36 Comments
User's avatar
Dejan Mihailovic's avatar

There was no independent confirmation nor proof "that Russia had dispatched ships and a submarine to escort it". Fake News based on one article in WSJ that quotes an unnamed American official. The purpose was to show to the world that Russia is a bear without teeth.

Andrew Korybko's avatar

Agreed, and that's why I explicitly included in my analysis that "Russia didn’t confirm (these Western media reports) and none (ships or subs) were nearby during the seizure."

Darras's avatar

No, not without teeth but without balls.

Bolton and other conservatives always said that "Poutine is a pussy".

They bet the fate on the world on that.🥺

DEFAZ's avatar

IMO this is just Fake News warning its subtext audience that the bear is working with the lion in VE.

barnabus's avatar

Unnamed American official may not be even an American official. Because, if Americans confirm it in a later official conference, it wouldn't be unnamed?

Feral Finster's avatar

1. The US is nonchalant about an actual war with Russia as a result of Russian dithering and indecision.

2. What we are seeing now is the mask coming off, now that he has the girl where he wants her, the pimp can drop the nice guy act and her ass is going onto that track.

Michael Peck's avatar

I think the terminology here is a little confusing. There is the UN Charter System - which we refer to as International Law - and then there is the Rules Based Order, an invention of the US, with the rules changing almost daily.

Richard Sakwa's excellent book "The Lost Peace: How the West Failed to Prevent a Second Cold War" charts the transition from the Charter System to the(now in the trash heap of history?) to the RBO.

https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300255010/the-lost-peace/

Andrew Korybko's avatar

The way that I see it is that international law is the UN Charter as you pointed out, the "rules-based order" is the US' selective implementation thereof on arbitrary standards, while what's happening in the Hemisphere is the enforced extraterritoriality of domestic US law.

Darras's avatar

With Russia, USA use the old strategy of Sun Tzu: “To wear down the enemy, shatter his alliances, and sap his will.”

Or like Mao said: strategy of thousand cuts.

Harassment.

Tony Ledsham's avatar

What about the Russian reaction (or lack thereof)? I get it, they didn’t want to start a war with the US over an oil tanker, but what about its reputation with the BRICS+ crowd?

Andrew Korybko's avatar

BRICS is just a talking club, which isn't a bad thing since it's good for countries to share experiences and whatnot, but it's not what top "Non-Russian Pro-Russian" and other Alt-Media influencers have grossly misportrayed it as being:

https://korybko.substack.com/p/did-the-latest-brics-summit-achieve

Valerie Eisman's avatar

Amen, sadly you are right Andrew. And Russia is far too intelligent to go to war over something like this IMO.

barnabus's avatar

Particularly with the ship originally coming from Iran and affiliated with Hezbollah.

Tony Ledsham's avatar

Perhaps “BRICS+” is not the best description. The “non-aligned nations”? Even Putin’s base in Russia is frustrated with the slow (measured) pace in Ukraine, and lack of response to Venezuela. With the inspection of the control circuit board of the drone that attempted to attack Valdai, Putin’s base is becoming impatient.

Andrew Korybko's avatar

For better or for worse, Russian foreign and defense policy usually isn't formulated with public opinion in mind, and Russians don't usually protest (even if it was easier to legally do so here than at present). I agree that some want him to do more, but all they'll do is complain, that's it. They won't influence what he does.

barnabus's avatar

Non-aligned nations has much less muscle than BRICS. After all, BRICS contain 3 out of 4 most powerful militaries.

Darras's avatar

Seemingly, those "3 army the 4 most powerful" don't deter west to harass them

barnabus's avatar

They found Ukrainians are happy to fight to the last Ukrainian - so what's not to like? Besides, they are currently only harassing 1 out of 3 openly.

DEFAZ's avatar
Jan 8Edited

Feels like there was something on these ships that was meant to be there and the whole maneuver was expected by both US and Russia. Could be family/possessions of people who needed to be moved into exile after the capture of Maduro? I'm surprised Andrew didn't raise such a possibility given its proximity to the operation.

A Russian/US joint operation would also explain why Trump hasn't placed VE under WEF control (fake Nobel winner Machado), and Maduro's pleased/controlled reaction to the whole situation.

EDIT: Also plausible that the ships contained prisoners. Maybe one ship w/prisoners heading to a CECOT-like facility, the other persons destined for political exile.

The answer could be in the name, Marinera: couples dance

Darras's avatar

A ship have no right to change of flag at sea or stopover.

If she does it, she can be considered as a no-nation ship.

Darras's avatar

Article UNO, ship status: 92-1

DEFAZ's avatar

https://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf

"A ship which sails under the flags of two or more States, using them

according to convenience, may not claim any of the nationalities in question

with respect to any other State, and may be assimilated to a ship without

nationality."

barnabus's avatar

Yep, something like that.

charles leone's avatar

If Russia and China do nothing to protect BRICs member, Iran, from further missile strikes by Israel or the U.S., then BRICs will cease to exist.

Bubby's avatar

That tanker was sketchy and "reflagged" to try and evade capture. Nice try, tanker.

Dejan BGD's avatar

So it's "Pepe" Hegseth now? You two must be really close.

Pablo's avatar

Andrew

Would you mind providing some details about who owns this ship (you might be surprised), and under what flag it was just two weeks ago. Finally, once you check these two points, the puzzle might starting more sense.

barnabus's avatar

The way European press is narrating this operation, all Hezbollah links are left unmentioned. As well as the changing the flag to Russia mid-route. All emphasis is just on US marines boarding a Russian ship. So I guess W Europe is hoping it would provoke an incident?

Darras's avatar

No, western leaders try to prove to their cattle that Russia is weak and it's not dangerous to provoque it.

Walter DuBlanica's avatar

Trump is not with it. He is not sane. Would be good if he were impeached and removed from office. No other way to deal with him. Hopefully yhe rest of the world will remain patient with Trump.

Samuel Abraham's avatar

Worst part of Trump is not his crude takeover of Latin America - American presidents have been doing this covertly since the establishment of the USA, but the coming transhuman digital gulag with its potential for Palantir drone kill policing we saw in Palestine. Trump has been the central character to enforce this under the edge gang led by Epstein Musk Thiel Bezos Gates et all - the people who built the platforms for the digital gulag. They didnt get their way through into the Democratic Party which was their original home but since the Republican support base is made of maximum stupid people as Trump himself said they used mere conservative sloganeering to hijack the Republican party instead and here we are. Globally countries from the UK, Indonesia Kenya to even Vietnam and Nepal are being coerced through "trade deals" and coercive tariffs to integrate their digital systems into this global digital gulag and most have already started doing it which leaves China and to an extent Russia along with some sovereignist countries in Africa outside this digital panopticon. It is a one world government being built digitally and persuasively with the US population as usual exhausting themselves in the usual left right dialectic. What could happen is scary and they are leaving no place to hide.

User's avatar
Comment deleted
Jan 8Edited
Comment deleted
Andrew Korybko's avatar

Thanks for catching that!

Darras's avatar

Excuse me my friend, I perceive a goog joke and I'd like to understand because I consider Escobar as probably the worst jester of AMC.

I read your joke but I don't understand.

Can you explain please?

Thank you

Dr. Hubris's avatar

Spell check error, Andrew fixed it.

Darras's avatar

Ok, like that, I understand. :)

Darras's avatar

That said, one must realise that if both are not on the same pavement, they do the same job.