A Political Refugee From The Global Village
An Englishman in love with Bucharest's blowsy charms
Thursday, 21 May 2026
Quotations
Jeff Bezos talking to CNBC: "If I do my job right, the value to society and civilization from my for-profit companies will be much, much larger than the good that I do with my charitable giving."
Wednesday, 20 May 2026
Despite his war crimes, Trump's most impressive quality nowadays is his sheer unimpressiveness
This is a good comment by Yvan Stoclet.
The entire thing reads like imperial melodrama written by someone whose understanding of power begins and ends with spectacle. He announces war as though unveiling a product launch, suspends it after appeals from Gulf monarchs, then immediately reasserts the threat so the performance loses none of its testosterone. What emerges is not strength, but a strangely juvenile vision of statesmanship in which diplomacy exists merely as a backdrop for personal grandeur. Even the prose is revealing: every sentence straining to turn geopolitical instability into a portrait of himself.
Former CIA Director for Russia George Beebe talking to Mario Nafwal 3 days ago
- I think the best option for Putin to end the war on the battlefield is not to throw more manpower into the fight. But to take advantage of Russia's superior firepower in the air. And their firepower is simply enormous when it comes to missiles, drones, and glide bombs, which have not yet been fully deployed.
- Are you talking about expanding the list of targets? In Ukraine, they believe that command and decision-making centers are now under threat.
- There are many targets that the Russians have so far avoided hitting. Partly because Ukraine previously had very strong air defense systems. But all of that is in the past, as neither the US nor European allies have any anti-missile systems left to provide to Ukraine. They are not able to produce them in sufficient quantities to make up for the gap in Russia's capabilities.
- In this sense, Ukraine is now very vulnerable.
- Very much so. What else has been holding Putin back? Firstly, he did not want to increase the risks of a direct confrontation with NATO. This consideration has so far prevented him from using all his firepower. Secondly, he does not want to close the door to a compromise and would like to normalize relations with the US. He knows that if he turns Ukraine into a complete ruin, Trump will simply have no political opportunity to normalize relations.
- And do you think he is capable of turning Ukraine into a complete ruin?
- There's no doubt about it. He absolutely is. Even without resorting to nuclear weapons, which he would least want to use. If we look at the agglomeration of Ukrainian fortified cities in the Donetsk region, they are very difficult to capture with infantry and assault troops. It would be a bloody massacre, which would entail huge human and time losses. But the Russians have the technical capability to simply wipe these cities off the face of the earth. And Ukraine has practically nothing to prevent this.
Tuesday, 19 May 2026
Peter Oborne is a British Conservative or Tory. Pro Arab Tories used to be more common than Zionist ones
Peter says that he hasn't changed. His party has.
Israeli headline: As Trump Hesitates, Israel Acts as if Return to War Inevitable
Journalist Alon Ben David, Ma'ariv, 16 May, translated from the Hebrew by Alastair Crooke.
'If US military action in Iran does not resume in the next five weeks, it will only take place at the end of the year, if at all. And in the absence of targets likely to shake the regime in Tehran, it is more likely that Trump will continue [with] the blockade. Five weeks after the [US-Iran] ceasefire was announced, it seems clear to everyone that no agreement can be reached between the parties unless Trump agrees to grovel and be humiliated ... For Israel – which views any agreement signed with the Iranian regime as a bad deal – this is not bad news. But [Trump’s] options are dwindling. [His] window of opportunity for military action begins now, following the summit in Beijing, and will remain open for five weeks, until the kick-off of the World Cup on 11 June ... the 250th anniversary celebrations of US independence, and then the mid-term elections …
Selling illegal wars
“To my everlasting regret, I strongly supported the Iraq invasion, in person and in print. I had become a recipient of what we now know to have been sheer disinformation about Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction and his purported ‘links’ with al-Qaeda – claims put out by [opposition figure] Ahmad Chalabi and his Iraqi National Congress. I took these stories seriously because they were corroborated by ‘off-the-record’ intelligence sources on both sides of the Atlantic.” David Rose in an article in the New Statesman published four years after the invasion quoted by Peter Oborne.
"The Palestinian issue is now in the shadow of everyone’s attention because of the situation in the Persian Gulf around Iran." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Alas.
"Forget about Russia, the real threat to America is Israel and the Israel lobby". I saw this yesterday attributed to Julian Assange, but he didn't say this.
Scott Ritter talking to Judge Napolitano last night
Judge Napolitano
Scott Ritter
I think in order to answer that we have to go back to what he hoped to achieve in April when the trip was first scheduled. And right, this was part of a power play that was crafted by Scott Bessant, Marco Rubio, and Pete Hegseth, that sought to confront Xi Jinping with the overwhelming strength of American military, economic, and political power.
Monday, 18 May 2026
Vladimir Putin visited China on 4 February 2022
Ray McGovern, ex-CIA man, thinks at that meeting Xi gave his nihil obstat for Russia invading Ukraine.
What will the two decide when they meet tomorrow?
This will be Putin's 23rd visit to China, by the way. He has been there more than any other country except Belarus and Kazahstan.
I doubt if he considers Belarus a real country any more than Ukraine. Kazakhstan is much more real.
Brian Berletic's cynical view of America is that of many Romanians and it sounds as if he's about right
▪️The US has a long-established pattern of meeting with China (and also Russia), agreeing in principle to cooperation and stability, while in practice committing to continued war, proxy war, encroachment, and containment of China;
▪️The recent US-China meeting in China included little substance and concluded with not only unchanged US geopolitical objectives centered on containing China, but the continued escalation of blockades, wars, and proxy wars waged in pursuit of these objectives;
▪️On the issue of Taiwan, US President Trump continues the same pattern of agreeing in principle with China over the US' own "one China" policy, while in practice continuing to undermine China's sovereignty over the island province and the transformation of the island province into a battering ram to use against the rest of China.
Quotations
Napoleon Bonaparte: "One should always prefer to make mistakes of ambition rather than sloth."
Sir John Betjeman said that when the end of the world came he would like to be in the haberdashery department of Peter Jones “because nothing bad could ever happen there".
Bernadine Dohrn was right that the US government is the real terrorist
I am certainly no admirer of hers but rereading this post I see she was quite right when she said in 2010 in an interview:
"The real terrorist is the American government, state terrorism unleashed against the world."
By then Obama, who began his political career with a fund raising meeting in her house, was US President.
He authorised drones to kill people in Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia etc without any authority from the UN or Congress.
Hundreds of civilians were killed, perhaps more than 800, one an American citizen.
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump issued a fresh warning to Iran on May 17, saying it had to move quickly towards a peace deal or “there won’t be anything left of them”.
Washington, locked in conflict with Tehran since US and Israeli forces launched major strikes on the Islamic republic beginning Feb 28, has struggled to break an impasse and make any progress towards ending a war that has shaken the Middle East and sent energy prices climbing.
“For Iran, the clock is ticking, and they better get moving, fast, or there won’t be anything left of them,” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Time is of the essence!”
Sunday, 17 May 2026
The holocaust in Gaza and the rape of the Palestinians, metaphorical and literal
Omar Bartov, Israeli historian of the holocaust, said in late 2023 said it was very likely that war crimes and crimes against humanity were happening in Gaza, but concluded then that "there is no proof that genocide is taking place".
Gideon Levy adds: "Nicholas Kristof is a great journalist. I believe in every word he writes but he's not the only one as Omar just mentioned and the only way to to fight it for Israel is to attack the messenger instead of looking upon ourselves, looking in the mirror, realize that in our jails there is a real barbaric catastrophe and to draw the lessons out of it."
Saturday, 16 May 2026
"Zelensky is one of the biggest obstacles to peace today”: Ukrainian president’s former press secretary speaks out
Here is a very brief summary in writing of Iuliia Mendel's interview with Tucker Carlson.
I have not been following the negative stories about Zelensky very much, I am ashamed to confess. The Nato compliant Western media hides most of them but not this one, which tells me European governments are giving up on Zelensky.
Brian Berletic
"Europe has already suffered what is likely irreversible political and economic damage from its political capture by the US and now its growing energy dependence on the US.
Asia risks being likewise weakened by growing energy dependence on the US, making political capture much more likely by the US, then being transformed into a united front - this time against China rather than Russia - and used to wage war on the US’ behalf at the expense of the people, peace, and prosperity of Asia. "
His latest video is here.
What a sleazy, incompetent, unprincipled and cruel US administration, aided by craven and unprincipled satellites
Bloodstained media
Please actively distrust everything in the traditional media. Left-wing journalism and news sites are the best sources of information.
Especially distrust the media coverage of Israel and Russia.
"Israel’s ‘War to the Root’ May Unravel America"
Quotations from "Israel’s ‘War to the Root’ May Unravel America" by Alastair Crooke, 14 May 2026
Both Trump’s Iran war and the closely connected Israeli war for Jewish hegemony across the Middle East (termed ‘Permanent Security’ in Israeli military vernacular) are unravelling fast.
Iran is standing defiant in the face of Trump and Israel’s threats, leaving Trump gambling the entire US economy and its global strategic standing on conjuring up a decisive ‘win’ over Iran — however deceitful and Pyrrhic that ‘win’ might prove to be.
China is watching the USA commit suicide
Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, talking about Donald Trump's rather pointless visit to China for which no preparation seems to have been done, says China's policy is to watch the United States committing suicide.
Colonel Douglas Macgregor a couple of years ago said this was Russia’s policy. He said this talking about illegal immigration.
Friday, 15 May 2026
Thursday, 14 May 2026
Robert Prevost has disappeared into the role of pope
"Robert Prevost has disappeared into the role of pope in a way that Jorge Bergoglio never did.” Ed Condon quoted on X approvingly by Professor Feser.
This is very admirable.
However, how very much I miss Pope Benedict XVI, the most intelligent head of state since whom?
Marcus Aurelius?
Pope Francis prayed for four hours a day but was a narcissist.
CIA controlled Great Britain
The free speech rally in London in September attracted 100,000 people but was not reported in the media because it was anti-establishment, except in the Guardian which called it far right.
Everywhere I now see reports of the London rally against anti-semitism (20,000 people) which is pro-establishment.
This is because the antisemitism scare is one created by the authorities for political purposes.
Marches in sympathy with the poor, crucified Arabs of Gaza and Lebanon are called hate marches by the MI6 compliant media, are restricted and will be further restricted if Starmer stays in power.
People who march for peace with Iran are defamed as if they march from love of the Iranian political system.
Labour MPs were expelled from the party by Starmer at the behest of Macsweeney for remarks that were not antisemitic but criticised Israel. Why?
Just as an excuse to get rid of the Labour left or for the sake of Israel?
Behind Macsweeny, who made Starmer Labour leader, stood his mentor Mandelson, the close friend of Epstein.
Starmer is part of the Epstein class even though he never met Epstein and part of the British establishment, which was once mildly pro-Arab but has become starting with Blair (very?) pro-Israel.
Americana
Barak Obama on Iran. How much better he was than Trump, George W Bush, Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden, despite his role in the Ukrainian and Libyan revolutions.
The mistake some make is assuming the oligarchy’s elimination of American presidents who stood in their way began with John F. Kennedy. It might have begun more than a century ago. Possibly with President Zachary Taylor.
Homogeneity as a threat
"In Poland, the streets are white. Everyone looks the same, everyone speaks the same language.
"Poland is currently condemning itself to being a passive witness to the great civilizational processes that are coming.
"By not entering this current, we are even more deaf, even more mute, and we see very little. This is terrifying,"
Polish Nobel Prize winner Olga Tokarczuk for Deutsche Welle.
Wikipedia tells us that her father was a member of the Communist Party so she is a child of the nomenklatura, like Angela Merkel, but children of the nomenklatura in Romania do not usually have progressive views. Quite the contrary.
Wednesday, 13 May 2026
Facts that sound fake but are true
Cambridge University too.
Other facts that sound fake but are true.
King Carol I of Romania was the last European king to lead his army into battle.
Zsazsa Gabor was deflowered by Kemal Ataturk.
The only word in the English language that is borrowed from Lithuanian is "talk".
Quotations
“The truth about the world, he said, is that anything is possible. Had you not seen it all from birth and thereby bled it of its strangeness it would appear to you for what it is, a hat trick in a medicine show, a fevered dream, a trance bepopulate with chimeras having neither analogue nor precedent, an itinerant carnival, a migratory tentshow whose ultimate destination after many a pitch in many a mudded field is unspeakable and calamitous beyond reckoning.”
Cormac McCarthy, Blood Meridian
"Now supposing the French or the Neapolitan soldier
Should by some evil chance come exploring the Maison Serny
(Where the family English are all to assemble for safety),
Am I prepared to lay down my life for the British female?
Chas Freeman thinks Israel will eventually go the way of the crusader kingdoms and that Iran could get the bomb in 2 weeks
Former US Ambassador to the KSA Chas Freeman is exceptionally incisive and intelligent. I recommend his latest podcast and all his podcasts.
He thinks it will take Iran only 2 weeks to have weapons grain uranium with which to make an atom bomb underground.
Let's see.
I think if it happens it will be good news for everyone.
<So what we're looking at potentially is the repeat of the history of the two Christian kingdoms in the middle ages
just before the Renaissance in the 11th 12th centuries in Palestine which also depended on external support and
when that external support was removed they collapsed. So the question is where are the Israelis going to go?
The cost of Trump's famous victory
What an absolutely useless government Great Britain has
Tuesday, 12 May 2026
The world of lies
The free speech rally in London in September attracted 100,000 people but was not reported in the media because it was anti-establishment, except in the Guardian which called it far right. Everywhere I now see reports of the London rally against anti-semitism (20,000 people) which is pro-establishment. This is because the antisemitism scare is one created for political purposes,
Marches in sympathy with the Arabs of Gaza and Lebanon are called hate marches by the MI6 compliant media, are restricted and will be further restricted if Starmer stays in power.
People who march for peace with Iran are called pro-Iranian. Admittedly after the US assault on Iran lots of people who never expected to do support the Iranian forces in their defensive war (most people I speak to do) but the marches are not for Iran or her system but for peace.
Being opposed to Israel is starting to be considered by the British deep state borderline illegal.
It wasn't like this at all in the 1970s or 1980s or 1990s. Plenty of Tory knights of the shires (old school Conservative politicians sitting for rural constituencies) were mildly or strongly pro-Arab.
Slovak PM Fico yesterday in Bratislava
Testimony that Arabs were raped in detention by dogs trained by Israelis
Testimonies of Palestinians raped by dogs last month were dismissed by some people who support Israel as impossible.
The New York Times has now published the testimony of a Palestinian detainee.
Note that there is no testimony from victims of the frequently repeated allegations that Hamas men raped women on 7 October 2023. There is a lot of evidence of numerous rapes of Arab prisoners by Israelis. The media has kept quiet about this in the past.
Caitlin Johnstone comments:
'Contrary to popular belief, the highest award in journalism is not the Pulitzer. The highest award in all of journalism is being accused of antisemitism by the Israeli government for factual reporting.
'But the New York Times is unworthy of this award. The Times has been running cover for the Gaza holocaust from the very beginning with extensively documented biases in its reporting, and played a leading role in promoting the atrocity propaganda about mass rapes on October 7. Israel’s abuses were actively facilitated by the New York Times, including its systemic sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners.'
Monday, 11 May 2026
Robert Kagan
This is Robert Kagan, the arch neo-con and husband of Victoria Nuland, writing yesterday in the Atlantic.
<It’s hard to think of a time when the United States suffered a total defeat in a conflict, a setback so decisive that the strategic loss could be neither repaired nor ignored. The calamitous losses suffered at Pearl Harbor, the Philippines, and throughout the Western Pacific in the first months of World War II were eventually reversed. The defeats in Vietnam and Afghanistan were costly but did not do lasting damage to America’s overall position in the world, because they were far from the main theaters of global competition. The initial failure in Iraq was mitigated by a shift in strategy that ultimately left Iraq relatively stable and unthreatening to its neighbors and kept the United States dominant in the region.
Defeat in the present confrontation with Iran will be of an entirely different character. It can neither be repaired nor ignored. There will be no return to the status quo ante, no ultimate American triumph that will undo or overcome the harm done. The Strait of Hormuz will not be “open,” as it once was. With control of the strait, Iran emerges as the key player in the region and one of the key players in the world.>
To his credit he opposed the US Israeli attack on Iran from the start, the only good thing I ever heard about him.
Losing faith
"When we’re kids we play cops and robbers, and watch cartoons about evil criminals being stopped by virtuous crime fighters. Then when we mature we learn that all the most evil people are operating within the laws of our nation, and nobody ever sends them to jail." Caitlin Johnstone on X
"Don’t dismiss the once-a-year mob: they embody our national religion.
Churches exist as much for those who don’t go as for those who do, and that is part of their beauty. Those who pack pews at Midnight Mass express deeply embedded pieties that are separate from devout Christian faith."
AN Wilson, Friday December 22 2023, The Times
"When a Catholic does not believe in God he knows exactly what God it is he does not believe in." Anonymous
Russia isn't finished
From an article by Leonid Ragozin in The American Conservative.
'Pretty much all of my interlocutors are strongly anti-Putin and antiwar. In my intelligentsia circle, you need to walk miles to find anyone pro. People do complain about the ongoing economic slowdown, pointing to the closure of some of their favorite small businesses, like boutique fashion brands that had only recently emerged. They are aghast at the Russian government’s (so-far unsuccessful) attacks on popular messaging services and perturbed by mobile internet interruptions in the center of Moscow caused by the Ukrainian drone threat.
'But unlike Ukrainians, who live in constant fear of Russian strikes and of press gangs roaming the streets in search of fresh recruits, people in Russia are still enjoying much the same kind of lives as before the war, with living standards comparable to poorer EU member countries (check IMF’s GDP PPP charts).
Sunday, 10 May 2026
If only Iran had the bomb
As John Mearsheimer says Iran getting the bomb would stabilise the region.
Had Pakistan given Iran some nukes the world would have been spared the war, a lot of innocent civilians including many schoolgirls would be alive and the Strait of Hormuz would be open.
According to the well informed Colonel Douglas Macgregor yesterday, Iran slaughtered not 40,000 innocent spontaneous protesters but 3,200 people mostly but not entirely armed and guided by the CIA and Mossad in a plot to change the regime. I've said something much like this repeatedly.
Hundreds of Kurdish fighters crossing the Turkish border were killed by Iranian soldiers tipped off by ErdoÄŸan.
That attempted coup was an act of unprovoked war.
Fortunately drones have destroyed US military dominance.
This will have huge consequences for Israel.
The regime change psychop in Iran makes it hard to doubt that Kiev 2014 was another one















