Chance for a more peaceful 2023?

Happy peaceful New Years. Let's hope 2023 is even just a tad better than 2022 on the peace front. That should not be difficult as last year was one of the most unpeaceful years in memory for the US.

2022 saw the US embark on new Cold Wars with both China over Taiwan, and Russia over Ukraine. To do so against the 2 other largest nuclear powers, who both issued red lines against US encroachment in their neighborhood, is reckless and inexplicable.

With China, the US blew up 50 years of the One China Policy, promising to go to war 8,000 miles from the Homeland to keep Taiwan independent. That simply ratcheted up threatening Chinese maneuvers over Taiwan never before seen.

With Russia, the US refused every sensible effort to prevent the Russian invasion by blowing up the Minsk II Accords giving autonomy to the beleaguered Russian speaking Ukrainians, and continuing to float NATO membership for Ukraine which could put US nukes just 7 minutes from Moscow.

Less likely to provoke nuclear confrontation, but provocative just the same, were very unpeaceful moves against North Korea, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Iran, Cuba, Venezuela, among others.

With North Korea, the US still proclaims ‘The sanctions will increase until all your nukes are destroyed.’ North Korea simply kept laughing at Uncle Sam, building more nukes and the ICBMs to deliver them.

In Syria, the US keeps 900 soldiers illegally occupying Syrian oil fields to steal Syria’s treasure and continue its 12 year long regime change effort.

In Yemen, the US continued for the 8th year to support Saudi Arabia’s war to control Yemen. Over 300,000 dead makes no dent on America’s conscious whatsoever.

While promising to return to the Iran Nuclear Agreement, President Biden reneged and increased the sanctions, in part because Iran is friendly to its neighbor and US enemy Russia.

Ditto for Biden’s promise to re-engage with Cuba after Trump overturned the Obama/Biden détente begun in 2013. Sanctions and embargo continued for the 62nd year, a campaign of malevolent cruelty against a wonderful people that disgraces America's worldwide standing.

Last year the US sent 500 US troops to Somalia and increased bombings by 30% to eradicate an imaginary threat to the Homeland.

Then America bragged about how many of those threatening Somalis we slaughtered.

Another decade’s long effort at regime change continued against Venezuela. After the hated socialist Nicholas Maduro won re-election in 2019, the US simply refused to accept the result. In its own version of Stop The Steal, we simply recognized US educated and Kennedy handsome Juan Guaido as the Venezuelan president. By the end of 2022 most of Venezuela and the world, except for America, have given up on American puppet Guaido. But America’s sanctions that have killed thousands and made life intolerable for millions, continue apace.

Yes, with just a tad bit of wisdom, decency and common sense, 2023 can see the US can turn the Titanic of perpetual war away from regime change, military adventurism and the looming specter of nuclear war. But we can’t count on it. As Pete Seeger sang in his anti Vietnam War song 'Waist Deep in the Big Muddy':

“We’re neck deep in the Big Muddy!

And the big fool says to push on”