Much has been said about the current problems in Ukraine. But most of it has not been publicized by the western media. It hasn’t been broadcast in the West because the news organs of the EU & the United States need to self-censor and toe the party line; that The Russian Bear, that supposed monolithic totalitarian beast, is breaking out of its cage and will cause mayhem and destruction throughout the ‘Free World’.
That is the mindset of imperialist, hegemonic powers. They neither respect nor appreciate the alternative views of other cultures, other people, who have had thriving civilizations for hundreds, even thousands of years. So they set about their subterfuge with a fable that they merely want to bring “Freedom and Democracy” …. to those who never asked for it. And since those ‘barbarians’ never asked for such gifts, then all the more reason to see them as in desperate need of salvation and enlightenment.
The Americans pride themselves in having a professional, pragmatic attitude to politics and world affairs. To this end, they have scores of think-tanks and high flying academic advisors. Is it haughty obduracy or calculated mischief that leads those ‘learned’ advisors to mislead their government departments whom they are supposed to inform? Or is the US government so immersed in blind ambition that it has actually received fair counsel, but chooses repeatedly to ignore it?
And what role does the mass media play in all this? Does it have no responsibility to reveal what is going on behind the scenes? Is it no longer the fourth pillar of democracy? Has it been for many years simply a slave to the manipulations of despotic government and vested interests? A mere mouthpiece of propaganda?
Prelude to the present
Russia as a nation has existed for some 1,200 years [1], since about 850 AD. It was at that time that there was mention of the “Rus” people and the “Kievan” State. In other words, Russians have a strong emotional bond to the Ukraine area, which they see as a major part of their origins, their identity.
A reference to their early history is that of the “Kievan Rus”. Their first capital was actually Kiev, from 850 AD to 1250 AD [2]. For about 400 years the main administrative and national centre of Russia was Kiev. It is only later, in 1328, that Moscow became the capital. [3]
Since the Middle Ages Ukraine has been a part of Russia. It was part of the Soviet Union until 1990, and even now has almost 20% ethnic Russians. The two nations have strong cultural bonds, in religion, music, arts, literature and language. Both nations speak variants of the Slavic language group. Ukrainian contains fully 84% Belarusian and 62% Russian words. [4] The two, in form and structure, may even be considered as dialects of one another, the divergence starting only 500 years ago.
During the Second World War, Russia had over 20 million military and civilians killed and many more injured and dispossessed. The Russians have painful memories of what it means to confront Nazism. The regime that has now been installed by western powers tolerates Nazism and fascism. This is clearly seen in the tearing down of the memorial statue to the Russian fallen’s sacrifice in wresting Ukraine from German and Ukrainian fascists during WW2. [5], and with rebellion leaders giving Nazi salutes and using the fascist Ukrainian flag from that war period. [6] & [7].
The bonds with the Crimea are even closer. It was totally Russian until 1954, when Khrushchev gifted it to Ukraine in order to balance the still remaining fascist elements of Ukraine, and its current Russian population is some 60%.
And now we have the admitted US funding, to the tune of 5 Billion dollars, to cause rebellion and insurgency for the past two decades, plus further amounts shunted in from European countries and private interests [8]. The result of which is what we now see; a duly elected government ousted by violent insurrection, with such things as Molotov cocktails and firearms, until finally the Ukrainian government agreed to have early elections in May. But even that agreement was broken by the violent protesters, with President Yanukovich forced to flee under assassination threats on him and his family. [9]
Walking in the other man’s shoes
The strategy of propaganda entails telling the lie, the whole lie, and nothing but the lie, and saying it often enough that people are gulled into submission. The propagandist doesn’t care if some people, such as the informed readers of Global Research, know that in strategic matters the mass media is scattering hefty doses of deceit. It is enough that most of the people are fooled most of the time. Those who have investigated the facts, and know the truth of any issue can simply be ignored, or branded as conspiracy theorists and ridiculed as tin-foil hatters. If push comes to shove they can even be disgraced, arrested and dealt with however the administration wants.
One current lie is that Russia is back to her old tricks of expansionism. But the fact is that it is the United States that runs several hundred military bases around the world, and has a dozen airfields from which it launches predator drones for criminal summary execution of those it does not like…. including entire families, weddings, and funeral processions. It is the United States and NATO who are in perpetual war with one country after another, or even concurrently.
As to this Ukraine crisis. When the Soviet Union was dissolved, there was a tacit agreement that NATO would not infringe close to the Russian border. But since then, over the past 25 years, not only has NATO (a.k.a, the United States) breached that understanding, it has invited the old Warsaw Pact countries to become members. It has even placed, or tries to place, missiles right up against Russia, pretending all the while that they are defences against Iran!
Is it any wonder that the Russians realise that they’re treated as fools? That they see an encroaching tide of hegemony threatening to drown them, even to the extent that their 20 million who perished, did so in vain? That they will lose unhindered access to the open seas? That first strike missiles are being placed within a few hundred kilometres of Moscow and other major cities, so that the possibility of reprisal (MAD; Mutually Assured Destruction) is removed? Isn’t it curious that the western media does not mention anything about the close bonds between the peoples of that entire area, including Russia, Ukraine, and the Crimea?
That is why the Russian government, not just President Putin, but the Russian parliament, has reacted so urgently and justifiably, to this latest threat to their very existence. Their history has taught them full well what happens to the conquered and dispossessed. They know full well that America and NATO do not run a charity shop, and that once there is no more viable opposition to the powers that deem themselves to be the “Masters of the Universe”, then the amiable mask will come off, and their constant threat of, “All options are on the table” will be actualised. And the vanquished will be treated as superfluous disposable encumbrances, without fear of legal retribution. With historians instructed to sanitize their books with excuses, such as; “it was regrettable but unavoidable, and a necessary measure”.
NOTES
[1] http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/513251/Russia/38647/Media-and-publishing#toc213966
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Russia#Kievan_Rus.27_.28882.E2.80.931283.29
[3] http://www.waytorussia.net/Moscow/History.html
[4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukrainian_language
[5] http://rt.com/news/war-monument-toppled-ukraine-351/
[6] http://grahamwphillips.com/2013/04/14/stepan-bandera-nazi-loser/
[7] http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2014/2/ukraine-nationalistantisemitismneonaziviolence.html
[8] http://www.globalresearch.ca/american-conquest-by-subversion-victoria-nulands-admits-washington-has-spent-5-billion-to-subvert-ukraine/5367782
[9] http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/02/28/283878194/ousted-president-is-ready-to-fight-for-the-future-of-ukraine
