War Propaganda in NATO Countries Reaches New Heights

As the power of the so-called “unipolar world” wanes, and the rules of the “rules-based order” cease to function, the propaganda machine in NATO countries is churning out warnings of imminent threats from supposed “enemies” out to destroy democracy and freedom. The overriding “danger”, this narrative would have us believe, remains Russia, but China and Iran must also be dealt with. And if external foes are not enough, the alleged rise of extremist nationalists and neo-nazis in Europe can always be agitated.

In that spirit, the Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, stated Jan. 17 that “the tectonic plates of power” in the world “are shifting.” We are in a permanent emergency, he warned, and NATO countries need to be “on red alert for full-scale war”. Therefore, member states need to spend even more on defense, was his message. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has repeatedly warned that if Russia is not defeated in Ukraine, it will move further west. So, keep the weapons flowing!

From Germany, the tabloid Bild added to the hysteria, by publishing a report Jan. 16 on a secret document of the German Defense Ministry outlining the “path to conflict” that an imminent war with Russia could take. According to the scenario played up by Bild, Moscow would effect a massive military build-up in Ukraine, move into Eastern Europe, and eventually launch attacks on NATO countries, including major cyber attacks. From escalation to escalation, it concludes, war with NATO could break out in the summer of 2025. Asked about the document, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova characterized it as “last year’s horoscope for Pisces in Cancer”.

Even more alarmist were the remarks made Jan. 7 by Sweden’s Civil Defense Minister, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, who said that after 210 years of peace, “there could be war in Sweden”, and we must prepare for it, while Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called on his fellow citizens to be prepared to die in arms “in defense of values”.

In other words, the traditional methods of conditioning a population for hardship and police state measures are deployed. What is not stated, amid all this propaganda, is that the West, despite all the money spent on defense and despite all the hedge funds, does not have the productive capabilities needed to wage a war against Russia, even if it were threatened.