Is Crimea about to explode? The mainstream media reports that Russia has amassed troops on the border with Ukraine and may be spoiling for a fight. The Russians claim to have stopped a Ukrainian sabotage team that snuck into Crimea to attack key infrastructure. The Russian military is holding exercises in Crimea and Russian President Vladimir Putin made a visit to the peninsula at the end of the week.
The Ukrainians have complained to their western supporters that a full-scale Russian invasion is coming, and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said he may have to rule by martial law due to the Russian threat.
Though the US media pins the blame exclusively on Russia for these tensions, in reality there is plenty of blame to go around. We do know that the US government has been involved with “regime change” in Ukraine repeatedly since the break up of the Soviet Union. The US was deeply involved with the “Orange Revolution” that overthrew elected president Viktor Yanukovych in 2005. And we know that the US government was heavily involved in another coup that overthrew the same elected Yanukovych again in 2014.
How do we know that the US was behind the 2014 coup? For one, we have the intercepted telephone call between US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and US Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt. In the recording, the two US officials are plotting to remove the elected government and discussing which US puppet they will put in place.
You would think such undiplomatic behavior could get diplomats fired, but sadly in today’s State Department it can actually get you promoted! Nuland is widely expected to get a big promotion – perhaps to even Secretary of State – in a Hillary Clinton administration, and Geoffrey Pyatt has just moved up to an Ambassadorship in Athens.
Ambassador Pyatt can’t seem to control himself: Just as tensions were peaking between Russia and Ukraine over Crimea this month, he published a series of Tweets urging Ukraine to take back Crimea. Is this how our diplomats overseas should be acting? Should they be promoting actions they know will lead to war?
When the mainstream media discusses Crimea they are all lock-step: that’s the peninsula Putin annexed. Never do they mention that there was a referendum in which the vast majority of the population (who are mostly ethnic Russians) voted to join Russia. The US media never reports on this referendum because it produced results that Washington doesn’t like. How arrogant it must sound to the rest of the world that Washington reserves the right to approve or disapprove elections thousands of miles away – meanwhile we find out from the DNC hacked files that we don’t have a lot of room to criticize elections overseas.
What should we do about Ukraine and Russia? We should stop egging Ukraine on, we should stop subsidizing the government in Kiev, we should stop NATO exercises on the Russian border, we should end sanctions, we should return to diplomacy, we should send the policy of “regime change” to the dustbin of history. The idea that we would be facing the prospect of World War III over which flag flies above a tiny finger of land that most US politicians couldn’t find on a map is utterly ridiculous. When are we going to come to our senses?
If we can believe Trump, we will come to our senses within the next 6 months?
If Poroshenko leaves UKR on a supposed trip/vacation, is that when to be prepared for a UKR or NATO advance on Crimea?
Or is the continued saber-rattling just a means to further the blame on Putin?
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.” — Joseph Goebbels
“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly – it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over” — Joseph Goebbels
Wip
WTF would Trump know about any of this? He could answer a question as to which is the best champagne to serve at a party or which private jet is the best and most reliable but Crimea? Where did he get his experience in foreign policy? Oh, that’s right he never spent one day in government/military/NGO which is scary as we have no business messing with Putin over Crimea as they will NEVER give it up. Their entire naval fleet is based in Crimea and we are just fucking with them on this so do you really want a real estate guy in charge of an explosive situation?
To be sure Trump has a interesting relationship with Russia, but he is a puppet and puppets DO what the oligarchs order them to do and that will always trump anything the Donald would ever come up with lest he would not live for very long. I personally find Russia’s embrace of Trump questionable on many levels. You could make the same points about Oreo but he is the ultimate empty suit, Trump does not fit that puppet type so what are we really dealing with here?
That’s why I used the word “If”. He says he is the anti war, anti aggression candidate.
Wip
Oligarchs don’t understand the concept of anti-aggression when it comes to controlling the flow of oil/arms/drugs. That is like asking a dog not to lick his balls or asking the mafia bosses to play nice.
Bea….since Trump does not have the government experience to handle foreign policy, therefore Hillary must be your candidate of choice due to her ‘experience’.
I would take this opportunity to ask all to look back at recent U.S. history and reflect on how well political ‘experience’ in foreign policy has managed to improve world conditions. Please measure the success of this ‘experience’ by death, destruction, despair, desolation, and the utter savagery by humans in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria.
kokoda- I will pretend that you did not just infer that old Bea is for Hitlery, just not for another actor that is same/same with no experience. I would not hire a plumber or roofer etc who had zero experience, would you? We need a puppet we can believe in and I hold my nose at the site of both of them.
No problem Bea; I have mentally walked-back that inference.
But, I do have a problem with you thinking political experience is a plus. Geez, look at our history.
At Thanksgiving dinner in 2008, among a bunch of Democrats and a Black female (all family or friends), someone mentioned Obama winning the election and after several giddy comments I completely shut down that conversation with “I’d rather a dirt farmer was elected than Obama”.
IOW, having experience with Regime Change, lining one’s own pocket for political favors, and being a compulsive liar is not the ‘experience’ we need.
kokoda
Therein lies your problem, there is no (we) in any of it, these puppets serve their masters not us.
Bea
Why is it questionable. It makes complete sense. Hillary presided over the Facist coup in Ukraziland.
At least Trump wants to make nice. Besides the whole fucking playbook has been published. Maybe Trump is more of the same but at least it is worth a try. If you were in Putin’s shoes would not you do the same?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/pdf/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf
Rob, excuse me for interrupting, but I just wanted to say that it will be a pleasure for you to join us as a fellow Rays fan for at least seven of the next ten days.. Welcome aboard!
nkit
No worries man. It’s summer. Doom is on mute for me because of baseball. Even a schlep needs his bread and circuses. Should be an interesting week or so. Hopefully the Jays can keep things going. Just checked the schedule I am officially a Rays Fans. Hope they go on a ten game winning streak!
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I’m going to print this off and fly over desk.
Getting ready for game. Price is pitching too. Go Rays!
🙂
A page from the Book
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You have to admire the neocons. They have balls that are made of brass. But I suppose they can be as long as it is the poor that have to pay they will continue to poke the Bear. This world is fucking doomed as long as the people are fighting in the streets so they can buy shit they don’t need from slaves they will never know.
Peace is for sale in this election cycle. But who’s buying.
Rob- This is about our oil oligarchs trying to muscle the Russian oil oligarchs for the exclusive rights to pipe in oil and NG in the EU. Going forward, he who owns the NG markets is king of the world and that’s a fact Jack. I’m not saying Hitlery would be better, I just wonder why so much faith in a guy that has zip experience, no filter and a huge ego as his resume.
Bea
Those Oil Oligarchs have 5000 nukes. Nobody is going to muscle them. So no resume is required.
Ed the talking horse could be President of free world. It wouldn’t matter. In fact I would pick the horse if I was allowed to vote. At least the horse would make me laugh.
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#talkinghorsesmatter
Bea….I don’t think the U.S. pushing EU/NATO on UKR/Crimea is for the benefit of our oil oligarchs – it is simply to destroy Russia financially to make them irrelevant on the world stage.
It is so much easier to control a country when you collapse their economic base.
Trust me kokoda this is about oil and NG, do some serious research.
I know all about the pipelines (yes, there is more than one, actually 2) and it is the reason for the attempt to overthrow Assad. And I know about Russia and its stranglehold on Europe for oil and ng.
Bea
It is about everything. Anglo American Empire has been butt hurt for 300 years about Russia gaining control of Northern Eurasian Continent. It is all laid out in PNAC book. They need to disembowel the Russian Federation. Gain control of all the resources.
The Great Game Redux
Just a quibble, saying “do some serious research” implies to me that Kokoda doesnt know as much about this as you. Knowledge about this is hard to quantify.
Oil and gas is a simplistic explanation. For a reserve currency that is fiat to be workable control of all commodites are required. Otherwise the inflation that is being printed by Fed will return to these shores in search of real things to buy. Think Nixon Gold Window.
Experience or lack of it in foreign affairs is not going to enter into this equation. The Russians have made it clear that they will play from their own book.
The neocons had their moment and it has now passed.
Personally, I’d feel much safer with Trump steering the foreign policy ship than with Hitlery. We’ve seen her woeful, pathetic neo-con foreign policy “experience”. It’s something that we can not afford to experience again.
As far as Trump’s experience? Granted, he has little, but he has plenty of experience negotiating and I believe that if surrounded by capable people he would listen and negotiate. I can’t say that I believe the same of Hitlery. Yes, Trump is short on experience and long on ego. In that respect he reminds me of the current HNIC who knew absolutely nothing about foreign policy (probably couldn’t even spell it) when he took office and has a miserable record in that regard from Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, Iran, to the Ukraine and on and on. Talk about not knowing where countries are on a map, the dumb ass thought we had 57 states. No, it’s hard to believe that Trump could be worse foreign policy wise than Obama and Hitlery. I believe that Trump would exhaust negotiating before taking aggressive action in foreign policy. I can’t believe the same about Hitlery.
Sorry to take you to task here Bea, but are you saying Hitlery would do a better job in dealing with this situation? Let’s remember she’s already branded Putin as Hitler; she’s much more likely to escalate the situation than Trump, who according to his speeches and statements thinks we’ve been making some very bad warmongering decisions.
What Should We Do About Crimea?
Nothing…don’t poke the bear.
Hey, Ron. Where’d you get this ‘we’ shit?
Do nothing? What about those Ukrainian Easter Eggs?
Agree with the article except the “plenty of blame to go around” statement.
I can’t see where Russia has erred in supporting fellow Russians in Ukraine or by reinstating Crimea as Russian territory.
What should “we” do about Crimea? Hmmm. How about nothing?
Absolutely nothing. Crimea has been Russian for centuries, up until the weird giving it to the Ukraine in the 50s when the giver would never have expected Ukraine to be independent. It is critical to russia for its ports. To expect that they would let it leave their control is foolish. To act on that mistaken expectation is dangerous.
Greetings,
A Russian war with NATO would quickly destroy China’s biggest trading partner the E.U. at a time when China can little afford to have these problems.
China, being the wild card in all of this will do something to distract the United States and its never ending quest to upset the Russians.
That is my .02
Nickel
Good point, TPTB don’t want to destroy the consumers or they have nothing coming in and China has the most to lose.
We should airdrop the neocons, cucks, and democrats into Ukraine. No parachutes.
We should go in all the way in the Ukraine. With allies like the fearsome Europeans who defend their women from the muzzlies, how can we lose. The Russians must be quaking in their boots.