As the proxy war between the the USA and Russia continues in the Ukraine, I am still left wondering “What is the real motive for this war.” It is all too easy to believe the propaganda put out by the US State Department such as the interview that follows with the US Ambassador to the Ukraine. According to this narrative, it is all about freedom, peace, justice, and equality for the world.
Perhaps, I am simply a cynic at heart or perhaps it is due to my 76 years of experience with similar protestations when it came to wars and military efforts elsewhere such as in Vietnam, Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, Syria, and Afghanistan. Efforts that beg many questions.
Are we really fighting for peace, freedom, and democracy in the world? Should we be fighting for these values? Are we consistent in our values or are we simply USA Hypocrites? Is America the Good Guy and Russia the Bad Guy? Am I being “Unpatriotic?”
Read the following interview and let me know what you think.
VOA Interview: US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink – June 18, 2022
Brink: I might put it a little different way. I think those of us who are such strong supporters within the U.S. government, within the American population, for Ukraine, support Ukraine because we see, or we think we see, and understand the future that Ukrainians want. And that is a future where Ukraine is free, independent, prosperous, sovereign and gets to decide its own future. To us, as Americans, it really appeals to also who we are. So, what I would hope, what I plan to do and what we are doing is supporting Ukraine in this immediate task of prevailing in its effort to defend itself that is crucially important. I think everybody would agree. And I think the government here and the people here would agree that another important task is and will be and will remain the reform effort, which will secure Ukraine for a future for Ukrainian children and their children.
VOA: And this war is not only about Ukraine. Ukraine is fighting for a bigger goal, for democracy. Is Ukraine fighting for European values as well? If Ukraine fell, what could be the consequences?
Brink: Well, Ukraine won’t fail, and we will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. And as I mentioned, this is obviously very important to Ukraine, and it’s also really important to European security. It’s really important to America, because, as President Biden has said, it’s both morally outrageous what has happened, this unprovoked, unjustified attack on a sovereign nation. But it also is in America’s vital interest to have peace and security in Europe. So, this is something that has repercussions that go well beyond Ukraine. And for this reason, we all understand very much what’s at stake. And that’s why we’re here to help Ukraine prevail.
For the full interview click on the link below:
https://www.voanews.com/a/voa-interview-us-ambassador-to-ukraine-brink/6623182.html
I appreciate any comments that you have time to post. Thank you for considering these questions.
Aging Capriciously 
Sep 21, 2022 @ 10:10:06
It’s refreshing to read your questions John. For me there’s far too many people simply taking reports as facts rather than the ‘heresay’ they originated from.
Perhaps I should say now that I’m against all wars, they are never the answer in my opinion. So Putin was wrong to invade Ukraine but I can see ( from my very limited knowledge ) that he would be feeling threatened by the West and their encouragement of Ukraine to join NATO giving the potential of western troops on Russian borders. Especially since, in Putin’s mind Ukraine was part of Russia, which historically it had been for hundreds of years, having only been independent since the recent break up of the Soviet Union. So perhaps trying to understand where Putin is coming from rather than antagonising him further would help. Unlike the senseless, ridiculing journalists we have here in the UK, one particularly comes to mind, who seems to think it’s one big joke and gets much support, mainly from those who like a laugh, by using a hashtag #VPDFO ( Vladimir Putin Do Fuck Off ) on most of his tweets. It’s dangerous and stupid.
Whilst I’m here I also would like to highlight the difference in how we ( the West ) responded to taking in refugees. We weren’t that fussed in taking in Syrian refugees were we?! Yes, I know Ukraine is in Europe and nearer but nevertheless!!
And, talk about Putin invading Ukraine, what about the West in Iraq and Afghanistan?!
What hypocrisy!!
Still two ( or three) wrongs don’t make a right!
And b r e a t h e ……
🙂
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Sep 21, 2022 @ 12:32:47
Thanks Margaret for your thoughts on this. I lean your way. I am not sure why negotiations are not taking place. I sense another agenda here that is really the reason we are over there with support. Somehow there is a money trail as it always is the main reason for stupidity.
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Sep 21, 2022 @ 11:11:45
Hmm. What makes you say that the invasion of the Ukraine by Putin is a proxy way between Russia and the U.S.? Where does Europe fit in this analysis? Ukraine – and Russia – is at Europe’s borders. The European countries – and the UK – are all working hard, and absorbing enormous challenges of refugees and energy shortages as a result, in vigorous support of Ukraine’s legally acknowledged sovereignty and protection of their democracy. All the NATO countries are sending weapons in strong support of their neighbour. The U.S. is not sending their soldiers to the battlefield, not at all like in Vietnam. Trump would certainly support the position you raise, bringing back isolationist policies, not to mention supporting Russia.
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Sep 21, 2022 @ 12:29:33
Thanks Jane for your perspective. Many have called this another proxy war. “Russia Is Right: The U.S. Is Waging a Proxy War in Ukraine
Analysis by Hal Brands | Bloomberg – May 10, 2022 at 1:55 p.m. EDT,” “The U.S. Has Its Own Agenda Against Russia
Ukraine is ground zero for the expansion of the U.S.-Russia proxy war.” Many others have made this claim as well. All of the NATO countries also supported our war in Iraq and many supported our war in Vietnam and Afghanistan.” “How else was the Cold War fought? Over more than four decades of Cold War, the U.S. and Soviet Union waged multiple proxy wars across the globe. In the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and other armed conflicts, the superpowers funded opposing sides or fought directly against communist or capitalist militias.” — https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/cold-war
It is one thing to be an isolationist, it is another thing to be the world’s policeman. May be Canada should take on the role and send billions of dollars to Ukraine. John
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Sep 21, 2022 @ 15:50:16
If the U.S. wants to stay out of being part of making the world a better place, then why is Nancy Pelosi stirring the pot by going to Taiwan and now Armenia? Why do U.S. politicians continue to take enormous donations from gun manufacturers that sell all the guns to the Mexican gangs? I wouldn’t say most of the actions you’re listing are particularly moral examples of acting as the world’s policeman. Most of it is self-interest alone, along with the arms industry selling huge amounts of weapons to countries using them for known egregious uses. I’d say the totally unwarranted invasion of Ukraine by Putin is one of a very few examples of doing the right thing for the right reason. And it is not a question of the European countries just following in the U.S. footsteps, they’re walking in their own footsteps in this situation. Putin is threatening every European country on “his” border. Enough from me. My blood boils just thinking about the horrors inflicted on countless millions of ordinary people’s lives by the self-serving actions of power-grabbing rulers.
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Sep 22, 2022 @ 07:37:29
I agree with every thing you have said above Jane except for your conclusion that we are doing the right thing in the Ukraine. If you dig deeper, I think you will find that the good here is not that simple. There are hundreds of years of conflict between the Ukraine and Russia and it is arrogant for the USA to be involved here. When no good reason can be found, one must follow the money or power trail. I think that is involved here and it will come out when the dog and pony US media gives way to more balanced investigations of what is happening. It may take a few years but the real motives will come out. John
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Sep 22, 2022 @ 08:01:39
John, for non-American “westerners” it’s not about America, it’s about being there for Ukrainians … or Latvians, Estonians, Lithuanians, Finns, etc. when Putin – and Putin alone – decides he’d like to have the Russian Empire back again. NATO didn’t “follow” the Americans in sending all the support they can or in taking in literally millions of refugees after taking in huge numbers of Syrian refugees. They didn’t “follow” America in putting in sanctions. There is every difference between this situation and, say, Iraq or Vietnam, where a few U.S. allies did follow the U.S. into those questionable wars. Wars where American soldiers and bombers WERE in those countries. Those were offensive actions, not defensive. Not the same situation at all. Canada happens to have the largest Ukrainian population in the world after Ukraine and Russia, with 1.4M people of Ukrainian decent out of our popln of 38M. We are supporting Ukrainians’ right to exist. Enough said.
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Sep 22, 2022 @ 17:21:14
Jane, Try reading any of the following by Alfred de. Zayas for a different narrative on the Ukrainian War. Perhaps these will give you a different perspective.
Alfred de Zayas on Twitter: “Ukrainian Presidents Poroshenko …https://twitter.com › alfreddezayas › status
Ukrainian Presidents Poroshenko and Zelinsky systematically undermined and violated the Minsk agreements for a period of 8 years.
Alfred de Zayas on Twitter: “The war in Ukraine can and must …https://twitter.com › Alfreddezayas › status
Jul 9, 2022 — The war in Ukraine can and must be stopped. This requires a grasp of today’s political and economic realities, which apparently neither …
US liable for the crises in Ukraine, says De Zayas, int’l law profhttps://africachinapresscentre.org › Politics
Feb 26, 2022 — A US professor of International law, Mr. Alfred De Zayas has blamed the crisis in the Balkans that later escalated to a war between Russia …
Dr. Michael Hudson: https://michael-hudson.com/category/articles/ American Diplomacy as a Tragic Drama
Appreciate your present perspective but it is one that I hear many times from my fellow Americans. The news does not provide the whole story. John
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Sep 22, 2022 @ 08:14:51
Whoops, that should have been ‘descent’, not ‘decent’!
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Sep 22, 2022 @ 17:23:07
I have no doubt that the average Ukrainian person is decent. 🙂 John
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Sep 21, 2022 @ 19:18:33
Ah yes I see your points here John but why did the US decide to become the worlds police force?
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Sep 22, 2022 @ 07:40:28
It is not for altruism Wayne, I can guarantee you that. All of our war efforts are designed for one purpose, either to enhance our power in the world, which translates to economic advantage or because of a flawed belief that every country in the world should be a Capitalistic Democracy just like us/ .
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Sep 21, 2022 @ 12:13:11
I think its obvious that if your government lied to you in all those other instances (Vietnam, Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan, Iraq, Libya, Kuwait, Syria, and Afghanistan) then it is lying to you now. This is not about freedom and democracy for Ukraine any more than it was about freedom and democracy in all those other places. You are not being unpatriotic by questioning what your government tells you – we all know that governments lie all the time! USA is being hypocritical and US citizens need to see that. If your government was interested in Ukrainian children, they would not be sending weapons to Ukraine but trying to diplomatically end the conflict. This is so obvious to me that I cant understand why Americans don’t see it. But maybe it is because I am not an American who has been told all my life that my country is the defender of freedom and democracy even while it bombs and leaves other countries in ruins.
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Sep 21, 2022 @ 12:20:21
Thanks Alice for taking the time to reply. I am in accord with your thoughts and feelings but feel out of touch with many friends and other Americans. John
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Sep 21, 2022 @ 12:42:39
Good questions, John. I don’t know the answer. History suggests it is not as simple as the ‘Putin aggression’ story of Western Propaganda, but basically we’re stuck with that. Why isn’t there a peace process, led by the UN? Who knows…
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Sep 21, 2022 @ 19:14:30
I just read/listened to the full interview and was totally flummoxed by her answers! Obviously her 25 years of service has honed her quite well to basically say nothing. It seems quite idiotic to say Ukraine won’t fail as it certainly can in reality. We the West may at some point have to face the fact that Russia may prevail if we only provide war/battlefield hardware. I certainly commend the Ukrainians for their resistance, especially the recent push back, but, on paper at least, Russia is in a better position to outlast Ukraine.
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Sep 22, 2022 @ 07:55:20
Wayne, Our State Department is full of career politicians who represent an elite in the USA that is a cartel of sorts. Antony Blinken is an American government official and diplomat serving as the United States Secretary …
Net Worth: $65 Million
Salary: $305,000 USD
Monthly Income: $580,000 USD
The role that our state department plays is to protect capitalism. These officials are born to the silver spoon and capitalism is mom, god and apple pie to them. IMHO John
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Sep 23, 2022 @ 14:49:37
Vladimir Putin has a goal of re-establishing a Soviet-style empire. Ukraine is merely his first step and if he had, as he thought he would, simply made an initial attack and taken over, he would have moved on to another nation … possibly Poland. I think he must be stopped at all costs, and I think Ukraine deserves its independence.
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Oct 06, 2022 @ 23:18:55
Hi Jill, sounds too much like the reasoning we used in the Vietnam War called the “Domino” effect. You need to have evidence and not suspicions or hunches to portray a scenario like Hitler did in Europe. The past cannot predict the future. IMHO. John
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Oct 07, 2022 @ 13:24:00
Putin’s own words are the evidence. No, the past cannot predict the future, but as wiser people than me have said many times, if we fail to learn from the lessons of history, we are doomed to repeat them.
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Oct 08, 2022 @ 09:58:50
Janus politicians and their puppets are silent:
USA invaded Syrian illegally, supported and armed terrorist groups against its Asad’s govt. and remains in the NE ‘protecting’ the oil fields
USA invaded Iraq illegally and remains despite widespread demands for it to leave.
Turkey invaded 40km along all of its border with Syria and carries out bombing and/or attacks when it chooses.
Israel has illegally occupied the Golan Heights despite UN resolutions to quit.
Israel regularly bombs Syria after illegally overflying Lebanon
Saudi Arabia started the war on Yemen and bombed when it chose to do so
UAE supported Saudi Arabia and illegally occupies Socotra Island near mouth of Red Sea the property of Yemen.
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