{"id":107187,"date":"2014-01-30T07:48:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-30T07:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/?guid=eff0f8cd1eb1a620bf6d2cdf8cc74897"},"modified":"2014-01-30T07:48:00","modified_gmt":"2014-01-30T07:48:00","slug":"media-scoundrels-target-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/editorials\/media-scoundrels-target-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Scoundrels Target Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\"><b>Media Scoundrels Target Ukraine<\/b><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">by Stephen Lendman&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They do it in editorials. It&#8217;s in commentaries. It&#8217;s in feature op-eds. More on this below.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Previous articles discussed Ukraine. It&#8217;s under attack. Western dark forces want regime change.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">At stake is its national sovereignty. What&#8217;s ongoing involves weakening and isolating Russia.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Western-sponsored violence continues. It erupted in November. Police showed remarkable restraint. They still do.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Western officials wrongfully blame President Viktor Yanukovych government for street thug violence. So do US media scoundrels.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">On January 29, Russia&#8217;s Federation Council (its upper parliamentary house) passed a resolution. It condemned Western interference in internal Ukrainian affairs.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It &#8220;expressed indignation at a number of Western politicians unceremoniously interfering&#8230;and consciously provoking destabilization in the country.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It blamed opposition groups for ongoing violence. It called them part of a &#8220;well-organized campaign to discredit and overthrow the legitimate government.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;Pogroms and fire-raising in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, the storming of an administrative building, aggressive actions against law enforcement officers that have led to deaths and a significant number of injured are occurring with the approval of those who have brought people to the streets,&#8221; it said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It expressed &#8220;confidence that the brotherly Ukrainian people and their leadership will find a way to restore peace in the country.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It&#8217;s nowhere in sight. On January 28, Ukraine&#8217;s parliament repealed its days earlier enacted anti-protest law.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned. Yanukovych accepted his resignation. He signed a decree. It dismissed his other cabinet officials.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He promised other concessions. He appointed a committee to propose constitutional revisions.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It didn&#8217;t help. Protests continue. Violence accompanies them. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned &#8220;fascistic youths.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He warned against external interference. Russia &#8220;stands for a political settlement within the framework of Ukrainian law,&#8221; he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Street thug &#8220;roughnecks&#8221; prevent it. They control areas around Kiev&#8217;s Independence Square.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Barricades protect them. They occupy government building. They do so in all western regions of Ukraine except one.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">On January 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a press conference. He did so following a Brussels-based EU-Russia summit.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;Russia will never interfere in&#8221; internal Ukrainian affairs, he stressed.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;I can only imagine how our European partners would have reacted if amid a crisis, say, in Greece or in Cyprus, our foreign minister had appeared at an anti-European rally and started making calls.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;We believe this is not very good in general, and, taking into consideration certain specifics of relations between Russia and Ukraine, this is simply unacceptable and impossible for us.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Russia will fully honor its bilateral Ukrainian agreements, Putin added. He mentioned what hasn&#8217;t been explained elsewhere.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He cited an unnamed religious leader. He&#8217;s a radical extremist. He called on Ukrainians to rally in Kiev. He preached insurrection.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He urged Yanukovych&#8217;s ouster. He wants his legitimate government replaced. He used racial epithets. He said Russians, Jews and Blacks should be excluded from ruling Ukraine.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">His agenda has no place in civil society, said Putin. It shows what peaceful Ukrainians are up against.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Washington&#8217;s dirty hands are manipulating things. EU officials share blame. Hardball viciousness reflects ongoing policy. It&#8217;s longstanding Western practice.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It&#8217;s ruthlessly exploitive. It operates globally. It harms ordinary people horrifically. Ukrainians supporting Yanukovych&#8217;s government have cause for concern.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">US media scoundrels aren&#8217;t neutral. They blame Yanukovych for street thug violence. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/01\/23\/opinion\/ukrainian-standoff.html\"><span style=\"color: #1255cc;\">New York Times<\/span><\/a> editors pointed fingers the wrong way.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They urged Washington to &#8220;make abundantly clear to Mr. Yanukovich and his lieutenants that they will pay a price if they try to use the talks simply to gain time, or if they order a bloody crackdown.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Revoking visas for Ukrainian officials &#8220;was a good start,&#8221; they said. They urged additional measures.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They wrongfully accused Yanukovych of &#8220;undermin(ing) his legitimacy.&#8221; He did so, they said, by rejecting an EU deal.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They claimed it &#8220;could have opened the way to a brighter economic future.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">The lied saying so. Western deals are one-way. They&#8217;re all take and no give. They&#8217;re exploitive. They ignore popular interests.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Ukraine dodged a bullet by rejecting what no responsible government would accept.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Not according to Times editors. On January 28, they gave four former US Ukrainian ambassadors feature op-ed space. They gave none to Yanukovych supporters.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">John Herbst heads Washington&#8217;s National Defense University&#8217;s Center for Complex Operations.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">William Green Miller is a Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars senior policy scholar.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Steven Pifer heads the Brookings Institution Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">William Taylor, Jr. is United States Institute of Peace Middle East and Africa vice president.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">All four groups are Western establishment organizations. Their views are slanted. They&#8217;re one-sided. They lack credibility.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">So do former US ambassadors. Rare exceptions prove the rule. They&#8217;re paid to lie. They support policies demanding rejection.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/01\/29\/opinion\/what-the-west-must-do-for-ukraine.html?hpw&amp;rref=opinion\"><span style=\"color: #1255cc;\"> headlined<\/span><\/a> &#8220;What the West Must Do for Ukraine.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">What&#8217;s responsible was excluded from their commentary. Imperial priorities were featured. International law was ignored.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Things are &#8220;on the verge of spinning out of control,&#8221; they said. They pointed fingers the wrong way.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They blamed &#8220;authoritarian (Yanukovych) policies.&#8221; They lied saying so. They haven&#8217;t abandoned their old ways.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;If the United States and European Union wish to encourage a peaceful resolution, they must use their leverage now,&#8221; they said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Peaceful Ukrainians deplore outside interference. They want dirty hands kept off their country.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Former ambassadors wrongfully accused Yanukovych of &#8220;employ(ing) force.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">He&#8217;s been remarkably restrained. Western governments attack peaceful protesters violently.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They do it consistently. They use brute force. Media scoundrels ignore what demands condemnation.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Yaukovych concessions are &#8220;too little, too late,&#8221; said the ambassadors. He&#8217;s gone way out of his way to be conciliatory.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Opposition thugs respond with more violence. They occupy government buildings.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">If something similar happened in America or EU countries, police and other security forces would intervene forcefully. They&#8217;d do it violently. In some cases perhaps with guns blazing.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Injuries would follow. Maybe deaths. Mass arrests for sure. Media scoundrels would applaud supportively. So would former ambassadors.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They want &#8220;coordinate(d) Western action.&#8221; Doing so ignores fundamental international law.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Nations are prohibited from interfering in the internal affairs of others. Self-defense is the only exception. Not according to former Ukrainian ambassadors.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;United States and European Union officials should make clear to Mr. Yanukovych that he must refrain from the use of force and must negotiate seriously to find a resolution to the crisis.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;That means going beyond his latest proposals. He must offer shared control over state security organs with the opposition.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Imagine if former Russian officials demanded Washington share power with anti-government opposition independent parties.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Imagine public rage. Imagine condemnation. Imagine the harsh response. Imagine media scoundrel editorials and commentaries denouncing unacceptable meddling.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Do what we say, not do, is official US policy. Former ambassadors don&#8217;t forget.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;American and European officials should directly engage Mr. Yanukovych\u2019s inner circle and underscore that they need to act now to promote a settlement or face Western visa and financial sanctions,&#8221; they said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">&#8220;American and European officials&#8230;should leave Mr. Yanukovych a way out. He could still order the police to move against demonstrators.&#8221; It would &#8220;hasten his departure from office.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Responsible governments confront lawless insurrections. They&#8217;re not tolerated. They shouldn&#8217;t be.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">The alternative is anarchy. The worst of Ukrainian opposition elements aren&#8217;t &#8220;demonstrators.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They&#8217;re Western manipulated provocateurs. They&#8217;re street thugs. They&#8217;re ultranationalists. They&#8217;re fascists. They&#8217;re lawless.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Former ambassadors ignored what demands highlighting. They urged greater Western involvement. &#8220;Brussels needs to maintain a high-level team in Kiev for the duration of the crisis,&#8221; they said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Imagine if Russian officials said Moscow must do something similar in Washington to assure pro-Kremlin policy.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Former ambassadors want US and EU officials &#8220;visibly monitor(ing)&#8221; Kiev streets.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Who gives them the right to dictate Ukraine policy? Former ambassadors want them sending Moscow a &#8220;coordinated message.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They want Putin &#8220;caution(ed).&#8221; He &#8220;should understand that rough stuff with Ukraine would cast a shadow over&#8221; February&#8217;s Sochi Winter Olympics.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They endorse hardball Western meddling. They call it the right thing to do. It bears full responsibility for inciting violence.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">At stake is Ukrainian sovereign independence. Former ambassadors want pro-Western governance replacing it.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They want ordinary Ukrainians denied say over their own futures. They want them ruthlessly exploited.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">They want Ukraine&#8217;s resources stolen. They want another Western colony. They want what the vast majority of Ukrainians reject.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Why Times editors gave them feature op-ed space, they&#8217;ll have to explain.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It wasn&#8217;t the first time. It won&#8217;t be the last. It&#8217;s longstanding Times policy. So is supporting wrong over right.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">His new book is titled &#8220;Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.<\/div>\n<div style=\"font-size: 12px; min-height: 14px;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: 19px;\">http:\/\/www.progressiveradionetwork.com\/the-progressive-news-hour<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div><b>Media Scoundrels Target Ukraine<\/b><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>by Stephen Lendman&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They do it in editorials. It&#8217;s in commentaries. It&#8217;s in feature op-eds. More on this below.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Previous articles discussed Ukraine. It&#8217;s under attack. Western dark forces want regime change.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>At stake is its national sovereignty. What&#8217;s ongoing involves weakening and isolating Russia.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Western-sponsored violence continues. It erupted in November. Police showed remarkable restraint. They still do.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Western officials wrongfully blame President Viktor Yanukovych government for street thug violence. So do US media scoundrels.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On January 29, Russia&#8217;s Federation Council (its upper parliamentary house) passed a resolution. It condemned Western interference in internal Ukrainian affairs.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It &#8220;expressed indignation at a number of Western politicians unceremoniously interfering&#8230;and consciously provoking destabilization in the country.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It blamed opposition groups for ongoing violence. It called them part of a &#8220;well-organized campaign to discredit and overthrow the legitimate government.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Pogroms and fire-raising in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities, the storming of an administrative building, aggressive actions against law enforcement officers that have led to deaths and a significant number of injured are occurring with the approval of those who have brought people to the streets,&#8221; it said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It expressed &#8220;confidence that the brotherly Ukrainian people and their leadership will find a way to restore peace in the country.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It&#8217;s nowhere in sight. On January 28, Ukraine&#8217;s parliament repealed its days earlier enacted anti-protest law.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned. Yanukovych accepted his resignation. He signed a decree. It dismissed his other cabinet officials.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He promised other concessions. He appointed a committee to propose constitutional revisions.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It didn&#8217;t help. Protests continue. Violence accompanies them. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov condemned &#8220;fascistic youths.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He warned against external interference. Russia &#8220;stands for a political settlement within the framework of Ukrainian law,&#8221; he said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Street thug &#8220;roughnecks&#8221; prevent it. They control areas around Kiev&#8217;s Independence Square.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Barricades protect them. They occupy government building. They do so in all western regions of Ukraine except one.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>On January 28, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a press conference. He did so following a Brussels-based EU-Russia summit.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;Russia will never interfere in&#8221; internal Ukrainian affairs, he stressed.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;I can only imagine how our European partners would have reacted if amid a crisis, say, in Greece or in Cyprus, our foreign minister had appeared at an anti-European rally and started making calls.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;We believe this is not very good in general, and, taking into consideration certain specifics of relations between Russia and Ukraine, this is simply unacceptable and impossible for us.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Russia will fully honor its bilateral Ukrainian agreements, Putin added. He mentioned what hasn&#8217;t been explained elsewhere.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He cited an unnamed religious leader. He&#8217;s a radical extremist. He called on Ukrainians to rally in Kiev. He preached insurrection.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He urged Yanukovych&#8217;s ouster. He wants his legitimate government replaced. He used racial epithets. He said Russians, Jews and Blacks should be excluded from ruling Ukraine.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>His agenda has no place in civil society, said Putin. It shows what peaceful Ukrainians are up against.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Washington&#8217;s dirty hands are manipulating things. EU officials share blame. Hardball viciousness reflects ongoing policy. It&#8217;s longstanding Western practice.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It&#8217;s ruthlessly exploitive. It operates globally. It harms ordinary people horrifically. Ukrainians supporting Yanukovych&#8217;s government have cause for concern.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>US media scoundrels aren&#8217;t neutral. They blame Yanukovych for street thug violence. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/01\/23\/opinion\/ukrainian-standoff.html\"><span>New York Times<\/span><\/a> editors pointed fingers the wrong way.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They urged Washington to &#8220;make abundantly clear to Mr. Yanukovich and his lieutenants that they will pay a price if they try to use the talks simply to gain time, or if they order a bloody crackdown.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Revoking visas for Ukrainian officials &#8220;was a good start,&#8221; they said. They urged additional measures.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They wrongfully accused Yanukovych of &#8220;undermin(ing) his legitimacy.&#8221; He did so, they said, by rejecting an EU deal.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They claimed it &#8220;could have opened the way to a brighter economic future.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The lied saying so. Western deals are one-way. They&#8217;re all take and no give. They&#8217;re exploitive. They ignore popular interests.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Ukraine dodged a bullet by rejecting what no responsible government would accept.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Not according to Times editors. On January 28, they gave four former US Ukrainian ambassadors feature op-ed space. They gave none to Yanukovych supporters.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>John Herbst heads Washington&#8217;s National Defense University&#8217;s Center for Complex Operations.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>William Green Miller is a Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars senior policy scholar.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Steven Pifer heads the Brookings Institution Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>William Taylor, Jr. is United States Institute of Peace Middle East and Africa vice president.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>All four groups are Western establishment organizations. Their views are slanted. They&#8217;re one-sided. They lack credibility.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>So do former US ambassadors. Rare exceptions prove the rule. They&#8217;re paid to lie. They support policies demanding rejection.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/01\/29\/opinion\/what-the-west-must-do-for-ukraine.html?hpw&amp;rref=opinion\"><span> headlined<\/span><\/a> &#8220;What the West Must Do for Ukraine.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>What&#8217;s responsible was excluded from their commentary. Imperial priorities were featured. International law was ignored.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Things are &#8220;on the verge of spinning out of control,&#8221; they said. They pointed fingers the wrong way.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They blamed &#8220;authoritarian (Yanukovych) policies.&#8221; They lied saying so. They haven&#8217;t abandoned their old ways.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;If the United States and European Union wish to encourage a peaceful resolution, they must use their leverage now,&#8221; they said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Peaceful Ukrainians deplore outside interference. They want dirty hands kept off their country.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Former ambassadors wrongfully accused Yanukovych of &#8220;employ(ing) force.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>He&#8217;s been remarkably restrained. Western governments attack peaceful protesters violently.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They do it consistently. They use brute force. Media scoundrels ignore what demands condemnation.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Yaukovych concessions are &#8220;too little, too late,&#8221; said the ambassadors. He&#8217;s gone way out of his way to be conciliatory.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Opposition thugs respond with more violence. They occupy government buildings.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>If something similar happened in America or EU countries, police and other security forces would intervene forcefully. They&#8217;d do it violently. In some cases perhaps with guns blazing.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Injuries would follow. Maybe deaths. Mass arrests for sure. Media scoundrels would applaud supportively. So would former ambassadors.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They want &#8220;coordinate(d) Western action.&#8221; Doing so ignores fundamental international law.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Nations are prohibited from interfering in the internal affairs of others. Self-defense is the only exception. Not according to former Ukrainian ambassadors.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;United States and European Union officials should make clear to Mr. Yanukovych that he must refrain from the use of force and must negotiate seriously to find a resolution to the crisis.&#8221;&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;That means going beyond his latest proposals. He must offer shared control over state security organs with the opposition.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Imagine if former Russian officials demanded Washington share power with anti-government opposition independent parties.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Imagine public rage. Imagine condemnation. Imagine the harsh response. Imagine media scoundrel editorials and commentaries denouncing unacceptable meddling.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Do what we say, not do, is official US policy. Former ambassadors don&#8217;t forget.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;American and European officials should directly engage Mr. Yanukovych&rsquo;s inner circle and underscore that they need to act now to promote a settlement or face Western visa and financial sanctions,&#8221; they said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>&#8220;American and European officials&#8230;should leave Mr. Yanukovych a way out. He could still order the police to move against demonstrators.&#8221; It would &#8220;hasten his departure from office.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Responsible governments confront lawless insurrections. They&#8217;re not tolerated. They shouldn&#8217;t be.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The alternative is anarchy. The worst of Ukrainian opposition elements aren&#8217;t &#8220;demonstrators.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They&#8217;re Western manipulated provocateurs. They&#8217;re street thugs. They&#8217;re ultranationalists. They&#8217;re fascists. They&#8217;re lawless.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Former ambassadors ignored what demands highlighting. They urged greater Western involvement. &#8220;Brussels needs to maintain a high-level team in Kiev for the duration of the crisis,&#8221; they said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Imagine if Russian officials said Moscow must do something similar in Washington to assure pro-Kremlin policy.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Former ambassadors want US and EU officials &#8220;visibly monitor(ing)&#8221; Kiev streets.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Who gives them the right to dictate Ukraine policy? Former ambassadors want them sending Moscow a &#8220;coordinated message.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They want Putin &#8220;caution(ed).&#8221; He &#8220;should understand that rough stuff with Ukraine would cast a shadow over&#8221; February&#8217;s Sochi Winter Olympics.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They endorse hardball Western meddling. They call it the right thing to do. It bears full responsibility for inciting violence.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>At stake is Ukrainian sovereign independence. Former ambassadors want pro-Western governance replacing it.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They want ordinary Ukrainians denied say over their own futures. They want them ruthlessly exploited.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>They want Ukraine&#8217;s resources stolen. They want another Western colony. They want what the vast majority of Ukrainians reject.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Why Times editors gave them feature op-ed space, they&#8217;ll have to explain.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It wasn&#8217;t the first time. It won&#8217;t be the last. It&#8217;s longstanding Times policy. So is supporting wrong over right.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>His new book is titled &#8220;Banker Occupation: Waging Financial War on Humanity.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>http:\/\/www.claritypress.com\/LendmanII.html<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>It airs Fridays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div>http:\/\/www.progressiveradionetwork.com\/the-progressive-news-hour<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1217,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[461],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-107187","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorials"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1217"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107187\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}