Ukraine's abundant resources are capable of sustaining ALL of its people if they act wisely and remain independent.
As Robert Parry outlined a few days ago, the recent explosion began when the pro-democracy demonstrators in Kiev’s Maidan square from all across Ukraine sought to topple democratically elected and highly corrupt President Viktor Yanukovych. Ukraine was then, and is even more so now, basically bankrupt. Yanukovych rebuffed a set of demands that would have required Ukraine to swallow the harsh austerity measures prescribed by the International Monetary Fund in exchange for a loan package that would have barely put a dent in Ukraine's financial troubles at that time. Yanukovych opted for a more generous offer from Russia of a $15 billion loan with few strings attached.
The demonstrations grew more and more violent by the day and as they did the far-right neo-nazi ultranationalists of western Ukraine took on larger roles. Almost immediately the old divisions ruptured and nearly the entire western media cheered on the overthrow of Yanukovych on Feb. 22 while downplaying the crucial role played by well-organized neo-Nazi militias in the final violent days. Then, with Yanukovych out and a new coup regime in, led by U.S. hand-picked Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk [our man Yats], the IMF austerity plan was promptly approved.
Many independent journalists like Robert Parry and Ray McGovern of Consortium News have worked hard over the last while to counter balance the one-sided propaganda of the western mainstream media and they deserve our thanks. Congressman Ron Paul too has been a lone voice of reason among western politicians as he's called repeatedly for the western powers to stop fomenting conflict and stay out of Ukraine. He too deserves thanks for having the courage to stand up against the tide of jingoist propaganda.
The crisis in Ukraine is, IMO, one example of the epic financial WWIII that we and the biosphere are drowning in. Unlike Hollywood, this epic has no white hats or black hats, no clear and easy right or wrong to cheer for and against. The real war IMO is about who will win the financial war between the U.S. - IMF - EU cabal and the the emerging BRICS [Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa] alliance that are threatening the Anglo-American banks with the construction and implementation of a new monetary/financial/trade system which would lead to the demise of the petrodollar and the plummeting of the western economies now artificially buoyed by it.
Ukraine is in the cross hairs of a geopolitically explosive situation not of their making. Ukraine is one of the naturally richest places on Earth. It was once called the breadbasket of the world, it could be again if its political leaders could act in ALL the Ukrainian people's best interests and remain independent of both Russia and the western cabal.
This morning Floyd Rudmin, professor of Social and Community Psychology at the University of Tromsø in Arctic Norway, published 'The Crisis in Ukraine: What Can Be Done?'. In it Floyd puts forward 7 well considered and constructive ideas. IF they could be adopted somehow by the fear-filled factions and the self-interested international powers they could lead to a real long term solution for Ukraine. As well Floyd's article outlines some of the dangers we all face at this moment. Floyd too deserves our thanks for thinking outside the simplistic black hat / white hat picture.
