Alastair Crooke – The Unz Review Oct 8, 2024
The West is in the throes of at least one, potentially two, crushing defeats at the moment – and so the question arises: Will lessons be learned?
John Kerry, just last week at the World Economic Forum, so clearly blurting out the truth: “Our First Amendment stands as a major block to our ability to be able to hammer [disinformation] out of existence”.
Translated: Governing is all about narrative control. Kerry articulates the ‘International Order’s’ solution to the unwelcome phenomenon of an uncontrolled populism and of a potential leader who speaks for the people: Simply, ‘freedom to speak’ is unacceptable to the prescriptions agreed by the ‘inter-agency’ – the institutionalised distillation of the ‘International Order’.
Eric Weinstein calls this The Unburdening: The first Amendment; gender; merit; sovereignty; privacy; ethics; investigative journalism; borders; freedom … the Constitution? Gone?
Today’s reality unhinged narration is that Iran’s launch on Tuesday of 200 ballistic missiles – of which 181 reached Israel – were overwhelmingly intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome and Arrow missile defence systems. and with no deaths to show for the assault. It was “defeated and ineffective”, Biden pronounced.
Will Schryver however, a technical engineer and security commentator, writes: “I don’t understand how anyone who has seen the many video clips of the Iranian missile strikes on Israel cannot recognize and acknowledge that it was a stunning demonstration of Iranian capabilities. Iran’s ballistic missiles smashed through U.S./Israeli air defences and delivered several large-warhead strikes to Israeli military targets”.
The effect and the substance then lies in ‘proven capacity’ – the capacity to select other targets, the capacity to do more. It was in fact a restrained demonstrative exercise, not a full attack.
But the message has been erased from sight.
How is it that the U.S. Administration refuses to look truth in the eye and acknowledge what occurred, and prefers instead to ask the entire world, who saw the videos of missiles impacting in Israel, to ‘move along’ – as the authorities advise, pretending that there was ‘nothing substantive to see here’. Was ‘the affair’ just a nuisance to system governance and ‘consensus’, as Kerry so branded free speech? It seems so.
The structural problem, essayist Aurelien writes is not simply that the western professional class holds to an ideology – one that is the opposite to how ordinary people experience the world. That certainly is one aspect. But the bigger problem lies rather, with a technocratic conception of politics that is not ‘about’ anything. It is not really politics at all (as Tony Blair once said), but is nihilistic and absent of moral considerations.
Having no real culture of its own, the western professional class views religion as outdated and sees history as dangerous since it contains components that can be misused by ‘extremists’. It prefers therefore not to know history.
This produces the mixture of the conviction of superiority, yet deep insecurity, which typifies western leadership. The ignorance and fear of events and ideas that fall outside the confines of their rigid zeitgeist, they perceive, almost invariably, as innately inimical to their interests. And rather than seek to discuss and understand, that which is outside their capabilities, they use disparagement and character assassination instead to remove the nuisance.
It must be clear to all that Iran falls into all the categories that excite most western insecurity: Iran is the apex of everything that is unsettling: It has a profound culture and intellectual legacy that stands explicitly ‘different’ (albeit, not at odds) with western tradition. These qualities however, relegate Iran to being unreflectively categorised as inimical to ‘International Order’ management; not because it is a ‘threat’, but because it ‘unsettles’ message alignment.
Does this matter?
Yes, it matters, because it makes Iran’s ability to communicate effectively with the International Order’s ideological alignment highly problematic.
The West sought and pressured for a mitigated response from Iran – firstly after Israel’s April assassination of an Iranian General and his colleagues at the Iranian Consulate in Damascus.
Iran obliged. It launched drones and missiles towards Israel on 13 April in such a manner that sent a short (pre-warned) concerted message of capability, yet did not invite all-out war (as requested by the West).
Subsequent to the Israeli assassination of Ismail Haniyeh (a guest of Tehran participating in the inauguration of the new Iranian President), western states once again pleaded with Iran that it should again refrain from any military retaliation against Israel.
The new President has said publicly, that European and American officials offered Iran the removal of substantive sanctions on the Iranian Republic and a guaranteed ceasefire in Gaza in line with Hamas’ terms – if Israel was not attacked.
Iran held fire, accepting to appear weak to the outside world (for which it was harshly criticised). Yet western action shocked the inexperienced new President, Pezeshkian:
“They (the western states) lied”, he said. None of the promises were kept.
To be fair to the new Reformist President, Iran did face a real dilemma: It hoped to pursue a policy of restraint in order to avoid a damaging war. That is one side to the dilemma; but the other side is that this restraint could be misinterpreted (perhaps maliciously), and used as pretext for escalation. In short the flip side is that, ‘want it or not; war is coming to Iran’.
Then followed the ‘pager assault’ and assassinations of the Hizbullah leadership, including the iconic figure of its leader, Seyed Hassan Nasrallah, amidst huge civilian collateral deaths. The U.S. Administration (President Biden) said simply that this was ‘justice’ being done.
And once again, the West importuned, and threatened Iran against any retaliation towards Israel. But on this occasion, Iran launched a more effective ballistic missile attack, though one which deliberately omitted targeting Israel’s economic and industrial infrastructure, or the Israeli people, focusing instead on key military and intelligence sites. It was, in short, a demonstrative signal – albeit one with an effective component of inflicting damage on air bases and military and intelligence sites. It was yet again, a limited response.
And for what?
Open sneering from the West that Iran was deterred/ too frightened/ too divided to fully respond. In fact, the U.S. – knowing well that Netanyahu is looking for the pretext for war with Iran – offered Israel full support of the U.S. for a major retribution against Iran: “There will be severe consequences for this attack and we will work with Israel to make that the case”, Jake Sullivan said. “Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel”, Biden said.
The moral of the story is plain: President Pezeshkian was ‘played’ by the West – shades of the West’s deliberate ‘Minsk deceit’ of President Putin; shades too, of the Istanbul II Accord’s knife in the back. Restraint that the International Order insists upon, invariably is broadcast as ‘weakness’.
The ‘professional permanent class’ (the western deep state) eschews any moral underpinning. It makes a virtue of its nihilism. Perhaps the last leader capable of real diplomacy that springs to mind was JFK during the Cuban Missile Crisis and in his subsequent dealings with the Soviet leaders. And what happened? … He was killed by the system.
Of course, many are angry in Iran. They ask whether Iran projected weakness too readily, and question whether that manifestation in some way contributed to Israel’s readiness to strike Lebanon so ruthlessly and without limitations, as in the Gaza model. Later reports suggest that the U.S. has new technological intel (not available to Israel) that pinpointed Sayyed Nasrallah’s whereabouts, and was supplied to Israel, which led to his assassination.
If the West insists to so demean Iranian restraint – wrongly attributing restraint to impotence – is the European and U.S. world order ‘uni-party’ ever capable of cold realism? Can they make a sound assessment of the consequences should Israel launch war on Iran? Netanyahu has made it clear that this is the Israeli government’s aim – war with Iran.
Hubristic misperception of an adversary, and the misperception of his hidden strengths, is so often the precursor to wider war (WW1). And Israel is awash with fervour for war to establish its ‘New Order’ for the Middle East.
The Biden Administration is ‘more than willing’ – laying the ‘revolver on the table’ – for Netanyahu to pick it up and discharge it, whilst Washington pretends to stand aloof from the act. Washington’s ultimate target is of course Russia.
That in diplomacy the West is not to be trusted is understood. The story’s moral, however, has wider implications. How exactly, in such circumstances, can Russia bring an end to the Ukraine conflict? It would appear that many more will needlessly die, simply because of the uni-party’s rigidity and its incapacity to ‘do’ diplomacy.
Just as many more Ukrainians have perished since the Istanbul II process was trashed.
The West is in the throes of at least one, potentially two, crushing defeats at the moment – and so the question arises: Will lessons be learned? Can the right lessons be learned? Does the professional world order class even accept that there are lessons to be learned?
—
Would you believe anyone called crooke? And is a diplomat?🖕👊
The west is governed by the playground politics of children with big guns. Thankfully they no longer have the biggest guns, nor the most. That scares ’em.
Excellent article.
“If my sons did not want wars, there would be none”
• Mrs Gutele Schnaper, wife of Mayer Amschel Rothschild
Hand all the Jews running Sodom & Gomorrah on the Potomac rifles, put Nitwityahoo. as point man and send them in a wave against Iran.
Then they have had their long lusted for war with Iran.
While they burn in hell, the rest of the world can celebrate.
whatever happened to that very disturbed lad who used to
keep going on about the natzis ?
“Does the professional world order class even accept that there are lessons to be learned?”
Well Mr. Crooke you seem to know very little about us at all, and here you are spreading malicious gossip about our competence, when you have very little to offer in the way of your own. You do not seem to recognize that the WEF is the only World Economic Forum for the world. There is no other organization made up of such influential people who actually make the economy function. Most disputes around the globe are economic ones arising out of control for various markets, resources, and trade. We are made up of major stakeholders from all major corporations and institutions on the globe, and our purpose is to work out and establish policies for a peaceful transition to a much greater global prosperity which will be environmentally and resource sustainable, and an order which will be in keeping with the aspirations and goals of all stakeholders as reflected in the UN Agendas 21 and 2030.
You appear to claim that the destiny and intentions of Iran are not at odds with WEF objectives and yet it is being treated like an outcast nation because as a theocracy it is different. Yet, Iran is also a signatory the the UN Agendas and in fact is still acting in full cooperation with the construction of the southern BRI route connecting China with trade routes to Europe and the Middle East. It has no intention of succumbing to a major war and being destroyed. The conflict is mainly over the Palestinian people, but unfortunately their influence is very small in comparison to that of major stakeholders, and it is doubtful Iran will risk any major confrontation.
In our forum the most influential stakeholders are as in any forum the most influential people. The world is not a democracy, and minority interests simply have to give way to the changes of the times together with the aims and methods deemed as necessary to accomplish our goals. This is essentially how all major corporations, institutions, and nations actually operate.
When various major stakeholder interests do come into conflict it is as much of a concern to us as it is to you. The present conflict in the Ukraine and in the Middle East, however, does tend to prove that localized power is seldom checked by reason or good will, and that more universal controls are absolutely necessary to govern above and over purely national interests. Our case for a global government is proven as the conflicts continue to escalate.
If it was the case that Mr. Kerry as a spokesperson for the globalist administrations in the US was not sincere and they are the perturbators of the conflicts you complain about, then you ought to be wise enough to see that the opposing powers of Russia and Iran are really the reactionary and retrograde ones
to the UN Agendas and to our working toward a unified and effective world government, which will ensure that such conflicts and wars never happen again.
As for free speech, if our goals are sound and good for the planet, then any speech contrary to them simply must be considered as disinformation, even if you say it is the truth. Truth does matter, but it is more the privilege of those who govern than those who are governed, and to be on the side of the truth it is always better to be on the side of those who govern. This is not to say that truth is always corrupted by power and human interest, but it is say that where the vision for a better world coming right from the major and most influential stakeholders, and where there has been such a strong consensus of similar intentions by all participating nations in the UN Agendas, then it must be said that our methods are in fact proportionate and rational in the pursuit of those ends.
Can anyone explain this to me….. In the above article it is stated that we witnessed 200 missiles guided from Iran to Israeli military targets and smashed them back to reality.
Now my point is this, I don’t care one way or the other about what did actually happen, but what the world witnessed was several brilliantly bright lights smashed into a pitch black darkness and we are meant to agree “yes that was a success story”.
There is no proof? Iran might have been in a total state of siesta and fired nothing at nothing?
Those brilliantly dazzling bright lights could have been fired by Israeli batteries at open desert targets which blasted tons of sand into all directions, in other words the whole issue is bovine droppings. All just to allow the Israeli’s to say “Iron Dome is a roaring success”.
Someone somewhere show proof?
@ Liar..
British ‘Dilpomat’…
He’s in Israel because he’s actually a chosenite… the moderate kind..that’s pro stolen state but actually thinks they should be more caring…
when one reads between the lines…hehe…for example look at Al’s referentials..Good or ahem…Bad..
Well we have John Kerry who it turns out not only stands as a bona fide Herman Munster himelf. is actually directly descended from the Rabbi that wrote the ..yup..Golem..which the prehensile imbecile resembles.. theres even a staute in a Eastern European Ghetto..obviously the sort of thing you’d forget..
then we have the Eric Weinshteen…a very nast deep undercover agent and the loose lipped Will Schryver…I’m actually quite surprised there isn’t a lighted Menorah behind ole Crook, next to his Mossad ID…and copy of the Talmud..
The Left think that Israel is a White country and the only one they have not defeated with their Wog Army, and that White vs. Wog is the only fight
@ Klaus S
Okay Klaus Schwab, or whomever you are, you have just exposed both your globalist agenda as well as the methods of your entire autocratic New World Order in the making. “Influential stakeholders”? Really? You are undoubtedly referring to the Round Table and those very few Fotzen at the top of your imperious Order which hand in glove with Mr. Kerry’s globalist government agencies to release a virus, lockdown our nations, kill a few million frail people to seed your ficken plandemic, and then inject more than half the population of the enlightened West with your toxic mRNA killer jabs. Those are the very methods which you say are exonerated by virtue of the great vision of the WEF stakeholders, allegedly for a more prosperous and peaceful world.
In fact, every step you and your globalist stooges have taken over the past 40 years to herd people into your autocratic, monopolist, megacorp, bankster, and technocratic controls have been by means of those institutionalized and unending massive: deceptions, brainwashing & perception-management operations, and government orchestrated social divisions, together with the persecution of any who dare to oppose your aims and methods.
You said in 2020 that after all of the hubbub of the Covid plandemic, that the WEF would have to start to build trust again – no doubt another plank in your Build Back Better policy after you have demolished everything which matters – and what you no doubt really meant was that after 2030, when everyone without any real influence or wealth has been fleeced to the bone by your massive economic degrowth and bankrupting operations, and also pacified by DNA and mind-altering substances injected into them, that we, the hoi polli, who are to be totally stupefied or intimidated, will not be able or dare to utter even one word of mistrust.
What you do not realize is that Covid was your last organized march over our faces. The world is now polarized and the people are generally mistrustful of all ruling elites. What we witnessed during Covid, and still witness, was your top-down order at work with great military coordination and precision on a global scale, oppress and exploit all of those not in your stakeholder class. We saw corporate management everywhere, the heads of all major institutions, our legislatures, all national leaders, our government bureaucracies, the entire legacy media, all intelligence agencies, our courts, our universities, and even our health-care systems and religious leaders, all locked down in mindless lockstep obedience, all knowing that none of the mandates were really necessary, that no one need die, and that the vaccines were shit. If they did not know, then they ought to have known because every one of the WEF and sycophant dupes were told by us and with many reliable experts.
What many of us have seen even in Church organizations with influential members in support of the NWO aims is a split between them and most in the rank and file. This is only a reflection of the much deeper split in the general populace against all of you ruling elites who have abused your powers and privileges. To make matters worse, it is a split which you and your order are now trying to dissipate by sewing more divisions among us with your woke, DEI, transgender child mutilations, racial hatreds and illegals storming our shores. You sow lies and hate in addition to your massive deceptions and wars, all in order to divide us and advance your interests. As for the vaccines, perhaps you can tell us why is it that so many in that in that upper class of stakeholders were either exempt from having to take the them or were given placebos?
No, even the wars being waged have been provoked and fueled by your globalist administrations, justifying their evil methods for the sake of your precious globalist aims to control virtually everything on the planet. What else can we conclude? A real threat of a WWIII, or even the beginning of one, would be the perfect cue and pretext for your most loyal, influential, and holy stakeholders to take the stage and once again say it was “a great opportunity to give all of our systems a rest”, as you said during Covid, and to establish your New World Order government with sweeping powers, to make us “safe”.
Well, fick dich you Mr. Klaus S., those of us in the Resistance have had a very good taste of your NWO and we will not have any part of it. All the institutions and people you have corrupted with your grandiose visons, money or coercion have to be replaced, and replaced from the bottom up, with honest people who are in fact good people, and I would hope than we can start with the replacement of all people in authority who clearly do not know the difference between right and wrong, including yourself.
@ Klaus S
Okay Klaus Schwab, or whomever you are, you have just exposed both your globalist agenda as well as the methods of your entire autocratic New World Order in the making. “Influential stakeholders”? Really? You are undoubtedly referring to the Round Table and those very few Fotzen at the top of your imperious Order which hand in glove with Mr. Kerry’s globalist government agencies to release a virus, lockdown our nations, kill a few million frail people to seed your ficken plandemic, and then inject more than half the population of the enlightened West with your toxic mRNA killer jabs. Those are the very methods which you say are exonerated by virtue of the great vision of the WEF stakeholders, allegedly for a more prosperous and peaceful world.
In fact, every step you and your globalist stooges have taken over the past 40 years to herd people into your autocratic, monopolist, megacorp, bankster, and technocratic controls have been by means of those institutionalized and unending massive: deceptions, brainwashing & perception-management operations, and government orchestrated social divisions, together with the persecution of any who dare to oppose your aims and methods.
You said in 2020 that after all of the hubbub of the Covid plandemic, that the WEF would have to start to build trust again – no doubt another plank in your Build Back Better policy after you have demolished everything which matters – and what you no doubt really meant was that after 2030, when everyone without any real influence or wealth has been fleeced to the bone by your massive economic degrowth and bankrupting operations, and also pacified by DNA and mind-altering substances injected into them, that we, the hoi polli, who are to be totally stupefied or intimidated, will not be able or dare to utter even one word of mistrust.
What you do not realize is that Covid was your last organized march over our faces. The world is now polarized and the people are generally mistrustful of all ruling elites. What we witnessed during Covid, and still witness, was your top-down order at work with great military coordination and precision on a global scale, oppress and exploit all of those not in your stakeholder class. We saw corporate management everywhere, the heads of all major institutions, our legislatures, all national leaders, our government bureaucracies, the entire legacy media, all intelligence agencies, our courts, our universities, and even our health-care systems and religious leaders, all locked down in mindless lockstep obedience, all knowing that none of the mandates were really necessary, that no one need die, and that the vaccines were shit. If they did not know, then they ought to have known because every one of the WEF and sycophant dupes were told by us and with many reliable experts.
What many of us have seen even in Church organizations with influential members in support of the NWO aims is a split between them and most in the rank and file. This is only a reflection of the much deeper split in the general populace against all of you ruling elites who have abused your powers and privileges. To make matters worse, it is a split which you and your order are now trying to dissipate by sewing more divisions among us with your woke, DEI, transgender child mutilations, racial hatreds and illegals storming our shores. You sow lies and hate in addition to your massive deceptions and wars, all in order to divide us and advance your interests. As for the vaccines, perhaps you can tell us why is it that so many in that in that upper class of stakeholders were either exempt from having to take the them or were given placebos?
No, even the wars being waged have been provoked and fueled by your globalist administrations, justifying their evil methods for the sake of your precious globalist aims to control virtually everything on the planet. What else can we conclude? A real threat of a WWIII, or even the beginning of one, would be the perfect cue and pretext for your most loyal, influential, and holy stakeholders to take the stage and once again say it was “a great opportunity to give all of our systems a rest”, as you said during Covid, and to establish your New World Order government with sweeping powers, to make us “safe”.
Well, fick dich Mr. Klaus S., those of us in the Resistance have had a very good taste of your NWO and we will not have any part of it. All the institutions and people you have corrupted with your grandiose visons, money or coercion have to be replaced, and replaced from the bottom up, with honest people who are in fact good people, and I would hope than we can start with the replacement of all people in authority who clearly do not know the difference between right and wrong, including yourself.
@Liar on October 9, 2024 at 8:35 am
“Would you believe anyone called crooke? And is a diplomat?”
from a twat named Liar???
ur obviously thick as shit too…plastering crap all over the comments section
Alastair Crooke is the Gold Standard on ME affairs..as other experts affirm
@stu/@nemesisi.wich alter ego should i adress?you got caught red handed posting 1 comment under 2aliases, simultaneously.were you sleepy or on medication?to keep your alters in check.pathetic you are.go talk with your psychiatrist.
@stu/nemesis. 🖕Nemesis on October 4, 2024 at 7:17 pm
large posters need to be cropped
🖕Stu on October 4, 2024 at 7:18 pm
large posters need to be cropped
Gab real Jones on October 7, 2024 at 3:21 pm
Six Years ago the skull of negroid Luzia……….@ Speak Up / Draw your concluZions….. ( @ nemesis + stew u chopped your own skull off / no problem there were no braincells inside any way).
Liar on October 7, 2024 at 10:38 pm
@gabrael jones.i found it strange too.one message,two posters, simultaneously.multiple personality disorder? Telekinesis? No ,just a dumb ass playing games. https://www.thetruthseeker.co.uk/?p=296040.
@stu-pid or @neme-sisi.
Or a paid agent,paid per comment and alias?do you have more aliases?