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More Crooke & Escobar on Palestine and the Big Picture

Karl Sanchez

Alastair Crooke, Pepe Escobar, Eva Bartlett, Larry Johnson in Moscow

Now more than two months into Al-Aqsa Flood, the Outlaw US Empire has killed any voice it had when it comes to upholding Human Rights by vetoing the UNSC resolution calling for a Ceasefire in Gaza, not just a “pause.” At the end of the Crooke/Napolitano video chat is a clip of the FMs of Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia saying as one that such a vote was unacceptable, which is diplomatic speak for reprehensible. The imbecilic US UN representative that gave the Empire’s justification for its veto said to allow a ceasefire would be to allow new seeds of conflict to be sown—the puke, or rather the person who told him what to say, doesn’t seem to realize those seeds were sown long ago and replanted every time the Outlaw US Empire and its Zionist partners didn’t allow a solution for the Palestinians other than the continual shrinkage of their lands and imprisonment in Gaza. As Lavrov said, the Outlaw US Empire simply cancels whatever it deems necessary to justify its narrative. 

But before clicking the link to the video, additional context is to be supplied by Crooke’s SCF essay and Pepe Escobar’s article for The Cradle as both just spent the last week together in Moscow discovering what they could and sharing insights. Crooke’s will get first viewing as in his first sentence he anticipates the Judge’s opening question as the title gives away, “Strategic Reflections From Moscow,” and it begins with Russia’s relations with the West that readers have read mostly from the Russian perspective here at the Gym. And instead to telling readers what they’ll read, they get to find out for themselves.

U.S.-Russia relations have touched rock-bottom; it is worse even than imagined. In discourse with senior Russian officials, it is evident that the U.S. treats the former as clear enemies. To gain a flavour, it is as if a senior Russian official were to ask: “What is it you want from me?”. The answer might come: “I wish you’d die”.

The inherent tension and lack of genuine exchange is worse than during the Cold War when channels of communication did stay open. This lacuna is compounded by the absence of political nous amongst European political leaders, with whom grounded discussion has not proved possible.

Russian officials recognise the risks to this situation. They are at a loss however on how to correct it. The tenor of discourse too, has slid from outright hostility toward pettiness: The U.S., for example, might block workers from entering the Russian mission at the UN to repair broken windows. Moscow then — reluctantly — finds itself with little alternative but to respond in a similarly petty vein — and so the relationship spirals down.

There is an acknowledgement that the deliberately vituperative ‘information war’ is wholly dominated by the western MSM — further souring the atmospherics. And though the scattered western alternative media exists and is gaining in scale and significance, it is not easily engaged (being both diverse, and individualist). The tag of ‘Putin Apologist’ too, remains toxic to any autonomous news providers, and can destroy credibility at a stroke.

It is understood in Russia that the West presently exists in ‘phony normality’ — an interlude within its own cultural war (in the run-up to 2024). Russians, however, do perceive some obvious parallels with their own experience of radical civil polarisation — when the Soviet Nomenklatura demanded conformity to the Party ‘line’, or suffer sanction.

Moscow is open to dialogue with the West, but interlocutors so far have represented only themselves and have no mandate. This experience points to a conclusion that there is little point to ‘banging one’s head’ against a brick wall of an ideologically driven western leadership — Russian values being as a red rag to the western ideological ‘bull’. Yet, it is not clear when the time comes, if an empowered interlocutor (able to commit) will be present in Washington to pick up the phone.

Nevertheless, the enmity projected in the West towards Russia is perceived as having positive aspects as well as grave risks (the absence of treaties on the use and deployment of weapons). Interlocutors underline how western disdain towards Russians — plus its explicit enmity — finally has allowed Russia to move beyond Peter the Great’s Europeanisation. That latter episode is seen now as a diversion from Russia’s true destiny (albeit one that must be seen in the context of the rise and rise of the post-Westphalian European nation-state).

The hostility shown by Europeans towards the Russian people (and not just to its governance) has pushed Russia to ‘be itself’ again, which has been to its great benefit. Nonetheless, the shift gives rise to a certain tension: It is evident that western ‘hawks’ are always scanning the Russian scene in order to locate a host within the body politic in which to insert the spores of their weaponised New Moral Order — their purpose being to wedge into, and fragment, Russian society.

Inevitably then, explicit western cultural attachment does raise a certain caution amongst the mainstream ‘patriotic current’. Those Russians (mostly in Moscow and St Petersburg) who lean toward European culture do feel tension. They are neither fish nor fowl: Russia is moving towards a new identity and ‘way of being’, leaving the Europeanists watching their landmarks recede. Generally, the shift is viewed as inevitable, and as having brought about a real Russian renaissance and sense of confidence.

The revival of religion, we were told, effectively self-ignited spontaneously, as the churches re-opened after the end of communism. Many new ones have been built (approximately 75% of Russians claim to be Orthodox today). There is a sense in which the Orthodox ‘renaissance’ has a touch of the eschatological to it — provoked in part by what one individual called antagonistic ‘Rules Order ‘eschatology’! Notably few interlocutors mourned secular ‘Russian liberals’ (who had left Russia) — ‘good riddance’ (although some are coming back). There is an element here of the clearing of society from the ‘westification’ of the earlier centuries — though ambivalence is inevitable: European culture — at least in terms of philosophy and art — was, and is, an embedded component to Russian intellectual life, and is not about to disappear.

The political realm

It is not easy to convey the sense in which ‘absolute’ Russian victory in Ukraine has conflated into the notion of the unfolding revival of Russia’s new sense of ‘self’. Victory in Ukraine has been somehow assimilated into metaphysical destiny — as something assured and unfolding. The Russian military leadership (understandably) is mum concerning the likely structural/ institutional outcome. The talk (on hosted TV shows) however, is centred more on the feuds and schisms rending Kiev, than on battleground details as heretofore.

It is understood that NATO has been comprehensively defeated in Ukraine. The extent and depth of the NATO failure perhaps was a surprise in Russia but is viewed as somehow testimony to Russian adaptiveness and technological innovation in all-arms integration and communication. ‘Absolute victory’ may be understood as ‘no way’ will Moscow allow Ukraine again to become a threat to Russian security.

Russian officials see both Ukraine and Israeli-Middle East wars conflating to segment the West into separate, disputatious spheres — with the West heading toward fragmentation and possible instability. The U.S. is facing setbacks and challenges that will further reveal the loss of deterrence — further exacerbating U.S. anxiety about its security.

Moscow is aware just how much the political zeitgeist in Israel has changed (as a result of the radical government installed after the last Israeli elections), and therefore of the consequent limitations to political initiatives by western states. It carefully watches Israel’s plans in respect to southern Lebanon. Russia is co-ordinating with other states to avoid the slide toward big war. President Raisi’s Moscow visit last week reportedly focused on the comprehensive strategic agreement under negotiation, and (reportedly) included the signing of a document on countering western sanctions imposed on both states.

In terms of the emerging global order, Moscow takes the Presidency of the BRICS in January 2024. It is both a huge opportunity to establish the multi-polar BRICS world at a time of wide geo-political consensus in the Global South — and a challenge too. Moscow perceives the window of opportunity its presidency offers, but is very aware that BRICS states are far from homogeneous. In respect to Israel’s wars, Russia has both an influential Jewish lobby and a Russian diaspora in Israel that imposes certain constitutional duties on the President. Russia likely will move cautiously on the Israel-Palestine conflict in order to keep BRICS cohesion. Some important forms of economic and financial innovations will emerge from Russia’s presidency of the BRICS.

And in terms of Russia’s ‘EU problem’, in counterpoint to Europe’s so-called ‘Russia problem’, the EU and NATO (post-Maidan) built up the Ukrainian army to be one of the largest and most fully NATO equipped armies in Europe. After the March 2022 Ukrainian-Russian settlement proposals were vetoed by Boris Johnson and Blinken — and as the inevitably of a longer more intense war became certain — Russia mobilised and prepared its own logistic supply chains. EU leaders however are now ‘closing the circle’ through projecting this Russian military expansion (itself a reaction to NATO intensification in Ukraine) to be evidence rather, of a Russian plan to invade mainland Europe. In what seems a coordinated effort, western mainstream media is scrounging for anything that can even remotely resemble some evidence of Russia’s putative ‘designs’ against Europe.

This specter of Russian imperialism is being spun to inculcate fear through the European populace and to argue that Europe must divert resources to prepare its logistics for a coming war with Russia. This represents another twist to that vicious cycle downward of threatened war that portends badly for Europe. There was — for Europe — no Russian ‘problem’ until the neo-cons seized on the Maidan ‘opening’ to weaken Russia.

Crooke’s essay’s publication and its focus on Russia’s changing view from the West to the East and South coincided with Putin having two discussions about Arctic and Far Eastern development and taking part in the commissioning of two new nuclear subs, one being a Boomer, the other just ordinary. (There’ll be a posting about the Arctic discussions later.) Crooke didn’t look too long at Russia’s relationship with Palestine but does elaborate with the Judge. Pepe Escobar, however, has his main focus on Palestine but as with Crooke also brings BRICS into the narrative, “BRICS and the Resistance Axis: A Convergence of Goals,” and begs to be discussed when he’s finished.

MOSCOW - Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a notable pit stop in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to meet, respectively, Emirati President Mohammad bin Zayed (MbZ) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MbS) before flying back to Moscow to meet Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. 

The three key issues in all three meetings, confirmed by diplomatic sources, were Gaza, OPEC+, and BRICS expansion. They are, of course, interlinked. 

The Russia-Iran strategic partnership is developing at breakneck speed, alongside Russia-Saudi Arabia (especially on OPEC+) and Russia-UAE (investments). This is already leading to stark shifts in defense interconnection across West Asia. The long-term implications for Israel, way beyond the Gaza tragedy, are stark.

Putin told Raisi something that was extraordinary on so many levels: 

“When I was flying over Iran, I wanted to land in Tehran and to meet you. But I was informed that you wanted to visit Moscow. Relations between our countries are growing rapidly. Please convey my best wishes to the Supreme Leader, who supports our relations.”

Putin’s reference to “flying over Iran” directly connects with four armed Sukhoi Su-35s flying in formation, escorting the presidential plane over 4,000 km (if measured as a straight line) from Moscow to Abu Dhabi, without any landing or refueling. 

As every stunned military analyst remarked, an American F-35 is capable of flying at best 2,500 km without refueling. Yet the most important element is that both MbZ and MbS authorized the Russian Su-35s escorts over their territory – which is something extremely unusual in diplomatic circles. 

And that leads us to the key takeaway. With a single move on the aerial chessboard, compounded with the subsequent clincher with Raisi, Moscow accomplished four tasks: 

Putin proved - graphically speaking - that this is a new West Asia where the US hegemon is a secondary actor; destroyed the neocon political myth of Russian “isolation;” demonstrated ample military supremacy; and lastly, as the start of Russia’s BRICS presidency approaches, showed that it retains all its crucial geopolitical and geoeconomic cards.    

Kill them, but softly 

The original five BRICS – led by the Russia-China strategic partnership - will open their doors to three major West Asian powers Iran, Saudi Arabia, and UAE on 1, January, 2024. Their accession to the multipolar powerhouse offers these countries an exceptional platform for broader markets, and is likely to accompany a flurry of investments and tech exchanges. 

The long-term, sophisticated game played by Russia-China is leading to a complete, tectonic change in the geoeconomics and geopolitics of West Asia.   

BRICS 10 leadership – considering that the 11^th member, Argentina, for the moment, is a wild card at best – even has the potential, under a Russian presidency, to become an effective counterpart to the toothless UN. 

And that leads us to the complex interaction between BRICS and the Axis of Resistance.

At first, there were reasons to suspect that the bland condemnation of the genocide in Gaza by the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was a sign of cowardice. 

Yet a renewed appraisal may reveal everything is evolving organically when it comes to the intersection of the Big Picture designed by the late Iranian Quds Force Commander General Qassem Soleimani with the meticulous micro-planning by Gaza's Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who knows the Israeli mentality inside out and considered in detail its devastating military response. 

Arguably, the most incandescent focus of detailed discussions in Moscow these past few days is that we may be approaching the point where “a signal” will unleash a concerted Axis of Resistance response.

For the moment, what we have are sporadic attacks: Hezbollah destroying Israel’s communication towers facing the southern Lebanon border, Iraq's resistance forces attacking US bases in Iraq and Syria, and Yemen's Ansarallah concretely blocking the Red Sea for Israeli ships. All that does not form a concerted, coordinated offensive - yet. 

And that would explain the desperation within the Biden administration in Washington, complete with rumors that it needs Israel to finish Plan Gaza between Christmas and the start of January. Not only have the global optics of the Gaza assault become horrifyingly unsustainable, but most of all, a lengthier military campaign dramatically raises the likelihood of a “signal” to the Axis of Resistance. 

And that will result in the end of all the Hegemon’s elaborate plans for West Asia. 

The geopolitical goals of Zionism are quite clear: re-establish its self-constructed aura of dominance in West Asia and maintain steady control over US foreign policy and the military alliance. 

Depravity is a key component for accomplishing these goals. It’s so easy to bomb, shell, and burn ultra-soft civilian targets, including thousands of women and children, turning Gaza into a vast cemetery, while the White Man’s Burden Club urges Israeli occupation forces to kill them, of course, but more silently. 

Cue to toxic Atlanticist and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offering bribes, in person, to Egypt's and Jordan's leaders - $10 billion to Cairo and $5 billion to Amman - as confirmed with Brussels diplomats. That’s the mind-numbing EU solution to stopping the Gaza genocide.  

All Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah bin al-Hussein would need to do is to “facilitate” the forced exodus and Final Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza to their respective territories. 

Because the eschatological goal of Zionism remains an undiluted Final Solution, whatever happens in the battleground. And, of course, as the 7 October Hamas-led Al-Aqsa Flood operation suggests, to destroy Jerusalem's Islamic Al-Aqsa Mosque and build a Jewish Third Temple on top of its ashes.  

What happens when “the signal” comes 

So what we have is essentially Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Emigration-or-Annihilation plan - versus what veteran West Asia expert Alastair Crooke has memorably coined as “Sykes-Picot is dead.” That phrase means that Arab and Iranian inclusion in BRICS will eventually rewrite the rules in West Asia, to the detriment of the Zionist project.  

There’s even a strong possibility this time around that Israel's certified war crimes in Gaza will be prosecuted, as Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslim-majority nations, with full BRICS support, form a Global South-recognized commission to take Tel Aviv and its armed forces to court.

Forget the tainted ICC, servile as it remains to the Hegemon's Rules-Based Order. The BRICS will help usher international law back to the forefront of the global scene, as intended when the UN was born in 1945 before it was castrated.

The Gaza genocide is also forcing all latitudes along the Global South to be more inclusive – as in delving into the wisdom of our common, intertwined pre-modern history. Everyone with a conscience has been forced to dig deeply into oneself to find explanations for the Inexcusable. In this sense, we are all Palestinians now.  

As it stands, no power – the west because it refuses it; the BRICS and the Global South because they have not yet made their play – has been capable of stopping a Final Solution conducted by a racist, ethnocentrist ideology. 

Yet that also opens the startling possibility that no power will be strong enough to stop the Axis of Resistance when the “signal” comes to pull the curtain down on the Zionist Project. By that time, the Axis will have a supreme moral imperative, recognized, even urged, by populations globally.

So that’s where we are now: evaluating the incandescent symmetry between impotence and imperative. The deadlock will be broken – perhaps sooner than we all expect. 

That evokes a comparison with a previous deadlock. The current impasse between a perverse, trashy version of Hebraic “civilization” and emerging Islamic nationalism – let’s call it “civilizational Islam” – mirrors where we were in December 2021, when Russian-proposed treaties on the “indivisibility of security” were turned down by Washington. In hindsight, that was the last chance for a peaceful way out of the clash between the Heartland and the Rimland. 

The Hegemon rejected it. Russia made its play – and accelerated exponentially the decline of the Hegemon. 

The song remains the same, from the steppes of Donbas to the oil fields of West Asia. How can the multipolar Global South – increasingly represented by the expanded BRICS – manage a raging, fearful, out-of-control imperialist west staring into the abyss of moral, political, and financial collapse? 

“Civilizational Islam” is here and now, and indeed has been around for as long as Russian Civilization and both are most certainly evolving into something they’ve never been in the past. Now is the time to scroll up to the top of the page and clink the link to the video and relax attentively for 30 minutes as Judge Napolitano and Crooke have their weekly exchange while readers have the above context swirling within their brains. Pepe’s concluding question demands discussion and some hypothetical answers. But first some digestion’s in order after the video chat. Oh, and don’t miss the clip I mentioned up top.

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