So, HarperCollins this year proposed itself as the only publisher of the condensed (or large-print) version of the ur-text of eye-witness Z publicism. One year earlier, A Message from Ukraine contained a preface foretelling the context of the incised line breaks and verse settings. And, before that, there was George Will’s op-ed urging us to Be Thankful for Zelensky’s Magnificent Resistance to Suppression.
This September, Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, upped the ante, giving birth to more unfiltered bullshit.
Of course, there’s a fine line between pugnacious individualism and stupidity, historicism and historiography, college lectures and reality, et cetera. It would be churlish of me to wade into that mess now because the hot water has been shut off and I wouldn’t be able to take a long shower afterwards.
But I have to say something about that monumentally misleading article appearing in The New York Times last week1.
Mr. Zelensky did not give in to the pressure.
Except he did2.
Maria Berlinska has written a very long post, “Seven Reasons to Sack Umerov,” a column about continued military misamanagement explaining why now is the time to unload Ukraine’s 18th Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov, our fourth defense minister appointed by Z3.
[…] If it had been a peaceful time, I might have kept silent. But we are at the moment when storm clouds are gathering at the front by the hour, and the hardest winter is coming. The enemy and its Axis of Evil allies are only building up their capabilities, and the support of our partners is, as always, vague, politically hypocritical and insufficient […]
Let’s paraphrase Maria’s arguments:
Reason 1: Unremitting chaos, games, intrigues, shirking.
Reason 2: Soviet-style management: ass kissing.
Reason 3: Lack of systemic work, disingenuous reports of success.
Reason 4: Lack of control, self-aggrandizement, generals running amok.
Reason 5: Failure to recruit soldiers, deliver ammo.
Reason 6: Bad leadership, fucked-up procurement, bad thinking.
Reason 7: Endless bullshit, zero strategic vision.
On October 10, Uncle Joe will not arrive in Berlin for a state visit. There will be no beano with Emmanuel, Kier and Olaf. This will not be Biden’s first trip to Berlin during his presidency.
So far, the Quad’s attempt to keep the Ukraine boat afloat has been historic. The vague, politically hypocritical and insufficient measures (strategic ambiguity?) Maria complains about are vexing.
On October 23-24, the 6th BRICS Summit will be held in Kazan, Tatarstan. As of January 2024, the BRICS economic bloc had expanded to 10 member countries. The original members were Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The recent expansion included the addition of Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates.
Behind Trump’s Views on Ukraine: Putin’s Gambit and a Political Grudge. The roots of Donald Trump’s animus toward Ukraine — an issue with profound consequences should he be elected again — can be found in a yearlong series of events spanning 2016 and 2017 (The New York Times, October 5, 2024)
Pinocchio
Сім питань до міністра Умєрова (Ukrainska Pravda, October 7, 2024)