WORLD AT WAR: 4.23.22 - World War Three Is About To Escalate To A Dangerous New Level

World War Three� Is About To Escalate To A Dangerous New Level -by Michael Snyder - http://endoftheamericandream.com/world-war-three-is-about-to-escalate-to-a-dangerous-new-level/ The dogs of war have been released, and many fear that our planet will never be the same again as a result. From the very outset of this article, I want to make it exceedinglyclear that I am pro-peace, because I am extremely concerned about what a global war would mean for America. If we eventually get to a point where nuclear weapons are used, billions of people could die. That is a scenario that we should be trying to avoid atall costs. Even now, countless innocent civilians in Ukraine are being ruthlessly sacrificed as politicians on both sides engage in a reckless game of global domination. If the politicians that start wars were forced to actually fight in them, there would be a whole lot less military conflict all over the globe. Having said all that, let me give you an update on some of the latest developments. Violence has been erupting in Jerusalem for days, and ABC News is admitting that Israel and Hamas could soon “once again go to war”… Days of violence in Jerusalem and an exchange of fire in Gaza overnight have raised the possibility that Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers will once again go to war, as theydid less than a year ago under similar circumstances. Let us hope that such a conflict can be delayed for as long as possible, because it could easily develop into a major regional war. In the aftermath of the recent rocket attack that came from Gaza, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz warned that the Israeli military is ready to do whatever is necessary… “The IDF is ready with a wide range of means and targets, to ensure that peace and stability will continue,” Gantz warned. “If the incitement and [rocket] fire continue, the terror organizations will be severely harmed, as will the residents of Gaza, who are currently benefiting from the moveswe have taken to develop the economy,” Gantz added. On the other side, fighters in Gaza have been feverishly constructing new tunnels in anticipation of the coming conflict… The underground passageways leave no trace on the surface. But in a wooded area near Khan Yunis, seven masked men in military fatigues carried a collection of machine-guns and grenade launchers into a tunnel entrance discretelytucked into the foot of a small hill. The fighters wear headbands of the Al-Quds Brigade, the armed branch of Islamic Jihad which is the second-largest armed faction in Gaza, after the Hamas Islamist movementthat rules the territory. A full-blown war would be absolutely horrible for both sides, but it is just a matter of time before such a war erupts. Of more immediate concern is the conflict in Ukraine. On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced that the second stage of Russia’s “special military operation” has now begun… Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow was starting a new stage of what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine which he predictedwould be a significant development. “Another stage of this operation (in eastern Ukraine) is beginning and I am sure this will be a very important moment of this entire special operation”, Lavrov said in aninterview with the India Today TV channel. Unfortunately for the Ukrainians, the Russians are striking with a ferocity that is shocking much of the globe. Just check out what Politico journalist Christopher Milleris reporting… A Ukrainian army lieutenant on the frontline in Donetsk region tells me he and his soldiers are being hit as we speak with Russian howitzers, mortars, and MLRS “at the sametime.” They endured a similar bombardment earlier today “plus two Su-25… and our day became hell.” Can you imagine being right in the middle of that? I can’t. In another tweet, Miller reported that one of his contacts in the Ukrainian military is claiming that his troops are literally being fired upon “14 hours a day”… I just spoke to a Ukrainian commander on the frontline near Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, who said their positions are being hit by Russian airstrikes and heavy artillery 14hours a day. They are “desperate” for more help, he said, outgunned, and running low on ammunition. After weeks of fighting, the situation for Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine is becoming increasingly desperate. At this point, getting new ammunition and fuel to those forces has become exceedingly difficult… Nearly all of the Ukrainian ammunition and fuel supplies have been bombed and destroyed. What is trickling in through its western borders has difficulties to reach the easternfront and is anyway not enough to supply an actively fighting and maneuvering army. And it turns out that the western powers were not prepared for a conflict of this nature. In fact, in some cases NATO countries are literally running out of stuff to send to Ukraine… Germany has declined to transfer tanks to Ukraine on grounds that it simply cannot spare them. Canada quickly ran short on rocket launchers and other equipment that theUkrainians desperately need. The U.S. has provided one-third of its overall stockpile of Javelin anti-tank missiles. It cannot easily deliver more without leaving its own armories badly depleted — and it may take months or years to significantly ramp up production. The Ukrainians are being asked to fight a proxy war for us that they can’t possibly win. Meanwhile, the remaining Azov fighters that are trapped at the Azovstal factory in Mariupol are about to be bombed into oblivion… The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Tuesday released a purported communications intercept of a Russian ground unit commander, who said Russian aircraft were planningto “level everything to the ground” around Azovstal, the steel factory that is a redoubt of Ukrainian defenders in the besieged port city of Mariupol. The audio recording released Tuesday purports to feature the voice of the leader of a Russian platoon four kilometers (or about 2.5 miles) from Azovstal. The man’s voice says, “We are expecting ‘surprises’ from Russia here.” “What kind of surprises?” a woman’s voice replies. “Three-ton ones, from the sky,” the man replies, adding that his command “said to level everything to the ground.” Many Americans aren’t paying too much attention to the conflict in Ukraine because they believe that it will never affect them personally. But they should be paying attention, because this war has very serious implications for all of us. The Russians fully recognize that a proxy war between the United States and Russia has begun, and Russian television presenter Olga Skabeyeva recently used the term “WorldWar Three” to describe what the battle for Ukraine has become… She justified the unanticipated length of the “special operation” by claiming it had expanded into a much greater conflict. “What [the war in Ukraine has] escalated into can safely be called World War Three,” going on to insist, “that’s entirely for sure.” She added, “Now we’re definitely fighting against Nato infrastructure, if not Nato itself. We need to recognize that.” Sadly, she is right on target. World War Three has arrived, and politicians in the U.S. just keep on talking about escalating things. In fact, Joe Biden’s closest ally in the U.S. Senate has announced that he actually supports sending U.S. troops into Ukraine. This isn’t going to end well, but most of you already knew that. ---------------------------------- Possible Nuclear War - Bill Wilson � www.dailyjot.com This week�s Stupidocrisy goes to Russian �president� Vladimir Putin. From the beginning of his invasion of Ukraine, he has acted the world-class bully. Just Saturday, theUS Sun reported and showed pictures of a Russian TU-160 nuclear bomber buzzing the skies near the Ukraine border in what could be construed as one of the most chilling and intimidating war moves yet by the embattled Putin. Putin has been seen carrying hisattach� case with the nuclear code. Putin�s diplomats have repeatedly made mention of the word �nuclear� if the US or NATO got involved in directly assisting Ukraine. There have been reports of extreme atrocities by Russian soldiers and the targeting of Ukrainiancivilians. Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky has been sounding the nuclear alarm since the sinking of Russia�s Moskva battleship last Thursday. On Saturday, Zelensky told Ukrainiansto prepare for a nuclear attack by stockpiling iodine to mitigate radiation. He said, �We shouldn�t wait for the moment when Russia decides to use nuclear weapons�We must prepare for that.� In addition, TASS news agency cited Russian ambassador-at-large NikolaiKorchunov as saying on Sunday that increased activity of NATO forces in the Arctic risks �unintended incidents� occurring in the region. Korchunov said, �The recent increase in NATO�s activity in the Arctic is a cause for concern. Another large-scale militaryexercise of the alliance was recently held in northern Norway. In our view, this does not contribute to the security of the region.� Korchunov was referring to combined NATO military drills with Finland and Sweden beginning in March. The drills were long-planned, but Russia�s invasion of Ukraine on February24 drew more heightened awareness of the NATO military exercise. This is an age-old Soviet tactic of propagandizing everything and using it to justify their actions. Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have died because of Putin. It would appear that Putin�sSoviet-style military doctrine is not as successful as he would have hoped. It appears that Putin misjudged his military strength and the will of the Ukrainian people to defend their homeland�something socialists, communists, and fascists often underestimate. Putin is trying to bully people into submission. He is doing so at the extraordinary threat of nuclear annihilation. In any other time in history, this would be considerednot only dangerous, but the musings of a madman. To threaten the world with such destruction without provocation, but projecting one�s own provocation, Putin is putting everyone�s well-being at risk, especially given the vacuum of good leadership around theworld. And the sad thing is, sometime or someday, somebody is going to pull the trigger on something bad because of all this push. As Jeremiah 17:9 says, �The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?� Desperately wickedindeed. Here we have one person, Putin, who like Hitler or Stalin or Hirohito or Mussolini, has become a danger to all humanity. It is, say it with me� --------------------------------------------- Middle East Review: A Tense Jerusalem � Amir Tsarfati - https://harbingersdaily.com/mideast-review-w-amir-tsarfati-a-tense-jerusalem/ Again, the situation is tense in Jerusalem. Yesterday, Israelis planned a flag march around the old city in order to remind everyone that the city belongs to us. The requestfor permission was rejected by the police citing �short notice�. The protesters gathered anyway, but their path to the Damascus Gate which would have given them access into the old city was blocked by police. Last Thursday, an Israeli air strike took out Iranian weapons shipments and radar systems in western Damascus. This was part of an on-going battle against the Tehran regimearming its proxy militias. Rockets fired from Gaza toward southern Israel sparked an Israeli Air Force attack on the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. A weapons production facilitywas destroyed. Hamas was quite proud of the fact that they were able to fire a few Russian SA-7 anti-aircraft missiles at the Israeli jets, despite none of them finding their targets. Another rocket was fired yesterday from Gaza and it hit a house. The sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian navy, in the Black Sea has caused great jubilation amongst Russia�s enemies and no shortage of memes on social media.It is believed that two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles struck the warship 60 miles south of Odessa sending it to its grave. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Monday that Russia has launched its anticipated offensive in Ukraine�s eastern Donbas region. After failing to take Kyiv,Putin appears to be turning his efforts back to the southern areas east of the Dnieper River. As always, for detailed information as it happens, subscribe to my Telegram channel. Just today there was more Ramadan violence, as at least 22 people have been killed and 32 more wounded in a terrorist attack in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. ISIS has claimedresponsibility for the bomb blast that destroyed the Sai Doken mosque. Another four were killed and 18 wounded in an explosion in Kunduz city. Before the end of this month, Iran will likely have enough highly enriched uranium (HEU) to create a nuclear explosive. A nuclear Iran will drastically change world geopoliticaldynamics and will put all countries at great risk, particularly Israel and Saudi Arabia. Iran claims that it arrested three Mossad agents. Because the Mossad has so many agents of various nationalities in a vast number of countries, it is probable that thosedetainees are not Israelis. Iran unveiled its new Kaman-22 UAV on Monday. This high-tech drone, similar to the US Predator MQ-1 and Reaper MQ-9, can be armed with a variety of missiles. Its range isover 3,000 kms and it can fly for more than 24 hours at a time. Kim Jong Un watched the testing of a new North Korean guided tactical weapon. The projectile system is said to bolster their ability to deliver nuclear warheads. New World Disorder: What the UN Vote on Russia Really Reveals About Global Politics - by Ahmed Charai - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18462/un-vote-russia The latest battle zone in the Russia-Ukraine war was in the quiet, mostly mannerly halls of the United Nations. There, in the UN's iconic New York headquarters, the worldvoted on Russia's largest invasion since World War II -- revealing fractures and fissures in global support for democracy. Suspending Russia from the UN Human Rights Council was technically the issue put before the delegates. But every diplomat knew it was really a vote on Russia's assault onUkraine. The consensus for democracy and self-determination was fragile: only 93 states (out of 193) voted for removing Russia from the UNHRC, and therefore condemning its actions against its smaller, weaker neighbor. Another 24 nations (including China) votedwith Russia. Most worrisome, 58 countries abstained, refusing to take sides in what many see as a duel between the great powers. Others feared that energy, food, and fertilizer prices might continue to climb if the conflict escalates. (Both Russia and Ukraineare major producers of oil, gas, wheat, and fertilizing petrochemicals -- all of which are a matter of life and death for developing nations.) Fear and food are more important to many developing nations than democratic ideals. American and European policy makers will have to face a hard truth: while Russia is diplomatically isolated, it is not entirely alone, and many countries do not side withUkraine and its democratic hopes. The view from the rubble of Kyiv's suburbs isn't hopeful. Ukraine's democratically elected leaders know that they could be captured, wounded, or killed. And they also knowthat the history of sanctions, the weapon of choice of the Western coalition, shows that they almost always fail to tame invaders. All of these facts were known to the UN delegates. Indeed, they would have heard them directly from Ukrainian diplomats. Buthigh ideals and real desperation didn't move them. Let's look more closely at why 100 nations decided not to support Ukraine in the UN vote. In Africa, Russia has forged long-standing relations with Libya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Mali, and often deploys a postcolonial pattern, which suggests thatRussia supports the independent, emerging nations over their former colonial masters. This line of rhetoric is a continuation of the theme first promoted in the days of the Soviet Union, particularly from the 1950s onwards. In Latin America, a form of anti-Americanism among the educated classes has translated into a reluctance to openly criticize Putin. This is amplified by messages vocallypropagated by Cuba and Venezuela. China's initial abstention is seen more as a sign of embarrassment in the face of the belligerent aims of its Russian partner, than as a show of their interest in a rapprochementwith the West. In Western capitals, many want to believe that Beijing has an interest in an early ceasefire, so as not to hinder its economic growth. In reality, China sees no reason to anger Russia, a major supplier of oil, gas, and coal, especially sinceWestern nations are discouraging the production of the very fossil fuels that China needs. Policy-making circles in Beijing are not crowded with idealists, and its decisions are invariably self-interested and pragmatic. India, for its part, is a long-standing ally of Russia, one of its major arms suppliers. New Delhi believes that it will need those weapons in the face of the Chinese militarybuild-up in the region, as well as in the face of unresolved issues with Pakistan. Arab nations do not intend to abandon their relations with Russia, which has established itself as a force to be reckoned with when it saved Syria's President Bashar al-Assadthrough its military intervention; nor with China, the largest buyer of oil and gas from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Indeed, Arab leaders are unhappy with the Biden administration for its precipitous withdrawal from Afghanistan last year, its ongoing negotiations with the threatening regimein Iran, and its laxity in the face of the Yemen-based Houthi terrorist and rocket attacks. For the first time, Arab leaders are asking questions, publicly, about the sustainability of the American political system and the coherence of American foreign policy. On the Iranian nuclear dossier, Israel, one of the firmest allies of the US in the region, fears that the Biden administration wants at all costs to conclude an agreementwith the Iranian regime without taking into account the possible impact on the regional aggression of Tehran. The Israeli minister of defense even called for the implementation of a "solid plan B" to deal with the Iranian nuclear program. As a result, neitherthe Arabs nor the Israelis were enthusiastic about supporting the US at the UN -- although they did line up in the end. What has been eroding for some years now is the commitment of American leaders to defend, maintain, and advance an international order in which states observe common rulesand standards, embrace liberal economic systems, renounce territorial conquests, respect the sovereignty of national governments, and adopt democratic reforms. In today's increasingly complex global environment, the US can only achieve its goals by leveraging its strength through a cohesive foreign policy that responds to the challengesposed by Russia and China. To do this, the US must deliberately strengthen and cultivate productive relationships with its allies, partners, and other nations with common interests. The US must offer attractive political, economic, and security alternatives to China's influence in the Indo-Pacific, Africa, and beyond. At the same time, the US must maintain a productive strategic dialogue with China that will clearly communicate US concerns and strive to understand Chinese interests andobjectives. Universal principles must be combined with the reality of other regions' outlooks. Western leaders must recognize that non-Western leaders aren't just living in anotherplace, but rather, they are coming from another place intellectually. Henry Kissinger put it best in 2014: "The celebration of universal principles must go hand in hand with the recognition of the reality of other regions' histories, cultures, and points ofview on their security." The UN vote showed that universal principles aren't quite universal yet. Rather than condemn the nations that abstained from voting against Russia, America must seek tounderstand why they thought sitting out the vote was their best option. Next, America must make clear that it still supports the rule of law and the ideal of democracy and put steel behind its ideals. Ahmed Charai is the chairman and CEO of a media conglomerate and a Middle East adviser in the United States and abroad. He is on the board of numerous think tanks and NGOs,including the Atlantic Council, the International Center for Journalists, International Crisis Group, and the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security. His articles have appeared in leading American and Israeli publications. --------------------------------------------