Spartan Thoughts

Date: March 14, 2022
Canonical: 26922
Archive: 26922 [history]
Categories: Badder Thoughts

Note: The Monday Taki post is up. I take up the same theme in the post today, but from a slightly different angle. Sunday Thoughts is up behind the green door and it is all about the big story.

Early in the Ukraine war, there were reports about the death of Vladimir Zhoga, a Russian commander in the Donbass. Later they reported that Ukrainian defense forces killed Russian Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky in combat. In both cases, it was widely reported that these men led units called “Spartan” divisions. Another high profile Russian commander was killed later in the week and he was also linked to the mysterious “Spartan” division.

Typical of the American media, the reports were mostly copy supplied by the State Department, filled in with fantasy from the media. Zhoga was a separatist leader, not a member of the Russian military. His unit was called the Sparta battalion. The others were Russian military, but they were not Spartans. What is interesting about this is the fact that the State Department focused on the word “Sparta” in their copy. Oddly, Sparta looms large in the imagination of the foreign policy elite.

It is a weird aspect of the present age that a society that fashions itself as the new Athens has a Sparta complex. College sports teams have long used the Spartan image and the name itself. Fantasy writers and video game creators like the image of the heroic and stoic Spartans. There have been books and movies about Thermopylae, all focused on what is considered the greatest last stand in history. There is something compelling about Sparta for modern Americans.

The fact is though, America is modeled on Athens, the great antagonist of the Spartans and the loser of the Peloponnesian War. In the mythology of America, the Spartan side is wearing the black hat. They are the great danger, the thing against which democracy organizes against. Modern politicians do not go around talking about the things we associate with Sparta, but rather the things we associate with Athens. They are fixated on our democracy and our freedom.

Despite this, Hollywood has not seen fit to product movies that celebrate Pericles or even Marathon. The reason we know about Thermopylae is it makes for a compelling story, but it was not particularly significant militarily. The truth is it was Athenian tactical brilliance and determination that beat back the Persian hordes. The Spartans never showed up for the battle of Marathon, where the heavily outnumbered Athenians defeated the Persians in 490 BC.

The closest we get in popular culture to celebrating Athens over Sparta is in the old Westerns from the golden age of Hollywood. A regular feature of these films was the conflict between civilization and the frontier culture. In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, we get the relationship between Wayne, the Spartan man of honor, and Stewart, the Athenian man of words. The two men are locked in a fight with a violent criminal who represents the disorder of the frontier.

Even in the Westerns, it is never clear who is the good side of the relationship and who is the bad side of it. Back then the audience was more sophisticated so they could appreciate the ambiguity. There was an understanding that it took a combination of those two sides of man in order to make society possible. You needed the stoic warrior who lived by a code. You also needed the man of rules and words to supply the structure of a society so people can live.

In those old Westerns, it is not an accident that the big star, often John Wayne, would be given the role as the stoic gunfighter. The filmmakers knew that deep in the soul of every man is the desire to be the stoic man of honor, the guy who uses force to impose order on the world. Even if the task required the sacrifice of the man himself, the clarity was superior to a life of ambiguity. At the end of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Jimmy Stewart seems to acknowledge this truth.

This is why the Ukrainians have been cast as brave and honorable defenders of their country and culture. The fact that the people writing this narrative have spent the last generation telling us that there is no such thing as countries or cultures speaks to the power of this old Spartan image. The honor of the Russians is never mentioned, because in this story they are the Persians. They are an alien, inhuman force that exists to test the resolve of humanity and society.

Of course, in the larger narrative that animates the Global American Empire, the Russians are the Spartans, the bad guys in the drama. America is the new Athens, the city on the hill, a light to all nations. The State Department is now flooding Europe with weapons in order to defend civilization from the barbarian horde. They hope to turn the Ukraine into Afghanistan. They will make those people pay any price, bear any burden, in order to play out this fantasy.

You cannot help but wonder if what drives the neoconservatives who run the foreign policy of the Global American Empire is envy. Violence is completely alien to them, as they have spent their lives in the academy. They have never even been in a confrontation in which something they value is on the line. From a distance, they admire the people who they relentlessly attack. Perhaps under it all is the insecurity of men who have never tried to live as men.

Regardless, it is one of the least appreciated aspects of the current age. The long shadow of the Peloponnesian War is still with us. The world now stands closer to nuclear annihilation than it has since the Cuban missile crisis and it is because the people running the Global American Empire are haunted by a conflict within the soul of the West that dates to the birth of the West. The inability to square these two aspects of Western man is what could destroy him.

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Comments (Historical)

The comments below were originally posted to thezman.com.

167 Comments

Quartermaster #294811 March 17, 2022 6:43 pm 0

Volodymyr Zhoga was Russian, not a separatist. He was the successor to “Motorola” who got out of his lane and so Putin’s boys offed him.If there is a Spartan outfit in this Putinist created mess, it is the Ukrainians. The Russians are acting as they have in the past. The Winter war was poorly planned, and the Finns were choked on Russian blood, just as Stalin later choked the Germans on Russian blood. The Soviet/Russian army has never been particularly proficient, and are quite poor on the logistics front. The soviets had serious problems with with supply in Afghanistan, and the corruption of the Russian army supply has been noted in the past.The uninformed love to spew the word “neocon” when referring to wars like that in Ukraine. If one insists it is a neocon war, then Putin must be marked down as a neocon, as that is his war.

Steve retiredrecovering lawyer #294075 March 15, 2022 6:01 am 0

“Perhaps under it all is the insecurity of men who have never tried to live as men.” Agreed, with the caveat that it is not infrequently women (looking at you, Nuland) who are the source of the problem. At bottom, it is men who want to be women and women who want to be men (as those categories were once properly understood) that has caused many of our woes.

My Comment #294068 March 15, 2022 12:24 am 0

When I look at how the Globalists are using sanctions to maliciously attack normal Russians even if they don’t live in Russia, I am reminded of this Solzhenitsyn quote“You must understand, the leading Bolsheviks who took over Russia were not Russians. They hated Russians. They hated Christians. Driven by ethnic hatred they tortured and slaughtered millions of Russians without a shred of human remorse. It cannot be overstated. Bolshevism committed the greatest human slaughter of all time. The fact that most of the world is ignorant and uncaring about this enormous crime is proof that the global media is in the hands of the perpetrators.”

Alzaebo #294053 March 14, 2022 5:38 pm 0

And I wishedI’d asked this morning, but why the effing eff are we bombing Somalia? Trying to get more New-Mericans into Minnesota?

NateG #294050 March 14, 2022 5:14 pm 0

I have to admit that this upcoming Zelensky zoom call with Congress worries me. After Zelanskys dramatic speech, Congress will push Biden into doing something stupid, just watch! These are scary times were living in.

Jack Dobson #294061 March 14, 2022 8:19 pm 0

You have every right to be terrified. The people who run this country are batshit crazy. I just read where NSA Jake Sullivan very publicly warned Russia that an accidental bombing of a NATO country will lead to full war, as if Putin didn’t know that. They are planning a false flag of some sort, and we all may die because of a hashtag war.

Alzaebo #294049 March 14, 2022 5:06 pm 0

Omg. Omg. OMG. On Hannity, a song: “A comedian, the Ukrainian superman…Can one man save the world.In a thousand yearsWill they say your name Will you take my handCan you help me standCan one man save the world?” They are trying to turn the most corrupt J**ish faggot in Europe into Jesus H. Christ!! I am an atheist born and I am never going to Heaven. Yet this…this… THIS. IS. BLASPHEMY!!! The White Christ Is King, and he is ours, you second-rate demons! Hannity: “We must obliterate Russia” BLASPHEMY.BLASPHEMY.BLASPHEMY.BLASPHEMY!!!

RoBG #294051 March 14, 2022 5:25 pm 0

Isn’t Hannity at least nominally RC? “Zelenskyy supports the free distribution of medical cannabis, free abortion in Ukraine, and the legalisation of prostitution and gambling. He opposes the legalisation of firearms.”https://tinyurl.com/23x9xzv4

Compsci #294052 March 14, 2022 5:37 pm 0

He only thing you need to know about Hannity is that he is he stupidest personality on the radio. That makes him dangerous. He repeatedly attempts to justify himself by stating he will never call for a single America to partake in the conflict and then beats the war drums calling for all sorts of action that logically draws us into a shooting war.

Alzaebo #294054 March 14, 2022 5:41 pm 0

Totally, Compsci.Raving like a schizo chihuahua, first one side, then the other. Total lizard brain function.

A.B Prosper #294073 March 15, 2022 4:10 am 0

Nah, Hannity just spews what he’s told to spew,Truth is a lot of so called right wingers are as stupid as the leftists with strong NPC tendencies too.They react to different stims of course but are simply incapable of understanding the world we live in so “muh Russia” works on them.They are as easily scared, get angry when the food bowl looks like it might not be filled and can’t handle complexity.,Better people than they Left to be sure but the mentality of the little sparrows , all react and little thought.Like with those, best to avoid feeding them. They’ll raise hell if you stop and frankly they aren’t worth the cost of seed/posting/interacting unless you see one with a brain t\you think you can effect.

Whiskey #294027 March 14, 2022 2:40 pm 0

I’ll dissent and say this is not about Athens vs. Sparta. But something entirely new, not seen ever in human history:A deeply feminized global aristocracy intending true total global rule for the end goal of micro-managing every aspect of ordinary peoples lives through advanced technology. That’s new. Totally new.There have been feminized/feminine regimes before, but none with even regional let alone global pretensions. And unlike Soviet Communism, this regime has no ideology, just fads like pet rocks and chia pets: George Floyd, sacred blacks, sacred trannies, etc. There have been regimes that sought to control the intimate lives of people, but required a massive social spy network, not smart phones, big data, AI, and digital only payments linked to social credit schemes. And none attempted a global rule. This is entirely new, including micro-managing how and what people eat and when and how much, who/what/how they have sex, not just public obeisance but private obedience to whatever new fad our female rulers come up with.I cannot emphasize enough how new something like the Toad of the State Dept, Victoria Nuland really is. She is ubiquitous among upper management, promoted from her natural position as office lunch lady to a place far beyond her ability, and emanating the natural viciousness of a nasty old shrew denied the pleasures of children and grandchildren. No other regime in any known history had these women in any significant role, not just a few isolated incidences at Royal Courts but all throughout the land.This is not Athens vs Sparta Part XIIV, Electric Bugaloo. This is every Young Adult Dystopian novel come to life but with the heroine choosing between which tranny, not two hunky guys.

Whiskey #294034 March 14, 2022 3:17 pm 0

And replying to my own comment, I will add that the female/dynastic nature of GloboHomo allowed it to grow into Western Europe, parts of Latin America, but not much further. While both Putin and Xi were invited to be junior members of the Davosie, the insistence of the female-led aristocracy that the junior members threaten their own power structure by promoting gays, women etc. and pushing their own inter-married elites to replace the internal Russian/Chinese elites pretty much cemented rebellion. As this did in the Saudi regime, Iran, India, and other places outside Davos/WEF/GloboHomo.These places cannot by their very nature enter GloboHomo, because their local power structures, either siloviki, or regional BJP party bosses, or the same in the CCP, or the direct dynastic rule of the Saudi Prince, or Mullahs in Tehran, simply are not going to intermarry with the Davosie. Thus the limits of dynastic expansion by marriage, or schooling, etc. The alignment we are seeing: Russia/China/India/Mexico*/Brazil/Saudi is at least in part driven by the fact they will never be part of GloboHomo and can’t to retain their national character of local elites.*The FT in particular HATES AMLO in Mexico and wants him gone as he is an old school national leftist and fairly adept at doing old school national leftist things. NOT part of GloboHomo for sure.

B125 #294045 March 14, 2022 4:17 pm 0

The sanctions and asset seizures against Russian “oligarchs” who were not convicted or even charged of any crime should be enough to make some of these more rootless Indian/Chinese/Arab elites send significant sums back to the homeland. Not that I’m shedding too many tears over “Russian” billionaires and sportsball team owners. But the precedent is pretty scary – having money doesn’t mean you can escape Globohomo.The asset seizures of peaceful protestors in Ottawa was the warning shot just a month earlier.Is anybody going to moor their yacht in Europe now? I wouldn’t unless I was a “Davoisie”. Most non-Western people have an outdated view of the West. It’s not 1950 here anymore, we’re not full of stable, well dressed, Conservative, WASP men. It’s a demonic and suicidal society run by foreign tribes, gays, and females.Will be interesting to see how the regional oligarchs respond.

Jack Dobson #294047 March 14, 2022 4:31 pm 0

There’s been a lot of self-inflicted financial destruction, to be certain. If Western capital flight starts to accelerate, and that should be expected given recent events, expect even more foot shooting. Twitter As Real Life breaks down quite fast.

A.B Prosper #294074 March 15, 2022 4:13 am 0

If you believe Dr.Steve Turley it already seems to already be breaking down but knowing Clown World they won’t stop. If anyone here gets a time machine, do us a favor and make sure the Puritans are purged from history . Sure we probably won’t have the Internet or much high tech but we’ll be somewhat sane.

Enoch Cade #294057 March 14, 2022 5:59 pm 0

Great comment, and further proof that the commentators here are the smartest on the Inter Webs. As support for your argument, I would point to mainstream Protestant pastors, about a girly-man lot as one could ever imagine outside a ski boy convention. (And an interesting contrast to Orthodox priests, most of whom tend to be big burly guys, in my experience.)

terranigma #294064 March 14, 2022 10:13 pm 0

I will take the middle road.The “Spartan” reference in the news cycle helped the ZMan contextualize the conflict in an insightful way, even if the neocons are not working from that script directly. The haunting of the Western soul likely has more to do with Sparta’s inability to bridge the gap with Athens when she goes belligerent and barbaric. Those who live by their passions are always a few steps away from becoming the marauding barbarians they pretend to be so much more sophisticated than.Unfortunately for us, the neocons have woven their spell over the American Athens to the point where it has become a holding pen for demon-crazed barbarians. If they were not so physically lacking, then the whole world would likely burn.One takeaway is that we should not let people who adhere to a hyper-feminine religion of parasites tell stories to our children. It ends poorly.For more concrete matters, the internet observes that the last hundred years or so has rotted out the Russian military to the point where it is not performing to expectations in the Ukraine. Putin purportedly has the support of the Russian people, which I hope is true. If so, then his next army should be a lot closer to what his present army pretended to be. Ukraine is a place of growing pains for Russia as long as the will of the people hold.In the West, our rulers have revealed a manic obsession for using the region to their own ends, namely personal enrichment and a war of obliteration against Russia and her people.

RM #294065 March 14, 2022 11:05 pm 0

whiskey you enuch … you could have taken care of thishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqyposaQWnI

Anson Rhodes #294023 March 14, 2022 2:11 pm 0

“it took a combination of those two sides of man in order to make society possible.”Yes indeed. It may be Nature’s most basic principle: Opposites must be allowed to oppose. The opposition creates equilibrium. To deny or suppress one side too much leads only to instability.The west now thinks with its emotions and the rational side gets shouted down because reason is dispassionate in comparison. In the current conflict, to the bleeding hearts, Ukraine = innocent victim. That’s all they want to see and reason/history/demographics doesn’t come into it.Re-establishing balance between reason and emotion is the primary task for civilisation and that means rising above left/right politics.

Spingehra #294032 March 14, 2022 3:08 pm 0

That can only happen after one side completely subjugates the other.Rinse & repeat.

Enoch Cade #293997 March 14, 2022 12:12 pm 0

I don’t know if you planned it this way, Z, but the unspeakably loathsome V.D. Hanson has one of his characteristically moronic posts analyzing the Ukraine thing from the perspective of his training as a “classist.” https://amgreatness.com/2022/03/13/volodymyr-zelenskyys-classical-choices/ There’s an added bonus – the invocation of Saint Winston. “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s “Finest Hour” Churchillian leadership has captivated the West.” Is there a more horrible “public intellectual” in Globohomo? I don’t think so.

Xman #293996 March 14, 2022 12:07 pm 0

Z fails to mention the Melian Dialogue, where the “peace and freedom and democracy-loving” Athenians go to neutral Melos and tell the Melians to join the Delian League — or else. The Melians refuse, so the Athenians kill all their men and enslave their women. Sounds like the exact same type of shit the U.S. has pulled throughout the past century. Become democratic and vote — but if you vote the wrong way, we’ll kill you.

Alzaebo #294037 March 14, 2022 3:40 pm 0

I’m WRSA’s lead piece right now on global censorship . What if the issue isn’t Delian League fantasies, at all?I’m not disagreeing with today’s post, I agree strongly, and Taki’s was simply a joy to read.But, somebody knows how to market to our ruling elites’ sensibilities, how to yank their Athenian string.What if we’re seeing another test-run of the global Beast system?The international pussy hat march for Ukraine is the carrot, the fear of freezing while broke and hungry is the stick.A media pandemic, now a media “war”. They’ll pull out every frightening image, including Soviet nukes and everybody’s favorite Hugo Boss uniforms.Russia isn’t the issue. Total control of the messaging in the goal. Covid showed how far down the field their message control was, now they’re shooting for more.We were always at war with Eurasia.But does anybody remember that we used to be at war with Eastasia, what with Wuhan and Chinese “theft”?

Alzaebo #294039 March 14, 2022 3:43 pm 0

S***! Sorry. Correction-“I’m *reading* WRSA’s lead piece right now,”

Alzaebo #294043 March 14, 2022 3:54 pm 0

In other words, the conspirators aren’t creating their reality or living in their own movie, they’re being led by the nose, like dogs smelling a treat.

Alzaebo #294044 March 14, 2022 4:15 pm 0

Ok, sorry, let me finish the exercise. Led by who? By their own emergent system. Their skein of lies and fantasy history oscillates more and more wildly. Like traffic, it appears orchestrated, but is not.It’s self-orchestrating. (This is why I struggle with defining the “gods”, a related phenomenon. They aren’t sentient as concrete individuals are, but, like individuals, are both a expression and an influence. To call YHWH the Prince of This World- the guy Jesus argued with in the 40 Days of Temptation- makes sense in my model.Anti-Christ, Satan, Shiva- I can agree scientifically with those.)

Alzaebo #294046 March 14, 2022 4:21 pm 0

Still, I agree with and am glad for the Zman’s emphasis on Greco-Roman understanding.I think that Puritan Bible is a big part of the problem. It wrenches our mindset into an alien monotheism, a wrong software problem.

Bilejones #294059 March 14, 2022 6:14 pm 0

It’s interesting how WRSA’s become a serious source in the past two years. Good thing to see.

NateG #293994 March 14, 2022 11:54 am 0

Zelensky to address Congress in a few days. Get out your barf bags because this presentation will be nauseating. It would be cool if someone could hack in that dance video of him before the speech. Be prepared for a lot of standing ovations.

Yeahright #294000 March 14, 2022 12:27 pm 0

Ach, what to wear?? The pink heels, tights or thong. So many choices.

ArthurinCali #294001 March 14, 2022 12:33 pm 0

Another thought from the good idea fairies at WSJ before Zelensky talks to congress. Oh goodie.. https://www.wsj.com/articles/send-nato-troops-to-western-ukraine-russia-putin-tyrant-military-invasion-sanctions-11647195552

Mow Noname #294017 March 14, 2022 1:24 pm 0

I am just worried about the Ukrainian surrogate baby factories in the basements of Keeevvv (vvv) apartment buildings. Our democracy depends on a steady supply of low-cost babies for HR cat-ladies and Cabinet Secretaries.https://www.wsj.com/articles/ukraine-is-a-world-leader-in-surrogacy-but-babies-are-now-stranded-in-war-zone-11647081997

RoBG #294060 March 14, 2022 8:17 pm 0

Ukraine is one of the poorest countries in Europe and one of the most corrupt countries in the world. After the “oligarchs” pillaged the former Soviet Union, buying up assets for pennies on the dollar, desperate people did what they had to do to survive.

Falcone #294002 March 14, 2022 12:41 pm 0

What’s the over /under in seconds for the period of time from when the zelensky speech concludes and romney and graham are in front of the cameras demanding we send troops.

ArthurinCali #294007 March 14, 2022 12:58 pm 0

Falcone, Should put a bet on which one pops a hip out of socket trying to be the first one to be standing up to applause.

Eloi #294014 March 14, 2022 1:20 pm 0

I think I have mentioned this before here, but it bears repeating. I met Lindsay Graham three or four times. The man drinks Bailey’s Irish Cream on the rocks. I think that says all that needs to be said about him.

Ploppy #294295 March 15, 2022 2:28 pm 0

So you met Lindsay Graham and an Irish guy named Bailey?

trumpton #294003 March 14, 2022 12:48 pm 0

So when he did the UK vomit fest it was Churchill all the way down. I wonder what American hero he will conjure? Washington seems the most likely, with Lincoln a close second. He sure seems to have a lot of free time for interviews and national broadcasts.

Falcone #294004 March 14, 2022 12:49 pm 0

Definitely going to be Lincoln Hannity and all the rest will riding that analogy hard

Jack Dobson #294042 March 14, 2022 3:47 pm 0

C’mon people, Zelensky will invoke Christene Jorgensen, and pay tribute to all her/hisxher successors who have taken arms against the ol’ debbil Putin.

Compsci #294055 March 14, 2022 5:44 pm 0

Christine Jorgensen—the only GI to go abroad and come home a broad.

Pickle Rick #294016 March 14, 2022 1:21 pm 0

He’ll invoke “Wheels” Roosevelt, for obvious reasons, as well as Wilson, because he made the world safe for democracy, and we all know that’s a fetish for Lefty now. He must invoke a Sacred Negro, so expect a reference to Martin Luffer Kang or even St. George of the Holy Fentanyl, and of course, the obligatory Fancy Feast reference too.

Spingehra #294033 March 14, 2022 3:12 pm 0

With any luck the Russians will kill him first.They’ll have to go to wherever he’s really at,Likely a mossad safe house in the south of France.

The real Bill #293986 March 14, 2022 11:33 am 0

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that “deep in the soul of every man is the desire to be the stoic man of honor, the guy who uses force to impose order on the world”— because ever since time began, bad people have tried to forcefully subjugate good people; and the only way the good people hung onto their lives and liberty was through the use of righteous violence on the part of their menfolk, to defend themselves and those they loved from the unrighteous violence intended for them.Until very recently in the approximately 200,000 years that anatomically-modern humans have been around, there were no police, no law, no one to call when you saw the bad guys headed your way with evil intentions: if you and the other men of your band weren’t able and willing to fight to the death to defend your women and kids, they’d soon belong to someone else.Things have changed somewhat in that regard in our modern “civilized” society. But for those who are paying attention, it remains true that “when every second counts, the police are only minutes away.”It’s not clear whether Orwell actually authored that quote attributed to him; that “People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf”; but it’s certainly a fact of life.So it’s hardly surprising that in our ever-more-feminized society— in which “toxic masculinity” is the only facet of masculinity that gets any press, and “macho” has become an insult rather than the compliment it used to be— that the male urge to fight, defend and protect is still alive and well; though often necessarily in hiding.And that explains too another phenomenon that Zman points out: those prissy neocon pansies are, deep inside, jealous and envious of real men:“You cannot help but wonder if what drives the neoconservatives who run the foreign policy of the Global American Empire is envy. Violence is completely alien to them, as they have spent their lives in the academy. They have never even been in a confrontation in which something they value is on the line. From a distance, they admire the people who they relentlessly attack. Perhaps under it all is the insecurity of men who have never tried to live as men.”But hey, they can still be “neoSpartans”:“trans Spartans” who paint their toenails red white and blue, wear ‘STOP THE VIOLENCE’ sundresses into battle, and rejoice that all their leaders are ARWOCs: angry resentful women of color.For those interested in the subject, Steven Pressfield’s ‘Tides of War’ is an excellent historically-accurate fictional representation of the Peloponnesian War.Amazon.com: Tides of War: A Novel: 8601410865924: Pressfield, Steven: BooksAnd even better IMHO is his book about Thermopylae:Amazon.com: Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae: 8601400142950: Pressfield, Steven: Books

Compsci #294056 March 14, 2022 5:50 pm 0

I would warn that “Gates of Fire” is more along the lines of “fiction based upon fact”. It is the novel form of a typical Hollywood screen adaptation. And yes, I know there is very little historical writing on the battle, but the sciences described bear little resemblance to known battle tactics of the time (as I recall from reading).

B125 #293978 March 14, 2022 11:21 am 0

They can bellow all they want, but the USA is no longer a Christian country, or a European country. There will be no Athens with a country comprised of 15% Africans and 30% mestizos (and growing every day).The USA might be able to bully people around for now with sanctions, cancellations and girl power. Still lots of wealth, power, and social capital accumulated from when the nation was White. The legacy structures are still holding, but greatly weakened. They will not be able to mount a physical army, neither the Africans nor mestizos have any interest in fighting, and increasingly white men are not interested either.In 100 years or less the USA will be in the junk heap of history, perhaps something like Brazil at best, a few mostly Germanic states with the rest mutted up shit holes. Brazil ain’t invading anybody. Canada will be some Singaporean bug-man hive colony, and Western Europe will be an Islamic caliphate. Just simple extrapolation.Dunno what my point really is, except that the strength of the American empire is rapidly weakening. If they wanted to stay powerful they should have encouraged more white babies to be born and put an end to the hedonism and consumerism.

sentry #293987 March 14, 2022 11:34 am 0

“They will not be able to mount a physical army, neither the Africans nor mestizos have any interest in fighting, and increasingly white men are not interested either.” the plan is to send polacks, finns & latvians to their deaths, US will play the role of the supplier, also send some troops here and there.

Chappius #294010 March 14, 2022 1:11 pm 0

Ah, the Finns. Long basking in the reputation of being a wise nation, keeping the peace for decades after World War II. Fast-forward to current day: elect a wahmen of 34. She and her government risk every shred of blood-soaked national security to what? Send a container of Vietnam War era grenade launchers “to Ukraine.” This wahmen and her entire government should be recalled, if not tried and sentenced.

Chappius #294012 March 14, 2022 1:12 pm 0

Her people are fortunate, despite the egregious threat posed by their government and its sexxxy sexxxy leaders .. to have been left off Putin’s enemies list.

Steve W #294035 March 14, 2022 3:35 pm 0

Nor is this new. Lend-lease was a masterstroke of heartless but effective realpolitik. The USA produced all the boots, food rations, medical supplies, and – above all – trucks, that the Soviets needed to concentrate on defeating the Wehrmacht. The Nazis were already on the ropes by D-Day, and that was thanks to the Russkies.At a guess, the Soviet army lost more men in the campaigns of 1944 alone than the US army lost in both world wars. If Hitler was truly the worst person ever, it seems to me the rulers of our Empire owe the Russians a debt of gratitude for expending so many men in defeating him.And don’t forget how many American-supplied Chinese troops died fending off the main Japanese army on the mainland. I reckon a million or two.It’s a sad truth, but even Hermann Goring, pondering the ‘strategic’ bombing campaigns of the allied air forces, in his jail cell in late 1945, quite rightly described them as barbaric.

Steve W #294036 March 14, 2022 3:36 pm 0

Back in the day, SCTV’s John Candy played in a “Dirty Harry” spoof; Harry, after a gun-battle with his nemesis in which three innocent bystanders are shot, is scolded by his boss – “Harry, you just shot three innocent bystanders!” Harry: : “I’ll shoot a hundred innocent bystanders, if that’s what it takes to get scum like him off the streets!”

Steve W #294040 March 14, 2022 3:44 pm 0

Or – sorry everyone, I am drinking and the overall state of the world isn’t pleasing to me – recall that great 1939 comedy, ‘Ninotchka’. Ninotchka, arriving in Paris to straighten out some knuckleheaded apparatchiks who are there trying – and failing – to sell “liberated” jewels, is greeted at the railway station. They ask her, “Comrade, how are the purges going?” Ninotchka: “They are going well. There will be fewer, but better Russians.” Not that any of this has anything to do with GAE policy.

Astralturf #294041 March 14, 2022 3:47 pm 0

Watch, WNs like Grindr Greg will continue propagandizing about the honor and glory of Ukrainian nationalists. I can only read Murican but I bet nationalist sites are spewing the same sort of stuff across the Continent. The idea, obviously, is to get young European men to sign up to fight against the heinous Eurasian threat on behalf of based nationalism. They’ve even got Nazis! How could you not want to fight alongside real life Nazis? You can wear a black sun patch and even post it on Instagram!I wonder if they’ll think it’s weird they’ve also got redd*tors and trannies in their units…

Anonymous White Male #293992 March 14, 2022 11:53 am 0

“In 100 years or less the USA will be in the junk heap of history, perhaps something like Brazil at best, a few mostly Germanic states with the rest mutted up shit holes.” Speculating on what the USA or any other country will be in 100 years is like Climate Change prognostication. It’s never right.

Crabe-Tambour #294029 March 14, 2022 2:45 pm 0

True, but things could be even worse than what “125” speculates.

Falcone #293999 March 14, 2022 12:22 pm 0

Many schools are already banning Classics and European history because of muh white supremacy Only a matter of time before we start using the Inca names for the days of the week. If you are going to conquer a people, might as well do a full top to bottom house cleaning and erasure of everything to do with them

trumpton #294009 March 14, 2022 1:04 pm 0

muh the eradication of my culture.

Iron Maiden #294021 March 14, 2022 1:44 pm 0

And to think our own people have been instrumental in bringing this about. It beggars belief.

Vajynabush #294069 March 15, 2022 1:03 am 0

The funny thing is, TPTB are also erasing legacy schvartzer and injun symbols, e.g., Aunt Jemima and the Washington Redskins, supposedly out of concern for those demographics. So what you get is this totally bland, deracinated culture. See also “latinx.”

Din C. Nuttin #293977 March 14, 2022 11:20 am 0

I consider myself an expert on the history of Rome. I haven’t read any books on the topic, but I have watched numerous Hollywood films. The idea that war caused Rome’s demise misses the mark. Rome declined when the emperor’s syphilis reduced his leadership to a parody and the government, in effect, became a caricature of its prior grandeur. Sort of like what dementia in the leadership might cause.

Liberty Mike #293988 March 14, 2022 11:35 am 0

You don’t have to be an expert. Gibbon is overrated. He don’t know nttin about no rise and fall.

Whiskey #294024 March 14, 2022 2:20 pm 0

A lot of scholars now believe the central decline of Rome was the lack of new Romans. A birth dearth. Caused by urban declining birth rates (cities are sinkholes for populations), plague, and lack of small freeholders the core of its military prowess. Substituting barbarians did not work. Gibbon was a pioneer, but he did not have extensive archealogical research from which to draw population studies. [analysis of middens, graves, coinage, etc. from which to draw population inferences]

Enoch Cade #293976 March 14, 2022 11:19 am 0

Separately, I’m a little surprised that the “media” has not been shrieking about the fact that the flag of the Donbas republican is based on the Confederate battle flag. Maybe no one at the State department has gotten around to composing that memo.

B125 #293980 March 14, 2022 11:22 am 0

I thought it was the flag of Novorossya. Either way, would be pretty based (although more or less meaningless) to see it raised over Novorossya if Russia ends up taking over the Eastern part of Ukraine.

Enoch Cade #293984 March 14, 2022 11:31 am 0

Yes, you’re right – appreciate the correction!

trumpton #293993 March 14, 2022 11:54 am 0

Who really knows what these represent and who gets to choose the flag? Like how the the Continental Colors flag (Grand Union flag) and the East India Company flag is identical?

Enoch Cade #293973 March 14, 2022 11:17 am 0

Great piece, both here and on Taki. Just putting this out there as a thought. I’ve spent a lot of time studying the English Civil War (I’ve read through all of the Thomason collection of tracts in the British Museum, among the primary sources). I long ago concluded that the “revolutionary” aspect of the war was somewhat overstated, due in no small part of Michael Hill, a great historian who happened to be a socialist and great admirer of the Levellers. At any rate. I think a case can be made that what Cromwell and the Puritans did was halt the efforts of Charles I to make England a “divine right” kingdom in the image of the France and Spain he so admired, in which the State was the King. The Puritans among the country gentry objected most of all to Charles’ efforts (through Strafford) to concentrate power and administration in White Hall, that is, away from the shires where the gentry ran things pretty much as they had since Anglo-Saxon/Norman times. (The ship-money issue was a sort of exemplar of the entire debate.) Cromwell primarily wanted to return England to the “Elizabethean compromise” under which people were, to a great extent, left alone. Laud’s efforts to force conformity on the Church of England can also be seen in this regard – if he and Charles has not pestered the Puritan practice of lectureships, there likely would have been far less annoyance from the Puritan element.

Enoch Cade #294015 March 14, 2022 1:20 pm 0

Sorry, I mean Christopher Hill. Michael is the “league of the South” guy.

whatever2020 #293969 March 14, 2022 11:12 am 0

There is no such thing as countries or cultures in globohomo; in fact, at the individual level, there is no such thing as a spirit or a soul either. The moment of great triumph will be when the hoist the tranny flag in Keeeev. Then they can open up a Starcucks and other such places, as a whole a civic safe space, all decorated by the Google, Inc. corporate art department. This will atone for the same not working out so well when they tried to pull it in Kabul quite recently. Even if they have to give up the ghost on NATO and nukes in Ukraine, and even give up the ghost on retrieving any of Hunter Biden’s discarded crack pipes, after the “bad optics” in Afghanistan, this will still be enough to declare victory.Re the neocon chicken hawks, yes the squawking and propaganda truly is off the charts, like nothing I’ve ever seen or heard before, not even close. The volume is turned up to 11 literally 24/7, and it’s getting worse and more glaringly psychotic by the day. It really is something to behold. The only remotely similar comparison is Gulf War I, although the saturation was not even close and the volume was not turned up so high. Of course, during the dramatic performance on the “news” back then it was “cutter cutter cutter” instead of “keev keev keev.” This is the reason I immediately knew (hearing keev keev keev …) right at the very beginning how major a performance they were going to make this. Oh well, I suppose the vision and goal of the tranny flag flying in Keev makes this all worth it, justifying the risk of thermonuclear war.

3 Pipe Problem #293960 March 14, 2022 10:57 am 0

Maybe it’s just me, but can’t help noticing that, coincidental with the onset of DST, I’m betting the Club of Rome has likewise sprung their clock of doom, or whatever it’s called, ahead by several minutes.I’ve lost track, but sheesh, we gotta be about a minute to midnight by now, right? As another Greek–maybe it was Hercules–had it, “Only the dead have seen the end of war.”

Jack Dobson #293955 March 14, 2022 10:48 am 0

“4. This may ultimately be about China. Collapse Russia, make it a pet poodle like Germany and China is far more vulnerable militarily and economically”It definitely was about Germany. The United States provoked this war to separate Germany (and Europe, generally) from Russia. Nordstream 2 literally drove D.C. insane. So mission accomplished, as has been said before, there.As for the PRC, that’s not so clear to me. Some time back Soros and other Clouds started to rant about China. The logical assumption was they could not control it and were angry. That’s probably true.But the clear winner in all this very well may be China. Consider:1. China and Russia are actual allies now. Yes, China eventually will absorb much of the Russian East for its natural resources, but that can be done peacefully.2. The United States will come out of this a far weaker country and economy.3. Europe will come out of this far weaker and poorer.4. Russia will come out of this far weaker and poorer unless China makes up some gaps.Unless and until we see the United States impose actual sanctions against the PRC, my guess is that at least a crucial portion of Clouds see this as a golden opportunity to further enrich themselves via China. The odds of any economic confrontation/attempted punishment of China seems to me quite unlikely.Great comment, by the way.

Jack Dobson #293958 March 14, 2022 10:55 am 0

“Great comment, by the way.” (Meant as a response to MyComment below)

Citizen of a Silly Country #293962 March 14, 2022 11:01 am 0

This is a huge deal for China.If they continue to help Russia and Russia makes it through this, China will have Russia’s energy resources locked up. If Russia falls apart and turns into a beaten-down satellite of the West, China will be isolated and extremely vulnerable to western sanctions, especially if a western-dominated Russia joins in.You say that Russia and China are allies now. Maybe, and they certainly have reasons to stick together. But if Russia falls apart and goes back to being western dominated like in the 1990s, that alliance falls apart.Of course, everything that I just wrote goes for the US as well, just in reverse.The invasion and economic sanctions have the potential to completely reorder the world over the next decade. If Russia falls and becomes a western satellite, the US will be in a very powerful position. If Russia survives, the US is extremely weakened.Like the Athenians, the US rules the trade routes, only via the dollar and economic sanctions. China and Russia could create an alternate trading bloc and maybe even alternate banking routes. If Russia falls, America’s dollar dominance of trade and banking will be even stronger.This is a very big deal

Falcone #293964 March 14, 2022 11:06 am 0

My understanding is that most Russians hate the west with a passion When I say “west” I mean the globohomo tranny west and all its decadence If the USA installs a puppet regime in Russia, I’d imagine the people would be furious

Jack Dobson #293968 March 14, 2022 11:11 am 0

Russians loathe the West, particularly the United States. I’ve been told that was more the result of the gangsterism and looting promoted in the aftermath of the Cold War than anything else. If I read Citizen correctly, he meant Western-dominated more in an economic and cultural sense than in any type of actual administration.

Glenfilthie #293991 March 14, 2022 11:53 am 0

We know this to be a fact. Didn’t Patriarch Kirill kick off Lent with a lecture about queers and gay pride parades?Few people realize that Christianity is on the upswing in Russia. I believe they are building something like three churches every day now – if the Patriarch is to be believed.If that is the case, it almost certainly follows that morals, ethics and laws will also take an upswing with Christianity and if THAT happens – and it is starting to look like it to me – there will also be an power shift in Russia’s favour as the world realizes the corruption of American/Jewish Globohomo.As a christian I personally see no reason whatsoever to support the west in this one. Nor from a tactical strategic standpoint.

Enoch Cade #293985 March 14, 2022 11:33 am 0

Yeah, which goes back to the Slavophiles and Dostoevsky. See the latter’s “Winter Notes on Summer Impressions.” One can read “The Grand Inquisitor” as a prophecy not only of socialism, but “liberal democracy.”

Compsci #293967 March 14, 2022 11:10 am 0

How does one “sanction” China. It’s too late for that. Look into any store and count the items made in the USA. Basically zip. For the US to sanction China is to shoot itself in the foot. Even sanctioning Russia has turned into a tar baby that threatens us with recession. To turn off the China spigot is to threaten depression. It will take a decade to wean ourselves off of the China teat.

Jack Dobson #293970 March 14, 2022 11:14 am 0

Agreed. China produces most ingredients of antibiotics. A secondary producer is India, which has been supportive of Russia. Don’t discount stupidity.

Compsci #293990 March 14, 2022 11:42 am 0

Say what you will about Trump. He instinctively knew about the China “threat”. Perhaps that’s why he was jumped on with both feet by Dem’s and Rep’s alike. Money talks and a lot of folk were made rich by monetizing American social capital and selling it to China.

Ostei Kozelskii #293989 March 14, 2022 11:39 am 0

The problem with the Chinese teat is that, after sucking it, you’re hungry again two hours later…

DYSPEPSIA GENERATION Blog Archive Spartan Thoughts #293953 March 14, 2022 10:41 am 0

[…] Zman ponders the first casualty in any war. […]

JR Wirth #293948 March 14, 2022 10:21 am 0

Once Upon a Time in the West is full of allegory. Every character and scene. No one can do allegory like Italians. You need a very old culture to do it well.

Anonymous White Male #293945 March 14, 2022 10:08 am 0

“The world now stands closer to nuclear annihilation than it has since the Cuban missile crisis and it is because the people running the Global American Empire are haunted by a conflict within the soul of the West that dates to the birth of the West.”The people running the GAE are not haunted by a conflict within the soul of the West. The are not of the West. They are those that lend imaginary money to receive actual, material goods. Being “haunted” implies an internal awareness of a conflict of morality. The only conflict they have is how can they hold on to all they’ve already stolen.

Falcone #293965 March 14, 2022 11:09 am 0

I agree I commend Z man for his work, but trying to equate a bunch of k-kes stirring the pot to get a bunch of Slavs to kill each other doesn’t seem to me to bear much resemblance to the great wars of Ancient Greece.

Compsci #293971 March 14, 2022 11:14 am 0

No, but the “little guy” against the “big bully” holds pretty well in American culture and mystic. And of course, the neocons are toxic. They’ve never seen a fight they don’t want you and yours —but not theirs—to get involved in.

Falcone #293982 March 14, 2022 11:23 am 0

Just be ready for the schmaltz meter to go to 11 when the little hats start making movies about zelensky Bring a box of tissues for when the tear jerking music begins And we will be very fortunate if the allusions to David and Goliath are not like a sledgehammer to the head

NateG #293938 March 14, 2022 9:42 am 0

Neocons are wimps and draft-dodgers living vicariously through the military. They also have a very low opinion of Russians, and it’s blowing up in their faces.

Falcone #294008 March 14, 2022 1:01 pm 0

Hannity knows MMA Romney knows MBA Graham hates TNA Don’t wanna mess with them

Captain Willard #293934 March 14, 2022 9:36 am 0

As Mark Twain wrote in the introduction to Huckleberry Finn, anyone looking for a plot will be shot. Zman cites the classic Liberty Valance, but with respect I think it’s far simpler.There is no plot or grand narrative to the Neocon project. It is a series of disposable narratives and expedients. First, there was “Saddam aggression that will not stand”. Then there was “Iraqi Democracy”, then “Afghan schoolgirls”. Now we have “brave Ukraine standing up for Western Democracy”.Tomorrow this could be drag queen rights in Cuba, or fentanyl-laced empanadas from Venezuela poisoning kids in Miami or gay rights in Yemen or nukes in North Korea. First comes the Neocon goal, then comes whatever hackneyed script they use for the occasion to justify the goal.To cite another great Western: “Badges! We don’t need no stinkin’ badges!” The Neocons just do what they want, a law unto themselves.

Screwtape #293942 March 14, 2022 9:59 am 0

The narrative machine runs on composted narratives of yesteryear. Its green like that. So, the babies being tossed from incubators coming around again was not a surprise, but the great goldfish memory of the empire now completely converged in social media prevents pattern recognition. Which is really just a sciency way of saying racist. Don’t be racist.So, send in the green berets. What, they are already there? And they are all white men. War is hell.A retired SF friend of mine who still pulls contracts hinted at heading over there. I didn’t ask for which side as I wanted to enjoy the rest of my beer. There is a whole lot of pure narrative momentum all around. From cloud to dirt.Reality is boring and hard. Luckily everything is like the sexual marketplace run by insta-tinder now. Feminized status seeking is and supplicating scrums of weak men appealing to the girls in the cloud. We are in a great famine of strong men.I bet you three cups of tea the war of sovereign borders will somehow lead to an expedited, bipartisan amnesty for the 40MM invaders here.

The Wild Geese Howard #293946 March 14, 2022 10:10 am 0

I hope your SF friend realizes the Russian Army aren’t a bunch of goat herders with AKs and that he won’t have continuous air dominance that enables close-air support or heavy artillery on-call 24/7.

Screwtape #293972 March 14, 2022 11:17 am 0

Howy, the underestimation of war is done by those who have never been to war.My friend is a warrior, not a character in some Reddit faggot rainbow flamewar.The problem is not in the unseriousness of actual soldiers, but rather the unseriousness of those who task them – and the legion of well-marbled don’t tread on me grillers who won’t fight the fight right in front of them, favoring the poast posturing of the online life and watercooler politics of polite society.Further, if you talk to anyone who has actually fought the goat herders you will find they hold that enemy in respect for their fighting skills and willingness to do whatever it takes. The graveyard of empires seems to do just fine without F35s.But yes, the empire of larp is its own problem and is rife on our side of the divide as well. Reality has a way of auto-correcting.The real problem, however, is the momentum of the patriotic American mythology, the fourth estate being completely converged to globohomo, the MIC being completely converged to globohomo, the vestigial masculinity that is harnessed by our enemies toward our own destruction, and the ongoing subversion of male honor and service that all keep men like my friend engaged in the service of evil – and new crops of young dirt boys signing up for the MIC or the cloud gulags called colleges just the same.The whole thing seems to be on auto-pilot. Which is a problem when the attitude indicator is well in the brown.

Evil Sandmich #294013 March 14, 2022 1:14 pm 0

The “autopilot” quip reminded me of the “biolabs” in Ukraine. I doubt anyone in the White House knew for sure what labs were there, how they were funded, or what they were doing. When they inquired so that they could do some CYA they were probably told to pound sand. Whatever the regime wants to do is already set, the people we see on TV are just expected to be their marketing arm.

Steve #293963 March 14, 2022 11:03 am 0

Of course now that someone has touched on this particular topic, I can’t find the friggen link to a story that deals with foreign soldiers making their way over there and problems they’re facing. I was reading on another site a little while ago that the attack near the Polish border was the Russians hitting supply areas and barracks that were allegedly where foreign fighters, as well as supply shipments were coming in.One of the foreign fighters who survived the attack told a reporter that , “We knew this was going to be an uphill battle with no air support, but we had no idea we wouldn’t be able to get out of the gate.”I recall the words of my 1st Sgt. during GW I, “I wouldn’t want that shit raining down on me!”

The Wild Geese Howard #293979 March 14, 2022 11:21 am 0

Steve- The UK Sun has an article with a Brit volunteer who claims he was fighting in Ukraine that gets at the points raised above: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17899587/ukraine-war-russia-british-fighter/ IF his story is genuine he and his American pal are lucky they weren’t shot as spies when they were caught with the backpack containing a pistol and some radios.

JerseyJeffersonian #294026 March 14, 2022 2:37 pm 0

And after all of the grooming of the idea of “unlawful combatants” issuing forth from the West over the last couple of decades, and how they have no rights, yeah that Brit was lucky indeed that they didn’t kneel him down by a hole and give him a double tap behind the ear. And if anybody in the West kicked a fuss, just tell ’em that they were merely applying the legal consensus reached by the West to his situation.

Steve #294031 March 14, 2022 2:58 pm 0

“IF his story is true.” Quite right as we all know what the fog of war can produce.

EasyCo. #294066 March 14, 2022 11:09 pm 0

Vox Day has had those stories.

Paintersforms #293933 March 14, 2022 9:36 am 0

I’ve often wondered why Sparta developed a warrior culture.

TomA #293944 March 14, 2022 10:05 am 0

That which “works” persists. Over time, a people become what their unique environment demands. This is not only evident in physical features such as skin color and eye shape, but also manifests as optimized innate behavior patterns. The common denominator is that the enduring trait always contributes to the survive and thrive robustness of the local species’ cohort. And none of this has anything to do with choice or volition.

Alzaebo #293949 March 14, 2022 10:29 am 0

Painter, please see the two excellent articles on the Bronze Age Collapse over at WRSA, last week. The Attic / Ionian Greeks were Troy and Athens, civilized and literate. The Dorian Greeks became Sparta. Some Hittite fool had sold the Dorians’ ancestors a new technology, iron swords, when bronze was the standard. They went on a tear, and all the lower classes started joining in.Chariot archery corps were overrun by massed mobs. The situation, basically, was what will happen when the EBT cards fail, and the gangs have AK47s.

Alzaebo #293952 March 14, 2022 10:38 am 0

ps- or, American RPGs instead of just AKs. Funny how Juggalo Joe happened to lose all that ordnance in Afghanistan, just before the Ukraine party kicked off.

The real Bill #294011 March 14, 2022 1:12 pm 0

That’s occurred to me: all anyone would need to do to start a nationwide race riot in America, is to hack in to the welfare state computers and disable the ‘entitlements’ disbursal system for a few weeks. I know that vibrant joggers aren’t the only ones on welfare; but they ARE the ones who’d immediately start rioting the second their EBT cards stopped working and their checks stopped arriving.

Professor Alfred Sharpton #293959 March 14, 2022 10:57 am 0

Our esteemed writer has an older audio podcast about this very subject, I just so happened to listen to it yesterday. I believe it’s titled “The Greeks & Us” (episode 74 on iTunes) The part that stuck out to me was the economic system that allowed for the constant training of the warrior class. When you have indentured servants / slaves it frees up a lot of your time to hit the gym and practice your swordfighting

Falcone #293974 March 14, 2022 11:17 am 0

Might be because Sparta was in a river valley and vulnerable to attack from people coming from over the hills

Compsci #293981 March 14, 2022 11:23 am 0

Why not develop such a culture? It’s the logical extension of the times—when every citizen was a “soldier”. The Spartans enslaved the Helots (fellow Greeks of the land) and they, as the only citizens, had plenty of time to exercise, play sports, learn fighting skills—which was necessary if nothing else to keep the Helots in line. Problem with the Spartans is that they were never very numerous. Their reputation vastly exceeded their threat.

Paintersforms #294028 March 14, 2022 2:41 pm 0

All points taken. I have a decent layman’s knowledge of that time and place, with plenty of gaps I’m sure. It seems odd to me, though, that Spartans went the militant agrarian route when everybody around them was trading and colonizing. Civilized barbarians or something, very unique. And I think I heard somewhere they were considered the most honorable or most Greek of the Greeks, though I can’t remember where. Fascinating people.

sentry #293930 March 14, 2022 9:29 am 0

i guess these archetypal forces are gonna duke it out once again cause anti-russian propaganda is on overdrive, this shit reminds me of j tribe lies on tsar & rasputin before communists took over & of hitler being turned into a caricature of anti-christ before US entered ww2. how hard will it be for americans to stage a false flag on poland’s or on romania’s border. i can already hear that senile pedo inside the white house say “this time putler has gone too far, we need to take the fight to him in order to defend our beloved demonacracy!”

ArthurinCali #293929 March 14, 2022 9:28 am 0

“America’s Hesitation is Heartbreaking” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/03/ukraine-united-states-nato/627052/ This article displays how the quality of those deemed public intellectuals has fallen. Yet another diatribe stating we need to flood Ukraine with arms, fighter jets, money, et all. The justification being that this is (of course) a war for global freedom and democracy, dumbing it down to a David and Goliath situation, but also reminding us that Russia’s military is teetering on collapse if we will just send more weapons for the Ukraine meat grinder.

trumpton #293932 March 14, 2022 9:34 am 0

The internal contradiction is the classic tell of the manufactured nature of these schemes and manipulation methods. They are intentional, as they create a fractured status in the brain to enable beliefs to then be directly inserted where the gap opens up. You see it for all the fronts opened up by globohomo on the population. Direct internal contradiction allows them to seize control of the narrative as the normal brain is short circuited by the semantic confusion.

The Infant Phenomenon #293936 March 14, 2022 9:38 am 0

“Russia’s military is teetering on collapse if we will just send more weapons for the Ukraine meat grinder.” Fortunately, nobody reads The Atlantic. Probably not even its editors. Not that it matters. That same cut-and-paste story is available everywhere. You know, it’s almost as though we were living in Propaganda Hell.

The Wild Geese Howard #293947 March 14, 2022 10:12 am 0

When you realize that the people who staff the Atlantic are secondary or tertiary beneficiaries of the people who are raking in tens of billions via their Ukrainian looting operations their endless stream of pro-Ukraine op-eds make a lot more sense.

Glenfilthie #293924 March 14, 2022 9:14 am 0

“ You cannot help but wonder if what drives the neoconservatives who run the foreign policy of the Global American Empire is envy…”—————————————-I think it’s a variation of you concept of the shitlib morality play, Z? The Russians are the evil villains (they’re all nazis)… and who better to play the part of the hero than the neocons and SJWs of Globohomo Inc? They are already holy warriors and “men of words”.Being a brave hero these days is as easy as going on Twitter and posting up a Ukrainian flag.As for us peons… it is for us to cheer the heroes and boo and spit at the villains. As for me… I am gonna skip this show. I’ve seen it before.

thezman #293925 March 14, 2022 9:21 am 0

That is the other long shadow. The Puritan sense of communal salvation. That is the genesis of the hive mind, which turns everything into a morality play of purely good and purely evil actors. It also seems to follow the Great Awakening pattern where we go through periods of moral panic. Then again, this happened in the Roman Republican and Greek democracy, so maybe it is a product of popular rule. I don’t know. Maybe it is just part of the human condition. There are a few books in there.

Iron Maiden #293961 March 14, 2022 11:00 am 0

The question for me is how do we develop antibodies to combat this phenomenon? It’s demoralizing watching our society be so easily led to its own doom. Surely there is a way to break the Stockholm Syndrome that seems to have afflicted the West.

JerseyJeffersonian #294030 March 14, 2022 2:47 pm 0

Unfortunately, the only way to break the spell is likely for there to be a near complete economic collapse. Half measures are unlikely to accomplish it at this point. Even the chances of secessionist enclaves breaking away are largely dependent upon this happening.

Card Stock #294048 March 14, 2022 4:36 pm 0

You don’t. As hard as this is to accept, it’s true: the vast majority of people are simpleton imbeciles — tatted up peasant trash. They’ll go on believing one lie after another because it’s in their nature. Bears hunt fish because eating is fundamental to their existence. Peasants go along with the propaganda because their ancestors had genes for low IQ and high agreeableness; being a troglodyte is in their nature.You can’t change your eye color any more than you can change from being a peasant to a sophisticate. Check those videos of Wal-Mart shoppers to see the state of humanity. Obviously, that can’t be reformed because it comes from genetics. Thus, we’ve gone from Trump hysteria to Covid hysteria to BLM hysteria to Russian hysteria. It’s never ending because the people are the same during each hysteria — primitive savages with lizard brains and degenerative medical disorders like obesity and AIDS.Probably the only thing that will work is for those who are worthy to leave and found their own nation somewhere else. That way superior genetics will persist at least somewhere and that society will be tolerable. Edward Dutton has hinted at the possibility that humans might one day form separate societies as the West collapses, although his language is more diplomatic than mine.

Compsci #294058 March 14, 2022 6:12 pm 0

Your language need not be diplomatic—just correct—and it is. Albeit we have more stupid (low IQ) folk than ever before, the real problem is that these people are allowed to vote, One man, one vote, implicitly implies we are all equal in our faculties of judgement and therefore “deserve” an equal portion of societal decision making. Dutton knows this to be a fallacy, so do most others who are not pathological egalitarians.

The real Bill #294018 March 14, 2022 1:34 pm 0

To a certain extent, our inclination to gravitate towards a “hive mind” mentality can be seen as a leftover from the many thousands of years we spent living in hunter-gatherer extended-family groups, in which getting along with their fellows was necessary to every individual’s survival, and in which a group which was able to think alike possessed certain advantages over those who weren’t. There still seems to be a certain comfort and self-righteousness inherent in believing in the things which “all good people know to be true.”And religion certainly reinforces that. The all-or-nothing nature of traditional Christian theology certainly lends itself to a black-and-white view of the world. And a religion in which your “eternal salvation” hinges to a large extent on believing the proper things, meant that being a part of that particular hive mind was not only comforting, but ultimately necessary if you were going to avoid eternal damnation.As inherently-social beings— whose first sense of who we are came from other people and the way our caregivers treated us— the urge to belong and fit in does seem to be part of our deepest natures.And it’s helpful to remember that our need-to-belong and desire-to-please work fine, as long as the society we’re part of is fundamentally healthy. The rub comes when our society is so sick, that good people sense the fact that fitting-in to it entails more of a loss than a gain.

trumpton #293926 March 14, 2022 9:22 am 0

Its a retread of Masada, rather than Marathon.

karl von hungus #293950 March 14, 2022 10:33 am 0

the scale of the ukrainian blunder kind of makes it unique, in history. trying to think of a similar situation where an entire country (of 40M+ people) forfeits their sovereignty without anything resembling a reward to justify it. it kind of reminds me of “The Mouse That Roared”; i.e. the ukes *want* to be taken over.

Jack Dobson #293956 March 14, 2022 10:51 am 0

The Empire enticed them to stand up. It was clearly a cynical move for whatever reason. That there was no upside for Ukraine was irrelevant.

trumpton #293957 March 14, 2022 10:55 am 0

Pick any European country since the war.

Alzaebo #294022 March 14, 2022 2:06 pm 0

Bah. They were taken over by Kolomoyskyi,the criminal oligarch behind Zelensky, the Azov Battalion, and Burisma. Somebody Nuland and Kagan could deal with. Ukraine is run by the equivalent of mobster, Meyer Lansky.

RoBG #294062 March 14, 2022 8:26 pm 0

People should take 5 mins and read this thread re: Kolomoyskyihttps://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1497718130679824385.html

Horace #293998 March 14, 2022 12:17 pm 0

One of many threads in this tapestry of tragedy is that most of the Ukrainians who have been labeled as ‘nazis’ are simply nationalists for their own people who were foolish enough to let themselves be used as cannon fodder for Soros/WEF Globohomo Inc. They went beyond defending their own people in their own land and attacked Rus in the east on Rus lands. Soon they will all be dead. They should have stayed in Galicia. Nuland, Soros and fellow travelers are not done using their families like food animals, and now they won’t be around to defend them.

TomA #293922 March 14, 2022 9:09 am 0

So why not just come out and say it.The men that we routinely elect to office (and those installed as sycophants within the federal government) are all pussies and eunuchs. There isn’t a swinging pair to be found anywhere in DC. The woman have more balls than the men. And if this were a football team and the QB was a flaming cowardly faggot, no one would block for him or even follow him onto the field. And yet we allow these poseurs to preen and bellow about going to war as manly men. And no doubt they will be the first to hide under a rock when the real bullets start flying. For God’s sake, we actually have men wearing dresses and sexual perverts in high office, and men marrying men and posting photos of “their” baby online, and everyone in the media acts like this is normal.And people like Carlson and Bongino want you to believe that we can vote our way out of this mess. Well, voting is how we got here.

Apex Predator #293927 March 14, 2022 9:23 am 0

This was part of what made them all apoplectic with Trump. Love him, hate him, or indifferent, Trump brought a masculine energy to the table that hasn’t been seen in a LONG time in DC and it terrified them.In the land of soy lattes, feminine passive aggression, general fagg-try, and men without chests, in walks this swinging d-ck swaggering about. This sent off a panic response that was a combination of fear, envy, and probably something akin to attraction for many. The love/hate relationship they had with him was classic co-dependency. They simply could NOT stop talking about him, and when he was gone so to was CNN whose ratings dried up.The soft effete bug hive will now do everything in its power to stop another potential ‘murder hornet’ from finding its way into and endangering the colony. As you said, there is no voting your way out of this. We had one shot in 2016 and even for the disruption he caused most of it was simply hot air.Their reaction to Putin swinging his dong wide and slapping Ukraine with it has all the same tell tale markers of limp wristed men and careerist wahmen seething at the ‘toxic masculinity’ of it all.

The Infant Phenomenon #293940 March 14, 2022 9:47 am 0

“As you said, there is no voting your way out of this. We had one shot in 2016 … .”Thee last election in which Americans had a chance to save the country was that of 1936.The current, dominant mind-set won the election of 1932. The 1936 election was the chance to get that mindset out of power.Just look up the presidential appointments after 1932. Look into the details of the 1936 elections.The country was lost a LONG time ago; specifically 1865. We walked a chalk line from then till 1936, then threw it all away–for good; no going back.We’ve been running on inertia since then.

Compsci #293983 March 14, 2022 11:31 am 0

Hell, imagine we had wars a they had in Roman times. Where lines of men clashed with shields and swords and slashed about, face to face. Now we operate drones over conflict areas in the Middle East from bases in the US. Even in WWII it became uncommon to look the person you killed in the eye.

A.B Prosper #294070 March 15, 2022 3:53 am 0

This may have been what broke society . Give huge chunks of your population PTSD and you don’t get hard men but weak ones And note that while PTSD is noted all the wayback in the bronze age it was much less common in face to face combat . Artillery causes a lot of it and as warfare becomes “maybe randomly die” rather than “Maybe die fighting your foes.” things get worse and worse.

3g4me #293919 March 14, 2022 8:57 am 0

Excellent Taki piece Z man – even better than your post here, I’d argue. As far as ‘overthinking’ the issue, I’d disagree with “my comment.” If anyone is overthinking or overdramatizing things, it is Kagan and Nuland. And to discount Kagan’s father’s profession and writings is to minimize how parental interests and beliefs help shape their children. Yes, heredity matters more than environment, but within the biological nuclear family they clearly interact a great deal. Whether Kagan is consciously aware of his view or casting of Russia versus Europe, or whether Nuland would be willing to admit being influenced by her husband’s views, those are all part of what helped frame each’s interaction with the wider world.Also, extremely well done weaving in Ben Shapiro’s ludicrously overblown claim that most of his followers/readers choose to ignore or elide. That belief, too – that historical Judaism was part of the roots of the West rather than Christianity – is also part of Kagan and Nuland’s worldview and part of what shapes the GAE’s conflict with Russia. Overall, this brings more clarity to those who don’t clearly see just who and what they’re siding with in this utterly unnecessary conflict provoked by those who bought and paid for the GAE and its foreign policy.

Tars Tarkas #293931 March 14, 2022 9:31 am 0

It really gets their goat that we created Western Civilization and they didn’t. Even the year (as in 2022 AD) is a reminder to them. Imagine believing you and your people are much better than the people who created the society you live in. That is why they do their best to write themselves into our history and dishonestly talk about “our Judeo-Christian values”

trumpton #293935 March 14, 2022 9:37 am 0

Do a search on google ngrams for the term books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=judeo-Christian+&year_start=1800&year_end=2019&corpus=26&smoothing=3&direct_url=t1%3B%2Cjudeo%20-%20Christian%3B%2Cc0#t1%3B%2Cjudeo%20-%20Christian%3B%2Cc0 It is missing before the war (interestingly a brief rise in the war run up) and only gets any traction post 1965 once the academic population had started to change.

3g4me #293941 March 14, 2022 9:50 am 0

trumpton: Well aware of this. There’s a reason I always consciously and deliberately use BC and AD. The blatant and lying substitution of ‘common era’ for AD is an obscenity (golly gee, look who started changing language and terms that didn’t include them decades ago) and I will not submit.

Glenfilthie #293995 March 14, 2022 11:59 am 0

Amen! These Jewish liberals can shove their pronouns up their hoopers too!

Moss #294005 March 14, 2022 12:52 pm 0

The lie of Dispensationalism now dominates the Western church. I suspect God is weaving his whip right now.

G Lordon Giddy #293918 March 14, 2022 8:54 am 0

Someone has said that we are led by people whom have never lost anything but the lives of the people they hate.This speaks of the soft prosperous lives of our neocon leaders.

thezman #293928 March 14, 2022 9:23 am 0

Whoever sad that is a genius!

Jack Dobson #293917 March 14, 2022 8:51 am 0

Nice essay. There is no honor among Neocons and Neoliberals; open thieves have far more dignity. They may dream of Thermopylae but all their LARPing will get, to the detriment of most Ukrainians, is Bagdad or Saigon or Kabul. The less open thieves who run this Empire will reap infinitely more coin, though, probably paid in gold as their fiat is nearly worthless. They have never had skin in the game until now (let’s hope they realize it), and, unfortunately, we may all perish with them.

PrimiPilus #294038 March 14, 2022 3:42 pm 0

https://www.cfr.org/blog/new-cold-war-0 Chilling …. Check out old Elliot Abrams …. Clawing up from the foundations in which he was buried, thin blood once again pumping hard at the thought of a new lease on public life.The stake through the heart just does not work with these guys. Talks about what we need to do to reignite a sense of country, community and manliness needed to engage in the new global fight. Have they not been paying attention to vicious war conducted against their primary source of fighting men these past decades?

RoBG #294063 March 14, 2022 8:34 pm 0

If anything, the Neocons have more influence and cachet among the ruling class than ever, despite being proven liars and a record of being wrong about everything.

A.B Prosper #294071 March 15, 2022 3:55 am 0

Money buys a lot of friends and in a global economy with no potential for growth and big money, war looks like a nice racket to be in. Especially since it isn’t their blood being shed.

Severian #293916 March 14, 2022 8:50 am 0

This is the essence of it: “Perhaps under it all is the insecurity of men who have never tried to live as men.”Tapioca Joe and the Juggalos think they’re being tough guys. It’s possible that Totally Legit Joe really believes Putin is Corn Pop. Either way, because we’re going on three generations now raised entirely by women, the US is carrying on like the last presentable girl at last call: “How about you two guys fight?”Getting punched in the face is wonderfully clarifying. It teaches you so many things. Sadly, we’re now on the third generation of raised-by-women office drones who know they can get away with anything, because Teacher will step in long before it gets to the face-punching stage. Just as they’ve mistaken Twitter for real life, they have no idea that “Teacher” is a polite fiction. I’m afraid we’re all going to have to suffer while they learn a lesson they should’ve learned in junior high… in 1974.

Mountain Rat #293920 March 14, 2022 9:05 am 0

Someone in junior high in 1974 is well into their 60’s. Not the age cohort you seem to be referring to.

Jack Dobson #293921 March 14, 2022 9:08 am 0

It would be darkly humorous to see a draft imposed and these fatherless boys and girls impressed into service to fight side by side with trannies and SubSaharans and Chico. Because it would be hilarious, it never will happen. Not only have these types never been punched in the face, as we can see from their physiques they never have lived in a time where they could not stuff their faces. That, at least, may be about to change.

Neon_Bluebeard #293951 March 14, 2022 10:35 am 0

Imagine the baby boom that would result from a draft that included females!

Moss #294006 March 14, 2022 12:54 pm 0

Step 1. Make a fist. No, don’t put your thumb there!Step 2. Victory!

The real Bill #294020 March 14, 2022 1:41 pm 0

Already our military is composed of something like 40% “minorities”. Think that has anything to do with our Navy ships colliding with other boats, or burning up in port?

usNthem #293915 March 14, 2022 8:49 am 0

Only America is always right in invading countries, wrecking stuff and killing people. Anyone else is just plain evil and barbaric, no matter the circumstances. This (former) country has gotten away with so much s*** over the past few decades, our leadership still thinks they absolutely control the world. It’s increasingly looking like those wishful thinking chickens are on their way home to roost.

Tars Tarkas #293937 March 14, 2022 9:39 am 0

I love to point out to them that the very same week the Ukrainian thing started, the US resumed bombing Somalia. I’ve only seen one article about it (NYT), but it was buried under the tidal-wave of propaganda about the war in Ukraine. You would think (given the narrative) that pointing to dead Africans killed by whitey would be worth more in the virtue game, but apparently not.

JerseyJeffersonian #293966 March 14, 2022 11:10 am 0

Well, They are totally down with a good, old fashioned white brother war. Dead Somalis don’t even move Their needle; just another bunch of sand noggers gettin’ wasted.

My Comment #293914 March 14, 2022 8:44 am 0

Z, fascinating post, as was the Taki article, but I think you are really over intellectualizing the Ukraine war.It is just business as usual but in a new setting and increasingly more insane.1. The key players like Nuland in the US government and their puppets in the Ukraine are all members of a small tribe with hundreds of years animosity against Russia and Russians. This isn’t the first time they have done this type of thing worldwide and not even the first time with Russia.2. America is an empire and Empires have to have bad guys to oppose. That yields all types of cool outcomes like medals, promotions, consulting/media gigs and money, money, money3. Follow the money. Once Russian oil and gas is banned our oligarchs can make money previously made by Russian oligarchs4. This may ultimately be about China. Collapse Russia, make it a pet poodle like Germany and China is far more vulnerable militarily and economically

Citizen of a Silly Country #293923 March 14, 2022 9:11 am 0

Good points all around. As to point 3, American natural gas companies and weapons makers will certainly benefit by the reduction in Russia gas and Germany’s newfound military passion. As to point 4, I definitely think that it’s part of the consideration. A beaten-down Russia, ala 1990s, allows GAE to isolate China, especially if could get a beaten down Russia to go along with embargos in the future. We’d effectively cut off China from energy imports, which would destroy them in a heartbeat. China has a lot of reasons to help Russia make it through this economic battle.

Dr. Dre #293939 March 14, 2022 9:44 am 0

Maybe China will back Russia economically if they set up a mutually-beneficial deal, like turning over the Russian “Far East,” Vladivostok and Siberia, lands bordering Mongolia, to Chinese administration. Not sure Japan or Korea would go along with this, though.

Citizen of a Silly Country #293943 March 14, 2022 10:03 am 0

China just wants Russia’s natural resources. Russia wants Chinese goods and technology. And, of course, they both know that America’s dollar dominance is an existential threat to their countries. Yes, they’re historic rivals, but today’s situation makes them natural partners.

Professor Alfred Sharpton #293975 March 14, 2022 11:17 am 0

What exactly leads you to believe there would ever be a circumstance where Russia would cede a vast amount of land to China?

Jack Dobson #293954 March 14, 2022 10:48 am 0

My Comment #294067 March 15, 2022 12:14 am 0

I agree that there will be a lot of unintend consequences from this war. One of them being China will be seen as a stable power outside of the Globohomo empire. The war also seems to be unifying the Russian population and may lead Russia to turn its back on globalism which will make Russia more stable, reduce the risk China will ever need to fight a two front war and ensure that China has a steady stream of gas, oil, and minerals if ZOG ever sanctions it.

A.B Prosper #294072 March 15, 2022 4:03 am 0

Modi in India seems to be allied with the Russians too.There aren’t the richest nations but just those three are 40% of the population.I suspect a lot of smaller nations may decide to join the Russia/China/India block especially oddly any that espouse religious values .This isn’t because China is great on the issue mind, they just don’t care what you do in your country only what goes in their country unlike the USMy guess is the PRC will try to play both sides keeping in the US market and the Russian one but if the US decides to get stroppy with them and if it looks weak do to internal conflicts , they could cut us off if they’ve grown enough in IndiaSo we can’t punish them but they can in time punish us.That will be unpleasant as the global economy appears to be faltering now and its only going to get worse from here. A cut off would collapse the US, probably beyond repair.

Götterdamn-it-all #293912 March 14, 2022 8:40 am 0

Just to correct a couple of historic dates, the battles of Marathon and Thermopylae were fought in 490 and 480 B.C., respectively. They were events in two separate Persian invasions that occurred under first King Darius (defeated at Marathon), then King Xerxes (defeated at Salamis and a year later at Plataea).

La-Z-Man #294025 March 14, 2022 2:32 pm 0

Yes, land and sea battles separated by 10 years, first Marathon then Salamis. Similar epic, world-changing land and sea battles separated by 10 years but in reverse order were Trafalgar in 1805 and Waterloo in 1815.

Bilejones #293911 March 14, 2022 8:38 am 0

Great Taki piece. I shall be squirting that to both the normies who deign to acknowledge by existence.

ArthurinCali #293910 March 14, 2022 8:30 am 0

Media and journalism today amount to them trotting out with the latest government or pentagon talking points. No objectivity or actual insights, merely the official line of facts proclaimed to be the truth.

Götterdamn-it-all #293913 March 14, 2022 8:42 am 0

And just as in Orwell’s novel, the people are conditioned to accept one reality one week, and forget about it the next.

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