UP-FRONT UKRAINE NUGGETS!!
While the West Watches Crimea, Putin Cleans House in Moscow (Julie Ioffe) from the New Republic
An insightful and personal must-read from Ioffe -- it gives one a real sense both of what's going on on the ground in Russia and what it has been like covering this story.
"While the world awaits Sunday’s referendum in Crimea and nervously watches the Russian troops massing on Ukraine’s eastern border, the world is missing that, in Moscow, Vladimir Putin is busily cleaning house. ... Westerners rightly know Russia as a font of absurdity, but lately, it’s been hard to keep up: I’ve been trying to write this post for a solid week now, and have been constantly derailed by the increasingly bizarre and worrying developments coming from the Trans-Eurasian Development Belt. ... This is all about intangibles, the things that reason can't hook, the things impervious to logic and reasoning and even the cynical algebra of geopolitical interests. This is about pride and values and the
Trans-Eurasian Development Belt."
Putin's laying the groundwork for Invading the Rest of the Ukraine: Moscow Uses Death of Protester to Argue for 'Protection' of Ethnic Russians in Ukraine from the Daily Telegraph [of the UK]
"Dmytro Chernyavskiy, a Right-wing anti-Moscow activist, was stabbed to death during clashes in Donetsk that injured 45. ... Russia has seized on the death of a young man during a demonstration in eastern Ukraine to warn it will protect "compatriots" threatened by political instability in its former Soviet neighbour."
The cynicism here is breath-taking. Putin is going to use the death of an ANTI-RUSSIAN demonstrator to justify an invasion of the rest of Ukraine. This kind of stuff comes straight out of your standard 1930s fascist playbook. Now -- make no mistake. I am not saying that Putin is like Hitler. I'm saying that Putin is a 1930s-style fascist, probably more in the vein of Mussolini or Franco or the eastern European fascists of the late 1930s. What ties these together is Putin's hyper-nationalism, ethnic chauvinism, contempt for civil or human rights, and the cynical way he controls and uses the Russian media.
Who can say what the Ukrainian authorities are planning, but it seems the people of Ukraine don't plan to go quietly:
Recruits Flock to Join Ukraine’s National Guard from euronews.com
"In Kyiv, volunteers have started signing up for Ukraine’s new national guard. It follows a vote in the Ukranian parliament to create a 60,000 strong force to bolster the country’s defenses. Most of the new recruits gathered appeared to be young men in their early twenties. Many said they had no previous military experience. ... Despite Russia saying it has no plans to invade eastern Ukraine, military training is already taking place in case of a potential attack."
With Last Media Critics Blocked, Putin Silences the Russian Press (Andrei Soldatov) from the Daily Beast
"Forget investigative reporting, even critical commentary is now out of bounds as the Kremlin clamps down on Web news sites."
Vladimir Putin, Internet Villain (Leonid Bershidsky) from Bloomberg
"... countries with high levels of real-life oppression and lots of Internet freedom are most likely to experience revolutions. Putin and Erdogan are responding in classic authoritarian style: Instead of reducing oppression, they're clamping down on access to the Internet."
Why Putin Will Buckle Under Sanctions (Milton Ezrati) from the Daily Beast
"Russia may be talking a big game when it comes to Ukraine, but the Kremlin knows full well it can’t afford prolonged economic warfare. ... Whatever Vladimir Putin’s talent at bullying, he cannot hide his country’s fundamental weakness."
In Sanctions Showdown With West, Russia Playing A Weak Hand from Radio Free Europe
"The European Union and the United States are moving with unexpected alacrity in lining up targeted economic sanctions against Russia and even in keeping the prospect of blunt, Iran-style sanctions on the table."
I will believe it when I see it. The Europeans specialize in talking, talking and more talking ... and, when they will have to endure some real economic pain, NOT acting. They have outsourced to the US and others SO MUCH of their capacity to apply real leverage to Russia -- even as they have left themselves VERY vulnerable to all kinds of pressures from Russia. Are EU leaders and the European people generally willing to face a gas shutdown and all that that will entail? I'm skeptical.
Banking on Pain for Russia’s Banks from the Global Post
"The circle of Russian bankers and industrialists who’ve carefully protected their interests by keeping on good terms with President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin — the so-called oligarchs — are increasingly nervous that his moves in Crimea will cost them dearly."
Yeah -- we shall see. This item bookends very nicely with Friday's story from Guardian on how Putin can hurt the EU. Based on my reading, Putin is way out on the political skinny branches with this Crimean adventure. For him, this is WAY bigger than some points off of Russia's GDP or some officials' who can't spend their weekends in Paris. It is increasingly clear that Putin has been preparing for this for years -- and his real agenda is now open for all to see. For Putin, this is existential -- he'll either win or he and his regime are going down. There is very little wiggle room for him to back off and somehow save face.
Putin's Imperial Ambitions (Michael Bohm) from the Moscow Times
"Putin was always a Bush wannabe. Deep down, he marvelled at Bush's strength and defiance in defending what he believed to be his country's national interests. Although he would never admit it, Putin probably even admired Bush's invasion of Iraq in 2003. In Putin's mind, the invasion highlights all of the "privileges" of being a modern superpower: dictating terms and conditions to other countries, flaunting your double standards, expanding your country's influence on the global arena, and breaking United Nations resolutions by invading other nations at will — and getting away with it. This is what superpowers do."
Another great legacy of the Bush years. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Putin didn't fear Bush's strutting about. He liked Bush because Bush's actions justified (at least in Putin's own mind) much of the long-term plan he had looking forward.
How The Truth Is Made At Russia Today (Rosie Gray) from BuzzFeed
“It was my first job and I feel embarrassed and ashamed.” An inside look at what it’s like to work at the Kremlin-funded media outlet. ... The public shake-up and skewed coverage of Ukraine has pulled aside RT’s curtain, exposing the network’s propaganda apparatus, which relies on a number of Western reporters and producers."
Parallels to 1914? What History Teaches Us About the Ukraine Crisis (Christopher Clark) from Der Spiegel [of Germany in English]
"Armed men, believed to be Russian servicemen, march outside a Ukrainian military base in the village of Perevalnoye near the Crimean city of Simferopol. On the 100th anniversary of World War I, it is tempting to compare events in Ukraine to 1914. But the current crisis bears little resemblance to the geopolitical situation of the time. The answers history provides are anything but singular and absolute."
Speaking of 1914:
WORLD WAR I NUGGET!!
Dulce et decorum est: A Fine and Fitting Funeral After 99 Years from the Daily Mail {of the UK]
"The 20 soldiers were killed in the Battle of Loos in September 1915 and their graves were lost for a century. Their bodies were discovered during building work and have now been re-buried in military cemetery. Ceremony took place in the town of Loos-en-Gohelle today and the men were given full military honours. The only one to be identified was Private William McAleer, 22, whose descendant attended the burial."
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