UKRAINE
The situation continues to deteriorate in eastern Ukraine. Here’s a solid assessment of the current status of fighting, and the risk of a global great power conflict gets greater by the day. Russian forces are making steady westward ‘progress’, destroying cities, townships and villages with artillery barrages, casualties both civilian and military continue to mount, with no end in sight. This strategy has been labelled barbaric and depraved. Generally, most war is. But for context, US forces fired more than 300,000 rounds of depleted uranium during the illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003. Most were fired in populated areas, against doctrine and international law. A further 782,414 depleted uranium rounds are believed to have been fired during the earlier conflict in 1991, mostly by US forces. Brace yourself if you’re willing to see the consequences of military actions taken in our name.
The lesson is not that the Russians are particularly unsophisticated uncivilised brutes. War itself is. The question is not whether the Russians choose to cross the invisible ‘chemical weapons’ boundary: it happens time and time again, and the stronger ones military is, the less likely there are consequences for those actions. We either choose to support conflict, or actively do our best to de-escalate and reach diplomatic solutions. Anyone who defends or contextualises or naturalises the actions of Western militaries and governments, but fails to see others will do the same for the themselves, is going to have a hard time understanding the growing frustration with our ‘Western Alliance’, with its record of recent military ‘misadventures’ lecturing the world. Even Kissinger, who saw it appropriate to administer the carpet bombing of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, is warning the dangers of escalation. The need for de-escalation, which could have been achieved before the invasion, increases by the day as Russia’s war effort is bolstered by higher energy revenues, as predicted by many.
However, Biden has once again committed troops to defend Taiwan if attacked in recent weeks, which is terrifying for all who wish for a peaceful planet. Remember, there has been an awkward accomodation of all territorial claims that has prevented a return of Chinese-Taiwanese war for a very long time, and US “boots on the ground” in Taiwan is explicitly not part of that policy. Why change the policy? That’s the question to ask in the coming months.
THE WESTERN ALLIANCE
Last week’s election was an amazing expression of democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. Representative, preferential voting at its best. Plenty argue that those who put forward contrary views to the dominant ‘Western liberal democratic alliance’ are naive and gullible, or at worst, secretly hoping for the destruction of the system we take for granted. I would not like to be in Putin’s Russia or Xi’s China, the closest manifestations of Orwell’s 1984 around today. But let’s not be under the illusion that what we enjoy at home, our freedoms, our democracy, are what we defend worldwide. Globally, we have been and continue to be far more transactional and cosy with some of the worst dictators, drug lords and terrorists imaginable. This article is a goldmine of information, detailing some of the CIA backed coups overthrowing democratically elected governments since the 50s, to the war in Yemen. And this is not ancient history: what some in the West see as a two minute discussion between Bourdain and a local over a dish on Parts Unknown, a run down of historical events, are the most consequential driver to the politics, economics and social division in those countries affected. The actions taken in the name of ‘democracy’ during the Cold War have real world consequences today. Globally, many countries are getting smashed by higher oil and food prices set, yet still maintain a positive view of Russia, even in light of the war.
“Negative views of Russia are largely confined to Europe and other liberal democracies. Positive views of Russia have been retained in China, Indonesia, Egypt, Vietnam, Algeria, Morocco, Malaysia, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.”
These countries have rich complex individual histories, but some common elements exist: all states were under European imperial control (or claimed as territory) at some point, and fought the European colonial powers for their freedoms. All have had US sanctioned military dictators at some point, with many democratically elected leaders assassinated in the coup process. Many had the support of the former USSR during their battles for freedom, first with the old empires followed by the neo-colonial project led by the US in the Cold War. The history of Latin America is similarly critical to understanding current attitudes to the war. People long for democratic control of their lives, as well as shelter, warmth, prosperity and wellbeing. For too long, our comfortable existence has been subsidised by the suffering of others, whether it be colonial exploitation or control, or the more subtle modern version of neoliberal capitalist globalisation. Until we re-imagine our economic, political, environmental and cultural relations, both locally and internationally, there will be a gaping chasm between our professed ideological superiority and those on the other side of the world who view us as gluttonous interfering forgetful hypocrites. The below video is a must watch.
An exasperated Imran Khan, former Prime Minister of Pakistan recently ousted by an extraordinary no-confidence motion, lays out the cost of disobeying the Western alliance
ENERGY
The continued lack of public discussion around nuclear energy, especially in a global energy crisis, is baffling. When both the green movement and fossil fuel corporations are aligned, it’s no wonder progress inevitably suffers.
MUSK
All empires enter terminal decline on a combination of ambition, hubris and arrogance. Musk has wildly over committed himself in his Twitter purchase offer, an impeccably poorly timed attempt at converting paper wealth into social control. But just a note, just as Trump liked to see himself as an outsider to the old New York establishment, fleecing bankers and continually failing upwards, so too does Musk, railing against both Wall St and the government. Those two entities are the root sources of all his wealth. The simple fact that he has not been banned by the SEC for stock manipulation shows he is a central character in the cast of American crony capitalists, not railing against it as an outsider free market purist. Don’t fall for the man’s bullshit. Still no CyberTruck, no Semi, no colony on Mars by 2022. What will it take for people to see through Musk? I’m not holding my breath.
CANCEL ALL RUSSIANS
The rush to ban all things Russian has been quite something to behold. The inconsistencies and hypocrisies of such a process are frustratingly predictable. Is nationality a crime? Is ethnicity unsurpassable? If an athlete swears against ‘their’ dictatorship, risking family, may they continue to make a living? Is this sufficient self-flagellation for the masses? May they then enter Wimbledon so we can watch them run around and hit a little green/yellow ball? Can I watch the tennis guilt free please? Make me feel like we’re doing something about it, please. Put on Eurovision!
In the cultural sphere, Russians are being cancelled all over. Techno DJ Nina Kraviz has been hammered relentlessly since the beginning of the invasion for not being stridently critical of Putin and for failing to label the conflict as a ‘war’. Some have defended her, pointing out that whilst she may enjoy free travel and can avoid consequence, family and friends back home may suffer at the hands of the Russian security forces. This threat matters little to many, with her appearances at festivals cancelled across the European summer by anxious promoters looking to distance themselves as far from controversy. Personally, I am not fond of the whole cancel culture discussion, except to marvel at the inconsistency of outrage. It will be interesting to see what the big promoters in Melbourne such as Novel and Untitled do with this information. Nina might be too hot to return for a couple years, but they have no issue booking Maceo Plex and Peggy Gou and others who “culture-wash” for the murderous Saudi regime. To quote Gou:
Some consistency from organisers, bookers, promoters and marketers would be much welcomed. Either surrender the language of “inclusivity, sustainability, ethical, diverse”, or push back against those who believe they are above politics. Here’s a hint: Gou’s family isn’t from North Korea, and the cost of her critiquing the Saudi regime and not playing in Riyadh wouldn’t be harassment or imprisonment of her family; rather it would be a lost DJ fee in the tens of thousands of dollars. I guess some people do have a price. One has read that Gou’s identity itself is a shield against criticism of this kind, but if that’s the best argument to offer, we are a long, long way away from understanding the drivers of conflict and despair in this world, and how business and cultural monetary success often intersects with proximity to empire, resource extraction and war. This uncomfortable truth stands whether playing music in Dubai, Tel Aviv or Coachella.
The pushback against the embarrassing Saudi golf league has been quite pleasing with this in mind. It is tempting to listen to Detroit music legend Jeff Mills or the Shark Greg Norman when they say music or sport can change the world.. in reality, anyone who suggests that golf or electronic music can be a driver of mass ‘cultural change’ (that can somehow prevent or inevitably subvert human rights abuses and war) is dangerously deluded by their own success and experience. It is a joke, one which the Qatari World Cup will almost forever be a punchline to 50 years of unbridled fossil fuel led destructive growth. Unfortunately, there is no separating professional sport and music, or politics, famine and war.