The Selling of the Ukraine War
February 24 marks the first-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moscow’s action is a clear violation of international law. But it was not unprovoked. The NATO military alliance has expanded its bases right up to Russia’s borders. The U.S. and its NATO allies are sending more and more arms to Ukraine. Last week it was Patriot missiles. This week it’s tanks. What will it be next week? Fighter jets? The steady escalation of weaponry is music to the ears of the military-industrial complex. The longer the war goes on the more their cash registers go ka-ching. The continuation of the war is getting a hard sell from the armchair pundits and retired generals and their corporate media enablers. What will it take to stop the war?
Speaker
Medea Benjamin
Medea Benjamin is a renowned peace activist and social justice advocate. Newsday calls her, “one of America’s most committed and most effective fighters for human rights.” She is co-founder of Global Exchange and CODEPINK. She is the recipient of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace Prize from the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Gandhi Peace Award. She is the author of many books including Inside Iran, Kingdom of the Unjust: Behind the U.S.-Saudi Connection and War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless War.
listener in NC –
Medea’s talk is a powerful presentation. Her points are very helpful.
With Dylan’s “God on Our Side” is a perfect close. Reminds me of Howard Zinn’s comment about Gott mit uns
on the belts of the SS.
Thomas Moore –
Medea reminds us that the bloody Ukraine affair endangers the entire planet in three areas, 1) possible Thermonuclear war with an associated nuclear winter, 2) possible breakout into WWIII, and 3) its impacts on Global Climate Chaos.
Medea pointed to Russia’s terrible attack on Ukraine and acknowledges the horrible consequences that get worse by the day. She also points to America’s part in this mess. Even though America’s part provides some explanation, Russia is not forgiven this grievous action. But the bloodshed must stop. Negotiations must take place. Neither Biden nor Blinken nor Austin has met to use diplomatic tools with their Russian counterparts. Now, is the time to sit down with all concerned parties. Talks will not end with the West prevailing, nor Ukraine, NATO, or Russia. But the situation will be less dangerous and better when the shooting stops and Negotiations take place with adversaries.
Mary Gage –
Thank Heaven for a sane analysis of this war. Thank you!
D Weekley –
Garbage. Why the left in America insists on putting everything in the same box I will never understand. The Ukrainian cause for their own freedom from the Russian Mob state is the progressive cause of our day. Have you ever been to Ukraine? They just want to be left alone. It was Ukrainians that wanted to be a part of Europe, the EU, NATO, not some American plot. Want the war to end? So does everyone – except Putin. Tell the Russians to go home, give back Crimea – invaded and stolen- get out of the Donbas and the puppet fake republics of E UA, and PAY for the destruction and crimes you have committed, Russia! Otherwise, I say we fight with the Ukrainians ALL THE WAY, and give them whatever it takes. I am a life long progressive and liberal with no apologies, but this ‘the West brought this on’ is bullshit. Tell that to the people of Ukraine.
Steve Kane –
Thank you Medea for being a voice of reason in the cacophony for war, more war and evermore war. The West, especially the US, was never serious about a peaceful resolution to the Ukrainian civil war – the civil war was a feature not a bug. The Minsk accords, from the West’s perspective, were nothing but a ruse to build up Ukraine for the inevitable Russian attack, as Angela Merkel recently made clear. Now the West is prepared to fight Russia until the last Ukrainian solder is gone. Let me be clear: The Russian invasion of Ukraine was immoral and an unspeakable tragedy for the women and children crushed as a result. However, the West could have peace in Ukraine tomorrow if its unstated goal were not the unconditional surrender and/or destruction of Russia. I think that the rest of the world will soon tire of the US’ myopia and try diplomacy and non-alignment instead, hopefully, before the next fabricated excuse for war gets us all killed.
Jeanne Lenzer –
Truly valuable insights and perspectives. I recently read Henry A. Wallace’s book (he was an extremely progressive vice president of Franklin D. Roosevelt) and his book, Toward World Peace, written toward the end of WWII makes a clear and explicit prediction of everything that is happening today in Ukraine. The issue was alive then and he pointed out that if the west violated agreements not to encroach on the borders of Russia (then the USSR), we should expect violence, just as he predicted that if Russia amassed military forces along the Canadian and Mexican borders, the US would surely react. Some want to blame it all on Putin being a power-hungry madman. This has been a problem in the making since WWII and the US and NATO have broken every agreement. There are no clean hands in this mess and no heroes when it comes to the debacle between Russia and the US and NATO. Not to recognize that is to ignore US actions that led up to this and to deprive us of options that could have prevented this mess and that could still help point to a way out. Medea’s overview of some of the negotiations that were agreed on shows some ways out. Cheers to Medea Benjamin for putting this in perspective. And I highly recommend Wallace’s book. What a surprise that we had a vice president like him.
David Rennke –
I agree with Frank Lingo as well. I am an anti-war liberal but one cannot appease psychpathic agressors like Putin who are lost in their own meglomaniacal vision of reality. Additionally, doing so would give the green light for Xi Jinping to do the same to Taiwan.
Bob Graef –
I agree wholeheartedly with Frank Lingo. Ditto all
NM Listener –
Alternative Radio’s Medea Benjamin program presents a thorough analysis of the Russian/Ukranian war that provides the background and context for listeners to understand how this war has lasted for a year and could linger for many more. She reveals how the failures to negotiate by both Ukraine and the West have fueled this tragic loss of lives in both Ukraine and Russia without excusing Russian aggression.
Canada Listener –
My wife and I both felt Medea’s Ukraine presentation was excellent.
Frank Lingo –
I’m a lifelong leftist, woke AF, and a peace advocate. Yet I don’t accept Medea Benjamin’s premise at all that the War in Ukraine is just another sales job by the military-industrial complex. Putin is trying to resurrect the Russian Empire, and he will sacrifice unlimited lives to do it. There must be strong resistance from the West. NATO’s girding up for the invasion was not a “provocation.” It was simply preparing to defend itself and its allies from Putin’s war-mongering. The reality is that we still have dictators ruling much of the world, and we must maintain military strength to deter them from tyranny.
Richard Berquist –
Outstanding research and insightful presentation. The mainstream media will never allow such comprehensive and honest discussion.
Dr. Patricia Jolie-Zotzmann –
As always this show brings us a completely different, but accurate, perspective on a topic of which we think we are well informed. After listening to the broadcast, clearly the old adage of “Follow the money” is once again the path to understanding.