Ukraine Is Not Russian Roulette
By Farooque Chowdhury
03 March, 2014
Countercurrents.org
Putin is not gambling with Ukraine. His move was a necessary step in geopolitics as the West’s project of expansion compelled Russia to assert its position.
Since long, the West was implementing its plan for expansion towards Russia. The West has succeeded towards an extent. Yugoslavia has been brutally torn into pieces. A few more east and central European countries have experienced the expansion by the West.
In Ukraine, the West was fuelling its followers, a part of the Ukraine oligarchs. That was a long drawn plan.
There was, said a joint statement of more than 12 communist parties including the Communist Party of Ukraine and Communist Party of Cuba, “brazen interference of foreign countries, especially the EU and US in the internal affairs of an independent and sovereign Ukraine”. These interferers, the statement said, are “instigators in the escalation of social conflict” in Ukraine.
The statement added: The “color revolutions” implemented in recent years in Yugoslavia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, countries in the Arab world are to achieve the West’s “geopolitical goals, but certainly not to protect the interests of the absolute majority of the peoples of these countries.”
The parties said: The citizens of Ukraine are not able today to fully observe and evaluate their class interests, and, are protecting the interests of big capital. Under the conditions of severe political and economic crisis in Ukraine, head fascism is being raised, which is a direct descendant of bourgeois Ukrainian integral nationalism, xenophobia, Russo phobia, national intolerance.
On violence in Ukraine, the statement said: The responsibility for violent behavior equally rests on the political forces representing major oligarchic capital as well as American and European politicians.
The statement provides a brief background of the confrontation with its ugly character. In Kiev, the fascists and the ultra-nationalists burned down the headquarters of the Communist Party of Ukraine and totally destroyed it, a “democratic” act! The West stands for these “democrats”. The parties said: “We hold the EU, US and the fascist elements responsible for this despicable act of anti-communism and downright lumpenness.
It is part of the “democracy” game planned by the West and based on the corrupt Ukraine oligarchs. Neo-Nazis joined in the “democracy” project. But it turned brutal and bloody.
To functionalize “democracy”, the West had to implement a virtual coup d’etat in the Ukraine parliament. The usurpation of power found neo-Fascists’ street actions. Faithful mainstream media failed to hide Kiev “democrats” in military uniforms.
Throwing away Russian speaking Ukrainians was initiated by the Ukrainian neo-Nazi bands. It was actually cleansing, a Nazi practice. But, the mainstream media that is “always objective” failed to report Russian speaking Ukrainians leaving Ukraine and turning refugees although it heard honking of cars of a bridal party in Sevastopol.
The West prefers to forget its secret deployment of special unit forces in other countries including Libya. It likes to forget its arbitrary declaration of this and that flying zone, its R2P, and many other tricks in the name of “freedom”, “liberty” and “democracy”.
“Freedom”, “liberty”, “democracy” and “peace” are old chants of the West. One can recall the old days of Gunboat Diplomacy. The Gulf of Tonkin bluff can also be recalled. One can recollect Reagan’s invasions and bombing, and the slogans he raised. The Truman Doctrine can also be cited: Integrity of Turkey “is essential to the preservation of order in the Middle East”, “We are the only country able to provide that help”, “hence the security of the United States”, “The world is not static, and the status quo is not sacred”, “Confusion and disorder might well spread throughout the entire Middle East” [the region is in confusion and disorder since the doctrine was pronounced in 1947, about seven decades ago], “the disappearance of Greece as an independent state would have a profound effect upon those countries in Europe”, “the effect will be far reaching to the west”, “We must take immediate and resolute action”, “If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world”, “Great responsibilities have been placed upon us by the swift movement of events”.
Imperial capital has its own vocabulary and definitions. “Freedom” is freedom for its capital, “democracy” is democracy of its interests, “peace” is allowing it to exploit the world without any resistance, and so on. Anyone standing on its way turns enemy to “peace” and “freedom”, turns “authoritarian”, “dictator”, “corrupt”, etc.
Gorbachev and Yeltsin made the West’s hegemony-campaigns smooth. But, the two had to leave the stage as was the case of Sakharov, Solzhenitsyn and Walesa. Now, none, not even their masters remember them. Their utility is finished as finishes fate of hirelings.
But those days are escaping down through lanes of history. The Great Financial Crisis with its root in stagnation has energized the troubled imperial journey, and is making its marks in military power and geopolitics. The Global Risk Report 2014 and the earlier reports by the World Economic Forum uphold a few symptoms and complexities.
Now, competition has increased. There is an increasing trend of, as imperial vocabulary says, “resource nationalism”. Even, at times, lackeys are trying to challenge imperial dictation.
At the same time, silhouettes of competing armada are coming into view of imperial fleets. It’s a world in flux. Sometimes and somewhere it’s changing swiftly.
In this world, lackeys and stooges, with arms and pen, sometimes turn confused. They take anti-imperialist posture, compose copied critique of empire, which is a mask, and that’s for the sake of credibility.
In this world, imperial powers turn desperately adventurous, nakedly aggressive; hatch conspiracies for intervention, nourish their men in arms and with pen to wage a subversive and propaganda war; keep their men in waiting.
Ukraine saw these. Then it turned out that the donor-democracy project was not working without use of force. A Kiev square found neo-Nazis, and the parliament witnessed a coup. The timing was superb: The Sochi winter Olympic with five rings of friendship, etc.
But Russia could not bear the loss: the plains producing wheat, the mines producing coal and iron, the Sevastopol naval base on the strategic Black Sea. A Ukrainian integration with EU was similar to Canada joining Putin’s planned customs and trade block or South Korea joining a Sino-Russia alliance.
Putin felt the same way Truman felt: “essential to the preservation of order in the [region]”, “We are the only country able to provide that help”, “hence the security of [Russia]”, “The world is not static, and the status quo is not sacred”, “Confusion and disorder might well spread throughout the entire [region]” “the [Ukraine-EU integration] would have a profound effect upon countries [around Russia]”, “the effect will be far reaching to [Russia]”, “We must take immediate and resolute action”, “If we falter in our leadership, we may endanger the peace of the world”, “Great responsibilities have been placed upon us by the swift movement of events”. It’s a reality of increased competition.
Options available to the Western imperial powers are now limited. Its military options are more limited.
The imperial aspirations are as young as ever, but already a lot of vigor has been spent that makes the powers battle-“tired”, which is actually its war machine needs some repair as it has turned war-worn. So, their first choice is diplomatic resolution of the Ukraine incident.
Ukraine is not Putin’s coup de grace. It’s a part of a preparatory phase of a dress rehearsal. More will follow as imperial powers will make further pushes for their expansion, an essential condition for the survival of imperial powers, as Dick Cheney’s desired dismantlement of Russia, as Robert Gates tells in his memoirs, has not come out into reality, and as Russia is trying to secure its space. It’s not going to be a Russian roulette for either of the contending parties.
Already, at least up to now in case of Ukraine, Russians have outmaneuvered “best” analysis by intelligence of imperial powers: Moscow will not advance its troops into Crimea, an old theater of war. But Moscow moved in.
In diplomacy related to Ukraine, Putin will make further bargain and ensure Russia’s position. It will further show the West’s tired position.
Farooque Chowdhury is Dhaka-based freelancer.
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