Why is Putin in Washington’s Crosshairs? - Mike Whitney

[MattSh]

.....

US provocations in Ukraine cannot be understood apart from Washington’s “Pivot to Asia”, which is the broader strategic plan to shift attention from the Middle East to Asia. The so called “re-balancing” is actually a blueprint for controlling China’s growth in a way that is compatible with US hegemonic ambitions. There are different schools of thought about how this can be achieved, but loosely speaking they fall into two categories, “dragon slayers” and “panda huggers”. Dragon slayers favor a strategy of containment while panda huggers favor engagement. As yet, the final shape of the policy has not been decided, but it’s clear from hostilities in the South China Sea and the Senkaku Islands, that the plan will depend heavily on military force.

So what does controlling China have to do with the dust up in Ukraine?

Everything. Washington sees Russia as a growing threat to its plans for regional dominance. The problem is, Moscow has only gotten stronger as it has expanded its network of oil and gas pipelines across Central Asia into Europe. That’s why Washington has decided to use Ukraine is a staging ground for an attack on Russia, because a strong Russia that’s economically integrated with Europe is a threat to US hegemony. Washington wants a weak Russia that won’t challenge US presence in Central Asia or its plan to control vital energy resources.

Currently, Russia provides about 30 percent of Western and Central Europe’s natural gas, 60 percent of which transits Ukraine. People and businesses in Europe depend on Russian gas to heat their homes and run their machinery. The trading relationship between the EU and Russia is mutually-beneficial strengthening both buyer and seller alike. The US gains nothing from the EU-Russia partnership, which is why Washington wants to block Moscow’s access to critical markets. This form of commercial sabotage is an act of war.

.....

It’s all about the pivot to Asia and the future of the empire. This is why the CIA and the US State Department engineered a coup to oust Ukrainian president Viktor Yonuchovych and replace him with a US-stooge who would do Obama’s bidding. This is why the imposter prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, has ordered two “anti-terror: crackdowns on unarmed activists in East Ukraine who oppose the Kiev junta. This is why the Obama administration has avoided engaging Putin in constructive dialog aimed at finding on a peaceful solution to the present crisis. It’s because Obama wants to draw the Kremlin into a protracted civil war that will weaken Russia, discredit Putin, and shift public opinion to the side of the US and NATO. Why would Washington veer from a policy that clearly achieves what it’s supposed to achieve? It won’t.


http://www.counterpunch.org/2014/04/28/why-is-putin-in-washingtons-crosshairs/

[merrily]

1. Whatever the issues, they are not as mass media has been portraying, you can bet on that.

[defacto7]

2. I was going to read the link

until I read the last paragraph of the OP. That's very telling language and rather undermines the credibility of the previous paragraphs... Undermines, not discredits. It sounds interesting, but the last paragraph is misleading, sometimes not factual and sounds as if written by a non-English speaker who has a bone to grind. It's certainly not eloquent journalism to say the least. Oh well.

[MattSh]

3. Well the author, Mike Whitney, is quite popular here on DU.

See for yourself...

https://www.google.com/search?q=mike+whitney&sitesearch=democraticunderground.com

But hey, you can't please every one.

[jeff47]

4. There's plenty of authors who are quite popular on DU

that are pushing nothing but bullshit. For example, we've got a lovely anti-vax contingent. And articles claiming Fukushima would render the Northern hemisphere uninhabitable by now were quite popular.

"Popular" is not a synonym for "accurate".

[joeybee12]

5. Exactly...

Lots of nutjobs linked to here at DU far too often.