mamayev Hill,
where two years after the battle, even the grass did not grow, so much blood
soaked in the ground … Because those who forget the past, are doomed to relive
it.
Russia
has learned the main lesson from the history of World War II: the ideology of
fascism, declaring one nation or race exceptional, is misanthropic and
generates wars and other forms of violence. What do Russians see in the policy
of its former ally, the US? Declaring themselves an exceptional nation, the US
unleashed endless wars and destroyed many countries.
Ukraine
took the path of destroying its own Russian-speaking population only because
the citizens of Donbass did not want to abandon the Russian language. Of
course, the Kiev junta has other far-reaching plans for Russians and
Russian-speaking citizens of the country, but the reason for the start of
military operations lasting now into its fourth year was precisely Russian
language.
But
the policy of the Kiev junta was actively supported by the United States not
only with words, but with deeds – military instructors, arms deliveries,
financial and information support – and, of course donuts delivered by the US
State Department.
The
atmosphere of revelry of fascist elements in modern Ukraine is especially
painful for veterans of the Great Patriotic War. Ukrainian soldiers, as part of
the Red Army, fought against the fascists. And today they are forbidden to
celebrate the Day of the Great Victory on May 9, the monuments of the great
generals of the Red Army are demolished, the communal graves of Soviet soldiers
are desecrated.
However,
the most terrible manifestation of the revelry of fascism in modern Ukraine is
that part of the population is declared sub-human. The policy of de-humanizing
to justify future crimes is a well-known tactic of Hitler’s ideologists.
But
we see today parallels with this policy in modern America. The trial of the
rapist and the murderer of a young Iraqi girl showed that the American
mercenary was trained to perceive Iraqi civilians as subhuman, so they could
resort to any brutal measures, including rape of girls and murder.
Why
did the events in the Crimea and Russian actions on the peninsula become a
complete surprise for the US? As Major General William Hicks admits, the loss
of the Crimea is the result of a strategic mistake by the expert community.
“Unfortunately, the US Army has a bad habit of not knowing how advanced its
opponents are.”
Hicks
added – Success in Operation Desert Storm is not the norm! The usual experience
is the battle for the Kasserin Pass in North Africa, a major defeat for the US
Army from the Wehrmacht in 1944. ”
General
Hicks does not even realize that Operation Desert Storm is also not a success.
It was with this operation that the rapid fall of the international prestige
and authority of the United States began.
The
world saw how the United States can destroy a whole country, based on false
evidence presented at the United Nations by Colin Powell, to kill two million
civilians, to plunder libraries and museums, and all for the selfish interests
of oil and other corporations, and of course, Zionists.
The
ideological basis for this aggression was practically nazi: this country needs
to be punished. To do this, it is necessary to declare Saddam Hussein a
dictator (as Stalin used to be) and hang him. The target population was deemed
subhuman, so it was done.
But,
other lessons are here as well. The heroism and sacrifice Russians showed at
Stalingrad may again be required in battles yet to be fought. The future
battleground is likely to include whole nations, including the homeland of the
United States.
Hyper
warfare will not require massive invading armies themselves vulnerable to
defeat by heroic patriotic military and civilian defenders. Aerial assault on
population centers and critical infrastructure, by remote control warriors
aided by artificial intelligence, pose more catastrophic danger to the
homeland.
This
threat, by rouge nations, terrorists, and anyone else, as Trump declared in his
State of the Union address, places greater importance on defense and
diplomacy. Trump’s vision sadly fails to mention diplomacy, and seemingly
leaves American defense to its legacy fallback strategy – mutually assured
destruction, by simply updating nuclear weapons.
If
American war planners count on qualified Russian resistance, they can look at
the spirit of Stalingrad for answers. If war planners count on destabilizing
cyberwar attacks to disrupt social cohesion, they can look how Russians
recovered from shock therapy in the 1990’s. And, if these same planners rely on
Russian myopic memory, they can listen to Vladimir Putin: “twice in the
20th century Russia was attacked and invaded from the west.
This will not happen again.”
So,
as the swamp morphs in a quagmire in Washington, and distracts from real issues
like resuming good relations with Russia, America’s survival is threatened.
Galima Galiullina, Ph.D., Washington, DC
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