On Russia and the Ukraine

Douglas Murray's War Talk

Douglas Murray recently asked the question “what makes the right so unattractive?” Mr. Murray in recent times has been a sensible self-critique against the political right’s too dogmatic religious nature, their assault on institutions, their chauvinism, their obsessions with race and IQ, their antisemitism, and the cult-like following behind Donald Trump, but unfortunately he misses their most unattractive feature.

The right wing in Britain and America in particular’s love for violence and war.

The irony was not lost on Mr. Murray when his column in the Sun came out titled" “War is increasingly likely, with Putin amassing troops and relishing the sight of a weak President Biden”.

“His massing of troops on Ukraine’s borders is, of course, not about any genuine fear on his part.

It is part of a desire to strengthen his position domestically by once again taking what he believes to be his.”

These lines read more like propaganda piece than someone with a sensible understanding of the situation. Mr. Murray gives no historical context, no mention of the Russian perspective of encroachment, no mention of the US orchestrated coup d'état in 2014 and the deep ties between that government and the disgusting neo nazi movements that infiltrated its ranks.

I cannot help but think that we are being sold the same old wartime propaganda again. Are the Ukrainians the democratic freedom fighters who stood bravely against Sadam Hussein and then turned around to later divide the country on sectarian lines? Is Russia’s supposed False Flag Operation going to be comparable to the BBC’s misrepresented findings of the OPCW report on Asaad’s use of Chemical Weapons in Douma? Will it be Tony Blair’s Dodgy Dossier that supposedly showed evidence of Weapons of Mass Destruction? Or maybe we are we dealing with the Contras who Ronald Reagan’s deemed the “moral equal to our founding fathers”, with actions that included a distinct pattern" of murders, kidnappings, assaults and torture of civilians”?

I do not proclaim to be an expert in international affairs, but a basic assessment of the facts tell me that neither are the warmongeries who recently escalated their rhetoric against Russia. Neither am I a supporter of Russia’s authoritarian regime, but I am sure that I will be accused as one for pointing out that more tensions in the Ukraine is unnecessary and stupid.

My relationship with Russian dissidents is quite personal as Russian friends attended my wedding and my wife and I have been invited to the Baptisms of their Children. I can assure you that educated Russians have nothing but distaste for how Mr. Putin has managed their country into the ground and the everyday corruption that is the norm in their society. But, they are just as concerned that a new war starts between Russia and the West that neither of us can afford.

What I object to is that in the European and Anglo Saxon Press there is a one sided talk of the Russian Boogeyman and the same tireless propaganda that we saw during the Wars of Terror and other wars. Our side is just, their side is wrong. When we place weapons on the borders it is “defensive” and if they do it is “offensive”.

The tragedy is that that there are informed voices on the Ukrainian issue that come from all over the political divide and they aren’t seen in the middle of all the war talk. On the conservative side there is Peter Hitchens who worked as an journalist in the Soviet Union. Mr. Hitchens has written a series articles on the situation with Ukraine and a very informative one on Crimea in particular. Then there is the American Scott Horton’s AntiWar.com who last week pointed out that only 1 in 6 of American Soldiers would want to be involved in a Russian-Ukraine War.

On the political left, there is Simon Jenkins in the Guardian who rightfully accuses Boris Johnson of fabricating a war with Russia as a distraction from the failures of the pandemic policies. Furthermore there is the World Socialist Web Site and the Grayzone who warns respectively against the dangerous rhetoric of the German Government and the USA War Lobby’s push for war. Lastly, there is Noam Chomsky’s who I have always respected for speaking out against his own country’s militarism and war crimes - despite having major disagreements with him on vaccine mandates.

If you don’t have time to read any of the above authors then at least read one article in the Nation by Anatol Lieven that argues that the most dangerous problem in the world in principle has a solution, the Minsk Protocol that was drawn up by France, Germany, Russia, the Ukraine the EU and endorsed by the USA as well as the UN Security Council.

Yet perhaps the most tragic aspect of the seemingly unending Donbas dispute is that, while it may be one of the most dangerous crises in the world today, it is also in principle the most easily solved. A solution exists that was drawn up by France, Germany, Russia, and Ukraine and endorsed by the US, the European Union, and the United Nations. This solution corresponds to democratic practice, international law and tradition, and America’s own past approach to the settlement of ethnic and separatist conflicts. Moreover, it requires no concessions of real substance by either Ukraine or the US.

All that we need to do is to insist that our governments put pressure on Russia and Ukraine to apply the already existing agreements.

If the right wants to be attractive Mr. Murray, then start taking a stand against wars and work towards diplomacy.