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The US is implacably hostile toward nations free from its control. None are adversarial. None threaten US security. None are at war with other nations. None are involved in destabilizing activities.
Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, North Korea, and other independent nations seek cooperative relations with other countries, confrontation with none.
Yet they’re all on the US target list for regime change — war by hot and/or other means Washington’s favored strategies by both right wings of its war party.
What’s been going on throughout most of the post-WW II period is symptomatic of a nation in decline.
At the expense of vital homeland needs, the US spends more on militarism, belligerence, so-called homeland security, and related war on humanity harshness than other major nations combined.
Living by the sword is self-defeating, a lesson not learned by US policymakers.
Washington’s rage to rule the world unchallenged, its imperial arrogance and unwillingness to change heads it for eventual arrival in history’s dustbin.
A separate article discussed coordinated US/EU sanctions on Russia — unjustifiably justified by a litany of bald-faced Big Lies.
Separately on Tuesday, the State Department defied reality with the following fabricated accusation:
Biden’s Secretary of State Blinken “determined that the Government of the Russian Federation has used a chemical weapon against its own nationals (sic).”
No evidence suggests it. None was presented by the US or EU to support the charge — invented, not legitimate, as part of longstanding US-led Western war on Russia by other means.
Along with US sanctions discussed in a same-day article, the State Department announced the following on Russia:
1. “Termination of assistance to Russia under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961…”
2. “Termination of (virtually nonexistent US) arms sales…to Russia…”
3. “Termination of (nonexistent US) foreign military financing for Russia…”
4. “Denial of (nonexistent US) credit or other financial assistance…to Russia…”
5. “Prohibition on the export to Russia of any goods or technology” related to security.
Unlawfully imposed sanctions “will remain in place for a minimum of 12 months.”
“They’ll only be removed…if the executive branch determines and certifies to Congress that the Russian government has met” its unacceptable demands.
Russian/US space cooperation is at least largely unaffected by the above.
Sanctioned Russian officials include Pavel Anatolievich Popov, Aleksei Yurievich Krivoruchko, Sergei Vladilenovich Kiriyenko, Andrei Veniaminovich Yarin, Alexander Vasilievich Bortnikov, Igor Victorovich Krasnov and Alexander Petrovich Kalashnikov.
They’re involved in Russian Federation defense.
Russia’s Presidential Executive Office First Deputy Chief of Staff was targeted.
So was head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), its prosecutor general, and Federal Penitentiary Service director.
In response to the above, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the following:
The US and EU “teamed up (to) ma(ke) a hostile move towards Russia by announcing (unlawful) new sanctions” for fabricated reasons.
“US policy…increasingly aggravat(es) bilateral relations that Washington has already brought to a complete halt.”
Falsely claiming that Russia “poisoned” convicted embezzler, unregistered foreign agent Navalny with a “chemical warfare agent” is a phony “pretext for continuing undisguised interference in our domestic affairs, and we will not accept this.”
“Based on the principle of reciprocity, we will respond but not necessarily with symmetrical measures.”
“Any hopes to impose something on Russia by way of sanctions or other pressure have failed in the past and will fail now.”
“If the US is not ready for an equitable and reasonable dialogue, this is their choice.”
“Regardless of the US’ enthusiasm for sanctions, we will continue to consistently and resolutely uphold our national interests and rebuff any aggression.”
“As a serial violator of international treaties and agreements on arms control and the non-proliferation of weapons, Washington is, by definition, deprived of the moral right to ‘lecture’ others.”
Separately on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the following:
“We will react to (coordinated US/EU sanctions) by all means.”
“Nobody has cancelled the rules of diplomacy. Reciprocity is one of these.”
“We have already repeatedly expressed our attitude to the unlawful unilateral sanctions…introduced by (the US and EU) without practically any excuse.”
“They have nothing to present by way of substantiating the alleged poisoning of Navalny in any way.”
“Those who treated him (in Berlin) conceal the facts that could throw light on what happened to him and instead of honestly cooperating they are economical with the truth.”
“When they start ‘punishing’ us (unlawfully), such decisions do not reflect well on them.”
“We will respond to this by all means.”
Hostile US-dominated Western actions against Russia risk confrontation if things are pushed too far.
Instead of pursuing peace, stability, and cooperative relations with other countries, US policymakers wage endless wars by hot and other means to dominate them, including against invented enemies like Russia.
Britain and EU bloc countries march in lockstep with Washington’s war on humanity.
If continues unchecked, there’s no good ending to what lies ahead.
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Stephen Lendman is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).
VISIT MY WEBSITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at [email protected].
My two Wall Street books are timely reading:
“How Wall Street Fleeces America: Privatized Banking, Government Collusion, and Class War”
https://www.claritypress.com/product/how-wall-street-fleeces-america/
“Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity”
https://www.claritypress.com/product/banker-occupation-waging-financial-war-on-humanity/
Featured image is from OneWorld
