Friday, November 26, 2004
This is a truly terrible article.
A quick summary of Steele's points, why not try finding as many inconsistencies as you can:
- Ukraine is a divided country.
- The protesters are from the West. Therefore they do not speak for the whole country. Should be quiet for the sake of stability.
- *Some* of the protesters are chanting songs from the second world war. The years of WW2 were anti-semitic. Uh-huh... Some people at Stop the War marches are dressed like suicide bombers, doesn't mean everyone feels the same way.
- Yushchenko served under Kuchma, a bad man, and some of his backers are brutal industrialists. He is therefore bad and no hero, may as well stick with what they have.
Although he might be better, not much will change. And hey! he would have falsified the results too! So that's alright then.
Other post-Soviet countries have also falsified their results. Again, that's ok then.
No protest at these inconsistencies, so presumably no one has a right to now.
Mention of evil "Western Money" being used. No mention of "good Russian" interference.
If democracy is used in US interests then it is a bad thing.
Russian interest is benign and understandable, "Western" is imperialist.
The US is continuing its Cold War policy of trying to aquire allies. This is not what Russia is doing. For some reason.
The EU should keep out of it, or at most urge compromise. Ok, not our problem, stick with the status quo.
The EU should promise membership and promote Eastern enlargement. And this won't encircle Russia or threaten it? (NB surely threatens Russia's "ambitions or interests". Troops are hardly massing on the border.)
The Ukraine is a unified country, apparently, and a European one at that. So it is Western and not Russian then. And a majority can speak for the country, can it?
The above can only be understood in terms of Cold War balance of power realpolitick, and this writer is - if forced to choose - for Russian rather than US interests. Any outcome which America would smile on is to be avoided.
Fucking Guardian.
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A quick summary of Steele's points, why not try finding as many inconsistencies as you can:
- Ukraine is a divided country.
- The protesters are from the West. Therefore they do not speak for the whole country. Should be quiet for the sake of stability.
- *Some* of the protesters are chanting songs from the second world war. The years of WW2 were anti-semitic. Uh-huh... Some people at Stop the War marches are dressed like suicide bombers, doesn't mean everyone feels the same way.
- Yushchenko served under Kuchma, a bad man, and some of his backers are brutal industrialists. He is therefore bad and no hero, may as well stick with what they have.
Although he might be better, not much will change. And hey! he would have falsified the results too! So that's alright then.
Other post-Soviet countries have also falsified their results. Again, that's ok then.
No protest at these inconsistencies, so presumably no one has a right to now.
Mention of evil "Western Money" being used. No mention of "good Russian" interference.
If democracy is used in US interests then it is a bad thing.
Russian interest is benign and understandable, "Western" is imperialist.
The US is continuing its Cold War policy of trying to aquire allies. This is not what Russia is doing. For some reason.
The EU should keep out of it, or at most urge compromise. Ok, not our problem, stick with the status quo.
The EU should promise membership and promote Eastern enlargement. And this won't encircle Russia or threaten it? (NB surely threatens Russia's "ambitions or interests". Troops are hardly massing on the border.)
The Ukraine is a unified country, apparently, and a European one at that. So it is Western and not Russian then. And a majority can speak for the country, can it?
The above can only be understood in terms of Cold War balance of power realpolitick, and this writer is - if forced to choose - for Russian rather than US interests. Any outcome which America would smile on is to be avoided.
Fucking Guardian.
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