David Arakhamiya’s recent interview enhances our understanding of the diplomatic course of the war in Ukraine in two crucial ways. Despite the political West’s insistence that Vladimir Putin had more expansive goals for invading Ukraine, Arakhamiya says that Moscow would have traded peace for a Ukrainian promise not to join NATO. He also twice states … Continue reading “Bad Advice: Ukraine Then and Now”
Ted Snider
The World Has Spoken on Gaza: The US Again Stands Alone
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres “had just invoked Art.99 of the UN Charter – for the 1st time in [his] tenure as Secretary-General.” Article 99 states that “The Secretary-General may bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.” It was … Continue reading “The World Has Spoken on Gaza: The US Again Stands Alone”
Gaza and Ukraine: How the US Risks Losing the Global South
The Global South – or perhaps more acutely, the Global Majority – is a loose club of countries who share growing confidence in their economic strength and in their ability to resist US hegemony in favour of working with multiple poles in pursuit of their own national interest instead of America’s interests. The US has … Continue reading “Gaza and Ukraine: How the US Risks Losing the Global South”
It’s Unanimous: Ukrainian Neutrality Could Have Brought Peace
A leading Ukrainian politician said in a November 24 interview that as early as April 2022, Russia was “prepared to end the war if we agreed to…neutrality.” On June 13, 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia and Ukraine had “reached an agreement in Istanbul” and that the agreement had been initialled by both … Continue reading “It’s Unanimous: Ukrainian Neutrality Could Have Brought Peace”
Has Volodymyr Zelensky Passed His Expiration Date?
Volodymyr Zelensky may have been the perfect president to lead Ukraine through the war with Russia. But he may not be the perfect president to lead them out. Zelensky has made it difficult for himself to get out of the picture he felt he needed to paint to get Ukraine through the war. To maintain … Continue reading “Has Volodymyr Zelensky Passed His Expiration Date?”
NATO Chief Puts Hypocrisy on Full Display
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg put NATO’s hypocrisy on display while talking to reporters ahead of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on November 28. Asked by a reporter about American and European struggles to continue providing Ukraine with weapons and ammunition, Stoltenberg replied, “It’s our obligation to ensure that we provide Ukraine … Continue reading “NATO Chief Puts Hypocrisy on Full Display”
Four Myths About Putin
In the Russo-Ukrainian war, US propaganda has exploited a time tested syllogistic sophistry. First you identify the nation at war with the individual who leads the nation. It is not Russia’s war on Ukraine, it is Putin’s war on Ukraine. Then you identify the individual with Hitler. At various times, Hilary Clinton, John McCain, Lindasy … Continue reading “Four Myths About Putin”
Washington’s Message Is Like a Record with the Needle Stuck
US President Joe Biden’s November 18, 2023 op ed for The Washington Post opens with his rendition of Madeleine Albright’s no longer popular hit, “we are America; we are the indispensable nation.” “The United States,” Biden writes, “is the essential nation.” Biden’s tune is tone deaf to the rising voice of the nonaligned world and … Continue reading “Washington’s Message Is Like a Record with the Needle Stuck”
There Could Have Been Peace: How the US Ensured a Long War in Ukraine
On February 27, just the third day of their war, Russia and Ukraine announced direct negotiations in Belarus. Having already said that he was prepared to abandon Ukraine’s pursuit of NATO membership, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky went into the negotiations “without preconditions.” That round of talks, having identified priority topics, led to a second round, again … Continue reading “There Could Have Been Peace: How the US Ensured a Long War in Ukraine”
What’s Next for Ukraine: The Outlines of a Peaceful Settlement
As Ukraine’s counteroffensive begins to unravel, it is not clear that the hundreds of thousands of deaths already suffered have purchased any of its goals. Ukraine is not in NATO, and it has not received any firm assurance that it will ever be. All that has happened is that the fifteen year old promise that … Continue reading “What’s Next for Ukraine: The Outlines of a Peaceful Settlement”