As you may be aware, it seems that protestors have seized government buildings in Eastern Ukraine and demanded a referendum on joining Russia. Ukraine claims that these protests have Russian backing. Now the protestors in Donetsk have declared independence and declared they will hold a referendum on joining Russia.
Quelle Horreur!
It is wonderful that the current, Ukrainian government, which was certainly, absolutely, not installed by protestors seizing legislative buildings, and was definitely not backed by the US, no sirree, is in a position to be outraged by government buildings being seized and outside interference in the Ukraine’s business.*
And how dare Eastern Ukrainians demand a vote on whether or not they should be able to join Russia. There was certainly no vote on their current government. No vote on whether to cut pensions in half, as the Ukrainian government plans, or to increase natural gas prices by 50%. Why should they have a vote?
This material, it writes itself.
Oh, and the US is threatening further sanctions, because it is determined to expand NATO right up to Russia’s border and force Russia into long-term, hard alliance with China, so that the between them they have both enough manufacturing and enough natural resources to form an bloc independent of the West, and peel off most of Latin America and Africa.
Notes
* I doubt they have the ability to hold such a referendum, since they don’t actually control the local government.
** For those who might have been in a news blackout, of course the current Ukrainian government was formed, by, oh, protestors forcing their way into a legislature, seizing arms from government arms depots, votes by legislators while protestors who had seized weapons and forced their way into the legislature stood over them; and, of course, with the energetic backing of the US, and probably of some European countries. Given the precedent, the complaints by Washington and Kiev are highly amusing.)
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S Brennan
Oh Ian, that is so yesterday. Didn’t you get the memo? We’re “pivoting” to Venezuela…weeeeeh-hah.
Kidding… it’s a good post Ian, especially the “black humor” aspect…the lies are so fast and furious…
FYI, A “democracy demonstrator” in Venezuela…uhm, this guy doesn’t look like he’s spent a whole lot of time thinking about the benefits of democracy. But if John Kerry says these are guys we need to fund and arm…then who am I to judge.
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/4/7/1396871241356/5f6397b2-7372-4eec-bbeb-03cb0ce9fee6-620×413.jpeg
Ian Welsh
Has John Kerry actually said “arm” the Venezuelan protestors? They’re a bunch of upper-middle and upper class guys who want the old days back.
(I’m not a big fan of Chavez, or Chavezism, but most Venezuelans are, actually, better off than before him.)
S Brennan
Fair enough, I don’t think we ever do that overtly, but he is threatening…
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/20/venezuela-revolt-truth-not-terror-campaign
“John Kerry knows which side of the class war he is on. Last week, just as I was leaving town, the US Secretary of State doubled down in his fusillade of rhetoric against the government, accusing President Nicolás Maduro of waging a “terror campaign against his own people”. Kerry also threatened to invoke the Inter-American Democratic Charter of the OAS against Venezuela, as well as implementing sanctions.
more on Kerry:
Here’s the truth about those charges from Kerry: since the protests in Venezuela began, it appears that more people have died at the hands of protesters than security forces. According to deaths reported by CEPR in the last month, in addition to those killed for trying to remove protesters’ barricades, about seven have apparently been killed by protesters’ obstructions – including a motorcyclist beheaded by a wire stretched across the road – and five National Guard officers have been killed. ”
I think the US policies radicalized Chavez in Venezuela and Putin in Crimea.
S Brennan
“it is outrageous that the Obama Administration still has not met the Ukrainian government’s request for modest military assistance,” McCain said in a statement.
…last month, Ukrainian leaders requested military assistance from the United States, but President Obama has not yet made a decision…spokesman Jay Carney said the administration had not ruled out military assistance to Ukraine.
http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/europe/202850-mccain-blasts-administration-amid-latest-russian-aggression
stirling
what is interesting is that this doesn’t even check out by their own sources.
S Brennan
Strirling, I didn’t follow your point, could you clarify?