Remarkably Wrong Interpretations of Prigozhin Situation Speak to Plans for War
June 27, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—Antony Blinken, the war-hungry U.S. Secretary of State, went on four Sunday talk shows on June 25, to say essentially the same thing on NBC, CNN, ABC and CBS, detailed “Moon of Alabama” today: “We’ve seen more cracks emerge in the Russian façade ... We’ve seen this aggression against Ukraine become a strategic failure across the board.” In fact, “everything Putin has tried to accomplish, the opposite has happened,” and now there are “profound internal divisions.”
Not content to publish just one commentary on Putin’s allegedly precarious situation, the Washington Post called on eight of its columnists to add their two cents. Moon of Alabama compiled some of the most absurd claims.
“Rather than test the loyalty and strength of government forces to crush the uprising, the Russian leader grabbed the first exit he was offered—a sign of weakness that might invite another attempt,” opined David von Drehle. Sure: The resolution of the entire situation within 48 hours, with little bloodshed, and without any major political figure backing Prigozhin over Putin—all that is a “sign of weakness”?
“The revolt by the mercenary butcher Prigozhin did reveal Putin’s regime to be more brittle than it had appeared from afar,” proclaimed Eugene Robinson.
“The spectacle has clearly dented his image of control,” said Jason Willick.
From Megan McArdle we get this pièce de résistance: “Nominally, Putin controls a massive army, a substantial police force, and a population that returned him to office in 2018 with a resounding 77% of the vote. But when push came to shove, those same folks were indifferent between him and a murderous warlord.... Putin survived, but the risk to his regime has risen now that it is clear how little actual support he has.”
Moon of Alabama summarizes these moronic takes: “Putin did not fight the loon Prigozhin but found a peaceful solution. This shows that he is weak.”
These wacky media statements aren’t just coping by the establishment—they reflect its intention to continue to weaken the Russian government and eventually dismember the nation.
