I don't think it would have to be as monumental as all that.
Western rulers retain almost full control of the media narrative. Both in depth and in breath. To an almost historic unprecedent degree. Especially inside the West, but also to a large extend across the globe. If the lockstep media/global institutional response to the Covid19 in…
I don't think it would have to be as monumental as all that.
Western rulers retain almost full control of the media narrative. Both in depth and in breath. To an almost historic unprecedent degree. Especially inside the West, but also to a large extend across the globe. If the lockstep media/global institutional response to the Covid19 incident wasn't enough proof of that, then the uniform reaction to the Ukraine war ought to be.
The US defeat and chaotic retreat from Afghanistan ought to have been humiliating on par with the defeat in Vietnam, which led to a decade or more of American self-doubt and introspection. However, the defeat in Afghanistan was was memory holed in about 14 days. Same with the deeply irrational and destructive Covid19-response. There has been no introspection, no-one taking responsibility, no change of guard. The media has largely merged with the ruling institutions, and do not present an opposing view.
A defeat in Ukraine could easily be managed as a narrative forming exercise, and quickly forgotten. It wouldn't even take that much. Most Americans haven't the faintest idea where Ukraine is, or care to know. Most West Europeans leaders actively loathe Ukrainian people (too White, too culturally conservative). Besides, we all know China is the real adversary. The West could work on their long talked about pivot-to-Asia, and forget about the troublesome Ukrainians in about three weeks.
Of course, there will come a time where the truth cannot be managed by narrative massage by our ruling elite. But we're not there yet.
Which makes me a lot more critical of the Western actions in Ukraine. There is absolutely no reason to double and triple down on a losing proposition. Killing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians (& tens of thousands of Russians). If the stakes really were that high, then that would be somewhat understandable. But they're not. The West could walk away. The war is not just irrational and unwinnable. Its much worse. It is useless. A useless mass slaughter.
A defeat won't be extensional for Western Europe or the US either. As much as the West can't defeat Russia a stone throw from Moscow, Russia cannot defeat NATO in Western Europe, or even In Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, etc.). Especially, not without Chinese support, which I'd find highly unlikely they'd give to war further west of Ukraine. And the US empire has taken a lot of Ls in its time (Korea,Vietnam,Cambodia,Laos,Iraq,Libya,Syria,Afghanistan), and kept on rolling. They'd roll right past a defeat in Ukraine, as if it hardly mattered. Probably spin it as a victory of some sort. The largest shock may be to the dollar hegemony, but that is still speculative and more than a decade away.
I don't think it would have to be as monumental as all that.
Western rulers retain almost full control of the media narrative. Both in depth and in breath. To an almost historic unprecedent degree. Especially inside the West, but also to a large extend across the globe. If the lockstep media/global institutional response to the Covid19 incident wasn't enough proof of that, then the uniform reaction to the Ukraine war ought to be.
The US defeat and chaotic retreat from Afghanistan ought to have been humiliating on par with the defeat in Vietnam, which led to a decade or more of American self-doubt and introspection. However, the defeat in Afghanistan was was memory holed in about 14 days. Same with the deeply irrational and destructive Covid19-response. There has been no introspection, no-one taking responsibility, no change of guard. The media has largely merged with the ruling institutions, and do not present an opposing view.
A defeat in Ukraine could easily be managed as a narrative forming exercise, and quickly forgotten. It wouldn't even take that much. Most Americans haven't the faintest idea where Ukraine is, or care to know. Most West Europeans leaders actively loathe Ukrainian people (too White, too culturally conservative). Besides, we all know China is the real adversary. The West could work on their long talked about pivot-to-Asia, and forget about the troublesome Ukrainians in about three weeks.
Of course, there will come a time where the truth cannot be managed by narrative massage by our ruling elite. But we're not there yet.
Which makes me a lot more critical of the Western actions in Ukraine. There is absolutely no reason to double and triple down on a losing proposition. Killing hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians (& tens of thousands of Russians). If the stakes really were that high, then that would be somewhat understandable. But they're not. The West could walk away. The war is not just irrational and unwinnable. Its much worse. It is useless. A useless mass slaughter.
A defeat won't be extensional for Western Europe or the US either. As much as the West can't defeat Russia a stone throw from Moscow, Russia cannot defeat NATO in Western Europe, or even In Eastern Europe (Poland, Romania, etc.). Especially, not without Chinese support, which I'd find highly unlikely they'd give to war further west of Ukraine. And the US empire has taken a lot of Ls in its time (Korea,Vietnam,Cambodia,Laos,Iraq,Libya,Syria,Afghanistan), and kept on rolling. They'd roll right past a defeat in Ukraine, as if it hardly mattered. Probably spin it as a victory of some sort. The largest shock may be to the dollar hegemony, but that is still speculative and more than a decade away.