{"id":200199,"date":"2020-01-03T08:12:30","date_gmt":"2020-01-03T08:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=200199"},"modified":"2020-01-06T07:32:30","modified_gmt":"2020-01-06T07:32:30","slug":"russia-and-the-usa-both-finish-the-year-with-a-grand-finale-of-sorts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/?p=200199","title":{"rendered":"Russia and the USA both finish the year with a \u201cGrand Finale\u201d of sorts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Saker \u2013 thesaker.is Jan 1, 2020 This analysis was written for the Unz Review<\/a><\/h1>\n
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The Avangard hypersonic boost-glide weapon, shown during testing in July 2018, is now deployed operationally.<\/p><\/div>\n

The end of the year is often a time of relative calm when the various parties to a conflict take a moment off, even when they declare nothing of the sort publicly (there are, of course, exceptions to this rule of thumb, such as the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979). This year, both the Russians and the USA ended the year in a climax of sorts which we shall look into.<\/h5>\n
Another rule of thumb says that, \u201cpast behavior is the best predictor of future behavior<\/em>\u201d, and this turned out to be very true in both cases: the Russians did more of what they have done all year long, as did the Americans. Specifically:<\/h5>\n
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    Uncle Shmuel decided to bomb five bases of the group Kata\u2019ib Hizbullah in Iraq in retaliation for an attack on the K1 U.S. base in Iraq<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n
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    Defense Minister Shoigu announced that the first regiment of Avangard<\/a><\/span> equipped ICBMs was fully operational and on combat alert.<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    Let\u2019s take a look at the implications and consequences of these two events.<\/h5>\n

    The U.S. airstrikes on Kata\u2019ib Hizbullah units in Iraq<\/h2>\n

    First, just to clarify, Kata\u2019ib Hizbullah has nothing to do with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The word \u201cHezbollah\/Hizbullah\u201d simply means \u201cparty of God\u201d and Kata\u2019ib Hizbullah simply means \u201cBrigades of the Party of God\u201d. Yes, both groups have similar names and they are both Shia. Kata\u2019ib Hizbullah probably aims at becoming an Iraqi version of Hezbollah, and while they even have a similar flag, Kata\u2019ib Hizbullah is neither an offshoot nor creation of Hezbollah. Kata\u2019ib Hizbullah was created as a direct response to the U.S. invasion of Iraq (whereas Hezbollah in Lebanon was blow-back from the Israeli invasion of Lebanon).<\/h5>\n
    This being said, there is no doubt in my mind that the U.S. actions in the Middle-East, and especially the total and abject subservience of the USA to Israel (and when I say \u201csubservience\u201d I am being polite, really) have greatly contributed to facilitating the alliance and cooperation of all Shia factions in the Middle-East. The best example of such cooperation is the support the Yemeni Houthis get from Iran (but \u201csupport\u201d is not the same as \u201cproxy\u201d, and Iran had nothing to do with the devastating Houthi counter-strikes against the KSA).<\/h5>\n
    I won\u2019t go into the details of the recent strike, especially since \u201cb\u201d on Moon of Alabama already has done a very good job analyzing it<\/a><\/span>. What I will do is simply suggest an answer to the rhetorical question \u201cb\u201d asks at the end of his analysis: \u201cYesterday\u2019s attacks guarantee that all U.S. troops will have to leave Iraq and will thereby also lose their supply lines to Syria. One wonders if that was the real intent of those strikes<\/em>\u201d.<\/h5>\n
    My personal opinion is that Occam\u2019s razor and past events ought to suggest that the most straightforward explanation is much more plausible than any kind of \u201c5d chess\u201d strategy.<\/h5>\n
    Furthermore, far from suggesting that this latest expression of the hatred of the Iraqi people for Uncle Shmuel will result in a withdrawal, we already see the exact opposite happening: not only has the USA announced that it will send another 750 soldiers to Iraq<\/a><\/span>, but it has also announced that another 4\u2019000 troops might also be send to the region<\/a><\/span>, to the immense joy of its Israeli overlords who can\u2019t wait for a US attack on Iran (how nice that the \u201conly democracy in the Middle-East\u201d is always cheering for as much violence and wars as possible).<\/h5>\n
    Does that look like a preparation for withdrawal to you?<\/h5>\n
    Finally, there is also Donald The Great with his usual garden variety of empty threats like this wonderful tweet:<\/h5>\n
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    ….Iran will be held fully responsible for lives lost, or damage incurred, at any of our facilities. They will pay a very BIG PRICE! This is not a Warning, it is a Threat. Happy New Year!<\/p>\n

    — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 31, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n