1. Reagan years Republican foreign policy thrust – (maybe from Nixon years with same staff promoting this effort) – ” international economic interdependency”
2. Madeleine Albright on Amanpour CNNI interview – talks about Clinton years adding Russia to various international groups as member incl G8 – translated attitude for what she said – (we added them to our club so they would feel better and like they were an integral part of the world decision-makers, my note) That is NOT a diplomatic, solution oriented thing to say – it was petty, derisive and arrogant – rather than helpful (my opinion.)
3. GOP operative was paid by Ukraine PM that had been ousted in 2004 – for complete campaign management by this GOP operative to put Yanukovich back into office heading up the Ukraine government, which he was.
4. Same operative and his agency was integral in the GOP campaign for US President of John McCain thereafter.
5. Ex US Vice President Dick Cheney, GOP member said on Charlie Rose show Sunday, that he had made phone calls to EU Parliament members a couple days before during the week to talk to them about the Ukraine situation and President Obama’s place in causing us to appear weak to Putin and Russia (paraphrased, check quote exactly).
6. Brezhinsky in opinion piece for Deutsche Welle talks about adding military aid to Ukraine’s interim government as part of its aid package along with other statements intended to incite rather than de-escalate or diplomatically construct solutions to Crimea and Ukraine situation. Brezhinsky worked for GOP US President George Bush 2001 – 2005.
http://m.dw.de/english/mobile.A-17489004-1433.html?maca=en-twitter_en_europe-4005-xml-mrss
A generous aid package of both economic and security measures will also underline this commitment, says Brzezinski, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe and NATO Policy from 2001 to 2005, under George Bush. Military aid could encompass a wide spectrum, he explains.
“It could range from assistance designed to consolidate, reform and modernize the Ukrainian military. That would be geared toward a longer term vision for Ukraine and its security relationship to the West,” he says. “And it could also include more immediate needs such as equipment that would be needed to help reinforce Ukrainian defenses against Russian forces.”
AND THIS One from the Japan Times – more GOP work –
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2014/03/11/national/ex-u-s-official-urges-japan-to-join-sanctions-on-russia/#.UyBGyeI7jhV
Michael Green served as special assistant to the president for national security affairs and senior director for Asian affairs at the National Security Council (NSC) from January 2004 to December 2005 under George W. Bush. – wikipedia
AND in the midst of all this – here’s what he publicly told the Japan Times for publication – threat, intimidation, manipulation, playing on fears of the region – GOP in action –
in this article from Japan Times – (link above)
Ex-U.S. official urges Japan to join sanctions on Russia
In addition, he warned that if Putin can use coercion and military force to settle a diplomatic dispute and violate the sovereignty of another country, that precedent will possibly encourage China to do the same thing with respect to the Senkaku Islands or the South China Sea.
7. Apparently, the Svoboda far-right wing party being backed by EU, UK, US and placed into Ukraine government positions of power was condemned by EU Parliament in December of 2012.
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/03/12/eupa-m12.html
8. Pictures from video within last few days, showed armed roving thugs from the far-right wing nationalist parties moving through streets of Ukraine Kiev “keeping the peace” with police nowhere in sight. The video story was aired either on CNNI or BBC from journalists there.
9. Instead of working to resolve the issues, one of the US diplomat / foreign policy team was shown on a news broadcast exclaiming that we had missed the opportunity in 2004 after the Orange Revolution in Ukraine had unseated Yanukovisch and we weren’t going to miss this one.
10. A few days ago, Russian news media mentioned that Ukrainians would have to work with half their pension in an article. That money is likely wrapped up in some mess and to join the EU will not solve it. On a video CNNI, a member of the public in Crimea, a man said that he was fighting to join Russia to keep pensions and not have a higher retirement age as required by the EU. Also mentioned other personal concerns which could be local realities influencing people’s decisions there.
11. Although Angela Merkel made the comment after speaking to Putin that he was living in a different world, translated from the German to mean an entirely different place of perspective and thought – Western media and particularly Republican influenced far-rightwing media sources continue to reflect that as craziness, out of touch with reality and in a “world of his own” rather than give merit to any of what Russia is saying.
12. Since the far-right wing Svoboda party is legally condemned by the European Parliament, and since it was installed rather than elected to Ukraine government positions deposing the elected officials there, it would be against EU and International Rule of Law to support that party in any position of power in Ukraine. As well, any financial or other aid could not legally be given to Ukraine until after the public elections are accomplished democratically with outside observers which is supposed to take place on May 25, 2014.
(Quote from – )
http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2014/03/12/eupa-m12.html
Today, the far-right Svoboda party holds top ministerial positions (deputy prime minister, education, ecology, and agriculture) and advisory posts in a regime that enjoys the economic and military backing of the EU and Washington.
Svoboda was condemned in an official resolution voted and adopted by the European Parliament. The document, titled “European Parliament of 13 December, 2012 on the Situation in Ukraine,” is available online.
In section 8 of the resolution, the EU’s legislative body declares itself “concerned about the rising nationalistic sentiment in Ukraine, expressed in support for the Svoboda party, which, as a result, is one of the two new parties to enter the Verkhovna Rada,” the Ukrainian parliament.
Stating that “racist, anti-Semitic, and xenophobic views go against the EU’s fundamental values,” the European Parliament “therefore appeals to pro-democratic parties in the Verkhovna Rada not to associate with, endorse, or form coalitions with this party.”
13. There is a lot more interdependency between Russia and the rest of the world beyond a space program, and Ukraine and natural gas access.
14. At the time this started, Syria had continued to slow down but make good on their promise to remove chemical weapons and allow them to be destroyed by the international community properly. Now, that effort that was moving along has stalled and those chemical weapons stores are not being moved out of Syria at all.
15. Russia signed a contract to add two more nuclear reactors to Iran despite agreements to the contrary with the international community at the same time, EU Ashton is in Iran to assure the most recent agreements to allow international inspections of nuclear facilities and to stop generating enriched uranium products as Iran had tentatively agreed with the international community.
16. Aside from removing parties from the G8 conference scheduled in Sochi later this year, EU along with US and UK have continued to call for “punishment” against Russia for their viewpoint position that Russia has made a fully armed incursion into Crimea even as Crimean majority are claiming their own autonomy to make their own choices, whether full independence or annexation by Russia if that independence cannot be assured.
17.There was an expert in Russian and International Studies interviewed on a news show within the last week who said (along with another source mentioning it in another news show) that last November (2013) a tripartheid concept was offered by Russia to be a part of the solution along with the EU for Ukraine’s needs. These two experts both indicating that the EU said no – to doing it that way.
18. Last fall, Exxon and Dutch Shell was prepared to sign leases to drill for conventional oil and natural gas reserves that were very recently discovered (2012) along the shelf of the Black Sea Crimean shore (maps indicate the basin runs under Crimea and the bowl of a lake / sea to its north as well).
19. Why would EU support the will of a part of Ukraine at the expense of every effort over many, many years to work with an international community inclusively? And, why would those in Crimea who predominantly want to be independent of both Russia and Ukraine essentially, not be allowed to simply be an officially recognized separate country of their own as a possible solution to the crisis rather than civil war and bloodshed?
20. I noted that Poland’s PM was on BBC America Hardtalk show demanding US, UK, NATO and EU involvement in driving Russia from the Crimean peninsula by force if necessary – and yet, none of these nations including Ukraine, Poland, Estonia or any others in the region – have anything but their immediate fears and regional conflicts in mind. Their appreciation for a much bigger picture including a future which still has Russia as their neighbor (friend or not) and an interplaying massively expansive international world around them – seems to fail or be nonexistent. They intend no workable solution which incorporates these larger concerns – they want things to be done to suit them as they see fit and everyone bring military resources into a highly charged, illegal and unproductive military intervention in the area.
21. Watching these nations manipulating leaders, media and public from constant interviews on international news shows, written materials and collateral hobnobbing with decision-makers has been frightening to consider that their vested interests are so shallow, narrow, regional and not able to conceive a larger integral future in a much bigger world.
22. Henry Kissinger took the time to write an opinion piece indicating how important it is to have Russia AND the EU partnerships for Ukraine. Why can’t that be made possible even now? That is the only thing that could work and also to restore the international relationships across the world between Russia, EU, UK, US and the G20 nations inclusively.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/henry-kissinger-to-settle-the-ukraine-crisis-start-at-the-end/2014/03/05/46dad868-a496-11e3-8466-d34c451760b9_story.html
Far too often the Ukrainian issue is posed as a showdown: whether Ukraine joins the East or the West. But if Ukraine is to survive and thrive, it must not be either side’s outpost against the other — it should function as a bridge between them.
AND
The European Union must recognize that its bureaucratic dilatoriness and subordination of the strategic element to domestic politics in negotiating Ukraine’s relationship to Europe contributed to turning a negotiation into a crisis. Foreign policy is the art of establishing priorities.
– cricketdiane
**
@Channel4News