{"id":109299,"date":"2014-03-03T14:54:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-03T14:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/?guid=547fca9c6303b076f764c3c9bc633461"},"modified":"2014-03-03T14:54:00","modified_gmt":"2014-03-03T14:54:00","slug":"the-stench-of-hypocrisy-ukraine-and-the-wests-selective-morality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/editorials\/the-stench-of-hypocrisy-ukraine-and-the-wests-selective-morality\/","title":{"rendered":"The Stench Of Hypocrisy: Ukraine And The West&#8217;s Selective Morality"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"ltr\" style=\"text-align: left;\" trbidi=\"on\">\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background: white; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;\">\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"separator\" style=\"clear: both; text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rl8mddERzr0\/UxSZBS_JlZI\/AAAAAAAAFMw\/6jz6O8y18G8\/s1600\/36b2414d22654d7c8301b2d0b2681dff.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\" style=\"clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rl8mddERzr0\/UxSZBS_JlZI\/AAAAAAAAFMw\/6jz6O8y18G8\/s1600\/36b2414d22654d7c8301b2d0b2681dff.gif\" height=\"256\" width=\"400\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Global Research and Countercurrents 3\/2\/2014<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background: white; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">The propaganda strategy is always the same. We saw it with Gaddafi and <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Libya<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">, Assad and <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Syria<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">, Saddam and <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Iraq<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">, Milosevic and <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Serbia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">, and now we are witnessing it again, this time with Putin and <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">. With banner headlines in the Western mainstream press claiming that <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> has \u2018invaded\u2019 <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> and that Putin is intent on clamping down on democracy and extending his \u2018empire\u2019, the ongoing demonisation of <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> is reaching new heights. The Western corporate media is once again acting as prime cheerleader for Pentagon and White House policies.<\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Claims about Russian aggression and violations are coming from the mouths of Western officials and are presented as fact by much of the corporate media. There is little or no mention of the West\u2019s role of fomenting the coup that has put ultra nationalists into power in <\/span><st1:city><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Kiev<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:city><span style=\"color: #222222;\">, which is misleadingly presented as a spontaneous democratic uprising, when it was anything but. How convenient for the media not to mention the billions spent by the <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">US<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> in promoting agitation and instability (1). How convenient to ignore the fact that what is happening in <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> has involved a carefully thought out strategy to destabilize that country with the ultimate aim of targeting <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> (2). And how convenient to seldom mention the fact that neo-Nazis in <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> have overthrown a democratically elected leader, regardless of how bad he may have been.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations have attacked <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">&#8216;s&nbsp;&#8220;clear violation&#8221; of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. A joint statement released by the&nbsp;leaders of the US,&nbsp;Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan&nbsp; and the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission says they are &nbsp;suspending preparations for the upcoming Group of Eight (G8) summit in the Russian city of Sochi.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">These leaders said that <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> should address security or human-rights concerns it has with <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> through &#8220;direct negotiations and\/or via international observation or mediation under the auspices of the UN or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in <\/span><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Europe<\/span><\/st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">&#8221; and stated that &#8220;We stand ready to assist with these efforts.&#8221;<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> says it retains right to protect its interests and Russian speakers living in <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">. With claims by US officials that <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> has moved 6,000 airborne and ground troops into the Crimean peninsula, the G7 leaders called on all parties to behave with the greatest extent of self-restraint and responsibility.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Their statement says:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<blockquote class=\"tr_bq\" style=\"background: white;\"><p><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\">&#8220;We are united in supporting <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\">&#8216;s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its right to choose its own future\u2026 We commit ourselves to support <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\"> in its efforts to restore unity, stability, and political and economic health to the country.&#8221;<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"background: white;\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\"><br \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly told Russian President Vladimir Putin that&nbsp;<\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">&nbsp;has broke international law with its intervention in&nbsp;<\/span><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Crimea<\/span><\/st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">.&nbsp;US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has called for a diplomatic approach to resolve what he described as a &#8220;dangerous situation&#8221; in&nbsp;<\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">.&nbsp;NATO has condemned <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">&#8216;s &#8220;military escalation&#8221; in <\/span><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Crimea<\/span><\/st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">and expressed &#8220;grave concern&#8221; regarding the authorization by the Russian Parliament to use armed forces on the <\/span><st1:place><st1:placetype><span style=\"color: #222222;\">territory<\/span><\/st1:placetype><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> of <\/span><st1:placename><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:placename><\/st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">A statement released by NATO says:<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<blockquote class=\"tr_bq\" style=\"background: white;\"><p><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\">&#8220;Military action against <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\"> by forces of the <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\">Russian Federation<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\"> is a breach of international law and contravenes the principles of the NATO-Russia Council and the Partnership for Peace.&#8221;<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div class=\"MsoNormal\" style=\"background: white;\"><span lang=\"EN-GB\" style=\"color: #222222;\"><br \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen accused <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> of &#8220;threatening peace and security in <\/span><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Europe<\/span><\/st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">.&#8221; He says that what <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> is doing now in <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Ukraine<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> violates the principles of the United Nations&nbsp;Charter and that <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> must stop its military activities and its threats.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">With so much talk of Russia creating a dangerous situation, of violating international laws and principles, of escalating the situation, of invading a sovereign state and of the Western powers wanting to \u2018assist\u2019 in restoring stability, unity and political and economic health to Ukraine, it might be easy to get swept along in the tide of mock concern and selective morality.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">All the things the West is accusing Russia of doing it has done time and again by direct, illegal military attacks on Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq; by funding proxy armies in the former Yugoslavia, Syria and in Africa; and by destabilizing countries across the globe from Venezuela and Iran to Ukraine.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Who in their right mind would allow the <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">US<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> to \u2018assist\u2019 in restoring stability, unity and political and economic health? It has set out to do destabilize, divide and cripple <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Libya<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">, <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Syria<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> and <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Iraq<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> by military means and continues to terrorize civilian populations with drone attacks in <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Pakistan<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> and <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Afghanistan<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\">. It has been responsible for millions of deaths as a result of its military escapes. Time and again, the US-led alliance has violated international laws and demonstrated no respect whatsoever for any notion of national sovereignty or territorial integrity with its invasions as well as its illegal mass surveillance courtesy of the NSA and Britain\u2019s GCHQ. &nbsp;<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">NATO\u2019s Secretary General talks about <\/span><st1:country-region><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Russia<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:country-region><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> threatening peace and security and violating the UN Charter. Washington and NATO have become the biggest threat to world peace of all and in recent years the biggest violators of UN principles.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">As <\/span><st1:state><st1:place><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Washington<\/span><\/st1:place><\/st1:state><span style=\"color: #222222;\"> continues to embark on a quest for global domination (aka the Project for a New American Century) and as it continues its war on working people across the planet via its wealth-plundering \u2018globalisation\u2019 agenda (3) or any nation that challenges its interests, it enslaves us all. It plunges us ever closer to nuclear confrontation (4). The stench of hypocrisy is palpable.<o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt;\"><b><span style=\"color: #222222;\">Notes<\/span><\/b><span style=\"color: #222222;\"><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.asiantribune.com\/node\/70986\" ><span style=\"color: #1155cc;\">http:\/\/www.<wbr><\/wbr>asiantribune.com\/node\/70986<\/span><\/a><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.globalresearch.ca\/washington-destabilizes-ukraine\/5367744\" ><span style=\"color: #1155cc;\">http:\/\/www.<wbr><\/wbr>globalresearch.ca\/washington-<wbr><\/wbr>destabilizes-ukraine\/5367744<\/span><\/a><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/Story\/story\/print?guid=B92BB75C-03E4-11E1-B7EF-002128040CF6\" ><span style=\"color: #1155cc;\">http:\/\/www.<wbr><\/wbr>marketwatch.com\/Story\/story\/<wbr><\/wbr>print?guid=B92BB75C-03E4-11E1-<wbr><\/wbr>B7EF-002128040CF6<\/span><\/a><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 36pt;\"><span style=\"color: #222222;\">4)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.paulcraigroberts.org\/2014\/02\/20\/ukraine-drifting-toward-civil-war-great-power-confrontation\/\" ><span style=\"color: #1155cc;\">http:\/\/www.<wbr><\/wbr>paulcraigroberts.org\/2014\/02\/<wbr><\/wbr>20\/ukraine-drifting-toward-<wbr><\/wbr>civil-war-great-power-<wbr><\/wbr>confrontation\/<\/span><\/a><o:p><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt 18pt;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"ltr\" trbidi=\"on\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rl8mddERzr0\/UxSZBS_JlZI\/AAAAAAAAFMw\/6jz6O8y18G8\/s1600\/36b2414d22654d7c8301b2d0b2681dff.gif\" imageanchor=\"1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" border=\"0\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/-rl8mddERzr0\/UxSZBS_JlZI\/AAAAAAAAFMw\/6jz6O8y18G8\/s1600\/36b2414d22654d7c8301b2d0b2681dff.gif\" height=\"256\" width=\"400\"><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span>Global Research and Countercurrents 3\/2\/2014<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>The propaganda strategy is always the same. We saw it with Gaddafi and <\/span><country-region><place><span>Libya<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>, Assad and <\/span><country-region><place><span>Syria<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>, Saddam and <\/span><country-region><place><span>Iraq<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>, Milosevic and <\/span><country-region><place><span>Serbia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>, and now we are witnessing it again, this time with Putin and <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>. With banner headlines in the Western mainstream press claiming that <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> has &lsquo;invaded&rsquo; <\/span><country-region><place><span>Ukraine<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> and that Putin is intent on clamping down on democracy and extending his &lsquo;empire&rsquo;, the ongoing demonisation of <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> is reaching new heights. The Western corporate media is once again acting as prime cheerleader for Pentagon and White House policies.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>Claims about Russian aggression and violations are coming from the mouths of Western officials and are presented as fact by much of the corporate media. There is little or no mention of the West&rsquo;s role of fomenting the coup that has put ultra nationalists into power in <\/span><city><place><span>Kiev<\/span><\/place><\/city><span>, which is misleadingly presented as a spontaneous democratic uprising, when it was anything but. How convenient for the media not to mention the billions spent by the <\/span><country-region><place><span>US<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> in promoting agitation and instability (1). How convenient to ignore the fact that what is happening in <\/span><country-region><place><span>Ukraine<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> has involved a carefully thought out strategy to destabilize that country with the ultimate aim of targeting <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> (2). And how convenient to seldom mention the fact that neo-Nazis in <\/span><country-region><place><span>Ukraine<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> have overthrown a democratically elected leader, regardless of how bad he may have been.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations have attacked <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>&#8216;s&nbsp;&#8220;clear violation&#8221; of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity. A joint statement released by the&nbsp;leaders of the US,&nbsp;Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan&nbsp; and the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission says they are &nbsp;suspending preparations for the upcoming Group of Eight (G8) summit in the Russian city of Sochi.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>These leaders said that <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> should address security or human-rights concerns it has with <\/span><country-region><place><span>Ukraine<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> through &#8220;direct negotiations and\/or via international observation or mediation under the auspices of the UN or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in <\/span><place><span>Europe<\/span><\/place><span>&#8221; and stated that &#8220;We stand ready to assist with these efforts.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> says it retains right to protect its interests and Russian speakers living in <\/span><country-region><place><span>Ukraine<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>. With claims by US officials that <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> has moved 6,000 airborne and ground troops into the Crimean peninsula, the G7 leaders called on all parties to behave with the greatest extent of self-restraint and responsibility.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>Their statement says:<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">&#8220;We are united in supporting <\/span><country-region><place><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Ukraine<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span lang=\"EN-GB\">&#8216;s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and its right to choose its own future&hellip; We commit ourselves to support <\/span><country-region><place><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Ukraine<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span lang=\"EN-GB\"> in its efforts to restore unity, stability, and political and economic health to the country.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div><span lang=\"EN-GB\"><br \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly told Russian President Vladimir Putin that&nbsp;<\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>&nbsp;has broke international law with its intervention in&nbsp;<\/span><place><span>Crimea<\/span><\/place><span>.&nbsp;US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has called for a diplomatic approach to resolve what he described as a &#8220;dangerous situation&#8221; in&nbsp;<\/span><country-region><place><span>Ukraine<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>.&nbsp;NATO has condemned <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>&#8216;s &#8220;military escalation&#8221; in <\/span><place><span>Crimea<\/span><\/place><span>and expressed &#8220;grave concern&#8221; regarding the authorization by the Russian Parliament to use armed forces on the <\/span><place><placetype><span>territory<\/span><\/placetype><span> of <\/span><placename><span>Ukraine<\/span><\/placename><\/place><span>.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>A statement released by NATO says:<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><span lang=\"EN-GB\">&#8220;Military action against <\/span><country-region><place><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Ukraine<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span lang=\"EN-GB\"> by forces of the <\/span><country-region><place><span lang=\"EN-GB\">Russian Federation<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span lang=\"EN-GB\"> is a breach of international law and contravenes the principles of the NATO-Russia Council and the Partnership for Peace.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div><span lang=\"EN-GB\"><br \/><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen accused <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> of &#8220;threatening peace and security in <\/span><place><span>Europe<\/span><\/place><span>.&#8221; He says that what <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> is doing now in <\/span><country-region><place><span>Ukraine<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> violates the principles of the United Nations&nbsp;Charter and that <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> must stop its military activities and its threats.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>With so much talk of Russia creating a dangerous situation, of violating international laws and principles, of escalating the situation, of invading a sovereign state and of the Western powers wanting to &lsquo;assist&rsquo; in restoring stability, unity and political and economic health to Ukraine, it might be easy to get swept along in the tide of mock concern and selective morality.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>All the things the West is accusing Russia of doing it has done time and again by direct, illegal military attacks on Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq; by funding proxy armies in the former Yugoslavia, Syria and in Africa; and by destabilizing countries across the globe from Venezuela and Iran to Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>Who in their right mind would allow the <\/span><country-region><place><span>US<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> to &lsquo;assist&rsquo; in restoring stability, unity and political and economic health? It has set out to do destabilize, divide and cripple <\/span><country-region><place><span>Libya<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>, <\/span><country-region><place><span>Syria<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> and <\/span><country-region><place><span>Iraq<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> by military means and continues to terrorize civilian populations with drone attacks in <\/span><country-region><place><span>Pakistan<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> and <\/span><country-region><place><span>Afghanistan<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span>. It has been responsible for millions of deaths as a result of its military escapes. Time and again, the US-led alliance has violated international laws and demonstrated no respect whatsoever for any notion of national sovereignty or territorial integrity with its invasions as well as its illegal mass surveillance courtesy of the NSA and Britain&rsquo;s GCHQ. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>NATO&rsquo;s Secretary General talks about <\/span><country-region><place><span>Russia<\/span><\/place><\/country-region><span> threatening peace and security and violating the UN Charter. Washington and NATO have become the biggest threat to world peace of all and in recent years the biggest violators of UN principles.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>As <\/span><state><place><span>Washington<\/span><\/place><\/state><span> continues to embark on a quest for global domination (aka the Project for a New American Century) and as it continues its war on working people across the planet via its wealth-plundering &lsquo;globalisation&rsquo; agenda (3) or any nation that challenges its interests, it enslaves us all. It plunges us ever closer to nuclear confrontation (4). The stench of hypocrisy is palpable.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><b><span>Notes<\/span><\/b><span><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.asiantribune.com\/node\/70986\" target=\"_blank\"><span>http:\/\/www.<wbr><\/wbr>asiantribune.com\/node\/70986<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.globalresearch.ca\/washington-destabilizes-ukraine\/5367744\" target=\"_blank\"><span>http:\/\/www.<wbr><\/wbr>globalresearch.ca\/washington-<wbr><\/wbr>destabilizes-ukraine\/5367744<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/Story\/story\/print?guid=B92BB75C-03E4-11E1-B7EF-002128040CF6\" target=\"_blank\"><span>http:\/\/www.<wbr><\/wbr>marketwatch.com\/Story\/story\/<wbr><\/wbr>print?guid=B92BB75C-03E4-11E1-<wbr><\/wbr>B7EF-002128040CF6<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><span>4)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.paulcraigroberts.org\/2014\/02\/20\/ukraine-drifting-toward-civil-war-great-power-confrontation\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span>http:\/\/www.<wbr><\/wbr>paulcraigroberts.org\/2014\/02\/<wbr><\/wbr>20\/ukraine-drifting-toward-<wbr><\/wbr>civil-war-great-power-<wbr><\/wbr>confrontation\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[461],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-109299","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\/109299","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\/1214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109299\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rinf.com\/alt-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}