Hired By Nuland, Fired By Nuland
When he was selected by the neocon U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, Yats is the guy, the expectations were that Arseniy Yatsenyuk would be capable to do whatever the U.S. would order him to do in Ukraine.
But as Prime Minister of Ukraine Yatsenyuk was just a too small figure in a big game. The oligarchs still rule Ukraine and the great power politics overshadow any local politics. Even there Yatsenyuk was in way over his head. He never had real power in the parliament and the people of Ukraine hated him.
He was finally told to go by the same people who put him into his position:
KIEV, Ukraine — Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, the prime minister of Ukraine, announced his resignation on Sunday in a surprise move that opened a new period of political uncertainty here.
...
Mr. Yatsenyuk and Petro O. Poroshenko, who became president, emerged as the nation’s most prominent political figures. But the revolution’s leaders soon turned on each other. [..] Ukraine’s Western allies eventually sided with Mr. Poroshenko and pushed Mr. Yatsenyuk to step aside.
Get hired by Nuland, get fired by Nuland.
The "good-bye" phone call Vice President Biden had with Yatsenyuk was lukewarm:
The Vice President thanked Prime Minister Yatsenyuk for his partnership during a historic time for Ukraine. He congratulated the government of Ukraine on its accomplishments over the past two years ..
"Partnership", "accomplishments" - I could think of greater words to express gratitude for the well paid, cushy job Biden junior was given in Ukraine. An abbreviated readout of the Biden-Yatsenyuk phone call would just say: "Don't dare to call me again".
Yatsenyuk is a good example of those who hope to ride to power on the back of U.S. regime change shenanigans. Such people are just expendable puppets to be put in the trash whenever their usefulness ends.
Posted by b on April 11, 2016 at 18:19 UTC | Permalink
History I hope will remember Obama’s most apparent weakness was the appointments he made (Read: Nuland, Rahm Emanuel et al) instead of purging the administration in 2008....
Posted by: Steve | Apr 11 2016 18:31 utc | 3
"He congratulated the government of Ukraine on its accomplishments over the past two years"
Poor Joe! He's still sick. I'm sad to say, a war crime conviction and swift execution are likely the only cure.
Posted by: Jethro | Apr 11 2016 18:42 utc | 4
You can take Yats out of the trash, but you can't take the trash out of Yats. Or Nuland for that matter.
Posted by: Shh | Apr 11 2016 19:00 utc | 5
Here is the Acid Pauli song with lyrics by Victoria Nuland.'Fuck the EU' well worth listening to again, and I am a Grandad.
https://soundcloud.com/acidpauli/fuck-the-eu
Posted by: harrylaw | Apr 11 2016 19:05 utc | 6
b, could you open a Turkey thread? It appears that things are starting to 'Go Down' there.
http://news.antiwar.com/2016/04/10/turkeys-airstrikes-empty-villages-in-iraqs-dohuk-province/
and from a trusted source -
plus -
http://www.globalresearch.ca/us-deploys-b-52s-for-bombing-in-syria-iraq/5519733
Posted by: ALberto | Apr 11 2016 19:21 utc | 7
Thanks b and with all events from Kiev, yet many questions and speculations -- Sputnik offers this from an Ukrainian blogger:
Part of the big Game- May Still Lead Ukraine Despite Resignation
And this observation from the Swedish newspaper
Is Yatsenyuk’s Resignation a tactical trick?
http://sputniknews.com/politics/20160411/1037838745/tactical-trick-yatsenyuk.html
[Now,] he suddenly announced that he would voluntarily leave his post in order to better promote reforms in Ukraine. This statement, according to Lauren, "is senseless, if not ridiculous."
The journalist argued that Yatsenyuk's decision to resign looks more like a tactical trick aimed at his own "political survival" and stressed the unpredictability of Ukrainian politics. According to Lauren, the fact that Yatsenyuk announced his plans two days before his actual resignation is suspicious.
"From Sunday evening to Tuesday afternoon everything can happen in Ukrainian politics, and Yatsenyuk knows it," she wrote.[.]
Posted by: likklemore | Apr 11 2016 19:26 utc | 8
thanks b... 'expendable puppets'.. nice phrase to describe any number of regime change moves on the part of the west..
Posted by: james | Apr 11 2016 19:32 utc | 9
Expendable?
Pray tell: what isn't expendable? Sure, stooges put in power ... but what about everyone who is not part of the 'grate gayme'? You, me ... if Nuland takes a misstep she'll be gone ... and that's the simple rule. Obama, venal as he may be, knew that if he didn't go along with the dictates of the power elite, it would be Biden as the new prez, a la Kennedy - Johnson.
The empire takes no prisoners.
Yats didn't have a choice and Poroshenko's days are numbered as well. We just don't know the number.
Did I spell pray correctly, or should it be "prey tell."
Posted by: rg the lg | Apr 11 2016 19:52 utc | 10
seems almost primordial now when the nuland ilk migrated from hell and toppled the ukrainian government with their fascist pyro-terrorist proxies...and the plundering clans were waiting in the wings to pillage with verve. the fracking clan, the terminator roundup clan, the nuclear detritus clan, et al. running a fake country into the ground. i remember uncle sam absconding with the gold, while vice prez biden made a personal appearance to cut a deal for his son...with the pipeline clan...yeah, you gotta think of the children, no? it was a fucking free-for-all, afterall. well, not for all actually, but, you know, for all those duly anointed barbarian motherfuckers!
Posted by: john | Apr 11 2016 20:30 utc | 11
@11 It must be very disappointing for all those young IT types who were looking forward to cubicles in Brussels. I guess they can still join the army and keep the Moskal hordes away.
Posted by: dh | Apr 11 2016 20:51 utc | 12
Obama had received "the talk" before his first inaugural address. He had the dead eyes and the defeat in his speech and mannerisms. It had been explained to him that his "picks" had already been made. Nuland/Kagen (grandparents: Meyer Nudelman, Vitsche Nudelman) was one of them.
Posted by: fast freddy | Apr 11 2016 20:55 utc | 13
FWIW the first S-300 system has arrived in Iran. It was delivered via the Caspian Sea.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr_TCZ3hFCQ
https://z5h64q92x9.net/proxy_u/ru-en.en/bmpd.livejournal.com/1844869.html
Posted by: Yonatan | Apr 11 2016 21:21 utc | 14
james at 1, 2 --
I always thought it doubtful she would get the top job. Too obvious a pro-consul as PM, bad enough being pro-praetor as FM.
We'll see what new faces pop up in the Cabinet on Tues.
Posted by: rufus magister | Apr 11 2016 22:38 utc | 15
I've been following Yats' resignation, and love it. This Tweet from the Kyiv Post tells a story about how far the US controls the puppets they installed.
A few salient paragraphs from a very long piece from what I assume is a mouthpiece for the PTB in Kyiv:
“Mr. Poroshenko goes to Washington: President Poroshenko went to Washington to officially participate in the annual Nuclear Security Summit from March 30th till April 2nd. However since Ukraine voluntarily gave up its nuclear weapons 20 years ago, the real purpose of the visit was to ensure continued US support for Ukraine in preparation for a new Prime Minister and government. The President’s trip was contingent upon Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin being replaced, and Parliament ensured that with 289 votes on March 29th – the day before the President’s trip. It should be noted though, that during Shokin’s final hours in the post, he fired First Deputy Prosecutor David Sakvarledize, and abolished his position to ensure that the Georgian would not succeed him in an “acting” capacity afterwards.
Poroshenko not only met with Biden, who ensured him that Ukraine would receive the next tranche of IMF money once a new government was installed, but he also got an unexpected meeting directly with President Obama. While the conversation was private, it was no doubt echoed by US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt speaking at a local governance conference of the International Republican Institute in Kyiv. Pyatt’s message was clear. First, Ukraine needs to focus on reforms and not new Parliamentary elections. Second, economic populism (particularly those proposals coming from Tymoshenko) could lead to the cancellation of the IMF program.
While the US Government supports principles and not people, Poroshenko was clearly concerned that the US support for Ukraine and the IMF program might wane with the absence of Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko in the new government. Emboldened by the realization that the US will work with any Prime Minister committed to the IMF program, Poroshenko returned to Kyiv over the weekend."
'Tymenshenko' being right-wing nationalist 'Julia', of course, kinda where the far right can meet the far left on hating austerity resets by IMF and World Bank.
Jaresko was mentioned heavily as a crook in Robert Parry's piece 'Corruption as a Propaganda Weapon' at Consortium News. I figure that the reason Poroshenko was mentioned in the Panama Papers was not cover for the other enemies of NATO was that erasing him in a soft coup will open the nation up further for privatization: Monsanto, Cargill, all the other multinationals already invested heavily there.
Please pardon any typos; I have trouble seeing the small fonts.
Posted by: wendy davis | Apr 11 2016 22:42 utc | 16
Sorry; the Tweet didn't make it through; likely my error.
https://twitter.com/KyivPost/status/719447399408803840
Posted by: wendy davis | Apr 11 2016 22:43 utc | 17
wd16 - Second, economic populism (particularly those proposals coming from Tymoshenko) could lead to the cancellation of the IMF program.
Empire always dictates that you can't do anything for the common people. Let them eat cake.
Posted by: fast freddy | Apr 11 2016 23:47 utc | 18
Watching the ongoing crumbling dysfunction that is Ukraine reinforces my conclusion that Putin was instrumental in this drama even before the coup. Nuland and the cast of clowns who are reported as the drivers behind this fiasco seem more like dupes of a much more clever plan or at least an intervention that rewarded Russia with Crimea and left the rest of this bleeding mess in Western hands, permanently.
Even the frozen conflict in the Donbass serves Russia's purposes negating any possibility of Ukraine joining NATO or the EU.
Posted by: Wayoutwest | Apr 12 2016 0:06 utc | 19
@19 - wow.. if russia and putin capitalize on the wests stupidity/arrogance, you can't really blame them for that! the amerikkkan empire is an exceptional and declining one..
Posted by: james | Apr 12 2016 0:30 utc | 20
wayoutwest @19:
That you, Zbig?
https://twitter.com/zbig/status/700064684406411267
Posted by: wendy davis | Apr 12 2016 1:27 utc | 21
April 11, 2016 - You cannot make this stuff up ...
This evening on network news there was a piece on ticket scalping where tickets are bought up in large blocks and resold (scalped) for 10 or 20 times their original value. The tickets are never available to the general public until such a time when reseller offers them at inflated prices. NY US Senator Charles Schumer blamed it on Russians.
Posted by: ALberto | Apr 12 2016 1:32 utc | 22
@ALberto,
Are you sure they were not describing the private financial system? Sounds like a better description than many others.
As to the hiring and firing of empire employees, when it becomes the spectacle that this is, power struggles are afoot.
I see foreign governments (Russia, China, etc.) that want to tame the American empire doing so by forcing it to bankrupt itself and overextend its influence to maintain control of private finance world wide.....and I think it is working.
Posted by: psychohistorian | Apr 12 2016 1:56 utc | 23
Rufus Magister @ 15:
Volodymir Groysman is to replace Senya the Rabbit as Prime Minister. The other cabinet appointments I do not as yet know.
Posted by: Jen | Apr 12 2016 6:05 utc | 24
Alberto,
What are you talking about? Cant find anything on what you are saying on Google. Link?
Posted by: Rep | Apr 12 2016 7:43 utc | 25
Expendable puppet, dah... The rabbit guy rumored to make "his first billion" [in USD] while sitting in PM seat. Not bad career for a small time functionary in Julia's party, eh?
Empire does reward its puppets, well, some of them at least. And that's one of the reasons it's still able to exert its will via "soft power". When there is big money ahead, or even a chance of big money ahead, there will always be plenty of people unable to resist the temptation. And if it takes trashing your own country to use the chance - well, it's not hard to find an excuse for your precious self.
Posted by: wizzy | Apr 12 2016 7:44 utc | 26
A bold new decades old strategy awaits the next president. Excellent article. http://wemeantwell.com/blog/2016/04/12/candidates-heres-your-iraqsyrialibya-mess-to-fix/
Posted by: Moonee ponds madman | Apr 12 2016 12:15 utc | 27
@26 the wiz, ' When there is big money ahead, or even a chance of big money ahead, there will always be plenty of people unable to resist the temptation. And if it takes trashing your own country to use the chance - well, it's not hard to find an excuse for your precious self. '
cf. the Clinton's and Barack Obama. Was it Thucydides who said the empire brings all its 'bad habits' back home?
Rep @ 25
Senator Schumer interview was on local news concerning ticket bots from Ru$$ia. Here is a statement from a piece published September last ...
"Schumer adds that venues such as First Niagara Center and legitimate ticket sellers want to help get rid of and circumvent cyber scalpers. However, even with this help and legislation there is one big problem. Many bots are run overseas, namely in Russia, where U.S. law is not applicable."
source - http://www.wkbw.com/news/rapid-sellout-of-mccartney-tickets-sparks-new-legislation
Posted by: ALberto | Apr 12 2016 13:27 utc | 29
29;Schumer shomer has been awful silent lately.I hope the electorate remembers his allegiances.
The Lying Times says Russia is about to implode over deficit.
When America's is in the trillions.
Absurdity.
Posted by: dahoit | Apr 12 2016 14:33 utc | 30
Levin's got courage and perfect timing. Just when people are looking for a scapegoat, he presents them with the real goat.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-04-11/bernankes-former-advisor-people-would-be-stunned-know-extent-which-fed-privately-own
Posted by: Penelope | Apr 12 2016 15:33 utc | 31
Imho the US supported our man Yats for as long as they could, as they did not want new elections, a new Gvmt, filled with another batch of crazies, possibly less amenable than the last, or leading to an out of control failed state and/or violent uprisings. (IMF loans are in the balance.)
They bow to the inevitable and put gloss on it as the no. one point-man is Poroshenko. So they have to be on his side against his now-rival Yats. One supposes the oligarchs not in the Gvmt had their say (deals, blackmail) behind the scenes. The whole effort, by US with EU stooges.. is a colossal failure.
Transcarpathia demands ‘autonomy’ in/from (?) Ukraine. Idk about about orig texts. Afaik this is at least the second time they do this. All articles 'news.'
South Ossetia is planning to have a referendum to change the Constitution. The change - purely re. Const. articles - would allow the Pres. / Parliament to make a request to join the R Fed (or any other entity) which is impossible in the present one.
Trans-Dniester Region (a shaky part? in Moldova, has also made moves, BBC from 2014.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26627236
Posted by: Noirette | Apr 12 2016 15:43 utc | 32
Appears Speaker Groysman tapped by Porosenko to replace Yats has refused the post of PM.
Rada speaker's refusal to take PM's office: political bargaining or search?
http://tass.ru/en/world/868886
KIEV, April 11. /TASS/. Speaker of Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) Vladimir Groisman has refused to be prime minister, a lawmaker with the pro-presidential Petro Poroshenko Bloc said on Monday.
"Parliament speaker Vladimir Groisman has turned down the position of prime minister after talks with President Petro Poroshenko and acting Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk. They failed to reach agreement on candidates for ministerial portfolios," Mustafa Nayem wrote on his Facebook account.[.]
so reports have it
Yatsenyuk’s resignation postponed (until Thursday)— lawmaker
http://tass.ru/en/world/869134
Posted by: likklemore | Apr 12 2016 16:10 utc | 33
Wonder why Sanders has not yet denounced Hillary for appointing neo con Nuland to a high State Dept. post.
Posted by: Vollin | Apr 12 2016 19:25 utc | 34
POROSHENKO VANISHES - RUSSIAN AGENTS INVOLVED?
Has anyone seen President Poroshenko all week? Is he "working on his papers" like Yeltsin, or did he just "disappear" like Putin? It seems that Poroshenko has had some kind of mental breakdown as a result of the Dutch referendum and Panama Papers scandal.
1) The presidential web site has published nothing for a week, when previously there were several stories each day.
2) Poroshenko was scheduled to visit Finland on April 12. The trip was suddenly cancelled on April 7th.
3) Poroshenko's press secretary Svyatoslav Tsegolko denies that Poroshenko had given an interview to the New York Times, blames 'Russian agents' for a hoax infowar attack.
Russia agents attempt to arrange Poroshenko's fake interview with U.S. paper - UNIAN, April 12, 2016"The Russian special services continue hybrid information warfare against Ukraine. They have tried to arrange an interview on behalf of the Ukrainian president with The New York Times, using a fake letter [requesting a telephone conference]," Poroshenko's press secretary Svyatoslav Tsegolko wrote on Facebook on Tuesday evening.
"They indicated the phone numbers and emails of their agents on a fake blank, held talks and even read out 'answers' to the questions over the phone," he wrote.
U.S. journalists contacted the Ukrainian president's press service to verify the authenticity of the records. "The fake interview wasn't published. I'm thankful for this," he added.
The fake letter was written on behalf of Poroshenko who allegedly requested a telephone conference with Executive Editor of The New York Times Baquet Dean in connection with an article entitled "Ukraine's Unyielding Corruption," published on April 1, 2016. The article hails the Ukrainian authorities for the failure to fight against corruption.
Things are not looking good in Kiev: Yatsenyuk resigns, Saakashvili announces 'ultimatum' and threatens to resign, the Right Sector promises to "execute Poroshenko in dark vault."
Posted by: Petri Krohn | Apr 13 2016 6:45 utc | 36
@36 Petri Krohn
Thanks for the update. How does Saakashvili get away with his act in the hyper-nationalist Ukraine? Or is NAZIism the great international unifying force holding these gangsters together? I pity the poor Ukrainians, sold such a bill of goods by Nuland, who then opened the gates of hell for them. And now what? Is she too, walking away? ... 'Oh well, Ukraine was a learning experience for me for next time'?
The only to get rid of these neo-cons is to drive stakes through their hearts ...
And we hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
We will follow your casket
By the pale afternoon
And we'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And we'll stand o'er your grave
'Til we're sure that you're dead
Ukraine Dutch Referendum: Yats Steps Down
Behind Ukraine’s Leadership Shake-up | Consortium News |The significance of Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s resignation speech has been given more weight by Western media than it merits. After all, he and President Petro Poroshenko were on the same side of the political equation even as they arm-wrestled for much of the last two years for greater influence and power. On the other side of the equation are the Pravy Sektor and fellow radical nationalist forces of the war party.
...
As for the timing of Yatsenyuk’s departure, which has been hanging in the air since Poroshenko provoked a vote of confidence to oust him in February, the answer lies in to the April 6 Dutch referendum, which made it essential to offer up a scapegoat and show that Ukrainians intend to get their house in order.
On RT today: "Dutch referendum triggers resignation Yatsenyuk."
@32 Noirette
Sodomites take over China. I clicked on 'Saint of the Day' ... and there were a dozen. I wonder if the bible-thumping/homophobes in the US could be converted to anti-imperialism via katehon.com ?
Posted by: jfl | Apr 14 2016 1:00 utc | 39
jen at 24, l'more at 33, PK at 36
After a little last minute uncertainty and delay, said to involve the cabinet list, Groysman is named PM. From Reuters --
The new cabinet is not expected to include any of the foreign technocrats brought in late in 2014, including Finance Minister Natalia Yaresko, who is set to be replaced by Poroshenko ally Oleksandr Danylyuk.
The roster is apparently set, but won't be revealed until the vote tomorrow, I'd expect.
Long-time Moscow correspondent Fred Weir sees the new government facing some pretty serious troubles.
The new coalition will need to quickly deliver some tangible achievements in the floundering battle against corruption and behind-the-scenes oligarch rule. It also needs to move forward in the stalled Minsk-II peace process, by passing constitutional changes that would grant special status to the rebel republics of Luhansk and Donetsk – a profoundly controversial issue in Kiev – or risk the conflict becoming a permanent blight on the country's future prospects.Most experts admit that after two years of serial disappointment, optimism is in short supply.
I think everybody knows that "profoundly controversial" in Ukrainian means "would piss off the fascists, who'll make trouble." See the "dark vault" threat at 36.
Missing Choco-King, fake interview -- too weird for me.
Posted by: rufus magister | Apr 14 2016 2:43 utc | 40
Dutch Prime Minister Ready to Go Against the Will of Voters for the Sake of Ukraine
"There are three options", he said. "First, the Cabinet will refuse to consider the results of the Advisory referendum. This is not the option that will be chosen by the government. The second will take full account of the voting results (i.e, refuse to ratify). And that's not the option that the government will choose either. The third option, which the government will choose, is that the authorities will try to do something given the fact that the majority of voters voted against the document", said [Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark] Rutte.
For the sake of Ukraine !? Like all the other premieres in the EU, he toes Nuland's line. Think his government can be replaced? Apparently he feels safe.
Posted by: jfl | Apr 14 2016 5:03 utc | 41
It's official. Kyiv Post has this account of the new government.
Yatsenyuk's National Front gets the speakership of the Rada and several Cabinet posts. Kolomoisky's Vidrodzhennya ("Renaissance") faction, of 23 members, supported the new government; interesting, given previous tension between him and the former ruling coalition. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, and Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak all retained their portfolios.
Appointment of Groysman marks a shift of power in Ukraine. After two years during which two parties, those of Poroshenko and Yatsenyuk, had relatively equal representation and influence in parliament and government, Poroshenko has strengthened his position through the appointment of a loyal prime minister.
But how strong is the mash-up?
The NYT unpacks an interesting anomaly, elided in the KP's report. The Poroshenko Bloc/National Front coalition commands 237 seats, Kolomoisky, independents, and a third fraction, Volya Naradu ("Will of the People") provided 50 votes. But Groysman got 257.
[This] ...wide margin... could help him navigate Ukraine’s complex political waters with more success than his predecessor. But analysts say they doubt he has the political backing to carry out a badly needed economic overhaul and a peace agreement with Russia and Russian-backed militants in eastern Ukraine, as demanded by the country’s Western allies.That is because his victory depended on votes from political parties other than Ukraine’s two largest blocs, under Mr. Poroshenko and Mr. Yatsenyuk. Only 206 members of the two parties voted for Mr. Groysman, a liability that could spell trouble on important votes.
One wonders who the diseenters were, and why. Were they some of the recent recruits to Bloc Poroshenko? Or old timers, who lost out?
It is also noteworthy that the Cabinet only got 239 votes. And it took three votes to finally get approval of the government's program, which received 243 votes.
Jaresko is out, but apparently gets a consolation prize -- control over a large telecom firm.
Posted by: rufus magister | Apr 14 2016 16:06 utc | 42
The comments to this entry are closed.
Makes me think of this article from last month.
Posted by: James | Apr 11 2016 18:23 utc | 1