Recently, we have seen something extraordinary, in Mississippi. In the Republican Primaries, the Democratic crowd voted preventing an extreme ‘Tea Party’ candidate replace the moderate Republican Senator Thad Cochran. Mississippi is one of the States, when the voters are allowed to vote across the party line in the Primaries.
Republicans are furious, rising question “how any Republican could go that low, to bring the Black vote to the Republican Primaries?”
What? Such a question in 2014? Even in Mississippi (which has a history of racial discrimination creeping in the today’s reality) it is low.
But at this point, I am rising another question - why not allow cross-party voting in all States? It looks like a great tool in the fight for a more balanced, and just America. Extremes should be weeded out, from both sides of the isle. ALLOW THE GENERAL VOTE IN THE PRIMARIES !!!
SLOGAN
- a tribute to the Social Media
A RIGHT WORD IS WORTH A THOUSAND PICTURES...
PAGES
Thursday, July 3, 2014
Introducing 'One-Liner'!
ALMOST INCOHERENT RANT has been on line for a while. Recently, it’s not as active as it was in the beginning. It’s not because there are no events, and issues to cover - it is because, in a busy professional life (like mine) there is often not enough time to write a thorough, well referenced article. As a result, many issues, which still boil my blood, are not addressed in the blog.
It is going to change! Today I am introducing a new feature, additional feature of the blog, called ‘ONE-LINER’.
‘One-Liner’, as the name suggests will be a short article, addressing the pressing issues, but in a very concise form. However, it’s not going to be limited to one line, it will be longer, but still in a short, easily digestible form.
Almost Incoherent Rant, finally is going to bring to life the RANTS, in a form of ‘One-Liner’.
It is going to change! Today I am introducing a new feature, additional feature of the blog, called ‘ONE-LINER’.
‘One-Liner’, as the name suggests will be a short article, addressing the pressing issues, but in a very concise form. However, it’s not going to be limited to one line, it will be longer, but still in a short, easily digestible form.
Almost Incoherent Rant, finally is going to bring to life the RANTS, in a form of ‘One-Liner’.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Susan Rice - the Republicans’ secret weapon…
Let me start from locating myself on the political spectrum: I am a Liberal. I have been steadily backing up all the President Obama initiatives - those delivered, and those promised (and never delivered).
I voted for him twice, and still my support for him is strong and un-wavered. I have a lot of criticism of his way of communicating (or barely communicating) his ideas to the people of America. It rises sometimes a question: why not treat Americans like adults, and explain to them exactly what is the essence of vital to all Americans, government decisions.
Alas, sometimes the message is lost… what is mercilessly exploited by the Republicans, who always go, as far as they can, to discredit the Democratic Presidents policy. We are living in the world, where there is no margin for errors. Every misspoken, or ill-communicated idea immediately backfires and becomes the stone, with which the ‘political stoning’ of Obama’s Government is performed. I never could understand the laxity of the Government officials, just carelessly fueling the ‘Republican fire’…
When on December 1, 2008 Susan Rice was appointed as the US Ambassador to the UN, I welcomed her appointment.
Well educated (Stanford University; New College, Oxford). Since 1988 she was involved in the political fabric of our country working for many prominent politicians like Michael Dukakis, McKinsley. She was a part of Clinton’s administration in many capacities, involved in the international affairs as NCS Africa Specialist (although not without controversies) (*1).
I jokingly remember that her name brought memories of the 66th US Secretary of State - Condoleezza Rice - a Bush Jr. puppet, who became synonymous with the lies, the Bush’s Government wanted to propagate. But of course, this notion wasn’t serious, and was immediately discarded - no one is, or can be expected to have the same character traits as another un-related person, just for having the same last name…
For a few years she escaped my attention, she was under my radar. Nothing was bringing her to the spot light. Things were done. American position in the UN secured and explained…
And then came the September 11, 2012…
“On the evening of September 11, 2012, Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, in Libya, killing U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and Sean Smith, U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer. (…)
Several hours later, in the early morning of the next day, a second assault targeted a nearby CIA annex in a different compound about one mile away, killing two CIA contractors, Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty.” (*2).
A few days before that event the Islamic World ‘boiled’ with fury against the offensive to the Islam, and the Prophet Mohammed, short movie which suddenly surfaced on YouTube and ‘the Hell got loose…’(*3)
There were angry demonstrations, sometimes riots, all over the world. Although to all non-Muslims this movie might have looked like a ‘bad taste’ but harmless jest, for the Muslims it was highly offensive.
When the attack on Benghazi American Consulate happened, the first thought on everybody’s mind was that those two events are related.
But at the same time even a 10 year old child knew that the attack carried by the heavily armed militants in 6 pick up trucks, is a terrorist action - however instigated or inspired - not a spontaneous protest.
Susan Rice officially stated then, that the attack was a result of riots and a response to the inflammatory video, and not the terrorist action.
When I heard her initial statement (right after the event), I couldn’t believe my ears.
One doesn’t have to be a military specialist to know that the well armed, and well organized group of attackers, who unfolded the bullet barrage on the unprotected (or insufficiently protected) US compound, using the heavy caliber machine guns, wasn’t an angry mob.
Susan Rice backed off from this statement a few days later in the series of the interviews, after the furious attacks of the Republicans and a bewilderment of Democrats (*4, *5). Yet, she was still defending her words, just adding “initially” to the statement.
She agreed that ‘later’ the extremists joined the riot, and performed the attack. Even though there were no riots in Benghazi at that time (*6).
I dismiss the Republican conclusion, that Susan Rice’s statement was a beginning effort of covering up the wrong-doing of the Obama Administration. It simply doesn’t make sense - especially, that the Administration was and is fully aware of the Republicans’ attitude and efforts…
In December 2012 Susan Rice in the result of that controversy withdrew herself from the consideration for the job of Secretary of State to replace Hilary Clinton.
__________
Some could have forgotten about this affair during the last 2 years. If they did, Benghazi controversy has been brought to our attention on numerous occasions recently in the context of the possible presidential campaign of Hilary Clinton and other policy references.
__________
A few days ago, American soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who spent the last 5 years as Prisoner of War, held by the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was released by the Taliban as a result of the negotiated for a few years (brokered by the Cathar) swap of prisoners.
In exchange for the Sergeant Bergdahl (a private at the time of the capture) the Taliban received 5 high ranking Taliban officials held at the Guantanamo prison for 13 years.
“America doesn’t leave the men in the uniform behind” - it has been the US Armed Forces motto since the Revolutionary War. No one questions that. And it doesn’t matter if that man in uniform is a hero, or has some stains on his military career.
Maybe some people do not remember the media coverage of the Sergeant Bergdohl’s disappearance in 2009. It wasn’t a very loudly advertised event, but the media already were rising the question if the Private Bergdahl was a traitor, or a deserter… Some media outlets (although I can’t find the references on the Internet at this point - so it’s just my memory) speculated that he might have joined the Taliban and should have been treated as an ‘enemy combatant’…
His comrades, from his own unit, at the time of his ‘walk off’, are today quite vocal accusing him of ‘less than proper’, and ‘less than honorable’ conduct.
Of course, “the accused is presumed innocent, until proven guilty”, so it’s completely immaterial.
However, any official statement in this case, should be very carefully worded.
In such a climate, the current National Security Advisor Susan Rice stated in the interview for ABC’s This Week on June 1, 2014, on the lawn of the White House, defending the negotiations with Taliban to free him: “He served the United States with honor and distinction…”.
I can imagine several ways of making the right statement emphasizing his volunteering to the Armed Forces in the Time of the War, which is a honorable act by itself, but making a blanket statement like the one above is very imprecise, and at least ‘problematic’…
We didn’t have to wait long for the Republicans’ response… (*7) The media exploded.
The on-going campaign against the Obama Administration unleashed by the 'Bergdahl’s swap' is all about the issue of ‘no negotiations with terrorists’ rule, and about the released Taliban returning to the active fight against America in the near future…
It’s another topic, and it will occupy a lot of pundits and commentators for many months to go.
The war in Afghanistan is winding down, and someone has to provide the 'normal' life to Afghanis. Taliban is not going anywhere. It will be the major force in Afghanistan - the decisive force. It will be there, when we are not...
Getting back to Susan Rice: I do not know if she has a Tourette Syndrome, and can’t control herself making the ‘controversial’ public statements - or she just deliberately wants to harm the Obama Administration, which she does in fact... I am not here to judge...
Her harmful statements are not limited to the two referred to above. Maybe she should get a ‘desk job’ somewhere in the Administration - without the possibility of the damaging public appearances.
So, is she the Republicans’ secret weapon?
___________________
*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Rice
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Benghazi_attack
*3 - http://www.rferl.org/content/b-movie-behind-benghazi-bloodshed-antiislamic/24706092.html
*4 - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2239478/Susan-Rice-APOLOGIZES-calling-Benghazi-attack-terrorism.html
*5 - http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/rice-libya-attacks-spontaneous/
*6 - http://www.factcheck.org/2012/10/benghazi-timeline/
*7 - http://time.com/2822696/susan-rice-bowe-bergdahl/
I voted for him twice, and still my support for him is strong and un-wavered. I have a lot of criticism of his way of communicating (or barely communicating) his ideas to the people of America. It rises sometimes a question: why not treat Americans like adults, and explain to them exactly what is the essence of vital to all Americans, government decisions.
Alas, sometimes the message is lost… what is mercilessly exploited by the Republicans, who always go, as far as they can, to discredit the Democratic Presidents policy. We are living in the world, where there is no margin for errors. Every misspoken, or ill-communicated idea immediately backfires and becomes the stone, with which the ‘political stoning’ of Obama’s Government is performed. I never could understand the laxity of the Government officials, just carelessly fueling the ‘Republican fire’…
When on December 1, 2008 Susan Rice was appointed as the US Ambassador to the UN, I welcomed her appointment.
Well educated (Stanford University; New College, Oxford). Since 1988 she was involved in the political fabric of our country working for many prominent politicians like Michael Dukakis, McKinsley. She was a part of Clinton’s administration in many capacities, involved in the international affairs as NCS Africa Specialist (although not without controversies) (*1).
I jokingly remember that her name brought memories of the 66th US Secretary of State - Condoleezza Rice - a Bush Jr. puppet, who became synonymous with the lies, the Bush’s Government wanted to propagate. But of course, this notion wasn’t serious, and was immediately discarded - no one is, or can be expected to have the same character traits as another un-related person, just for having the same last name…
For a few years she escaped my attention, she was under my radar. Nothing was bringing her to the spot light. Things were done. American position in the UN secured and explained…
And then came the September 11, 2012…
“On the evening of September 11, 2012, Islamic militants attacked the American diplomatic mission at Benghazi, in Libya, killing U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and Sean Smith, U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer. (…)
Several hours later, in the early morning of the next day, a second assault targeted a nearby CIA annex in a different compound about one mile away, killing two CIA contractors, Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty.” (*2).
A few days before that event the Islamic World ‘boiled’ with fury against the offensive to the Islam, and the Prophet Mohammed, short movie which suddenly surfaced on YouTube and ‘the Hell got loose…’(*3)
There were angry demonstrations, sometimes riots, all over the world. Although to all non-Muslims this movie might have looked like a ‘bad taste’ but harmless jest, for the Muslims it was highly offensive.
When the attack on Benghazi American Consulate happened, the first thought on everybody’s mind was that those two events are related.
But at the same time even a 10 year old child knew that the attack carried by the heavily armed militants in 6 pick up trucks, is a terrorist action - however instigated or inspired - not a spontaneous protest.
Susan Rice officially stated then, that the attack was a result of riots and a response to the inflammatory video, and not the terrorist action.
When I heard her initial statement (right after the event), I couldn’t believe my ears.
One doesn’t have to be a military specialist to know that the well armed, and well organized group of attackers, who unfolded the bullet barrage on the unprotected (or insufficiently protected) US compound, using the heavy caliber machine guns, wasn’t an angry mob.
Susan Rice backed off from this statement a few days later in the series of the interviews, after the furious attacks of the Republicans and a bewilderment of Democrats (*4, *5). Yet, she was still defending her words, just adding “initially” to the statement.
She agreed that ‘later’ the extremists joined the riot, and performed the attack. Even though there were no riots in Benghazi at that time (*6).
I dismiss the Republican conclusion, that Susan Rice’s statement was a beginning effort of covering up the wrong-doing of the Obama Administration. It simply doesn’t make sense - especially, that the Administration was and is fully aware of the Republicans’ attitude and efforts…
In December 2012 Susan Rice in the result of that controversy withdrew herself from the consideration for the job of Secretary of State to replace Hilary Clinton.
__________
Some could have forgotten about this affair during the last 2 years. If they did, Benghazi controversy has been brought to our attention on numerous occasions recently in the context of the possible presidential campaign of Hilary Clinton and other policy references.
__________
A few days ago, American soldier Bowe Bergdahl, who spent the last 5 years as Prisoner of War, held by the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, was released by the Taliban as a result of the negotiated for a few years (brokered by the Cathar) swap of prisoners.
In exchange for the Sergeant Bergdahl (a private at the time of the capture) the Taliban received 5 high ranking Taliban officials held at the Guantanamo prison for 13 years.
“America doesn’t leave the men in the uniform behind” - it has been the US Armed Forces motto since the Revolutionary War. No one questions that. And it doesn’t matter if that man in uniform is a hero, or has some stains on his military career.
Maybe some people do not remember the media coverage of the Sergeant Bergdohl’s disappearance in 2009. It wasn’t a very loudly advertised event, but the media already were rising the question if the Private Bergdahl was a traitor, or a deserter… Some media outlets (although I can’t find the references on the Internet at this point - so it’s just my memory) speculated that he might have joined the Taliban and should have been treated as an ‘enemy combatant’…
His comrades, from his own unit, at the time of his ‘walk off’, are today quite vocal accusing him of ‘less than proper’, and ‘less than honorable’ conduct.
Of course, “the accused is presumed innocent, until proven guilty”, so it’s completely immaterial.
However, any official statement in this case, should be very carefully worded.
In such a climate, the current National Security Advisor Susan Rice stated in the interview for ABC’s This Week on June 1, 2014, on the lawn of the White House, defending the negotiations with Taliban to free him: “He served the United States with honor and distinction…”.
I can imagine several ways of making the right statement emphasizing his volunteering to the Armed Forces in the Time of the War, which is a honorable act by itself, but making a blanket statement like the one above is very imprecise, and at least ‘problematic’…
We didn’t have to wait long for the Republicans’ response… (*7) The media exploded.
The on-going campaign against the Obama Administration unleashed by the 'Bergdahl’s swap' is all about the issue of ‘no negotiations with terrorists’ rule, and about the released Taliban returning to the active fight against America in the near future…
It’s another topic, and it will occupy a lot of pundits and commentators for many months to go.
The war in Afghanistan is winding down, and someone has to provide the 'normal' life to Afghanis. Taliban is not going anywhere. It will be the major force in Afghanistan - the decisive force. It will be there, when we are not...
Getting back to Susan Rice: I do not know if she has a Tourette Syndrome, and can’t control herself making the ‘controversial’ public statements - or she just deliberately wants to harm the Obama Administration, which she does in fact... I am not here to judge...
Her harmful statements are not limited to the two referred to above. Maybe she should get a ‘desk job’ somewhere in the Administration - without the possibility of the damaging public appearances.
So, is she the Republicans’ secret weapon?
___________________
*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Rice
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Benghazi_attack
*3 - http://www.rferl.org/content/b-movie-behind-benghazi-bloodshed-antiislamic/24706092.html
*4 - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2239478/Susan-Rice-APOLOGIZES-calling-Benghazi-attack-terrorism.html
*5 - http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/rice-libya-attacks-spontaneous/
*6 - http://www.factcheck.org/2012/10/benghazi-timeline/
*7 - http://time.com/2822696/susan-rice-bowe-bergdahl/
Friday, June 6, 2014
D-Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day...
70 years ago, today, the Allied Forces made a risky landing on the beaches of Normandy, opening the last chapter of the World War II. Unbelievable effort, tremendous sacrifice… Of those who landed there, about 6 thousand were wounded and about 3 thousands didn’t see the green meadows and bushes of the French country side.
They stayed in the sands of the beaches codenamed: Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah, and Sword, forever.
We all remember them, and their sacrifice, on such occasions like D-Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day…
I was born in Europe, so, no one of my family members fought in the heroic action, we commemorate today.
But a day like today and the other Remembrance Days, mentioned above, make me remember my Mother - Genowefa Liwacz, who was 20 when the War broke, and right after the Russian Army (collaborating with Nazis in the invasion of Poland) invaded the Polish part of the Ukraine, joined the Underground, and fought Nazis, hoping, that her sacrifice, and the sacrifice of her 'brothers in arms' wouldn’t go in vain. She joined the Underground sponsored by the West (at that time there was no other), the Underground which answered to the Polish Government in Exile, which was formed in London.
She had dreamed of the free and independent Poland.
And yet, in 1944, on newly freed from Nazis Eastern Polish territories, she was arrested and thrown into the Russian jail for fighting under the ‘wrong’ banner, even though she fought the common enemy. She spent there nearly 4 years and until the death of Stalin in 1953, she had to report daily to the police after she was conditionally released.
Her only sin was that she didn't salut to Moscow...
She dreamed of the free and independent Poland. She lived to see it coming from ashes in 1989.
She lived to see me, her son, visit her when I became an American Citizen.
She died in 1994 in the troubled, but Free Country.
On such a day, like today, I remember her - a young soldier, who didn’t think twice before she answered the country’s calling - a soldier, who’s innocence was abruptly cut short, by the WAR.
On such a day, I remember all those, who fought against the oppression, of any sorts.
They stayed in the sands of the beaches codenamed: Juno, Gold, Omaha, Utah, and Sword, forever.
We all remember them, and their sacrifice, on such occasions like D-Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day…
I was born in Europe, so, no one of my family members fought in the heroic action, we commemorate today.
But a day like today and the other Remembrance Days, mentioned above, make me remember my Mother - Genowefa Liwacz, who was 20 when the War broke, and right after the Russian Army (collaborating with Nazis in the invasion of Poland) invaded the Polish part of the Ukraine, joined the Underground, and fought Nazis, hoping, that her sacrifice, and the sacrifice of her 'brothers in arms' wouldn’t go in vain. She joined the Underground sponsored by the West (at that time there was no other), the Underground which answered to the Polish Government in Exile, which was formed in London.
She had dreamed of the free and independent Poland.
And yet, in 1944, on newly freed from Nazis Eastern Polish territories, she was arrested and thrown into the Russian jail for fighting under the ‘wrong’ banner, even though she fought the common enemy. She spent there nearly 4 years and until the death of Stalin in 1953, she had to report daily to the police after she was conditionally released.
Her only sin was that she didn't salut to Moscow...
She dreamed of the free and independent Poland. She lived to see it coming from ashes in 1989.
She lived to see me, her son, visit her when I became an American Citizen.
She died in 1994 in the troubled, but Free Country.
On such a day, like today, I remember her - a young soldier, who didn’t think twice before she answered the country’s calling - a soldier, who’s innocence was abruptly cut short, by the WAR.
On such a day, I remember all those, who fought against the oppression, of any sorts.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Ukraine... Do you hear the War Drums…?
The Geneva conference on the Ukraine’s crisis ended a few week ago. To everybody’s surprise, both Lavarov (Russia) and Carry(USA) pronounced the closing statements, which mirrored each other in their entirety.
One might have said: ‘good - at last Russia comes to its senses, and maybe the catastrophe is going to be prevented…’
Although it sounded like a true possibility, the following days proved the opposite. Russians never openly accept responsibility for their conniving actions. They always try to ride a high horse and preach around about the moral values and international law… violating all of it at the same time themselves. So, why this time should be different? It isn’t.
Let’s remember that they didn’t have any moral dilemma sending tanks to Budapest (Hungary) in 1956 and to Prague (Czechoslovakia) in 1968, when the people started to voice their disapproval of the system… They got ‘smarter’ in time and in 1980 they didn’t invade Poland, but forced Polish government to impose over the revolting nation a year long ’Martial Law’. And then… Afghanistan, Chechnya…
Let’s not forget, that, when the Communist North Vietnam army attacked and eventually overcome the South Vietnam, it was the USSR, who helped them in arms and personnel. America felt compelled to respond, and did so, getting involved in the most unpopular war of the XX-h Century.
When in 1992 the Soviet Union fell apart - giving finally the opportunity for the independent and sovereign future to the former ‘satellite’ countries, like Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and others, some of the former Soviet Republics broke away, becoming independent countries as well.
It’s never easy to try to develop the ‘new’ form of the democratic (not only democratically elected) government. Decades of the ‘communist’ rules with their corruption and almost unlimited power of the ‘red bourgeoisie’ are very difficult to shake off. In all of these countries, most of the society didn’t want to have anything to do with the Russia, but even that was impossible to achieve. All of these countries needed Russia as a trade partner, a buyer of their product (which in most cases, wouldn’t be too attractive to the West, but good enough for Russia) and as a supplier of the oil and gas, which was in the abundance in Russia.
As it transpires after more than two decades, the complacency of most of the European countries in creating any alternative energy sources, or attempting to find other supply markets for their gas needs, resulted in the Russian monopoly. It became dramatically obvious in 2010, when the supply of the gas to Europe was interrupted because of the trade dispute with the Ukraine… Ukrainians are dependent on Russian gas, and as of 2 weeks ago they have to pay 40% more the before, for the supply.
Let’s bring to the discussion some historical facts, concerning Ukraine, facts, of which most of the Americans are oblivious. Nothing is easy, when you think of the history of that region. Nothing is easily explainable. And, most of the completely opposing political positions have some justification, so well exploited by the Russians.
Ukrainians always had a strong separatist tendencies. Who can blame them? Different from the neighbors, speaking similar, but different language they were longing for independence for a long time. For centuries the Ukraine was divided between the neighboring countries (Poland, Russia).
The Ukrainian nationalism, and a separatist movement was growing steadily for centuries. It was born as early as in the 17-th Century Ruthenian uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (*1, *2). When in 1795 Poland disappeared from the map of Europe, split between the neighboring superpowers - Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russia and Prussia (now Germany), Ukraine followed the same fate.
During the October revolution in Russia in 1917 the Kiev Uprising in November of 1917 resulted in defeat of the Imperial Russian Forces in the Ukrainian capital. Soon after the country split in 2 rival parts - one in Kiev run by Central Rada, and another - hostile to Kiev, established by the Bolsheviks in Kharkiv (in the Eastern Ukraine). On January 22, 1918 Kiev broke ties with Russia.
The WWI was in its last stages.
Facing the danger of being overcome by Russia, the Kiev government turned for help to Germans and Austro-Hungarians, whose armies freed the Western Ukraine from the Communists.
With the end of the WWI, when Germany and Austro-Hungary lost their strong grip over the Poland, Ukraine and other countries of the region, in 1919 Poland finally received its sovereignty.
Part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - Galicia, which held until that moment Poland and Western Ukraine and was inhabited by both Poles and Ukrainians, fell apart.
Non-Communist Ukrainians tried again to withstand the Bolsheviks offensive, and finally joined their former adversary - Poland in April 1920. At this point Poland was involved in often successful, war activities against the Communist Russia. In the result - the most Western part of the Ukraine, sacrificing its sovereignty, joined Poland. It’s biggest city Lviv became one of the greatest cultural centers of the newly established, free Poland.
The Ukrainian part with it’s capital in Kiev fell under the communists pressure and became a Soviet Republic.
In 1918 the Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine - an anarchist partisan army was created, and fought against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. It died in 1920 with the execution of the leaders and commanders of the movement by the Red Army (*3).
In 1939 the WWII broke, and while Hitler’s army attacked from the West, Russians invaded from the East, taking Polish part of the Ukraine. The action was well coordinated with Germans, a part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939 (4*).
Everything changed when in June 1941, Germany invaded Russia.
In October 1942 the Ukrainian Nationalists created The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (in Ukrainian - UPA) with Stephen Bandera at the ‘helm’, paramilitary and later partisan army that engaged in a series of guerrilla conflicts during WWII against Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, the Polish civilian population of German-occupied western Ukraine, and both Underground and Communist Poland. When summarized in a short sentence the picture looks very confusing. Although associated with Nazi Germany for a while (when Germans promised the creation of the Independent Ukraine of the German held territories - until the Germans’ ‘change of heart’), the main aggression of the UPA was directed toward Soviet and Polish (supported by Soviets) Armies, as well as the Polish Underground (both - sponsored by Russians as well as sponsored by the West). Some of UPA members served in the Galicia branch of the SS - the most cruel, elite forces of the Nazi German Army.
The most controversial agenda, was conducting of the ‘ethnic cleansing’ on the territories, where the substantial part of the population was Polish.
Depending on what sources are consulted the number of Polish victims to the UPA ‘ethnic cleansing’ was as high as 50,000.
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army conducted the partisan activities even after the end of the WWII: until 1947 on Polish territories and until 1949 on the Soviet territories. The UPA was formally disbanded in early September, 1949. However, some of its units continued operations until 1956.
The memory of the UPA brings nightmares to the Polish population of the South East parts of the Poland until today. But it’s a nightmare of the long gone past.
At the same time the UPA’s importance in the fight for the Ukrainian independence and sovereignty is undeniable. Until today for some people UPA as a military arm of the Ukrainian Nationalists and its soldiers are heroes. Some people conveniently forget of the Nazi ‘episode’ in its history. But the UPA is not the current Ukrainian society. Societies evolve. Ideologies change.
Nazi Germany was a most destructive force in the World during the WWI and WWII, and yet at the end of the XX-th Century and at the beginning of the XXI-st Century, Germany are one of the most creative and balanced forces in the same Europe.
But this is the reason, why the Russians so strongly attack all the pro-Western Ukrainian activists.
We hear over and over the term ‘neo-nazism’ in reference to all Ukrainian activists who do not want to succumb to the conniving actions of the Russia, who sends their soldiers, and incites to the unrest in the Eastern Ukraine.
Since they (Russians) never evolved, always having the imperialistic appetites and acting upon them, enslaving countries and the peoples in the process - they suspect all others to live their lives the same way.
The Ukrainians tried different alliances in the history. Some of them worked, some other not, and let’s say were highly misguided.
They can’t be alone in the political World. If they want to be a sovereign country and resist the Russian aggression and the notion to absorb the 25 years old Free Ukraine, they have to get somebody’s support. In 1919 the Ukraine joined Poland in the opposition to the USSR threat.
In 2014, this is where the US is coming to play, along with the United Europe, of which the New Ukraine wanted to become a part.
At the very end of April 2014, the Russian rhetoric against the Government in Kiev is getting stronger. The Russian special forces, in the well pressed, new and unmarked uniforms, with the brand new Russian Army issued weapons keep infiltrate the Eastern part of the Ukraine, supporting the short sighted secession proponents, and inciting to more violence against the Kiev Government and its functionaries.
After the annexation of the Crimea, the same argument and the same tactics are in place taking over the district after district in the Eastern Ukraine.
Russians claim that all they do is to protect the Russian speaking population of the Eastern Ukraine, although no one ever claimed that the discrimination has ever occurred. Instead, the number of killed, maimed or missing pro-European activists or politicians in the Eastern Ukraine grows. The violence is perpetrated by the separatists - those who want to join Russia, not the other camp.
Kiev is promising the changes to the constitution giving more power to the Eastern parts, and accepting the Russian as a second language - and yet the Russian do not change the rhetoric.
When Russians invaded Poland and after the WWII appropriated the Polish Part of Lithuania, and Polish Part of Ukraine with at least 25% of population being Polish - the persecution of the Poles in these territories raised to the levels known only from the Nazi occupation of Poland.
Based on the 2014 Russian rhetoric, Poland should have invaded these territories back and take the Poles living there under the Polish umbrella…
Let’s look at a very interesting scenario:
The Eastern Ukraine is not Crimea. The majority of the population is the Ukrainians. They are right now mistreated by the ‘bullies’ and Russian-inspired militants. If Putin takes over this part of the country, knowing Russians so far, one can bet, that the Ukrainians will be persecuted by the Russia and pro-Russia individuals, who will be even more empowered, than now.
So, it would be the RESPONSIBILITY, not only the right, of Ukrainians to invade back, this part of (then) Russia, in order to protect the Ukrainian-speakers.
This is the behavior of the political ‘bully’.
And what is the US position on such an obvious act of aggression against a sovereign country?
So far we pile up the sanctions, which are ‘the slap on the hand’ for Putin and his cronies. Even when they start hurting the Russian economy, it wouldn’t change the Putin’s position. He is working on ‘his position in history’, as a uniter of the Russian people.
So far he hasn’t even blinked and he knows that the West is not so eager to ‘do’ anything to stop him. He enjoys a complete impunity. The on-going American military exercises in Estonia Lithuania and Poland are, maybe an annoying ‘mosquito’ under his nose, but nothing serious.
The Ukraine, unlike the actual members of NATO is not covered by the ‘Article 5’ of the NATO Statute. So, are we going to stand on the sidelines (literally), and do nothing while he (Putin) appropriates the huge part of Ukraine?
I would never thought that I would be inclined to advocate the military option. And yet, this is what I am considering and supporting. Someone has to put stop to the Putin’s bullying. If he is not stopped now, no other country, close to his borders is safe.
He wants to rebuild the empire. So, who is next? Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Poland…
The time to put stop to Putin’s aggression is not after he finishes the annexation of the Eastern Ukraine, and prepares for the farther aggressions. The time to stop him is now.
______________________
*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthenians
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_nationalism
*3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revolutionary_Insurrectionary_Army_of_Ukraine
*4 - https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Molotov–Ribbentrop_Pact.html
One might have said: ‘good - at last Russia comes to its senses, and maybe the catastrophe is going to be prevented…’
Although it sounded like a true possibility, the following days proved the opposite. Russians never openly accept responsibility for their conniving actions. They always try to ride a high horse and preach around about the moral values and international law… violating all of it at the same time themselves. So, why this time should be different? It isn’t.
Let’s remember that they didn’t have any moral dilemma sending tanks to Budapest (Hungary) in 1956 and to Prague (Czechoslovakia) in 1968, when the people started to voice their disapproval of the system… They got ‘smarter’ in time and in 1980 they didn’t invade Poland, but forced Polish government to impose over the revolting nation a year long ’Martial Law’. And then… Afghanistan, Chechnya…
Let’s not forget, that, when the Communist North Vietnam army attacked and eventually overcome the South Vietnam, it was the USSR, who helped them in arms and personnel. America felt compelled to respond, and did so, getting involved in the most unpopular war of the XX-h Century.
When in 1992 the Soviet Union fell apart - giving finally the opportunity for the independent and sovereign future to the former ‘satellite’ countries, like Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and others, some of the former Soviet Republics broke away, becoming independent countries as well.
It’s never easy to try to develop the ‘new’ form of the democratic (not only democratically elected) government. Decades of the ‘communist’ rules with their corruption and almost unlimited power of the ‘red bourgeoisie’ are very difficult to shake off. In all of these countries, most of the society didn’t want to have anything to do with the Russia, but even that was impossible to achieve. All of these countries needed Russia as a trade partner, a buyer of their product (which in most cases, wouldn’t be too attractive to the West, but good enough for Russia) and as a supplier of the oil and gas, which was in the abundance in Russia.
As it transpires after more than two decades, the complacency of most of the European countries in creating any alternative energy sources, or attempting to find other supply markets for their gas needs, resulted in the Russian monopoly. It became dramatically obvious in 2010, when the supply of the gas to Europe was interrupted because of the trade dispute with the Ukraine… Ukrainians are dependent on Russian gas, and as of 2 weeks ago they have to pay 40% more the before, for the supply.
Let’s bring to the discussion some historical facts, concerning Ukraine, facts, of which most of the Americans are oblivious. Nothing is easy, when you think of the history of that region. Nothing is easily explainable. And, most of the completely opposing political positions have some justification, so well exploited by the Russians.
Ukrainians always had a strong separatist tendencies. Who can blame them? Different from the neighbors, speaking similar, but different language they were longing for independence for a long time. For centuries the Ukraine was divided between the neighboring countries (Poland, Russia).
The Ukrainian nationalism, and a separatist movement was growing steadily for centuries. It was born as early as in the 17-th Century Ruthenian uprising against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (*1, *2). When in 1795 Poland disappeared from the map of Europe, split between the neighboring superpowers - Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russia and Prussia (now Germany), Ukraine followed the same fate.
During the October revolution in Russia in 1917 the Kiev Uprising in November of 1917 resulted in defeat of the Imperial Russian Forces in the Ukrainian capital. Soon after the country split in 2 rival parts - one in Kiev run by Central Rada, and another - hostile to Kiev, established by the Bolsheviks in Kharkiv (in the Eastern Ukraine). On January 22, 1918 Kiev broke ties with Russia.
The WWI was in its last stages.
Facing the danger of being overcome by Russia, the Kiev government turned for help to Germans and Austro-Hungarians, whose armies freed the Western Ukraine from the Communists.
With the end of the WWI, when Germany and Austro-Hungary lost their strong grip over the Poland, Ukraine and other countries of the region, in 1919 Poland finally received its sovereignty.
Part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - Galicia, which held until that moment Poland and Western Ukraine and was inhabited by both Poles and Ukrainians, fell apart.
Non-Communist Ukrainians tried again to withstand the Bolsheviks offensive, and finally joined their former adversary - Poland in April 1920. At this point Poland was involved in often successful, war activities against the Communist Russia. In the result - the most Western part of the Ukraine, sacrificing its sovereignty, joined Poland. It’s biggest city Lviv became one of the greatest cultural centers of the newly established, free Poland.
The Ukrainian part with it’s capital in Kiev fell under the communists pressure and became a Soviet Republic.
In 1918 the Revolutionary Insurrectionary Army of Ukraine - an anarchist partisan army was created, and fought against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War. It died in 1920 with the execution of the leaders and commanders of the movement by the Red Army (*3).
In 1939 the WWII broke, and while Hitler’s army attacked from the West, Russians invaded from the East, taking Polish part of the Ukraine. The action was well coordinated with Germans, a part of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of August 1939 (4*).
Everything changed when in June 1941, Germany invaded Russia.
In October 1942 the Ukrainian Nationalists created The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (in Ukrainian - UPA) with Stephen Bandera at the ‘helm’, paramilitary and later partisan army that engaged in a series of guerrilla conflicts during WWII against Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, the Polish civilian population of German-occupied western Ukraine, and both Underground and Communist Poland. When summarized in a short sentence the picture looks very confusing. Although associated with Nazi Germany for a while (when Germans promised the creation of the Independent Ukraine of the German held territories - until the Germans’ ‘change of heart’), the main aggression of the UPA was directed toward Soviet and Polish (supported by Soviets) Armies, as well as the Polish Underground (both - sponsored by Russians as well as sponsored by the West). Some of UPA members served in the Galicia branch of the SS - the most cruel, elite forces of the Nazi German Army.
The most controversial agenda, was conducting of the ‘ethnic cleansing’ on the territories, where the substantial part of the population was Polish.
Depending on what sources are consulted the number of Polish victims to the UPA ‘ethnic cleansing’ was as high as 50,000.
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army conducted the partisan activities even after the end of the WWII: until 1947 on Polish territories and until 1949 on the Soviet territories. The UPA was formally disbanded in early September, 1949. However, some of its units continued operations until 1956.
The memory of the UPA brings nightmares to the Polish population of the South East parts of the Poland until today. But it’s a nightmare of the long gone past.
At the same time the UPA’s importance in the fight for the Ukrainian independence and sovereignty is undeniable. Until today for some people UPA as a military arm of the Ukrainian Nationalists and its soldiers are heroes. Some people conveniently forget of the Nazi ‘episode’ in its history. But the UPA is not the current Ukrainian society. Societies evolve. Ideologies change.
Nazi Germany was a most destructive force in the World during the WWI and WWII, and yet at the end of the XX-th Century and at the beginning of the XXI-st Century, Germany are one of the most creative and balanced forces in the same Europe.
But this is the reason, why the Russians so strongly attack all the pro-Western Ukrainian activists.
We hear over and over the term ‘neo-nazism’ in reference to all Ukrainian activists who do not want to succumb to the conniving actions of the Russia, who sends their soldiers, and incites to the unrest in the Eastern Ukraine.
Since they (Russians) never evolved, always having the imperialistic appetites and acting upon them, enslaving countries and the peoples in the process - they suspect all others to live their lives the same way.
The Ukrainians tried different alliances in the history. Some of them worked, some other not, and let’s say were highly misguided.
They can’t be alone in the political World. If they want to be a sovereign country and resist the Russian aggression and the notion to absorb the 25 years old Free Ukraine, they have to get somebody’s support. In 1919 the Ukraine joined Poland in the opposition to the USSR threat.
In 2014, this is where the US is coming to play, along with the United Europe, of which the New Ukraine wanted to become a part.
At the very end of April 2014, the Russian rhetoric against the Government in Kiev is getting stronger. The Russian special forces, in the well pressed, new and unmarked uniforms, with the brand new Russian Army issued weapons keep infiltrate the Eastern part of the Ukraine, supporting the short sighted secession proponents, and inciting to more violence against the Kiev Government and its functionaries.
After the annexation of the Crimea, the same argument and the same tactics are in place taking over the district after district in the Eastern Ukraine.
Russians claim that all they do is to protect the Russian speaking population of the Eastern Ukraine, although no one ever claimed that the discrimination has ever occurred. Instead, the number of killed, maimed or missing pro-European activists or politicians in the Eastern Ukraine grows. The violence is perpetrated by the separatists - those who want to join Russia, not the other camp.
Kiev is promising the changes to the constitution giving more power to the Eastern parts, and accepting the Russian as a second language - and yet the Russian do not change the rhetoric.
When Russians invaded Poland and after the WWII appropriated the Polish Part of Lithuania, and Polish Part of Ukraine with at least 25% of population being Polish - the persecution of the Poles in these territories raised to the levels known only from the Nazi occupation of Poland.
Based on the 2014 Russian rhetoric, Poland should have invaded these territories back and take the Poles living there under the Polish umbrella…
Let’s look at a very interesting scenario:
The Eastern Ukraine is not Crimea. The majority of the population is the Ukrainians. They are right now mistreated by the ‘bullies’ and Russian-inspired militants. If Putin takes over this part of the country, knowing Russians so far, one can bet, that the Ukrainians will be persecuted by the Russia and pro-Russia individuals, who will be even more empowered, than now.
So, it would be the RESPONSIBILITY, not only the right, of Ukrainians to invade back, this part of (then) Russia, in order to protect the Ukrainian-speakers.
This is the behavior of the political ‘bully’.
And what is the US position on such an obvious act of aggression against a sovereign country?
So far we pile up the sanctions, which are ‘the slap on the hand’ for Putin and his cronies. Even when they start hurting the Russian economy, it wouldn’t change the Putin’s position. He is working on ‘his position in history’, as a uniter of the Russian people.
So far he hasn’t even blinked and he knows that the West is not so eager to ‘do’ anything to stop him. He enjoys a complete impunity. The on-going American military exercises in Estonia Lithuania and Poland are, maybe an annoying ‘mosquito’ under his nose, but nothing serious.
The Ukraine, unlike the actual members of NATO is not covered by the ‘Article 5’ of the NATO Statute. So, are we going to stand on the sidelines (literally), and do nothing while he (Putin) appropriates the huge part of Ukraine?
I would never thought that I would be inclined to advocate the military option. And yet, this is what I am considering and supporting. Someone has to put stop to the Putin’s bullying. If he is not stopped now, no other country, close to his borders is safe.
He wants to rebuild the empire. So, who is next? Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Belarus, Poland…
The time to put stop to Putin’s aggression is not after he finishes the annexation of the Eastern Ukraine, and prepares for the farther aggressions. The time to stop him is now.
______________________
*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruthenians
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_nationalism
*3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Revolutionary_Insurrectionary_Army_of_Ukraine
*4 - https://www.princeton.edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/Molotov–Ribbentrop_Pact.html
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Putin’s dream of isolation.
It’s March 20, 2014. The US President has just announced the increased sanctions on the Russian politicians, oligarch, banks and other targets. He threatened furthering these sanctions if/when Putin decides on escalation of his aggression toward the Ukraine or any other now-sovereign, former republics.
________
Russia has always had an excellent (although most often ‘satanic’) policies. They have proven over and over, that what they have ever done was very profoundly prepared, estimated, and executed. they always challenged the West by their moves, and most often got away with it.
Only sometimes their predictions of the Western reaction were missed, or - using our former President neologism - they ‘miss-underestimated’ our response.
I am not a conspiracy-theorist in general. When Russians are involved, though, I always try to find the ‘double deck’, hidden intensions, and, sometimes the elusive, located far in the future goals. Their politics, a bit like Chinese, may have goals 50, 100 years ahead. It’s only possible in the ideologically driven countries - even when they finally embrace the ‘(not so)-free market’ economy.
Russian leaders live in their own reality, the ‘close-circuit’ reality. Putin stated on numerous occasions, that the ‘glasnost’(*1) and ’perestroika’(*2), which led to the the end of the ‘cold war’, was the biggest Soviet mistake. When Russia started acting upon the principles brought by the glasnost and perestroika, it became increasingly difficult to lead the same political path as before. If/when the Russian Government opened itself to its nation scrutiny, nothing could be run as it was before. Unheard before the protests to the particular political decisions, voiced by the thousands, became the burden, the new government had to deal with. As we know it dealt wit it in a heavy handed, but covert way - loudest opponents were simply disappearing, to be found with the bullet in the head, or
unrecognizably mutilated.
At the same time, all movement of the country on the World platform were more visible, and needed explanation. To explain anything to the West…? It was taking the edge from the Russian politics.
the KGB ‘Apparatchik’ like Putin must have really suffered. Suddenly Russia entered the World Society, and had to behave like a member of it, answering questions and responding to accusations - when before… they could just ignore that.
Russia has always been isolated from the rest of the World. In their, and their satellites’ reality it was an absolute ruler, and to the rest of the World it was a ’Superpower’ to be reckoned with. It was also, so easy to explain to their own people, that all the failures are the result of the Western politics and aggression, and that all the successes are even more important and precious in the same context.
And suddenly, after the 1991, the successes and failures became just that: successes and failures of the government and its politics. Russia as a ’Superpower’ was gone, but it lived in the mind of nationalistic Russians, and their leader, like Putin.
__________
As I stated above, I am not a conspiracy-theorist in general. But when I recall the timeline of the Syrian conflict, I can’t help but wonder…
Syria has always been in the Russian orbit. It was a Russian ‘plug’ into the Middle East, as well the broker for the shady transactions (oil +) with the Iran, with whom the no-one could legally trade. Suria was that convenient proxy. Later in the Arab Spring even Syria caught on fire, and its President Assad (member of the small religious minority - Alawites (*3)) escalated the un-proportional response to the peaceful (at the beginning) protests, killing hundreds of the protesters daily. Always justifying it as a war with the terrorists, he lived to the self-fulfilling prophecy: ‘Al-Qaeda’ affiliate (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (*4)) became the major player in this conflict - making the Western help in arming the fighter almost impossible.
The west was watching, contemplating the intervention, trying to device the campaign which would produce somewhat stable results, not alike the post war Iraq or Afghanistan. I am sure that a small expeditionary force who would ‘take the Assad out’ was under consideration…
And then - Bashar al-Assad, following the footsteps of his father, started exterminating the rebel supporting cities. Not, just some active centers of the opposition, but the whole settlements. And he did it not only using a destructive force of the conventional weapons… He used the poisonous gas, on the whole population of the attacked locations. His stacks of the chemical weapons was huge (a Russian ‘gift’ from the sixties and seventies). it became immediately clear, that the chemical weapons are dangerous in his hands… but in the hands of the wrong factions, after he is gone, they may become the weapons against the West in general, and Israel in particular.
Situation grew to the level of complexity, one can only call: a GORDIAN KNOT. The impossible task of un-tying this knot suddenly became possible when Russians offered help in convincing the Syria’s President to give up his chemical weapons to the international community. Suddenly, from the villain, who was about to be attacked and exterminated - Bashar al-Assad rose to the level of a ‘good guy’, who wants to cooperate with the World Community and give up, illegal and condemned by the World chemical weapons. What a sinister twist. Now we need this villain to complete this task. He stalls, not complying with the schedule, intensifying the extermination of the opposition by the conventional weapons, and we stand by and ‘clap our hands’ in approval of his generousness…
What I am suggesting at this time, is, that it is Russia, who is standing behind all of it. Not from the moment of defusing the situation, when the West (and Israel) were about to attack Syria (opening another Pandora’s Box), but from the very beginning!!!
I am suspecting, that the Russians advised Assad to use his chemical weapons on the innocent population, so they would be able to do what they did and SAVE ‘HIS BEHIND’.
It is really a sinister scenario - and right on the level of Russian conniving policies. They never considered people above the political gains. Quite the contrary. Under their rules, the people have always fell the victims of the policies. The sacrifices for the greater ‘good’ (greater good - read - ‘particular interests’).
__________
With the thousands of soldiers and the heavy equipment on the Ukrainian border, the self proclaimed pro-Russian militia (supported by the Russian Special Forces) forced themselves into the Ukrainian Navy Headquarters and a few other military installations and ordered the Ukrainian soldiers and personal to ‘go home’ or to join the Russian Army. And all of it was done while the hundreds of women walked in front of the invading forces - a human shield. As fas as we all know, human shields were used by Nazi forces in many of the urban fights on the invaded territories. This practice has been condemned internationally, and yet the Russians have no problem violating any international laws.
I am afraid that the near future might create much longer list of these violations, committed by the Russians. Russians want the return of the ‘cold war’. And we all are on a final stretch…
___________________________
*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasnost
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestroika
*3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alawites
*4 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant
________
Russia has always had an excellent (although most often ‘satanic’) policies. They have proven over and over, that what they have ever done was very profoundly prepared, estimated, and executed. they always challenged the West by their moves, and most often got away with it.
Only sometimes their predictions of the Western reaction were missed, or - using our former President neologism - they ‘miss-underestimated’ our response.
I am not a conspiracy-theorist in general. When Russians are involved, though, I always try to find the ‘double deck’, hidden intensions, and, sometimes the elusive, located far in the future goals. Their politics, a bit like Chinese, may have goals 50, 100 years ahead. It’s only possible in the ideologically driven countries - even when they finally embrace the ‘(not so)-free market’ economy.
Russian leaders live in their own reality, the ‘close-circuit’ reality. Putin stated on numerous occasions, that the ‘glasnost’(*1) and ’perestroika’(*2), which led to the the end of the ‘cold war’, was the biggest Soviet mistake. When Russia started acting upon the principles brought by the glasnost and perestroika, it became increasingly difficult to lead the same political path as before. If/when the Russian Government opened itself to its nation scrutiny, nothing could be run as it was before. Unheard before the protests to the particular political decisions, voiced by the thousands, became the burden, the new government had to deal with. As we know it dealt wit it in a heavy handed, but covert way - loudest opponents were simply disappearing, to be found with the bullet in the head, or
unrecognizably mutilated.
At the same time, all movement of the country on the World platform were more visible, and needed explanation. To explain anything to the West…? It was taking the edge from the Russian politics.
the KGB ‘Apparatchik’ like Putin must have really suffered. Suddenly Russia entered the World Society, and had to behave like a member of it, answering questions and responding to accusations - when before… they could just ignore that.
Russia has always been isolated from the rest of the World. In their, and their satellites’ reality it was an absolute ruler, and to the rest of the World it was a ’Superpower’ to be reckoned with. It was also, so easy to explain to their own people, that all the failures are the result of the Western politics and aggression, and that all the successes are even more important and precious in the same context.
And suddenly, after the 1991, the successes and failures became just that: successes and failures of the government and its politics. Russia as a ’Superpower’ was gone, but it lived in the mind of nationalistic Russians, and their leader, like Putin.
__________
As I stated above, I am not a conspiracy-theorist in general. But when I recall the timeline of the Syrian conflict, I can’t help but wonder…
Syria has always been in the Russian orbit. It was a Russian ‘plug’ into the Middle East, as well the broker for the shady transactions (oil +) with the Iran, with whom the no-one could legally trade. Suria was that convenient proxy. Later in the Arab Spring even Syria caught on fire, and its President Assad (member of the small religious minority - Alawites (*3)) escalated the un-proportional response to the peaceful (at the beginning) protests, killing hundreds of the protesters daily. Always justifying it as a war with the terrorists, he lived to the self-fulfilling prophecy: ‘Al-Qaeda’ affiliate (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (*4)) became the major player in this conflict - making the Western help in arming the fighter almost impossible.
The west was watching, contemplating the intervention, trying to device the campaign which would produce somewhat stable results, not alike the post war Iraq or Afghanistan. I am sure that a small expeditionary force who would ‘take the Assad out’ was under consideration…
And then - Bashar al-Assad, following the footsteps of his father, started exterminating the rebel supporting cities. Not, just some active centers of the opposition, but the whole settlements. And he did it not only using a destructive force of the conventional weapons… He used the poisonous gas, on the whole population of the attacked locations. His stacks of the chemical weapons was huge (a Russian ‘gift’ from the sixties and seventies). it became immediately clear, that the chemical weapons are dangerous in his hands… but in the hands of the wrong factions, after he is gone, they may become the weapons against the West in general, and Israel in particular.
Situation grew to the level of complexity, one can only call: a GORDIAN KNOT. The impossible task of un-tying this knot suddenly became possible when Russians offered help in convincing the Syria’s President to give up his chemical weapons to the international community. Suddenly, from the villain, who was about to be attacked and exterminated - Bashar al-Assad rose to the level of a ‘good guy’, who wants to cooperate with the World Community and give up, illegal and condemned by the World chemical weapons. What a sinister twist. Now we need this villain to complete this task. He stalls, not complying with the schedule, intensifying the extermination of the opposition by the conventional weapons, and we stand by and ‘clap our hands’ in approval of his generousness…
What I am suggesting at this time, is, that it is Russia, who is standing behind all of it. Not from the moment of defusing the situation, when the West (and Israel) were about to attack Syria (opening another Pandora’s Box), but from the very beginning!!!
I am suspecting, that the Russians advised Assad to use his chemical weapons on the innocent population, so they would be able to do what they did and SAVE ‘HIS BEHIND’.
It is really a sinister scenario - and right on the level of Russian conniving policies. They never considered people above the political gains. Quite the contrary. Under their rules, the people have always fell the victims of the policies. The sacrifices for the greater ‘good’ (greater good - read - ‘particular interests’).
__________
With the thousands of soldiers and the heavy equipment on the Ukrainian border, the self proclaimed pro-Russian militia (supported by the Russian Special Forces) forced themselves into the Ukrainian Navy Headquarters and a few other military installations and ordered the Ukrainian soldiers and personal to ‘go home’ or to join the Russian Army. And all of it was done while the hundreds of women walked in front of the invading forces - a human shield. As fas as we all know, human shields were used by Nazi forces in many of the urban fights on the invaded territories. This practice has been condemned internationally, and yet the Russians have no problem violating any international laws.
I am afraid that the near future might create much longer list of these violations, committed by the Russians. Russians want the return of the ‘cold war’. And we all are on a final stretch…
___________________________
*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasnost
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perestroika
*3 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alawites
*4 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Russia is, and has always been an Evil Empire.
Russia is, and has always been an Evil Empire.
Never a Democracy… always run by a ruthless Dictator and
it’s merciless, and often covert apparatus.
Since the beginning of the civilization Russia has been
constantly terrorizing it’s neighbors, never respecting any international laws,
nor treaties.
It’s completely normal, that any country acts to provide the
best environment for it’s security, growth and prosperity. There are generally acceptable ways of
conduct leading to that, benefitting also all the neighbors, and providing a
natural and self-propelling, stable environment.
Unfortunately many countries with the imperialistic
appetites, like Russia, always preferred having an upper hand in any
international relationships, providing it by the sword and fire.
After the October Revolution of 1917, when Russia got rid of
the Tsar, and established the USSR (CCCP), only the political system changed,
not the appetite for domination and control over the surrounding
countries. Although, coming out of
the WWI, USSR gave the sovereignty to Poland (previously oppressed and divided
between Russia, Germany and Austro-Hungary), it’s long term plan for the
hegemony and iron clad control over this part of Europe was far from over.
When it was threatened by a possibility of the Hitler’s
aggression, Russia didn’t have a moral dilemma, but initiated the conniving
treaty with Ribbentrop (Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany), giving Hitler a
‘carte blanche’ for his plans to invade the rest of the Central Europe, as long
as the Russia was spared.
Based on this sneaky agreement, when Hitler initiated the
WWII, invading the Poland from the West, USSR invaded the Polish Eastern
territories (which happen to be the Polish part of the Ukraine). Only recently, after decades of denying
the facts, Russia finally acknowledged the Katyn massacre, where several
thousands of Polish Army officers were seized and killed by the Russian forces, at the beginning of the war.
USSR suffered tremendous losses during that war. More than 20 million of its citizens
lost their lives, and other millions were displaced by the war activities. Also, helped by other countries of
anti-Nazis coalition (especially American food and weapons), USSR played a
major role in the defeat of the Nazi-Germany War Machine. These are the well known facts. No one can diminish their importance.
And yet, there is an other face of this coin, showing how the
defeat of Germany by the Russian Army was achieved, and how it looked from the
perspective of the countries, which laid on it’s way.
For political reasons no one wanted to talk, nor even
remember of the millions of people in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, etc. who
suffered the impact of the Russian, behaving like ‘locust’, army. Millions of women have been raped, and
millions of properties looted by the Russian soldiers. Everything what hadn’t been destroyed
by Germans, fell victim to the ‘locust’, Russian army.
There is also a little known to the World (or little
remembered) incident of the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, against the occupying German
forces in Warsaw. The uprising happened when the victorious Russian
Army was approaching the Polish capital.
And yet, the Russians stopped short, on the East side of the Vistula
River, watching the Warsaw Uprising to bleed out and die, with a great number
of it’s brave fighters exterminated by vindictive German forces.
Russians, having the clearly defined plan for the future of
Poland, being it’s communist satellite, preferred to see the Polish uprising
die, instead of having to deal with the strong and ‘empowered’ Polish
opposition.
And then, the history brought the creation of the New World
Order, where the USSR took over the Eastern and Central Europe and enslaved
hundreds of millions of people in the controlled by the local Communist
governments countries of the Eastern Block. The Russian ruthless leaders kept changing, but method of
the control stayed the same. Army
and the Police in all the countries of the Eastern Block applied the disproportional force at the
smallest and most innocent signals of the public distress, opposition, or descent. People disappeared and rotted in the
prison, or the labor camps all over the region, not sparing the Russian society. Stalin himself (died finally in 1953,
allowing a partial ‘thaw out' of the communist rules in Poland) was responsible
for the death of more than a million of his own people, who voiced disapproval, or simple
were suspected of the descent.
The external policy of Russia has always been imperialistic,
executed with no scruples, under false presences, and with completely dishonest
explanation.
Russia always opposed any form of the Western intervention,
or mingling with the affairs of other countries, publicly demanding that all the nations have a right to making their own political and economical decisions… But the same principles never applied
to the Russian intervention and mingling with other countries' fate.
The Cold War was in a full swing, bringing the World very close to the Nuclear Annihilation - when Nikita Khrushchev (the Russian Leader in the Sixties) tried to install the nuclear missiles in the Communist controlled island of Cuba, a few hundred miles South from the US mainland.
The Cold War was in a full swing, bringing the World very close to the Nuclear Annihilation - when Nikita Khrushchev (the Russian Leader in the Sixties) tried to install the nuclear missiles in the Communist controlled island of Cuba, a few hundred miles South from the US mainland.
Established right after the WWII, United Nations (replacing
the League of Nations) created the Security Council (in 1946) - an International body
comprised of 15 members - and only 5 Permanent Members (China, France, Russia,
United Kingdom and the United States), who was supposed to provide the
collective security in the World... It soon became a farce - when any initiative could,
and often has been brought down by the ‘veto’ of one or another Communist power
(when a couple of days ago the UN Security Council tried to forge a simple
statement condemning the Russian Annex of the Ukrainian Crimea - Russians
exercised the right to VETO for the 100th time - what an achievement !).
Right after the WWII the West felt very uncomfortable with
the growing strength and importance of the USSR, and it’s territorial and
political ambitions. There were
discussions of the open war with the growing adversary… We had ’The Bomb’. We used it, and the World knew it’s
potential. So, we could think
about the World according to our gospel…
Oh, wait… On August 29, 1949 we lost this edge. USSR exploded it’s first atomic
bomb. It’s name - ’Tsar’ exposed the
imperial tendencies of its owner.
The same year brought another event, changing the power balance in the
World - The Communist Revolution in China. It was spreading like wild fire. The fall of Cuba to the communist forces of Castro
(sponsored by Russia) didn’t help.
It was under our noses, it was on our watch!
The Cold War was expanding.
‘One who strikes the first, dies the second’ - all strategists were
unanimous. We will be living under
constant thread of nuclear annihilation, since there is no way to win the
nuclear confrontation. The feeling of
helplessness and the constant threat produced the only thing it could - fear of
Russia and it’s influences. Senator McCarthy’s idiotic suspicion of the Communist infiltration in the US Congress and the society at large fell on the fertile
ground. While Russia was
exterminating the descendants within its society and the population of its
satellites, the USA was on its own ‘witch hunt’, trying to find and get rid of
the ‘communists’. If found or
suspected, they didn’t disappear and die, but they were ostracized… We came to our senses, finally, but the
fear of ‘McCarthyism’, like the Sword of Damocles has been hanging over our
heads since.
The Cuban missile crisis was an expected consequence of the
situation under our noses. It’s
scary even to think, what would have happened, if the Russian leader, Nikita
Khrushchev hadn’t blinked…
The history will tell, if the Western reaction on what Russia
with its Chinese ally was imposing was right or not. Scholars will debate forever if the Eisenhower’s ‘Domino
Effect’ theory was right or not, and if our acting upon it was at all justified, or at least prudent. We know -
there was no Domino Effect - but, what if the Vietnam War prevented it?! There is no way of proving one way or
another, after the fact.
After all, the whole Vietnam War grew so unpopular in the
USA, that the war weary US population started looking at the USSR and its
policies with a little softer look.
But, let’s remind ourselves, what is a subject of this article… Getting back to our thesis…
In 1954, a year after the Stalin’s death, Nikita Khrushchev
(the next ruthless dictator) gave the Crimea, ethnically Russian in more than
60%, to the Ukraine. Ukraine
population has always had the nationalistic, separatist movement, which created
constant problems for the Moscow government. Maybe the Crimea ‘gift’ was a way of appeasement… There are many theories, but I will
leave them aside. It happened, but
within the Great USSR it was a formal move, with no consequence. At least to the Western observer. It was creating a difference in the
lives of the Ukrainians. In the
USSR, in order to travel to other districts, or Republics, one would have to
obtain an official permit, claiming an important reason for the travel. All the travels were controlled, and in
many cases restricted. Having
Crimea within the Ukrainian borders gave the Ukrainians the Black See resorts. Most of the high rank members of the Party, had their vacation residences there.
But, as stated before, it was a formal move, of little significance…
Close to another corner of the Empire, in April 1978, the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) seized power in Afghanistan in the Saur Revolution. Within a few months the anti-communist government launched the uprising in the Eastern Afghanistan. The full fledged civil war exploded soon after. While Pakistan was training and supporting the mujahedeen, the Russia started sending arms, and later the army to support the communist factions.
Close to another corner of the Empire, in April 1978, the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) seized power in Afghanistan in the Saur Revolution. Within a few months the anti-communist government launched the uprising in the Eastern Afghanistan. The full fledged civil war exploded soon after. While Pakistan was training and supporting the mujahedeen, the Russia started sending arms, and later the army to support the communist factions.
By mid-1979, the United States had started a covert program
to assist the mujahedeen, but not until the President Reagan approved arming
the fighters with the sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons, Russians were in
control over Afghanistan.
The Russian involvement in the Afghan war put tremendous strain
on the resources in not very economically efficient USSR. Un-winnable, prolonged war created also
a very heavy psychological burden on the soldiers and the population.
There were many independent factors leading to that, and finally, after loosing grip over it’s satellite countries, and losing them one by one, on December 26, 1991, the USSR formally ceased to exist. As a result Russian Federation (the former USSR) lost several of it’s former Republics, who got their sovereignty, and established more or less hostile (very rarely friendly) to the Russia governments.
There were many independent factors leading to that, and finally, after loosing grip over it’s satellite countries, and losing them one by one, on December 26, 1991, the USSR formally ceased to exist. As a result Russian Federation (the former USSR) lost several of it’s former Republics, who got their sovereignty, and established more or less hostile (very rarely friendly) to the Russia governments.
The World was celebrating, but in the intelligence community
no one discarded the threat of the Russia’s drive to rebuilt it’s power and
domination. The beast was wounded,
but as dangerous as ever.
Years passed, and Russia had a few leaders, who no one will
probably remember. But on the last
day of 1999, after Yeltsin
resignation the Acting President position was filled by the former KGB
‘apparatchik’ (high ranked member of the KGB - USSR Internal Security Agency) -
Vladimir Putin. Being a ‘shorty’ -
5’5”, in a short time he demonstrated to the World the “napoleon complex”, showing
off his masculinity, and flexing his own, and his country, military ‘muscles’.
Like in the old days, he tried to crush the separatist
movement in Chechnya. Like in the
old days, in 2008, Russian forces crushed the opposition in Georgia and annexed
the free and independent country, without much of the Western opposition.
In the new formed country, as far from the Democracy as the
former USSR, Putin has been playing politics with his ‘patsy’ Dmitry Medvedev,
switching places with him - always with the 100% support of the Russian
population. We all know how
truthful were any elections in the USSR, North Korea, China… Always
overwhelming support, always almost 100% attendance and almost 100% vote YES.
Putin didn’t even try hiding, or covering this farce. He has been playing this game with the
West in the open. He has been
playing this game to the tune of the millions of Russians who still haven’t
given up the dream of the New-Old Empire - Great and Powerful RUSSIA. Millions support Putin, and those who
do not, are intimidated and often killed.
It happened to many journalists who naively believed that something had
changed in their country, and tried to address the ‘shady business’ of the
Government. The list is really
long, but let’s remember here at least a few: Nina Yefimova, Natalia
Estemirova, Nadezhda Chaikova and others (please review the whole list -*1).
Yeah, you can take a boy out of the KGB, but you can’t take
the KGB out of a boy.
Putin dreams of the revival of the Russia as a
Superpower. He also dreams of
restoring the glory and owe, brought by the Russian drive to be or have the
biggest, the most expensive, the richest and often most tasteless… After the
fiasco of 1980 Moscow Olympics, when the West in general boycotted the event,
Putin dreamt about the Winter 2014 Olympics to be granted to Sochi - the
’summer’, Russian resort. And it
happened. The most expensive
Olympics ever - with over $90 Billions price tag.
Yes, he did it.
It was his Olympics, his triumph - although shaded by lack of snow and
his anti-gay laws. He has proven
once again, that for the Russian leader - his image, and his place in the
history is the most important thing, in his and his country reality.
During the Sochi Olympics, the pro Russian government of
Ukraine, who had just rejected the trade agreement with the UE, and accepted
the extensive trade agreement with Russia instead - hed to deal with the
strong, populous, and very decisive protests over the Central, and West part of
the Ukraine. In the Ukraine
Capital - Kiev the clashes with the security forces, and the Police led to
hundreds of people to be killed by life ammunition used by the
apparatus. As a result, the
President of Ukraine - considered by the West as a Russian puppet - Viktor
Yushchenko was ousted, and escaped to Russia. The formerly imprisoned on manufactured charges Julia Timoshenko (former Ukrainian PM) was released from the prison. Thanks to the on going Olympics Putin had to seat on his
hands in the decisive period of the conflict. After the Olympics ended, when the International support for
the new Interim Government of Ukraine led by the Arseniy Yatsenyuk grew strong,
Putin couldn’t make an open move, like in Georgia years before. So, he did what he could - claiming the
discrimination of the Russian ethnics in Crimea by the ‘Nazi’ elements in the
Ukraine, he threw a several thousands of ‘unmarked’, but clearly Russian special forces into Crimea to ‘protect’ Russian population (we all remember the Annexation of Austria or Annexation of Sudetenland by Hitler in the 1938 - done under the same
‘ethnic protection’ pretext).
Free and independent from the USSR/Russia since August 1991,
the Ukraine is one of the most important countries who spanned from the
USSR. It had to be a grain of sand in
the Russian eye from the very moment of independence, since by default it possessed tremendous
arsenal of the nuclear weapons - Russian weapons. It acted swiftly and in 1994 it gave up the whole arsenal, and
according to the Budapest accord received assurances - not to suffer the use of force or be threatened by any military action against the newly independent
nation. The Accord was signed by
USA, Russia, the UK, and Ukraine.
And yet, Russia thrusted the thousands of its soldiers to the
territory of the independent country, forced the ad-hoc referendum where both
questions were pro Russian: either
to succeed form Ukraine and join Russia or accept a status quo (already created
independent Crimea). In both cases
the Crimea wouldn’t be Ukrainian any more. As expected, with the majority of the Russians, the boycott
of the referendum by Crimean Tatars, and the Russian Army supervising the
execution of the referendum, there was no ‘risk’ of failing. the vote was YES.
Two days later the Russian DUMA (Russian Parliament) approved
the Annexation of the Crimea.
The World promised repercussions. Some, insignificant restriction of travel for Russian and
Crimean officials have been imposed.
But the Europe is totally dependent on the Russian gas. Without it the winters in the whole
Europe will be very long and very cold.
Although the USA has a trade balance with the Russia on the level of $70
Billion, UE’s trade balance is more than twice this amount.
All the Russian actions so far have been politically
motivated. Putin in fact wants to put his
country in the fiscal turmoil,
knowing that the Russian population will soon forget about the reasons for the
sanctions and just turn against the West in the unified and overwhelming anger. It’s easily predictable.
So far Putin promised not having any plans, nor appetite for
annexing any other part of the Ukraine. No one believes in that. He already mustered about 80 thousand of troops on the Ukrainian border. Just to have the military exercises. We heard the same assurances from Hitler in 1938.
The Crimea is not physically connected to Russia at this
point. I wouldn’t be surprised if
Putin asked for the land ‘corridor’ leading from Russia to Crimea. This is what Hitler did in Poland, imposing the corridor through the Polish territory, connecting the Reich with a
Free City of Gdansk. And then… we
all know what happened.
At this point Putin has all the chips. The World knows about the history of
the Crimea (it always was Russian, until the whim of the former Russian leader
in 1954). Although the UN mandate
states that no country can redraw the borders by force, the Crimean case is (if
it stays confined, as it is now) inconvenient, ideologically wrong... but too
small to act upon, jeopardizing the prosperity of the countries involved in
assuring the Budapest Accord.
So, Putin will enjoy playing a flute on the nose of the West
for the foreseeable future…
Like Hitler did before the WWII.
Like Hitler did before the WWII.
_____________________________
*1:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_journalists_killed_in_Russia
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