{"id":232281,"date":"2023-03-27T12:00:59","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T11:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=232281"},"modified":"2023-03-25T05:45:23","modified_gmt":"2023-03-25T05:45:23","slug":"why-the-west-should-consider-some-of-putins-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/03\/why-the-west-should-consider-some-of-putins-claims\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the West Should Consider Some of Putin\u2019s Claims"},"content":{"rendered":"

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7 Mar 2023 – <\/em>As the grim one-year anniversary of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine neared last month, President Biden and Vladimir Putin gave competing speeches laying the blame for the tragedy at each other\u2019s feet. The western press showed great analytical skill<\/a> in breaking down Putin\u2019s speech for falsehoods and half-truths. The same can\u2019t be said of Biden\u2019s speech. Although the western press fact checks<\/a> and criticizes much of Biden\u2019s domestic policy, mainstream journalists applaud<\/a> rather than analyze his pro-war rhetoric. Accordingly, the BBC<\/a> chided the Russian President by stating, \u201cTruth was an early casualty of Mr Putin\u2019s lengthy speech\u201d, while praising Biden for his strong statement that autocrats only understand: \u201cNo, no, no!\u201d<\/p>\n

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This type of white hat vs. black hat narrative makes for good copy and confirms western stereotypes.\u00a0 If peace is going to prevail, however, a more nuanced examination of Russia\u2019s response to US political and military meddling in Ukraine is needed. This should also include a more honest analysis of NATO expansion eastward and a sober look at the threat that far-right Ukrainian militias pose for Europe.<\/p>\n

In this sense, it would be beneficial to lean on one of the main lessons former Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara, outlined in Errol Morris\u2019s 2003 documentary, The Fog of War<\/em>. Regarding the peaceful resolution of the Cuban Missile Crisis, McNamara explained that it was essential for President Kennedy to empathize with the enemy<\/em><\/a>. More specifically, McNamara urged that when confronting the enemy \u201c[we] must try to put ourselves inside<\/a> their skin and look at us through their eyes just to understand the thoughts that lie behind their decisions and their actions.\u201d Taking this radical but simple step helped Kennedy and Khrushchev step back from the edge of nuclear annihilation. With rising tensions between the US and Russia again threatening the specter of nuclear Armageddon<\/a>, Biden should consider McNamara\u2019s advice.<\/p>\n

This, of course, would demand that the US government and media objectively listen to some of Putin\u2019s claims. Given the historic climate of mistrust between the West and Russia, this is an admittedly big ask. But when Putin outlines US involvement<\/a> in the crisis that led to the Ukrainian Civil War, he is providing essential context that both Washington and western journalists leave out. Still, given the fact that in late 2013 John McCain<\/a> was rallying the masses on Kyiv\u2019s Maidan Square<\/a>, it\u2019s hard to deny US interference. Furthermore, a leaked 2014 conversation between State Department official, Victoria Nuland<\/a>, and Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, clearly highlights US kingmaking attempts in Ukraine. Is it too much to ask how this was perceived by Putin and the Russians?<\/p>\n

Or how about Putin\u2019s claims that the \u201cSpecial Military Operation\u201d is designed to de-militarize and de-Nazify Ukraine? Even before last February\u2019s invasion, the US was responsible for 90% of Ukraine\u2019s military aid<\/a>, including lethally effective Javelin anti-tank missiles<\/a>. As far back as 2014, Lt. General Ben Hodges, former commander of the US Army in Europe, stated that \u201cFirst and foremost, U.S. military aid<\/a> represents a physical manifestation of American support, which is essential.\u201d\u00a0Exposure to such facts, combined with knowledge of NATO expansion since 1991<\/a>, might provide insight into how this threat is perceived by Russians.<\/p>\n

Presented in this context, the question of who provoked the war in Ukraine could be seen in a new light.\u00a0 Nearly ten years ago, the Associated Press\u2019s Matt Lee<\/a> pressed State Department Spokesman, John Kirby, precisely on this issue. \u201cIs it not logical to look at this and say the reason that the Russian army is at NATO\u2019s doorstep is because NATO has expanded rather than the Russian\u2019s expanding? In other words, NATO has moved closer to Russia rather the Russian\u2019s moving closer to NATO.\u201d When Kirby responded that \u201cNATO is not an anti-Russian alliance\u201d, Lee countered, \u201c[F]or 50 years it was an anti-Soviet alliance\u2026Do you not understand how, or can you not even see how, the Russians would perceive it as a threat?\u201d<\/p>\n

Regarding denazification, prior to Russia\u2019s invasion, the western press had reported assiduously on the rise of far-right militias within Ukraine\u2019s military ranks. Numerous articles, many focused on the Azov Battalion<\/a>, appeared in the Guardian<\/a>, BBC<\/a>, and Reuters<\/a> detailing the disturbing xenophobia and antisemitism espoused by these extremists. One particularly frightening investigation by Time correspondent Simon Shuster<\/a> quoted militia members claiming that \u201cWe are Aryans and will rise again\u201d and \u201cBeing tolerant to LGBT people, this not natural. This is brainwashing.\u201d\u00a0 On this note, Putin\u2019s recent speech<\/a> repeated that there is a fascist presence in Ukraine and that \u201cthe West will use anybody \u2013 terrorists, neo-Nazis \u2013 if they fulfill its aims\u201d of fighting against Russia.<\/p>\n

Shuster\u2019s report takes on greater significance in light of increasing attacks<\/a> by neo-Nazi groups worldwide. In 2018, The Guardian reported that the outgoing head of UK counter-terrorism policing, Mark Rowley, revealed that\u00a0four far-right terror plots had been foiled in 2017<\/a>\u00a0and extreme right groups linked to Ukraine<\/a> were seeking to build international networks. Since the US has a history of allying with radical groups, it\u2019s worth remembering the devastating consequences of such alliances. One might recall Zbigniew Brzezinksi, President Carter\u2019s National Security Advisor, proudly claiming, \u201cWe created the mujahedeen\u201d. Besides the short-term goal of driving the Soviets from Afghanistan, this \u201ccreation\u201d also led to the emergence of the Taliban<\/a>, the September 11 attacks and the ensuing US \u201cWar on Terror\u201d. This is not to say that Ukraine will become a failed state like Afghanistan and fertile ground for neo-Nazi groups, but considering this possibility might shed light on Russia\u2019s goal to denazify the Ukrainian military.<\/p>\n

The war in Ukraine is the tragic consequence of Russian aggression. But trying to understand the reasons why the Russian government took the decision to invade might help defuse the conflict. Since the West\u2019s current plan of escalation promises more destruction of Ukraine and its people, as well as the threat of nuclear holocaust, following McNamara\u2019s advice and trying to see the conflict through Russian eyes, is an important first step toward negotiating peace.<\/p>\n

___________________________________________<\/p>\n

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Dana E. Abizaid teaches European History at the Istanbul International Community School.<\/em><\/p>\n

Go to Original – counterpunch.org<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This type of white hat vs. black hat narrative makes for good copy and confirms western stereotypes.\u00a0 If peace is going to prevail, a more nuanced examination of Russia\u2019s response to US political and military meddling in Ukraine is needed, including a more honest analysis of NATO expansion eastward and a sober look at the threat that far-right Ukrainian militias pose for Europe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":230098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[180],"tags":[867,240,417,1268,1126,1050,91,253,278,639,961,2200,1594,172],"class_list":["post-232281","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brics","tag-anglo-america","tag-asia","tag-bullying","tag-european-union","tag-hegemony","tag-imperialism","tag-nato","tag-putin","tag-russia","tag-uk","tag-ukraine","tag-us-empire","tag-war-economy","tag-west"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232281"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232281\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":232283,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232281\/revisions\/232283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}