OH TO BE A FLY ON THE WALL: ABE AND PUTIN TO MEET…
In last Thursday's News and Views from the Nefarium I pointed out that the recent visits of Secretary of State John Ketchup Kerry, and his assistant secretary of state in charge of international confogglement (a nice word on loan to us from Ms. S.H.) and and dirty dealing, Queen Victoria of Nulandistan(thank you Sputnik for that characterization), were in effect a huge diplomatic retreat by the USA over its (mis)handling of the Ukraine. Indeed, you'll recall that in the Sputnik article, very clear statements were made that as far as Moscow was concerned, the USA had no place at the negotiating table with the Ukraine, and the European powers, Russia, France, and Germany. As far as Moscow is concerned, this is a Moscow-Paris-Berlin show, all others not invited, except, of course, Kiev, appearing in the role of Prague in the 2015 update of the 1938 Munich conference. (Of course, the Munich comparison fails in one significant respect, namely, that neither Paris, Berlin, nor Moscow -- contrary to silly American media spin -- have any plans to annex the Ukraine).
But there's more indication of the continuing slide of American diplomatic weight in global geopolitics, and this time, it's coming from the other side of the world, and the impending summit between Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin, and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, as signified by this very important article from RT(Russia Today):
Japan: Putin’s visit to Tokyo may settle Kuril Islands dispute
As one might imagine, there's all sorts of potential here for our trademark "high octane speculation," not the least of which is that the source for this story is RT. Indeed, last year I blogged about the then-impending state visit of Mr. Putin to Japan, a visit that was cut short by Japan once again playing "willing satrapy" of the USA, a point made by the RT article at its close:
"Japan’s Foreign Ministry announced plans to organize a visit by the Russian president by the end of this year. A previous visit, scheduled for autumn 2014, was disrupted due to Tokyo’s support for the American-led anti-Russian diplomatic campaign"
The visit, when (not if) it occurs, will be a first for a Russian head of state and government, particularly, as the article itself indicates, the two nations have yet to formalize a legal treaty of peace ending World War Two, and resolving the outstanding issues, among them, the Russian occupation of islands in the Kurile chain once belonging to the Japanese Empire, and which that Empire would very much like to see resolved.
The real surprise here is what RT is reporting about this event, and how it is reporting it, for one needs always to remember that the Russian media is much more overtly entwined with the Russian government than are the more covertly intertwined and ostensibly "free press" of the west with its various governments:
"Tokyo has signaled it would like Vladimir Putin to finally resolve a territorial dispute and sign a peace treaty 70 years after the end of World War II. The Kremlin said it would welcome dialogue."
Later in the article, of course, a link occurs indicating that Russian troops on the disputed islands have been "modernized." Viewed in the good old fashioned Cold War sort of way, this would have been interpreted as Russia simply telling Japan, "Yes, we'll talk about it, but in the end, we're keeping the islands, we can all shake hands, and you can return to Tokyo empty-handed." Dialogue, Soviet-style.
But the Japan of 2015 is hardly the Japan of 1945 with its obsolete artillery and tanks facing Russian Stalin tanks and artillery divisions. Indeed, as regular readers here know, Mr. Abe has been pressing hard for an expansion of Japanese military spending in response to pressure from Washington for Japan to assume a greater role in Pacific security in the region. And as I have speculated here in previous blogs, ultimately Japan will have to dramatically expand its military capability anyway, as American power wanes and as the world-wide reaction against American unipolarism continues to advance, including in Japan where pressures to remove American military bases have reached new highs. Inthe long term, in other words, it is in Tokyo's best interest to have a more sizeable military, as its economic interests lie with Asia, and if it hopes to carry any counterbalancing weight to growing Chinese power, it must have it.
The same applies to Russia. Notwithstanding current Chinese-Russian friendship, and the growing scale of Chinese investments in Russian Siberia, Russia is not about to allow those economic influences to gain a measure of autonomy for the region from Moscow, nor to allow that influence to make Siberia an essentially Chinese preserve. But to do that, it will need its own counterweight in the region. Enter Tokyo.
So what could be in the cards during that summit? Oh to be a fly on the wall! But reading between the lines of the RT article a bit, and parsing it rather closely, Russia may be signaling that it is ready to make a deal over the disputed islands, in return, perhaps, for a hard bargain, for some heavy Japanese investments, technology swaps, and perhaps, even, a measure of influence over Mr. Abe's rearmament plans. And perhaps Moscow might even be manuevering itself into a position to broker the "summit event of the century," that long-awaited, and in certain circles, feared Tokyo-Beijing summit. After all, it might be too much, now, to expect Emperor Akihito to be invited to the Forbidden City, or for Mr. Xi to be invited to tea in the imperial palace in Tokyo. But, it might not be too out of the ordinary for both to visit the Kremlin at more or less the same moment in a kind of "Camp David" moment of history. Russian chai is very good, after all.
Whether or not that happens or not remains to be seen. My bet is that sooner or later, Chinese and Japanese heads of state and government will simply have to started talking directly and openly with each other. But just the fact that Mr. Abe has communicated through subordinates that he wants to sit down and talk with Mr. Putin is significant, for you can bet that he did not seek nor get Washington's approval. And the fact that Mr. Putin has signaled, through his subordinates, that he's open to dialogue, is hugely significant. If it comes off, then the days of Queen Victoria of Nulandistan and her unipolarist neo-con ilk are greatly numbered, and the USA will have to rethink its entire foreign policy assumptions from the ground up, and evolve a real and more realistic strategy.
See you on the flip side...
24 Comments
Help the Community Grow
Please understand a donation is a gift and does not confer membership or license to audiobooks. To become a paid member, visit member registration.
Dear Vicky,
Me and the boys put together this little ditty in honor of your most recent success story. Keep up the good work!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kkjnd9rSAQ8
P.S. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dax_tnZRExc
Putin has been off-planet! http://youtu.be/9ZgyTid4ljc
Hadn’t heard him before. Not bad, some interesting points.
Thanks for posting it.
Same here
Simon Parkes is a re-elected Labor Counselor in London. He’s very much into extraterrestrials. His grandfather was illuminati and his mother worked for Mi-5.
Thanks for the insightful comment.
I’m always amazed at the cordiality heads of state pay to one another. Even when their troops are engaged in pitched battles. This should be a clue that they are in “the Club”. The “Big Club” Carlin referred to, where these people own all the important real estate. Hence, Zappa’s declaration that there would never be a nuclear war. Because, there was too much real estate involved. I now follow where the BigClub.Incs invest heavily. This is a clue that there will be no serious calamities natural or otherwise due to their investments. I’m also wary of places the BigClub.Inc is leaving. That too is a clue.. First Order Civ’s are very frugal with their investments and other allocations. The BigClub.Inc runs on insider info..
What it comes down to is survival.
This short term Meth-West-White-Trash policy appears affordable…
but only in the short run. While China & Russia appear to be playing the long game.
Now within the deck, there are those two floating jokers: the hidden financial system and secret space related projects.
Then one must look around the table at these so-called governments that profess to work in a nation’s interest. But Wait, what about the peoples’ interests? Is the Nation’s interest subject to the corporate interests[TPP/TIPP]? What governments are concerned for the people. Or, are they more concerned about controlling the masses to the point of virtually imprisoning them and stripping away what’s left of their rights and humanity?
The BRICSA seemed to have drawn a line that’s decidedly more humane than the West’s Eat This![GMOs] attitude.
Regardless of the Bankster’s orchestrated WW1 & WW11[which brought in the competition(CIA-Gold-Secret Finance, etc.)], the table has evolved to an oligarchical rule that is tending toward a back to the future feudalism; while at the same time moving into the science fiction internet of everything future.
So the islands are chips on the table.
The important position of the player/s is to align either with the people/public living ecological economy or…
the few/privatized cooked-in-bathrooms death economy.
The stakes are the very survival of the living Earth as we know it.
But are the BRICSA any more humane? That’s my problem with the whole pro-BRICSA arguments. They may be fighting GMOs at the present, but is it because they are against GMOs or because they are against western corporate greed? Do they just plan to replace the western greedy corporations with their own, which is how appears to me. The west has more than it’s share of trampling on personal freedoms, but so does the BRICSA nations. The BRICSA are trying to establish their own banking system, but to what end, as it appears to have the hallmarks in the supporting structure to have all the evils entwined in it as is obvious in the west. All I see is corporate competition, unless it’s something deeper, which is truly frightening.
I wish so much that someone could truly bring about change, and maybe I’m being pessimistic, but I think it’s too late.
I am with Lois here, and I will go even further actually.
First of all, BRICS is not that much of closely united entity. China and India for example have all sort of problems between them, same China is a very probable rival of Russia in the medium and long run. China (but others too) have much bigger comercial and financial ties with US (and EU) then with Russia or India.
Russia had an economy as big as Italy before Ukraine problem, now due to sanctions is even less, and South Africa and even Brasil have little weight internationally.
Then just make a comparation between American client states as lets say Norway and Canada, with Russia client states as Belarus or Kazahstan. Or between South Korea and North Korea. And see where someone in “west” will prefer to live.
I even doubt that in Russia will be possible to exist a website as Dr Farrell one, and it can be quite dangerous to say about Putin even less then half of bad things you can freely say about Obama in US, or about other leaders in other European countries (except same Belarus).
Russia (meaning here Putin and his circle of KGB and oligarchs, not much different then western corporate or military-industrial complex) just want to:
1- preserve their power and huge wealth
2- get rid of the outside pressure that is build up against Russia/them
3- rebuild as much as possible Russia lost imperial possesions (even if they had them for very short)
4- dominate and rule as much as possible around the world
They are not in any way some knight on the white horse fighting for the world freedom, gosh.
About Kurile island, I pretty much doubt they are give them back to Japan, or that they will willingly do that. Those island are very important for Russia as they are like a fence for the Russian Pacific fleet and Vladivostok.
Even in EU case, I think US and EU play with Russia the old game of good cop (EU) and bad cop (US).
loisg & Rad
Therein lies the dialectic conundrum of choices, generally framed in the lesser of two evils.
Yet the unipolar world is not a choice.
Is there, within this “onion”,
a layer that “connects” the two?
The Corporate choice is the devil’s contract. The TPP/TIPP is being signed by “western” entities. That is the worldwide corporate constitution. Where does the BRISCA stand on that divide?
We all know the line in the sand called “9/11′. Where some leaders openly question the Government’s own investigation. This is but one of many worldwide skeletons in the closet.
And if we’re not careful there will be nothing but skeletons left if the world doesn’t get it’s act:
TOGETHER.
Robert
I agree that unfortunately things came to choose the lesser evil. I don’t like either the western corporatism and neo-colonialism ways, I just wanted to point out that people shouldn’t put their hopes in BRICS/Russia as some better alternative.
The best thing I believe (for western like societies) is to change things for the better from within, as long as this is still a possibility. But even in the “west” this become less and less possible with all the social engineering done to keep the population under control (in subtle and softer ways then in authoritarian regimes but still successfully in many ways).
That’s why people like Dr. Farrell have a big merit because they present an alternative (and sometime insightful) way of thinking and seeing the things. And make other people think different then they are usually feed by mainstream media, and even to start thinking by themselves and to not swallow automatically whatever they are informed (or disinformed) by same mainstream sources.
This is a first (and big) step for a possible change from within, as I said.
In the same time I do think as well that are higher powers (higher then any Earth power) that control (at least in big part) the grand scale of things, including the politics of Earth powers (even if at a smaller scale these are rivals).
But I believe that even those are not infallible or all powerful, or have total control.
Well said Rad.
A “sometimes insightful way of thinking” is an understatement in my opinion.
As far as the BRICSA bloc goes, I’m thankful for any such challenge to corporatocracy. It might be enough to buy the world the time it needs to wake up. However I think the scariest prospect may be that by providing a counterbalance to Washington’s absolute lunacy, the BRICSA bloc must be careful to not appear as if it’s on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, lest it open up the divide for a Third Way and we all know who, is salivating at the prospect.,,, Again. Granted, this planet needs a third way, but the third way I’m afraid people are being manipulated and steered towards is absolutely not the one we want.
Guygrr,
For what’s it worth “we” here & elsewhere, are generally attuned to “their” signature moves: color revolutions, reichstag fires[9/11], PATRIOT ACTS, & all the other bags of tricks that increase their power[& their addiction to it].
Can they get one fast across the plate, under the radar? If they can, they will. That’s why an ever vigilant public continues to posts revelations across the globe, at light speeds, everywhere they are connected[& in ways “anonymous”/…we are legion. W.e do not forgive. Expect us. The corrupt fear us. The honest support us. The heroic join us]; those too many to count & then some. We have the numbers. We remember the ancient Egyptian symbol for a million[a prisoner begging to his ruler for forgiveness], the history slate was not erased from man’s memory. Though it might be a faint echo; the spirit is strong.
The “People” will find a way…
Whatever this brings, you must admire the Russians for their active and dexterous foreign policy, while the USSA lumbers along with the good ol’ “You’re either with us or ‘gin us” claptrap as it drones the darker skinned populations of the earth as they hold wedding parties, and gins up ISIS boogeymen for Israel and destabilizes Macedonia to ensure that the Russians never get their pipeline to Greece (ht George Soros) and the rabid female dog (there’s a good old English word for that, btw) Victoria Nuland nee Nudelmann goes traipsing behind Ketchup Kerry, taping notes reading “Kick the Horse!” on his back when he turns to shake hands with some diplomat who would rather be doing anything else than wasting his or her time talking to him.
Anyway, back to Russia-Japan. Putin might leverage those islands for a serious detente with Japan, which must realize by now that it eaither has to cut its ties with the Cabal or be destroyed by it. Abe though, has gone full Rothschild-retard and is printing fiat like there’s no tomorrow for Japan (and frankly, given Fukushima, there very well may not be).
I agree the Kuril islands are very close indeed part of Japan. But then Japan challenge Russia as far back as the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese war and if I were Russian I would want some leverage over Japan. Well Germany lost East Prussia to Poland and Kaliningrad to Russia Japan will have to kiss the Kuril islands good bye too. I didn’t know that Russia Japan peace treaty is in limbo like the Korean war. The Japanese will have to decide whether they part of East Asia or vassals of their European overlords via the USA and the time is fast running out for that decision to be made.
Well, so Russia thinks it is entitled to annex Crimea because it has historically been a part of Russia, but Japan is not entitled to the Kuril Islands even thought they have historically been a part of Japan, and Russia is going to use hard bargaining tactics to enforce its own agenda.
Well, if you were at all paying attention in seventh grade history, you’d know that Japan did in fact lose in WWII while Russia did actually win.
Usually, after 4 years of all-out war, the winner in this sort of “world war” gets a little something for all the effort and the loser, well, loses something.
Crimea is apples to oranges, fwiw.
I know about the history. Are you suggesting that there be a time limit on when lands revert back to previous owners? When is the cut-off time? And “winners” is not an absolute condition, but rather relative to what “losing” may be, so Crimea is not an apples and oranges situation.
If you know the history then the problem rests elsewhere and I’m afraid I can’t help you.
(smile) I wouldn’t dream of asking you to help me as you didn’t address any of the questions I asked.
And as the article says: “Moscow is willing to restart peaceful dialogue with Tokyo to finally sign a WWII peace treaty, but Russian FM Sergey Lavrov said that claiming sovereignty over Kuril Islands makes Japan the only country that questions the results of WWII.” And what better time to bring this up this none-too-subtle criticism of Japan than during the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, where the other protagonist was of course Germany.
So there might be a sub-text here saying it’s about time for the “Nazi International”, too, to take stock of and adjust to changing world realities.