Western obsession to “manage perception” can’t stop changes in reality!

Since beginning of July, a series of “tectonic shifts” have occurred in the US and Europe that led to significant “institutional changes.” These in turn have put into question the “viability” and “rules-based order”, which Western democratic institutions are using in order to push their global policies that led the world closer to the edge of global war.

Shortly after NATO’s 75th anniversary celebration in Washington, which itself was characterized by chaos on the side of US President Joe Biden, who at several occasions lost control of his own speech, the US elites, i.e. the power brokers of the US together with the top Wall Street financial interests, hastily tried to bring about a quasi “institutional coup.” Literally from one day to the next, acting US President Joe Biden was de facto demoted, being replaced by Vice-President Kamala Harris, who was nominated to be the Democratic Party presidential candidate. British strategist and former diplomat, Alastair Crooke -in an interview with Judge Napolitano on July 31 2024- qualified events in the US after the NATO summit as a “coup d’etat” by the US “deep state”, that “will not allow anyone to compete with the US hegemony or to attack it. The financial aspect, the dollar domination, all this cannot be touched, and the Bush- Wolfowitz doctrine is still there, i. e. they will not allow any competitor.”

Coinciding with these events, the European parliament on July 18 obtained a majority vote with which the second term of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was secured. For weeks she had acted behind the scenes to ensure that she would get sufficient votes for a second term. Despite the fact that the European parliament in its composition has changed since the European elections June 6- 9^th , the whole procedure essentially signaled to the voters in Europe that voters don’t matter, but that it is the EU Commission that as close ally of the US administration and guarantor of NATO in Europe will determine the EU foreign policy (particularly in respect to Ukraine). This move which will be completed by October, signals the total capitulation of Europe to the US interests.

The European commission vote coincided with the most absurd campaign launched by the EU commission against the new EU Council Chairman PM Victor Orban’s recent attempt to “facilitate” efforts for bringing about peace in Ukraine. The EU commission with the personal decision of Josep Borell (the foreign ministers were strongly divided about this) went as far as “forbidding” (sic) the EU foreign ministers to convene at a meeting in Budapest, that by tradition is held informally in the capital of the EU council chairman’s country. The meeting had been convoked by Orban, but the ministers were instead invited to Brussels.

At the same time the Middle East is heating up, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu’s return from his trip to the US. It looks that under Netanjahu the present Israeli government is going for a full war against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Iran. Netanjahu’s ultra right-wing government, as Israeli Historian Moshe Zimmermann noted in his newest book “Never peace? Israel at crossroads”, is acting recklessly by perpetrating provocations and major violations of international law and by carrying out extraterritorial killings. As Moshe Zimmermann correctly noted there are people in the Israeli government that out of religious zeal are fully committed to once and for all solve the Palestinian question.

Manipulation of public perception

This all leads us to the question: How is it possible that Europe has sunk in such a deep mess? Obviously the “perception” of the population is being manipulated by the “game of perception.” As Betrand Russell (1872- 1970- British philosopher, mathematician, logician and critic of Christian religion) had once stated, the art of manipulating perception is based on the fact that you can convince somebody that “white snow” is not “white” but “black”.

In a two-part interview with the Swiss “Weltwoche” magazine (July 19) influential Russian strategist and Putin advisor Prof. Dr. Sergej Karaganov qualified the state of mind of the European and -generally speaking- of the Western elites by stating: “I think that the European Elites are so abysmally collapsing and immoral that they – knowingly or not- prepare for war.” He characterized their mentality as “suicidal” and added that “European strategic thinkers are willingly moved into a slaughter house.” He also had some criticism in respect to the Russian elite, underlining that “many in the Russian elites made the mistake to believe that they had viable interlocutors in the West, while the same West was cheating them on the Minsk agreements.” In event of a nuclear war ,which could occur as result of an intolerable escalation spiral and direct attacks on Russian territory, according to Karaganov, “Europe would be defeated and the US fully knows this.” Karaganov also pointed out that despite mistakes that were made by Russian elites, the war had “transformed” Russia and helped the Russians “to rescue ourselves”. He further stated that in Russia, the “common rights of society” are “higher than individual rights.” Being asked by the interviewer Roger Köppel what the core of the Russian nation is, Karaganov stated: “Its first: Defense – Security and second: Culture, i.e. the belief that we are a God chosen people that will save the world.” Russia would be the opposite of the American melting pot, he stressed, “it’s a multicultural country in which other cultures exist”- a multicultural state based on Christian principles.

Foreign Minister Lavrov’s speech at UNSC meeting July 16 2024

While Russia at the moment is militarily gaining more and more ground on the battlefield – a reality which due to the “perception management” -with a few exceptions- is still completely blocked out in the daily European particularly German press- the US decision announced at the recent NATO summit to send intermediate- range US Tomahawk missiles to Germany by 2026, represents a potential fuse for a major global conflict. (This stands in stark contrast to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, who vociferously praised this decision as a “great step”.) Given this bizarre reality, it is worthwhile to shed some light on this discrepancy between the above mentioned “perception of reality” and the “reality itself”, by looking closer at a speech that was given by Russian Foreign Minister S. Lavrov during the meeting on multilateral cooperation in the interest of a more just, democratic and sustainable world order at the UNSC meeting July 16 and by looking at a speech that was given by President Putin at the Russian Naval Parade 28th of July in St Petersburg.

In his speech Lavrov in front of the UNSC in New York Lavrov outlined the contours of a new “multilateral world” by stating that today the very foundations of the international legal order, strategic stability and the UN-centric system of international politics are “put to a test.” The UN Charter which is the sovereign equality of all states, is being questioned by the US that “has long declared its exceptionalism,” Lavrov stated. “This applies to Washinton’s attitude towards its allies, whom it demands to be unquestionably obedient, even to the detriment of their own national interests (…) Rule America! This is the thrust of the notorious “rules-based order” which presents a direct threat to multilateralism and international peace.”

According to Lavrov, the US is essentially following Orwell’s “Animal Farm” novel. “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others….It means that you are allowed to do what you wish if you follow orders from the ruling leader. But if you dare to protect your national interests, you will be declared an outlaw beleaguered by sanctions.”

He pointed out that at the recent NATO summit the “leaders of the NATO countries reaffirmed their claims to the leading role not only in the Euro-Atlantic but also in the Asia-Pacific region. (…) NATO’s military infrastructure is moving into the Pacific with the obvious aims of undermining ASEAN–centric architecture, which has for many decades been built on the principles of equality, mutual interests and consensus. (…) Washington has done everything to blow up (including literally by organizing terrorist attacks on the Nord Stream pipelines) the foundation of mutually beneficial energy cooperation between Russia and Germany and Europe as a whole. Berlin was silent at the time. Today we see yet another humiliation of Germany whose government unquestionably obeyed the US decision to deploy US ground – based medium–range missiles on German territory. German Chancellor Scholz said simple– heartedly that the United States has decided to deploy precision strike systems in Germany, and “it is a necessary and important decision at the right time. The United States has decided so.”

In order to restore trust and stabilize the international situation, Lavrov suggested, that the “root causes” of the ongoing crisis in Europe should be eliminated once and for all and that the conditions for restoring peace in Ukraine have been put forth by the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. This involves mutual guarantees and agreements that are based on the “recognition of the new geostrategic realities of the Eurasian continent, where a continental architecture and really equal and indivisible security is taking shape(!) Europe is lagging behind this objective historical process.” He further added that there should be active efforts to eliminate injustices in the global economy. There must be “no monopoly in monetary and financial regulation, trade and technologies by definition. This includes reform of the Bretton Woods and WTO system as soon as possible and must reflect the real weight of the non- Western growth and developments centers. This also involves a necessary reform of the UN institutions and Council which has too many representatives from the collective West.”

Lavrov underlined that aside the UN, the G 20 also “BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization are playing an increasing role in the development of multipolarity, including the CIS, the CSTO, the EAEU, the African Union and CELAC.” At the end of his speech at the UNSC he pointed to the speech which V. Putin had given on July 9^th at the BRICS parliamentary forum in St Petersburg, in which he outlined the formation of a world order that reflects the real balance of forces and the new geopolitical economic and demographic reality: “First of all, it is necessary to reinstate professional diplomacy, the culture of dialogue, the ability to listen and hear and to retain the channels of crisis communications. The lives of millions of people depend on the ability of politicians and diplomats to formulate something like a common perception of the future. It depends on member countries alone whether our world will be diverse and equitable (…) Let us work together in the interests of launching the history of genuine multilateralism that reflects the entire wealth of cultural and civilizational diversity of the world’s nations. We are inviting everyone to join the discussion, which should certainly be completely honest.”

President Putin’s speech at annual Naval Parade in St Petersburg July 28

At the annual Naval Parade in St Petersburg, Russian President Vladimir Putin watching aside defense minister Andrei Belousov and Commander in Chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Alexander Moiseyev the parade line of warships on the Neva River roadstead, also met with representatives of foreign delegations that were taking part in the Navy Day celebrations. Attending the meeting at the Admirality were representatives of Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, China, Republic of Congo, Cuba, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Republic of Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Pakistan, Qatar, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tansania, the United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Vietnam.

Putin in his speech recalled the great battles of the Russian navy, which had been founded by Peter the Great, who according to US strategist and Russia expert Dr. Gilbert Doctorow serves as a “cultural model” for today’s president. This was made clear by Putin’s speech in which he underlined the importance of the navy and its first major victory 9^th August 1714 in the battle with Sweden at Cape Gangut. The new Russian Navy in the 18^th century was founded by Peter the Great – one of the most impressive Russian tsars. As Putin stated:“Through gaining its strength, it served as the reformer’s major support in creating the Russian Empire, a strong, independent and sovreign state. For centuries the navy has retained its significance for the national defense capability as well as its triumphant and glorious achievements in industry, technology and science, and the efforts made to develop and boost kind, partnership relations with other states.” The president added that from some BRICS countries, for the first time this year navy ships participated in the parade:

“We are sincerely delighted to welcome the crews of warships from Algeria (!), India and China (sic) as well as representatives of dozens of other foreign countries and delegations that have arrives for the main Naval Parade to celebrate with us and congratulate our sailors and commanders. … The Navy’s high mission has defined their truly sacred attitude to the Fatherland. As well as their selflessness, unbending character, loyalty to the oath and their naval brothers in arms, strong spirit, discipline and training.” He referred to Peter the Great and the naval tradition based on him: “The development of these qualities is a paramount task of the Russian naval education. Having started with Peter the Great’s School of Mathematics and Navigation, today it remains among the best, fundamental and progressive ones, cherishing vast traditions and training top- class specialists who have extensive advanced knowledge and, most importantly, are capable of effectively applying it in their challenging and responsible naval service.” He underlined that Russia will “increase our effort to equip ships with high technology, new generation gear and hypersonic missile systems, improve and strengthen coastal infrastructure, and develop reconnaissance, surveillance and air defense systems at near and far borders.”

Another focus of his speech was Putin’s warning about the German government that together with the US administration had made “noteworthy statements concerning their plans to deploy US long- range precision missile systems in Germany in 2026. The missiles could reach ranges of major Russian state and military facilities, administrative and industrial centers and defense infrastructure. The flight time to targets on our territory of such missiles, which in the future may be equipped with nuclear warheads, would be about ten minutes,” the president stated. According to Putin the deployment was reminiscent of the “events of the Cold War related to the deployment of American medium- range Pershing missiles in Europe.” He therefore warned that “if the United States implements these plans, we will consider ourselves free from the previously assumed unilateral moratorium on the deployment of medium and shorter -range strike weapons. Including increasing the capabilities of the coastal troops of our Navy (…) Today, the development of such systems in Russia is nearing completion. We will take mirror measures to deploy them, taking into account the actions of the United States, its satellites in Europe and in other regions of the world.”