Caitlin Johnstone<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\nListen to a reading of this article:<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"a951\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u2756<\/p>\n<p id=\"b1de\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Of all the face-meltingly stupid narratives that have been circulated about the US proxy war in Ukraine, the dumbest so far has got to be the increasingly common claim that aggressively escalating nuclear brinkmanship is safety and de-escalation is danger.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4dad\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">We see a prime example of this self-evidently idiotic narrative in a new Business Insider article titled \u201c<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/deal-with-russia-made-under-nuke-threats-could-be-dangerous-2022-10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Putin\u2019s nuclear threats are pushing people like Trump and Elon Musk to press for a Ukraine peace deal. A nuclear expert warns that\u2019s \u2018dangerous.\u2019<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"7117\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cAn understandable desire to avoid a nuclear war could actually make the world more dangerous if it means rushing to implement a \u2018peace\u2019 in Ukraine that serves Russian interests,\u201d writes\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BenjaminNorton\/status\/918862599348830208\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">reliable empire apologist<\/a>\u00a0Charles Davis. \u201cSuch a move, which some influential figures have called for, risks setting a precedent that atomic blackmail is the way to win wars and take territory troops can\u2019t otherwise hold, a model that could be copycatted by even the weakest nuclear-armed states, and may only succeed at delaying another war.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ko kp kq kr fy jh\">\n<div class=\"m ks l do\">\n<div class=\"yi ku l\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"gf aq as ag ce\" title=\"Aaron Mat\u00e9 on Twitter: "Not every day that a headline can fully capture the depravity of US media and political culture: pic.twitter.com\/oMRhBmWFfU \/ Twitter"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.embedly.com\/widgets\/media.html?type=text%2Fhtml&key=d04bfffea46d4aeda930ec88cc64b87c&schema=twitter&url=https%3A\/\/twitter.com\/aaronjmate\/status\/1581791354094776320&image=https%3A\/\/i.embed.ly\/1\/image%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fabs.twimg.com%252Ferrors%252Flogo46x38.png%26key%3D4fce0568f2ce49e8b54624ef71a8a5bd\" width=\"692\" height=\"777\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"2658\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Davis\u2019 sole source for his article is the UN Institute for Disarmament Research\u2019s Pavel Podvig, who<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/russianforces\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0is very openly biased<\/a>\u00a0against Russia.<\/p>\n<p id=\"d715\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cThe West supports Ukraine with weapons and financial and moral and political support. Giving that up and saying that, \u2018Well, you know, we are too afraid of nuclear threats and so we just want to make a deal\u2019 \u2014 that would certainly set a precedent that would not be very positive,\u201d says Podvig. \u201cIf you yield to this nuclear threat once, then what would prevent Russia in the future \u2014 or others \u2014 to do the same thing again?\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"9454\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Like other empire apologists currently pushing the ridiculous \u201cde-escalation actually causes escalation\u201d line, Davis and Podvig argue as though nuclear weapons just showed up on the scene a few days ago, as if there haven\u2019t been generations of western policies toward Moscow which have indeed\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/caitlinjohnstone.substack.com\/p\/we-survived-the-last-nuclear-standoff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">involved backing down and making compromises<\/a>\u00a0at times because doing so was seen as preferable to risking a nuclear attack. We survived the Cuban Missile Crisis because Kennedy\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2013\/01\/the-real-cuban-missile-crisis\/309190\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">secretly acquiesced to Khrushchev\u2019s demands<\/a>\u00a0that the US remove the Jupiter missiles it had placed in Turkey and Italy, which was what provoked Moscow to move nukes to Cuba in the first place.<\/p>\n<p id=\"eddf\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Throughout the cold war the Soviet Union insisted on a\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sphere_of_influence#:~:text=During%20the%20Cold%20War%2C%20the,Federal%20Republic%20of%20Yugoslavia%2C%20among\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">sphere of influence<\/a>\u00a0that US strategists granted a wide berth to, exactly because it was a nuclear superpower. Even as recently as the Obama administration\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2016\/04\/the-obama-doctrine\/471525\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">the US president maintained<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cUkraine, which is a non-NATO country, is going to be vulnerable to military domination by Russia no matter what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"b49d\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Nevertheless we\u2019re seeing this new \u201cescalation is safety and de-escalation is danger\u201d narrative pushed with increasing forcefulness by imperial spinmeisters, because it would take a lot of force indeed to get people to accept something so self-evidently backwards and nonsensical.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ko kp kq kr fy jh\">\n<div class=\"m ks l do\">\n<div class=\"yh ku l\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"gf aq as ag ce\" title=\"Timothy Snyder on Twitter: "All of you who are saying that we have to give in to nuclear blackmail are making nuclear war more likely. Please stop. When you give in to it, you empower dictators to do it again, encourage worldwide nuclear proliferation, and make nuclear war much, much more likely. \/ Twitter"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.embedly.com\/widgets\/media.html?type=text%2Fhtml&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&schema=twitter&url=https%3A\/\/twitter.com\/timothydsnyder\/status\/1581004273030086657&image=https%3A\/\/i.embed.ly\/1\/image%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fabs.twimg.com%252Ferrors%252Flogo46x38.png%26key%3Da19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07\" width=\"692\" height=\"385\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"b393\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cAll of you who are saying that we have to give in to nuclear blackmail are making nuclear war more likely. Please stop,\u201d\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TimothyDSnyder\/status\/1581004273030086657\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">tweeted<\/a>\u00a0Yale University\u2019s Timothy Snyder recently. \u201cWhen you give in to it, you empower dictators to do it again, encourage worldwide nuclear proliferation, and make nuclear war much, much more likely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"4ebc\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Snyder, who\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/imatviyishyn\/status\/1568641240874516481\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">has been photographed<\/a>\u00a0grinning happily with Ukraine\u2019s President Zelensky, does not actually believe that people tweeting in support of de-escalation and detente will cause a nuclear war. He uses the newfangled buzzword \u201cnuclear blackmail\u201d to discredit calls for de-escalation and detente because he wants those who support de-escalation and detente to be silent. He says \u201cplease stop\u201d solely because he wants peace advocacy to stop.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1b86\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cNuclear war comes because we\u2019ve done too little not too much,\u201d\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AVindman\/status\/1582004044557869056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">tweeted<\/a>\u00a0Alexander Vindman, a\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alexander_Vindman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">key player<\/a>\u00a0in advancing the Trump-Ukraine scandal, further pushing the narrative that greater escalation is where the safety is.<\/p>\n<p id=\"977f\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In response to a tweet by France\u2019s President Macron saying \u201cWe do not want a World War,\u201d a\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/www.csce.gov\/about-csce\/staff\/paul-massaro-iii-policy-advisor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">senior policy advisor<\/a>\u00a0for the US government\u2019s Helsinki Commission named Paul Massaro\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/apmassaro3\/status\/1580506710443462656\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">tweeted<\/a>, \u201cPrecisely this sort of weak, terrified language leads Russia to escalate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"d64c\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Imagine being so warped and twisted that you see that as a sane response to the most normal statement anyone can possibly make.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1b56\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Meanwhile you\u2019ve got idiots like Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdamKinzinger\/status\/1581443119996108800\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">acting like they\u2019re being brave tough guys<\/a>\u00a0by welcoming continual nuclear escalation while calling anyone who advocates de-escalation cowards:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ko kp kq kr fy jh\">\n<div class=\"m ks l do\">\n<div class=\"yg ku l\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"gf aq as ag ce\" title=\"Adam Kinzinger #fella on Twitter: "Must be a tough existence being so afraid. The #Ukrainians started as the underdog but still fought and now will win. Ole snowflake @DavidSacks is trembling as he blames America for the invasion. #nafo https:\/\/t.co\/1LN15hNzeJ \/ Twitter"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.embedly.com\/widgets\/media.html?type=text%2Fhtml&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&schema=twitter&url=https%3A\/\/twitter.com\/adamkinzinger\/status\/1581443119996108800&image=https%3A\/\/i.embed.ly\/1\/image%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fabs.twimg.com%252Ferrors%252Flogo46x38.png%26key%3Da19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07\" width=\"692\" height=\"439\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"8ea7\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The Nation\u2019s Katrina vanden Heuvel somehow pulled off the heroic feat of getting an article advocating de-escalation published in the Washington Post with a piece titled \u201c<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/yBEYT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">The Cuban missile crisis was 60 years ago, but it\u2019s urgently relevant today<\/a>.\u201d Reminding us how close we came to total annihilation and how we only survived getting so recklessly close to nuclear war by \u201cplain dumb luck,\u201d she argues that humanity cannot risk going to the brink like that again.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0c22\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cHumanity cannot afford to spin the cylinder again in this game of Russian roulette; we must unload the gun. Our only path forward is de-escalation,\u201d vanden Heuvel writes.<\/p>\n<p id=\"669c\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Indeed it is. It\u2019s absolutely insane that humanity is risking its own extinction over these games of empire-building and planetary domination when we\u2019ve got so many other existential hurdles we need to focus on clearing.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ko kp kq kr fy jh fm fn paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"ji jj do jk ce jl\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">\n<div class=\"fm fn kw\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/640\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 640w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/720\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 720w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/750\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 750w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/786\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 786w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/828\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 828w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/1100\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 1100w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/1400\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 1400w\" sizes=\"(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" data-testid=\"og\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"4e93\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">This is all completely unnecessary. There\u2019s nothing inscribed upon the fabric of reality saying states need to be waving armageddon weapons at each other. There\u2019s no valid reason not to lay aside these games of global conquest and collaborate together toward a healthy coexistence on this planet.<\/p>\n<p id=\"2a58\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">We could have such a beautiful world. All the energy we pour into competition and conquest could go toward innovation that benefits us all, making sure everyone has enough, eliminating human suffering and the need for human toil. We\u2019re trading heaven on earth for elite ego games.<\/p>\n<p id=\"578d\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">There\u2019s no valid reason we can\u2019t move from models of competition and domination to models of collaboration and care. Collaboration with each other; care for each other. Collaboration with our ecosystem; care for our ecosystem. We\u2019re throwing it away in exchange for senseless misery and peril.<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/caityjohnstone.medium.com\/the-profoundly-stupid-narrative-that-nuclear-brinkmanship-is-safety-and-de-escalation-is-danger-3ffc45e5b108\">https:\/\/caityjohnstone.medium.com\/the-profoundly-stupid-narrative-that-nuclear-brinkmanship-is-safety-and-de-escalation-is-danger-3ffc45e5b108<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=139653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139653\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=139653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=139653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=139653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Listen to a reading of this article:<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"a951\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u2756<\/p>\n<p id=\"b1de\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Of all the face-meltingly stupid narratives that have been circulated about the US proxy war in Ukraine, the dumbest so far has got to be the increasingly common claim that aggressively escalating nuclear brinkmanship is safety and de-escalation is danger.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4dad\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">We see a prime example of this self-evidently idiotic narrative in a new Business Insider article titled \u201c<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/deal-with-russia-made-under-nuke-threats-could-be-dangerous-2022-10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">Putin\u2019s nuclear threats are pushing people like Trump and Elon Musk to press for a Ukraine peace deal. A nuclear expert warns that\u2019s \u2018dangerous.\u2019<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"7117\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cAn understandable desire to avoid a nuclear war could actually make the world more dangerous if it means rushing to implement a \u2018peace\u2019 in Ukraine that serves Russian interests,\u201d writes\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BenjaminNorton\/status\/918862599348830208\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">reliable empire apologist<\/a>\u00a0Charles Davis. \u201cSuch a move, which some influential figures have called for, risks setting a precedent that atomic blackmail is the way to win wars and take territory troops can\u2019t otherwise hold, a model that could be copycatted by even the weakest nuclear-armed states, and may only succeed at delaying another war.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ko kp kq kr fy jh\">\n<div class=\"m ks l do\">\n<div class=\"yi ku l\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"gf aq as ag ce\" title=\"Aaron Mat\u00e9 on Twitter: "Not every day that a headline can fully capture the depravity of US media and political culture: pic.twitter.com\/oMRhBmWFfU \/ Twitter"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.embedly.com\/widgets\/media.html?type=text%2Fhtml&key=d04bfffea46d4aeda930ec88cc64b87c&schema=twitter&url=https%3A\/\/twitter.com\/aaronjmate\/status\/1581791354094776320&image=https%3A\/\/i.embed.ly\/1\/image%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fabs.twimg.com%252Ferrors%252Flogo46x38.png%26key%3D4fce0568f2ce49e8b54624ef71a8a5bd\" width=\"692\" height=\"777\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"2658\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Davis\u2019 sole source for his article is the UN Institute for Disarmament Research\u2019s Pavel Podvig, who<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/russianforces\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">\u00a0is very openly biased<\/a>\u00a0against Russia.<\/p>\n<p id=\"d715\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cThe West supports Ukraine with weapons and financial and moral and political support. Giving that up and saying that, \u2018Well, you know, we are too afraid of nuclear threats and so we just want to make a deal\u2019 \u2014 that would certainly set a precedent that would not be very positive,\u201d says Podvig. \u201cIf you yield to this nuclear threat once, then what would prevent Russia in the future \u2014 or others \u2014 to do the same thing again?\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"9454\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Like other empire apologists currently pushing the ridiculous \u201cde-escalation actually causes escalation\u201d line, Davis and Podvig argue as though nuclear weapons just showed up on the scene a few days ago, as if there haven\u2019t been generations of western policies toward Moscow which have indeed\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/caitlinjohnstone.substack.com\/p\/we-survived-the-last-nuclear-standoff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">involved backing down and making compromises<\/a>\u00a0at times because doing so was seen as preferable to risking a nuclear attack. We survived the Cuban Missile Crisis because Kennedy\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2013\/01\/the-real-cuban-missile-crisis\/309190\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">secretly acquiesced to Khrushchev\u2019s demands<\/a>\u00a0that the US remove the Jupiter missiles it had placed in Turkey and Italy, which was what provoked Moscow to move nukes to Cuba in the first place.<\/p>\n<p id=\"eddf\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Throughout the cold war the Soviet Union insisted on a\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sphere_of_influence#:~:text=During%20the%20Cold%20War%2C%20the,Federal%20Republic%20of%20Yugoslavia%2C%20among\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">sphere of influence<\/a>\u00a0that US strategists granted a wide berth to, exactly because it was a nuclear superpower. Even as recently as the Obama administration\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2016\/04\/the-obama-doctrine\/471525\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">the US president maintained<\/a>\u00a0that \u201cUkraine, which is a non-NATO country, is going to be vulnerable to military domination by Russia no matter what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"b49d\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Nevertheless we\u2019re seeing this new \u201cescalation is safety and de-escalation is danger\u201d narrative pushed with increasing forcefulness by imperial spinmeisters, because it would take a lot of force indeed to get people to accept something so self-evidently backwards and nonsensical.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ko kp kq kr fy jh\">\n<div class=\"m ks l do\">\n<div class=\"yh ku l\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"gf aq as ag ce\" title=\"Timothy Snyder on Twitter: "All of you who are saying that we have to give in to nuclear blackmail are making nuclear war more likely. Please stop. When you give in to it, you empower dictators to do it again, encourage worldwide nuclear proliferation, and make nuclear war much, much more likely. \/ Twitter"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.embedly.com\/widgets\/media.html?type=text%2Fhtml&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&schema=twitter&url=https%3A\/\/twitter.com\/timothydsnyder\/status\/1581004273030086657&image=https%3A\/\/i.embed.ly\/1\/image%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fabs.twimg.com%252Ferrors%252Flogo46x38.png%26key%3Da19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07\" width=\"692\" height=\"385\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"b393\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cAll of you who are saying that we have to give in to nuclear blackmail are making nuclear war more likely. Please stop,\u201d\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TimothyDSnyder\/status\/1581004273030086657\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">tweeted<\/a>\u00a0Yale University\u2019s Timothy Snyder recently. \u201cWhen you give in to it, you empower dictators to do it again, encourage worldwide nuclear proliferation, and make nuclear war much, much more likely.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"4ebc\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Snyder, who\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/imatviyishyn\/status\/1568641240874516481\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">has been photographed<\/a>\u00a0grinning happily with Ukraine\u2019s President Zelensky, does not actually believe that people tweeting in support of de-escalation and detente will cause a nuclear war. He uses the newfangled buzzword \u201cnuclear blackmail\u201d to discredit calls for de-escalation and detente because he wants those who support de-escalation and detente to be silent. He says \u201cplease stop\u201d solely because he wants peace advocacy to stop.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1b86\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cNuclear war comes because we\u2019ve done too little not too much,\u201d\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AVindman\/status\/1582004044557869056\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">tweeted<\/a>\u00a0Alexander Vindman, a\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Alexander_Vindman\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">key player<\/a>\u00a0in advancing the Trump-Ukraine scandal, further pushing the narrative that greater escalation is where the safety is.<\/p>\n<p id=\"977f\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">In response to a tweet by France\u2019s President Macron saying \u201cWe do not want a World War,\u201d a\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/www.csce.gov\/about-csce\/staff\/paul-massaro-iii-policy-advisor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">senior policy advisor<\/a>\u00a0for the US government\u2019s Helsinki Commission named Paul Massaro\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/apmassaro3\/status\/1580506710443462656\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">tweeted<\/a>, \u201cPrecisely this sort of weak, terrified language leads Russia to escalate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"d64c\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Imagine being so warped and twisted that you see that as a sane response to the most normal statement anyone can possibly make.<\/p>\n<p id=\"1b56\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Meanwhile you\u2019ve got idiots like Republican congressman Adam Kinzinger\u00a0<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AdamKinzinger\/status\/1581443119996108800\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">acting like they\u2019re being brave tough guys<\/a>\u00a0by welcoming continual nuclear escalation while calling anyone who advocates de-escalation cowards:<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ko kp kq kr fy jh\">\n<div class=\"m ks l do\">\n<div class=\"yg ku l\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"gf aq as ag ce\" title=\"Adam Kinzinger #fella on Twitter: "Must be a tough existence being so afraid. The #Ukrainians started as the underdog but still fought and now will win. Ole snowflake @DavidSacks is trembling as he blames America for the invasion. #nafo https:\/\/t.co\/1LN15hNzeJ \/ Twitter"\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.embedly.com\/widgets\/media.html?type=text%2Fhtml&key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&schema=twitter&url=https%3A\/\/twitter.com\/adamkinzinger\/status\/1581443119996108800&image=https%3A\/\/i.embed.ly\/1\/image%3Furl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fabs.twimg.com%252Ferrors%252Flogo46x38.png%26key%3Da19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07\" width=\"692\" height=\"439\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"auto\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"8ea7\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">The Nation\u2019s Katrina vanden Heuvel somehow pulled off the heroic feat of getting an article advocating de-escalation published in the Washington Post with a piece titled \u201c<a class=\"au km\" href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/yBEYT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener ugc nofollow\">The Cuban missile crisis was 60 years ago, but it\u2019s urgently relevant today<\/a>.\u201d Reminding us how close we came to total annihilation and how we only survived getting so recklessly close to nuclear war by \u201cplain dumb luck,\u201d she argues that humanity cannot risk going to the brink like that again.<\/p>\n<p id=\"0c22\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">\u201cHumanity cannot afford to spin the cylinder again in this game of Russian roulette; we must unload the gun. Our only path forward is de-escalation,\u201d vanden Heuvel writes.<\/p>\n<p id=\"669c\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">Indeed it is. It\u2019s absolutely insane that humanity is risking its own extinction over these games of empire-building and planetary domination when we\u2019ve got so many other existential hurdles we need to focus on clearing.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"ko kp kq kr fy jh fm fn paragraph-image\">\n<div class=\"ji jj do jk ce jl\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\">\n<div class=\"fm fn kw\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/640\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 640w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/720\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 720w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/750\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 750w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/786\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 786w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/828\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 828w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/1100\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 1100w, https:\/\/miro.medium.com\/max\/1400\/0*atV93kBbU7glcwnn 1400w\" sizes=\"(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" data-testid=\"og\" \/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p id=\"4e93\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">This is all completely unnecessary. There\u2019s nothing inscribed upon the fabric of reality saying states need to be waving armageddon weapons at each other. There\u2019s no valid reason not to lay aside these games of global conquest and collaborate together toward a healthy coexistence on this planet.<\/p>\n<p id=\"2a58\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">We could have such a beautiful world. All the energy we pour into competition and conquest could go toward innovation that benefits us all, making sure everyone has enough, eliminating human suffering and the need for human toil. We\u2019re trading heaven on earth for elite ego games.<\/p>\n<p id=\"578d\" class=\"pw-post-body-paragraph jo jp ig jq b jr js jt ju jv jw jx jy jz ka kb kc kd ke kf kg kh ki kj kk kl hz gh\" data-selectable-paragraph=\"\">There\u2019s no valid reason we can\u2019t move from models of competition and domination to models of collaboration and care. Collaboration with each other; care for each other. Collaboration with our ecosystem; care for our ecosystem. We\u2019re throwing it away in exchange for senseless misery and peril.<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/caityjohnstone.medium.com\/the-profoundly-stupid-narrative-that-nuclear-brinkmanship-is-safety-and-de-escalation-is-danger-3ffc45e5b108\">https:\/\/caityjohnstone.medium.com\/the-profoundly-stupid-narrative-that-nuclear-brinkmanship-is-safety-and-de-escalation-is-danger-3ffc45e5b108<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=139653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139653\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=139653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=139653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stateofthenation.co\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=139653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n