The US is permanently at war to achieve and sustain dominance over planet earth, its resources and populations.
by Stephen Lendman
The US is permanently at war to achieve and sustain dominance over planet earth, its resources and populations.
Republicans and undemocratic Dems want all nations colonized as US vassal states - no exceptions. They want ruling regimes bending to Washington's will. That's what imperialism is all about.
They want no outliers - notably not Russia and China, the only nations able to challenge Washington's aim to rule the world.
US wars go way beyond attacking countries militarily. Other tactics include targeting nations politically, economically, financially, through trade, by weaponized sanctions, vilifying propaganda, and other means.
US imperial hard ball isn't pretty, most Americans ignorant about how Washington operates, demanding everything, yielding nothing.
What's gone on post-WW II is a conspiracy against rule of law principles and responsible governance, absent in America, a democracy in name only, a notion its policymakers abhor, the US an increasingly totalitarian plutocracy run by and for privileged interests exclusively.
Make no mistake. Washington is at war with Russia, China, Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and other sovereign independent states - waging cold war at risk of turning hot against any or all of them.
The US wants these countries marginalized, weakened, contained and isolated, its tactics similar to how boxers soften up opponents with repeated body blows before delivering a knockout punch.
US war on Russia rages politically, economically, financially, through illegal sanctions, and by intense vilifying propaganda.
Aiming to co-opt and colonize the country, US war on its economy rages. That's what vilifying propaganda, false accusations, and weaponized sanctions are all about.
The latest body blow came on December 11. US House members unanimously adopted a resolution, calling for the Trump regime to severely penalize EU nations and enterprises participating in Russia's Nord Stream II gas pipeline project - wanting stiff sanctions imposed under the so-called Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) - targeting Russia, Iran and North Korea.
When completed, Nord Stream II will be the world's longest underwater pipeline, a major engineering achievement.
It'll be able to deliver 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas from beneath the Baltic Sea, its capacity to be doubled by an additional line, the project scheduled for completion by late 2019 or early 2020.
Russia's world's largest natural gas reserves and proximity to other European countries makes it the most logical supplier of their needs.
Nord Stream II will run from Russia's border, below the Baltic Sea to Germany, crossing Russian and German waters, along with economic zones of Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany.
Five European companies are involved in construction - including France's Engie, Austria's OMV AG, Germany's Uniper and Wintershall, along with Royal Dutch Shell. Brussels, including economic powerhouse Germany, strongly supports the project.
The Trump regime lied claiming it'll undermine European energy security and stability. Polar opposite is true. It'll be an economic and energy boon for countries benefitting from the project.
Trump regime Russophobes want America replacing Moscow as Europe's main natural gas supplier, despite an ocean separating both continents, making it advantageous for EU countries to rely heavily on Russia for their LNG needs - impractical and expensive to ship it from the US.
Trump regime hardliners, including DLT, are going all-out to undermine Nord Stream II, intending to impose sanctions on European nations and companies involved in its construction.
Germany is key. Days earlier, its Foreign Minister Heiko Maas defended the project, stressing it makes no sense to abandon it. As long as Berlin maintains support, the Trump regime's aim to undermine construction most likely will fail.
Austria's OMV energy group CEO Rayner Zele said his company intends to continue financing the pipeline next year. It's already invested over $600 million in the project.
Overwhelming US bipartisan hostility toward Russia is all about wanting it undermined politically, economically, financially and militarily - ahead of aiming to deliver a knockout blow by military or other means to transform the country into a US vassal state.
The same strategy is in play against China, the only nation able to challenge the US economically, industrially, and technologically.
That's what trade war with Beijing is all about. It's about trying to undermine Beijing's "Made in China 2025" strategy.
It's about wanting to sabotage its aim to advance 10 economic sectors to world-class status, including information technology, high-end machinery and robotics, aerospace, marine equipment and ships, advanced rail transport, new-energy vehicles, electric power, agricultural machinery, new materials and biomedical products.
It's about wanting China prevented from becoming an economic powerhouse, especially in sophisticated technological areas, able to challenge and perhaps surpass America's dominance.
The trade deficit is largely a distraction, concealing US aims to co-opt, colonize, and control China, an objective risking possible nuclear war if US hardliners push things too far.
Saudi Arabia is the latest US target. Furor over Jamal Khashoggi's murder is all about wanting control over the kingdom sustained.
It's got nothing to do with his elimination or horrendous Saudi human rights abuses internally and abroad - the latter a non-issue for nearly a century in Riyadh's relations with the West.
Legal/political analyst Darius Shahtahmasebi explained the key reason behind the furor over Khashoggi's murder, why the CIA wants him replaced as crown prince, why Congress opposes him.
Ruling authorities in Washington don't give a hoot about Saudi despotism, its junior partnership with US war in Yemen or its other unlawful actions.
The same goes for all other countries. Republicans and Dems support the world's most ruthless tinpot despots - in the Middle East and elsewhere.
They turn a blind eye to intolerable Israeli apartheid, its state terror, and other high crimes.
The only US issue with Saudi Arabia's crown prince is he's "too 'independent' for the United States' liking," Shahtahmasebi explained, notably its energy and other dealings with Russia.
Kremlin/Riyadh talks about buying Russia's sophisticated S-400 air defense systems, weapons, munitions, and perhaps other purchases infuriates the Washington.
The US also fears that the Saudis will abandon the petrodollar by selling oil to China in yuan, what Beijing apparently demands.
If Riyadh goes along, other Gulf states will likely follow to accommodate China, the world's largest oil consumer.
Things most often aren't as they seem. US furor over Khashoggi's murder is largely about wanting control over the Saudis sustained.
MBS is considered unreliable and untrustworthy, why the CIA wants him replaced with a crown prince the US controls.