https://sputnikglobe.com/20230720/us-wary-of-open-war-with-russia-despite-affirming-stance-on-nato-trigger-article-1112015775.html
US Wary of Open War With Russia Despite Affirming Stance on NATO Trigger Article
US Wary of Open War With Russia Despite Affirming Stance on NATO Trigger Article
Sputnik International
NATO has cleaned out its arsenals arming Ukraine for its proxy conflict with Russia — and now has little left to defend itself. Karen Kwiatkowski said sabre-rattling from Congress belied an deep fear of confronting Moscow.
2023-07-20T17:57+0000
2023-07-20T17:57+0000
2023-07-20T17:57+0000
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US generals and politicians are wary of military confrontation with Russia after witnessing the failure of their Ukrainian proxy, says a Pentagon insider.On Wednesday the US Senate overwhelmingly voted down an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, moved by Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, which would have forced the White House to gain Congressional approval before responding militarily to an attack on a NATO ally.Senators had earlier voted to prevent the current or future presidents from withdrawing the US from NATO without permission from the Congress.The two Senate votes came a week after the NATO leaders' summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where US President Joe Biden finally conceded that absorbing Ukraine into the expansionist alliance — which already includes most former Warsaw Treaty Organization states and some former Soviet republics — was impossible in the short term as it mean immediate war between the nuclear powers.Humiliated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly fell out with western leaders over that decision.Former Pentagon analyst Karen Kwiatkowski told Sputnik that US military and political leaders were getting cold feet about confrontation with Moscow after the failure of its Ukrainian proxies to dent Russian defensive lines.US presidents must have legislative backing for any declaration of war in most other circumstances — although that has been circumvented since the Second World War simply by launching military action without any formal declaration.Under Article 5 of the NATO charter, all 31 member-states must treat an armed attack on one as an aggression against all. The only time the article has been invoked was in 2001 in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.Biden admitted earlier this month that the Pentagon was only supplying controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine because it had almost exhausted its stocks of regular high-explosive 155mm artillery shells in a bid to prolong the conflict.Economic problems were also limiting US military aid to the Kiev regime, she added."Importantly, the fiscal situation of the United States government itself to sustain and support a major war is simply not there," Kwiatkowski noted. "Given the US debt load and the declining fiat status of the dollar, allies to loan the US money would be scarce, and martial law would have to be declared in this country — something that many people today would resist."But the greatest deterrent was the likely prospect of a direct conflict with Russia rapidly escalating to thermonuclear aramgeddon."I am assuming the US Congress does not support a nuclear conflict, for practical reasons if not principled ones," Kwiatkowski said. "We do have our political crazies, but I think Congress knows their names, so to speak, and is being cautious."
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230720/us-senate-rejects-bill-to-avoid-pentagon-valuation-errors-after-ukraine-aid-mishap-1112002238.html
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230720/russias-determined-resistance-ex-nato-officer-explains-why-kiev-counteroffensive-bites-the-dust-1112005092.html
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russia's special military operation (smo) in ukraine, nato leaders' summit in vilnius, failure of the ukrainian counter-offensive
russia's special military operation (smo) in ukraine, nato leaders' summit in vilnius, failure of the ukrainian counter-offensive
US Wary of Open War With Russia Despite Affirming Stance on NATO Trigger Article
NATO has cleaned out its arsenals arming Ukraine for its proxy conflict with Russia — and now has little left to defend itself. Karen Kwiatkowski, a former Pentagon analyst and US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, said the latest sabre-rattling from the US Congress belied an deep fear of confronting Moscow.
US generals and politicians are wary of military confrontation with Russia after witnessing the failure of their Ukrainian proxy, says a Pentagon insider.
On Wednesday the US Senate overwhelmingly voted down an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, moved by Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, which would have forced the White House to gain Congressional approval before responding militarily to an attack on a NATO ally.
Senators had earlier voted to prevent the current or future presidents from
withdrawing the US from NATO without permission from the Congress.
The two Senate votes came a week after the NATO leaders' summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where US President Joe Biden finally conceded that
absorbing Ukraine into the expansionist alliance — which already includes most former Warsaw Treaty Organization states and some former Soviet republics — was impossible in the short term as it mean immediate war between the nuclear powers.
Humiliated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
publicly fell out with western leaders over that decision.
Former Pentagon analyst Karen Kwiatkowski told Sputnik that US military and political leaders were getting cold feet about confrontation with Moscow after the failure of its Ukrainian proxies to dent Russian defensive lines.
"The Congress, and the US, does not wish to engage in a NATO war against a major power, certainly not a nuclear power with solid resources, wise political leadership and well-developed military skills, like Russia," Kwiatkowski said. "Even the current limited-capacity US president has stated this publicly."
US presidents must have legislative backing for any declaration of war in most other circumstances — although that has been circumvented since the Second World War simply by launching military action without any formal declaration.
Under
Article 5 of the NATO charter, all 31 member-states must treat an armed attack on one as an aggression against all. The only time the article has been invoked was in 2001 in response to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US.
"Going to war (or even conducting overseas aid operations) under the auspice of an international body, be it NATO or the UN, or even WHO, is also deeply unpopular among a slight majority of American voters, and the Congress that they have elected," Kwiatkowski stressed.
Biden admitted earlier this month that the Pentagon was only
supplying controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine because it had almost exhausted its stocks of regular high-explosive 155mm artillery shells in a bid to prolong the conflict.
"The US military leadership is, behind closed doors, extremely concerned about its war-fighting capability," Kwiatkowski argued. "Between older weapons systems, a challenging recruitment environment (the military is increasingly unpopular among the veteran and conservative base due to endless non-winning wars and woke-ism), a set of senior generals who have never really fought and won, nor have they ever devised winning strategies of war."
Economic problems were also limiting US military aid to the Kiev regime, she added.
"Importantly, the fiscal situation of the United States government itself to sustain and support a major war is simply not there," Kwiatkowski noted. "Given the
US debt load and the declining fiat status of the dollar, allies to loan the US money would be scarce, and martial law would have to be declared in this country — something that many people today would resist."
But the greatest deterrent was the likely prospect of a direct conflict with Russia rapidly escalating to thermonuclear aramgeddon.
"A war that cannot be won conventionally, if started, might go nuclear in a way that cannot be predicted or controlled," the analyst warned.
"I am assuming the US Congress does not support a nuclear conflict, for practical reasons if not principled ones," Kwiatkowski said. "We do have our political crazies, but I think Congress knows their names, so to speak, and is being cautious."
