The People's War, Day 28. As NATO leaders meet in Brussels, Volodymyr Zelenskyy goes over their heads, speaking directly to the citizens of the NATO states: Get into the streets. Make noise. Get loud.
The People's War, Day 28. As NATO leaders meet in Brussels, Volodymyr Zelenskyy goes over their heads, speaking directly to the citizens of the NATO states: Get into the streets. Make noise. Get loud.
"Come from your offices, your homes, your schools. . .Come to your squares, your streets. Make yourselves visible. . . In the downtowns of your cities. All as one together!"
Terry, I have to wonder how the war in Ukraine is bloodier than the wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s. Those are all European countries, too.
That's a really good point, Robert. I had second thoughts about it as soon as I'd written it. During the decade of all the Balkan wars, civil wars, and genocide, the death toll was far higher than we've seen in Ukraine so far - although it's exceedingly difficult to get accurate death tolls, as ghoulish as that sounds. Ukraine's death toll likely meets or exceeds any one of those eruptions. But still, fair point.
Terry, thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment. That little bit of inaccurate history risks fuelling the accusations about the West’s racist distinction between displaced populations in Europe and not-Europe.
"Zelenskyy answers to the Ukrainian people. He’s not Joe Biden’s proxy."
There's no one in both DC, Moscow or Kiev that actually believes this. Biden was the de-facto colonial administrator of Ukraine during the Obama years, and is now clearly heavily involved in dictating to Kiev the terms of any sort of "understanding" with Moscow.
I understand the properly repugnant reaction to an unprovoked military invasion by, as you say, a Stalinoid war criminal. But, we must be realistic in analyzing what's truly going on.
The U.S. has been DEEPLY involved in Ukraine for years for all sorts of reasons; some good, some bad. But to say Zelensky isn't at the beck and call of Washington obscures the realistic end game scenarios that will determine the future of Ukrainians and the region at large.
All that could be 100 percent true and it would still be true that Zelenskyy is no Biden proxy. Eliot Cohen (a guy I respect immensely) has used the term, in the broader geostrategic context, and there's no getting away from the (often sinister) role the US plays in these catastophes. Been meaning to write a piece on how Obama effectively captured the Free Syrian Army as his proxy in Syria - that caused a lot of fine young fighters to defect to Jabhat al-Nusra, because the US stipulated that FSA could fight ISIS but not Assad - Jabat wanted to fight both. That's a sword hanging over Zelenskyy now too. I'd also agree with you that Biden isn't going to help Zelenskyy in any way that will undermine Biden's own agenda. Been trying to sort out the JCPOA talks in Vienna, which Biden wants to succeed a lot more than he cares about Ukraine, and what the implications are for securing Russian cooperation in the JCPOA and Biden's policy viz Ukraine. I don;t mean to be cynical, but. . .
Leon Panetta is calling it a NATO/US proxy war with Russia publicly. Can't imagine why he'd be saying it, given his pedigree (especially with current admin) unless not true.
We shall see. But simply awful situation over there for civilians with war dogs unfortunately on all sides.
As for JCPOA, try reaching out to former analysts of the firm the US lead negotiator left to assume current job. They will likely be helpful on background. But is clear Dems are in Iranian camp, and even Syrians publicly mulling moving away from Iran now. Fog now, but likely to be lifted soon. FURIOUS bipsrtisan reax from US senate if deal happens imo.
Can't imagine it? I can imagine it. Panetta wasn't articulating a fact, wasn't claiming to be asserting a fact. He was expressing an opinion - the US should "go in there and kill Russians," recognize that this is a bigger deal than just Russia vs. Ukraine - and using the term as a kind of euphemism. Here's former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul: Putin "frames" it that way, that "the regime there is just a puppet American regime put in place by us.” But Putin is making Ukraine a proxy in his fight with the west. “I think people really need to understand that this is just a proxy war for his fight against us.” Zelenskyy is not a Joe Biden proxy. Doesn't answer to Joe Biden, Answers only to the people of Ukraine.
Terry, I have to wonder how the war in Ukraine is bloodier than the wars in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo in the 1990s. Those are all European countries, too.
That's a really good point, Robert. I had second thoughts about it as soon as I'd written it. During the decade of all the Balkan wars, civil wars, and genocide, the death toll was far higher than we've seen in Ukraine so far - although it's exceedingly difficult to get accurate death tolls, as ghoulish as that sounds. Ukraine's death toll likely meets or exceeds any one of those eruptions. But still, fair point.
Terry, thank you for taking the time to respond to my comment. That little bit of inaccurate history risks fuelling the accusations about the West’s racist distinction between displaced populations in Europe and not-Europe.
"Zelenskyy answers to the Ukrainian people. He’s not Joe Biden’s proxy."
There's no one in both DC, Moscow or Kiev that actually believes this. Biden was the de-facto colonial administrator of Ukraine during the Obama years, and is now clearly heavily involved in dictating to Kiev the terms of any sort of "understanding" with Moscow.
I understand the properly repugnant reaction to an unprovoked military invasion by, as you say, a Stalinoid war criminal. But, we must be realistic in analyzing what's truly going on.
The U.S. has been DEEPLY involved in Ukraine for years for all sorts of reasons; some good, some bad. But to say Zelensky isn't at the beck and call of Washington obscures the realistic end game scenarios that will determine the future of Ukrainians and the region at large.
All that could be 100 percent true and it would still be true that Zelenskyy is no Biden proxy. Eliot Cohen (a guy I respect immensely) has used the term, in the broader geostrategic context, and there's no getting away from the (often sinister) role the US plays in these catastophes. Been meaning to write a piece on how Obama effectively captured the Free Syrian Army as his proxy in Syria - that caused a lot of fine young fighters to defect to Jabhat al-Nusra, because the US stipulated that FSA could fight ISIS but not Assad - Jabat wanted to fight both. That's a sword hanging over Zelenskyy now too. I'd also agree with you that Biden isn't going to help Zelenskyy in any way that will undermine Biden's own agenda. Been trying to sort out the JCPOA talks in Vienna, which Biden wants to succeed a lot more than he cares about Ukraine, and what the implications are for securing Russian cooperation in the JCPOA and Biden's policy viz Ukraine. I don;t mean to be cynical, but. . .
Leon Panetta is calling it a NATO/US proxy war with Russia publicly. Can't imagine why he'd be saying it, given his pedigree (especially with current admin) unless not true.
We shall see. But simply awful situation over there for civilians with war dogs unfortunately on all sides.
As for JCPOA, try reaching out to former analysts of the firm the US lead negotiator left to assume current job. They will likely be helpful on background. But is clear Dems are in Iranian camp, and even Syrians publicly mulling moving away from Iran now. Fog now, but likely to be lifted soon. FURIOUS bipsrtisan reax from US senate if deal happens imo.
Can't imagine it? I can imagine it. Panetta wasn't articulating a fact, wasn't claiming to be asserting a fact. He was expressing an opinion - the US should "go in there and kill Russians," recognize that this is a bigger deal than just Russia vs. Ukraine - and using the term as a kind of euphemism. Here's former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul: Putin "frames" it that way, that "the regime there is just a puppet American regime put in place by us.” But Putin is making Ukraine a proxy in his fight with the west. “I think people really need to understand that this is just a proxy war for his fight against us.” Zelenskyy is not a Joe Biden proxy. Doesn't answer to Joe Biden, Answers only to the people of Ukraine.