Ukraine - almost 101
My perspective on Ukraine – doesn’t
fit – with the current – Putin – VILLAIN, Zelensky – HERO – divergence.
There is NO Question that Russia – invaded
Ukraine and that this was wrong. There is
a HUGE difference between criticizing Putin – and accepting – the Myths – of – “Ukrainian”
innocence/victimhood. The Ukrainian
People are largely victims. There is
also a history even simply looking back over the past 15-25 years which has far
more – oppressors and rulers – leading people astray in Ukraine than one commonly
reads about. There is a serious
minority of Nazis – not “neo-Nazi’s” – within Ukraine. Similar to U.S. politics – where the number
of true heroes in recent politics – is probably somewhere between 15-25 or a
few more – vs. hundreds, if not more than 1000+ who are anywhere from “bad” to “horrible”.
What follows are some good sources
for a truer picture. One need not agree
with everything they say, to recognize that the picture within CNN/MSNBC and
similar is seriously, seriously distorted, being more a tacit endorser of the “United
States Empire” – for lack of a better world (and most of this is over decades –
not merely related to DT.
Read-on please!
1.
Norman
Finkelstein
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w14sfEOfVus – Norman Finkelstein – Ukraine 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USciAjCIwyY - Norman
Finkelstein – Ukraine 2024
tSondpesro7a06:a32t11t700ih6 2ci5u9ri9cl94t2MA7f4M1 0 1m62f ·
Stop Pretending Zelensky is
the Victim – The Truth About Ukraine’s “Democracy”
To those who blindly believe
Zelensky is a victim fighting for democracy, let’s get some facts straight.
Ukraine’s modern crisis
didn’t begin in 2022 with Russia’s invasion—it began in 2014, when a
democratically elected president, Viktor Yanukovych, was removed in an
unconstitutional coup, backed by the U.S. and EU.
The 2014 Coup: The End of
Ukraine’s Democracy
• Yanukovych was elected in
2010 in a vote deemed legitimate by international observers.
• His crime? Rejecting an EU
trade deal that would have crippled Ukraine’s economy in favor of better terms
with Russia.
• Protests erupted in Kyiv,
escalated into violent clashes, and over 100 people died.
• Instead of finding a
peaceful resolution, the U.S. and EU actively supported the opposition, leading
to Yanukovych fleeing to Russia.
• Ukraine’s parliament
removed him illegally—without following the constitutional impeachment process.
The U.S. Didn’t Just Support
the Coup – It Installed the Government
• Leaked calls between U.S.
officials Victoria Nuland and Geoffrey Pyatt revealed that the new government
was handpicked by the U.S.
• Arseniy Yatsenyuk was
chosen as the new prime minister—without any election, without a public
mandate.
• The new regime immediately
pushed for NATO membership, banned Russian as a regional language, and
alienated Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population.
What Did This Lead To? Civil
War & Mass Killings
• Crimea, Donetsk, and
Luhansk refused to recognize the unelected regime, leading to referendums on
secession.
• In Odessa (May 2014),
pro-Russian protesters were burned alive in the Trade Unions House by Ukrainian
nationalists.
• The Ukrainian military and
nationalist battalions (including the infamous Azov Battalion) were deployed to
violently suppress Russian-speaking populations.
• The Donbas War began,
killing thousands and leading to eight years of conflict before Russia’s 2022
invasion.
Ukraine’s NATO Membership
Push Was Never Democratic
• Before 2014, Ukraine had
laws preventing NATO membership—it was officially neutral.
• Polls showed most
Ukrainians opposed joining NATO, especially in the east and Crimea.
• After the U.S.-installed
government took over, Ukraine’s neutrality was repealed without a national
referendum.
• By 2019, a constitutional
amendment locked in NATO membership without public approval.
Zelensky’s Betrayal of His
Voters
• Zelensky was elected in
2019 with strong support from the east, where people wanted peace with Russia.
• He campaigned on
diplomacy—then immediately reversed course, banning opposition parties,
shutting down media, and pushing NATO membership aggressively.
• Instead of bringing peace,
he escalated tensions, fueling the path to war.
So, Is Ukraine a “Victim”?
• It was the U.S. that
overturned Ukraine’s democracy in 2014.
• It was Ukraine’s unelected
government that suppressed Russian speakers and ignited a civil war.
• It was Zelensky who
promised peace, then became a NATO pawn and silenced opposition.
Zelensky is not a victim
of war—he is a product of a coup. The real victims? The Ukrainian and
Russian-speaking civilians who were sacrificed for geopolitical games.
Wake up.
2.
John Mearsheimer
–
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=1047541317407408&set=a.466984535463092 +
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WfAL35GA_0 +
3.
Medea Benjamin – Nicolas Davies
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjPGCiTu4wU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIpjSZtDITQ
4.
Chris Hedges
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plkmX-XpWsg
Medea Benjamin and
Nicolas J.S. Davies provide a far, far from normative vision in: WAR
IN UKRAINE: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict. Their
perspective is made clear on the first page of the book where they say:
Yes, Russia’s aggression
was reckless and ultimately indefensible. But the West’s reneging on
promises to halt eastward expansion of NATO in the wake of the collapse of the
Soviet Union played a major part in prompting Putin to act. So
did the U.S. involvement in the 2014 Ukraine coup and Ukraine’s failure to
implement the Minsk peace agreements.
The common story we hear from
all major news sources including NPR is a tale of U.S. and NATO benevolence and
of a brutal dictator Putin and an aggressive Russia.
U.S. media ignore the buildup
of USian empire and how NATO is politicized to carry out aggression, while
doing little to prevent warfare. We aren’t exposed
substantively to the profits to be made by many large corporations and the
corresponding costs to both our people, and those of other nations.
We are missing much in our
“profit oriented” media! We don’t hear the voices that suggest
the nuances of the push towards war, and how Ukrainian leadership continues to
exploit its people, who are the most real victims of both their own leadership,
as well as how Russian people are victimized similarly by the leadership of
both Russia and Ukraine.
The world is changing
greatly, and the leadership of Joe Biden is missing the boat, just as his
predecessor did. The words are more moderate, frequently, but the
results are often similar.
These authors stress the
dangers of escalation into a nuclear war, which would threaten the survival of
much of the world’s population, even if limited to “tactical” nuclear weapons.
In reading this book, one
must in the end choose between a vision of trust of Biden and the Democratic
Party, or being “radical” and seeing a very, very different world pushing into
our faces and future. In that world, the power of the U.S. is
weakening, as China and other countries fill the void left by the U.S.
leadership’s ignoring the warning signs of experts who know a
lot. Such experts include at least one former U.S. Ambassador
to Russia, and others with much valuable experience.
Moving towards negotiating a
lasting peace will be very challenging with serious U.S. efforts, together with
our NATO allies. It is impossible, given the current demands
of Russian surrender and immediate withdrawal of forces. While
the Russian leadership is clearly “wrong”, this, in no way shows that the
Ukrainian leadership and the U.S. pushing its own agenda upon Ukraine is right.
This effort is putting a huge
strain on the U.S. economy, as well as threatening a nuclear
holocaust. It is time that we wake up - and speak out against
this travesty! We need to seek peace and
cooperation! War - is Not The Answer!
5.
Helena Cobban –
Rami Khouri + others – Palestine/Ukraine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0vWpw7RIqM
Recommended Sources:
https://www.democracynow.org/
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