Wesley Clark: "Remember Rwanda. Arm Ukraine."
Wesley Clark: Remember Rwanda. Arm Ukraine.
6:31 p.m. EST February 26, 2015
Retired General Wesley K. Clark, a former supreme commander of NATO, led alliance military forces in the Kosovo War. He is a senior fellow at the Burkle Center for International Relations at UCLA and author of Don't Wait for the Next War: A Strategy for American Growth and Global Leadership. Clark's Ukraine trips were paid for by the Potomac Foundation and the Open Society Institute.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/02/26/wesley-clark-balkans-putin-aggression-ukriane-us-role-column/23953497/
In the old days of the post-Cold War world, the U.S. learned the hard way that when we could make a difference, we should. In Rwanda, we didn't, and 800,000 died. In Bosnia, we tarried, and more than 100,000 died and 2 million were displaced before we acted. It's time to take those lessons and now act in Ukraine.
In the Balkans in 1991, we let the Europeans lead with diplomacy to halt Serb aggression disguised as ethnic conflict. Diplomacy failed. We supported the Europeans when they asked for United Nations peacekeepers, from Britain, France, Sweden and even Bangladesh. That also failed. Only when the U.S. took the lead and applied military power to reinforce diplomacy did we halt the conflict. And we did succeed in ending it with minimal expense and without losing a single soldier.
In Ukraine today, Russian-backed forces continue to reinforce and attack Ukrainian positions. The Minsk II agreement that calls for a cease-fire, pullback of heavy weapons, and withdrawal of foreign forces hasn't been implemented. Losses on both sides are heavy, far heavier than publicly acknowledged. Russia is using its newest equipment tanks, long range rockets, cluster munitions, drones, electronic warfare to slowly grind away Ukrainian forces that lack modern equipment. Russia, of course, still denies its troops are present: This is "hybrid warfare," military aggression covered by the cloak of lies and propaganda. But, actually, except perhaps for a few stubborn European diplomats, there is surprisingly little dispute as to the facts.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel insists there is no military solution but, as in the Balkans, there will be no diplomatic solution until the military "door" is closed for Russian President Vladimir Putin. And closing the door is actually simpler than many would have you believe.
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For diplomacy to work, the front must be stabilized. Ukraine needs the means to defend itself: anti-armor, counterfire radar, drones, night vision capabilities and secure communications. All this is readily available from the stocks of the United States, Poland and other allies. It requires no U.S. soldiers in the fight and no U.S. air power. It is not a proxy war against Russia; it is simple assistance to a fledgling democracy seeking the right to choose its own course.
The U.S. should take the lead now, as we did in the Balkans: Tell Putin he'll get some eventual phased sanctions relief if he halts aggression, pulls back and obeys international norms of behavior. The Minsk II agreement is a starting point, but Russia needs to recognize all Ukraine's borders, including Crimea. If not, the Ukrainians will receive all the arms they need to stop his aggression. This can all be couched in the normal diplomatic terms, and we can invite Germany to come along to deliver the message. In the meantime, we need to accelerate the delivery of the minimal assistance we have already promised and encourage our allies to immediately deliver anti-armor and artillery ammunition.
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http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/02/26/wesley-clark-balkans-putin-aggression-ukriane-us-role-column/23953497/
CJCRANE
(18,184 posts)and gone all in with the MIC.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)I have no IDEA ....but it seems to do with his Funding.
But, I don't want to be too harsh on him since many DU'ers supported him as Presidential Candidate and probably still do.
He just never turned "Me" On...because I had worried about MIC taking over. Eisenhower was an exception after WWII ....but, after that, I think "We Voters" would want to avoid "Military" as President because of the obvious bias of MIC/Wall Street, Arms Manufacturers and "other ops."
But, that's just me.
I thought, also, that Wes Clark was against the "Project for New American Century" view of Military expansion of USA. I must have read his other views in the wrong way. He seems, in this post, to be very much in favor of WAR wherever it takes us.
I'm not in favor of Endless WAR or Wars that can't be Resolved through Tedious DIPLOMACY...which anyone who has read my posts since I joined DU in 2001 would realize. So I just keep on going in "WONDER" of what we in the USA (Me,Us Citizens Out Here) have gotten ourselves into.
elleng
(131,107 posts)and CERTAINLY not of PNAC.
elleng
(131,107 posts)German Chancellor Angela Merkel insists there is no military solution but, as in the Balkans, there will be no diplomatic solution until the military "door" is closed for Russian President Vladimir Putin. And closing the door is actually simpler than many would have you believe.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2015/02/26/wesley-clark-balkans-putin-aggression-ukriane-us-role-column/23953497/
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1016115480
We should NOT arm the Ukraine.
Leontius
(2,270 posts)Maedhros
(10,007 posts)Sending arms to Ukraine would be an incredibly provocative, yet ultimately futile, act on our part. It would run the risk of escalating the conflict, and may even result in war between NATO and Russia. That would be bad.
I'm anti-war. You, apparently, are not. I doubt you will persuade me to change my mind.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)I think Russia wants Protection from NATO....and would want enough territory to protect their ports and give them a "Buffer" against NATO until they can get ahold of what is at stake in Trade Offs that will satisfy the EU Zone which is (at this point...their Ally against USA Policy of Agression) which they realize is totally POLITICAL.
Maedhros
(10,007 posts)One is the faction that opposes Russia on civil liberties grounds. They see the Ukrainian situation as an opportunity to rebuff and embarrass Putin, therefore they are keen to portray Ukraine as a helpless victim and are in favor of U.S. military adventurism in the region.
The other, I surmise, is the faction comprised of Russian agents provocateur with the agenda of shoring up support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine. They assure us that Russia's actions are eminently reasonable and restrained, and warn that Ukraine is a raving cesspool of Neo Nazism that must be cleansed.
I oppose U.S. military intervention in the Ukraine, so I am often dropped in the "Putin Lover" box by Faction One.
I oppose Russian aggression against the Ukraine, so I am often dropped in the "Pro-Nazi" box by Faction Two.
Both factions are annoying.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)Sad this...after all these years....why can't we see nuances and try to get along with each other better rather than living in "Armed Camps."
Thanks for your post adding dimension and laying out what many are dealing with.
1StrongBlackMan
(31,849 posts)I, generally, agree with your positions; but, the Rwanda/Ukraine connection escapes me ... both, in root cause and solution.
jakeXT
(10,575 posts)Kosovo Albanians can enter Serbia without visa restrictions.
- 'Our stomachs are empty' -
"We have independence, but our stomachs are empty," said Hasan Fazliu, 27, who was making the 10-hour trip with his wife and his one-year-old son Liridon.
"It is hard to leave your country, but it is even harder to live in it," Ilir Sejdiu, a 20-year-old construction worker said.
http://news.yahoo.com/kosovo-albanians-flee-misery-eu-promised-land-155437138.html