It seems the favourite passtime of Western governments and media has become blaming Russia for a situation that they themselves encouraged and actively campaigned for.
At the start of the Ukraine crisis there was an elected pro-Russia leader in power in Kiev. This was a leader elected in credible peacetime elections. When a section of his population became restive, he did not unleash the full might of the armed forces under his command upon them. Instead he negotiated and made huge concessions.
With the full backing and encouragement of Western governments and media, these concessions were ignored. The pro-Russian leader then left power. He could have chosen to fight but he did not.
The violence that is going on now could have been rebels in Western Ukraine against the government. To me that indicates Viktor Yanukovych made a decision to save his country. A man who placed his country above the petty tribal politics that are ripping Ukraine apart today.
Western backed two bit tribalist leaders then unconstitutionally seized power, with much cheering from very same Western leaders who are pointing fingers at Russia. At one point Western foreign ministers were trooping to Kiev to pat these tribalists on the back, like a herd of drought stricken wildebeest rushing to a watering hole.
The tribalists subsequently organised elections that make the much maligned elections run by my country, Zimbabwe, look like a raffle run by honest old ladies. Half the country could not even get the chance to vote. Yet the so called paragons of democracy in the West were tripping over their own toes in the rush to endorse the farce.
Now that their short-sighted actions have led to a disaster that has claimed mostly Western lives, they have been screaming like a troop of monkeys that has seen a leopard, pointing fingers at Russia. They forget that they invited conflict to their own doorsteps by encouraging one side of a tribal conflict to be unreasonable.
Honestly speaking what do they want Russia to do? Occupy Western Ukraine and impose order? I don't think they would be happy with that. Would they rather have Putin do policing on Kiev's behalf? Why should Putin take responsibility, and costs, for short-sightedness that the West and those in power in Kiev are responsible for. Let them shovel their own waste.
If the shoe of controlling one half of Ukraine's tribes could not fit on a pro-Russian leader's foot, what made the West thing it would fit on the other foot without crippling the country? They forced it on and now the country is crippled. They should not be surprised.
At this point, the only thing I see in Ukraine is long term conflict. Western leaders should be prepared to gather and stomach that harvest, because they planted the crop of nettles. Throwing tantrums at Russia won't help them in the slightest bit. It will only make the nettles bigger, and yield a much pricklier harvest.
It is the West who need to change course, not Russia. Ethnic linkages going back centuries are not controlled by one man.
The West should ask themselves why Britain remains closely allied to the United States. A poodle as some would put it. It is because of ethnic links. No single leader can change the character of that relationship.
No one should expect Vladmir Putin, to perform miracles and change the character of ethnic links between Russia and eastern Ukraine. He will not be able to, even if he wanted. If he tried, the discontent within Russia would probably threaten the fabric of her own society.
No comments:
Post a Comment