r/chomsky • u/Anton_Pannekoek • Sep 02 '24
Article Scott Ritter: On a Highway to Hell (On Nuclear Posture)
https://consortiumnews.com/2024/09/01/scott-ritter-on-a-highway-to-hell/6
u/Anton_Pannekoek Sep 02 '24
By allowing the U.S. nuclear posture to shift away from deterrence toward warfighting, all we guarantee is that eventually there will be a warfighting scenario where the U.S. will end up using nuclear weapons.
And then we all die.
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u/greentrillion Sep 02 '24
Scott Ritter is a criminal child abuser who regularly goes on Russian state media to bash the US and praise Russia. Pretty much everything he says is to help Russia.
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u/Anton_Pannekoek Sep 02 '24
That might be true. But this article is about nuclear posture and the global threat of nuclear weapons.
I can't see anything factually incorrect or with poor reasoning here.
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u/greentrillion Sep 02 '24
He puts no culpability on Russia and China, considering he goes on Russian state media to praise Russia often, his whole article is hypocritical.
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u/Anton_Pannekoek Sep 02 '24
You clearly haven't read the article, because you haven't got any proper, specific faults to point out, and he's not a "child abuser". See here https://x.com/CraigMurrayOrg/status/1821347946538962987
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u/greentrillion Sep 02 '24
I did read the article, and he absolves Russia and China of any responsibility only US has responsibility to do anything in his mind while Russia and China are angels, he is a complete and utter hypocrite to be saying that while praising Russia on Russian state media.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sex-ritter-idUKTRE73B7PG20110412/
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u/Anton_Pannekoek Sep 02 '24
I think he apportions blame for these crises to China and Russia too.
For instance here he notes that Russia's launch of the war in Ukraine raised global nuclear threat levels. He could have mentioned the development of hypersonic missiles by Russia.
The Russian initiation of its “Special Military Operation” against Ukraine, in February 2022, brought with it the inherent risk of escalation with NATO, leading to Russian threats about the potential for nuclear weapons use if NATO decided to directly intervene in Ukraine.
And as he notes China is drastically expanding its nuclear weapon systems. One point he omits is that China is not bound, or never was by the INF treaty.
And a November 2022 Pentagon report forecast that China would increase its nuclear arsenal from around 400 weapons to more than 1,500 by 2035.
Whatever you might think of the man personally, I think the facts he outlines here are shocking and important reading. There are people in the Pentagon who are considering employing nuclear weapons against China and Russia simultaneously, in a first strike, and this is reflected in official US policy.
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u/greentrillion Sep 02 '24
I think he apportions blame for these crises to China and Russia too.
If that were true, then he wouldn't constantly be a cheerleader for the Putin regime on Russian state media. He openly praises Russia and constantly justifies their actions in Ukraine. Nuclear weapons are intended never to be used, only in hypothetical mutually assured destruction (MAD) scenarios. If China is trying to avoid MAD, everyone else will escalate until they are also bound by it. There's nothing shocking about that, other than China and Russia thinking they can nuke the U.S. in a first strike while avoiding a retaliatory strike. Sorry, but Scott Ritter should be calling out Russia and China as the villains here, but he won't because he's a paid hack.
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u/Anton_Pannekoek Sep 02 '24
I don't see praise of Russia in this article, not any unfair treatments.
It's precisely the MAD scenario which is so concerning. Yes up to now they have not been employed, thankfully, but we are increasing the threat level, instead of working to decrease it as was successfully done in the 80's.
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u/greentrillion Sep 02 '24
MAD is what ensures that nukes cannot be used. The fact that Russia and China want first-strike capabilities without retaliation is insane. He praises them on Russian state TV. Why isn't he calling out Russia and China to reduce their arsenals when they are, in fact, increasing them, causing the U.S. to respond in kind? To him, Russia and China have no agency here.
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u/Anton_Pannekoek Sep 02 '24
MAD is no guarantee. So far it has held, but a mistake, or a reaction to an event, all kinds of scenarios could lead to their use.
Right now the war in Ukraine, for instance has definitely increased the risk of use of nuclear weapons.
Every nuclear-capable state is spending more on nuclear weapons, modernising them, their delivery system. The only solution is for everybody to agree to arms-control talks. That's the whole point of the article.
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u/MVAgrippa Sep 02 '24
It is true. So posting it makes you a useful idiot.
If you can't find a better defense than his maybe the position isn't all that tenable.
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u/Divine_Chaos100 Sep 02 '24
You can say that there's "nothing factually incorrect" in the article but when the article comes from someone who is clearly not impartial in the conflict that should raise red flags in a Chomsky subreddit.
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u/unity100 Sep 02 '24
What should raise red flags on a Chomsky subreddit are people who sh*t on anti-empire critics by saying that they are pro-Russian and sh*t, as if it was something 'bad'. Not to mention those who try to delegitimize them by calling them rapists, pedophiles or other sh*t.
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u/Divine_Chaos100 Sep 02 '24
I'm not shitting on anti empire critics, quite the opposite. Scott Ritter did a lot of shit on his own merit to be considered not credible.
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u/unity100 Sep 02 '24
Every.single.notable.antiempire.critic has some kind of smear/accusation against him. There are no exceptions except Chomsky, and the only reason he is an exception is that he happened to be a linguist critical to the development of AI.
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u/Divine_Chaos100 Sep 02 '24
Nah, there is a smear against Chomsky as well, some very vague links to Epstein. Most antiempire critics are not open Russia-simps tho like Ritter.
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u/unity100 Sep 02 '24
Ha. Didnt know there was such sh*t against him as well. Proves the point.
Most antiempire critics are not open Russia-simps tho like Ritter
In Angloamerica maybe. In the rest of the world there are a lot of them.
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u/Divine_Chaos100 Sep 02 '24
That would make me pretty disappointed, because that would mean that their antiempire criticism isn't consistent. But most of those ive read from the "rest of the world" were clear about Russia's role in this and weren't uncritically rooting for their success so i'm maybe just gaslighted.
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u/unity100 Sep 02 '24
That would make me pretty disappointed, because that would mean that their antiempire criticism isn't consistent
On the contrary. If they were against Russia they would be inconsistent: Russia is still continuing the anti-colonial foreign policy of former Soviet Union in aiding smaller countries fight US imperialism and breaking out from it. Smaller countries have no chance against US machinations without the intelligence and military support from countries like Russia. Up until Russia picked up the Soviet policy in early 2010s, the US was able to overthrow governments and take over small countries by using ragtag private armies like the Islamists, far right paramilitaries and whatnot. Russia has been filling the role that China should have been doing, but wasnt.
But most of those ive read from the "rest of the world" were clear about Russia's role in this
I dont know any prominent anti-empire critic that blames Russia for NATO expansion and the event chain that started in 2014. Chomsky included. If there is any blame on them, its because they have been 'working with' the "West" and calling them their "partners" for decades, literally sitting by the side as the US destroyed large swaths of the world.
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u/unity100 Sep 02 '24
Scott Ritter is a criminal child abuser who regularly goes on Russian state media to bash
Like how Assange was a rapist, Snowden was a traitor and how Durov enables pedophilia. Funny how all the prominent critics and exposers of the US empire end up being bad because of 'something' else, and "therefore we shouldnt listen to them".
Pretty much everything he says is to help Russia
Its funny how you say that as if that is something bad to do. It may come as a suprise to you, but 80% of the world doesnt give a sh*t about you Angloamericans' crusade against Russia and they side with them rather than against them.
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u/greentrillion Sep 02 '24
Assange was not convicted unlike Scott Ritter who was. Also, a Snowden did defect to Russia instead of facing charges as a whistleblower, so by definition he was a traitor, and Durov did protect pedophiles from investigation by not cooperating with authorities who investigate that. Seems you just like making excuses for people's criminal actions.
Also, nope about Russia, most people hate Russia for being generally terrible to everyone, especially those that have the displeasure of being near them like Polish and Fins.
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u/Small_Pie_6366 1d ago
You people need to know the facts before you defend the US government or put people down. Snowden wasn't facing charges for being a whistleblower. Are you f:';ing kidding me. I am surprised you would even say that. What are you done sort of communist wanna be ? Snowden won't come back because they refuse to give him a fair trial. That's the problem. The American government which does not think anybody is have any rights in federal court.
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u/unity100 Sep 02 '24
Assange was not convicted unlike Scott Ritter
Doesn't mean anything. If they wanted to 'convict' him of something, they would have. Despite the Swedish prosecutors dropping the case they 'just' held him in prison for 2 years.
This sounds more like coping to avoid cognitive dissonance than any kind of logical argument.
Durov did protect pedophiles from investigation
Yeah, the exact example of what I was talking about. Every prominent empire critic is a bad person(™), "because".
most people hate Russia for being generally terrible to everyone
80% of the world is floating its economy and converging in the conferences that are being done in Russia for 2 years now. Have you even watched what the Indian FM tells in that video...
Polish and Fins
Centuries-long enmities for having been embroiled in their own kings' conflicts, but still keeping that sh*t going as if they had anything to do with it. As the Indian FM explains, the world doesnt care about such 'problems'.
The usual english-speaker logic of projecting their own Anglosphere and its immediate satellites as 'most', or 'the world', or 'everybody'.
You arent everybody. You arent 'most'. You definitely arent 'the world'.
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u/greentrillion Sep 02 '24
Why didn't they just convict Assange if they could have? You make no sense.
If Durov isn't working with local authorities to help imprison organized crime members and pedophiles, he's no friend to anyone and is only working for his own selfish benefit. Being an 'empire critic' doesn't mean anything when you're shielding criminal gangs and child abusers from local authorities. If he wants to be part of society, he should work with local police and follow local laws to help make society a better place.
India gets cheap oil from Russia; they couldn't care less about Russia. They definitely wouldn't appreciate living next to Russia and being invaded by them. Sorry, but Russia can't just live in peace with anyone; they constantly need to try to steal land from those around them, and for those they can't, they engage in hybrid warfare to try to destabilize them. The only people who like Russia are other despots or people who don't know any better.
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u/unity100 Sep 03 '24
Why didn't they just convict Assange if they could have?
They already kept him in a maximum security terrorist prison, the UK's gitmo, for 5 years. Without convicting him...
Being an 'empire critic' doesn't mean anything
It means a lot to people like us whose countries have seen ~3 US backed murderous military coups in the last 60 years.
when you're shielding criminal gangs and child abusers from local authorities.
He's not shielding sh*t. Dont pull things out of your ass.
make society a better place.
Society becomes a better place when the US is no longer able to effect murderous coups that kill ~10,000-30,000 people in a go every time they happen.
India gets cheap oil from Russia; they couldn't care less about Russia.
That sounds like a cope. India supports them because of oil. China supports them because of X, South Africa because of Y, South American nations because of Z, nobody actually supports Russia despite they all support it, for 'some reason'.
Sorry, but Russia can't just live in peace with anyone
You just sound like a deranged Angloamerican liberal, a racist one to boot. It wasnt Russia who did 3 coups, last of which immediately hanged 10,000 leftists in my country. So shut the f*ck up.
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u/greentrillion Sep 03 '24
They already kept him in a maximum security terrorist prison, the UK's gitmo, for 5 years. Without convicting him...
Unrelated to the rape charges which were dropped. He was facing extradition to the US and was appealing so that is the process for that. My question was, if it was so easy to convict him, why did they just drop the rape charges?
It means a lot to people like us whose countries have seen ~3 US backed murderous military coups in the last 60 years.
Which is not France who are the one detained him. Durov is being charged in Fance for shielding child abusers and organized crime so no I didn't make it up, maybe read the charges against him yourself. If you don't work with authorities to help, bring down criminals who are using your property then you become an accessory to the crime. His criticism are fake since he is just a criminal himself who makes society worse.
Society becomes a better place when the US is no longer able to effect murderous coups that kill ~10,000-30,000 people in a go every time they happen.
And US isn't monolithic, when US has people like Trump in power it becomes a very scary country. US needs to elect better people and the world won't suffer. US has the capacity to be better so hopefully moves in that direction and Trump is put in jail.
That sounds like a cope. India supports them because of oil. China supports them because of X, South Africa because of Y, South American nations because of Z, nobody actually supports Russia despite they all support it, for 'some reason'.
Sorry but nobody trusts Russia, its all for temporary convivence.
ou just sound like a deranged Angloamerican liberal, a racist one to boot. It wasnt Russia who did 3 coups, last of which immediately hanged 10,000 leftists in my country. So shut the f*ck up.
America is not going anywhere so better to advocate for them to become a better country, you don't want to see what will happen if they fall to right wing extremist like Trump and friends.
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u/unity100 Sep 03 '24 edited Sep 03 '24
Unrelated to the rape charges which were dropped.
Absolutely irrelevant. In the end, they kept him in house arrest for 5-6 years, and then in a gitmo for 5 years. The excuse doesnt matter.
Which is not France who are the one detained him.
France is a US satellite and it participated in all US murders in the past 30-40 years. Directly or indirectly.
shielding child abusers and organized crime
Like how Assange was a rapist. Like how Morales was a drug lord.
You people really have a hard time seeing simple patterns.
If you don't work with authorities to help, bring down criminals who are using your property then you become an accessory to the crime.
Like Boeing, Google, DARPA, Exxon, Amazon and everyone else? All of which are helping Israel blow the brains out of babies at the moment.
And US isn't monolithic
It looks pretty monolithic from where we stand.
Dont make excuses for your murderous country. If you people screamed the crimes of your own lot as much as you scream about "others' crimes", the US wouldnt be blowing the brains out of babies at the moment.
Your country, because for someone who may not be an American, you sure talk like one.
Sorry but nobody trusts Russia
Even the US state admits that neither USSR nor Russia has reneged on or betrayed any of its treates in history. So save that sh*t to yourself. We do.
America is not going anywhere so better to advocate for them to become a better country
Advocacy didnt do sh*t in the last 80 years. 2 years of war with Russia did. The US is on the brink of bankruptcy, it lost its dollar dominance, 80% of the world pivoted away from it. It definitely is going somewhere, and its not up.
...
Let me block your liberal rhetoric out so we wont waste time with pointless sh*t in the future.
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u/Small_Pie_6366 1d ago
I couldn't agree more unity100. I'm an American that is starting to dislike Americans more and more. Everything anyone here in America does they do only if they somehow think it will benefit them in a tangible way. It's called selfish greed. Americans are so morally corrupt, they make up their own definition of what's right and wrong from day to day to suit them self so they can sleep at night. Sitting by idoly while the government of the people and by the people is funding another nation that is currently commiting genocide pretty much says it all. Since Kennedy was killed in 1963 and the government sealed the records and the nation did not rise up in protest, the people in power have taken over with no regard for the Constitution or the rule of law. Israel now is in complete control of the US government. Only a handful of people in Washington will even say anything negative about Israel. SAYING NO TO ISRAEL does NOT make someone an antisemitic ! Even if it does who cares. Israel made the word up and Congress made it against the law to speak bad about Israel while in session. Go figure!
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u/Pineapple_Express762 Sep 02 '24
I was just going to say, he’s never been right about anything.
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u/mexicodoug Sep 02 '24
Ritter was correct when he said there were no WMDs in Iraq and that Bush/Cheney/Powell were lying in order to invade Iraq.
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u/Pineapple_Express762 Sep 02 '24
I’ll give you the lying, but there were a one time WMD. He used them on the Kurds, and were probably moved. On a whole, Ritter is a Putin stooge and is 1 correct 98 wrong and 1 maybe
Enjoy your day
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u/ZephyrusOG Sep 02 '24
Is it only me who’s been getting more and more impressed with him recently? Wartime analysis is on point as expected from a high rank ex official but he almost turned into an anti-war activist, provides great bigger picture look at things that often show the empire as shitty as it is..
He doesn’t fully claim that kinda title yet, I guess mainly because the perceived audience for media channels he’s allowed to appear on don’t really like ‘activists’ of any kind. Regardless, I think there are huge benefits for him to say it as it is especially to inform parts of the conservative base in US.
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u/Pyll Sep 02 '24
You think his monthly articles about how Ukraine will collapse in two weeks are "on point"?
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u/ZephyrusOG Sep 02 '24
I think his broader look at the war its geopolitics and likely outcome is on point. I’m personally not interested in sound bite type of fluff..
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u/Sir_Creamz_Aloot Sep 02 '24
miss info. Sun tzu. Art of war. Act weak when strong. Act strong while weak.
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u/Divine_Chaos100 Sep 02 '24
Nah, he fully buried himself in my eyes when he went to give pep talks to chechens, also lot of people dismiss that his great "anti-war activism" started after he was calling for years for the US to invade Iraq. He's a turncoat.
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u/iran_matters Sep 02 '24
It seems he found out since then that all the intel they had on iraq were fabrications (by Zionists).
That is his reason for switching sides. He said he and other Americans were tricked with fake intel.
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u/tutamean Sep 04 '24
He is the guy who is supposed to be giving the intel, it seems he is just trying to acquit himself
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u/ZephyrusOG Sep 02 '24
Not sure what you mean by pep talks to Chechens, happy to check if you got a link? I think it’s better to change position on any issue rather than doubling down on mistakes..
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u/Divine_Chaos100 Sep 03 '24
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u/ZephyrusOG Sep 03 '24
Thanks, That’s wild ngl almost looks ai made.
Don’t think the content of the msg discredits his analysis of the war and the current or potential human consequences of it though.
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u/Divine_Chaos100 Sep 03 '24
You do you. I'll rather stay with the people's analysis who are actually impartial in this conflict.
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u/ZephyrusOG Sep 03 '24
Likewise mate. Who do consider as impartial and also knowledgeable about military conflicts/geopolitics?
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u/SnooMaps1910 Sep 02 '24
Chomsky would not be pleased to see Ritter gracing this reddit. Mods are once again sleeping on the job.