Ukraine and Russia: War, not Peace

Written on August 30th, 2014 in politics Comments Off

Published on The Economist, Aug 30, 2014 … and more on Google News-search (my comment: … and the whole blackmailed or otherwise dump elite is unable to stop this mess, as money, power and influences are more important than peoples – Heidi).

… All this came after Mr Poroshenko met Vladimir Putin, for the first time since June, in the margins of a summit in Minsk. The meeting began icily and achieved little. Russia’s interests—keeping Ukraine out of NATO—have not changed. Even if many Russians are ready to buy claims of soldiers “accidentally” crossing the border, the rest of the world is not. Yet Mr Putin still maintains that the war is a “domestic matter”, and calls for negotiations to include representatives of eastern regions. The Kremlin will prop up its rebel proxies to ensure they are not defeated, but has no desire for a full-scale invasion. “Military activities are an instrument for strengthening their political position ahead of negotiations,” says Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs, a journal … //

… The Ukrainian economy is in tatters. The IMF says GDP will contract by 6.5% this year; some call this is optimistic. The hryvnia has fallen over 60% against the dollar this year [on 29.8.2014 / 11h23 MEZ = 5 Ukrainian Hryvnia (UAH) give 0.37 United States Dollar (USD)]. The loss of Crimea and disruption in the Donbas region have taken their toll on investor confidence and domestic production. “Ukraine does not function without Donbas,” says Timothy Ash, chief emerging-markets economist at Standard Bank, noting that the region accounts for 16% of GDP and 27% of industrial production. “Every day we are losing our economic potential,” said Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the prime minister, on August 20th. A day later his economy minister resigned. On August 25th Mr Poroshenko dissolved the Rada (parliament); he must wait until the election for progress on the economy.

The IMF is debating the delivery of a $1.4 billion loan, the second instalment of a $17 billion aid package. The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, pledged more than $690m in reconstruction aid during a visit to Kiev on August 23rd, a gesture Mr Poroshenko gratefully compared to the Marshall Plan. But it may not be enough.

Mr Poroshenko has hung his presidency on victory over the “terrorists” in the east. Any whiff of capitulation could leave him exposed domestically, where the mood is militant and nationalist parties are poised for gains in October. Mr Poroshenko knows this: he speaks of peace to international audiences, but sounds a different tune at home. When dissolving the Rada, he gave a speech full of patriotic exhortations and references to a fifth column. “Illegal armed formations can be dealt with only by force,” he said … //

… (full text).

Related Links for Ukraine NATO Russia War:

USA: US-Russia war over Ukraine not in the cards – Obama, 1.38 min, uploaded by RuptlyTV, Aug 28, 2014;

CrossTalk: Ukraine Info War, 23.56 min, uploaded by celal ceylan, Aug 28, 2014: While Washington and western mainstream media go to great lengths to demonize Russia for everything happening in Ukraine, there is no denying the West is pul … How similar is the situation in Ukraine to Egypt or Syria? Should Russia worry about its neighbor? Does NATO want Ukraine in alliance? And is the West ready …;

Ukraine crisis: Nato plans east European bases to counter Russia, on The Guardian, by Ian Traynor in Brussels, Aug 27, 2014: Nato chief announces move in response to Ukraine crisis and says alliance is dealing with a new Russian military approach …;

The Pentagon’s Strategy for World Domination: Full Spectrum Dominance, from Asia to Africa, on Global Research.ca, by Bruce Gagnon, Aug 25, 2014: Current US military space policy is primarily geared toward two countries, China and Russia …;

Dangerous Crossroads: US-NATO To Deploy Ground Troops, Conduct Large Scale Naval Exercises against “Unnamed Enemy”, on Global Research.ca, by Prof Michel Chossudovsky, Aug 24, 2014: The World is at a dangerous Crossroads. The Western military alliance is in an advanced state of readiness. And so is Russia. Russia is heralded as the “Aggressor”. US-NATO military confrontation with Russia is contemplated. Enabling legislation in the US Senate under “The Russian Aggression Prevention Act” (RAPA) has “set the US on a path towards direct military conflict with Russia in Ukraine” …;

The Russian Aggression Prevention Act RAPA: A Direct Path to Nuclear War with Russia, on Global Research.ca, by Steven Starr, Aug 22, 2014: The Russian Aggression Prevention Act, introduced to Congress by U.S. Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), will set the US on a path towards direct military conflict with Russia in Ukraine …;

Uploaded on YouTube by karnip2u:

Other Links:

Neuroscientists say it’s possible to overwrite bad memories, Aug 29, 2014: TOKYO (AFP) – Emotions connected to memories can be rewritten, making bad events in the past seem better and good things appear worse, scientists from Japan and the United States have found …;
same in french / et en français – Neurosciences: les mauvais souvenirs ne sont pas indélébiles, dans Le Point.fr, 28 août 2014: Une étude suggère que les émotions associées à des souvenirs peuvent être réécrites, permettant d’adoucir ou d’assombrir des événements du passé …;

FBI Probes Possible Hacking Incident at J.P. Morgan, on WSJ, by DANNY YADRON, EMILY GLAZER and DEVLIN BARRETT, Aug 28, 2014;

‘All hands on deck’: US pushes ahead with Ebola vaccine trials on humans, on Russia Today RT, Aug 28, 2014;

The Auschwitz Files: Why the Last SS Guards Will Go Unpunished, on Spiegel Online International, by Klaus Wiegrefe, Aug 8, 2014 (Photo Gallery): In February, German prosecutors conducted a wave of raids targeting former SS concentration camp guards. It was hoped the proceedings could help make up for decades of inaction. Instead, they will likely mark the latest chapter in the German judiciary’s shameful approach to the Holocaus …;

… and this:

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