MoA [Moon of Alabama]

by Helmholtz Smith

“Hybrid war”. Western propagandists love the expression “The bad guys are doing nasty underhand things to counter our clean-cut decent and wholly justified activities” but they are just making noise. As Clausewitz knew, however, there is an actual meaning:

We see, therefore, that War is not merely a political act, but also a real political instrument, a continuation of political commerce, a carrying out of the same by other means. All beyond this which is strictly peculiar to War relates merely to the peculiar nature of the means which it uses (…) for the political view is the object, War is the means, and the means must always include the object in our conception.

In this sense, all intelligently-conducted wars are “hybrid wars” advancing on many levels to achieve the “political object” by “other means”.

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PROPAGANDA FRONT. It is a common sentiment that Moscow is losing the propaganda war but I’m not convinced. Propaganda has to have some basis in truth – instead we have the martyrs of Snake Island miraculously reviving, the ghostly Ghost of Kiev, million-man armies disappearing, Kherson counter attacks put off again, maternity hospital bombings exposed by the bombed-out mothers, bodies thoughtfully left out to be seen, Russia begging China, Iran or North Korea for weapons, another “game-changer” weapon.

Russia was running out of ammunition in March, April, June and July. You have to be pretty comatose to still believe this. The propagandists have lost their skills. And reality leaks out through the holes in these flimsy tales. Witness the reception of the Amnesty International report that Ukrainian tactics are “putting civilians at risk and violating the laws of war when they operate in populated areas“.

“Putin’s propagandists” chides The Times; “cannot be tolerated” says Zelensky; “Russian propaganda” as she quits. No news to us who have seen Azov fighters sheltering behind civilians in Mariupol, weapons hidden in shopping centers, troops setting up in schools. But it’s a shocker to believers of the Western narrative (especially Vogue readers!).

Skeptics know that the difference between a conspiracy theory and reported truth is a few months. In June it was Russian disinformation that corrupt officials were selling Western weapons, in August it’s news. Zelensky a hero then, corrupt now. Expect more “disinformation” transforming into truth.

 

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2022/08/policy-by-other-means-by-helmholtz-smith.html#more

Reader comment:

This article is confusing.

It begins with the premise of “hybrid war” and suggests all military conflict involves “hybrid war” which is the extension of the conflict into social, political, economic realms. “Hybrid war” is therefore understood to be synonymous with “total war.”

World War I was a “total war” and included all aspects listed as “hybrid war.” The German government gave Lenin free passage to the Finland Station as they were aware he would provoke civil unrest which would undermine Russian ability to continue the conflict. The UK created a false telegram suggesting Germany conspiring with Mexico to attack the US. This message was revealed to the US and caused it to enter the war which outcome was the objective of the telegram. T.E. Lawrence assisted in raising an “arab revolt” for the express purpose of weakening German/Ottoman military forces in the contested Middle East.

The same was true of World War II. It was also “total war” which included all aspects of “hybrid war.”

What is remarkable about the Ukrainian conflict is that it demonstrates all aspects of a “hybrid war” in the complete absence of any official formal declaration of war. There exists no war; yet all the means of achieving a desired end – propaganda, information control, deception, economic sanction, blockade, covert military support etc. are all present.

What this means is that there no longer exists any demarcation between peace and war. All the measures used in total war are now freely applied during a period of ostensible peace. When Putin and others declare the US to no longer be “agreement capable” it is due to the fact the US feels entitled to utilize any means to achieve its interests. The US is free to “lie, cheat, and steal” as famously declared by Secretary of State Pompeo. The US, and its western allies, have arrogated to themselves the right to act as they wish in order to enforce their interests; there no longer exist any moral or ethical boundaries on permitted conduct.

The Americans say one thing to China, they sign formal documents which state the American position, and they are free to act as they wish to achieve “full spectrum dominance.”

It is this utter lack of restraint, the refusal to act in accord with accepted diplomatic protocols, the abnegation of ethical standards of conduct, the belief that one can do as one wishes without suffering any form of retribution, that is placing the world on the path to global conflict.

Posted by: Sushi | Aug 8 2022 7:28 utc | 2