April has already been one of the busiest, and most newsworthy months for world affairs in a long time. Much of what’s happening is very encouraging, if not good news that may help slow down the war in Ukraine, and possibly hinder or stop other US global ambitions.

• The intelligence leaks are very damaging to US aspirations in Ukraine and abroad.

• US coercion is not working like it used to – the world is rapidly realigning.

• A rare anti-Empire statement from a political figure – RFK Jr.

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INTELLIGENCE LEAKS

The intelligence leaks have already damaged US aspirations in Ukraine. Not only do the documents confirm US direct involvement in the war, but they also show that the US is exaggerating and, in some cases, lying about Ukraine’s military accomplishments and capabilities.

Here are what some of the documents regarding Ukraine have said so far:

• Without a massive influx of advanced munitions, Ukraine’s entire air defense network will “be completely reduced” by late May, and most of Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure outside Kyiv and two other areas in southwestern Ukraine will no longer have air-defense cover. 

[Many military analysts say this is the most important battlefield revelation thus far because it means Russia would have complete control of Ukraine’s airspace.]

• The number of Ukrainian weapons, tanks and other military equipment was detailed. 

[These figures display a much weaker Ukrainian force than has been portrayed by leaders and leads to real-life questions about Ukraine’s ability to fight moving forward.]

• Special Forces from NATO countries are in Ukraine: UK (50), Latvia (17), France (15), US (14) and the Netherlands (1). 

[When asked about this, White House spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged the presence of Special Forces, but said they were just at the embassy in Kiev.]

• One of the documents summarized the training schedules of 12 Ukraine combat brigades and said nine were being trained by US and NATO forces.

[This contradicts Kirby’s assertion above]

• Some NATO weapon supply chains and weapons facilities were identified. 

[This is more proof of NATO’s direct military involvement in Ukraine. Also, on Thursday, just days after the documents were leaked, Russia destroyed a large weapons depot based on the leaked intelligence.]

• The New York Times reported that “the leaks have caused concern in foreign capitals that intelligence shared in Washington might be subject to exposure and has caused embarrassment over the reminder that the United States spies on even its closes allies, including South Korea and Israel.” Bill Lynn, a former US deputy secretary of defense who now serves as CEO of arms company Leonardo DRS, told CNBC, “It’s hard to trust us with your secrets if we can’t protect them.” 

[This statement from the CEO validates the seriousness of the leaks and their potential consequences.]

• The US supported a failed Ukrainian attack in October on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. 

[Similar to blowing up the Nord Stream pipeline, the US is willing to commit acts of sabotage, war and eco-terrorism in its desperate attempts to affect the balance of power in Ukraine - even if that means creating an environmental disaster.]

• The US does not expect peace talks this year. 

[Russia and Ukraine reached an agreement to end the war on April 1, 2022, but the US wouldn’t let it happen then, and it’s not letting it happen now. The US and Ukrainians continue to say that negotiations will only take place when Russia withdraws all troops and gives back all territorial gains. Maybe now with the intel leaks painting a more realistic picture of the situation on the ground they will reconsider their unrealistic position.]

Regarding how the leaks occurred, the information is still coming in, so we’ll see where that goes. The even more significant issue is the content of the leaks, and how they may help disintegrate support for the war and may damage America’s dominant position around the world. And all of this comes at a time in history when the US is already losing global influence at an unexpectedly fast pace.

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US COERCION

The decades-long era of America coercing other countries into behaving as it orders is beginning to fade.

Saudi Arabia’s rapprochements with Iran (brokered by China) and with Syria (brokered by Russia) last month are historic and have already changed the face of the Middle East.

Even in the early stages of collaboration, the Arab world today is more unified than it has been in many, many years.

Because of these developments, the war in Yemen* appears to be ending. There is now potential for the US/Israeli war in Syria to at least slow down.

Middle Eastern countries are now beginning to work with each other instead of against each other, leading to a loss of US influence and control in the region.

(As a side note, the US spent $21 trillion in its War on Terror that killed over 1 million people) and today it has less control and influence than it did before the start of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.)

Changes in the Middle East are part of a rapidly evolving geopolitical and global economic realignment throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America, as well.

Self-determination is being publicly demanded by world leaders and their people as brewing discontent with America’s “rules-based order” is boiling over.

Many developing countries are redefining their relationship with America as they publicly express a preference to have international relationships be based on mutual respect and shared prosperity, thus the appeal of China and Russia, according to them.

Even long-time US allies are now publicly expressing their own autonomous, independent views. Recently:

• France’s leader Emmanuel Macron said, "Being an ally does not mean being a vassal... doesn't mean that we don't have the right to think for ourselves," when describing why Europe should not be a “follower” of the US or China on the issue of Taiwan.

• Hungary, a member of NATO and the EU, said last week that the war in Ukraine would end if the West stops sending weapons.

• In March, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the US are “liars” who "believes it's the government of the world."

• In a historic meeting last week in China, Brazil’s president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for the end of the dollar’s trade dominance. “Every night I ask myself why all countries have to base their trade on the dollar … Why can’t we do trade based on our own currencies … Who was it that decided that the dollar was the currency after the disappearance of the gold standard?” Prior to his remarks, China and Brazil reached an agreement to conduct trade and financial transactions in their own currencies, not in the US dollar.

*The war in Yemen, which has destroyed much of the Arab world’s most ancient culture and has killed over 300,000 people, was started by the Obama administration in 2009, not by Saudi Arabia in 2015 as is widely reported. Saudi Arabia just took over various military aspects of the war under US command.

For more: foreignpolicy.news/multipolar

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RFK JR QUOTE

“The collapse of US influence over Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom’s new alliances with China and Iran are painful emblems of the abject failure of the Neocon strategy of maintaining US global hegemony with aggressive projections of military power. China has displaced the American Empire by deftly projecting, instead, economic power. Over the past decade, our country has spent trillions bombing roads, ports, bridges, and airports. China spent the equivalent building the same across the developing world. The Ukraine war is the final collapse of the Neocon's short-lived “American Century.” The Neocon projects in Iraq and Ukraine have cost $8.1 trillion, hollowed out our middle class, made a laughingstock of US military power and moral authority, pushed China and Russia into an invincible alliance, destroyed the dollar as the global currency, cost millions of lives and done nothing to advance democracy or win friendships or influence.”