COALITION OF THE UNWILLING AS THE AMERICAN CONGRESS votes by 411 to 10 to up the cold war anti it is hard to escape the conclusion that it is a response to what is becoming a failed sanctions policy and a deteriorating global economic crisis. The resolution calls on Russia to end its aggression against its neighbours and calls on Obama to provide military assistance to the Kiev government. It also demands that Russia should reverse the annexation of Crimea ignoring the overthrow of the democratically elected President of Ukraine in February this year and the installing of an American puppet regime. The making such impossible demands signals an end to diplomacy on America’s part. The recent mid-term elections, which have seen the Republicans take control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, in effect mean that the US is Republican governed and Obama is a complete lame-duck and captive President. The world could be forgiven for thinking that right-wing Senator John McCain actually won the Presidential election of 2008 rather than suffering a landslide defeat. McCain appeared to become de facto Secretary of State when he stood and addressed the crowds in Kiev and incited them to overthrow the elected President Yanukovych setting in train a civil war with all its unintended consequences. It is clear that many European countries are suffering immense economic damage beyond any effect such sanctions may be inflicting upon Russia and are only applying sanctions as a result of considerable arm-twisting by the US. The Hungarian Prime Minister Orban (actually a centre-right politician) is refusing to damage the interests of Hungary by his willingness to endorse the South Stream gas pipeline, as well as a deal that would see Russian firm Rosatom develop Hungary’s nuclear power. Russia is Hungary’s largest trade partner outside of the EU, with exports worth $3.4 billion in 2013. Hungary desperately needs Russian energy and clearly does not want to sacrifice itself on Ukraine’s altar or fall on its sword for America. Orban has also been highly critical of US and EU sanctions imposed on Russia for what he says is Moscow’s “perceived role” in the conflict in Ukraine. Speaking in August, he said the measures are like “shooting oneself in the foot.” “The sanctions policy pursued by the West, that is, ourselves, a necessary consequence of which, has been what the Russians are doing, causes more harm to us than to Russia,” Prime Minister Orban added. These remarks prompted McCain to call Orban a fascist and exacerbate further the widening relationships between America and those countries who feel they are being forced to damage their own national interest to serve American and NATO expansionist policies. Many EU countries such as Spain, Italy and Greece have become prisoners of the Ukraine debacle and even France and Germany are suffering far more than they care to admit with the sanctions coming right on top of the banker created economic collapse that has taken the Euro zone to edge of destruction. In November President Vladimir Putin said Russia plans to leave the dollar dictatorship of the market and increase the use of the rubble and the yuan in trading with China. Settlements in yuan between China and Russia have increased 800 percent in annual terms between January and September 2014. Payments in the Brazilian real and Uruguayan peso started on Monday as they seek to abandon the strait-jacket of the dollar. If the new mechanism proves to be successful, it can be further expanded to countries such as Paraguay, Bolivia, or Venezuela. Russia, China and Latin American countries are not the only ones interested in ditching the US dollar. The Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) which also includes Belarus and Kazakhstan is planning to create a single market for financial services by 2025 which will simplify switching to dollar-free trading. Earlier this week the Russian State Duma proposed the creation of a single area for payment in national currencies. There is no doubt that Russia is also being damaged economically as a result of sanctions and the considerable drop in oil price in recent weeks but not enough to change Russia’s determination to prevent NATO expansion to its own border with Ukraine. Today’s US Congress resolution is a reaction to America’s waning global power and is not just about Ukraine but also about global economic re-balancing of economic and power relationships which together make the US a very dangerous nation and a threat to world peace. As the sanctions policy fails to bring Russia to its knees over Ukraine, coupled with the ongoing global economic crisis, the aggressive nature of warmongering Republicans and Democrats alike is starting a new cold war between east and west which if unchecked could lead to a catastrophic war of the real kind.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 21:23:25 +0000
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