Monday, March 16, 2015

Damir Marinovich — Ukraine's Neo-Nazis Are the Most Dangerous in Europe


This post doesn't add much to what is already known and omits much of what is known, but it is significant for documenting how neo-Nazis/fascist are close to power in Ukraine (far beyond their electoral strength), unlike any other European country.
Many were shocked when Kiev openly admitted that neo-Nazis are part of the Ukrainian armed forces, that they are controlled by Kiev and that without them "the Russian army" could not be stopped. Most of the Western media have completely ignored this scandalous statement.
According to Western politicians and media there is no real danger of Ukrainian nationalistic extremists taking over power or influencing politics in Ukraine. On the contrary, influential US neo-cons including professional Russophobe Anne Applebaum argues that the West must support Ukrainian nationalism: "Nationalism is exactly what Ukraine needs now."....
These are four important reasons why Ukrainian neo-Nazis are much more dangerous than their European comrades....
Russia Insider

7 comments:

Ralph Musgrave said...

According to that bit of Russian propaganda, “Influential militant groups” in the Ukraine want “aggressive Ukrainaization” of the Ukraine. Er . . . . what do Russians want in Eastern Ukraine: not by any chance “aggressive Russification” of that particular geographical area is it?

Tom Hickey said...

Actually, Ralph, the some of the more left wing people in the Eastern Ukraine would like to resurrect Communism and some prefer Stalinist variety at that. But the latter are not influential there as far as I am able to discover.

The so-called "Russification" in the East is by people of Russian heritage and Russian culture and Russian values who are fighting to retain their language, for example.

The East is looking for an integrated Ukraine in which different groups can follow their own preferences. They are making no demand that Western Ukrainians become Russified and that Russian be made the only acceptable language and culture.

Conversely, the extreme Ukrainian nationalists want to rid Ukrainian of all traces of what is not Ukrainian in their view — because exceptionalism. Exceptionalism lies at the heart of fascism, and Nazism is based on a particular type of exceptionalism based on "racial purity."

From what I can see, it is wildly disproportional to picture even the most extreme people in the East on the same level with the extreme Ukrainian nationalists.

Peter Pan said...

They are facing economic and military defeat. They need a dose of reality instead of fanaticism.

Tom Hickey said...

This is the problem, Bob. Ukraine is failing as country unless it receives massive injections, which neither the EU countries or the US are willing to provide as grants and loans come with onerous conditions even if they are granted.

The scenario that some analysts project developing out of this is another Maidan led by the Right Sektor, which has been making noises along these lines for some time. These people are committed to fighting to the last bullet and the problem is that the US looks willing to supply them with enough military aid to keep the region destabilized.

Look at some of the geopolitical and geostrategic analysis that I posted recently about the US adoption of hybrid warfare and the Lead From Behind strategy. The situation in Ukraine would have to be invented if it didn't already exist, and evidence points toward it having been invented, ostensibly for this purpose.

Running a proxy war in Ukraine keeps Russia off balance, destabilizing it and potentially setting it up for regime change. It also emboldens EU hawks arguing for a beefed up NATO contribution from EU countries.

The difficulties here are, first, a reaction from EU allies but the US feels certain it has the leverage to scuttle that and keep the vassals in line. Secondly, there is a risk of nuclear war, too, but the US has apparently decided that either the stakes are high enough to risk it, or else that the odds are low enough to accept.

However, the US feels it can rely chiefly on hybird warfare of which economic warfare is a principal component. No problem for the US, but the European allies aren't so enthusiastic since it is hurting them economically, too, and the US is not stepping up to help them out economically, but rather pressuring them to increase military expenditure. So Nuland is making the rounds twisting arms.

Remember than all this is taking place in the context of a Eurozone crisis that is pushing the EMU to the limit economically, financially and politically. But if you have been keeping up with the geopolitical and geostrategic analysis that I have been posting, this, too, fits into the US strategy for global hegemony.

Remember, too, that the EU and EZ were created to unite Europe as an economic bloc that could compete with the US, Chinese and Indian blocs in the 21st century as globalization unfolds. It is not in the US interest to have a strong united Europe that could pressure the US or even threaten US hegemony by allying with Russia or China, which Russia and China want to bring about.

Peter Pan said...

Well then, it's up to the Russians to provide a dose of reality. They can wait until another Maidan, or they can pull the plug earlier. They've been thoroughly demonized by the western press, what have they to lose by going on a military offensive?

I think that Russia can tolerate a proxy war far better than smaller, weaker countries can. If the Ukrainian government won't negotiate they can expect to receive treatment similar to what was meted out in Chechnya. The Russian bear can be very mean.

Note that Ukrainian males of conscription age are voting with their feet. They aren't willing to be cannon fodder.

Tom Hickey said...

1. The sense is that Russia's strategy is that time is on their side. They see this working against the Anglo-American Empire by weakening the ties with the European vassal states, Germany in particular. The worst nightmare of the US and UK has been and remains a German-Russian strategic alliance that controls Eurasia. This alliance is to the natural advantage of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia and Central Asia, and Russia is trying to get Germany to get on board with its natural advantage.

2. Russia doesn't want Ukrainian in the condition its in, which is just a huge expense. They don't want NATO in the Russian Ukrainian border and they don't want to foot the expense by themselves. They would like to see a solution where the West and Russia split the costs and Ukrainian remains neutral, with Western Ukrainian (Ukrainian speaking) allied more with Europe economically and Eastern Ukraine (Russian speaking) with Russia.

Anonymous said...

“… this, too, fits into the US strategy for global hegemony”. [TomH]

It’s essential to see analysis posted of the ‘Great Game’ from different viewpoints as it provides some context for everything else that is posted in and around this blog; ergo elevation and perspective (an eagle’s eye view of the valley below). But it is also good to remember all are but human; a rather unique and tiny evolutionary experiment in Nature.

From this angle the combatants in the Great Game are also a product of evolution: Yogis in their own way! They have mastered their physical, emotional and mental faculties, and learnt how to focus; use everything around them and ruthlessly in order to create what they believe will fulfil ‘Them’. They are the Lion that roars: - but eventually all lions wander out into the desert, alone, diminish and die – only the tail remains (?). Their opposite symbol is Aquarius. Besides the current chaos and suffering they create, the bloodied and broken bodies and lives they stand on and their impossibly dull ‘rationales’ - what really works to set them apart from the rest of humanity is direction.

For me, a human being has been ‘packaged’ with everything they need, to make the journey from birth to death (just seventy laps around the Sun) – fulfilment is all about unpacking what is within. Learning how to do this is ‘Knowledge’. Time is a river into which everything is thrown, moment by moment, breath by breath – no ceremony, no regrets, no exemptions. Time puts everything back in its place – the way that it actually is!

The Lion fights for supremacy in this world. The human heart in its millennial wisdom, desires peace. The heart says look inside – find what has been given to you; enjoy your existence! Out of joy – create! Above all – value this human existence! One day, people will see it all clearly and choose.