Lions and Dragons and Bears, Oh My!
Over the course of the past several days we have seen momentous events transpire:
The Lions
After Iran's restrained but nevertheless stunning ballistic missile strikes against a handful of highly defended Israeli targets, the Iranians defiantly informed the Americans and Israelis that any subsequent counterstrike against Iran would be met with much more potent and massive attacks on US and Israeli bases in the region.
Consequently, the Americans and Israelis backed down.
Meanwhile, the Yemeni remain the indomitable gatekeeper of the Red Sea and Suez Canal, and refuse passage to whom they will.
The Dragons
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Beijing to forcefully deliver a long list of imperial demands, among which was a strict injunction to cease forthwith providing any military assistance to Russia and Iran.
The Chinese told him to pound sand, and not let the door hit him in the ass on the way out.
Xi Jinping then traveled to Paris and caused Emmanuel Macron to submissively wet himself.
The Bears
Following weeks of le petit roi declaiming his intent to deploy French troops to Ukraine, it was credibly reported that an initial company of the French Foreign Legion had in fact appeared in Slavyansk, and would soon be followed by a few more battalions in coming weeks.
And even as this news was still rippling through the infosphere, UK Foreign Minister David Cameron announced that Ukraine was free to use British cruise missiles to strike targets deep within Russia.
In response, the Russians summoned the French and British ambassadors, and proceeded to dress them down in terms that must have caused their knees to quake and their hands to quiver.
Most significantly, the Russians informed London and Paris that, in the event of further escalation of their involvement in Ukraine, European NATO bases, and even strategic sites within Britain and France, would henceforth be considered legitimate targets of Russian long-range strike capabilities.
To add an exclamation point, the Russians and Belarusians then loudly announced military exercises focused specifically on the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons.
In response, the British and French backed down — or at least gave trembling lip service to that effect.
I suspect, in coming days, they will attempt to gather up the pieces of their shattered bravado, and start talking tough yet again. Whether or not they can muster sufficient temerity to act on their threats against the Russians remains to be seen. This much is certain: logic and prudence have long-since ceased to be numbered among the qualities of these people.
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— Will Schryver