What the US Media Won't Tell You About Ukraine

[newthinking]

https://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/03/04-0

What the US Media Won't Tell You About Ukraine
by Ted Rall

Stories devoid of historical context cast Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a naked act of neo-Soviet aggression. Considering that the relevant history begins a mere two decades ago, its omission is inexcusable.

The spark that led to the takeover of Crimea was not the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovich. It is what happened the day after.

A 2012 law gave the Russian language official status in regions where Russians comprise more than 10% of the population. This is the case in most of eastern Ukraine and particularly in Crimea, where 59% are ethnic Russians.

One week ago, Ukraine's rump parliament (members of Yanukovich's party, hiding from opposition forces and in fear for their lives, didn't show up) took advantage of Yanukovich's downfall to overturn the language law. Americans didn't notice, but Russians did.

[RobertEarl]

1. They have a hard time just talking, eh?

No wonder they are in such a mess. They can't even communicate with each other.

They should all learn English? As long as they don't also drive like the English do, we should all get along just fine.

[newthinking]

3. Your comment is confusing - Ukrainian and Russian are very close

Generally they can understand the jist of each other's language. But every school has been teaching the Ukrainian language and grammer for many years. Ukrainian has been the official language since shortly after the fall of Russia.

All restricting the use of Russian does, in a country where more than half speak it, and more than a third speak Russian as their primary language, is alienate and make the lives of their older generations more difficult. But the repeal of the language law (The new leaders "repealed the repeal" once they realized that it was a pretty stupid thing to do when they were already at risk of civil war) was only what brought things to a boil. The vast majority was too busy working to keep bread on their tables, and they were not going to get paid $30-100/day (as many of the protesters were paid).

But they woke up quickly when the neo-nazis started throwing moltov cocktails and burning down buildings.

For good or bad, the only thing keeping civil war from happening is the Russian troops. It was on the way.

[dionysus]

9. no one is banned from speaking it, that's preposterous.

Last edited Wed Mar 5, 2014, 12:40 AM - Edit history (1)

[RobertEarl]

12. You have a very inventive view of all this

Some could even call it 'creative' thinking?

Try this on for size: Da Pope and his problems talking to people with a dif language.

Pope meant to say: "I bring you peace to enjoy"
Instead because of the language mistake, it came out like this:
"I bring you penis to enjoy"

Honest mistake, yes? But them's fighting words in the wrong ears.

I imagine much the same happens all over the Ukraine.

[newthinking]

19. You better stop siping from the bottle earl lol

[RobertEarl]

20. That is a dumb response

Take your warmongering and stick it where the sun don't shine.

[newthinking]

29. Who the hell is warmongering?

Just because what is happening in Ukraine is being framed in cold war terms everyone assumes that others are thinking in the same terms.

I don't see a "good guy" here. I haven't praised putin nor criticized Obama. I just hope they both stay away from initiating deadly conflict.

[RobertEarl]

30. There is this comment of yours

Quote: "For good or bad, the only thing keeping civil war from happening is the Russian troops. It was on the way."

You think Russian troops are the answer to their problems. That would be asking that the Russians enter, and with violence, put down the people's revolt. That's warmongering where I come from.

[newthinking]

35. I am only pointing out the obvious

Crimea was already forming a new government even before the initial "masked militia" showed up. It is just a fact that they would fight, as they see what happened in Kiev as a coup of people aligned with neo-nazi's.

Certainly svoboda and right sector "security forces" would have been the first to arrive, just as they have been decending on municiple governments in many regions to intimidate them into letting loose of their offices. That would have become an all out conflict.

[go west young man]

10. Almost all Russians do speak some English.

It is taught as a second language in all schools.

[RobertEarl]

14. See? That's smart.

But I do believe they drive like the English, still?

Houston has a problem with that.

[EmilyAnne]

2. This has been covered quite extensively in the US media, actually.

I don't think it was a good idea to threaten to overturn the 2012 law, but it certainly would not be a legitimate reason for Russia to act as it is.
The real reasons are truly in keeping with historical context:
1. Russia's desire for warm water port access.
2. The reemergence of the Holy Russian Empire.


The Russian language status law is no longer being repealed, btw, so it seems that some of the new leadership realized that this was not a good move.

[newthinking]

4. But this would not be happening if we did not consort with Neo-nazi's

and scared the crap out of people who are only a generation away from Germany and WWII.

[EmilyAnne]

5. I don't believe this is true.

I recognize that a lot of Russian people are scared because they are convinced that neo-nazis have taken over Ukraine.
I understand their fears, but I do not think they are founded on reality.

[AverageJoe90]

11. And there's plenty of extreme-righters in Russia.....

But we don't hear about *that* on RT, do we?

[newthinking]

16. Did I say I support Russia's right wingers.

I am just trying to get people to emphasize and understand more fully what went wrong. This was not a representative overthrow, and it is threatening the entire country with violence while we argue about Cold war geo-politics.

[AverageJoe90]

36. I don't recall implying such, no, TBH.

With that said, though, although I am concerned about Svoboda and others, this situation really is more complex than what some have led us to believe.....that much I DO believe.

[newthinking]

37. agreed

[newthinking]

24. They only placed several "Right sector" leaders in places of power

over the military and security. Think about that. Right sector is even farther right than svoboda, the other far right group involved in the overthrow. They are avowed neo-nazis.

Did you take a look at the video I posted below? It is of a "town meeting" early last week in a Kiev suburb where the same actors that had clubs in the protests head into the public meeting with bats and large hammers and proceed to intimidate and threaten the people there. Please watch it and tell me it isn't terribly concerning.

[Travis_0004]

6. So what?

By that logic, Mexico would have justification to invade Arizona if they passed a law making English the only official language.

[newthinking]

15. You forgot two other factors - Neo-Nazi's and violently removing

any opportunity for representation.

Most people don't know the half of what the real story is.

Watch this video and tell me you are not just a little disturbed by it. This is what was going on behind the scenes.

The video is of a "Town Hall" being conducted in a Kiev suburb. A large group of masked svaboda men arrive with bats and large hammers. They then proceed to intimidate everyone at the meeting and threaten the people leading the meeting. This happened all over Ukraine.

[Scootaloo]

27. Ah, but as always, they're OUR fascist thugs

Like the Taliban, like SAVAK, like Suharto, like Pinochet, like the Contras, like the Iraqi Baath...

[2banon]

7. interesting, thanks for this n/t

[dionysus]

8. LOL, ted rall....

[go west young man]

13. The US media is just a prop for the MIC and advertisers.

This Russia bogeyman meme has been being pushed since Putin came to power and Yeltsin was given the shove. Yeltsin was selling off state resources to American oil companies (The Sakhalin oil fields in particular). Putin reigned in those deals and grew the economy with the resource money. This pissed off Dick Cheney and all his oil buddies and from then on it was denigrate new Russia, paint it as a new cold war and keep kicking them when their down...instead of helping to lift them out of poverty. Many American have bought into this meme and seem to miss the fact that a new Cold war only hurts themselves because now the MIC has the backing to increase their budgets thereby taking needed money away from American social programs and needed development. And it only took 12 years after Saddam and Bin Laden to cultivate this cash cow. terrorism can only get you so far. So all these DU'ers falling for this bullshit please wake up cause in the long run your only hurting yourself.

[dionysus]

26. i am sure there are plenty of nice places in Russia, and that most Russians are probably good folks.

just like in most countries around the world.

but past malfeasance from the US does not excuse Putin from being a douchebag, wanna-be dictator. he's not a good guy on the side of the people, here.

[go west young man]

34. No matter what anyone thinks of him.

My point is the new cold war build up is only gonna lead to cuts in social programs at home. This is the same argument as lets go after terrorist back in the early 2000's. They were barely a threat but we sunk our life savings into the BS and now look at us. Russia isn't a direct threat to us. We are the greater threat....to ourselves. Alas I have no doubt we will continue to decline as a nation.

[Spider Jerusalem]

17. Except they didn't "overturn it", that was vetoed

and there were riots when it was passed in the first place, which Ted Rall also isn't telling you.

[newthinking]

18. It was only "vetoed" almost a week later when they realize what a stupid move it was

and how tenous their hold on power was.
I have no doubt they will introduce it again if they can get the population under their thumb.

Were you aware that they added 11 Svoboda Parliament members and placed two members of "Right Sector" in places of power over military and national security? Can you imagine anyone giving that kind of power over the population to avowed neo-nazi's?

It's time to wake up folks.... This will eventually come to light. I just hope that happens before a tragedy occurs in the country.

[Spider Jerusalem]

23. Do you know how parliamentary politics works?

No one party has enough seats in the Ukrainian parliament for a majority. Any party seeking to govern has to be able to maintain a coalition that commands a majority. For the current government, that means Svoboda (along with other parties). And in exchange for their supporting the government they get ministry portfolios and cabinet seats. This is how parliamentary governments work because it's the only way they can work; otherwise you end up with something like the situation they had in Belgium a few years back (where they had a year without a government).

[newthinking]

25. Right sector, avowed neo-nazis, have won 0 seats

Yet they placed them in critical positions of power over the military and national security.

THINK. That is a truly serious matter. We are not talking "tea party" here. We are talking people with seriously vicious belief systems.

[Spider Jerusalem]

28. No, they haven't?

The new defence minister is a Svoboda member, yes, but he's also qualified for the position (he's a retired admiral and former C-in-C of the Ukrainian Navy).

[newthinking]

32. I know it is really hard to follow the details

since they are not being covered in the media well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andriy_Parubiy

Andriy Volodymyrovych Parubiy (Ukrainian: Андрій Володимирович Парубій is a Ukrainian politician[2] and the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine, appointed after leading the anti-government riots in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.[3] His deputy is Right Sector leader Dmytro Yarosh.[4]
Biography

In the years leading up to the Ukrainian independence in 1991 Parubiy was an active activist for this independence, being arrested for holding an illegal rally in 1988.[2] In 1991 he founded the neo-Nazi[5] Social-National Party of Ukraine together with Oleh Tyahnybok.[2] Parubiy co-led the Orange Revolution in 2004.[2][6] In the 2007 parliamentary elections he was elected into the Ukrainian parliament on an Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc ticket.[2] He then became a member of the deputy group that would later become For Ukraine!.[2] Parubiy stayed with Our Ukraine and became a member of its Political Council.[7]

In February 2010 Parubiy had asked the European Parliament to reconsider its negative reaction to former Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko's decision to award Stepan Bandera, the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, the title of Hero of Ukraine.[8]

Early February 2012 Parubiy left Our Ukraine because their "views diverged".[9] In 2012 he was re-elected into parliament on the party list of "Fatherland".[10]

In 2013–14 Parubiy was a commandant of the Euromaidan.[11] He was coordinator of the volunteer security corps for the mainstream protesters.[12]

------------------------

Andriy Parubiy, a lawmaker who served as commander of the protest movement’s guards, was chosen to serve as chair of the national security and defence council. Victoria Siumar, a civil society activist, and Dmytro Yarosh, head of Right Sector, a militant protest group, were proposed as his deputies."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Sector#cite_note-ftyarosh1-16 (note 16 at the bottom)

[dionysus]

21. ted? agenda? noooooo!

[NuclearDem]

22. This is what's called "bullshit."

The invasion is about taking back Crimea. The "protect the ethnic Russians" is just how Putin's drumming up support. Plenty of ethnic Russians he's targeting in his own damn country.

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. I am hypercritical of US media

But this has been covered extensively. Hell, even my local tv station went there with an easy to understand timeline (which honestly surprised me)

[cherokeeprogressive]

33. Show me the pipeline map again?