Wolfgang Effenberger
 
At the end of the year, on Dec. 30, 2021, Paul Craig Roberts, U.S. economist, publicist and former deputy Treasury secretary during the Reagan administration, addressed the world with the cautionary article
"The old year has departed and war awaits us in the new year".
On the same day, Presidents Biden and Putin held a telephone conversation that centered on the implementation of the agreement to begin negotiations on the granting of legally binding security guarantees to Russia sought by Putin on Dec. 15, 2021.

The subsequent announcements made by the Kremlin and the White House are revealing. Here, you should reach your own conclusions:

The Kremlin:

"Vladimir Putin explained the basic approaches underlying the Russian drafts of the treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States of America and the agreement between the Russian Federation and the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. He stressed that the negotiations must lead to solid legally binding guarantees that rule out NATO's eastward expansion and the deployment of weapons that threaten Russia in the immediate vicinity of its borders. Vladimir Putin also stressed that a nation's security can be guaranteed only if the principle of indivisible security is strictly observed.
Both leaders expressed readiness to engage in serious and substantive dialogue on these issues. It was confirmed that the negotiations will be held first in Geneva on January 9 and 10 and then in the framework of the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels on January 12. On January 13, the negotiations are also to be held at the OSCE. The presidents agreed to personally monitor these negotiations, especially the bilateral ones, in order to achieve results quickly.
In this context, Joseph Biden stressed that Russia and the U.S. share a special responsibility for ensuring stability in Europe and around the world, and that Washington has no intention of using offensive weapons in Ukraine.
 Vladimir Putin responded at length to the possibility, mentioned again by Joseph Biden, of imposing "large-scale" sanctions in the event of an escalation of the situation around Ukraine. He pointed out that this would be a grave mistake that would risk a de facto complete breakdown of relations between Russia and the United States."(1)

The White House:

"President Biden called on Russia to de-escalate tensions with Ukraine. He made clear that the United States and its allies and partners will respond decisively if Russia further penetrates Ukraine.
President Biden also advocated for diplomacy, beginning early next year with the bilateral Strategic Stability Dialogue, at NATO through the NATO-Russia Council, and at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. President Biden reiterated that substantive progress in these dialogues is only possible in an environment of de-escalation, not escalation."(2)
 
Ten days earlier, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg delivered in Brussels his Christmas/New Year's address:

"I would also like to take this opportunity to thank our veterans. Especially those who have served in Afghanistan. There have been no terrorist attacks on our countries organized from Afghanistan for over twenty years. We have to thank you for that. And I pay tribute to all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom."
Remember: On Oct. 7, 2001 - 25 days after 9/11 - the U.S., along with the U.K., attacked Afghanistan - although to this day there is no evidence of Afghanistan's complicity. And at the end of October 2001, warlord Rashid Dostum had 3,000 captured Taliban locked in 10 containers and than left to die in agony in the desert. Up to this day, no one has been held accountable for this.

Back to Stoltenberg:

"As we look to the new year and our summit in Madrid, we are adapting our alliance to meet a more dangerous and competitive world.
We stand ready to meet any threat and any challenge.
On land, at sea, in the air, in space, and in cyberspace."(3)
 Two weeks earlier, Stoltenberg welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Brussels.
 "Dear Volodymyr, it is good to see you again. Welcome to NATO. Ukraine is a highly valued partner of our Alliance...We have talked about Russia's considerable military buildup in and around Ukraine. ...There is no justification for this buildup. It is a provocation. It is destabilizing. And it undermines security in Europe."
 At this point, it is worth recalling NATO's major maneuver Defender 21: a multinational, multiphase NATO military exercise that began in March 2021 and ended with the exercise in Georgia in August. It covered more than 30 areas in Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Kosovo and other countries. The focus was around or in the Black Sea.

Back to Stoltenberg Dec. 16, 2021:

"We call on Russia to return to diplomacy. To de-escalation. And to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Any further aggression against Ukraine will have serious consequences. ... Since Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, we have carried out the largest strengthening of our collective defense in a generation."
Against this background, Willy Wimmer stated on Jan. 3, 2022: "I want to draw explicit attention to the fact that any negotiated solution is still possible. However, the order of negotiations, first Rus/US, then

Rus/NATO, then OSCE is not designed for a solution, as the chicken pile per se cannot serve that." According to W. Wimmer, the key questions are:

Will they succeed in strangulating Russia?
Will the U.S. continue to be prevented from a hostile takeover of Russia?
In U.S. President Biden's statements, Wimmer recognizes the intention: "Action by Ukraine on its territory against separatists, defense of Russian compatriots by Russian forces on Ukrainian territory, advance of Russian forces to Lviv. No NATO tanks would roll into Kiev, but the NATO embargo war against Russia would go "nuclear."(4)
The operational tools for war in Europe have been on the table since the fall of 2014. Following the Western-orchestrated coup in Kiev in late February 2014, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) pamphlet 525-3-1 "Win in a Complex World: 2020-2040" was adopted in October 2014. It identifies Russia and China as the primary threat.
 
On December 4, 2014, Resolution H. Res. 758 passed overwhelmingly (only 10 votes against) the U.S. Congress.

On the same day, Congressional legend Ron Paul commented on it on his homepage with the article "Reckless Congress 'Declares War' on Russia"(5):

"Today in the U.S. House of Representatives, in my opinion, one of the most evil pieces of legislation was passed".
 With H. Res. 758, a resolution was introduced that, literally, "strongly condemns the actions of the Russian Federation under President Vladimir Putin as a policy of aggression against neighboring states aimed at political and economic dominance."(6)
And since the fall of 2014, among other measures, the infrastructure for a military confrontation in Eastern Europe has been expanded (this includes the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in the military and infrastructural fields, launched by the EU in 2017). Rail links alone from Rotterdam/Bremerhaven/Hamburg to Kiev via Görlitz have been expanded far beyond normal transport needs.(7)
 Paul Craig Roberts, as the title of his article indicates, sees an imminent threat of war. For him, NATO officials have given Putin's concern for Russia's security a long nose. He no longer makes out intelligence in the Western world as everyone vies to show how tough they are on Russia. Roberts interprets Putin's statement to mean that Russia no longer has a fallback position, that Russia has reached the extent of its ability to avoid war. "We simply have no room to retreat" means that Russia has done everything it can to avoid war and that Americans must now get off Russia's doorstep. According to Roberts, Putin is relying on Biden to show awareness and responsibility and to work for peace by acknowledging Russia's legitimate security concerns. "But what if," Roberts says, "Biden is just a figurehead and the military and security complex is calling the shots, intent on profit despite the risk that Putin will not relent?"(8)
 What if Washington's interest is limited to destabilizing Russia in the interest of U.S. hegemony, and if Russia's security is precisely what Washington intends to undermine and not respect?
"2022 could be the year Washington's power is broken, Russia takes Ukraine in an act of self-defense, and China takes Taiwan as a demonstration of who is in charge in Asia.
2022 could also be the year the Western world goes down in a nuclear war."(9)
 
 
Notes:
 
1) http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/67487
2) https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/12/30/statement-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-on-president-bidens-phone-call-with-president-vladimir-putin-of-russia/
3) https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/news_190293.htm
4) Willy Wimmer: Ticken die Uhren nach Genf anders?  Vom 3.Janaur 202
5) http://www.ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/featured-articles/2014/december/04/reckless-congress-declares-war-on-russia/
6) https://www.congress.gov/bill/113th-congress/house-resolution/758/titles
Ronald Ernest "Ron" Paul (born 1935) is an American physician and politician, a member of the Republican Party and was a member of the United States House of Representatives between 1976 and 2013 (with interruptions). He was a Libertarian Party candidate in the 1988 U.S. presidential election and a contender for the Republican nomination in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections.
7) https://www.lr-online.de/lausitz/weisswasser/neue-verkehrsader-an-neuer-bahntrasse-wird-weitergebaut-38162246.html
8)Paul Craig Roberts: AS THE OLD YEAR CLOSES, WAR AWAITS US IN THE NEW YEARhttps://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2021/12/30/as-the-old-year-closes-war-awaits-us-in-the-new-year/
9) Ebda.