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The Whys Behind the Ukraine Crisis
September 3, 2014
Exclusive: Given the very high stakes of a nuclear confrontation with Russia, some analysts wonder whats the real motive for taking this extraordinary risk over Ukraine. Is it about natural gas, protection of the U.S. dollars dominance, or an outgrowth of neocon extremism, asks Robert Parry.
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A senior U.S. diplomat told me recently that if Russia were to occupy all of Ukraine and even neighboring Belarus that there would be zero impact on U.S. national interests. The diplomat wasnt advocating that, of course, but was noting the curious reality that Official Washingtons current war hysteria over Ukraine doesnt connect to genuine security concerns.
So why has so much of the Washington Establishment from prominent government officials to all the major media pundits devoted so much time this past year to pounding their chests over the need to confront Russia regarding Ukraine? Who is benefiting from this eminently avoidable yet extremely dangerous crisis? Whats driving the madness?
Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland, speaking to Ukrainian and other business leaders at the National Press Club in Washington on Dec. 13, 2013, at a meeting sponsored by Chevron.
Of course, Washingtons conventional wisdom is that America only wants democracy for the people of Ukraine and that Russian President Vladimir Putin provoked this confrontation as part of an imperialist design to reclaim Russian territory lost during the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991. But that group think doesnt withstand examination. [See Consortiumnews.coms Whos Telling the Big Lie on Ukraine?]
The Ukraine crisis was provoked not by Putin but by a combination of the European Unions reckless move to expand its influence eastward and the machinations of U.S. neoconservatives who were angered by Putins collaboration with President Barack Obama to tamp down confrontations in Syria and Iran, two neocon targets for regime change.
Plus, if democracy promotion were the real motive, there were obviously better ways to achieve it. Democratically elected President Viktor Yanukovych pledged on Feb. 21 in an agreement guaranteed by three European nations to surrender much of his power and hold early elections so he could be voted out of office if the people wanted.
However, on Feb. 22, the agreement was brushed aside as neo-Nazi militias stormed presidential buildings and forced Yanukovych and other officials to flee for their lives. Rather than stand behind the Feb. 21 arrangement, the U.S. State Department quickly endorsed the coup regime that emerged as legitimate and the mainstream U.S. press dutifully demonized Yanukovych by noting, for instance, that a house being built for him had a pricy sauna.
The key role of the neo-Nazis, who were given several ministries in recognition of their importance to the putsch, was studiously ignored or immediately forgotten by all the big U.S. news outlets. [See Consortiumnews.coms Ukraines Dr. Strangelove Reality.]
So, its hard for any rational person to swallow the official line that the U.S. interest in the spiraling catastrophe of Ukraine, now including thousands of ethnic Russians killed by the coup regimes brutal anti-terrorist operation, was either to stop Putins imperial designs or to bring democracy to the Ukrainians.
http://consortiumnews.com/2014/09/03/the-whys-behind-the-ukraine-crisis/
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The Whys Behind the Ukraine Crisis (Original Post)
KoKo
Sep 2014
OP
swilton
(5,069 posts)1. that this is a good read
is an understatement.
Parry ha dotted all of his 'i's' and crossed all of his 't's'....Bookmarked because of content and reference links to other sources.
adirondacker
(2,921 posts)2. Interesting read! Thanks for posting KoKo! nt
adirondacker
(2,921 posts)3. kick.