One thing I’m sure of is that media accounts available in the United States are so tainted by anti-Russia and U.S. nationalist and capitalist interests that we have no idea of what is really happening in Ukraine.
It is clear that the U.S. involvement is not “out of the blue,” but part of an ongoing campaign to increase NATO power and Western economic penetration of the countries surrounding Russia, stimulating for some Russians reminders of the previous trauma of being attacked by the Nazis and others through the Ukraine, where pro-fascist, anti-communist and anti-Semitic sentiments ran strong and welcomed foreign interventions. While we at Tikkun have some doubts about parts of the analyses by Robert Parry and Norman Solomon presented below, I am sharing them because they have the advantage of momentarily challenging the dominant discourse, though in ways that represent its own peculiar perspective. And they do have some plausibility – we know that much of the neo-con perspective on the world is based on an amalgam to two somewhat different commitments that have been welded together:
1. The neo-cons whose primary goal is to maintain and expand the U.S. economic and political empire, and
2. The neo-cons whose primary goal is to protect Israel and destroy all of its potential enemies– a list that grows longer and longer as long as Israel retains its dominance over the Palestinian people and denies them fundamental human rights.
These two goals come together as long as the United States is perceived by the neo-cons as the primary and sole reliable ally of Israel, and all others are suspected of being willing to see Israel destroyed. Russia’s backing of Iran and Syria are seen as threatening to Israel and threatening to the domination-interests of American political and economic interests, so renewing the Cold War with Russia is from the neo-con standpoint an important goal.
Ironically, however, the neocons seem all too willing to ignore the fascistic and proto-Nazi elements in the coalition that last week overthrew the democratically elected and pro-Russian government. But for those of us Jews who have not drunk the neo-con cool-aid, it’s not hard to see that the one thing that might reunite all elements of both sides is anti-Semitism, which has a long and disgusting history in both Russian and Ukrainian nationalism, and very little has been done in either society to root out the teachings and the aspects of popular culture that retain that undercurrent of hatred against Jews.
For us, neither side looks particularly appealing, and a U.S. crusade on one or the other side of this conflict seems deeply misguided. So it is particularly distressing to watch the U.S. news media frame this whole issue as one in which President Obama is being called upon to prove his “toughness” (read: manliness) by standing up to the Russians.
We’d prefer if he would stand up to Israel’s Netanyahu and do the one thing that would best help the Jewish people, namely using American economic and political power to push Israel toward an accommodation with the Palestinian people, thereby actually enhancing Israel’s long-term survivability. But that, of course, would be portrayed by the neo-con dominated media as capitulation to Arabs and lack of backbone. Yet even a much smaller gesture – articulating to Israelis a vision of what a fair-minded and sustainable agreement would contain, such as I outline in the Winter 2014 issue of Tikkun, could make a huge impact in moving the whole discourse toward peace. Well, I’m not holding my breath, because Obama is in fact without backbone to stand up to the neo-cons and their powerful media friends, and that means without the backbone to do this one thing an American president could do to create the preconditions for a lasting Middle East peace. That will not be facilitated by a renewed Cold War. It remains to be seen if Obama has the backbone to stand up to those who are cheerleading for this new Cold War with Russia.
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Robert Parry’s article on this subject, “Neocons and the Ukraine Coup” (originally printed on Consortiumnews.com),is worth a read. He addresses how the overthrow of Ukraine’s elected government helps to reveal divisions within the Obama administration, saying:
More than five years into his presidency, Barack Obama has failed to take full control over his foreign policy, allowing a bureaucracy shaped by long years of Republican control and spurred on by a neocon-dominated U.S. news media to frustrate many of his efforts to redirect America’s approach to the world in a more peaceful direction.
But Obama deserves a big dose of the blame for this predicament because he did little to neutralize the government holdovers and indeed played into their hands with his initial appointments to head the State and Defense departments, Hillary Clinton, a neocon-leaning Democrat, and Robert Gates, a Republican cold warrior, respectively.
Read the rest of his article here to learn more about Obama’s strategy and the trouble that follows.
Another perspective to consider can be found in Norman Solomon’s “Heard the One About Obama Denouncing a Breach of International Law?” (originally published by Common Dreams).
Solomon asserts that “during the last five years, no world leader has done more to undermine international law than Barack Obama” and “major U.S. media coverage rarely extends to delving into deviational irony or spotlighting White House hypocrisy.”
Read the entire article here.
Ukraine is basket case of a nation ruled my Oligarchs living excessively high on the hog. People hit the street and protested in the Pete Seeger tradition and were fired on by snipers. It’s an internal struggle. That said, Russia violated the terms of the Budhipest treaty of 1994 and had to be called on it. I just have one question for Rabbi Lerner. How did you manage to fit Israel into a blog about the Ukraine? You reaaly don’t have to answer. You would include Israel in a blog about American imperial aims on Mars.
I strongly agree with Rabbi Lerner on Ukraine. Most of those in Crimea speak Russian and desire to be part of Russia. This is trully a Capitalist war between the West and Russia. The US wants more resource control and refused to meet with Russia at the start of the crisis. This is not right. It feels like the cold war is back again.
Georgie
Well written articles that challenge the dominant discourse is the reason why I support TIKKUN Magazine.
That Washington has never known which end is up, when it comes to foreign policy, is not surprising. Same, old same. But that the EU is equally suffering from dangerous stupidity…this is scary. Taking the moral high ground while preaching from the pulpit of hypocrisy. The purpose of WW2 was to defeat Hitler and right extremists – and now the West is supporting them?
I totally subscribe to the statement of US involvement being driven by geopolitical and economic interests (every state does this, the larger the state, the more aggressively). However, you also gravely misinterpreted the situation in Ukraine. I am Ukrainian myself, totally bilingual, with a large network of relatives, friends and colleagues in all parts of the country. For the last 15 years I’ve been living in Finland. I have been closely following the events in my home country talking to people there who witness them first-hand, reading online Ukrainian, Russian and Western (US incl. press), blogs and commentaries. Aaron Goldberg’s impression published here is fairly accurate.
It is certainly true that there are Neo-Nazis in Ukraine (as there are in almost any modern Western society), and that anti-Semitism is part of it (Russian parliament hosts a good bunch of such), and that right-wing elements had their role in the uprising and are currently represented in the government (as they again are in many governments). The question is if they have any power to shape policy in Ukraine. Until now, it has not been happening and the less hysteria we create about oppressions of one nation by another, the less likely it happens.
At the moment the well-funded state-generated propaganda of the current Russian government about Neo-Nazism and fascism taking over Ukraine is a much more serious threat to stability in the country, national reconciliation, and to lives of Ukrainians, Jews and every other nation, including Russians. You need just to watch some of the video shots coming from the Crimea to see the damage already inflicted on local people. Many really believe that fascists from Kiev and Western Ukraine are going to attack them any time and the only hope they have are armies of Putin (officially not there, of course!). I am deeply worried that some of the writings you published here will be used in strengthening such believes and the machinery that generates them.
I understand why it is a fate of Jewish people that are of particular interest for this network, yet find it unjustified to be trying to take it to the top of the whole debate, threatening by this a peaceful resolution of controversies. I would like to remind you that quite a few of Ukraine’s present leaders are Jews. Jewish community leaders in Ukraine have also refuted Russian accusations (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/03/who-s-really-behind-ukraine-s-synagogue-attacks.html). Currently, as we debate it, the Association of Jewish organizations and communities in Ukraine is collecting signatures under the appeal to Putin to stop “protecting” them and debunking fascism and neo-Nazism threats (for those who read Russian, check this http://www.vaadua.org/).
As a current citizen of Finland, I might finish this comment by most recent voices here about joining NATO. No-one wants it, yet the recent policy of Putin’s government forces the society to consider it. Importantly, it is not the pressure from the US that does the job. I can sympathize with Georgia who is forced to choose what currently seems to be least evil. My own country is being forced there as well…
I am confused about a few things here and would like some clarification. In particular, I am not sure everyone reading this, has the same definition of “hot Button” words.
Who are the neo-cons? – Are they
(a) primarily Jews
(b) primarily jingoistic flag waving Americans
(c) power hungry psychopaths who need to control the world
(d) religious fanatics helping facilitate Armageddon for Jesus (after the Israelis destroys the dome on
the rocks and rebuilds the temple).
Does a group of rich powerful people rule America, Russia, Ukraine, Israel and the world? Do they have absolute power? Is Obama a puppet and unable to change ANYTHING?
Do countries have a single minded purpose: Are the national aspirations of a country, a nation, a culture constant forever and unchangeable? Are the majority of Germans still nazis? In 1000 years will they still be nazis?
In 1919, the Ukrainian rightists, persuaded to peasants that the Jews were allied with the Russians. This instigated the worst pogroms in history? I don’t see the Ukrainian right and the Russians uniting against the Jews, but anything can happen.
Are we sure that Russia and Ukraine TODAY have the same antisemitism and paranoia etc. they had 100 years ago.I don’t think anyone can accurately know what people in foreign countries are thinking
Has globalization, the internet, social networks etc. changed the character or people or are we stagnant from generation to generation?
The Crimea situation is complex and dangerous. I don’t think anyone can be an arm chair therapist and fully understand what happened, what is happening and what will happen. We can just work to let people know that no one on any side is sub human. We are all brothers and sisters.
Rabbi, it seems to me that you and the neocons have one thing in common: you hate and despise Barack Obama, and don’t let the truth get in the way of telling your common story about what a Bad Man America elected and re-elected.
Vera – I agree with you Everyone: Remember the real definition of fascism – the mixing of corprorate and state – isn’t that what we have now? Why wouldn’t Europe support it? I wonder how they’ll get their gas now, though – if they keep this talk up and really do impose serious sanctions it could come back and bite them where it hurts the most – the pockets of the poorest of them.
What is really happening in both the Ukraine and Crimea is that we have 2 revolutions for the price of one! Both are legitimate because it is a process of self-determination from the majority of people in each of both states. Most Crimeans have always wanted to be a part of Russia, but were ignored because of whatever international peace treaty, etc.
The best solution to the conflict is to acknowledge both revolutions, starting with Ukraine supporting Crimea’s ‘will of the people’ and for Crimeans to acknowledge and mourn those that died at Freedom Square in the Ukraine.