A couple of weeks back, “a high-ranking delegation of US officials“, a real cracker barrel of a brain trust, visited the African country of Niger, with the purpose of insisting that Niger quit playing nice with Russia and Iran.

The Nigeriens (as opposed to Nigerians, from Nigeria) responded that the US was not the boss of them.

When the Americans chuckled and continued to insist that they sure were, Niger told them to get the fuck out.

Not just the high-ranking officials. Oh no.

But all 1000 US soldiers and half as many ‘Pentagon’ spooks, who had taken up residence in the country to keep an eye on the interest of US corporations there–for the last twelve years–business as usual for the Empire.

Surveying the diplomatic wreckage, US Ambassador to Niger Kathleen Fitzgibbon commented that ‘Washington’ had ‘taken note’ of the unhappy ‘decision’, and that she would be “coming back with a plan” on the specific “methods of disengaging” to be pursued.

No word yet on whether that will include shutting down their military base in the country, per the wishes of the Niger government, but said government quickly scheduled lots more meetings.

With Chinese diplomats, and “executives from the China National Petroleum Company”, an enterprise that has “invested billions in Niger’s petroleum industry”.

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I think the Americans and the other Western powers should get used to this sort of thing happening in the global South.

Fifty years ago, the Americans would have assassinated the head of Niger’s government for being a commie.

Twenty years ago they would perhaps have designated the country as State Sponsors of Terrorism or some shit.

Today, with the unipolar moment fading fast, Air Force press flack Major General Pat Ryder resorted to heel-dragging, telling the media that there have been “no decisions made at this stage on the movement of US forces”.

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Breaking: Biden’s deeply stupid Secretary of State, in Brussels for the 75th anniversary of NATO, announced that Ukraine will be joining that alliance, for sure, at some unspecified future time.

He doesn’t seem to realize that if his announcement pans out, there won’t be a Ukraine.

That in fact we’ll be lucky if there’s such a thing left as Omaha, or Yekaterinburg, or a human being that doesn’t glow in the dark.

Enjoy your evening, my dears, because god only knows how many of them are left.