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Ukraine: Yuck, I agree with Kissenger
As yesterday's thread keeps filling up here are some noteworthy items on the Ukraine to keep the discussion going.
McClatchy also covers my story about the fake Merkel "Putin is unhinged" quote which the White House distributed through the New York Times. McClatchy:
The problem with stories like the one unfolding in Ukraine is that it is so easy to become a megaphone for propaganda, from all sides.
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The current example of this is the New York Times' report posted online Sunday and in its Page 1 lead story on Monday purporting to know what German Chancellor Angela Merkel told President Obama after her conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin. In that story, the Times quotes an identified Obama aide supposedly briefed on the conversation that Merkel described Putin as "in another world."
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The quote was too good to ignore and became the reporting line for every talking head and commentator for the next several news cycles.
As McClatchy, like me, found out, the quote was incorrect and Merkel simply said that Putin had "a different view" than the U.S. president.
The BBC finally finds out (video) that the Neo-Nazis are a threat to Ukraine. Even the New York Times admits that these are dangerous people though it still plays down their numbers:
Among them, at least on the margins, are factions that many fellow Ukrainians regard as anti-Semitic and reactionary, including Right Sector, which commands Sotnya No. 23.
Artem Skoropadsky, the Right Sector’s press secretary, took pains to distinguish its members from the rest of the opposition. But he said they shared certain goals, including serving as a check against abuses or halfhearted overhauls by any new authorities.
“Now it is clear that we can influence the government and the government structures,” he said.
Yes, indeed. And that is extremely dangerous.
The new government already tried to prohibit the official use of the Russian language, to disband the communist party which in the last election had 13% of the votes (more than the Nazi Svoboda party) and it kicked the Russian language TV which most people watch off the cable networks. That is a culture war against half of the population of the Ukraine.
Make no mistake. The neo-nazis, now holding all major security relevant government posts, will not voluntarily allow unbiased elections that would likely kick them out again. Not ever.
The parliament of the Crimea has voted to apply for membership in the Russian Federation. A public vote about the issue is now planned for March 16. That is quite early, too early indeed, but puts more pressure on the illegitimate new government in Kiev to find a way to some compromise.
Cringe-worthy as it is, I agree with Henry Kissinger on how such a compromise should look:
Putin should come to realize that, whatever his grievances, a policy of military impositions would produce another Cold War. For its part, the United States needs to avoid treating Russia as an aberrant to be patiently taught rules of conduct established by Washington. Putin is a serious strategist — on the premises of Russian history. Understanding U.S. values and psychology are not his strong suits. Nor has understanding Russian history and psychology been a strong point of U.S. policymakers.
Leaders of all sides should return to examining outcomes, not compete in posturing. Here is my notion of an outcome compatible with the values and security interests of all sides:
1. Ukraine should have the right to choose freely its economic and political associations, including with Europe.
2. Ukraine should not join NATO, a position I took seven years ago, when it last came up.
3. Ukraine should be free to create any government compatible with the expressed will of its people. Wise Ukrainian leaders would then opt for a policy of reconciliation between the various parts of their country. Internationally, they should pursue a posture comparable to that of Finland. That nation leaves no doubt about its fierce independence and cooperates with the West in most fields but carefully avoids institutional hostility toward Russia.
Kissinger calls for the Crimea to stay with the Ukraine but with some autonomy and secured basing rights for the Russian Black Sea fleet.
That fleet continued its isolation of the Ukrainian navy by sinking an old cruiser at the entrance to an Ukrainian navy harbor area on the Crimean coast.
U.S. president Obama just declared the crisis in Ukraine to be a an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the U.S. which gives him additional powers to wage financial wars via sanctions. This is another escalation after yesterdays news that the U.S. air-force would station additional fighter jets into the Baltic states. This climbing escalation is one reason why some commentators believe that there will be war in Ukraine.
Kissinger was right to be against a break-up (as quoted in the top post by b) in the interests of Ukrainians, if that was what he was thinking about.
Ukr. is a ‘young’ country, for sure, and many like to make a big deal about the language, cultural, etc. split between East and West, as seen from the outside, the usual discourse from the divide-to-rule Anglo world, both opportunistic and relevant of their own mindset (colored? worship a foreign god? speak russian,! etc. -kill.)
We have even seen maps posted (completely erroneous, not just misleading) about that divide here.
Ppl on the ground, just like in Iraq, often don’t feel that way at all until the bombs start to hit.
Many countries are bi-lingual, and more, citizens get on fine..anyway no need to argue further about that.
What is striking about the Ukr. gangster take-over or coup or whatever one calls it that hasn’t been mentioned much, is that West is quite poor while the East is very rich.
The difference is stark, more significant than I thought before looking it up.
We see a poor(er) region, squeezed, attempting to take over the whole country by repressing and subjugating the neighbors.
(posted about the language laws some time ago, laws have a long history, btw.)
An attempt at blanket take-over, a move for control of the ‘richer‘ region and holding power over the whole territory.
With support from rogue US elements, internal ‘fascists’, whatever. To be clear, not secessionist but authoritarian expansionist.
Which is why so many are speaking out for keeping the integrity of the Ukr.! bold it!
sidebar > Often, richer regions want to leave their poor neighbors behind (catalonia, flanders, northern italy, etc.) but in Ukr. the poor moved to take over the rich, simply put. With the gansta overthrow of the central Gov.
In West Ukr. (paper docs, no link, no doubt one can look some of it up) the GDP per capita is less than 1,600 (euros) or around that, in the East (industry, arms, agri, manufacture, etc.) more than double: to 2,000, 3,000, and more.
I was also surprised to see the fantastic richness of Kiev, – ok the bankers and movers, media, Gov, live there – more than 6,000 per capita!
(GDP is not a good measure, the numbers are shoddy, but they serve to illustrate.)
Posted by: Noirette | Mar 6 2014 17:56 utc | 45
It seems obvious to me that, as reasonable as kissingers words might sound otherwise, any future ukraine zeu association is a pipe dream.
Funnily not even because of Putins preferences but simply because zeu is increasingly recognizable as a) but a widely remote controlled zato entity and b) criminal and *obviously* wishing to plunder, rob, and break ukraine.
On another and independent but ukraine centered note I wanted to look closer at two aspects, namely the Crimea joker and Germanies probably way deeper involvement in very dirty endeavours.
First the Crimea joker.
I still stand by what I said earlier that is, that Putin quite certainly prefers a complete ukraine country.
On the other hand Crimea increased pressure in their intention to join Russia. One reason, as b already pointed out, obviously is to increase pressure and to cut the time frame shorter for kiev.
On the other hand, however, I’am convinced, it’s also to be(come) an even more powerful joker for Putin as of all parties somehow involved only he/Russia have the power to convince Crimea to reconsider (and stay within ukraine).
From what I can see and reasonably assume, the issue has already been discretely settled between Putin and Crimea. It’s sth. along the line of Crimea staying (if any possible) with ukraine but getting even more autonomy so as to be a ukrainian region in not much but name.
Now to Germany, possibly the spicier point today.
timochenko bitch was treated (in ukraine) by one of the leading guys from Charite, which seems to be the central university hospital in Berlin.
And right now a scandal is brewing about that very Charite because they have been found to have stashed 40 Mio zeuro (a hefty amount compared to their annual budgets in the 150 Mio zeuro region) away in secret accounts since years.
But there is more re. medicine and Germany. As it seems, the german military has planned to engage in a humanitarian mission in ukraine. They want to fly there with some kind of mil. transporter in order to fly out “persons wounded on maidan”. I joke you not.
So, beginning a year or so ago, merkel begins what now becomes visible as a coordinated “medical” line by sending one of the chief guys from Berlins largest and most reputable hospital to treat merkels friend timochenko. Later merkel, for at least in a major part using some foundation of her party, finances Mr. “I got my brains crunched” klitchko on a mission that turns out to please zusa, zeu, and frees her friend timochenko.
And now we learn, that that very charite has black budgets since years and that merkel feels to have one more ace up her sleeve, a “humanitarian mission” to maidan. Guess, whom she will have flown out for treatment in Germany …
But there is one more line. At the same time Germanys vice-chancellor and minister of economy and trade Gabriel (within a coalition of the conservatives (merkel) and the “left” party (gabriel) and, that seems noteworthy, a coalition that seems to have enough power to even change the german basic law) is in Moscow for “secret talks”.
To fully understand one must know that gabriel is from the same left party as former chancellor schroeder was, a known Putin friend, high ranking Gazprom advisor, and manager of north stream.
My – possibly terribly wrong – interpretation is the following:
merkels party anyway and probably she herself, too, are known to be blind followers of the transatlantic religion with zusa being their god. *Evidently* merkel is deeply involved in very bad, ciminal and ugly things regarding ukraine.
At the same time, Russia was having quite friendly feelings toward Germany and, so it seems, planning to have Germany as one, possibly the, centerpiece of their european ambitions. And indeed this would quite nicely meet the needs of bot countries. To say it less nicely: zusa crumbling and Germany being hated in zeu (for arrogance, for money, and for merciless austerity demands) Russia is pretty much unconditionally vital for Germanies survival.
While Putin took many dirty hits from merkel patiently, this time she is, lets be clear about that, attacking Russias immediate security interests.
Looking at this whole mess it’s also interesting to note that while merkels party got the largest share of votes – but considerably less than 50% – a closer look shows that German, at least many of them, actually voted red/green/dark red – and not black/red.
In other words: I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if some leaks came up, showing merkel involved quite directly in quite criminal things and new elections came to be necessary, which the gabriel (and steinmeier) party together with dark red and green would win and if that new government chose a way more Russia friendly path …
Again, I might be terribly completely wrong but life tought me that a series of coincidences probably is no coincidence. And that Putin has forgotten more about chess than merkel and obama could possibly learn.
Ceterum censeo israel americanamque vehementer delenda esse.
Posted by: Mr. Pragma | Mar 6 2014 20:11 utc | 72
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