1). “Israel-Hamas, Ukraine-Russia and China: John Mearsheimer on why the US is in serious trouble!”, Oct 30, 2023 (original talk presented on Oct 23, 2023, in Brisbane, Australia), John Mearsheimer presents lecture, Centre for Independent Studies, duration of video 37:18, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
2). “US votes against peace in Gaza, defying vast majority of planet at UN”, Oct 28, 2023, Ben Norton discusses issues about U.S. role in U.N. votes and policies, Geopolitical Economy Report, duration of video 38:39, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
3). “$14 Billion for Israel’s Genocidal War: How Biden is Losing Key Voters for 2024”, Oct 31, 2023, Brian Becker of The Socialist Program discusses political and geostrategic ramifications of the Israel-Hamas War with Rhania Khalek and Eugene Puryear, Breakthrough News, The Freedom Side, duration of video 22:10, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?
~~ recommended by dmorista ~~
Introduction by dmorista : The U.S., in the framework presented by Paul Kennedy in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000, now has a classic case of Imperial Overstretch. A situation that Kennedy defined as a condition in which a “past-its-prime” World Power that built up a system of obligations, responsibilities, and alliances when it was in its prime, that it cannot continue to support. The current situation sees the U.S. involved in supporting a proxy war, being waged between Ukraine and Russia, and a major disturbance (basically a one-sided war at this point) involving an extremely close ally Israel, one that is expert at manipulating the U.S. policy making apparatus. In addition the tensions around Taiwan continue to slowly simmer and grow. Paul Kennedy, a noted British Naval Historian, who is no leftist but a “realist” type of historian, has commented for years on how the U.S. was getting entangled in a web of such situations. John Mearsheimer, a prominent advocate for The Realist School of International Affairs, and a Political Scientist looks at the current three way set of tensions and wars and thinks the U.S. is getting drawn into unwinnable and interminable wars over secondary areas in Item 1). "Israel-Hamas, Ukraine-Russia and China: ….”, Mearsheimer thinks that China is clearly the main adversary that the U.S. must contend with, and that conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East drain off the resources needed to successfully contend with China.
Ben Norton, a leftist, adds some Marxist type of analysis to the Realist School thinking of John Mearsheimer in Item 2). “US votes against peace in Gaza ….”. Norton looks at several issues that have come to a vote in the General Assembly of the United Nations. Of course, the U.N. was carefully organized so that the Great Powers of 1945 or their successors (the U.S., the U.S.S.R. / Russia, Nationalist China / People's Republic of China, the United Kingdom, and France) were able to veto any actions by the U.N. that they objected to (Figure 1 illustrates this). Of course the General Assembly has the, not inconsiderable, power of ideas and propaganda and the countries of the Global South; and now the countries of the Global South are the overwhelming majority of the members of the U.N., something that was not the case in 1945. About 5 days ago the General Assembly voted to request that a Humanitarian Truce be declared in Gaza. Only 14 states voted against this proposal, including of course the U.S. and Israel along with 12 clients and U.S. dependencies such as The Marshall Islands, Tonga, Guatemala, Hungary, Papua New Guinea, and Paraguay. Tunisia abstained because they thought the proposal was too weak, and Venezuela was prevented from voting because, as is now always the case, it is under U.S. sanctions and in the U.S. any political action taken by Venezuela is prohibited. Nonetheless, 120 countries voted in favor and 45 abstained, mostly to avoid angering the U.S. Biden administration. Map 1 and Table 1 display and summarize that vote. The situation is even more obvious in votes like one in November of 2021, when the General Assembly declared that access to Food is a Human Right. Overall 180 countries voted in favor, none abstained, and only two the U.S. and Israel, voted against that initiative, this is displayed in Map 2. Another such proposal, a bit more contentious, was the October 2022 General Assembly Referendum to lift the sanctions and embargoes on Cuba. That passed with 185 countries voting in the affirmative, 2 abstaining (Ukraine the U.S. Vassal, and Brazil still languishing under the Bolsonaro Regime), and as usual only 2 countries voted against the proposal; the U.S. and Israel. Table 2 lists the votes for the Ending of the Cuban Embargo proposal.
Norton also discussed the increasingly urgent proposals, coming mostly from the nations of the Global South, to move the U.N. Headquarters building out of the U.S. and New York City to some less combative country. This is ironic as it was the delegates of those very same places, when the U.N. was founded and organized in 1945, that insisted that the U.N. HQ be placed in New York City in the first place. That was primarily because of the exciting cultural events and the many nightclubs the city had in 1945, not primarily for any high-minded reasons. Those Global South leaders said at the time (I paraphrase here), “No No No!!! Not in Geneva!!, they roll the sidewalks up at 9 PM”.
Brian Becker looks at the potential U.S. electoral consequences and geostrategic ramifications of the Israel-Hamas War in Item 3). “$14 Billion for Israel’s Genocidal War: ….”. He notes that one consequence could be that Joe Biden would lose the already extremely tight Presidential Election in 2024, (a tight election due in large measure to the Slavocrat Electoral College system and the ongoing massive right-wing purges of voter rolls and other suppression operations, particularly in the Red States). He also points out that the U.S. is now militarily involved in two wars, and that the War Party is eager to start a war with China using the Taiwan situation as a pretext, and in addition Biden, in his general $106 Billion War Funding Request to Congress, has requested over $10 Billion to continue the process of militarizing the U.S. - Mexico Border. Becker opined that it is no coincidence that the big cuts in domestic social spending, most notably the cut-off of Federal Subsidies that kept 70,000 daycare centers that provide good quality childcare for working people, and the big increases in spending on Imperial Adventures are taking place at the same time. But the more perceptive members of the U.S. ruling class see that the American Populace no longer believe some of the myths and disinformation memes that they used to. Huge demonstrations against the Israeli attacks on Gaza are taking place around the world, including in the U.S. The U.S. African American population has led the way in the increase in sympathy for the Palestinians and hostility towards Israel. He debunked the assertion, advanced by Charles Blow, a columnist for the N.Y. Times that claimed that the process began during the Ferguson, Missouri uprising. He points out that this goes back at least as far as the 1960s when Malcolm X and Huey Newton both pointed out that the Zionists were continuing to viciously oppress the Palestinians, after stealing their land. Becker mentioned the upcoming November 4 March on Washington to oppose all wars.
U.S. Global Situation, Mearsheimer, Norton & Becker
Note: Besides the U.S. and Israel voting against ending the Blockade of Cuba, Brazil (still suffering under the Bolsonaro Regime) and the U.S. / NATO Client State Ukraine, both abstained from voting on this initiative. Venezuela, as usual, was unable to vote because it is under sanctions by the U.S. and U.S. law prohibits official actions by a sanctioned state regardless of the validity of the sanctions. This sort of interference in U.N. affairs has become a constant problem and many countries from the Global South are now calling for moving the U.N. Headquarters Building out of New York City to another, less contentious, country. (Source: “US votes against peace in Gaza, defying vast majority of planet at U.N.”, Oct 28, 2023, Ben Norton, Global Economy Report, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vph4YDi17Ps >)
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