{"id":211153,"date":"2022-05-09T12:02:31","date_gmt":"2022-05-09T11:02:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=211153"},"modified":"2022-05-08T13:12:54","modified_gmt":"2022-05-08T12:12:54","slug":"how-they-have-lied-to-you-about-the-russian-threat-for-the-last-30-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2022\/05\/how-they-have-lied-to-you-about-the-russian-threat-for-the-last-30-years\/","title":{"rendered":"How They Have Lied to You about the Russian Threat for the Last 30 Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

An indisputable authority on NATO affairs reveals the truth \u2013 without knowing he does and without the media understanding his sensational statements.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

8 Apr 2022 – <\/em>Truth will out, as they say, and sometimes it in strange ways. On March 9, 2022, the former Danish Prime Minister and former NATO Secretary-General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen<\/em>, gave an interview to Danish Television 2. Here a 30 sec excerpt<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In my view, it was deeply shocking for three reasons.<\/p>\n

First, what he actually says:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cIf we send planes, it\u2019s to protect Ukrainian airspace, and then we have to be ready to shoot down Russian planes. That would undeniably mean war between NATO and Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t worry him. He does not say that the West\/NATO should therefore refrain from doing so. See below how he thinks it will go.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if it\u2019s going to deter Putin, we shouldn\u2019t rule anything out. And I\u2019m among those who say we should keep Putin in maximum uncertainty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not ruling out anything in NATO parlance indisputably means that the use of nuclear weapons is also a possibility. And he knows that very well as a former NATO S-G.<\/p>\n

Fogh Rasmussen does not mention nuclear weapons. It is better not to. But he does know that NATO is based on nuclear weapons and reserves the right to be the first to use them even against conventional attacks, so that is what he must be interpreted to mean. Precisely with the background he has.<\/p>\n

Keeping an adversary in \u201cmaximum insecurity\u201d in a dangerous conflict is, from a risk-analytic perperspective, an insane and dangerous philosophy. The conflict is already heavily militarized and both sides have large arsenals of nuclear weapons; moreover, all Western media and commentators are now claiming that Putin has probably gone mad in the psychiatric meaning of mad.<\/p>\n

So it is not just a completely irresponsible philosophy. The statement testifies that Fogh Rasmussen, despite his background, is conflict illiterate.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>

\u201cWe cannot exclude that NATO sends fighter aircraft against Russia, says Fogh\u201d<\/p><\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe Ukrainians have shown an amazing willingness to fight, and we will support them to the end.\u201d<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

To the end?<\/p>\n

In the context of his escalation idea, it is reasonable to assume that he also \u2013 by that formulation \u2013 includes nuclear bombing of Russia until it stops its military activities in Ukraine.<\/p>\n

It also says that in Fogh Rasmussen\u2019s view Ukraine is in effect a NATO member that we should support \u2013 even though formally it is not. He does not stress that the West has no obligation to support Ukraine since it is not a NATO member and therefore not covered by NATO\u2019s musketeer oath (Art 5 in the NATO Treaty).<\/p>\n

Then TV2 continues: \u201cAnd should the Russian president end up interpreting the West\u2019s weapons as a declaration of war, the former secretary general has no doubt who would ultimately win?<\/p>\n

And listen carefully to Fogh Rasmussen\u2019s answer with no hesitation:<\/p>\n

\u201cPutin will be beaten to a pulp by NATO. Once NATO moves, it will be with enormous force. You have to remember that the investments we make in defence are ten times greater than Putin\u2019s,\u201d he says.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So what has not been mentioned in the Danish and Western media so far suddenly comes out here: Russia is a military dwarf compared to NATO\u2019s 30 members. It can beat Putin \u2013 Russia \u2013 to a pulp (in Danish \u201cPlukfisk\u201d \u2013 fish meat torn to pieces)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Says a man who knows NATO from the inside.<\/p>\n

In other words, you and I have been deceived \u2013 grossly \u2013 the last three decades. Tax payers money squeezed out by lying about the immense Russian threat and, thereby, increasing citizens\u2019 fears.<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

The exact situation right now, I can inform you, is that Russia\u2019s military expenditure is 8% of NATO\u2019s \u2013 namely US$ 66 billion and has been decreasing the last few years. There will now be a gigantic further over-armament within NATO \u2013 all up to 2% of their GNP, or more.<\/p>\n

Germany has shrugged off all restrictions and will henceforth have a military budget of US$ 112 \u2013 that alone is almost double Russia\u2019s.<\/p>\n

In other words, Fogh Rasmussen speaks as the suddenly militarily superior, victory-proof militarist who in reality does not at all<\/em> see Russia as a threat but is confident that the formidable alliance can beat Putin \u2013 by which he means by definition all of Russia and its people \u2013 to a \u201cpulp.\u201d<\/p>\n

I wrote \u201cshocking\u201d above.<\/p>\n

It is deeply shocking what is actually being said here: nuclear war in Europe is perfectly OK, even if it is not something Fogh Rasmussen wants. But that bastard in Moscow, we can corner even further so he might overreact again \u2013 and then we beat the crap out of him.<\/p>\n

Russia, which we have heard for decades is a gigantic threat to us, must be crushed with our superior power. We\u2019re not the least bit afraid of Putin Plukfisk!<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

The second shocking thing is that TV2 does not understand what it is doing \u2013 or not doing with these sensational views.<\/p>\n

He is allowed to state them unchallenged, without their content being problematised, without others being asked to comment on such extremist positions or point out that Anders Fogh Rasmussen\u2019s statements are completely unacceptable both professionally and ethically.<\/p>\n

How long will TV2 \u2013 and virtually all other media \u2013 continue to cheer on the West\u2019s self-righteous war of revenge? How far will they go? Consciously or because editors and journalists have no relevant expertise on war \u2013 let alone peace \u2013 but think mainly in terms of ratings.<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

And then it\u2019s shocking for a third reason. If it had come to light that twenty years ago Fogh Rasmussen had put his hand on a woman\u2019s thigh, the Danish press would be in a frenzy to condemn him in the media court.<\/p>\n

So far, he has \u2013 only \u2013 been partly responsible, as NATO S-G, for the suffering of millions in Iraq and Libya, in total violation of international law and the UN Treaty.<\/p>\n

Now he says \u2013 only \u2013 that we must win over Russia once and for all even if it means major war.<\/p>\n

Nuclear war.<\/p>\n

And nobody reacts.<\/p>\n

In the Danish spirit pond and its media, he is regarded as a great statesman who speaks wise words.<\/p>\n

About nuclear war for the sake of good democracies.<\/p>\n

\n

__________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> Prof. Jan Oberg, Ph.D. is director of the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, TFF<\/a> and a member of the TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment<\/a>. CV: https:\/\/transnational.live\/jan-oberg<\/a><\/em>
\nhttps:\/\/transnational.live<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Go to Original \u2013 transnational.live<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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