Western leaders – fools bound for Armageddon?

 
Ship of fools by vcp, with inspiration from a “Springbrunnen” in Nuremberg

Narrenschyff ad Narragonia
In the “The ship of fools,” published more than 500 years ago, Sebastian Brant, is imagining that mankind is assembled on a ship sailing through the sea of time bound for the imaginary land of Narragonia, the land of fools. Brant entertains his readers with more than a hundred small poems illustrating the follies of the people on board. Brant paints a picture of human beings acting not out of any greater sense of purpose, but out of self-love, low motives and stupidity. Fools giving in to the most base instincts and motives.
 
Today’s Narrenschiff
The fools occupying important positions on the present ship sailing through the sea of time bound for the imaginary land are the foolish and arrogant leaders of Western nations engaged in a proxy war in Ukraine. It is President Biden, with no real guts, but daring anyway, spurred on by his two whisperers, Blinken and Sullivan, with Biden acting “like a feather pillow, bearing the impression of the last person who sat on him.” President Macron with lots of exuberant verbal activity and little else. A confused and bewildered NATO General Secretary Stoltenberg, standing or rather bowing to Ukraine. A Mark Rutte tacking along, looking for a new job. A reluctant and anxious Chancellor Scholz, trying to sound more warlike that he is. Aggressive leaders of countries with no real influence on the ship of fool’s manoeuvres, like the Nordic countries, the Baltic states, and several other lesser gestalts. All accompanied by mainstream media screaming the “1984” slogan “War is Peace. More war then meaning more peace or what?
No one taking notice of President Orban, or Premier Fico loudly yelling “Dangerous storm ahead,” or the ragged collection of miscellaneous out of tune academics.
Let’s take a look at direction the ship of fools is heading.
 
Pushing new assistance to Ukraine
With the adoption of “H.R.8035 - Ukraine Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2024” in the House of Representatives on April 17, nearly 61 billion dollars has been made available for various kinds of U.S. support for the proxy war in Ukraine. Of cause, this also means a significant boost for the U.S. armament industry.
On April 24 the Biden administration could therefore announce the first deliveries of significant new security assistance for Ukraine to tune of $1 billion, meaning new weapon deliveries. It “includes capabilities to support Ukraine's most urgent requirements, including air defense interceptors, artillery rounds, armored vehicles, and anti-tank weapons.” (see details below).
Earlier NATO General Secretary Stoltenberg, had aired a proposal of “creating a 100 billion-euro ($108 billion), five-year fund for Ukraine in a push to get the alliance more involved in sending weapons to Kyiv.“ (Radio Free Europe).
 
Boots on the ground?
While Western leaders vehemently rejected President Macron’s ideas of troops on the ground in Ukraine, it is evident that there are already troops on the ground assisting Ukraine. This was also revealed in the Russian eavesdropping on the German officers discussing a Taurus missile deployment in Ukraine. Now Politico can reveal that the U.S. is considering sending more military advisors to Ukraine. Their mission: “The additional troops will support logistics and oversight efforts for the weapons the U.S. is sending Ukraine, according to four U.S. officials and a person familiar with the plans, who were granted anonymity to speak about a sensitive topic.” (Politico April 20, 2024). According to rumours there is talk of sending about 60 U.S. troops.
Others have talked of sending European troops in similar roles. Not to be seen as troops from NATO, but as individual countries’ contributions to help Ukraine in unknown ways to make the most of the weapons sent to Ukraine.  Just recently Stoltenberg admitted that military personnel was present in Ukraine, attached to their respective embassies.
Various NATO members seem surreptitiously to put boots on the ground in Ukraine. Indicating that the U.S. and NATO are getting more involved in the war efforts in Ukraine. Are Western troops perhaps directly involved in using the sophisticated weapons system to hit Russian troops?  Only letting Ukrainian troops push the final firing button. If that is the case, NATO troops must be seen as directly involved in fighting Russia.
 
Fighter planes and rockets in the air
Ukraine is waiting for the F16 fighter planes. According to Le Monde “The Netherlands has pledged to provide 24 units, Norway 22, Denmark 19 and Belgium an unspecified number. The first deliveries are expected in mid-2024”.
Now it seems that the Ukraine pilots training to fly and fight with F16’s, are found to be relatively inexperienced. They are taking longer time to train. What is next, if that means that they won’t be able to fight the Russians effectively? Surreptitiously also putting western pilots, who may officially have left the service, into those planes. Again, involving NATO members directly in the fight against the Russians.
Some time ago it was revealed that the U.S. had given in to Ukraine’s clamouring for long range ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) that can be used by the HIMARS rocket launchers already in Ukraine. The have a range up to 300 kms carrying a heavy warhead.
For a long time, the U.S. has apparently warned Ukraine against attacks in Russia proper. Evidently the Ukrainians are not listening, and now there they are giving more weapons that can be used for such attacks.
 
Nuclear weapons getting closer
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) recently told of a Polish bid to allow nuclear weapons in Poland. “This could happen several ways, including by hosting B61 nuclear weapons on its territory, certifying its F-35A aircraft to carry nuclear weapons, or assuming a more significant role in decision-making regarding NATO’s nuclear doctrine.”
 It is certainly not unexpected that such plans have led to a Russian reaction, with Russia threatening to attack Poland. “It is not difficult to assume that if American nuclear weapons appear on Polish territory, the corresponding objects will immediately join the list of legitimate targets for destruction in the case of direct military conflict with NATO,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, according to Reuters.
 
On a fool’s errand
On gets the impression that Western leaders not have any kind of idea of how to end the war in Ukraine, are embarking on a fool’s errand like those in Sebastian Brandt’s “Ship of fools.” Not really knowing what they are doing and for what ulterior purpose. But their creeping escalation is in a struggle that involves combatants possessing the world’s biggest nuclear arsenals. Thus, their aimless escalating struggle may end in something destroying everything.
Time to turn the ship around and find ways to de-escalate, and like we have argued previously, aim to freeze the war, perhaps agreeing to a kind of Korean solution, in order to change the dangerous course of the “ship of fools.”
 
BTW, The Springbrunnen i Nuremberg carries this inscription: “Gewalt+Teknik und Resignation zertören das Leben, der Tod lacht Hohn.”
 
 
New security assistance for Ukraine to tune of $ 1 billion
Biden Administration Announces Significant New Security Assistance for Ukraine
April 24, 2024
Today, following the passage of the national security supplemental which the President just signed into law, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced a significant new security assistance to urgently meet Ukraine's critical security and defense needs. This announcement is the Biden Administration's fifty-sixth tranche of equipment to be provided from DoD inventories to Ukraine since August 2021. This Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package has an estimated value of $1 billion and includes capabilities to support Ukraine's most urgent requirements, including air defense interceptors, artillery rounds, armored vehicles, and anti-tank weapons.
The capabilities in this announcement include:

• RIM-7 and AIM-9M missiles for air defense;
• Stinger anti-aircraft missiles;
• Small arms and additional rounds of small arms ammunition, including .50 caliber rounds to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS);
• Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
• 155mm artillery rounds, including High Explosive and Dual Purpose Improved Conventional Munitions rounds;
  
• 105mm artillery rounds;
• 60mm mortar rounds
• Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles;
• Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs);
• High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
• Logistics support vehicles;
• Tactical vehicles to tow and haul equipment;
• Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missiles;
• Javelin and AT-4 anti-armor systems;
• Precision aerial munitions;
• Airfield support equipment;
• Anti-armor mines;
• Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
• Demolitions munitions for obstacle clearing; and
• Night vision devices; and
• Spare parts, field equipment, training munitions, maintenance, and other ancillary equipment.

 
This package will surge munitions, weapons, and equipment forward to support Ukraine's ability to defend its frontlines, protect its cities, and counter Russia's continued attacks. With the bipartisan support of Congress, Ukraine can count on strong and resolute U.S. leadership to provide consistent security assistance support – together with some 50 Allies and partners – to ensure its brave defenders receive the critical capabilities needed to fight Russian aggression. (https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3754238/)