By now Obama has addressed Europe’s elites in Brussels for the G7 summit, which excluded Russia because of disagreements with Moscow’s stance on the Ukraine crisis. The Crimean referendum is perhaps the pinnacle of this almost half-a-year old Ukrainian fiasco–an essentially chessboard game between European powers and America. Depending on your news sources though, it can be hard to know who is telling the truth or spreading propaganda.
Of course, for those of you who manages to extricate yourselves from the claws of the mainstream Western media, reading ‘between the lines’ is more like an exercise on deciphering and disgust than simple curious observation and impartiality–what used to be news has now been transformed into outright and shameless propaganda.
Whether you are sitting pretty on your couch watching the evening news, or attending a press conference of US officials, here is a fun exercise on learning “the language of Western double standards.”
When Obama calls for “de-escalating the Ukraine crisis”
- Dig on the facts, the ‘cause and effects’ of the crisis: the Ukraine protests late last year was ‘escalated’ by the West by its support for the Ukrainian anarchists, perhaps starting with John McCain’s visit to Kiev. Russia went to protect Crimea after the fact; triggered by the takeover of the Ukrainian self-proclaimed government
When the president of the United States calls for tougher sanctions if Russia engaged in “deeper incursions” into Ukraine
- Using the language “deeper incursions” denies the fact that Russian armed forces are permitted to maintain a base for mutual defense with Ukraine, a ‘responsibility to protect’ pact as the US calls it, until at least the year 2042.
When Obama mentions the existence of “the principles that have meant so much to Europe and the world must be upheld”
- He should’ve protested loudly against Bush Jr.’s incursions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to his policy makers during the so-called Arab Spring of Libya and Syria. Or do we need to mention Reagan’s CIA incursions in Latin America?
When the West declares the Crimean referendum to secede from Ukraine is “illegal and against international law”
- They should be reminded how they split Kosovo in the 90s. Despite Vladimir Putin’s firing back at Western double speak on the Crimean referendum, so far no Western politician courageous enough has rebuffed the Russian president’s reference to Kosovo
- In a similar situation, the Falkland Islands near Argentina is claimed by Great Britain, despite the former’s protests. Just imagine the location of those Islands in South America. In a similar secession referendum held last year, Falklanders voted to remain part of Britain. Of course they had the right to decide their own fate, just as with Crimeans in Ukraine
When the West says Russia is expanding its influence in the region
- Then Soviet president Gorbachev and George Bush Sr. discussed, albeit informally, that NATO will not expand “an inch” towards Russia if the USSR supported the reunification of Germany. By simply looking at the map of Europe today, even former Soviet republics are now members of this imperialist military alliance.
There is no denying that the inclusion of Ukraine as part of the European Union is only a pretext to its NATO membership in the future, and this Russia will fight at all cost. Here again, the principle of ‘cause and effect’ plays a role: Being in its region of influence, naturally Russia has the right to increase its military readiness amid NATO preparations near Russia’s borders.
Views From The East 