zuzak20140216Roberts.html

Washington Orchestrated Protests Are Destabilizing Ukraine

Dear Paul Craig Roberts:

It has been several years since I last wrote you concerning your erroneous views on the Russia-Georgia war of August 2008, as archived at:
http://www.willzuzak.ca/tp/wllzzk/roberts20080815Georgia.html
Unfortunately, your latest two articles reproduced below indicate that you continue to retain and promote your Ukrainophobic views. To counter some of your erroneous assertions, I have interspersed critical comments in the color fuchsia throughout these texts.

It is particularly hurtful that you denigrate the hundreds of thousands of peaceful demonstrators on Euromaidan, who aspire for freedom and democratic values, and lionize the Yanukovych regime and his mentor Vladimir Putin, who aspire to establish a brutal terroristic dictatorship in Ukraine. Surely, you are aware that since his election in 2010, Viktor Yanukovych has been increasing his own dictatorial powers (and wealth) and has rolled back any democratic progress achieved since Ukraine's independence in 1991. You must be aware of Mr. Putin's KGB past, his orchestrated Moscow bombings in 1999 to justify his invasion and continuing destruction of Chechnya, his assassinations of Anna Politkovskaya and other journalists, and his poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium. Mr. Putin would have no qualms in implementing such scenarios in Ukraine.

I have recently archived a large number of relevant articles as displayed on the WiZeus page of my website http://www.willzuzak.ca/ . I would also urge you to read my last two GRC Reports at:
http://www.willzuzak.ca/cl/grc/zuzak20140101GRC.html
http://www.willzuzak.ca/cl/grc/zuzak20140205GRC.html

Contrary to your opinion, I view the Maidan and their weekly Sunday "Viche" attended by hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens as the most democratic form of discussion possible in Ukraine today. As you yourself note, it is not controlled by politicians (and certainly not by the CIA, FSB, Mossad or SBU). In my opinion, the Maidan could/should become a permanent fixture in Ukrainian politics, where politicians (including the President) periodically appear to present and seek approval for their proposals. Furthermore, any constitutional changes must always be initiated and approved by Ukrainian citizens via the Maidan.

I suggest that the concept of the Maidan could be usefully applied to many other countries, including the United States and the Russian Federation.

Should you wish to respond to my Email and/or carry on a discussion, I shall be pleased to archive your response on my website.

Sincerely yours
William Zuzak; 2014.02.16
[Archived at http://www.willzuzak.ca/tp/ukrainophobia/zuzak20140216Roberts.html ]

OpEdNews | 12Dec2014 | Paul Craig Roberts
http://www.opednews.com/articles/Washington-Orchestrated-Pr-by-Paul-Craig-Roberts-Crisis_NGOs_Protest_Russia-140212-424.html

Washington Orchestrated Protests Are Destabilizing Ukraine

The protests in the western Ukraine are organized by the CIA, the US State Department, and by Washington- and EU-financed Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) that work in conjunction with the CIA and State Department. The purpose of the protests is to overturn the decision by the independent government of Ukraine not to join the EU.

[W.Z. The Euromaidan demonstrations in Kyiv were initiated mostly by university students on the night of 21Nov2013, grew exponentially until Sunday 24Nov2014, simmered for the following week until Friday 29Nov2014, when President Yanukovych declined to sign the Association Agreement with the European Union in Vilnius, Lithuania. These demonstrations were peaceful, non-political and did, indeed, demand that Mr. Yanukovych sign the Association Agreement with the EU. However, the brutal attack by the Berkut forces at 04:10 AM on 30Nov2013 (see [06:34] and [01:09] videos within the multiple videos file) immediately transformed the demonstrations into demands for an end to corruption and the resignation of Viktor Yanukovych and his government. To state that the CIA or State Department"organized" these protests is simply not true.]

The US and EU were initially cooperating in the effort to destroy the independence of Ukraine and make it a subservient entity to the EU government in Brussels. For the EU government, the goal is to expand the EU. For Washington the purposes are to make Ukraine available for looting by US banks and corporations and to bring Ukraine into NATO so that Washington can gain more military bases on Russia's frontier.

[W.Z. Only Russia wants to destroy the independence of Ukraine -- especially Vladimir Putin, who claims that Ukraine is not a real country and believes that the demise of the Soviet Union was the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century. During the Yushchenko presidency from 2005 to 2010, the EU government refused to even consider expanding the EU to include Ukraine. Even the proposed Association Agreement does not guarantee Ukraine's membership. The "looting" of Ukraine by the Yanukovych "family" and the Oligarchs is one of the main complaints of the Euromaidan demonstrations.]

There are three countries in the world that are in the way of Washington's hegemony over the world -- Russia, China, and Iran. Each of these countries is targeted by Washington for overthrow or for their sovereignty to be degraded by propaganda and US military bases that leave the countries vulnerable to attack, thus coercing them into accepting Washington's will.

The problem that has arisen between the US and EU with regard to Ukraine is that Europeans have realized that the takeover of Ukraine is a direct threat to Russia, which can cut Europe off from oil and natural gas, and if there is war completely destroy Europe. Consequently, the EU became willing to stop provoking the Ukraine protests. [??? The takeover of Ukraine by Russia is a direct threat to Europe.]

The response of the neoconservative, Victoria Nuland, appointed Assistant Secretary of State by the duplicitous Obama, was "f*ck the EU," as she proceeded to describe the members of the Ukraine government that Washington tended to impose on a people so unaware as to believe that they are achieving independence by rushing into Washington's arms. I once thought that no population could be as unaware as the US population. But I was wrong. Western Ukrainians are more unaware than Americans.

The orchestration of the "crisis" in Ukraine is easy. The neoconservative Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland told the National Press Club in Washington on December 13, 2013, that the US has "invested" $5 billion in agitation in Ukraine. The crisis essentially resides in western Ukraine where romantic ideas about Russian oppression are strong and the population is less Russian than in the eastern Ukraine.

[W.Z. "romantic ideas about Russian oppression"? Has P.C. Roberts not heard of the Holodomor genocide of 1932-1933, the Great Terror, the Gulags?]

The hatred of Russia in western Ukraine is so dysfunctional that the duped protesters are unaware that joining the EU means the end of Ukraine independence and rule by the EU bureaucrats in Brussels, the European Central Bank, and US corporations. Perhaps Ukraine is two countries. The western half could be given to the EU and US corporations, and the eastern half could be reincorporated as part of Russia, where the entire Ukraine resided for as long as the US has existed.

[W.Z. Does Mr. Roberts support the partition of Ukraine as proposed by many Russian politicians and some fifth columnists in Ukraine? The vast majority of Ukrainian citizens -- of whatever ethnic origin and whether Russian- or Ukrainian-speaking do not support the dismemberment of Ukraine.]

The disaffection from Russia that exists in western Ukraine makes it easy for the EU and US to cause trouble. Those in Washington and Europe who wish to destroy Ukraine's independence portray an independent Ukraine as a hostage of Russia, while a Ukraine in the EU is allegedly under the protection of the US and Europe. The large sums of money that Washington funnels into NGOs in Ukraine propagate this idea and work the population into a mindless frenzy. I have never in my life witnessed people as mindless as the Ukrainian protesters who are destroying the independence of their country.

[W.Z. This argumentation is just ridiculous!]

The US- and EU-financed NGOs are fifth columns designed to destroy the independence of the countries in which they operate. Some pretend to be "human rights organizations." Others indoctrinate people under cover of "education programs" and "building democracy." Others, especially those run by the CIA, specialize in provocations such as "p*ssy Riot." Few if any of these NGOs are legitimate. But they are arrogant. The head of one of the NGOs announced prior to the Iranian elections in which Mousavi was Washington's and the CIA's candidate that the election would result in a Green Revolution. He knew this in advance, because he had helped to finance it with US taxpayer dollars. I wrote about it at the time. It can be found on my website, and in my just published book, How America Was Lost.

The Ukrainian "protesters" have been violent, but the police have been restrained. Washington has a vested interest in keeping the protests going in the hopes of turning the protests into revolt so that Washington can grab Ukraine. This week the US House of Representatives passed a resolution threatening sanctions should the violent protests be put down by the police.

[W.Z. No! The protestors on the Euromaidan site on Independence Square have been peaceful. (The violent clashes on Hrushevsky Street between hotheads/provocateurs and Berkut are removed several hundred meters from Independence Square.) The visa and money laundering sanctions specifically target people responsible for the violence against demonstrators.]

In other words, if the Ukrainian police behave toward violent protesters in the way that US police behave toward peaceful protesters, it is reason for Washington to interfere in the internal affairs of Ukraine. Washington is using the protests to destroy the independence of Ukraine and has ready the list of puppets that Washington intends to install as Ukraine's next government.

http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/

Dr. Roberts was Assistant Secretary of the US Treasury for Economic Policy in the Reagan Administration. He was associate editor and columnist with the Wall Street Journal, columnist for Business Week and the Scripps Howard News Service. He is a contributing editor to Gerald Celente's Trends Journal. He has had numerous university appointments. His latest book, The Failure of Laissez Faire Capitalism and Economic Dissolution of the West is available here: http://www.amazon.com/Failure-Capitalism-Economic-Dissolution-ebook/dp/B00BLPJNWE/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1362095594&sr=8-17&keywords=paul+craig+roberts

paulcraigroberts.org | 14Feb2014 | Paul Craig Roberts
http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2014/02/14/russia-attack-paul-craig-roberts/

Russia Under Attack

In a number of my articles I have explained that the Soviet Union served as a constraint on US power. The Soviet collapse unleashed the neoconservative drive for US world hegemony. Russia under Putin, China, and Iran are the only constraints on the neoconservative agenda.

Russia’s nuclear missiles and military technology make Russia the strongest military obstacle to US hegemony. To neutralize Russia, Washington broke the Reagan-Gorbachev agreements and expanded NATO into former constituent parts of the Soviet Empire and now intends to bring former constituent parts of Russia herself -- Georgia and Ukraine -- into NATO. Washington withdrew from the treaty that banned anti-ballistic missiles and has established anti-ballistic missile bases on Russia’s frontier. Washington changed its nuclear war doctrine to permit nuclear first strike.

[W.Z. In one sense, I agree with Paul Craig Roberts. During the 1990's there was an opportunity to eliminate (or, at least, reduce) the military confrontation between the United States and the peoples comprising the Soviet Union. NATO could have been restructured to include Russia, Ukraine and other Soviet republics. Historically, both Russia proper and Ukraine have always been part of Europe and could/should have been offered eventual accession to the European Union. For the rest of the Russian Federation, an agreement could have been made between Russia, Europe, China and the United States for the development of this region for the benefit of the people living there (instead of for the benefit of the Oligarchs living in Moscow, Europe and the United States).

Instead of the above scenario, the United States counselled and Yeltsin foolishly agreed to implement "shock therapy privatization" which led to massive poverty, massive corruption and the rise of the Oligarchs. (The resulting disruption of society can be equated to that of Stalin's collectivization -- a crime against humanity.) By the year 2000, a KGB veteran, Vladimir Putin, was appointed then elected as the new Russian "vozhd".]

All of this is aimed at degrading Russia’s deterrent, thereby reducing the ability of Russia to resist Washington’s will.

The Russian government (and also the government of Ukraine) foolishly permitted large numbers of US funded NGOs to operate as Washington’s agents under cover of “human rights organizations,” “building democracy,” etc. The “pussy riot” event was an operation designed to put Putin and Russia in a bad light. (The women were useful dupes.[???]) The Western media attacks on the Sochi Olympics are part of the ridiculing and demonizing of Putin and Russia. Washington is determined that Putin and Russia will not be permitted any appearance of success in any area, whether diplomacy, sports, or human rights.

The American media is a Ministry of Propaganda for the government and the corporations and helps Washington paint Russia in bad colors. Stephen F. Cohen accurately describes US media coverage of Russia as a “tsunami of shamefully unprofessional and politically inflammatory articles.” http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article37635.htm [See Stephen Cohen vs. Anton Shekhovtsov debate.]

As a holdover from the Cold War, the US media retains the image of a free press that can be trusted. In truth, there is no free press in America (except for Internet sites). See for example: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/12/us-press-freedom-index-2014_n_4773101.html During the later years of the Clinton regime, the US government permitted 5 large conglomerates to concentrate the varied, dispersed and somewhat independent media.The value of these large mega-companies depends on their federal broadcast licenses.Therefore, the media dares not go against the government on any important issue. In addition, the media conglomerates are no longer run by journalists but by corporate advertising executives and former government officials, with an eye not on facts but on advertising revenues and access to government “sources.”

Washington is using the media to prepare the American people for confrontation with Russia and to influence Russians and other peoples in the world against Putin. Washington would love to see a weaker or more pliable Russian leader than Putin.

Many Russians are gullible. Having experienced communist rule and the chaos from collapse, they naively believe that America is the best place, the example for the world, the “white hat” that can be trusted and believed. This idiotic belief, which we see manifested in western Ukraine as the US destabilizes the country in preparation for taking it over, is an important weapon that the US uses to destabilize Russia.

Some Russians make apologies for Washington by explaining the anti-Russian rhetoric as simply a carryover from old stereotypes from the Cold War. “Old stereotypes” is a red herring, a misleading distraction. Washington is gunning for Russia. Russia is under attack, and if Russians do not realize this, they are history.

Many Russians are asleep at the switch, but the Izborsk Club [link] is trying to wake them up. In an article (February 12, 2014) in the Russian weekly Zavtra, strategic and military experts warned that the Western use of protests to overturn the decision of the Ukraine government not to join the European Union had produced a situation in which a coup by fascist elements was a possibly. Such a coup would result in a fratricidal war in Ukraine and would constitute a serious “strategic threat to the Russian Federation.”

The experts concluded that should such a coup succeed, the consequences for Russia would be:

— Loss of Sevastopol as the base of the Russian Federation’s Black Sea Fleet; [Yanukovych extended the lease from 2017 to 2042]

— Purges of Russians in eastern and southern Ukraine, producing a flood of refugees; [Absurd]

— Loss of manufacturing capacities in Kiev, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov where contract work is done for the Russian military; [Why?]

— Suppression of the Russian speaking population by forcible Ukrainianization; [Absurd]

— The establishment of US and NATO military bases in Ukraine, including in Crimea and the establishment of training centers for terrorists who would be set upon the Caucasus, the Volga Basin, and perhaps Siberia. [Absurd]

— Spread of the orchestrated Kiev protests into non-Russian ethnicities in cities of the Russian Federation. [Avtomaidans should be set up in all Russian cities.]

The Russian strategists conclude that they “consider the situation taking shape in Ukraine to be catastrophic for the future of Russia.” [For the Russian Oligarchs and Putin: YES; for the citizens of the Russian Federation: NO]

What is to be done? Here the strategic experts, who have correctly analyzed the situation, fall down. They call for a national media campaign to expose the nature of the takeover that is underway and for the government of the Russian Federation to invoke the Budapest Memorandum of 1994 in order to convene a conference of representatives of the governments of Russia, Ukraine, the USA, and Great Britain to deal with the threats to the Ukraine. In the event that the Budapest Memorandum governing the sovereignty of Ukraine is set aside by one or more of the parties, the experts propose that the Russian government, using the precedent of the Kennedy-Khrushchev negotiations that settled the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, negotiate directly with Washington a settlement of the developing crisis in Ukraine.

This is a pipe dream. The experts are indulging in self-deception. Washington is the perpetrator of the crisis in Ukraine and intends to take over Ukraine for the precise reasons that the experts list. It is a perfect plan for destabilizing Russia and for negating Putin’s successful diplomacy in preventing US military attack on Syria and Iran.

Essentially, if Washington succeeds in Ukraine, Russia would be eliminated as a constraint on US world hegemony, Only China would remain.

[W.Z. The obsession of Mr. Roberts is to prevent "US world hegemony" and he is willing to support the "evil" Putin and sacrifice Ukraine to achieve this. He fails to see that the success of Euromaidan would go a long way of preventing "world hegemony" by both the U.S. and the Russian Federation.]

I suspected that Ukraine would come to a boiling point when Putin and Russia were preoccupied with the Sochi Olympics, leaving Russia unprepared. There is little doubt that Russia is faced with a major strategic threat. What are Russia’s real options? Certainly the options do not include any good will from Washington.

Possibly, Russia could operate from the American script. If Russia has drones, Russia could use drones like Washington does and use them to assassinate the leaders of the Washington-sponsored protests. Or Russia could send in Special Forces teams to eliminate the agents who are operating against Russia. If the EU continues to support the destabilization of Ukraine, Russia could cut off oil and gas supplies to Washington’s European puppet states. [Is Mr. Roberts proposing that Putin perpetrate crimes against humanity against Ukrainian citizens?]

Alternatively, the Russian Army could occupy western Ukraine while arrangements are made to partition Ukraine, which until recently was part of Russia for 200 years. It is certain that the majority of residents in eastern Ukraine prefer Russia to the EU. It is even possible that the brainwashed elements in the western half might stop foaming at the mouth long enough to comprehend that being in US/EU hands means being looted as per Latvia and Greece.

I am outlining the least dangerous outcomes of the crisis that Washington and its stupid European puppet states have created, not making recommendations to Russia. The worst outcome is a dangerous war. If the Russians sit on their hands, the situation will become unbearable for them. As Ukraine moves toward NATO membership and suppression of the Russian population, the Russian government will have to attack Ukraine and overthrown the foreign regime or surrender to the Americans. The likely outcome of the audacious strategic threat with which Washington is confronting Russia would be nuclear war.

The neoconservative Victoria Nuland sits in her State Department office happily choosing the members of the next Ukrainian government. Is this US official oblivious to the risk that Washington’s meddling in the internal affairs of Ukraine and Russia could be triggering nuclear war? Are President Obama and Congress aware that there is an Assistant Secretary of State who is provoking armageddon?

Insouciant Americans are paying no attention and have no idea that a handful of neoconservative ideologues are pushing the world toward destruction.

NOTE: I have received an email from Moldova, a country bordered by Romania and Ukraine with cities on the Moldova-Ukraine border, that Moldovans are paid 30 euros
per day to pose as Ukrainian protesters. I would like to hear from readers who can confirm this report and/or provide a media source in support of this claim.

[W.Z. This is a very disturbing article and, in my view, erroneous in its analysis of the situation.]