This Carbon Based Life

By David Glenn Cox

Meanwhile, as we wait for someone to shout, “book em Dano!” the world still turns. What do you get for downing a US drone over international waters? You get two US aircraft carrier battle groups headed for Turkey. Plus, the Royal Navy aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth. It is the political equivalent of “knock this chip off my shoulder, if you dare.”

President Xi Jinping of China is greeted warmly for an official state visit to Moscow. To talk of many things with Vladimir Putin. China is playing a dangerous game for its own purposes of course. Russia has few friends in the world who can actually help them. It reminds me of Stalin’s pact with Nazi Germany. It served Stalin’s purposes to buy time. Only, it didn’t turn out so good.

It is not in China’s interest to aid Russia. But it is in China’s interest to aid Russia for what Russia bent over a barrel might be willing to give for Chinese help. Russia is in a bad way militarily and is fast running out of equipment. In Great Britain and Germany, Ukrainian soldiers train with Western weapons in combined arms operations. In Poland, Western weapons arrive awaiting only drier roads.

It is in China’s interest to deter NATO as much as possible. China has their own plans and spheres of interest and knows that NATO is the only thing stopping them from achieving those goals. But China is the second largest economy on the planet, but their domestic economy is nearer to that of the UK. In a country with twenty times the population of the UK. China publicly supporting Russia is a damn risky business.

If the exports stop or international sanctions are imposed, the Chinese economy could collapse like a house of cards. Even if China leans only slightly towards supporting Russia it will scare the bejesus out of Western investment. China has been a safe investment up until now. Other countries are looking safer with every smiling photograph coming out of Moscow.

The US Predator drone take down was an intentional provocation with the intent to create a world crisis. With the hopes that they could startle the international community into promoting talks and a possible ceasefire. Because…the Russians are well aware of the capabilities of Western equipment and the longer range of Western guns and abilities.

Watch closely as Ukrainian drones repeatedly destroy Russian targets unmolested by any anti-aircraft batteries. It signals holes in their armor as the Russian battle plan anticipates air superiority and so doesn’t need as much in anti-Aircraft equipment. But Russia doesn’t have air superiority and they have taken heavy losses in pilots and aircraft. Until the Russians only feel safe flying over the Black Sea and attacking unarmed drones.

But a US B-52H flew straight towards St. Petersburg the other day with business in their eyes. That had to make someone inside the Kremlin lose their lunch. The B-52 was escorted away from Russian air space by Russian fighter jets but then the B-52 circled over Estonia for much of the day.  

If Russia were to succeed in Ukraine, then China could succeed in her goals. But if Russia fails, perhaps China can still succeed in her goals. If NATO is punched out or tires of the prolonged conflict it gives China an opening for a quick conquest and domination of the Taiwan Straits. But it all goes back to trade. Without trade China reverts to a third world status. Creating an economic crash inside China the likes of which the world has never seen.

Matt Gaetz and Marge Traitor Greene and little Ronnie DeSantis parrot Russian/Chinese propaganda. Calling the War in Ukraine a border dispute instead of what it truly is. The greatest threat to world peace since 1939. But now, after the Russian downing of a US aircraft have grown silent. “What did you say?” Nothing, nothing at all!

Not unlike the America First Committee which disappeared on December 8^th, 1941. It is a dangerous business to side against your own country and then be attacked by that country you swore were just good folks and didn’t mean no harm to nobody.

Russian equipment and supplies move almost exclusively by rail and there are two bridges acting as choke points. One bridge is already down, and the other is in danger as the rail yard attached was recently attacked by Ukrainian drones unmolested by anti-aircraft fire.

Bakhmut is Stalingrad. An eight month battle of attrition that has taken the lives of between 20 and 40,000 Russian troops and countless amounts of equipment. All to take a town of little strategic value. Try another frontal assault why don’t you? It didn’t work yesterday and didn’t work last week or last month, but you never know. On average, the Russians are losing 500 soldiers per day in Bakhmut. And as they slowly advance are looking at the same type of house to house fighting that broke the back of the Wehrmacht.

It is one history’s most common failures. The lure of the quick war. A German battle plan was to quickly drive through Belgium and sweep into France before they knew what hit them. But it took longer than expected getting through Belgium and the French attacked into Germany and plan began to fall apart into World War One.

Napoleon hoped for a quick strike into Russia and arrived in Moscow with the city and anticipated supplies in flames. No problem, as Napoleon had stored supplies along his route to Moscow but found his supplies were taken by his enemies along with his dreams of a quick campaign. Japan had hoped that by decapitating the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor the US would sue for peace, but it didn’t work out that way.

Russia has mobilized an estimated 300,000 men, but putting a rifle into a draftee’s hands doesn’t make an army. As the estimated 150 to 180,000 Russian casualties will attest. The Russians are stripping museums for tanks but without tactics the tanks are almost useless. Russian tactics are dictated from Moscow, not the battlefield. The Russian Army doesn’t operate on improvisation, it operates by following orders. “Take Bakhmut! Or else, over, and out!”

One of the few resources Russia has available is oil. That’s a pretty good resource to have. Only as Chinese and India reach maximum storage capacity will be worth less and less. We don’t need any more oil. What else have you got? How attached are you to those mineral rich Asian provinces of Russia are you?

The world stands precariously on the brink of a world war. Russia stands on the brink of defeat just as all who follow dream of a quick war eventually find themselves. China plays a long and cynical game with Russia, with possible gains small and possible pitfalls great.  

China growing closer to Russia is a mistake as severe as Stalin’s treating with the Nazis. China is Ucking Fup. Once the customers are gone, they will never ever return. And their dreams of conquest will end as ashes in their mouths. They might win Taiwan but will lose the world.

“There are roads which must not be followed, armies which must not be attacked, towns which must not be besieged, positions which must not be contested, commands of the sovereign which must not be obeyed.” ― Sun Tzu

And alliances which should never be made.