GEOFOR: Traditionally, our conversations follow the pattern: from West to East. Let's change our rules this time around and start with the Indo-Pacific region. Or rather, from the notorious visit of Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. What degree of independence does the Speaker of the House of Representatives has and what was her motivation? How do you assess the consequences of China's retaliatory measures for Taiwan and the United States, as well as for the region as a whole?
Peter Koenig: At first glance, the Pelosi visit to Taiwan looks to me like a provocation. In the meantime, there have been other visits to Taiwan by US politicians. They didn’t get as much advertising as did Pelosi. But the objective is the same: provocation, how far can they go?
President Xi has warned Washington on several occasions. Even in a phone call with President Biden, saying something to the effect: “Who plays with fire will get fire”.
It didn’t make any difference. Washington ignored it.
Can one consider China’s military maneuvers in the Taiwan straight as a retaliation towards Taiwan?
Personally, I don’t think so. Such military practices have taken place before to varied intensities. As far as I know these latest ones have not done any harm to the island of Taiwan, or the Taiwanese population.
For sure, they may have been a warning, or a demonstration of what might happen if Taiwan gets serious with following the US – western “lure” of the island away from China. With these military exercises, China has also demonstrated to the west, that they would not stand idle by, if the west attempts to “tamper” with China’s sovereignty.
Most countries know that, and they respect China. But there is the self-proclaimed world hegemon and its followers who can’t stop provocations. These provocations have of course not just the purpose of Big Showmanship, but they are also good for the Military Industrial Complex – they create revenues. After all, when all is said and counted, the US military and related services and industries, account for mor than 50% of the US GDP. China does not want war. China is not a warrying nation. China seeks Peace; peaceful relations with the rest of the world. But, if the west attempts to hurt China, to interfere with China’s internal affairs, obviously they stand up and defend their rights and their sovereignty.
The peace-loving nature of China might be best expressed by President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), patterned according to the Old Silk Road of 2100 years ago – and which aims at connecting countries, first in the Asia-Pacific Region, then around the world, with peaceful development projects, and scientific and cultural interchange. It is all aimed at a better equilibrium of the world and at peaceful inter-country and inter-regional relations.
GEOFOR: The situation in the region continues to escalate. Has Washington decided to start another proxy war besides the Ukraine? Or should it still be considered as a kind of reserve for the future, which will be used after the "Ukrainian question" is closed one way or another?
Peter Koenig: In my opinion, it is neither. Washington doesn’t think beyond Ukraine. Long-term thinking has never been an US-forte. It’s provocation.
Besides, even Washington knows that fighting several wars on several fronts is like a suicide track. They don’t have the capacity to beat all their fronts, not even with NATO. A good example was Afghanistan. It suddenly became an unwieldy war, and then they run away – leaving another country and her people in shambles.
That’s the US.
Besides, the Ukraine conflict, a proxy-war of the US / NATO against Russia, played out in a corrupt country, but to the detriment of the people, most of whom are innocent and decent citizens, but they have to bear the brunt. This is a demonstration of cowardry on behalf of the west, notably US/NATO.
But the war is also part of the Bigger Picture. It is part of the UN Agenda 2030, or The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) promoted Great Reset. It’s part of Globalist Agenda which is directed behind the scenes by huge financial corporate powers, such as BlackRock, Vanguard and StateStreet – and other Wall Street giants.
Their idea is for a relatively small elite to rule the world. That doesn’t seem to be the concept of a future for the world and humanity, shared by Russa and China. To the contrary, Russia and China, and ever more countries around the world are weary of the globalist drive, and they are seeking to regain their national sovereignties and if anything, are part of “regional hubs”. Russia and China, perhaps through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), may be an important Asian hub.
More and more countries from the Global South and also from the west, are attempting to join the SCO, the Asian association. They have lost trust in the west, especially in the dollar-dominated western economic system, which is a fiat monetary system, based and backed by nothing. In other words, the system is doomed – sooner or later.
Currently the SCO counts among its members, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran, and a number of former Soviet Republics, as well as other countries, like Malaysia, waiting in the wings. SCO covers close to half of the world population and about 35% of the world’s GDP.
There are also speculations that the BRICS+ may at some point unite with the SCO.
Washington is aware. Therefore, their provocations on China as well as the bloody conflict in Ukraine – which is a monstruous and murderous 24x7 lie-propaganda by the west - may be seen as attempting disrupting the anti-globalist movement.
They will not succeed. Dishonesty, deception and constant aggression has never succeeded in the long run.
GEOFOR: Moving in a westerly direction, one can observe two relatively small-sized crises: another escalation in Karabakh (they is shooting there again, but not very intensive yet) and in the Balkans (Serbia and Kosovo). In your opinion, is this an attempt to disperse the Kremlin's attention or solve regional problems by taking advantage of the fact that Moscow is focused on the Ukraine?
Peter Koenig: Frankly, I don’t think that fighting in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) and between Serbia and Kosovo are part of the bigger conflict, or the Bigger Picture.
The NKR is a disputed territory since the end of the war in 1994, and, despite peace talks, involving the OSCE Minsk Group, the region’s disputed status remains. One of the major reasons for the ongoing and simmering conflict, may be that Nagorno-Karabakh is rich in natural resources of precious and semi-precious metals, such as gold and copper and other minerals; minerals that the west wants for military purposes and for its luxurious life style.
Was this conflict originally provoked in one way or another by the US / NATO in order to destabilize the region? – All is possible. Washington is doing this all the time. But now resolving the issue is a local affair.
Unless a permanent solution is found between Armenia and Azerbaijan – like granting this small “enclave” some kind of independence and sovereign control over its resources, this conflict may linger on for a long time. For peace in the region, the two warrying forces might want to look at history and grant NKR independence. In the long run, peace in the area may be worth much more than the never-ending conflict over resources.
But, in my opinion, this is not a conflict linked to the Ukraine – Russia conflict.
As far as Kosovo and Serbia goes – the situation is similar. Kosovo was created under then President Bill Clinton, through his NATO intervention in 1999. Actually, to say it bluntly, he stole a piece of Serbia and created Kosovo, not least for strategic US-military purposes. Kosovo is right in the middle of what used to be Yugoslavia.
After all, Kosovo is recognized by only 117 countries, out of a total of 193 UN members. Kosovo is a de facto NATO base with almost 4000 NATO troops – mostly from the US. On the other hand, Serbia has no aspirations to become a NATO country. Her links with Russia are very close. But, NATO in Kosovo represents a potential danger for Serbia in the Region.
Moscow, of course is aware, but for now chooses not to intervene. Again, I believe, Serbia – Kosovo is a lingering conflict – already ongoing for many years, basically since Kosovo’s inception in 2008.
Could the conflict be resolved with a Russian military presence in Serbia – just for balance?
Again, I don’t believe this conflict has anything to do with Russian intervention in Ukraine/
GEOFOR: And now about Europe, where problems are only gaining momentum: drought, lack of energy, rising prices for food and utilities, ahead of the closure of enterprises and explosive growth of unemployment. And then there are the problems with the Nord Stream-1. Can't this bring to their senses the leadership, if not of the European Union, then the individual governments of the Old World?
Peter Koenig: Europe knows very well what they are doing, that they are committing economic suicide – and possibly more, with their sanctions and around-the-clock accusations of President Putin and their “Russia-Russia-Russia” lambasting.
They, the EU governments, actually the “leaders” (sic), have orders from those who wield the financial powers over the world – via the WEF. And these people, who lead the unelected European Commission (they make sweeping dictatorial decisions, despite the EU Parliament), have been selected precisely because of their corruptible and spineless personalities.
And so have most, if not all of the leaders of the EU member countries. Almost all of these “leaders” went through Klaus Schwab’s (WEF) Academy for “Young Global Leaders” (YGL). They know exactly what they have to do, and who their paymasters are.
So, make no mistake – what happens to Europe, possibly preparing this fall for being hit by a rough winter, shortages of energy, food, electricity blackouts, the imposition of digital total and absolute control via the QR-code – is all part of a monstrous plan.
These “leaders”, who feel they are on top, directing this self-destructing agenda, know exactly what they are doing. And they are making sure, their refrigerators are full through out the winter, and they will have enough heating oil for the coming extreme cold – perhaps as extreme as was the heat wave in Europe, and the Global North in general, this summer.
One wonders…. As we know, there are no coincidences. Weather engineering is a highly developed science.
Only if people wake up, taking their lives into their own hands, but not each one for himself, but through togetherness, through actions in solidarity, and with a spirit of sharing, they may ascend out of this globalist mess, or rather tyranny.
It’s a challenge, but its feasible. Once the psychological barrier of submissiveness has been broken, new frontiers and new opportunities will open up – and without anger and without retaliatory aggression, an ascent out of this human humiliation, submission, and outright enslavement is, indeed, possible.
I am confident.
Peter Koenig is a geopolitical analyst and a former Senior Economist at the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO), where he worked for over 30 years around the world. He lectures at universities in the US, Europe and South America. He writes regularly for online journals and is the author of Implosion – An Economic Thriller about War, Environmental Destruction and Corporate Greed; and co-author of Cynthia McKinney’s book “When China Sneezes: From the Coronavirus Lockdown to the Global Politico-Economic Crisis” (Clarity Press – November 1, 2020).
Peter is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG). He is also is a non-resident Senior Fellow of the Chongyang Institute of Renmin University, Beijing.
Serge Duhanov is a journalist, specializing in international relations and national security issues. Не worked as the NOVOSTI Press Agency's own correspondent in Canada (Ottawa, 1990-1992) and the US Bureau Chief (Washington, 1996-2001) of the newspapers Business MN, Delovoy Mir and Interfax-AiF.