Drum Beats and Nuclear Weapons

Ukrainian political history is extremely complicated but it is now simplified by Western media. We are being told who is in the wrong as if the issues are black and white, who are the aggressors, who shot down MH-17, and how we need to arm the Eastern bloc European countries. And the winner is!.....the arms merchants.

Furthermore, some of the rhetoric has made no sense. John Kerry, US Vice-President, demands that “Russian disarm the separatists”. How, exactly, was Russia going to take the weapons away from the dissidents in another country?

The United States has admitted that it put millions of dollars into the protests that eventually brought down the previous Ukrainian president (remember, the one who was going to align with the Russians instead of the EU). A Western-friendly multi-million dollar chocolatier becomes president after an election that barely passes for legal.

Unanswered questions: why was the US in there in the first place? Why are they supporting a despot (“West-friendly” doesn’t mean “democratic”)? Why is it ok for the West to supply arms to the one side if it is wrong for Russia to supply the other (whether they are or not)?

The Eastern often-Russian speaking Ukrainians do not want separatism. Or at least they didn’t until the media started reporting it. For years they have wanted a federal arrangement with the Ukrainian government, much like Quebec with Canada.  Putin has asked for meetings to resolve the issue. The US says, “no meetings until you do what we are asking.” Putin doesn’t seem to be a particularly nice guy but at least he has called for the separatists to halt their activities and for the government to move its army out of the contested areas; the US insists that the government has the right to put down dissent by military means.

I hear drum beats and see false flags. Remember the lead-ups to Afghanistan – “gotta get Bin Laden”, Iraq – weapons of mass destruction, Iraq – babies being thrown out of incubators?

A million people have been displaced because one country decided to meddle in the politics of another. This time the two international players are facing off with aging nuclear weapons fleets and aging computer systems. Will not calmer heads prevail?