Hidden History of U.S., Ukraine, Russia Relations
The February 24th Russian invasion of Ukraine has rattled the world and has unleashed misery, death and destruction. What prompted Moscow’s attack? From their perspective, the expansion of NATO, a U.S.-led military alliance, up to Russia’s borders threatens their national security interests. It went against assurances given by Washington that that would not happen. Years ago, George Kennan, the much venerated State Department diplomat warned against NATO expansion. With great foresight he said, it “would be the most fateful error of American policy in the entire post-cold-war era. Such a decision may be expected to inflame the nationalistic, anti-Western and militaristic tendencies in Russian opinion; to have an adverse effect on the development of Russian democracy; to restore the atmosphere of the cold war to East-West relations, and to impel Russian foreign policy in directions decidedly not to our liking.”
Speaker
Ray McGovern
Ray McGovern is a former Central Intelligence Agency officer. He was a CIA analyst from 1963 to 1990. In the 1980s he chaired National Intelligence Estimates and prepared The President’s Daily Brief. Today, he is active in the peace and justice movement and works for Tell the Word, a ministry of the inner-city Washington D.C. Church of the Saviour.
Toronto Listener –
I appreciated Ray McGovern’s first-hand account of the US/NATO agenda – at any cost and against the best-informed warnings.
listener in PA –
Thank you for airing Ray McGovern’s excellent history and background on Ukraine and Russia. He filled in a lot of the gaping holes in the media coverage.
listener in WA –
Great to get Ray McGovern on to give the other side of the situation and provide an anecdote to the total narrative control we are getting from the corporate media.
Charlene Newman –
What a revelatory segment this was!
sharon conroy –
I truly wish that Ray McGovern’s talk could be required listening for everyone in the U.S. He knows, from the work he did for many years with the CIA how we got to where things are with Russia and the Ukraine. And, if we don’t pay attention to the history he relates, we’re in bigger trouble than any of us think. I’m 76yrs. old, and it took me many years to realize that it’s not just the Russians that brainwash their citizens, we do too! Yes, what’s happening to the people in the Ukraine is awful, but we’re partially responsible for what’s happening. Let’s have the courage to face that reality and let’s stop putting huge amounts of money into our military/industrial complex to fund what I recall is 800 bases around the world. Instead, let’s focus on actually making our country into the democracy we pretend to be. Let’s improve our educational systems, our medical care, end racist policies, and commit the funds that are necessary to truly limit our carbon emissions, create a green economy, and bring the extraction of fossil fuels to an end. At this point, I’m ashamed of being a citizen of such an imperialist nation! But, as Earl King says in a 1970’s song, which I encourage all to google- “We Can Make a Better World.” The versions by Earl King, James Booker, and Dr. John are all excellent, and as New Orleans natives say- “Music is the Language of New Orleans.”