The American journalist Gonzalo Lira died in custody in Ukraine. He had been reporting from Kharkov from the very beginning. To bring him home after his arrest would have been the easiest thing to do for Joe Biden and his team, since they were paying all the bills for that country. But obviously the…
Blog posts : "In English"
Are you paying attention yet
Honesty is about offering your point of view without an agenda. This point of view may be valid, or not really. Usually to be determined after all the facts are in, even if diehard opponents may deny you the credit. There are situations where we are forgiven for not speaking our mind. To grease a re…
Is it about time for a new narrative
Ukraine conscripts 50.000 women into the army according to reports, while a prosecutor said the country lost 500.000 men, and is ‘bleeding’ 30.000 per month. The women won’t be employed as nurses only, and Russian reports about finding trenches full of dead women are no longer to be discarded as …
Take your time and think things through
A dialogue depends on ‘back-and-forth’. You exchange facts, arguments, points of view, looking for solutions to conflicts before violent acts are making it next to impossible to find a way out, and restore the peace. That was why we needed diplomats. Remember? And ‘weapons inspectors’. Well, o…
Do you want to go to Hell
Massive strikes for several days on Kiev and other cities were reported after Ukraine attacked a Christmas market in Belgorod. Though the Russian attacks were listed as retaliation, they did not target Christmas markets or anything similar. They struck the Artem and Luch plants, where drones and mis…
The concept of Yin and Yang
Does a country at war strike military targets, or civilian targets? Does a country, or a warring party, use the civilian population as a shield? Was an object hit by offensive, or defensive weapons? What was the person who fired a weapon aiming at?
In war civilians do get killed, though t…
Looking back to a turbulent year, and where we are going
The last day of 2023, traditionally a day to reflect on the year behind us, and express our hopes for the future, before adding our own personal best intentions as we move into the new year. Objectively, though, it is just another day of the year. People are born. Others close the book and pass away…
A massive strike before the end of the year.
The Russians launched a massive strike on multiple targets in Ukraine, using a wide array of weapon systems. An ‘expert’ on ‘Sky’ was asked to ‘explain’ why the Russians were doing this, and doing this now. This ‘expert’ was honest enough to tell the viewers that though civilian target…
What is 2024 going to be like for Ukraine
A new law in Ukraine is aiming for total mobilisation. 'Wollen Sie den Totalen Krieg!?' And at the same time roadblocks are being set up around the country to find 'fresh meat' for the Russian 'Grinder', if you accept that the Russians are winning in this 'War of Attrition'. But those in our part of…
What would happen if we returned to common sense
Without a (perceived) threat to ourselves, we are not inclined to do much of anything. We do change, and make amends, but without a sense of urgency. If someone approaches us to make us aware of certain risks, we are inclined to tell them that we'll 'think about it', and return to what we like to do…
Who is the real imperialist
The world is much bigger than Ukraine. NATO also stuck its nose in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, and as a direct result it ran into problems protecting shipping through the Red See and the Suez Canal. While they are still planning to provoke a military conflict between the Chinese province …
Merry Christmas
What does it even mean, to 'Win a War'? NATO was formed after the Second World War, when most people were fed up with war. To promote the 'Alliance' it was necessary to sell it to the people as a defensive 'Alliance', which would refrain from offensive use of military violence. Even though Winston C…
The think-tankers are panicking
On occasion I may come across as someone with 'privileged information', or even as promoting Russian 'talking points'. I do not have such information, and I do not talk to people who claim that they do, on either side. Therefore I may be the victim of 'confirmation bias', like anyone in my position,…
What to expect from these cowboys
What to expect from a new 'Trump Administration'? He is no 'Dove'. Let that sink in. Each and every US president in recent memory, except John F. Kennedy, was a 'Cowboy'. Cowboys do not do diplomacy. They 'talk' with their 'Colt 45'. If they talk at all. Or, if you will, 'Gunboat Diplomacy'. The mes…
An essay about opposition to war
Opposition to war comes in different flavours. To begin with, the support-group of any one side will vow that they are truly peace-loving, upstanding citizens, but that they need to defend what they claim to defend. That might be almost everything, including the right to exist within the borders of …
The drums of war
The drums of war. At the start of this century, many were anticipating that the times ahead would shower us with prosperity for generations to come. I was hoping that would be the case, but I 'had information' that certain people had different plans. Not secret information at all, but I read books …
Better not place bets on the outcome of a war
What's cooking? Official western 'NATO-connected' sources are all over the place with news and predictions related to the war against Russia on Ukrainian soil. While some are bitter, announcing imminent defeat, others are cheerful and optimistic, talking about plans for a new 'Spring Offensive'. At …
All they brought me was this lousy T-Shirt
Zelensky was happy that the EU extended an invitation to Ukraine to start negotiations about membership of the 'Block'. He said it was a much needed 'morale boost', as there was no chance of winning this war with Russia. From what I see and read, that is an understatement. The German publication 'Bi…
Why do we let them sink our countries?
Last year Putin cancelled his famous yearly marathon interview, lasting over four hours, but this year he is back. Even joking around with a 'deep-fake' Putin lookalike during the live-event. Confident, and ready for yet another term as Russia's president, with no serious challenger as far as I can …
And that is scary!
Imagine living in Russia under communist rule, reading the 'Pravda', and knowing, without even consulting other sources, that you were being lied to. Different from not being told. No, the story itself had to be bogus.
In the past I did feel betrayed again and again, because the media somehow…